Manuel Locatelli believes he was overlooked for Italy's latest squad on technical merits, with the Juventus midfielder now determined to earn a recall.

Locatelli was omitted from coach Roberto Mancini's latest Azzurri squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers with England and Malta this week.

A member of the Italy team that defeated the former in the Euro 2020 final, the 25-year-old won his most recent cap in June against the Three Lions again.

But he will not face them this time around, with the Bianconeri man revealing he did not receive a call from the national team coach to inform him either way.

"I was sad about not being called up to the national team," he told Rai Sport. "I'm being honest. I didn't hear from Mancini."

Locatelli missed Italy's last two squads in September and October, having been injured in the first instance before citing personal reasons for his subsequent absence.

Asked whether he felt his omission was punishment, the midfielder pushed back on the suggestion, citing the belief it came down to Mancini's tactical preference.

"[Was it for] disciplinary reasons? Absolutely not," he added. "I think it was a technical choice. I'll work harder on the pitch to get back there."

Italy host England in Naples on Thursday, before they travel to face Malta three days later, in their first matches since two friendlies in November.

The Azzurri missed out on qualification for last year's World Cup in Qatar, and will be determined to ensure they reach Euro 2024 in order to defend their title.

Liverpool are reportedly the most likely landing spot for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the upcoming transfer window.

Milinkovic-Savic, 28, is in his eighth season at Lazio after arriving from Belgian side Genk ahead of the 2015-16 campaign. He has since racked up 330 appearances and 64 goals in all competitions.

A Serbia international with 39 senior caps, the central midfielder has been named Lazio's Player of the Season two years running but his only silverware to show from his stint in Italy is the 2019 Coppa Italia and a pair of Supercoppa Italiana victories in 2017 and 2019.

Milinkovic-Savic is expected to seek a new home next season at a regular Champions League contender, and compared to other in-demand central midfielders he will reportedly be available for an affordable fee.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL LEAD THE RACE FOR MILINKOVIC-SAVIC

According to Calciomercato, Milinkovic-Savic will be available in the off season for a fee in the range of €50million (£44m).

There is only one more year remaining on his current deal, meaning Lazio would likely be on board with a sale if they cannot agree on an extension.

Liverpool are named as the main club with both the interest and the capabilities to facilitate a deal – having been open about their desire to reinforce their midfield – while he is also a "dream" for Serie A rivals Juventus.

ROUND-UP

– Todo Fichajes are reporting Aston Villa are interested in making a move for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku at the end of the season, as he is not expected to return to Stamford Bridge following his stint at Inter.

– According to Football Insider, Chelsea would like to bring in 23-year-old Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier to compete for the starting job with Kepa Arrizabalaga, and they are said to be more willing to meet the £30m asking price than fellow interested clubs Tottenham and Manchester United.

– United will look to part ways with club captain Harry Maguire and fellow defender Victor Lindelof after the season to make room and raise funds for incoming transfers, per Football Insider.

– Calciomercato are reporting Juventus and Inter are investigating the possibility of adding 32-year-old out-of-favour Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard.

– According to journalist Ekrem Konur, 27-year-old RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner could be heading back to the Premier League next season amid interest from unnamed clubs.

Yeremy Pino and Borja Iglesias have been called up to Spain's squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Scotland.

Pedri and Gerard Moreno withdrew from the squad over the weekend due to injury.

Barcelona star Pedri missed Sunday's crucial Clasico win over Real Madrid after he failed to recover from a hamstring issue, and he will not feature in Luis de la Fuente's first games as Spain boss.

Moreno, meanwhile, suffered a muscular problem during Villarreal's 3-0 LaLiga win over Osasuna.

Winger Pino teed up Villarreal's final goal in that win, and the 20-year-old – who has netted three times in LaLiga this term and was included in Spain's World Cup squad – has been called in.

He is joined by Real Betis forward Iglesias, who returns to the national team after missing out on Luis Enrique's squad for Qatar.

The 30-year-old has scored 12 league goals this season, trailing only Enes Unal (13) and Robert Lewandowski (15).

Spain must try to stop Erling Haaland when they host Norway on Saturday before facing Scotland three days later.

Simone Inzaghi feels Inter were shown a "lack of respect" after a VAR review decided to allow Filip Kostic's controversial winner in a 1-0 defeat to Juventus on Sunday.

Kostic lashed home the decisive goal after 23 minutes at San Siro, though a lengthy VAR check was needed to judge whether the ball had taken a touch off Adrien Rabiot's arm in the build-up.

The goal stood, and Juve went on to earn victory as the Bianconeri moved within nine points of third-placed Inter and seven points of the Champions League places.

It was Inter's third defeat from their last four Serie A outings, and Inzaghi was left fuming by the decision to allow Juve's winner to stand, though he was also proud of the way his players responded to what he felt was an injustice.

"The boys were good in the second half," Inzaghi told reporters in his post-match news conference. "At the end of the first half they saw what we suffered and it's unacceptable.

"Honestly to talk about football it's difficult for me, it was even difficult for me to talk to the team after the first half. We tried to remedy it, despite an unacceptable goal.

"There shouldn't be nervousness, but as far as the second half is concerned, the boys managed to keep calm to try to draw a match clearly spoiled by what happened.

"What happened is too serious. It's a lack of respect, and when I feel there are no images [of the incident], it's all the more so. It took four minutes.

"It's an irregular goal that penalises us, in a delicate moment, a delicate match. Conceding a goal like this is unacceptable."

When asked if he had spoken to referee Daniele Chiffi in hopes of clarification, Inzaghi replied: "No, it was so clear that it didn't seem right to me. There are such clear and glaring images."

The Nerazzurri have now won just one of their last five in all competitions, scoring just three goals across those games.

This latest blunt attacking display saw them muster just three shots on target despite having 69.4 per cent possession.

With the international break meaning Inter do not play again until April 1, Inzaghi is confident his players can use the league's pause to halt their poor run and enjoy a strong end to the season, explaining: "With all the matches we're going to play, I need everyone.

"You played a match that you shouldn't have played and you lost. The team would have deserved another result but this is football."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is unsure if Takehiro Tomiyasu will return from injury this season, though he is hopeful the Gunners will receive more positive news on fellow defender William Saliba.

Tomiyasu and Saliba were both forced out of Arsenal's Europa League last-16 second leg against Sporting CP – which Arteta's men eventually lost on penalties – with injuries on Thursday.

Both men were then absent as Arsenal established an eight-point lead at the Premier League summit on Sunday, thrashing managerless Crystal Palace 4-1 on a weekend when title rivals Manchester City were on FA Cup duty.

Asked after that win whether Tomiyasu's knee injury could rule him out for the rest of the campaign, Arteta said: "We don't know, obviously the doctor is assessing him. 

"We've had one assessment, they need to have another assessment tomorrow, but it's not looking good, that's for sure. 

"Looking at Tomi, he's not someone who exaggerates things. He was really concerned straight away, and we are concerned."

Reports have suggested Saliba may be forced to withdraw from France's squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, but Arteta hopes he will not miss a significant portion of Arsenal's run-in.

Rob Holding made his first start of the Premier League season against Palace, and Arteta says more fringe players will need to step up as the Gunners chase their first title since 2004.

"We hope Willy is going to be better news, but again we have to wait until [Monday] to understand a better picture," he said.

"We have lost players – we lost Gabby [Gabriel Jesus] for four months; we lost Thomas [Partey] for one and a half months; we lost Oleksandr Zinchenko for one and a half months.

"We lost [Mohamed] Elneny for six to eight months; we lost Eddie [Nketiah], and now we lost Tomiyasu and Saliba. Everybody has to give more. 

"It's not a secret, if we want to maintain that level, everyone has to step in, give more, and Rob is a great example of what we needed today."

Xavi described Barcelona's 2-1 win over Clasico rivals Real Madrid as "a very important victory for us" as his team roared 12 points clear at the top of LaLiga.

A first league title since 2018-19 is within Barcelona's grasp now, with a dozen matchdays remaining and no end in sight to their dominance.

A 22nd win from 26 games in this season's championship was hard-earned at Camp Nou, where a freak own goal from Ronald Araujo gave Madrid a ninth-minute lead.

Barcelona's equaliser could hardly have been better timed, coming just before half-time from Sergi Roberto, who was given the nod to start in midfield ahead of Franck Kessie.

That gave Barcelona a huge lift to take into the interval and they struck at the death in the second half too, with substitute Kessie the man to send the home support wild in stoppage time.

Xavi celebrated on the touchline, all too aware of that goal's significance. Barring a staggering implosion over the remaining weeks of the season, Xavi's Barcelona will be champions in his first full season at the helm, dethroning their great rivals from Madrid.

"We dominated, we generated more chances," Xavi said. "I am leaving satisfied. The team emptied itself and worked in defence and attack. It is a very important victory for us. I think we have been good."

He was right about the chances, with Barcelona leading that count 17-11 over the course of the game, and the expected goals final reckoning, measuring the quality of chances and likelihood of scoring, was also firmly in their favour by a margin of 1.64 to 0.58.

Robert Lewandowski missed what was determined to be the best chance of the game, with his volley in the 67th minute flying over Thibaut Courtois' goal. That was given an xG rating of 0.377.

Madrid also had a goal chalked off after Marco Asensio beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the 81st minute but was ruled offside after a VAR check.

"I think we had more control," Xavi said. "I think we have been superior in general."

His team had 54 per cent of possession, having had just 35.2 per cent in their 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey at the start of March.

Sergi Roberto was named man of the match, and the goal justified his selection, with the experienced one-club man trusted for the big occasion. He featured at right-back last week, but with Araujo returning from suspension was handed a role further upfield, with Barcelona packing their midfield.

Former Milan star Kessie proved he can thrive in such a big occasion, too, with his intervention off the bench, and Xavi could hardly have been more delighted.

"I had doubts until the last moment between Sergi and Franck. In the end it turned out very well because they both scored," Xavi said.

Massimiliano Allegri passionately supported referee Daniele Chiffi's decision to award Filip Kostic's controversial winner after Juventus beat Inter 1-0 on Sunday.

Kostic drilled home brilliantly to give Juve the advantage after 23 minutes at San Siro but a lengthy VAR review followed to ascertain whether the ball had hit Adrien Rabiot's arm in the build-up.

However, the goal stood and Allegri's men would not relinquish that lead as Juve triumphed for the sixth time in their last seven Serie A games to move within seven points of the Champions League places.

When questioned on the decision to allow the goal, Allegri was quick to back Chiffi and the VAR's decision to stay with the original verdict.

"Don't make me angry," the Juve head coach told DAZN after the match. "The referee's decisions must be accepted. The decisions go one way or another.

"Let's not make a lot of noise, it wasn't easy for Chiffi to referee. Let's talk about football, not referees.

"I said if VAR is objective, then it is functional, but if it becomes subjective, that is a problem. This tonight is an objective case, we have not made any controversy.

"The less we talk about referees, the more we help them."

Juve completed the double over Inter while keeping a clean sheet in both games for the first time since the 1976-77 campaign, yet Allegri wants his side to be more ruthless going forward.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, the Italian said: "The boys trained well for this. It was a good game, winning in Milan isn't easy and it raises our confidence.

"We had a good match from a technical point of view, we conceded little against a strong and technical team.

"In the second half, however, we had to close it."

Allegri went down the tunnel before the final whistle, missing a fiery ending that saw Danilo D'Ambrosio and Leandro Paredes dismissed after the final whistle for their roles in a post-match confrontation.

Asked why he decided to make an early exit, Allegri told DAZN: "They didn't need me any more at that point.

"I was getting irritated, so rather than get myself booked or sent off, I decided it was best to leave. I left it in their hands, the players knew what they were doing."

Carlo Ancelotti insisted Real Madrid deserved to defeat Barcelona as the Los Blancos coach questioned the late VAR decision to rule out Marco Asensio's' goal in Sunday's 2-1 Clasico loss.

Substitute Asensio thought he had snatched a late winner at Camp Nou, turning home from Dani Carvajal's cross in the 81st minute before a lengthy VAR check adjudged the Spain international to be offside.

Franck Kessie coolly finished past Thibaut Courtois 11 minutes later as Barca grabbed a last-gasp victory to move 12 points clear at the summit of LaLiga.

Ancelotti was unconvinced by the decision to disallow the goal for Asensio, who was deemed to be in front of Jules Kounde, but lauded a resilient Madrid performance on Sunday.

The Italian said to Movistar: "You have to accept [the decision]. But I'm left with doubt. Surely there is nothing. We have the right to have that doubt.

"We played a good game, we deserved to win, it was won. Then there is the question of this goal that was disallowed.

"We tried everything at the end, we lost a bit of balance and they scored. The game was very good, we leave with the confidence that we can finish the season well."

With 12 league games left to play after the international break, and a two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea to follow in April, Ancelotti vowed Madrid will battle until the end.

"We are going to fight for all competitions, to the maximum," he added. "We have to try to play like this again. If we play like this we will win something, for sure."

Defeat to Barca came just four days after the Champions League last-16 victory over Liverpool and Ancelotti suggested Madrid are suffering from a gruelling schedule.

"We have a greater disadvantage than before and it is even more difficult, but we are going to play until the last game," he told reporters at his post-match press conference.

"The plan did not change with the substitutions we made, only the individual characteristics change, such as [yellow] cards, suspensions and fatigue."

Ancelotti also acknowledged Madrid's title charge was hampered by a disappointing return to club action after the mid-season World Cup break.

"January has cost us a lot because after the World Cup it was difficult for us to recover our condition," he continued.

"But we are going to finish the season well. Today the game was good, with a good approach, with good changes."

Thibaut Courtois vowed to continue fighting but acknowledged Real Madrid's LaLiga title hopes may be over after a dramatic defeat at Barcelona on Sunday.

Franck Kessie scored a last-gasp Clasico winner in a 2-1 win over fierce rivals Madrid at Camp Nou to send Xavi's side 12 points clear at the top heading into the international break.

Carlo Ancelotti's side had taken the lead through Ronald Araujo's ninth-minute own goal, only for Sergi Roberto to deservedly equalise on the stroke of half-time.

Courtois impressed with a fine individual display to keep Los Blancos in the game, though the goalkeeper conceded Madrid's defence of their Spanish crown will likely come to an end.

The Belgium international told LaLiga TV: "We have to be honest. We will continue fighting, but there are four games difference.

"We have the advantage on goals [on head-to-head record], but it is difficult. Nothing is impossible, but... we will have to come here to win in the Copa del Rey [semi-final]."

Kessie's late strike, timed at 91 minutes and two seconds, was the latest LaLiga winning goal Barca have scored in the Clasico since Lionel Messi's finish (91:48) in a 3-2 win in April 2017.

But Courtois believes Xavi's hosts would not have found a way back if Madrid could have withstood the pressure before the interval.

He added: "We played a great game. We both had chances. You go ahead, control and they strike before half-time. That affects us. With 0-1 at half-time, I don't think they would have won.

"In the second half we played well. We didn't have many chances but when they arrived we didn't take advantage of them. We were going for the victory, we left spaces and they scored a goal against us.

"I'm happy to help the team, but we haven't achieved victory. We mustn't give up. I'm sure we can come to win in the Copa del Rey and do well in the Champions League."

While Courtois suggested the LaLiga title was destined for Barcelona, Sergi Roberto refuted that message as he referenced the resilience of Madrid.

"You can never say it. There are many games left and you can never say Madrid are dead," he said. "12 points is a difficult distance to let go, but it depends on us, which is good."

Madrid thought they had snatched a late victory before Kessie's winner, with substitute Marco Asensio seeing an 81st-minute strike ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR review.

That late drama made the victory even sweeter, according to Roberto, who added: "We came back from a goal by Asensio that we hadn't realised was offside.

"Then we scored and it tastes better winning like that, at the last minute."

Questions may have been raised by some after Sergi Roberto was preferred to start over Kessie in midfield, though the Spain international felt he repaid the backing of Xavi with his performance.

"Today it was either Franck or me and in the end we both scored," he continued.

"I am very happy to continue in the club of my life. I have only played in this club. I thank Xavi, the board, the president. It is my way of returning my love. Now we can rest during the break."

It all came down to this. El Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday was Real Madrid's final realistic hope of reigniting LaLiga's title race, but Franck Kessie's dramatic late winner puts Barcelona practically out of sight.

While Barca coach Xavi had been keen to downplay the idea of this contest being in any way "definitive", only going as far as suggesting victory would be a "strong blow", it's difficult to imagine him actually believing those comments now.

Kessie's neat strike secured Barca a thrilling 2-1 win and their celebrations said it all. This was no standard Clasico victory – it was a win that should bury Madrid's title hopes once and for all, putting the Blaugrana a massive 12 points clear with as many games to go.

Were it any other team then perhaps Madrid might still retain a modicum of belief, but this is a Barca side that have only conceded five LaLiga goals all season to teams not named 'Real Madrid'.

What hope do they really have of Barca dropping at least 12 points? After all, no team has ever even overturned a nine-point lead at this stage in a season, let alone a 12-point deficit.

Yet it had all started so well.

It was particularly fitting to see the opening goal involve the two men routinely identified as the key battle in Clasicos these days.

Vinicius Junior has become a talismanic figure for Madrid, while Ronald Araujo has developed into one of the most dependable and formidable defenders in Europe.

Their tussles are now something of a feature in El Clasico, and this instalment produced a major early flashpoint.

Vinicius was allowed to run with the ball in the Barca box, and although he initially moved away from goal, he then jinked right towards the byline, his clipped left-footed cross hitting the head of Araujo and glancing past the helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

While fortuitous, it was a swift reminder of the danger posed by Madrid's Brazilian winger after Barca had begun the game with a flourish.

The game's other Brazilian winger looked Barca's best bet to get on the scoresheet. A brilliant header – pushed away by Thibaut Courtois – a few moments before Araujo's own goal was Raphinha's first involvement.

He then produced a series of crosses before the half-hour mark, causing plenty of problems in the Madrid defence as Raphinha looked to test their suitability against an aerial bombardment.

Vintage Barca? Perhaps not, but there were signs of encouragement at least, with Andreas Christensen heading one such delivery agonisingly wide.

Raphinha's new-found influence and confidence was clear to see, and he then looked to take matters into his own hands as he shook off Nacho Fernandez and forced Courtois into a fingertip save.

So, just as it was unsurprising to see Vinicius instigate the opener, Raphinha playing a part in the equaliser was similarly predictable.

Well, sort of. Initially he drew cackles of derision from Madrid fans and simultaneous groans of bewilderment from the Barca supporters as his air shot saw a glorious chance go begging. But a few seconds later, on the stroke of half-time, it was his effort that was blocked right to Sergi Roberto, who coolly slotted out of Courtois' reach – 1.1.

It was a goal that seemingly restored real poise to Barca at the start of the second half, with Madrid initially looking even less of a threat than before the interval.

Part of Los Blancos' problem appeared to stem from a lack of invention. Everything went through Vinicius, and he was – for a while – the only Madrid player who looked likely to worry Barca.

As lively as he was, their dependency on him made Madrid largely one-dimensional, and unfortunately for them Vinicius couldn't do it all on his own.

For a moment that looked irrelevant. Substitute Marco Asensio stroked into the bottom-left corner in the 81st minute after meeting Dani Carvajal's pass. Suddenly Madrid's title challenge was reignited, only for those hopes to be brutally extinguished by a VAR check – Asensio was fractionally offside.

The sheer gut-wrenching disappointment sweeping across the visiting team was almost tangible. They'd gone from bedlam to broken in a matter of seconds, and what followed was a further, and surely fatal, body-blow.

Kessie finished from Alejandro Balde's cut-back to essentially leave Madrid needing two goals in stoppage time to salvage any semblance of hope.

That was beyond them.

Madrid will now have to carry on pretending to believe the near-impossible is plausible. In reality, it's game over.

Jose Mourinho's taunts about Lazio's European shortcomings fired up the Biancocelesti ahead of Sunday's derby win over Roma, said defender Alessio Romagnoli.

Mattia Zaccagni scored the only goal of a bad-tempered meeting between Italy's capital clubs, with Roma reduced to 10 men after Roger Ibanez picked up two bookings within the first 32 minutes.

Tempers also flared at full-time as Bryan Cristante and Adam Marusic were shown red cards, while the win moved Lazio five points clear of Roma in the battle for a top-four Serie A finish.

Ahead of the game, Mourinho mocked Lazio's Europa Conference League exit against AZ Alkmaar during a rant about teams dropping into lower-level European competitions, saying: "They won't have a third competition to play in."

Speaking after Lazio completed their first Serie A double over Roma since 2011-12, former Giallorossi man Romagnoli could not resist aiming a jibe back at Mourinho.

"We were already very energised before this match, his quotes hyped us up even more," he said. "There won't be a third derby for them."

The result makes Mourinho – who served his final game of a two-match touchline ban – the first Roma boss to lose consecutive Serie A meetings with Lazio since Luis Enrique in 2011 and 2012.

Mourinho's opposite number Maurizio Sarri was less confrontational, telling reporters: "Let Mourinho do it, he's like that.

"I often like him. There is nothing for him to answer. We won the derby, we are very happy, and we don't want to cause controversy.

"The red card helped us, but the data shows we had the game in hand before that. I've played in all the most important stadiums in the world and I've always slept the night before, yesterday I struggled.

"It's a unique emotion, I'm happy for the fans. Today the stadium was a spectacle. I'm happy with the points but more for the supporters."

Asked whether Mourinho's absence from the touchline impacted the game, Sarri said: "We [coaches] are more important before the game than during. You find yourself among 70,000 people screaming, and the only one who hears you is the one passing by."

There have been 38 red cards shown in 58 Rome derbies in Serie A's three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994-95) – more than in any other fixture in the competition during that span.

Though the teams share their Stadio Olimpico home, Lazio are now unbeaten in their last six 'home' games against Roma (W4 D2), winning in each of the last six derbies in which Roma have had a player sent off.

Xabi Alonso said it was an "incredible" thrill to beat Bayern Munich as the Bayer Leverkusen boss enhanced his growing reputation with Sunday's victory.

Former Bayern midfielder Alonso, who won three Bundesliga titles in a three-year spell with the Bavarians, has turned his hand to coaching since 2017 and dealt his old team a huge blow to their hopes of an 11th successive championship.

Alonso took over at Leverkusen in October, shortly after a 4-0 defeat away to Bayern, and has lifted the team from second-bottom at the time of his arrival to eighth position.

They are just three points off sixth after a 2-1 win over Bayern, who trail Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund by one point with nine rounds of games remaining.

Victory came courtesy of two Exequiel Palacios penalties, after Bayern took the lead through Joshua Kimmich.

Bizarrely, Amine Adli was booked for diving initially in both penalty incidents, before the bookings were rescinded and spot-kicks were awarded.

"The feeling after the game is incredible," said Alonso, quoted on the Bundesliga website.

"We won against one of the best teams in Europe."

His team are also through to the Europa League quarter-finals, with Alonso's first season proving a roaring success so far. They won away to Ferencvaros on Thursday, and following that up by beating the 10-in-a-row German champions was no mean feat.

"I'm very happy and proud that we were able to continue the performance from the Europa League," Alonso said. "It was very important that we equalised. We played with a lot of energy and it wasn't easy."

Referee Tobias Stieler spoke about the penalty incidents and pointed out the value of VAR, thanking the television match official.

"He was my lifesaver – and also the lifesaver for the game," Stieler told DAZN. "In the end, both teams were happy because the right decision was made."

He was glad Adli was not affronted by the decisions that initially went against him.

"The only thing left to do is take it with humour," Stieler said. "We hugged each other during the game and also after the game. Now he promised me the shirt."

Franck Kessie scored a dramatic late winner as Barcelona took a significant step towards LaLiga glory with a 2-1 Clasico victory over Real Madrid on Sunday.

Blaugrana midfielder Kessie stroked home in the 92nd minute at Camp Nou to send Xavi's side 12 points clear of Madrid, who thought they had won it earlier when Marco Asensio saw an 81st-minute strike ruled out.

A somewhat comical Ronald Araujo own goal had offered Madrid an early lead before Sergi Roberto restored parity in the 45th minute.

Kessie's late intervention, placing past Thibaut Courtois, arrived after Asensio's finish was ruled out for offside as Barca closed on the title with 12 league games left to play.

Courtois produced impressive stops to thwart Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha but Madrid struck first after nine minutes.

Araujo inexplicably headed into his own net at the near post when attempting to defend Vinicius Junior's hopeful left-wing centre.

Courtois kept a Barca response at bay, denying Andreas Christensen's inventive flick and a fizzing Raphinha drive, although Xavi's men finally fought back on the stroke of half-time.

A desperate Eder Militao block against Raphinha saw the ball fall to Sergi Roberto, who fired into the bottom-right corner after a slight deflection wrong-footed Courtois.

Another deflected effort almost undid Madrid again after the interval, though Lewandowski's attempt off Eduardo Camavinga whistled wide to Courtois' left.

Asensio thought he had snatched victory when turning home Dani Carvajal's right-wing cross, only for a VAR review to adjudge the substitute offside.

More late drama was to follow when Kessie coolly finished into the bottom-right corner from Alejandro Balde's low centre as Barca edged closer towards a first top-flight crown since 2019.

Police arrested a young male on Sunday after Groningen defender Jetro Willems was punched by a fan of his own team during an Eredivisie derby against Heerenveen.

Former PSV and Newcastle United player Willems was attempting to calm the home supporters at pitchside as tensions ran high when he was attacked, with the shocking incident caught by TV cameras.

Groningen were trailing 2-0 at the time, going into the closing stages, and the game was briefly paused as referee Serdar Gozubuyuk took the players off the field.

They later returned to complete the match, with no further goals scored.

The local police force, Politie Groningen, announced on Twitter: "A minor-age boy has just been arrested in #Groningen on suspicion of beating a @fcgroningen player during the match in the Euroborg [stadium] this afternoon.

"Another man was also arrested during that match, also on suspicion of assault. Both arrested suspects have been transferred to the police station and will be interrogated there."

Filip Kostic scored the winner as Juventus made it six victories from their past seven Serie A matches with a 1-0 triumph over Inter at San Siro on Sunday.

The Bianconeri started the game four places below their hosts, but Kostic struck in the first half to send them on their way to completing the league double over Inter for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

Simone Inzaghi's side mustered just three shots on target as Juve's backline saw out the win with relative ease.

Inter's patchy form continues, with a third defeat in four Serie A games seeing their Champions League hopes suffer yet another blow as Massimiliano Allegri's men move within nine points of the Nerazzurri.

After Wojciech Szczesny twice denied Nicolo Barella early on, Kostic brilliantly put Juve ahead with 23 minutes played.

The Serbia international received the ball from Adrien Rabiot before rifling into the bottom right corner, with a lengthy VAR review for a suspected handball in the build-up eventually finding no wrongdoing. 

Romelu Lukaku spurned a chance to equalise when he headed wide before the break, before Dusan Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli both tested Andre Onana early into the second half as Juve looked to build their advantage.

Allegri introduced Federico Chiesa off the bench, and the substitute nearly made it 2-0 when his powerful run ended with him curling just wide.

Inter pressed for a leveller late on, but Juve's resilient defence stood firm to see out the remaining minutes for another clean sheet and make it eight wins from 12 in Serie A since the turn of the year.