Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari scored four goals in the last 20 minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround by beating Frosinone 4-3 in Serie A.
The visitors were seemingly cruising to victory following Matias Soule’s brace and a Marco Brescianini strike, but the comeback started in the 72nd minute.
Gaetano Oristanio scored Cagliari’s first and Antoine Makoumbou made it 3-2 shortly afterwards.
Just as it looked like the home side would be thwarted, Leonardo Pavoletti scored in the fourth and sixth minutes of stoppage time to secure the unlikeliest of victories.
Inter Milan returned to the top of the table as Marcus Thuram’s strike 10 minutes from time earned them a 1-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
Napoli came from two goals down to snatch a point with a 2-2 draw against AC Milan.
Olivier Giroud scored two headers inside the first 30 minutes to put the visitors in control, but Napoli earned a route back into the match through Matteo Politano before Giacomo Raspadori levelled things up for Napoli, who had defender Natan sent off late on.
Udinese’s wait for a first league win goes on but Lorenzo Lucca’s second-half equaliser secured them a seventh draw of the season – 1-1 with Monza.
Atletico Madrid moved up to third in LaLiga with a 2-1 win over Alaves at the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 26th minute through Rodrigo Riquelme’s near-post finish before Alvaro Morata doubled their advantage with a powerful left-footed strike into the top corner.
Ander Guevara’s consolation was not enough to stop the hosts from moving above Barcelona.
Isco scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Betis their first league victory in three matches – a 2-1 success against Osasuna.
Willian Jose gave the home side the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Osasuna thought they had stolen a point when Ruben Garcia rifled home from close range.
However, the all-important decider came in time added on when Isco smashed the ball in off the crossbar from inside the area.
Substitute Bebe also left it late to hand Rayo Vallecano a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice to give Sociedad the lead after Abdul Mumin had put the hosts in front, but Bebe smashed the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box to level the scores.
Elsewhere, Alex Berenguer also proved to be a last-minute hero when he scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw for Athletic Bilbao at home to Valencia.
In France, Kylian Mbappe scored at the death to snatch all three points for Paris St Germain over Brest and move them back to within a point of leaders Nice.
Goals from Warren Zaire-Emery and Mbappe gave PSG a 2-0 lead, but they were pegged back by goals either side of half-time from Jeremy Le Douaron and Steve Mounie.
The decisive moment came when Mbappe missed his initial penalty, but slotted home the rebound.
Marseille’s match against Lyon was postponed after the visiting team’s bus was attacked before the match.
Footage appeared on social media showing items being thrown at Lyon’s team bus, with head coach Fabio Grosso pictured on a stretcher and with a bloodied face.
The match was due to kick off at 1945GMT but French football’s governing body, the Ligue de Football Professionnel, soon confirmed the postponement following an emergency meeting.
Elsewhere, Ivan Cavaleiro and Bafode Diakite scored to secure Lille a 2-0 win over Monaco, while Akor Adams bagged a brace in Montpellier’s 3-0 win against Toulouse.
Rennes and Strasbourg drew 1-1, while it was goalless between Metz and Le Havre.
Borussia Dortmund continued their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season as they twice came from behind to draw 3-3 with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Omar Marmoush struck a first-half brace to hand the hosts a 2-0 lead before Marcel Sabitzer and Youssoufa Moukoko brought Dortmund level.
Frankfurt went back in front through Fares Chaibi, only for Julian Brandt to level again seven minutes from time and earn a share of the spoils.
Bayer Leverkusen returned to the top of the table with their eighth win of the season thanks to Florian Wirtz’s first-half strike and Noah Atubolu’s own goal in a 2-1 victory over Freiburg.
PSG boss Luis Enrique expects entertainment in Champions League semi-final with Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund served up plenty of entertainment in the Champions League quarter-finals, and their last-eight meeting promises more of the same, says Luis Enrique.
Both sides came back from first-leg defeats to reach the semi-finals, PSG winning 4-1 in Barcelona after a 3-2 loss in the French capital and Dortmund downing Atletico Madrid 4-2 to recover from their loss in Spain.
"I think that is the way it went in the quarter-finals based on the playing style of Dortmund and the way that we play," PSG head coach Luis Enrique told a press conference.
"I think it could be a wonderful spectacle, not just for the two fan bases, but for everybody who loves football. I think there will be goals, given the quality and the ability to reach the opposition goal on both teams."
PSG had never before overturned a first-leg defeat at home in the Champions League, and while the Spaniard believes it can help his players, he also knows that history counts for little at this stage.
"I do hope it liberates us because this is something that we haven't done before after losing the first leg. I also have experience that shows how important it is to be competitive tomorrow," Luis Enrique said.
"What we achieved previously doesn't matter. History is great, but our goal is to win tomorrow. We don't want to leave it to chance and think about the second leg at the Parc des Princes."
History may weigh on the minds of PSG, too, given they have lost all four games of their previous two-legged Champions League semi-final ties – against Milan in 1994-95 and Manchester City in 2020-21.
The Parisians did win their one-legged last-four meeting with RB Leipzig in the disrupted 2019-20 season, though, while Dortmund have reached the final on two of their three semi-final appearances.
Dortmund and PSG have already met in this season's competition as well, with the German side topping their group, but PSG beat them at Parc des Princes and managed a 1-1 draw in the away meeting.
Luis Enrique thinks his team, who secured their third consecutive Ligue 1 title on Sunday, have improved since then – and suggested there is even more to come.
"We have improved in all areas. We are better defensively, better going forward," the former Barcelona boss continued.
"We can keep improving for sure. And that is one of the characteristics of our way of managing the club and the team, by trying to be demanding, not thinking that everything is done."
PSG appear favourites to go through given Dortmund have only won one of their six meetings with the French side in all competitions (D3 L2).
Dortmund overcame PSG 2-1 in the first leg of the 2019-20 Champions League round of 16 before being eliminated 3-2 on aggregate, and Luis Enrique expects another difficult task on Wednesday.
"That shows that the press doesn't know much about football," he joked ahead of the first meeting at Signal Iduna Park.
"I have said that for a long time. What is great about being here is enjoying a really special game at a unique stadium in Europe and having the chance to make our fans really happy by reaching the final."
A tough challenge awaits for PSG, however, considering Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 10 Champions League home games (W6 D4), their longest-ever such run in the competition.
CFU to assume responsibility for Caribbean Club Shield from Concacaf
The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) will now assume responsibility for the organization and management of the Caribbean Club Shield, as Concacaf has opted to shift the respected Caribbean club competition from its portfolio.
As such, CFU will take the reins of the tournament, which will be rebranded as the CFU Club Shield for the 2024 edition and onwards, and will qualify two clubs into the Concacaf Caribbean Cup. While CFU will organize and manage the competition, Concacaf will provide support for its delivery, as per the terms of what is viewed as a significant transition agreement.
According to Concacaf President, Victor Montagliani, this decision reflects a collaborative effort between Concacaf and the CFU to further bolster the growth of clubs and leagues, and football as a whole, across the Caribbean region.
“The development of regional club football is a major priority for Concacaf and alongside our Caribbean member associations, we are dedicated to fully supporting the growth of clubs and leagues across a region known for its passion for the sport. This collaboration with the CFU is a testament to the leadership of the CFU President and highlights the ambition we share to deliver opportunities that will take the game in the Caribbean to the next level. We look forward with great anticipation to supporting the delivery of the inaugural CFU Club Shield later this year," Montagliani shared.
His CFU counterpart Randolph Harris expressed his delight to take the reins.
“The CFU is extremely pleased to be taking over the management and organization of the Club Shield, and to rebrand it as an official CFU competition. We welcome the cooperation from Concacaf in ushering in this new era of the CFU delivering an important club competition and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Confederation to grow club and league football in the region. We are excited to deliver a competition that is as robust as any on the field of play and to delivering administration that meets and exceeds the mark,” said Harris.
Established in 2018, the Caribbean Club Shield has a primary objective of advancing professional football throughout the Caribbean. Participation is open to semi-professional and amateur teams holding current championship titles in their respective domestic leagues.
The tournament format involves up to 16 clubs, grouped into four sets of four. Winners of each group progress to the semifinals, with the ultimate finalists earning coveted berths in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, subsequently qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup.
In 2023, Suriname’s SV Robinhood emerged victorious in both the Caribbean Club Shield and the Caribbean Cup. The team has solidified their position as the most successful team in the history of the Caribbean Club Shield, boasting two championship titles.
This year's edition is set to unfold from July 25 to August 4, 2024. The venue for this year's competition will be announced in short order.
Courtois ruled out of Euro 2024 despite Real Madrid return
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of Euro 2024 by Domenico Tedesco, despite making a return to the Real Madrid squad.
The 31-year-old has missed the entire season, and after a setback in March, needed another knee operation.
Carlo Ancelotti said he hoped to have the goalkeeper back for their LaLiga match against Cadiz at the weekend, but has been able to name him on the bench for their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Despite Courtois making a return to action before the squads have to be named, Tedesco was clear that he would not be chosen.
Speaking to German media on Tuesday, he said: “On this topic, everything has already been said. I don't want a tit-for-tat situation.
"We are focusing on players who are in good shape."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
