Vinicius Junior watched on from the stands as his fellow Brazilian Rodrygo sealed a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.

Madrid winger Vinicius was racially abused by Valencia supporters during Los Blancos' defeat at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, with the winger then sent off.

With that red card rescinded, injury kept Vinicius from featuring against Rayo on Wednesday, though Karim Benzema's finish had seemingly set Madrid on their way to a comfortable victory.

Raul de Tomas' excellent strike pegged Madrid back, but Rodrygo lashed home in the 89th minute to lift Los Blancos, temporarily at least, into second place.

Rayo were the more threatening in the opening exchanges – Alvaro Garcia heading over between Unai Lopez and Santi Comesana forcing Thibaut Courtois into action.

Yet Madrid went ahead just after the half-hour mark as Rayo were caught napping at a drop-ball, which was taken quickly by Toni Kroos. Federico Valverde and Benzema combined brilliantly to put the latter through and, after coolly rounding Stole Dimitrievski, he tucked home.

Moments after an untimely slip from Rodrygo saw a golden chance go begging for Madrid, Dimitrievski brilliantly denied Benzema a second, instinctively sticking out a hand to keep a close-range shot out.

Dani Carvajal volleyed wide from Luka Modric's chip as Madrid looked to put the game to bed, a wise decision given their record of two defeats from their previous four meetings with Rayo.

Madrid's failure to add to their lead looked to have proved costly with six minutes remaining, substitute De Tomas thumping in a brilliant equaliser.

But Rodrygo had the last laugh with his powerful last-gasp strike, with the 22-year-old raising his right fist in a celebration synonymous with the "black power" salute.

Real Valladolid took a massive stride towards LaLiga safety as they moved out of the relegation zone after a shock 3-1 home win against Barcelona at Jose Zorrilla.

The hosts had lost their last five games, but stormed into a two-goal lead after 22 minutes when Andreas Christensen's own goal was followed by Cyle Larin's penalty.

Gonzalo Plata’s second-half strike put the result beyond doubt before Robert Lewandowski grabbed a consolation late on.

The result moves Paulo Pezzolano's side above Getafe and into 17th in the LaLiga table, while Barca remain in search of their first league win since being crowned champions a fortnight ago.

Valladolid had the ball in the net after just 82 seconds when Christensen headed Darwin Machis' cross past his own goalkeeper.

Machis and Raphinha went close at either end before the hosts doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute, Larin converting from the penalty spot after Plata was brought down by Eric Garcia.

Barca were denied an instant response with Masip producing a fine pair of saves to deny Raphinha and Christensen from close range.  

Alejandro Balde fired wide shortly after the break, but Valladolid continued to impress, nearly adding a third when Plata's cross struck the outside of the post.

Ferran Torres came closest to igniting a comeback for Xavi's side, but the substitute was unable to turn home Balde's cross at full stretch.

Instead, Valladolid would seal the points in the 73rd minute when Plata's composed finish from Larin's cross was awarded after a VAR check. 

Lucas Rosa's deft chip hit the post for the home side late on, though they were denied a clean sheet when Lewandowski pulled a goal back six minutes from time.

Juventus' hopes of a top-four Serie A finish suffered a huge double blow as the Bianconeri were thrashed 4-1 at Empoli on the same day they received a 10-point deduction. 

Moments before kick-off, Juve expressed "great bitterness" at the Italian Football Federation's decision to issue a new penalty over alleged transfer irregularities, putting them seventh in the table.

Massimiliano Allegri's side showed no signs of being fired up by that ruling, as Francesco Caputo's penalty and Sebastiano Luperto's powerful effort quickly put Empoli in control. 

Caputo doubled up with a delicate finish after half-time and though Federico Chiesa pulled one back, Roberto Piccoli's stoppage-time strike compounded the visitors' misery and left them five points outside the top four with two games remaining.

Federico Gatti had the ball in the net after 14 minutes, prodding in the rebound after Arkadiusz Milik headed against the crossbar, but Bremer was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Empoli took full advantage of that escape four minutes later, Caputo drilling home from the spot after Milik clumsily tripped Nicolo Cambiaghi just inside the area.

The hosts only required a further three minutes to double their lead, Luperto smashing into the roof of the net from close range after Wojciech Szczesny denied Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro.

Juve missed huge chances to pull one back either side of half-time, Bremer and Dusan Vlahovic both blazing over the crossbar when unmarked inside the area. 

Vlahovic's miss was swiftly punished as Caputo put the result beyond doubt after 48 minutes, lifting Akpa Akpro's square ball over Szczesny to complete his brace.

Chiesa gave Juve a faint glimmer of hope when he drilled a shot under Vicario with five minutes left, but Empoli restored their three-goal cushion in stoppage time as Piccoli fired into the bottom-left corner.

Carmelo Anthony – a 10-time All-Star and the NBA’s ninth all-time leading scorer – has officially announced his retirement from the league.

He revealed the decision on Monday via social media, saying in a video filled with his career highlights that "the time has come to say goodbye."

The third overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, Anthony scored 28,289 points over 19 seasons. He didn’t play this past season, last playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22.

One of the most prolific scorers in league history, Anthony led the NBA in scoring in 2012-13 with an average of 28.7 points per game, and finished in the top 10 in scoring in nine seasons.

Anthony, who turns 39 years old next Monday, was selected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and was named to the All-NBA second team twice and All-NBA third team four times.

He spent his first seven seasons in Denver, helping the Nuggets to the playoffs each year – including a berth in the Western Conference finals in 2009.

During the 2010-11 season, he was traded to the New York Knicks, and helped guide them to three playoff berths during his six-plus seasons there.

Following his last season with the Knicks in 2016-17, Anthony bounced around from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers before finishing up with the Lakers.

He concludes his NBA career with averages of 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 1,260 games.

"It’s a bittersweet goodbye to the NBA," Anthony said. "I am excited about what the future holds for me."

In addition to his success in the NBA, Anthony also led Syracuse to an NCAA championship as a freshman in 2003 and helped USA Basketball win three Olympic gold medals – at Beijing in 2008, at London in 2012 and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

His 31 Olympic basketball games played are the most for any American man, and his 37 points scored in a 2012 game against Nigeria are also a USA Basketball men’s Olympic record.

"People ask what I believe my legacy is," Anthony said. "It’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, all the awards or praise. Because my story has always been more than basketball.

"My legacy, my son ... I will forever continue through you. The time has come for you to carry this torch."

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain closed in on the Ligue 1 title with a close-fought 2-1 win over Auxerre.

The France captain struck a brace inside the opening eight minutes at Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, who responded through Lassine Sinayoko in the second half.

Reigning champions PSG subsequently regain their six-point cushion at the Ligue 1 summit, and require just one point from their final two games to successfully defend their crown.

Meanwhile, 16th-place Auxerre remain just a point above the relegation zone after suffering their first defeat in eight home matches.

Mbappe broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, latching onto Fabian Ruiz’s pass and exquisitely twisting and turning away from his marker before poking a shot into the top corner.

The France captain doubled his side’s advantage two minutes later, bending in a brilliant first-time effort from 20 yards after Hugo Ekitike neatly dummied Lionel Messi's pass.

Messi also went close for the visitors when he shot straight at Ionut Radu, but it was not all one-way traffic as the hosts threatened through Rayan Raveloson, who rattled the crossbar from 25 yards out.

Auxerre pulled a goal back seven minutes after the restart. Nuno da Costa flicked Radu's long goal kick into the path of Sinayoko, who raced away from the defence before drilling past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Mbappe looked to have found his hat-trick late in injury time, only for VAR to overrule his finish, but PSG side clung on regardless to move closer to another triumph.

Vinicius Junior was sent off amid a late brawl as Real Madrid fell to a 1-0 loss against Valencia in an ill-tempered LaLiga encounter.

The Brazil winger had already been at the centre of another flashpoint earlier in the game, following a bizarre incident involving two balls on the pitch at Mestalla.

Diego Lopez's lone goal helped Los Che continue their resurgent form as they seek to secure top-flight safety in the final weeks of the season.

But for Carlo Ancelotti's visitors - fresh from a chastening Champions League exit against Manchester City - it marked a miserable return to domestic duty.

Late goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Gianluca Gaetano guided Serie A champions Napoli to a 3-1 win over 10-man Inter, denting the Nerazzurri's bid for a top-four finish.

Simone Inzaghi named a much-changed team with one eye on Wednesday's Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina, and Inter's task was made more difficult when Roberto Gagliardini was dismissed after picking up two first-half bookings.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa broke Inter's resistance when he fired home on the turn, but Romelu Lukaku looked to have stolen a point with a close-range finish eight minutes from time.

Napoli were determined to continue their Scudetto celebrations with another win, however, Di Lorenzo firing into the top-left corner before Gaetano struck on the break to leave Inter vulnerable in the top-four battle.

Sebastien Haller scored twice as Borussia Dortmund moved to the Bundesliga summit with a crucial 3-0 win over Augsburg.

Julian Brandt was also on target at WWK Arena as Edin Terzic's side leapfrogged Bayern Munich at the top, after the champions were beaten 3-1 by RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Haller opened the scoring just before the hour mark and doubled the lead with six minutes remaining, before Brandt capped the win in stoppage time to secure a two-point advantage.

Victory over Mainz next Saturday would secure a first title in 11 years, while 14th-place Augsburg's top-flight future is uncertain with the Fuggerstadter just two points ahead of 16th-place Bochum heading into the final weekend.

Atletico Madrid climbed to second in LaLiga following a commanding 3-0 victory over Osasuna at Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday.

Yannick Carrasco, Saul Niguez and Angel Correa were on target as Diego Simeone's side leapfrogged rivals Real Madrid, who play Valencia later on Sunday, with an eighth straight home win.

The hosts broke through a minute before half-time. Saul's throughball released Antoine Griezmann, who claimed his 13th assist of the season by putting the ball on a plate for Carrasco to tuck away his fifth goal in 11 appearances.

Saul doubled the lead in the 62nd minute when he rifled into the top corner, while substitute Correa sealed Atletico's 10th straight victory over Osasuna when he slotted home Rodrigo de Paul's throughball eight minutes from time.

Barcelona's LaLiga title celebrations fell flat at Camp Nou as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Xavi's side claimed the top-flight crown with a 4-2 win over Espanyol last time out, with the team celebrating on the pitch afterwards – much to the chagrin of their rivals' fans.

Yet the Blaugrana were unable to mark their first league title since 2019 with a victory on their return home, with Mikel Merino's early strike and Alexander Sorloth's breakaway finish claiming the points for La Real.

Robert Lewandowski's late header sparked hope for Barca, but their visitors clung on for a first away win at Camp Nou since May 1991, putting Imanol Alguacil's side in the box seat for Champions League football with three games remaining.

La Real caught their hosts cold on the counter inside five minutes, with Merino tucking home an early finish.

Barca seemed set to equalise when Ousmane Dembele met Lewandowski's delivery, but Alex Remiro made a fantastic save, before the Poland international dragged wide from close range.

The Blaugrana meanwhile lived a charmed life at the other end, as Ander Barrenetxea squandered two golden opportunities either side of Marc-Andre ter Stegen denying Mohamed Ali-Cho.

Sorloth subsequently headed wide from six yards out, but the Norway international made no mistake afterwards when he finished a superb counter-attack.

Lewandowski's fine header set up a grandstand finish late on but La Real held firm through five minutes of added time to move five points clear of fifth-place Villarreal with a worthy win.

Olivier Giroud's hat-trick helped Milan maintain their push for Champions League qualification as they cruised to a comfortable 5-1 victory over Serie A's bottom club Sampdoria.

Giroud netted a first-half double and added a third following the break at San Siro on Saturday to keep the Rossoneri – who were licking their wounds after falling short to rivals Inter in the Champions League semi-finals – on track in their pursuit of a place in the top four.

Rafael Leao opened the scoring, though already-relegated Sampdoria restored parity through veteran forward Fabio Quagliarella.

But after Giroud's quickfire double, Brahim Diaz got in on the act before the France forward rounded off his hat-trick to cap an emphatic success.

Milan needed just nine minutes to carve open their visitors, with Leao latching onto Diaz's lob delivery outside the box before slotting a low finish past Nicola Ravaglia.

Sampdoria seized a shock equaliser against the run of play when Quagliarella drilled an Alessandro Zanoli cut-back beyond Mike Maignan, but parity was short-lived.

Giroud restored Milan's lead three minutes later when he nodded Diaz's cross in, before converting a penalty after Leao was felled by Koray Gunter.

Any comeback hopes Sampdoria may have harboured heading into the second half were extinguished in the 63rd minute, with Diaz tucking home from Sandro Tonali's square pass.

Giroud completed his hat-trick five minutes later, with the striker shrugging off Bram Nuytinck to smash home at close-range and seal the deal.

Bayern Munich relinquished control of the Bundesliga title race as they collapsed to a 3-1 defeat to RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena.

The reigning champions had their destiny in their own hands when Serge Gnabry fired them ahead on Saturday, but a terrific counter-attack saw Konrad Laimer level things up in the second half.

A pair of late penalties then stunned Bayern, Christopher Nkunku converting after being tripped by Benjamin Pavard and Dominik Szoboszlai doing likewise following Noussair Mazraoui's handball.

Bayern now need Borussia Dortmund to slip up in one of their remaining games – at Augsburg on Sunday and against Mainz next Saturday – to have any chance of claiming an 11th consecutive title.  

Barcelona wrapped up the LaLiga title in style as Robert Lewandowski's double helped the Blaugrana to a 4-2 thrashing of relegation-threatened rivals Espanyol on Sunday.

Xavi's men headed to the RCDE Stadium knowing a derby victory would secure a 27th LaLiga crown, and a superb display saw them put Espanyol to the sword as Lewandowski scored either side of Alejandro Balde's strike to give them a commanding lead at the break.

Jules Kounde added a fourth not long after half-time, which proved late strikes from Javier Puado and Joselu as mere consolations for Luis García Fernandez's underwhelming hosts.

Barca clinch their first league title since the 2018-19 campaign with four games to play, with the success made even sweeter by the added bonus of deepening their fierce rivals' relegation fears.

The visitors were ahead within just 11 minutes, Balde flying past Oscar Gil before picking out a cross for Lewandowski, who bundled in from point-blank range.

It was 2-0 shortly after, Balde turning from provider to finisher as he got on the end of Pedri's deft cross to tap home at the far post.

With the title in sight for Barca, the three points to seize it were essentially put beyond doubt before the break as Lewandowski turned in Raphinha's low cross.

Xavi's side rubbed further salt in the wounds after the interval, Frenkie de Jong lifting a delightful ball over the top for Kounde to nod past Fernando Pacheco.

The hosts fought back through Puado's neat 73rd-minute chip and Joselu's cool stoppage-time finish, but it would matter little as Barca ran out comfortable winners to etch their name back on the famous trophy.

Juventus moved to the brink of Champions League qualification with a 2-0 Serie A win over Cremonese on Sunday, though their victory was marred by another injury suffered by Paul Pogba.

With one eye on Thursday's decisive Europa League semi-final clash with Sevilla, Massimiliano Allegri made seven changes to his line-up, handing Pogba his first Serie A start since returning to Turin.

Pogba's outing lasted just 24 minutes as he was substituted in tears after appearing to suffer a thigh injury, and though his withdrawal initially affected Juve, fellow midfielder Nicolo Fagioli broke Cremonese's resistance with a powerful drive after half-time.

Bremer headed a late second as Juve went eight points clear of fifth-placed Milan with three games remaining, leaving them favoured for a top-four finish, provided their 15-point deduction is not restored.

Juve struggled to break Cremonese down in a low-key opening, and they suffered a huge blow when Pogba pulled up innocuously, before exiting the field visibly upset seven years to the day after his last Serie A start.

Danilo was unable to convert the rebound when Marco Carnesecchi spilt Bremer's header 32 minutes in, and that was as close as the Bianconeri came before being booed off at half-time.

Federico Chiesa blazed over the crossbar as Juve sought an improvement after the break, while Adrien Rabiot forced Carnesecchi into action with a powerful 25-yard strike.

Chiesa turned provider as Juve broke the deadlock after 55 minutes, though Fagioli was deserving of all the credit as he hammered the winger's lay-off into the roof of the net from 20 yards out.

A VAR review denied Juve a second goal when Arkadiusz Milik converted with 16 minutes remaining, but the contest was over five minutes later when Bremer reacted quickest to nod in following a corner.

What does it mean? Juve edge towards finish line

Juve's hopes of Champions League qualification have been under threat on several occasions this season, including when they were hit with a 15-point deduction in January, and more recently when they ended April with a four-match winless run in Serie A (D1 L3).

However, Allegri's men have hit form just as their rivals have faltered, winning three successive games to move well clear of Milan.

Off-field matters could yet have an impact, but on the pitch, Juve know any further slip-ups from the Rossoneri will confirm their place in the top four.

Pogba woes continue

Pogba returned to Turin from Manchester United with much fanfare last year, but it's fair to say his Juve comeback has not been successful. 

Beset by injuries since pre-season, Pogba has made just six league appearances this campaign, featuring for a total of 84 minutes.

Fagioli steps up

Following Pogba's withdrawal, Juve needed somebody to step up and provide some attacking inspiration.

Fagioli, who spent a period in Cremonese's youth system and enjoyed a loan spell with the club last season, did just that. 

Following his thunderous strike, he is one of just two midfielders born this century to score three goals and register three assists in Serie A this term, alongside Udinese's Lazar Samardzic.

What's next? 

It's all to play for as Juventus head to Sevilla for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final tie on Thursday, following a 1-1 first-leg draw.

Atletico Madrid missed the chance to leapfrog Real Madrid into second place in LaLiga on Sunday, as Ivo Grbic's error proved costly in a 1-0 defeat to relegated Elche.

Diego Simeone's men had the opportunity to go one point clear of their city rivals at the Estadio Martinez Valero, but their three-match winning run ground to a halt as Fidel Chaves restored some pride for LaLiga's bottom club.

Elche took the lead on the stroke of half-time as Grbic – deputising for the injured Jan Oblak – miscued his punch from Lautaro Blanco's long throw, allowing skipper Fidel to hook his finish into an unguarded net.

Edgar Badia made an excellent one-on-one save to deny Alvaro Morata an equaliser after the break, but Elche went closest to a second goal with both Pere Milla and Lucas Boye missing clear chances.

Though Atleti have all but sealed a top-four finish, they have work to do to overhaul Los Blancos, sitting two points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's men in third with four games remaining.