Having just scored his 30th goal of the season to level the tie, he was then hurt in a challenge with Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook.

But Robert Lewandowski came to the rescue at 1-1 as the 36-year-old netted twice to guide Barcelona to the win. The Polish striker also extended his tally at the top of LaLiga's scoring chart to 25 goals.

Now 60, the "Maradona of the Carpathians", or "the King" -- as he is fondly known in the eastern European nation -- dreams of leading his country back to the pinnacle of world football.

The win moved Napoli three points behind leaders Inter Milan, who beat Udinese 2-1, while third-placed Atalanta lost 1-0 at Fiorentina.

Manchester City came from behind to reach the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, but victory came at a cost as Erling Haaland hobbled off injured.

Robert Lewandowski bagged a brace as Barcelona eased to a 4-1 victory over Girona to move three points clear at the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Reigning champions City, who have won six Premier League crowns under Guardiola since the Spaniard joined in 2016, are fifth in the table 22 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Mbappe's double took him to 33 strikes in 44 appearances across all competitions, the same number of goals as his idol managed in the 2009-10 campaign.

Carlo Ancelotti's side won an entertaining game at the Santiago Bernabeu to put pressure on their bitter rivals, who host Girona in a Catalan derby on Sunday.

Messi had missed Argentina's World Cup qualifiers in South America during the recent international window after picking up an adductor strain in Miami's most recent Major League Soccer game, a 2-1 win at Atlanta on March 16.

Leading LaLiga with 63 points, Barca face Girona on Sunday after only two days rest following their 3-0 triumph over Osasuna and over the next 17 days they have six matches in all competitions.

Julio Coria left the courtroom in the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro in handcuffs after judges ruled in favor of the prosecution's claim that he had lied under oath.

Originally played with some old socks or scraps crammed inside of each other to form a ball, sock ball is likely to have been the first football played by both Egypt's massive soccer stars and the fans who root for them.

Argentina’s dominance, both in spirit and in skill, now sees them march into the 2026 World Cup with confidence, while Brazil must return to the drawing board to salvage their qualifying campaign.

The result in the match held in the Bolivian city of El Alto guaranteed the 2022 World Cup winners a top-six finish and direct qualification for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The defender has long been linked with a move to the Bernabeu on a free transfer and talks between the 26-year-old and the Spanish giants are understood to be making progress.

Brazil have not beaten the reigning world champions in six years, a run that extends to 16 years for matches hosted in Argentina.

Most people these days will not believe me when I tell them that there was once a time when us Bangladeshis had very strong emotions related to football and our footballers. We did not have English hooligans, but each and every locality was somewhat divided between an epic rivalry of Mohammedan versus Abahani.

Barcelona midfielder Pedri said he is putting team trophies ahead of individual accolades this season and would only want to be awarded the Ballon d'Or if his side won the Champions League and completed the treble.

The match kicks off at 7:30 pm (Bangladesh time) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya, and will be broadcast live on T Sports.