Europe

Barcelona drew Rayo Vallecano 1-1 on Saturday and a moment from the game many fans are talking about was seeing Robert Lewandowski thrown to the ground.

The game was a feisty one that saw several hard tackles and a total of seven yellow cards given out between the two teams. There arguably should’ve been an eighth yellow or possibly a red card for Rayo Vallecano’s Florian Lejeune.

During the game Lejeune and Lewandowski clearly weren’t getting along. When the ball was away from the two players, Lejeune threw the Polish striker to the ground. 

MANCHESTER — An 80th-minute goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold secured Liverpool a breathless 1-1 draw with leaders Manchester City on Saturday, keeping Jürgen Klopp's team just a point adrift of the top spot in the tight Premier League title race.

The draw ended a remarkable 23-game winning stretch at Etihad Stadium across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's City, who top the table on 29 points after 13 games, and spoiled a record-breaking day for Erling Haaland.

AC Milan's injury problems in attack have opened the door for teenager Francesco Camarda who was called up to the squad to face Fiorentina and the 15-year-old has the talent to overcome his young age, manager Stefano Pioli said on Friday.

Rafael Leão was substituted with a hamstring injury early in Milan's last game with Lecce and is still sidelined, and his replacement in that game, Noah Okafor, suffered a thigh injury while on international duty with Switzerland.

Newcastle United will be allowed to loan players from sides controlled by their Saudi owners in the January transfer window after a vote on a temporary ban on related-party loans did not get enough support from Premier League clubs, British media reported on Tuesday.

Thirteen Premier League clubs voted in favor of the temporary ban on loan moves between teams under the same ownership at a shareholders' meeting on Tuesday, the BBC reported, falling one vote short of the number needed for it to be introduced.

Poland and Israel players declined to play the first minute of their European Under-21 Championship Qualifying match as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

According to media reports, soccer's governing body UEFA, did not approve the minute of silence on Friday. Reuters has contacted UEFA for a comment.

Poland Israel players refuse to play first minute

UEFA refused to hold a minute of silence before the Euros U21 qualification match between Israel and Poland.

Brazil lost their second consecutive World Cup qualifier match as Colombia fought back to win 2-1 against the five-time champions, who dropped to fifth place in the South American standings on Thursday.

It was a cathartic evening for Liverpool forward Luis Díaz, who scored twice within four minutes late in the second-half to give his country the shock win just days after Colombian guerrillas freed his kidnapped father.

Everton became the first Premier League club to be deducted points for breaching profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) on Friday, when the league docked the Merseyside club 10 points over their finances in the 2020-21 season.

An independent commission imposed an immediate deduction which will see Everton drop from 14th in the standings into the relegation zone with four points, above bottom side Burnley on goal difference.

The club described the decision as unjust and said it would appeal.

BERLIN — Champions League club Union Berlin on Wednesday parted ways with coach Urs Fischer following a nine-game losing run in the Bundesliga that has left them in last place and appointed the first woman as assistant coach in Bundesliga history.

They appointed youth coach Marco Grote as the interim coach with Marie-Louise Eta as his assistant, making the 32-year-old the first female coach at a Bundesliga club.

Eta is a former professional player and Champions League winner who retired in 2018 and who played most of her career under her maiden name of Bagehorn.