Europe

Following the end of the EFL Championship season over the weekend, we can now turn our attention to arguably the biggest spectacle in the Football League: the Championship Promotion Playoffs, as the third through sixth place teams battle for one spot in the Premier League.

Barcelona threw away a 2-0 lead, a 3-2 lead and the chance to go momentarily top of LaLiga with a ridiculous 3-3 draw against Levante at the Ciutat de València on Tuesday night.

The match kicked off at 10:00 p.m. local time and quickly entered the magical realm that all “after dark” sporting events inhabit. After Pedri wasted a couple good opportunities with poor shooting, Lionel Messi showed the 18-year-old how it’s done in the 26th minute with a world-class side volley.

Whenever Manchester United did not win the Premier League in the glory years of Alex Ferguson, their fans took comfort in teasing their rivals by saying the title was merely out on loan.

Manchester City fans trotted out the same line when Liverpool steamrollered their way to the title last season to end City's reign as kings of England, but even the most blinkered Sky Blue feared a power shift had occurred.

TOKYO - Former Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta said on Tuesday he has extended his contract with Vissel Kobe by another two years and wants to keep working towards making the Japanese side the best in Asia.

Spanish World Cup winner Iniesta, who also celebrated his 37th birthday on Tuesday, signed a three-year contract with Kobe in 2018 after leaving Barcelona, where he won nine LaLiga and four Champions Leagues titles.

Un gran día! ❤️⚽️

After 45 of 46 matchweeks had been completed in the EFL Championship, it was clear that there would be no promotion drama on the final day of the season.

Norwich secured automatic promotion in mid-April, and Watford did the same a week later. On May 1, the Canaries sealed the league title in a division they had thoroughly controlled this campaign.

TURIN, Italy - Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said he will not resign after seeing his side slip out of the Champions League qualification places in Serie A following a 3-0 home defeat by AC Milan on Sunday, insisting he can do better.

Last weekend, two late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo earned Juve a dramatic victory at Udinese to give them confidence going into the crucial clash with Milan who, like the Turin side, have stuttered in recent matches.

Handed the opportunity to return to the LaLiga summit for the first time since the conclusion of Matchday 4, Real Madrid stumbled to a 2-2 draw at home against Sevilla to hand control back to Atlético with only three games remaining.