Europe

Late work in the visual arts, like those of Rembrandt, can often showcase an artist at their most profound. What’s revealed is the certainty of a master — the piece stands apart from the contemporary and proclaims its own thingness. With that being said, have a look at what Xavi’s aging right foot is up to.

It painted a stunning work in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Tuesday during Al Sadd’s Asian Champions League group stage match against Pakhtakor. 

In the sixth minute of the match, here’s the 39-year-old going top bins after ambling his way to the top of the box. 

Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s magician. The Belgian is rumored to be looking for a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, and his performance against West Ham today might have made it more difficult for Chelsea to keep ahold of its star.

Chelsea needed three points to go third in the Premier League, above both Arsenal and Tottenham. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Gonzalo Higuain got their starts in a front three alongside Hazard, but it was the Belgian who stole the show. In the 24th minute, Hazard produced a goal of the season candidate.

Statistics can and will be used to deceive you. For example, I could tell you that with 12 goals from 52 shots, Romelu Lukaku is the most clinical finisher in the Premier League behind Raheem Sterling. That’s the truth when using those parameters. However, I could conversely tell you that Lukaku has missed 14 big chances this season, joint-fifth most in the division, and he’s one of the worst finishers in the Premier League. It’s hard to know where the truth lies, but it’s probably somewhere in the middle.

20,941 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles watched the USWNT put six past Belgium — five of them headers — on Sunday night in a celebratory World Cup warmup that included a tribute to the legendary ’99 squad. 

It was the sort of match that Alexi Lalas will burn onto DVD, sharpie “Set Pieces” on and rewatch seven hundred times.

It all started in the 14th minute with Tierna Davidson lofting a direct ball into the box and there was Carli Lloyd, on her 271st appearance, to nod home. 

PSV Eindhoven stumbled to a 3-3 draw with Vitesse to allow Ajax to go top of the Dutch Eredivisie table on goal difference, but things could’ve been worse if not for the dynamic play of Hirving “Chucky” Lozano. 

With PSV trailing 1-0 shortly before halftime, the El Tri star burst through the Vitesse defense, drove into the box and was taken out by the goalkeeper to earn his side a penalty. The 23-year-old then duly converted by sending an effort low and to the keeper’s right.

A meeting between two clubs desperate to cement commendable seasons with a shot at silverware produced a classic FA Cup semifinal today at Wembley Stadium. Wolves went 2-0 up by the 62nd minute before Watford came storming back to force extra time with a goal in the 94th minute, and then Hornets hero Gerard Deulofeu scored his second in the 104th to book his side’s passage to the final, where Manchester City awaits. 

Remember the name: Matheus Cunha. 

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at RB Leipzig from FC Sion last June for $17.1 million, but he’s been brought along slowly in the Bundesliga with 15 of his 21 appearances coming from off the bench. 

However, on Saturday, Cunha scored his second league goal of the season, and my word. The Brazil U-20 forward pulled off a ridiculous Zidane turn to eliminate two Bayer Leverkusen defenders before seamlessly transitioning into a delicate chip over Lukáš Hrádecký.  

Mentally, Diego Costa isn’t entirely there. Look at the 26 yellow cards he received over his three-year Premier League stay for ample evidence of the striker’s propensity to be a mad lad. 

Jan Oblak is the best goalkeeper in the world right now. Period. End of discussion.

Oblak, the 26-year-old Slovenian and Atlético Madrid No. 1, put on a masterful display against Barcelona on Saturday at the Camp Nou. 

But it was in vain.

Luis Suarez hit a perfect strike to break the deadlock and Lionel Messi took advantage of a dazed defense moments later as Barcelona scored twice late to beat 10-man Atlético Madrid in a massive LaLiga match, a potential title-decider.