Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini plans to retire from the national team after the "Finalissima" match against Argentina in London on June 1.

"If I'm in form I'll play and bid the national team goodbye at Wembley, where I reached the apex of my career in Azzurro and perhaps of my entire career," Chiellini said, referring to the Italy's European Championship title last summer.

Not even an off-day for Karim Benzema was enough to keep Real Madrid from moving closer to clinching the Spanish league title.

Benzema missed two penalty kicks seven minutes apart in the second half but Madrid went on to earn a 3-1 win at Osasuna Wednesday to open a 17-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid, which can no longer catch its rival as both teams have five games left to play. Barcelona is 18 points back but has seven games left to play, meaning it still has a theoretical chance to catch Madrid.

It's still advantage Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Three second-half goals earned City a 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday, lifting Pep Guardiola's team back into first place after being ousted — only for 24 hours as it turned out — by title rival Liverpool.

Once a model of coaching stability in Alex Ferguson's long trophy-filled tenure, Manchester United hired a fifth full-time manager in nine years since his retirement by bringing in Erik ten Hag from Ajax.

Ten Hag's arrival was announced by United on Thursday, with the 52-year-old Dutchman joining at the end of the season to 2025. He is tasked with awakening a fallen superpower in European soccer that is enduring its longest trophy drought in nearly 40 years.

A Spanish court has lifted measures that shielded the clubs that want to create a European Super League competition from being punished by UEFA and FIFA.

In court documents seen by The Associated Press on Thursday, a court in Madrid said it was removing the legal protection because even if the clubs are punished that would not impede them from going forward with the plan to create a breakaway competition beyond UEFA's control.

Men's tennis world number two Daniil Medvedev is set to be barred from this year's Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament as The Times reported organizers are to ban Russian and Belarus players due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Manchester United chief scout Jim Lawlor and head of global scouting Marcel Bout have left the club ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer in the transfer market.

Mohamed Salah is set to face Liverpool teammate Naby Keita in qualifying for next year's African Cup of Nations after Egypt was drawn in the same group as Guinea on Tuesday.

Malawi and Ethiopia make up Group D but the meetings between Egypt and Guinea will be the headline contests there.

Argentina and Brazil will play a June 11 friendly in Australia and officials from both teams will be hoping there is a proper conclusion this time.

The last time the teams met — in a World Cup qualifying match last September in Sao Paulo — the game was halted after only a few minutes after Brazilian health authorities walked onto the field during play as part of an effort to deport four Argentine players accused of violating coronavirus quarantine regulations.

Mauricio Pochettino is hoping Paris Saint-Germain can clinch the Ligue 1 title on Wednesday despite being without the injured Lionel Messi, as the Argentine coach batted away questions about his future in the French capital beyond this season.