Neymar's justification for missing a semifinal with Santos was criticized because he was seen at Carnival last week.

Santos lost to archrival Corinthians 2-1 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Sao Paulo state championship, and Neymar sat on the bench for all 90 minutes. On Monday, he said he had a minor injury without elaborating.

Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski could be out for a few weeks with a calf strain, the Italian club indicated Monday.

Zielinski is set to miss Inter's second-leg game against Feyenoord in the Champions League round of 16 after he was injured in a 3-2 win over Monza in Serie A on Saturday.

ylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior scored goals in a five-minute span in the first half and Real Madrid held on to beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday and move level on points with Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league.

Mbappé scored in the 30th minute and Vinícius doubled the lead in the 34th to give Madrid the same 57 points as Barcelona, which had its match against Osasuna on Saturday postponed after the death of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia.

Luis Suárez and Tadeo Allende scored second-half goals with a healthy Lionel Messi on the bench, and Inter Miami beat Jamaican club Cavalier FC 2-0 on Thursday night in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup group of 16 match.

Messi sat out his second straight game. He didn't travel with Miami to Houston for a Major League Soccer match against the Dynamo on Sunday night, which Miami won 4-1.

Manchester United settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday.

United led on Joshua Zirkzee's goal in the 58th minute but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes' hand ball. Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot.

This ancient form of football has a rule forbidding players from murdering each other.

Every year, thousands of people descend on a small town in the English countryside to watch a two-day game of mass street football that, to the casual observer, could easily be mistaken for a riot.

Former captain Neymar has been recalled by Brazil after an absence of almost 1 1/2 years.

The 33-year-old striker was included in the national squad by coach Dorival Junior on Thursday for World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month.

Back then it was Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o, Mario Balotelli and Wesley Sneijder.

Now it's Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella leading Inter Milan's attack.

A superb goal from Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid maintain its dominance of the Madrid derby on Europe's biggest stage with a 2-1 victory over bitter rival Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday.

Atletico has been beaten by the record 15-time European champion in both Champions League final matchups and has won only three of 11 meetings with their city rivals in UEFA competitions.

Arsenal is all but guaranteed to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League after recording the biggest-ever win away in the knockout stage of Europe's elite tournament, beating PSV Eindhoven 7-1 on Tuesday.

The Gunners were ruthless in the first leg of their last 16 tie and romped to an emphatic win despite injuries to key forwards including Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.