Carlos Alcaraz finger-wagged the crowd, beat Jiri Lehecka to the net and cruised into the semifinals at the U.S. Open.

Spanish club Villarreal is facing backlash from some of its fans after a last-minute deal to sign an Israeli player who has publicly supported his nation in its war with Hamas.

Some fans criticized Villarreal through social media posts after the club signed forward Manor Solomon near the end of the transfer deadline late Monday.

European football now focuses on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with recent champions France, Germany and Spain among the nations starting a six-game, 11-week sprint to advance to the tournament being played across North America.

The European qualifying program returns Thursday with six days of games involving 54 teams — 24 of them kicking a first ball on their intended road to play on football's biggest stage in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting June 11.

English football — and Liverpool, in particular — flexed its financial muscles in unprecedented fashion in a summer transfer window that highlighted the growing imbalance in the European game as well as the effect player power can have in securing a move.

Here's what we learned from the last two months in the transfer market:

Palestine team members checked anxiously for news from home even while they were competing at the Para Cycling Road World Championships at the weekend. The two riders were part of the Gaza Sunbirds, a para cycling team established for Gaza residents who lost their limbs in conflicts with Israel.

Mohammed Asfour nearly pulled out of Friday's time trial in Ronse, Belgium, after being told his brother had just been killed. Frantic calls established the news wasn't true.

European soccer's summer transfer window was hours away from closing Monday with most focus on the big-spending Premier League, with Alexander Isak and Gianluigi Donnarumma potentially clinching high-profile moves on deadline day.

A record single-window spend of 2.7 billion pounds ($3.65 billion) by England's top-flight clubs could be supercharged if Liverpool finally secures the signing of Isak before the 1800 GMT deadline following a summer-long pursuit of the Newcastle striker.

Lamine Yamal scored from the penalty spot but Barcelona needed goalkeeper Joan García to ensure it left Rayo Vallecano with a point after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish league on Sunday.

The defending champions were largely outplayed by the modest side from Madrid with its speed and ability to break Barcelona's offside trap.

Ronaldo is still a name above all others when attention turns to the Saudi football league's season-opening round.

Just like it was earlier this month when more than 30,000 fans turned out in Hong Kong to watch Al-Nassr defeat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the first semifinal of the Saudi Super Cup on Aug. 19, he's part of the league's growth and marketing plans.

Jose Mourinho's fall from grace in elite soccer accelerated Friday when the charismatic Portuguese coach left Turkish club Fenerbahce, two days after failing to get back into the Champions League after a long absence.

His latest short managerial spell — this one lasted barely a year, in a second-tier European league — leaves the 62-year-old Mourinho's career at a crossroads, with top teams potentially no longer wanting to take a chance on a coach whose best days might be behind him.

A misstep by the referee might have contributed to Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty for Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Fernandes was walking backward away from the ball in readiness to take the spot kick against Fulham when he stumbled into referee Chris Kavanagh, who was trying to get round the United captain.