Top European Leagues: Where they Stand

Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File
Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File
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Top European Leagues: Where they Stand

Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File
Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File

Europe's top leagues are nearing the end of the season, with titles, places in Europe and safety from relegation up for grabs.

English Premier League

Title: Reigning champions Manchester City need three wins from their final four matches to be sure of holding off second-placed Arsenal. Pep Guardiola's side sit one point clear with a game in hand as they chase a fifth title in six seasons.

Europe: Newcastle and Manchester United occupy the two final Champions League places but have in-form Liverpool in hot pursuit. Jurgen Klopp's men are one point behind Man United and three adrift of the Magpies, but have played a game more. Tottenham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Brentford are fighting for the other European spots, said AFP.

Relegation: Bottom club Southampton are eight points from safety with three games left, but the next four clubs are separated by only three points. Two of Leeds, Leicester, Everton and Nottingham Forest will likely join the Saints in going down.

Spanish La Liga

Title: Barcelona can secure a first La Liga title since 2019 with four games to spare if they beat local rivals Espanyol on Sunday.

Europe: Second-placed Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have all but wrapped up places in next season's Champions League. Real Sociedad appear poised to join them, holding a seven-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal with only five games remaining. There are just three points between seventh-placed Girona and 11th-placed Sevilla in the fight to reach the Europa Conference League.

Relegation: Elche have already been relegated. Second-bottom Espanyol are three points from safety, with six-time champions Valencia only out of the bottom three on head-to-head record ahead of Getafe. Real Valladolid, Cadiz and Almeria are all also in trouble.

Italian Serie A

Title: Napoli have already clinched their first Scudetto since 1990.

Europe: AC Milan sit two points behind fourth-placed city rivals Inter Milan with four matches left. Third-placed Lazio and second-placed Juventus, who could yet have a points deduction reinstated, can also still be caught in the race for the Champions League. Atalanta and Roma are both five points behind Inter.

Relegation: Sampdoria have already been relegated. Cremonese are six points from survival, with Spezia three behind 17th-placed Verona.

German Bundesliga

Title: Bayern Munich are just one point clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund heading into the last three matches of the season. The Bavarian giants are bidding for an 11th straight title

Europe: RB Leipzig sit third, one point ahead of fourth-placed Union Berlin and fifth-placed Freiburg. Bayer Leverkusen are two points clear of Wolfsburg in the fight to qualify for the Conference League.

Relegation: Hertha Berlin sit bottom, but only three points off the relegation play-off spot, occupied by Stuttgart. Bochum are 17th, behind Stuttgart on goal difference. A run of three wins in four games has taken Schalke two points away from the drop zone.

French Ligue 1

Title: Paris Saint-Germain appear set to win a record 11th Ligue 1 title despite a poor season. PSG sit six points clear of Lens with four games left.

Europe: Second-placed Lens are two points ahead of Marseille in the battle for automatic Champions League qualification. Fourth-placed Monaco appear likely to reach the Europa League, six points behind OM and five clear of fifth-placed Lille.

Relegation: Angers have been relegated. Four teams will go down in total as Ligue 1 changes from 20 to 18 clubs next season. Ajaccio and Troyes look destined for the drop, with one of Nantes, Auxerre, Brest and Strasbourg to join them.

Portuguese Primeira Liga

Title: Benfica are four points clear of title rivals Porto with three games to play.

Europe: Braga, five points behind Porto and four above fourth-placed Sporting Lisbon, are well-placed to secure a place in Champions League qualifying.

Relegation: The bottom three of Santa Clara, Pacos de Ferreira and Maritimo are all at least five points from guaranteed safety, fighting each other to go into the relegation play-off.

Dutch Eredivisie

Title: Feyenoord will lift their first title since 2017 and just their second this century with victory over Go Ahead Eagles this weekend. The Rotterdam giants are eight points ahead of PSV Eindhoven with three matches left.

Europe: PSV are five points ahead of Ajax in the race for the second Champions League spot. This season's Conference League semi-finalists AZ Alkmaar are just two points behind Ajax, chasing Europa League qualification.

Relegation: Cambuur and Groningen have been relegated. Excelsior, Emmen, Voldendam and Vitesse Arnhem are trying to avoid a relegation play-off.



Scaloni Says he Did his Best to Convince Messi to Return for Argentina Farewell

Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
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Scaloni Says he Did his Best to Convince Messi to Return for Argentina Farewell

Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks with the press after a training session at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on September 24, 2026, ahead of the friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he "pushed hard" to ensure Lionel Messi would return to the national team for a farewell match soon after announcing his retirement because he was not sure he would be in charge to orchestrate it later.

Messi announced his retirement from international football in August, just over a month after Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the World Cup final.

However, the former Barcelona and Paris St Germain forward was called up weeks later by Scaloni to make a final appearance in a home ⁠friendly against Benin ⁠at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium on October 6.

"I believe that a player like him deserves this. Personally, I did my part because I wanted to be at his farewell," Scaloni told reporters on Thursday.

"Since I don't know if I would be here later, we ⁠pushed hard so that he could be in this match.

We knew everything he was going through and even so, he put in the desire and effort to want to come and be able to say goodbye with his people, with the people who love him so much.

"If we have to pay tribute, we have to do it at this moment. With him, it will never stop, but later, the magic might not be ⁠the same."

Scaloni, ⁠who guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and two Copa America triumphs, will be out of his contract in December.

Asked if he had received an update on his future, Scaloni said he would meet with Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia in the coming days.

"It is a dream come true, but that doesn't mean I have to cling to the job forever," AFP quoted the 48-year-old as saying.

"There are certain conditions we need to discuss with the president and we'll see if we can reach an agreement."


Harimoto Hails New Era as Japan Dethrone Table Tennis Kings China

Asian Games - Aichi-Nagoya 2026 - Table Tennis - Men's Team Final - Sky Hall Toyota, Toyota, Japan - September 24, 2026   Gold medallists Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Sora Matsushima, Shunsuke Togami, Yukiya Uda and Hiroto Shinozuka celebrate on the podium after winning the Men's Team Final with silver medallists China's Youzheng Huang, Shidong Lin, Chuqin Wang, Ruibo Wen and Peng Xiang REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Asian Games - Aichi-Nagoya 2026 - Table Tennis - Men's Team Final - Sky Hall Toyota, Toyota, Japan - September 24, 2026 Gold medallists Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Sora Matsushima, Shunsuke Togami, Yukiya Uda and Hiroto Shinozuka celebrate on the podium after winning the Men's Team Final with silver medallists China's Youzheng Huang, Shidong Lin, Chuqin Wang, Ruibo Wen and Peng Xiang REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
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Harimoto Hails New Era as Japan Dethrone Table Tennis Kings China

Asian Games - Aichi-Nagoya 2026 - Table Tennis - Men's Team Final - Sky Hall Toyota, Toyota, Japan - September 24, 2026   Gold medallists Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Sora Matsushima, Shunsuke Togami, Yukiya Uda and Hiroto Shinozuka celebrate on the podium after winning the Men's Team Final with silver medallists China's Youzheng Huang, Shidong Lin, Chuqin Wang, Ruibo Wen and Peng Xiang REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Asian Games - Aichi-Nagoya 2026 - Table Tennis - Men's Team Final - Sky Hall Toyota, Toyota, Japan - September 24, 2026 Gold medallists Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Sora Matsushima, Shunsuke Togami, Yukiya Uda and Hiroto Shinozuka celebrate on the podium after winning the Men's Team Final with silver medallists China's Youzheng Huang, Shidong Lin, Chuqin Wang, Ruibo Wen and Peng Xiang REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge

Tomokazu Harimoto said Japan had overcome their inferiority complex after ending table tennis powerhouse China's 32-year run as Asian Games men's team champions in a nail-biting final.

China had won gold in the event at every Games since 1994 but they were dethroned by Japan after Sora Matsushima beat Wen Ruibo in the decisive match to win 3-2.

The Japan team also featured Harimoto, whose parents were both born in China and whose mother once represented the country at the world championships.

"That we beat them was proof that we had lacked confidence before," said Harimoto, whose sister Miwa plays for Japan's women's team.

"I'm happy, but looking at the actual contest, there was nothing unusual about the way we played or the outcome.

"We just managed to attain the one thing we'd been missing -- confidence."

China's team featured world number one Wang Chuqin but his team-mates Lin Shidong and Wen are respectively ranked eighth and 15th in the world.

Japan had two top-five players in number three Matsushima and number four Harimoto.

"China used to have six or seven strong players, that's why their era lasted 10 or 20 years," AFP quoted Harimoto as saying.

"Now with two of us in the world top five, Matsushima and I can win like this."

Harimoto could not bring himself to watch the final match from the team bench after beating Wang to level it at 2-2.

"I thought it was better not to go back, a bit like a superstition," said Harimoto.

"If I was on the bench, Matsushima would see me. He probably wouldn't mind, but I minded."

Wang won the opening match against Matsushima but lost 3-0 against Harimoto.

The Chinese player said: "Psychologically, I ran into problems.”

"Perhaps we panicked a little in trying to be better, and rushed some shots," he said.

China got their own back in the women's team final, beating Japan 3-0.

But the men's defeat left a bitter taste in the mouths of Chinese fans, who vented their anger on social media.

"The men's team, despite enjoying the best resources and treatment, suffers from lack of continuity and a talent gap," one user wrote on Weibo.

"There is no one coming through," wrote another.


Israel’s Abu Farchi Sent off After Gun Gesture Celebration

Israel's forward #22 Saied Abu Farchi celebrates scoring his team's first goal while holding a pitch flag pole during the UEFA Nations League Group B3 football match between Austria and Israel in Linz, Austria on September 24, 2026. (AFP)
Israel's forward #22 Saied Abu Farchi celebrates scoring his team's first goal while holding a pitch flag pole during the UEFA Nations League Group B3 football match between Austria and Israel in Linz, Austria on September 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel’s Abu Farchi Sent off After Gun Gesture Celebration

Israel's forward #22 Saied Abu Farchi celebrates scoring his team's first goal while holding a pitch flag pole during the UEFA Nations League Group B3 football match between Austria and Israel in Linz, Austria on September 24, 2026. (AFP)
Israel's forward #22 Saied Abu Farchi celebrates scoring his team's first goal while holding a pitch flag pole during the UEFA Nations League Group B3 football match between Austria and Israel in Linz, Austria on September 24, 2026. (AFP)

‌Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was sent off for celebrating his goal against Austria in their 3-1 UEFA Nations League defeat on Thursday by using the corner flag to simulate a gun.

Abu Farchi headed ‌home in the ‌55th minute to ‌bring ⁠Israel level after ⁠Austria had taken the lead through a Romano Schmid penalty before halftime at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz.

The 20-year-old ran ⁠to the corner flag, ‌grabbed ‌it and made a gun-firing gesture ‌during his celebration.

The referee ‌had booked Abu Farchi four minutes earlier and showed him a second yellow card for ‌the celebration, followed by a red, leaving Israel ⁠with ⁠10 players.

Austria regained the lead in the 90th minute through Phillipp Mwene, who netted following a cross from Paul Wanner. Sasa Kalajdzic added a third in stoppage time with a close-range finish.