A goal and two assists from Kevin de Bruyne lifted Belgium past a struggling Germany, winning 3-2 in a friendly in Cologne on Tuesday.  De Bruyne set up two goals early to give his side a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes, before scoring one of his own late in the second to deepen Germany's woes ahead of 2024's Euros, which they will host.

France held on to beat Ireland 1-0 in Dublin on Monday to win their second Euro 2024 qualifier, while the Netherlands eased past Gibraltar 3-0. Right-back Benjamin Pavard pounced with half an hour remaining at a sold-out Lansdowne Road before two superb Mike Maignan saves in the final two minutes.

New France skipper Kylian Mbappe said he would not change after being given the armband by coach Didier Deschamps for the Euro 2024 qualifiers as he promised to be "a different captain" to long-term predecessor Hugo Lloris. "I don't have great experience of being a captain and we have important players in the team.

Kylian Mbappe has succeeded the retired Hugo Lloris as France captain, a source close to the team told AFP on Monday. Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe, 24, accepted the proposal after discussions with coach Didier Deschamps earlier in the day.

Antoine Griezmann pulled the strings for Atletico Madrid as they shredded Ruben Baraja's helpless Valencia 3-0 in La Liga on Saturday. The French forward opened the scoring for the hosts at the Metropolitano and continued his own superb form with another fine display at the heart of Diego Simeone's side.

Ellis Simms grabbed a last-gasp equaliser as struggling Everton boosted their fight for Premier League survival with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Saturday.

Xavi Hernandez and his Barcelona side can take a decisive step towards winning La Liga on Sunday -- where a Clasico victory over Real Madrid would send them 12 points clear of the champions.