World Football

Serie A postponed four matches Monday following the death of Pope Francis.

"Following the passing of His Holiness, Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A can confirm that today's league games in Serie A and Primavera 1 have been postponed," the league said.

These are the four fixtures impacted:

• Torino vs. Udinese
• Cagliari vs. Fiorentina
• Genoa vs. Lazio
• Parma vs. Juventus

Makeup dates have yet to be finalized.

The Vatican confirmed Francis died at the age of 88 on Monday morning. He had been the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, when he succeeded Pope Benedict XVI.

Clubs around Italy mourned his death:

With only five more matchdays left in the season, Monday's postponement will cause some minor headaches for Serie A officials. Finding windows to stage the four matches won't be easy.

For Juventus and Lazio, the unexpected delay comes as they're trying to secure a top-four finish and Champions League qualification. Juve is in fifth place and only one point behind Bologna, while the Biancocelesti are still within striking distance and sit four points back of fourth.

Carlo Ancelotti's fantastic run at Real Madrid is reportedly coming to a close.

According to Mario Cortegana and David Ornstein of The Athletic, the veteran manager is "expected to leave his position as Real Madrid head coach with the Brazil national team his most likely destination."

Per that report, Ancelotti is atop Brazil's wishlist for the 2026 World Cup, with Al Hilal head coach Jorge Jesus "also on their shortlist."

It's hardly a done deal. As The Athletic noted, "Ancelotti has made public assurances that he will only leave Madrid if the club’s board decide to part company with him, although Brazil are in advanced talks with the 65-year-old."

But he's sounded like a manager who might be on the way out in recent comments.

"Maybe the club decides to replace me and maybe it could be this year, or next year when my contract is over," he told reporters after Wednesday's defeat to Arsenal. "But when I am done here, I will be grateful to this club. That could be tomorrow, 10 days, one month or in one year, but if my contract ends or doesn't end, I really don't care."

This season hasn't gone to plan for Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants out of the Champions League following a quarterfinals loss to Arsenal and currently trailing Barcelona by seven points, albeit with a game in hand.

Still, Real Madrid has the opportunity to still win the Copa Del Rey, facing Barca in the final next Saturday. And Ancelotti's time as manager has been a fantastic period for Los Blancos.

Since re-joining the club in 2021 after a previous stint as manager (2013–2015), Ancelotti has led Real Madrid to a pair of La Liga titles, a pair of Champions League triumphs and a Copa Del Rey trophy. In total, Los Blancos have won three Champions League titles under his watch.

Replacing him will be no small task, though a familiar face has been tapped. Per The Athletic, "Madrid have sounded out Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso this season and the former Spain international is in pole position to replace the Italian should a coaching change take place."

Alonso spent several seasons with Los Blancos as a player and led Bayer Leverkusen to a Bundesliga title for the first time in club history last season, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year streak.

Another possibility could be Jürgen Klopp, who took the past season off after ending his successful Liverpool tenure following the 2023-24 campaign.

Former English soccer player Joe Thompson died Thursday at the age of 36 following a third cancer diagnosis.

Thompson's wife, Chantelle, announced the news on Instagram (h/t People.com's Latoya Gayle), writing in part:

"Our brave and courageous Joey passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning, he was at home where he wanted to be in a beautiful peaceful setting surrounded by his family when he transitioned.

"Joe has made such an impact on so many people and we are all forever grateful for him blessing us with his presence and for being so strong and staying with us as long as he did against all the odds. He was the most Incredible husband, son, brother, friend & father to our beautiful daughters who will now carry his light and legacy on and I will continue to keep filling them up with Joe's love every single day."

Per Gayle, Thompson was first diagnosed with Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin Lymphoma at the age of 23. He went into remission and returned to playing soccer, but was diagnosed again three years later.

Thompson went into remission once again, but the cancer returned in April 2024 when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma.

After playing youth soccer for Manchester United and Rochdale, Thompson turned pro in 2006, spending seven seasons with Rochdale Association Football Club, who spent time in League Two and League One during his tenure.

Thompson later went on to play for Tranmere Rovers, Bury, Wrexham, Southport and Carlisle United, plus he finished his career back with Rochdale from 2016 to 2019.

All told, Thompson appeared in 261 matches across all competitions over his 14 professional seasons, scoring 26 goals from his midfielder position.

Following his retirement from soccer, Thompson became a soccer analyst and motivational speaker, as well as an ambassador for Manchester United.

Inter Milan is moving onto the Champions League semifinal round after defeating Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate in the quarterfinals.

Inter Milan and Bayern Munich fought to a 2-2 draw on Wednesday evening at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.

Inter Milan entered the match with the advantage after beating Bayern Munich 2-1 on April 8. However, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane's 52nd-minute goal on Wednesday drew this round even.

The eventual victors had a quick answer, though, in the form of goals from Lautaro Martínez (58th minute) and Benjamin Pavard (61st minute).

Martinez has now scored in five straight Champions League matches, while Pavard picked a great time to score a goal against his former club and net his first-ever Champions League goal for Inter Milan.

However, Bayern Munich wasn't done yet, as Eric Dier's header in the 76th minute kept his club's hopes alive.

Bayern Munich ratcheted up the pressure in extra time with four shots (one on goal), but it was not meant to be.

And with that, Inter Milan's hopes of winning its first Champions League since 2010 remain alive. Fans lauded Inter Milan and its tremendous effort.

The semifinal round is now set, with Arsenal taking on PSG and Inter Milan facing Barcelona.