Claudio Marchisio

Having battled to break down one of Europe's meanest defences in the quarter-finals, Real Madrid will have to do it all over again when they face Juventus in their Champions League semi-final. 

The defending champions took just under three hours to break down Atletico's resistance in the previous round, wining 1-0 on aggregate with a goal in the 88th minute of the second leg. 

After their weekend derby disappointment, Juventus will need favours from elsewhere if they are to secure a fourth consecutive Serie A title in front of their own fans on April 29.

Champions Juventus restored their three-point lead at the top of Serie A on Saturday with a 2-0 win at struggling Empoli while rivals Roma slumped to a 2-0 defeat to a rapidly-improving Napoli.
     
In Saturday's late game Inter were stunned 2-0 at Parma, a result which moved the hosts off the bottom of the table and heaped further pressure on Nerazzurri coach Walter Mazzarri.

By Brian Homewood

Former Greece coach Fernando Santos has been banned for eight competitive international matches after he was sent off at the end of the World Cup match against Costa Rica, FIFA said on Monday.

Italy became the latest big gun to be knocked out of the 2014 World Cup, after losing 0:1 to Uruguay in their final group C match.

Italian experience overcame England's youthful exuberance in an intriguing clash of styles at the World Cup on June 14 and in Group D's other game unfancied Costa Rica beat twice champions Uruguay in the tournament's biggest upset so far.