UEFA has banned Russia from the Women's European Championship in July and from participating in qualifying for next year's World Cup following the country's invasion of Ukraine, European soccer's governing body said on Monday.

Portugal will replace Russia for the July 6-31 tournament in England, having lost to them in the qualifying playoffs. They will join the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland in Group C.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League final is set as Barcelona will seek to defend its title against seven-time winners Lyon. For the first time in five years the final will have American representation with Lindsey Horan and Catarina Macario on Lyon. 

Barcelona is heading to its third UEFA Women’s Champions League final in four years after defeating Wolfsburg 5-3 on aggregate in the semifinals. The second leg of the tie is a smudge on Barcelona’s record as Wolfsburg snapped the Spanish giants’ 45-game win-streak and ended any thoughts of a perfect season with a 2-0 victory.

The number of days between Saturday and Barcelona’s last competitive defeat is 333. Needless to say, this Barcelona team doesn’t lose. Atlético Madrid was the last team to get the best of Barcelona on June 1, 2021, with a 4-3 Primera División victory.

MADRID — Madrid is getting ready for the thousands of fans expected to flock to the city’s Cibeles fountain on Saturday to join Real’s players for a much-anticipated celebration of a LaLiga title that Carlo Ancelotti’s side could clinch at home to Espanyol.

Carlo Ancelotti is now close to becoming the first coach in history to win the top five leagues.

✅ Premier League.
✅ Serie A.
✅ Ligue 1.
✅ Bundesliga.
⏳ La Liga. pic.twitter.com/OuxdVdmGdW

Luck or skill? After Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, Thierry Henry said it was more the former. Based on how the match went, it’s hard to argue with the World Cup and Champions League winner.

An own goal and a Sadio Mané strike two minutes later were all that separated Liverpool and Villarreal at Anfield on Wednesday night. On the CBS postgame coverage, Henry claimed Liverpool should feel fortunate to take a 2-0 advantage into the second leg.

Wow! That was a roller coaster. Manchester City and Real Madrid gifted the world a nerve-wracking first semifinal in the Champions League. Yes, the English club got the win, but in the long list of highlights, it is impossible not to talk about Vinícius Jr.'s goal, a beautiful display of pace and skill. The best of the seven we witnessed Tuesday night. 

Vinicius Jr goal vs. Manchester City

The Brazilian winger scored in the 55th minute, in a sequence where he should have been fined for speeding. 

Everyone stopped. Well, almost everyone.

Bernardo Silva heeded that ageless piece of wisdom taught to every young soccer player around the world: Play to the whistle. He was rewarded with a stunning goal, the fourth in Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League semifinals.

Rising USWNT star Catarina Macario continued what's arguably been the finest season ever by an American abroad by scoring twice in Lyon's 3-2 first leg Champions League semifinal victory over French rival PSG at Groupama Stadium on Sunday.

Things started poorly for the home side when PSG's Marie-Antoinette Katoto diced Wendie Renard in the area before beating Christiane Endler at her near post in the sixth-minute. 

The record for largest attendance at a women’s soccer match stood for 23 years before it was broken at the Camp Nou in March. It took less than a month for the new record to fall, with the Barcelona women once again the impetus behind a massive crowd in the Women’s Champions League on Friday.