Europe

WREXHAM — Wrexham earned promotion for a record third straight season with a 3-0 home win over Charlton Athletic in League One on Saturday, the latest chapter in a stunning rise under the ownership of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Sam Smith struck twice after Ollie Rathbone opened the scoring to send the Red Dragons up to the Championship (second tier) next season in front of a jubilant Racecourse Ground crowd that included Canada's Reynolds and American McElhenney.

Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee for Saturday's Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, was brought to tears on Friday, responding to a critical video published by Real's in-house TV channel (RMTV).

The video, released on Thursday, shows what RMTV says is a series of errors made by De Burgos throughout his career.

The release is the latest in a string of edits by RMTV, criticizing Spanish officials.

Copa del Rey referee crying

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy will leave the Premier League club at the end of the season following their relegation, bringing the curtain down on an era where he established himself as one of the greats in a team that punched above their weight.

Vardy, who was signed from fifth-tier side Fleetwood Town for $1.33 million in 2012, became the club's greatest player of the modern age, scoring 198 goals across all competitions.

Christian Pulisic has made 75 appearances in continental competitions (Champions League and Europa League) during his career and has competed in them during all 10 of his professional seasons. That streak is at risk of ending next season but there’s still hope.

Even during Pulisic’s first senior year with Borussia Dortmund in 2015-16 he made three appearances in the Europa League. Since then he’s been continuously appearing on the biggest stages in Europe.

Jamie Vardy on Monday criticized himself and his fellow Leicester City players following their relegation from the Premier League, saying his own performance in the campaign had been an "embarrassment."

A 1-0 home defeat by runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool condemned 19th-placed Leicester to relegation on Sunday, after just one season back in the top flight.

Leicester, who won the Premier League title against all odds in 2016, are in the midst of a dismal run, losing their past nine home league games in a row without scoring - an English record.

"If it's not a banger, don't count it" — Federico Valverde, probably.

Just days after a gut-wrenching Champions League quarterfinal exit at the hands of Arsenal, Real Madrid found redemption in dramatic fashion at the Santiago Bernabéu after Federico Valverde fired home a thunderous volley in the dying minutes to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a resolute Athletic Bilbao side, reigniting hopes in the LaLiga title race.

LaLiga leaders Barcelona fought back from 3-1 down to beat Celta Vigo 4-3 in a rollercoaster encounter on Saturday, with a stoppage-time penalty by Raphinha extending their lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table to seven points.

With the score tied at 3-3 after Celta's Borja Iglesias netted a hat-trick, the game seemed to be heading for a draw when Dani Olmo won a penalty deep into added time and Raphinha stepped up to score and seal the three points.

Raphinha vs Celta Vigo

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé will serve a one-match suspension following his tackle on Alaves' Antonio Blanco, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday.

The Frenchman was shown a straight red card in Sunday's game against Alaves for a violent challenge on midfielder Blanco, with the referee overturning his initial decision to give him a yellow after a VAR review.

Mbappé one game ban