Russian third seed Maria Sharapova came from a set down to beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6 7-5 6-1 and win her third Italian Open title. Suarez Navarro, the world number 10, battled hard in the first two sets but ran out of energy in the decider. Her best chance came at 5-5 in the second set but Sharapova finished the set with eight straight points. The Russian capitalised on her opponent’s weakness in the third set as she swept to a 35th career crown. Suarez Navarro, who was bidding for the second title of her career, made a strong start and broke Sharapova midway through the first set as the Russian tried to force matters. The Spaniard continued to cause problems in the second set but once Sharapova found her way into the match she looked strong, despite committing plenty of unforced errors. Sharapova, who will be second seed for the French Open which starts on 24 May, broke Suarez Navarro in the eighth game of the second set for a 5-3 lead and after going on to hand her opponent three break points in the next game, she eventually recovered to level the match. The Russian handed Suarez Navarro a break point in the opening game of the third set and despite twice saving the game, the Spaniard moved ahead when Sharapova hit an easy return just wide. That setback only served to spur the Russian on, who broke back immediately, sealing the game with a two-handed backhand return. From then on she dominated, holding serve on her final game to seal the victory.

Despite his prowess at tennis, turns Novak Djokovic isn’t quite as adept at opening a bottle of champagne. Celebrating on-court after beating Federer to the Italian Open, here’s how Novak did it. Pointing straight up at his face.

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World number one Novak Djokovic continued his domination of men’s tennis with a 6-4 6-3 win over Roger Federer to win the Italian Open final. The pair went toe-to-toe in the opening set but Serbia’s Djokovic broke in the 10th game to seal it. Full of confidence, he broke Federer early in the second set and the Swiss player never recovered from that. Djokovic soon set up two match points and sealed his fourth Rome title when a Federer forehand went wide. It makes it 22 consecutive wins for the Serb and he will go into the French Open, which starts next Monday, in confident mood. He traded blows with Federer from the opening stages and, at 5-4 ahead, converted his first break of the set with a return winner that clipped the edge of the tramline. Djokovic’s precision, power and pace made him look unstoppable and he looked particularly dangerous from the baseline as he claimed his 19th win in 39 matches against the 33-year-old. “So far, this is the best season of my life,” he said. “I don’t know how it will go at Roland Garros, but I’m very confident. “I’m playing with great joy and concentration and I hope to continue. “This has been a very exciting week and today was my best match. It’s always a big challenge to play Roger and obviously I’m very pleased.”

Sunday 17 May 2015:

Ifeanyi Uba United 1 – 0 Sharks

Giwa 0 – 0 Taraba

El-Kanemi Warriors 1 – 0 Bayelsa United

Shooting Stars 1 – 1 Enugu Rangers

Dolphin 1 – 2 Enyimba

Wikki Tourists 1 – 0 Lobi Stars

Heartland 2 – 0 Akwa United

Nasarawa United 1 – 1 Sunshine Stars

Abia Warriors 0 – 1 Kano Pillars

Lionel Messi’s strike gave Barcelona their 23rd Spanish title as they beat Atletico Madrid to regain La Liga. Messi’s 41st league goal of the season ensured that Real Madrid will finish second – despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Espanyol. With one game left Barca hold a four-point lead ahead of rivals Real. Luis Enrique’s treble-chasing side play Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish cup final on 30 May, before facing Juventus in June’s Champions League final. Defending champions Atletico had gone close to opening the lead before Messi exchanged passes with Pedro and fired low into the corner. The Barcelona players and staff celebrated on Atletico’s Vicente Calderon pitch after reclaiming the crown which they lost to Diego Simeone’s side on the final day of last season exactly a year ago. And they could yet repeat the feat of 2008-09, when they won a historic treble under Pep Guardiola. The Catalan club have scored 108 goals so far in the league, with a fixture at home to relegation-threatened Deportivo La Coruna still to come. Their front three of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez – who missed the trip to Atletico through injury – have been prolific, netting 115 goals between them in all competitions. Barca had a trophyless campaign last time round under Argentine coach Tata Martino, but Enrique has turned the club’s fortunes around in his first season in charge.

Still on Steven Gerrard’s final game for Liverpool at Anfield. Here are more pictures:

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Saturday 16 May 2015:

Southampton 6 – 1 Aston Villa

Burnley 0 – 0 Stoke

QPR 2 – 1 Newcastle

Sunderland 0 – 0 Leicester

Tottenham 2 – 0 Hull

West Ham 1 – 2 Everton

Liverpool 1 – 3 Crystal Palace

Sunday 17 May 2015:

Swansea 2 – 4 Man City

Man Utd 1 – 1 Arsenal

Monday 18 May 2015:

West Brom 3 – 0 Chelsea

Wednesday 20 May 2015:

Arsenal 0 – 0 Sunderland

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, Orlando City’s Brazilian playmaker Kaka and Thierry Henry are among the greats from the world of football to have paid tribute to Steven Gerrard after he made his final Liverpool appearance at Anfield. The talismanic captain bid an emotional farewell to the club where he has spent his entire career to date and made more than 700 first-team appearances. Steven Gerrard’s record – 185 goals in 709 appearances in midfield. It’s phenomenal.

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Sadio Mane scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history as Southampton demolished Aston Villa to keep their Europa League hopes alive. Mane’s three goals came in two minutes and 56 seconds with Saints 3-0 up inside 16 minutes. They were 5-1 up at half-time with two strikes from Shane Long, while Christian Benteke headed home his 15th goal of the season for Villa before Graziano Pelle’s late volley. The result means Southampton stay seventh with one game left and – despite the heavy defeat – Aston Villa sealed their Premier League safety after 18th-placed Hull lost. Saints felt they had an early goal wrongly disallowed when Pelle was flagged offside but it mattered little after three stunning minutes at St Mary’s. Mane side-footed home on 13 minutes after Shay Given’s initial save. He had his second when Long latched onto Ron Vlaar’s poor backpass and the Senegalese was on hand to stick it away into an empty net. He created history with a fine first-time side foot from just inside the box to seal his hat-trick and also beat Robbie Fowler’s 21-year record of four minutes 33 seconds for Liverpool in 1994. The goal prompted wild scenes at St Mary’s and there was more to come with Long curling home from 12 yards for 4-0. His second and Southampton’s fifth was a stunning strike from 40 yards that flew over Given and into the net. Villa had a consolation on the stroke of half time through Benteke’s header from close range in what was a breathless 45 minutes of football. Mane turned provider with 10 minutes remaining sending in a fierce low cross which Pelle thumped home from close range for 6-1. Saints end their season at Manchester City next weekend with Liverpool, Tottenham and Swansea also in the hunt for the two Europa League places. An Arsenal victory over Villa in the FA Cup final would also see seventh place earn entry into Europe. Villa host already-relegated Burnley on the final day of the season and their own Premier League status was be confirmed after Hull lost 2-0 to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has brought his 17-year career at Anfield to an “emotional” end after playing his final home match for the club. The 34-year-old was given a rousing reception by supporters in his 709th game for the Reds, which ended in a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace. “It was very emotional. An unbelievable send-off,” he told BBC Sport. “I am very proud looking back at the last 17 years and I will never forget this day.” He added: “It’s a day I’ve been dreading, because I will miss it so much.” Gerrard will play his final game for his hometown club away at Stoke next weekend, before leaving to play for LA Galaxy in the United States in the summer.

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Paris St-Germain were crowned French champions for the third consecutive season after a hard-fought away victory over Montpellier. PSG needed only a point to be certain of becoming only the fourth Ligue 1 club to win three consecutive titles. France midfielder Blaise Matuidi and Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi gave the visitors a two-goal cushion. Montpellier forward Anthony Mounier pulled one back for the home side but Laurent Blanc’s men held on. Now PSG are aiming to become the first team to win a Ligue 1, French Cup and French League Cup treble. They lifted the Coupe de la Ligue with a 4-0 win against Bastia last month and face second-tier Auxerre in the Coupe de France final on 30 May.

Boca Juniors have been thrown out of the Copa Libertadores after some of the team’s fans sprayed River Plate players with an irritant on Thursday. Boca have also been fined US$200,000 (£127,000) and must play four home games behind closed doors. Four River Plate players were taken to hospital following the half-time incident at Boca’s Bombonera stadium. The last 16 second-leg tie between the Argentine rivals in Buenos Aires was abandoned with the score at 0-0. The River Plate medical team said the players were suffering inflammation of the cornea after the incident in Thursday’s match and needed a few days to recover from their injuries. South American football’s governing body Conmebol handed River Plate a walkover to the quarter-finals of the competition, the continent’s equivalent of the Champions League, where they will face Brazil’s Cruzeiro. Thursday’s match was the third between the teams in 12 days – Boca Juniors beat River Plate 2-0 in the Primera Divison match at the Bombonera on 3 May, but River Plate won the first leg of the Copa Libertadores last-16 tie 1-0, four days later. In addition to the fine and stadium closure, Boca fans will also be banned from four away games.

Saturday 16 May 2015:

Southampton v Aston Villa 12:45pm

Burnley v Stoke 3pm

QPR v Newcastle 3pm

Sunderland v Leicester 3pm

Tottenham v Hull 3pm

West Ham v Everton 3pm

Liverpool v Crystal Palace 5:30pm

Sunday 17 May 2015:

Swansea v Man City 1:30pm

Man Utd v Arsenal 4pm

Monday 18 May 2015:

West Brom v Chelsea 8pm

Wednesday 20 May 2015:

Arsenal v Sunderland 7:45pm

Sunday 17 May 2015:

Ifeanyi Uba United vs Sharks 4pm

Giwa vs Taraba 4pm

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Bayelsa United 4pm

Shooting Stars vs Enugu Rangers 4pm

Dolphin vs Enyimba 4pm

Wikki Tourists vs Lobi Stars 4pm

Heartland vs Akwa United 4pm

Nasarawa United vs Sunshine Stars 4pm

Abia Warriors vs Kano Pillars 4pm

Kwara United vs Warri Wolves (postponed)

Flying Eagles of Nigeria Chief Coach, Manu Garba has listed 21 players to represent Nigeria at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand (30th May – 20th June, 2015).

The selected players are:

Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo (MFM FC); Dele Alampasu (Football College Academy); Olorunleke Ojo (Giwa FC)

Defenders: Musa Muhammed (FC Heart Academy); Mustapha Abdullahi (Spotlight FC); Zaharaddeen Bello (Dabo Babes Academy); Wilfred Ndidi (KRC Genk, Belgium); Izu Omego (Apapa Golden Stars); Chidiebere Nwakali (Manchester City, England)

Midfielders: Akinjide Idowu (Nigeria Young Academy); Ifeanyi Ifeanyi (Water FC); Kingsley Sokari (Enyimba FC); Ifeanyi Mathew (El-Kanemi Warriors); Musa Yahaya (Tottenham FC, England); Bernard Bulbwa (Esperance ST, Tunisia); Godwin Saviour (FC Sports)

Forwards: Taiwo Awoniyi (Imperial Academy); Chidera Ezeh (FC Porto, Portugal); Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Success Isaac (Granada FC, Spain)

Good luck to the Flying Eagles of Nigeria, the current African U-20 Champions!

Frank Lampard is looking forward to renewing rivalries with Steven Gerrard when the pair head to the United States to kick off their MLS careers. Lampard will join New York City at the end of his loan spell with Manchester City while Gerrard ends his career-long association with Liverpool to join the LA Galaxy. Gerrard plays his final game at Anfield on Saturday against Crystal Palace and Lampard had nothing but praise for the midfielder, who he has battled in the Premier League for over a decade and played alongside for England. “We were in the England squad, as captain and vice-captain, at the last World Cup and I certainly respect him hugely – I always have,” Lampard said. “But when you are going up against each other, you can kind of get caught up in that. I was a Chelsea man and he is Mr Liverpool. “I had John (Terry) next to me, he had Jamie Carragher – it was one of those things. It was all healthy stuff but as you get older, you mellow slightly and you just respect him for what he’s done in his career. “What a fantastic player he has been for Liverpool and England, and he’s a fantastic bloke. He’s a family man, I’ve always known him as a good lad and a great player. “I think it’s great for us that we have both made the decision to go there. We’re at the back end of our careers – we know that – but we’re still very driven and we’ll want to do well. “I’m pleased he is there. It’s great for the league, it’s great for us at this time in our lives to go and play there and I look forward to playing against him there.”

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of 19-year-old attacking midfielder Nathan from Brazilian club Atletico Paranaense. The teenager has passed a medical and the Premier League champions have concluded the formalities surrounding the deal. The Blues have long been linked with Nathan, who earlier this week revealed he was set to join Chelsea after confirming the move on his Instagram page. Nathan made his first-team debut for Atletico Paranaense in May 2014 and has represented Brazil at Under-17 and Under-20 level. A statement on the club’s website said: “Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce we have agreed terms with Atletico Paranaense for the transfer of Nathan. “The 19-year-old Brazilian will join us on 1 July. Nathan, who has passed a medical and agreed personal terms, has earned a reputation as an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal and impressive pace. “Nathan, full name Nathan Allan de Souza, has represented Brazil at Under-17 and Under-20 level. He scored five goals in five games at the Under-17 World Cup in 2013.” Nathan added: “I am very happy to be joining Chelsea, the champions of England, and I hope I will be able to learn a lot and develop my game.” Nathan is the latest in a long line of Brazilian-born players to have been signed by Chelsea, with Filipe Luis, Ramires, Willian, Diego Costa, Oscar, Lucas Piazon and Wallace also on the books at Stamford Bridge.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech could be set to end his 11-year career at Chelsea after his agent said that he has been given permission to talk to other clubs. The 32-year-old, who has been at the club since 2004, has only made 16 appearances this season, with Belgian Thibaut Courtois now first choice. “Petr still has a contract that ends in a year,” said agent Viktor Kolar. “I can confirm, however, that we have been permitted by Chelsea to negotiate with interested parties.” Kolar added: “Petr has confirmed his interest to play regularly at a top club. That’s the task that we are now working on, but other than that there has not been any other change in terms of Petr Cech’s employment and the transfer period only begins on 1 July.” When asked about the agent’s comments, Chelsea stated that they do not comment on transfer speculation. Blues manager Jose Mourinho said last week  that he wanted the keeper to remain at Stamford Bridge. “Without Petr this season, I don’t think the club would be champions because he played six important matches in the Premier League and without these points we probably wouldn’t be champions,” said the Portuguese. “So for me, decision number one: Petr will stay. After that, second point to go but not in England. The option I don’t want is for him to go to an English club.” The Czech Republic international has won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League and one Europa League title during his 11 years with the Blues.

Dnipro will play holders Sevilla in the final of the Europa League after defeating Serie A side Napoli. The Ukrainians’ striker Yevhen Seleznyov headed the only goal of the night to end Rafael Benitez’s side’s 10-game unbeaten run in the competition and seal a 2-1 aggregate win. Sevilla of La Liga completed the job against Fiorentina, winning 2-0 in Italy and 5-0 on aggregate with goals from Carlos Bacca and Daniel Carrico. The final is in Warsaw on 27 May. The winners of the final will qualify for next season’s Champions League. Sevilla are likely to start as favourites to defend their crown, having recorded the competition’s record aggregate margin of victory in a semi-final. Bacca netted his 26th goal of the season to end any faint hopes of a Viola comeback – the Colombia forward hammering the ball into the back of the net after the hosts failed to deal with Ever Banega’s free-kick from the right. Just five minutes later, the victory was sealed when Carrico tapped home. Fiorentina’s Josip Ilicic missed a penalty to complete a miserable night. It was no better for their Serie A rivals Napoli in Ukraine as goalkeeper Denys Boyko produced an inspired performance to keep the tournament’s top scorers out. Seleznyov headed home a cross from deep – his second of the tie – to earn Dnipro their first appearance in a major European final.