MADRID (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored again as Real Madrid won 3-0 at Racing Santander to keep pace with Spanish leader Barcelona on Sunday, while Lazio went top of Serie A after beating Cagliari 2-1.
Lazio took full advantage of defending champion Inter Milan's loss to city rival AC Milan on Saturday to move three points ahead, but needed a late winner from striker Andrea Pinamonti.
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Players of Real Madrid stand for their anthem before the start of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Lazio's Andrea Pinamonti celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Cagliari, in Rome Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Later Sunday, Juventus hosted Napoli and Arsenal looked to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League when it played at Liverpool.
The Spanish league held a moment of silence before every match this weekend to remember the victims of the deadly train crash in Spain.
Mbappé scored his 12th league goal this season to put Madrid ahead with an 11th-minute penalty, having been fouled himself. He was involved in midfielder Jude Bellingham's goal midway through the first half.
Summer signing Yan Diomandé's powerful strike made it 3-0 before halftime.
Madrid is in third place, one point behind Atletico Madrid and three behind free-scoring Barcelona.
On Tuesday, Mbappé apologized for comments in which he apparently referred to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator, after facing backlash and losing brand deals with Chinese companies.
That came a day after he finished second behind Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane in the men's Ballon d'Or award.
Also in Spain, struggling Getafe rallied to beat Sevilla 3-1 with forward Martín Satriano setting up the equalizer for striker Enes Ünal and then scoring himself. Orel Mangala netted a late third.
Pinamonti came on as a second-half substitute and ripped off his sky-blue Lazio jersey in celebration after netting the winner in the 83rd.
Gustav Isaksen equalized for Lazio late in the first half after Cagliari striker M’Bala Nzola had put the Sardinian side in the lead in the 21st.
Elsewhere, France midfielder Lucas Da Cunha's penalty late in the first half helped fourth-place Como to a 1-0 home win against rock-bottom Venezia, which has lost nine of 10 games.
Frosinone consolidated sixth spot with a 2-0 win over Torino.
Lyon moved into third place and stayed ahead of Paris FC on goal difference after both sides won.
Goals from Ghana forward Ernest Nuamah and veteran midfielder Corentin Tolisso gave Lyon a 2-0 home win against Angers, while Mali striker Lassine Sinayoko's brace helped Paris FC beat Monaco 3-1 at home.
United States forward Folarin Balogun scored for Monaco.
Strasbourg routed Auxerre 5-1 at home with striker Gessime Yassine scoring twice.
Later Sunday, Marseille looked for its fourth straight league win when it hosted Toulouse.
Defending champion PSG won on Friday.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Players of Real Madrid stand for their anthem before the start of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Lazio's Andrea Pinamonti celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Cagliari, in Rome Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
ROME (AP) — Villanova had the pope’s support and many more traveling fans. Notre Dame scored the most when it counted, though.
The Fighting Irish produced a late comeback for a 74-72 win in the men’s game that opened the college basketball season in Rome on Sunday.
Up next is a women's game between the two Catholic universities. The doubleheader, dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off, was created to honor the first American pope, who was not in attendance for the games.
But Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV did receive all four teams in an audience at the Vatican on Saturday.
“I’ve been a part of some really cool things and this is right at the top of the list of experiences,” Notre Dame men's coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “We played two road games in the (preseason) and it came in handy because the Villanova fans were loud.”
At the Vatican a day earlier, Leo told the teams from alma mater Villanova and fellow Catholic university Notre Dame that in matters of sport, the pontiff was neutral.
Then the pope, who was born Robert Prevost, said his former self might disagree.
“Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now,” he said to laughs during a whooping, cheering audience of 7,000 people from both schools — players, coaches, fans and their families — in the Vatican audience hall.
Inside the basketball arena, many Villanova fans wore Wildcats jerseys featuring the name of “Pope Leo” and a “XIV” for his number.
Leo graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova, the Augustinian school near Philadelphia. He was born in Chicago — not all that far from Notre Dame, which is located in South Bend, Indiana.
Villanova fans also held aloft a banner featuring Pope Leo depicted wearing a Villanova jersey reaching out to the university's president, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, in a playful scene reminiscent of Michelangelo’s fresco in the Sistine Chapel.
“We just had a (tough) loss, but this has been a phenomenal experience, a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Villanova men's coach Kevin Willard said.
“To see (the pope's) love for Villanova. To see what he’s done for the Catholic Church and really for people all over, it was, I don’t have the words to be perfectly honest with you, that’s how special it was. And we’re just blessed that it happened,” Willard added.
The games were being played at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, which is located about a half-hour drive from the Vatican. Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, who was considered a candidate for pope until Leo was elected last year, was at the arena.
The schools also brought their team chaplains to Rome.
The women’s game features the only ranked team of the day in No. 13 Notre Dame.
The games are being played on All Saints’ Day — a major Catholic holiday.
Before tipoff, there was a moment of prayer and the U.S. and Italian national anthems were sung.
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Notre Dame fans cheer before the NCAA college basketball game between Villanova and Notre Dame in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Fans hold a poster showing Rev. Peter M. Donohue, the president of Villanova University, left, and Pope Leo XIV before the NCAA college basketball game between Villanova and Notre Dame in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Villanova's players warm up before their game against Notre Dame in the men's Eternal City Tip-Off, a men's and women's college basketball doubleheader organized to honor the first American pope and mark the opening of the NCAA season in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Villanove brass band performs before the NCAA college basketball game between Villanova and Notre Dame in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Villanova fan wears team jerseys with the name of Pope Leo XIV before an NCAA college basketball game between Villanova Notre Dame in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Villanova fans wear team jerseys with the name of Pope Leo XIV before an NCAA college basketball game between Villanova Notre Dame in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Leo XIV examines a basketball he received as a gift in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, during an audience with some 7,000 university representatives and supporters from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame, including members of their men's and women's basketball teams, ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off, a men's and women's college basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The Villanova men's basketball team takes part in a training session in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
From left, Villanova's guards Elijah Crawford, and Brady Muller present Pope Leo XIV with a personalized Villanova's jersey as they meet in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, during an audience with some 7,000 university representatives and supporters from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame, including members of their men's and women's basketball teams, ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off, a men's and women's college basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
From left, Notre Dame's guards Braeden Smith and Logan Imes, and from right, guards Hanna Hidalgo and Kelly Ratigan present Pope Leo XIV with a personalized Notre Dame's jersey and basketball as they meet in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, during an audience with some 7,000 university representatives ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off, a men’s and women’s college basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
This combination of three images shows Pope Leo XIV as he examines a basketball he received in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, during an audience with some 7,000 university representatives and supporters from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame, including members of their men's and women's basketball teams, ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off, a men's and women's college basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
