Los Angeles FC defeated Montreal Impact 4-2 to extend their unbeaten run in MLS, while rivals LA Galaxy claimed a confidence-boosting victory.

LAFC made it seven matches without defeat thanks to goals from Christian Ramirez, Carlos Vela, Latif Blessing and Tristan Blackmon on Friday.

After Ramirez put LAFC ahead in the seventh minute, Vela took his season tally to 15 goals in 15 games before Blessing sealed a one-sided first half by the half-hour mark.

Blackmon made it 4-0 10 minutes into the second half before the Impact scored two late consolation goals as Western Conference leaders LAFC moved eight points clear of Seattle Sounders, who have played two games less.

 MVP Mode Unlocked 

15 goals, 15 games for . 2-0

— LAFC (@LAFC)

…

Xavi has challenged his Barcelona side to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 in style when they face Benfica on Tuesday.

Benfica will be unable to catch Barca if the Catalan giants secure all three points in their penultimate Group E game at Camp Nou.

The Blaugrana managed a 1-0 derby win over Espanyol in Xavi s first game in charge on Saturday after the club great replaced Ronald Koeman as head coach.

Former Spain star Xavi wants Barca to put on a show against a Benfica side that beat them 3-0 in September and could move into second place behind Bayern Munich with another victory.

Xavi said in a press conference on Monday: I envision a victory tomorrow. Why should I think otherwise? I prepare for that, so that [the players] are doing well and …

Inter Milan loan signing Mauro Zarate has suggested he will not stay at the club beyond the end of the season.

The 25-year-old moved to San Siro on a season-long loan last August with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the campaign.

But Zarate has failed to impose himself at Inter, and the feeling in Italy is that the Milan outfit will not exercise their buying option for the player, who has only made six appearances since the start of the year.

Italian reports said Zarate had been left out of Inter s match squad for Sunday s crunch game at Juventus, and the Argentine vented his frustration on social networking website Twitter.

There is not much left because it is all over here, Zarate wrote.

Zarate signed for Lazio from Al Sadd in 2009 in…

Zenit star Axel Witsel wants to spend another season with the Russian champions, despite reports linking him with a transfer.

The Belgium international has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus as a replacement for Paul Pogba, who joined Manchester United for a reported world-record fee of close to £93million this week.

Premier League duo Chelsea and Everton have also been credited with an interest in the 27-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract in St Petersburg.

But although Witsel is tempted by the prospect of playing in England or Italy s top flight, he plans to put off transfer talks until 2017.

I want to stay at Zenit for another year and I m focused exclusively on the season that s just started, he told R-Sport.

I…

United States coach Gregg Berhalter stressed his team are not in Qatar to focus on off-field matters, though he indicated he does not agree with the views of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The Qatar World Cup has been surrounded by controversy, and an hour-long monologue from Infantino at a press conference on Saturday caused further contention.

Infantino used the media gathering to accuse the Western world of hypocrisy, insisting engagement rather than ridicule was needed in order to promote change in Qatar, which has a dubious human rights record.

The FIFA president began his speech with: Today, I feel Qatari. Today, I feel Arab. Today, I feel African. Today, I feel gay. Today, I feel disabled. Today, I feel [like] a migrant worker.

Amnesty Internati…

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is preparing to make an ambitious £20 million bid for Manchester City defender Micah Richards, .

According to reports, Richards has emerged as one of Mourinho s main transfer targets this summer, with Los Blancos having already been in contact with City regarding the England international.

“Real Madrid made ­contact with City a few weeks ago and Micah is waiting to see what City do, but he would definitely be interested in the move, revealed an anonymous source.

“Jose Mourinho has always rated him and reckons he would be a great addition to his squad as they look to defend their Spanish title and try to win back the Champions League.”

The 24-year-old was City s first-choice right-back at the beginning …

Sami Khedira has dismissed claims that Joachim Loew is losing the confidence of the Germany squad ahead of Wednesday s friendly with Argentina.

The 52-year-old s decision to field Toni Kroos as an auxiliary central midfielder in the 2-1 Euro 2012 semi-final loss to Italy was greeted with widespread criticism in his homeland.

But the Real Madrid midfielder insists the former Stuttgart boss has the trust of all of his players and believes that they should have beaten Cesare Prandelli s side.

We are 100 percent confident in him, Khedira said. We have no doubt because he is a competent coach.

A trainer proves his worth by making risky decisions and no-one can blame him for his starting line-up in the semi-final of the European Championship. We, the players…

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke believes FIFA should be scrapped and a new world football governing body established in its place, although he doubts such a move will ever be possible.

Dyke was giving evidence to the House of Commons Media, Sport and Culture Committee on Wednesday in relation to the crisis at FIFA.

Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have been suspended from football activity for 90 days as a result of an alleged disloyal payment that is being investigated by Swiss prosecutors – casting a shadow over the electoral process to select Blatter s successor.

Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president in May but subsequently announced his intention to step down amid the furore caused by the arrest of sev…

Icelandic attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has been a key player for Swansea

For much of the campaign Swansea have looked like a hopeless case in the Premier League survival race.

The Welsh side had been ensconced in the bottom three until recent weeks, after new boss Paul Clement’s arrival in south Wales.

However, even when Swansea were getting beaten there was always that small beacon of hope that Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson would nick something for the Swans.

The former Tottenham star must be one of the most undervalued players in the top-flight. Played in the right position he can be a highly effective player.

Great stats for Gylfi this season

Despite the Swans being in the quagmire for much of the season, Sigurdss…

Manchester City kept pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool after Kyle Walker struck late on to give them a 2-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday.

A goalkeeping blunder by Ederson allowed James Ward-Prowse to give Southampton a surprise 13th-minute lead at Etihad Stadium.

City initially struggled to break down a resolute Southampton defence before Sergio Aguero eventually equalised when he fired past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

However, Walker latched on to Angelino s cross to slide the ball home and secure a win that means the champions remain six points behind Liverpool.

City had eased to a 3-1 win over Southampton in the EFL Cup during the week and, with Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne back, were expected to brush their opponents aside again.…