France beat Albania 2-1 in a Euro 2012 qualifier Friday despite a shaky defensive performance to increase its lead atop Group D. France striker Karim Benzema opened the scoring with a low drive in the 11th minute and Yann M'Vila doubled the lead by firing home a diagonal shot in the 18th. Albania forward Erjon Bogdani beat goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to pull one back in the 46th.

Jose Mourinho's off-field tactics appear to be taking a toll on Pep Guardiola as the normally composed Barcelona coach snapped Tuesday, launching a tirade of expletives against his Real Madrid counterpart ahead of their Champions League semifinal. Mourinho accused Guardiola of going too far in criticizing the Portuguese nationality of a possible referee for Wednesday's first leg at the...

Albania forward Hamdi Salihi capitalized on a defensive error to score in the 62nd minute and give Albania a 1-0 win over Belarus in a European Championship qualifier Saturday. Salihi pounced on a weak back pass from defender Aleksandr Martynovich to his goalkeeper to score the only goal in a match Albania dominated from start to finish.

Newly signed Antonio Cassano made an immediate impact for Serie A leader AC Milan, setting up an 85th-minute goal from Rodney Strasser in a 1-0 win over Cagliari on Thursday. Cassano hadn't played since October, when he allegedly insulted Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone with a profanity-laced tirade, prompting his transfer to Milan.