Ajax: Ajax scored twice in the final five minutes, including a controversial last-gasp penalty, to avoid a home defeat but a 2-2 draw with Utrecht yesterday threw the Dutch title wide open. Ajax went back to the top of the standings on goal difference from champions PSV with three games each left to play. Arek Milik’s last-minute penalty rescued the point for Ajax, securing what might prove to be a decisive point in their bid to win a fifth championship in six years.

Colomba: Serie B club Livorno sacked coach Franco Colomba and gave the job back to Enzo Gelain after the 2-1 defeat to Novara on Saturday left the side in serious relegation trouble. The upset to Novara was the fourth in succession for Livorno who had a low-key campaign having started the season with Christian Panucci at the helm.

Astra: FC Astra stayed firmly on course for a maiden Romanian title triumph after scoring two penalties to secure a 2-0 home win over champions Steaua Bucharest. The victory at the Marin Anastasovici Stadium in Giurgiu, a town on the banks of the Danube, stretched Astra’s lead over second-placed Steaua to six points with three games remaining.

Cannavaro: Reports said yesterday that Fabio Cannavaro is being lined up as the next coach at troubled Championship club Leeds United. Cannavaro was at Elland Road on Saturday to watch Leeds beat Reading 3-2 in a league match which still left the side in a mid-table position. Cannavaro has limited experience on the bench following a brief stint with Dubai team Al-Ahli and Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.

Marchisio: Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio will miss this year’s European Championship after tearing knee ligaments during Juve’s 4-0 Serie A victory over Palermo yesterday. Marchisio was replaced by Mario Lemina in the 16th minute after falling awkwardly in a challenge and Juventus said on their website that an MRI scan had confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.