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LAST UPDATE | 4 hrs ago
Eredivisie
La Liga
Serie A
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IRELAND INTERNATIONAL TROY Parrott scored his 23rd goal in all competitions at club level, as AZ Alkmaar beat Sparta Rotterdam 3-1 in the Eredivisie today.
Second-half goals from Sven Mijnans and Kees Smit had put AZ in control, but Milan Zonneveld gave the visitors hope late on.
However, a 90th-minute clinical finish from Parrott made sure of the victory.
⚽️ Troy Parrott
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) February 22, 2026
🅰️ Jeroen Zoet 👀#azspa pic.twitter.com/kIheXNUuqH
The Dubliner now has 23 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions at club level, including 13 in the Eredivisie.
Parrott’s excellent form will be welcome news for Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson ahead of the crucial World Cup qualification playoff semi-final away to Czechia on 26 March.
Should Ireland win that match, they will play Denmark or North Macedonia on 31 March for a spot at this summer’s tournament.
With Evan Ferguson’s recurring injury problems rendering him doubtful for next month’s clash, Parrott’s availability will be more important than ever for the Boys in Green.
Today’s result, meanwhile, leaves AZ in fifth place and four points adrift of a top-four spot.
Elsewhere in Spain, Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 victory over Levante to reclaim pole position in La Liga on Sunday.
After Real Madrid fell to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna on Saturday, Hansi Flick’s side moved a point clear of their bitter rivals with a comfortable victory at Camp Nou against the team in 19th.
Marc Bernal and Frenkie de Jong gave Barca a commanding first-half lead, and Fermin Lopez wrapped up the win with a sensational drive late on.
Barcelona were glad to get back to winning ways after a 4-0 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg last week and then a 2-1 defeat by Girona on Monday in La Liga.
It was Bernal’s second goal since returning from a long-term knee injury, which kept the 18-year-old out of action for over a year.
Despite Flick’s calls for improvement in defence, Barca were as open as ever, although Levante’s poor finishing meant they could not capitalise.
Bernal sent Barca ahead after good work by Joao Cancelo, who impressed on a rare start after his arrival on loan in January, and Eric Garcia.
Veteran Polish forward Robert Lewandowski could have doubled Barca’s advantage but fired into the ground and over the bar when well placed.
Cancelo hit the post with a cross aimed at Lewandowski, before the Portuguese defender carved out the second for De Jong with a similar ball in from the left.
De Jong delivered the finishing touch to give Barca a two-goal lead at the break.
Garcia should have expanded Barcelona’s advantage early in the second half but nodded wide from Jules Kounde’s tempting cross.
Eventually, substitute Lopez got a spectacular third, rattling home a long-range effort in off the post.
The midfielder might have added a fourth late on, but Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan denied him with a fine reflex save.
Flick was able to bring back midfielder Pedri as a substitute after a month out with a hamstring injury, with the Spaniard likely to be key in the testing weeks ahead.
Defeat leaves Levante seven points from safety.
Earlier, Sevilla earned a 1-0 win at Getafe, while third-placed Villarreal host Valencia later on.
In Italy, AC Milan slumped to a surprise 1-0 home loss to Parma on Sunday to leave city rivals Inter 10 points clear at the top of Serie A, after Napoli lashed out at the refereeing following defeat at Atalanta.
Parma defender Mariano Troilo’s late header condemned second-placed Milan to a damaging loss in the title race, capping a week in which they also dropped points in a draw with Como.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side had seen Inter stretch their lead with a 2-0 win over Lecce on Saturday, but could not respond as they suffered their first league defeat since the opening weekend of the season.
Napoli meanwhile hit out at “shameful” refereeing after slipping to a 2-1 loss at top-four rivals Atalanta.
Raffaele Palladino’s side extended their unbeaten run in the league to nine matches with an impressive second-half fightback.
Atalanta remain seventh in the table and are five points back of Napoli and Roma, in the race for next season’s Champions League.
Roma moved up to third with a 3-0 home win over Cremonese courtesy of second-half goals from Bryan Cristante, Evan Ndicka and Niccolo Pisilli. Evan Ferguson was absent again owing to persistent ankle problems.
Injury-hit reigning champions Napoli slid to fourth, now points 14 adrift of Inter.
Napoli were incensed after having a penalty award overturned and then a goal disallowed in the first half.
“Where is the foul? The VAR called him on the penalty, why not on this? It’s embarrassing,” Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna told DAZN.
“There has to be a review of this because every week a club ends up here protesting about decisions.
“All we want is what is right, what is ours, but this is not right, and it is not football. It’s shameful, I have no more words.”
In France, Strasbourg beat Lyon 3-1 to end the visitors’ seven-match winning streak in Ligue 1 on Sunday, a result that dampens their outside shot at the title.
Lyon had won 13 consecutive games in all competitions but failed to equal the club record set in 2006.
Paulo Fonseca’s side remain third on 45 points and nine back of league leaders and European champions Paris Saint-Germain. Lens are two points off the pace.
Lyon had early chances to take the lead but home side Strasbourg struck first when Martial Godo fired in his seventh goal of the season late in the first half.
They doubled that lead on 52 minutes with a long-range strike from Diego Moreira that took a wicked deflection.
Corentin Tolisso pulled one back for Lyon on the hour, but Strasbourg put the match to bed with Joaquin Panichelli’s penalty seven minutes from time — the Argentine forward’s 13th league goal this term.
Ireland international Andrew Omobamidele played virtually the entire game for Strasbourg, while Lyon’s in-form Czechia forward Pavel Sulc was withdrawn through injury, in a potentially significant blow for Ireland’s World Cup playoff opponents next month.
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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