Football Extras: Higuain apologises after send-off in Milan loss

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AC Milan forward Gonzalo Higuain missed a penalty and was later sent off in a fit of rage on Sunday as his side lost 2-0 at home to Serie A leaders Juventus, the side that sent him out on loan to the San Siro this season.

Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo struck early and late for the Turin side but it was Higuain who stole the headlines for the wrong reasons as Milan dropped out of the top four.

The Argentine, who spent two seasons at Juve and reluctantly left shortly after they signed Ronaldo from Real Madrid, was livid when he was penalised after colliding with Medhi Benatia and was booked for his protests in the 83rd minute.

That angered him even more and he was sent off, having had to be restrained by his team mates as he ranted at the referee and several Juve players, including Ronaldo.

"I told him not to exaggerate, to avoid a bigger sanction," said Ronaldo, adding that Higuain did not insult anyone.

"He was losing and he was on edge. We mustn't blame him for anything, he didn't saying anything (bad)."

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso said he felt Higuain should apologise for his outburst.

"I hope (Higuain) apologises to the referee for his attitude," said Gattuso, who himself had a fiery temper as a player.

"A player of his experience and importance cannot afford such a reaction, even in a situation which is difficult psychologically.

"He needs to concentrate on what he has to do on the pitch."

Juve had taken an eighth minute lead when Alex Sandro floated a long cross from the left and Mandzukic outjumped Ricardo Rodriguez to score.

AC Milan were handed a chance to level five minutes before halftime after Suso's cross was controlled by Higuain but hit Benatia's outstretched hand.

Milan protested and the referee awarded a penalty after consulting the VAR and viewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.

But Higuain's penalty was weak and Wojciech Szczesny tipped it onto the post.

Ronaldo wrapped up the match with his eighth league goal of the season in the 81st minute, firing in the rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma parried Joao Cancelo's shot, before Higuain lost his cool completely.

Unbeaten Juventus now have 34 points, six clear of Napoli who won 2-1 at Genoa on Saturday with Inter Milan on 25 points in third after losing 4-1 at Atalanta.

Milan's defeat meant they dropped out of the top four into fifth place and were replaced by Lazio, who drew 1-1 at Sassuolo.

Higuain later apologised for getting dismissed against Juventus, the club that sent him to San Siro on loan this season.

Enraged after being penalised following a collision with Juventus defender Medhi Benatia, the former Real Madrid and Napoli forward was booked for dissent, then given another yellow immediately afterwards for continuing to protest.

Madrid to appoint Solari on permanent basis

Santiago Solari will become Real Madrid's permanent coach until the end of the season, according to papers filed with the Spanish football association, the sports channel ESPN reported on Monday.

The 42-year-old Argentine has led the team to four wins in four games since replacing Julen Lopetegui at the helm of the European champions two weeks ago.

Spanish rules prevent an interim coach from staying in charge for longer than 15 days, which expire on Monday, without being appointed on a permanent basis.

The Spanish Football Association (RFEF) told ESPN that Madrid had filed papers to hire Solari on that basis.

With victories over Melilla in the Copa del Rey, Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, and Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo in La Liga, Solari has enjoyed the best start of any manager in the club's history.

Lopetegui was sacked after a run of form that saw Madrid sink to ninth in the table, but after Sunday's 4-2 win at Celta, the capital club are sixth, four points behind leaders Barcelona.

Two penalties revoked by VAR as Roma thump Sampdoria

AS Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice in the second half to help his side thump Sampdoria 4-1 on Sunday in a Serie A game which saw two penalties revoked -- one for each side -- following VAR reviews.

Defender Juan Jesus gave sixth-placed Roma a 19th-minute lead, providing the final touch after Bryan Cristante headed on a corner at the near post.

Sampdoria, who lost their third match in a row and the second by a 4-1 scoreline, were awarded a penalty nine minutes after the restart for a foul by Kostas Manolas on Gaston Ramirez but referee Massimiliano Irrati changed his mind after consulting the VAR.

Patrik Schick added a second goal in the 59th minute, scoring from close range after Aleksandar Kolarov pulled the ball back from the byline, then Roma were awarded a penalty for handball by Omar Colley which was also revoked following a VAR review.

El Shaarawy curled in the third goal in the 72nd minute, Gregoire Defrel pulled one back for Samp and El Shaarawy struck again in stoppage time.

Cavani hits hat-trick as PSG hammer hapless Monaco 4-0

Edinson Cavani scored a hat-trick as Paris St Germain won 4-0 at hapless Monaco, but the Uruguayan twice needed a little assistance from the video assistant referee as his side cruised to their 13th straight Ligue 1 win on Sunday.

The crushing win, which also featured a goal from Neymar, gives the champions a maximum 39-point haul but leaves Thierry Henry still searching for his first win as coach of Monaco, who are second from bottom on seven points.

Cavani gave the visitors the lead in the fourth minute, perfectly timing his run to stab home a cross-shot from Neymar but the goal was only awarded after a video review to check that he was onside.

He was on target again for the champions seven minutes later, sliding to send Moussa Diaby's pass bouncing over the line, and after another referral to VAR, referee Ruddy Buquet pointed to the centre circle as the goal was confirmed.

There were no questions about his third, though, as he popped up at the far post to again stab the ball home from close range, completing his hat-trick eight minutes into the second half.

Neymar piled the misery on Monaco by slamming home a 64th-minute penalty after Kylian Mbappe was felled in the box by Djibril Sidibe.

VAR also came to Monaco's rescue on two occasions, ruling out goals by Julian Draxler and Mbappe for offside, but they were completely outclassed.

Already hit by a slew of injuries that have made Henry's managerial debut such a trial, Monaco's bad luck was summed up when Nacer Chadli was injured early on, with his replacement Jordi Mboula substituted in the second half after suffering a hamstring injury.

In the day's earlier games, Caen battled to a scoreless draw at Bordeaux to climb past Dijon, who lost 2-0 at Marseille, and out of the relegation zone, while Rennes and Nantes drew 1-1.

Poulsen double sends Leipzig into third place

RB Leipzig's Yussuf Poulsen scored once in either half to help his team beat toothless Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 on Sunday and move into third place in the Bundesliga ahead of champions Bayern Munich.

The Denmark striker chipped in after 26 minutes and added a second in the 85th, pouncing on a Bayer Leverkusen mistake.

Team mate Lukas Klostermann scored Leipzig's second goal in the 68th minute as they earned their second straight win and stretched their unbeaten run to 10 league games.

Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky denied Timo Werner from point blank range late in the game but Leipzig counterpart Peter Gulacsi was equally effective in palming a Leon Bailey free kick wide, the visitors' first shot on target, after 76 minutes.

Leipzig are now on 22 points after 11 games with second-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach on 23 and leaders Borussia Dortmund on 27 after twice coming from a goal down to beat Bayern 3-2 on Saturday. The champions are fifth on 20.

Leverkusen's second straight loss leaves them in 13th place on 11 points and puts coach Heiko Herrlich's future at the club in doubt.

Schalke 04 coach Domenico Tedesco is also feeling the heat after his team slumped to a 3-0 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt, who climbed to fourth on 20 points, ahead of Bayern on goal difference.

Frankfurt's Luka Jovic scored twice to lead the Bundesliga scorers' list with nine goals.