Itakura’s Japanese compatriot Daizen Maeda scored in the first minute as Celtic and Rangers played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Old Firm derby to keep the Scottish Premiership title race wide open while Son Heung-min marked his 400th game for Tottenham Hotspur.

Germany: Lee double seals Mainz win

Lee Jae-sung scored two late goals as Mainz defeated Darmstadt 4-0 in the Bundesliga and bolstered their survival hopes. Mainz, who sit in the relegation playoff spot, have collected seven points from their last three matches and are only three points behind Japan international Takuma Asano’s VfL Bochum in the safe zone.

Meanwhile, Kou Itakura moved into midfield for Borussia Monchengladbach and scored against Wolfsburg as his shot from distance took a deflection on its way to finding the back of the net in a 3-1 comeback win that pulled his side further away from the drop zone.

Defender Hiroki Ito kept a clean sheet while Jeong Woo-yeong came off the bench as Stuttgart edged Borussia Dortmund 1-0 to move level on points with Bayern Munich, who trail champions in waiting Bayer Leverkusen by 16 points.

Scotland: Maeda nets in Old Firm draw

Daizen Maeda scored for Celtic within 21 seconds of kick-off, but title rivals Rangers fought back to a 3-3 draw in a thrilling Old Firm derby in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. Rangers defender James Tavernier’s clearance cannoned off Maeda and into the goal to hand an instant breakthrough for the defending champions at Ibrox Stadium.

Celtic, also featuring Kyogo Furuhashi, Tomoki Iwata, Reo Hatate and Yang Hyun-jun, lead by one point, but Rangers have a game in hand.

Cameron Devlin, Kye Rowles and Nathaniel Atkinson were involved for Hearts as they beat Korean midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu’s St Mirren 2-1 to sit third with one match remaining before the league splits for the final five rounds.

Italy: Shomurodov assist in vital win

Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov brilliantly found the overlapping run of Tommaso Augello for Cagliari’s opener in a crucial 2-1 win against sixth-placed Atalanta in Serie A on Sunday. With the win, Shomurodov’s side rose to 13th place and are now four points clear of the relegation zone with seven matches to play.

England: Son powers Spurs into top four

Son Heung-min brought up 400 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United last Tuesday before bagging an assist in their 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest that sent Ange Postecoglou’s side into the Premier League top four and boosted their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes on Sunday.

Takehiro Tomiyasu came off the bench and played the final 20 minutes as Arsenal overcame Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 to go top of the table, ahead of Wataru Endo’s Liverpool on goal difference after the Reds were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Japan’s Daiki Hashioka started for Luton Town as they defeated Bournemouth 2-1 for an important win in their fight to avoid relegation on Saturday.

Netherlands: Haye nets in thrilling draw

Indonesia midfielder Thom Haye scored the equaliser from the penalty spot as Heerenveen fought back to earn a 3-3 draw against Twente in the Eredivisie on Wednesday. The 29-year-old, who now has four goals and two assists in the Dutch top flight this season, made his international debut against Vietnam last month.

Kodai Sano bagged an assist as NEC Nijmegen defeated Vitesse 3-0 on Sunday to remain in the hunt for a fourth-place finish while Shunsuke Mito scored the opener before his compatriot Koki Saito bagged a goal and an assist in Sparta Rotterdam’s 4-1 win against Vitesse earlier in the week.

Socceroos attacking midfielder Ajdin Hrustic started both Heracles Almelo’s 5-0 win against AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday and their 2-1 defeat of Sparta on Saturday.

Belgium: Ito bags double in STVV win

Ryotaro Ito came off the bench to score his fifth and sixth goals of the season to help Sint-Truiden defeat Mechelen 3-2 in the Europe playoffs of the Belgian Pro League on Friday.

STVV, also featuring Zion Suzuki, Joel Chima Fujita, Ryoya Ogawa and Rihito Yamamoto as starters, sit four points behind group leaders Gent for whom Korean midfielder Hong Hyun-seok started a 3-0 win over Westerlo on Sunday.

France: Lee’s PSG reach cup final

Lee Kang-in started and played 84 minutes of Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 win against Stade Rennais on Wednesday which sent them through to the final of Coupe de France to give them a shot at winning the title for a record-extending 15th time.

The 23-year-old was also a second-half substitute in leaders PSG’s 1-1 draw with Clermont Foot in Ligue 1 on Saturday while Takumi Minamino’s AS Monaco stayed one point behind second-placed Brest with a narrow 1-0 win over Rennais on Sunday.
Portugal: Morita’s Sporting secure final berth

Hidemasa Morita came off the bench and helped Sporting Lisbon hold Benfica to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday and progress to the final of Taca de Portugal with a 4-3 aggregate win. In next month’s final, they will face the winners of the other last-four contest between Mehdi Taremi’s FC Porto and Vitoria.

The duo met again in a top-of-the-table clash in the Primeira Liga on Saturday and this time it was Sporting, with Morita starting, who came away with a 2-1 win that sent them three points clear at the top with a game in hand.

Kazakhstan: Yakhshiboev bags winner

Uzbekistan winger Jasurbek Yakhshiboev scored the game’s only goal in the 20th minute as Ordabasy edged Turan 1-0 in the Kazakhstan Premier League on Sunday. Four matches into the campaign, Ordabasy are one point behind leaders Kairat for whom his compatriot Ibrokhimkhalil Yuldoshev started a goalless draw with Zhetysu on Saturday.