Liverpool want to complete a deal for Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister before the Argentina World Cup winner links up with his international teammates ahead of the June 15 friendly against Australia in China, sources have told ESPN.

Mac Allister, 24, is expected to become Liverpool's first major signing of the summer transfer window following what sources say have been constructive talks with Brighton.

- When does the summer transfer window open and close?

Sources have told ESPN that the player, who was signed by Brighton from Argentinos Juniors in 2019, is available for a fee of around £50 million due to a release clause within the new contract he signed with the club in October 2022.

Liverpool have made the recruitment of at least two midfielders their priority this summer following the departures of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of the Anfield contracts.

With captain Jordan Henderson and Thiago both 32 years old and troubled by injuries last season, the necessity to bolster manager Jurgen Klopp's midfield options at the same time as reducing the average age of the midfielders has led to the move for Mac Allister, who was a key figure in Brighton qualifying for European competition for the first time in the season just ended.

Liverpool had originally planned to move for Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, but the likely £120m transfer fee of signing the England international, as well as competition from Real Madrid and Manchester City, prompted the club to shift their focus onto signing a number of players rather than spending the majority of the budget on one player.

Sources have said that Liverpool also retain an interest in Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes, Nice's Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach's Manu Kone.

Klopp is also interested in making a move for Chelsea's Mason Mount, but sources have told ESPN that Manchester United are front-runners to sign the 24-year-old.

A deal for Mac Allister is most likely to be Liverpool's first this summer, however, and there is confidence at Anfield that an agreement can be finalised before the player heads out to Asia for Argentina's meeting with Australia in Beijing and subsequent encounter with Indonesia on June 19.

Real Madrid see Harry Kane as the best available option to replace Karim Benzema, sources have told ESPN, but the club are looking at other candidates as they are aware that signing the forward from Tottenham will be difficult.

The England captain, who has scored 32 goals this season, has the right profile to play for Madrid, sources have said, but there are question marks over his age, his transfer fee and Spurs' reluctance to allow their marquee player to leave.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Madrid had planned to sign a back-up forward such as Espanyol's Joselu to act as an alternative to Benzema and wait until next summer before making a significant investment up front.

Club sources have been reluctant to speak openly about interest in signing Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe, but some are willing to admit that a move for one of the two had been planned for 2024, when Benzema's time at Madrid was set to come to an end.

Benzema's shock decision to leave Madrid this month -- accepting an offer from Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad -- has now forced the club to change their plans, to ensure that they have an attack of the necessary quality next season.

Madrid are close to completing the signing of Joselu to replace Mariano Diaz but will now need to move for a first-choice No. 9 that can fill the void left by Benzema, who has scored 31 goals in all competitions despite an inconsistent campaign.

The problem the club face is that there are few options in the market -- with Haaland and Mbappe staying at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain respectively for at least another season -- who fit the bill.

Roberto Firmino, who is available on a free transfer after his contract expired at Liverpool and Chelsea's Kai Havertz have both with linked to Madrid, but club sources admit that Kane is the only available forward who has consistently scored the requisite number of goals, year after year.

Nonetheless, there are also doubts within the club about the possible signing of the Premier League forward.

Kane will turn 30 next month, while Madrid's recent transfer policy has seen them focus on signing up-and-coming talents such as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Madrid are aware that a fee of around €100 million would be required to land Kane and that would have a major impact on this summer's budget, when the club were already planning to spend heavily on Jude Bellingham as well as reinforcing a number of other positions.

Florentino Perez also has previous experience of tough negotiations with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, after the signings of Luka Modric in 2012 and Gareth Bale in 2013.

All this means that while Madrid consider a move for Kane, they are also assessing other options.

In February, ESPN reported that the LaLiga club were tracking various forwards including Kane's Tottenham teammate Richarlison and Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus, believing it was already "essential" to strengthen the attack, even with Benzema expected to continue.

The Ballon d'Or winner's exit comes alongside the departures of three more forwards, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard and Mariano.

Joselu -- who would arrive on loan -- and Brahim Diaz, who returns from a loan spell at AC Milan, are set to be the first to arrive to strengthen the front line, but they will not be the last.

Lionel Messi's father and agent, Jorge Messi, said on Monday that his son would love to return to Barcelona this summer.

The Argentina captain is considering offers after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent after two seasons with the French champions.

- When does the summer transfer window open and close?

Despite being caught on camera entering the home of Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Monday morning, Jorge Messi denied said meeting but told reporters: "Of course, he [Messi] would love to return to Barcelona. I would like it too. We will see."

Barca expect to get approval from LaLiga this week regarding their financial plans in order to begin their transfer business, which will include the anticipated re-signing of Messi.

Asked if he had spoken to Laporta about how Barca could finance Messi's return, Jorge Messi said: "We spoke the other day, but there's nothing concrete."

Barca coach Xavi Hernandez said that Messi would make a decision regarding his future club this week and that "the doors are open" for his return.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Messi, 35, played his last game for PSG on Saturday.

The Argentina forward has contributed 21 goals and 20 assists for PSG in all competitions this season.

ESPN reported in April that Messi is considering a sizeable offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, although Jorge Messi denied later reports he had agreed to a deal.

Major League Soccer side Inter Miami CF are also interested in his signature.

Messi spent 21 years at Barca and helped the club win 35 trophies but left for PSG in August 2021 due to the club's financial crisis.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills continue to work on their pass rush, agreeing to terms with Leonard Floyd on a one-year deal, a source confirmed to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

After not adding to the defensive line in this year's draft, the Bills signed defensive tackle Poona Ford to a one-year, $2.25 million deal, including $1.5 million guaranteed, in May. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver also agreed to terms on a four-year, $68 million extension with $45 million guaranteed on Saturday.

Floyd, 30, adds another veteran presence to a Bills pass-rushing group that includes his former Los Angeles Rams teammate Von Miller, who is coming off a major right ACL injury suffered on Thanksgiving that has about a nine-month recovery window, putting his availability in question for the start of the season. The Bills have also invested heavily in recent drafts at the position with second-round picks A.J. Epenesa (2020) and Boogie Basham (2021) and first-round pick Greg Rousseau (2021).

The Rams released Floyd in March after not being able to find a trade partner for the veteran outside linebacker.

He had at least nine sacks in each of the past three seasons for the Rams and had his best NFL season in 2020, his first with Los Angeles, when he posted a career-best 10.5 sacks.

In three seasons with the Rams, Floyd had 29 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

Floyd was drafted No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bears in 2016 but was released before the 2020 season, even though the team had exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.

In seven seasons, he has 47.5 sacks, 103 quarterback hits and 338 tackles.

Former Rams teammates, Taylor Rapp and David Edwards, are also on the Bills' roster.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.

Russian Daria Kasatkina says she is "leaving Paris with a very bitter feeling" after being booed at the end of her French Open match against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

Kasatkina has spoken out against Russia's war in Ukraine and knew Svitolina would stick to her policy of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players.

Svitolina, who beat ninth seed Kasatkina 6-4 7-6 (7-5), acknowledged the 26-year-old at the end of the match and said she had been "brave" to criticise her nation's actions.

On Monday, Kasatkina tweeted: "Leaving Paris with a very bitter feeling. All this days, after every match I've played in Paris, I always appreciate and thanked crowd for support and being there for the players. But yesterday I was booed for just being respectful on my opponent's position not to shake hands.

"Me and Elina showed respect to each other after a tough match but leaving the court like that was the worse part of yesterday."

She added: "Be better, love each other. Don't spread hate. Try to make this world better. I will love Roland Garros no matter what, always and forever. See you next year."

On day one of this year's French Open, Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk was booed off court when she avoided shaking hands with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.

Belarus is an ally of Russia and allowed troops to use its territory to launch last year's invasion of Ukraine.

Army hockey coach Brian Riley isn't sure if the Stanley Cup has ever visited West Point.

"But I like our chances now," he said with a laugh. "I'm not a betting man, but I've got to believe that the Stanley Cup's going to come to West Point no matter who wins the Final."

The Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers are facing off in the final round of the NHL postseason, trying to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their franchises' histories. Both teams are owned by graduates of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Vegas owner Bill Foley received his bachelor's degree in 1967 before serving in the U.S. Air Force, where he attained the rank of captain. Florida owner Vincent Viola received his bachelor's degree from West Point in 1977 and is graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne, Air Assault, Infantry and Ranger Schools. He served as an infantry officer in the 101st Airborne Division.

The two owners recently made a "wager" on the Stanley Cup Final that will benefit military veterans. Foley and Viola will donate $100,000 to a Veterans Service Organization of the winning owner's choosing.

Foley selected The Folded Flag Foundation to receive a donation from Viola and the Panthers. Viola chose Gold Star Teen Adventures to receive a donation from Foley and the Golden Knights. Both non-profit organizations dedicate their efforts toward the children and families of military and law enforcement personnel who have died.

Riley has seen that generosity from Foley and Viola before in donations to West Point through the years, such as Foley's $15 million donation that put his name on the academy's athletic center. It was the largest single donation in service academy history. But the two NHL owners also support the Cadets in ways beyond just monetarily.

"They have gone above and beyond to contribute to make sure that the type of young men and women that will be graduating from West Point will be the type of young men and women that will be successful in leading this nation's sons and daughters," he said.

They've also given Riley a recruiting pitch.

"It's kind of funny: From my standpoint, recruiting is the lifeblood to any program," he said. "A lot of kids go to schools because their coaches tells them 'come to our school and there's a good chance you'll play in the NHL.' Well, now I can tell recruits to come to West Point and you can own an NHL team."

BOTH OWNERS HAVE applied lessons from their military background to their NHL teams, something Riley has appreciated about them.

"You just can tell when you meet them that they're just leaders," said Riley, who has been the head coach of Army's hockey team for 19 years. "West Point is the preeminent leadership institution in the world, and I think both of them would tell you that the foundation for their success they've had in the business world and all other ventures was built here during their 47-month experience as cadets."

Viola purchased the Panthers in 2013 as the chairman and CEO of Virtu Financial. Panthers president Matthew Caldwell was a managing director at Virtu Management and a fellow West Point graduate. Both have cited the military hierarchy as an influence in the way the team is run and in the way they make personnel decisions.

"We're veteran-owned and we hire veterans throughout the organization," Caldwell said in 2021, at the groundbreaking for the Panthers' training facility at Fort Lauderdale's War Memorial.

Riley has interacted with Viola many times. Panthers players participated in team-building programs at West Point through the years. In 2016, Florida played the first-ever NHL game at the U.S. Military Academy, facing off against the New Jersey Devils in an exhibition game.

"Mr. Viola surrounded himself with West Point graduates," Riley said. "You look at how he set up the organization. I would think people would say there are a lot of similarities between the structure you have in the military and in the Panthers organization."

Viola also nearly became Secretary of the Army under President Donald Trump in 2017 but pulled his candidacy when it became clear that separating himself from "the organizations that he has built over the last 35 years have proven insurmountable," according to Politico.

"Had he been the Secretary of the Army, he would have been a great one," Riley said.

Viola's military background also influenced the look of the team. In 2016, Florida got rid of its "leaping Panther" logo in favor of the one it currently wears, which is modeled after the patch for the Army's 101st Airborne Division.

"I think the logo harkens to the vanguard of courage, the idea that you put a shield on the hockey uniform," Viola said at the time. "It's something to protect, but you also protect it. We wanted something that began a new tradition of winning and demonstrated courage and selfless dedication to a team pursuit of victory."

THE ENTIRE BRANDING of the Vegas Golden Knights was influenced by the military -- which led to some rather awkward moments between Foley and his alma mater.

In 2016, the NHL approved Foley's bid to bring an expansion team to Las Vegas. He had already decided on the team's colors: black, gold and gray, the same palette as Army. He said changing those colors was "non-negotiable." But the team's name, it turned out, would require some negotiation.

Foley wanted his NHL team to be the Vegas Black Knights, which is also the nickname of Army's athletic teams. Foley's financial services firm is Black Knight, Inc. The hockey team's parent company is Black Knight Sports and Entertainment.

He received some pushback from both the U.S. military and the NHL on that name but still wanted to incorporate "Knights" in the Vegas team's nickname. Adidas and the NHL preferred an animal mascot that was evocative of the environment around Las Vegas. But Foley trademarked Desert Knights, Silver Knights and Golden Knights -- the eventual choice.

One problem: Golden Knights was also the name of Army's parachute team. The U.S. Army filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over the nickname of the Vegas Golden Knights. The dispute was settled in 2018, after the team's inaugural season saw it lead the NHL in merchandise sales.

The first time Riley met Foley was in 2016. Foley was receiving a Distinguished Graduate Award, given to West Point graduates "whose character, distinguished service, and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives." There was a reception for him that Riley attended, where he hoped to bump into the man of the hour: One of Foley's best friends, Rick Anderson, played for Riley's father, Jack, when the latter coached at West Point.

"I asked somebody, 'Where's Mr. Foley?' And they said he's the guy over there in the blue jeans. He was just really unassuming," Riley recalled.

He introduced himself to Foley, and eventually the conversation turned to Vegas hockey. Riley asked him what his expectations for the team were.

"He said, 'I am going to give everybody everything they possibly need to be successful, and in a year I expect that we'll be competing for a Stanley Cup,'" Riley said. "I remember wondering if he really understood how hard this is going to be, especially with a new franchise. And lo and behold, there they were, competing for a Stanley Cup."

Six years later, they're competing for the Stanley Cup again. Which, famously, was part of Foley's initial plan for the Knights: Playoffs in three years, Stanley Cup in six.

Viola didn't make that kind of declaration when he purchased the Panthers. His goal was "to be a team that is completely committed to winning the right way for the community it represents." His team has lived up that: In the 19 years before Viola purchased the team, the Panthers made the postseason four times; the 2023 playoffs mark the fifth time they've made it in 10 years with Viola as owner.

"Mr. Foley and Mr. Viola didn't get to be where they are by trying to finish second," Riley said. "They're winners."

LAS VEGAS -- Adin Hill has won eight games in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs after winning 16 games in the entire regular season. In the span of a year, he's gone from playing for a lottery team to being three victories away from winning the Stanley Cup.

More people watch his games at T-Mobile Arena than the amount of residents who live in his hometown of Comox, British Columbia. He plays goalie in a city in which their initial exposure to that position was a future Hall of Famer who set the standard by which all followers have been judged -- for a franchise that's just six years old.

Oh, and he never had any previous Stanley Cup playoff experience until his first game a month ago.

Championship teams all have defining traits. And if this is the year the Vegas Golden Knights capture their first-ever Stanley Cup, among those traits is their ability to find answers to colossal problems.

Hill just happens to be one of those answers. But it's not like what he's doing is anything new; he's been that way all season. He was one of the answers for the question of how the Golden Knights would fare in net once Robin Lehner had an offseason hip surgery that forced him to miss the regular season.

Even though Logan Thompson started the majority of the games, Hill worked in tandem with the rookie to provide Vegas with the goaltending to finish with the best record in the Western Conference. He was there when Thompson was hurt in February and again toward the end of the regular season.

He was that constant when Laurent Brossoit, who took over from Thompson, sustained an injury in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers. Hill won three of his next four starts to close out the Oilers. Hill played well enough to give the Golden Knights a chance to win every game of the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars, a series they won in six games.

All of that is what made Hill's accomplishments in the Golden Knights' 5-2 victory against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final even more monumental. Because it was more than just the Golden Knights taking a lead in the series.

Hill provided another reminder of what has made him one of the Golden Knights' strongest performers this postseason.

"I mean, it's unreal. It's kind of per usual now at this point, him making those saves and kind of bailing us out," Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said after Game 1. "He's had our back the second he stepped in, and we've been fortunate to help him on the other end."

NICK COUSINS WAS right there. He found a spot in the coverage that allowed him to be at the net front by himself so he could be on the other end of a Matthew Tkachuk centering pass to give the Panthers what would have been a 2-1 lead.

Hill was leaning toward Tkachuk before contorting his body back toward Cousins to use every fiber and sinew of his right arm to extend his stick in a manner that allowed his paddle to stop the puck just inches from the goal line, keeping the game tied at 1-1 barely a minute into the second period.

"A Hill To Die On." "King of the Hill." "Hill The Thrill." "The Save."

Pick whatever catchy phrase you want. It amounts to Hill's save becoming arguably the defining moment of Game 1, one of the defining moments of this year's playoffs, and if the Golden Knights win the Cup, potentially one of the defining moments of an entire franchise.

"We were talking about it in the room," Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. "That was an incredible save at a pretty important time in the game. He makes a huge save, [Alex Pietrangelo] makes an incredible defensive play right after to keep the puck out of the net, and then not long after [Shea] Theodore makes an incredible play to get us a lead."

Brett Howden, Nicolas Roy and Zach Whitecloud were all on the bench when Hill made the save, and each of their recollections just adds to what made Hill and the stop itself even more massive for the Golden Knights.

Howden echoed what a number of players said about the save: It was the "a-ha" moment that forced the Golden Knights to confront the fact they needed to help out their netminder.

"I've seen it live, I saw a couple pictures of it after but to see how close it was? It was just inches away or even just [Cousins] raising the puck, it could have been in," Howden said. "I thought it was going in and saw that it didn't go in. I was in disbelief and then the play started coming back the other way. Right then, we kinda looked at each other and were like, 'Alright. He's doing everything he can. We gotta get going here.'"

You mean there were no four-letter words used at that moment?

"Uh, there probably were some words like that," Howden smiled.

Roy had just come onto the Golden Knights bench and said he did not actually see Hill's save when it happened. His first viewing of it was when he went back and watched on social media.

"I heard the guys stand up and cheer for Adin, but I didn't see it until after the game," Roy said. "It was a game-changer for sure."

Whitecloud said everything about the moment -- from Hill's save to watching Pietrangelo clear the puck down to seeing the puck go in the air after Pietrangelo's clearance -- made him feel tense for the three or so seconds it took for everything to play out in real time.

"When you're watching, you're tense. When you're out there, it's easy because you're not as tense," Whitecloud explained. "When you are watching your friends and brothers out there battling -- for me anyway -- I get tense. I watch, almost like I am a fan! That sort of thing can turn a game. When you look at those breaks, you're like, 'That's a break. That's one we need.'"

So what did Hill, the individual who authored such a moment, have to say about everything?

"The save? It kind of played through on a little screen on a cross to Tkachuk on his [strong] side and I kinda flew across to the [strong side] and then I saw him throwing it backdoor and Cousins was there," Hill said matter-of-factly. "I reached out with my stick and was able to track it and got a piece of it with my paddle. It felt good!"

SPEAK TO ANYONE who works for an NHL team's in-game production staff. They'll tell you about how everything is subject to change. Unless that subject is how the Golden Knights treat the goaltender when it comes time to do the starting lineup at T-Mobile Arena.

There have been games in which Golden Knights public address announcer Bruce Cusick can't even be heard announcing a goalie's name -- because the applause along with the music drowns out his voice.

Plenty of teams show a graphic of the player in the starting lineup on the video board before cutting to a live feed of them on the ice as they're being announced. But in Vegas, they have a camera that does a gradual close up on the goalies that both creates an imposing figure, while also underscoring the importance that being "the starting goalie for the Vegas Golden Knights" means something substantial to many people.

There will be a time when this particular piece of the Golden Knights' dynamic changes. For now, Vegas is a market that lacks several decades of team history that fans talk about with reverence. Vegas has what it knows, and what the city knows is that anyone who wears that mask and those pads better come correct or not even come at all.

So much can be said about the impact Marc-Andre Fleury had on the franchise during his four seasons in Vegas. What Fleury did and how he did it is part of the foundation for why there is such a passion about who plays in net for the Golden Knights.

"Honestly, it's a little bit of pressure but it's also really exciting for these guys because you could hear it yesterday when they named him and how loud it was," Roy said of Hill. "It's been unreal. I think every goalie who comes through this organization has had a real good time. You look at Flower. I think he was basically almost a God here."

Nobody can say for certain what Hill's impact will be whenever he does move on from the Golden Knights -- he's a pending unrestricted free agent, by the way. During this playoff run, his popularity continues to surge. Hill didn't just receive a loud ovation when the starting lineups were read before Game 1: Hill received the loudest ovation of anyone, and that includes fan favorites like William Carrier and an All-Star like Pietrangelo.

There are more subtle nods too, such as when he made a save in the first period and once the play was whistled dead, the Golden Knights' in-game production staff made the conscious decision to play the theme song from "King of the Hill."

So why is there so much love?

He's always been there for the team this season. He has been the same person whether he was playing or sitting. He came through when others were injured. The performances that have allowed the Golden Knights to be three wins away from winning the title that has come to define their win-at-all-costs mentality.

All of this is why the majority of the 18,432 fans who were in attendance for Game 1 screamed his name while celebrating every save he made.

It's also why with three more wins Hill could be more than just a Golden Knight. He has a chance to possibly be king in a city that desperately wants a crown.

"He's competed, he's been a great teammate, he works hard, he pays attention to the details, he wants to get better," said Whitecloud, whose stall is next to Hill's at the team's practice facility in Summerlin, Nev. "You'll play for a guy like that any day of the week."

The Belgian Pro League season came to a rip-roaring conclusion this weekend as a trio of teams at the top of the table all managed to get one hand on the trophy during the dying minutes of the 2022-23 campaign.

The 34-game Pro League regular season came to an end last month with Genk in first place, narrowly above Union St.-Gilloise on goal difference, who in turn were three points ahead of third-placed Antwerp.

- Stream replays of Belgian Pro League action on ESPN+

The trio were then joined in the title playoffs (which were first introduced for the 2009-10 season) by Club Brugge who finished the regular season in fourth, 13 points behind Antwerp in third and yet still with a chance to emerge as champions.

After five playoff games already (facing each other twice, both home and away), Sunday was the final day of action with Antwerp (46) and Union St.-Gilloise (46) level at the top of the mini-league, one point above Racing Genk in third (45) and Brugge out of the running in fourth (33.)

In the end, Antwerp drew 2-2 with Genk to seal the 2022-23 Pro League title in stunning fashion, while Union lost 3-1 to Club Brugge.

But, as the final matchday progressed, goals began to fly in and the two scorelines fluctuated, the destination of the title chopped and changed between three clubs within five minutes right at the end of the campaign.

Here's how things played out.

45 mins: Genk 1-0 Antwerp (Toluwalase Arokodare)

It took a while, but things were finally put in motion when Arokodare scored the first goal of the day, putting Genk ahead on the stroke of half-time and effectively sending them clear at the top of the table.

KRC Genk is the virtual #JPL champion at half-time! ??#jupilerproleague #championsplayoffs pic.twitter.com/hgsdpD275k

— Pro League (@ProLeagueBE) June 4, 2023

46 mins: Union St.-Gilloise 1-0 Club Brugge (Simon Adingra)

Immediately after the break, Adingra scored against a Brugge side with nothing to play for with a goal that saw Union leapfrog back to the summit.

58 mins: Genk 1-1 Antwerp (Gyrano Kerk)

Antwerp scored their first goal of the afternoon just before the hour mark via a Kerk equaliser. However, Antwerp still needed another goal if they were to usurp leaders Union in the table.)

75 mins: Genk 2-1 Antwerp (Bryan Heynen)

Genk threw a spanner in the works when Heynen nudged them back ahead and back into second place, one point behind leaders Union.

89 mins: Union St.-Gilloise 1-1 Club Brugge (Shion Homma)

The cracks began to show for Union who let their lead slip against Brugge in the 89th minute to once again propel Genk into the top spot.

90+3 mins: Union St.-Gilloise 1-2 Club Brugge (Noa Lang)

With Genk top of the league as things stood, Union's championship aspirations went up in smoke as their disastrous late capitulation was compounded by another stoppage time goal for Brugge.

90+4 mins: Genk 2-2 Antwerp (Toby Alderweireld)

Desperately chasing a late goal, Antwerp's saviour came in the form of veteran defender Alderweireld who lashed in a brilliant strike from 20 yards to score an equaliser that rocketed his side up into first place for the first time.

90+10 mins: Union St.-Gilloise 1-3 Club Brugge (Cisse Sandra)

Union shipped another late goal to fully obliterate their challenge.

Full-time

Antwerp delivered a first Pro League title since 1957, with Antwerp-born Alderweireld -- who only returned to his hometown last summer -- writing his name into folklore forever more.

FINAL WHISTLE EMOTIONS ?? pic.twitter.com/t2y5PmYmyL

— Royal Antwerp FC (@official_rafc) June 4, 2023

Final standings

1. Antwerp - 47
2. Union St.-Gilloise - 46
3. Genk - 46
4. Club Brugge - 36