France entered Euro 2016 supposedly as an attacking side with defensive weaknesses, yet Les Bleus have confounded that image by conceding only one goal while scoring four in the group phase.
Porto and Lille completed the line-up for the final 16 of the Champions League as the group phase of the competition ended.
France wants to deport almost 50 Russian soccer fans, Alexander Shprygin, the head of a Russian supporters' group, said on Tuesday, saying French riot police had stopped a bus carrying fans in Cannes who were on their way to Lille.
Bastian Schweinsteiger does not believe he can yet offer Germany a 90-minute show at Euro 2016 but against Ukraine on Sunday the playmaker proved he only needs a short cameo to make a big difference.
Italy midfielder Antonio Candreva gave a dazzling performance as he scored a penalty and set up a second goal in a 2-0 win over Finland in their fast-paced final Euro 2016 warm-up in Verona on Monday. The 29-year-old winger coolly converted a 27th-minute spot kick after being brought down and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Daniele De Rossi to head home midway through the second half. Thriving on the right flank in an adventurous 3-4-3 formation, Candreva was a handful for the visitors throughout the evening, showing blistering pace as well as neat footwork. With their coach Antonio Conte fielding a three-pronged attack of Stephan El Shaarawy, Ciro Immobile and Simone Zaza, the Italians pressed high and hard to keep the Finns on the back foot from the start.
Manchester United beat Lille 1-0 for a 2-0 aggregate win, while Bayern rallied from a 3-2 defeat to beat Real 2-1 and qualify on the away goals rule.
An inspired second half goal from Edison Mendez was enough to give PSV Eindhoven a slender 1-0 win over Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League first knockout round match
Skipper Raul struck twice as Real Madrid got the better of old foes Bayern Munich with a 3-2 win at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their Champions League first knockout round tie on Tuesday.
Lacazette fired the Gunners ahead in the eighth minute after poor defending by the home side before new signing Gabriel made it 2-0 in the 49th and Aubameyang put the icing on the cake with a superb shot into the top corner.
The former European champions face the prospect of elimination from the Champions League should they lose to Villarreal.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Five-times Davis Cup champions Spain will host Britain in the first round of the 2018 competition.
Chelsea have signed Germany's highly-rated attacking midfielder Kai Havertz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year contract, the Premier League club announced on Friday.
Lionel Messi was at the top of his game as Barcelona earned a 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday to move up to third in La Liga.
Last season's Champions League flops, Manchester United and Celtic will seek a flying start when they meet in the Group F tie at Old Trafford.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from Day one of the 2019 Davis Cup at La Caja Magica in Madrid on Monday
List of major transfers in the top Premier League ahead of the 2019-20 season (all transfer fees as reported by British media):
Twice former winners Benfica came from behind to beat the English side 2-1 to reach the last 16 of the tournament.\nA round-up of Wednesday's matches.
Manchester United visit Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday with manager Alex Ferguson under extreme pressure following Saturday's 4-1 thrashing at Middlesbrough.
'So much so we don't feel the need to create anything, but just bask in that glory.' 'It's time to move on.' 'How much burden can you put on a person or the legacy of the person?'
Borna Coric and Marin Cilic put Croatia in complete control of the Davis Cup final on Friday, leaving hosts and defending champions France facing what looks like mission impossible.
Rediff.com presents a flashback of those moments at Euro 2016 that personify pure ecstasy...
Liverpool's Matip did not want to play for Cameroon for the moment because of a 'bad experience' with the previous coaching staff
Just 24 hours after UEFA told Russia it would be expelled from the tournament if their fans caused more crowd trouble, the Slovaks outplayed them for large parts of a match contested under a closed roof because of forecasts of heavy rain.
Monaco beat Paris St Germain 2-0 and they are now third in the standings with 42 points from 23 games.
The Italians drew 2-2 in Greece against Egaleo, a result which sends Middlesbrough, Villarreal and Partizan Belgrade through as the three qualifiers from Group E.
Workers of SNCF will be on strike for two days out of five every week for three months.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
With no Champions League football for a third straight season, the financial realities are starting to bite and Arsenal will be desperate for some of their talented youngsters to come through.
Angel Correa saw La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid snatch a 2-1 victory away to Granada on Saturday
Factbox on Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who announced his retirement from international football on Friday.
Already without the likes of Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils for the final against Croatia, Noah decided to leave out Lucas Pouille, the top-ranked player in his squad.
While France and Switzerland largely got what they wanted with a 0-0 draw at Euro 2016 on Sunday, it was a night of shame for ground staff and sports manufacturers.
'You'd also be wrong if you tried to lump me in the same category as Bernard Tomic'
