Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola praised Sergio Aguero's natural goalscoring ability after his hat-trick on Wednesday helped defeat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 in their opening Champions League Group C match at the Etihad Stadium.
The 28-year-old tied up the 15 million pound move late on Wednesday after passing a medical.
Forced to play their home matches in Malaysia due to security concerns, Syria had fallen behind when Robbie Kruse tapped in from close range in the first half but the underdogs refused to buckle to their vastly more experienced opponents.
Bayern Munich defeated Kaiserslautern 3-1 in the German Cup final for their fourth domestic league and cup double.
Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira's World Cup hopes hang in the balance after he was ruled out for around six months with a torn cruciate ligament suffered in Friday's 1-1 draw against Italy, team doctors said on Saturday.
Ousmane Dembele's late strike rescued a 1-1 draw for champions Barcelona at Atletico Madrid but Sevilla moved top with a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid. European champions Real Madrid were humiliated in a 3-0 defeat at Eibar.
The 27-year-old East Germany-born midfielder's elegance on the pitch should not be mistaken for arrogance.
Atletico Madrid stayed firmly on course for a surprise La Liga title triumph when Raul Garcia's header secured a 1-0 win for the leaders at home to seventh-placed Villarreal on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Arsenal's bid to win the FA Cup for a third successive year ended on Sunday when they lost 2-1 at home to Watford in a pulsating quarter-final tie.
World Cup failure aside, 2002 was still an exceptional year for the world's most expensive player
To finish with dignity is how Robin van Persie wants to end his playing days on Sunday when he hangs up his boots after an 18-year career.
Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann struck twice as the Spanish side outclassed hapless Olympique de Marseille 3-0 on Wednesday to win the Europa League for the third time.
Playmaker Giovanni Hernandez rifled home the winner in a 1-0 victory over Japan in Group A.
Chelsea put a miserable week behind them to return to the Premier League summit with a 2-0 win over Fulham as the wheels came off Liverpool's bright start in a 1-0 home defeat to Southampton on Saturday.
The ace midfielder has been in Germany's squad for the Euro 2004 qualifier against Scotland.
Colombian James Rodriguez scored both goals in Monaco's 2-0 victory at Bastia on Saturday, keeping them in contention for the Ligue 1 title, five points behind leaders Paris St Germain.
They were beaten by Werder Bremen 1-0.
"I think he plays on Wednesday because on Saturday it was a decision to protect him," manager Jose Mourinho told the club website (www.chelseafc.com).
Iceland snatched a stoppage-time winner to continue their fairytale story at Euro 2016 by making it through to the last 16 after a deserved 2-1 victory against Austria in their final Group F match on Wednesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey says he has yet to reach an agreement with the Premier League club about his future. The Wales international, who joined the club in 2008, is in the final year of his contract.
Manchester City suffered their first home Premier League loss in eight months as a shock 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday left Pep Guardiola's champions trailing leaders Liverpool by four points.
Colombia scored two first half goals to tame hosts the United States and open the Copa America tournament with a convincing 2-0 victory in front of a big crowd on Friday.
Barcelona have completed their business in the latest transfer window and the Spanish and European champions' squad is now "closed", president Josep Bartomeu said on Thursday.
Barcelona's new midfield playmaker Arda Turan has said it will be tough for him not being able to play until January due to a ban on the club on registering players.
Jose Mourinho will select a strong Chelsea side out of respect to high-flying Championship team Derby County when they meet in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
Russia's World Cup dream ended within agonising sight of the semi-finals as they went down 4-3 on penalties to Croatia on Saturday after another gallant performance in front of their fanatical fans which again belied their lowly ranking.
- 'We will have to play with a lot of intelligence' - 'We will be able to see a fantastic footballer on the pitch'
IMAGES from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of a first victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 26 years disappeared as a 2-2 draw left Leicester City celebrating the Premier League title on Monday.
Emotions ran high as Nantes paid tribute to their former player Emiliano Sala on Wednesday in their first game since the Argentine went missing in a light aircraft over the English Channel.
The last three league meetings between the two sides, including October's game at Anfield, have ended in draws but Lovren said Liverpool were intent on coming away with all three points on Saturday.
VfL Wolfsburg reached the Champions League last 16 and dealt a knockout blow to Manchester United with a 3-2 victory to claim top spot in Group B and condemn their opponents to the Europa League on Tuesday.
Barcelona want Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta to end his career at the Catalan club, coach Gerardo Martino said on the eve of Saturday's La Liga game at Almeria.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
Paris St Germain took a big step towards the Ligue 1 title when Edinson Cavani's hat-trick inspired them.
Belgium have retained injured Vincent Kompany in their final World Cup squad but put fellow defender Laurent Ciman on standby in case the Manchester City skipper is not fit for their opening match in Russia.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances