Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson once said he would not sell Real Madrid "a virus" let alone Cristiano Ronaldo but, as even he found out, when the Spanish giants come knocking they usually get what they want.
Manchester United beat AC Milan 5-4 on penalties after their International Champions Cup match in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium ended 2-2 in regulation time on Saturday.
Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has given a strong indication that he will retire from international footbal after 16 years. The 35-year-old did not play in any of Spain's four games at Euro 2016 with national team coach Vicente del Bosque picking Manchester United's David De Gea in goal. Casillas, who made his debut in 2000 and is Spain's most capped player with 167 appearances, posted a video on his twitter account (@casillasworld) of a Rambo film with the dialogue saying: "I don't know where but I'm going."
Relief ran through Spanish ranks after Gerard Pique's late header secured a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in their opening Group D match at Euro 2016 on Monday.
Goalkeeper De Gea was forced to leave the field during Spain's Euro 2020 qualifier against Sweden on Tuesday.
A summary of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
English Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Manchester United in their derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.
For all Vicente del Bosque's confidence that he has the right balance of experience and youth to return Spain to their familiar place on the winner's rostrum, questions remain about his best starting line-up ahead of Euro 2016.
Russia's penalty shootout hero, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, thanked God, luck and the Luzhniki Stadium crowd for bringing the hosts home safely against Spain on Sunday to reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 1970.
Manchester United's top-four aspirations suffered a setback as Louis van Gaal's side were blown away 3-0 by Everton.
Timo Werner scored his first goal of the season as a much-changed Chelsea side crept into the fourth round of the League Cup by beating Aston Villa 4-3 on penalties after the Stamford Bridge clash ended 1-1 on Wednesday.
Five talking-points from the Premier League weekend after Manchester United extended their winning run against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool were made to work hard for their win at Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal losing at West Ham United.
Liverpool's first loss of the season means they cannot finish the campaign unbeaten to match Arsenal's 'Invincibles' of 2003-04.
- 'The match epitomised our season really' - 'Today we were the better side in the first half but you can't concede the goals we did'
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea added another heart-stopping save to his collection as his team held a highly-impressive Sevilla side to a 0-0 draw away from home in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.
A goal in added time by Diego Costa earned Chelsea a 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday and preserved Guus Hiddink's unbeaten record while denying Dutch compatriot Louis van Gaal victory.
Mourinho not concerned by Manchester United's slow pre-season
Should the Portugal forward triumph, he will equal the record of his great rival and five-time winner Lionel Messi of Barcelona, who is also nominated.
Manchester United's revival came to a disappointing end as Bournemouth forward Joshua King's goal on the stroke of halftime earned a 1-0 victory on a blustery south coast on Saturday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Chelsea pair Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were named on Thursday on the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award.
After a tense encounter finished 1-1 following extra time, Villareal's Rulli stepped up after every on-field player scored their spot kicks and he comfortably beat Spaniard De Gea
Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this eye-catching photo feature.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was delighted with the discipline of his team, who ended United's 19-game unbeaten run.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Holders Spain were knocked out of Euro 2016 in a 2-0 defeat by Italy on Monday after goals by Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle set up a quarter-final with world champions Germany. Chiellini opened the scoring after 33 minutes while Pelle wrapped up the victory in stoppage time to end Spain's reign as European champions which covered the 2008 and 2012 tournaments.
Images from the Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Woeful defending led to two Brighton goals in two first-half minutes as 34-year-old Glenn Murray and Shane Duffy outsmarted United's 117 million pound ($149.21 million) back four to demonstrate why manager Jose Mourinho had sought to upgrade it.
The Gunners' only league defeat of the campaign was in September away to one of England's traditional top-six clubs, Manchester United, drawing criticism that their strong start to the season was based on wins against lesser opposition.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is more worried about avoiding injuries on a poor pitch in Beijing than he is about winning their pre-season derby against Manchester City in the International Champions Cup (ICC). Mourinho criticised the conditions at the Bird's Nest stadium where torrential rain is forecast for next 24 hours. "I think Beijing is unlucky because the pitch is very wet," the manager told reporters on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to move up to provisional fourth place in the Premier League after relegation-threatened Newcastle United held them to a 2-2 draw with a late equaliser from substitute Joe Willock at St James' Park on Sunday. Images from EPL matches played on Sunday.
A rejuvenated Manchester United claimed a sixth win from six matches since former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepped in following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
Images from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
For all their improvement under Klopp, European champions Liverpool have not won at Old Trafford under the German
Daley Blind's injury-time equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw for Manchester United against West Ham United on Sunday but a point was not enough to regain third spot in the Premier League.
Premier League-based trio Diego Costa, Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla were among a high-profile list of absentees when Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque named his provisional 25-man squad for Euro 2016 on Tuesday. Costa injured his hamstring against Liverpool in Chelsea's penultimate game of the season. Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres was also absent from the squad despite his improved form towards the end of the season, as were Arsenal midfielder Cazorla and Valencia forward Paco Alcacer, Spain's top scorer in their qualifying campaign.
The fans who soured West Ham's farewell party at Upton Park on Tuesday night will be banned for life once identified, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Manager reckons Manchester United still in top four race
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Arsene Wenger's final match at Old Trafford as Arsenal manager ended in defeat with a stoppage time header from substitute Marouane Fellaini earning the points for second-placed Manchester United.
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