Under pressure from the chasing pack and rocked on their heels by a Charlie Adam bolt from the blue, Chelsea showed cool heads to extend their Premier League to seven points on Saturday with a 2-1 home win over Stoke City.
Spain snatched a 2-2 draw against Morocco on Monday to qualify for the World Cup last 16 and take top spot in Group B ahead of Portugal on goals scored.
While that may not differ too much from the scenario in many group stage matches pairing the big beasts of the game against those nations who occupy lower rungs of the FIFA rankings, the X-factor in Kazan could be Carlos Queiroz.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on the Football Association (FA) to ban players who dive in order to rid the game of play acting to win free kicks or penalties.
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.
Premier League Swansea City fell victims to the first major giant-killing of the FA Cup third round on Sunday when they lost 3-2 away to League Two (fourth tier) side Oxford United.
Key moments in Chelsea's Premier League title-winning season.
Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard is convinced he has not lost his magic touch that was on full display last season and is taking confidence from his goal against Arsenal as he seeks to rediscover the same form this campaign.
Jose Mourinho maintained his hold over Arsene Wenger with leaders Chelsea enjoying a routine 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday after the two old adversaries became involved in an ugly touchline spat.
Former Brazil international Kaka made the most of his first appearance in the Major League Soccer All-Star Game as he helped lead his team past English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday.
Two years on from their defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League final, Atletico Madrid are back on the same stage against the same rival - wiser and determined not to be haunted by the memories of Lisbon.
Striker Costa ends second spell at Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea captain John Terry is showing all the qualities of a future manager, the club's interim boss Guus Hiddink said on Friday. Terry, 35, is keen to continue his playing career at Stamford Bridge but has not yet been offered a new contract for next season. Hiddink said decision was not down to him, but in the longer term he could see the former England central defender as a manager. "In some players you see while they are playing there might be managers inside them already," the Dutchman told a news conference. "You see that most of the time in midfield positions or centre-backs. These guys are already leaders. "In my career I've had some examples like (Southampton's) Ronald Koeman in my first spell at Eindhoven, who you could see was tactically very strong and a leader. "And (Watford's) Quique Sanchez Flores at Valencia too." Terry would need "extra courses" and would be well advised to start as an assistant, Hiddink added.
Leaders Chelsea stretched their Premier League winning run to a club record-equalling 11 as Diego Costa's header shortly before halftime secured a 1-0 victory at London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday.
'I haven't always expressed myself well. I said I would like to play with Neymar and Mbappe, but that doesn't mean I want to go to PSG'
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Chelsea striker Diego Costa will become the latest Chelsea player to wear a protective mask after breaking his nose, leading interim manager Guus Hiddink to liken his side to a 'team of Zorros'.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink was satisfied with Chelsea's 0-0 draw at Manchester United on Monday, especially as the Premier League champions played without a recognised striker.
An off-key Liverpool were frustrated for a second successive game by struggling opponents as they were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Jose Mourinho added another entry to his extensive personal diary of conspiracies on Thursday when, after Chelsea were ripped apart 5-3 by Tottenham Hotspur, he blamed the defeat on a penalty that was not given.
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce believes it is acceptable for players to "make a meal out of" contact if it helps them win penalties and free kicks.
Allowing independent panels to punish players retrospectively for diving and other infringements would be a "disaster", according to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
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.
Spain, on four points, need a draw to guarantee their progress to the last 16 but will be looking to win and outscore Portugal, who face Iran, in case goal difference decides who finishes top.
Spain defender Gerard Pique accused Cristiano Ronaldo of diving to win a penalty and a crucial free-kick in Friday's epic 3-3 draw with Portugal.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has called Atletico Madrid's Brazil-born forward Diego Costa into his squad for the first time for this month's friendlies away to Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
Arsenal fear Sanchez injury loss could be 'big blow'.
Atletico Madrid's faint hopes of chasing down runaway Liga leaders Barcelona suffered a fresh blow on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Girona, meaning they could fall 11 points behind the Catalans by the end of the weekend.
Arsenal snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory over Burnley to keep their title hopes on track after the referee Jon Moss awarded penalties to both sides and sent off home manager Arsene Wenger in injury time.
Chelsea will pay 30 million euros ($33.54 million) for the player, three of which will be based on performance, the Spanish champions said on their website.
FA Cup winners Arsenal beat champions Chelsea 1-0 in England's Community Shield season curtain-raiser at Wembley on Sunday to end a long wait for victory over their London rivals.
Hosts Russia have exceeded expectations after advancing to the World Cup quarter-finals with a win on penalties over Spain but they will need more firepower if they are to give Croatia a run for their money on Saturday.
Chelsea finally produced a performance befitting of champions to demolish Newcastle United 5-1.
'But this was our first match point, if we compare this to tennis, our second match point comes against Portugal. We're still alive and dreaming'
Defending champions Bayern Munich survived a shaky second half and missed a late penalty against Arsenal on Tuesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Leicester City were give a Premier League reality check when the unlikely leaders lost 1-0 at Liverpool on Saturday after Manchester United slumped to a third consecutive league defeat to pile more pressure on manager Louis van Gaal.
Guus Hiddink is set to take over as Chelsea manager until the end of the season.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte paid tribute to the performances of his back-up players as his in-form team moved a step closer to a league and cup double.
IMAGES from an exciting Europa League semi-final first leg match played at Emirates Stadium on Thursday
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