Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scored a quick-fire second-half double to set the leaders on course for a thrashing of Real Madrid.
Juventus's hopes of reaching the Champions League last eight suffered a blow when the two-times European Cup winners slumped to a 1-0 defeat in their last-16 first leg at Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday. Manchester City finally produced a Champions League performance worthy of their status as one of European football's elite clubs by beating Real Madrid 2-1 away in Wednesday's last-16 first leg after pulling off a stunning late fightback.
Barcelona right back Dani Alves has completed his move to Italian champions Juventus on a two-year contract, the Turin-based club said on Monday. The 33-year-old Brazilian had earlier announced he would leave Barca as a free agent after eight successful seasons, during which he won 23 titles.
Cristiano Ronaldo's goal, which took his league tally for the season to 21, meant that he joined Fabio Quagliarella and Gabriel Batistuta as the only players to have scored in 11 consecutive league appearances. He also reached yet another milestone with his 1,000th match for club and country in a remarkable career which has seen him play for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Portugal.
The Turin-based club have suffered in recent weeks with three of their players having tested positive for the virus -- forward Paulo Dybala, defender Daniele Rugani and midfielder Blaise Matuidi.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches on Tuesday night.
Goals from Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado sent Juventus back to the top of the Serie A table with a comfortable 2-0 win over 10-man Brescia on Sunday.
Holders Chelsea made light of their off-pitch problems to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Lille 2-1 away on Wednesday to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory.
'Betrayed by Ronaldo'
Ronaldo flew back to his native Madeira after Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-0 behind closed doors on March 8, their final game before Serie A was suspended because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Juventus goal since October to rescue a 2-2 Serie A draw against Sassuolo
Lionel Messi dragged a nervous Barcelona to a 1-0 win at home to Levante in La Liga, while Cristiano Ronaldo converted two late penalties on his 100th appearance for Juventus in all competitions as the Serie A titleholders ground out a 3-1 win away to a dogged Genoa side.
AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain said he was treated very well by Juventus -- right until the moment they forced him out of the club to make way for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored twice to set his side on course for a 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Swiss side Young Boys on Tuesday as the Catalan giants bounced back from a 2-1 loss at AS Monaco in their opener.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Saturday.
France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for four years for a doping offence earlier this season.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is confident Paul Pogba will stay put at the club despite talks about the French midfielder leaving for England or Spain.
Defiant 10-man Porto upset Juventus to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw despite losing 3-2 to the Italians following extra time in a thrilling clash that went to the wire on Tuesday.
Here is a round-up of results from the European League matches played on Wednesday
Chelsea beat Sheffield United 2-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.
Bayer Leverkusen crushed hosts VfL Bochum 5-0 to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches.
Real Madrid's French duo Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy struck in the second half as the Spanish champions overcame an injury crisis to beat Getafe 2-0 at home on Tuesday and close the gap to La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid to five points.
The revamped Champions League will feature a tennis-style seeding system for the last-16 knockout phase, UEFA said.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League debut for Juventus lasted only 29 minutes as he was red-carded but the Italians began their Group H campaign impressively with a 2-0 victory at Valencia on Wednesday. Penalties either side of halftime by Miralem Pjanic sealed the points for the visitors as Valencia's return to European competition after a two-year absence fell flat.
Juventus and Argentina soccer forward Paulo Dybala has tested positive for coronavirus but has no symptoms, the Italian Serie A club said on Saturday, making him one of the most high-profile players to be infected so far.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Paul Pogba may stay put at Juventus despite talks about the French midfielder's possible move to England or Spain, his agent Mino Raiola has said. The 23-year-old Pogba, who played a pivotal role in France's run to the Euro 2016 final, has been strongly linked with a return to English Premier League club Manchester United with Champions League winners Real Madrid also eyeing him.
The Frenchman said last month he could seek a new challenge elsewhere amid reports linking him to Juventus and Real Madrid.
Juventus defender Dani Alves produced an inspired display capped by a stunning volleyed goal in a 2-1 win over AS Monaco on Tuesday that took the Italians into their second Champions League final in three years.
Five-times world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo has signed for Juventus from Real Madrid.
Barcelona rarely looked capable of repeating their heroic comeback in the last 16 against Paris St Germain.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is renowned for his wild touchline antics but a shrewd tactical move with a triple substitution swung Wednesday's Champions League game against Juventus firmly his side's way.
Argentina have called up Mallorca's Spanish defender Pablo Maffeo for the first time ahead of this month's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil in the squad announced by its FA on Friday.
Hellas Verona produced a huge upset by coming from behind to beat Serie A leaders Juventus 2-1 on Saturday, inflicting a third defeat of the season on the Italian champions. Cristiano Ronaldo set a new Juventus record by scoring in a 10th consecutive league game to put the visitors in front at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi after 65 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Juventus fans who applauded his stunning bicycle kick goal for Real Madrid against the Italian side on Tuesday and said he had been hoping for a long time to score in such spectacular fashion.
The patched-up backline will come up against an erratic Serbia with an experienced attack led by Aleksandar Mitrovic, who notched 28 goals in 28 matches in the Saudi Pro League and is a major threat in the air.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Talismanic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon bid a tearful farewell to Juventus after 17 seasons at the club when he played his last match for them in a 2-1 win over relegated Verona on Saturday.
A David Trezeguet hat-trick gave Juventus a 5-1 home win over Livorno on their return to Serie A.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances