Manchester United's hopes of launching a New Year title challenge suffered a setback at the first opportunity on Thursday when they could only draw 1-1 at mid-table Stoke City in an all-action Premier League clash.
- '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'
Croatia, helped by a mistake by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, held Italy to a 1-1 away draw on Sunday, but their evening was ruined by their fans who twice interrupted play by throwing flares onto the pitch.
Manchester United's fourth place in last season's Premier League was regarded as a qualified success but more importantly the launch pad to return the club to former glory.
Manchester United have enough in their armoury to cope with the loss of suspended striker Wayne Rooney, Everton manager Roberto Martinez warned his players on Friday ahead of this weekend's Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
With most Manchester United fans praying for much-needed defensive reinforcements, manager Louis van Gaal made a surprise deadline-day swoop for flamboyant Colombian striker Radamel Falcao on Monday.
Chelsea's Belgium forward won Eden Hazard England's PFA player of the year award ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea on Sunday.
England striker Daniel Sturridge celebrated his return after a five-month injury layoff when he came off the bench to score as Liverpool beat West Ham United 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq rates the 2-0 series win over Australia as his country's "best ever" considering his team were without three key bowlers.
Manchester United, who spent 150 million pounds on new players in the summer, might need to spend another 100 million pounds before they can compete for the Premier League title, according to former defender Phil Neville.
He played James Bond seven times. But the role Roger Moore most cherished was a different one.
The table suggests Louis van Gaal is making progress at Manchester United but winning matches has never been good enough on its own at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Louis van Gaal era finally got lift off as Manchester United demolished Queens Park Rangers 4-0 on Sunday for their first win since the Dutchman took charge at Old Trafford.
Arun Jaitley had proposed to set up a Public Debt and Management Agency.
Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui make a global statement on the power of Indian cinema, says Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
Star Trek is middle-aged and a bit tired but it's definitely here to stay, feels Shuma Raha.
Luis Suarez struck a clinical hat-trick as Liverpool thrashed West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at Anfield to keep pace with Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
The cricket career of Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has come a full circle. Misbah is no longer 'Mr Tuck Tuck'.
Former PCB chairman and Pakistan's nominee for the post of International Cricket Council (ICC) President, Najam Sethi has disclosed how he had to take a firm stand to prevent Misbah-ul-Haq from being removed as captain this year.
A plethora of high-profile attacking signings had expectant Manchester United fans dreaming of a return to the upper echelons of European football, but their failure to identify their defensive problems is threatening to derail those hopes.
Manchester United manager David Moyes has suffered a stuttering start to life at Old Trafford but it could have been far worse for the Scot if he had failed to retain the services of striker Wayne Rooney.
Willian's late strike snatched a 1-0 home win for Chelsea over a stubborn Everton side to maintain lead.
The Argentinian becomes the first brand ambassador of the company in its 70-year history.
What a difference an international break makes. Before Europe's top domestic leagues were interrupted by players jetting off around the world to play for their countries, Manchester United's supposed new dawn under Louis van Gaal was obscured by dark clouds.
This and more from the happenings in the world of footbal.
Manchester City squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea when they let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to struggling Burnley on Sunday.
Socialising with people around you is actually easy and effective if done the right way.
European champions Bayern Munich led the charge into the last 16 of the Champions League when they beat Viktoria Plzen 1-0 to chalk up a record-equalling ninth straight victory in the competition on Tuesday.
Leaders Chelsea have seen their lead reduced to just three points after a shock defeat, and a revival from defending champions Manchester City. Manchester United are back in third after a run of five straight wins. If Chelsea slip agains, City continue to pile on the pressure and United keep the winning momentum it will make EPL battle further interesting.
Manchester United are likely to welcome back captain Wayne Rooney from suspension for their visit to Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, hoping the striker can add to his record scoring tally in the derby.
Arsenal maintained their challenge for a first trophy in nine seasons when they beat Liverpool 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to open up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester United dropped further down the table after losing 5-3 against newcomers Leicester City. Barcelona and Real Madrid scored 13 goals between them during a memorable La Liga weekend, when Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat-trick.
Chelsea were declared the "autumn champions" by coach Jose Mourinho as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win at Anfield on Saturday that kept them four points clear of Southampton at the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea icon Frank Lampard scored for Manchester City to end his old club's perfect start to the Premier League season while Leicester City came from 3-1 down to beat Manchester United 5-3 on a remarkable day in the Premier League on Sunday.
As Manchester United prepare to embark on a new era following Louis van Gaal;s departure, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com offers a diagnosis of what went wrong with the most successful Premier League club after Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day.
The 20-time English Premier League champions are far from their best, but, in the final analysis, it is the results that matter, and at the moment they are on a winning spree, says Bikash Mohapatra
Angel di Maria's move from Real Madrid to Old Trafford was such a disaster that Manchester United was more than willing to incur losses of more than 15 million pounds on their investment. Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com looks at the Argentina star's nightmare year at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.
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