Chelsea have almost unwittingly stumbled on a winning formation centred on Brazilian midfielder Ramires that could galvanise their fortunes in the second half of the season.
In a thrilling Hero Indian Super League final, ATK Mohun Bagan beat Bengaluru FC via penalties to clinch the ISL title.
Asked if the result could have been different if Ronaldo had played from the beginning of the game, Portuguese fan Filipa Ramires said "it wouldn't have mattered".
Brazil failed to win for the first time in 11 games with their own lacklustre midfield as much to blame for the 0-0 draw with Mexico as the inspired goalkeeping performance of Guillermo Ochoa.
Chelsea were hit with disciplinary action by the English FA on Wednesday as manager Jose Mourinho, midfielder Ramires and coach Rui Faria were charged following last week's Premier League home defeat against Sunderland.
"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).
Second-half goals from Ramires and Victor Moses secured FA Cup holders Chelsea a 2-0 fifth round win at second tier Middlesbrough on Wednesday and set up a mouthwatering quarter-final away at Manchester United.
English Premier League champions Chelsea needed two late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on Saturday, with Brazilians Ramires and Willian coming off the bench to earn Jose Mourinho's stuttering side a point.
A 78th-minute header by David Luiz and a late Ramires goal gave Chelsea a vital 2-0 home win over Manchester City, which took them above their guests into third place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Images from the EPL matches played across England on Saturday.
Chelsea are not a team of divers, according to manager Jose Mourinho, whose side had a player booked for the offence for the second week running on Sunday.
World Cup winners Ronaldinho and Kaka were both left out of the Brazil's Confederations Cup squad on Tuesday as coach Luiz Felipe Scolari opted for youth ahead of experience.
Lionel Messi was so distraught at Barcelona missing out on reaching the 2012 Champions League final that he was reduced to tears
Frank Lampard broke Chelsea's all-time scoring record with two goals as the European champions all but secured a top-four finish in the English Premier League with a 2-1 win in an incident-packed game at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Frank Lampard broke Chelsea's all-time scoring record with two goals as the European champions all but secured a top-four finish in the Premier League with a 2-1 win in an incident-packed game at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Chelsea's Brazilian contingent will grow in size to five players after they agreed to sign teenager Nathan from Atletico Paranaense on Thursday.
Chelsea, playing with a swagger missing for much of the season, routed Aston Villa 8-0 on Sunday as Premier League leaders Manchester United wasted the chance to move six points clear after a 1-1 draw at Swansea City.
Chelsea's remarkable turnaround since Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim coach has taken them to the brink of a cup double after they beat a disappointing Liverpool side 2-1 with goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba on Saturday.
Didier Drogba scored late in the first half and Chelsea kept free-scoring Lionel Messi in check to secure a 1-0 win over holders Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
Images from the FA semi-final played between Chelsea and Tottenham played at Wembley on Sunday.
Two goals from Didier Drogba steered Chelsea to an emphatic 3-0 victory over Valencia and top spot in Group E at Stamford Bridge Tuesday as they moved into the Champions League knockout phase for the ninth consecutive season.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says his Manchester United counterpart David Moyes should shoulder the blame for Wayne Rooney's desire to leave Old Trafford after suggesting he was a second-choice striker.
New Brazil coach Mano Menezes made wholesale changes with only four survivors from the World Cup when he named his squad on Monday for next month's friendly against the United States.
ROund up of the EPL matches played at the weekend.
Chelsea scored two late goals to beat a toothless Manchester City side 2-0 on Sunday and keep alive their faint hopes of retaining the Premier League title.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho delivered an expletive-laden halftime team talk that fired his side to a 3-1 comeback victory over Leicester City on Wednesday and moved them to within three points of the Premier League title.
Chelsea confirmed their return to form with a ruthless 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Monday to keep a foothold in the Premier League title race.
Chelsea scrambled a stoppage-time winner to snatch a 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday, showing their Premier League title mettle by claiming three points when they looked on course to suffer another damaging blow.
Daniel Alves scored direct from a free-kick two minutes from time to give Brazil a hard-earned 1-0 win over hosts South Africa on Thursday and a place in the Confederations Cup final.
A double strike by Ogba Kalu Nnanna guided Churchill Bros on top of the ONGC I-League table as the hosts scored an impressive 3-1 victory over visitors Mohun Bagan in the 18th round match played at Nehru Stadium in Margao on Wednesday.
Jose Mourinho says referee Chris Foy should not be allowed to take charge of any more Chelsea matches after he dismissed Willian and Ramires in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa and also sent the Portuguese manager to the stands.
Chelsea came from behind to beat Leicester City 3-1 on Wednesday and move to within one win of clinching the Premier League title for the first time in five years.
Bayern Munich gained some revenge for their 2012 Champions League final defeat by Chelsea when they beat the Premier League club 5-4 on penalties after a thrilling UEFA Super Cup ended 2-2 at the end of extra-time on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit back at critical former boss Jose Mourinho in the best way possible on Wednesday with two goals to help Real Madrid beat Chelsea 3-1 and win the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament.
Chelsea could be without Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis for clash against Manchester City
Midfielders John Obi Mikel, Andre Schurrle and Ramires will all play no part while striker Didier Drogba is not fit enough to play for 90 minutes, according to manager Jose Mourinho.
Allowing independent panels to punish players retrospectively for diving and other infringements would be a "disaster", according to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
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.
Mesut Ozil guided Arsenal to a 2-0 victory over Napoli while a late Cesc Fabregas header gave Barcelona a laboured 1-0 win at 10-man Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Football's winter transfer window closed on February 1, and, surprisingly, none of Europe's biggies made even a slight move, let alone sign a player.
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