Having seen the domestic league and cup double go to Porto last term, Benfica missed a string of chances against PAOK in a one-sided first half as they enjoyed 72% of possession.
IMAGES from the Europa League matches played on Thursday
Italy's Fabio Fognini said it was a 'strange feeling' playing a Davis Cup tie with no fans. Japan were also playing their tie against Ecuador in an empty stadium in Miki because of the coronavirus spread, which has played havoc with sporting fixtures across the world.
Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna will make her return to competition at the Golden Spin event in Zagreb next month after her preparations for the Sochi Games were interrupted by a foot injury.
Schalke 04 scored twice after being reduced to 10 men to win 3-2 at PAOK and reach the Champions League group stage on Tuesday and there were dramatic playoff victories for Austria Vienna and Steaua Bucharest.
Olympiakos Piraeus battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 home draw with last year's runners-up Tottenham Hotspur in their Champions League Group B opener.
Arsenal, aiming for a 16th successive group stage appearance, outclassed Fenerbahce 3-0 in Istanbul to take control of their Champions League playoff tie as the five home teams failed to muster a win between them in Wednesday's first leg matches.
Ambitious Russian clubs and Spartak Moscow go in search of their first Champions League points this week as they attempt to improve their country's unimpressive record in the competition.
Chelsea's Marcos Alonso and Real Madrid's Nacho were notable absentees in defence, along with Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke.
Marin Cilic struggled early before finding his rhythm as the top seed ground out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over friend and Croatian compatriot Ivan Dodig in the first round of the Memphis International on Monday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
After damaging losses to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos Piraeus in their first two fixtures, the Gunners have to win to advance to the knock-out stages
A round-up of Wednesday's league stage matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Images from the Champions League matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
Real Madrid fashioned a stunning comeback to beat Manchester City 3-2 in a classic Champions League match with a last-gasp Cristiano Ronaldo strike in their Group D opener on Tuesday.
Celtic, who won Europe's premier club competition in 1967, set up a clash with Romanians Cluj in the next stage after a 2-0 win at Nomme Kalju completed a 7-0 aggregate rout of the Estonian champions.
Juventus clinched their first Italian title for nine seasons on Sunday but not until Serie A had dished up its customary climactic mix of chaos, drama and controversy.
Niko Kranjcar is set to leave Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and join Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev after Euro 2012, the Croatia midfielder has said.
From lights to colourful markets, the world is all lit up to celebrate the holiday cheer! Here are images from around the world.
In a bold decision, Underdogs India have preferred Ramkumar Ramanathan over No. 1 singles player Sumit Nagal for their Davis Cup qualifier against top seeds Croatia, beginning in Zagreb on Friday.
Benfica snatched a 2-2 draw at sloppy Manchester United to reach the Champions League last 16 and leave the three-times winners with work to do, while Inter Milan ambled through before even playing and Bayern Munich also progressed with ease on Tuesday.
Any sliver of a doubt over whether Cristiano Ronaldo would lead Portugal into the Euro 2016 was erased on Tuesday when he was named in their 23-man squad for the finals.
Arsenal and Chelsea were among seven teams to reach the Europa League knockout stage on Thursday, while last year's runners-up Olympique de Marseille were eliminated at the group phase.
The 24-year old central midfielder, who has made three international appearances for Macedonia, failed the test after Dinamo's 2-1 home win over Arsenal in their Group F opener on September 16. The Ademi ban was a second blow for Dinamo in quick succession after the club's chief executive Zdravko Mamic was arrested on Wednesday for player transfer irregularities.
Somdev Devvarman suffered his second consecutive first round defeat, losing in straight sets to local player Adrian Mannarino in the euro 450,000 ATP Nice Open, in Nice, France. Ranked 66, the unseeded Indian lost 3-6, 6-7(7) to the French opponent, placed 13 places above him in the ATP ranking chart.
Jonatan Soriano's love affair with the Europa League continued as last season's top scorer grabbed a hat-trick on Thursday to help Salzburg become one of four teams to reach the knockout stages.
Visitors Ajax had looked comfortable after former Southampton winger Tadic set up the first goal with a swerving cross before drilling home the second himself.
Ajax, semi-finalists last season, came from behind to beat PAOK 3-2 for a 5-4 aggregate win over the Greeks while Red Star knocked out FC Copenhagen on penalties after a bizarre shootout involving 22 spot-kicks.
Azeri champions Qarabag took a big step towards the playoff round with a 2-1 win at Cypriot side APOEL but Dinamo Zagreb left their progress hanging in the balance after the Croats played out a 1-1 home draw against Hungary's Ferencvaros.
Indian Davis Cuppers Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna advanced to doubles quarter-finals in different ATP Challenger events after hard-earned victories. Somdev and his American partner Ryan Harrison overcame the challenge of local pair Ilija Cuic and Kresimir Ritz 7-6(3), 6-2 in the first round of the US $50,000 Zagreb event in Croatia.
While the airline is accommodating passengers on available flights, this is resulting in extending travel time and detour for customers.
Defending champion Marin Cilic thrashed Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday to move into the final of the Chennai Open.
AC Milan were handed a comfortable UEFA Cup assignment on Tuesday after being drawn with Heerenveen, Braga, Portsmouth and Wolfsburg in the group stage.
In Chennai again to defend his title, the second-seeded Cilic talks about his career, his relationship with coach Bob Brett and the path to Grand Slam glory.
Croatia striker Eduardo has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France could find no solution to the problem of Ivo Karlovic's massive serve as the Croatian ran out a 7-6 6-7 7-5 7-6 victory in their third-round clash at Wimbledon on Friday.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
The Serie A side progressed from Group D with a game to spare after beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-1. Galatasaray, the 2000 winners, Standard Liege, Twente Enschede and Ukraine's Metalist Kharkiv also reached the last 32, joining favourites AC Milan, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City and St Etienne who had already qualified.
Ajax were joined by Young Boys, who stunned Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 away for a 3-2 aggregate win over the Croatians, and AEK Athens who scraped a 1-1 home draw with FC Vidi after a 2-1 win in the first leg in Hungary.
Coming into the do-or-die match, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes, with a combined age of 86, won 6-3, 6-7(9), 7-5 after two hours and 21 minutes against Pavic and Skugor, ranked 15 and 32 respectively.
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