Wales enjoyed their greatest day in football for more than half a century by overwhelming Russia 3-0 in Toulouse on Monday to win Group B at Euro 2016 ahead of their oldest rivals England.
Eintracht Frankfurt won the Europa League final after holding their nerve to beat Rangers 5-4 in a clinical penalty shootout as they claimed their first European trophy in 42 years.
Holders Arsenal kept up their bid for a hat-trick of FA Cup trophies, marching into the quarter-finals as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott netted twice in a 4-0 replay win at second-tier Hull City on Tuesday.
Arsenal all but sealed Champions League qualification for an 18th successive season after they eased past relegation-threatened Hull City 3-1 in the Premier League on Monday.
Arsenal beat City 2-1 in extra time to book a place in the final against Chelsea on May 27 and their progress is in contrast to the Premier League season that could see them miss out on a Champions League spot for the first time under Wenger.
Russian made amends for their opening loss to Belgium as the group remains wide open.
It would be easy to characterise Wales as a team who rely heavily on the Real Madrid winger, however much of a shift they all put in, but Bale's link up play with Ramsey and his vision stood out.
Arsenal denied Chelsea the double with a 2-1 victory in an enthralling FA Cup final.
Wales will need to defend deep if they are to stifle England captain Wayne Rooney's influence on their European Championship clash on Thursday.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday.
'It would be a bit ridiculous that 20 years depends on one game and that the future of the club depends on one game'
Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com picks five of the best team performances from this round as the tournament heads into its business end.
Arsenal, who went nine years without a trophy before winning the FA Cup in May, collected their second piece of silverware in three months when they crushed champions Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.
Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal a point in a pulsating north London derby at White Hart Lane after Tottenham Hotspur had looked set to join Leicester City at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday. Arsenal, who began the day three points behind Tottenham in third place after consecutive league defeats, went in front against the run of play shortly before halftime when Aaron Ramsey beat Hugo Lloris with a deft flick. The visitors had Francis Coquelin sent off for a second booking after a foul on Harry Kane in the 55th minute and Tottenham levelled four minutes later when Toby Alderweireld lashed in from close range following a corner. Two minutes later Kane cut if from near the corner flag and curled a magnificent effort past David Ospina to put Spurs ahead. But Sanchez silenced the home crowd when Hector Bellerin played him in and he beat Loris with a low shot to end a run of 11 Premier League games without a goal.
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey says he has yet to reach an agreement with the Premier League club about his future. The Wales international, who joined the club in 2008, is in the final year of his contract.
Chris Coleman's team, featuring in a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup, exceeded all expectations by reaching the semi-finals in France before being knocked out by Portugal.
Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski could be ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday.
Petr Cech will return in goal for Arsenal at HullCity on Saturday after missing the 1-1 Champions League draw at Paris St Germain in midweek.
IMAGES from the Europa League matches played on Thursday
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey hopes the North London can choke LeicesterCity's unexpected Premier League title charge after picking up their first win in five matches in Sunday's 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
Arsenal started the season strongly with a six-game winning streak that lifted them to second position in the league but have since faded and are seven points behind fourth-placed City with just two wins in their last six league games.
Salzburg forced Lazio into a second-half capitulation as the Italians crashed out in the Europa League quarter-finals after losing 4-1 but Olympique de Marseille staged a thrilling fightback to see off visitors Leipzig 5-2 on Thursday. Arsenal also reached the semi-finals after recovering from a wobble to draw 2-2 at CSKA Moscow and progress 6-3 on aggregate, while favourites Atletico Madrid reached the last four after losing 1-0 at Sporting to go through 2-1 over the two legs.
Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers followed a 2-0 loss at Arsenal last week.
Wales forward Gareth Bale got their Euro 2016 campaign off to a dream start with an early goal and substitute Hal Robson-Kanu struck a late winner as they beat Slovakia 2-1 in the Group B opener on Saturday.
Wales' 33-year-old all-time top scorer came to the rescue, using all his drive and experience to win a penalty against a tiring US defence and then converting it brilliantly.
Arsenal re-established themselves as serious contenders for their first Premier League title since 2004 with a comfortable victory at lowly Bournemouth on Sunday.
Arsenal scored twice in three minutes through a deflected Granit Xhaka strike and Danny Welbeck's header to claim a deserved 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday and inflict a first Premier League defeat on the visitors in 26 games.
Arsenal kept up their 100 percent home record this season with a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Monday, with new club record signing Alexandre Lacazette grabbing both the goals.
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.
Manchester City survived a stirring Leicester City fightback to claim a 2-1 win that lifted them above Liverpool into third in the Premier League on Saturday.
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.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Atletico Madrid substitute goalkeeper Antonio Adan saved three penalties before blasting home the winning spot-kick as the Europa League champions edged out Arsenal after the sides drew 1-1 in their International Champions Cup opener in Singapore on Thursday.
Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud were on target as Arsenal won 2-0 at Southampton on Wednesday to move up to fifth in the Premier League and fuel their hopes of a late push for the top four.
Tottenham Hotspur beat local rivals Arsenal with second-half goals from prolific pair Dele Alli and Harry Kane on Sunday to maintain their Premier league title challenge.
Wales outplayed Russia 3-0, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes, as they moved into the round of 16 at Euro 2016 by winning Group B on Monday.
Manager Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal to reinforce their title credentials by beating Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday and called on his players to show no fear at the Etihad Stadium.
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.
FA Cup holders Arsenal have been drawn against runners-up Hull City, a repeat of last year's enthralling final, in this season's third round after the draw was made on Monday.
Manchester City's faltering attempts to retain their title suffered a huge blow on Saturday when they lost 1-0 at Burnley, giving Chelsea the chance to open an eight-point lead when they host Southampton on Sunday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances