Lionel Messi gave a new meaning to the phrase 'Hand of God' when he netted a Champions League record five goals in Barcelona's 7-1 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi at his breathtaking best tore Bayer Leverkusen apart with a record five-goal Champions League haul on Wednesday as Barcelona swept into the quarter-finals 7-1 on the night and 10-2 on aggregate.
Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar was called up by Brazil for the first time since the 2010 World Cup on Tuesday for next month's friendly away to France. The 23-man squad picked by coach Mano Menezes includes uncapped midfielders Jadson of Shakhtar Donetsk and Renato Augusto of Bayer Leverkusen.
Two goals by Alexis Sanchez -- his first in the Champions League -- led Barcelona to a 3-1 first-leg win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to put the holders in the driving seat in their round of 16 tie.
Brighton secured their second victory of the competition with a comfortable win at Ajax thanks to goals from Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra.
Steve McCLaren's VfL Wolfsburg slumped to another Bundesliga defeat on Saturday with a 2-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund while Michael Ballack was injured in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-2 draw at Hanover 96.
Dortmund now have 14 points, one ahead of champions Bayern Munich, who suffered their first defeat of the season on Friday with a 2-0 loss at Hertha Berlin.
He will become Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's second signing following the arrival of Germany forward Andre Schuerrle from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen last month.
Arsenal will have another chance to beat Bayern Munich in a Champions League knockout tie after the sides were paired in the round of 16 following Monday's draw. The teams met in the knockout stages in 2005, 2013 and 2014 with the German champions winning on all three occasions. Bayern, who finished as runners-up in their group, will host the first leg.
Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal came under stinging attack from club bosses on Thursday ahead of their clash against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Napoli recovered from three goals down to draw 3-3 at Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League on Thursday as holders Atletico Madrid were held 1-1 by Bayer Leverkusen.
Arjen Robben scored two first-half goals to give Bundesliga leaders and titleholders Bayern Munich a predictable 2-0 win at home to bottom club Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday.
Michael Ballack hit back at Philipp Lahm's wish to stay as German captain after his stint in charge during the World Cup when regular skipper Ballack was ruled out with injury.
Goalkeeper Andres Palop emerged as Sevilla's hero by saving three penalties in the shootout to give his side victory over Espanyol.
Barcelona were held to a 0-0 home draw by Galatasaray in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie
Two clinical finishes from Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov took twice winners Tottenham Hotspur through to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Liverpool have confirmed Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin will join the club at the end of the season.
Manchester City came from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-1 and secure their place in the Champions League playoffs
Champions VfL Wolfsburg edged past Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 on Sunday to move up to fifth place in the Bundesliga.
Hamburg SV beat Bayern Munich 1-0 with a second-half goal from Mladen Petric to cling on to the Bundesliga leadership on Saturday.
Bayern Munich defender Daniel van Buyten headed in a cross eight minutes from time to give his team a 2-1 victory over promoted Nuremberg on Saturday and lift them to third place in the Bundesliga.
Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg slumped to a shock 4-2 defeat by Hamburg SV on Sunday, ending a 20-match unbeaten home record in the league stretching back to the 2007/8 season.
They were joined in the second knockout round by Bayer Leverkusen, who enjoyed a 5-1 demolition of Galatasaray, and now meet league rivals Hamburg SV, who dispensed with FC Zurich. Werder Bremen cruised through 4-0 on aggregate against Braga.
Tottenham were joined in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup by Bayer Leverkusen, Spartak Moscow, FC Zurich and Girondins Bordeaux.
Bayern Munich captain Oliver Kahn is to have surgery on his elbow that will rule him out for at least four weeks, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said on Monday.
An Andriy Voronin strike gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Toulouse in the Champions League qualifying.
Hertha Berlin returned to the top of the Bundesliga for the first time in more than two years after Andriy Voronin struck twice to give them a 2-1 home win over Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Runaway leaders Bayern Munich appeared to barely break sweat in a 4-0 win at Hanover 96 to chalk up their 14th Bundesliga win in a row on Sunday, leaving them a huge 19 points clear at the top.
Benni McCarthy's stunning goal three minutes from time sent Blackburn Rovers into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after a 1-0 win over Arsenal in a mostly lifeless fifth-round replay on Wednesday.
The Brazilian midfielder signed from Serie A rivals AS Roma for 28 million euros.
Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Rangers secured four berths for British teams in the knockout phase of the UEFA Cup on Thursday.
Hamburg SV clung on at the top of the Bundesliga on Sunday after being held to a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.
A round-up of weekend action in the main European leagues.
Europa League kings Sevilla breezed past Manchester United into the semi-finals of their favourite competition as Youssef En Nesyri scored twice
