News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A summary of Wednesday's action in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg.
Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund further challenged Bayern Munich's hold over German football on Saturday by crushing their rivals 5-2 with a treble by Poland's Robert Lewandowski to lift the German Cup.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Schalke 04 beat rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Bundesliga Ruhr valley derby on Saturday to confirm their improving form after a bad start to the season.
Monaco's firepower was far too hot to handle for Olympique de Marseille as the Principality side moved top of the French Ligue 1 standings with a 4-0 home win on Saturday.
Barcelona's Luis Suarez netted twice for a 2-1 win over 10-man Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg on Tuesday after the visitors' Fernando Torres opened the scoring and was later sent off.
The famous German soccer team Bayern Munich arrived in Kolkata on Sunday to play an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan, on Tuesday. Nearly 90,000 tickets for the match on Tuesday have already been sold as it would be the farewell match for ace German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.
Newcomers Franck Ribery and Luca Toni were on target to help Bayern Munich to a brilliant 4-0 win at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayern Munich ended Real Madrid's bid for a 10th European crown when they eliminated the Spaniards 3-1 on penalties in a nerve-jangling second leg semi-final at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
The German champions said they had reached agreement with Deportivo Coruna and last season's Spanish first division top scorer would sign a four-year contract.
VfL Wolfsburg are interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky and Bayern Munich forward Ivica Olic as they seek to turn their season around after the winter break, coach Felix Magath said on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich can either move closer to three titles or miss out on them completely in the coming "weeks of truth", their coach Louis van Gaal said on Monday.
A summary of Wednesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Images from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Top German football club Bayern Munich, on Wednesday, announced a 24-member squad for the Bhaichung Bhutia farewell exhibition match against India XI, in New Delhi, on January 10 with all the first team players being named.
Substitute Moussa Dembele scored twice as Olympique Lyonnais stunned Manchester City on Saturday to move into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Andriy Shevchenko struck with a penalty to give AC Milan a valuable 1-1 draw in the Champions League last 16 first leg match against Bayern Munich.
Holders Bayern Munich eased past CSKA Moscow 3-1 on Wednesday to set a Champions League record with their 10th straight victory and underline their ambitions to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
Lionel Messi has added another record against his already legendary name.
Bayern Munich secured a place in the Champions League last 16 with an impressive 4-1 win at Juventus as former European champions Real Madrid and AC Milan also advanced to the knockout stage on Tuesday. Juventus were eliminated after Bayern came from behind to end the home side's 16-match unbeaten home run in Europe's premier club competition.
Bayern Munich humiliated former Bundesliga powerhouses Werder Bremen 7-0 on Saturday, Franck Ribery scoring twice and setting up another as the champions kept up their seemingly unstoppable march towards another title.
Two late goals in two minutes from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez gave European champions Barcelona a dramatic 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich both had their leads cut in the Primera Liga and Bundesliga respectively after suffering away defeats.
Bayern Munich's Bundesliga woes continued on Saturday when they blew a two-goal lead in a 3-3 home draw with VfL Bochum while promoted Hoffenheim took over at the top. Bayern were leading 3-1 with seven minutes to go through goals from Daniel van Buyten and Ze Roberto (2) only to allow Bochum to stage a comeback with two bad defensive lapses inside three minutes.
Bayern Munich demolished Schalke 04 4-0 with two goals from David Alaba to open a 15-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday as champions Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen slipped up.
Bayern Munich have underlined the scope of their ambition by announcing the appointment of spectacularly successful former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to replace Jupp Heynckes from the end of this season.
Holders Bayern Munich left Champions League aspirants Manchester City chasing shadows with a 3-1 win on Wednesday to serve notice Pep Guardiola will leave no stone unturned to re-establish their continental dominance.
Xherdan Shaqiri scored one goal and set up three and substitute Mario Gomez notched a quick hat-trick as Bayern Munich, chasing a treble of titles, crushed VfL Wolfsburg 6-1 on Tuesday to move into the German Cup final.
Bayern Munich have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Italy's Juventus to sign Chile international Arturo Vidal, the German club's CEO Karl Heinz Rummenigge said on Thursday.
Argentine defender Martin Demichelis will go on loan to Spanish club Malaga from Germany's Bayern Munich for six months with an option to extend, he told Bild newspaper on Friday.
Barcelona extended their LaLiga lead to eight points thanks to second-half goals by Jordi Alba, Gavi and Raphinha that gave them a 3-0 home win against Sevilla
Alexis Sanchez had equalised for the visitors, scoring on the rebound after Manuel Neuer saved his 30th-minute penalty but the Gunners suffered when captain Laurent Koscielny limped off injured to leave the defence exposed.
Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller scored a hat-trick as the undefeated champions crushed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 to open up a seven-point lead at the top.
Bayern Munich secured their 21st German league title and completed a domestic double for the third time in four seasons when they drew 0-0 away to VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday. Bayern's draw stretched their lead over closest rivals Werder Bremen to 10 points with three games left and set off the traditionally soggy celebrations, as the players soaked each other, and anyone else on the field, with beer.
Now only Inter stand in the way of a treble that would match Manchester United's still unique feat of 1999.
Robert Lewandowski scored a brilliant free kick to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in their last Champions League Group D outing on Tuesday, ending the 100 percent record of their opponents. The Poland international curled the ball over the wall and into the corner of the net in the 28th minute but the goal had no impact on the final standings with Atletico guaranteed top spot and Bayern in second place.
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.
With Manchester United crashing out of the Champions League on Wednesday night, it is the first time in seven years that the competition will not feature an English club in the last four.
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