Not even a mucky night more akin to November in Dublin or the will of 20,000 passionate green-shirted fans could hide the gulf in class as Fernando Torres scored twice to ease holders Spain to a 4-0 win over Ireland at Euro 2012 on Thursday.
Spain spoiled the Irish party in Gdansk when a rejuvenated Fernando Torres netted twice in a crushing 4-0 Group C victory that eliminated Giovanni Trapattoni's side from Euro 2012.
Spain's gamble of starting without a recognised striker almost backfired when the holders needed a Cesc Fabregas equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw against Italy in their Euro 2012 Group C opener on Sunday.
Andres Iniesta showed why he could be the key to Spain's chances at Euro 2012 when he came off the bench to inspire the world and European champions to a 1-0 win at home to China in their final warm-up game on Sunday.
Valencia beat leaders Barcelona 2-1 at the Mestalla to put themselves firmly in the Primera Liga title race.
A summary of Saturday's action in the English Premier League.
Manchester City humbled their neighbours United by beating them 6-1 and Levante still lead in Spain where European champions Barcelona were held to a 0-0 draw by Sevilla.
Manchester City crushed Manchester United 6-1 for their biggest win at Old Trafford for 56 years to go five points clear of the champions at the top of the Premier League on Sunday.
ManchesterCity booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup as Pablo Zabaleta scored a late winner with a neat finish to beat an organised StokeCity 1-0 on Saturday.
Manchester City made the most of a case of mistaken identity and kept alive their faint title hopes thanks to a much-needed 3-0 victory over 10-man West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.
Substitute David Silva saved world champions Spain's blushes with a stoppage-time equaliser for a 1-1 draw against Mexico at the Azteca on Wednesday.
The cream began to rise to the top of the Euro 2012 qualifying groups with world and European champions Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal all winning their matches in style on Friday.
France's completely new team lost 2-1 to Norway in a friendly on Wednesday with the ghosts of World Cup controversy and failure also hanging over England despite Steven Gerrard's brace in a 2-1 win over Hungary.
Manchester City took another decisive step toward an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title with a 4-0 demolition of Fulham.
Striker Alvaro Negredo scored twice and created two more goals to lift European champions Spain to a 5-2 victory over Bosnia on Wednesday and make it 10 wins out of 10 in World Cup qualifying Group Five. Coach Vicente del Bosque gave Negredo his first starting spot in place of Fernando Torres and the Sevilla forward took his chance to impress with two goals in five second-half minutes and assists for David Silva and Juan Mata.
Manchester City moved within touching distance of a first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals after a dynamic first-half display at Dynamo Kiev helped them secure a 3-1 last-16 first-leg win
Valencia tore Real Madrid apart 3-0 on Saturday to give Barcelona the chance to wrap up the Primera Liga title as early as Sunday's game against Villarreal.
Sevilla topped the Primera Liga on Saturday with a 3-0 home win over Valencia, who had midfielder David Silva sent off after just 17 minutes.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will not make his return from injury in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris St Germain, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Monday. Central defender Kompany, who took part in the open section of a training session, has endured an injury-disrupted campaign and a recurrence of a calf problem has kept the Belgium international on the sidelines for nearly a month. "He is not 100 percent. It is not possible," Pellegrini told reporters.
Diego Costa's equaliser for Spain against Portugal on Friday was the first time a World Cup goal was awarded after a review from the video assistant referee (VAR).
Photos from the EPL match played between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion on Monday
A summary of Tuesday's first leg quarter-final action in the UEFA Champions League.
Spain squeezed past dogged Iran 1-0 in their World Cup Group B encounter on Wednesday, thanks to a fortuitous goal from Diego Costa, but the Europeans suffered a string of second-half scares.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he will not change the way his team play despite suffering two defeats in a week and losing playmaker David Silva ahead of Manchester United's visit on Sunday.
Valencia earned a valuable 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Wednesday in a combative first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reacted to a viral selfie his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni took with him on the sidelines of the COP28 meet in Dubai, saying 'meeting friends is always a delight'.
A summary of Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Chelsea kept up their pursuit of the Premier League's top three clubs with a 1-0 win away to London rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday, thanks to a strike by N'Golo Kante early in the second half.
The omens are good for a Chelsea side heading into Christmas top of the Premier League tree but manager Jose Mourinho does not want to give title rivals Manchester City any reason to cheer over the festive season. Check out the big games on Boxing Day.
Manchester City are brimming with optimism with coach Manuel Pellegrini 'absolutely sure' of winning the Premier League title.
'It's difficult even for me to find a reason why but you have to insist and talk about the game, the way they play and try to do more, concede as few as possible and score up front.'
Ahead of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, here's a full list of the final squads of all ten teams.
Manchester City set a new top-flight record of 15 consecutive wins as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the English Premier League title continued with a 4-0 romp at bottom club Swansea City.
Blessed with silky technical skills, vision, anticipation and an eye for goal, Phil Foden offers coach Gareth Southgate several options, either wide in a three-pronged attack, a more orthodox central midfield role or even as a "false nine".
Sergio Aguero won his personal striking duel with Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, scoring the winner for Manchester City as they ended a four-game losing streak on the road in the Premier League on Sunday.
Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez scored two goals apiece as the hosts showed their impressive strength
'We were not lying yesterday when we said in the press conference Iran is a tough team'
Australia's stand-in skipper David Warner led by example, hitting a brilliant century in their five-wicket win against Sri Lanka to complete a 4-1 series victory on Sunday.
Manchester City and Arsenal closed in on Premier League leaders Liverpool with contrasting victories on Saturday as Manchester United's bubble was burst by Fulham.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday
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