Manchester City's Yaya Toure won the African Footballer of the Year award for a second successive time on Thursday, holding off a strong challenge from compatriot and Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba.
Chelsea's remarkable turnaround since Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim coach has taken them to the brink of a cup double after they beat a disappointing Liverpool side 2-1 with goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba on Saturday.
Togo took the last quarter-final place at the African Nations Cup to maintain the flow of outsiders into the last eight at the end of the group phase on Wednesday.
Ivory Coast and Zambia ruthlessly crushed African Nations Cup underdogs Equatorial Guinea and Sudan 3-0 respectively on Saturday to end the dreams of opponents who had upset the odds to reach the last eight.
English champions Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the season but Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid were held 0-0 at Real Mallorca and German champions Bayern suffered a shock defeat to Kaiserslautern.
Wayne Rooney ended his five-month goal famine for Manchester United while Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season despite their incredible scoring spree being partially stemmed by Stoke City.
Chelsea were charged by the Football Association Association on Tuesday for the behaviour of their players during their weekend defeat to Queens Park Rangers in which they had two sent off. The governing body has also written to manager Andre Villas-Boas to demand an explanation of his post-match comments about referee Chris Foy.
A spirited Ivory Coast ran the Portugal defence ragged before settling for a goalless draw against the 2006 semi-finalists in their Group G match of the FIFA World Cup in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
Holders Chelsea eased into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a straightforward 4-1 home victory over Championship (second division) promotion challengers Cardiff City on Saturday.
English Premier League leaders Chelsea could only draw 1-1 at relegation-threatened Hull City on Tuesday as they squandered the chance to move four points clear of Manchester United in the title race. Didier Drogba's free kick shortly before halftime cancelled out Hull's opener scored by Steven Mouyokolo but Chelsea could not force the winner after the break despite late pressure.
Pre-tournament favourites Ivory Coast were held to a goalless draw by neighbours Burkina Faso in Monday's only African Nations Cup Group B game.
Chelsea cleared the final hurdle in a season of never-ending challenges when they beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties in the German team's Allianz Arena stadium to be crowned European Champions for the first time on Saturday.
Bookies have placed Premier League leaders Chelsea as the new clear favourites with 3-1 odds to retain the FA Cup following Sunday's fourth-round draw.
If a picture is worth a thousand words then the sight of Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry standing side by side to lift the FA Cup on Saturday neatly encapsulated the story of a season in which the old guard have confounded their critics to revitalise the club.
Didier Drogba scored twice to maintain the Ivory Coast's perfect start to the 2012 African Nations Cup qualifiers on Sunday while other top contenders Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia also won.
The list of candidates to win the 2009 Ballon d'Or award was reduced to 10 men on Sunday, with Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi the overwhelming favourite.
Images from the FA semi-final played between Chelsea and Tottenham played at Wembley on Sunday.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka offered a reminder of his striking prowess on Tuesday with both goals in a comfortable 2-0 win over FC Copenhagen in their Champions League last 16, first leg match.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the last two winners of the World Player of the Year award, have been included in a FIFA shortlist for this year's accolade. The 23-man shortlist was drawn up by FIFA's Football Committee and will be voted on by the captains and head coaches of the world's national teams with the winner to be announced on December 21.
The Chelsea old guard showed they are not ready to be consigned to the scrapheap after a thrilling win over Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Cameroon and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o set a new landmark for individual success in African football on Monday after being named the continent's Footballer of the Year for a record fourth time.
Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua said on Sunday, that they had agreed contract terms with Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka.
Manager Andre Villas-Boas criticised referee Chris Foy after his Chelsea team had two players sent off in a shock 1-0 defeat at west London neighbours Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
Chelsea became the first team into the FA Cup semi-finals when they comfortably beat Championship (second division) Coventry City 2-0 away on Saturday.
Portugal got their World Cup finals off to a stuttering start with a goalless draw against a spirited Ivory Coast on Tuesday, a match that saw the return of Didier Drogba only 11 days after breaking his arm. Semi-finalists at the 2006 finals, Portugal struggled to make a serious impact and made their job of advancing from a fierce Group G -- which includes Brazil and North Korea -- no easier in a fluid match that yielded only a handful of goalscoring chances.
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho's move to Real Madrid has caused panic at top Premier League clubs, as he has set his sights on certain players.
Chelsea secured the Premier League crown in magnificent fashion on Sunday with an 8-0 thrashing of 10-man Wigan Athletic in a party atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
There are few individual gongs that elude Lionel Messi and he is fast closing in on one that is missing from his trophy cabinet: the European Golden Shoe (www.eurotopfoot.com).
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney claimed his second award of a remarkable season on Friday when he was named Player of the Year for the first time by the Football Writers Association.
Images from the Champions League second-leg quarter-final match, being played on Tuesday.
United, 1-0 up from the first leg quarter-final at Chelsea, beat their Premier League opponents 2-1 at Old Trafford, while Barcelona, 5-1 up from the first leg, won 1-0 at Shakhtar Donetsk.
A 78th-minute header by David Luiz and a late Ramires goal gave Chelsea a vital 2-0 home win over Manchester City, which took them above their guests into third place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Didier Drogba scored twice on his return from a three-match European suspension as Chelsea drew 2-2 at Atletico Madrid to seal their place in the knock-out round of the Champions League on Tuesday. They were joined in the last 16 by Manchester United, Porto and Girondins Bordeaux, although four-time European champions Bayern Munich are on the brink of elimination after losing at home to the French champions.
Chelsea's defensive frailties were exposed again on Saturday when they gifted Aston Villa two goals from corners in a 2-1 away defeat, their second loss in three league games after they had won their first six.
Chelsea confirmed their return to form with a ruthless 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Monday to keep a foothold in the Premier League title race.
Chelsea's perfect start to the season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti came to a surprise end on Saturday when the Premier League leaders lost 3-1 at Wigan Athletic and had goalkeeper Petr Cech sent off.
Chelsea scored twice in the last two minutes in a stunning comeback against Aston Villa on Sunday only to concede an injury-time equaliser in a 3-3 draw that severely dents their hopes of retaining the Premier League title.
Mali striker Frederic Kanoute won the 2007 African Footballer of the Year award on Friday.
Arsenal lit up the opening day of the Premier League season with a 6-1 demolition of Everton and Didier Drogba struck in stoppage time to give Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti a winning start on Saturday.
With the Premier League season kicking off on Saturday we look at the prospects of the 20 top-flight clubs.
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