A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
English Premier League basement dwellers Sunderland have moved quickly to reinforce their frail defence by agreeing a loan move for Fiorentina fullback Marcos Alonso until the end of the season.
Manchester United took over at the top of the Premier League while Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi could be out for up to two months with a knee injury and rampant Bayern Munich extended their perfect start to seven league wins.
Barcelona finally made a statement of intent in what has been a chaotic season as they came from behind to beat La Liga leaders Real Sociedad 2-1 at home on Wednesday.
Napoli began their Europa League group stage campaign in scintillating fashion.
AC Milan moved smoothly into the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup with a 2-0 win over Palermo.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Veteran Francesco Totti scored a stoppage-time winner from a penalty in his first appearance of the season as Roma beat Sampdoria 3-2 in Serie A on Sunday. The 39-year-old former Italy international has now scored in 23 consecutive league seasons for Roma. Sunday's goal lifted the team to within two points of early leaders Juventus, who defeated Sassuolo 3-1 on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Leaders Juventus were denied a 16th successive Serie A win when they were held 0-0 at Bologna in a game marred when an object, possibly a firecracker, was hurled at their team bus as they arrived.
Tottenham Hotspur exposed the weaknesses in Anzhi Makhachkala's star-shorn squad, winning 2-0 in Moscow to maintain their perfect start in the second round of Europa League group stage matches on Thursday.
, Juventus thumped Chievo 4-0 away to win their 12th league game in a row but it was not enough to topple leaders Napoli who thrashed Empoli 5-1.
Manchester United's hopes of salvaging their season in the Europa League suffered a stinging setback when they lost 2-1 at Danish side Midtjylland in the first leg of their last-32 clash on Thursday.
AS Roma needed a hugely controversial penalty, converted by Daniele De Rossi six minutes from the end of the extra time, to see off modest Empoli 2-1 in the Italian Cup last 16 on Tuesday.
Torino came from behind to beat Serie A leaders Juventus 2-1 in a pulsating derby on Sunday.
Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi scored with two minutes remaining to hand them a 2-1 win over AS Roma.
Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati scored twice to lead his side to a 2-1 win at home to Levante on Sunday, finding the net in a league game for the first time in more than four months and becoming the youngest player to net a La Liga double. Romelu Lukaku scored a quickfire second-half double to give Inter Milan a 2-0 win at Udinese on Sunday, ending their run of three successive 1-1 league draws.
Real Madrid defender Nacho was the unlikely hero as they snatched a 1-0 win at Real Valladolid on Sunday to capitalise on Barcelona's defeat at Valencia this weekend and move three points clear of their rivals at the top of La Liga. Serie A leaders Juventus suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Napoli on Sunday, with coach Maurizio Sarri returning to his former club for the first time, though Cristiano Ronaldo still managed to score for an eighth league game in a row for the visitors.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Gonzalo Higuain burst into life by scoring a hat-trick in the final half hour, his first league goals of the season, to help Rafael Benitez's erratic Napoli thrash Verona 6-2 in Serie A on Sunday.
The value of an in-form striker was underlined as Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao needed goals from pivotal front men to grab vital wins that booked places in the Europa League last 32 on Thursday.
Mourinho's side failed to turn their domination into more goals and things got edgy late on when Saville's shot evaded Gazzaniga who seemed slow to get down.
Mauricio Pinilla converted a late penalty to give Atalanta a 2-1 win over Inter Milan and condemn their troubled opponents to a third successive Serie A defeat on Sunday.
Serie A leaders Juventus scored twice in the last five minutes to win 3-2 at Inter Milan, who had earlier come from behind to lead despite playing with 10 men in an extraordinary match on Saturday.
Inter Milan's move to secure Batistuta in a loan deal from Roma hands the former Fiorentina striker a chance to end his career in glory.
Champions Bayern Munich eased past hosts Fortuna Duesseldorf 4-1 on Sunday with winger Kingsley Coman scoring twice, to go a point clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Images from the Europa League matches played on Thursday
Adem Ljajic scored deep into injury-time to rescue a point for second-placed AS Roma who had to come from two goals behind and with a man down to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Sassuolo.
The Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez double act struck again on Sunday with both players scoring to give Juventus a 2-0 win at AC Milan which strengthened their grip on Serie A.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagging four goals, while Juventus and Bayern Munich preserved their leads and FA Cup holders Arsenal were dumped out of the competition.
Playmaker Kaka breathed new life into struggling AC Milan by scoring twice and 18-year-old Bryan Cristante claimed his first professional goal as they beat Atalanta 3-0 on Monday for only their fifth league win of the season.
Major world record deals are here.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Midfielder Riccardo Montolivo missed out on his second straight major tournament due to injury on Tuesday while Daniele De Rossi was included in Italy's 23-man squad for next month's European Championship in France.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Spain international striker Alvaro Negredo became ManchesterCity's third major signing of the close-season when he completed his move from Sevilla to the Premier League club on Friday.
Borussia Dortmund beat Hertha Berlin 3-2 on penalties to reach the German Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday after the match finished 1-1 after extra time.
