Manchester United ended their one-year Champions League hiatus in emphatic style when Wayne Rooney struck a hat-trick in a 4-0 destruction of Club Bruges that sent the three-times winners through 7-1 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Spain's World Cup winners Xavi and Andres Iniesta were joined by holder Lionel Messi on an all-Barcelona shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or announced on Monday.
Holders FC Barcelona have been placed in Group E, along with Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, Dinamo Zagreb.
Samuel Eto'o scored a scintillating home hat-trick for holders Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday as former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi's magic went missing in a 1-1 draw in Russia.
A world record had been predicted but Norway's Karsten Warholm had to utterly destroy it to hold off American Rai Benjamin and take gold on Tuesday in the men's 400 metres hurdles, in what will go down as one of the all-time great Olympic races.
Tireless Inter Milan produced a rip-roaring home performance to overpower Barcelona 3-1 and leave the holders in real trouble after a thrilling Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday.
Inter Milan produced a rip-roaring home performance to overpower Barcelona 3-1 and leave the holders in real trouble after an awe-inspiring Champions League first-leg semi-final on Tuesday.
A summary of Saturday's Track and Field action at the Tokyo Olympics.
Champions League holders Real Madrid will have to work around a string of injuries to key players in a tough match against CSKA Moscow, manager Julen Lopetegui said on Monday.
Atletico Madrid tamed Lionel Messi and Neymar to send La Liga rivals Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League after Koke's early goal secured a shock 2-1 aggregate success at the Calderon on Wednesday.
In other ties, Serie A champions Juventus face Europa League winners Atletico Madrid and Barcelona take on Olympique Lyonnais.
Chelsea secured top spot, above Barcelona, in Group A with a 2-0 home win over Levski Sofia.
Liverpool frustrated by 10-man Arsenal in League Cup semi stalemate
After an even first 45 minutes, strikes from Pablo Sarabia and Wissam Ben Yedder stunned the Catalans and left them needing a second-leg comeback at the Nou Camp for the second consecutive round in the competition.
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola still believes in possession-based football and cannot alter his feelings about the way the game should be played, he said after the Champions League holders were hammered by Real Madrid.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has decided to rest Lionel Messi, Neymar and most of his regulars for the King's Cup last 16, second leg match at Elche later on Thursday.
Atletico Madrid captain Gabi said his team would not be lulled into complacency by Barcelona's faltering form when they host the Champions League holders in the second leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo netted two early penalties to give Real Madrid a 2-0 win at King's Cup holders Atletico Madrid on Tuesday which sent them into the final 5-0 on aggregate.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are on course for a King's Cup final showdown after Spain's two dominant teams recorded convincing home wins in their semi-final first legs on Wednesday.
Playing without crowd will be peculiar: Suarez
On Sunday the Ukrainian Tennis Federation urged the sport's governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to immediately expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from team and individual tournaments. Also, athletes from Ukraine and other nations have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend Russia and Belarus and ban their athletes from events immediately.
Manuel Pellegrini's record against Pep Guardiola is a sorry one but he gets another chance to finally put one over his tormentor when Manchester City host holders Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Paris St Germain will play Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona were pitted against an unpredictable Napoli, while Chelsea were drawn against Bayern Munich. City, who will be at home in the second leg, have yet to beat the Spanish side with two draws and two defeats in their previous four meetings.
Captain John Terry will be back to plug Chelsea's porous rearguard on Wednesday when the holders bid to avenge last month's defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk and wrest back control of Champions League Group E.
Holders Corinthians slumped to their second consecutive 1-0 defeat in the Brazilian championship, where the highlight of the weekend's matches was a spectacular bicycle kick by Vasco da Gama's Alecsandro.
Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League with two goals in their 3-0 victory at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday but holders Chelsea are walking a tightrope after a crushing defeat by Juventus.
Seemingly rudderless and leaderless, Barcelona have little time to find solutions to their dip in form but they have a chance to lift morale when they visit a distracted Real Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona need to be more efficient in front of goal and iron out defensive lapses if they are to beat Real Madrid in the King's Cup last four, assistant coach Jordi Roura and midfielder Cesc Fabregas said on Monday.
Shakhtar Donetsk led the way for the Champions League underdogs as they beat holders Chelsea 2-1 while former European champions Barcelona and Manchester United came from behind to maintain perfect starts on Tuesday.
Spain's Euro 2012 semi-final against Portugal will almost certainly hinge on how effectively the holders manage to shackle a familiar foe.
Barcelona's David Villa proved he still has a sharp eye for goal by scoring twice as the holders cruised into the King's Cup quarter-finals by beating second division Cordoba 5-0 at the Nou Camp on Thursday.
Images from the Champions League matches plsyed across Europe on Wednesday.
'We will need to have a good day to get past a rival of this magnitude'
Barcelona great Lionel Messi's new mark of 86 goals in a calendar year could last another 40 years, previous record holder Gerd Mueller said on Monday.
Written off as too old and accused of hastening the downfall of Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea's old guard have flourished under stand-in manager Roberto Di Matteo and will relish trying to halt Barcelona's bandwagon on Wednesday.
Tito Vilanova was still Pep Guardiola's Barcelona assistant when he hit the headlines last August after Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho jabbed him in the eye during a touchline scuffle in the Spanish Super Cup.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is in danger of tarnishing his reputation as the man with the Midas touch when the holders seek to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Chelsea in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at the Nou Camp.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has set a new record after he became the fastest player to reach 100 goals in the Spanish league.
Barcelona midfielder and captain Xavi confirmed on Thursday he will leave his boyhood club at the end of the season and has agreed to join Qatari side Al Sadd after a glittering career stretching over 17 seasons.
Brazil striker Neymar scored a sublime opening goal as he inspired Santos to an exciting 3-1 victory over Japan's Kashiwa Reysol in a Club World Cup semi-final in Toyota on Wednesday.
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