A round-up of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg between Real Madrid and Arsenal, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.
'Historically, Qatar has done wonders as I don't think this will ever be possible with the new format of the World Cup.'
Real Madrid failed in their attempt to sign France striker Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint Germain on the final day of the transfer window as Cristiano Ronaldo completed his move from Juventus to Manchester United.
Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao struck early as Monaco reached the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in an enthralling game on Wednesday that sealed a 6-3 aggregate victory.
Borussia Dortmund showed great composure to reach their third Champions League final after Mats Hummels' second-half goal earned the visitors a 1-0 victory against misfiring Paris St Germain for a deserved 2-0 aggregate win on Tuesday.
France's national soccer team returned from Qatar to the acclaim of huge crowds in Paris on Monday, after their heroic defeat to Argentina in the World Cup final.
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The Qatari-owned French club have never won the Champions League despite massive spending down the years on the likes of Kylian Mbappe and South American duo Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Real Madrid hit their stride at the Club World Cup on Tuesday, edging Juventus 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a second-half strike from academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia.
36-year-old target man Giroud put the World Cup holders ahead at 2-1 with a tap-in after 32 minutes and added his second in the 71st to make the score 4-1 with a header from a Kylian Mbappe cross.
Bayern Munich made it 16 wins from 16 games this season to underline their credentials as early Champions League favourites, beating holders Paris St Germain 2-1 away as Luis Diaz scored two goals and was shown a red card on Tuesday.
Real Madrid's Intercontinental Cup triumph marked a remarkable milestone for Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday as the Italian became the manager with the most titles in the club's history with a total of 15 trophies.
Argentine, somehow, were ready for an emotional, nail-biting encounter, having already gone through a dress rehearsal in the same stadium against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland extended his remarkable scoring streak to 12 straight matches as his side recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory at Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Real outclass Majorca, to meet Barca in Super Cup final
Mbappe, 18, has scored 18 goals in his last 18 competitive games, including three in the 6-3 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund in the last eight.
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'We were happy with the win because we played a great game until the 88th minute, when two lapses in concentration led to two goals and we had to suffer a bit more than we should have.'
Reigning champions France take on Argentina in a showpiece final at Lusail Stadium with both teams looking to add a third star to their crest.
Barcelona can no longer afford to shell out huge sums in transfer fees for top players like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, coach Xavi Hernandez said.
France's perfect record in their World Cup qualifying campaign ended as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Iceland who got a late equaliser in an entertaining Group D clash on Monday.
Barcelona came from an early goal down to beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday
It took Giroud, who owed his place in the starting lineup to Benzema's absence, 115 international appearances to score his 51 goals, while Henry needed 123 from 1997-2010.
Ronaldo had won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 while he was playing for Manchester United and still holds the record of the last Premier League player to claim the top prize. Messi won his first in 2009 and was nominated for 16 years.
A closer look reveals a team riddled with selection issues courtesy of a string of injuries to key players
Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary Portuguese footballer, has confirmed that the ongoing European Championship will be his last
PSG's focus on unity, tactical discipline and collective effort has drawn widespread plaudits ahead of their showdown with Inter Milan, who eliminated Barcelona after a thrilling semi-final.
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Images from the Champions League semi-final first leg between Arsenal and Paris St Germain at Emirates Stadium, London, on Tuesday.
Brazil soccer great Pele was hospitalised in Paris late on Tuesday with a strong fever but his condition is not life-threatening, RMC Sport reported. The 78-year-old was admitted as a precaution after attending an event in the French capital with France's World Cup-winning youngster Kylian Mbappe.
Real Madrid fight back to beat Mallorca and put Barca party on hold
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said that he understands the club fans booying him and his team in their 5-2 win over Celta Vigo.
Dominic Xavier predicts the Amazing Leo, who will play alongside two other exciting talents, Neymar and Kylian Mbapp at PSG, will soon say Paris je t'aime.
Villarreal fought back to shock Barcelona 3-2 on Sunday, handing the LaLiga champions their first league defeat since late December.
Emma Hayes, who led Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League final, is joined on The Best FIFA Women's Coach shortlist by England manager Sarina Wiegman and Canada coach Beverly Priestman.
The 19-year-old Mbappe followed up a domestic treble with Paris St Germain with a string of impressive performances in France's World Cup winning campaign.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco, played at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday.
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With Brazilian striker Neymar on the verge of a record-breaking move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain, according to the player's agent, Mbappe would represent an ideal replacement at the Catalan club should that transfer go ahead.
Real booked their place in the final when substitute Arda Guler lifted a corner to Ruediger, who headed the equaliser that put Real Madrid through on aggregate.
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