Oliver Giroud netted a double, Lukas Podolski scored and set up three more as rampant Arsenal closed the gap on the Champions League positions by thumping West Ham United 5-1 in their rearranged Premier League match on Wednesday.
Lukas Rosol beat Evgeny Korolev 7-6, 67, 7-6, 6-2 to give the Czech Republic an unassailable 3-1 lead over Kazakhstan and propel the defending champions into the Davis Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
Salzburg won the Austrian Cup with a ruthless 5-0 destruction of second tier Austria Lustenau in the final as the season resumed following the coronavirus stoppage on Friday.
Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza advanced to the second rounds of their respective events at prestigious ATP/WTA Sony Open after hard fought wins with their partners, in Maimi.
With the Catalans shorn of three of their top forwards, all eyes will be on Griezmann in his first appearance at the Camp Nou since his 120-million-euro ($133 million) move from Atletico Madrid, and not least because Barca need a win to kickstart their season.
Watford and Crystal Palace continued to inch towards Premier League safety after a scrappy goalless draw at Vicarage Road on Saturday that means the home side have taken just two points from a possible 21.
Real Madrid equalled a Spanish record of 39 games unbeaten in all competitions by crushing struggling Granada 5-0 on Saturday to go six points clear at the top of La Liga.
Barca finished the season second in the standings on 82 points, four behind champions Real Madrid who visit Leganes later on Sunday. Alaves are 16th on 39.
IMAGES from football matches played in the Serie A and the English Premier League on Saturday.
Substitute Lukas Podolski grabbed an 81st-minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw for 2014 World Cup winners Germany in an entertaining friendly.
Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram's campaign at the ATP Indian Wells Masters ended in the first round itself after a straight sets defeat against Lukas Kubot of Poland and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia.
Reaction to the sending-off of Manchester United winger Nani during their Champions League last-16, second-leg match against Real Madrid at Old Trafford.
Cristiano Ronaldo dealt his former club Manchester United a cruel blow by scoring the goal that put Real Madrid into the Champions League quarter-finals after the hosts were left distraught by Nani's harsh dismissal.
Croatia needed a touch of Luka Modric magic to beat Turkey 1-0 in their Euro 2016 Group D opener on Sunday, gaining a measure of revenge after their bitter quarter-final elimination by the same opponents at Euro 2008.
Unseeded Bopanna and Rajeev Ram hit seven aces and converted one of seven break-point opportunities to beat Victor Hanescu and Lukas Rosol 4-6, 7-5, 10-4 in 79 minutes. Later in the day, Bhupathi and Llodra also came from behind to oust the fourth seeded pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, winning 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.
Here's looking at the newest batch of hot guys who are quickly consolidating their positions as heartthrobs.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his return from injury as Real Madrid thrashed Osasuna 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to equal the club's 1960-61 record of 15 successive La Liga wins.
The Indian cueist, who maintained a clean slate in the group stage with an all-win record, trounced Germany's Lukas Kleckers 6-0.
Arsenal kick-started their Premier League season at the expense of Liverpool with new signings Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla both opening their accounts in a comfortable 2-0 win at Anfield.
The aura Rafael Nadal usually carries on court may take a while to return when the Spaniard finally begins his comeback in Chile this week, according to world number three Andy Murray.
David Ferrer underlined his Australian Open threat by thrashing Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-2 to reach the final of the Auckland Open on Friday and remain on course for a fourth title at the tournament.
Real Madrid captain and centre back Sergio Ramos is "100 percent committed" to the club, new coach Rafa Benitez said on Thursday, amid continued speculation the Spain defender could be on his way to Manchester United.
The film has some funny and entertaining sequences which surely make the audience laugh.
World No. 4 Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will return to competitive action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi at the end of December after six months out with a knee injury.
Lalita Babar feels she could have bettered her timing after the long distance Indian runner capped her fairy-tale journey in the Rio Olympics with a top-10 finish in the 3000m steeplechase final on Monday. "I'm satisfied with the finish but not with the timing. Overall, I'm happy with a top-10 finish but could have bettered my timing. The target was to go below nine minutes 15 seconds," Lalita said after her event.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A Spanish Super Cup comeback against arch rivals Barcelona and the arrival of Croatia playmaker Luka Modric may provide the perfect springboard for Real Madrid to kickstart their season.
India's star woman boxer M C Mary Kom settled for the bronze medal after losing her 51kg semifinal bout against Great Britain's world number two Nicola Adams, while Tintu Luka eased into the semifinals of the 800m race on Day 12 of the Olympic Games on Wednesday.
Newcastle United's Papiss Cisse has gatecrashed the Premier League in spectacular style and his second strike in Wednesday's win at Chelsea could sneak in as a goal of the season contender, especially given its potential importance.
IMAGES from Europa League matches played on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal has no timeline for his return to competitive tennis but on Tuesday the world number four did not completely rule out the possibility of returning from injury in time for next month's Davis Cup and ATP World Tour finals.
Real Madrid coach Mourinho surprised many by including Kaka in the starting lineup for Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League win at Ajax and he responded with a performance full of verve and creativity that suggests he may be working his way back into contention.
Rafa Nadal is scheduled to play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi in December, organisers said in a statement.
Kaka, who has yet to play for Real Madrid in an official game this season, gave a reminder of his abilities with a hat-trick in his team's 8-0 rout of Colombia's Millonarios in the annual Santiago Bernabeu Trophy on Wednesday.
Despite his scintillating display, which included 65 clean winners, few are waging much money on the 100th-ranked Czech player reaching such heights again.
Images from Europa and Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Suriya Loganathan achieved a golden double, winning the 5,000 metres, at the 52nd National Open Athletics Championships in Chennai on Thursday. The Tamil Nadu lass, who had earlier got the better of Asian Games gold medallist Preeja Sreedharan in the 10,000 metres, held off a strong challenge from Railways' O P Jaisha and LIC's Monika Athare to emerge triumphant.
Luka Modric is still struggling to find his feet at Real Madrid but is sure he will end up winning over sceptical fans in the future, the Croatia midfielder said.
Thierry Henry, training with his former club Arsenal, would fit right back into the team according to German defender Per Mertesacker who says the club should also consider signing compatriot Lukas Podolski.
