Real Madrid continued their flawless start to the LaLiga season with a commanding 4-0 victory over promoted Malaga on Sunday.
The new Champions League season kicked off with star performances from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, securing wins for Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively. Jose Mourinho's Madrid overcame Inter Milan, while City defeated Porto. Other matches saw Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Aston Villa, and AEK Athens also claim victories.
France and Morocco were goalless at half-time in their World Cup quarter-final. Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty for France, whose early dominance did not translate into goals. Morocco's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a crucial save to deny Mbappe from the spot.
Ousmane Dembele expressed his delight after scoring and helping France reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals, stating he is gaining confidence and momentum as the tournament progresses and the team remains focused on going all the way.
Mbappe fires Real Madrid to the summit, Bayern lose at home and Dortmund stay in the title hunt.
Pedro Porro has emerged as a pivotal player for Spain in the World Cup, transforming the right-back position into a strength. His exceptional performance against France in the semi-final, where he scored and was named MVP, has solidified his place, drawing parallels to Marc Cucurella's rise. Porro's defensive prowess and attacking contributions have been crucial for Spain's journey to the final against Argentina.
In one of the biggest upsets ever seen at the World Cup, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill saved the efforts of Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade before Jonathan Tah fired over the bar, paving the way for Jose Canale to blast home the decisive spot kick.
The World Cup has seen a shift to a more lenient refereeing style, prioritising game flow and reducing stoppages. This, combined with stronger, faster players, has led to a quicker, more physically demanding tournament with higher scoring. While welcomed, experts warn that this intensity tests players' physical limits, increasing injury risks, especially for those not fully fit.
Hector Bellerin's late goal secured a draw for Real Betis against Real Madrid, impacting Real's LaLiga title aspirations as Barcelona's lead widens.
'The only thing I can do is on the pitch -- to give my all. I won't always be technically perfect, but I will always give 100% for the team.'
A summary of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
It was, possibly, the biggest takeaway from France's victory. They can win when Mbappe does not shine or score, and his reaction to Giroud's goal proved Deschamps's point when he said he did not need to manage the Paris St Germain forward's ego.
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.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday
PSG can exploit Bayern's high defensive line, says Rooney
A first-half penalty earned Lille a shock 1-0 home victory over holders Real Madrid in the Champions League group phase on Wednesday.
Portugal had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to Spain in a heavyweight friendly on Wednesday after hammering the crossbar twice and missing a last-gasp open goal.
Qatar no playground for playmakers as defenders clamp down
The most impressive players at the FIFA World Cup 2022 after Round One.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Images from the Nations League football matches played on Thursday.
Lionel Messi was at the top of his game as Barcelona earned a 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday to move up to third in La Liga.
As England tightened their grip on Euro 2024 qualifying and France maintained their perfect run, hosts Germany's troubles deepened.
Neymar lived up to expectations as he showed his class on his Ligue 1 debut on Sunday, scoring one and setting up another goal in Paris St Germain's 3-0 win at En Avant Guingamp.
Ferran Torres scored a brace and Ousmane Dembele made two assists as a red-hot Barcelona rolled over Osasuna 4-0 on Sunday to earn their fourth consecutive LaLiga win.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to preserve Barcelona's unbeaten run in La Liga with a sensational late equaliser in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Sevilla on Saturday as the runaway leaders came back from two goals down in the space of a minute.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo struck his fifth international hat-trick, including a spectacular volleyed opener, to lead the European champions to a 5-1 win over the Faroe Islands in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
'Oh, I need competition. When someone says he's better than me, I want to transcend him. Ronaldo wants to be the best at everything, (France striker Kylian) Mbappe also wants to win everything.'
Images from the international friendly and Euro qualifying football matches played on Tuesday.
After playing the most soporific game of the World Cup so far, France will feature in a seismic last-16 clash of former champions with a resurgent Argentina on Saturday, and they will have to drastically improve if they are to stop Lionel Messi.
Second half goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe gave the impressive French side a clear advantage ahead of the return in Paris on March 6.
The Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese calendar, began on Sunday, January 22.
Jezreel Pannikot reveals life lessons the stars of the 2018 World Cup taught us.
Paris St Germain extended their Ligue 1 lead to 13 points with a 4-3 home victory against Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday but the French champions were again exposed at the back and had Neymar sent off. A Marquinhos double, Edinson Cavani's 200th PSG goal and a goal by Kylian Mbappe put the capital side on 65 points from 26 games but they lost captain Thiago Silva to a muscle injury and Neymar picked up a straight red card for a late challenge in stoppage time.
With no clear sense of direction being set by Deschamps' selections, it may be up to the players to find their own way to deal with Messi.
Eden Hazard finally scored his first goal for Real Madrid as his side beat second-placed Granada 4-2 in a highly entertaining game at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to go four points clear at the top of La Liga.
A summary of the results of the major European football league matches on the weekend.
A summary of Tuesday night's matches in the UEFA champions League.
