Mario Balotelli lit up the Riviera derby with two goals on his Nice debut to hand them a 3-2 victory over Olympique Marseille on Sunday -- his first league goals for a year. The 26-year-old former Inter Milan and Manchester City striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot after seven minutes and struck again 12 minutes from full time when he headed home a Ricardo cross.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Edinson Cavani enjoyed a memorable comeback after spending four weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury as he scored in Paris St Germain's 2-0 win over Olympique Marseille on Sunday to help his side move eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
IMAGES from the soccer matches played across European leagues on Friday.
Olympique Lyon lifted their first trophy in four years after Lisandro Lopez secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over gallant amateurs Quevilly in the French Cup final on Saturday.
A round-up of Saturday's action the Bundesliga, Ligue 1
Two first-half goals by Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2-1 win at Olympique Marseille in their opening Champions League Group D match on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to lead Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Olympique Marseille in Champions League Group C on Wednesday.
Olympique Lyon's hopes of clinching an eighth consecutive Ligue 1 title suffered another blow when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Paris St Germain on Friday.
Inter Milan went 10 points clear in Serie A, while French champions Olympique Lyon were knocked off the top of the Ligue 1 table by Olympique Marseille.
France playmaker Samir Nasri has agreed to join Arsenal from Olympique Marseille, the English Premier League club said on Friday. Nasri, who will join up with the rest of the Arsenal squad for pre-season training on July 21, made two substitute appearances for France at Euro 2008 and has 12 caps in total.
The former France goalkeeper said he is quiting club and international football because of family problems.
A 25-metre half-volley from Miohel Bastos helped Olympique Lyon defeat AS Nancy 3-1 to grab top spot in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The Brazilian ace scored a goal and assisted in another in a 3-0 victory over Olympique Marseille in the French first division.
Paris St German threatened action against Joey Barton on Wednesday after the Olympique Marseille midfielder likened Brazilian defender Thiago Silva to a transsexual and called him an 'overweight ladyboy'.
Last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund were spared a Champions League exit when a dramatic late goal from Kevin Grosskreutz sent the German side into the last 16 on Wednesday.
A 3-0 win over Sedan put them on top of the table though only on goal difference.
Paris St Germain clinched their first French league title since 1994 on Sunday thanks to heavy investment from Qatar as they proved that money spent on the right players can buy success.
It is leant that Chelsea paid between 30 and 40 million euros (20 to 27 million pounds) for the Ivory Coast striker.\n\n
The Ivory Coast striker is set to become the third most expensive player bought by an English club.
The fixtures for the group stages in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, which kicks-off on Wednesday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted to feeling frustrated after his side missed out on top spot in their Champions League group and an easier draw in the knockout stages.
On debut, substitute Marcus Rashford became the first Englishman to play a first-team game for Barcelona since former England striker Gary Lineker in 1989.
Bastia have been barred from playing at home until further notice after supporters of the top-flight club were involved in a series of violent incidents, the French League (LFP) said on Thursday.
Titleholders Barcelona were given a tough draw against Italian champions AC Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday.
Paris St Germain lashed out at David Beckham's critics after he cleared all doubts about his conditioning and performance level with an excellent showing for his first start with his new side on Wednesday.
Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri will miss the start of the season after breaking his leg on Tuesday at the club's training camp in Austria.
Didier Deschamps is on the verge of being appointed France coach, a source on the executive board of the French football federation said on Sunday.
Former Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan manager Claudio Ranieri has been appointed as Monaco coach as the club from the wealthy principality look to regain their top flight status, the Ligue 2 side said on Wednesday.
Striker Javier Hernandez's double helped move Manchester United four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Former England captain David Beckham enjoyed a promising French league debut for Paris St Germain, riding warm crowd support in a late cameo during the 2-0 home victory over Olympique Marseille on Sunday.
English midfielder Joey Barton said he had been the victim of "cheats" after being sent off for the first time since joining Olympique Marseille during a defeat to struggling Nancy on Sunday.
Former France World Cup winner Marcel Desailly is among the candidates to become new Ghana coach, the Black Stars said on their website (www.ghanafa.org) on Monday.
