Champions Barcelona suffered a humiliating 2-0 home defeat to Hercules on Saturday when Nelson Valdez struck twice to give the tiny promoted club a shock La Liga victory at a stunned Nou Camp stadium.
Chelsea won their second Champions League title and denied Pep Guardiola's Manchester City their first with Kai Havertz grabbing a first-half goal to secure a 1-0 win in Saturday's all-English final at the Estadio Do Dragao in Porto.
Double strikes by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi powered a rampant Barcelona to a 6-2 thrashing of champions Real Madrid in a spectacular Primera Liga clash at the Bernabeu on Saturday. The victory meant Barca, chasing their first title in three years, extended their lead over second-placed Real to seven points with four games left.
As the domestic soccer season across Europe comes to a close, Associate Editor Bikash Mohapatra takes a look at an elite list of coaches who tasted league success in their first season in charge.
Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune have appointed former Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager, Chinese and British media reported on Saturday.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been named the Premier League manager of the month for February, while in-form Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane picked up his fourth player of the month award.
Manchester won the English Premier League, the English League Cup and FA Cup this season
Images from the Champions League quarter-finals second leg match played on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi netted a brilliant first-half hat-trick and added a late fourth to fire holders Barcelona past Arsenal into the last four of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Barcelona restored their two-point lead at the top of La Liga when Lionel Messi finished a slick move to fire the champions to a hard-fought 2-1 home win over Malaga on Saturday.
Manchester City won the English League Cup for the second successive season as the beat Chelsea 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the Wembley showpiece had ended 0-0 after extra time.
Seydou Keita hit a hat-trick and Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted twice to lead Barcelona to a 6-1 thrashing of Real Zaragoza and send the La Liga champions three points clear of Real Madrid on Sunday.
Frank Rijkaard will leave Barcelona at the end of the season and former captain Pep Guardiola will take over as coach of the team, club president Joan Laporta announced on Thursday. Former Netherlands international Rijkaard took charge of Barcelona in 2003 and led them to back-to-back league titles and victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final in Paris in 2006.
Manchester City face Chelsea in the Champions League final on Saturday. Here are five key tactical battles to watch out for:
It would be a big surprise if Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola strays from the club's traditional, offensive 4-3-3. Manchester United are less tied to a set formation. Manager Alex Ferguson has frequently used the 4-3-3 to good effect, but if he decides to field Ji-sung on the right he may opt for a 4-4-2.
Sergio Aguero scored a dramatic late winner as Atletico Madrid twice came from behind to stun visiting Barcelona 4-3 on Sunday, leaving the Catalans just four points clear at the top in Spain.
2023 was marked by outstanding sporting achievements, shattered records, and the crowning of new champions, all captured by photographers documenting every significant twist and turn.
The Argentine joined Barca on a free transfer during the close season, but made only five appearances in all competitions due to a calf injury and his cardiac issues, scoring once in a 2-1 home defeat by Real Madrid.
Holders Liverpool survived a penalty shootout to see off third-tier Derby County
Seydou Keita made the most of a rare place in the starting lineup to give Barcelona a 1-0 win at home to Real Zaragoza on Saturday that put the champions 10 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona have the chance to secure top spot in Champions League Group C and prove they are not dependent on striker Lionel Messi to win matches when they visit Sporting on Wednesday. Barca's nine-match winning streak in the Spanish Primera Liga came to an end with a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola's outfit struggled to open up their well-organised opponents.
Alves joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2008 and made 391 appearances, becoming a regular under ex-managers Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Tata Martino and Luis Enrique before leaving for Juventus in 2016.
Barcelona trounced visitors Atletico Madrid 6-1 at the Nou Camp on Saturday to move into second place behind Villarreal in the Primera Liga. Villarreal have 16 points from six games after coming from behind to beat Real Betis 2-1 while Barca are on 13 after a scoring spree led by a double from Samuel Eto'o.
Barcelona earned their first Primera Liga win of the season with a 6-1 rout away to promoted Sporting Gijon on Sunday.
Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Racing Santander in the Primera Liga on Saturday, leaving new coach Pep Guardiola still seeking his first league win at the helm. Lionel Messi came off the bench in the second half to inspire a toothless Barca, who lost 1-0 at Numancia in their season opener, and scored a 71st minute penalty.
The Riazor jinx returned to haunt Real Madrid and the champions fell 2-1 away to Deportivo Coruna in their Spanish Primera Liga opener on Sunday, while Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were stunned 1-0 away to promoted Numancia. The performance of the day came from Atletico Madrid, who qualified for the Champions League group stage during the week, and stormed to the top of the standings with a 4-0 demolition of another newly promoted side Malaga.
Manchester City have one just victory from their last 10 games across all competitions.
Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday to book a place in next month's FA Cup final, thanks to a second-half goal by Hakim Ziyech which ended City manager Pep Guardiola's dream of steering his side to an unprecedented quadruple of titles.
It will be difficult for Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona after he made public his desire to leave the Spanish club, his father and agent Jorge Messi said on Wednesday as he arrived in the city to negotiate his son's future.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played across England, on Saturday.
Manchester City left back Oleksandr Zinchenko set aside some time on his wedding day to clarify comments he and his new bride Vlada Sedan made about manager Pep Guardiola in the wake of the club's Champions League defeat by Olympique Lyon.
Twenty-year-old Conor Bradley scored his first goal for Liverpool and claimed two assists as Juergen Klopp's team moved five points clear at the top
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
English Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Manchester United in their derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Erling Haaland arrived at Manchester City nearly a year ago to questions about how a "battering ram" of a centre-forward would fit into mastermind manager Pep Guardiola's nuanced and tactically demanding style.
Holders Barcelona were knocked out of the King's Cup on Wednesday when they won a thrilling last-16 second-leg clash at Sevilla 1-0 but were eliminated on the away goals rule after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.
Salah's sublime second-half strike leaves Liverpool on 67 points, three ahead of second-placed Arsenal and four ahead of City on a pivotal day in the title race.
Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Phil Foden kept Manchester City's Premier League title challenge on track with a superb second-half double as his side hit back to clinch a 3-1 home victory over Manchester United on Sunday.
City will look to extend lead against United at Old Trafford
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