This and more from the happenings in the world of football
When the dust has settled on Wednesday's shock Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid, one question that will be on the lips of many Barcelona fans is: where was Lionel Messi?
Brazil overwhelmed Peru with three goals in a superb first half to set up a crushing 5-0 victory on Saturday and cruise into the Copa America quarter-finals.
Disappointed Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said his players had fallen half-a-point short in a successful season after they lost the Champions League final 4-1 to city rivals Real on Saturday.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi set a La Liga record of 253 goals when he grabbed a hat-trick in Saturday's 5-1 win at home to Sevilla, the latest milestone for the four-times World Player of the Year.
Here is the round-up of all the football action across Europe on the weekend
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Messi, who has struggled for form in recent weeks due to a niggling injury, looked on a mission to grab the winner and after twice coming close he completed his treble to put Barca ahead in the 85th minute, reacting quickly to a poor Sevilla clearance to dink the ball over goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos risks being hit with an extra game suspension which would rule him out of a potential Champions League quarter-final first leg after admitting he got booked on purpose in Wednesday's 2-1 win at Ajax Amsterdam.
Guardiola said City had plenty of options, with Gabriel Jesus the only main striker fit and ready but Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling are able to slot into the role.
With the year sprinting to a close, we bring you, in pictures, some of the best action from the sports world.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Lionel Messi marked his 300th La Liga appearance with a record-equalling hat-trick and an assist for Neymar as Barcelona stayed hard on the heels of leaders Real Madrid with a 5-0 romp at home to Levante on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Round-up of football matches played around Europe on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Thiago Silva and Roberto Firmino scored either side of halftime to fire Brazil to a 2-1 win over Venezuela at the Copa America.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Lionel Messi's exquisite Champions League double for Barcelona against Bayern Munich was a case of history repeating itself with an added magnificent assist for Neymar to seal an emphatic 3-0 semi-final, first leg win.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
France midfielder Paul Pogba said the finals in Russia might be his last World Cup but he hopes he will be fit for more.
The stadiums at Qatar offer plenty of wisdom and chutzpah on how to take our own lives forward.
Images from Day 6 at the French Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris, on Friday.
Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as coach Pep Guardiola maintained his 100 per cent record at the club with a commanding 4-0 victory against Borussia Moenchengladbach in their rearranged Champions League Group C opener on Wednesday.
Following Angel Di Maria's nightmare stint, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com says the 'Theatre of Dreams' has never been a happy a hunting ground for players from the continent
Manchester United will sell goalkeeper Victor Valdes after the Spaniard refused to play in the reserves, manager Louis van Gaal said.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Gonzalo Higuain netted twice, the first a superb individual effort, to give Napoli a 4-2 win at Lazio while Fiorentina beat Hellas Verona 4-3 in a Serie A scoring spree on Monday.
Gonzalo Higuain has led Napoli's challenge for their first Serie A title since 1990 with a remarkable 26 goals in 28 league games, yet the fiery Argentine does not seem to have enjoyed a single moment of it. Higuain, an out-and-out striker who can safely be described as an old-fashioned number nine, stomps around the field with an expression that suggests he is carrying the whole world on his shoulders. There is always something for the 28-year-old to gesticulate angrily about, whether it be a refereeing decision, a team mate failing to pass him the ball or his coach deciding to substitute him. In his last outings, he kicked a water bottle over in disgust after being substituted at Fiorentina and then failed to join his team mates in saluting the crowd following Saturday's 3-1 win over Chievo, despite scoring in both games. His goal celebrations invariably involve thumping his chest and seem to be more an act of defiance than a show of joy.
France substitute Kylian Mbappe engineered two late goals to rescue a 2-2 draw against Iceland and spare the blushes of the world champions in their friendly.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Defending champion Germany suffered a shocking defeat, while Brazil, Spain and Argentina -- the other pre-tournament favourites -- managed just draws in their opening round matches.
Barcelona suffered in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi as they drew 1-1 at home
Germany will retain their World Cup title in Moscow to equal Brazil's record of five wins in the tournament, according to a Reuters poll of financial specialists more used to predicting market moves.
Juventus appear to be suffering from a predictable early-season slump in the wake of a summer spent fumbling around the transfer market in a bid to rebuild a team that had grown to dominate Serie A.
Tuesday's match was the latest masterclass from the South American trio, known in Spain as 'MSN', whose goals have put Barca on the brink of repeating 2009's treble of Champions League and Spanish league and Cup triumphs, the only time a La Liga club have achieved the feat.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney did not have the faintest idea who Anthony Martial was when the Monaco forward was linked with a move to Old Trafford earlier this week, according to team mate Morgan Schneiderlin.
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