A summary of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
Romania face tough test against experienced and motivated Ukraine
Manchester United's former England captain Wayne Rooney was pictured at Everton's training ground on Saturday ahead of a proposed transfer back to the boyhood favourites he first joined aged nine.
Two goals each for Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard and one for Michy Batshuayi swept Belgium to a 5-2 victory over Tunisia on Saturday that put them in command of World Cup Group G.
Ross Barkley scored a sublime goal as Everton beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 at Goodison Park on Monday to subject the travel-weary Londoners to their eighth away defeat in as many Premier League matches this season.
World champions France recovered from two goals down to beat Belgium 3-2 in a thrilling Nations League semi-final on Thursday with a last-minute strike from Theo Hernandez securing a place in Sunday's showpiece match against Spain.
Belgium finally found a way past inspired goalkeeper Tim Howard as extra-time goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku gave them a 2-1 victory over the United States on Tuesday and set up a World Cup quarter-final against Argentina.
Vinicius Jr came off the bench to score once and set up another goal to steer champions Real Madrid to a 4-1 fightback victory over Espanyol.
Liverpool's 1-1 draw at Everton could not save manager Brendan Rodgers from the sack.
Belgium have a real chance at lifting trophies, captain Eden Hazard has said.
There was however still some drama. Croatia were awarded a penalty in the 16th minute when Andrej Kramaric's toe was clipped by Yannick Carrasco and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.
Kevin de Bruyne came off the bench to inspire Belgium to a 2-1 comeback win over Denmark
Real Madrid paid for defensive mistakes as they were held to a 3-3 draw at lowly local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Sevilla clinched a sixth Europa League title with a roller-coaster 3-2 win over Inter Milan after an overhead kick by defender Diego Carlos deflected by the Italian side's top scorer Romelu Lukaku settled a thrilling contest on Friday.
Bitter defeat for Belgium in the World Cup semi-final is tempered by the fact that influential squad members will likely still be around in two years' time for the European Championship where they will have another realistic chance at a major title.
With 11 of their players in the squad over the age of 30, and a new World Cup cycle on the horizon, change is inevitable. Coach Roberto Martinez has also yet to sign a new contract, with his current deal expiring soon.
Sadio Mane scored twice to help Senegal fight back and shock Brazil 4-2 in a friendly in Lisbon on Tuesday.
United finished second last term, their best placing since the 2013 title win in Alex Ferguson's last season in charge, but the Red Devils were a massive 19 points behind champions Manchester City and never truly in contention.
The founder of the supporters club of the Belgian national team died of a heart attack after the country's crushing 4-0 victory over Hungary at Euro 2016 on Sunday, the national football association said on its website. Erik Reynaerts, 50, had been in Toulouse where Belgium was playing Hungary in the last 16 and suffered a cardiac arrest after the match, the football association said. He died on Monday.
For months, the 2024 Ballon d'Or seemed to have a clear front-runner, with everyone anticipating the coronation of Vinícius Júnior as the new king of football.
Jude Bellingham converted a penalty and Kylian Mbappe added another goal before halftime to spur Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Getafe.
Belgium have scored 14 goals in five matches and were hugely impressive in their 2-1 quarter-final victory over Brazil, with Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne combining to devastating effect to oust the five-times world champions.
New France captain Kylian Mbappe lived up to expectations with two goals in a 4-0 statement home win against the Netherlands.
IMAGES from the Europa League matches played on Thursday.
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.
Manchester United continued their perfect start to the Premier League season by crushing Swansea City 4-0 with three late goals in four minutes.
Belgium used a combination of daring, intelligence, resilience and not a little luck to oust World Cup favourites Brazil 2-1 in a memorable quarter-final tie on Friday that would have made a worthy final.
It took a great escape in injury time to get there after being two goals down to Japan, but Belgium can now view their quarter-final against Brazil free of the weight of expectation.
Images from Sunday's action in La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
France qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League despite a lacklustre goalless draw against Israel on Thursday.
Premier League-leading Chelsea's success on the pitch has been recognised by the Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) with Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante making the shortlist for the organisation's Players' Player of the Year award.
Solskjaer said he showed faith in his young strikers after allowing Romelu Lukaku to join Inter Milan in August.
Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Real Madrid and Villarreal. Girona are seventh on seven points.
Conte heavily rotated his team for the game, leaving players such as Lukaku and Eriksen on the bench. But Inter treated the family members, sponsors and club employees in attendance to a festival of goals.
The London club dominated the first half but fell behind to a superb goal from their former winger Aaron Lennon before young midfielder Dele Alli furthered his case for a place in England's midfield with a classy equaliser just before the break.
'Racism is combatted with education, condemnation and discussion,' said the FIFA chief.
Photos from the English Premier League match played between Manchester United and Arsenal on Saturday
Manchester City's Premier League title hopes were delivered a grievous blow on Sunday as Everton's inspired Romelu Lukaku and teenagers Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman made it another crushing afternoon for Pep Guardiola.
Arouna Kone grabbed a hat-trick as Everton piled on the Premier League relegation worries for Sam Allardyce's Sunderland with a 6-2 demolition job at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Miranchuk made all the difference with a sublime individual performance
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