Not even the return of Cristiano Ronaldo could arrest Portugal's ailing fortunes as new manager Fernando Santos watched his men defeated 2-1 by France in a friendly in Paris on Saturday.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo curled in a sizzling late free kick to strike the first hat-trick of the 2018 World Cup and grab his side a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Spain on Friday as the Group B blockbuster lived up to the hype.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticised Portugal's display in the 1-1 draw with Israel and was tight-lipped on claims he deliberately got himself booked to ensure his availability for next month's World Cup qualifying playoffs.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will resume their perennial battle to be crowned the world's best footballer after they headed the shortlist of 30 players for the 2016 Ballon d'Or announced on Monday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
England defender Chris Smalling headed the only goal with five minutes left as they beat 10-man Portugal 1-0 in a turgid Euro 2016 warm-up match at Wembley in London, on Thursday.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos left Bernardo Silva, one of the country's brightest young players, out of his final 23-man Euro 2016 squad on Tuesday but included 18-year-old Renato Sanches.
Rediff.com looks at the five best goals from the concluding round in the league stage.
European champions Portugal were let off the hook by Morocco's wasteful finishing and another Cristiano Ronaldo moment as they notched up a fortuitous victory in the World Cup on Wednesday. Yet, the reactions of the respective coaches suggested a different result.
Leaders Barcelona played out a second straight 0-0 draw in LaLiga after mid-table Getafe battled for a home point in a hard-fought game on Sunday.
Only two teams -- Chelsea in 2005-06 and Manchester City last season -- have had more points after 18 Premier League games in a season than Liverpool's 48.
Manchester City beat bottom club Sheffield United 1-0 to move three points clear of Manchester United who were held to a goalless draw at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Saturday.
There is no denying Cristiano Ronaldo delivers when it matters most.
Images from football matches held across Europe on Saturday
Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani scored twice to earn the South Americans a 2-1 win over European champions Portugal in their World Cup round of 16 clash on Saturday and set up a quarter-final against France.
Sevilla in semis as Wolves miss penalty.
English Premier League leaders Manchester City and Chelsea slugged out a magnificent 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City moved 13 points clear at the top of the English Premier League table after a 2-1 win over West Ham United on Saturday - their 20th straight win in all competitions.
Manchester United moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after a Paul Pogba goal gave them a hard-fought 1-0 win over Burnley at a freezing Turf Moor on Tuesday.
Everton and Manchester United drew 1-1 at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday in an enthralling game which ended with late VAR drama.
Portugal played out a goalless draw against Austria after captain Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in their Euro 2016 Group F match at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker scored a stunning header in the fifth minute of stoppage-time as Liverpool snatched a 2-1 victory at the death against relegated West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
Spain and Portugal played out an entertaining 0-0 draw on Friday as both sides prepared for this month's European Championship.
Paris St Germain had a chance to extend their Ligue 1 lead to five points after RC Lens drew 1-1 at Troyes and Olympique de Marseille and Monaco shared the spoils on Saturday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued his dream start as Manchester United caretaker manager with a 3-1 Premier League win over Huddersfield on his Old Trafford debut in the dugout on Wednesday.
He has won it all at club level and has three world player of the year awards but on Sunday Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated as never before -- with tears of joy streaming down his face after his Portugal beat France 1-0 to win the European Championship.
Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham scored a late opportunist double to secure a 3-0 home win for Chelsea over West Ham United in the English Premier League on Monday.
Manchester City's hopes of closing the gap on the Premier League pacesetters were frustrated as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.
Nemanja Matic's header ended Sporting's proud four-year unbeaten home run in Europe as Chelsea seized control of Champions League Group G with a 1-0 victory in Lisbon on Tuesday.
Europa League kings Sevilla breezed past Manchester United into the semi-finals of their favourite competition as Youssef En Nesyri scored twice
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Substitute Ricardo Quaresma turned in three minutes from the end of extra time as Portugal edged a tense encounter to book a UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-final date with Poland. After 116 minutes in which the teams failed to muster a single shot on target, Ivan Perisic headed against the upright.
Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com picks the very best players from what has been an outstanding tournament.
Manchester United battled back from two goals down to beat Newcastle United 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday as a 90th-minute winner from Alexis Sanchez completed a spirited comeback to ease the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
Manchester United climbed two places up to second in the Premier League after Marcus Rashford scored deep into stoppage time to give them a fortuitous 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas says the signing of Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois has not affected his desire to remain at the triple European champions as he emphatically ruled out leaving the club in order to be assured of first team football.
Bayern Munich thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 5-1, while Barcelona came from behind to beat Valencia 3-1 in LaLiga at Camp Nou on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
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