Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to score the winner as they recovered from an early deficit to beat Championship strugglers Blackburn Rovers 2-1 away in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.
Second half goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe gave the impressive French side a clear advantage ahead of the return in Paris on March 6.
France earned a rollercoaster 4-2 home win over Croatia in an entertaining top-tier Nations League Group 3 match, while England were held to a 0-0 draw by Denmark in an uninspiring game.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona finally made a statement of intent in what has been a chaotic season as they came from behind to beat La Liga leaders Real Sociedad 2-1 at home on Wednesday.
"We are pleased with the win, the many chances and the 70,000-plus spectators."
We present our alphabet of 2020, pulling in everything you'll remember about this year we'd rather forget.
Leaders Bayern Munich twice surrendered the lead in a 2-2 Bundesliga draw at 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday and Borussia Moenchengladbach missed two penalties in a goalless draw against Hamburg SV.
There was the usual frenzy of last-minute deals as the English Premier League brought the curtain down on another bumper European transfer window in which Manchester City again flexed their financial muscle as the continent's top spenders.
Which films are *you* rooting for?
A round of Wednesday night's Champions League group stage matches.
All the latest football news from around Europe.
Paris St Germain collected their first trophy of the season when Edinson Cavani's double secured a 2-1 victory against Olympique Lyon in the French League Cup final on Saturday.
An early goal by Guingamp's Jeremy Pied was enough to hand champions Paris St Germain their first loss of the French Ligue 1 season, leaving Olympique de Marseille still on top despite their own defeat by Monaco on Sunday.
Manchester United humbled Manchester City 4-2 in the continent's big derby of the weekend.
Manchester United's troubled season hit a new low on Saturday as Jose Mourinho saw his gamble on introducing a new tactical system backfire with an insipid 3-1 defeat to West Ham United in the Premier League.
Languishing at the bottom of the heap in the ongoing I-League, Churchill Brothers showed remarkable resilience as they outclassed a formidable Sporting Clube de Goa 3-1 to win their maiden Federation Cup title at the floodlit Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
All the details from the biggest wedding of the year.
What it's like to be inside the USS Theodore Roosevelt
Regarded as the Oscar of sports, the nominations for 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards were finalised following a ballot by the world's sports media.
Leicester City failed to grasp their first chance to clinch the Premier League title when they drew 1-1 at Manchester United on Sunday but they moved ever closer to a first English top-flight crown.
Images from the Nations League matches.
While Lyon rallied to hold Leipzig 2-2 after a Memphis Depay strike, it was the English clubs who made a mark on the night. Liverpool and Chelsea moved into the last 16 with contrasting wins and now all four English clubs, including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, are in the Champions League knockouts this season.
A rejuvenated Manchester United claimed a sixth win from six matches since former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepped in following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Pune FC's dream of making it into the AFC Champions League group-stage came to an end after a 0-3 defeat to Vietnamese-side Hanoi T&T FC at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi (Pune) on Wednesday.
Manchester United teenager Marcus Rashford wrote another chapter in his fairytale introduction to top-flight football, scoring a brilliant goal to secure a 1-0 win in his first derby match against Manchester City on Sunday.
Top-class goals from Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero took Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League in a 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Ronaldo's replacement Dybala scored in the 77th minute with a goal the Portuguese would have been proud of. After a quick exchange of passes, the Argentine twisted past Alessio Romagnoli and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a right foot shot.
VfL Wolfsburg reached the Champions League last 16 and dealt a knockout blow to Manchester United with a 3-2 victory to claim top spot in Group B and condemn their opponents to the Europa League on Tuesday.
Pune FC braved a rain soaked evening and clinched a narrow 1-0 win over Royal Wahingdoh FC.
Peeking into Anushka's superb style file.
Toni Kroos struck with a fierce long-range shot a minute from time to give Germany a 1-0 victory over Spain in a friendly between two injury-depleted European heavyweights in Vigo on Tuesday.
Canadian Penny Oleksiak and Simone Manuel of the United States were inseparable at the finish and even more united in joy after a stunning 100 metres freestyle dead-heat rewarded both with Olympic gold on Thursday.
South Africa's bowlers backed up a solid batting performance led by captain AB de Villiers' 99 to ensure they qualified for the knockout phase of the World Cup with a 146-run victory over United Arab Emirates.
We sorted through countless photographs taken around the world to come up with the top photos of 2019. Together these images tell the story of the year -- capturing moments of hope and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.
Harry Kane's 101st Premier League goal was the difference as Tottenham Hotspur earned a 1-0 win over Arsenal, to continue their fine recent form in north London derbies in front of a Premier League record crowd at Wembley on Saturday.
