A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
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.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona's Lionel Messi broke free from Arsenal's shackles to score two late goals and put the Champions League holders on the brink of the quarter-finals with a clinical 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
David Villa struck twice and David Silva and Juan Mata also scored to give rampant Valencia a 4-2 win at Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
Real Madrid and Atletico each slipped 10 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after an intense Madrid derby finished goalless and the Catalans picked up an 11th victory in 12 games by winning 3-0 at Leganes.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Lionel Messi came off the bench and scored twice in the second half as Barcelona, who survived two late dismissals, won 2-1 at Racing Santander on Sunday and maintained their huge lead in the Primera Liga. Racing gave the visitors little space and took the lead after the restart when Nikola Zigic scored from the penalty spot.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic received a red card for slapping an opposing player in the head on Monday but the LA Galaxy were still able to eke out a 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact without their marquee acquisition.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League quarter-final 2nd leg matches played on Tuesday
Stopping prolific Barcelona forwards Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in the Champions League final will be a formidable task, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said after his side clinched their place in next month's showpiece in Berlin.
Valencia tore Real Madrid apart 3-0 on Saturday to give Barcelona the chance to wrap up the Primera Liga title as early as Sunday's game against Villarreal.
Barcelona dealt a stinging blow to Real Madrid's title hopes when Luis Suarez and Neymar continued their scintillating form to fire the champions to a stunning 4-0 victory in the La Liga 'Clasico' on Saturday.
Football icon Diego Maradona has claimed that current Argentina skipper Lionel Messi does not have the character to be a leader.
David Villa scored twice from the penalty spot to help Valencia to a 4-1 victory at home to Getafe in the Primera Liga on Sunday, putting them back in the hunt for a place in next season's Champions League.
Here is the round-up of all the football action across Europe on the weekend
Klaas Jan Huntelaar struck twice to help Real Madrid register a 5-2 win at 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and cut Barcelona's lead at the top of the Primera Liga to three points.
With the teams having played their second matches in the league stage in Euro 2020, at the conclusion of the Spain-Poland match in Group E on Saturday, here's a look at the best goals from those matches.
Striker Raul set a club scoring record as Real Madrid swept aside Sporting Gijon 4-0 away on Sunday to cut Barcelona's lead at the top of the Primera Liga to 10 points.
Liverpool reached the Champions League final after riding their luck to contain a fired-up AS Roma in a 4-2 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday that sent them through 7-6 on aggregate.
Primera Liga top scorer Samuel Eto'o netted twice as Barcelona beat Sporting Gijon 3-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday to restore their 12-point advantage at the top of the table.
Luis Fabiano scored twice for Sevilla as the 2007 King's Cup winners eased into the quarter-finals with a 3-0 victory at Deportivo Coruna in their second leg tie on Wednesday.
A summary of Wednesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal can sustain a Europa League challenge but a top-four finish in the Premier League would be the best way to reach next season's Champions League, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
Two goals by Mirko Vucinic guided AS Roma to a surprise 3-1 win over last season's runners-up Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday. Former Chelsea defender Christian Panucci tapped in the first from close range on 34 minutes and Montenegro striker Vucinic struck twice at the start of the second half as Roma ended a run of five consecutive defeats. The Londoners pulled one back through captain John Terry in the 75th.
Angola and Kenya were eliminated from the 2010 World Cup finals after failing to make the cut in the African qualifiers.
Neymar struck twice as Barca beat Atletico Madrid to reach the King's Cup semis
Be it the jam-packed stadiums at the UEFA Champions League, the intense trans-Tasman rivalry in cricket, there are certain events that enthralls fans. Brendon McCullum blasting into history with the fastest Test hundred in his farewell Test; but that wasn't enough as Australia completed a 2-0 clean sweep of the Kiwis. Rohit Sharma, yet again showing why is considered to be a special talent in limited-overs cricket as India thrashed host Bangladesh in the Asia Cup opener. In Champions League football, Lionel Messi's Barcelona proving too hot for old-rivals Arsenal. Be ready to be amazed as Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this super photo feature.
Promoted Numancia twice took the lead before falling 4-3 to champions Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso was involved in a heavy crash on the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona on Sunday but is "ok and conscious", officials said.
A summary of Wednesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Formula One got back on track in changed circumstances on Friday but with Mercedes bringing a familiar look to the timing sheets as six times World champion Lewis Hamilton led team mate Valtteri Bottas one-two in Austrian Grand Prix free practice. The Briton did 41 laps and lapped with a best time of one minute 04.816 seconds in a damp and overcast session, 0.356 faster than the Finn.
Seven-time European champions AC Milan will face Arsenal in the standout last-16 tie in the Europa League after the draw was made in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday.
Barcelona's poor run away to Real Sociedad continued when the champions were held to a 1-1 draw at Anoeta on Sunday and slipped six points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid before next week's 'Clasico' against their arch rivals.
Argentina put behind a dismal first half to beat Algeria 4-3 in a friendly international.
Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona overwhelmed Manchester City as Ivan Rakitic's strike secured a 1-0 win.
Barcelona moved six points clear at the top of La Liga by easing to a 4-0 win at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday with doubles from Luis Suarez and Paulinho ahead of next week's 'Clasico' against champions Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo is eager to return to action as he prepares for his first start of the season when Real Madrid begin their Champions League defence on Wednesday against APOEL Nicosia, coach Zinedine Zidane said on Tuesday.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez was at a loss to explain how Luis Suarez missed three golden chances in his side's 1-0 win over Egypt in their opening World Cup Group A game but refused to blame his leading striker.
