News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Europa League favourites Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw on a threadbare pitch at Rostov, while Olympique Lyonnais beat AS Roma 4-2 helped by a fine individual goal from Nabil Fekir in their last 16, first leg ties on Thursday.
A trip to Manchester United has in the past struck fear into the heart of many an opposition team, but that will not apply to Chelsea on Sunday because they know history is on their side.
Whatever Karim Benzema does in a Real Madrid shirt his achievements are generally overshadowed by the exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo yet the France forward has a splendid Champions League record of his own.
Although United made a bright start to their quarter-final second leg at the Nou Camp with Marcus Rashford hitting the crossbar early on, they were soon outclassed by Barca, who eased to a 3-0 win on Tuesday for a dominant 4-0 aggregate victory.
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.
Manchester United needed an extra-time winner from Marcus Rashford to defeat Anderlecht 2-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday and move into the last four of the Europa League with a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Ajax to face United in final despite defeat at Lyon
The right-footed Quaresma has scored at least one dozen similar goals during his career and also uses the trivela for passing and crossing.
Liverpool moved into the Champions League qualifying spots after a 3-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday took them above Leicester City and into fourth place with one round of Premier League matches remaining.
Chelsea rounded off the UEFA Champions League group stage with a 3-1 victory over Sporting.
Ahead of the UEFA Champions League proper, which kicks-off next month, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com tells football fans what to expect in this year's competition.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United's teenage striker Marcus Rashford struck a stunning second-half free-kick to secure a 1-0 win at Celta Vigo in their Europa League semi-final, first leg on Thursday.
United are unbeaten in all competitions since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December and their improvement is down to the Norwegian's insistence on an attacking style of play, as opposed to the defensive fare served up by his predecessor.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Last season's runners-up Liverpool, big-spending French league champions Paris St Germain and Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli were thrown together in the pick of the groups while holders Real Madrid must face last season's semi-finalists AS Roma.
A summary of Tuesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Prolific Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to make next year an even bigger success.
Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain struck twice as the Italian side produced a masterful all-round display to beat Monaco 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Legendary Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic was articulate and candid while speaking at a conference in Mumbai on Friday. Norma Godinho/Rediff.com listens in as Vidic talks of Sir Alex Ferguson's motivational mind games, the Ronaldo bet and Man Utd under Mourinho...
A summary of Wednesday night's matches inthe UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea face the prospect of having veteran Didier Drogba as their only fit striker for their visit to Manchester United on Sunday in what is usually one of the standout matches of the Premier League season.
Giorgio Chiellini's assertion that Tottenham Hotspur 'always miss something to arrive at the end' would have chiselled deep into a nerve for fans of the north London club.
Jose Mourinho's Chelsea turned from domestic whipping boys back to European stalwarts on Wednesday, beating his former club Porto 2-0 to top Champions League Group G.
In Maximum City as the Wellness Ambassador of Kanakia Paris, a French-themed residential complex, the French football icon opened up about Real Madrid, Euro 2016 and the current France team among other topics. Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com was all ears.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
The upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be held in the country next month could lead to a massive interest in football if the event gets good exposure in the media, said Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
A summary of Wednesday's group matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Pep Guardiola will take charge of Premier League Manchester City from July on a three-year contract. Keep reading to know more about Guardiola...
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.
When Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was greeted with a hail of eggs and spat at on his first day at work he could not have imagined he would lead them to the brink of an unprecedented treble of titles in his first season.
Real Madrid fans could be forgiven for wondering whether a new president is needed rather than yet another new coach after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's season-opening weekend fixtures:
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) called for a government inquiry into racism in the English game following the match, which Chelsea won 2-0.
Barcelona's Luis Suarez hit a brace and set up a double for a spritely Lionel Messi to score in his first start after injury in a rampant 6-1 Champions League victory over AS Roma on Tuesday.
There was no farewell goal but plenty of pride and appreciation as Wayne Rooney made his 120th and final appearance for England in a 3-0 win over the United States in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday.
