Desperation to prove himself in front of his fans drove Lin Dan to his Olympic badminton gold medal at Beijing, but in London the Chinese just hopes to act as a statesman for the game he loves.
India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal cruised into the knock-out stage of the women's singles competition at the London Olympics after notching a comfortable victory over Belgium's Lianne Tan in a group stage match on Monday. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa stunned world No 10 Yu Chin Chien and Wen Hsing Cheng of Chinese Taipei 25-23, 16-21, 21-18.
Chelsea must win the Champions League to play in Europe's elite club competition next season after a 4-1 defeat at Liverpool on Tuesday ended their hopes of qualifying via the Premier League.
Manchester United's sparkling performance in the Community Shield should put them in good heart for the start of their Premier League title defence at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap started his Olympic campaign in style, getting the better of Belgium's Yuhan Tan in straight games in a Group D match in London on Saturday. The 25-year-old Hyderabadi took just 38 minutes to see off Tan 21-14, 21-12 at the Wembley Arena.
India's badminton campaign at the London Olympics was off to a disappointing start as the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju went down in straight games to Indonesia's Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in their opening group match in London on Saturday.
Chelsea's remarkable turnaround since Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim coach has taken them to the brink of a cup double after they beat a disappointing Liverpool side 2-1 with goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney became England's all-time record scorer when he smashed home his 50th international goal from the penalty spot as England beat Switzerland 2-0 in their Euro 2016 Group E qualifier at Wembley on Tuesday.
A former midfielder for Sporting Gijon, Real Madrid and Barcelona, Luis Enrique won two Liga titles, one Champions League and three King's Cups as Barca coach between 2014 and 2017.
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll headed an 87th minute winner to secure a 2-1 victory over Merseyside rivals Everton in an error-strewn FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea have almost unwittingly stumbled on a winning formation centred on Brazilian midfielder Ramires that could galvanise their fortunes in the second half of the season.
The Euro 2020 soccer Championship, trumpeted as a continent-wide feast of football from Dublin to Baku to mark UEFA's 60th anniversary, was postponed for a year on Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic claimed its biggest sporting casualty yet. Europe's flagship tournament, staged every four years and second only to FIFA's World Cup in terms of prestige in soccer, will now be staged from June 11 to July 12, 2021.
Images from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Spain and hat-trick hero Pedro turned on the style in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win in Belarus amid a television blackout while Germany had Irish viewers turning off in droves as they romped to a 6-1 away win on Friday.
If a picture is worth a thousand words then the sight of Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry standing side by side to lift the FA Cup on Saturday neatly encapsulated the story of a season in which the old guard have confounded their critics to revitalise the club.
England claimed a memorable and unlikely 1-0 win over World champions Spain thanks to a headed goal from Frank Lampard and some resolute defending during the closing stages of a hugely entertaining friendly at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
A video of the incident showed that Taison stuck his finger up at a section occupied by Dynamo fans and then hoofed the ball into the stands.
Hosts Britain, taking part in their first Olympic soccer event since 1960, will kick off the bid for gold against Senegal at Manchester United's Old Trafford on July 26.
Craig Bellamy scored the decisive goal against his former club as Liverpool reached the League Cup final on Wednesday by beating Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate, prompting manager Kenny Dalglish to go all teary-eyed.
Images from the FA semi-final played between Chelsea and Tottenham played at Wembley on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Belgium finished five points clear at the top of League A Group 2 and will meet world champions France and former World Cup winners Italy and Spain in the final four next October.
A stoppage-time winner from Arjen Robben ended Netherlands' three-match run without a win as they beat England 3-2 in a largely low-key friendly with a dramatic twist in the tail at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday.
The midfield machine behind Spain's first World Cup success ticked back into the same relentless rhythm to deliver Barcelona's fourth European Cup triumph at a spellbound Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
For the eight Spain internationals in Barcelona's probable starting 11 for Saturday's Champions League final, victory over Manchester United at Wembley would put a gilt edge on an already spectacularly successful year.
A lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, an address to the Indian diaspora at the iconic Wembley Stadium and a "warm" interaction with his British counterpart is part of the hectic schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the United Kingdom next month.
Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley was called up to the England squad on Monday for the midweek friendly with Netherlands after a sparkling performance in the Community Shield.
Soccer's rule makers are considering a tennis tiebreak-type system to make penalty shootouts fairer.
Manchester United fought back from 2-0 down and struck deep into stoppage time to beat Manchester City 3-2 in a dramatic Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.
Second tier Cardiff City beat 10-man Championship rivals Crystal Palace 3-1 on penalties on Tuesday to secure a dream League Cup final date at Wembley with Manchester City or Liverpool.
Summary of World Cup qualifiers played across the world on Thursday
Manchester City's former France midfielder Patrick Vieira formally announced his long-expected retirement as a player at the age of 35 on Thursday and was appointed as the club's Football Development Executive.
It might not save manager Antonio Conte's job but Chelsea can still salvage a disappointing season by winning Saturday's FA Cup final
Second-tier Reading booked an FA Cup semi-final meeting with holders Arsenal.
Danny Welbeck may frustrate at club level but put the Arsenal striker in an England shirt and he has proved himself to be a reliable figure on the international stage.
The heroes of newly crowned European champions, Barcelona, paraded in an open-top, double-decker bus through cheering, packed streets and arrived to a roar of welcome at the Camp Nou stadium on Sunday.
Barcelona, inspired by the peerless Lionel Messi, delivered a soccer masterclass to overwhelm Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final and lift the European Cup for the fourth time on Saturday.
Nemanja Vidic fears Champions League heartbreak for Manchester United if they become obsessed with shackling Lionel Messi in Saturday's final against Barcelona at Wembley.
All the ingredients are in place for a classic Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday when millions of fans around the world will settle down to dine on what should be a rare footballing feast.
Premier League quartet Sunderland, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City were bundled out of the League Cup in the second round on Tuesday.
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