'We wouldn't have taken the first step to get back to training if we weren't convinced we had created a very safe environment for our players'
Manchester United breezed into the next round with a 6-1 aggregate win over Club Brugge
Soccer in Germany has been suspended for almost a month and the German Football League (DFL) has said the ban will remain in place for the top divisions at least until April 30. Clubs, however, were given the all clear to resume training this week, with champions Bayern Munich deciding to train players in small groups to minimise the risk of infection.
Barcelona forwards Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi fired the Catalans to a confidence-boosting 2-0 win at in-form Sevilla on Saturday to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
German champions Bayern Munich sacked coach Carlo Ancelotti on Thursday, a day after they suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League.
Viswanathan Anand was in Germany to play in the Bundesliga chess and before he could return, the travel restrictions came calling in wake of the pandemic.
The French professional league (LFP) ended its season last week with 10 games left, awarding the title to Paris St Germain and leaving Lyon outside the placings for European competition next season.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says the next step in his side's development would be securing a trophy as they look to cap off a promising season by winning the Europa League. United, who finished third in the Premier League, hold a 5-0 lead over Austrian side LASK Linz heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie which will be played without fans at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
A number of football leagues around the globe will resume after the COVID-19 stoppage in the coming weeks but the matches will be played without fans.
Lahm, a defensive midfielder, is among Germany's most successful players of all time, having won almost every trophy with club and country, including seven Bundesliga titles, the Champions League and the World Cup.
Bayern Munich won its sixth Champions League crown in Lisbon on Sunday night.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Saturday.
Lionel Messi scored twice to earn Barcelona a 2-0 derby win over Espanyol and send them 13 points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday.
Bayern Munich won the Champions League for a sixth time by beating Paris St Germain 1-0 in Sunday's final
Five-time World champion Viswanthan Anand believes chess has adapted quite well to the coronavirus-forced shutdowns across the globe by simply going online just as he has been doing to stay in touch with family while being stuck in Germany for a couple of months now. Anand had gone to Germany in February to compete for SC Baden OOO in the Bundesliga Chess. However, travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have ensured that he has been unable to return home.
A round-up off all transpired on and off the football pitch
A New York Times report last month said the showpiece event will not be held in the Turkish city and alternative venues were being considered.
Atletico Madrid have temporarily cut players' and coaches' wages by 70% in order to cope with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but guaranteed a full salary for their other employees, the Spanish club said
Steinhaus, a 38-year-old police officer, has been a German FA referee since 1999 and taken charge of 80 second division matches since 2007.
A lacklustre Bayern Munich needed a long-range goal from Spaniard Xabi Alonso to secure a 1-0 victory over Darmstadt 98 on Tuesday that put them into the quarter-finals of the German Cup.
Former World chess champion Viswanathan Anand finally returned to India on Saturday after being stuck in Germany for over three months due to the travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Chennai-based chess maestro arrived by an Air India flight from Frankfurt via Delhi and reached the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru around 1.15 pm local time.
Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund, the German club said on Saturday. The 27-year-old became the Premier League team's third high-profile signing since the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager in May, following defender Eric Bailly and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford.
Here is a round-up of results from the European League matches played on Wednesday
Salzburg won the Austrian Cup with a ruthless 5-0 destruction of second tier Austria Lustenau in the final as the season resumed following the coronavirus stoppage on Friday.
Images from action in the Europa League matches on Thursday.
In separate statements, the clubs announced that the matches would take place at each of their stadiums and would raise money for boosting healthcare resources in Italy and Spain, but not in Germany.
Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal has completed his transfer from Juventus to Bayern Munich by signing a four-year contract with the Bundesliga champions.
Lazio, having endured a miserable start to the season, had high hopes of victory at Genoa, who were languishing in the relegation zone at the start of the day.
Moffi penalty gives Lorient 1-0 win over Monaco.
Champions Bayern Munich comfortably beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 in the Bundesliga season opener on Friday to lay down a marker as they eye a record-extending sixth straight German league title.
To see the major transfers in the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga in the January transfer window, click on the soccer ball (all transfer fees as reported by British media):
In a letter to the 55 federations in UEFA, president Aleksander Ceferin wrote that any league cancelling its season would need to produce a list of teams that have qualified for European club competitions, also by May 25.
The English Premier League is not the same product with fans barred from stadiums but clubs have no choice but to adapt in challenging times, Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce said on Friday. The English top-flight season restarted on Wednesday with two matches after a 100-day hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but access to stadiums has been restricted to squads, coaching staff and necessary personnel only.
Holders Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw to move into the German Cup semi-final and stay on course for a treble of titles on Wednesday.
EPL resumes on Wednesday with the high-flying Blades travelling to Villa Park and Dean Smith said it was an honour to play the first fixture on the league's restart.
The stance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in potentially banning athletes who kneel in support of anti-racism protests is a breach of human rights, the Global Athlete movement said on Sunday. Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states that "no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas".
Premier League title race looks poised to be one of the most thrilling in years.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Eintracht Frankfurt captain Marco Russ has been diagnosed with a tumour after he had initially tested positive in a routine doping test, the Bundesliga club said on Thursday.
Tuchel has agreed an 18-month contract with the option of another year, the west London club announced.
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