Didier Drogba scored both goals for the leaders in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough and champions Arsenal could only scrape a 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
Fabio Capello replaces Marcello Lippi who left the club at the end of the season.
Two superb goals from striker Didier Drogba knocked Newcastle United out of the UEFA Cup.
Didier Deschamps said his team's startling success was brought about by forcing the Spanish favourites out of their comfortable stride.
Serbian Djokovic, who 12 months ago had elbow surgery, won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2018, before lifting this year's Australian Open crown, to add to his tally of Grand Slam singles titles and reclaim top spot in the rankings.
Five players to watch during the 2016 Major League Soccer season, which opens on Sunday.
France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema insisted on Wednesday he has done nothing wrong after being put under investigation in France in connection with an alleged attempt to blackmail a fellow international with the use of a sex video.
Jose Mourinho shared the honours with former mentor Louis van Gaal as his Chelsea side drew at Manchester United in the Premier league on Sunday, but there was no doubt which of the pair was happier with the 1-1 result.
England beat France 2-0 in an emotional friendly at Wembley on Tuesday when more than 70,000 fans paid tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks with English fans roaring out a spine-tingling rendition of the visitors' national anthem.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged a hat trick as Paris St Germain geared up for their Champions League clash against Manchester City with a convincing 4-1 Ligue 1 home win over Nice on Saturday. Ibrahimovic scored twice in the first half and once in the second, while David Luiz added a third in the second half after Hatem Ben Arfa had pulled one back for the visitors early on. PSG, who were crowned champions last month, have 80 points and with six games left lead second-placed Monaco, who lost 2-1 at home to Girondins de Bordeaux on Friday, by 25 points. Nice, who had a chance to reduce the gap with Monaco to two points, lag in third place five points behind the principality side. They will be leap-frogged by Olympique Lyonnais (49) if they beat Lorient away on Sunday.
Police have found the DNA of a newly-identified suspect on explosives used in last year's Paris attacks, a French source said on Monday.
Ousmane Dembele's late strike rescued a 1-1 draw for champions Barcelona at Atletico Madrid but Sevilla moved top with a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid. European champions Real Madrid were humiliated in a 3-0 defeat at Eibar.
European champions Portugal spurned a two-goal lead against Tunisia, stumbling to a 2-2 draw, as France, one of the World Cup favourites, flexed their muscles with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ireland in warm-up friendlies on Monday.
Captain Aron Gunnarsson says Iceland will take inspiration from fellow underdogs Wales when they take on hosts France in the quarter-finals on Sunday -- and the tiny country even believe they can win Euro 2016 outright. Iceland, with a population of just 330,000, have produced a series of astonishing displays to reach the tournament's last eight, including a comfortable 2-1 win over England in the second round.
Yaya Toure was named African Footballer of the Year for a record fourth straight time at the annual Confederation of African Football awards on Thursday.
Hosts France were made to work hard by Albania but two late goals sealed the Group A match in their favour. Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet scored late to earn the nervous hosts the result they sought.
Jose Mourinho added another entry to his extensive personal diary of conspiracies on Thursday when, after Chelsea were ripped apart 5-3 by Tottenham Hotspur, he blamed the defeat on a penalty that was not given.
Much-maligned Olivier Giroud struck twice to help attack-minded France sink Scotland 3-0 in a final warm-up game on Saturday before they launch Euro 2016 on home soil next week.
Manchester United forward Radamel Falcao is "100 per cent ready to give everything" according to wife Lorelei Taron who hit back at manager Louis van Gaal's suggestion that the Colombian is only fit enough to play 20 minutes.
France overwhelmed Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Sunday to lift the trophy for the second time in 20 years.
Marouane Fellaini played chief tormentor as France suffered a 4-3 home defeat in a home friendly against Belgium on Sunday.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup first semi-final played between France and Belgium on Tuesday
A brief history of previous World Cup semi-final appearances by England and Croatia, ahead of their last four match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday.
A round-up of Friday's Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
Chelsea's Jose Mourinho and his old friend Louis van Gaal of Manchester United had different reasons to be satisfied with a point after their teams drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Data, complied by FA Fair Play delegates who attend every Premier League match, shows Chelsea have the least respect towards match officials, the Telegraph reported.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will retest frozen samples from previous Games after an improved testing method led to hundreds of positive cases that went undetected, according to a German television channel.
Coach Didier Deschamps believes his players are ready to write a new page in the history of French football at Euro 2016 on Thursday when the hosts attempt to beat Germany for the first time for 58 years in a competitive match. The French go into the semi-final against the world champions in Marseille as underdogs. Even though they have twice won the European championship, they have not beaten their German neighbours outside of friendlies since the 1958 World Cup.
Former Germany captain Michael Ballack's farewell match in Leipzig on Wednesday was overshadowed by the potential transfer of Andre Schuerrle to Chelsea with German media reporting a deal has been agreed.
Albania are unlikely to pose much of a threat to France but Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann will be expected to produce sharper performances in Wednesday's Group A match when victory should assure the hosts a last 16 spot in Euro 2016.
Olivier Giroud said he had breathed a sigh of relief after scoring the first goal in Euro 2016 and wished the boos he has faced throughout his career would now go away. The France striker, who opened the scoring with a brave header in Friday's 2-1 win over Romania on Friday, now has eight goals from his last eight games for the national team. Giroud, who has scored 18 goals for France, is the team's most prolific striker since Didiers Deschamps took over as coach in 2012. "My statistics speak for themselves," Giroud told a news conference at France's training camp outside Paris on Saturday. "People say I get better through adversity but I'd be happy to live without all the mudslingers," he added.
Captain Diego Forlan led from the front as hosts Mumbai City FC defeated NorthEast United FC 1-0 in a Hero Indian Super League clash, in Mumbai, on Friday.
African Nations Cup underdogs Congo boosted their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals after they beat more fancied Gabon 1-0 to throw Group A wide open on Wednesday.
Chelsea have not been beaten at home by Tottenham Hotspur since 1990 when former England marksman Gary Lineker scored one of the goals in a 2-1 victory. But the Blues' remarkable record against Spurs at Stamford Bridge was of no interest to manager Jose Mourinho ahead of Wednesday's London derby.
Mumbai City FC manager Peter Reid is all praise for his star signing, Frenchman Nicholas Anelka.
A lot has changed for France goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris and defender Bacary Sagna since they were part of the team that left the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in disgrace.
Forward Olivier Giroud, jeered by France supporters barely a month ago, won them over on Sunday with what he described as his best performance for his country in a major tournament, scoring twice in the 5-2 win over Iceland at Euro 2016.
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