Liverpool and Juventus, forced into the indignity of beginning their season in the Europa League qualifying rounds, both won 2-0 away on Thursday as European club football ventured into deepest Siberia.
A fixture that once enjoyed the cachet of a heavyweight title fight -- and often resembled one on the pitch as England's preeminent teams slugged it out -- has been relegated in status with United fifth and Arsenal sixth in the Premier League.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique will miss this week's European Super Cup clash with Porto due to a calf injury, the Champions League holders said on Tuesday.
Andre Schuerrle unleashed an unstoppable drive with three minutes left to give Mainz 05 a 1-0 victory that piled on the relegation misery for bottom club Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.
Portuguese trio Porto, Benfica and Braga reached the Europa League semi-finals in contrasting styles as Europe's second-string club competition produced another goal feast on Thursday.
Spanish playmaker Mata, 31, joined United in 2014 for a then club record transfer fee of 37.1 million pounds ($46.86 million) from league rivals Chelsea.
Goal-line technology would be used in the Champions League from the final qualifying round but not in the first three preliminary rounds. It could also be introduced in the Europa League from 2017-18.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
It's not Mourinho, reckons former defender Gary Neville
Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Portugal's Andre Villas-Boas as their new manager on Wednesday as the 33-year-old, who resigned from Porto on Tuesday, agreed to a three-year contract. A fact file on the manager.
Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Portugal's Andre Villas-Boas as their new manager on Wednesday as the 33-year-old, who resigned from Porto on Tuesday, agreed to a three-year contract. Villas-Boas, who led Porto to a domestic double as well as winning the Europa League last season, replaces Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked in May after failing to win a trophy in his second season.
Liverpool are reportedly considering a summer move for Real Madrid and Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart.
There was something appropriate in the way that Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich celebrated his team's Champions League triumph over Paris St Germain on Sunday. More than 90 minutes after the final whistle had blown on the 1-0 victory, Kimmich sat in the centre circle, in front of 65,000 empty seats at the Estadio da Luz, banging on a drum.
In a TV interview before Tuesday's match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been asked if he was the best striker in the Premier League.
Here is a quick fact-box on new Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez, who was appointed to replace Italian Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday.
Wenger announced on Friday that he would leave Arsenal at the end of the season, bringing an end to his near 22-year reign at the north London club.
Unai Emery was pleased that Arsenal kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 4-2 home win over Ukraine's Vorskla Poltava but could not hide his frustration at the concession of two late goals.
Schalke 04 won the German Cup for the fifth time on Saturday, crushing second division Duisburg 5-0 to book a Europa League spot as Manuel Neuer lifted the trophy in probably his final game for the club.
The policy of buying players cheap and selling them for a higher price a few years on is a business model that worked well for clubs like Atletico Madrid and FC Porto. With the transfer window open for the next few weeks, Rediff.com takes a look at clubs that made smart deals over the years.
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona crushed Getafe 5-2 on Thursday to stay in the hunt for the La Liga title.
Atletico Madrid have been unable to repeat the magnificent achievements of last season in this campaign but can congratulate themselves on a job well done if they secure a lucrative Champions League berth on Saturday.
Klopp mimicked Silver Stallone in the Rocky movies when he yelled "Adrian!" into the television microphone and he was clearly appreciative of his goalkeeper's efforts.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has drawn comparisons between his team's upcoming Europa League quarter-final, second-leg clash against Borussia Dortmund and playing the FIFA video game. Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga, travel to Anfield for the return leg on Thursday having conceded an away goal in the 1-1, first-leg draw in Germany, and Sturridge drew the unusual parallel to describe his emotions before the game. "It's like when you're playing a final on FIFA and you're playing against your mate. You've all put 20 pounds ($28.46) in the middle and there's 100 pounds. "The pressure's on, your palms are sweaty, but as you get into the game, the nerves go away and you enjoy it. And that's exactly what it's like," he told his club's website.
Financially-troubled Real Mallorca have threatened to sue soccer's European governing body UEFA for damages over their exclusion from this season's Europa League competition.
Tennis World No 1 and Real Mallorca shareholder Rafa Nadal has hit out at governing body UEFA for excluding the financially-troubled La Liga club from European competition this season.
A thunderous free-kick by Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo gave Benfica a 2-1 first-leg home win over Braga in their all-Portuguese Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
Prolific Colombian striker Radamel Falcao scored four goals in Porto's 5-1 demolition of Villarreal in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday. The Portuguese champions trailed at the break but an inspired second-half display put Porto on the brink of a place in next month's final in Dublin.
Giuseppe Rossi kept Europa League semi-finalists Villarreal on course for a place in the Champions League next season with a penalty to secure a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Real Zaragoza in La Liga on Monday.
Athletic Bilbao boosted their chances of securing a place in next season's Europa League when they fought back from a goal and a man down to snatch a 2-1 victory at struggling Osasuna on Sunday.
Stoke City reached the FA Cup final for the first time when three goals in the first 30 minutes paved the way to a stunning 5-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Paris St Germain went out of the Europa League despite a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, losing their place to fellow big spenders Salzburg who fought back to win 3-2 at Slovan Bratislava.
France forward Antoine Griezmann says he would only leave Atletico Madrid if manager Diego Simeone also quit the La Liga club.
With supporters not allowed to attend matches and even the numbers of media tightly limited, there will be no boost in business for local bars and restaurants.
A summary of Thursday's matches in Europe's second tier club football tournament
Liverpool maintained their chase for a Europa League slot as a fortunate Dirk Kuyt penalty and a great goal by Luis Suarez secured a comfortable 2-0 Premier League win at Sunderland Sunday.
Atletico Madrid made a typically aggressive start to lay the foundations for a 2-0 victory at home.
Liverpool full back Nathaniel Clyne is eager to end Manchester United's Europa League campaign after losing both Premier League matches against their arch rivals for a second successive season. English football's most successful clubs meet for the first time in Europe on Thursday in the first leg of their last-16 clash at Anfield, with Liverpool aiming for revenge after a 1-0 home loss in January and 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford in September. "I think we owe them from the Premier League games, which we probably should have got more out of. But we have time now to put things right and progress through the cup," Clyne told British media.
Soccer's experiment with two extra linesman behind the goals is to continue for another two years and will be extended beyond Europe, the sport's rule-making body said on Tuesday.
Substitute Fredy Guarin gave former European champions Porto a late 2-1 Europa League win at Sevilla on Thursday while their old rivals Benfica beat VfB Stuttgart by the same score.
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