Barcelona lost ground on La Liga leaders Real Madrid when their 11-match winning streak was snapped by Malaga, while Premier League pacesetters Chelsea dropped points at home to Burnley. Bayern Munich enjoyed a second-successive goalrush in the Bundesliga after routing Paderborn 6-0 while AS Roma lost ground to Serie A leaders Juventus after yet another draw. This and more from the happenings in the world of football over the weekend.
Miguel Angel Portugal's Pune City managed to earn a hard- fought 1-1 draw at the death against home side Delhi Dynamos in their Hero Indian Super League opener, in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
National football team goalkeeper Subrata Paul is set to become the first Indian player to join a first division side in Europe as he has been offered a six-month contract by Danish top tier club FC Vestsjaelland.
Scotland's Clarke names uncapped trio in Euro squad.
Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Juventus fans who applauded his stunning bicycle kick goal for Real Madrid against the Italian side on Tuesday and said he had been hoping for a long time to score in such spectacular fashion.
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.
The football world gathered in the Qatari capital on Friday as the draw ceremony for the World Cup finals got under way with music and dance.
Professional soccer leagues around Europe are gearing up for a return to action following the novel coronavirus stoppage, but some are more advanced than others.
The Portugal winger finished ahead of Didier Drogba of Chelsea and United team mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in the 60th vote organised by the Football Writers' Association (FWA).
Wales manager Chris Coleman said he was 'immensely proud' of his team after their hopes of reaching the Euro 2016 final were dashed by a brief lapse of focus during a 2-0 defeat by Portugal on Wednesday.
Fernando Hierro now in charge of the team, Spain's next game is against Group B leaders Iran on Wednesday.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale have been shortlisted for this year's coveted Ballon d'Or award.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Former Manchester United star and Indian Super League side ATK's coach Teddy Sheringham said it was unusual to finish a football game post midnight, something that he had never experienced in his long association with the game.
EPL's 'Project Restart' envisages a return to play in June at neutral venues, once given the green light from the government, but players are worried about transmission when sharing the pitch with others in a contact sport.
Could a runaway celebrity cow replace the late Paul the 'oracle' octopus as the next animal with the ability to foretell the fortunes of Germany's national soccer team?
Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo faces an emotional reunion with boyhood club Sporting Lisbon when his side begin the defence of their Champions League crown on Wednesday. Ronaldo, who scored the decisive penalty in the shootout win over Atletico Madrid in last season's final, returned to club football following an injury layoff when he scored in the 5-2 thrashing of Osasuna on Saturday.
Third-party ownership of footballers will become illegal in Brazil from May 1, the country's domestic governing body CBF) said in new transfer regulations published on Tuesday.
'I haven't heard any serious proposals regarding the protection of the referees'
New Spain coach Fernando Hierro plans to carry on Julen Lopetegui's good work as he prepares to lead his country into their World Cup opener against Portugal on Friday.
Lionel Messi is still the best player in the world despite never winning a major international trophy for Argentina, former Barcelona team mate and Brazil great Ronaldinho said on Sunday. The 29-year-old Messi, who retired from internationals last month after Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final, is his country's top scorer with 55 goals. The five times World Player of the Year has played in three Copa America finals and the 2014 World Cup final, but lost them all.
Opponents of FIFA President Sepp Blatter should run against him instead of merely criticising his decision to go for another term at the helm of world soccer's governing body, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Friday.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a 3-1 win over a dogged Leganes side on Sunday, creating one goal and scoring another to keep the Catalans five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Switzerland will be among the eight seeded teams at the World Cup draw in December after they leapt to seventh in the latest FIFA rankings announced on Thursday, while Italy were edged out.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
After two weeks of increasingly exciting football in South Africa, some huge names are out: Italy and France. Some smaller ones -- most notably Slovakia -- have triumphed against the odds to win a second round place.
Toni Kroos struck with a fierce long-range shot a minute from time to give Germany a 1-0 victory over Spain in a friendly between two injury-depleted European heavyweights in Vigo on Tuesday.
Benzema, who has scored 30 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid this season, has not played for France since 2015 after a blackmailing scandal over which he faces a trial in October.
To say Sunil Chhetri and Lionel Messi in the same breath is more than a little odd, is what the talismanic Indian striker himself felt once or twice.
Zoo director Vladimir Gerasimov believes Cleopatra might have a little better understanding of soccer than other animals.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the last two winners of the World Player of the Year award, have been included in a FIFA shortlist for this year's accolade. The 23-man shortlist was drawn up by FIFA's Football Committee and will be voted on by the captains and head coaches of the world's national teams with the winner to be announced on December 21.
The World Cup lost its headline acts on Saturday as the game's two biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, readied to leave Russia after their teams were eliminated in the round of 16. Messi's Argentina lost 4-3 to France and hours later Ronaldo's Portugal went down 2-1 to Uruguay, leaving the tournament without its two best known and most loved players.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The controversy surrounding India football coach Bob Houghton's resignation is finally over with the Briton himself announcing on Wednesday that he has struck a deal with the AIFF to continue till 2013.
Banned former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he feels the soccer World Cup underway in Moscow is a little bit like "my World Cup" because he has been so well received on his visit to Moscow.
'We were not lying yesterday when we said in the press conference Iran is a tough team'
