Two goals from Marco Reus spurred Borussia Dortmund to lift the German Super Cup with a 4-2 win over Champions League and Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
It took Bayern Munich almost the whole of the first half to start playing on Saturday but as soon as they did they proved they are back in business by rattling five goals past hapless Borussia Dortmund.
Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored twice on his debut to help Bayern Munich beat champions VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 and win their first league match of the season on Saturday.
France squeezed a 1-0 victory out of an unconvincing performance in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier in the Faroe Islands while Germany laboured to a 2-0 win in Azerbaijan. Germany lead the group with 19 points from seven games, four more than second-placed Russia who have played six matches.
Striker Miroslav Klose struck twice in the final minutes to hand Bayern Munich a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona eased into the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich on Tuesday which completed a crushing 5-1 aggregate victory. They will next play Chelsea who drew 4-4 with Premier League rivals Liverpool to progress 7-5 on aggregate.
In-form Borussia Moenchengladbach struck three times in 14 minutes in the second half to floor champions Bayern Munich 3-1 on Saturday and inflict their first Bundesliga defeat of the season.
Real Madrid's Welsh winger Gareth Bale has joined Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for FIFA's Ballon d'Or award.
Bayern Munich went on a 70 million euro spending spree after their humiliating fourth-placed finish in the Bundesliga last season and are eager to avenge their failure to win silverware by grabbing all four titles this time.
Alexandre Pato showed why he is regarded as Brazil's next superstar. He marked his international debut with a superb goal to earn his team a 1-0 win over Sweden on Wednesday. The 18-year-old only made his first appearance for AC Milan two months ago but is already being heralded as a phenomenal young talent.
David Villa hit a spectacular volley to earn Spain a 1-0 win over world champions Italy in a friendly on Wednesday. The Valencia striker, who replaced Fernando Torres at halftime, fired the ball into the top corner past a helpless Gianluigi Buffon 13 minutes from time after Fabio Cannavaro had headed the ball clear of his area.
He has been in a rich vein of form at international level too, leading Poland to the finals with 16 goals,
World champions Italy beat 10-man France 2-0 in Group C on Tuesday to qualify for the quarter-finals of Euro 2008. It was a nightmare of a match for France who lost Franck Ribery to a suspected broken leg and had Eric Abidal sent off before half-time as they were eliminated from the competition.
Bayern Munich beat VfB Stuttgart 4-1 on Sunday to move 12 points clear in the Bundesliga with only one point required from their last four games to seal a 21st German title. Luca Toni scored his 36th goal in 42 matches in the eighth minute. Antonio da Silva equalised nine minutes later before Mark van Bommel fired in a superb low shot that curled around the wall off an indirect free kick in the 55th minute.
Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 home draw by Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final on Thursday. The Bundesliga leaders led through Franck Ribery's 18th-minute goal but, Brazil defender Lucio deflected a cross from Viktor Fayzulin past Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn for the shock equaliser on the hour.
Kovac, who succeeded the retired Jupp Heynckes, surprisingly put Germany international Mats Hummels on the bench and partnered Jerome Boateng with Niklas Suele in central defence.
An in-form Bayern Munich will be looking to notch up their fourth straight win in the Champions League group stage and seal a spot in the final 16 when the Bundesliga champions face Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
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.
2004 Champions League finalists Monaco were eliminated 2-1 on aggregate by Swiss side Basel.
France's hopes of reaching the World Cup finals are hanging by a thread after a 2-0 first-leg defeat away to Ukraine in their playoff on Friday while Cristiano Ronaldo's late winner gave Portugal the edge against Sweden.
Robert Lewandowski struck twice in the first half as holders Bayern Munich cruised past Schalke 04 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the German Cup semi-finals.
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola set a Bundesliga record after needing only 61 matches for his 50th league win when the champions beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 on Saturday to march towards the title.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo come face-to-face next month when Sweden meet Portugal in a World Cup playoff and they sharpened their claws with six goals between them on a thrilling night of Champions League action on Wednesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football fieLd
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Bayern Munich had to put their Bundesliga title celebrations on hold on Saturday after beating gutsy Mainz 05 2-0 while Borussia Dortmund also won, 3-0 at Hanover 96.
Cristiano Ronaldo has patched up his rift with Sepp Blatter following the FIFA president's hairdresser jibe and apparent imitation of the Portuguese international.
Manchester United beat AC Milan 5-4 on penalties after their International Champions Cup match in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium ended 2-2 in regulation time on Saturday.
German fans have finally got their wish for a more exciting Bundesliga season and the title race will really hot up when leaders Bayern Munich lock horns with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Bayern's shock 2-1 defeat by Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena in midweek means a home victory for second-placed Dortmund at the weekend would lift them within two points of the Bavarians with nine matches to go. Such is the worldwide interest in the top of the table clash, it will be broadcast to 208 countries. "Everyone wanted more suspense in the Bundesliga. Now you have it so all is well," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. "We are not perfect. Sometimes you have to lose to understand what you need to do in order to become an even better team." Bayern, who are chasing a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga crown, had an 11-point lead earlier in the season. The defeat by Mainz and a 2-2 draw at Juventus in their Champions League last-16 first leg, after leading 2-0, have raised alarm bells among the supporters. "The results against Juve and Mainz were not good but our performances were," said Guardiola who is leaving at the end of the season to join Manchester City.
Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller scored twice, including a 71st- minute bicycle kick, to given the Bundesliga leaders a 3-1 victory over Darmstadt 98 on Saturday and lift them 11 points clear at the top of the table.
A goalless draw against Sevilla on Wednesday was enough to send Bayern Munich into the Champions League last four with a 2-1 aggregate victory to keep their hopes of a treble-winning season alive.
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Star footballers Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer and Cristiano Ronaldo, who had been shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, have been selected by their peers for the 2014 FIFPro World XI team.
Bayern Munich and Arsenal meet in their big-name Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday, both hoping European success will help lift mid-season gloom on their domestic fronts.
Lionel Messi was in inspired form as champions Barcelona hammered Celta Vigo 5-0 on Saturday, recording a fourth straight league victory which keeps them top of La Liga after Real Madrid had put the pressure on the Catalans with a 4-1 win at Eibar.
Brazilian Douglas Costa was in fine form as Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 1-0 in a pre-season tournament.
Torn muscle sidelines Robben for rest of the season; Lewandowski breaks jaw
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.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo opened a museum in his honour in his birthplace on Sunday, which he said had extra room for the Ballon d'Or and many other trophies to come.
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