As the superlatives rained down on treble-winning Bayern Munich on Sunday, it was difficult to see where the all-conquering Bavarians could find room for new signing Mario Goetze and, if speculation turns out to be true, Robert Lewandowski.
Liverpool's 30-year wait for their 19th English top-flight title ended on Thursday after second-placed Manchester City were beaten by Chelsea, giving Juergen Klopp's side an unassailable 23-point lead with seven games left.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho could not understand how his well-drilled side let Robert Lewandowski score four goals in Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 win on Wednesday but vowed that his team could still reach the Champions League final.
Gerd Mueller netted 68 goals in 62 internationals, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, and is third in the all-time list of most goals in the global showpiece tournament with 14, behind Brazilian Ronaldo (15) and German Miroslav Klose (16).
I'm not sure how the stoppage will affect everybody, but Bayern Munich may have a slight advantage because they are playing football now and they are getting their match sharpness back, I wouldn't be surprised if they are now the favourites'
The injury will also rule him out of the reigning European champions' two Champions League quarter-final legs against last year's runners-up Paris St Germain, scheduled for April 7 and April 13.
Mario Goetze scored twice as world champions Germany outclassed rivals Poland 3-1 to take over the top spot in European Championship qualifying Group D at Allianz Arena on Friday.
A summary of Sunday's action in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers across Europe.
Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski scored eight minutes from time to give champions Borussia Dortmund a nervous 2-1 win at 10-man VfB Stuttgart on Saturday and delay the all but inevitable Bayern Munich title party by at least a week.
Images from Wednesday's action in the Champions League.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema rescued his side again by scoring two late goals to snatch a 2-1 win at home to Elche in La Liga on Saturday and revive his side's hopes of catching leaders Atletico Madrid.
Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund further challenged Bayern Munich's hold over German football on Saturday by crushing their rivals 5-2 with a treble by Poland's Robert Lewandowski to lift the German Cup.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski took the honours as the league's top scorer with 30 goals after netting in the champions' 3-1 victory over already-relegated Hanover 96.
Greece substitute Dimitris Salpingidis scored a second-half equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw with Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland in a pulsating opening match on Friday in which the Greeks missed a penalty and both sides finished with 10 men.
'Oh, I need competition. When someone says he's better than me, I want to transcend him. Ronaldo wants to be the best at everything, (France striker Kylian) Mbappe also wants to win everything.'
The win moved Liverpool level with City on 86 points in the standings
Barcelona extended their LaLiga lead to eight points thanks to second-half goals by Jordi Alba, Gavi and Raphinha that gave them a 3-0 home win against Sevilla
Champions Borussia Dortmund closed in on their second consecutive Bundesliga title on Wednesday, beating rivals Bayern Munich 1-0 with a backheel from Robert Lewandowski to go six points clear at the top of the table with four games left.
The Ballon d'Or will not be awarded this year for the first time in its 64-year history after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the football calendar, organisers France Football magazine said on Monday. The prestigious award, voted for by journalists, is an annual prize given to the best male footballer in the world since 1956. The women's Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 2018.
Poland's lack of a competitive game in more than two years may have played a part in Franciszek Smuda's otherwise vibrant young side being held to a 1-1 draw by a streetwise Greece in Euro 2012's opening game on Friday.
Here is what you need to know about their route to the final
Bayern remained unruffled by the two-month break due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and beat Dortmund last month to overcome the last major obstacle en route to a 29th Bundesliga title since the introduction of the top division in 1963.
Yet even though the Swiss lack world stars like France's Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema or Kylian Mbappe, Spain must be prepared for a long evening finding their way through Vladimir Petkovic's disciplined side on Friday in St Petersburg.
A round-up of Saturday's action in Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski has extended his contract with the German champions by two years to 2021, the club said on Tuesday. Lewandowski joined Bayern in 2014 from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund and was the league's top scorer in the 2015-16 season. The Poland forward also heads his club's scoring list this season with 11 Bundesliga goals, four behind league leading Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund.
Poland forward Robert Lewandowski and Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri, who have yet to shine at Euro 2016, will have another chance to brighten up the tournament when their teams clash in St Etienne in the last 16 on Saturday.
Colombia's World Cup campaign roared back into life with a 3-0 win over Poland in Group H on a sweltering evening at the Kazan Arena which sent the Poles tumbling out of the tournament on Sunday.
Manchester City's quadruple bid remained intact as Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne secured a 2-0 win at Everton in their FA Cup quarter-final clash
A second-string Netherlands beat Wales 2-1 away after a dramatic late finale in the Nations League at Cardiff on Wednesday
Bayern Munich thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 5-1, while Barcelona came from behind to beat Valencia 3-1 in LaLiga at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Norwegian Ski Federation said it does not want Russian athletes
UEFA has fined England, Poland, Scotland and Lithuania for failing to control their fans in recent European Championship qualifying matches, the governing body said in a statement on Friday.
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.
IMAGES from Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Germany bolstered their back line with the return of central defender Mats Hummels on Thursday but lacked penetration at the other end of the field as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Poland at Euro 2016.
Poland coach Adam Nawalka said he was never concerned about Germany scoring a breakthrough goal as his team held the world champions to a 0-0 draw in Euro 2016 Group C on Thursday.
La Liga champions Barcelona fell to their first opening day defeat of the season in 11 years when they were beaten 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao thanks to a sensational late overhead kick from veteran striker Aritz Aduriz.
Defensive errors were again a common occurrence in the Arsenal backline, but Fiorentina failed to take advantage.
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