News of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Thursday
Rather like tennis's serial record breaker Roger Federer, Barcelona striker Lionel Messi cannot seem to finish a soccer match without ticking off another milestone.
Celtic's bid to make the last 16 of the Champions League has been backed by Lionel Messi who believes the Scottish club's fans deserve to see their side progress.
Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League with two goals in their 3-0 victory at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday but holders Chelsea are walking a tightrope after a crushing defeat by Juventus.
Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League with two goals in their 3-0 victory at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday but holders Chelsea are walking a tightrope after a crushing defeat by Juventus.
England coach Roy Hodgson gave Celtic's tall goalkeeper Fraser Forster a first international call-up when he named the 24-year-old in his squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland.
Images from the Champions League matches plsyed across Europe on Wednesday.
Borussia Moenchengladbach's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time were hit by a 3-1 home defeat by Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of their playoff tie.
An artificial pitch, freezing conditions in Moscow and a wily coach who knows them all too well are some of the obstacles that stand between Group G leaders Barcelona and qualification to the last 16 on Tuesday.
Centre back Gerard Pique has returned to the Barcelona squad after injury and is fit for Wednesday's trip to Celtic in Champions League Group G.
Tito Vilanova is quietly stamping his authority on the Barcelona team and they head into their Champions League Group G opener at home to Spartak Moscow on Wednesday with La Liga's only perfect record.
Achilles the cat, who has correctly predicted the score of all three World Cup matches played so far in St Petersburg, tipped Nigeria to beat Argentina as the teams battle on Tuesday for a place in the soccer last 16.
Brazil might have made a slow start to their World Cup campaign but things are looking up, with feline fortune-teller Achilles predicting a win against Costa Rica hours before kick off in St Petersburg on Friday.
Images from Wednesday's matches in the Champions League.
Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek had a Europa League night to remember by scoring the first hat-trick of his career as the midfielder inspired them to a 3-1 home win over Belarus champions BATE Borisov on Thursday.
At least 73 people were killed and 1,000 injured in a riot at a soccer match in the Egyptian city of Port Said on Wednesday, the worst disaster in the country's soccer history, government officials said. Here is a look at some of the major disasters in soccer stadiums in the last 30 years:
Porto's Radamel Falcao scored a hat-trick to help the newly-crowned Portuguese champions thrash Spartak Moscow 5-1 as goals flowed and South American players shone in Europa League quarter-final first leg ties on Thursday.
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.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is almost back to full fitness after being diagnosed with malaria, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.
Liverpool and Ajax Amsterdam, who have won the European Cup nine times between them, failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League after making embarrassing exits from the competition on Thursday.
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.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group D match played between Argentina and Iceland at Kazan Stadium on Saturday
Roundup of the Champions League match played on Tuesday.
Arsenal will not sell striker Olivier Giroud, midfielder Jack Wilshere and winger Theo Walcott in the January transfer window despite their lack of playing time at the Premier League club, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
Serbia defender Nemanja Vidic has signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United.
AC Milan were handed a comfortable UEFA Cup assignment on Tuesday after being drawn with Heerenveen, Braga, Portsmouth and Wolfsburg in the group stage.
It looks like Real Madrid are getting ready for another big buy, and another one from Old Trafford at that. After Cristiano Ronaldo, who they purchased in a world-record 80 million deal last summer, Nemanja Vidic is right up on their shopping list.
Portugal, who missed a spot kick given thanks to the video assistant referees 16 minutes into the match, were awarded a second penalty after 104 minutes when Miguel Layun handled the ball.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko said he wants to leave the north London club because spending most of the first half of the season on the bench has cost him his place in the Russian national team.
Former Bayern Munich coach Flick takes over Germany to 2024
Arsenal and Chelsea were among seven teams to reach the Europa League knockout stage on Thursday, while last year's runners-up Olympique de Marseille were eliminated at the group phase.
Brazilian Ronaldinho struck deep into injury time to give favourites AC Milan a 1-0 UEFA Cup group stage win at home to Braga on Thursday while twice winners Sevilla suffered a 1-0 defeat at Standard Liege.
Tottenham were joined in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup by Bayer Leverkusen, Spartak Moscow, FC Zurich and Girondins Bordeaux.
Having beaten Colombia in a tense Round of 18 match at the World Cup England can now look forward to a quarter-final against Sweden with the curse of the shootout lifted.
A Russian billionaire has offered incentives to Croatia for beating England in their final Euro 2008 Group E qualifier.
Chelsea also got their Champions League campaign off to a good start, beating Werder Bremen 2-0.
Vidic's tough tackling attributes helped Serbia & Montenegro to qualify for the World Cup finals with a world record of conceding only one goal in 10 qualifying matches.
Despite the defeat Chelsea remain top of the group with 10 points, the same as Werder and two ahead of Barcelona, in the Champions League.
"Our club has reached an agreement with Gelson Martins, making him a new Atletico player," said a statement from last season's La Liga runners-up.
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