A round-up of action in Europe's main leagues over the weekend.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
A Ciaran Clark own goal earned Sweden a fortunate 1-1 draw against a spirited Ireland side in their Euro 2016 Group E opener at the Stade de France on Monday.
Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to score the winner as they recovered from an early deficit to beat Championship strugglers Blackburn Rovers 2-1 away in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.
Manchester City reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time after a superb curling shot from Kevin de Bruyne gave them a 1-0 second-leg win over Paris St Germain that sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory on Tuesday.
Wayne Rooney scored on his return to the Manchester United starting-line up as Jose Mourinho's side enjoyed a 2-0 win at Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday to close in on the top four and extend their unbeaten league run to 23 games.
The 39-year-old appeared at Italy's Sanremo festival in March, where he sang a duet with Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic and said he would like to try acting.
The 1970 Brazil side, led by Pele and featuring names such as Gerson, Tostao, Rivelino and Carlos Alberto, is frequently rated the greatest team of all time. They won all seven of their matches in Mexico, culminating with a 4-1 over Italy in the final at the Aztec stadium. The life-size statue of Pele, dressed in the strip worn by the 1970 team, bore a close resemblance to the former Santos and New York Cosmos striker, unlike many of the statues of famous footballers unveiled recently around the globe.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney admits the arrival of Jose Mourinho has given him added motivation for the season ahead.
Paul Pogba may stay put at Juventus despite talks about the French midfielder's possible move to England or Spain, his agent Mino Raiola has said. The 23-year-old Pogba, who played a pivotal role in France's run to the Euro 2016 final, has been strongly linked with a return to English Premier League club Manchester United with Champions League winners Real Madrid also eyeing him.
Real Madrid's Welsh winger Gareth Bale has joined Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for FIFA's Ballon d'Or award.
Sweden elected to train behind closed doors on Saturday as they prepared for their Euro 2016 opener against Ireland following several flare-ups between players and coaches in training on Friday. Angry words were exchanged between striker John Guidetti and midfielder Albin Ekdal, while Guidetti also argued with assistant trainer Peter Wettergren during Friday's session. This led to the Swedes deciding not to open Saturday's training to the media for the usual 15 minutes.
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.
The two key moments happened within six seconds of each other early in the match played behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium.
Europa League favourites Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw on a threadbare pitch at Rostov, while Olympique Lyonnais beat AS Roma 4-2 helped by a fine individual goal from Nabil Fekir in their last 16, first leg ties on Thursday.
Bayern Munich will be without experienced Franck Ribery when they meet Manchester City in their Champions League Group E opener on Wednesday with fellow winger Arjen Robben also doubtful, coach Pep Guardiola said.
The club said in a statement that they will observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with league and UK Government protocols on quarantine.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagging four goals, while Juventus and Bayern Munich preserved their leads and FA Cup holders Arsenal were dumped out of the competition.
21-year-old Real Sociedad striker shines as Sweden beat Slovakia.
Paris Saint-Germain took a crucial advantage after beating Chelsea 2-1 in an entertaining UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg tie at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Tuesday.
Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice each to help Manchester United ease into the League Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 home victory over West Ham United on Wednesday as Arsenal suffered a 2-0 home defeat by Southampton. Martial netted twice in the second half to take the tie at Old Trafford away from West Ham, who had levelled through Ashley Fletcher following Ibrahimovic's opener after two minutes. The Swede added the fourth deep into stoppage-time.
Manchester United showing 'concrete interest' in the French forward
Paris St Germain's then sports director Leonardo declared the club were ready for tougher competitions in Europe two years ago but Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final exit suggests PSG need more time to reach the top.
Paris St Germain substitute Edinson Cavani, criticised by French media lacking composure in front of goal, responded in style to earn a 2-1 home win over Chelsea in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Jose Mourinho will have no qualms about frustrating entertainment-hungry Manchester United fans if it means securing a win on his return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
One of the most eagerly-awaited clashes of the Premier League season turned into a major letdown as Liverpool and Manchester United nullified each other in a largely undistinguished goalless draw at Anfield on Monday.
Sweden can beat England in Saturday's quarter-finals and eventually win the World Cup in Russia if they can handle the pressure, former captain and record goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said.
The 2016 Euro moves to its knockout rounds with eight teams taking an early flight home. The group stages saw some memorable action in which many records broken. Rediff.com takes a look at the standout stats from the 36 matches in the preliminary round.
ManchesterCity manager Pep Guardiola has expressed doubts over whether Manchester United can challenge for the Premier League title but believes they have a realistic chance of finishing in the top four.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
The Italian season resumes after a three-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday when Juventus, still chasing a possible league, cup and Champions League treble, host AC Milan in the return leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final. The match, to be played behind closed doors at the Allianz stadium, should have been played on March 4 but was postponed by the Turin city government at 24 hours' notice as the virus began to spread. The season was suspended altogether one week later.
Paris St Germain achieved a unique domestic treble when Edinson Cavani's goal secured a 1-0 French Cup final victory over Ligue 2 team AJ Auxerre on Saturday.
Images from soccer matches played across Europe on Saturday.
The lessons learned in qualifying and the Nations League campaigns that followed Ibrahimovic's retirement from the national side in 2016 have put Andersson's team among the dark horses with a strong chance at Euro 2020.
Holders Paris St Germain reached their third consecutive League Cup final when goals by Argentina's Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria gave the French champions a 2-0 victory over Toulouse.
Four goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic spurred Paris St Germain to their fourth successive Ligue 1 title with a 9-0 rout of Troyes, becoming the first team to win the championship after 30 matches.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the winner as Paris St Germain beat Chelsea 2-1 to knock them out of the Champions League for the second successive season at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez secured victory over nine-man Atletico Madrid in La Liga's top of the table clash, while Juventus won a 12th straight Serie A game to stay hot on the heels of leaders Napoli.
Manchester United needed an extra-time winner from Marcus Rashford to defeat Anderlecht 2-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday and move into the last four of the Europa League with a 3-2 aggregate victory.
