Three thoughts from France's 2-0 victory over co-host Ukraine from Donetsk, Ukraine.
Like all the best rags-to-riches stories, this one has a twist. In fact, Franck Ribery's story dovetails nicely with that of the France national team: both were loved and supported after reaching the 2006 World Cup final, and both were vilified following the strike threat in protest of Nicolas Anelka's exclusion from the squad four years later. Neither has been completely forgiven, but Euro 2012 offers the perfect opportunity for redemption.
Bayern Munich may be leading Germany's bid for success on European football's main stage, but Borussia Dortmund rule the roost domestically after winning the Bundesliga title for the second successive season on Saturday.
Mario Gomez gave Bayern Munich a precious 2-1 advantage in their Champions League tie against Real Madrid with an 90th minute winner in the first leg in the Allianz Arena Tuesday.
French international Franck Ribery scored both goals for Bayern Munich in their 2-0 win over Schalke, on Sunday, but the Bavarian giants remain four points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund, who defeated Hanover 3-1.
updated: Sun Feb 26 2012 18:28:00
Clyde Best talks about his time as a pioneer black player in England for CNN's documentary on racism in football.
Bayern Munich will take a three-point lead into Germany's winter break after Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund and Schalke both won on Saturday to stay in contention.
Franck Ribery was given his marching orders but 10-man Bayern Munich beat FC Cologne 3-0 Friday night to make sure they will head Germany's Bundesliga going into the mid-winter break.
Bayern Munich are back on top of the Bundesliga after beating 10-man Werder Bremen 4-1 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Napoli stunned Manchester City 2-1 Tuesday to leave the English Premier League leaders struggling to qualify from Group A of the European Champions League.
Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League wasn't quite as comfortable as the result suggested. Talk of "the invincibles" or of the team being an Bavarian answer to Barcelona is clearly premature. However, the quality of the performance against a top Premier League side did show that a run of 10 wins without conceding a goal (in all competitions) wasn't merely a result of a particularly kind fixture list. Bayern, as a team, is functioning better than almost any European heavyweight at the moment -- the turnaround from last season has been truly spectacular. Seven reasons explain the radical improvement:
Ten Champions League thoughts from Round 1 of the Group Stage:
Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen enjoyed five-goal romps and champions Borussia Dortmund also secured a fine win in the German Bundesliga Saturday.
Ailing German champions Bayern Munich thrashed second-placed Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 on Sunday to boost the club's hopes of European Champions League football next season.
Germany's champions-elect Borussia Dortmund dropped points for the second match in a row on Saturday to give main rivals Bayer Leverkusen hope of trimming the deficit.
After 188 minutes of wildly entertaining, at times outrageously open football Tuesday, it all came down to Bastian Schweinsteiger's tired legs. The Bayern Munich midfielder failed to keep up when Goran Pandev started running from the halfway line and could only watch in horror as the Macedonian smashed in the epic winner that sent Internazionale into the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Arjen Robben scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich returned to top form in the Bundesliga with a 6-0 rout of Hamburg Saturday.
"This is a defeat we can live with," Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told sponsors and reporters at the official post-match banquet in the team hotel. "We'd all be well advised to deal with it in a serene manner."
Bayern Munich kickstarted their Bundesliga campaign with a last-gasp victory at Hoffenheim as Daniel van Buyten scored an injury-time winner.
It's been over two months since France's players went on strike during the World Cup in protest of the French football federation's decision to send home striker Nicolas Anelka, but it might as well have been yesterday given the mess the team faces as its Euro 2012 qualifying campaign gets under way.
An attorney for a French soccer star said Wednesday there is "no evidence" her client ever knew that the striking prostitute he admits having sex with was under age.
Two members of the French national soccer team, Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema, were being questioned by French police Tuesday in connection with an alleged underage prostitution ring, French police said.
Beaten Champions League finalists Bayern Munich have received a boost with the news that French international winger Franck Ribery has signed a new contract with the club.
Bayern Munich playmaker Franck Ribery will miss the Champions League final against Inter Milan this month after failing in his appeal against suspension on Wednesday.
updated: Wed May 05 2010 13:18:00
CNN's Ben Wyatt asks viewers who will win this year's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
For once, France's outspoken coach Raymond Domenech is a peripheral figure in the latest, and most significant, scandal to afflict the national team before its World Cup campaign.
Lyon coach Claude Puel is confident that his team can cause an upset in their European Champions League semifinal first leg against German giants Bayern Munich.
First, a disclaimer. Yes, after three consecutive seasons of having three English league clubs in the Champions League semifinals, this year there aren't any. Not since 2003-04 has Europe's Final Four included no Premiership teams.
Bayern Munich produced a spirited fight back to knock 10-man Manchester United out of Europe's Champions League and set up a semifinal against Lyon.
Bayern Munich capped a successful week by returning to the top of the German Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory away to title rivals Schalke on Saturday despite having a man sent off in the first half.
Not that Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced; he clearly fancies Rooney to net the away goal that would take some nerves out of the return encounter at Old Trafford. "He's had an unbelievable season," he said -- and the United boss is also smiling about having Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand back in the center of his back line: "Strong in the back and strong as a team, and we look very strong now."
Schalke claimed top spot in the Bundesliga on Saturday as previous leaders Bayern Munich suffered a second successive league defeat ahead of next week's Champions League quarterfinals.
French star Franck Ribery scored the only goal of Sunday's match as Bayern Munich went to the top of the Bundesliga with a home win over fourth-placed SV Hamburg.
Bayern Munich stayed level on points with German Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in Saturday's late match.
Bayern Munich moved level on points with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, beating Wolfsburg 3-1 while the German Bundesliga leaders were held 1-1 at Bochum.
Bayern Munich went back to the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-0 win over Mainz in the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Bayern Munich's France international midfielder Franck Ribery has suffered another injury setback in his battle to return to first team action.
Bayern Munich's France winger Franck Ribery will make his return next weekend after two-and-a-half months out through injury, his coach Louis van Gaal has told reporters.
Forget the mustard deposited in the shoes of teammates, the water fights and the madcap episode in Dubai when he drove the team bus into a bollard. Bayern Munich's attacking maestro Franck Ribéry no longer seems in the mood for pranks; his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor considerably darkened by the club's steadfast refusal to allow him to leave for Real Madrid during the offseason. It's a severe shock to the system for any headliner to be told his desires are of no account.
They are football's royalty, the marquee players whose almost super human ability on the ball wins cups and championships; their faces adorn billboards and magazine covers from China to Columbia.
SV Hamburg regained top spot in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in Saturday's vital league clash in Germany.
Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen remain level on points at the top of the German Bundesliga after victories on Saturday, while Bayern Munich stepped into form ahead of the Champions League group stages with a crushing win.
Arjen Robben scored twice on his debut as Bayern Munich gave new coach Louis Van Gaal his first victory with a 3-0 crushing of German Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery has slammed the door firmly shut on a possible departure from the German Bundesliga club.
Coach Louis Van Gaal is still seeking his first win in charge of Bayern Munich following Saturday's 1-1 home draw with Werder Bremen, which left the German giants four points behind champions Wolfsburg after only two rounds.
updated: Sat Aug 15 2009 15:05:00
CNN's Kate Giles previews the upcoming German Bundesliga soccer season.
It has been a weird summer of transfers. Most of Europe's top leagues kick off next month and yet, with a few exceptions (Real Madrid and, to a lesser degree, Juventus and Bayern Munich), there hasn't been too much going on. The window won't close until Aug. 31. In the meantime, here's an attempt at making sense of it all, with 11 questions facing 11 big clubs:
The summer transfer market is a few weeks away from opening and already the signs are that the global financial crisis is forcing clubs to rethink their annual spending.
Bayern Munich had Franck Ribery sent off in the second half as they slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to Schalke 04 which dents their Bundesliga title hopes.
Robbie Keane kept the Republic of Ireland's dream of automatic qualification for the World Cup finals alive with a last-gasp equaliser to hold 10-man defending champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in Bari.
Bayern Munich stepped up their Bundesliga title defense with a 1-0 win over Karlsruhe on Saturday as leaders Hertha Berlin lost 2-0 in Stuttgart.
Luca Toni and Franck Ribery both scored twice as Bayern Munich thumped Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in Portugal to all-but secure their place in the Champions League quarterfinals.
As ascents to the footballing summit go, that of 1899 Hoffenheim takes some beating, more state-of-the-art cable car than rope and crampons. A year ago, the club based in a micro-conurbation in the southwest of Germany was mid-table in the Second Division, eight points off a promotion slot. Twelve months later, Hoffenheim topped the Bundesliga at the winter break, albeit only on goal difference from Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich have placed an enormous 150 millon euros ($198.94 million) price tag on midfielder Franck Ribery.
A late equalizer from American midfielder Michael Bradley earned Borussia Moenchengladbach a stunning 2-2 home draw with Bayern Munich, as Bayer Leverkusen remain top of the German Bundesliga.
Surprise newcomers Hoffenheim contined their fairytale first season in the Bundesliga by routing Karlsruhe 4-1 to return to the top with a fifth straight win on Saturday.
Bundesliga's newcomers Hoffenheim went back to the top of the German standings with a 3-1 win at VfL Bochum on Wednesday.
French international midfielder Franck Ribery's hopes of making his overdue first appearance of the season have been dashed by a thigh strain.
France star Franck Ribery is set to miss the start of Bayern Munich's Bundesliga season after undergoing surgery on torn ligaments above his ankle.
World champions Italy eliminated 10-man France from the European Championships on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory in Zurich that sent them into a quarterfinal clash against Spain.
France lacked the guile to break down a stubborn Romania side as a turgid Euro 2008 Group C opener finished goalless in Zurich.
First-half goals from Joao Moutinho and Simao Sabrosa gave Portugal a 2-0 victory over Georgia in a friendly in Viseu on Saturday.
Hugo Almeida was on target as nine-man Werder Bremen edged Hamburg SV 1-0 Wednesday and reclaimed second place in the Bundesliga with an automatic slot in the Champions League at stake.
Two goals from Franck Ribery helped Bayern Munich beat champions Stuttgart 4-1 on Sunday to move 12 points clear in the Bundesliga with just one point required from their last four games to seal a 21st German title.
Bayern Munich defender Lucio headed into his own net to give Zenit St Petersburg a crucial away goal ahead of next week's return match in Russia, after Thursday night's UEFA Cup semifinal first leg ended in a 1-1 draw.
French international Franck Ribery coolly converted a second-half penalty to help 10-man Bayern Munich to a 3-1 win over Bochum on Sunday to put his side nine points clear at the top of the German Bundesliga.
Miroslav Klose scored his 20th goal for Bayern Munich to book his side's place in next month's German Cup final after Wednesday night's 2-0 semi-final win over VfL Wolfsburg.
Bayern Munich extended their Bundesliga lead to seven points on Saturday after closest rivals Werder Bremen suffered a crushing 6-3 defeat away to defending champions Stuttgart.
Bayern Munich virtually made sure of their place in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals with a 5-0 demolition of Belgian side Anderlecht in the first leg of their last 16 tie on Thursday.
Miroslav Klose's 10th league goal of the season was sufficient to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 victory away to Schalke, which maintained their four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
French midfielder Franck Ribery booked Bayern Munich's place in the last four of the German Cup with a dramatic penalty in the final minute of extra time to give them a 1-0 win over city rivals 1860 Munich.
Franck Ribery will miss Bayern Munich's UEFA Cup clash against Aberdeen on Thursday after coach Ottmar Hitzfeld insisted the French international midfielder needs more time to recover from a hamstring injury.
Bayern Munich survived a fightback at Hansa Rostock, as goals from Franck Ribery and Luca Toni gave them a 2-1 win to open-up a three-point lead as the Bundesliga returned from its six-week winter break.
Bayern Munich's French international midfielder Franck Ribery has said that the team's recent form - two wins and four goals in seven games - is causing some concern as the German league leaders prepare to entertain Aris Saloniki in their final UEFA Cup Group F qualifier on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich will go into the German Bundesliga midwinter break as leaders despite being held to a dour goalless draw at Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Bayern Munich returned to the top of the German Bundesliga with a 1-0 victory at Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday.
Bayern Munich registered a first win in four matches to remain one point clear at the top of the German league, beating VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 at home on Saturday.
Kevin Davies scored with eight minutes remaining to earn Premier League strugglers Bolton a superb 2-2 UEFA Cup Group F draw at Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Scotland pulled off a tremendous 1-0 victory over France in Paris and enhanced their chances of qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals from a really tough group.
Bayern Munich are experiencing one of the biggest booms in their 107-year history as they reap the rewards of a summer singing spree which has brought Miroslav Klose, Franck Ribery and Luca Toni to the club.
In footballing terms, Bayern Munich suffered a disastrous 2006-2007 campaign.
Newcomers Franck Ribery and Luca Toni were on target to help Bayern Munich to a brilliant 4-0 win at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Every big club begins a new season with something to prove. But none more so this year than Bayern Munich.
France boosted their hopes of qualification from the difficult Euro 2008 Group B with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Ukraine in the Stade de France on Saturday.
Marseille climbed into second place in the French table when they beat old rivals Bordeaux 2-1, with goals from Mickael Pagis and Taye Taiwo.
Franck Ribery produced an outstanding performance as Marseille claimed back the top spot in Ligue 1 with a 3-1 victory at arch-rivals Paris St Germain.
France midfielder Franck Ribery helped Marseille to a 3-0 win at Auxerre on Saturday which put his side top of Ligue 1.
French midfielder Franck Ribery has changed his mind once again and said he wants to stay with Olympique Marseille this season.
French giants Lyon have made a 22 million euro bid for Marseille's unsettled midfielder Franck Ribery -- the five-time champions have revealed.
World Cup star Franck Ribery looks set to exit Marseille after playing no part in their French league opener against newly-promoted Sedan on Sunday.
French World Cup star Franck Ribery said Friday that he was determined to leave Marseille, dealing a devastating blow to the club's management on the eve of the new season.
France midfielder Franck Ribery has pledged his future to Marseille, saying he plans to stay at the club for the next four years.
France finally laid to rest the ghosts of 2002 with a 2-0 victory over Togo to secure a place in the last 16 of the World Cup.
France coach Raymond Domenech will pair David Trezeguet with Thierry Henry in attack for Friday's World Cup Group G decider against Togo.
France coach Raymond Domenech has included Marseille's Franck Ribery in his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals.
Olympique Marseille crushed Stade Rennes 3-0 on Thursday to reach the French Cup final for the first time in 15 years.
Marseille fought back to beat English Premier League side Bolton Wanderers 2-1 and qualify for the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.
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