Manchester United went five points clear at the top of the English Premier League on Monday after a 2-0 win away to Blackburn Rovers.
Goals from Miguel Britos and Edinson Cavani helped Napoli record their first win in Italy's Serie A since January 8 as the club made ground on the top six on Monday.
Real Madrid piled the pressure on Barcelona by moving six points clear at the top of Spain's La Liga with a 5-1 thrashing of Granada on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid move three points clear in Spain ahead of the winter break with his fifth hat-trick this season in Saturday's 6-2 win at Sevilla, as both teams had a player sent off.
updated: Sat Dec 10 2011 18:38:00
Shasta Darlington talks with Brazil's new Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo about preparations for the World Cup in 2014.
Barcelona ended Real Madrid's 15-match winning run to snatch back top spot in Spain's La Liga with a 3-1 "El Clasico" victory in the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Demba Ba scored a superb hat-trick to help Newcastle United win 3-1 at Stoke City on Monday, a result that lifts the unbeaten Magpies up to third place in the English Premier League.
There were contrasting fortunes for the two superstars of La Liga as Lionel Messi missed an injury time penalty for Barcelona in the Nou Camp to allow Real Madrid to go top as Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a quickfire hat-trick.
It was Fernando Roig who said it best, explaining the truth that lies behind the Spanish League or the LFP. "You go to a league meeting and you discuss things, you explain, you talk about your position for half an hour," the Villarreal president told the radio station Cadena Cope, "and then it turns out to be completely worthless. There you are making proposals, analyzing the situation and it means nothing because the decision has been taken by in some restaurant the day before the meeting. You can talk, but the decision has been made and there is nothing you can do."
Inter Milan's dismal start to the new Serie A season continued on Tuesday as under-pressure coach Gian Piero Gasperini's team were soundly beaten 3-1 away to newly-promoted Novara.
Real Madrid hit four goals against Getafe to go top of the Spanish league.
Two games, 11 goals and one mighty familiar looking league table. A player's strike denied the Spanish league its opening round of games and put everything back by seven days, turning Week Two into Week One, but it only delayed the inevitable. And the inevitable still arrived with indecent haste, not even hanging on for a fortnight or two. When it did, it brought with it laments and arguments.
Four goals from Cristiano Ronaldo laid the foundation for a thumping 6-2 win for Real Madrid over Sevilla on Saturday.
Sevilla moved back into sixth place in La Liga on Sunday night after defeating 10-man Villarreal 3-2.
Manchester City thrashed Sunderland 5-0 to keep alive their slim English Premier League title hopes and to cement their position in the top four Champions League places.
Real Madrid could be without star striker Cristiano Ronaldo for the next three weeks due to the Portugal captain's hamstring injury.
Barcelona's lead over Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish Primera Liga table now stands at five points, after a stirring second-half display saw Sevilla fight back to hold the champions to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Espanyol suffered a setback in their quest for European Champions League football on Monday as they surrendered a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 at home to Mallorca.
Barcelona moved seven points clear in Spain after title rivals Real Madrid faltered with a goalless draw at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
They blew their opponents apart, tearing into them, voracious, implacable, unstoppable. They seemed to be coming from everywhere, swarming all over you like some kind of biblical plague. When people asked what the secret recipe was, the answer was: well, yeah, a secret recipe. At halftime they took special shakes, fruit and vegetable purées prescribed by a doctor that were a soccer player's equivalent of Popeye's can of Spinach. And then they went back onto the pitch and ripped into their opponents a little more.
Real Madrid will face arch-rivals Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Cup after both teams won the second legs of their semifinals on Wednesday.
Real Madrid and Barcelona remain on course to face each other in the final of the Spanish Cup after both claimed semifinal first leg victories on Wednesday.
Spanish Cup holders Sevilla cruised into the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over La Liga rivals Villarreal on Tuesday.
When 18 of Spain's 20 First Division clubs agreed to a collective TV deal that enshrined inequality, giving Madrid and Barcelona more than a third of the money all to themselves, it appeared to be definitive proof that they had finally given up. They might as well offer their congratulations to Madrid and Barcelona for winning the next 50 league titles.
David Villa continued his remarkable scoring run against Deportivo La Coruna as Spanish champions Barcelona won 4-0 on Saturday night to move five points clear in La Liga.
Real Madrid went down to a 2-0 second leg defeat to Levante, but still eased into the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup, 8-2 on aggregate.
And so, after the Barcelona and Real Madrid Teams of the Decade, here's La Liga's finest XI from 2000-2010. First, though, a few things worth noting about all three teams:
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Real Madrid kept up the pressure on La Liga rivals Barcelona on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Sevilla at the Bernabeu.
Borussia Dortmund opened up a massive 10-point lead in the German Bundesliga with a 2-0 win at Nuremberg on Sunday, their 13th win from 15 games.
Espanyol continued their 100 percent home record on Sunday, beating Hercules 3-0 to move up to fourth in the table, one point ahead of Valencia.
Sevilla moved into sixth in La Liga after beating ten-man Valencia 2-0 at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continued their hot goalscoring runs as Real Madrid and Barcelona moved ominously clear of their La Liga rivals in Spain on Saturday night.
Real Madrid thrashed rock bottom Deportivo La Coruna 6-1 in the Bernabeu on Sunday to move above champions and arch-rivals Barcelona in the La Liga standings.
Luis Fabiano has penned a new two-year deal with Sevilla to end speculation he was set to leave the La Liga club.
Valencia, Athletico Bilbao and Sevilla all recorded victories on the opening day of the season in Spain's La Liga.
Every summer, football clubs all over the world throw their money away. In Granada CF's case, quite literally. One morning in July, the Spanish second-division team awoke to find that the money earned from season-ticket sales -- which it had handily "stored" in bin bags -- had been thrown out by the cleaner. Already racked by debt and in administration, Granada had lost an estimated $500,000 thanks to a woman with a mop and bucket. Luckily, in the end most the cash was found in a recycling box.
Sevilla have failed to become the fourth team from Spain to qualify for the Champions League after crashing out to Portuguese underdogs Sporting Braga 5-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.
At the start of the La Liga season, Real Madrid new director general Jorge Valdano described it as a Hollywood blockbuster, and there was little doubt who was going to play the starring roles.
Sevilla have won the Spanish Copa del Rey for the second time in four years, and fifth time in their history, after beating Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the Nou Camp final on Wednesday.
The battle for the La Liga title between Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will go down to the last day of the season, after wins from both teams on Saturday insured the Catalan's slender one-point lead over their rivals at the top of the division was maintained.
Glasgow Rangers won their 53rd Scottish title and ninth under manager Walter Smith as a 1-0 win over Hibernian on Sunday gave them an unassailable points advantage over city rivals Celtic.
Barcelona will be without influential midfielder Andres Iniesta for most of the decisive run-in to the end of this season as the Catalan side seek to retain their Spanish and European titles.
Sevilla have sacked coach Manolo Jimenez after their disappointing home draw to bottom-club Xerez on Tuesday extended the club's winless run to seven games.
Cristiano Ronaldo was to the fore as Real Madrid came from behind to defeat Sporting Gijon 3-1 on Saturday night and move three points clear of Barcelona at the top of Spain's La Liga.
Spain's Champions League woes continued as Sevilla were beaten 2-1 at home by CSKA Moscow to go out at the first knockout stage 3-2 on aggregate.
Real Madrid came from two goals down to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain's La Liga and claim top spot in the standings ahead of arch-rivals and reigning champions Barcelona.
Barcelona moved five points clear in Spain as manager Pep Guardiola celebrated his 100th match in charge with a 4-0 victory at home to Racing Santander on Saturday.
Inter Milan took a stranglehold on the Serie A title with a 3-0 win over Cagliari on Sunday which saw them open a 10-point lead over city rivals AC Mlan, who could only manage a goalless draw at Bologna.
Spanish champions Barcelona extended their league lead to five points after rivals Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat on Saturday night.
Defending champions Barcelona are out of the Spanish Cup despite beating Sevilla 1-0 in their last 16 second leg clash.
When people name their favorites for the World Cup, Brazil comes up every time. The Seleção conjures up images of excitement and artful soccer. With a record five World Cup titles, it's the most successful team as well, and is the favorite to add a sixth crown in South Africa in July.
Holders Barcelona must overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey last-16 clash with Sevilla after a shock 2-1 loss in the home tie on Tuesday night.
Barcelona moved three points clear of Real Madrid in the Spanish league despite dropping their first home points of the season on Saturday night.
Spanish club Sevilla have been rocked by the news that defender Sergio Sanchez has been ruled out for an indefinite period due to a heart problem.
Christian Gross enjoyed the perfect start as Stuttgart coach as his side scored three goals in the first 11 minutes to defeat Romania's Unirea Urziceni 3-1 to book their Champions League last 16 berth.
Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off after inspiring Real Madrid to an incident-packed 4-2 victory at home to Almeria on Saturday night, in which he created a goal, scored one and also missed a penalty.
Sevilla squandered a golden opportunity to take a rare glimpse of the summit in the Spanish league after being held 2-2 at home by 10-man strugglers Malaga on Saturday night.
Holders Barcelona moved two points clear at the top of Champions League Group H after producing a classy display to defeat Italian champions Inter Milan 2-0 at the Nou Camp.
Real Madrid returned to the top of the table in Spain after edging past Racing Santander 1-0 on Saturday, while previous leaders Barcelona could only draw 1-1 at Athletic Bilbao.
Sevilla retained third place in Spain as Luis Fabiano netted twice in a pulsating 3-2 win at home to Villarreal.
Champions League holders Barcelona are struggling to reach the last 16 of this year's competition after being held to a 0-0 draw at Rubin Kazan on Wednesday.
Porto striker Hulk has been called up to the Brazilian squad for friendly internationals next month against England and Oman.
Sevilla ended Real Madrid's unbeaten start to the La Liga season with a 2-1 victory on Sunday which underlined the Spanish title race will be a three-horse race.
Pedro Rodriguez's superb first half goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 home win over Almeria to equal their best ever start to a Spanish league season.
Champions League hopefuls Sevilla suffered a disastrous start to the Spanish season as striker Fredi Kanoute was sent off in the 2-0 defeat at Valencia on Sunday.
Finally, the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League draw is done and we know who's playing who and when.
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo has been sold to Spanish Primera Liga rivals Sevilla in a reported $21 million deal.
Three goals from captain Raul Gonzalez helped Real Madrid come from behind to complete a 4-2 home win over Sevilla on Sunday, closing the gap with arch-rivals Barcelona to four points at the top of the Premira Liga.
Barcelona restored their six-point lead at the top of the Spanish Primera with a 4-0 rout of Sevilla at the Camp Nou.
Valencia beat 10-man Sevilla 3-1 on Sunday to step up their bid for the fourth Champions League qualifying spot from Spain.
Barcelona have reached their first Spanish Cup final for 11 years after a 1-1 draw at Real Mallorca earned a 3-1 aggregate victory and a showdown against Atheltic Bilbao in Valencia on May 13.
Barcelona held off a late rally from city rivals Espanyol to reach the semifinals of the Spanish Cup for the third year in a row.
Valencia's Champions League ambitions suffered a huge setback when they crashed to a shock 3-1 defeat against strugglers Real Mallorca on Sunday.
Real Madrid ended a difficult week on a high note after coming from behind to defeat bottom-of-the-table Osasuna 3-1 at the Bernabeu, despite the visitors taking a shock first-half lead.
Sevilla beat Deportivo La Coruna for the second time in a week, securing a 3-1 victory to move up to second in the Primera Liga table, nine points behind leaders Barcelona, despite playing with 10 men for over half the match.
Brazilian Renato proved the hero once again as Sevilla followed up their win over Real Madrid with a 1-0 home victory over title rivals Villarreal on Sunday to go third in the Primera Liga table.
Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic scored a goal and set up another as Standard Liege became the first side to qualify from UEFA Cup Group C, defeating Sampdoria 3-0 to seal their last 32 place.
Barcelona returned to winning ways in the Spanish Primera to open up a six-point lead on arch-rivals Real Madrid who were beaten 3-1 at Getafe on Saturday.
Getafe ended Barcelona's nine-game winning run but were denied an away win at the Camp Nou by Seydou Keita's second-half equalizer for the Spanish Primera leaders on Sunday.
Second half goals by Lionel Messi and substitute Seydou Keita saw Barcelona go three points clear in the Spanish Primera Liga after their ninth successive victory.
Spanish champions Real Madrid lost ground on La Liga leaders Barcelona after dropping two points in a 1-1 draw at Almeria on Sunday.
Valencia stayed top of the Spanish Primera with a 1-1 draw at Recreativo Huelva on Sunday while reigning champions Real Madrid moved to within a point of the leaders with a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao in a later match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Juventus have signed Danish international midfielder Christian Poulsen from Spanish side Sevilla for $15.5 million, the Primera Liga club has announced.
Brazilian international right-back Daniel Alves has completed his move from Sevilla to Barcelona on a four-year contract.
Argentine Federico Fazio struck twice as Sevilla improved their hopes of a second straight season of Champions League football with a 3-0 win at rivals Racing Santander on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid's 18-year-old midfielder Ignacio Camacho scored twice as his side strengthened their bid to play in the Champions League by beating Recreativo Huelva 3-0 and go five points clear of fifth-placed Racing Santander.
Real Madrid can claim a 31st Spanish title success this weekend if they beat Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona and Villarreal fail to win.
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