Cristiano Ronaldo scored for the eighth successive match as Real Madrid coasted to a 5-0 victory in Mallorca last night.

Michael Ballack has ended his playing career at the age of 36 after being released by Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

An Arjen Robben goal in the 69th minute was enough to decide the Bavarian derby in favour of Bayern Munich and take them to within three points of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.

WITH Robbie Keane on the verge of lending his body to Aston Villa for medical research and Thierry Henry having made that memorable return to Arsenal, you would be forgiven for thinking that European clubs are stockpiling for the winter with US-based players.

Former Czech Republic striker Jan Koller has retired from football at the age of 38 due to injury problems.

Augsburg will play Bundesliga football for the first time in their history next season after gaining promotion thanks to a 2-1 win over FSV Frankfurt yesterday.

Hamburg coach Armin Veh has been dismissed after yesterday’s 6-0 defeat at Bayern Munich, with his assistant Michael Oenning placed in charge until the end of the season.

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways this afternoon with an impressive 3-0 victory at Wolfsburg.

West Ham have completed the signing of Denmark right-back Lars Jacobsen from Blackburn after the Premier League approved the deal.

Nurnberg have signed Slovakian youngster Robert Mak for an undisclosed fee from Manchester City.

Giourkas Seitaridis and Christos Patsatzoglou have proved their fitness to gain inclusion in Greece’s 23-man World Cup squad.

Cameroon manager Paul Le Guen has named star man Samuel Eto’o in his 23-man World Cup squad despite the striker’s claims he might walk away from the tournament.

The German Football Association has called for a “thorough” investigation into the latest betting scandal to hit the nation.

MANCHESTER CITY manager Mark Hughes insists the club will never lose touch with its roots while he is in charge.

Everton right-back Lars Jacobsen will be assessed by the club’s medical staff after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder last night.

DAVID MOYES is not satisfied with life at Goodison Park despite bringing three new players to the Barclays Premier League club this week.

Everton have completed the signing of Denmark right-back Lars Jacobsen on a free transfer.

Everton manager David Moyes will end the long wait for a summer signing after striking a deal to bring Denmark international Lars Christian Jacobsen to Goodison Park.

Turkey 3 Czech Republic 2

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is on the brink of signing for German side Stuttgart after meeting with club officials this morning.

Werder Bremen clinched second place in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win at the BayArena which ended Bayer Leverkusen’s European dreams.

Hamburg all but booked their spot in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup after grabbing a comfortable 3-1 first-leg victory at FC Zurich.

Bayer Leverkusen leapfrogged Hamburg to climb to third in the German Bundesliga standings courtesy of a 3-2 win at relegation-threatened Energie Cottbus.

Czech Republic striker Jan Koller will not join Fulham despite a move to Nurnberg apparently hitting a snag.

TOTTENHAM manager Juande Ramos has been given a favourable draw in his quest for a third successive UEFA Cup triumph.

Bolton have been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.

Everton striker Victor Anichebe has dismissed theories that he pulled out of Nigeria’s squad at the weekend to keep alive hopes of playing for England.

Nurnberg 0 Everton 2

Nurnberg 0 Everton 2

ANDREW JOHNSON has signed a new five-year contract that puts him on a par with Everton’s top earners.

EVERTON manager David Moyes could recall Tim Cahill to the squad for the UEFA Cup match against Greek side Larissa at Goodison Park tonight.

BOLTON’S trip to face Bayern Munich early next month promises to be the highlight of the UEFA Cup group stage, after the draw was made in Nyon yesterday.

DAVID Bentley expects Blackburn to overturn their 2-0 deficit against Greece‘s Larissa at Ewood Park. “It was totally unacceptable with the way we performed over there,” he said. “But it is about how you react, how you respond. It is only the first half, it is 2-0 with 90 minutes to go, I don’t see 2-0 as a big deficit for us to overcome.

Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner has called up Tomas Rosicky for the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers, apparently convinced the Arsenal midfielder is over his recent groin strain.

Jose Mourinho looks increasingly likely to remain at Stamford Bridge after Bayern Munich became the latest club to deny an interest in the Portuguese coach.

Bayern Munich have moved to quell speculation they are already close to finding a new coach for next season.

With the top three scheduled to play tomorrow and Bayern Munich losing a day earlier, Hertha Berlin made the most of their opportunity and closed the gap to just one point between themselves and the fourth-placed champions.

BARCELONA’S Cameroonian international Samuel Eto’o was targeted by racist taunts after scoring at Racing Santander in the Primera Liga last night.

There were few surprises as Czech Republic boss Karel Bruckner named his 23-man squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Bayern Munich took a major step towards the Bundesliga title today without kicking a ball.

Werder Bremen opened the door for Hamburg to re-enter the Bundesliga title race by beating leaders Bayern Munich 3-0 on Saturday.

Hamburg completed a notable double over Bayern Munich but it is unlikely to deny the Bavarians another Bundesliga title.

Bayern Munich’s title charge hit a hurdle when they were held to a goalless draw by Stuttgart.

Bayern Munich slipped from the top of the table after a last-gasp penalty from Schalke’s Soren Larsen held the defending champions to a 1-1 draw.