Manchester United managed to salvage Marouane Fellaini from an otherwise shambolic deadline day that descended into farce when three imposters strode into La Liga offices pretending to be officials of the Old Trafford outfit and an attempt to sign Fabio Coentrao on loan collapsed because the paperwork could not be completed on time.

Gareth Bale’s spectacular world record €99 million (£85m) move to Real Madrid from Tottenham will be officially announced today.

Real Madrid 2 Borussia Dortmund 0

Not even Jose Mourinho could deny the scale of the task, the amount on the line.

Borussia Dortmund 4 Real Madrid 1

Borussia Dortmund 4 Real Madrid 1

Barcelona 1 Real Madrid 3

Michael Carrick believes David de Gea showed his true character in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a Champions League examination at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid 1 Manchester United 1

Given the feverish intensity of the media build-up to last night in the Santiago Bernabeu, it would have taken something of the order of Brazil beating Italy in the 1970 World Cup final for this match to have fully lived up to its extravagant billing.

Real Madrid 1 Manchester United 1

Real Madrid have been left counting the cost of the international break after a number of their players reported back with injuries, notably left-backs Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao.

Les Davies, a 27-year-old winger who is a cult hero for his club Bangor City, has made it on to the 32-man list of players nominated for Uefa’s best player in Europe award.

Substitute Silvestre Varela kept alive Portugal’s hopes of qualifying from Group B with a late strike to spare the blushes of some of his more illustrious team-mates in Lviv.

Portugal 3 Denmark 2

Germany 1 Portugal 0

Barcelona booked their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, drawing 2-2 last night and winning 4-3 on aggregate, after surviving a determined fightback by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid.

BARCELONA maintained their hex over bitter rivals Real Madrid by coming from behind to win 2-1 in a tense Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu last night.

Real Madrid 6 Dinamo Zagreb 2

Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 Portugal 0

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA failed to make the most of home advantage as they played out a terrible goalless draw with Portugal in the first leg of their Euro 2012 play-off in Zenica.

REAL MADRID have beaten Chelsea in the race to sign Fabio Coentrao from Benfica.

Real Madrid have completed the signing of Fabio Coentrao from Benfica on a six-year contract, the Primera Division club have confirmed.

Real Madrid have reached an initial agreement with Benfica for the transfer of wing-back Fabio Coentrao to the Bernabeu for €30m, according to the Portuguese club.

RANGERS suffered their first defeat in the Champions League this season as Roberto Soldado grabbed a double to hand Valencia a 3-0 victory.

Rangers suffered their first defeat in Group C of the Champions League this season as Roberto Soldado grabbed a double to hand Valencia a 3-0 victory tonight.

CARLO ANCELOTTI has branded suggestions he was eyeing Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao as a replacement for Ashley Cole as “totally rubbish”.

MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini believes the signing of David Silva is a statement of the club’s intent ahead of the new Barclays Premier League season.

IT HAS taken 30 matches and 11 long days but at last one of the Big Five has been spotted in South Africa; the prowling and preening Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal 7 North Korea 0

THE now clichéd wonderful European nights, the Kop at full voice, the herculean performances, and the often-forgotten chaotic performances from officials.

TEN-MAN Liverpool were undone by two harsh penalty decisions and an at-times shambolic refereeing display as they lost 2-1 to Benfica in a hostile Europa League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon last night.

Everton 0 Benfica 2