IT was 6.48pm before Sky Sports News got the shot they wanted. Fernando Torres’ shirt ablaze outside Anfield.

REAL MADRID’S bid to win a 10th European Cup began with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ajax at the Santiago Bernabeu.

THE two Italian coaches new to the Premier League must be baffled by how much attention can be focused on a handshake that might never happen but that’s how it is in English football at the moment.

Inter Milan have left Ricardo Quaresma out of their updated Champions League squad, prompting reports he could be offered to Tottenham in exchange for midfielder Jermaine Jenas.

TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp is closing in on the signing of Wilson Palacios, and has been told Craig Bellamy wants to join him from West Ham.

Jose Mourinho may not have the power to make wholesale changes to his new Internazionale side after president Massimo Moratti revealed he hoped to leave the squad largely untouched.

Lazio added to Inter Milan’s recent frustrations by holding the two-time defending champions to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico.

INTER MILAN captain Javier Zanetti insists Liverpool’s FA Cup disaster means “nothing” in terms of the clubs’ Champions League showdown.

Argentinian striker Franco Di Santo is confident he can soon break into the first team at Chelsea.

Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez is confident David Healy will replicate his international record in the Premier League when he bulks up and adds a physical edge to his game.

Sevilla kept in touch with rampant Arsenal at the top of Champions League Group H but were made to work much harder for a 2-1 win over Steaua Bucharest.

Argentina coach Alfio Basile has included Juan Roman Riquelme but omitted Hernan Crespo from his list of 20 foreign-based players in his squad for World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Venezuela.

A FRANCOIS Clerc own goal in the first half and late strikes from Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry gave Barcelona a comfortable victory over Lyon in their Group E Champions League clash at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Internazionale are considering loaning out Brazilian striker Adriano this season.

Hernan Crespo will stay with Inter Milan on loan for another season.

Hernan Crespo believes there is a “99% chance” he will remain with Internazionale for the 2007-08 campaign instead of returning to Chelsea.

AC MILAN coach Carlo Ancelotti believes his team fully deserve to be in the Champions League final despite having their reputation tarnished by the match-fixing scandal.

Roma lifted the Coppa Italia despite going down to a 2-1 defeat to Internazionale in tonight’s second leg of the final.

REAL MADRID beat Sevilla 3-2 in a topsy-turvy match at the Santiago Bernabeu to go second in La Liga.

PAOLO BERTINI is a nice guy.

Hernan Crespo expects to make a permanent move to Inter Milan at the end of his loan spell from Chelsea.

REAL Madrid coach Fabio Capello praised David Beckham after the former England captain marked his return with a goal in a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad.

RONALDINHO grabbed his 11th league goal of the season as Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga to two points after a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp on Saturday, while Sevilla moved into second spot after a 2-1 comeback win at home to Real Madrid.

INTER MILAN qualified for the last 16 in the Champions League after ex-Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo struck to give them a 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in Group B, eliminating the Portuguese side.

Holders Barcelona kept their hopes of progressing to the knock-out stages alive with a 2-0 victory over Levski Sofia in Bulgaria tonight.

HOLDERS Barcelona travel to Levski Sofia with an outside chance of crashing out of the competition, but realistically their fate will be decided against Werder Bremen at the Nou Camp next week.

A TWO-GOAL blast from Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen drove title holders Barcelona back to the top of the Spanish league yesterday, with a 4-1 win at Real Mallorca.

ARGENTINA coach Alfio Basile has decided to rest Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze and former Inter Milan striker Hernan Crespo for next week’s friendly against Spain.

Internazionale regained top spot in Serie A after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Chievo at the San Siro tonight.

BARCELONA got their defence of the Champions League off to a flying start by giving out a 5-0 thrashing to Levski Sofia in torrential rain, in their Group A match last night.

THE long road to the 2007 Champions League final in Athens starts for AC Milan with a game against a side from the host city tonight.

NEW Arsenal signing William Gallas has blasted Chelsea manager José Mourinho just three days after leaving Stamford Bridge in a swap deal that saw Ashley Cole move in the opposite direction.

Khalid Boulahrouz insists he did not fake an injury to secure his dream move to Chelsea.

CARLTON COLE is determined to prove he can be a top-class striker for West Ham after falling foul of the Roman Abramovich regime at Chelsea.

Inter Milan have completed the signing of Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Juventus for £16.7m (€24.7m).

Obafemi Martins is attracting interest from Premiership clubs, according to the Internazionale striker’s agent.

Hernan Crespo has left Barclays Premiership champions Chelsea on a free transfer to join Inter Milan in a two-year deal.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is willing to work with William Gallas again and revealed that no club has yet tabled a bid for the defender.

HERNAN CRESPO is desperate to return to Italy but Chelsea insist they will only sell the unsettled Argentina striker at the right price.

John Terry is the only England player to be chosen for the World Cup squad of the tournament.

Chelsea defender John Terry is the only England player to make it into the World Cup squad of the tournament.

World Cup referees chiefs will decide tomorrow which match officials are to be kept on for the quarter-finals - and Graham Poll is set to be among those told their services are no longer required.

HERNAN CRESPO insists Argentina are proud to be regarded as World Cup favourites and that they can now allow themselves to dream of glory.