Leagues

Still The Best

Inter's Patrick Vieira is upset with not being included in the French national side and said that there is nobody on his level in France's midfield. Another older player, Alessandro Del Piero, has been called a genius of the game by one of his teammates at Juventus.

Late Lead

Liverpool led late in the Champions League tie with Lyon thanks to a wondergoal by Ryan Babel. Heading into the final minutes, the Reds thought they had pulled it off. However, in injury time, Lisandro Lopez leveled with delicate lob to steal a point from crumbling Liverpool.

Fear The Flu

With three players on Blackburn Rovers being confirmed H1N1 Swine Flu victims, the footballing world is taking notice. Players who spit regularly during matches are being advised against it, while Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has acknowledged the threat that his team may be under.

Ribery Ruled Out

France's World Cup hopes took another little hit when Franck Ribery was ruled out of their crucial playoff tie with Ireland. Ribery has been battling injuries and will be out for at least another month, leaving the French to try to punch their ticket to South Africa without the Bayern Munich man.

Pato Two Much For Madrid

A day after watching rivals Barcelona fall to Rubin Kazan Real Madrid took a shock loss of their own. Despite being matched up against a Milan team that has struggled mightily to get their season on the right track the Blancos couldn't keep Pato from netting twice and leading his side to a 3-2 win.

Irish Invasion

With their opponent picked out, France coach Raymond Domenech is hoping for the best when the two team's square off for a place in next summer's world cup. The manager is worried that the Irish will send a formidable number of supporters to Paris though, which could hinder his team.

Fine French Form

Going into the playoff section of UEFA World Cup qualifying is never easy, but French striker Thierry Henry says Les Blues must be in good form as it starts. A match against an always-tricky Austrian side will be a good test to see if his team really are ready to qualify or not.