Bundesliga leading scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice and Raul was also on target in his last home appearance as Schalke 04 thumped woeful Hertha Berlin 4-0 on Saturday to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Barcelona lost ground on La Liga leaders Real Madrid when their 11-match winning streak was snapped by Malaga, while Premier League pacesetters Chelsea dropped points at home to Burnley. Bayern Munich enjoyed a second-successive goalrush in the Bundesliga after routing Paderborn 6-0 while AS Roma lost ground to Serie A leaders Juventus after yet another draw. This and more from the happenings in the world of football over the weekend.
Borussia Dortmund, a young team assembled at minimum cost, won the Bundesliga for the second season running on Saturday after a 2-0 home win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic suffered a rare defeat when he and Serb doubles partner Nenad Zimonjic lost 6-4, 7-6, (7/5) 7-5 to Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt as Sweden hit back in the Davis Cup quarter-finals.
AC Milan snapped up Manchester City's Brazilian forward Robinho on transfer deadline day on Tuesday, the latest piece in a jigsaw which the Rossoneri hope will bring them the Serie A title.
Argentina cruised into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup and looked poised for a clash with defending champions Serbia who moved into a 2-0 first-day lead away to Sweden on Friday.
Real Madrid will sign Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen, the Spanish club said in a statement on their website (www.realmadrid.com) on Tuesday.
Liverpool and Juventus, forced into the indignity of beginning their season in the Europa League qualifying rounds, both won 2-0 away on Thursday as European club football ventured into deepest Siberia.
French Open champion and home favourite Francesca Schiavone lost in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Friday as Samantha Stosur gained revenge for defeat in last year's Roland Garros final.
Germany opened their quest for a fourth World Cup with a thumping 4-0 victory over Australia in their opening Group D match on Sunday. Forwards Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose gave their side a 2-0 halftime lead to vindicate coach Joachim Loew's faith in them despite a recent lack of goals, with winger Thomas Mueller and substitute Cacau finding the net after the break.
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk omitted Hamburg SV striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from his provisional 30-men squad for the World Cup on Tuesday.
Former World No 1 Maria Sharapova suffered a setback on her return from injury when she lost 6-4, 6-3 to Lucie Safarova in the first round of the Madrid Open on Sunday.
Bayern Munich beat relegated Hertha Berlin 3-1 on Saturday to win the German championship for a record 22nd time and keep their treble hopes on track.
Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann ended his illustrious 22-year career on Saturday with VfB Stuttgart's final league match of the season, a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim.
Justine Henin was inspired to return to tennis by Roger Federer and the decision was rewarded on Sunday when she beat Australia's Samantha Stosur in the final of the Stuttgart indoor tournament for her first title since her comeback. It was the Belgian's first tournament on clay, her favoured surface on which she has won four French Open titles, since she ended her 19-month self-imposed exile at the start of the year.
Justine Henin reached her third final in fourth months since her comeback when she brushed aside Shahar Peer in her semi-final at Stuttgart's indoor clay tournament on Saturday.
Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to two points despite drawing 1-1 at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, keeping their dreams of winning a treble on track.
Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt headed a late goal to send the five-times European champions into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over a defiant Sparta Prague at Anfield on Thursday.
Bayern Munich can either move closer to three titles or miss out on them completely in the coming "weeks of truth", their coach Louis van Gaal said on Monday.
Eintracht Frankfurt stunned Bayern Munich with two late goals to beat the Bundesliga leaders 2-1 on Saturday and leave the top spot up for grabs.
Real Madrid became the first team in any sport to post revenues in excess of 400 million euros ($540.9 million) in a single year, according to the annual survey of the richest soccer clubs by accountancy firm Deloitte.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's second-half equaliser earned holders Barcelona a 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Striker Cacau hit four goals to inspire VfB Stuttgart to a 5-1 Bundesliga victory at Cologne on Saturday while Bayern Munich's 13-match winning run ended with a 1-1 draw at Nuremberg.
Britain's Paul di Resta is set to become a grand prix regular as Force India's reserve driver while compatriot Gary Paffett will be McLaren's main tester, according to team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
Russia's Elena Dementieva defeated a hobbling Serena Williams 6-3, 6-2 at the Olympic tennis centre on Friday to win the Sydney International for the second year in a row.
European auto giant Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft on Tuesday said it has bought 49.9 per cent stake in luxury car maker Porsche AG for 3.9 billion euros ($5.8 billion).
Werder Bremen battled back with a stoppage-time goal from defender Per Mertesacker to draw 2-2 with champions VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday and go top of the Bundesliga table on goal difference.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard came off the bench to score a hat-trick in the last 15 minutes as the struggling Premier League side came from behind to beat Napoli 3-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.
Swiss qualifier Timea Bacsinszky continued to swipe past the seeds at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday by dumping World No 4 Maria Sharapova from the hard court tournament with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory.
AC Milan were handed a comfortable UEFA Cup assignment on Tuesday after being drawn with Heerenveen, Braga, Portsmouth and Wolfsburg in the group stage.
Bayer Leverkusen went one point clear at the top of the Bundesliga despite conceding two late goals to draw 2-2 at Schalke 04 on Saturday.
Serbia's Jelena Jankovic celebrated her imminent return to the top of the world rankings with an easy 6-4, 6-3 victory over Nadia Petrova in the Stuttgart Grand Prix final on Sunday.
Bayern Munich defender Daniel van Buyten scored two minutes from time to give his team a 2-1 win over visitors Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday and lift them to fifth place in the standings.
AC Milan will be given a stark reminder of their current plight when they come face to face with former talisman Kaka in Wednesday's Champions League game at Real Madrid.
Schalke 04 won 2-1 at struggling VfB Stuttgart to stay on the heels of the Bundesliga leaders on Saturday while Bayern Munich notched their first victory in three games with a 2-1 triumph at Freiburg.
Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal, whose club spent lavishly during the close season, remained upbeat on Wednesday even after his team failed to score for the second match in a row.
Steve McCLaren's VfL Wolfsburg slumped to another Bundesliga defeat on Saturday with a 2-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund while Michael Ballack was injured in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-2 draw at Hanover 96.
Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, the Bundesliga's most expensive ever purchase, is already feeling insecure at his new club.
Bayern Munich defender Daniel van Buyten headed in a cross eight minutes from time to give his team a 2-1 victory over promoted Nuremberg on Saturday and lift them to third place in the Bundesliga.
The fixtures for the group stages in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, which kicks-off on Wednesday.
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