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LONDON - The British transfer record was smashed twice on Monday as Liverpool sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea but raided Newcastle United for an immediate replacement in the shape of burly England front-man Andy Carroll.

The apparent suicide of Wales' coach Gary Speed struck a poignant chord with the author of an award-winning book about the life and untimely death of former Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke.

Brazil humbled world and European Champions Spain with a crushing 3-0 win in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday, ending their opponents' three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matches.

Tehran's streets were filled with young revellers for the second time in four days on Tuesday after the Iranian national team qualified for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with a win over South Korea.

Cardiff City were promoted to the English Premier League on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw at home to Charlton Athletic guaranteed the Welsh side a top-two finish in the Championship.

Arsenal missed the chance to take another step towards securing a Champions League place after fellow European hopefuls Everton held firm in a lively 0-0 Premier League draw at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Xherdan Shaqiri scored one goal and set up three and substitute Mario Gomez notched a quick hat-trick as Bayern Munich, chasing a treble of titles, crushed VfL Wolfsburg 6-1 on Tuesday to move into the German Cup final.

Saint-Etienne's 17-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end when Jeremie Aliadiere's stoppage-time goal earned Lorient a 2-1 win at Geoffroy Guichard in a French Cup quarter-final tie on Tuesday.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards is in line to return from a six-month injury absence for Wednesday's Premier League match against Wigan Athletic, assistant manager David Platt said on Tuesday.

Rafa Benitez will continue to rotate his Chelsea players as they bid to deal with a fixture pile-up and rebound from two consecutive defeats, the club's interim manager said on Tuesday.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he "rushed" midfielder Jack Wilshere back from injury too early for Saturday's dramatic comeback victory over Norwich City.

Hundreds of Borussia Dortmund fans camped out for two nights in front of the club offices hoping to snare some of the last remaining tickets for their Champions League semi-final, first leg against Real Madrid next week.

The stadium where the Confederations Cup is due to kick off in two months will not be officially opened until May 18 because rain has delayed the laying of the pitch, officials in Brazil's capital said on Monday.

Newcastle United will impose lifetime bans on "so-called fans" who created mayhem in the city centre after the team were beaten by arch rivals Sunderland in Sunday's Premier League derby, the club said on Monday.

Two football fans were shot dead on their way to a match at the Arena Castelao World Cup stadium in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza on Sunday, media reported.

Mathieu Flamini scored and was sent off as AC Milan were held 1-1 by Napoli in a third-versus-second battle in Serie A on Sunday while Inter Milan were on the wrong end of another controversial penalty in a 2-0 loss at Cagliari.

Goalkeeper Steve Mandanda produced a superb performance to help Olympique Marseille grab a 0-0 draw at Lille on Sunday, leaving Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain nine points clear with six games left.

Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni blamed bad luck and injuries rather than the referee after a 2-0 defeat at Cagliari, saying his team's season was jinxed.

Ajax Amsterdam took a huge step towards a third straight title as they beat rivals PSV Eindhoven 3-2 away on Sunday to go five points clear at the top of the Dutch championship.

Cristiano Ronaldo proved too powerful for Athletic Bilbao as he scored with a fizzing free-kick and a towering header in Real Madrid's bruising 3-0 victory at San Mames in La Liga on Sunday.

Manchester City reached a second FA Cup final in three seasons after the 2011 winners ended holders Chelsea's hopes of another Wembley triumph with a 2-1 victory in a pulsating semi-final on Sunday.

Manchester United closed in on their 20th title when they won 2-0 at struggling Stoke City on Sunday and need only seven points from their remaining six matches to reclaim the Premier League crown.

Boca Juniors suffered one of their worst defeats as they crashed 6-1 at relegation candidates San Martin, while Independiente are searching for a new coach in a tumultuous round of Argentina's 'Final' championship.

Wigan Athletic reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history when they beat Championship side Millwall 2-0 at a soggy Wembley in a match overshadowed by violence which broke out when Millwall supporters began fighting each other.

A second-half goal from Blaise Matuidi proved enough for Paris Saint-Germain to win 1-0 at basement side Troyes and move 10 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday.