Three thoughts after Chelsea won the Champions League title on Saturday over Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 tie:
The world's most important annual club soccer game is set to kick off in Munich on Saturday. Here are five thoughts on the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea (FOX, 2:45 pm ET).
Heading into Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich, here are five storylines to watch for Chelsea.
"The best don't always win," Fernando Torres said after Chelsea's dramatic 2-2 draw away to Barcelona. It's a soccer truism that becomes ever more pronounced at the highest of levels. It's why no one will begrudge Chelsea or Bayern their advancement to the May 19 final at the Allianz Arena, both second legs could have easily turned out very differently. It ultimately came down to missed penalties on Tuesday and Wednesday, a margin of error so small that it should stop us from making sweeping statements. The reasons for success were as complex and open to debate as those for failure.
Anzhi Makhachkala are preparing an extraordinary transfer spend of €300 million ($399M) with the aim of establishing itself as a Champions League club within the next three seasons. The huge investment in new players will be front-loaded on the upcoming summer window ahead of the Russian Premier League's conversion to an autumn-spring schedule.
Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid won 3-0 at APOEL Nicosia to all but secure their place in the European Champions League semifinals.
CNN's Alex Thomas breaks down the Champions League quarterfinal matches.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have confirmed that the 2011-2012 Egyptian Premier League season has been called off.
CNN's Ian Lee describes his shock at the scenes of the aftermath of Egypt's soccer riots that killed scores.
CNN's Pedro Pinto discusses Zambia's African Cup of Nations title win with journalist Kwaku Ofosu-Asare.
Zambia coach Herve Renard has dedicated the country's first Africa Cup of Nations title to former player Kalusha Bwalya, who escaped a plane crash that killed the squad of 1993.
Zambia lifted the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time after beating the Ivory Coast 8-7 in a dramatic penalty shootout in Sunday's final in Libreville.
After a dramatic African Cup of Nations final, Africa has a first-time champion in Zambia. Here's some thoughts on a riveting tournament:
Dickson Etuhu talks to CNN's Pedro Pinto about Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations final between Ivory Coast and Zambia.
Cheick Diabate scored twice as Mali defeated 10-man Ghana 2-0 to finish third in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.
CNN's Alex Thomas talks to journalist Kwaku Ofosu-Asare about Africa Cup of Nations favorites Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Zambia will face pre-tournament favorites Ivory Coast in Sunday's final of the Africa Cup of Nations after both countries won their semifinals 1-0 on Wednesday.
Mali and Ghana are through to the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations after both achieved hard-fought quarterfinal victories on Sunday.
Zambia and Ivory Coast are through to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after both teams completed comfortable 3-0 victories against Sudan and Equatorial Guinea respectively on Saturday.
CNN's Don Riddell and journalist Kwaku Ofosu-Asare discuss Sudan's performance in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sudan qualified for the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations after beating Burkina Faso 2-1 at the Estadio de Bata on Monday, ending a four-decade wait for victory at the tournament.
Libya went out of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations despite a 2-1 win over Senegal in their final Group A match at Estadio de Bata Sunday.
Nigerian footballer Dickson Etuhu gives his verdict on the performances so far at the African Cup of Nations.
Ivory Coast's star-studded team beat Burkina Faso 2-0 Thursday to seal qualification to the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Tunisia and co-hosts Gabon secured dramatic last-gasp victories to reach the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations Friday.
Joint host nation Gabon opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a comfortable 2-0 Group C victory over Niger at the newly-built L'Amitie stadium in Libreville.
CNN's Patrick Snell previews the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Dider Drogba scored the only goal of the game against Sudan as much-fancied Ivory Coast got their Africa Cup of Nations campaign off to a winning start.
Javier-Angel Balboa scored a dramatic late goal for Equatorial Guinea on Saturday as they beat Libya 1-0 in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking after Queens Park Rangers' lung-busting win over Stoke City in mid-November, then-manager Neil Warnock broke off from analyzing the minutiae of the match and looked at the gathered hacks with the luminous eyes of a Jackanory storyteller. "I love this league," he said. "It's an incredible journey." That journey detoured into murkier territory after the victory at Stoke, with Rangers not having won since, but Warnock -- who got the club promoted at the first attempt after 16 different managers had overseen 15 years in the lower divisions -- will still have been stung by the owners' decision that preserving Premier League status is a job for another man.
Burkino Faso have been cleared to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations after Namibia's claims they fielded an ineligible player were thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The January transfer window: a mid-campaign silly season to send even the most sensible commentators doolally. Andy Carroll back to Newcastle? Sure, why not. Lionel Messi to West Brom? You heard it here first! January always lands a few surprises, but here are some of the storylines I'll be keeping an eye on over the next few weeks.
Samuel Eto'o can return to international action in September after the Cameroon Football Federation decided to reduce the four-time African player of the year's 15-match suspension to eight months.
1. Germany could be the new Spain. The average age of the Germany team that started in a 3-0 win over Holland last month, playing a fast-paced and flexible style more reminiscent of the Dutch team of the 1970s, was 24.5. By the time the game ended, it was down to 23.4. Forward Miroslav Klose is the only player over 30 in the squad and there is young talent waiting in the wings wherever you look. Two from Mesut Ozil (23), Toni Kroos (21), and Mario Goetze (19) make up the creative fulcrum that supplies a three-pronged attack with Lukas Podolski (26) and Thomas Muller (22) either side of Mario Gomez (26), whose 22 goals in 22 games this season (at time of writing) puts him in the company of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie.
Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has been named the 2011 Confederation of African Football player of the year.
Four-time African footballer of the year Samuel Eto'o has been banned for 15 games for his part in a players' strike, the Cameroon Football Federation has reported.
Franck Ribery was given his marching orders but 10-man Bayern Munich beat FC Cologne 3-0 Friday night to make sure they will head Germany's Bundesliga going into the mid-winter break.
Lebanon stunned traditional regional powerhouses South Korea 2-1 in Beirut on Tuesday to boost their hopes of qualifying for the last stage of Asia's 2014 World Cup qualifying.
Striker Asamoah Gyan has told CNN the pressure will be on Ghana to win the African Cup of Nations (CAN) when the tournament gets underway in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in January.
Ghana's Asamoah Gyan talks to CNN World Sport about playing for Al Ain in the UAE and a possible return to England.
European and Spanish champions Barcelona dominate the shortlist for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, the award given to the world's best footballer.
After a dramatic end to a year-long qualifying campaign, the 16 teams competing in the 2012 African Cup of Nations have learned their group stage opponents after the draw for January's tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea was made.
CNN's Pedro Pinto sat down for an exclusive chat with football star Samuel Eto'o, discussing his big money move to Russia.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) have appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the country failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations due to misinterpreting the tournament's rules.
With the qualifying series for both next year's European Championships and the African Cup of Nations roughly half-complete, a number of big names are in danger of missing out.
It has been exactly one year since I traveled 44 hours to Angola to interview Didier Drogba, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast superstar, for a story in Sports Illustrated magazine leading up to last year's World Cup. He couldn't have been more accommodating, spending 90 minutes talking to me in his private bungalow on the heavily fortified Ivory Coast team base in Cabinda during the African Cup of Nations.
This was supposed to be the year of Africa in world soccer, and in one big way it has been: South Africa was a terrific host of the World Cup, the first one held on African soil. Truth be told, though, the actual performance of the six African teams was a disaster: All but Ghana flamed out in the group stage, and the Ghanaians botched a last-second penalty kick against Uruguay that would have made them the first African team ever to reach the World Cup semifinals.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter says gay soccer fans should 'refrain from sexual activities' if they go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Manchester City FC defender Kolo Toure tells CNN's Patrick Snell he is hopeful that Manchester City FC can win a trophy.
Ghana footballers Stephen Appiah and John Mensah reflect on the first game and how they won it.
Shembe Church in South Africa claims it's been using the vuvuzela since 1910, and is demanding recognition.
Nearly 11 months of competition have come to this, a Champions League final to be duked out in king of rings, the Santiago Bernabeu. In the blue corner, the lip-curled sneer of Jose Mourinho, who actually seems to be enjoying his success at Internazionale -- this is a league and cup double-winning season -- about as much as a punch in the face. In the red corner, Louis van Gaal, whose Bayern Munich side thrashed Werder Bremen 4-0 to claim its own double last weekend.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Landon Donovan take it all off (almost) in Annie Leibovitz's World Cup photos
South Africa and Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar discusses the pressure of performing on home turf this summer.
Steven Pienaar will carry the weight of his country's expectations when he represents South Africa on home turf at this summer's World Cup.
When I spoke recently with Shaun Bartlett, the retired South African striker who spent two years in MLS with the Colorado Rapids and MetroStars, he was surprised to learn the answer to an MLS trivia question: Who had the biggest transfer fee in MLS history for a two-year period from 1997 to '99?
As a lone infantryman wistfully bugles a lamenting Last Post into the chill twilight air, Team Limey stands forlornly on the battlements of Castle Limey contemplating our final EPL column for SI.com. Together, over a last pint of ale, let's relive some highlights from our five years here. And what a five years it's been.
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