Zinedine Zidane (pictured above), who has been tipped to take over in the Real Madrid dugout from his current role of reserve team coach, says that he rates Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (pictured below) alongside Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. “They’re fantastic players, but I like Eden Hazard a lot too,” he told Fifa. “I enjoy everything he does on the pitch. I like the way he carries himself, that decisive streak in him and the fact that he’s improving every year. “He can still get better too, and I think he’s a big reason why Chelsea are on top of the table.”

Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was philosophical after suffering Champions League quarter-final defeat to his former club Barcelona last night. “Let’s be realistic, they were better than us. They will probably win the Champions League,” Ibrahimovic admitted. “As far as we are concerned, it is not possible to reach that goal in the short term. “Let’s not lie to ourselves, it’s just reality.”

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey (pictured) has criticised the appointment of Jon Moss to officiate the FA Cup final. “Seriously, Jon Moss at Wembley? I can’t be having that,” he wrote on social media: “He’s made too many high profile mistakes this season already. Even last weekend he missed two blatant penalties, one for Palace and one for West Brom.” “I reckon we’ll be a laughing stock around the world.”

Athletics’ governing body has asked sport’s highest court to double Rita Jeptoo’s two-year doping ban. But the Kenyan athlete has filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to overturn her punishment for failing a drugs test. Jeptoo, 34, became Kenya’s first high-profile athlete to fail a test when she tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in September. Athletics Kenya have suspended her from all competition until October 2016. CAS has said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) wants a four-year ban because of “aggravating circumstances”. But Jeptoo, who says she may have been prescribed some banned substances at a local hospital after a road accident, is seeking a delay in the ban’s implementation and hopes to compete in August’s World Championships.

Neymar’s two goals saw Barcelona coast past Paris St-Germain and into a third successive Champions League semi-final. PSG, needing to overhaul a 3-1 deficit from the first leg, were torn apart by a dazzling Andres Iniesta run and assist for Neymar to score the first. The Brazilian striker headed in his second before the break to open up a four-goal aggregate lead. And Barca were rarely troubled in the second half as they pursue a first Champions League title since 2011. Iniesta’s mesmerising skill for the opening goal will be remembered as one of the Champions League’s great assists, and it was indicative of Barca’s superiority over the two legs. The Spanish World Cup winner collected the ball in his own half, before jinking past three PSG players, moving up the pitch and slipping the ball to Neymar, who easily eluded David Luiz and rounded keeper Salvatore Sirigu. Barcelona’s second was more straightforward, as Dani Alves hooked in a left-footed cross from the right and Neymar was gifted all the space he needed to flick in his 30th goal of the season.

Bayern Munich put in a devastating first-half performance to overcome a first-leg deficit and beat Porto 6 – 1 (7-4 aggregate) to reach the Champions League semi-finals. Needing a 2-0 win, Bayern were level on aggregate within 22 minutes thanks to Thiago and Jerome Boateng headers. Robert Lewandowksi put them further ahead and Thomas Muller drove home for 4-0 before Lewandowski added a second. Jackson Martinez gave Porto some hope, but Ivan Marcano was sent off, with Xabi Alonso scoring from the free-kick. The result was a boost to the reputation of Bayern boss Pep Guardiola, who was in danger of suffering a Champions League humbling for a second consecutive season. Since the Spaniard took over the reigning European champions from Jupp Heynckes in 2013, they have dominated in the Bundesliga, losing only four of 63 games.

Tuesday 21 April 2015:

Barcelona 2 – 0 Paris St Germain  (Aggregate: 5 – 1)

Bayern Munich 6 – 1 FC Porto (Aggregate: 7 – 4)

Wednesday 22 April 2015:

Monaco 0 – 0 Juventus (Aggregate: 0 – 1)

Real Madrid 1 – 0 Atl Madrid (Aggregate: 1 – 0)

Stephen Keshi today agreed to a new two-year contract to coach Nigeria’s national men’s football team, The Super Eagles, ending months of uncertainty and speculation over his future. Some opposed extending Keshi’s tenure as the Super Eagles coach after they failed to qualify for the recent CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. The 53-year-old has called for a fresh start on Tuesday at an official signing ceremony, saying any lingering bitterness needed to be put in the past. “This is the time for us to come together to fight for this nation,” Keshi said, adding: “I am begging you all to please put the past behind and let’s start afresh.” Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee chairman Felix Anyansi-Agwu also described Keshi’s second stint as coach as “a new beginning”. The entire (NFF) board has absolute confidence in the capacity of Stephen Keshi to take the Super Eagles to new heights,” he told reporters. Keshi’s initial contract of three years ran out after last year’s FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil, where Nigeria reached the last 16 knockout stages. He had previously steered the side to a win at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, raising his profile in Africa’s most populous nation after a string disappointments at the continent’s top tournament.

Novak Djokovic is “a machine” who will get close to Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record and go down as one of the greatest players of all time, or at least so says former British number one Tim Henman. Djokovic, 27, is aiming to lift to his eighth grand slam at next month’s French Open and close the gap on Rafael Nadal and Federer, who have 14 and 17 respectively. Henman, clearly an admirer, said: “It’s the way he’s hitting the ball from the baseline, how aggressively he plays and how he does it with so few unforced errors. “And then his movement and his athleticism – his ability to turn defence into attack is as good as I’ve ever seen. He is a machine.”

Carlos Tevez has denied reports he could leave Juventus this summer and return to his former club Boca Juniors. Tevez has said that he has no intention of leaving Turin before his contract expires in 2016. The Argentinian’s comments come amid reports he wants to return to his homeland and re-sign for Boca Juniors this summer. But Tevez, who has scored 17 goals in 25 Serie A games this season, dismissed the speculation as false and reiterated that he will be staying at Juventus. “That’s not true,” he told reporters in Turin. “I’m relaxed and I carry that with me on the field, without thinking about the future. “I think I will continue to the end, as agreed with the director.” Meanwhile, Tevez’s agent, Adrian Ruocco confirmed that the 31-year-old wants to end his career at Boca Juniors, but added that he will “respect his contract with Juventus”. “The only guarantee is that Tevez wants to respect his contract with Juventus,” Ruocco said.

There’s still no word on why tickets are not on general sale for the much-anticipated fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on 2 May. The MGM Grand holds 16,500 but only around 1,000 tickets are expected to be made available to the wider public. Contracts with the MGM Grand remain unsigned, while tickets are also not on sale for other venues across Las Vegas. Promoter Bob Arum cut a news conference short on Monday before questions could be asked about the ticket issues.

Chris Smalling has signed a new contract at Manchester United, which keeps him at Old Trafford until at least June 2019. The England international, 25, has won two Premier League medals with United, made 147 appearances, and scored nine goals since his debut against Chelsea in the Community Shield in August 2010. After agreeing the deal, Smalling paid tribute to boss Louis van Gaal.: “I am so proud to play for such a great club. We have developed as a team over the course of the season under the manager and we are now playing as a complete unit. “This is a very exciting time to be at Manchester United, we are all determined to get back to where we belong and competing at the highest level.”

Sunday 19 April 2015:

Abia Warriors 1 – 2 Wikki Tourusts

Akwa United 1 – 0 Ifeanyi Uba FC

Bayelsa United 1 – 0 FC Taraba

Enugu Rangers 0 – 1 Giwa FC

Kano Pillars 1 – 0 Enyimba

Kwara United 1 – 3 Heartland

Lobi Stars 2 – 2 Sharks

Nasarawa United 0 – 0 Shooting Stars

Sunshine Stars 2 – 1 Dolphins

Pep Guardiola insists he will remain Bayern Munich’s coach next season, despite reports he is set to take over at Manchester City when his current contract expires in June 2016. “My future is: Wednesday free, Thursday training, and, of course, next year to be here. That’s my future,” said Guardiola who has work to do if Bayern are to remain in the Champions League. They host Porto on Tuesday needing to overturn a two-goal deficit after losing last week’s quarter-final first leg 3-1 in Portugal..

Harry Kane, 21, became the first Tottenham Hotspurs player to reach the 30-goal landmark in a season since former striker Gary Lineker in 1991-92 after scoring in the 3-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday. Asked if Lineker’s record was playing on his mind, Kane told BBC Sport: “Not really. After I got to 20 goals, I set myself a target of 30 and it felt like I was on 29 for ages. “But now I’ve got here I’m delighted. Maybe I need to set myself another target from now to the end of the season [but] I will keep that quiet. “It was a special occasion and to get the win makes it even more special.”

In-form Novak Djokovic beat Tomas Berdych to win his second Monte Carlo title and become the first man to win the opening three Masters events of the season. The world number one came through 7-5 4-6 6-3 on the clay to extend his winning run in 2015 to 17 matches. Djokovic, 27, adds Monte Carlo to the Masters titles he won in Indian Wells and Miami last month. The Serb hopes to complete the career Grand Slam with a first title at the French Open, which starts next month. “I think the most important period of the year is coming up right now,” said Djokovic. “Obviously Roland Garros and Wimbledon are the priority. that’s where I want to perform my best, but we’ll take it step by step and see how far I can go.” Djokovic had laid down a marker with victory over nine-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and completed the job in Sunday’s rain-interrupted final.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says he could be sacked if his team fail to finish in the top four. Pellegrini led City to the Premier League title last term but they have slipped to fourth after defeats by Crystal Palace and Manchester United. “You are wrong if you think that, at this club, you are out if you don’t win the title,” the Chilean, 61, said. “If we miss the top four then maybe it will be different because that would not be the same thing.” City were level with Chelsea at the top of the table after the New Year’s Day fixtures but have lost five league matches since. Going into Sunday’s home match against West Ham (kick-off 13:30 BST) they were only four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool and four points behind rivals Manchester United in third. Asked about finishing outside the coveted top four, Pellegrini said: “If that happens, the analysis of the season will be different. Not to play in the Champions League is a disaster.” Pellegrini said on Friday clubs should not see sacking the manager as a cure for their problems. “It’s very easy to sack the manager, but that’s not the correct diagnostic,” he said. His position came under even greater scrutiny when highly rated Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp announced this week he would be leaving the German club at the end of the season.

Thomas Tuchel will replace the departing Jurgen Klopp as Borussia Dortmund head coach from 1 July. Klopp, 47, announced on Wednesday he was leaving Dortmund at the end of the season as he felt he was no longer the right man to take them forward. Former Mainz coach Tuchel has signed a three-year contract with the eight-times German champions. Tuchel, 41, stood down from his post at Mainz last year after leading them to their highest Bundesliga finish. He is regarded as one of Germany’s top coaches and was linked with the Hamburg job before Bruno Labbadia was appointed. Tuchel set a new club record at Mainz by winning their first seven league matches of the 2010-11 season. Klopp has frequently been linked with Premier League clubs, including Manchester United before the appointment of Louis van Gaal, Arsenal and more recently Manchester City.

Saturday 18 April 2015:

Crystal Palace 0 – 2 West Brom

Everton 1 – 0 Burnley

Leicester 2 – 0 Swansea

Stoke 2 – 1 Southampton

Chelsea 1 – 0 Man Utd

Sunday 19 April 2015:

Man City 2 – 0 West Ham

Newcastle 1 – 3 Tottenham

World number one Novak Djokovic overcame a battling Rafael Nadal to set up a meeting with Tomas Berdych in the final of the Monte Carlo Open. Djokovic, bidding to win a third Masters title in a row, lost the first two games of the match but fought back to triumph 6-3 6-3 on the clay. It was the 43rd meeting between the pair with Nadal – who has slipped to world number five – 23-20 ahead. Djokovic, 27, has lost only two matches this year. With Prince Albert of Monaco in the crowd, Nadal and Djokovic put on a high-class semi-final. But, ultimately, the injury-plagued Spaniard lacked the consistency to overcome the rampant Serb. The second set hinged on an 11-minute game at 3-3, with Nadal surrendering a 40-0 lead to suffer what proved to be the vital break. I’m very happy with how I played against such a tough opponent,” said Djokovic. “Rafa is the all-time best on the clay, it was not an easy match. “I played well, it was a relief to get this win. There was a lot of tension, it was tough to keep it all under control. “I know the final with Tomas will be a different kind of match, but I’ll do my best to recover and get ready.” Earlier, sixth seed Berdych completed a 6-1 6-4 victory over Gael Monfils of France. Monfils had accounted for Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov earlier in the tournament, but Berdych won the first set in just 23 minutes. The Czech broke twice at the start of the second set to reach his first Masters series final since losing to Federer in Madrid three years ago.