France striker Loic Remy scored the winner with a thunderbolt of a strike after 30 minutes and a typically solid defensive performance from Jose Mourinho’s side sealed a triumphant end to their long campaign. Sydney, runners up in the A-League final last month, ensured it was not entirely an exhibition match but Petr Cech, in Chelsea’s goal for perhaps the last time, and his back four were in defiant mood. Mourinho promised to put out a strong side and he was true to his word with the attacking trio of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Remy causing problems for the home defence from the start with their skill and pace. Remy spurned the first couple of chances his team mates carved out for him but made no mistake on the half hour, cutting inside from the right wing on to his left foot and lashing the ball into the top corner of the net. Sydney almost struck back immediately but Cech saved from Christopher Naumoff and Chelsea centre half Branislav Ivanovic cleared Alex Brosque’s follow-up off the line. The Londoners went straight back up the other end and Costa’s left-foot shot across goal was pushed just wide of the post by goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic. The Spanish striker was substituted five minutes before halftime after indicating to the bench that he had a problem with his calf while Hazard played on until the 89th minute. It was the Belgian’s pass which set up Remy for what should have had been his second goal in the 68th minute, only for Alex Gersbach to shoulder the shot off the line. Sydney thought they had equalised a minute from time when defender Seb Ryall bundled the ball over the line from close range but the referee ruled he had handled.

Barcelona have tied Spanish full-back Jordi Alba down to a new deal, with the 26-year-old extending his stay at Camp Nou until 2020. Alba joined Barcelona in 2012 from Valencia and has since gone on to win two La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey, and is now just one match away from claiming his first Champions League medal as the Catalan club take on Juventus in the final on Saturday. Alba has cemented his place as the team’s first-choice left-back and has now extended his deal at the Nou Camp until 2020, with the club penning a €150 million (£108m) release clause into his bumper contract. A Barcelona statement read: “Barcelona have arrived at an agreement with Jordi Alba for the renewal of his contract until the 30th of June, 2020. “The left-back, 26, has this season won La Liga and the Copa del rey, which adds to another league title in the 2012/13 season – his first at Barca – and the 2013/14 Spanish Supercopa. “His buyout clause will be €150 million. He will sign the contract in the coming days.” Alba was released by the Barca youth academy but went on to prove himself at Valencia before he was brought back in 2012. He has since thrived in Barca’s quick-passing system with his pace and ability to attack down the left wing. He had two years to run on his existing deal.

Nigeria’s U-17 male football team, Golden Eaglets will attend in invitational four-nation football tournament to help tune them up for the upcoming 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted by Chile in October. The Suwon International Tournament in Korea will have Nigeria, Brazil, South Korea and USA as participants.

Tournament Schedule:

Wednesday 10 June 2015:

Korea vs USA 7am

Brazil vs Nigeria 10am

Friday 12 June 2015:

Korea vs Nigeria 7am

USA vs Brazil 10am

Sunday 14 June 2015:

Korea vs Brazil 7am

Nigeria vs USA 10am

*Time = Nigerian (GMT+1)

Ryan Taylor was told he was being released by Newcastle in a phone call from John Carver, who then asked the player to pass the phone to team-mate Jonas Gutierrez so the Magpies boss could tell him he was going as well. United secured their Premier League status on the final day of the season. “John Carver rang me and told me the club weren’t going to offer me a new deal,” Taylor told Sky Sports News. “Then he asked me to pass the phone to Jonas, which was unbelievable.” Defender Taylor, 30, spent six years at St James’ Park, while midfielder Gutierrez, 31, had been at the club since 2008. Gutierrez, who has fought testicular cancer, scored in a 2-0 win over West Ham as Newcastle avoided relegation. Taylor said he had some sympathy for Carver. “I spoke to him and he seemed upset about telling two good pros, who have been there a long time, that it’s come to an end,” said the defender. “I can’t really blame John because he’s under instructions on what to do.” The pair are currently in Belfast at a coaching course.

Chelsea’s John Terry took the Premier League trophy to Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney and met young fan Connor Ansell who is battling leukaemia. Chelsea play Sydney FC at 10:45 am today in an end-of-season friendly as part of their tour of Thailand and Australia.

Manchester United and England captain, Wayne Rooney was pictured holidaying in the Bahamas with his family when met a surprise. “Didn’t expect to see pigs in the sea in the Bahamas! Haha”, Rooney twitted. Holidaying things for footballers… the real ballers. Lol!

Tuesday 2 June 2015:

Myanmar 0 – 6 Ukraine

Austria 2 – 1 Panama

New Zealand 0 – 4 USA

Argentina 2 – 3 Ghana

Premier League-bound Watford have signed Austria international defender Sebastian Prodl on a five-year-deal. The 27-year-old, who has 49 caps, was a free agent following his release by German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, with whom he spent seven years and played in the Champions League. The 6ft 4in centre-back also played for Sturm Graz in his native country between 2006 and 2008. He is the Hornets’ first signing since promotion to the top flight. Prodl moves to Vicarage Road amid continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of head coach Slavisa Jokanovic, with Quique Sanchez Flores reportedly close to agreeing to replace the Serb.

Defending champion Maria Sharapova is out of the French Open. Russia’s Sharapova, who has reached the final in the previous three years, was beaten 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 by Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova in the fourth round. It is second seed Sharapova’s earliest defeat at Roland Garros since 2010. “I felt I had small openings but I wasn’t able to play a few good points and Lucie was a much more aggressive player,” said Sharapova. “My opponent was at a much higher level, more consistent than I was, and that resulted in a bad day at the office.” Safarova, 28, will take on Garbine Muguruza in the last eight, after the Spaniard beat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-3 6-4. “Maria is an amazing player. I needed to play aggressive and to come forward for the points,” said Safarova.

Jurgen Klopp says he will take a break from football after stepping down as Borussia Dortmund manager. The 47-year-old had been linked with a move to Liverpool since announcing he would leave at the end of the season. “After seven intense and emotional years, I think it’s a good idea to let the numerous memories settle in before I take on a new challenge with my team refreshed and motivated,” said Klopp. “I’m going to take a break until further notice,” he added. The German had previously stated he did not intend to take a sabbatical. When announcing he was to step down in April he said: “It’s not that I’m tired. I always said that when I believe I am not the perfect coach anymore for this extraordinary club I will say so.” Klopp won two Bundesliga titles and one German Cup in the seven years following his appointment as Dortmund manager in 2008, also reaching the Champions League final in 2013 where his side were beaten by Bayern Munich. Former Mainz manager Thomas Tuchel is to take over from Klopp at Dortmund, who recovered from being bottom of the German league in February to finish seventh and qualify for the Europa League.

Footballers can enjoy during off season ehh! I don’t blame them because it’s a very serious business during the season. Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling posted the above picture on Instagram from his holiday in Barbados.

Former Brazil striker Pele has welcomed the re-election of Blatter as Fifa president. “I was in favour. It was necessary because it is better to have people with experience,” Pele told reporters on his arrival in Cuba on Sunday to see a charity match in Havana. “He’s a man who has been there for 25 years [with Fifa], you have to respect him, it was an election.”

Midfield lynchpin Yaya Toure has cooled speculation surrounding his future at Manchester City, the Ivorian saying he will “definitely stay” because he wants to win more silverware at the Premier League club. The 32-year-old Toure, who joined City in 2010 and played a dominant role in two Premier League title wins in 2012 and 2014, endured a frustrating season after suffering a loss of form as City failed to claim any trophies. “I will definitely stay. The fans don’t have to be worried,” Toure told the Manchester Evening News. “My target this year is to try to do everything possible to make this team improve well.”

Chelsea players and staff are on an end-of-season tour of Australia where they took time to visit a zoo in Sydney. More pictures follow.

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Monday 1 June 2015:

Nigeria 2 – 4 Brazil

Germany 8 – 1 Fiji

Korea DPR 1 – 5 Hungary

Uzbekistan 3 – 4 Honduras

So I woke up by 2am to see the Nigeria vs Brazil game. With the moves I saw, I believe the Flying Eagles could play better but they appeared jittery. Brazil didn’t have it easy either. Our goalkeeper was suspect. I was complaining until he made that howler that led to the fourth goal. Our attack seems okay considering the runs they made but the coaches should do more work on the defence particularly and then the midfield. We loose the ball a lot. Go guys! I think you can still make it out of the group.

South Africa did pay $10m (£6.5m) to a football body led by Jack Warner, a figure at the centre of FIFA corruption allegations, local media say. Danny Jordaan, head of South Africa’s FA, is quoted as confirming that the amount was deducted from a FIFA payment to the country in 2008. A subsequent letter requested that money to be sent, instead, to the Caribbean Football Union, reports say. South African officials deny it was a bribe to secure the 2010 World Cup. But US prosecutors insist South Africa made an illegal payment after the government promised $10m to Mr Warner – then a FIFA vice-president – in exchange for the “Rainbow Nation” becoming the first African country to host the World Cup. FIFA chose South Africa as host ahead of Morocco.

Cameroon became the first major casualty of the 2016 Olympic Games football qualifiers in Africa after being eliminated by Sierra Leone this weekend. The outsiders scored a stoppage-time goal in Yaounde to snatch a 1-1 draw and win the second-round tie on away goals after a goalless first leg last weekend. Sierra Leone captain Sorie Barrie scored in the 93rd minute, after Joseph Minala (pictured) had put Cameroon ahead. Minala, the 18-year-old Italy-based footballer caught up in an age storm last year amid claims he was over 40, had put the ‘Indomitable Cubs’ in front in the opening half at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo before Sierra Leone’s decisive equaliser. Adding to the humiliation of Cameroon – the Sydney 2000 Olympics football gold medallists – was the fact that they had home advantage in both legs of the qualifier restricted to under-23 footballers. Sierra Leone was not able to host international fixtures because of the deadly Ebola epidemic. Exiting the Olympics qualifiers at the first hurdle is the latest in a string of woeful performances this year by Cameroonian sides, once among the strongest in Africa. The Olympic team also flopped in the 2015 All-Africa Games, losing an eliminator in Zimbabwe and drawing the return match. Cameroon fared dismally at senior level, too, failing to win a match at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and being eliminated after the first round. Clubs have fared equally poorly with all four representatives going out of the 2015 Caf (Confederation of African Football) competitions in the early stages. The scene is equally bleak at age-limit level. Cameroon did not qualify for the 2015 African youth championship and failed to get beyond the first round of the junior championship. Sierra Leone will now face Algeria in the third round of qualifying. Elsewhere, Ghana’s Black Meteors were also eliminated. They lost the second leg against Congo Brazzaville 1-0 which took the tie to 1-1 overall. Congo then won the subsequent penalty shoot-out 5-4 in front of a home crowd at Pointe-Noire. Zambia went through with a 2-0 win over Botswana in Lusaka on Sunday, winning 3-1 on aggregate. Second half goals from Ronald Kampamba and Kelvin Mubanga earned Zambia a meeting with Ivory Coast in the next round. Adama Niane sealed a 3-1 victory for Mali over Mauritania in Bamako by converting an 88th-minute penalty. He also scored the opening goal on two minutes, Boubacar Bagili equalised, and Moctar Mohamed Cisse put the Malians ahead again midway through the second half. Mali, who forced a 1-1 first-leg draw in Nouakchott, advanced 4-2 on aggregate and play reigning African under-23 champions Gabon next. Uganda secured a showdown with Egypt by defeating Rwanda 2-0 in Kampala to complete a 4-1 overall triumph. The Ugandan Kobs scored twice within five minutes just past the hour with a John Ssemazi goal followed by one from Faruku Miya.

The World Footballer of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured holidaying in St-Tropez after a trophy-less season with Real Madrid. He seems to be having fun as he topped up his tan while lying on a yacht on the French Riviera.. More pictures follow.

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Namibia won the COSAFA Cup for for the first time in their history, beating Mozambique 2-0 in the final in the South African mining village of Moruleng. Winger Deon Hotto scored both of Namibia’s goals to steer his nation to victory in the southern African championship. Both countries went into the match as past runners-up, with Namibia reaching the final in 1997 and 1999 and Mozambique in 2008. Earlier in the day, Madagascar won the third place play-off match. They beat fellow beaten semi-finalists Botswana 2-1 to take the bronze medal. Sarivahy Vombola scored both of Madagascar’s goals and finished as the 2015 tournament’s top scorer with five goals to his name.

Real Madrid vice-president Eduardo Fernandez de Blas has accidentally let slip at the meeting of a fans’ group that Rafa Benitez will be the new club coach. Benitez will leave Napoli at the end of the season and has been hotly tipped to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu. Real have yet to name Ancelotti’s successor but an offhand comment during a club event on Saturday evening appears to have confirmed the former Liverpool manager’s arrival. “Ancelotti is an absolute phenomenon and we give him all our appreciation,” Fernandez de Blas told the Madrid members’ group. “Until three days ago he was the best trainer in the world as two years ago it was Jose Mourinho and from this week onwards it will be Rafa Benitez.” Italian Ancelotti was dismissed a year after he ended 12 years of Champions League failure and led Real to a record-extending 10th European crown, as well as a Copa del Rey triumph. Former Liverpool and Chelsea boss Benitez, who once had a stint as a Real youth team coach, is expected by local media to be named on Wednesday as the new man at the helm.