Chelsea became the first team to officially book a ticket for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League after a dramatic 2-1 victory against Rennes.

After defeating Rennes handily 20 days ago, the Blues looked to pick up right where they left off against the French underdogs. Chelsea should have taken the lead in the opening five minutes after Timo Werner had a golden opportunity. Chelsea’s $60 million man instead decided to generously give the International Space Station a souvenir.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday he is not interested in a European Super League amid reports that some elite clubs were in talks to set up a breakaway competition with the backing of the global soccer body.

In an interview published by German-language newspaper Aargauer Zeitung and other regional Swiss media, Infantino said FIFA was focused on the success of the revamped Club World Cup, which will feature 24 teams and be held for the first time in China in 2022.

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé became the first person to receive a copy of the upcoming FIFA 21 on Tuesday. 

Mbappé unveiled a special edition of the cover sent by FIFA in personalized packaging made for the 21-year-old French star. 

FIFA 21 @EASPORTSFIFA pic.twitter.com/uTNTHffkkk

In the early stages of the 2020-21 season, Montpellier has taken Ligue 1 by storm.

Michel Der Zakarian's side has been one of the most exciting teams on the continent, in large part thanks to the attacking trident of Andy Delort, Gaëtan Laborde and Téji Savanier. Five games into the campaign, Montpellier is joint-first in goals scored and riding high in third place. 

It appears that the Kepa Arrizabalaga experiment is ending for Chelsea. The club announced the signing of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Stade Rennais on Thursday for a fee of $26 million. The Senegalese international allowed just 0.76 goals per game in Ligue 1 last season, second in the league, but is he the solution to Chelsea's goalkeeping headache, or will he be just another overpaid, underperforming shot-stopper? 

France forward Kylian Mbappé marked his return to action with a vintage performance and a goal as champions Paris St Germain rediscovered their form with an impressive 3-0 win at Nice in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Mbappé, who missed the opening three games after contracting the coronavirus, fired PSG ahead with a 38th-minute penalty and had a big part in Angel Di Maria's strike before Marquinhos headed home the third in the second half.

The Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille on Sunday ended in a scuffle between the two sides that resulted in five red cards. The fight was prompted by Marseille center back Alvaro allegedly directing a racist slur toward PSG star Neymar.

This story alone was enough to warrant significant media attention, but the comments made by French Football Federation (FFF) president Nöel Le Graët on Tuesday made the issue even more pertinent.

Between August 12 and 23 in Lisbon, Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain changed the narrative surrounding the club by advancing to the Champions League final and performing admirably against Bayern Munich.

In the space of four days coinciding with the club’s start to the 2020-21 season, you could say that PSG has reverted to an even lesser version of its old self.

Brest defeated Dijon 2-0 in Ligue 1 action on Sunday after Romain Perraud opened the scoring in the 42nd minute before Irvin Cardona added the insurance goal in the fifth-minute of second half stoppage time.

“Insurance goal” is one way to frame it. Another is a gravity-defying piece of exceptionalism that only belongs in the Shaolin Soccer film.