Argentina's decision to play their four world class forwards was fully justified in a crushing 4-0 win over Ecuador that put them top of the South American World Cup qualifiers on Saturday.
Barcelona's serial hat-trick scorer Lionel Messi will be looking to take up where he last left off as Argentina captain when he leads his country against Ecuador in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
Asian silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and former junior World champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) were among eight Indian boxers to make the finals, while five others settled for bronze medals in the 56th Belgrade International Tournament in Serbia.
Argentina's Lionel Messi is used to being hacked down by desperate defenders but his statue in Buenos Aires has suffered even rougher treatment for the second time this year.
Images from the EPL match played between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Monday.
He went on to lift the US Open title in 1994 and, after shaving his head on the advice of his then actress girlfriend Brooke Shields, the Australian Open crown in 1995 before adding an Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996.
Images from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches.
A Lionel Messi masterclass, netting a brilliant free kick before laying on two more goals, put Argentina's World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a resounding 3-0 win over Colombia in San Juan on Tuesday.
Teen sensation L Devendro Singh (49kg) and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (64kg) booked Olympic berths by advancing to the World Boxing Championships' quarter-finals with contrasting wins in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo made a disappointingly low-key home debut for Real Madrid against Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad in their Peace Cup match at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Xherdan Shaqiri netted a hat-trick as Switzerland beat Honduras 3-0 in Manaus on Wednesday to secure the runners-up spot in World Cup Group E and a last 16 clash against Argentina.
Roberto Firmino scored twice and Marquinhos and Philippe Coutinho also got goals as Brazil hammered Bolivia 5-0 in their opening World Cup qualifier in Sao Paulo on Friday.
Argentina lifted the gloom from a poor Copa America by routing Chile 4-1 in their opening 2014 World Cup qualifier on Friday, while Uruguay also scored four to get their campaign off to a good start.
Brazil fired Dunga as coach on Tuesday, the national football confederation said, two days after his side failed to get past the group stages of the Centenary Copa America.
Spain's Xabi Alonso has retired from international football, the World Cup and twice European Championship winning midfielder said on Wednesday.
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With the deadline for filing the information having ended on March 31, all attention is now centred on what the Patent Office will reveal in coming days.
A former government official in Pakistan, Tariq Banuri is the director of the Asian Centre of the Stockholm Environment Institute and has previously worked with the UN.
Paraguay coach Ramon Diaz has resigned after the team's elimination in the group phase of the Copa America Centenario, Paraguayan FA (APF) sources said on Sunday.
Photos from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers played on Tuesday
Barcelona have condemned FIFA's decision to impose a four-match international ban on striker Lionel Messi for verbally abusing a match official in Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Chile last week.
India were assured of an unprecedented two medals at the AIBA Men's World Boxing Championships after Amit Panghal (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (63kg) entered the semi-finals with impressive victories.
On a mixed day for India, Laxmi Padiya (81kg) advanced to the quarter-finals but former champion L Sarita Devi (51kg) crashed out with a shock second-round defeat in the sixth women's World Boxing Championships in Barbados.
India fought back from a match down to beat New Zealand 2-1 and finish fifth at the Men's World Junior Team Squash Championship in the Ecuador capital Quito.
The official presentation of Michael Owen in the Manchester United shirt took place on Monday.
A summary of Tuesday's qualification matches next year's FIFA World Cup.
The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding "an immediate, durable and fully respected" ceasefire in the troubled Gaza Strip, leading to withdrawal of all Israeli forces.
Brazil secured their place at the 2010 World Cup with an impressive 3-1 win over arch-rivals Argentina while South America's other candidates jockeyed for the region's other three automatic berths. The defeat left Diego Maradona's side contemplating the dreaded prospect of missing out on the finals but Argentina did cling on to the fourth and final qualifying place after Colombia beat Ecuador 2-0 in another of Saturday's five-match programme.
The US men's national soccer team will play their first friendly against Cuba in 69 years when they meet in Havana's Estadio Pedro Marrero on October 7, US Soccer said on Thursday.
Unseeded American Mardy Fish recorded a shock 6-4, 6-4 win over world number three and defending champion Andy Murray in front of a packed crowd in the Sony Ericsson Open second round on Saturday. Top seed Roger Federer then avoided Murray's fate with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in just over an hour over Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti in the late match.
France have asked FIFA to investigate their suspicions that a drone was used to spy on the team's preparations for the World Cup opener against Honduras, coach Didier Deschamps said.
Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce broke the 40-year-old Pan Am Games 200 metres record on Friday. The twice Olympic 100 metres champion clocked 22.43 seconds to win gold on Friday.
Vinesh downed two tough Chinese rivals on her way to the 53kg gold medal bout, in which she overpowered Ecudor's Luisa Elizabeth Valverde.
Argentina are favourites to come out on top of Wednesday's three-way race for South America's remaining World Cup place and a playoff berth.
South American champions Chile have been handed a stadium ban for the third time in the 2018 World Cup qualifying competition because of homophobic chanting by their fans, FIFA said on Monday.
Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has returned home to Argentina but remains doubtful for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela with his club confirming the 29-year-old is struggling with a sore left hamstring.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal for Real Madrid netting the opener from the penalty spot in a 4-2 friendly win over Ecuador's Liga de Quito at the Bernabeu in Madrid on Tuesday. The Portuguese winger, signed from Manchester United for 80 million pounds last month, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way after being tripped as he dribbled into the area in the 48th minute.
Patel was denied entry into the country as he did not possess the necessary immigration documents.
Top seed Robin Soderling got off to a perfect start in front of his Swedish fans on Wednesday when he outclassed Ecuador's Giovanni Lapentti 6-3, 6-0.
Carlos Tevez missed a first-half penalty as Argentina slumped to a 2-0 defeat away to Ecuador in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
