Bikash Mohapatra salutes Argentine football leagend Diego Maradona, who turns 50 today.
To begin with, the opening ceremony drew praise from all quarters. Then there were parties all over Rio de Janeiro and finally, the hosts nation Brazil's first medalist.
Barca finished the season second in the standings on 82 points, four behind champions Real Madrid who visit Leganes later on Sunday. Alaves are 16th on 39.
World governing body FIFA are allowing players from bigger soccer nations to get away with infringements on the pitch that smaller nations' players get punished for, Australia forward Harry Kewell has said.
Arsenal denied Chelsea the double with a 2-1 victory in an enthralling FA Cup final.
Paraguay's preparations for next month's World Cup finals suffered a minor blow on Tuesday with a 2-1 defeat by Ireland.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Hoffenheim fought back from an early goal down to strike four times in 23 minutes and crush Werder Bremen 4-1 on Saturday, in an impressive show of attacking football at the start of the season.
A member of the French Football Federation's governing body, Guy Chambily, has called for national team coach Raymond Domenech to be replaced.
France, World Cup winners in 1998 and finalists in 2006, missed out on a place in the eight top seeds for Friday's draw, announced by FIFA on Wednesday.
France coach Raymond Domenech said he would never resign despite his side's controversial qualification for next year's World Cup thanks to a handball from Thierry Henry.
Italy and Netherlands shared a dull 0-0 friendly draw on Saturday, with home striker Giampaolo Pazzini having a late goal ruled out for handball.
Stefano Sturaro, who joined Genoa on loan from Juventus in January before the deal was made permanent, put the home side in front in the second half before fellow substitute Goran Pandev secured the shock result with 10 minutes remaining.
Uruguay's Luis Suarez said his conscience was clear after being dismissed for a handball that denied Ghana a last-gasp winner in their World Cup quarter-final on Friday.
Argentina got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday when Lionel Messi's early penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a lacklustre match in Buenos Aires.
Luis Fabiano's second goal against Ivory Coast at the World Cup was not with the Hand of God as the Brazilian claimed, Diego Maradona said on Monday.
Brazil dented more African hopes in the World Cup on Sunday by outclassing Ivory Coast to sweep into the second round.
Brazil showed their true World Cup colours on Sunday, turning on the turbo to beat Ivory Coast 3-1 with two goals from Luis Fabiano securing their place in the last 16.
Slovenia beat Algeria 1-0 with a late goal from Robert Koren, just six minutes after the North Africans were reduced to 10 men when substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal was sent off in a World Cup Group C game on Sunday.
Images from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches.
The Portuguese forward then fired in the penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Following is the schedule of Indian contingent on the eighth day of the Asian Games on Sunday.
An Argentine football club has recreated the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of its gymnasium, with Diego Maradona as God, Lionel Messi as Adam and a host of angels that include Mario Kempes, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Batistuta.
India, on Tuesday, clinched a maiden Asian Games medal in Sepaktakraw despite its men's regu team losing to defending champion Thailand in Pelambang.
FIFA dashed any lingering Irish hopes of playing in next year's World Cup finals on Tuesday by declaring it would be impossible to add a 33rd team to the tournament.
AC midfielder Franck Kessie scored from a penalty to give AC Milan a 2-2 draw away to Napoli in Serie A on Sunday, sparing the blushes of his goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma whose mistakes provided the hosts with both their goals. Sevilla closed in on Champions League qualification by beating struggling Real Mallorca 2-0 at home to open up a nine-point gap in the race for fourth spot in La Liga.
Inter Milan striker Adriano has escaped a possible two-game ban after scoring the opener with his arm in Sunday's 2-1 win over AC Milan.
Images from La Liga matches played on Sunday
A bizarre handball by Sevilla defender Fernando Navarro gave away a late penalty which helped Valencia to a 3-1 comeback home win in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were sent of as champions Manchester United were beaten while Chelsea lost to Tottenham Hotspur in teh English Premier League.
Images from Sunday's action in La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
Sindhu, who had won the silver at the World Championship last month, recovered from a mid-game slump to stave off the challenge from World No. 19 Minatsu Mitani of Japan 21-19, 16-21, 21-10 in a match that lasted 63 minutes.
Jermain Defoe scored against his old club on Sunday to help earn Portsmouth a 2-0 Premier League victory at Fratton Park.
Zenit St Petersburg became the first Russian team to win the European Super Cup when they earned a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Friday.
P V Sindhu, will have to punch above its weight to salvage any hopes of a medal after being handed a tough draw in the badminton event at the 18th Asian Games.
A round-up of Sunday night's matches in the Premier League.
Ecuador's LDU beat Mexican side Pachuca 2-0 in pouring rain on Wednesday to reach the Club World Cup final and set up a potential showdown with Manchester United.
Algeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time on Friday when a freak second-minute goal by Baghdad Bounedjah gave them a 1-0 win over gallant Senegal in the final.
AC Milan were held 2-2 at struggling Torino on Sunday, leaving city rivals Inter Milan three points clear at the top of Serie A. Torino's Alessandro Rosina scored a 78th-minute penalty, which was conceded for handball by Kakha Kaladze, to earn the hosts a draw after Ronaldinho had put Milan 2-1 up with a spectacular free kick in the 34th.
