Valencia coach Gary Neville described his team's 7-0 drubbing by Barcelona in the Spanish King's Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday as one of his worst experiences in football.
The draw interrupted a run of four straight league wins for Zinedine Zidane's side and left them second on 67 points after 31 games, three behind leaders Atletico who thrashed Eibar 5-0 earlier in the day.
Defender Gerard Pique grabbed a rare winner and Lionel Messi scored yet another beauty as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday and reclaim an eight-point lead at the top of La Liga.
John Terry will have a scan on Monday to assess the extent of the knee injury he suffered on his return to domestic action after his four-match ban ended on Sunday.
Two defensive howlers cost Liverpool all three points as they drew 2-2 with English Premier League champions Manchester City at Anfield.
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has dismissed allegations of gender discrimination over the decision to play the women's World Cup on artificial turf, saying the surface could also be used for the men's tournament in the future.
Lionel Messi scored twice as La Liga champions Barcelona saw off a persistent Valencia side, who had Eliaquim Mangala sent off in the first half, to win 4-2 on Sunday and stay on the heels of leaders Real Madrid.
Barcelona have been linked to a host of forwards during the winter transfer window as they seek experienced backup options for Luis Suarez.
From comments about the healthy relationship shared between Barca trio -- Messi, Suarez and Neymar, to questions about his goal drought in away matches, an angry Ronaldo had the response to it all
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, who will lead the club for the first time in Saturday's pre-season match against Juventus, has dismissed speculation linking Neymar with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Konta, Sharapova fall at Rogers Cup in Toronto
"I don't know how this affects my future," Valverde said.
Hazard collected 53 percent of the vote making him a comfortable winner, while he and Terry's Chelsea team mates Cesc Fabregas, Branislav Ivanovic and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also featured in the top 10.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Real Madrid have defied injuries to keep the pressure on leaders Barcelona and notched up over 100 La Liga goals but they now face arguably the toughest test of their title charge in an away match to Sevilla on Saturday.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's La Liga action:
South Korean Chung Hyeon managed to hang around against Roger Federer a little longer this time around, but only just, as the Swiss maestro advanced to the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday.
Two goals in the first half from Roberto Firmino and Neymar gave Brazil an easy 2-0 victory over the United States in a friendly match in New Jersey on Friday.
An 87th-minute goal from Luis Suarez took Liverpool through to the Europa League main draw at the expense of Scotland's Hearts as CSKA Moscow crashed out to AIK Solna on Thursday.
The win lifted Copa America holders Uruguay into second place in the South American group, a point behind leaders Chile and one ahead of Argentina, while Ecuador's win in Quito saw them climb to fourth.
Napoli put a foot in the Europa League semi-finals with a perfectly crafted 4-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg on Thursday as Marek Hamsik scored twice in an Italian masterclass to bring cheer to beleaguered coach Rafael Benitez.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is still not satisfied despite winning five trophies in 2015 and is aiming to do even better next year.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was back in training on Monday five days before the La Liga leaders play at second-placed Real Madrid in the first of the season's two Clasicos.
France forward Griezmann, 28, rejected a move to Barcelona last year but announced in May he was leaving the Madrid side, where he has spent the last five seasons since signing from Real Sociedad in 2014.
Riske created one of the biggest shocks of the tournament with her 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over French Open champion Barty who was on the sort of run that made losing to a player of the American's lowly 55th ranking appear almost impossible.
Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered has extended its sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club for two years, continuing one of the most lucrative deals in English sport.
Liverpool are working closely with Merseyside police in an attempt to identify a man who appeared to have made racist gestures during their FA Cup fourth round victory over Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday.
Substitute Dirk Kuyt struck two minutes from time to give hosts Liverpool a 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Manchester United on Saturday with visiting captain Patrice Evra being booed throughout and making a mistake for the winner.
Zinedine Zidane has said his side are in a delicate situation as they prepare to host arch-rivals Barcelona in a La Liga title showdown on Sunday
Chelsea wrapped up their pre-season tour of the United States on a high note by beating Barcelona in a shootout after their International Champions Cup match ended 2-2 on Tuesday.
Barcelona have sacked Andoni Zubizarreta as their director of football, the Spanish club said on Monday.
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll headed an 87th minute winner to secure a 2-1 victory over Merseyside rivals Everton in an error-strewn FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
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If Barcelona fail to secure their eighth consecutive UEFA Champions League quarter-final appearance, Lionel Messi's failed penalty at Manchester City on Tuesday could well prove their "what if" moment.
Chile beat Ecuador 2-1 in their closing South American qualifier in Santiago on Tuesday as both went through automatically to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
Chelsea and England captain John Terry will be prosecuted for the alleged racial abuse of Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League match in October, British authorities said on Wednesday.
Australian Open winners Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek saw off stiff resistance from Juan Monaco and Kei Nishikori to advance to the quarter-finals of the ATP Indian Wells Masters. The seventh-seeded Indo-Czech pair beat their unseeded opponents 7-6(5), 6-4 in a second round match.
Barcelona's Gerard Pique is envied. Not just for his footballing skills bout also his football jersey collection.
Joleon Lescott's 62nd-minute goal and a brilliant late save by goalkeeper Joe Hart sent Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League with a tense 1-0 win at Aston Villa Sunday.
Peter Odemwingie scored a hat-trick as West Bromwich Albion triumphed 5-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday to move further away from danger and leave their beleaguered local rivals inside the Premier League drop zone.
After an even first 45 minutes, strikes from Pablo Sarabia and Wissam Ben Yedder stunned the Catalans and left them needing a second-leg comeback at the Nou Camp for the second consecutive round in the competition.
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