Barcelona returned to winning ways and extended their Spanish Primera Liga lead with a 2-0 home victory over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday while Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by city rivals Atletico at the Bernabeu. The win opened up a six-point gap over chasing Real, whose 10-match winning streak came to an end.
Former Spanish tennis star Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has been given a suspended jail term for fraud, a court in Barcelona said on Wednesday.
Barcelona dealt Real Madrid another body blow when they survived a stirring fightback from their arch rivals to draw 2-2 in an action-packed King's Cup quarter-final second leg on Wednesday and send the holders out 4-3 on aggregate.
Sixth seeds Leander Paes and Paul Hanley were beaten by Juan Ignacio Chela and Pablo Guevas 1-6, 4-6 in the second round of the Open Sabadell Atlantico tennis tournament on Wednesday.
The Riazor jinx returned to haunt Real Madrid and the champions fell 2-1 away to Deportivo Coruna in their Spanish Primera Liga opener on Sunday, while Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were stunned 1-0 away to promoted Numancia. The performance of the day came from Atletico Madrid, who qualified for the Champions League group stage during the week, and stormed to the top of the standings with a 4-0 demolition of another newly promoted side Malaga.
From the early pioneers to today's global superstars, the Olympics have captured hearts and minds, shaping cultures and inspiring generations.
A summary of Wednesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Finnish team mate Heikki Kovalainen second quickest on the second day of Formula One's final pre-season test.
Kolo Muani replaces injured Nkunku in France's World Cup squad
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique played down talk of a rift with his squad after their surprise home defeat by Alaves and is hoping to put things right in their Champions League opener against Celtic on Tuesday.
UEFA opens investigation into Barca payments to ex-refereeing official
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes his current squad is the strongest he has ever had and he is very confident of retaining the La Liga and King's Cup titles. The Spanish champions have recruited Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne and Denis Suarez since the end of last season while Marc Bartra, Thomas Vermaelen, Adriano Correia and Sandro Ramirez have departed. "On paper, this is the best squad that I have had in my three years at Barca," Luis Enrique told the club's website. "We have a squad that has been strengthened brilliantly.
Atletico Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday thanks to an own-goal by Rui Silva and a header by Alvaro Morata as Diego Simeone's side ended a three-game winless run in all competitions.
While Sunday's clash was the last time Klopp and Guardiola will face off for Premier League points, as far as this year's title race is concerned it merely made things even more interesting with Arsenal ahead of Liverpool on goal difference and City one point back. All three have 10 games left.
Real Madrid's stuttering season continued as they were reduced to 10 men and then slumped to an 11th La Liga defeat of the campaign by going down 3-1 at Real Sociedad.
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane made up for the absence of Sergio Ramos by scoring one goal and making another to help his side to a hard-fought 3-0 win at Getafe. La Liga leaders Barcelona were held to a 2-2 draw at struggling Espanyol on Saturday as China striker Wu Lei came off the bench to grab a late equaliser in a pulsating city derby.
The French Open, which Nadal has won a record 14 times including last year, starts on May 28.
Arsenal and Barcelona scored 3-0 victories over Sevilla and Olympique Lyon respectively in the Champions League.
The ATP suspended its professional men's tennis tour for six weeks on Thursday, citing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, which has upended major sporting events across the globe. The announcement came moments after Miami-Dade County said it would suspend the Miami Open and on the heels of Sunday's last-minute cancellation of the Indian Wells tournament in Southern California.
The particular jersey worn by Jordan in the semi-final round against Lithuania was included in an auction featuring signed jerseys from all 12 members of the team.
Pep Guardiola is pleased with the Premier League side's improvement and form over the past two months but will not make any premature comparison with his former clubs.
Barcelona finished three points behind Real Madrid last season but there is concern the gap between Spain's biggest two sides could be far larger this season.
Lionel Messi notched a 20th assist of the season to help a lacklustre Barcelona secure a 1-0 win away to Real Valladolid on Saturday, maintaining the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo converted two penalties, both awarded for handballs and the second in the last minute, as Serie A leader Juventus twice hit back to draw 2-2 with Atalanta to move closer to a ninth successive Serie A title on Saturday.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi saves his best against Real Madrid. He sizzled in the 'El Clasico' and threw the La Liga title race open with a hat-trick.
Athletic Bilbao's Spanish Super Cup victory against Barcelona not only earned them their first major trophy in 31 years but also ended coach Ernesto Valverde's long wait for silverware.
Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi was awarded the 2009 Ballon D'Or, French magazine France Football said on its website on Tuesday. The 22-year-old became the first Ballon D'Or winner from Argentina, eclipsing runner-up and last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo by a record 240-point margin.
Dani Alves, who has denied any wrongdoing, was taken to the Brians 1 jail outside Barcelona.
Barcelona's hopes of staging another sensational Champions League comeback fell flat against a hardened Juventus side who held the Catalans to a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals 3-0 on aggregate.
Twenty-three-times Cup winners Athletic Bilbao were dumped out in sensational circumstances by tiny island side SD Formentera, who sneaked a 1-0 win at San Mames with a header by Alvaro Muniz deep in stoppage-time to reach the last 16 for the first time with a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Real Madrid thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 6-2 to stay level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga on Wednesday after the Catalans crushed Osasuna 7-1, condemning the minnows to relegation.
It is a mistake to compare Argentina with Barcelona as the Spanish club have been working as a unit for a lot longer, Lionel Messi said on Thursday.
Barcelona suffered a first home defeat of the season when they lost 3-2 against Valencia after finishing with 10 men in La Liga on Saturday, leaving the door open for Madrid rivals Atletico and Real to move above them.
A round-up of Sunday's matches in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A
The shouts of "No tinc por!" (I am not afraid) rang out across Barcelona's Plaa de Catalunya, repeated rhythmically by the thousands of people who had gathered at noon in the hot sun to pay respects to the dead and injured after Thursday's terrorist attack.
The UEFA Champions League semi-finals will be German vs Spanish contests after Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund were drawn to play at home against Real Madrid and 2012 finalists Bayern Munich were pitted against Barcelona.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is head strong but it appears as though he may be fighting a losing battle with the four times World Player of the Year.
Germany expects 2.7 million people to attend matches in stadiums across the country and some 12 million in its fan zones for outdoor viewing, including on a long stretch of turf laid out in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
A lacklustre Barcelona squandered the chance to go top of La Liga after crashing to a shock 1-0 home defeat by Malaga on Saturday.
