Atletico Madrid have been unable to repeat the magnificent achievements of last season in this campaign but can congratulate themselves on a job well done if they secure a lucrative Champions League berth on Saturday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
Eric Abidal crowned a superb defensive display with a rare goal to help Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday and put the La Liga leaders through to the quarter-finals of the King's Cup on away goals.
Rafael Nadal showed he had put his exertions at the US Open firmly behind him when he thrashed France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 to put Spain through to the Davis Cup final in Cordoba, Spain, on Sunday.
Spanish World No 2 Rafa Nadal showed little sign of post-US Open fatigue when he thrashed France's Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 in the opening singles rubber of their Davis Cup semi-final on Friday.
Athletic Bilbao survived a constant state of siege to hold a weakened Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp in a King's Cup last 16 first-leg match on Tuesday. La Liga leaders Barca had won 10 successive games in all competitions, scoring 31 goals in the last seven, but they ran out of ideas against their resolute Basque visitors.
The Washington-based Association of Indian Muslims of America asked the Cordoba Institute and other promoters of the Islamic Center termed as the 'Ground Zero Mosque' to relocate it in the interest of the larger good of the community.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Here is the round-up of all the football action across Europe on the weekend
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz was arrested Friday after a complaint from a financial institution but released without charges, a government official said.
Convicts at a prison in Argentina's second largest city Cordobaturned violent during family visiting hours and took several people hostage to protest overcrowding.
Argentina will stage next month's Davis Cup final against Spain on an indoor court in the Atlantic resort of Mar del Plata, the International Tennis Federation said. The ITF said on its website (www.daviscup.com) that it had chosen Mar del Plata ahead of Cordoba, the other potential venue put forward by Argentina, for the November 21-23 final.
Real Madrid returned to winning ways after last weekend's drubbing at Atletico but failed to convince and were whistled by their own fans during a drab 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Barcelona followed up last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid with another reverse on Saturday, squandering a host of chances to lose 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo and handing the lead in La Liga to their arch rivals.
Palermo have rebuffed interest from Manchester United among others for forward Paulo Dybala but could sell the Argentine at the end of the season, president Maurizio Zamparini said on Wednesday.
Top-seed David Nalbandian beat compatriot Jose Acasuso in the Buenos Aires Open final to collect his eighth career title.
Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss his club's title showdown with AC Milan next month.
Inter Milan began their Serie A title defence with a 1-1 home draw with Udinese on Sunday after an Ivan Cordoba own goal in injury time, while AC Milan won 3-0 at promoted Genoa helped by Kaka's brace.
Velez Sarsfield said on Thursday they were contemplating disciplinary action against their volatile goalkeeper Gaston Sessa after his latest loss of temper shocked Argentina.
The South American trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez reached a scorching 108 goals for the season following the La Liga leaders' 8-0 destruction of Cordoba on Saturday but the team's defence is yet to dispel doubts
P Harikrishna outplayed Spanish hope Miguel Cordoba in the fifth round to climb two places at Dos Hermanas International Chess
P Harikrishna settled for a draw against top seed Alexey Dreev of Russia but managed to grab the second spot
Santiago Solari got off to the perfect start as Real Madrid's interim coach when his side thrashed Melilla 4-0 in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
The rest of Barcelona's squad will have to do "a little bit more" to make up for the absence of five-times World Player of the Year Lionel Messi for the next three weeks, according to captain Andres Iniesta.
A round-up of Day 11 at the final Grand Slam of the year.
In-form Luciano Vietto hit two second half goals as Villarreal, down to 10 men for the final 10 minutes, cruised to a 3-0 home victory over Deportivo La Coruna to go fifth in La Liga.
Paulo Dybala said his two-goal performance against Barcelona on Tuesday was the sort of night he had dreamed about since he used to play on the bumpy pitches of the Argentine second division as a slightly-built teenager.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Philippe Coutinho scored his first league goal since returning to Barcelona to help his side draw 1-1 at home to an excellent Sevilla side in La Liga on Sunday.
The forward was again the stand-out Brazil player and he coolly side-footed home his 60th international goal in the 76th minute after Diego Laxalt brought down Danilo, although Uruguay claimed there was a handball in the build-up.
Cristiano Ronald headed his 300th goal for Real Madrid in a laboured 2-0 La Liga victory at neighbours Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday that kept the gap on leaders Barcelona down to four points.
The Copa America was played as a 12-team tournament from 1993 when the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) invited two teams from CONCACAF, the North and Central America and Caribbean region, to join in.
No amount of preparation is enough to snuff out the threat of Argentina's "assassin" Lionel Messi, Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez said ahead of Friday's Copa America clash between the teams. Messi was an unused substitute in Argentina's 2-1 win over holders Chile in their opening Group D match in Santa Clara, California on Monday after a back injury but will reappear when they face Panama in Chicago. "Leo trained normally, he will play," coach Gerardo Martino told a news conference on Thursday. Both sides have three points after Panama marked their first appearance in the world's oldest international tournament with a surprise 2-1 win over Bolivia, who face Chile in Foxborough on Friday.
World soccer great Diego Armando Maradona, who died on Wednesday less than a month after his 60th birthday, was worshipped like a god for his genius with the ball, but his demons almost destroyed him.
A bullet header from Nicolas Otamendi put Valencia on course for a 3-1 victory over Eibar in La Liga on Sunday that boosted their hopes of claiming a Champions League place.
Defender Filipe Luis has rejoined Atletico Madrid from Chelsea in a reported 16 million euro ($17.66 million) deal, the Spanish club said.
Villarreal's slide continued as a Diego Castro header gave Getafe a 1-1 draw in La Liga on Sunday but the match was overshadowed by a serious injury to Mateo Musacchio.
While it is unfair to blame the Wales winger for all of Real's recent woes, it cannot be denied that he appears to be struggling for form and confidence.
