The Spaniard has made a number of uncharacteristic mistakes in recent games, including one that allowed Chelsea to equalise in Sunday's 1-1 draw.
The victory saw the unfashionable Madrid club tighten their grip on the coveted fourth spot in the table by moving on to 58 points after 36 games, three points clear of nearest challengers Sevilla, who lost to Leganes on Friday.
Asian quarter-finalist Sachin (49kg) scored an emphatic victory over Mexico's Gustavo Antonio Alvarez to enter second round of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia on Saturday.
First half goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar were followed by a third from Paulinho after 58 minutes to sink the Argentines and extend their winless run to four games.
Sergio Aguero, in fine scoring form for Manchester City this season, looks set to lead Argentina's attack in next month's World Cup qualifiers after being recalled to their squad on Friday.
Lionel Messi's return sparked Argentina to a 2-1 win over Chile in Santiago on Thursday, breathing new life into their South American qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.
Manchester City came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in a breathless and pulsating Premier League encounter, at Anfield, on Sunday. All four goals came in the second half.
Odion Ighalo scored twice as Manchester United beat second tier Derby County 3-0 on Thursday to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals and leave their all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney on the losing side. United will travel to Norwich City in the last eight after the Premier League's bottom club beat Tottenham Hotspur on penalties on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi says he is retiring from international soccer after Argentina lost to Chile in Copa America final.
Chile upset favourites Argentina with a penalty shootout victory in the Copa America final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday to retain their title in the world's oldest continental soccer competition.
Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this eye-catching photo feature.
Nick Kyrgios saved his best performance of a brilliant week for last as the Australian stunned second seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to win the Acapulco International in Mexico on Saturday for his fifth career ATP title.
Striker Sergio Aguero scored twice to give Argentina a 2-0 win over fellow World Cup finalists Bosnia in a friendly at the Busch baseball stadium in St Louis, Missouri on Monday.
It was The Blue Samurai's first win under coach Akira Nishino, who had lost friendlies against Ghana and Switzerland since taking over in April.
Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen scored his first goal for the club since last month's move from Tottenham Hotspur to set up a 2-0 win at Ludogorets Razgrad in their Europa League last 32, first leg on Thursday. Getafe pulled off a surprise 2-0 home win over last year's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax Amsterdam, while Manchester United were held 1-1 at Club Brugge in wet and windy conditions. Wolverhampton Wanderers' Diogo Jota scored a second successive hat-trick in the competition to lead his side to a 4-0 victory over Espanyol and Arsenal won 1-0 at Olympiakos Piraeus with a late Alexandre Lacazette goal.
Lionel Messi saved Argentina's blushes with a brilliant stoppage time winner against unheralded Iran at the football World Cup on Saturday to send the South Americans into the last 16.
Mexican tennis player Daniel Garza has been suspended for six months and fined $5,000 after being found guilty of match-fixing, the Tennis Integrity Unit said on Tuesday.
Gabriel got the winning kick for Brazil after Gustavo Gomez and Derlis Gonzalez missed for the visitors. Roberto Firmino pulled his spot kick wide for the hosts.
Criticising the Copenhagen Climate Summit for being "limited to a group of countries", Bolivia will organise an alternative international talks in April on the issue.
Liverpool head to United with widest gulf in years
Real Mallorca are still in talks with former Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd about a possible takeover, the Spanish Primera Liga club said on Wednesday.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Ranked sixth in the world and beaten only once since Euro 2016, Switzerland appeared to have enough talent to end Sweden's surprise run in the tournament but instead gave a soulless display as they lost 1-0.
Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera have hardly featured in Manchester United's early Premier League campaign but manager Jose Mourinho has assured the duo they are vital to his plans.
I'm not happy with just fighting for fourth, I want to fight for trophies, says manager Jose Mourinho
Aziz Bouhaddouz headed an own goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Iran a stunning 1-0 victory over Morocco in the first Group B game of the World Cup on Friday.
'It was always my intention to be different, because that is the only way to last.'
Brazil's Gabriel Jesus made one goal, scored another and was sent off in the second half as they beat Peru 3-1 to win the Copa America for the ninth time.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat account for 85 per cent of India's maize production.
A stoppage-time goal from Miranda gave Brazil a 1-0 win over South American rivals Argentina in a foul-strewn friendly, while Netherlands secured a 1-1 draw at neighbours Belgium.
People across the world woke up to an early-morning call to celebrate the second International Yoga Day on Tuesday with much enthusiasm.
Holders Manchester City began their assault on the FA Cup with a 4-1 victory over fourth-tier Port Vale but Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers face an unwanted replay after drawing 0-0 at Molineux on Saturday. Goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sergio Aguero, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Phil Foden made it a routine day for City, although Tom Pope had equalised for a Vale side sitting 74 places lower in the standings.
Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, his landmark 51st career victory cutting Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg's overall lead to 19 points and keeping the German waiting for a first title. The pole-to-flag victory was the triple world champion's eighth of the season and put him level with France's Alain Prost in the all-time lists of winners. Only Michael Schumacher (91) has more. Rosberg, who would have clinched the title had he won and Hamilton finished 10th or lower, crossed the line 8.354 seconds behind to anchor champions Mercedes to a sixth one-two finish of the season.
Manchester United's current malaise was laid bare as they struggled past third-tier Rochdale 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the League Cup third round.
Believe it or not iPhone X launch reduced porn traffic!
UAE-based carrier RAK Airways will start services from Ras Al-Khaimah to five Indian destinations, including New Delhi and Mumbai from April this year.
The former longtime president of Peru's soccer federation, Manuel Burga, has been arrested as part of an ongoing US-led investigation into corruption at the sport's world governing body, FIFA.
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.
Despite the errors, Kabir Khan's film has a heart.
