Spanish winger Asensio cost Real a mere 3.5 million euros from Mallorca in 2014 and entered the game only in the 79th minute but played a decisive role in Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo each scoring late on to give the European champions the edge in the tie.
Chelsea's Marcos Alonso and Real Madrid's Nacho were notable absentees in defence, along with Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke.
Lionel Messi will have another chance to match or surpass Telmo Zarra's six-decade-old La Liga scoring record of 251 goals when Barcelona host promoted Eibar on Saturday.
It has been a busy World Cup for Kazan's mural artists and in the early hours of Thursday morning they were back at work again painting the face of Neymar on a wall behind the Brazil team hotel.
It was a remarkable achievement for 42-year-old Gattuso, who took over Napoli in December with the team in disarray after the players had rebelled against a week-long training camp imposed on them by De Laurentiis.
Portugal head into Sunday's Euro 2016 final after another disciplined performance, proving again in their 2-0 win over Wales that they perform like a well-rehearsed orchestra rather than a solo act. That has a huge amount to do with their 61-year-old conductor and coach Fernando Santos who took charge in September 2014, vowing to put "tactics first and technical ability second".
Stephanie Frappart made history by becoming the first female to referee a men's UEFA Champions League match.
City boss Pep Guardiola was named Manager of the Season for a third time.
Argentina's Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez, English third tier player David Hall and U.S. women's international Carli Lloyd were among players included on the shortlist for FIFA's goal of the year award on Friday.
Lionel Messi fittingly sealed Barcelona's 26th La Liga title on Saturday by coming off the bench to score the goal in a 1-0 win over Levante in front of a jubilant Nou Camp crowd, who celebrated a remarkable eighth league crown in 11 years.
Luis Suarez struck twice and Lionel Messi scored on his 500th appearance for Barcelona who set a new Spanish record of goals in a calendar year with a 4-0 win over Real Betis that lifted them top of La Liga on Wednesday.
France produced one of soccer's most famous comebacks on Tuesday to scrape into next year's World Cup finals via the playoffs while Portugal blazed through after Cristiano Ronaldo conjured up a sensational hat-trick.
The revamped Champions League will feature a tennis-style seeding system for the last-16 knockout phase, UEFA said.
European champions Portugal comfortably dispatched New Zealand 4-0 to reach the Confederations Cup semi-finals on Saturday after Cristiano Ronaldo set them on their way with a penalty.
Mohamed Salah hit a hat-trick as Liverpool humiliated Manchester United, romping to a stunning 5-0 victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday that leaves Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's future in serious doubt.
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for 2012/13 ahead of the usual contenders Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 168th La Liga 'El Clasico' between in-form Real Madrid and an erratic Barcelona could see the table-toppers take a big step towards winning the title and sound the death knell for the champions bid for a fifth triumph in six years.
The first findings of the study, released in June, established that former footballers were 3.46 times more likely to have neurodegenerative diseases.
Portugal continue to be a paradox at Euro 2016, reaching the semi-finals without ever giving the kind of uplifting performance that their talented team should be capable of.
Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for goals scored in the group stage of the Champions League of 11 when he netted four against Malmo in Group A on Tuesday.
Don't miss the Russian bombshell's latest smouldering campaign for La Clover lingerie.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are on course for a King's Cup final showdown after Spain's two dominant teams recorded convincing home wins in their semi-final first legs on Wednesday.
Rediff.com presents how the sporting stars welcomed 2016 in style with glamorous pictures.
The neighbourly rivalry and the intriguing prospect of a duel between Real Madrid team mates Sergio Ramos of Spain and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo meant the Group B match was always going to be one of the highlights of the opening round.
Facts and figures ahead of Saturday's Champions League final between holders Real Madrid and Liverpool in Kiev:
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will steer clear of the histrionics which have marred previous fixtures between the pair in the past, Jupp Heynckes, coach of the Bavarian side, said on Monday.
A naturally shy character who rarely gave interviews or spoke Spanish in public, Bale never ingratiated himself to Madrid supporters
United were unable to create enough quality opportunities to get themselves the goal they needed.
Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi still remains the world's highest earning footballer with an annual income of 74 million euros.
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro has defended team mate Gareth Bale after the Welshman was jeered by sections of the Bernabeu crowd during Wednesday's 3-0 win over APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League.
Barcelona and Argentine forward Lionel Messi is the highest-paid football player in the world, ahead of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to France Football magazine.
Barcelona won the La Liga title with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Granada thanks to a Luis Suarez hat-trick in the season finale on Saturday.
Kohli is last on the list of top-100 athletes, headed by Barcelona and Argentina football superstar Lionel Messi
Al-Hilal wrapped up a place in the Asian Champions League semi-finals as a 2-0 win over fellow Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in Jeddah on Tuesday completed a 4-0 aggregate success and set a world record with their 28th straight win in all competitions.
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Messi, who won the Spanish La Liga title with Barcelona last season as well as the European golden boot having scored 54 goals in 58 games in all competitions, last won the award in 2015.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows no signs of flagging as he approaches his mid-30s but there are plenty of other worries for a team with an ageing central defence and a number of players struggling for form.
Images from the La Liga matches played across Spain on Saturday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Andres Iniesta of Barcelona beat off a strong challenge from club mate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid to be named on Thursday as UEFA's Best Player in Europe last season.
