Barcelona left it late to snatch a 1-0 win at Valencia on Sunday after Atletico Madrid's 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna was overshadowed by the death of a visiting fan hours before kickoff.
'I was a bit startled when our host spoke with such force and at such great length about Terrorism.' 'Where did that come from?' 'He kept insisting that it comes from across the border.' 'I could not remember who all are across India's borders and was looking puzzled, but Zuma who understood my predicament, whispered "Pakistan".'
'The way we are playing now, if we continue to play the same hockey, no one can stop us from standing on the podium in Tokyo.'
From the debate-arousing introduction of VAR to maximum number of Penalties to the superb Ronaldo, here are the A to Z of the ongoing 2018 World Cup
Gonzalo Higuain has led Napoli's challenge for their first Serie A title since 1990 with a remarkable 26 goals in 28 league games, yet the fiery Argentine does not seem to have enjoyed a single moment of it. Higuain, an out-and-out striker who can safely be described as an old-fashioned number nine, stomps around the field with an expression that suggests he is carrying the whole world on his shoulders. There is always something for the 28-year-old to gesticulate angrily about, whether it be a refereeing decision, a team mate failing to pass him the ball or his coach deciding to substitute him. In his last outings, he kicked a water bottle over in disgust after being substituted at Fiorentina and then failed to join his team mates in saluting the crowd following Saturday's 3-1 win over Chievo, despite scoring in both games. His goal celebrations invariably involve thumping his chest and seem to be more an act of defiance than a show of joy.
"I write this note to thank all the Manchester United family for the great support received during the year I've been part of this Club," Di Maria told United fans in an open letter, published widely by the British media.
A brief history of previous World Cup semi-final appearances by England and Croatia, ahead of their last four match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Iran and Nigeria laboured to the first stalemate of a scintillating World Cup on Monday with a dismal 0-0 draw that left both sides still chasing their first victory at a finals since 1998.
Iran and Nigeria laboured to the first stalemate of a scintillating World Cup on Monday with a dismal 0-0 draw that left both sides still chasing their first victory at a finals since 1998.
Juventus spent about 12 million euros ($13.42 million) to sign Carlos Tevez, a fraction of what Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, yet it was the Argentine who called the shots in their Champions League clash on Tuesday.
Nchout sends Cameroon through with last kick of game
Gonzalo Higuain aims to repay Juventus for splashing out 90 million euros ($99.74 million) to sign him from Napoli and make the Argentina striker the third most expensive player in world football.
Italian Bracciali banned for life, Starace for 10 years
Included in Barcelona squad to face Dortmund
An inspired performance from Douglas Costa helped Brazil to a 3-0 win over Peru on Tuesday and lifted them into third place in the South American qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
A star-studded England will take on unpredictable Chile in a Group F match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the refurbished Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
Notwithstanding a clean chit from the police, a Pakistani court dismissed the bail plea of a young die-hard fan of India's ace batsman Virat Kohli who was arrested on treason charges for hoisting the Indian flag atop his home.
When Netherlands striker Robin van Persie put away a spectacular diving header against world champions Spain on a balmy afternoon at last year's World Cup it set them on the way to a 5-1 win and the promise of glory.
Substitute Raul Riudiaz's hotly disputed goal earned Peru a shock 1-0 win over Brazil in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday, the defeat knocking the five-time world champions out the Copa America at the group stage.
Juventus appear to be suffering from a predictable early-season slump in the wake of a summer spent fumbling around the transfer market in a bid to rebuild a team that had grown to dominate Serie A.
Lionel Messi netted the 400th goal of his storied career on Saturday as Barcelona trounced Granada 6-0 to maintain the pace at the top of La Liga.
Important to have a good, fit squad: Mumbai City's Forlan
Striker Keito Nakamura scored the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup's first hat-trick as Japan hammered Honduras 6-1 to begin their campaign on a resounding note at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.
If history ultimately judges the finest talents by their achievements on the international stage, where neither player has tasted success, then the Portuguese captain could use Sunday's Euro 2016 final to land a haymaker blow in one of football's great rivalries.
Here is a summary of stories from the English Premier League
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
Athletic Bilbao have proudly resisted pressure to abandon their policy of only recruiting players of Basque origin, making it all the more impressive that they are the club standing between Barcelona and a record-extending 27th King's Cup.
Real Madrid can bury Atletico's hopes of winning La Liga with a third straight victory against their city neighbours on Sunday that would leave the capital's second club trailing by six points.
Messi, who has struggled for form in recent weeks due to a niggling injury, looked on a mission to grab the winner and after twice coming close he completed his treble to put Barca ahead in the 85th minute, reacting quickly to a poor Sevilla clearance to dink the ball over goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Atletico Madrid's players are hoping coach Diego Simeone can become the club's equivalent of Alex Ferguson.
Five players to watch during the 2016 Major League Soccer season, which opens on Sunday.
Factbox on Dutchman Louis van Gaal who left his job as Manchester United manager on Monday.
News of all that transpired on and off the field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
'The World Cup is being played in the football crazy country after 64 years and nothing excites the Brazilians more than the sacred game,' says B S Prakash, India's former ambassador to Brazil.
A round of Saturday's matches in Series A, La Liga and Bundesliga.
From the FIFA World Cup finals to the spot-fixing scandals that rocked Indian cricket, we pick the key sporting events on the 2014 calendar.
