Sevilla [Spain], Jan.13 : Striker Karim Benzema struck a last-minute goal as Real Madrid broke Barcelona's unbeaten record by settling with a 3-3 draw against Sevilla in the second leg of the Copa del Rey last-16 showdown here on Friday.

Madrid, who hammered Sevilla 3-0 in the first leg, completed a 6-3 aggregate win to storm into the quarter-finals of the tournament.

It was Sevilla who made the breakthrough first when Madrid's Danilo scored a goal in his own net in the 10th minute, goal.com reported.

Madrid, who were playing without star striker Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, then levelled the score for themselves after the break when Marco Asensio raced from his own half to slot home in a style in the 48th minute.

Zurich [Switzerland], Jan.10 :Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the world's best player for the fourth time at the FIFA's annual awards ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland.

Ronaldo, who inspired Zinedine Zidane's side to the Champions League glory and Portugal to the European Championship 2016 trophy, defeated perennial rival Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann to win the coveted prize.

Jubilant with his feat, Ronaldo admitted that 2016 was a dream year for him because he led both Madrid as well as the national team to the title.

Villarreal [Spain], Jan.9 : Star striker Lionel Messi curled a last-minute equalizer as Barcelona resumed their La Liga campaign after the winter break with a 1-1 draw against Villarreal at the Camp El Madrigal here on Monday.

Despite being in possession in the opening period, Barcelona reached the first-half without any goal in their account for the fifth time in six league matches, goal.com reported.

It was in the 49th minute of the match when Villarreal scored the opening goal of the match through Nicola Sansone's fine strike.

However, Argentina striker Messi rescued a point for his side with a late 90th-minute free-kick to give Barcelona a point, thereby leaving them five points adrift of the in-form leaders, Real Madrid.

Kolkata [India], Dec.3 : Atletico de Kolkata were held to a goalless draw against FC Pune City in their concluding group encounter of the ongoing third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium here last evening.

Kolkata were the dominant side from start to finish but the hosts could not translate their superiority into goals against the visitors, now coached by former coach Antonio Habas.

The draw meant Atletico de Kolkata are placed third on table with 20 points and will play their crucial second-leg semi-final battle away. FC Pune City, on the other hand, were already out of reckoning for a place in semi-finals and ended up with 16 points from 14 matches to finish sixth, only ahead of Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa.

Alicante [Spain], Dec.1 : Debutant Carles Alena struck a superb second-half goal as Barcelona escaped an embarrassing defeat to settle with a 1-1 draw against Hercules in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-32 tie here on Thursday.

After a goalless first half, it was Hercules who made the breakthrough first when David Mainz bundled the ball past Jasper Cillessen in the 52nd minute,goal.com reported.

However, Barcelona made amends only six minutes later, with Alena collecting a pass from captain Rafinha and rifling a magnificent left-footed strike to spare his side's blushes.

Kolkata [India], Nov.30 : Atletico de Kolkata booked their place in the semifinals of the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) after settling with a composed 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium here last evening.

CK Vineeth gave Kerala Blasters a lead in the eighth minute but Kolkata restored parity in the 18th minute through Stephen Pearson to take his team to the semi-finals.

Kolkata now have 19 points and will qualify along with Delhi Dynamos (20 points from 12

New Delhi [India], Nov.28 : Delhi Dynamos took an inch closer towards the semi-finals of the ongoing third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) after crushing FC Goa 5-1 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here last evening.

Brazilian striker Marcelinho Pereira scored a magnificent hat-trick with goals in the 38th, 48th and 56th minute while Richard Gadze scored the other two goals. Delhi have now moved to the second spot with 20 points from 12 matches.

In the first half, the teams were tied 1-1 after Fulganco Cardozo gave Goa the lead in the 31st minute but Marcelinho equalised seven minutes later. Delhi's domination in the second session, however, stunned FC Goa as they conceded four goals in nine minutes.

Goa [India], Nov.25 : Atletico de Kolkata maintained their excellent unbeaten record against FC Goa as they scripted a dramatic 2-1 victory to leave the hosts on the brink of elimination from the ongoing third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here last evening.

Juan Belencoso gave Kolkata the lead in 28th minute but FC Goa equalised through Mandar Rao Desai in the 80th minute. The visitors, however, had the last laugh after scoring match-winner in the second minute of the added time.

The victory took Kolkata to the second spot with 18 points from 12 matches and almost knocked out FC Goa as the team coached by Zico is at the bottom with 11 points from 12 matches.

Johannesburg [South Africa], Nov.24 : Disappointed after Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that his side have lost their momentum and look destined to make a frustrating second-place finish in the group standings.

Pointing out his side's unbeaten streak of 18 games, the 67-year-old manager, however, called on the club to try to convert their draws into wins.

"We have not lost but we have lost a winning momentum a little bit. There is a special spirit in the squad. We are unbeaten for 18 games and sometimes you go through a period where you are a little bit less effective. It's up to us to transform the draws into wins, but there is no reason to panic," Sport24 quoted Wenger as saying.

London [UK], Nov. 14 : Former England skipper Steven Gerrard has once again added fuel to the speculations of him leaving the LA Galaxy.

Gerrard's contract with the LA Galaxy finishes in December, with formal talks over a new deal expected to begin once the club's fate in the MLS play-offs is determined.

The 36-year-old recently posted a picture on Instagram overlooking to evening LA skyline with the caption: "Special place incredible view I will miss you LA [sic]", reports Mirror.co.uk

Gerrard had signed an 18-month deal with the MLS side in January 2015 and there are no suggestions from either side that he will be going for a renewal.

Gerrard, in his last appearance for the LA, had seen his side lose on penalties to Colorado Rapids.

London [UK], Nov. 8 : Fenerbahce striker Robin van Persie, who suffered a horrific eye injury in his side's latest win against Akhisar Belediyespor in the Turkish Super Lig, calmed fears of his eyesight saying his eye is "undamaged".

Persie received the horrific injury during Fenerbahce's 3-1 win over Akhisar on Sunday wherein he was stretchered off the pitch with a plaster covering his bloodied left eye.

Images of Van Persie's bleeding soon grabbed the eyeballs on social media with many fans expressing fears the 33-year-old had been blinded and would never play again, reported mirror.co.uk.

In fact, the injury had sparked alarm over the condition of his eyes, with one of the British tabloid headlining on its website Van Persie "will never see again".

Guwahati (Assam) [India], Oct.29 : Atletico de Kolkata hit back in spectacular fashion to beat NorthEast United FC 2-1 in an entertaining Indian Super League ( ISL) battle at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here last evening.

NorthEast United seemed destined to stay at the top of the table when Emiliano Alfaro provided the hosts with a first-half lead. But Atletico de Kolkata struck back in the second session with goals from marquee player Helder Postiga and Juan Belencoso in the 82nd minute.

The win took Atletico de Kolkata to the top with 12 points at the end of their first-leg matches while NorthEast United have to settle for the third spot with 10 points after losing their last two matches at home.

Mumbai [India], Oct.12 : Mumbai City FC surged to the top of the standings after settling to an entertaining 1-1 draw against Atletico de Kolkata in the ongoing third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) at Mumbai Football Arena here on Tuesday.

Mumbai City FC were looking comfortable after Matias Defederico provided them the lead in the 27th minute but the home side were jolted when midfielder Pronay Halder was sent off for two yellow cards. The numerical advantage worked in Kolkata's favour and they forced the equaliser in the 82nd minute to stay unbeaten in the league.

Mumbai FC were forced to leave out marquee player and star striker Diego Forlan after he failed to recover from a knock in the previous clash against NorthEast United FC.

London [England], Oct.2 : Manchester United's Wayne Rooney will continue to remain captain despite losing his place in the first team at Old Trafford, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

The England international was dropped from the starting XI during the side's 4-1 win over reigning Premier League champions Leicester City while he also started from the bench in the Europa League game against Zorya Luhansk.

In spite of that, Mourinho backed Rooney to continue to motivate the rest of the players in the team, while adding that the 30-year-old does not have to worry about potentially losing his role at United.

London [England], Sept 28 : Andre Schurrle came off the bench to score a late equaliser as Borussia Dortmund snatched a 2-2 draw against defending champions Real Madrid in a pulsating Champions League Group F match at the Signal Iduna Park, Germany.

The Germany international scored the crucial goal in the 87th minute after defender Raphael Varane restored Real's advantage in the 68th, the Guardian reported.

The engaging first half saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo's 17th-minute opener two minutes before half time.

Dortmund and Real each have four points from two matches, with the Germans ahead on goal difference in Group F. (ANI)

Madrid [Spain], Sept. 19 : Real Madrid produced yet another imperious performance by equalling a La Liga record set by rivals Barcelona with a scrappy 2-0 win over Espanyol here at RCDE Stadium on Monday.

It was the 16th straight league victory for Madrid, going back to last season, thus matching Pep Guardiola's Barcelona record in 2010-11 season.

Midfielder James Rodriguez, who was linked with a move away from Zinedine Zidane's side, smashed his maiden goal for Madrid in five months by converting a penalty kick in the first-half injury time.

It was in the 71st minute of the match when Karim Benzema sealed second goal for Madrid with a close-range finish.

London, Mar 01 : England captain Wayne Rooney scored twice to help Manchester United beat Sunderland 2-0 and reclaim the third spot in the Premier League table on Saturday at Old Trafford.

Following a goalless first-half, Rooney put United ahead in the 66th minute after a foul on teammate Radamel Falcao, for which Wes Brown was send off instead of John O'Shea, the BBC reported.

Referee Roger East 's decision to red-card Brown elicited protests from the visitors and subsequently, Rooney added a second goal through a header after Adnan Januzaj's shot deflected into his path.

London, Feb 28 : Manchester United football team manager Louis van Gaal believes that the club has not challenged for the Premier League title because they are short of a 20-goal-a-season striker.

United's top Premier League scorer this season is Robin van Persie with 10, while in contrast, Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero have scored 17 each for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively.

Van Gaal said that it is true, adding that Van Persie cannot deny it, Radamel Falcao cannot deny it and Wayne Rooney is not playing there much anymore, the BBC reported.

The Dutchman has come under criticised for playing striker Rooney in a deeper position, while Falcao has had limited opportunities, with Van Gaal questioning the Colombian's fitness.

London, Feb 20 - ACF Fiorentina held Tottenham Hotspur to a round of 32 first-leg 1-1 draw in the Europa League at the White Hart Lane and the Premier League side now faces a battle to remain in the European league.

Roberto Soldado volleyed in a sixth-minute opener from Paulinho's corner to give Tottenham the lead and help them dominate the opening half-hour.

However, Argentine centre-back Jose Maria Basanta scrambled in an away goal to give Vincenzo Montella's side the edge ahead of next week's second leg, the BBC reported.

Nacer Chadli hit the bar for Tottenham, who faded after half time, as both the sides failed to score another goal.

London, Feb 12 : A large group of American females have reportedly voted French striker Oliver Giroud as the hottest player in the Premier League.

Burnely topped the overall league of attractive-ness, with the hottest team overall, and the result from women's polls also formed a Hottest Starting XI, the Mirror reported.

Giroud, Morgan Schneiderlin and Jesus Navas made the cut but the reportedly shocking inclusion was Paul Konchesky.

Giroud officially accepted his award from teammates Mathieu Debuchy and David Ospina who presented the Arsenal striker with the 'Hot or Not' Golden Mirror, the report added. (ANI)