London  - A second-half goal from Carlos Villanueva helped Blackburn Rovers reach the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win Monday at non-league Blyth Spartans.

The Chilean midfielder curled in a free kick 13 minutes into the second half to seal Blackburn's place in the last 32 of the competition.

Rovers will now play at Sunderland in the fourth round.

"It was very comfortable until the last five to 10 minutes, but having not converted our chances they were bound to get a chance at some stage," Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce said.

Madrid  - Spanish giants Real Madrid announced on Sunday morning that Daniel Parejo would be out of action for around a month after twisting his left knee in training.

Parejo, 19, suffered the injury on Friday, in a training-ground clash with veteran Guti.

Parejo, a Spanish Under-21 international midfielder, has just returned to Real after a five-month loan spell at London club Queens Park Rangers.

He was expected to feature in Sunday's league game at home to Villarreal, together with new signings Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra.

Real have signed Huntelaar and Diarra because of their injury crisis, though only one of them can be registered for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Tokyo  - Japanese striker Yoshito Okubo of Vissel Kobe in the J-League left Sunday for Germany to join first-division Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, Tokyo media report said.

The 26-year-old, who has 33 caps for Japan's national team, would join countryman Makoto Hasebe at Wolfsburg.

Okubo had once previously played in Europe, appearing in 39 matches and scoring five goals for the Spanish club Real Mallorca between January 2005 and July 2006.

In the J-League, the striker scored 64 goals in 149 matches.

"Hopefully I'll be in a position to score many goals," Okubo said in looking forward to the Bundesliga. "At Kobe I have developed as a player and I would like to test the level that I am now at."

Madrid  - Spanish leaders Barcelona kicked off 2009 with a 3- 1 comeback at home over lowly Mallorca on Saturday, with goals from Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta and Yaya Toure.

Record-breaking Barca now have 44 points from 17 games - the highest-ever total at this stage of the season - 11 more than Valencia, who moved up to second late Saturday with a 3-1 defeat of Atletico Madrid.

"It was a great way for us to start the year," said Henry, in his best form since joining Barca from Arsenal in 2007.

Madrid  - Spanish leaders Barcelona kicked off 2009 with a 3- 1 comeback at home over lowly Mallorca, a win that leaves them with a 13-point lead.

Record-breaking Barca now have 44 points from 17 games - the highest-ever total at this stage of the season - 13 more than second- place Sevilla, who are at home Sunday to bottom team Osasuna.

"It was a great way for us to start the year," said Thierry Henry, scorer of Barca's first goal.

Barca coach Josep Guardiola raised eyebrows by leaving Lionel Messi - who returned late from holiday - in the stands, and Daniel Alves on the bench. The tight win, however, tends to vindicate his "rotation" policy, though his team did not play particularly well.

London  - The third round of the FA Cup, England's foremost cup competition, is famous for delivering shocks as teams from the lower leagues upset the big names of the Premier League.

The 2009 competition proved no different on Saturday as big-spending Manchester City were dumped out of the Cup in a 3-0 defeat at Eastlands by Nottingham Forest, a team struggling at the bottom of the Championship.