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Lionel Messi came off the bench to score a stunning goal that sealed a 2-0 home win for Barcelona over bottom club Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday and stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to 14 points.

Bayern Munich lived up to their FC Hollywood nickname on Saturday as confusion reigned over a possible new role for coach Jupp Heynckes when he makes way for Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.

Harry Redknapp punched the air in delight for the second week running after bottom club Queens Park Rangers beat Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday to gain fresh hope of securing an extraordinary Premier League escape act.

Local officials believe Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium, considered by FIFA to be the biggest headache in the run-up to the Confederations Cup in June, will be ready to stage a test event next month.

Manchester United host holders Chelsea in the FA Cup Quarter-Finals on Sunday with Sir Alex Ferguson's often fractious relationship with managerial counterpart Rafael Benitez poised for a ceasefire of sorts.

Manchester United's Champions League exit has made it harder for Manchester City to retain their Premier League title, the champions' manager Roberto Mancini said on Friday.

Liverpool's pursuit of a top-four Premier League finish this season can really take off with a win against third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, according to red-hot striker Luis Suarez.

English Premier League football clubs should be able to pay their players as much as they like, Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese said on Friday, attacking new cost control measures.

South African administrator Danny Jordaan, the man in charge of the last World Cup, makes another bid this weekend for a major post in international football after being handed several embarrassing setbacks since 2010.

If things had turned out differently, Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson could well have been playing for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday, rather than trying to help Spurs take another step towards the Champions League.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson broke his silence on Friday over this week's Champions League exit and dismissed media speculation that dropped striker Wayne Rooney's Old Trafford days were numbered.

Boca Juniors continued their stuttering start to the year under multiple title-winning coach Carlos Bianchi with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay's Nacional in a clash of former Libertadores Cup champions at La Bombonera on Thursday.

Corinthians supporters will be allowed back into the stands to watch their team play home Copa Libertadores matches after officials reduced a 60-day ban imposed after a Bolivian boy was killed by a firework.

Tottenham Hotspur trounced a sorry Inter Milan 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday while last year's European champions Chelsea were humbled 1-0 by Steaua Bucharest after being stung by a Raul Rusescu penalty.

Palmeiras players were attacked by the Brazilian team's own fans at Buenos Aires city airport and goalkeeper Fernando Prass was hurt on Thursday after they lost 1-0 to Argentina's Tigre in the Libertadores Cup, the club said.

Some of AS Roma's players were not even born when Francesco Totti made his debut for the club and the 36-year-old shows no signs of stopping after reaching another milestone in his remarkable career.

The last thing struggling Deportivo La Coruna need with three crucial matches against fellow relegation candidates looming is a trip to face wounded La Liga leaders Barcelona on Saturday.

Olympique Marseille defender Rod Fanni wants the Ligue 1 title-chasers to send a message to the teams breathing down their neck when they face second-placed Olympique Lyon on Sunday.

Manchester United will aim to vent their feelings of injustice on holders Chelsea in the FA Cup this weekend after a controversial Champions League exit against Real Madrid on Tuesday torched their hopes of a treble.

Paris Saint-Germain reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 18 years on Wednesday after Argentine striker Ezequiel Lavezzi salvaged a 1-1 home draw with Valencia to secure a 3-2 aggregate success.

Borussia Dortmund's sparkling Champions League run this season has seen them advance to the last eight but the underdogs' hunger for European recognition has yet to be stilled.

Jose Mourinho has been on the ropes at times this season as Real Madrid's La Liga title defence stumbled but the Portuguese coach delivered knockout blows to heavyweight opponents this week that kept the Spanish club's hopes of silverware very much alive.

Cristiano Ronaldo dealt his former club Manchester United a cruel blow by scoring the goal that put Real Madrid into the Champions League quarter-finals after the hosts were left distraught by Nani's harsh dismissal.

Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium is FIFA's main worry as Brazil prepares to host the Confederations Cup in June, FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke said on Tuesday.

Celtic coach Neil Lennon would feel at home working in Italy after his bitter complaints over the refereeing in their Champions League tie with Juventus, his opposite number Antonio Conte said on Tuesday.