FIFA World Cup 2014: Neymar Stars in Brazil's 3-1 Win Over Croatia

Neymar showed why he is carrying Brazil's hopes at the FIFA World Cup, scoring twice on Thursday to help the underwhelming hosts escape a disappointing start to the tournament. (Match Highlights)
With Brazil struggling and down a goal against a spirited Croatian team, Neymar came through to lead his team to a 3-1 win in the opening match, scoring once in each half. The killer goal to make the score 2-1 was a hotly contested penalty awarded by Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura.
Things weren't going well," he said. "The first match is always difficult, we were anxious, we were nervous. I'm glad I was able to get the goals we needed at the time we needed them."
"He is a special player and we know that," Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "And he needs to know that we know that."
Brazil got off to a slow start in its home tournament.
Defender Marcelo found his own net while trying to clear a low cross by Ivica Olic in the 11th minute, stunning the crowd of more than 62,100 packing the Itaquerao Stadium.
But Neymar equalized in the 29th, firing a perfectly placed low shot that went in off the post. He said he didn't hit the ball perfectly, "but it went in, it's all that matters."
"It's important to start these tournaments on the right foot, with a victory," said Neymar. "I'm happy that I got to score, but the entire team deserves credit. We maintained our calm and showed we could battle back."
The game turned on a controversial penalty awarded by Nishimura in the second half after striker Fred went down inside the area under minimal contact from defender Dejan Lovren.
Neymar scored from the spot in the 71st minute, getting his 33rd goal with Brazil. Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa nearly saved Neymar's shot, but it was struck hard enough to deflect into the net.
The Croatians were furious.
"If that was a penalty, we should be playing basketball. Those kinds of fouls are penalized there," Croatia coach Niko Kovac said.
"That is shameful, this is not a World Cup referee. He had one kind of criteria for them and another for us. The rules were not the same," Kovac said.
As Croatia searched desperately for an equalizer, Oscar added to the lead in the first minute of injury time with a toe poke from just outside the penalty area.
A draw would have been a huge disappointment for Brazil, which had won its opening match the last eight times and is overwhelming favorite to win the competition.
"The team didn't give up," Brazil defender David Luiz said "We knew it would be hard but we played well and got that first goal and then the victory."
The tournament finally got underway as planned after months of talk about the preparation problems that plagued Brazil since it was picked as host seven years ago.
The troubled Itaquerao, which wasn't fully finished for the opener, held up without major setbacks to fans or the match itself, although part of the lights atop the pitch went out a few times for brief periods in the first half.

India announce squads for Asia Cup, World T20; Yuvraj in, Ishant and Raina dropped

New Delhi:  Pacer Ishant Sharma has been dropped from India's squads for Asia Cup and T20 World Cup. Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina too has been excluded from the squad announced for Asia Cup and will be replaced by Cheteshwar Pujara. Veteran Yuvraj Singh though has been recalled to the T20 side.

Selectors named the Indian team for the two major cricket tournaments on Tuesday and took a hard look at India's poor performance in the ongoing tour of New Zealand. While Ishant was penalised for his jaded performance in the ODI series - picking two wickets in two of the five matches, Raina has also been woefully out of form - averaging 28 from three matches.


Asia Cup starts from February 25 and World T20 begins March 16 - both to be played in Bangladesh.

India Asia Cup squad: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar, Mohammad Shami, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra and Ishwar Pandey.

India squad for WT20: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma and Varun Aaron.

Nemanja Vidic to end Manchester United career in the summer

The Serbia defender has enjoyed a hugely successful career at Old Trafford since joining from Spartak Moscow in 2006, helping the club win a string of trophies.
But Vidic's contract runs out in the summer and he will seek out a fresh challenge, with Inter Milan thought to be favourites to sign the 32-year-old.
Injuries have restricted Vidic's appearances in recent years and he featured in just 23 games last season, but the centre-back has been a regular starter in United's defence this campaign.
He becomes the latest long-serving player to announce their departure and it remains to be seen if he will be followed by Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs, who are all out of contract in the near future.

"I'm not considering staying in England as the only club I ever wanted to play for here is Manchester United and I was lucky enough to be part of this club for so many years."

Nemanja Vidic

A statement from Vidic on Manchester United's official website read: "I never could have imagined winning 15 trophies and I will certainly never forget that fantastic night in Moscow, memories that will live with me and the fans forever.
"However, I have decided that I will move on at the end of this season. I want to challenge myself again and try to make the best of myself in the coming years.
"I'm not considering staying in England as the only club I ever wanted to play for here is Manchester United and I was lucky enough to be part of this club for so many years.
"I've got a few options to move on and I will choose the right one for me and for my family.
"I am now going to focus all my efforts on playing for Manchester United and do the best I can for the team until the end of the season.

Hockey World League Final Where to Watch Live: India vs Australia Free Live Streaming Information

ndia will look for a big upset when they take on Australia in the quarterfinals of the Hockey World League Final at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium on Wednesday.
Where to Watch Live
The India vs Australia match is scheduled for an 8 pm IST start with live coverage on Ten Action and Ten Sports, with the first match of the day beginning at 1.15 am. The game can be watched online via live streaming around the world HERE. Note: Some territories will be Geo Blocked.
Terry Walsh's men have been pretty disappointing in the tournament so far, losing their first two matches to England and New Zealand respectively, even if there were some signs of improvement following a 3-3 draw against Germany.
"We are consistently improving and will continue to fight and play the same way in the next match as well," coach Walsh said after the 3-3 draw with Germany on Monday. "We need to keep ourselves motivated and improve with every game.

Pakistan-Australia Test series

Australia's Test series against Pakistan in October this year will be downsized to the minimum two matches, while the venue for the encounter is expected to be confirmed as the UAE.

Despite the ICC Future Tours Programme dictating that the tour would consist of three Tests, the PCB has negotiated for the removal of one five-day match to be replaced by a series of limited-overs matches, likely to include three ODIs and a Twenty20 fixture.

While the location of these matches is yet to be finalised, the loss of a Test from the fixture list is certain. This schedule is expected to bring in a more lucrative broadcast fee for the cash-pressured governing body of cricket in Pakistan, forced to subsist on series played in neutral venues since the terrorist attack on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009.

"Our expectation will be that it will be in the UAE, and my expectation is that it won't be three Test matches, it will probably be two Test matches and a combination of one-dayers," James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, told ABC Radio during the Sydney Ashes Test. "Perhaps with a view to the fact there's a World Cup here in Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2015.

"It's the hosts' call on that and we'll work as closely as we can with them, there's a reciprocal arrangement, we wouldn't like to be playing a series of less than three but that's their choice how they balance that, and at the end of the day, Pakistan are not able to host international cricket in Pakistan, their commercial viability is really affected by that, so we respect their position and the decisions they need to make there."

Apart from the UAE, the only other plausible venue for a Test match is Qatar, where the PCB is presently hosting a women's tournament. However stadium facilities and infrastructure in the nation set to host the next football World Cup are not as advanced or varied as those in the UAE, with Dubai host to the ICC's headquarters and global cricket academy.

The most recent encounter between the two nations was also played over just two Tests, the "MCC Spirit of Cricket" series which took place in England in the northern summer of 2010 and was split 1-1 when Pakistan won at Headingley after Australia's victory at Lord's. While CA have spoken consistently of their desire for Test bouts of at least three matches' duration, their own schedule is increasingly light on such series.

Apart from blue-chip contests against England (five Tests) and India (four), Australia have played two-Test series against New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa in recent times. Their next visit to the West Indies in May 2015 is also scheduled to include the bare minimum two Tests.

"The programme is a real challenge, there's no doubt for us as administrators it is one of the most difficult things we do and we often talk about it in the context of being a three-dimensional game of chess," Sutherland said. "Unlike other sporting codes we don't have a unilateral ability to work out what our programme might be, we have to see what's going on in other parts of the world, what country is playing where and how. And we need to work out the international programme and then work out the best we can from the domestic programme."

Marca’s front cover pictured

Marca’s front cover pictured the Portuguese wiping away a tear, with the headline ‘Lloro’ --  a pun on the words ‘cried’ and ‘golden’.
AS went with ‘The Best Won’ on its cover, with a photo of Ronaldo holding the trophy and Madrid’s seven winners through history in a strip down the side of the page.
Inside AS editor Alfredo Relano wrote that Ronaldo had deserved to take the prize ahead of fellow finalists Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.

OtherMarca's front page, headlined 'Lloro', punned on the Spanish words for 'cried' and 'golden'.

“Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2013 Ballon d’Or, and it was fully justified,” Relano wrote. “…This has been a bad year for Messi, while Cristiano has maintained his insistence on excellence. Ribery, ‘the best of the rest’ was just third. Which is already a lot.
“But even more was Cristiano, who yesterday was sincerely emotional on receiving the prize he had worried so much about, after suffering for so many years.”
Marca took the chance to poke fun at Messi -- and his fashion sense -- in a blog on their website which hoovered up the best and worst of the twitter reaction to the ceremony.
More seriously, El Pais writer Jose Samano picked up on how Ronaldo’s moment of triumph -- with his three-year-old son accompanying him on the podium and his mother crying proudly in her seat -- had served to humanise a player who for years was seen as egotistical and unfeeling.
“With his son in tow, Cristiano left in Zurich an image to remember, the poster of an emotional hero, a mortal divinity,” Samano wrote. “Bit by bit, Cristiano has left behind the image of a capricious show-off. We now see a superstar footballer who is more and more commendable, a person who is more and more substantial.”
The Catalan press was less delighted at the result, with Mundo Deportivo maintaining some objectivity by leading with ‘Cristiano Wins’, while also finding room on its cover for Messi vowing to return stronger in 2014.
Sport was slightly more partisan, claiming ‘This time the best has not won’ on its front page.
The general feeling around Catalonia, however, seemed to be that this year Ronaldo had deserved the recognition, with Mundo Deportivo’s online poll on Tuesday morning  showing a clear majority agreeing with the result.

WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for Jan. 13

WWE.com

The Royal Rumble, The Wyatt Family and Randy Orton's upcoming title defense will be the center of the Jan. 13 edition of WWE Raw.

Providence, R.I. hosts a show sure to be built around hype for the matches at the next pay-per-view and the shifting dynamic between the members of Bray Wyatt's bearded clan. Last week showcased names from the past, including the surprise return of Jake "The Snake Roberts."
This week promises to look more toward the future.
Digging through previews, backstage reports and tweets reveals some of what to expect come Monday night. A promising tag match and Orton whining awaits. "The Beast" emerging to respond to Big Show's challenge does not.

News, Reports on Who Will Show Up
Lilian Garcia will be on Monday's Raw; Kaitlyn will not. Garcia tweeted that she'll be handling announcing duties for the episode.

She wrestled her farewell match on the Jan. 8 edition of Main Event. Her departure gives AJ Lee one less rival and will lead to even more focus on the women from Total Divas.
With AJ just days away from passing Maryse as the longest-reigning Divas champ ever, one has to assume that the champion will have to fend someone off before she claims that record. Will one of The Funkadactyls or The Bella Twins get a crack at the title, or does someone else offer a challenge?
WWE has largely ignored this story, but this is the last Raw before AJ would surpass Maryse, so there's an opportunity for drama that the company is likely to take advantage of.
As of last Friday's SmackDown, Brock Lesnar and Big Show are set to battle at the Royal Rumble.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher: Arsenal grit is sign of progress

Arsene Wenger's side returned to the top of the Premier League on Monday night with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa secured through first-half goals from Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal were in control for long periods, but Christian Benteke's 76th-minute header sparked a grandstand finish from the hosts and the Gunners' back four did well to stand firm in the closing stages.

Wenger praises Arsenal resilience

They have won their last three away games in the Premier League, following successes at West Ham and Newcastle, and Monday Night Football expert Carragher said that has been built upon the performances of the club's less high-profile players.
"When you think of teams digging in you think of that last 15 minutes and tough away games," he said.
"They were 1-0 down at West Ham, let's not forget, and Newcastle was another difficult game and that's where you need your back four.
"You can talk about the days when you score four or five and it's great for your attacking players; Ozil, Wilshere, Cazorla and all the different players in different positions, popping up.
"But at times you need that back four. You need Flamini and Arteta in front; players who are not 9/10, but are 7/10 every week and win you those tough away games.
"Tonight for the first hour they were not really under too much pressure. They had Aston Villa at arm's length and were under control, but those last 15 or 20 minutes happen in away games and you've got to deal with it.
"That's what they did tonight."

Alex Rodriguez sues Major League Baseball in bid to overturn suspension.

13 January:-

Two days after being suspended for the entire 2014 season, A-Rod is back to taking swings.
Alex Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball and its players' union Monday, seeking to overturn a season-long suspension imposed by an arbitrator who ruled there was "clear and convincing evidence" he used three banned substances and twice tried to obstruct the sport's drug investigation.
As part of the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, the New York Yankees third baseman made public Saturday's 33-page decision by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who shortened a penalty originally set at 211 games last August by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for violations of the sport's drug agreement and labor contract.
"While this length of suspension may be unprecedented for a MLB player, so is the misconduct he committed," Horowitz wrote in his decision Saturday.
Horowitz trimmed the penalty to 162 games, plus all postseason games in 2014.
Rodriguez in his suit claimed the Major League Baseball Players Association "completely abdicated its responsibility to Mr. Rodriguez to protect his rights" and "this inaction by MLBPA created a climate in which MLB felt free to trample" on Rodriguez's confidentiality rights.
Rodriguez asked for the court to find MLB violated its agreements with the union, that the union breached its duty to represent him and to throw out Horowitz's decision.
The three-time AL MVP five years ago admitted using performance-enhancing drugs while with Texas from 2001-03 but has denied using them since. MLB's investigation of Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic, was sparked after the publication of documents last January by Miami New Times.
Anthony Bosch, the clinic's former head, agreed last year to cooperate with MLB's investigation, and Rodriguez's lawyers attacked his credibility because of that agreement.
"The deck has been stacked against me from day one," Rodriguez said in a statement released Saturday. "This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable."
Horowitz concluded Rodriguez used testosterone, human growth hormone and Insulin-like growth factor-1 in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in violation of baseball's Joint Drug Agreement.
"Direct evidence of those violations was supplied by the testimony of Anthony Bosch and corroborated with excerpts from Bosch's personal composition notebooks, BBMs (Blackberry messages) exchanged between Bosch and Rodriguez, and reasonable inferences drawn from the entire record of evidence," Horowitz wrote.
Horowitz said Rodriguez was introduced to Bosch by A-Rod cousin Yuri Sucart, who knew Bosch through Jorge "Oggi" Velazquez.
"Contrary to the claim of Rodriguez, the challenges lodged to the credibility of Bosch's testimony do not effectively refute or undermine the findings of JDA violations," the arbiter wrote.
Rodriguez did not testify in the grievance, walking out after Horowitz refused to order Selig to testify.
In Selig's notice of discipline to Rodriguez on Aug. 5, he said MLB is actively investigating allegations he received banned substances in 2009 from Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to a federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.

FIFPro WORLD XI

MANUEL NEUER (BAYERN MUNICH & GERMANY)

The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was an obvious choice having become the most reliable in the business. Neuer had a super year as a part of the Bayern team who swept the board with five trophies in 2013, including the Bundesliga title, the German Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA European Super Cup.

PHILIPP LAHM (BAYERN MUNICH & GERMANY)

Like his club-mate, Neuer, Lahm was another who did not have many rivals for his place at full-back. Defensively dependable, intelligent on the ball and agile in attack, the Germany international has every attribute required for a modern full-back. Lahm has even demonstrated his versatility at times in the past year when stepping into central midfield for the monstrous Bayern.

SERGIO RAMOS (REAL MADRID & SPAIN)

The Spanish legend may have fallen out with Jose Mourinho during 2013 but that still did not damage a fine personal year at Real. It is remarkable to think Ramos will still be only turning 28 in March. Having now become an ultimately reliable centre-back after playing as a full-back earlier in his career, the Real Madrid man epitomises the 21st Century footballer.

THIAGO SILVA (PSG & BRAZIL)

The Paris Saint Germain colossus is considered by many as the best centre-back in the world having taken his big-money move to France's capital in his stride. His calmness and composure mean he enjoyed a fine 2013 with PSG. In the 2012/13 season, Thiago Silva averaged 2.9 interceptions per game and 6.3 clearances. He also helped 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil to the Confederations Cup.

DANI ALVES (BARCELONA & BRAZIL)

Barcelona's full-back is seen as a major factor in his club-mate, Lionel Messi, becoming the sensational player he is today. With typically Brazilian style, Alves attacks at every opportunity and provides the width for his team when Messi cuts inside. Alves was a key man in Barcelona winning the 2013 La Liga title and, like Thiago Silva, also helped Brazil win the Confederations Cup in the same year.

ANDRES INIESTA (BARCELONA & SPAIN)

The second of the four Barcelona players included in the Team of the Year and there is again little argument. That not winning the Champions League was considered an off year for Barcelona personifies the achievements of a club who have been driven forward by the awe-inspiring, deft playmaking and attacking of Iniesta.

XAVI (BARCELONA & SPAIN)

The definitive pass master would be in pretty much anyone's team. Barcelona's Xavi may again have not enjoyed the highs of previous years but he is still a master of his art. At 599, the Spaniard has played the most successful passes in this season's Champions League and, like Iniesta, Alves and Messi, helped his club to the Primera Liga title in the last campaign.

FRANCK RIBERY (BAYERN MUNICH & FRANCE)

Up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi for the Ballon d'Or award, Bayern's Ribery was an obvious inclusion. Any Bayern player would have been deserving of a place after their stunning calendar year in 2013 but Ribery was arguably the pick of the bunch. As a speedy, attacking threat of goals and assists down the flanks, the Frenchman is feared around the world.

CRISTIANO RONALDO (REAL MADRID & PORTUGAL)

Like his Real Madrid colleagues, he may have failed to win a trophy in 2013 but Portugal international Ronaldo's stats combined for club and country make for incredible reading. Ronaldo scored seven hat-tricks, 69 goals in 59 appearances, and went on 252 dribbles while also becoming the first player in Real's history to score more than 30 goals in three successive seasons. At the same time, Ronaldo almost singlehandedly beat Sweden in the World Cup play-offs.

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (PSG & SWEDEN)

There will always be a debate about Ibrahimovic's standing in world football; some love the Paris Saint Germain star while others are still to be convinced. However, the Swedish striker revelled in another year full of goals galore, spectacular strikes and winning games for club and country to mean he more than merits a place in the world's best XI.

LIONEL MESSI (BARCELONA & ARGENTINA)

The end of Messi's 2013 may have been damaged by injury but he still scored a phenomenal 42 goals in 45 games for Barcelona and Argentina. He remains a force of nature on the ball with a combination of killer technique, lethal finishing and phenomenal skill. The debate about Messi being the best player of all time will continue forever.

PLAYER REACTION- Stoke 3-5 Liverpool

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, speaking to BBC Sport: "We are delighted with the points. It was a crazy game.
"Stoke showed a lot of character, but so did we. We must enjoy the moment, then move onto the next game. Every game we have to be winning, it does not matter who we are playing. That is the mentality we look to have.
"It was great [to score] but it is not about my individual statistics - it is about the boys. My goal settled the nerves, but in the end we did really well to win the game.
"I am delighted to be back out there, and delighted that Luis Suarez is scoring the goals he is for this wonderful club