Messi Scores Goals 49,50 Of The Season

By Iain Rogers

MADRID (Reuters) - Lionel Messi's astonishing recent goal glut continued on Sunday when he struck twice in a 2-0 win for Barcelona at struggling Racing Santander that trimmed Real Madrid's lead at the top of La Liga back to 10 points.

The Argentine World Player of the Year took his tally to 13 goals in his last five games for Barca, including a record five in Wednesday's Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. MORE....

Messi Hits Five For Barcelona

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By Iain Rogers

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Lionel Messi at his breathtaking best tore Bayer Leverkusen apart with a record five-goal Champions League haul on Wednesday as Barcelona swept into the quarter-finals 7-1 on the night and 10-2 on aggregate.

The Argentine World Player of the Year became the first player to score five in a Champions League match. Substitute Cristian Tello scored twice as the holders equalled the biggest victory margin in the knockout stages of the competition.

Messi, who did not appear to have a bead of sweat on him after the match at the Nou Camp, took his tally to 12 goals in seven Champions League appearances this term, equalling the record for a single season he shares with former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

All five strikes against a hapless Leverkusen, including brilliant dinked efforts with either foot, showcased the stunning skills honed in Barca's youth academy that have won him the World Player award for the past three years.

"The important thing is what the team did and that we qualified for the next round," a typically modest Messi said in a television interview.

"It's nice to score five but winning was the priority," added the 24-year-old, clutching the match ball and smiling shyly. READ ON....

Related articles

• Barcelona Vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 2012 Champions League: Barcelona Slaughter Leverkusen At Camp Nou (sbnation.com)
• Lionel Messi strikes for five goals in 7-1 Barcelona romp (vancouversun.com)
• Barcelona 7, Bayer Leverkusen 1: Messi's Five Goals Lead Barcelona Into Quarterfinals (nytimes.com)

Liverpool Beat Cardiff City On Penalties To Win League Cup

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(Reuters) - Liverpool beat Cardiff City 3-2 on penalties to win the English League Cup for the eighth time following a thrilling game which ended 2-2 after extra time at Wembley on Sunday.

Cardiff's Anthony Gerrard, cousin of Liverpool's Steven, fired the final spot kick wide as the Championship (second division) side's hopes of becoming the first Welsh club to win the trophy ended in heartache. FULL STORY....

Fabio Capello Quits As England's Manager

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David Bond
BBC Sports Editor

Fabio Capello has resigned as England manager, the Football Association has confirmed.

Capello resigned after a meeting with FA chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne at Wembley.

An FA statement read: "The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager."

On Monday, the Italian publicly challenged the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

The FA's statement continued: "The discussions focused on the FA Board's decision to remove the England team captaincy from John Terry, and Fabio Capello's response through an Italian broadcast interview.

"In a meeting for over an hour, Fabio's resignation was accepted and he will leave the post of England manager with immediate effect." FULL ARTICLE....