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....

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• 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)

Cllint Dempsey Scores As US Beats Italy For First Time

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By DANIELLA MATAR
Associated Press

GENOA, Italy (AP) -- The United States gained a rare victory over a soccer power, beating Italy 1-0 Wednesday night on Clint Dempsey's goal in the 55th minute for its first win over the Azzurri in 11 games over 78 years.

Dempsey, a Texan who has become an increasingly important element of the American team, took a short pass from Jozy Altidore following Michael Bradley's cross and put a right-footed shot from just inside the penalty area just past an outstretched hand of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. MORE....

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....

Egyptian protesters blame police for soccer deaths

By MAGGIE MICHAEL and SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) -- Security forces clashed Thursday with stone-throwing protesters enraged by the failure of police to prevent a soccer riot that killed 74 people, as sports violence spiraled into a new political crisis for Egypt.

The deaths Wednesday night in a post-match stadium riot in the Mediterranean city of Port Said fueled anger at Egypt's ruling military and the already widely distrusted police forces. Many in the public and in the newly elected parliament blamed the leadership for letting it happen - whether from a lack of control or, as some alleged, on purpose. STORY....

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• Egypt braces for more violence after soccer riot kills dozens (macleans.ca)
• 400 hurt in Cairo rally protesting deaths at soccer riot (worldnews.msnbc.msn.com)
• Egyptians blame military for deadly soccer riot (sfgate.com)

Egypt Rioting Depressingly Familiar For Soccer

By GRAHAM DUNBAR and JOHN LEICESTER
AP Sports Writers

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- The riots that killed 74 people in Egypt were sickeningly familiar for soccer: a rush to the field by fans, fighting, a deadly stampede - scenes replayed over and over at stadiums around the world. This time, however, there were important differences.

Most important, context. Soccer in the Arab world has long been tied to politics. Before the Arab Spring, attending soccer games was one of the few outlets to vent frustration about life under autocratic leaders. In Egypt, hardcore fans known as Ultras played an important role in the popular uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak last year. STORY....