Barcelona pegged back by rivals

Barcelona fell five points behind Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish league as they were held to a 1-1 draw by local rivals Espanyol.

Pep Guardiola's side came into the match six points behind Madrid following the challengers' win against Granada on Sunday but were hoping to cut the gap back to three by beating their lowly neighbours.

They looked on course to do so as Cesc Fabregas gave them a 16th-minute lead but after failing to build on the opener, Barca - who also had efforts correctly ruled out for handball and offside - conceded the equaliser with less than five minutes to go as Alvaro Vazquez dived to head home.

Gerard Pique hit the bar with a late effort and Espanyol survived a penalty appeal for handball as Barca were left frustrated.

Artiz Aduriz scored three minutes from time as Valencia recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Villarreal at El Madrigal.

Jorge Molina was taking charge of Villarreal for the first time and his side made an ideal start as Marco Ruben and Gonzalo had them 2-0 up inside 18 minutes.

But Sofiane Feghouli finished well at the end of an excellent team move to get one back before half-time and Villarreal were made to pay for passing up chances to kill the game off in the second half as Aduriz calmly curled the ball home from 18 yards.

Real Betis made it three straight wins with a 2-0 victory at home to nine-man Sporting Gijon.

On-loan striker Roque Santa Cruz scored the opener midway through the first half and substitute Jorge Molina made the points safe in injury time.

Sporting played the entire second half a man light after Alberto Lora was sent off a minute before half-time after picking up two yellow cards in six minutes for two fouls on Jefferson Montero. And they finished the game two men down after Carmelo was also shown a second yellow seconds from the final whistle.

Jose Antonio Reyes failed to inspire Sevilla to victory on his return to the club as Rayo Vallecano picked up three valuable points with a 2-1 win.

Miguel Michu opened the scoring for the hosts before Raul Tamudo made it two six minutes into the second period, and although Julien Escude pulled one back for the visitors just after the hour, Rayo held on for their first win in five in La Liga.

Sevilla, meanwhile, have now lost three on the spin in the league and are losing ground on their rivals in the race to land a Champions League berth.

Getafe and Athletic Bilbao shared the points in an entertaining goalless draw at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

Most of the clear-cut chances came in the second period, as Markel Susaeta hit the bar for the visitors and Miku did likewise for Getafe. But in the end it was the goalkeepers who came out on top as Gorka Iraizoz and Miguel Angel Moya both made crucial saves in the final 10 minutes to maintain the deadlock.

Kallis targetting 2015 World Cup

In 16 years of international cricket, Jacques Kallis has scored centuries against all nine other Test playing nations, has been part of series wins in Australia and England and has seen numerous ODI series victories. One thing he does not have, though, is a World Cup medal and it is that missing piece that is driving him to try to continue playing international cricket until at least 2015.

"The one thing I want to try and achieve is to be part of a team that can win a World Cup. That's a goal of mine," Kallis said after South Africa's victory in the third Test against Sri Lanka, in Cape Town. Kallis has played 317 ODIs, including five World Cups. He will turn 37 this year and will be 39 by the time the next World Cup takes place, in Australia and New Zealand, in 2015.

At the start of the summer local media expressed concern about what they called Kallis' dwindling reflexes, after he was worked over by Australia's 18-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins, who trouble Kallis with his bouncer. Kallis said he did not read the reports and was only told about it by friends. His response on the field, though, was fierce.

He scored 224, his highest Test score, against Sri Lanka at Newlands, an aggressive pull shot the hallmark of his innings. He also extinguished doubts about his reflexes by taking six catches, five of which were at second slip. To cap it off, he took three wickets in Sri Lanka's second innings. It was an emphatic way to celebrate his 150th Test match and a screaming declaration of what he still has to offer South African cricket. "I couldn't have asked for it to have worked out better," Kallis said. "You dream of performances like that."

While he appeared closer to a teenager than someone entering his late 30s in Cape Town, Kallis has acknowledged that his workload needs to be managed. He did not bowl in the first innings at Newlands, after his marathon effort with the bat, because his captain Graeme Smith felt he "would not get much out of him."

Managing Kallis' bowling load could be key to prolonging his career. That could prove tricky due to the make-up of South Africa's bowling attack. With three aggressive fast bowlers and a legspinner in the side, Kallis is required to play a containing role with the ball, and if needed, to, in his words, "carry," the attack. In the shorter form of the game, he is unlikely to be used in the same capacity and less work with the ball could be vital as he targets 2015.

"I will take it year by year, month by month and game by game," he said. "No-one has the right to play in this side [without earning his place]. You've got to put in the performances for that. As long as I am enjoying it and putting in the performances, and the body holds, there's no reason for me to stop yet."

Kallis has been named in South Africa's squad for the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka, after which the selectors will decide on the group for the remaining three matches. Kallis said he hopes to play in all five fixtures although he recognises that he may be forced to pick which matches to play in the future.

"It looks like I will play all five matches. I said to Gary [Kirsten, the South Africa coach], we will have a look at it after the first two and we'll make a call from there. That will be the standard going forward. I have to be clever if I want to make it to the next World Cup."

Bresnan ruled out of Test series

Tim Bresnan, the England pace-bowling allrounder, has been ruled out of the Test series against Pakistan after failing to recover from the elbow surgery he underwent before Christmas.

Bresnan travelled with the squad to the UAE last week but was not able to play in the first warm-up match against a Combined ICC XI. His absence is a significant blow for England as he is able to get the ball to reverse-swing, which is set to be a key weapon in the Test series, and also adds to the team's formidable lower-order strength.

"Bresnan tried to bowl today, having had an injection and a good rest," Andrew Strauss, the England captain, said. "I think we were all expecting him to be absolutely fine. But it's very painful - and given that, he's probably not going to be able to play for two or three weeks."

England have won the 10 Tests that Bresnan has played. Having played a key part in the Ashes series he missed the start of the last English season with a calf problem. He initially suffered the injury in the one-day series in Australia before a recurrence during a Championship match against Hampshire. He returned to the side after Chris Tremlett was injured against India. During his comeback match at Trent Bridge he hit 90 and took 5 for 48 . He went on to take nine more wickets in the series against India and score another half-century.

"I'm obviously gutted not to have an opportunity to play in the Test series," Bresnan said, "but I knew that looking at my rehabilitation programme it was always going to be touch and go to get me ready for the series. I want to wish the squad all very best and the priority for me now is to get myself ready for the one-day series in February."

Graham Onions travelled with the team to the UAE as a reserve member of the squad and has now been elevated to a permanent member. Steven Finn, who played against the ICC XI, will be the favourite to replace Bresnan in the Test line up.

Meanwhile, Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, did not field on the final morning of the match against the ICC XI after reporting some muscle soreness in his leg and will be sent for a scan, while Tremlett has been suffering from an eye infection during the early days of the tour and will visit a doctor.

Matt Prior, the Test wicketkeeper, missed the ICC XI match with a bruised finger but Strauss confirmed he will be able to play the second warm-up game on Wednesday.

Australia aim for 3-0 in Perth, leave talk of 4-0 for later

The rest of the world has been talking about it ever since India were bowled out for 191 on the first day of the SCG Test, but a 4-0 whitewash isn't being discussed in the Australian change-room just yet,Michael Hussey has said. "We haven't spoken about that at all," Hussey said. "In Sydney we just tried to enjoy that amazing Test match and then, basically, close the door on that one and start afresh.

"We start nil-all again here in Perth. We haven't thought about those results too much, but we're confident. We're playing a good brand of cricket at the moment. We've just got to keep improving a little bit from every game."

Making it 3-nil in Perth is a better goal, though, and a tangible thought at the moment. "That's obviously the goal," Hussey said. "That would be an awesome achievement from the team."

Hussey didn't want to sound overconfident, though. "It's going to be a tough Test match," he said. "India has got some great players, a lot of experience and a lot of pride. I'm expecting them to bounce back quite hard in this Test match."

The last time Hussey came to Perth for a Test match, Australia were down 1-0 in the Ashes. Australia would go on to lose the series, but at his home ground Hussey scored 61 and 116 to help Australia level the rubber. He is happy to be back, and happy that the circumstances are different. "It [that Ashes] feels a fair time ago, but it still hurts when it keeps getting brought up," Hussey said. "It was a tough time last year for the team to go through, for everyone who was involved, but it can make you stronger by going through tough times like that as a team. We're certainly trying to learn the lessons from those tough times, but we're [also] trying to think positively and look forward to the way the team wants to go in the future rather than looking at the negative times.

"We think it [the team] is a work in progress and we think we can improve a fair bit but it's been an enjoyable ride so far. I'm glad I've had the chance to be a part of it so far and I'd like to be part of it in the future too."

Hussey said he was looking forward to perform in front of his home fans. "I love the Perth Test match," he said. "The crowd here give unbelievable support. The roar you get as a local player when you come out to bat or take a catch is 10 times louder than for any other player. We're a very parochial mob over here. I know the conditions extremely well as well, so that's an advantage over other players from around the country and around the world. It is a great place to play cricket. Once you get in on this pitch, it's fantastic for batting."

The last time Australia played India here, they lost. That Test followed a particularly bitter SCG Test, and Hussey feels the controversy might have galvanised the Indian team then. "They came to Perth with a real determination to do well after all the controversy of that [SCG] match. I didn't feel at the time that it affected our team, but maybe it did a bit with all the controversy going on outside of the game.

"And there were some real outstanding performances in that game. It was probably the birth of Ishant Sharma, who bowled unbelievably well in that Test match. I remember a spell to Ricky Ponting, which was just phenomenal bowling and the Indians played a great brand of cricket in that particular Test match and were too good in those five days.

"They are a very proud bunch of cricketers, a very experienced bunch of cricketers, and I'm expecting them to bounce back extremely hard. They will take some confidence out of winning the last Test match between the two sides at this ground. But looking at our camp, we're an extremely determined camp as well, we're trying to go in a direction under Michael Clarke, who's done a great job as captain since he's taken over from Ricky. So we're a very determined bunch of cricketers as well."

England survive wobble to take victory

England XI 185 for 8 dec (Cook 76) and 261 for 7 (Strauss 78, Nabi 3-66) beat ICC Combined XI 281 (Viljoen 98, Broad 4-46) and 164 for 9 dec (Shahzad 74, Broad 3-22)

England overcame another middle-order wobble to secure a three-wicket win against the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI in Dubai. Andrew Strauss's 78 had put the visitors in control as they chased 261, but five wickets fell for 66 to leave the game in the balance, and it required composure from Steven Davies and Stuart Broad to ensure England started the tour with victory.

When Ian Bell departed England still needed 62 and the ICC XI were confident of pulling off an upset. However, Davies and Broad played sensibly to chip away at the target, although Broad fell with the scores level. The partnership was not without alarm, though, as Davies was put down at cover on 20 and Broad would have been run out had Majid Haq produced a better throw.

The ICC XI had declared 18.3 overs into the day to set up the final innings of the match, and the early indications were that England would have few problems as Strauss added 63 with Alastair Cook. Jonathan Trott almost departed for a duck - again to a catch down the leg side - but the umpires ruled the chance had not carried to the wicketkeeper. He and Strauss combined in a 70-run stand, which took England halfway towards their target with Strauss reaching a crisp fifty off 67 balls.

However, Strauss toe-ended a pull to midwicket off Haq, which opened the door for the ICC XI. Kevin Pietersen revived an old story when he chipped a catch to mid-on off George Dockrell, the Ireland left-arm spinner, who was drafted into the team after injury to Hamid Hassan. England were steadied by the Warwickshire pair of Trott and Ian Bell before another flurry of wickets.

Trott was caught at short leg and Eoin Morgan completed a lean match when he glanced Boyd Rankin down the leg side. Bell, who had played confidently to reach 39, then fell to a paddle-sweep, which Paul Stirling, fielding at slip, anticipated superbly as he ran around behind the wicketkeeper to take the catch.

Earlier in the day Broad took his seventh wicket of the match when he removed Mohammad Nabi, but Mohammad Shahzad ensured the lead was extended at a good rate alongside Haq before William Porterfield had the luxury of declaring. Graeme Swann was absent from the field with a slight muscle problem but came to the middle to hit the winning run.

Olympics – London looks to legacy with 200 days to go

The London Olympics countdown entered its final 200 days on Monday with government and organisers talking up the legacy Britain can look forward to long after the last medal has been won and the show is over. On the day three more Games venues had their future ownership announced, Prime Minister David Cameron was due to hold his first cabinet meeting of the New Year at the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. “I want the message to go out loud and clear, from tourism to business, sport to investment, we are determined to maximise the benefits of 2012 for the whole country,” Cameron said in a statement. “Today, as we mark 200 days to go, and six out of the eight Olympic venues having already secured their future, we are well on track to delivering a lasting legacy for the whole of Britain.” Sporting legacy and the economic regeneration of a run-down area of east London, without the facilities becoming a drain on public finances after the Games, were central to London’s successful bid in 2005 but critics have questioned how much money the government can recoup. Details on the operators to take over the wave-shaped Aquatics Centre, multi-use Handball Arena and 115 metre high steel AccelorMittal Orbit feature will be announced by the Olympic Park Legacy Company later in the day. The new contracts will create at least 254 jobs on the Park, whose estate management and maintenance has also been secured, and means six of eight permanent venues now have a clear ownership beyond the Games.

MILLION VISITORS 

The government expects the Orbit, a landmark helter-skelter of a structure designed by artist Anish Kapoor and taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty, to attract up to a million visitors a year. They hope the Aquatics Centre could see 800,000 users a year as a local community facility accessible to all as well as remaining a venue for world class events. The multi-use Arena will become the capital’s third largest, hosting up to half a million visitors a year to concerts, exhibitions and sports events. The remaining two venues yet to have confirmed legacy operators are the main stadium, which has cost 486 million pounds ($748.81 million) to build, and the international broadcast and press centre. “To find operators to take over these world class facilities so far ahead of the Games and to secure their commitment to spread jobs and opportunities throughout the local communities is the icing on the 2012 cake,” said London mayor Boris Johnson. “We can now start the run in to a fantastic year of celebration with huge pride and optimism that London will stage great Games, delivering lasting sustainable benefits long after the athletes have departed.” Paul Deighton, chief executive of organising committee LOCOG, urged businesses and the public to embrace the Games and not squander the opportunity of a lifetime. “The thing that keeps me up at night is whether we will take full advantage of the extraordinary opportunity coming our way this summer,” he told the Guardian newspaper. “I know that by the time we get to the end of this most people will say that they had no idea of the scale and opportunity of this, if only. I don’t want too many if onlys.”

The FA cup

ENGLAND

On a dramatic weekend in England, Manchester United knocked holders Manchester City out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 third round win. Wayne Rooney scored twice, netting either side of the controversial sending off of City captain Vincent Kompany, with Danny Welbeck also on target to make it 3-0 before the break. But City pulled a goal back early in the second half when Aleksandar Kolarov bent a free-kick round the wall from the edge of the box. And 10-man City struck again when Sergio Aguero made it 3-2 in the 65th minute following a mistake by United substitute Paul Scholes, summoned out of retirement by manager Sir Alex Ferguson following an injury crisis. United’s reward is a fourth round trip to Liverpool who beat Oldham 5-1. That game at Anfield was overshadowed by allegations of racial abuse made by Oldham player Tom Adeyemi against fans seated on the Kop. A 20-year-old fan was arrested and bailed by Liverpool police. Neil Warnock was sacked as manager of struggling QPR, just eight months after leading the London club to promotion from the Championship.

SPAIN

Barcelona suffered a major setback to their hopes of retaining their La Liga title when they were held to a 1-1 draw by city rivals Espanyol, a result which left them five points behind Real Madrid. Barcelona took a 16th-minute lead through a header from Cesc Fabregas —the club’s 100th goal in all competitions this season —but were rocked when Alvaro Vazquez scored an 86th-minute equaliser. Gerard Pique hit the woodwork in injury-time as Barca’s last chance for the three points went begging. Real had coasted to a 5-1 win over Granada on Saturday. The home side went in 2-1 at the break with goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos while Mikel Rico scored in between for Getafe. The game turned straight after the restart with strikes from Gonzalo Higuain and another for Benzema before Cristiano Ronaldo, with his 21st of the league season, wrapped up the scoring a minute from the end.

ITALY

AC Milan, Juventus and Udinese all won to put daylight between themselves and the pack in the Serie A title race. Milan won 2-0 at Atalanta to remain level on points with Juve, who beat Lecce 1-0, but Udinese are just two points back after they thumped 10-man Cesena 4-1. Milan had what on paper looked the toughest task of the day but they were given a helping hand in the first half. Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato collided with Thomas Manfredini as the pair chased a loose ball in the box, with both crumpling to the ground. The referee pointed to the spot and Zlatan Ibrahimovic shot home low to goalkeeper Andrea Consigli’s right. Kevin-Prince Boateng scored the clincher eight minutes from time after being set up by Ibrahimovic. At rock bottom Lecce, Juve won thanks to a horror error from home goalkeeper Massimiliano Benassi. Mirko Vucinic’s shot from outside the box didn’t look too troublesome but Benassi failed to hold it and Alessandro Matri ran in to head home the rebound.

FRANCE

Diego Lugano’s 93rd-minute header gave Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 victory over fifth-tier Saint-Colomban Locmine in the French Cup and spared Carlo Ancelotti from humiliation in his first game as PSG coach. The game at Lorient’s Stade du Moustoir was heading to extra time when Uruguay captain Lugano converted Nene’s cross at the back post to send PSG into the last 32 and end Locmine’s brave resistance. It meant Ancelotti escaped unscathed from his first official game at the PSG helm, but the players and fans of Locmine —85 places below PSG in the French football pyramid — are unlikely to forget their moment in the spotlight.

PORTUGAL

Benfica went two points clear at the top after a 4-0 rout of Uniao Leiria while champions FC Porto were held 0-0 at Sporting Lisbon.

Golf: Oosthuizen wins second Africa Open title

A birdie off a long putt at the penultimate hole on Sunday set up South African Louis Oosthuizen for his second consecutive Africa Open title.Closest rival Tjaart van der Walt of South Africa dropped a shot by three putting the same par-three to turn a deadlock into a two-stroke advantage for the former British Open champion in the opening 2012 European Tour event. A stray three-wood drive on the final hole did not deter 29-year-old Oosthuizen and although his second from the rough to the par-four went through the green, he got down in two to seal a fourth European Tour success by two strokes.Oosthuizen, nicknamed Shrek after the movie character, won the British Open and Andalucia Open two seasons ago and the Africa Open last year over the same 6,190-metre East London Golf Club course. Van der Walt, level at 21-under-par with Oosthuizen overnight, never gave up fighting but once again had to settle for a bridesmaid role after finishing runner-up 10 times in a 16-year professional career. Oosthuizen finished on 265 -- 27 under for four journeys around the part-links, part-parkland course that overlooks the Indian Ocean, Van der Walt on 267 and former Major winner Retief Goosen on 268 in an all-South African top three.

Murray flattens Dolgopolov in Brisbane final

World No.4 Andy Murray laid down a marker for the Australian Open with a 65-minute demolition of Alexandr Dolgopolov in the final of the Brisbane International on Sunday. Murray, runner-up at Melbourne Park for the past two years, showed no mercy against the world No.15 from Ukraine as he cruised to the title 6-1, 6-3 in the Pat Rafter Arena. The Scotsman was lethal in all departments as he dominated Dolgopolov, a player who pushed him to four close sets in the Australian Open quarter-finals last year but who took a slight groin injury into the final. "I served pretty well again, it got close in the second set but I stayed focussed," Murray said. "He started going for his shots and hit quite a few winners but I didn t let it get to me." Murray broke Dolgopolov twice in the first set and did not lose a point on his first three service games to claim the opener in just 26 minutes. He went on a run of nine consecutive games from 2-1 in the first to 4-0 in the second before the Ukrainian finally stemmed the flow by holding serve for only the second time in the match. That signalled a slight rally from Dolgopolov, who then got a service game back and fought to make it 4-3. But Murray held his next serve then broke Dolgopolov to love to clinch the Roy Emerson Trophy and his 22nd title on the ATP tour.