Lionel Messi broke German great Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old record for most goals in a year by scoring for the 86th time in 2012 on Sunday.The Argentina forward scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 2-1 win at Real Betis in the Spanish league match. His first was an individual effort in the 16th minute to equal Mueller's mark, and he eclipsed the 1972 milestone with a familiar left-footed finish nine minutes later.``As I have said many times, the record is nice but the important thing is the victor

English sides Liverpool and Tottenham are through to the knockout stage of the Europa League after beating Udinese and Panathinaikos respectively on Thursday.Steaua Bucharest, Stuttgart and FC Basel claimed the remaining berths in the last 32 to be played in February.In Italy, Jordan Henderson scored midway through the first half to help Liverpool to a 1-0 win, and avenging the 3-2 loss to Udinese at Anfield in October.“(Henderson) is a great lad and works hard and has come in over the last mont

LONDON (AP) ― Lionel Messi was taken off the field on a cart because of a knee injury in Barcelona’s 0-0 tie with Benfica in a Champions League game Wednesday night, while defending champion Chelsea failed to advance to the final 16 in the tournament.With Barcelona already assured of advancing to the second round, Messi entered as a reserve in the 58th minute.Messi’s left knee collided with the right hand of Benfica’s Artur as the Argentine star ran onto Gerard Pique’s long pass and tried to rou

LONDON (AP) ― Still establishing himself in the Premiership is South Korea international Ki Sung-yueng, though he’s making a mark at surprising Swansea, which has only one loss in its last 10 matches. Ki attributes Swansea’s success to tactics.“I think we have a very good squad and the way we try to play is working very well, so we just want to keep doing it,” Ki said. “It’s not easy to keep the ball and keep passing it. It’s easy to say, but not easy to do.” Swansea, at home to Norwich City on

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke says he expects goal-line technology to be used in the English Premier League “sooner or later,” as football‘s world body prepares to trial two systems in Japan.Hawk-Eye and GoalRef will feature at the eight-game Club World Cup, which starts Thursday and features continental champions -- including Chelsea and Brazil’s Corinthians -- battling to be crowned the best team on the planet.Speaking ahead of the opening match in Yokohama, Valcke said the high financi

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday it has opened an investigation into a South Korean footballer who displayed a controversial sign while celebrating the country’s bronze medal at the London Olympics.On its Web site, the IOC said it has formed a Disciplinary Commission to investigate the case of Park Jong-woo. After South Korea beat Japan 2-0 to claim the bronze medal, the 23-year-old midfielder celebrated with a sign that read, in Korean, “Dokdo Is Our Territory.” It was in

Paris Saint-Germain and Schalke wrapped up the top spots in their Champions League groups Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo scored his tournament-leading sixth goal to help Real Madrid beat Ajax 4-1.A 17-minute snow delay during the Dinamo Zagreb-Dynamo Kiev match offered something unexpected on a night when all places in the last 16 were decided before kickoff.Kaka also scored for Madrid, but Borussia Dortmund won the group earlier by beating winless Manchester City 1-0. Borussia Dortmund will be

As a member of a small minority in Major League Baseball, Curtis Granderson, an All-Star outfielder for the New York Yankees, said Monday he believes diversity is the most important thing in baseball today.In Seoul as an MLB International Ambassador, helping promote the sport across the globe during offseasons through clinics and fan meetings, Granderson said the ability to connect with people from different backgrounds is the key to success on the field.“If you can’t get along in the clubhouse,

Park Jong-woo has been suspended for two games by FIFA for raising a sign asserting Korea’s sovereignty over the Dokdo islets after the bronze-medal match victory over Japan at this year’s London Olympics, the Korea Football Association said Monday.The KFA said that it was notified of the decision and also a FIFA warning against the local association. It will not appeal the ruling of the international governing body of football because it is a light penalty.FIFA will inform the International Ol

Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanovic of FC Seoul was voted the MVP of South Korea’s top soccer league Monday, while his head coach, Choi Yong-soo, was honored as coach of the year as the 2012 K-League champion club dominated the awards ceremony.At the year-end festivities held at a Seoul hotel, Damjanovic earned 92 of 116 votes from the media to become only the third foreign-born player to win the K-League MVP since the league’s inception in 1983. The 31-year-old led the competition with 31 goal

THOUSAND OAKS, California (AP) ― Graeme McDowell could think of no better way to head home for a 10-week holiday that to win for the first time in two years.And he couldn’t have found a better place to end the drought than Sherwood Country Club.Even with the course playing longer than ever in a light rain, McDowell closed with a 4-under 68 on Sunday and held off Keegan Bradley with a pair of superb short-game shots that carried him to a three-shot win in the World Challenge.It was the 10th time

CARSON, California (AP) ― Landon Donovan scored the tiebreaking goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, and David Beckham left MLS as a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup on Saturday.Omar Gonzalez tied it in the 61st minute with a long header for the Galaxy, who defended their title in a rematch of last season’s championship game.With a stirring second-half surge capped by Robbie Keane’s goal on another penalty kick in injury tim