Toure, Nasri blasts bring City League Cup joy

Sensational quick-fire goals by Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri inspired Manchester City to come from behind and beat Sunderland 3-1 in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Sunderland had taken a 10th-minute lead through on-loan Liverpool striker Fabio Borini and a fine first-half display left them on course for a first piece of major silverware since 1973.

However, City responded in the second half, with Toure lobbing in a superb long-range equaliser and Nasri smashing home less than two minutes later before substitute Jesus Navas added a third goal at the death.

Asia Cup: Pakistan beat India by 1 wicket

Shahid Afridi slammed an unbeaten 18-ball 34 to give Pakistan a thrilling one-wicket win over India with two balls to spare at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.

Chasing a target of 246, Pakistan almost lost the plot in the last few overs. They needed 13 runs from 12 balls with four wickets in hand. But then lost three quick wickets within a space of five balls.

Afridi, however, held his nerve and smacked spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for two cosecutive sixes in the last over as Pakistan reached 249 with two balls to spare.

La Liga race tightens after Madrid derby draw

The three-horse race for the La Liga title tightened on Sunday when leaders Real Madrid drew 2-2 at city rivals Atletico and Barcelona won 4-1 at home to Almeria.

Real needed a Cristiano Ronaldo goal eight minutes from time to rescue a point at Atletico's Calderon stadium in a typically feisty Madrid derby, before Lionel Messi became only the third player to reach 230 La Liga goals in Barca's victory at the Nou Camp.

With 12 matches left, Real lead on 64 points, with champions Barca, chasing a fifth title in six years, second on 63 and Atletico, who are mounting a genuine challenge for the first time since they last won La Liga in 1996, third on 61.

Atletico recovered from conceding in the third minute to lead Real 2-1 at halftime and were closing in on a first home win against their neighbours in nearly 15 years before Ronaldo pounced on a loose ball and fired low into the corner.

It was the Portugal forward's 23rd goal of the campaign and helped extend Real's unbeaten run to 28 matches, stretching back to a 2-1 reverse away to Barca at the end of October.

Pellegrini lands first trophy in Europe, now wants more

It has been a long time arriving but Manuel Pellegrini can finally celebrate some meaningful European silverware - 10 years after arriving in Spain as a relative unknown.

The Chilean coach, who earned plaudits for his work at unfashionable Villarreal and Malaga, either side of a brief stint at Real Madrid, steered Manchester City to a 3-1 League Cup final triumph over Sunderland on Sunday.

His breakthrough moment did not come easily - City were woeful in the first half before goals by Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas gave them a flattering win - but it could mark a pivotal moment in the career of the 60-year-old.

"I never though that I needed a trophy," Pellegrini (Getty Images)

City have a realistic chance of a unprecedented domestic treble and, with one trophy in the bag, Pellegrini is clearly not about to rest on his laurels.

Protest In Brazil Continues

Determined to rein in protests which have marred the build up and threaten to overshadow the event, Brazilian authorities have vowed to crack down hard on violence in a bid to ensure the World Cup goes off without a hitch.

Brazil was caught out by the biggest protests in a generation last June during the Confederations Cup dress rehearsal event, which saw more than one million people take to the streets.

Some protest groups have vowed to keep on marching to protest the billions being spent on the Cup in a country whose public services need a massive overhaul.

Recent protests have been small, many Brazilians staying away appalled at how radical anarchists known as Black Bloc have injected a violent edge into proceedings. 

Miachael Clarke puts Aussies in a good position

Michael Clarke completed one of the more heroic of his 27 Test hundreds as he steered Australia towards a huge first innings score on the second day of the series-deciding third Test against South Africa at Newlands on Sunday.

The tourists reached the lunch interval on of 434 for four a day after the Australian captain had survived a battering from pace bowler Morne Morkel, who struck him a number of times, including a sickening blow to the back of the head.

Clarke showed admirable composure to battle it out on what is a flat wicket and having been unbeaten on 92 overnight, the right-hander was able to bring up his hundred in the second morning session, despite spending a nervy 24 balls stuck on 99.

Massa on top for Williams, Vettel sidelined

Brazilian Felipe Massa put Williams on top on the penultimate day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Saturday while Red Bull's quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel failed to complete a lap.

Massa, who moved from Ferrari at the end of last year, completed 99 laps in the Mercedes-powered FW36 car and set the fastest time yet in seven days of testing at the Sakhir desert circuit.

"I'm really happy with the car and feel we found a good balance," said the 32-year-old, who carried out a full qualifying simulation on supersoft tyres towards the end of the afternoon.

"You can never be sure that you are 100 percent ready for the first race but I feel that what we have done in these days testing has been important for making sure that we have a car that can not only get to the end of the race but that will have good performance as well."

Vettel's car broke down with an electrical problem on its first lap out of the garage. He tried again later but only made it to the end of the pitlane before stopping again.