rodriguez the star as Real Madrid score 17th straight win

Holders Real Madrid cruised Tuesday into the round of

16 of the Spanish cup with a 5-0 destruction of regional
third-division side Cornella.
It was Real's 17th straight win in all competitions, a new club
record. They went through on an emphatic 9-1 aggregate, having won
the first leg 4-1 in Cornella.
Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez was the star in the Estadio
Bernabeu with a handsome brace. Isco and youngster Jese - just back
after a long injury lay-off - scored the other goals, plus an own
goal from Cornella's Borja Lopez.
Cornella midfielder Xavi Boniquet earned an early penalty for the
visitors but blasted his spot-kick over the crossbar.
Wednesday will see Barcelona visit Huesca, also of the regional third
division, while Atletico Madrid will face Hospitalet.

Read More

Pele recovering well: walking, sitting up and with no feve

Brazilian soccer legend Pele

 Brazilian football legend Pele continues to recover
well from a urinary tract infection that has kept him in hospital for
over a week, and while he remains in semi-intensive care he can walk
and sit up without problems, hospital authorities said on Wednesday.
Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital said there was to be no need for
the three-time World Cup winner Pele to have haemodialysis again. A
kidney treatment had been applied Thursday and suspended Sunday.
The hospital said Pele had no fever, walked about his room and spent
"a large part of the day sitting in an armchair."
However, no specific date was mentioned for the release of the
74-year-old from hospital.
Pele was readmitted on November 24 with a urinary infection. He had
previously been released on November 15, after having kidney stones
removed.
Brazilian media said that Pele has only one kidney, after having the
other one removed in 1977, while he was playing in the United States
for the New York Cosmos. Neither the football legend's family nor his
doctors have confirmed that, however.

Read More

TV documentary uncovers widespread doping in Russian sport

 Russian sports is plagued by systematic doping,
covering up of tests and corruption, a German television documentary
to be broadcast Wednesday night alleged.
The 60-minute documentary titled "classified information - how Russia
makes its winners" by state broadcaster ARD shows secretly filmed
meetings as well as statements from a former employee of the Russian
Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), Vitaly Stepanov, and his wife, Yuliya
Stepanova, a middle distance runner currently banned over substance
abuse.
"You can't reach your goals without doping. You must dope, that's how
it works in Russia ... You need aid in order to get medals. And
doping is this aid, forbidden substances," Stepanov told ARD.
RUSADA general director Nikita Kamaev dismissed the allegations while
the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) expressed shock.
"If you look at the facts and what I have seen or heard it is
shocking, of course. What we have to do now is to tackle this without
fear and to make sure that those who were fearless are
protected," WADA general director David Howman said.
WADA founding president Richard Pound said: "This is a comprehensive
and extremely alarming case ... If something is organized in a
category like this in a country then it is a huge problem for the
credibility of international sport and the credibility of the fight
against doping."

Read More