In brief

Barcelona: Spain World Cup star David Villa scored a fine debut goal as Barcelona began their title defence with a 3-0 win at Racing Santander yesterday. Villa, 28, directed a well-placed header on the hour for his first league goal in Barca’s colours. Lionel Messi had opened the scoring on three minutes with a neat chip for his 131st club goal to surpass Rivaldo in the club’s goalscoring hall of fame. Andres Iniesta hit a sublime second with a side-footed volley before Villa struck.

Hyypia: Despite suffering a 6-3 defeat at home to Moenchen-gladbach yesterday, Bayer Leverkusen announced they have extended the contract of defender Sami Hyypia until 2012. The 36-year-old Finland centre-back played 33 German league games in his first season for Bayer.

Gyan: Sunderland have opened formal negotiations with French club Rennes over a club record move for Ghana international striker Asamoah Gyan. The Black Cats are keen to recruit a replacement for Kenwyne Jones ahead of tomorrow’s transfer deadline.

Wilshere: Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere was arrested in the early hours of yesterday following a high-street fight. Wilshere was released on bail following the incident in Kensington High Street in London.

Cricket: England won the fourth and final Test against Pakistan by an innings and 225 runs at Lord’s yesterday to win the series 3-1. But Pakistan’s heaviest Test defeat was overshadowed by allegations they had been involved in a betting scam. The News of the World claimed it gave €185,000 to a middle man in return for details about three “no balls” which later were bowled in the match exactly when he had predicted. The report alleged two Pakistan bowlers, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif, delivered the three blatant no-balls at points in the match agreed with the alleged fixer.

Motor Racing: Dario Franchitti took a gamble in the pits and it paid off as he won the Chicago IndyCar race yesterday to claim his third victory of the season and 16th of his career. Franchitti decided to take only fuel and not new tyres during a late race pit stop which allowed him to hold off challengers Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti in the final stages of the race. It was a difficult night for series points leader Will Power, who finished 16th after having to make an extra fuel stop with five laps remaining in the race.

Athletics: Kenya’s Cyrus Njui enjoyed his debut marathon victory with Japan’s Yumiko Hara winning the women’s race in the Hokkaido marathon yesterday. The 24-year-old Njui overcame the hot weather and a one-and-a-half-minute deficit to win the men’s race in two hours 11 minutes 22 seconds, beating compatriots Harun Njoroge Mbugua and Mekubo Job Mogusu. Hara, running a full distance marathon for the first time in more than a year, spurted at around 32 kilometres to take the lead ahead of Hiroko Miyauchi before crossing the finishing line in 2:34:12.

Cycling: Germany’s 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich is to become a father again in February, just weeks after being diagnosed as suffering from burn-out and denying he has an alcohol problem. The 36-year-old and his wife Sara are expecting a second child to join their three-year-old son Max. “Yes, we are expecting our second baby,” Ullrich told Bild yesterday. “We do not want to know what it will be. We don’t know if it is a boy of a girl, the main thing is that the child is healthy.”