Barcelona win: Luis Suarez scored twice to help Barcelona to a 4-1 victory over Espanyol in the clash of the Catalans at the Nou Camp. The Uruguayan’s double briefly made him the top scorer in La Liga with 12 goals, until team-mate Lionel Messi moved back level with him in the last minute. It also ended Espanyol’s 10-game unbeaten run and edged the Spanish champions to within three points of leaders Real Madrid.
Balotelli: Mario Balotelli struck twice as Ligue 1 leaders Nice won 2-1 at home to Dijon yesterday to consolidate top spot. The Italian striker, who now has eight goals from as many league appearances, found the back of the net in each half, either side of Julio Tavares’s equaliser for the visitors. Dijon finished with 10 men after captain Cedric Varrault picked up two yellow cards in quick succession two minutes from time.
Rodriguez: Colombia international James Rodriguez said he had received offers to leave European champions Real Madrid and was considering his future in order to play more often. Rodriguez’s importance to Real has faded in the last two seasons, after an impressive first campaign, since his €80-million move from Monaco in 2014, immediately after earning the Golden Boot at the World Cup. “I can’t guarantee if I’m going to stay here. I’ve had offers and I have seven days to think about it. I’m happy at Real Madrid but I want to play more,” Rodriguez told reporters yesterday.
Leicester: Leicester completed a BBC Sports Personality of the Year double after being named team of the year. The award followed manager Claudio Ranieri winning coach of the year after the Foxes won a shock Premier League title last season. Leicester, who also won their Champions League group to reach the knockout stages this season, picked up the trophy at the ceremony in Birmingham.
Ajax held: Ajax missed the chance to move to within three points of Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord after a 1-1 home draw with PSV Eindhoven. They remain second, but trail their rivals by five points at the season’s halfway stage after squandering the lead against third-placed PSV, who with a total of 34 are a further three points behind.