In Argentina: River Plate fought back from three goals down to draw 3-3 at home to Huracan in Diego Simeone's final match as coach on Sunday. At the other end of the Argentine Apertura table, Boca Juniors stayed level on points with leaders San Lorenzo after a stunning injury-time free-kick by Juan Roman Riquelme gave them a 1-0 win at Arsenal. Simeone left defending champions River Plate with the team bottom of the table and having extended their winless domestic run to 12 games.
Barcelona: Barcelona's tally of 34 goals from their first 10 league games is the best since Real Madrid hit the same number in the 1958/59 season, Barca said on its website (www.fcbarcelona.com). The Catalans beat Real Valladolid 6-0 at the Nou Camp on Saturday and lead the Liga by one point.
St Etienne sack coach: St Etienne sacked coach Laurent Roussey yesterday after the Ligue 1 side dropped into the relegation zone with a fifth successive league defeat. The French club did not name a replacement.
Porto: Porto knocked holders Sporting out of the Portuguese Cup 5-4 on penalties in an ill-tempered fourth round match on Sunday. Extra time ended with the scores locked at 1-1 before Porto goalkeeper Helton snapped the deadlock when he saved Sporting's Brazilian defender Polga's penalty attempt. Three players were sent off, while the referee dished out 14 yellow cards in total during the match.
Wade dies: Allen Wade, the former director of coaching at the English FA, passed away at his home in Ruislip, England on November 6, aged 79. Wade, who was a frequent visitor to Malta, was an authority on football and his services were sought in many European football quarters. Wade wrote more than 20 technical books on the art of coaching football. He served on UEFA's Technical Commission for a number of years.
FA Cup: First round - Wimbledon vs Wycombe 1-4.
In Italy: Serie B - Parma vs Bari 1-1. Prima Divisione B - Ternana vs Gallipoli 0-0.
Rugby: Australia backs Timana Tahu and Berrick Barnes are to return home from the Wallabies' tour of Europe after being injured in Saturday's 30-20 win over Italy in Padua. Both players limped off during the match and underwent scans when the squad arrived in London on Sunday to prepare for the next match against England. The tests revealed Tahu had torn a hamstring while Barnes had damaged the ligaments in his left knee, ruling the pair out for the rest of the tour.
Horse racing: Jockey Chris Munce has been licensed to resume riding in Australia a week after he was freed from prison for his part in a Hong Kong betting scandal. Racing New South Wales granted Munce a licence on the condition he makes himself available to the Hong Kong Jockey Club to help with a new steward's inquiry and complies with any conditions issued by the state Corrective Services Department.
Gymnastics: Japanese gymnast Hiroyuki Tomita called time on a glittering career yesterday, admitting he could no longer perform to the level he used to. The 27-year-old, who helped Japan win a men's team gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is expected to become a coach after bowing out at a domestic meeting this week. "I've felt myself getting weaker each year," Tomita told a news conference. "It's become increasingly harder to perform the kind of artistic gymnastics I want to."
BoV Division Three: Gżira vs Zejtun 1-0; Kalkara vs Għaxaq 1-1.