World Sports News in Brief

Barcelona rout Alaves to fire warning shot to PSG

Lionel Messi scored two scorching strikes as Barcelona hammered Alaves 5-1 on Saturday in La Liga to warm up for their upcoming Champions League clash with Paris St Germain in style.

Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - FC Barcelona v Alaves - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 13, 2021 Barcelona's Lionel Messi shoots at goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - FC Barcelona v Alaves - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - February 13, 2021 Barcelona's Lionel Messi shoots at goal. (Reuters)

* An error by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker helped Leicester come from behind to earn a 3-1 win on Saturday (Feb 13), with the champions losing three successive Premier League games for the first time since November 2014, when they were managed by Brendan Rodgers.

* Ilkay Gundogan continued his brilliant form, scoring twice as Premier League leaders Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on Saturday (Feb 13) to keep up their title bid in impressive fashion.

* Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez pulled off a string of superb saves to grab an unlikely point for Aston Villa in a 0-0 draw away to a dominant Brighton & Hove Albion that saw the Seagulls extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six games.

* Spezia felled another Serie A giant as they shocked league leaders AC Milan with a dominant display in a 2-0 victory on Saturday.

* La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid overcame conceding a second-half equaliser to score again and beat Granada 2-1 away from home on Saturday (Feb 13) to get back to winning ways and move eight points clear at the top of the standings.

* Burnley pulled further clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday moving them up to 15th place in the table.

* Sevilla were made to suffer by basement club Huesca but held on for a 1-0 home win in La Liga on Saturday, their ninth consecutive victory in all competitions.

* Bayer Leverkusen squandered a two-goal lead, conceding twice in the last two minutes to draw 2-2 against Mainz 05 on Saturday as they inched up to fourth place in the Bundesliga table.

* Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland scored an 81st minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw against visitors Hoffenheim on Saturday (Feb 13) as they lost further ground in their battle for a top four finish.

* Moise Kean struck the winning goal as a Paris Saint-Germain side missing the injured Neymar survived a scare to beat Nice 2-1 on Saturday (Feb 13) and boost their Ligue 1 title hopes three days before facing Barcelona in the Champions League.

* World number one Ash Barty overcame a stumbling start to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova at an empty Margaret Court Arena on Saturday.

* Second seed Rafa Nadal overcame some stiff early resistance from Britain's Cameron Norrie before easing into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 7-5 6-2 7-5 victory on Saturday (Feb 13).

Reuters, CNA