Football

Rodgers was given a vote of confidence by Ian Ayre, who dismissed recent speculation that the manager's job was under threat.

Real Madrid whitewashed Cornella 5-0 in their Copa del Rey as Real forward Jese Rodriguez scored on his return after nearly nine months.

Johnson scored a late header to give Liverpool a 1-0 win over Stoke, ending a three-match losing streak.

Robin van Persie answered his critics with a first Premier League goal in a month as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 victory over Hull.

World Cup winner Germany stayed ahead of Argentina, Colombia, Belgium and the Netherlands in an unchanged top five.

Real Madrid coach Ancelotti has called Real Madrid's 15th straight victory "a great achievement" and said he expected Basel to advance in the Champions League.

Slepicka scored a brace and Andre Santos scored one as FC Goa outclassed Kerala Blasters 3-0 to go third on points table.

"I've seen teams where players have not spoken to each other but have still gone on to win the World Cup. You need to be a bit more kind to us at times," said Ganguly.

Atletico Madrid's manager Diego Simeone is likely to attend the ISL semi-final if the city franchise makes the cut for the last four, Parekh said.

Ganguly will meet the ATK players at the team hotel on Wednesday before they leave for three crucial away games beginning in Pune.

Manchester City's hope of qualifying for the last 16 in Europe hang in the balance with two group matches remaining.

Christian Eriksen grabbed a last-minute winner for Tottenham as Hull City paid the price for Gaston Ramirez's reckless red card, losing 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

Ronaldo scored for the 19th and 20th time in the Spanish league this season after setting up Madrid's opening goal in a 4-0 win at Eibar to stay top of the table.

Barcelona's Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta was back in training on Thursday as he continues his recovery from a calf strain.

Delhi Dynamos are at the bottom of the eight-team league standings with seven points from one win, four draws and three losses.

Wayne Rooney celebrated his 100th appearance for England by scoring in a 3-1 win over Slovenia, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted in his return for Sweden.