Goalkeeper Julio Cesar, over 30 and past his prime, is the weakest link in the team which all of Brazil expects to win the World Cup this July. And that is no accident: The nation of Pele has long paid far more attention to players who score and make goals than to those who save them.

The country's best-known goalkeeper was probably Barbosa, and he became famous not for a great save but for the national agony he caused by letting in Uruguay's two goals against Brazil that won the World Cup in 1950.

In the latest chapter of a spat between past Brazil football greats, Ronaldo is publicly criticizing former teammate Romario for making another attack on him, this time over an alleged broken promise to provide free tickets for people with disabilities during the World Cup.

Romario, now an outspoken lawmaker, is blaming Ronaldo for making the promise and not coming through with it. Ronaldo, a member of the local World Cup organizing committee, says it was the Brazilian football federation that failed to fulfill their pledge.

Roger Federer could have been upset about losing a close final in one of the biggest events outside the Grand Slam tournaments.

But the blow of a three-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday was softened by knowing how far he had come since injuring his back a year ago at Indian Wells.

Liverpool and Arsenal capitalized on a rare slip-up by Premier League leader Chelsea by claiming away wins at their fiercest rivals on Sunday to close up an intriguing four-team race for the title.

Liverpool humiliated soon-to-be-deposed champion Manchester United in a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford, with Steven Gerrard converting two penalties and Luis Suarez also scoring in a one-sided match that highlighted the gulf that has emerged between the two foes.

Nico Rosberg said Mercedes would have to work hard to improve the reliability of their new F1 car despite his emphatic win in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

While Rosberg was dominant in his fully functioning W05, his pole-sitting team-mate Lewis Hamilton lasted only four laps before a misfiring cylinder ended his race.

World number two Novak Djokovic rallied to beat Roger Federer in a three-set thriller on Sunday to win his first title of 2014 at the Indian Wells ATP Masters.

Djokovic defeated Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to add a third title in the California desert to those he captured in 2008 and 2011.

Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi has set his sights on beating Real Madrid next weekend after leading Barcelona to a 7-0 thrashing of Osasuna on Sunday.

Messi overtook Paulino Alcantara to become Barca's all-time leading scorer in all forms of football with his second goal of the afternoon before completing his hat-trick to take his tally for the club to 371.

Bayern Munich on Saturday named Karl Hopfner as successor to the disgraced president Uli Hoeness, who was jailed this week for tax fraud.

The championship club's board of directors voted unanimously to name Hopfner, the current vice president, to head the storied franchise.

West Bromwich Albion announced Friday that it had sacked banned French striker Nicolas Anelka for "gross misconduct", just hours after he announced on Twitter he was leaving.

Anelka, who turned 35 on Friday, was due to start a five-match ban after being punished for his controversial "quenelle" goal celebration at West Brom's 3-3 draw at West Ham on December 28.

Liverpool hold the whip hand over Manchester United for the first time in decades and could land a devastating blow on their rivals' top-four challenge at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Having endured year upon year of United supremacy, Liverpool have turned the tables this season and approach this weekend's match 11 points above their floundering foes in the Premier League table.