Miguel Herrera has promised more scintillating football in Mexico's World Cup intercontinental play-off against New Zealand, as he looks to land the national coaching role on a permanent basis.

El Tri are already virtually assured a spot at next year's tournament in Brazil after trouncing the All Whites 5-1 in Mexico City, but Herrera said he would not shut up shop in the return leg in Wellington on Wednesday.

France needs an unprecedented comeback to avoid missing its first World Cup in 20 years. No European team has ever qualified for the World Cup through the playoffs after losing the first leg 2-0.

Two decades after France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup following a shock home defeat against Bulgaria, Les Bleus lost to Ukraine for the first time in the first leg by a two-goal margin.

The Portland Trail Blazers won their sixth straight game with a 118-110 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday after LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard each scored 25 points and Nicolas Batum added 24.

Lillard was 3 for 3 from the floor in the extra period as the Blazers escaped after blowing a 17-point lead in regulation.

The campaign protesting Russia's ban on "gay propaganda" is entering a new phase, as human rights activists try to pressure the Olympics' top corporate sponsors to speak out before the Winter Games in Sochi.

The Worldwide Olympic Partners — among them Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Visa — have thus far avoided requests to explicitly condemn the law, rebuffing efforts that included behind-the-scenes meetings and correspondence with Human Rights Watch.

Jimmie Johnson won his sixth NASCAR championship in eight years Sunday to stake his claim as one of the most dominant competitors in the sports history.

Johnson, needing only to finish 23rd or better to spoil Matt Kenseth's career season, was on cruise control most of the day at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson had just one hiccup en route to his ninth-place finish, when a stack up on a restart caused Johnson and Kenseth to bang slightly, costing Johnson 15 spots.

World champion Sebastian Vettel won a record eighth successive race when he triumphed in Sunday's United States Grand Prix.

The German beat Michael Scumacher's previous record of seven wins in a row in the same season set in 2004.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar wept as he left the pitch for the final time on Saturday after his 200th Test match, ending a glittering career spanning nearly a quarter of a century.

The master batsman, who has god-like popularity across India, waved to thousands of cheering fans and wiped tears from his eyes as he left the field through a guard of honor formed by his teammates at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium.

Roy Hibbert scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked eight shots Friday to power the NBA's unbeaten Indiana Pacers over the Milwaukee Bucks 104-77.

The Pacers improved to an NBA best 9-0, the last team remaining in the league without a loss. Indiana is the first club to win its first nine games of a season since the Dallas Mavericks won their first 14 games in the 2002-2003 campaign.

Ignazio Abate scored his first senior international goal as Italy came from behind to draw 1-1 against Germany in a friendly at San Siro on Friday.

Germany took the lead in the eighth minute when Mats Hummels headed a corner in off the post, but Abate leveled in the 28th minute.

England manager Roy Hodgson vowed to restore his first-choice players for Tuesday's friendly against old foes Germany after seeing an experimental line-up beaten 2-0 by Chile at Wembley Stadium.

Hodgson handed debuts to Fraser Forster, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez, but saw Alexis Sanchez emulate Marcelo Salas's performance at the same venue in 1998 by scoring twice to give Chile victory.