A loss in the final against little-known Argentine Horacio Zeballos was not the way Rafael Nadal wanted to end his comeback tournament after seven months off with an inflamed left knee.

Nadal had warned that it might take weeks — maybe several months — for him to reach his old form, which brought him 11 Grand Slam titles, and Sunday's performance proved that.

Mario Balotelli earned and converted a late penalty as AC Milan drew 1-1 at 10-man Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday.

The Italy striker stepped up to score his third goal in two games for Milan, following his move from Manchester City. Two of his goals have come from penalties, with Balotelli scoring the winner from the spot in stoppage time against Udinese.

As a player who relishes being center stage, Cristiano Ronaldo will be in his element this week when the Champions League resumes with a blockbuster last-16 match between Real Madrid and Manchester United.

United transformed Ronaldo from a prodigiously talented yet hit-and-miss winger to one of football's most devastating goalscorers in his six years in the Premier League.

Nigeria ended a 19-year Africa Cup of Nations title drought Sunday with a 1-0 final victory over Burkina Faso at Soccer City thanks to a late first-half goal from Sunday Mba.

It was a result that took winning coach Stephen Keshi into the record books as he equaled the feat of late Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary by winning gold medals as a player and a coach.

Kobe Bryant scored all 20 of his points in the second half -- 14 in the fourth quarter -- to lead the Los Angeles Lakers' comeback to a 100-93 NBA win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday.

The Lakers, coming off a demoralizing 116-95 loss at Boston on Thursday, looked headed to another road defeat when they trailed NBA stragglers Charlotte by 20 points in the third quarter.

LeBron James made sure the flu-hit Miami Heat had more than enough to get past a Los Angeles Clippers team finally playing at full strength on Friday.

James scored 30 points in just 31 minutes to lead NBA champions Miami to a 111-89 victory over the Clippers.

Rafael Nadal, playing his first event after a seven-month injury layoff, advanced to the semifinals of the $410,200 Vina del Mar ATP claycourt tournament with a straight-sets win Friday.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion from Spain ousted seventh-seeded countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-1, 6-4.

Jamaican sprint heroes Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake are set to open their 2013 athletics season racing in the 400 meters on Saturday at the Camperdown Classic outdoor meeting.

Bolt achieved legendary status by defending his three gold medals -- in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m -- at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he cannot wait to take on some old friends when Real Madrid host Manchester United in the Champions League next week.

The clash between two sides that have won the competition a combined 12 times is by far the stand-out tie of the last 16 and Ronaldo said his wish was granted when the Spanish champions were paired with his old club back in December.

The English Football Association has fined Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson 12,000 pounds ($18,900) for implying a referee's assistant was motivated by bias.

After a 1-1 draw at Tottenham last month, Ferguson was angry that linesman Simon Beck didn't award a penalty when United was leading 1-0.