When the world was watching Brazil, Neymar didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t just the wonderful swing of his left boot to hammer home a volley after nine minutes, or the outrageous shimmy and dart to lose two men to create the assist for the second in injury time, but the fact he had promised to put on a show for a troubled nation.

Prior to stepping on to the field for Brazil’s fixture against Mexico at the Confederations Cup, the forward said of the popular protests that have swept his country these past few days: "I also want a fairer, safer and more honest Brazil. I'll walk onto the pitch

The name "Larsson" was once again on a scoresheet in a Swedish soccer match as former international striker Henrik Larsson made a comeback but this time it was his 15-year-old son Jordan who netted the goal.

"We didn't combine a whole lot but obviously I'm proud," Henrik Larsson told newspaper Expressen after seeing his son score in Hogaborg's 4-2 win over Tenhult in Sweden's Division Two (fourth tier).

"It is of course a rare luxury to get to play with your son," added Henrik, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 and the European Golden Shoe award in 2001, and was part of the

One of the most turbulent championships in NBA history will reach its climax on Thursday when the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in the decisive seventh game of the Finals.

Basketball fans in the United States have been whipped into a frenzy of excitement by what has already been a classic series full of wild fluctuations and escalating drama.

The teams have raised their games to new heights, producing an extraordinary standard of play and athleticism which peaked with Miami's exhilarating overtime win on Tuesday that tied the series at 3-3.

With everything on the line for Game Seven,

Bernard Hopkins

There was never any doubt, really, that Bernard Hopkins would agree to fight whomever the IBF deemed as the mandatory challenger for his IBF world title. His record over the last 20 years proves that.

After his mandatory defence against Karo Murat, set for July 13 in Brooklyn, NY, was cancelled when Murat was unable to acquire a visa to get into the US, the IBF considered what it would do.

Ultimately, it decreed that the 48-year-old Hopkins would have to put his belt up against unbeaten Sergey Kovalev.

There were those who questioned whether Hopkins would agree to meet Kovalev, who has 19

One day, when you're telling your children about Evan Gattis, baseball's folk hero they call El Oso Blanco, you might tell them the story of the day Gattis hit a foul ball and broken his bat on his follow-through. Specifically, how he broke his bat over his own back.

Gattis' strength has never been questioned. He wouldn't be called El Oso Blanco (The White Bear) if he weren't crazy strong. So strong this didn't seem to hurt him, as it might hurt a lesser man.

Later in Monday's game, however, Gattis did hurt himself. He strained an oblique muscle and was

Brazil's two biggest cities have agreed to revoke an increase in public transportation fares that set off demonstrations that have grown into nationwide protests against poor public services, inflation and corruption.

The decisions, made separately in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, followed another day of protests across Brazil, which also included a march by demonstrators around a major international game in the northeastern city of Fortaleza.

This month's transport fare hikes, which came as Brazil struggles with annual inflation of 6.5 per cent, stirred a groundswell of other complaints,

Lionel Messi (Reuters)

In an anonymous wood panelled office overlooking a park in one of Barcelona's most desirable areas a mile from Camp Nou, a team of professionals work on behalf of Lionel Messi. There is no evidence of Messi in this old lawyers' office, no framed shirts on the wall or match balls. In stark contrast to the office of Messi's team mate Daniel Alves, where his six staff work in a room adorned with jerseys from games gone by. Alves has a desk too and is proud to talk about shirts swapped and old encounters. Why a footballer needs an office with staff is debatable, but these mini-brands are