Spanish Cup: Messi puts Barcelona on road to quartersMADRID - Lionel Messi gave one of the best performances of his promising career in Madrid, scoring a handsome hat-trick as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in a one-sided fifth round, first leg clash in the Spanish Cup. Real Madrid, Sevilla share third place in Spanish football leagueMADRID - Real Madrid and Sevilla now share third place in the Spanish Liga. Real beat Villarreal 1-0 at home, and Sevilla were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by bottom team Osasuna Sunday. Barcelona start 2009 with win over Mallorca (Roundup)MADRID - Spanish leaders Barcelona kicked off 2009 with a 3-1 comeback win at home over lowly Mallorca with goals from Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta and Yaya Toure. Spain refuses to receive Guantanamo prisonersMADRID - Spain has refused to accept any inmate from the Guantánamo prison, saying that would create serious legal problems. Spain rules out more troops for AfghanistanMADRID - Spain has ruled out more troops for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) fighting the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan but said it was considering sending peacekeepers to war-ravaged Somalia. Nikola Zigic loaned by Valencia to Racing SantanderMADRID - Spanish football giants Valencia have announced that Nikola Zigic has been loaned to Racing Santander until the end of the season. |