During the 35th minute, Messi and the Roma defender got nose to nose before the Barca striker attempted to head-butt the much taller Yanga-Mbiwa. MORE: The brilliance of Messi in photos | Premier League odds and predictions Messi, considered by many to be the world’s best player, is usually fairly congenial with opponents on the pitch, but clearly took issue with Yanga-Mbiwa initiating contact with his own head. Not only did Messi, 28, attempt to head-butt Yanga-Mbiwa, he then put his hand around the 26-year-old’s neck....

It took Messi just 32 minutes to find the net, hitting a sensational goal off the underside of the crossbar with deft precision, leaving goalkeeper Brad Guzan helpless. It was the 55th of Messi’s national team career, passing Gabriel Batistuta for most ever. MORE: Ranking American owners in British soccer The goal put Argentina 2-0 ahead in the contest after Ezequiel Lavezzi opened the scoring inside three minutes, with Barcelona star Messi creating the goal....

Coach Jim Caldwell told reporters Stafford is still the team’s starting quarterback despite his early season struggles. MORE: Worst Week 5 performances | Ranking the Undefeated Five “Really, it’s like a pitcher not having a very good day,” Caldwell said, via the Detroit Free Press. “The pitcher comes out and the pitcher obviously, he’s still the starter. He’s still our starter, so there’ll be no issues there. So there is no quarterback controversy or anything of that nature....

“This young man ain’t nothing but 20 years old,” Slay said on Periscope. “You all acting like he snitched or something. He didn’t even snitch. His phone leaked the video out or something.” MORE: Eight best NBA draft prospects in Final Four | Russell feels hated by Lakers’ fan base Yet, as Slay continued his rant, he accidentally called Russell a snitch too. “There are way more snitches out there than just Russell, you (are) all really throwing that (guy) under the bus?...

In a statement issued through the team, the Detroit Free Press reported, Raiola said he will make "a significant contribution" to the band program to make up for his words and actions before Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. MORE: Lessons of Loserville | Caught on camera "My interaction with the Wisconsin Marching Band was inappropriate," the statement read. "I apologize to those I offended, along with all of the members of Wisconsin's Marching Band....

Walker was asked about the unnecessary roughness call he was penalized for in the third quarter when he collided with Packers receiver Geronimo Allison. He said was just trying to go for the ball and had no intention of trying to smash into Allison, who left the game to be checked out for a concussion and chest injury. “Awful. It was an awful call,” Walker said, via ESPN. “I felt like I went for the ball and [it] just so happened we collided, but I was looking for the ball....

A source told Sporting News that George Godsey (quarterbacks), Jeff Davidson (offensive line) and Brian Stewart (defensive backs) are headed to the Lions. MORE: Sporting News predicts Super Bowl 52 Godsey spent 2017 as a Lions defensive assistant handling special projects after serving the previous three years at Houston as its quarterbacks coach (2014) and offensive coordinator (2015-16). Godsey and Patricia both worked on New England’s coaching staff from 2011-13....

There is this, however: The Detroit Lions have to be more creative now. And it sure is pretty. MORE: NFL Week 1 scoreboard The typical Matthew Stafford touchdown pass now might not be as breathtaking as when it was thrown toward Johnson, one of the most imposing receivers in league history. But the Lions were so clever in how they went about defeating the Colts, 39-35, on opening weekend....

After the Dez Bryant catch was overturned in the Cowboys-Packers game, the one thing that came to everyone’s minds is officiating in the Lions-Cowboys game last week. It was most certainly on the minds of the Lions themselves. Many players took to Twitter to bask in the glory of karma catching up with the Cowboys. Trolling isn’t complete without Kermit and tea emojis. MORE: Must-see playoff images | Julian Edelman selling ‘The Pass’ shirts | Aaron Rodgers leads Packers...

Initial X-rays on the foot showed no broken bones, but after a second opinion from specialist Dr. Robert Anderson the team decided to put the second-year back on the shelf. He had 101 yards on 18 carries this season and also caught five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Theo Riddick becomes the team’s top running back with rookie Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner likely to see increased roles....

Two days after being released by the Packers on the eve of training camp, the defensive lineman has agreed to a one-year, $9.1 million deal with the Lions, according to ESPN. The deal includes $7.8 million in guaranteed money. Daniels, 30, signed a four-year, $42 million contract extension with the Packers in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in 2017. However, he regressed last season tallying just 18 tackles and two sacks in 10 games and the Packers attempted to trade him during the offseason....

Line: Carolina -2.5, Total: 43.5 Line movement: The Panthers opened as 3-point favorites over the visiting Lions, but Detroit money moved the number to 2.5 at most shops. CG Technology, in fact, was dealing 2 as of Friday morning. For updated point spreads and totals, visit our live odds board . Trends that matter: Since the start of last season, the Panthers are 10-7-1 against the spread and 12-5 to the UNDER (including playoffs)....

Murkowski, who won roughly 45 percent of the vote, will now have to earn a plurality of the vote in a consolidated field of candidates featuring Donald Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, the right-wing choice of the state’s Republican establishment and the second-leading vote-getter in the primaries. In a battle for Alaska’s “other” voters, Murkowski and Tshibaka found themselves in a dog fight. In a crowded field, polling showed the two virtually deadlocked among likely voters, with Murkowski only holding a narrow lead among voters in the first and second rounds of voting....

“It’s time to talk about the release of my text messages, the two years of lies shouted across the media about me, and what it’s like when the President of the United States tries to ruin your life,” Page tweeted. Trump has also publicly mocked Page in rally speeches, acting out both sides of the text messages which were composed when Page and Strzok were in a romantic relationship. During one of those speeches, Trump said that Page had taken a restraining order out on Strzok, a claim Page denounced on Twitter being false....

There is uncertainty about the exact number of Democratic members of the state’s House of Representatives who have left Texas. There are 67 Democrats in the chamber but some remained behind while the majority flew to Washington, D.C. The Texas Democratic Party has not released a full list of the lawmakers but photos shared on social media give an indication of which Democrats have left. Some legislators have also posted on Twitter about their decision to fly out of Texas....

On Saturday head coach Kevin Sumlin announced via social media that the 6-1 Texas native beat out Kyle Allen for the starting job and will have the opportunity to be the first quarterback to stand up center following the departure of Johnny Manziel. MORE: SEC coach rankings | College football fantasy draft Many believe Hill would inherit the starting job in the spring, but a public intoxication arrest raised questions about whether he was ready to lead the Aggies into the post-Manziel era....

But yet Johnson can be beat. The formula has been created the last couple of years: Get to Homestead with an advantage and hope that Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports team buckles under the pressure or just makes mistakes that every team seems to make over a 10-race playoff. Johnson wasn’t a contender in 2011 as he entered the final race down 68 points. After that season, he felt a little relief just from the pressure of trying to repeat year after year after year after year after year....

The credit in a situation like this usually falls on quarterbacks, head coaches and general managers, but a closer look at the Raiders reveals that, while Derek Carr, Jack Del Rio and Reggie McKenzie certainly deserve some accolades, the offensive line is the biggest reason for Oakland’s success in 2016. WEEK 9 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread Don’t take praise for the Raiders’ unsung heroes as a knock against their quarterback....

The Morocco international scored the winner from a Michael Pereira assist just before the interval. The forward who teamed up with the Malatya outfit in the summer as a free agent has since hit the ground running. The 30-year-old has registered nine league goals this season in his 16 top-flight appearances to help his side to the tenth spot in the log having garnered 22 points from 17 outings....

Kia UK is the automotive partner of the English surfing and music festival that will be held this year on August 11-15. The company will exhibit the car throughout the event. This is the second time Kia UK has repurposed a pre-production car, following in the footsteps of the one-off 2019 Kia Stinger GT420 track car. While maintaining the distinctive boxy design of the Soul, its stock wheels and tires have been switched out for 16-inch bright white steel wheels and 265/75 R16 Maxxis Bighorn sand tires....