Brazilian defender Marcelo Vieira Da Silva has extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2015, the Spanish giants announced Friday.

Marcelo, 21, joined Real in the winter of the 2006-7 season and was under contract until 2012.

The Brazil international has scored two goals in 19 La Liga games this season, 18 of which he started.

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Kylian Mbappe may not be firing on all cylinders but Didier Deschamps says the France captain is aiming for even more history at Euro 2024.

The Real Madrid-bound forward has scored just once at the tournament in Germany from 20 attempts, a penalty against Poland in Les Bleus final group game.

Mbappe has managed just one goal overall from 34 shots at the European Championships, a contrast to his record at the World Cup, where he has scored 12 goals from 39 efforts.

Yet in this edition of UEFA s top international tournament, the former Paris Saint-Germain star has been hampered by a broken nose that has forced him to wear a protective mask when playing.

The 25-year-old has repeatedly cited his frustrations at wearing the protective equipment, which some hav…

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is eight points clear of his nearest challenger.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were the only sides in the top-six to pick up wins this weekend which meant they extended their lead over the chasing pack once more. Bayern enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Hertha Berlin, while Dortmund hit Stuttgart for four. The table sees Pep Guardiola’s Munich side leading the way after 14 games, while second-placed Dortmund are considerably behind but in no danger of surrendering their runner-up spot given how poor the rest of the top-six have been this season.

Bayern are top of the Bundesliga table with 40 points from 14 games. The German giants are unbeaten in the division, boast the best defensive record, and have scored the most goals. Dortmund are…

Lyon are up on the Normandy coast Saturday hoping to end a four-match winless run to preserve their narrow lead at the top of the table ahead of the winter recess.

The seven-time champions, who sit three points clear, take on mid-table Caen anxious to close the year on a high after last weekend s stalemate with Marseille.

Lyon manager Claude Puel targeted maximum points at Caen a must after the goalless draw at the Stade Gerland venue.

Lyon s Swedish international midfielder Kim Kallstrom has called on his teammates to reverse the trend at Caen. This game is super-important, said Kallstrom.

We re experiencing a difficult time with four games without victory. We have to stop that. Here we ve got a game to end the year on a good note and to wind up the…

The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots will meet for the second time this month in a Week 16 matchup with major AFC playoff picture implications. The Patriots picked up the 14-10 victory in Week 13, but this week should offer much better playing conditions after the first meeting was played in extreme winds. The home side Patriots are sitting as 2.5-point favorites ahead of the divisional matchup.

Can the Bills defense stop the run after failing to do so in Week 13? Can the Patriots rebound after seeing their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Colts? Find out in our free picks, predictions, and NFL odds for Bills vs. Patriots.

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Thanksgiving is the official opening whistle to holiday madness, with Christmas season kicking off the second your bloated ass flops on the couch after gorging to near death Thursday night.

And with the ramp up to Christmas underway, the radio will be flooded with holiday tunes, the busy stores will be decked out in green and red, and the television will be a non-stop rotation of classic Christmas movies from now until New Year’s Day.

Half of those flicks will be spins on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, which has been reheated and served more times than leftover turkey on the Monday after Thanksgiving. The latest mutation of this holiday tale shoehorns Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds into the same movie in a “How could it fai…

In a game that has the makings of one of the most exciting ones we could see all season, the Dallas Cowboys are in Miami to take on the Dolphins in a game that many are calling the “Battle of the Frauds.” Fair or not, each team has made a habit of destroying inferior competition this season while they haven’t been at their best against upper-tier opponents.

NFL odds have tabbed the Fins as a 1.5-point favorite and the game has the highest total of the week at 50.5 points. Let’s dig into what we’ve seen from the teams this season as well as some strengths vs. weaknesses and I’ll provide you with my free NFL picks for Cowboys vs. Dolphins on December 24.

Cowboys vs Dolphins odds

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Moving spreads through multiple key numbers is the name of the game with teasers, and I’ve identified a handful of teams to target for Week 1. The Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills land in favorable home matchups and headline our teaser NFL picks this week.

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Mario Mandzukic s goal saw Croatia come from behind to force a 1-1 draw with Italy in Group C of Euro 2012 on Thursday.

Italy opened the scoring in Poznan through an excellent free-kick from Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who beat Stipe Pletikosa at the goalkeeper s near post six minutes before half-time.

It took Slaven Bilic s side until the 71st minute to force the equaliser, when Mandzukic collected Ivan Strinic s cross at the back post, before netting via a deflection off the upright.

Croatia now have four points from two matches played following their 3-1 win over the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

Italy remain undefeated but have just two points to show for their efforts after also giving up a one-goal lead to draw 1-1 in their opening match ag…

Netherlands head coach Mark Parsons believes England are favourites for the Women s Euro 2022 after seeing his team well beaten by the Lionesses on Friday.

England ran out 5-1 winners at Elland Road, with goals from Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead (two), Ella Toone and Lauren Hemp sealing an emphatic victory.

England s previous meeting with the Oranje was a 3-0 reverse in the Euro 2017 semi-finals, though the Lionesses maintained their record of having never lost back-to-back games against the Netherlands.

Sarina Wiegman was managing the Dutch side that day as they went on to win their home tournament, and now has the chance to do the same with England.

Speaking after the game, Parsons expressed his admiration for England, pointing to their home advantage and …