South America

Players and staff from Colombian side Junior and Argentina's River Plate were left rubbing their eyes in discomfort after police fired tear gas at protesters outside the stadium ahead of their Copa Libertadores match in Barranquilla on Wednesday.

Demonstrations fueled by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan have grown in Colombia over the last two weeks.

Television pictures earlier showed the River team cutting short their warm-up on the pitch due to similar discomfort at the Romelio Martínez Stadium in Barranquilla, the city which will host the Copa América final in July.

With 103 caps accumulated at multiple World Cups, multiple Copa Américas and having achieved both Olympic and Confederations Cup glory, there’s a lot of potential options for Neymar when selecting his personal favorite game with the Canarinho.

So it was somewhat surprising to learn — via GQ Style — that Neymar's favorite memory with the national setup is still his debut, which was a 2010 friendly against the USMNT in New Jersey.

PARIS - Brazil forward Neymar has signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain that will keep him in the French capital until 2025, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Neymar, who joined PSG in 2017 from Spanish club Barcelona for a record transfer fee of $270 million, has agreed a deal French media reported will earn him an annual salary of $36.50 million.

Neymar said he wanted to leave PSG in 2019 amid media reports he was keen on returning to Barcelona, but he stayed in Paris and helped PSG reach the Champions League final last season.

VALENCIA, Spain - Lionel Messi scored a 50th free kick goal for Barcelona as he led his side to a quick-fire comeback to win 3-2 at Valencia on Sunday and keep the pressure on LaLiga title rivals Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid.

With coach Ronald Koeman serving a touchline ban, Barça fell behind in the 50th minute when Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista headed home from a corner after keeper Marc-André ter Stegen had stumbled in his attempt to come for the ball.

Ezequiel Barco and Emerson Hyndman each had goals to lead host Atlanta United to a 3-1 victory over Chicago Fire FC on Saturday night.

After not scoring in its MLS opener last week against Orlando City and mustering only two goals in three matches overall, Atlanta United (1-0-1, 4 points) found its offensive spark in front of a 50-percent capacity crowd in its home opener.

MELBOURNE - Upbeat Australia coach Graham Arnold has urged Argentina to bring Lionel Messi to the Olympics and described their tough pool as Tokyo's "group of dreams.”

Drawn with twice champions Argentina, 1992 winners Spain and Egypt, the “Olyroos” face an uphill battle to reach the knockout rounds of the 16-team tournament, their first Games since Beijing in 2008.