Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz scored as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-0 in El Clasico on Sunday to go a point clear of their rivals at the top of the La Liga table.

Barcelona had the better first-half chances and Thibaut Courtois saved well from Arthur and Lionel Messi. Real Madrid improved after half-time, as Isco had a curling shot tipped over by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and a header cleared off the line by Gerard Pique. The opening goal came in the 71st minute, Toni Kroos finding Vinicius on the left to shoot past Ter Stegen with the help of a deflection off Pique, before Mariano grabbed a second in added time to seal the win.

Positives

How long does it take to go from full-blown crisis to table-topping euphoria at Real Madrid? Ninety minutes plus stoppage time at the Bernabeu. When referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz blew the final whistle, this stadium erupted. A Clasico victory, and all is right in the world.

The title is not decided on March 1 -- there are 12 league games still to be played, and there will be more twists to come -- but this felt like more than just three points. Madrid ended an appalling recent Clasico record - a first win in this fixture since 2017, ending a run of four Bernabeu victories for Barca -- and they did so with a hugely impressive second-half performance.

Negatives

Barcelona were the better team in the first half as they kept the ball to an extent rarely seen from a visiting team at the Bernabeu. It was a reminder that Zinedine Zidane's record against Quique Setien's teams has been mixed -- a 3-3 draw with Las Palmas and two wins for his Real Betis stick in the memory -- and before the interval Madrid struggled at times, with Courtois making some important saves.

Manager rating out of 10

8 -- Zidane made just two changes from the team that lost 2-1 to Manchester City in midweek. One was no surprise at all -- Kroos returned to midfield as expected -- but the selection of Marcelo at left-back was a shock. The Brazilian has spent most of the season out of form but did not look out of place on the night, justifying Zidane's pick. The coach's decision to leave out Luka Jovic entirely and pick Mariano was vindicated too, with the striker coming off the bench in added time to score Madrid's second.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Thibaut Courtois, 8 -- Real Madrid's best player in a first half that saw him save twice from Messi and once even more impressively from Arthur. It's now 13 clean sheets in 26 league games for Courtois.

DF Dani Carvajal, 8 --Carvajal has had an up-and-down season by his standards, especially in attack, but this was much, much better. Dealt well with being yellow carded early for a spat with Jordi Alba. Blocked one Arturo Vidal shot, picked out Karim Benzema for a really good opportunity he missed, and got an assist for Mariano's goal.

DF Sergio Ramos, 7 -- Barca's lack of a proper centre-forward meant Ramos was denied the physical battle he relishes. No red card here as in midweek, and an otherwise tidy performance.

DF Raphael Varane, 7 -- Varane's pace is his biggest asset but here he had the intelligent movement of Antoine Griezmann to contend with. Lost his fellow France international in the first half as Griezmann put a very presentable chance over the bar.

DF Marcelo, 8 -- His place in the starting XI raised eyebrows in the press box before kickoff -- Ferland Mendy has been preferred in big games this year and offers greater defensive solidity -- but the Brazilian exceeded expectations. Enjoys partnering Vinicius on the left, contributed going forward, and dealt well with Nelson Semedo at the other end.

MF Casemiro, 7 -- Casemiro grew into the game as the entire Real Madrid team did in the second half. A far better night for him than against Manchester City earlier this week.

MF Federico Valverde, 7 -- Valverde's performance level has dropped off slightly since he impressed so much early in the season. Still brings energy, physicality and dynamism to the midfield though, showcased by one run in the first half that ended with him flashing a cross across the six-yard box.

MF Toni Kroos, 7 -- Back in the side, as he really always should be against the top teams, and involved in the game's defining moment. You could see him pointing exactly where he wanted Vinicius to run -- and when the youngster did just that, Kroos picked him out to score the opener.

MF Isco, 8 -- Often looked the Real Madrid player most likely to break the deadlock, especially in a second half that saw him have one glorious curling shot tipped over by Ter Stegen and then minutes later have a header cleared off the line by Pique. Isco's recovery from being completely out of the first-team picture earlier in the season to starting games like this -- and scoring against City this week -- has been remarkable.

FW Vinicius Junior, 8 -- The hero here, scoring the all-important goal, even if he had a somewhat fortunate deflection off Pique to thank. Continues to frustrate as often as he excites. The teenager promises so much until the moment comes to play the final ball, when he so often gets things wrong, but those moments will be forgotten after the goal.

FW Karim Benzema, 6 -- Subdued. Benzema has scored two goals in two and a half months, and it showed when he blasted over one of the game's best chances in the second half. Zidane has no choice but to persist with the Frenchman -- even if Mariano scored in added time -- but his goal-scoring drought needs to end fast if Madrid are to push on from this.

Substitutes

MF Luka Modric, N/R -- On for Isco with little more than 10 minutes left.

FW Lucas Vazquez, N/R -- Replaced Valverde with five minutes to go.

FW Mariano Diaz, N/R -- Came on for Benzema in added time and scored his first goal of the season with what felt like his first touch.

March 2: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi

Our XI: Kamran Akmal, Haider Ali, Tom Banton, Babar Azam, Alex Hales, Cameron Delport, Lewis Gregory, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Amir

Captain: Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal averages 43.9 in Rawalpindi in T20s and the pitch at the venue in general has been an absolute belter. He is the best captain choice given his consistency and form.

Vice-captain: Babar Azam

Babar will be keen to bat again on what is said to be the best batting wicket in the PSL. He has some good memories on this ground where he scored a hundred against Bangladesh just a few weeks ago. Babar has scored 322 runs at an average of 40.25 and has a strike rate of 117.09 against left-arm pace.

Hot Picks

Tom Banton

Banton had seemed to have found his form in the rain-curtailed game against Qalandars where scored a quick 34. On the same surface, expect him to continue from where he left. Banton has the second-highest boundary percentage (79.64) in the powerplay in T20s amongst all batsmen with over 600 runs in the format since 2019.

Alex Hales

Hales is the only batsman to have scored more than 1000 runs in the powerplay in all T20s since 2019. Karachi will need a big knock from the star batsman to get their campaign back on track.

Lewis Gregory

Gregory had a dream start to his PSL campaign where he picked up four wickets in a 12-over game and made a cameo towards the end with the bat as well. He is one of the biggest strikers in the T20 circuit and has a strike rate of 145.7.

Value Picks

Haider Ali

The comfort and flair with which the youngster batted against Multan Sultans was admirable. He scored a fluent 47 in that game and followed it with a blistering 12-ball 34 against the Qalandars.

Cameron Delport

Delport is someone who bats in the top order and can also bowl a few overs if needed. He has made some valuable contributions of 20 and 22 in his first couple of games. In all T20s since 2019, Delport has struck at 138.98 in the powerplay and 164.57 in the middle overs.

Point to note

Both teams are packed with big-hitting batsmen and the pitch is good to bat on as well, so pack your team with batsmen and all-rounders in your team.

New Zealand took 47 minutes to take India's four remaining wickets, but Ravindra Jadeja continued to justify his selection with a 16-run last-wicket partnership with Jasprit Bumrah. On paper, New Zealand had "only" 132 to get, but there was enough seam and swing in the conditions to keep India interested.

That is exactly why New Zealand would have wanted to dismiss India for as little as they could on the third morning. They succeeded with the task with the first three wickets. Hanuma Vihari was a tad unlucky that he tickled one down leg for BJ Watling to take. It is perhaps not unlucky on flat surfaces, but here when you are watching out for seam, swing, bounce and trying to cover your off stump, it seems like a rather cruel way to get out.

There was nothing cruel with how Rishabh Pant got out, pushing repeatedly and defensively at deliveries outside off. This was just the time for Pant to play a typically aggressive innings to try to unsettle the bowlers, but he played low-percentage defensive shots outside off: the best you do is middle them for a dot, and the worst is to edge them with no chance of them flying over the slips. When he did that three balls in a row to Trent Boult, the third one took the edge. Was Pant playing not to the conditions but all the criticism and axes he has faced for seemingly "irresponsible" shots in the past? Only he will know.

Mohammed Shami showed the right intention when he went for a slog, but he ended up hitting into the wind, and also New Zealand had a deep forward square leg in place just for that. India's lead read 115 at that time, but Jadeja and Bumrah proceeded to frustrate New Zealand. Jadeja's six back over Boult's head was special while Southee kept swinging it past the bat of Bumrah. To the last ball of an over, Bumrah wanted to run to hand over the strike to Jadeja, but Boult had done well to cramp the batsman up with a short ball. It went nowhere, Boult fielded well in his follow-through, and Kane Williamson did better to be there to collect the throw as it missed the stumps.

It was time for a heavy roller, and the final act of the series to be played out.

Former heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder has officially exercised his right to an immediate third fight with Tyson Fury.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Fury's co-promoter, told ESPN on Sunday that the plan was for the fight to take place July 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the same location that hosted the rematch on Feb. 22.

In the much-hyped sequel, Fury, the lineal champion, claimed Wilder's WBC heavyweight title when he knocked him down twice -- in the third round with a right hand to the head and with a body shot in the fifth round -- and stopped him in the seventh round when Wilder co-trainer Mark Breland threw in the towel as Fury was pounding Wilder.

Wilder and Fury had previously fought to a controversial draw in their first fight in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. When they made the rematch, it was a two-fight deal with the loser having the right to have an immediate third fight if they wanted. Right after Wilder lost the rematch he said he would "definitely" go ahead and pick up his option for a third fight, and now he has officially.

"Now we will sit down and go through all the details for the fight," Arum said, adding that the task would fall largely to Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Bruce Binkow of Premier Boxing Champions. Before Wilder made it official, Arum said he was open to shifting the third fight to the fall if that is what Wilder and PBC wanted. But on Sunday he said the fight would indeed be July 18 and that it again would be a joint pay-per-view between ESPN, Top Rank's broadcaster, and Fox, one of PBC's broadcasters.

"We realized that date was the favorite of both ESPN and Fox because it comes at a dead time in sports, which is good for the fight," he said. "It's after the basketball playoffs, baseball is in the middle of the season and there's no football. It's the ideal time. The hotel, MGM Grand, also believes it to be an ideal time."

Arum said that contractually the fight had to be in either Las Vegas, New York or Los Angeles, but that Las Vegas made the most sense for that time of year. Arum said he was not surprised Wilder went through with picking up his option.

"I figured he would do it because I have had enough experience with rematches to know that anything can happen and guys can change their strategy and want the opportunity to [avenge] the loss," Arum said.

Shelly Finkel, Wilder's co-manager, confirmed the decision to go forward with the third fight. "We did exercise it," Finkel told ESPN. "We want to fight Fury next and we wanted to make sure we sent the letter and that it was done."

Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), 34, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had 25 days from the end of the second fight to formally notify Top Rank and Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), 31, of his decision. The Feb. 22 fight was a 50-50 deal but with Fury having won, it flips to a 60-40 split in Fury's favor for the third fight.

The Los Angeles Lakers waived guard Troy Daniels on Sunday, clearing a roster spot that could fortify the franchise's postseason roster.

The Lakers have no imminent plans to sign a player, but worked with Daniels' agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, to give the team that roster flexibility, and possibly find Daniels another team for which he can play a more prominent role for the rest of the season.

"Rob [Pelinka] and Kurt [Rambis] were fantastic in giving Troy optionality based upon all the scenarios that could play out in the coming weeks," Bartelstein told ESPN.

Absolutely one of the hardest decisions of my life. But it was best for ME..! I've been tested in my life before and I have came out the storm on my feet every time. What a pleasure it was to be apart of such a unbelievable organization of the @Lakers pic.twitter.com/FA5ldRiDF1

— Troy Daniels (@troydaniels) March 2, 2020

Sunday is the NBA's deadline for players to be waived and become eligible to be added to postseason rosters. The Lakers can still add another player to their postseason roster, as long as he isn't on an NBA roster beyond Sunday.

The team plans to meet with free-agent guard Dion Waiters soon, a source told ESPN, to gauge his preparedness to contribute to a championship contender.

Daniels, 28, averaged 4 points in 11 minutes this season.

NEW ORLEANS -- Just as the New Orleans Pelicans were becoming the healthiest they'd been all season, another injury popped up.

This time, the team will be without guard JJ Redick, who left Friday night's game against Cleveland with a left hamstring strain. An MRI over the weekend confirmed the strain, according to a team release.

The team said Redick will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Redick, 35, was averaging 14.9 points per game and shooting 45.2% from deep, second in the NBA, this season.

Once Zion Williamson returned to the starting lineup, Redick went back to the bench to bolster the Pelicans' second unit.

On Sunday morning, Josh Hart spoke to reporters about Redick's importance.

"It feels good, but it definitely helps when you have JJ out there shooting 45 percent and getting 15 a game," Hart said. "That always helps the bench out."

The Pelicans play eight games in the next two weeks and would like to have Redick back as soon as possible for a playoff push. New Orleans entered Sunday 2.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

LOS ANGELES -- The Philadelphia 76ers entered Sunday's nationally televised bout against the LA Clippers lacking considerable star power, as both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were sitting out because of injury.

But the 76ers did have Shake Milton -- and the former G League player proceeded to set the nets ablaze at Staples Center with an improbable performance in a 136-130 loss.

Milton, a 23-year-old shooting guard from SMU, scored a career-high 39 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range.

Milton came out blazing with 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the first half, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range. At one point in the second half, Milton had made his first five 3-pointers and tied an NBA record for most consecutive 3-pointers made (13), a figure he set over the past three games.

Embiid, out with a left shoulder sprain, tweeted, "Shake!!!! BANG BANG" in support of Milton's huge game.

Shake!!!! BANG BANG

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 1, 2020

Milton was originally drafted late in the second round -- 54th overall -- by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, but he was traded to the 76ers on draft night. Milton signed a two-way contract in July of 2018 and has had three different stints with the 76ers' G League team this season alone.

Milton's G League career high is 36 points for the Delaware Blue Coats on Dec. 29, 2018.

His name -- Shake -- according to a recent NBC Sports story, is tied to his father, Myron, who grew so quick during his early years that others assumed he must have been drinking a lot of milk.

As such, the nickname "Milk Man" stuck with Myron.

And one fateful day, when Lisa Milton was 27 and pregnant, a friend touched her belly and asked how "little Shake" was doing. The nickname was a nod to his father, and it stuck ever since, NBC Sports reported.

England scrum-half Ben Youngs and elder brother Tom are both set to sign new deals to remain at Leicester, reports BBC Radio Leicester.

Speculation has surrounded the future of 96-times capped Ben Youngs, 30, who has been on Tigers' books since 2006.

Hooker Tom Youngs, 33, won the most recent of his 28 England caps in 2015.

Leicester head coach Geordan Murphy has previously referred to being in talks with Ben Youngs but the club have not yet publicly announced a new deal.

Although the club have refused to comment, BBC Radio Leicester understands that the Norfolk-born Youngs brothers will continue their association with the Tigers, which began through their father Nick, who played scrum-half for Leicester and England in the 1980s.

Ben Youngs will be expected to win his 97th cap when England host injury-ravaged Wales in the Six Nations at Twickenham this Saturday.

Meanwhile, following recent speculation, Murphy admitted that the club intend to bring in 32-year-old Fiji winger Nemani Nadolo next season.

Nadolo, who is currently with French Top 14 side Montpellier and was briefly with Exeter Chiefs in 2011, won 30 caps for his country before retiring from international rugby prior to the 2019 World Cup.

"We have been linked with Nemani," said Murphy after the Tigers' 14-8 Premiership win over Worcester on Saturday, "He is a great player. If we can get him across the line, then great."

Analysis

Chris Egerton, BBC Radio Leicester Tigers commentator

"When you're 11th in the Premiership table, you don't want to lose any players who are current starters in the England set-up.

"It would seem Ben Youngs felt the same way, reputedly taking a serious pay cut to remain at Leicester, where he made his debut back in 2007.

"His elder brother, club captain Tom is set to stick around for at least another season, but it is the signing of Montpellier and Fiji wing Nemani Nadolo which will excite supporters.

"At over 21 stone and well over six feet tall, Leicester will hope Nadolo can be a similar presence to Taqele Naiyaravoro at Northampton and aid their bid to climb the Premiership table next season."

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Defending Williams Grove Speedway Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint car track champion Danny Dietrich is primed and ready to go for another campaign at the oval.

His sprint car program is ready and even more importantly to him, he is ready at a personal level.

Fresh off of his first track title in 2019 and a banner year of wins, the best of his career to be exact, including five alone at Williams Grove, Dietrich feels like he may just pick up right where he left off when the Grove closed its season last October.

“I think we’re very capable of being even stronger,” Dietrich said. “We got a good car and the same guys coming back to help me. I think we can have a better year this year than we did last year honestly.”

Coming into what would be his first-ever Williams Grove championship season in 2019, Dietrich was prepared for the grind in the race shop but he was even more prepared within himself.

The 31-year old Dietrich made a series of changes to his personal life and to his program that netted him the results he was looking for, both in wins and in a title.

He had built a race car to be safer for himself because he wanted a race car to be safer to race in.

He had also lost about 25 pounds and was fully recovered from some grueling accidents and concussions endured in previous seasons that had caused some unrecognized cognitive effects.

“When you get healthy in your head – people don’t realize because you’re racing and you keep moving constantly – I got beat up really bad.  In 2016 I had a really bad crash at the Grove. People don’t realize how bad I really was,” Dietrich said. “There was so much pressure and finally I just focused on getting healthier. And it worked.

“I’m trying to keep my head right now but it makes you wonder how many (concussions) I had back when I crashed every night and didn’t realize it.”

So for 2020, he’s planning on keeping his self-imposed plan of attack in force.

Eat better, live better and recognize limits.

“Now I’m just trying to keep being healthy because that helps keep me being smarter in the race car, it truly does,” he says.

“Getting better healthwise – your mind’s in a better place,” Dietrich said. “I really think it’s just personally just getting your mind right.  I’m just trying to get healthier and I think it’s led to better decision making.

“When it comes to setting up the race car too the big thing is making the right decisions at the right time and when your heads not right you’re not always making the right decisions either.”

Indeed, the Gettysburg driver of Gary Kauffman’s No. 48 machine has already won the 2020 region lidlifter last week.

But can the kind of season he put together last year at Williams Grove be repeated or even bettered in 2020?

Dietrich says yes, “We’re gonna focus on it.

“We’ve learned so much at the Grove.  I think we can get more dominant, at the correct time.  I really think we can even get better when the outlaws come to town,” the champion predicts.

He and the rest of the Pennsylvania Posse will get their first chance to test the 2020 Williams Grove waters when Hoosier presents Opening Day on Sunday afternoon, March 15 at 2 p.m.

DUQUOIN, Ill. – Indoor racing has always had its place within the USAC racing scene.

In fact, racing under a roof is where it all began with Gene Hartley’s National Midget victory in 1956 at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.

As teams and drivers prepare USAC’s next indoor race on Saturday, March 7, at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, Ill., featuring the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets, Rich Vogler stands head and shoulders above the rest with 10 victories at places ranging from Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va., to the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, the Hoosier/RCA Dome and the Memorial Coliseum, where he captured half of those ten wins.

Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant, Cannon McIntosh, Thomas Meseraull and Logan Seavey are among those in recent years who’ve scored an indoor triumph, all of which have come at the Southern Illinois Center’s sixth-mile dirt oval in recent years.

Indoor USAC Midget racing was heavily prevalent in the early years of USAC with three and four or more events being held each year on mostly concrete surfaces with tight confines that weren’t always conducive to side-by-side racing, but more of the beating and banging variety that required patience, and even more patience.

The first dirt indoor USAC race wasn’t held until the blockbuster doubleheader in 1969, the Astro Grand Prix, held at the world’s first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, the Astrodome, in Houston, Texas.  Gary Bettenhausen and Lee Kunzman captured victories in the event which continued with second and third editions during the 1970 and 1972 seasons.

The Memorial Coliseum was one of the most prevalent venues in all of USAC Midget racing and has held more indoor USAC events, by far, than any other track with 62 races between 1956 and 1989. That doesn’t even include the eight races at the newer Fort Wayne Coliseum Expo Center, which held a slew of events throughout the decade of the 2000s.

An array of interesting venues have provided the stage for USAC Midget racing, including NFL stadiums such as the Hoosier/RCA Dome (17 races), Astrodome (4), Seattle Kingdome (2) as well as several NBA arenas: International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Ill. (11), Cincinnati Gardens (10), Utah’s Salt Palace (2), two versions of ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. (2) and once apiece at San Francisco, Calif.’s Cow Palace, Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Mecca Arena and North Carolina’s Charlotte Coliseum.

USAC’s most recent USAC National Midget race held north of the border came in 1993 at the SkyDome, home of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. is one of six venues to have hosted a USAC Midget race and an NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four along with the RCA/Hoosier Dome, Astrodome, Kingdome, Cow Palace and Charlotte Coliseum.