Nine people were arrested after clashes broke out between police and protesters outside Camp Nou on Wednesday as Barcelona and Real Madrid played out a goalless draw in La Liga, sources told ESPN.

The incidents followed a day of demonstrations around the stadium which had been called to coincide with the Clasico to protest the imprisonment of Catalan politicians in October.

Thousands of people gathered before the match to protest peacefully and the game between Spain's top two got underway without any complications.

However, as the match was played, protesters clashed with Barca ultra group the Boixos Nois and later with police. Sources told ESPN that as of 11:15 p.m. local time, nine arrests had been made for public order offences, while more than 20 people had suffered minor injuries.

A number of bins were also set on fire outside Camp Nou, with the smoke and smell drifting into the stadium during the final 20 minutes of the game. A continual announcement over the public announcement system told fans that they would only be able to leave through exits on one side of the ground due to security concerns.

Over 3,000 police officers and private security personnel had been drafted in to cover the game due to the planned protests. It represented the largest security operation in Clasico history.

Barca and Madrid had also been forced to spend the afternoon at the same hotel before being escorted to the stadium.

Tsunami Democratic, a Catalan protest group advocating for a self-determination referendum, had called the demonstrations to bring wider media coverage to the political situation in the region.

The group has organised a number of protests since nine Catalan politicians and civic leaders were jailed in October for their role in organising a unilateral referendum in 2017. They are calling for dialogue between Spain and Catalonia.

Thousands of banners carrying the slogan 'Spain, sit and talk' were handed out to the 100,000 supporters attending Wednesday's game and they were held up at various stages of the match. A huge banner with the same message was also unfurled prior to kick off.

The fixture, which was originally called off on Oct. 26 due to fears over security following protests, was briefly halted in the second half when hundreds of beach balls were thrown on the pitch.

On the pitch, Barca and Madrid played out a goalless draw which left both teams locked on 36 points at the top of the table after 17 games.

Kyle Sinckler says he has no recollection of England's World Cup final defeat after being knocked unconscious early in the match.

Harlequins prop Sinckler collided with team-mate Maro Itoje during a tackle on Makazole Mapimpi in the third minute of South Africa's 32-12 victory.

He walked off the field after regaining consciousness and watched the remainder of the final from the sidelines.

"I didn't really know what was going on," he told the Press Association.

"I can't remember anything really from the final. They said I came back out, but I can't remember that."

Until that point, Sinckler, 26, had enjoyed an outstanding World Cup campaign in which he had scored his first Test try in the quarter-final against Australia.

He says he struggled to come to terms with how his tournament ended but has now "snapped out of it".

"It took three or four weeks to get over the final. It was dark," he said. "You go through phases where you're distraught, feeling sorry for yourself and down in the dumps."

He added: "It was an innocuous incident which was just meant to be, but it was really, really tough.

"You ask yourself, 'why me? I've trained so hard to get to this moment. I've dreamed it, this is my life'.

"But then I snapped out of it, realising that you can either be the guy who is always feeling sorry for yourself or use it as motivation to push on."

'If anyone was going to win the World Cup, I'm glad it was Kolisi'

South Africa's World Cup victory proved an historic moment as Siya Kolisi - the Springboks' first black captain - lifted the Webb Ellis trophy.

Sinckler visited South Africa last summer with Newcastle Falcons fly-half Tim Swiel and said a chance encounter with Kolisi left him in no doubt their "paths would cross again".

"We were in a petrol station and it was 11pm. It's the off-season and I wanted some ice cream and this was the best place to get some ice cream," said Sinckler.

"Then Siya walks in - it was really random. He had a knee brace on and he was struggling with his injuries. He said, 'Kyle, what are you doing in Cape Town?

"Siya is such a genuine guy. He took my number and then next day he drove us around and took us to a township.

"He told me about the struggles they have in South Africa and the quota system. In the township we saw kids with no shoes or socks, they had nothing, but were happiest kids in the world.

"He said this is why the system is in place - if it's not then these kids won't get an opportunity and that would never have got an opportunity.

"Siya looked after us, we went to a braai [Afrikaans for barbecue] and he dropped me off at the airport when I was leaving. I just had a feeling that our paths would cross again.

"If anyone was going to win the World Cup, I'm glad it was him. He's such an honourable man."

ST. LOUIS – Karter Sarff will return to the driver’s seat this weekend after landing a potent ride for the Gateway Dirt Nationals, Dec. 19-21 inside The Dome at America’s Center.

Sarff will team up with fellow teenager Cannon McIntosh as part of a two-car Dave Mac Motorsports assault during the final national midget event of the year on American soil.

The 16-year-old from Mason City, Ill., made nine appearances with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League this season, with a best finish of sixth at Belle-Clair Speedway in seven feature starts, but hasn’t been behind the wheel since mid-September thanks to a trying season.

His recent absence from competition has left Sarff eager to end the off streak and get back to what he knows best – driving race cars – this weekend on Gateway’s temporary indoor dirt track.

“Man, I still can’t believe it, to be honest,” Sarff admitted in advance of the Gateway Dirt Nationals. “I can’t thank Dave, Cannon and the whole McIntosh family for giving me this opportunity and allowing me a chance to drive for them this weekend. It’s really a dream come true for me, because I have been nervous about how my future is going to go and what direction it’s going to take. Racing is my dream, though, and a shot like this is just one step that helps me get closer to achieving that dream.

“To be honest, I’m not sure exactly when it was, but it was probably about a month ago or a month and a half ago that Dave texted me and asked me what my plans were for the Dome,” Sarff recalled. “At that point I told him I didn’t really have anything and that I was still looking. And then he just said, ‘would you want to drive one of my cars?’ And I knew right away to say yes; you can’t turn down a chance like that.”

When he’s not been behind the wheel, Sarff has spent a fair amount of time working with Justin Grant at Rick Young and Jeff Taylor’s RAMS Racing operation, learning the ropes as a crew member while waiting patiently for his next opportunity.

The skills that he’s learned off the race track and behind the wrenches are ones that Sarff considers “valuable” as he straps back in himself this week.

“As hard as it has been to have to sit out and watch and work from the sidelines, I have to consider myself fortunate,” Sarff noted. “I’ve worked with some of the best teams in midget racing, specifically with Justin Grant, and I ran with A.J. (Felker) for a while this summer as well to where A.J. and I talked about a lot of stuff. His equipment’s a bit different than the RAMS cars, so I learned a lot about his stuff.

“I definitely learned the most from Justin Grant, though; he helped me out a lot and has been a big resource and help to me,” Sarff added. “Just to be a part of that team and understand how everything works with a race-winning operation like that gives me confidence going back to driving myself now.”

Though he hasn’t had the same amount of track time that some of the stars of national midget racing have enjoyed this season, Sarff is confident he won’t have much – if any – rust to shake off through the week.

“I don’t think it’ll be too bad. I’m not that worried (about being rusty),” Sarff said. “I should be able to figure it out pretty quick. Everyone’s going to be a little rusty on this new track. Usually it’s different every year from what I’ve seen, even with the late models, so we’ll see what it’s like this year.”

“That inside wall they’ve added should help out a lot and give a little more room for mistakes,” Sarff continued. “Those inside tires just rip your front end off if you hit them.”

While Thursday will mark several new horizons for Sarff, with a new team and new equipment, the teenager is looking forward to getting back up to speed and hopeful he can put together a positive showing.

“I’ve never ran a Toyota before, or a Spike Chassis, but I have a lot of confidence going into the Dome thanks to Dave and Cannon believing in me to take this on,” Sarff said. “Cannon’s proven that they have super good equipment, so I’m excited.

“My number one goal is to use this as a springboard (to bigger things), and I think that’s what David’s thinking too. He just wants to help me out to get me back out there and prove that I have what it takes to get other opportunities. Hopefully this will lead in that direction and open some more doors.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Ten-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz announced Wednesday that he will compete in the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

Schatz will drive for Mark Cooper, the owner of Spike Chassis, with co-entrant support from Mike Curb of Curb/Agajanian Racing.

Partnering with Sage Fruit and Curb Records, Schatz is set for his third event appearance during the 34th annual Chili Bowl, Jan. 13 to 18 inside the River Spirit Expo Center.

“I’m looking forward to making a return to the Chili Bowl driving for Mark Cooper, who’s been a friend of mine for many years,” said Schatz. “We’ve gotten to know each other through racing in Australia, and when Mark offered me the opportunity to return to the Chili Bowl as part of this team, it was a quick decision. The Spike Chassis stable is always strong and I’m really looking forward to taking another shot at the Chili Bowl with Mark and Derrick Schwabauer.

“I’m also really excited to carry the Sage Fruit and Curb brands on my Chili Bowl car. Both Chuck Sinks and Mike Curb have been huge supporters of our programs at Tony Stewart Racing and it’s a privilege to have them as partners for a special event like the Chili Bowl,” Schatz continued. “Having Mike [Curb] as the co-entrant on my car along with Mark [Cooper], I’d love nothing more than to add a Chili Bowl win to all of our racing resumes.”

Schatz made his first Chili Bowl start in 2017 with Clauson-Marshall Racing, finishing seventh in the first B-main on the final night and just one spot short of transferring into the championship A-main.

In 2018, Schatz returned to Tulsa, where he was relegated to a seventh-place finish in the second D-main on Saturday night following a disappointing DNF in his preliminary A-main.

Cooper is hoping to see Schatz’s Chili Bowl results in 2020 take a turn for the better.

“After a long friendship of helping Donny out with all his racing needs in Australia for 10 years, I asked if it would be possible to get him back to Chili Bowl to promote our new Spike midget chassis,” said Cooper. “He was keen to help us out with promoting the new chassis and to get back to this great event. I’m so proud to have him compete in a Spike Chassis and under our banner for the 2020 Chili Bowl.”

Chuck Sinks, the president of sales and marketing for Sage Fruit, is also looking to add a Chili Bowl win to the brand’s racing portfolio to kick off the 2020 season in a big way.

“Sage Fruit has long been a part of the Chili Bowl. I’ve been going to Tulsa for 30 years and have enjoyed it each and every year,” said Sinks. “To be the primary sponsor of the No. 15 Donny Schatz/Mark Cooper/Mike Curb ream for this year’s Chili Bowl will bring a bigger excitement to us knowing that we are a part of such a great partnership.

“Mark Cooper always brings great cars to the Chili Bowl that are capable of winning and to be a part of that team gives us something to look forward to in January.”

The Curb name is synonymous with success in motorsports and the brand has been part of some of the biggest racing triumphs in the history of the sport.

Schatz’s to-date success under the Curb-Agajanian Racing banner includes six World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series titles (2012, 2014-2018) and 182 Outlaw victories.

Both Curb and Schatz hope to add another achievement to their history in January.

“We are proud of our long World of Outlaws partnership with Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart,” said Curb. “We’re also excited to be partnered with Spike Chassis, Mark Cooper and Donny at the world-famous Chili Bowl in 2020 and to add another chapter to our racing history.”

Manchester United used a big second-half to beat Colchester United 3-0 on Wednesday night and set up a Carabao Cup semifinals derby with Manchester City.

Goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial bookended an own-goal from Ryan Jackson to ensure the hosts' win over the League Two side at Old Trafford.

The win also sets up a final-four clash with Manchester City, who beat Oxford United 3-1. The first-leg ties will commence on week of Jan. 6, with second-leg ties on the week of Jan. 27.

Colchester entered the match with high hopes following a win over Tottenham Hotspur in the tournament's previous round, but were undone by a Red Devils side that dominated possession.

photo caption="Manchester United are into the Carabao Cup semifinals.">

Despite going into half-time without giving up a goal, Colchester were unable to withstand Manchester United's attack following the break. The hosts' first came in the 51st minute when Colchester had a chance to score themselves before goalkeeper Sergio Romero threw the ball to Nemanja Matic, who then connected with Rashford for the powerful strike.

Five minutes later, Colchester hit more bad luck when Jackson tried to prevent Rashford's certain tap-in at the back post, only to inadvertently put it into his side's net.

Rashford then assisted an unmarked Martial for the game's last score, with the Frenchman easily marking from outside the six-yard box.

BARCELONA -- Barcelona and Real Madrid remain level on points at the top of La Liga after Wednesday's Clasico at Camp Nou ended goalless -- the first such result since 2002 in the meeting.

Madrid were the better side in the first half but couldn't beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen as Barca stretched their unbeaten run in the Clasico to seven matches. Barca had chances of their own, with Jordi Alba wasting their best opening just before half-time, but had to settle for a point in the end.

Positives

Talk of Gerard Pique's demise have been greatly exaggerated. It's true he hasn't been at his best all season but he's been brilliant when it mattered over the last week. Was colossus at Real Sociedad at the weekend and again against Madrid. The point keeps Barca top of the table, too. Just. They're level with Madrid on 36 points, five clear of third-placed Sevilla, but sit in first place courtesy of their superior goal difference.

Negatives

Frenkie de Jong aside, Barcelona's midfield carries little resemblance to what it has been in the past and what the club's philosophy demands it should be. Ivan Rakitic and Sergi Roberto are not bad players but they were bettered against Madrid by Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Fede Valverde. Barca need to find their best midfield quickly. They have options, though, with Carles Alena, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal among the substitutes here. Arthur Melo, meanwhile, remains injured.

Manager rating out of 10

5 -- Ernesto Valverde could have been braver in the second half. He left it too late to bring Ansu Fati on, and when he finally did he bizarrely removed Antoine Griezmann instead of the misfiring Luis Suarez. Only the Barca coach will know why Busquets didn't play, too.

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

GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 7 -- Barcelona's best player in the first half. Made good saves from Fede Valverde and Casemiro. He also made great use of his goal kicks -- really! One drilled low down the middle to Suarez was a particular favourite.

DF Nelson Semedo, 5 -- Pinned back for large parts of the first half and unable to use his pace to help in attack. Removed early in the second period.

DF Gerard Pique, 8 -- Led from the back in more ways than one and was vocal but was also committed. Cleared off the line from Casemiro in the first half and was one of the players at the end busting a gut to get forward in search of a winner.

DF Clement Lenglet, 6 -- Got away with a tangle with Raphael Varane in the first half that could have led to a penalty. Other than that, did well to keep the in-form Karim Benzema relatively quiet.

DF Jordi Alba, 6 -- Surprisingly ineffective in attack. He wasted good crossing opportunities and missed a really good chance to score from a Lionel Messi pass. Will point to the fact this was just his second game back after a lengthy injury layoff.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 6 -- Busquets was originally named in the lineup only for Barca to claim it was an administration error and Rakitic was in fact starting. The Croatian did OK but you can't escape the feeling his best years at the club are behind him.

MF Sergi Roberto, 5 -- A surprise pick in midfield given he's much better at right-back these days, which is where he played in the second half. Wasted too many balls in the middle but improved when he joined the back four.

MF Frenkie de Jong, 7 -- Perhaps Barca's best player in the second half. His teammates don't always give him the best passing option but he adapts. An example of that was a surging run, which led to a save from Thibaut Courtois after a smart one-two with Suarez.

FW Lionel Messi, 6 -- Allowed a lot of space in first 15 minutes but was quiet during Madrid's dominant spells. Still managed to set up a great chance for Alba and had a shot cleared off the line by Sergio Ramos. Worked hard in the second half, making more tackles than any other Barca player, but luck deserted him.

FW Luis Suarez, 4 -- Often at his best in this fixture, with 11 goals in 14 Clasicos, but was poor here. Looked sluggish, his touch was poor and it's amazing he was allowed to finish the game.

FW Antoine Griezmann, 6 -- After a slow start, he was growing into the game when he was taken off for Ansu. Set up a good chance for Messi (whose touch let him down) and was having joy drifting in from the left.

Substitutes

MF Arturo Vidal, 6 -- Introduced early in the second half and tried to get the crowd going. Unfortunately, he couldn't get Barca going.

FW Ansu Fati, NR -- Brought on too late to make an impact on the game, but did become the youngest player to play in the Clasico this century.

DOHA, Qatar -- For the 20 Liverpool supporters who had made the 3,400-mile dash from Aston Villa to Doha in less than 24 hours, it was worth it in the end as, right at the very end of 90 minutes, Roberto Firmino scored to seal a 2-1 victory against Monterrey and secure a place in Saturday's FIFA Club World Cup final.

On Tuesday, the small band of Liverpool fans, those die-hards who simply refuse to miss any game being played by their team, had watched the youngest side in the club's history suffer a 5-0 defeat in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal in Birmingham against Villa. It was a team, with five debutants, that had an average age of 19 years, six months and three days, which was managed by Neil Critchley, the club's U23 manager, because Jurgen Klopp, quite simply, could not be in two places at once.

But on Wednesday, in a different competition on another continent, Klopp's first team overcame a determined performance by Mexican outfit Monterrey, the CONCACAF Champions League winners, to justify fans' expensive, and challenging, effort to get from England to Qatar in time to be able to say they were at two Liverpool games in the space of 24 hours, almost half a world apart.

Naby Keita's 12th-minute opener had given Liverpool a dream start until Rogelio Funes Mori -- twin brother of former Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori -- equalised for Monterrey two minutes later. But substitute Firmino ensured Liverpool will face Brazilian giants Flamengo in the final by scoring the winning goal just as the fourth official had raised the board to signify three minutes of stoppage time.

Maybe Liverpool had left it late just to make sure those long-distance, last-minute travellers had made it in time to the Khalifa International Stadium.

Some had taken Qatar Airways flight QR36 from Birmingham, leaving at 7:57 Wednesday morning, which touched down at Doha's Hamad International Airport at 5:47 p.m. local time -- less than three hours before kickoff. Another group drove 80 miles from Birmingham to Manchester after the Villa game and spent the night at Manchester Airport before boarding flight QR22 at 7:25 a.m. and landing in Doha at 5:15 p.m.

Once they had arrived in the Qatari capital, the 14-mile journey from the airport to the stadium would have been the easy part.

But how had Liverpool come to find themselves in this situation in the first place, having to play two games in two competitions in two days, one in Europe and the other in Asia? The price of success, having won the Champions League last season, is that Liverpool must negotiate an increasingly congested fixture list of various competitions, and something had to give.

When Manchester United participated in the FIFA Club World Championship -- a precursor of the Club World Cup as we know it -- in Brazil in January 2000 after winning the Champions League in 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson's team were forced to withdraw from that season's FA Cup in order to make the trip to South America. Under pressure from the Football Association and U.K. government, who saw the tournament as an opportunity to promote England's ultimately unsuccessful bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, United were heavily criticised for turning their back on the FA Cup and resentment lingers in some quarters to this day.

With the EFL unwilling to reschedule the quarterfinal against Villa, however, Liverpool chose to fulfil their commitments in both the Carabao Cup and Club World Cup, rather than withdraw from the Carabao Cup, in what was described by EFL chairman Rick Parry, a former Liverpool CEO, as a "pragmatic solution."

"We had to do it like this," Klopp said ahead of the trip to Qatar. "For us, there was absolutely no chance to do it differently when it was clear when [the Villa game] would be played and all the other dates were absolutely not possible for us to play it later.

"There was not one date which really would have worked at all because [for] Aston Villa it is difficult as well and there are possible rematches in the FA Cup. If somebody thought I should have done it differently, I cannot change that."

So with the decision made to play in both competitions, Liverpool split their squad and found a way. Two teams, two managers, two sets of playing kit, two games for a small group of fans to watch and two team buses -- yes, Liverpool even ensured that they had an official logo-covered LFC bus in both Birmingham and Doha.

But for a coach as invested and hands-on as Klopp, it made more sense to prepare his team in Qatar rather than take a private jet from Birmingham to Doha and take charge of both games. So on Tuesday in Doha, Klopp and his coaches sat down in front of a jumbo screen at the team's hotel, the St Regis in Doha's West Bay, at 10.45 p.m. local time to watch the club's youngsters fulfil Liverpool's Carabao Cup commitments. The players were sent to bed to prepare for the Monterrey game, but with the Villa match being screened live in Doha, it is safe to assume that some broke the curfew to watch their young teammates.

The defeat at Villa Park saw Liverpool exit a competition for the first time this season, but for stand-in boss Critchley, the bigger picture was about the experience his young players gained.

"Try telling those players in that dressing room that it was a bad thing for them," Critchley said. "You can't swap that experience for anything, that was a special evening for them and we are the beneficiaries of the success of the first team."

The kids might have lost, but the seniors continue to march on -- runaway leaders of the Premier League, reigning European champions and 90 minutes away from being crowned the kings of the world for the first time. For those 20 fans who clocked up the frequent flier miles on Wednesday, this victory in Doha made it all worthwhile.

MILWAUKEE -- Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his 25th birthday during a blowout Dec. 6 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will be 11 days away from turning 35 on Thursday when they face the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

Even as fierce competitors, Antetokounmpo is impressed by how James is moving in Year 17 of his career and uses it as inspiration.

"It's crazy. Obviously, for me, that's one of my goals to be able to play at a high level for the next 10 years, but he's about to turn 35 this month and he's moving like that, playing like that, and just playing smart," Antetokounmpo said during Wednesday's practice. "It's insane to see what he's able to do, but he's LeBron James, he's different. He's an alien. So you expect it from him, but yeah, it's crazy."

The Bucks and Lakers are sitting atop the Eastern and Western conferences, respectively, with matching 24-4 records as they prepare to clash for the first of two times this season.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds as the Bucks are looking to bounce back from Monday's loss to Dallas. Prior to that, Milwaukee ran off 18 consecutive wins -- good for second-best in franchise history.

Milwaukee is 23-1 following a loss in the past two seasons and 3-0 this year.

Meanwhile, James currently leads the league in assists (10.6) while averaging 25.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. James' player efficiency rating (PER) of 26.8 is also on pace to be the second-highest of anyone in an age-35 season or later (Karl Malone had 27.1 in 1999-2000), per ESPN Stats & Information research.

"What LeBron James has done in our league is phenomenal," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He's just a very, very special player, so anytime you get to play against him, and now Anthony Davis, is very similar and they've got great fits, great players around them so I think the thing we often talk about when you play a really good team is how you get tested and how you learn more about yourself.

"I think that's kind of the way I look at it and that usually means you're playing somebody good, and I'm excited about that opportunity."