Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino took responsibility for a failed tactical experiment as his side suffered a 3-1 defeat away to Real Sociedad to fall three points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Martino started with former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song in an unfamiliar role in a back three alongside Gerard Pique and Marc Bartra.

Teenage strikers Gakuto Notsuda and Takuma Asano scored either side of half-time as Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat Yokohama Marinos 2-0 on Saturday to claim the Super Cup for a second year running.

Notsuda opened the scoring for the J-League champions in the sixth minute before substitute Asano doubled the lead in the 66th minute, settling the final Super Cup game to be held at Tokyo's National Stadium before the venue is demolished and rebuilt to host the 2020 Olympics.

Spain's world number one Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the $1.3 million ATP Rio Open after crushing Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 6-0 in the last eight on Friday.

"I think I played my best match of the week today," said top seed Nadal after a crushing win in 75 minutes kept his run going in what is his first event since losing last month's Australian Open final.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has apologized for questioning the integrity of referee Jonas Eriksson after the 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Pellegrini may face sanctions from UEFA after saying Eriksson was "not impartial" and suggesting he was influenced by previous matches he officiated involving Barcelona.

President Josep Bartomeu defended Barcelona's dealings in signing Neymar, saying the Spanish champion would do it all over again despite being charged with tax fraud.

A Spanish judge charged Barcelona with the crime on Thursday, alleging it swindled the state of 9.1 million euros ($12.5 million) through payments to varying companies and false contracts.

Juventus looked good while Ajax looked woeful in the Europa League on Thursday on a night when other former champions Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Sevilla also stumbled.

Juventus enjoyed a 2-0 home win against Trabzonspor, but four-time European champion Ajax fell to a stunning 3-0 home loss to SV Salzburg in the first leg of the round-of-32.

For hockey fans, it should be a fantastic Friday.

The United States and Canada will renew their rivalry in the Olympic semifinals, a rematch of the 2010 and 2002 gold-medal games, both of which Canada won.

Russia's cupboard was so bare of world-class female figure skaters that the sport's most dominant nation had to turn to the kids a few years ago.

Among those youngsters was Adelina Sotnikova, who won a national championship in 2009, when she was just 12.

Manchester City's FA Cup quarterfinal against Wigan has been pushed back to March 9 by broadcasters -- just three days before they face the daunting task of trying to overcome a Champions League deficit away to Barcelona.

Thursday's announcement by BT Sport will be a source of fresh frustration for City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

A Spanish judge indicted Barcelona on Thursday over alleged tax crimes linked to their signing of Brazilian star striker Neymar, a court source said.

Prosecutors accuse Barcelona, who have a narrow lead at the top of the Spanish league, of irregularities in the 86-million-euro ($118 million) deal -- which the club denies.