AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has virtually guaranteed that Mario Balotelli will start his first game for the club when the Rossoneri host Udinese at the San Siro on Sunday.

Balotelli joined Milan from Manchester City for a fee of around 30 million euros ($40.9m) this week in a deal that will see him remain with the Serie A giants until 2017.

Cape Verde coach Lucio Antunes pretended to be on the phone with Jose Mourinho on Friday after telling reporters the Real Madrid coach would help him in the African Cup quarterfinals.

Antunes could have been joking and engaging in Mourinho-like mind games when he smiled widely when answering a question on whether his good friend Mourinho had helped him guide the underdog team to the last eight.

Diego Costa scored two penalties to give 10-man Atletico Madrid a 2-1 home win over nine-man Sevilla on Thursday in an incident-packed first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal that featured three penalties from handballs.

The Brazilian forward filled in nicely for injured top scorer Radamel Falcao, who has been out since January 20, by triggering both of Sevilla's dismissals in addition to taking his brace.

David Lee finished an assist short of a triple-double and Klay Thompson scored 27 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 100-97 Thursday.

Lee had 15 points, a season-high 20 rebounds and nine assists, while Jarrett Jack scored 13 points, including two free throws with 2 seconds left to help the Warriors win their third straight. Harrison Barnes also had 15 points.

David Beckham lit up a subdued transfer deadline day in Europe by securing perhaps the final move of his globetrotting career, a surprise short-term deal with ambitious French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Mario Balotelli, a headline-grabber at the opposite end of his football career, finalized his switch from Manchester City to AC Milan for €20 million ($27 million). Otherwise, there was plenty of speculation but precious little activity as another January window closed for business on Thursday.

An Australian sprinter who claimed ahead of the London Olympics he was racially abused by officials and accused the athletics federation of vilification was Thursday banned from competition for six months.

John Steffensen triggered controversy in the lead-up to last year's Games when he claimed that an Australian Olympic Committee staffer racially abused him in Beijing in 2008, an allegation supported by team captain Steve Hooker.

Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs has been ruled out for three weeks after suffering a thigh strain in his side's 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday.

Gibbs was forced off in the 37th minute at the Emirates Stadium and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger doesn't expect to see the left-back in action again until late February.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has challenged his three main strikers to each reach 20 goals this season as the Old Trafford club aim for a trophy treble.

United moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win at home to Southampton on Wednesday.

French youngster Raphael Varane headed in a late goal as Real Madrid salvaged a 1-1 draw against bitter rivals Barcelona in their Spanish Cup semi-final first-leg clash on Wednesday.

Cesc Fabregas had given Barca the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu in a game his side looked to be running away with until the leveller.

Roberto Mancini admitted he will be disappointed to see Mario Balotelli leave Manchester City for AC Milan but insists the move is in the best interests of the Italy forward.

Balotelli was missing from English champions City's goalless Premier League draw away to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Tuesday as his reported £19 million ($30 million) transfer was finalized.