It could be the bumbling defending, or perhaps the vanishing spray has a mysterious side-effect, but the Asian Cup has yet to produce a draw in 20 matches -- now officially a record at major football tournaments.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Monday said the tournament has surpassed the previous mark of 18 matches without a stalemate set at the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay.

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique hailed Lionel Messi's consistent brilliance this season after the Argentine took his tally to 28 goals in 27 games with a hat-trick in a 4-0 win away to Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday.

Messi and Enrique's relationship has reportedly been frosty since the four-time World Player of the Year had been left on the bench for his side's 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad earlier this month.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that his side had established a benchmark for the rest of their season after recording an impressive 2-0 victory at Manchester City.

Santi Cazorla scored from the penalty spot and set up Olivier Giroud for a 67th-minute header on Sunday as Arsenal registered a first away win against a team defending the Premier League title since May 2002.

Iran's footballers have been warned they could face punishment if they take "selfie" pictures with female fans who have turned out in large numbers at the Asian Cup.

The head of the Iranian Football Federation's moral committee said players risked being used as a "political tool" if snapped with women fans.

Big guns Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray successfully blasted their way into the Australian Open second round Monday but the Grand Slam dream of Ana Ivanovic was shattered.

Third seed Nadal and sixth seed Murray both enjoyed straight sets wins, with rising stars Simona Halep and Grigor Dimitrov also progressing comfortably on a cool and windy Melbourne day.

Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off a week where he was named world player of the year for the third time scoring a double as Real Madrid opened up a four-point lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win away to Getafe on Sunday.

The visitors had to wait 63 minutes to make the breakthrough before he fired home Karim Benzema's pass to set them on the road to victory.

American ski great Lindsey Vonn equaled the record of overall World Cup wins on Sunday as she recorded her 62nd victory in the women's downhill at the Italian resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The 30-year-old -- who could have reached the landmark earlier but for an 18 month injury absence -- equalled the record of Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell, who competed between 1970 and 1980.

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic says she's finally ready to fulfill her undoubted potential as she gears up to contest the Australian Open at her "second home" Melbourne Park.

The Serb burst onto the scene when she won the French Open as a 20-year-old and appeared destined to claim multiple Grand Slams but struggled with overnight success and slid down the rankings.

Politicians in distance running powerhouse Kenya are coming under mounting pressure to push through laws criminalizing doping and put an end to months of suspicion, recriminations and shame.

The current crisis over drugs cheats has been years in the making, but reached a head late last year when it emerged one of the world's top female distance runners, Boston and Chicago marathon winner Rita Jeptoo, was caught using the blood-boosting hormone EPO.

Big-serving Milos Raonic is tipping one of his new generation to step up and topple the established guard and win this month's Australian Open.

Marin Cilic beat Kei Nishikori in last year's U.S. Open final, while Stan Wawrinka was another first-time Grand Slam winner beating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the previous Australian Open.