A Karim Benzema double helped nine-time winners Real Madrid to a 3-0 away win over Cypriot surprise package APOEL in their Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash on Tuesday.

APOEL put up a stubborn rearguard action in a contest they were as expected largely outplayed by their illustrious and more famous opponents.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo insisted his team still had a "mountain to climb" after a gritty 1-0 victory over Benfica that put the Premier League side on course for the Champions League semi-finals.

A 75th-minute goal on the counter-attack from Salomon Kalou gave Chelsea a huge advantage heading into next week's return leg at Stamford Bridge as Di Matteo's risky selection gamble paid handsome dividends.

A group led by NBA legend Magic Johnson won an auction for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night with a record $2 billion bid, the bankrupt baseball club announced.

The purchase price from current owner Frank McCourt is the highest sum ever paid for a North American sports franchise and does not include iconic Dodger Stadium, which went for $150 million in another deal.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal stayed on pace for a possible final showdown while Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki booked a semi-final match with Tuesday triumphs at the Miami ATP and WTA event.

Top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic, winner of the past three Grand Slam singles crowns, reached the quarter-finals of the $9.6 million hardcourt tournament with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over French 17th seed Richard Gasquet.

The 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen held talks on Monday with President Michel Suleiman in hopes of staging a grand prix in Lebanon, reported MTV.

He told the president that he is seeking to place the Lebanese flag on his Formula One car.

After 76 days, Gabor Rakonczay — isolated and incommunicado for nearly 50 of those after his canoe capsized — has become the first person to paddle across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to the Caribbean.

Rakonczay, who began his adventure in Lagos, Portugal, on December 21, and stopped for several days in the Canary Islands for rest and supplies, reached the island of Antigua on Sunday, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview from the Caribbean nation.

Roger Federer crashed out of the Miami Masters to Andy Roddick to bring the world number three's impressive run of form to a swift end.

American Roddick, ranked 34 in the world, upset 16-time major winner Federer 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-4, snapping the Swiss star's win streak at 16 matches and moving into the fourth round.

Inter Milan sacked coach Claudio Ranieri on Monday after a string of poor results which has left the Serie A giants struggling to qualify for next season's Champions League.

The former Chelsea and Valencia handler - who has guided the side that won the treble including the Champions League in 2010 to just one win in their last 10 league games - has been replaced by youth team coach Andrea Stramaccioni.

The Boston Celtics moved into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division as Paul Pierce scored a season-high 36 points in a 102-95 win over Charlotte Bobcats.

Pierce also added 10 rebounds for the Celtics, which posted their fourth win in five National Basketball Association games.

Having been kept apart in the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona and Real Madrid will this week embark on a path that could lead to an all-Spanish showdown in the final in Munich on May 19.

Rampant in La Liga, where the top two enjoy a 22-point cushion over third-placed Valencia, Barca, and Madrid are widely regarded as the two strongest sides in the European game.