NEWS » evilla.Messi and Suarez lead the league in scoring

Rory McIlroy remains upbeat about his chances of continuing his impressive record in Dubai after getting off to a steady start to the Dubai Desert Classic. The defending champion recovered from an opening-hole bogey to card a four-under 68 at Emirates GC, leaving the world No 2 within two strokes of early pacesetter Alex Noren.Beginning on the back nine, McIlroy reached the turn in 35 before bouncing back from another dropped shot to post three birdies in a four-hole stretch and move up the leaderboard. I thought I did well considering the start and considering some of the shots I hit throughout the round, McIlroy told Sky Sports 4. All in all it was a decent day and a decent score. McIlroy is chasing a third Desert Classic title I feel like 68 was a fair reflection of how I played. I dont think I couldve gone any lower than that, but at the same time I gave myself plenty of chances for birdies.Having taking two attempts to get out a greenside bunker to bogey the 10th, McIlroy bounced back with a tap-in birdie at the par-five 13th after negotiating a palm tree with his approach.An eight-foot gain at the next was followed by another at the 18th, where McIlroy found the water off the tee but struck his long iron to seven feet after a penalty drop and sunk the birdie putt. McIlroy was grouped with Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen for the opening round McIlroy posted a second dropped shot of the day when he hooked his drive at the second into trees and missed the fairway trying to escape, but immediately recovered to two-putt the next for birdie.A ten-foot gain at the fifth was followed by a kick-in birdie at the sixth when McIlroy almost holed his approach into the par-four, before he closed his round with three pars. It wasnt the best way to start in bogeying a par-five and with the bogey I made on the front nine, which is a birdie hole out here, McIlroy added. But to bounce back and birdie some of the tougher holes on the course, I was really pleased with that.When I got myself out of position I was able to get back in play and make my pars so considering my start Im happy with how the rest of the round went.Watch the Dubai Desert Classic throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV Also See: Latest leaderboard McIlroys Dubai record Rorys decent day Golf live on Sky Sports 4 Roger Staubach Womens Jersey . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Robert Newhouse Cowboys Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Larry-Allen-Cowboys-Jersey/ . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Leighton Vander Esch Jersey . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Randall Cobb Cowboys Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. MADRID -- With Karim Benzema out injured and Cristiano Ronaldo playing below expectations again, Gareth Bale got the job done for Real Madrid with two goals against Leganes on Sunday. Not to be outdone, Lionel Messi scored his 500th goal for Barcelona as the Catalan club won a thriller against Sevilla.Reaching that landmark prompted Barcelona to tweet: Counting official matches and friendlies, Messi reaches the figure of 500 goals for FC Barcelona. Well done Leo!Bale scored both his goals shortly before halftime in a 3-0 win over Leganes, securing the Spanish league lead for Madrid ahead of the city derby against Atletico Madrid.Barcelona stayed two points behind Madrid by coming from behind to defeat gritty Sevilla 2-1. Luis Suarez got Barcelonas winner.Madrid has 27 points after 11 rounds. Atletico, which lost 2-0 at Real Sociedad on Saturday, dropped to fourth place after Villarreal defeated Real Betis 2-0 to move up the standings.---REAL MADRID 3, LEGANES 0Bale dominated action from the start and was Madrids most dangerous forward throughout the match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and his first goal came just as the crowd was growing impatient with the team.After a perfect long pass by Francisco Isco Alarcon in the 38th minute, Bale calmly found the net after his first attempt was stopped by the goalkeeper. His second came from close range in first-half injury time.Im pleased with the work everyone put in, not any player in particular, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. There will always be one who makes the difference, but the great thing today was the team.Bale also had two great scoring chances early in the second half, first with a close-range shot and then with a header, both requiring difficult saves by Leganes goalkeeper Jon Ander Serantes.The striker has scored three goals in the last two matches for Madrid.Ronaldos up-and-down season continued and he had another lackluster performance at the Bernabeu, where he hasnt scored in five straight games, his longest scoreless drought at home since he arrived at Madrid in 2009. Ronaldo, who is set to extend his contract with Madrid until 2021, last scored at the Bernabeu against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Sept. 14.I dont think hes worried, he looks good annd committed, Zidane said.dddddddddddd Its true he likes scoring goals, especially at this stadium, but hes calm.Benzema was sidelined on Sunday because of a knee ailment, and replacement Morata got Madrids third goal from inside the area after a pass by Toni Kroos in the 76th.Madrid, unbeaten this season, plays against Atletico at the Vicente Calderon on Nov. 19, following the international break.It was the fourth consecutive loss for Leganes, which was making its first-division debut at the Bernabeu. It is just outside the relegation zone with 10 points.---SEVILLA 1, BARCELONA 2Messi was the difference again, scoring an equalizer with a well-placed shot from outside the area in the 43rd for his 500th goal for Barcelona.Messi is the clubs all-time leading scorer with 469 goals in official matches and 31 in friendlies.Not content with that milestone, Messi set up Suarezs winner with a precise pass in the 61st in the back-and-forth game at Sevilla.Messi and Suarez lead the league in scoring with eight goals each.Victor Vitolo Machin had put Sevilla ahead in a breakaway in the 15th, speeding past a defender after a perfect through ball by midfielder Pablo Sarabia and firing a low shot past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.It was the fourth straight win for Barcelona, and Sevillas first home loss in the league this season.Its a win that strengthens us as a team, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said.Sevilla, which had beaten Atletico Madrid at home earlier this season, was looking for another big victory to establish itself as a top contender after the arrival of Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli.---OTHER GAMESVillarreal scored a goal in each half to defeat Betis 2-0 and moved to third place with 22 points, five behind Real Madrid.Seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao was held to a 0-0 draw at Espanyol for its third straight game without a league win.Celta Vigo moved to eighth after coming from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 at home. Swedish forward John Guidetti scored Celtas winner in the 77th.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni ' ' '