What they said

"I threw myself at it with everything. We left Paris (after the first leg) very down and now this is incredible. We were prepared for all this. The fans were like 10 extra players, and in the end this is all for them."

Nowitzki joins elite company

DALLAS - Dirk Nowitzki ducked his head into a mob of teammates, with Dallas owner Mark Cuban clutching the side of his jersey before the Mavericks superstar found coach Rick Carlisle for a hug on Tuesday night.

'Pie in the sky' quashes Pacquiao-Khan

LOS ANGELES - A welterweight title bout between WBO champion and Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Britain's Amir Khan has collapsed, The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

Cricket break helps Ashleigh ace return

MELBOURNE - The relentless grind of the professional tennis tour proved too much for Ashleigh Barty during her teenage years, but a break from the game to play cricket appears to be paying dividends.

Sore knee sidelines Serena

World No 1 Serena Williams has pulled out of upcoming WTA tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami because of a knee injury, organizers said on Tuesday.

Tevez turns it on

The world's best-paid player, Carlos Tevez, went a little way to justifying his staggering wage packet in his Chinese Super League debut on Sunday, but not every expensive import translated into instant success on the opening weekend of the new CSL season.

Encouraging expansion

More teams should be absorbed into China's soccer leagues with the aim of fostering talent and upgrading the level of the national teams, said Zhang Jindong, owner of Chinese Super League giant Jiangsu Suning.

Score board

Gunners boss running out of ammo

LONDON - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger conceded he is in a "very difficult situation" after the Gunners' wretched campaign hit a new low with a humiliating Champions League exit to Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Zidane's got Bale's back

NAPLES, Italy - Zinedine Zidane refused to criticize Gareth Bale as 11-time winner Real Madrid recovered from its dismal first half to end Napoli's Champions League quarterfinal hopes with a clinical 3-1 win at San Paolo stadium on Tuesday.

Ibra elbowed out of Chelsea cup clash

LONDON - Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Monday's FA Cup quarterfinal at Chelsea after accepting a charge of violent conduct and an immediate three-match suspension, England's Football Association said on Tuesday.

Nowitzki on the brink of joining exclusive bucket list

DALLAS - Dirk Nowitzki chuckled at the memory of joining best friend Steve Nash in trying to sneak in a few shots between YMCA games inside the closest thing the Dallas Mavericks had to a practice facility nearly 20 years ago.