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Real Madrid has asked FIFA president Sepp Blatter to apologize for making fun of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Blatter recently told an audience at Oxford University that Ronaldo "is like a commander on the field of play" before strutting around the stage to the laughs of the students in attendance.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday that club president Florentino Perez has sent a letter to Blatter asking him to "rectify what I consider a lack of respect for a serious and professional player."

While slighting Ronaldo, Blatter said he preferred Barcelona rival Lionel Messi, the Argentina forward who has won FIFA's world player of the year award for the past four years.

Ronaldo won the award in 2008, finishing second in voting behind Messi in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

On Tuesday, FIFA included Ronaldo and Messi on its list of 23 finalists for this year's world player of the year award. The list will be pared down to three players in early December.

"Messi is a good boy, that every father and every mother would like to have at home," Blatter said. "He's a kind man, a good boy. That's what makes him so popular, and naturally he'll always get a lot of votes because he plays well and scores goals."

Then, while comparing Messi and Ronaldo, Blatter made a joke about Ronaldo's hair.

"They don't have the same attitude and that gives life to football. One has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other but that doesn't matter," Blatter said.

Ancelotti defended Ronaldo's character.

"I completely agree with the president (Perez)," Ancelotti said. "I haven't spoken to Ronaldo about this. I think he shows every day and in every match that he is a serious and professional player that respects everyone."

Of the 10 teams that reached this season's MLS playoffs, nobody has scored fewer goals than the Houston Dynamo. No team has a worse goal differential than Houston as well, which sits at an even +0.

None of that matters anymore though.

When Houston defeated D.C. United on Sunday and clinched a playoff berth, the Dynamo turned into one of the classic sports clichés: The Team Nobody Wants To Play.

When the postseason arrives, Dominic Kinnear's team morphs into an entirely different group, as exemplified by the last two seasons, when the Dynamo have reached the MLS Cup final, losing to the Galaxy both times.

In 2011, Houston reached the MLS Cup as a two seed and in 2012, the club advanced to the final as a five seed. After clinching the four seed in 2013, the team will look to make it three finals in a row, beginning the postseason by hosting the Montreal Impact in a play-in game on Thursday.

“We've always said you just have to get in and finish as high as you can,” Kinnear told reporters after Sunday's win at D.C. United. “If you get to the playoffs, it's anybody's game. We've seemed to perform well in the playoffs.”

That may be an understatement. Since the Dynamo moved from San Jose in 2006, Kinnear has guided the team to the MLS Cup in four of its six postseason appearances, including wins in 2006 and 2007.

Continuity has been a key to Houston's success, as the team has retained its coach and four players – Mike Chabala, Ricardo Clark, Brian Ching and Brad Davis – from those back-to-back championships, which is no small feat considering how much time has passed.

“I know there will be moments when we can look back – not even the past two years but 2006, 2007, where we've won – you can look back at those moments and know what you need to do in the current position that you're in,” Davis said. “I think the experience being there can help us out a lot.”

Last season, despite being the fifth and final seed in the East, Houston rolled through the conference playoffs, leaving Chicago, Sporting Kansas City and D.C. United in its wake en route to MLS Cup. This season, the Dynamo will once again have to go through the play-in game and although it does create one additional fixture, it also presents an opportunity to gather momentum.

“I think that the play-in game can make you pretty dangerous,” defender Bobby Boswell said. “The play-in game is one game and if you're in that game and you can get hot, then you're obviously the most dangerous team. You're only as good as your last game so that can be in a way an advantage.”

Davis concurred with his teammate.

“I do feel like last year, the run we made, that play-in game did help us,” he said. “We were on a little bit of a roll at the end of the year ... we were able to get right back out on the field again and continue that momentum and that push. We were feeling good, the confidence was high and we wanted to get back out on the field as quick as possible. So I think in that situation, the game did help us.”

Should the Dynamo go on another playoff run this season, it will not only have to defy the odds against a low seed once again, it will also have to defy regular season results.

Houston went 1-2-0 in the regular season against Montreal, including a 5-0 shellacking at Stade Saputo in August. Should the Dynamo advance, they will face New York in the conference semifinal, a team which has given Houston even more trouble this year. In 2013, Kinnear's men lost all three regular season games against the Red Bulls by a combined score of 9-1, including a 3-0 trouncing at BBVA Compass Stadium just last weekend.

“We got beat by New York a lot this year, so law of ratios would maybe say we're due to owe them one,” Boswell said.

Based on regular season results, the Red Bulls would presumably be hoping for a Dynamo victory on Thursday night, but given Houston's history, New York may be awfully relieved if the Canadian side turns up at Red Bull Arena for the Eastern Conference semifinal next month.

“We're not going to be overawed, because we've been in this position before,” Kinnear said.

Though they may not have the strongest regular season optics, Kinnears men have the postseason chops to intimidate teams that on paper, would be considered big favorites.

"I don't think we're a team that you necessarily want to play," Boswell said.

"Depending on who gets matched up with us, I don't think we're a team that people are saying 'Oh, we're matched up with the Dynamo, good.' It's kind of one of those 'Oh boy, what are we in for?'"

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The Montreal Impact will play at least one Major League Soccer playoff game for the first time in franchise history, and all it took was a little help from the New York Red Bulls who thrashed the Chicago Fire 5-2 on Sunday.

After Montreal's 1-0 loss to Toronto F.C. on Saturday, and wins by Houston and New England on Sunday, the Impact (14-13-7) were forced to put their fate in the hands of the Red Bulls.

Chicago (49 points) would have knocked Montreal (49 points) out of playoff contention if it had beaten or tied New York — or if Chicago had lost and scored six or more goals to move past the Impact according to tiebreaker rules.

Though the Impact can breathe a sigh of relief, Montreal has a difficult playoff route ahead of them.

As the fifth-place team, it must now play fourth-place Houston — who beat D.C. United 2-1 on Sunday — to determine who will join the top three teams in the East in the conference semifinals. Had Montreal beaten Toronto, it would have clinched third and avoided the additional playoff game.

New England shut out Columbus 1-0 to seal third place.

With the Red Bulls' victory over Chicago, New York captured the Supporters' Shield — awarded to the team that finishes first in the regular season standings — and earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

New York will face the winner of the Montreal-Houston playoff game in the Eastern semifinal.

With the Impact making the playoffs in its second year in MLS existence, TFC is now the only Canadian team to not have a playoff appearance.

LONDON (Reuters) - Russia will still stage the 2018 World Cup finals despite the continuing blight of racism in the country's soccer, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Sunday.

Asked at a media round table event if Russia risked losing the World Cup, Blatter replied: "We have never said we will take the competition out of the country. That is impossible.

"Sporting boycotts are rarely a solution to any problem.

"But every country must follow the resolution taken by the FIFA Congress in Mauriutius in May and have a zero tolerance policy towards racism."

Manchester City's Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure said last week that black players should consider boycotting the tournament after he was subjected to racist chants from CSKA Moscow fans during a Champions League match in Moscow.

It was the sixth racist incident in the last five years involving Russian fans.

Speaking the day after attending a gala dinner marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of the English FA, Blatter said the problem of Russian racism in soccer would be discussed at the next executive committee meeting in December.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said he would be speaking to Russian authorities about the problem during a scheduled visit to Moscow this week.

"We will go back to the executive committee and see exactly what the situation is (in Russia) and what the latest incidents have been," Blatter said.

Blatter said he was absolutely determined to stamp racism out of football but added that FIFA could not be the world's policeman.

"The committees responsible for enforcing discipline in a competition must follow FIFA's rules and apply a zero tolerance policy when incidents of racism occur in matches they control," he said.

"We cannot go to a country or a society and tell them to stop, that is not FIFA's right. But we can stop it in football and the disciplinary committees have to impose suspensions or deduct points. We are dealing with actual problems, the problems of racism today."

Valcke told reporters he would meet Alexei Sorkin, the chief executive of Russia's 2018 World Cup organising committee and said the topic of racism would be high on the agenda.

"Of course we can use sanctions, but there is also an education programme in place in Russia and the Russian authorities and the local organising committee are working together to try and solve this problem," he said.

Fernando Torres capitalised on a defensive blunder to score a last-minute winner and secure Chelsea a 2-1 Premier League victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Spain striker, who set up Andre Schuerrle's first-half goal, gleefully fired into an empty net after a mix-up between City defender Matija Nastasic and Joe Hart.

Sergio Aguero had levelled soon after halftime for City as victory lifted Chelsea back up to second place, level on 20 points with Liverpool and two behind leaders Arsenal.

Roberto Soldado's 80th minute penalty secured Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 home win over Hull City and moved them up to fourth, while Sunderland moved off the foot of the table after substitute Fabio Borini lashed in a superb late winner in a 2-1 derby victory over Newcastle United.

Italian Borini, on loan from Liverpool, lifted the gloom at the Stadium of Light when he thundered a 25-metre rocket past a flailing Tim Krul six minutes from time.

Swansea City and West Ham United drew 0-0 in Sunday's other game.

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva believes the partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge is improving with each match - and points to the quality of the goals they score as proof.

Suarez grabbed his first Anfield hat-trick, and his fourth in total for the club, in the 4-1 win over West Bromwich Albion although there was an argument for Sturridge netting the best effort with a delightful delicate chip to put the result beyond doubt.

The pair already have 14 league goals between them this season - and Suarez was suspended for the first five games of the campaign. However, Lucas believes that is only the beginning of something special. "The link between Luis and Daniel is only getting better," he said.

"Last year they didn't have a chance to play many games (Sturridge arrived in January but injuries and suspension had an impact on their partnership) so this season we can see they are scoring goals. When you have two strikers in the good form they are we always have to make sure we defend well because we will create chances and score goals."

Suarez claimed all the headlines with his treble, which began with an individual run and nutmeg on Jonas Olsson and was followed by a powerful 17-yard header before nodding in a Steven Gerrard free-kick, but Lucas felt Sturridge's strike surpassed them all. "I think Daniel scored the best goal to be honest," added the Brazil midfielder.

"Luis' header was a great header and the first goal was typical Luis - the [nutmeg] and the good finish but I think overall it was four fantastic goals. It's just great to see them linking well and we hope this will continue during the season."

When you have two strikers in the good form they are we always have to make sure we defend well because we will create chances and score goals.
Liverpool's Lucas Leiva on Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez
Liverpool were coasting at 3-0 before James Morrison's 66th-minute penalty gave the visitors hope and they enjoyed a good ten-minute spell before Sturridge finished them off in style. "We are disappointed we conceded a goal - I've seen it again and I don't think it was a penalty," said Lucas.

"But I think we got back and Daniel killed the game very well. For 75 minutes we were very consistent, pressing and playing good football. I think it was a great performance overall, especially when you play at home and get an early goal."

While the forwards rightly received most of the praise manager Brendan Rodgers felt Lucas also deserved some credit. The 26-year-old missed last week's draw at Newcastle United after the birth of his second child, daughter Valentina, but slotted straight back in.

His role as defensive linchpin often goes unrewarded but Rodgers knows having the Brazilian in a holding role gives his more creative players much more freedom. "When you play that system you are looking for someone to have that controlling role because that allows the two advanced (midfield) players to go forward more," said the Reds boss.

"Lucas came in and filled that really well. I thought he was excellent - as was Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard. They were always available for the ball, it was very good. It was the best 90 minutes of the season. I thought we looked a very good team.

"The confidence was good, how we pressed the ball was good and the front two are as good as it gets and the support behind that is very good - and we have players like (Philippe) Coutinho to come back next weekend."

BARCELONA, Spain — There was a moment, just after the clocks at Camp Nou stadium showed that 16 full minutes had been played on Saturday, when Gareth Bale sneaked a quick glance at the crowd. It was not surprising; the home fans here erupt at 17 minutes 14 seconds of each half as a way to call for Catalonian independence, their chants evoking the year 1714, when the region lost its last traces of autonomy to Spain.

Josep Lago/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, left. This was the first Clásico for Bale, the Welsh wing who  joined Real Madrid from Tottenham.

So Bale looked, if but for a second. And why not? This was the first Clásico for Bale, the Welsh wing who joined Real Madrid from Tottenham, and the cries from all reaches of the stadium were surely curious. There were fans holding placards. There were screams and shouts. There was a giant flag.

Not too far from Bale, though, another Clásico rookie had his eyes down. Neymar, the Brazilian wunderkind, was beginning a run through the left side of the penalty area. Andrés Iniesta, the Barcelona playmaker, coolly slipped a pass through a seam in the Madrid defense, and Neymar scored — with help from a slight deflection — on a crisp shot to the far post.

Bedlam ensued. Neymar sprinted toward the goal line and was surrounded by his teammates. The crowd, announced at 98,761, erupted. And Bale, along with his Madrid teammates, simply stared as Neymar’s goal opened a glorious evening for Barcelona in a 2-1 victory over its biggest rival.

“Neymar has played better games,” Barcelona Manager Gerardo Martino said, “but this was the most transcendent.”

Neymar called the game “emotional” and said it was “very exciting to score in a game that everyone wants to play in.” He received a long and loud standing ovation when he left with 12 minutes remaining, and he was giddy afterward, having continued a tradition of Brazilians making an impact for Barcelona in their Clásico debuts.

Like Romario and Rivaldo, Neymar scored in his first appearance and was active throughout, combining well with Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi as Barcelona controlled much of the play.

Bale will very likely remember the night for the two shots he blasted well over the crossbar and for a yellow card he earned after a dangerous challenge. He was pulled for a substitute after only an hour.

“These are his first couple games, and he needs time to build chemistry with his teammates,” said Madrid Manager Carlo Ancelotti, who used a formation that had Bale playing more in the middle of the field. “He played a good match. He needs to find the combination of the team’s movements. He worked well with the team.”

Unfortunately for Ancelotti, Bale was not the only player in white who was ineffective. Cristiano Ronaldo had scored in each of his last six games at Camp Nou, but he was stifled this time, grimacing after Victor Valdés blocked his best chance with a low dive in the 57th minute.

Ronaldo also pleaded for a penalty after falling on a challenge from Javier Mascherano about 13 minutes later.

He appeared to have a strong case, but the referee, Alberto Undiano Mallenco, was unmoved.

Ronaldo did contribute a strong run and a slick pass to set up Jesé Rodríguez for a goal in second-half stoppage time, but by then it was far too late: Alexis Sánchez’s 78th-minute chip, a sublime bit of awareness, had pushed the game out of reach.

That cunning awed the teammates of Sánchez, a Chilean forward, who has been criticized in the local news media.

“I’m speechless,” Neymar said. “It was a golazo.”

The victory was Barcelona’s first in its last six games against Madrid, and it lifted Barcelona 6 points ahead of Madrid (4 in front of second-place Atlético Madrid) in the Spanish league standings.

Although it had been 238 days since the teams last faced each other, most observers believed this was just the first of several Clásicos this season. The teams are likely to see each other in cup competition or, perhaps, the Champions League.

That was one reason some scalpers outside Camp Nou before the game found the market for tickets slightly depressed — some reported asking prices that were only about two times face value.

Still, there was an obvious anticipation for the match throughout Europe, even if some fans of the Spanish league also believe that the rivalry is emblematic of all that is wrong with soccer in Spain.

No one can deny the oversize divide between these clubs and the rest of the Spanish teams. The signings of Neymar (reportedly for about 60 million euros, or $83 million) and Bale (for a record 100 million euros) were just the latest instances in which Barcelona and Madrid stretched the gap even wider.

José María Gay de Liébana, an economist and a professor at the University of Barcelona, said Barcelona had revenue of 519 million euros during the 2011-12 season, while Madrid brought in 483 million euros; the team with the third-highest figure, Valencia, brought in 120 million euros.

Much of the disparity is attributed to the significant revenue Barcelona and Real Madrid earn from television rights, a bounty not shared by the other clubs, and executives from those clubs have pushed recently for the Spanish league to address that situation.

For the time being, however, the teams appear likely to continue operating as virtual cash machines while also staging their dramatic big-money matches.

“The 6 points counts more emotionally than mathematically,” Martino said afterward. “I’m happy, but I realize this is just the beginning.”