Zurich, Feb 9 (AP/UNB) — FIFA is moving from London to have a night at the opera in Milan to honor the world's best players and coaches.

FIFA says the iconic Scala theater will host its annual awards ceremony on Sept. 23.

London has hosted the Best Awards for the past two years after FIFA's new leadership moved the event from long-time home Zurich. Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was voted the 2018 best player.

FIFA's top management has deep connections to Milan and its storied clubs.

The world soccer body's president, Gianni Infantino, is an Inter Milan fan, and deputy secretary general for soccer, Zvonimir Boban, played at AC Milan and won a Champions League title with the club.

Dhaka, Feb 7 (UNB) – Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club tasted the 2nd win in their 5th match of the   Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football upsetting high-flying Arambagh KS by 2-0 goals at the  Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Thursday.

Solomon King put Sheikh Jamal ahead in the 62nd minute from a penalty (1-0) while Luciano Araya confirmed the team’s victory adding one more goal in the 67th minute.

With the day’s creditable victory, formidable Dhanmondi outfit Sheikh Jamal have secured seven points from five matches with 2nd successive wins and a draw while giant-killer Arambagh KS suffered the first defeat after three consecutive victories and remained at nine points from five encounters.

Holders and traditional sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani Limited topped the league table securing 12 points from five matches with four wins and one loss against star-studded Bashundhara Kings.

Newcomers Bashundhara Kings, Shiekh Russel KC, Saif Sporting Club and Arambagh KS –followed the leader neck and neck securing nine points each.

On Friday, Chittagong Abahani Limited will encounter Brothers Unions Club at 4pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium while Saif Sporting Club will face Sheikh Russel KC at 3pm at the Rofiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh.

Dhaka, Feb 7 (UNB) – Defending champions Dhaka Abahani Limited took a solo lead in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football beating Team BJMC by one goal in the fifth-round match at Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Thursday.

Defender Topu Borman scored the match-decider in the 27th minute.

With the day’s feat, the traditional sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani Limited have secured 12 points from five matches with four wins and one loss against star-studded Bashundhara Kings.

Newcomers Bashundhara Kings, Shiekh Russel KC, Saif Sporting Club and Arambagh KS –followed the leader neck and neck securing nine points each.

Star-studded Bashundhara Kings and Sheikh Russel KC earned the full nine points from straight three matches while Saif SC and Arambagh KC bagged nine points from four matches, losing one matches each.

On Friday, Chittagong Abahani Limited will encounter Brothers Unions Club at 4pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium while Saif Sporting Club will face Sheikh Russel KC at 3pm at the Rofiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh.

Dhaka, Feb 7 (UNB) - The Bangladesh Championship League (BCL), the 2nd tier football league, begins on Sunday at the Bir Shreshtho Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mustafa Kamal (BSSSMMK) Stadium in Kamalapur.

Farashganj Sporting Club will play Dhaka City FC Ltd in the lone opening day’s match at 3:15 pm.

On the following day (Monday), Victoria Sporting Club will face Wari Club at 1:15 pm while Fakirerpool Youngmen’s Club will meet Swadhinata KC at 3:15 pm in the day’s other fixture.

In the other first round matches on Tuesday, T&T Club, Motijheel will encounter Agrani Bank SC at 1:15 pm while Uttara Baridhara Club will play Soccer Club, Feni at 3:15 pm.

The 2nd round matches will begin on February 14 at the same venue.

Barcelona, Feb 7 (AP/UNB) — Leaning forward in his winter coat, Lionel Messi fidgeted with an empty water bottle as he watched his Barcelona teammates trailing their fiercest rivals.

But minutes before he decided to test his tender right leg, the chants at Camp Nou for "Messi! Messi!" turned into cheers as a little-used teammate scored an equalizer against Real Madrid.

Malcom's second-half goal left their Copa del Rey semifinal poised 1-1 after the first leg, with Madrid going home with a slight away-goal edge for the return game later this month.

"The tie is wide open, there is no clear favorite," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. "Given the caliber of the two sides, there is still a lot to be said."

Having picked up a right leg injury after scoring twice in a 2-2 draw with Valencia in league on Saturday, Messi stayed on the bench until the 64th minute.

The Argentine then came on and didn't show any signs of an injury when he plucked the ball from Casemiro's boot, raced forward and was fouled by a scrum of Madrid's defenders near the area. He stayed on the turf to gather himself, before he smashed his free kick into the wall.

But other than an opening goal by Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez and Malcom's equalizer, this "clasico" was more of a clunker.

It was the first of three matches between Spain's most successful clubs in less than a month. The second leg of the semifinal in Madrid is on Feb. 27, just before their Spanish league game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on March 3.

"Today he felt fine, but we thought it would be better that he waited until the second half," Valverde said about Messi. "When he went out he had the chance to be decisive. Each time he touched the ball we could see the reaction he provoked in our rivals."

In October, Messi missed Barcelona's 5-1 rout of Madrid in the league, a stinging loss that sealed the fate of former coach Julen Lopetegui.

This time out, Madrid made sure to set a strong tone from the opening, when it maintained possession long enough to get in front.

The highlight duel was between Barcelona right back Nelson Semedo, who got the most of Madrid youngest Vinicius Junior with more than one skillfully dribble.

But the 18-year-old Vinicius did provide the key pass to the visitors' goal in the sixth minute when he spotted Karim Benzema at the far post defended by the under-sized Jordi Alba. Benzema won the ball after Alba failed to reel it in, and the Madrid striker sent a low pass across the goalmouth where Vazquez slipped around Clement Lenglet to redirect it home.

"I am not surprised (by Vinicius) because I have known him since he arrived here," said Madrid coach Santiago Solari, who coached Vinicius Junior at Madrid's B-team before he started featuring him after he replaced Lopetegui. "(But) that an 18-year-old kid plays like this is surprising because it doesn't happen often."

As Madrid sat back to protect the advantage, Barcelona began to find holes in its defense. Ivan Rakitic headed Malcom's free kick off the crossbar in the 32nd, and Suarez drew a one-handed save from goalkeeper Keylor Navas after Malcom bungled his way through three defenders before setting him up on the edge of the box.

Malcom pulled the hosts level in the 58th when he curled a left-foot strike from an angle into the net with Navas off his line.

Lenglet's long pass to Alba streaking into space forced Navas off his line to strip the ball, but it fell to Suarez who hit the post before Malcom gathered the rebound in and finished it off.

It was the 21-year-old's third goal since joining Barcelona in the offseason from Bordeaux.