Cristiano Ronaldo set a club scoring record as Real Madrid beat Levante 3-0 at the Bernabeu and went top of La Liga last Saturday.

Marcelo fired Real ahead in the 27th minute at the Bernabéu when he exchanged passes with Ronaldo and blasted the ball past Rubén in the Levante goal.

Ronaldo made it 2-0 three minutes later when he cracked a long-range effort into the corner, his 324th Real goal putting him one clear of Raúl. It ended a rare four-match goal drought in Spain’s top flight for the Portugal captain, his joint-worst run since he joined Real in 2009.

For the first time in the history of Ghana football, president Kwesi Nyantakyi has been tasked to pick a four-man team to form his inner circle as the focus of attention shifts from the Executive Committee elections to the composition of the Emergency Committee (EmCo).

In conformity with the FA Congress’ reviewed Statutes, Article 30:3 has mandated Nyantakyi to choose his own vice president and three other ExCo members to run the day-to-day affairs of the association, replacing the old order where the ExCo elected the EmCo members.

As part of the process, the incumbent ExCo members will meet today to streamline modalities that will pave the way for the new selection of the new EmCo members.

Accra Polytechnic point guard, Abdul Mutaleb Alhassan, was last Friday adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2015 Ghana Basketball season, pipping three of his teammates to the coveted award.

Alhassan, nicknamed ‘Varanda,’ fended off competition from his support cast -- Romeo Enan Wilfred, Baniba Norbert Dodzi and Daniel Nii Aryee -- to clinch the top award for his efforts during the season, which saw Accra Poly triumph in both the Universities Polytechnics and Colleges (UPAC) Championship and Ghana Polytechnic Sports Association (GHAPSA) games.

Alhassan’s teammates and coach did not go home without silverware as representatives of Accra Poly, who were incidentally named the Team of the Year, dominated the competitive section of the awards held at the TV3 Studios in Accra.

Newcastle picked up their first win of the league campaign by downing Norwich City 6-2 at St. James Park with four goals from Georginio Wijnaldum.

Newcastle was dangerous from the start, and they’d pick up the opener in the 15th minute as Norwich failed to clear. Moussa Sissoko resisted the urge to pop off a shot from the top of the box, instead releasing Wijnaldum through the back line that touched home to the far post for the lead.

It was the first time in three and a half years that Newcastle had scored three goals in the first half, the last time being a 3-1 win at West Brom on 25th March, 2012.

The clash between Chelsea and Aston Villa in the English Premier League attracted a lot of Ghanaian interest over the weekend, not just because most people wanted to see how the Blues and defending champions would fare, but also it marked the Premier League debut for left back Abdul Baba Rahman against Jordan Ayew.

In the end, Rahman celebrated his EPL debut with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, while the uncertainty continued for Ayew, who is yet to hit fine form as he did in the French Ligue 1 last season.

Rahman, brought in from Augsburg just before the transfer window closed, was started in the Chelsea defence by in place of the injured Branislav Ivanovic.

Nigeria and Angola took a big step towards the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals in Rwanda after emphatic wins in their qualifiers over the weekend.

The second week of the ongoing Diwali Cup T20 Cricket tournament has ended at the Achimota Cricket Oval with two interesting encounters.

In the first game, newcomers Kotobabi Knight Riders played Godrej Cricket Club in a Pool B clash. Both teams had lost their opening games and were keen on winning to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Accra-based technology tracking firm, Nsoroma GPS Tracking Systems, will kit the Nsoroma cricket team and provide equipment and logistics for their training as part of a new sponsorship deal.

The company will also seek to expand the team into more age groups beyond the current Under-15 and 19 male and female teams.

The Nsoroma cricket Under-19 male team last week won the Under-19 Cricket Championship, while their Under-15 female counterparts also won gold at the behest of Accra Taysec Titans.

Velocity Stars Cycling Club’s duo of Moro Yakubu Igala and Emmanuel Quartey powered the club to victory in the inaugural Open Invitational Road Race held in Accra.

The 100-kilometre race last Saturday saw cyclists from the major cycling clubs in Accra racing through Dodowa, Somanya, Adukrom, Mamfe, Aburi and back to Adenta.

Igala and Quartey imposed their dominance when the peloton, comprising 50 cyclists, began climbing the steep Adukrom hill. The fast-pedalling duo broke away from the chasing pack to cross the finish line.

The local Black Stars, led by Coach Maxwell Konadu, will welcome their Cote d’Ivoire counterparts in a crunch African Nations Championship (CHAN) decider to be played tomorrow at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

Both teams will be playing on a home-and-away basis to decide which of the two qualifies to play in the fourth edition of the tournament which was introduced six years ago with Ghana winning silver in the first and third editions.

Engineering and Construction firm, Taysec Group of Companies, has pledged  to sponsor cricked competitions in different age groups  across the country to make the sport more appealing to the youth.

The  Chairman and Managing Director of  the  firm,  Asuama Yeboa Abebrese,  made the pledge when he hosted the female  and male teams of the Taysec Titans who placed first and second respectively in the just ended Under 15 and 19 Cricket championship at New Achimota Accra.

A former light heavyweight boxer, Joe Ansah, has bemoaned the dwindling fortunes of Ghana boxing, citing bad leadership and inadequate preparations towards international tournaments as the cause.

The boxer, who is now chief of Opetekwei, near Mpoasie in the Greater Accra Region, said boxing had given the country more titles than football yet the ministry gives more premium to football than other sports.

He added that the only national boxing gym at high street where he and his colleagues used to train has been sold and turned into a church called the Global Revival Ministry (Baden Powell Hall).

The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has underscored the benefits golf offers a country as it has a huge potential to build in individuals rich values such as self-discipline and integrity.

An avid golfer himself, the Okyenhene made a clarion call for stakeholders to support young folks to take the sport serious, taking into account the benefit a country stands to gain from the right values. He typically debunked the notion that golf is a game for the rich.

Addressing the Okyenhene Invitational Golf Tournament at Tafo last Saturday, he said: “I hold the strong belief that the game of golf requires, and builds in all of us rich values like self discipline and integrity.

The management of Premier League debutantes, Dreams FC, have decided to adopt the Dawu Park in the Eastern Region as their home ground in the 2015/16 First Capital Plus Premier League season.

The non-operating park, which is located on the Akuapem hills, was once a hot spot during the peak days of defunct Dawu Youngsters.

A source close to the club revealed that management was close to sealing a deal with the owners of the facility.

Single handicapper Teye Lartey Gbebei last Saturday won the second edition of the Access Bank Medal Play at the Tema Country Golf Club.

Playing on handicap eight, Gbebei, 68, beat Godwin Asem and S.K.  Afari by just a stroke.

Tema Country Golf Club Lady captain Esther Antwi  beat Mercy Werner on count back  with a 77 score, while  fashionable Cathy Boateng finished tops in the ladies Group B event after a 76 score, three clear points ahead of  Gladys Awuni.