- Juventus ease to 3-0 win over Atalanta to strengthen position at top of Serie A
- Milan up to seventh following 4-1 thrashing of Pescara
- Tottenham claims 1-0 win over Swansea to reach 4th in EPL
- Borussia Dortmund defeats Hoffenheim while Schalke sack coach Huub Stevens
(CNN) -- Juventus will enter the New Year as favorite to retain Serie A after it claimed a comfortable victory over Atalanta.
With nearest rival Inter Milan slipping up at Lazio on Saturday, goals from Mirko Vucinic, Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio ensured Juve took full advantage.
Napoli's 3-2 home defeat by Bologna means Juve is seven points clear at the summit following the weekend's action.
With just one more game before the winter break, Juve is in great shape heading into the second half of the season, although manager Antonio Conte remains cautious.
Klose keeps Lazio in Italian title race
"It was a good result for us against a difficult team, but the season is far from over," he told reporters.
Arrigo Brovedani was the only Udinese supporter in a crowd of 15,000 at an Italian Serie A match away to Sampdoria. 
Udinese, one of Italy's leading club's last season, has an average home attendance of around 18,000 -- but attracts far fewer fans to its away games. Lone soccer fan wins army of admirers 
Xherdan Shaqiri scored Bayern Munich's second-half equalizer after coming on as a first-half substitute, but the Switzerland international's first Bundesliga goal was not enough to secure a new league record. 
Thorben Marx celebrates his teammates after giving the visitors a 21st-minute lead, dampening the Bayern fans' prematch party mood. 
Shaqiri then came on seven minutes before the halftime break after fellow summer signing Javi Martinez went off with an injury. 
Last season's top scorer Mario Gomez replaced Mario Mandzukic after the interval, and was involved as Bayern drew level on the hour mark. 
However, Bayern's Christmas celebrations were more muted than expected after failing to secure the victory needed to guarantee surpassing Borussia Dortmund's record of a 10-point mid-winter lead. Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen can cut the gap to nine by winning on Saturday. 
The Allianz Arena was lit up with a laser show to farewell the players, who will start a four-week break after Tuesday's German Cup game at Augsburg. 
Draw dents Bayern's record bid 
It is estimated 30,000 Corinthians fans are in Japan to support the Brazilian club in the Club World Cup. 
Back in Sao Paulo, fans of the Brazilian club were determined to join in the celebrations after the Copa Libertadores winners reached the Club World Cup final with a 1-0 semifinal win over Al-Ahly. 
"I'm conscious three million supporters need to be made happy," said Corinthians coach Tite ahead of the semifinal against Al-Ahly. 
A Corinthians fans shows off his tattoo with the emblem of the team in Sao Paulo. 
Some 15,000 Corinthians supporters waved banners, set off fireworks and blocked roads at Sao Paulo's main airport as the team set off for Japan. 
Hundred of fans followed the team bus from the Corinthians training camp to the airport. 
As well as the flags, banners and scarves, no Brazilian group of supporters would be complete without a drummer. 
If you have made the trek to Japan to watch your club play in the Club World Cup it makes sense to watch the team at every available opportunity -- even at training sessions. 
After the 1-0 semifinal win over Ah-Ahly, the Corinthians players applaud their travelling fans in the Toyota stadium 
European teams have won the last five editions of the Club World Cup. But Corinthians, who are coached by Tite, go into Sunday's final with plenty of confidence given they were the first unbeaten winners of the Libertadores Cup since 1978. 
Corinthians will play European Champions League winners Chelsea in Sunday's final. Chelsea reached the final after beating Mexican club Monterrey in Yokohama, with Juan Mata scoring the opening goal for the English Premier League side in a 3-1 win. 
Craziest fans in the world? "Winning the title is never easy but through our good organisation and solid play we hope to show it's within our grasp."
It took around 90 seconds for Juve to move ahead through Vucinic, before Pirlo produced one of his trademark curling free-kicks to double the lead.
Marchisio added a third with a low drive after picking up Sebastian Giovinco's pass.
Atalanta's day grew even worse when it was reduced to 10 men following Thomas Manfredini's rash challenge on Giorgio Chiellini, which earned him a second booking.
Magical Milan
Elsewhere, Milan continued its rich vein of form by defeating Pescara 4-1.
Alberto Nocerino fired the Rossoneri ahead after just 36 seconds to register the second fastest goal in Serie A this season.
An own-goal from Elvis Abbruscato doubled Milan's lead before Pescara hit back through Christian Terlizzi's header.
Another own-goal, this time by Jonathas, allowed Milan to restore its two-goal lead before Stephan El Shaarawy fired home his 14th of the season.
Elsewhere, Fiorentina moved into fifth place following a 4-1 win over Siena thanks to a double from former Italy striker Luca Toni.
Roma, now sixth, was beaten 1-0 by Chievo following a strike by Sergio Pellissier.
Elsewhere, Catania sits in eighth place following a 3-1 home win over Sampdoria, while two goals from Ishak Belfodil inspired Parma to a 4-1 win over Cagliari.
Police investigate EPL racism claim
In the English Premier League, Tottenham moved into fourth position following a narrow 1-0 victory over Swansea City.
Jan Vertonghen's 75th minute goal proved enough for Spurs to claim all three points a hard-fought affair.
"I think if there was one team to win this game it was us," Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas told reporters.
"We were very patient and persistent in what we were doing and kept moving the ball well.
"We held on to the win. Obviously in this season we will continue to suffer goals in the last minute because football is unpredictable, but I think today the players showed the desire and ambition to put the wrong right and we managed to hang on to the result."
There was drama in the dying stages of the contest when Swansea striker Michu was left prostrate on the turf after a collision with Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The home side continued to play on with the Spaniard clutching his head on the turf and Swansea's players urging for the ball to be kicked out of play.
Referee Mike Dean and his assistants allowed the game to continue and Swansea manager Michael Laudrup was left frustrated by the decision.
Lionel Messi celebrates after matching Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year, netting in the 16th minute of Barcelona's match against Real Betis. Just nine minutes later the Argentina star passed the German's 1972 milestone. 
The three-time world player of the year, who is shortlisted for a record fourth ballon d'Or in January, passed Muller with three more possible matches to play in 2012. 
The 25-year-old crept within one goal of Muller's record with two goals against Athletic Bilbao in a 5-1 victory in December. Click here to see a map of Messi's first 84 goals this year. 
However, Messi was injured after coming on as a substitute during a Champions League match against Benfica -- but he made a quick recovery to be fit for the Betis game. 
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a stellar 2012. With a hat-trick against Grenada in March, he equaled and broke the all-time goalscoring record for Barcelona in official matches of 232 set by Cesar Rodriguez. 
A hat-trick against Malaga in May took Messi to 68 goals for the 2011-12 season, edging him past the record for goals in a European season set by Bayern Munich's Muller in 1972-73. 
Lionel Messi's record year 
This image of a bloodied and defiant Rio Ferdinand has been at the forefront of a perceived return of hooliganism in English football, following crowd trouble at the Manchester derby. 
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart confronts a pitch invader trying to harass Manchester United's Ferdinand, who had been hit in the face by a coin thrown from the crowd. 
United's players celebrate Robin Van Persie's decisive late goal in a 3-2 victory -- which was met by missiles and smoke bombs hurled by City supporters. 
A total of 13 fans were arrested and nine charged -- one with making alleged racist chants. Here a City supporter shouts across the police security cordon. 
Ferdinand, left, wore a t-shirt supporting the anti-racism group Kick It Out in October, having earlier refused to do so in protest at a perceived leniency in punishment for John Terry, who was accused of racially abusing the United player's younger brother Anton. Kick It Out chairman Herman Ouseley has also criticized the English FA and the Premier League for failing to take strong action in recent high-profile racism cases. 
The day before the Manchester derby, a man was arrested and charged for racially abusing Norwich's Cameroon international Sebastien Bassong in a Premier League match at Swansea. Norwich later revealed that police are investigating four separate racist attacks on Bassong. 
Clarke Carlisle is the chairman of the English players' union. He has called for the FA to take its chance to address problems that have been ignored for years. "Previously there were behaviors that we have just passed off as 'Ah, that's football,' " he told CNN. 
A new 'dark age' for English football? 
Diego Mendieta's former teammates carry his coffin at the Paraguayan footballer's funeral in Solo, Indonesia. 
He passed away at the age of 32, dying in hospital after contracting an infection. Mendieta was unable to return home to his wife and children because he was owed four months' wages. 
Mendieta is mourned by wife Valeriana Alvarez and their children Bele (left) and Gaston. 
Mendieta's plight has highlighted the schism in Indonesian football, where two organizations are fighting for control of the game following the creation of a breakaway league. The players' union says 13 clubs are behind in promised salary payments. 
Mendieta (left) celebrates with Persis Solo teammates Romuald Noah and Yanuar Ruspuspito after scoring in a match against Persip Pekalongan. 
Paraguayan player's Indonesian tragedy He told reporters: "I was very angry and it wasn't because it wasn't a free-kick or a red card for Lloris or a penalty or whatever, but we always talk about people, there is a debate, should we kick the ball out?
"It is the same debate in every country - we have a referee and two linesmen so we just go on until the referee blows the whistle.
"But with possible head injuries, like this one, there is no doubt, you have all the linesmen and the referee and they are connected.
"I watched it afterward on the television and when it happened, when Michu is going down to the ground the referee is watching them, the linesman is watching them and still they let the game go on, it is such a poor decision and dangerous as well."
In the day's other game, West Bromwich Albion was held to a goalless draw by West Ham United.
Bayern's bid for Bundesliga record falters
In Germany, defending champion Borussia Dortmund claimed a 3-1 win to move back into third place.
Mario Goetze, Kevin Grosskreutz and Robert Lewandowski were all on target for Dortmund, which sits 12 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
Goetze's stunning strike put Dortmund ahead after 20 minutes, only for Hoffenheim to draw level soon after thanks to Sven Schipplock's close-range finish.
But Dortmund pushed on after the interval and Grosskreutz fired home on 58 minutes before Lewandowski sealed the win eight minutes later.
Hoffenheim, which has lost its past six games, is now seven points from safety in 16th position, having sacked coach Markus Babbel on December 3.
New Manager
Meanwhile, Schalke has announced that it has parted company with Dutch coach Huub Stevens following Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by Freiburg.
A statement on the club's website read: "In light of the recent poor run of form in the Bundesliga, Schalke have opted to release Huub Stevens from his duties as head coach with immediate effect. Club officials reached the decision by mutual agreement with Stevens at a meeting on Sunday morning."
Former VfB Stuttgart coach Jens Keller will take over for the rest of the season with his side seventh in the league and still in the Champions League.
"The players gave me a positive reception and I could tell they were totally focused on the cup game," Keller told the club's official website.
"Though I've watched the first team train on a regular basis, looking on from a distance is not the same as being in charge yourself.
"I'm now going to spend time considering how best to approach the game against Mainz. If we are to do well the psychological side of things will be very important."
Elsewhere, Werder Bremen needed a late equalizer to draw 1-1 at home with Nuremberg.
In France, Paris Saint-Germain moved to the top of the league on goal difference following a 1-0 win over Lyon.
Blaise Matuidi scored the only goal of the game, while Lyon's Lisandro Lopez hit a post as the visitor threatened to take a point.
Elsewhere, Saint Etienne suffered a 2-0 home defeat by Lorient, while Nancy held Bordeaux to a 1-1 draw.
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