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• Asenjo, Marte on the double as Dom Rep maul Barbados 7-1 in Group C of League B

  The Dominican Republic took a step forward in its efforts to finish atop Group C in League B of the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers, with a 7-1 victory over Barbados at the Wildey Astro Turf Stadium in Bridgetown on Friday.

  With the win, Dominican Republic moved up to 12 points, one behind leaders Bermuda, who were awarded a 3-0 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines by the disciplinary committee. The top two are scheduled to meet on Tuesday's final matchday to decide group honours.

  On Friday, Mia Asenjo opened the scoring in the 21st minute when she connected with a pass over the top to beat Barbados goalkeeper Rhea Holder.

  Acacia Small pilled Barbados level in the 32nd after she dispossessed a defender and later finished a lobbed attempt from outside the 18-yard box.

  However, their celebrations were short-lived, as Dominican Republic regained the advantage in a minute later through Asenjo, who connected with another ball over the top and expertly headed past Holder.

  Lucia Marte added a third for the visitors in the 48th with a strike at the left post from a Kathrynn Gonzalez cross.

  Alyssa Oviedo notched a fourth for Dominican Republic in the 68th with a right-footed shot inside the box.

  Gonzalez then got on the board in the 77th on a free kick hit with enough force that gave Holder no chance at a save.

  Winibian Peralta extended the gap in the 82nd when she applied the finishing touch to a tidy build-up orchestrated by Jazmin Jackson.

  Marte completed her brace in the 87th with a curling free kick to add the exclamation point and keep the Dominican Republic in the race for first place.

• St Lucia's Louis, St Louis combine to put five past Guadeloupe

  Krysan St. Louis notched a hat-trick and Arnicka Louis bagged a brace, as St Lucia hammered Guadeloupe 5-1 in their Concacaf Women's Gold Cup Qualifying Group B, League C encounter at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet on Friday.

  The victory puts St Lucia within three points of group honours, which they can secure with victory away to leaders Cuba in their finale on Tuesday.

  Just like she did in their first meeting when she scored four goals, Louis picked up where she left off and gave St Lucia an early seventh-minute lead when she converted from a goalmouth melee, after an initial effort was deflected on the post.

  St Lucia doubled the lead in the 22nd minute when a counter-press opened up the defence for Louis to fire home her brace.

  From there, it became the St. Louis show, as the Texas A&M forward notched her first with a deft chip over the keeper in the 39th, after her initial effort was blocked.

  St. Louis looked poised to bag her second of the game shortly before half-time after a Guadeloupe handball resulted in a penalty. However, Guadeloupe's goalkeeper Maina Mornal denied her from the 12-yard spot, and in the process registered a third penalty save in three matches.

  But St. Louis was not to be stopped and she eventually got a second in the 57th. She split a pair of defenders and later fired past Mornal.

  Guadeloupe never threw in the towel, and they got their reward with a late goal in the 89th, when Sydjalhia Garriba fired in a right-footed shot.

  Still, it was too little too late, as St Louis and St Lucia had the final say when she completed her hat trick with another tidy finish in time added.

• Ilkay Gundogan looking forward to enjoying many more years with Barcelona

  Ilkay Gundogan says he hopes to stay at Barcelona for many more years and wants to win titles with the Catalan giants.

  The 33-year-old moved to the club in the summer after seven years at Manchester City – where he signed off by winning the Champions League.

  Gundogan has played 19 times in all competitions so far this season for Xavi’s side, scoring once, and says he is starting to find his feet at the club.

  “I am getting more and more used to it,” Gundogan told Barca TV.

  “The start of course is always a bit difficult. You come from a different country, a different league, you don’t know many people. So there are things that you need to get used to.

  “But as a family we are settling in more and more, we have found an apartment for ourselves. Everyone is amazing to me, the way I get treated here in the club.

  “We love the city as a family, we feel very at home and very comfortable.

  “I did not have any doubt for one second, I did not regret my choice for one second. We are very happy and we are looking forward to many more years here. And I came here to prove myself, play amazing football and win a lot of titles hopefully.”

  Barcelona host Atletico Madrid on Sunday sitting fourth in LaLiga, level on points with their opponents and four adrift of Real Madrid and surprise challengers Girona.

  Xavi’s men slipped up last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano before securing their spot in the Champions League knockout phase with a 2-1 win over Porto in midweek.

  Striker Robert Lewandowski knows that this is a key week for Barcelona, with home games against Atletico and Girona, and is targeting taking six points.

  “We know we need to take a step forward. The season is very long,” Lewandowski said.

  “We want to win every game and now we have very important games in the league and I hope to win both games and get six points.

  “It’s always hard to play against Atletico Madrid. Atletico always play very well in defence, good at attacking with good players too.

  “But we are Barca and we’re playing at home. From the first minute we have to play very well, attack and score goals. We’re playing two teams that are very high up in the table and I think we know how important it is for us to play well in defence.

  “We attack with a lot of players in the area. With a lot of players in the area we have more chances to score goals. Of course it’s a challenge for us and now we want to start not only winning but also playing better. That’s very important for us.

  “Yes it’s not just Atletico and I hope that we end up with six more points.”