14 January 2009 Stay up to date with all the comings and goings in the transfer window with CNN.com’s daily wrap of the latest latest rumors and gossip from Europe’s sports pages.
Reason to smile: AC Milan's Kaka is believed to be the subject of a $146 million bid from Manchester City.
LONDON, England - There is just one story on the lips of every football fan, and just one story on the back pages of almost every paper today.
Various media are reporting that Manchester City have made a £100 million ($146 million) bid for AC Milan’s Kaka. It’s understood the deal would also see the Brazilian earn £500,000 ($730,000) per week in wages.
Rumors have been circulating since long before the transfer window opened that the Eastlands club was interested in the Brazilian attacking midfielder, who won the Ballon d’Or and Fifa World Player of the Year awards in 2007.
It seems now that Manchester City has finally made a move, with various media reporting that a City delegation have met with Milan officials and entered into talks, where the unprecedented bid has been put forward.
Should the bid proceed, it would more than double the current record price for a player which sits at £46m ($67m) when France legend Zinedine Zidane left Juventus for Real Madrid in 2001.
Though seemingly excessive, raising the money should not be too much of a bother for City owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is estimated to be worth about £15bn ($22bn).
It is likely City manager Mark Hughes will be eager to complete a major signing after having bids rejected for West Ham forward Craig Bellamy and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, and only Chelsea’s Wayne Bridge to show for January’s transfer window so far.
Watch this space!
If you want to read more football news and features, and have YOUR say, go to CNN’s Football Fanzone.
Ferrari 'quit' threat over F1 engine changes
28 October 2008
Ferrari warn they could quit Formula 1 after the sport's governing body confirmed it is pressing ahead with plans to have a sole engine and transmission
supplier starting in 2010
Following a board meeting on Monday, the Italian team said in a statement that introducing a standardized engine would eliminate the essence of a sport
"based on competition and technological development."
Ferrari said that they "fully agreed with the need for a substantial and necessary reduction of costs".
But the Italian firm confirmed it had "major reservations" over any proposals that would lead to teams using the same engines.
The statement added: "It is thanks to these elements that Ferrari has been a continual and integral part of Formula One since 1950.
"If these elements were to become obsolete, our Administrative Council reserves the right, after consultation with its partners, to evaluate whether we
remain committed to the discipline (of F1)."
The FIA said in a statement on Monday that it "received a number of questions from interested parties regarding" the invitation to tender it made on October
17.
The governing body intends to introduce rule amendments "requiring all competitors must use a standardized engine and transmission system" for the 2010, 2011
and 2012 seasons.
Joint bids for engines and transmissions and for engines alone must be submitted by November 7, FIA said. Bids for power transmission systems alone will not
be due until three weeks later.
Some teams had initially complained about the proposal, but the measure is part of FIA's moves to try and reduce costs in F1 amid the global financial
crisis.
FIA also said it also intends to set minimum usage requirements based on kilometers (miles). Changing an engine or transmission system before the minimum
requirement would bring penalties for teams.
The exclusive engine supplier will provide either the full engine or the information so the teams can build them. The sole supplier will work with FIA to
ensure that all engines and parts are in accordance to the rules.
The supplier of transmission systems will provide them ready to use to all competitors.
The bidders will quote overall prices per car and per season of between 18 and 20 races, plus 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) of testing, FIA said.
Ronaldo voted world No. 1 by fellow players
28 October 2008
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted player of the year by his fellow professionals at FIFPro -- putting him on course for a hat-trick of
top accolades.
The international players' union, which has 57,500 members, announced on Monday that Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals last season when United won both the
Champions League and Premier League, had topped their poll.
"To be recognized by my fellow professional players worldwide coming from over 50,000 players is amazing," the Portugal winger said.
Ronaldo is also a strong contender to win the FIFA award and the European Golden Ball organized by the French magazine France Football.
"I would like to thank my teammates and coaches and everyone involved at Man United and the national team, as well as my family and friends for their
support," Ronaldo said.
"Thank you also to FIFPro for this award and for your work in protecting the interests and welfare of players around the world."
Five of the Spanish stars who won the 2008 European Championship were named in FIFPro's team-of-the-year lineup.
With all but one of the players coming from either the Spanish or English leagues, the lineup includes Real Madrid's Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos,
Barcelona's Carles Puyol and Xavi Fernandez and Liverpool's Fernando Torres.
Barcelona's Argentina forward Lionel Messi is also in the team and Champions League winner Manchester United has Rio Ferdinand and Ronaldo.
Liverpool also have Steven Gerrard, John Terry is the only Chelsea player on the lineup and AC Milan's Kaka is the lone star from Italy's Serie A.
England probably Europe's best says Bilic
11 September 2008
Fabio Capello's England are now probably the best international side in Europe says Croatia coach Slaven Bilic who is still reeling from Wednesday's 4-1
World Cup qualifying thrashing.
Undone by a superb hat trick by Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney's first international goal in 11 months, Bilic described Croatia's only World
Cup defeat at home as "a catastrophe."
"In the first half, we were looking good and we thought we could get a positive result," Bilic said. "But, we were brutally punished in the second half."
"We knew that Capello had two options, either Walcott or Beckham," Bilic said. "It turned out that Walcott was the right choice as he was so exceptionally
dangerous.
"England showed they are a mighty team, probably the best in Europe."
The English Football Association, meanwhile, have submitted a report to FIFA asking them to investigate allegations of racial abuse aimed at Emile Heskey.
Some fans at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb were heard making monkey chants towards the Wigan striker after he was booked -- sounds he described afterwards
as being made by "ignorant people".
A spokesman for the FA said: "We can confirm that we will be making a report to FIFA about the racist chanting aimed at Emile Heskey by some Croatia fans
during the World Cup qualifying game in Zagreb.
"It is unacceptable for anyone to be subjected to racial abuse and we will be asking FIFA to investigate this.
"The FA and England team are determined to do all they can to eradicate any form of racism from football and society."
Croatia were fined 20,000 Swiss francs (euro19,600, $27,600) for its fans' racist behavior during June's European Championship match against Turkey.
They were reduced to 10 men against England after defender Robert Kovac was sent off in the 54th minute for an aerial challenge that saw Joe Cole taken off
on a stretcher with blood pouring from a head wound.
The Croatia coach was singled out for criticism Thursday with Vecernji list newspaper calling it "Bilic's Debacle." Popular Web site Index.hr said the defeat
left Croatia "broken down and humiliated."
"For a few months, we lived in a sweet dream that we were the best in Europe," commentator Tomislav Zidak wrote in the Jutarnji list daily. "(England) hit us
on the head with a hammer."
For England, the win was particularly sweet after losing 3-2 to Croatia at Wembley in November last year and a 2-0 defeat in Zagreb in 2006.
"When we compare the two previous matches, especially the one in Zagreb two years ago, the difference was in luck," Croatia striker Ivica Olic said.
"Then, we were the first to score. This time, they were the ones to open the scoring. From then on, it was difficult for us as their defense was as secure as
a safe."
Boos follow Brazil's draw with 10-man Bolivia
11 September 2008
Brazil was booed off Engenhao Stadium after it was held by 10-man Bolivia to 0-0 in South American World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.
The result left the Brazilians with 13 points, four less than leader Paraguay after eight matches. Despite the draw, Bolivia remains last in the 10-team
standings with five points.
Disappointed with the team's lackluster play, fans at the less-than-packed 45,000-capacity stadium booed after the final whistle. They also jeered during the
match as the team struggled from the beginning.
"It was a night when everything went wrong," said Ronaldinho, who also was loudly booed when he was substituted in the second half. "When the victories don't
come, it's normal the fans react like this. We can only hope we can revert this situation the next time we play."
Despite playing with Ronaldinho, Luis Fabiano and Robinho on attack, Brazil -- which was coming off a 3-0 win over Chile in Santiago on Sunday -- had a hard
time creating significant scoring opportunities and rarely threatened.
"We did all we could," coach Dunga said. "But as time went by our players became too anxious to score and that made things difficult."
The result will build up the pressure again on Dunga, whose job was on the line entering the latest qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia. The victory over
Chile eased some of the pressure, but a convincing performance at home against the Bolivians was crucial to keep local media and fans from demanding changes.
In addition to failing to win the Olympic gold at the Beijing Games -- Brazil was third after falling to Argentina in the semifinals -- the five-time world
champion was coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss to Paraguay and a 0-0 home draw with the Argentines in its previous two qualifiers.
It didn't take long for fans at the Engenhao to begin chanting "Stupid" and "Goodbye, Dunga."
Bolivia, which lost 3-1 to Ecuador in Quito on Saturday, relied solely on counterattacks and surprisingly had a couple of good chances. Miguel Hoyos nearly
scored in the 21st minute off a rebound from Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar, but his shot from close range missed wide.
"To earn a draw against a team with world-renowned players like Brazil is a historic result for us," Bolivia coach Erwin Sanchez said.
Brazil failed to improve even after Bolivia defender Ignacio Garcia was ejected for a foul on Robinho in the 57th. The Bolivians heavily complained, as
Garcia was red-carded by Ecuador referee Alfredo Intriago without first being warned with a yellow.
"We couldn't take advantage of the situation," goalkeeper Julio Cesar said. "When they went a man down we should have improved, but we couldn't find the
spaces to get past their defense."
Julio Baptista had one of the few chances for Brazil with a long-range shot that was saved by goalkeeper Carlos Arias in the 71st. Baptista, who came off the
bench in the second half to replace Lucas, also came close with an injury-time header.
"We lacked patience," Robinho said. "We were too desperate to score and that didn't help."
The result extended Brazil's streak to five years without winning consecutive matches in a single round of World Cup qualifying. The last time it happened
was when it beat Colombia 2-1 and Ecuador 1-0 in September 2003.
It was only the third draw between Brazil and Bolivia. The Brazilians have won 18 matches and lost only four.
The result kept alive Brazil's unbeaten streak against Bolivia, however. It hasn't lost to the South American neighbor since a World Cup qualifier in 1993 at
the high altitude of La Paz.
Brazil could not count on left back Kleber, who was ejected in the team's victory against Chile. It also was without midfielder Gilberto Silva because of a
suspension. They were replaced by defender Juan and midfielder Lucas.
In the next round, in October, Brazil will play at Venezuela and host Colombia. Bolivia will host Peru and Uruguay.
Among other World Cup qualifying matches:
In Europe, Theo Walcott led a 10-man England squad to victory over Croatia, 4-1, while France, Lithuania and Ukraine scored easy wins;
The United States, Mexico and Costa Rica registered easy wins in qualifying among North American, Central American and Caribbean nations;
Saudi Arabia and Australia scored victories in Asia action;
Sudan and Zambia won in matches for Africa qualifying play.
Probe ordered into Chinese gymnast's age
22 August 2008
The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into allegations Chinese authorities falsified the age of a double gold medal winning
gymnast because she was too young to compete.
There were thrills and plenty of spills on the BMX track on Friday as the Games' youngest competition ended with golds for France and Latvia, and sweat and
tears after a grueling 50km race walk in relentless sun that ended in gold for Italy.
For once, though, it was controversy rather than sporting excellence that dominated debate on Day 14 of Beijing Games.
China's He Kexin, who won team gold in artistic gymnastics and an individual title on the asymmetric bars, was registered as being born on January 1, 1992.
There have been persistent media allegations that He had competed in earlier tournaments under a later birthdate, and on Thursday an American computer expert
said he had uncovered Chinese state documents that proved she was 14 and not 16.
The caption on a photograph published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua last year referred to "13-year-old He Kexin", while China Daily reported in May
that she was 14.
An IOC official said the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) had been asked to look into "discrepancies" over He's age, but others stressed she had
already been cleared to compete.
"Everything that has been received so far shows we have no problem of eligibility for these competitors," said the IOC's sports director Christophe Dubi,
adding FIG had asked the Chinese national gymnastics federation to investigate.
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies added the organization wanted to clear up the matter 100 percent "and put it to rest".
Gymnasts must turn 16 in the year of the Games to take part, a rule introduced in 1997 to protect their wellbeing, and China's gymnastics coach told a news
conference all the team "were in total compliance with the age requirement".
"Since Asian bodies are not the same as Westerners', there have been questions, but there shouldn't be," Chinese head coach Huang Yubin said.
China has invested billions in selecting and training its athletes from a young age, an effort rewarded by top spot in the medals table, with 46 golds. This
has been seen as a sign China has the sporting prowess to match its rising superpower status.
There has been criticism of the system even from within China, though, with one former Olympic medalist saying many children who fail to make the grade are
left without sufficient education or social skills.
THRILLS AND SPILLS
The BMX competition had been introduced at these Games to attract a younger audience, and produced a thrilling finale.
France's Anne-Caroline Chausson won the women's gold after a tight race with Britain's Shanaze Reade, who crashed on the final bend as she tried to regain
the lead.
Maris Strombergs of Latvia won the men's event, avoiding two big crashes that left several riders splayed out on the course.
China may have ruled the medals table, but the Caribbean island of Jamaica has dominated sprinting at these Games, with all four golds in the men's and
women's events.
Usain Bolt, who won the men's 100 and 200 meters in world record times, races in the 4x100 relay on Friday aiming for his third gold.
Jamaica are also favorites in the women's sprint relay.
The event, though, has lost a little sparkle after Jamaica's main rivals, the United States, amazingly dropped the baton in the heats of both the men's and
women's events.
That topped a dreadful week for the American sprinters in which they failed to win gold for the first time since 1976.
In response to the relay disaster, the chief of the U.S. athletics team ordered a post mortem into a showing which left him "extremely disappointed".
"These are professional athletes who are the best in their field, and anybody who ever ran a high school relay cringes when that baton hits the track," Doug
Logan said.
The United States, top of the medals table at the last three Summer Olympics, are badly trailing China, but notched up their 30th gold of the Games on Friday
in beach volleyball.
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser won the men's event to complete the double for the U.S. team in the sport.
The Americans hope for more golds in the men's and women's basketball, with the highly-paid NBA players overwhelming favorites to win the gold they
embarrassingly missed in Athens.
They play Argentina in the semi-finals on Friday.
Beijing was sunny on Friday after a day of heavy rain on Thursday, bringing a different set of problems for many athletes.
Italy's Alex Schwazer won the 50km walk in Olympic record time despite relentless sun and heat, before dropping to his knees in tears.
Questions about human rights have not gone away. Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, accused Chinese troops of opening fire on protesters in
eastern Tibet on August 18.
Beijing Games organizer Wang Wei said Western media were biased and ignorant about the real situation in Tibet. In practice, though, it is almost impossible
for foreign journalists to report freely from the troubled region.
Rogers, Dalhausser take gold in beach volleyball
22 August 2008
World champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser beat Brazil to win the men's Olympic beach volleyball on Friday, making it two out of two for the United
States who also won the women's event.
The U.S. pair some took time to warm up but then fought point for point with Marcio Araujo and Fabio Luiz Magalhaes for two sets until Dalhausser found a new
gear and showed why he has been nicknamed "The Beijing Beast", smashing down block after block.
The final blow was too much for Marcio and Fabio Luiz, who eventually lost 21-23 21-17 4-15. As they climbed onto the podium to get their silver medals, they
wept in each other's arms, still reeling from the blocking onslaught.
Dalhausser could barely believe it himself.
"I'm on cloud nine. This is the best feeling I've ever had. It's unbelievable," the 2.06-metre player said.
The U.S. pair have only been together for two years but have taken the beach volleyball world by storm, winning the 2007 world championships and leading the
Olympic qualifications, although they had a shocking start to the Games losing to lowly Latvia.
Both men have said the secret of their success is the fact they are both chilled out. It was the same under the blazing Beijing sun on Friday.
"I just went up to Phil at the end of the second set and said hey let's have fun," said Rogers. "So Phil went out and had fun and I became a great
cheerleader, just brought along the pom-poms, did a little cheer and let him do it."
The Americans rolled around on top of each other in the sand as the last ball went in and then ran around the court so Rogers could leap into the stands to
kiss his wife Melissa.
The Brazilians, who only made the Olympics at the last qualification event in July, burst into tears at coming so close.
Earlier, fellow Brazilians and Athens gold medalists Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos, won bronze against Jorge Terceiro and Renato Gomes, two more Brazilians
who now play for Georgia.
Dutch swimmer wins men's 10K marathon
21 August 2008
Dutch swimmer Maarten van der Weijden skirted just inside the final red buoy to grab gold in the men's 10-kilometer open water race Thursday, completing a comeback after recovering from leukemia.
Van der Weijden won a three-way sprint in the inaugural event with a better-angled finish under a steady rain.
"I think the leukemia taught me to think step by step," Van der Weijden said. "When you're lying in the hospital bed and feeling so much pain and feeling so tired, you don't want to think about next week or next month, you're only thinking about the next hour.
"You just (have to) be patient. You lie in your bed and just wait. It's almost the same strategy I've used here, to stay in the pack, to be patient, and stay easy just waiting for your chance."
David Davies of Britain and Thomas Lurz of Germany drifted to the outside at the finish and settled for silver and bronze.
Van der Weijden reached up to slap the yellow touchpad in 1 hour, 51 minutes, 51.6 seconds. Davies was 1.5 seconds behind, and Lurz finished 2.0 seconds back.
"If there is anyone in the field that can beat me, that guy is an absolute legend," Davies said of van der Weijden. "He's a great guy. He's obviously been to the depths in his personal life and to come back is a great story. Lance Armstrong epic."
Van der Weijden was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. He came back in 2003 and began swimming faster than before he had the disease. He now commits a large portion of his time to raising awareness for leukemia.
"Because of the treatment I got, the stem-cell transplants, I had the luck to recover," Van der Weijden said. "The stem-cell transplants are because of research worldwide for cancer. So everyone who donates money, donated money in the past, I'm grateful too, or otherwise I wouldn't be here."
After the win, Van der Weijden raised his arms in the air and pumped his fists as he walked around the dock. He was hoisted on the shoulders of his fellow countrymen and pointed a finger toward to sky to show he was No. 1.
Davies was at or near the lead from start to finish on the 10 kilometer (6.2-mile) course and opened up a five or six body-length lead with a few hundred meters (yards) remaining. He couldn't hold it, though.
"It's going to take a while for it to sink in," Davies said. "At the last bit, I didn't know what was going on."
Davies received medical attention after the race.
"I just wanted to lie down and have a sleep, but before I knew it I was on a stretcher," he said.
Along with Vladimir Dyatchin of Russia, Lurz was one of the pre-race favorites, having won the world title in this event in 2004 and 2006.
"I knew Maarten finished well, so it was important to stay with him," Lurz said.
Dyatchin, who won back-to-back world titles in 2007 and 2008, never contended and was disqualified after touching 12th.
Despite the rain, the race was held in ideal swimming conditions at Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park. With the air temperature at 21 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit), it was a decent contrast with the 27 degree (81 Fahrenheit) water. The water at the indoor swimming facility in Beijing is about 26 degrees (80 Fahrenheit).
The 25 competitors swam four laps each around the artificial body of water, with coaches riding close by along the shore on bicycles.
Van der Weijden won the 25km race at this year's world championships and was fourth in the 10km. His flexibility in adapting to different tactics and speed across various distances makes him a contender in almost any open water race.
Davies finished sixth in the 1,500-meter event inside the Water Cube on Sunday but is still relatively inexperienced in open water, as seen by his wide finish.
"I need to learn to swim straight. I know that sounds silly," Davies said.
Phelps sets new Olympic gold standard
13 August 2008
Michael Phelps swam into history as the winningest Olympic athlete ever with his 10th and 11th career gold medals -- and five world records in five events
at the Beijing GamesA day after etching his name alongside Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis with gold No. 9, Phelps set a standard all his own when he won the 200-
meter butterfly Wednesday morning.
An hour later, he swam the leadoff of a runaway victory by the U.S. 800 freestyle relay team, which shattered the old world mark by more than four seconds.
"He is just another person, but maybe from a different planet," said Alexander Sukhorukov, who swam the anchor leg for the second-place Russians.
Phelps eclipsed a group including Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis by claiming his 11th gold medal.
That leaves only one other thing for Phelps to do before he leaves China: win all eight of his events to take down Spitz's record of seven golds at the 1972
Munich Games. He's already avenged his only two losses at Athens four years ago, when he won six golds.
"It might be once in a century you see something like this," teammate Aaron Peirsol said. "He's not just winning, he's absolutely destroying everything. It's
awesome to watch."
To hear Phelps talk, you wouldn't know it. He's turned a gathering of the world's best swimmers into his own personal meet, just him against the clock,
easily lugging along the weight of history.
When Phelps climbed out of the pool Tuesday after matching Spitz, Lewis & Co. with gold in the 200 freestyle, he unzipped his skintight suit and ambled over
to chat with his coach.
"Well, you're tied," Bob Bowman reminded him.
"That's pretty cool," Phelps replied.
Ho-hum.
Phelps races to win, then moves on. He doesn't pause to appreciate the moment. There'll be plenty of time for that later.
"It's his physical ability, it's his ability to race, it's his ability to keep focused, to get excited when he needs to and to come down when he needs to
come down," said Mark Schubert, head coach of the U.S. team.
Phelps didn't even know until earlier this year that he could become the winningest Olympian ever coming off of his six-gold performance in 2004. It took him
just four days in Beijing to pull into a tie with Spitz, Lewis, Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi.
"To be tied for the most Olympic golds of all time, with those names, in Olympic history ...," Phelps said, before pausing and letting out a slight chuckle.
"The Olympics have been around for so many years, that's a pretty amazing accomplishment."
He's sure not going to get all worked up about it, though. He'll leave that to others.
"If you're not involved in the sport, I'm not sure you can fully appreciate it," said Jack Bauerle, who coaches the U.S. women's team. "He is way past
anything you have seen. He is incredible."
Away from the pool, Phelps is a creature of habit. He struggles to wake up in the morning, and loves to take naps in the middle of the afternoon. He usually
gets two massages a day and takes ice baths to help his body recover from the grueling schedule. He feasts on gargantuan amounts of pasta and pizza between
races.
"Lots of carbs," he said.
When it's time to race, there's no one better. Which is why it's hard to imagine anyone beating him in Beijing.
"I don't think Michael will let his guard down until the last relay race," said his mom, Debbie Phelps. "I don't think he has a comfort zone at all until the
whole meet is over, the whole Olympic Games. He will not let his guard down because there's always someone out there."
Or not.
Phelps dominated the 400 individual medley and cleared his toughest hurdle when the 400 free relay team, anchored by Jason Lezak, pulled off an astonishing
comeback over the last 25 meters to beat the French by a fingertip.
No one was close to him in the 200 free, either. Phelps made a perfect dive off the blocks and already had a clear lead by the time his body -- perfectly
suited for swimming with its long torso, large wingspan and big, flexible feet -- re-emerged from the water.
Shortly after the first flip turn, he already was a full body length ahead. Phelps steadily pulled away and touched the wall in 1 minute, 42.96 seconds,
breaking the mark he set at last year's world championships by nearly a full second.
By the time silver medalist Park Tae-hwan lunged for the end of the pool, Phelps was already looking at the scoreboard.
"I can copy him, but I don't think I could be as good as Phelps," said Park, a gold medalist himself in the 400 free. "It is my honor to compete with him."
His performance is even more remarkable when one considers the workload he takes on at a meet such as this: 17 races covering more than two miles, often
against swimmers who specialize in one or two events.
"They've been resting all week and just gearing themselves up for one race, where every time Michael gets up on the block, he has to gear himself up for his
performance that night or that morning," Debbie Phelps said.
Nothing spurs Phelps on more than defeat. The fear of failure defines all the great ones, from Michael Jordan to Tiger Woods, and there's nothing different
about this guy.
In the 200 free, he avenged his only individual loss at the last Olympics. Phelps, only 19 then, finished third on that warm Greek evening behind Ian Thorpe
and Pieter van den Hoogenband in what was quickly dubbed the "Race of the Century." Four years later, he has no equal.
"I hate to lose," he said. "When I lose a race like that, it motivates me even more to try to swim faster."
China eclipse U.S. in women gymnastics
13 August 2008
China upset the error-prone United States in the women's gymnastics team final at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.
China's score of 188.9 points was more than two points ahead of the Americans, a blowout in a competition that was supposed to be decided by the slimmest of
margins.
It was the first Olympic gold in women's gymnastics for China, who beat the Americans for their first world title in 2006.
And it was yet another disappointing silver medal for the Americans, who came in to the Athens Games as overwhelming favorites only to falter and lose to the
Romanians.
This year, Romania finished third.
With the two best gymnasts in the world and the Olympic gold medal at their fingertips, the Americans bumbled and fumbled it away. A fall off the beam here,
a splat on floor there and two steps out of bounds was more than enough to cost a team a victory, no matter how many world titles it had.
The Chinese flew as high as acrobats and lit up the arena with smiles as bright as their new medals.
The U.S. performed ahead of the Chinese in the final rotation, the floor exercise. And after team captain Alicia Sacramone landed her second pass flat on her
back, the gold medal was gone. Sacramone knew it, crouching on the steps by the floor, her head buried in her hands, disbelief etched across her face.
"I think everybody knows you always have good days and bad days. I just wish today was a good day," Sacramone said, still trying to blink back the tears from
her red-rimmed eyes.
But hers was not the only mistake. Shawn Johnson -- the reigning all-around and floor world champion -- stepped out of bounds on floor. So did Nastia Liukin.
That meant China's final three routines were mere victory dances, and Deng Linlin, Jiang Yuyuan and Cheng Fei played the part to perfection.
With the crowd roaring and shouting "Jia You! Jia You!" ("Lets Go!") they flitted and fluttered with wide smiles on their faces. Even their small errors
hardly mattered, swept up in the roar of the crowd.
When Cheng threw up her hands after her final pose, her teammates began jumping up and down and hugging each other. All those questions about their ages --
there are suspicions that as many as half the team isn't old enough to compete here -- couldn't distract them. Nor could the expectations from their fans.
They practically floated out of the arena, stopping occasionally to pose for pictures and wave to the cheering fans. They held hands during the medals
ceremony, often looking down at their new treasures in wonder. Afterward, they picked up one of their coaches and tossed him into the air. Getting an assist
from a few others, of course.
"Before they go out there, I want them to believe in themselves. And they all did," Cheng said. "I didn't have to say anything to them. Even though they are
very young, they have a lot of experience as well and they have their own ways to learn from their own experiences, and they used those ways."
The Americans have dominated women's gymnastics since falling short in Athens, winning the world title last year and a slew of individual golds. They're
stocked with the reigning world champ in Johnson, and her closest rival, Liukin, and they also have 2005 world champion Chellsie Memmel.
But China wasn't far behind. With the scoring format in finals so unforgiving -- three gymnasts up on each event, all three scores count -- there was room
for one mistake. Maybe two.
Certainly not four.
Though China led halfway through the meet, the teams finished up on balance beam and floor exercise, the Americans' best two events. And when Cheng fell off
the beam, it gave the Americans the cushion they should have needed, with the last two events to go.
But Sacramone, first up on balance beam, had to wait for what seemed like 15 minutes before she was given the go-ahead, and she seemed nervous as she paced
back and forth. Sure enough, as she came down to land the somersault that opens her routine, her right foot slipped off the edge of the 4-inch beam.
Sacramone windmilled her arms and twisted her body, but she couldn't save herself and dropped off. Not only is the fall a penalty, but she never did the
backflip that usually follows, costing her more precious points. Sacramone bit her lip after she finished, knowing it was a mistake the Americans couldn't
afford.
Liukin gathered the girls together, telling them, "Just shake it off, that's all you can do. Shake it off." She and Johnson did, doing two beautiful routines
that had the Americans within a point going into the final event.
Sacramone was again first up, and floor is her signature event. She won a world title on it in 2005, and her routines usually have so much sass and show,
they rival anything in Las Vegas.
Not Wednesday. She didn't have her usual sparkle. Or her usual sure-footedness. On her second tumbling run, her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell
flat on her back. She briefly shut her eyes before continuing, but her face was a blank mask the rest of the way.
After that mistake and the smaller ones by Liukin and Johnson, the Chinese really let loose. Deng soared high above the floor on her tumbling passes, her
every landing punctuated by the appreciative roar of the crowd. Jiang dipped and danced, delighting her teammates and the arena.
And Cheng was simply magnificent, the perfect close to China's big show. The audience was on its feet, cheering the twists and flips that seemed to get more
powerful as her routine went on.
Phelps dives into Olympic history
12 August 2008
He cuts through the water like he's shredding through the record books at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
.S. swimmer Michael Phelps won his third gold medal and record-tying ninth of his career on Tuesday morning, breaking his own world record in the 200-meter
freestyle.
The American won in a time of 1 minute, 42.96 seconds, lowering his old mark of 1:43.86 set at last year's world championships in Australia.
It was expected he would face a strong challenge for the gold from the other finalists, but he led from the start, cruising to the wall nearly 2 seconds
ahead of silver medallist Park Tae-hwan of South Korea, who finished in 1:44.85. American Peter Vanderkaay earned the bronze in 1:45.14.
Phelps already has nine career gold medals, tying him with four others, including swimmer Mark Spitz and track star Carl Lewis, for the most in Olympics
history. He's got five more chances for gold in Beijing -- the next one comes Wednesday.
And he's just 23.
"We're not even realizing what an incredible athlete he is," said Natalie Coughlin, a world-class Olympic swimmer in her own right. "Obviously he's amazing
and he breaks all these world records, but I think being a part of that, we almost take it for granted."
In one sense, Phelps is much like the element he works in -- calm, cool and clear. It's only when he rips into the water that the waves start.
"I want to do things that no one else in the sport has ever done," he has said.
Phelps has already done lots of things: 17 world championships and a couple dozen world records. His nine Olympic gold medals include three so far in Beijing
-- the last one he received Tuesday in the 200-meter freestyle.
"It will remain to be seen where history ultimately places him, but clearly today he is the best swimmer we've seen," said Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach.
Bowman began coaching Phelps when the swimmer was an 11-year-old who had difficulty focusing outside of the pool and a knack for getting into trouble.
"He was very active and never stopped moving and it was kind of hard to harness that at first," Bowman said. "It's a little bit counterintuitive because,
even though he was so rambunctious as a young swimmer, when he raced, he was very focused."
Swimming thousands of miles in a pool will do that to you.
"I think it was something that made me focus," he said. "I always had dreams of being an Olympian, being a world-record holder, being a professional athlete,
being a gold medallist, and I had to focus on those goals to achieve them and I knew that."
The focus came from year after year of workouts in the pool.
He swam nearly four miles in each workout and often practiced twice a day with hardly a day off. Ironically, it is just that kind of intense work that may
have cost Phelps much of his childhood.
"I think he missed out on a normal progression of things, but I wouldn't say he's missed anything," Bowman said. "I would say he would tell you what he's
gained has been a lot better than what he's missed."
Phelps agrees.
"I would never trade going to the Olympic Games and standing on top of the medal podium or being able to turn professional or travel all over the world, I
would never trade any of it in," he said.
Phelps finds himself on the verge of diving into history. He has the opportunity to break the Olympics' most hallowed record and eclipse Marc Spitz's seven
gold medals in the 1972 games.
Even if he gets gold in just half of the eight events he has entered, Phelps will hold the record for the most gold medals in Olympic history and could
arguably be called the greatest Olympian ever.
"There are a lot of things that people haven't done, and I want to change the sport and be the first person to do new things," Phelps said.
With so much time spent with his head underwater, who can blame him if he likes to stick it in the clouds as well.
Nadal struggles before opening victory
12 August 2008
World number one in waiting Rafael Nadal was given an Olympic wake up call by Italian journeyman Potito Starace before coming through in three sets in
Beijing.
The powerful Spaniard swept the final four games to prevail 6-2 3-6 6-2 while arch-rival Roger Federer began his quest for gold with a comfortable 6-4 6-2
win over dangerous Russian Dmitry Tursunov.
The first big shock of the Games came later on Monday as Britain's Andy Murray crashed out in straight sets to unknown Lu Yen-Hsun of Chinese Taipei, 7-6 6-
4.
Sixth seed Murray, a likely opponent for Nadal in the quarterfinals, wasted three set points in the opening set and three more break points at 4-4 in the
second set, the Cincinnati Masters winner losing his own service in the next game.
Soon after Murray's demise, there was another shock in the men's singles when fifth seed David Ferrer of Spain fell to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 6-2.
There was a major surprise in the women's event when China's Li Na, world ranked 42, came from three games down in the first set to beat third seed
Kuznetsova 7-6 6-3 in front of a raucous Center Court crowd.
Fellow-Chinese Zheng Jie also relished home support as she eliminated Hungarian 11th seed Agnes Szavay 4-6 6-3 7-5 in a marathon two hours 50 minutes.
"I have so many supporters here that make me so motivated and they've given me a lot of mental support, particularly in today's match, a very close match,"
said Zheng, a Wimbledon semifinalist last month.
Fourth seed Serena Williams took all four games when her match resumed after an overnight wait to complete a rain-interrupted win over Olga Govortsova of
Belarus 6-3 6-1.
Like Nadal, Williams was playing her first singles match at the Olympics. She won a gold medal in doubles in 2000 with her sister Venus who also went through
later in the day.
Seventh seed Venus, playing her first match since winning Wimbledon for the fifth time, beat Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 6-3 6-2, showing no sign of the
knee injury that sidelined her in recent weeks.
Men's defending champion Nicolas Massu was also a winner on Monday, opening his bid with a straight sets win over Steve Darcis of Belgium 6-4 7-5. Massu won
the gold at Athens in both singles and doubles.
But much of the focus was on Nadal, who has won credit for staying with his teammates in the Olympic village, but who struggled in his morning match.
Normally reliable shots backfired on his backhand as he dropped the middle set, but he woke up in the decider.
Nadal failed to convert seven consecutive break-point opportunities before he broke for a 4-2 lead in the final set.
He erased a 15-40 deficit on his serve in the next game, then broke again for the victory.
"I am very happy to be here," Nadal told the Associated Press. "I am just trying to enjoy 100 per cent the experience, and later try my best on court."
Nadal, who will take over from Federer at the top of the rankings during the Olympics, is coming off wins at the French Open and Wimbledon where he beat the
Swiss ace in both finals.
Federer has won only two tournaments in 2008 and is desperate for a gold medal and victory in the final grand slam of the year at the U.S. Open.
"My goal is to try to get number one ranking back," he said after his fine victory over Tursunov. "I need to play well again. I need to win the big matches.
That's what I'm looking at at the moment."
Fingertip finish keeps Phelps hopes alive
11 August 2008
By a fingertip, Michael Phelps is still on course for eight gold medals. He can thank Jason Lezak for getting him No. 2.
The oldest man on the U.S. swimming team pulled off one of the great comebacks in Olympic history Monday morning, lunging to the wall just ahead of France's
Alain Bernard in a race so fast it actually erased two world records.
Few sporting events live up the hype -- this one exceeded it. The 32-year-old Lezak was nearly a body length behind the massive Bernard as they made the
final turn, but the American hugged the lane rope, drafting off the Frenchman and stunningly overtaking him on the very last stroke.
Watching on deck, Phelps let out a resounding "Yeaaaaaah!" and thrust both arms toward the roof of the Water Cube. His quest to break Mark Spitz's record of
seven gold medals had survived what will likely be its toughest test.
The Americans shattered the world record set by their "B" team the previous evening in the preliminaries, touching with a time of 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds --
nearly 4 full seconds below the 15-hour-old mark of 3:12.23.
"I was going nuts," Phelps, who swam the leadoff leg and then became the team's biggest cheerleader, told NBC. "As soon as (Lezak) came off that last wall, I
started going crazy. We're a team. We went in as a team and now we're exiting as a team -- and we're going out with that gold that we needed to get back."
The Americans won the 400 free relay at seven straight Olympics, but watched the Australians and South Africans take gold at the last two games.
"I've been on the last two relays where we come up short," Lezak said. "To be honest with you I got really tired of losing."
Bernard was the world record holder in the 100, but he lost that mark as well. Australia's Eamon Sullivan broke the individual record by swimming the leadoff
leg in 47.24 -- ahead of Bernard's mark of 47.50.
While the Americans whooped it up on deck, Bernard clung to the wall, his head down. The swimmer who had talked confidently of beating the Americans was the
last one to leave the pool.
The French were second in 3:08.32 -- eight one-hundredths of a second behind. Australia took the bronze in 3:09.91. In fact, the top five all went below the
record set Sunday.
Argentina and Brazil into Olympic quarters
11 August 2008
South American powerhouses Argentina and Brazil qualified for the quarterfinals of the Olympic football tournament with contrasting victories on Sunday.
Brazil thrashed New Zealand 5-0 in Shenyang, with Ronaldinho scoring twice, while Argentina edged past a stubborn Australia 1-0 in Shanghai.
It gives defending champions Argentina and Brazil, hunting for first Olympic gold in football, two wins out of two in the competition.
AC Milan and former Barcelona star Ronaldinho netted his first goal of the tournament with a free kick in the 54th minute, and added another with a penalty
in the 61st.
The two-time FIFA Player of the Year hadn't scored for Brazil in an official competition in nearly a year.
Manchester United's Anderson opened the scoring less than three minutes in.
Alexandre Pato scored in the 34th and Rafael Sobis added another goal in second-half injury time to keep Brazil on track after beating Belgium 1-0 in their
Group C opener.
Earlier, Ezequiel Lavezzi scored a 78th minute goal to break Australia's resistance in a Group A match.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi was again in inspired form for Argentina, going close three times before Lavezzi netted after a well-worked move.
The Argentines opened with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, while the Aussies have one point after a 1-1 draw with Serbia.
Messi received special clearance from Barcelona to play in the Games after they won a Court of Arbitration ruling which gave the Spanish giants the right to
bring him back to the Nou Camp.
"The game was hard for us. Australia placed a lot of players in midfield which gave us a lot of difficulties," Argentinian coach Sergio Batista told the
Associated Press.
"The game did not proceed as we expected, but we have six points and we have reached the quarterfinals, although we still need to work harder."
Italy also reached the last eight as Giuseppe Rossi notched his second goal in as many games to guide them to a 3-0 win over South Korea in Qinhuangdao.
He pounced on the deflection after a shot from teammate Tommaso Rocchi and hit a 10-meter shot with his left foot past goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong.
Rangers exit Champions League in Lithuania
6 August 2008
Scottish giants Rangers slumped to a shock European exit when Linas Pilibaitis gave FBK Kaunas 2-1 a aggregate win in their Champions League second qualifying round tie in Lithuania.
The first leg at Ibrox ended goalless last week but Rangers were firmly on course to reach the next stage when Kevin Thomson fired them in front after 33 minutes of the return.
Rangers were still in the driving seat on the away goals rule when Nerijus Radzius levelled two minutes before halftime.
But last season's beaten UEFA Cup finalists were rocked when former Hearts player Pilibaitis struck four minutes from time -- a goal that could cost Rangers 10 million pounds ($20 million).
Manager Walter Smith's side now have only a domestic agenda to look forward to with the Scottish Premier League campaign kicking off at the weekend.
Smith said: "It's a blow in every aspect, including the financial side and everything that comes with it.
We just have to face it and get on with it. We have a job on our hands to pick everyone up.
"There was always a hope that we could pick ourselves up for this game and there was also a matter of pride of playing in Europe again.
"We enjoyed the run we had last season but we are not going to get one this season and that's a disappointment for us."
Rangers played 19 matches in Europe last campaign, culminating in defeat to Zenit St Petersburg in the UEFA final.
Smith reverted to the formation he favored in Europe last year, with the role of lone striker going to summer signing Kenny Miller.
Jean-Claude Darcheville was dropped to the bench following the first game in Glasgow, with Nacho Novo introduced to midfield and Christian Dailly playing just in front of the back four.
Lee McCulloch received the first booking for a foul on Rafael Ledesma who forced a decent save from goalkeeper Allan McGregor from the free-kick.
Thomson and Pascal Mendy were also added to the referee's book in quick succession as the tie grew more heated.
Rangers continued to push forward and a blunder from Mindaugas Baguzis almost gifted them the opener when his poor attempt at a headed pass-back to Kello trickled narrowly past the goalkeeper's left-hand post.
The breakthrough came when Thomson pounced on a Novo pass and slipped the ball through Kello's legs from a tight angle from about eight yards.
Kaunas could have restored parity when Ledesma's free-kick swept inches past an upright with McGregor helpless in the Rangers goal.
McGregor was well beaten on 43 minutes when Radzius struck a ferocious right-footed free-kick from 30 yards.
Kaunas knew they needed a second goal and Pilibaitis was not too far away after the restart before Marius Cinikas saw his powerful shot crash off the crossbar.
Rangers were under pressure again when Nukri Manchkava provided a great cross to the back post which was met by Adrian Mrowiec and McGregor did well to hold the close-range downward header.
With the final whistle only minutes away, McGregor was called into action again, this time to smother from Kaunas substitute Bojan Mamic.
s
But he was beaten when Pilibaitis snatched victory with a close-range header at the near post after Rangers failed to defend a corner.
Rooney set to miss start of league season
6 August 2008
England international striker Wayne Rooney is struggling to make the start of Manchester United's Premier League title defense after picking up a stomach
virus on his club's preseason tour of Nigeria.
United manager Alex Ferguson revealed the problem at a news conference on Tuesday, saying that Rooney would miss this weekend's traditional Community Shield
season-opener against FA Cup winners Portsmouth at Wembley.
The two teams also faced each other in Nigeria last week, a match United won 2-1, but Rooney has barely trained since after going down with the
illness.
Ferguson told Sky Sports News: "I doubt we'll get Rooney fit for the start of the season with the virus he's had.
"It's a virus he picked up in Nigeria and it's not a nice one, but quite a few have had it," said the Scot, who confirmed that Rooney was not suffering from
malaria.
His absence is a serious blow for the European and Premier League champions who are already missing Cristiano Ronaldo, who had an operation on his ankle
after playing for Portugal in Euro 2008.
But there was good news for United fans as Ferguson insisted again that there was no chance of Ronaldo being allowed to join Real Madrid.
"The matter is now closed. Trust me he will play here next season," Ferguson said.
With currently sidelined Louis Saha also set to leave Old Trafford, Ferguson is down to Carlos Tevez and youngster Frazier Campbell as recognized strikers
ahead of their first league match against Newcastle on August 17.
The unwelcome development may lead United to step up their pursuit of Tottenham's Bulgarian international striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been consistently
linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Another Manchester United player who will be missing from the squad to face Portsmouth and the season's start will be Brazilian Anderson.
The 20-year-old midfielder is on international duty at the Olympics in Beijing and will not return to the club until mid-August at the earliest.
Rooney's illness means he could also miss England's friendly against the Czech Republic on August 20 at Wembley as Fabio Capello's men build up to important
World Cup qualifying games in the autumn.
There is also a big doubt about Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard who limped off after 27 minutes of Tuesday's 4-1 win over Valerenga in Norway.
The midfielder appeared to suffer a thigh strain and the Reds will hope they took Gerrard out of the action before any serious damage could be done.
But with a Champions League qualifier in a week's time against Standard Liege, it is a problem boss Rafael Benitez could do without.
Benitez also saw players he may have to sell soon -- Xabi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun -- score outstanding goals.
Both could be used to raise the cash to buy Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. Roma have admitted an interest in Benayoun while Arsenal are being linked with
Alonso.
Alonso stole the show with a 20th-minute strike from 25 yards following Robbie Keane's flick on. Fernando Torres and French striker Ngog were also on target.
Van Nistelrooy quits Dutch national side
5 August 2008
Real Madrid's Dutch international striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has announced his retirement from international football.
Van Nistelrooy, 32, informed coach Bert van Marwijk that he wanted to concentrate fully on his role with the Spanish champions.
"Given the physical effort you need to perform at this level, I had to make a choice," he said in a statement released by the Dutch Football Association on
Monday.
"The combination of Real Madrid's competitions -- cup and Champions League games -- on the one hand and the Netherlands team on the other, would be too heavy
a burden for me."
Van Nistelrooy made his first appearance for the Netherlands in 1998 at the age of 22 and went on to play in 64 games, scoring 33 goals.
Van Marwijk, who replaced Marco van Basten as Dutch coach after the Euro 2008 finals, said he "regretted" Van Nistelrooy's decision but respected it.
The Dutch took the finals by storm, beating world champions Italy and World Cup runners-up France in the group stages, before bowing out to Russia in the
quarterfinals -- a match in which Van Nistelrooy scored.
"I had a very fine tournament with my country and I look back at that with a good feeling," added van Nistelrooy. "It was not a decision I took lightly."
Van Nistelrooy joined Madrid from Manchester United in 2006 and has helped the club win the Primera Liga title in each of the last two seasons.
Ronaldinho targets Olympic football gold
5 August 2008
Lack of motivation will not be a problem for Ronaldinho at the Beijing Olympics.
One of the games' biggest stars, the two-time FIFA Player of the Year can't wait to get on the field and try to lead Brazil to a first Olympic title in
football.
"What motivates me the most is the chance to make history in Brazilian football and win this first gold medal," Ronaldinho said on Tuesday, two days before
Brazil's opening match against Belgium.
"We all know that if we win this medal we will make history."
The Olympic gold medal has eluded Brazil so far. It is the only significant title the five-time World Cup champions have never won.
The Brazilians won the silver medal twice, at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and the 1988 Seoul Games, and bronze at Atlanta in 1996.
"Very few players have an opportunity to participate in two Olympics, and I'm glad I'm having this chance to win what we let slip away in the past," said
Ronaldinho, who was on the Brazilian Olympic team eliminated by Cameroon in the quarterfinals of the 2000 Sydney Games.
Brazil did not qualify for Athens in 2004.
It will be the playmaker's first tournament since transferring from Barcelona to AC Milan in a move that could revamp his career following a disappointing
season final season in Spain.
He hasn't played a competitive match in more than four months.
Ronaldinho and his Brazilians teammates practiced at Shenyang Olympic Sport Center Stadium on Tuesday.
Ronaldinho is set to start against Belgium, but coach Dunga will not be able to count on defender Thiago Silva, who is nursing a right leg muscle injury
sustained in the team's 2-0 win over Vietnam in a warm-up match on Friday.
Silva and Ronaldinho are the only two over-23 players summoned by Dunga, who could not get clubs to release the nation's other top stars such as Kaka and
Robinho.
The 28-year-old Ronaldinho got to play only because he negotiated his release before transferring to Milan.
Brazil are in Group C, along with hosts China and New Zealand
"We need a good start to put us on the right track for the rest of the Olympics," Ronaldinho added.
The Olympic football tournament begins two days before Friday's opening ceremony in Beijing to accommodate its lengthy schedule.
Sharapova pulls out of Beijing Olympics
1 August 2008
The Beijing Olympics lost one of its major attractions when Maria Sharapova pulled out of the tennis tournament with a shoulder injury.
The Russian world number three sustained the injury in beating Marta Domachowska of Poland at the WTA tournament in Montreal and immediately underwent an MRI
scan to determine the extent of the problem.
The result was not encouraging and Sharapova told her official Web site of her disappointment.
"I'm currently packing up real quick to hop on a plane to New York for a second opinion (on the injury) but I wanted to let you all know first that there is
no chance of me competing in Beijing," she said.
"The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything."
It is another shattering setback for 21-year Sharapova who started the year with a brilliant victory at the Australian Open but has since been struggling
with injury and loss of form.
Wednesday's match in Montreal was her first since a disappointing exit from Wimbledon.
"After Wednesday's match I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder," she added on her Web site.
Sharapova's appearance in the final grand slam of the season at the U.S. Open, which takes place almost immediately after the Beijing Games, must also be in
serious doubt.
Ferraris set the pace in Hungary practice
1 August 2008
Felipe Massa led a Ferrari 1-2 in early practice on Friday for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Brazilian driver set a quickest lap time of 1 minute, 20.981 seconds on the 4.381-kilometer Hungaroring track to edge teammate Kimi Raikkonen by nearly
three-tenths of a second.
McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen was third in 1:21.410, while Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton was fourth -- more than half a second slower than
Massa.
Renault's Fernando Alonso rounded out the top five with a time of 1:21.802. Timo Glock of Toyota was the only other driver to break the 1:22.00 mark.
Ferrari is looking to rebound from a series of disappointing results and halt McLaren's recent momentum.
The Italian team has generally performed well on hotter tracks, with the Hungarian GP notable for its humid weather.
Hamilton is coming off two straight victories to lead Massa by four points and Raikkonen by seven in the drivers' standings. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, who
was seventh in practice, is 10 points behind Hamilton.
Sebastian Vettel abandoned halfway through the session with his Toro Rosso car experiencing a problem at the rear.
Practice continues later on Friday and Saturday morning before a qualifying session to determine the starting order for Sunday's race.
Ricco admits to doping at Rome hearing
31 July 2008
Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco, the highest-profile rider to be thrown off this year's Tour de France, has admitted that he is a drugs cheat.
Ricco, who won two stages before he was found to have taken the blood-booster EPO, told a hearing of the Italian Olympic Committee in Rome that "the mistake
is only mine."
The 24-year-old added that he wanted to relieve himself of a "huge burden" and is ready to suffer the consequences.
Ricco, who was runner-up in the Giro d'Italia and considered one of the rising young stars of cycling, faces a two-year suspension.
His former Saunier Duval teammate Leonardo Piepoli, who also won a mountain stage on the Tour, will give evidence at the hearing in Rome on Thursday. Veteran
climber Piepoli was sacked by the team along with Ricco despite not failing a drugs test.
Ricco gave his positive test for EPO after the fourth stage time trial at Cholet, initially denying that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs when the
findings became public on July 17 after the 12th stage.
Saunier Duval subsequently pulled the plug on their sponsorship of the team because of the adverse publicity surrounding the pair.
Ricco was among four riders to give positive doping tests at this year's Tour de France, with Spanish riders Manuel Beltran and Moises Duenas Nevado and
Credit Agicole's Dmitry Fofonov also exposed.
"What I did during the Tour is done. I made a mistake and the mistake is only mine," Ricco told the Associated Press after the hearing behind closed doors.
"I have always won with my own legs. Unfortunately I've made a mistake and I will pay for it," Ricco added. "For now, I'm not even thinking of going back on
a bike... I'm here because I had a huge burden and I wanted to get rid of it."
Messi set for Olympics after FIFA ruling
31 July 2008
A FIFA ruling on Wednesday has cleared the way for Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi to represent his country at the Beijing Olympics.
Messi's club Barcelona and Bundesliga sides Schalke and Werder Bremen had challenged the world governing body over their insistence that players aged 23 and
under must be released to play in the Games.
The clubs also claimed that the dates of the Beijing football tournament, from August 6-23, were not part of football's international calendar.
But Slim Aloulou, a Tunisian judge on FIFA's player status committee, confirmed that the release of under-23 players was "mandatory for all clubs."
"Taking part in the Olympic Games is a unique opportunity for all athletes of any sporting discipline," FIFA said in a statement.
"It would not be justifiable to prevent any player younger than 23 from participating in such an event if his representative team had qualified."
Apart from the 21-year-old Messi, the decision means that Schalke and Werder Bremen must release Rafinha and Diego, respectively, for Brazil.
Barcelona have said they would take their case to the Court of Arbritration in Sport (CAS) if FIFA ruled against them, clearly concerned about the loss of
Messi for a crucial Champions League qualifying tie.
Messi, who would be the star attraction in a strong Argentina side, told the Barcelona club Web site that he would honor any subseqent ruling by the CAS.
"Barcelona are continuing with their stance of not wanting to let me go and I understand it," Messi said. "But they have to understand that my dream is to
take part in the Olympic Games with the national team."
Messi's former Barcelona teammate Ronaldinho will play at the Olympics as an over age player for Brazil. Clubs are not obliged to release this category of
player for the Games, but Ronaldinho's new club AC Milan say the tournament will help him get match-fit for the Serie A season.
Iraq beats deadline as Olympic ban lifted
30 July 2008
Iraq will be allowed to participate in the Beijing games after the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday rescinded its suspension of the country's
Olympic association.
The decision came after last-minute talks during which an Iraqi government delegation pledged to hold free elections for its national Olympic committee under
international observation.
The deadline to submit competitors' names for athletics events expires Wednesday.
Iraq is expected to send two athletes to Beijing. Five others lost their chance to go when the final date to select competitors for archery, judo, rowing and
weightlifting passed last week.
"The National Olympic Committee will have fair elections before the end of November," said Pere Miro, head of the IOC's department for relations with
national Olympic committees.
Until then, Iraq's Olympic organization will be run by an interim committee proposed by its national sports federations and approved by the IOC, he said.
"We want to forget all the past," Iraq's government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said after signing the agreement in front of journalists. "We want to have real
representation for the Iraqi teams and the Iraqi supporters."
The IOC suspended Iraq in May citing political interference in the country's national Olympic committee, which the government had dissolved over allegations
of corruption.
Basil Abdul Mahdi, an adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sport, said last week there would be "no retreat" in Baghdad's decision to replace the disbanded
Olympic committee. The hardline stance prompted concern that Iraq would not be represented in Beijing.
But eight-hour talks at the IOC's headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday involving Miro and Husain al-Musallam, director-general of the Olympic Council of Asia,
produced a breakthrough, allowing Iraq to have two competitors in the athletics events.
Hours before the talks, a delegation of Iraqi groups in Switzerland came to the IOC headquarters to deliver a letter to Olympic officials expressing dismay
at their country's suspension and requesting the decision be overturned.
Ahmed Tabour, head of the Iraqi Cultural and Sports Committee in Switzerland, said his country was being treated unfairly by the IOC.
"Iraq was never suspended during the days of Saddam (Hussein), who personally appointed the national Olympic committee," he told The Associated Press. "The
Iraqi people need hope, and sport gives them a lot of hope."
The IOC last suspended Iraq in May 2003 -- weeks after U.S.-led troops toppled Saddam's regime. That ban occurred after the IOC learned of the abuse of
athletes by Saddam's son Uday, the country's former Olympic chief.
The suspension was lifted a year later, allowing Iraq to take part in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens where it fielded a team of 25 athletes.
Iraq's football team made it to the semifinals, prompting celebrations throughout a country where violence has claimed the lives of athletes, coaches and
staff.
The Olympic cycling coach, national wrestling coach, a soccer federation member and a prominent volleyball player have been killed, most in 2006 during the
height of sectarian slayings.
The two athletes who will represent Iraq this year have benefited from an IOC solidarity program that allowed them to train at sports facilities abroad, IOC
spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said.
Although the duo failed to meet the qualifying standards to go to Beijing, they were allowed to take part under the IOC's wild card program designed to
ensure every country is represented at the games.
The fact that they are unlikely to add to Iraq's overall tally of one bronze medal since its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1948 is no great
concern, said al-Dabbagh.
"Sport is really important for us in Iraq right now," he said. "It brings the people together."
Euro 2008 nets record $394 million profit
30 July 2008
UEFA earned a record $394 million from the 2008 European Championship.
European football's governing body said that is an increase of $42 million from Euro 2004, and would be enough to pay for its youth and women's competitions
until 2012 as well as refereeing and coaching programs.
The remainder will be distributed among UEFA's 53 members and toward administrative costs.
UEFA said turnover during the three-week tournament in Austria and Switzerland was $2.04 billion, with more than half the money coming from the sale of
broadcasting rights.
At least 155 million people watched each of the 31 matches live on television, UEFA said.
The cost of organizing the event grew from $492 million in 2004 to $943 million.
UEFA also presented figures on the number of security personnel employed for Euro 2008 (10,000) and the number of match-ticket holders who benefited from
free train travel in Austria and Switzerland (4.4 million).
"It would be fair to say that, from an organizational perspective, we have greatly progressed and improved in almost all areas," Euro 2008 chief operating
officer Martin Kallen said in a statement.
Austria 0-1 Germany & Poland 0-1 Croatia
17 june 2008
Michael Ballack's superb second-half strike handed Germany a last eight tie against Portugal at the expense of Austria who exited Euro 2008.
The Chelsea midfielder scored the only goal of the match when he fired in a powerful 30-yard shot from a free-kick won by Philipp Lahm.
Germany should have scored early in the match but Mario Gomez somehow missed from two yards.
Austria's best chance fell to Andreas Ivanschitz whose shot was blocked.
Germany edged the opening 45 minutes but it appeared Joachim Low's Plan A - asking his men to give prominence to their defensive duties - was a risky
strategy.
Because the Germans adopted a different approach it appeared to affect them negatively and they were often caught dithering on the ball in the first half.
And when they were not dithering, they were guilty of giving the ball away.
Fortunately, for the three times European champions Austria have been unable to make the most of the gifts that have come their way at the tournament and
against their neighbours little seemed to have changed.
For all their attacking endeavour, largely orchestrated by Umit Korkmaz and Erwin Hoffer, Austria only once managed to pierce a flimsy German defence when
Hoffer found himself clear in the area only to let himself down with a poor first touch.
The Germans were not much better but they did look more threatening and should have taken the lead early on with one of the easiest chances any player will
get at this championship.
The guilty party was Gomez, later substituted, who mis-kicked from two yards after great work from Miroslav Klose down the right.
Their other chance was created and despatched by the more potent Lukas Podolski who stung the hands of Jurgen Macho from 25 yards.
While most of the players kept their cool during the tense occasion, the same could not be said for coaches Low and Josef Hickersberger who were sent to the
stands shortly before the break by referee Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez for what appeared to be an ongoing spat with the fourth official.
Whatever effect that had on the German team appeared to be positive as they came out after the interval with a roaring fire in their bellies.
That new found venom was symbolised by Ballack's strike which eased the worries for his side.
The marauding Lahm won a free-kick when he was fouled after a tremendous run towards the penalty area.
Chelsea midfielder Ballack stepped up to the mark and spanked his effort into Macho's top-left corner.
From that point on Germany looked odds-on to seal their ninth win in 12 competitive matches against Austria.
Austria heads dropped knowing that they needed to beat the Germans to stand any chance of joining co-hosts Switzerland as one of the eliminated teams.
Balls were now hit in hope into the German area and when Ivanschitz did find himself free he was denied by a great tackle from Lahm.
Torsten Frings and Klose went close to adding a second late on with well-struck efforts, but in the end the thunderbolt from talisman Ballack proved enough
for Germany, who have reached the tournament knockout stages for the first time since they won the title in 1996.
Woods beats Mediate in dramatic playoff
17 june 2008
Tiger Woods, in clear agony after his recent left knee operation, completed a staggering U.S.Open victory on Monday by defeating fellow-American Rocco
Mediate in a marathon playoff at Torrey Pines.
On the very day he reached 500 weeks as world number one, Woods took his total of majors to 14 -- just four short of Jack Nicklaus's record -- on the first
sudden-death hole, after both players had carded level-par 71s in Monday's 18-hole playoff
After staying alive with a 15-foot putt on Sunday, Woods again birdied the last to stop 45-year-old qualifier Mediate becoming the championship's oldest-ever
winner.
Mediate, who himself had fought back from three down after 10 holes to lead by one on the final tee, then bogeyed the first extra hole of sudden death to
hand Woods victory.
Earlier, it looked like the momentum had swung the way of Mediate, world ranked 158th coming into the tournament.
After Woods had bogeyed the 11th and 12th, Mediate birdied the next three and went one ahead. The last of those was with a 25-foot downhill putt after the
13-major winner had conjured up a magical recovery from a bunker on the wrong hole.
Woods, having missed from 12-feet there, almost made a 50-footer on the next and could not convert a 22-foot chance at the 17th.
Mediate, though, opened the door by driving into a bunker on the last. He had to lay up short of the water, whereas twice champion Woods hit a three-iron
onto the green and two-putted.
Sudden death began on the seventh hole and there it ended as well when Mediate was in a bunker, missed the green and failed to get up and down.
In his first event since surgery on his left knee straight after the Masters in April, Woods made it a remarkable five straight victories at the San Diego
venue and took his on-course career earnings through the $100 million mark.
"The whole week was unbelievable," said Woods. "The golf course was set up so fair but so difficult, everybody who has come out this week has been fantastic,
the fans have made the tournament.
"Today was unreal, it kept ebbing and flowing, Rocco looked like he was in control, then I did, it was back and forth, back and forth and 18 holes wasn't
enough.
"Three shots on this golf course isn't much. I was slapping it around and I just wanted to get the ball on the green, Rocco made three birdies in a row and
that run was impressive."
Asked about the problems he had had throughout the tournament with his knee, Woods added: "I'm glad I'm done, I really don't feel like playing any more.
"The atmosphere kept me going, it could have been very easy to quit, but I couldn't quit in front of these people, it wasn't going to happen."
Asked when he would play again, Woods said: "Not for a while, I'm going to shut it down for a little bit and see what happens."
Mediate admitted his best had not quite been good enough. He said: "Tiger is so hard to beat, he's unreal. I would have loved to have won, it was a great
day.
"The crowd was unbelievable, the putt I made at 18 just to stay in it -- I handled it, I was nervous as a cat but I handled it.
"I can't really complain, I did the best I could. It just showed me that I can still compete. I got what I wanted, a chance to beat the best player in the
world and I came up just short."
FIFA lifts Iraq ban ahead of World Cup date
29 May 2008
World governing body FIFA lifted an international ban on Iraq just before a Thursday deadline, allowing Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Australia to go ahead.
FIFA had suspended Asian champion Iraq on Tuesday over what it said was government interference in the domestic running of the sport by dissolving the national Olympic committee
and all sports federations.
The ban was provisionally lifted just eight hours before a Thursday midnight, Sydney local time, deadline after FIFA received documentation from Iraqi officials which explained
the situation.
"The suspension has been lifted, the game will go ahead." said FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.
"FIFA received a letter from the General Secretariat for the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Iraq, confirming that the IFA had been 'excluded' from the above-mentioned
decree, thereby re-establishing the statutory order of the Iraqi association and its leaders, who will 'continue their activities inside and outside Iraq until legal election',"
FIFA said in a statement.
However, FIFA said that more meetings would be scheduled with Iraqi officials in Zurich and that the ban could be re-imposed if certain criteria were not met.
"This letter is a positive step, however it does not fully answer all of FIFA's concerns about the governmental attempts to control the Iraqi federations and the Iraqi National
Olympic Committee," FIFA said. "Therefore, FIFA has decided to lift the suspension imposed on the IFA, but on a purely provisional and conditional basis."
A delegation comprising members of the Asian Football Confederation, Iraqi Football Association, the Iraq government and FIFA will meet "as soon as possible to clarify all
outstanding issues.
"FIFA will continue to coordinate the steps it has taken with regard to the IFA, a body that is an important member of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, with the efforts
taken by the IOC to ensure that the Olympic Charter is applied to the entire Iraqi Olympic and sporting movement."
The statement was released as FIFA president Sepp Blatter walked into the opening ceremonies for the 58th Congress, comprising representatives of all 208 member nations, at the
Sydney Opera House.
He sat beside Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the start of the 90-minute celebrations on the eve of Friday's Congress meeting.
Blatter informed congress delegates at the opening ceremonies of FIFA's decision, which was greeted with loud applause.
"The suspension has been lifted, the game will go ahead." Blatter said, refering to Sunday's qualifier between Iraq and Australia.
Football Federation Australia welcomed the decision.
"This is great news," FF Australia chief Ben Buckley said. "We're truly delighted that the Iraqi Government, the Iraq FA and FIFA have sorted out the issues between them and the
Socceroos and Iraq can get on the field to play this important match.
"It has always been our hope that the games could go ahead as they are critical matches in Australia's World Cup qualification preparation, and playing football is what we're
here for."
The return Group 1 match will be played in Dubai on June 7.
The Iraqi squad arrived in Australia late Tuesday, despite the provisional suspension, after a 2-1 upset loss in a friendly against Thailand last weekend.
Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam said the Iraqi government's moves to clarify the suspension "is a step forward in the right direction."
"Now the World Cup game can go on, which is what the AFC, both teams and fans wanted."
He urged the Iraqi team to "put the past behind and focus on the important match ahead," but added that the lifting of the suspension was provisional and the matter would only
be fully resolved when the the Iraqi National Olympic Committee and all sports federations are reinstated.
"Only such a move can lead to re-instilling of trust in Iraqi sports," he said.
Agent: Mancini leaving Inter, Mourinho in
29 May 2008
Title-winning coach Roberto Mancini has been sacked by Inter Milan according to his agent, who also claimed that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is poised to take over at the San Siro.
Mancini, who is ironically now considered to be one of the frontrunners for the vacant Chelsea job, held a short meeting with Inter president Massimo Moratti on Tuesday night.
Afterwards, his agent Giorgio De Giorgis indicated that the 43-year-old former Italy international would be leaving the club less than two weeks after guiding the Nerazzuri to a third successive Serie A title. Inter have made no official announcement on the situation.
"Roberto never expected it to end like this," De Giorgis told Sportitalia television. "As an outsider, I could rationally understand that something was not right, but that is the way things have gone.
"Roberto is very disappointed also because he has not yet finished his job -- he wanted to try and win even more league titles, and maybe even the Champions League.
"Now Mourinho will arrive and he has only got to repeat what has happened in the last few years. Roberto is now considering making a statement to avoid gossip and it should be a statement praising the president and those who worked with him.
"Certainly he is shocked and has taken it badly. I have spoken with him and he sounded quite down, but tomorrow will be even worse."
Mourinho has been out of work since departing Stamford Bridge in September last year following a fallout with billionaire club owner Roman Abramovich.
The Portuguese self-anointed "Special One" was first linked with Inter in March after Mancini tendered his resignation following the club's Champions League elimination by Liverpool.
Mancini quickly reversed his decision after talks with Moratti, but his future has been the subject of much speculation ever since.
"After the Liverpool game, there was tension and maybe Roberto could have avoided it, but the president knows him well and when he apologizes, he does so because he realizes he has done wrong,' De Giorgis told Sportitalia.
"Roberto has a great quality of being a good person so he has never given his availability to anybody else and has always done his job. These last three months have been very testing and the press have not been fair towards Inter.
'The club maybe let things get carried away, destabilizing the atmosphere with all this gossip. But he always felt a lot for Inter and to try and lift him, I told him that maybe he will now be able to get back the 10 years he has lost while in Milan.
"He thought he would have a month of holiday now before returning to Inter and continuing to win. Maybe now it will be a bit longer, but I hope somebody calls him with an offer as early as tomorrow because it is never good to be out of work as a coach."
Mancini has long been considered one of Abramovich's top targets, along with outgoing Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.
Avram Grant was sacked last weekend following Chelsea's penalty shootout defeat by Manchester United in the Champions League final, with the club also finishing runners-up in the Premier League and the League Cup.
FIFA step up plan to restrict foreign players
27 May 2008
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is keen to press on with plans to restrict the number of foreign players in domestic leagues.
He intends to take his 6+5 proposal forward after getting the backing of the European confederation.
Blatter said on Tuesday that during two days of meetings in Sydney, FIFA's executive board had unanimously agreed on a resolution to take to Friday's Congress, "exploring" the
implementation of the restrictive quota proposals.
"This will be more than just further talks and investigations," the FIFA president told a news conference.
A FIFA spokesman said the objectives of Blatter's 6+5 plan had been agreed unanimously by the FIFA executive committee, including UEFA president Michael Platini.
Blatter said he would be asking the congress, featuring representatives of FIFA's 208 member federations, to give the FIFA president a mandate to impose the same rules outside
of Europe if required.
The plan aims to force soccer clubs by 2012 to start a match with at least six homegrown players, and limit the number of foreigners to five.
Blatter even wants other international sports federations to join the cause.
"The Congress shall request the FIFA and UEFA presidents together with the world of sport -- including the IOC -- to explore all possible means within the limits of law to
implement this rule," he said.
The proposal targets some of Europe's biggest clubs and aims to restore "national identity" to the teams while reducing the drain of players from other continents.
Limits on the number of EU players in European leagues were successfully challenged under the 1995 Bosman ruling. But Blatter said having at least six players who are eligible
to play for a country's national team would motivate young athletes.
The proposal faces opposition from clubs with large numbers of foreign-born players and those who want free-market rules to apply to soccer.
But Blatter said he would meet with the president of the European parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, on June 5 in Brussels to further lobby for support.
He is proposing the stepped introduction of a 4+7 system in 2010, increasing to 5+6 in 2011 and 6+5 in 2012.
UAE chosen to host Club World Cup
27 May 2008
The United Arab Emirates has been chosen to stage the Club World Cup in 2009 and 2010, FIFA has announced in Sydney.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter told a press conference that the competition would return to Japan in the following two years.
He said that the UAE was particularly suitable as a venue for an event played in December.
"It was the will of FIFA and our executive committee to bring the Club World Cup to other continents and countries," Blatter said.
"But I must say it's not easy because we are bound by the constraints of the international calendar to play it in December and in that month we have one week to play."
European champions Manchester United will play in this year's edition of the tournament, which features the champions of each continent plus a team from the host
country.
Australian officials said they had submitted a bid to host the 2009 and 2010 events, and Blatter revealed FIFA had also received a proposal from Portugal.
He said Mexico, the United States and South Africa were other contenders to host future Club World Cups.
"Finally, it was between Japan and the United Arab Emirates and I must say the UAE's proposal was a very attractive one and we wanted to have a change," he said.
"We knew of the ability of Japan to organize this competition but now we have given the priority to the UAE and they have given us the financial guarantees to organize this
competition."
FIFA also announced that Colombia will host the under-20 World Cup in 2011, Mexico will stage the 2011 under-17 World Cup and Trinidad and Tobago will host the 2010 women's
under-17 World Cup.
Dates of next year's under-20 World Cup in Egypt have also been changed to September 25-October 16, FIFA said.
Ronaldo will not be leaving insist United
21 May 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo will not be leaving Manchester United at any price said the club's chief executive David Gill on their eve of the Champions League final clash with Chelsea in
Moscow.
The Portuguese international winger has regularly been linked with a move to Real Madrid and fueled further speculation when he was quoted on Spanish TV claiming that he would
reassess his future after the final.
But Gilll insists Ronaldo, the Premier League's top scorer this season, is going nowhere:
"He's got four more years (on his contract) until 2012, he's been with us for five years and we're sure he'll be with us for many years to come," Gill told BBC Radio.
"We have no intention of letting him go, we will make sure that he's very happy here, as we do with all our top players."
A possible $120 million move by Real for Ronaldo has been one of the major talking points ahead of the Champions League showdown and reports on Tuesday that United's debt was
over $1.5B gave fresh credence to the speculation.
But Gill insisted that they do not need to generate extra cash. "Manchester United is not a club that sells its main assets," he said. "In order to service our debts we need a
very successful team on the pitch, and you don't achieve that by selling Cristiano Ronaldo."
Ronaldo signed a new five-year deal at United last year which ties him to the Red Devils until 2012 with the option of a further year.
Guardiola replacing Rijkaard at Barcelona
9 May 2008<>/b>
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has announced that former captain Pep Guardiola will replace Frank Rijkaard as team coach at the end of the season.
Guardiola is the current reserve team coach and a former midfielder with the team Spanish Primer Liga giants.
Rijkaard took charge of Barcelona in 2003 and led the Catalan team to the league title in 2005. In the following year, Barcelona won both the league and Champions
League.
"The administration of the club has decided that at the end of this season Frank Rijkaard will cease to be the coach of Barcelona and the position will be occupied by Josep
Guardiola," he told a news conference.
Barcelona are about to complete a second straight season without a major trophy and will enter next season's Champions League at the third qualifying stage.
The Catalan team trail champions Real Madrid by 17 points in third place, guaranteeing their worst finish in five years -- with Villarreal assured of runners-up spot.
Barcelona supporters are again expected to vent their frustrations when they face seventh-place Mallorca at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
The match will be Rijkaard's last home appearance in charge and Laporta said the Dutchman "had made history with Barcelona."
Laporta said he had informed Rijkaard of his dismissal on Thursday and that the coach had reacted "elegantly and also with great feeling."
The 37-year-old Guardiola won six league titles in 11 seasons with Barcelona. "He has the knowledge, the optimism and the self-confidence to achieve success," Laporta said
Thursday.
A member of coach Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team" that won the 1992 European Cup, Guardiola has never held a senior coaching position.
The likes of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini and Michael Laudrup of Getafe have all been linked to the post.
Earlier this week it was reported that Barcelona's delegate commission had met on Monday evening when it was recommended that the 37-year-old Guardiola be given the job.
Having only lost out to Madrid in the race for last year`s title on an inferior head-to-head record, much was expected of Barca this season after they reinforced their squad
with the likes of Thierry Henry, Gabriel Milito, Yaya Toure and Eric Abidal last summer.
However, the club found life tough this season with setbacks both on and off the pitch.
Laporta on Thursday accepted blame for "not having taken decisions which would perhaps have corrected the way events have turned out."
He added: "Keeping the coach on after last season's failure has not worked."
Meanwhile speculation is already linking Rijkaard to a possible position at Champions League finalists Chelsea.
Garcia takes lead at Players Championship
9 May 2008<>/b>
Sergio Garcia put together his third straight impressive round at The Players Championship. The first two gave him a runner-up finish last year. The 6-under 66 on Thursday was
only a great start.
With growing confidence in his balky putting stroke and superb ball-striking that has become his hallmark, Garcia birdied all the par 5s and picked up a bonus birdie with a 50-
foot putt on the 14th hole to build a two-shot lead on the frightening Stadium Course.
It was a good step toward ending an 0-for-53 drought on the PGA Tour, the longest of his career.
"At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is keep working on it, keep giving myself chances, and it's going to happen," Garcia said. "I feel like I'm getting closer and
closer. At least now, I feel like I can do it, and it's just a matter of being able to do it."
Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos each had a 68 in the mild, morning breeze on a perfectly conditioned golf course. Sawgrass turned tricky, if not downright difficult, in the
afternoon, and Ernie Els was among those who paid dearly.
Els was at 2 under until his wedge came up 20 feet short of the island green on the 17th, and he barely kept his third shot on land. He wound up with a triple bogey, and a 12-
foot birdie on the final hole for a 70 didn't improve his spirits much.
"I think they should blow it up," Els said. "Everything you worked for in 41/2 hours, in one shot it's all gone."
Of the 34 players who broke par in the opening round, only eight played in the afternoon in the increasingly blustery conditions. Todd Hamilton was the best among late starters
with a 69, while Wachovia winner Anthony Kim rallied for a 70.
Even though this tournament has a diverse list of champions, it was no less surprising to see Goydos so high up the leaderboard. He had never broken 70 in his nine previous
appearances.
"Skipping 18 was a good idea, though," Goydos said.
Goydos hit one of 19 balls into the water on the 17th, but he scrambled for a bogey and rode that momentum to four birdies over his next six holes.
Phil Mickelson, trying to become the first player in the history of this tournament to successfully defend his title, was flirting with the leaders until a sloppy middle to his
round put him at 70.
Coming off consecutive birdies, including a wedge to 4 feet on the 17th, Mickelson failed to reach the 18th green from the right rough, then made bogey from 95 yards away in the
middle of the fairway on No. 1.
"I feel as though I'm turning 66s into 70s, and I'm going to have to fix that this weekend," he said. "I'm going to have to stop letting those shots slide in the middle of the
round that are costing me in the end. But I would have taken anything under par starting the day."
Mickelson won by two shots last year over Garcia, even though the Spaniard was never really in the mix. Garcia was the runner-up when Sean O'Hair put two in the water on the
17th to slide down the leaderboard.
Even so, Garcia finished 67-66, and one year later, nothing has slowed his momentum.
Garcia is 17-under par over his last three rounds, so it must feel awfully easy. All he needs now is a trophy to show for it.
Raikkonen stretches lead with Barcelona win
World champion Kimi Raikkonen has won the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona to claim his second victory of the season and move nine points clear in the
drivers' championship.
The Ferrari driver took his tally to 29 points by coming home ahead of teammate Felipe Massa with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton third.
Hamilton is second in the standings.
It was Raikkonen's 17th Formula One victory and a repeat of his 2005 success in Barcelona.
Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber was fourth and Red Bull's Mark Webber fifth.
There were several retirements, with the most serious being a crash involving McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen -- who was taken to hospital after going into a
tire wall at 240kph after suffering a front left puncture.
It took five minutes to extricate the Finn from the wreckage but his team said he was in stable condition with no visible injuries.
Home hero Fernando Alonso of Spain was forced to retire in his Renault after blowing the engine. He had done well to start second on the grid, but failed to
capitalize upon that in front of a crowd of more than 115,000 spectators at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Raikkonen made a fast, clean start to take the lead from his 15th pole position and first this year. Massa went left and wide to pass Alonso on the outside
as they swept towards the first corner.
Hamilton, starting fifth, took advantage of the cars swerving in front of him to dart down the inside of Kubica and, after almost running off the circuit, to
squeeze ahead of him on the inside of turn one.
There was early drama when German Adrian Sutil spun and then hit his compatriot Sebastian Vettel, the Force India car smacking the Toro Rosso with enough
force to put both out of the race.
This brought out the safety car for two laps before Raikkonen moved clear by 2.7 seconds on lap 10 ahead of Massa, as the two Ferraris ran away at the
front.
Alonso, Hamilton and Kubica filled positions three to five with Kovalainen sixth in the second McLaren.
Another accident on lap eight eliminated Nelson Piquet and Sebastien Bourdais, the Brazilian driving his Renault into the second Toro Rosso with a daring
attempt to pass down the inside.
Briton Anthony Davidson then abandoned the race in his Super Aguri. For the cash-starved Honda-supported team, it was another blow at a time when they do not
know if they will survive for more than another week.
When Kovalainen hurtled off the track the front of his car was buried deep in the tire barrier and the Finn, in the cockpit, was out of sight.
When he was finally lifted on to a stretcher he was well enough to signal with a 'thumb's up' that he was apparently unhurt.
Slow-motion replays from the cockpit footage showed that his car went out of control when his left front wheel blew.
As Raikkonen completed his 35th lap, Alonso pulled to a halt, his engine spewing out blue smoke. The Renault power unit had failed dramatically but his many
fans in the big crowd gave him generous applause and he responded as he walked back to the pits.
Nico Rosberg, of Germany, then retired in similar, if more dramatic fashion, when his Williams car's Toyota engine blew up as he parked by the pit wall on
the main straight.
This left only 13 of the 22 starters still running.
Massa was first to make a second pit-stop as Raikkonen set another fastest lap and pulled further clear before pitting himself ahead of Hamilton and
Kubica.
This left Raikkonen ahead by two seconds, as they headed to the checkered flag with Hamilton closing the gap on Massa to just nine-tenths of a second as they
crossed the line.
Triumphant Madrid edge closer to title
Javier Saviola, Arjen Robben and Gonzalo Higuain all scored to help Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to maintain their 10-point lead at the top of the
Primera Liga with four matches left.
However, Madrid's hopes of retaining their title on Sunday were thwarted when second-place Villarreal won 1-0 at Real Betis to kept the title race
alive.
Madrid had already made plans with the city hall for celebrating immediately after the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Fans were to gather at the downtown statue of the goddess Cybele around which the club's scarf would have been tied by captain Raul Gonzalez.
However, those celebrations will now be on hold for at least a week if they Real win at lowly Osasuna, or better Villarreal's result against Getafe the same
day.
Madrid have 75 points, while Villarreal are on 65. Barcelona, who lost 2-0 at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, come next with 61 points.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Levante became the first team to be relegated this season when they lost 2-0 to Recreativo Huelva.
Madrid opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Saviola celebrated his recall to the side by pouncing sharply after Bilbao goalkeeper Armando Ribeiro had
spilled Robinho's low shot.
Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas then made acrobatic saves to deny Joseba Etxeberria and Joseba Garmendia around the half-hour mark, and excelled again when
he pushed away Garmendia's penalty in the 37th minute.
Higuain and Robben came off the bench in the 72nd minute and made an immediate impact, with Higuain's low cross turned home by the Dutchman two minutes
later.
Higuain then angled a curling shot past Armando for the third goal in the 76th.
Bilbao welcomed back defensive midfielder Carlos Gurpegi after he completed a two-year suspension for testing positive for the banned steroid
nandrolone.
In Seville, Villarreal's Marcos Senna scored the only goal in the 16th-minute when he lofted the ball from just inside the Betis half to catch goalkeeper
Casto Espinosa off his line in spectacular fashion.
Betis dominated the second half with striker Jose Mari Romero, a former Villarreal player, coming close to scoring on several occasions.
Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez then made several important saves, the most impressive being when he denied defender Juanito Gutierrez in the 79th
minute.
Recreativo's Turkish striker, Ersen Martin, slid the ball home in the ninth minute against Levante for his first league goal, with midfielder Javier Camunas
adding the second from close range in the 42nd.
The match in Huelva had been in doubt until Friday, when Levante players called off a weekend strike over unpaid wages after reaching an agreement with the
club.
Recreativo's win lifted them out of the relegation zone, where they were replaced by Zaragoza, after their 1-1 draw at Espanyol.
Midfielder Albert Riera scored in the 59th minute, Espanyol's first goal in six games, with Ricardo Oliveira leveling for Zaragoza with an 84th-minute
penalty.
Atletico Madrid stayed in fourth place after a 1-1 draw at Getafe.
Getafe opened the scoring through midfielder Juan Albin's 13th-minute volley, with Sergio Aguero equalizing for Atletico in the 39th. Getafe midfielder Ruben
De La Red then missed an 83rd-minute penalty.
Valencia eased their relegation fears by beating Osasuna in their first match under caretaker coach Salvador "Voro" Gonzalez, who took charge following
Monday's sacking of Ronald Koeman.
The home team took a 21st-minute lead through David Villa's penalty, awarded after Osasuna goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez was adjudged to have tripped the striker
and was sent off. Juan Manuel Mata added a second goal in the 52nd, with Joaquin Sanchez sealing the 3-0 win in the 84th minute.
Valencia gave goalkeeper Santiago Canizares his first start since December. The veteran had been axed by Koeman in December, together with Spain midfielders
David Albelda and Miguel Angel Angulo, who were recalled to the bench.
Immelman slumps to 78 in Byron Nelson
25 April 2008
Masters champion Trevor Immelman said he had "run out of gas" after slumping to eight-over 78 in his first round after donning the green jacket at Augusta -
round one of the Byron Nelson Championship at the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Las Colinas.
High winds and wet fairways after heavy overnight rain made it hard going for everyone and joint leaders Ryan Moore, Mathew Goggin and Eric Axley, who shot
67, were the highest scoring first round pacesetters at the event since 1984.
Only 24 of the 156 players in the field broke par and Immelman had only three other players below him on the scoreboard
Immelman, the Nelson runner-up two years ago, was already 6 over through eight holes. He needed 34 putts and finished with a bogey at the 427-yard ninth,
soon after his only birdies at Nos. 6 and 7.
The South African admitted this week that the victory at Augusta "still hasn't quite sunk in yet" after more than a week to celebrate and reflect.
"I just think I've just run out of gas," Immelman said. "I'm obviously real tired. I've been trying to get as much sleep as I can, as well as obviously
running around."
Defending champion Scott Verplank shot a 72. Verplank is playing in his 22nd Nelson, the most among active players.
A group of eight players were on 68, including 10th-ranked Adam Scott, the only player from the top 10 in the world ranking in the field. He was level with
2000 champion Jesper Parnevik, Kevin Sutherland, Briny Baird, Shaun Micheel, Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson and Parker McLachlin.
Axley, who overcame an early bogey with four consecutive birdies from Nos. 4-7, was in the lead alone until he bogeyed the 429-yard 18th hole.
He missed the final fairway and hit his approach into a greenside bunker -- the only bunker he found all day.
Goggin, in the same group with Parnevik, got to 3 under with three consecutive birdies on their back nine. He sank putts of 15-20 feet on Nos. 5 and 6 before
hitting his second shot at the 542-yard seventh hole to the fringe and chipping to 2 feet.
Moore had seven birdies and four bogeys in only his third tournament in 10 weeks. That included a six-hole span on the back nine when he had either a birdie
or bogey on each.
"It was just one of those days that you knew it was going to be a battle the whole time you were out there," said Moore, who has taken extra time off in the
last 2 1/2 months to cure a sore shoulder. "I'll take a 67 on any course any day. This is definitely one of my better rounds of the year, for sure, in these
conditions."
The unusual high opening scores at the Nelson had more to do with the weather -- windy conditions with gusts of more than 30 mph (50 kph) and wet fairways
after about an inch (2 centimeters) of rain overnight -- than the redesign of the TPC Four Seasons course since last year.
"It's hard to make a real fair comparison right now, with the soft fairways and the wind blowing 20 mph," said Harrison Frazar, a player from Dallas who was
a consultant during the $10 million (€6.3 million) renovation.
"I don't think we need to jump to any conclusions too early."
Frazar shot 73, a shot better than J.J. Henry, the other player consultant on the project.
Soon after last year's tournament, when deteriorating greens were bumpy and sometimes brown, work began to make changes on every hole, with new tee boxes and
more undulating greens, and to relocate 165 trees.
With the redone TPC, this is the first time since 1993 that the Nelson has been played on only one course. Cottonwood Valley across the street was also used
during first- and second-round play from 1994 until last year.
Dean Wilson had a hole-in-one at the 174-yard fifth hole. He shot a 71.
Nadal and Federer through to last eight
25 April 2008
Rafael Nadal remained on target for a fourth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters triumph when he beat Spanish compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4 6-1 to reach the
quarterfinals.
He was joined in the last eight by world number one Roger Federer, who beat Gael Monfils of France 6-3 6-4.
Nadal's next opponent will be another Spaniard, fifth seed David Ferrer, who eased past Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 6-0.
The 21-year-old Nadal has recorded 21 wins in 22 matches in Monte Carlo with his only setback a loss to Argentina's Guillermo Coria in the third round in
2003.
His title last year took him level with Ilie Nastase's three consecutive wins from 1971-1973.
Nadal broke in the fourth game of the first set to lead 3-1 before 13th seed Ferrero, twice a champion in 2002 and 2003, hit back in the seventh
game.
Nadal took the opener with a vicious, deep forehand on his fourth set point and then raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set and moved smoothly to
victory.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer overcame an early break against Monfils and looked to have recovered a day after rallying from 5-1 down in the third
set to beat 137th-ranked Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo.
"I was patient and happy to have played so well after yesterday," said Federer, explaining that he had held an immediate inquiry into his failings against
Ramirez Hidalgo with interim coach Jose Higueras.
"I made a lot of errors in my first match but with Jose I was able to analyse the good and the bad and to see how I turned it around. We created a plan for
today. It's been an interesting 24 hours for me."
The Swiss set up match point with a perfectly weighted drop shot that Monfils did not even chase, and won on his second match point with a service winner
that curled away from the Frenchman.
The world number one will now face David Nalbandian for a place in the semifinals after the Argentine crushed 12th seeded Spaniard Tommy Rodrebo 6-1 6-0 in
just an hour.
Meanwhile, Ferrer, who picked up the sixth title of his career in Valencia last weekend, reached his fourth successive Monte Carlo quarterfinal by brushing
aside Tipsarevic.
Ferrer's compatriot Nicolas Almagro was unable to join him in the last eight when he lost a tough three-setter to Russia's Igor Andreev.
Andreev won 7-5 4-6 6-4 but needed seven match points to secure his first place in the last eight and end the hopes of Almagro, one of the form players on
clay this year.
The Spaniard went into the match with a 20-2 record on the surface in 2008 with two titles and a runners-up spot to Ferrer in Valencia.
Andreev will face fellow-Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the last eight after the fourth seed battled for over two hours to defeat 16th seed German Philipp
Kohlschreiber 3-6 7-5 6-2.
The final quarterfinal will be between Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and American Sam Querry. Third seed Djokovic proved too good for Briton Andy
Murray, going through 6-0 6-4.
Riise own-goal rescues Chelsea's final hopes
23 April 2008
John Arne Riise scored a nightmare own-goal in the fifth minute of time added on to give Chelsea a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Champions League
semifinal away to Liverpool on Tuesday night.
The Norway international, who came on as a second-half substitute, stooped almost to ground level to try to head clear a bouncing cross from Salomon Kalou --
but only nodded it past his own goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
It was a bitter blow for the home side, who had deservedly led through Dirk Kuyt's strike two minutes before halftime and seemed set to continue their hoodoo
over the big-spending visitors in major cup semifinals.
Dutch forward Kuyt had followed up his vital first-leg goal from the quarterfinal win against Arsenal with another priceless strike to give the hosts a
slender lead.
But Riise's late lapse gave Chelsea -- beaten by Liverpool twice in the past three seasons at the last-four stage of Europe's premier club competition -- a
vital away goal ahead of next Wednesday's return match at Stamford Bridge.
Both times the Reds had led 1-0 after the opening leg at Anfield.
Kuyt, who scored a crucial penalty in the shootout which saw Liverpool beat Chelsea last season, pounced for his seventh goal of the 2007-08 competition --
and just his 11th this season.
He took advantage of some poor defending from the London club, who were first caught out by Xabi Alonso's quick free-kick and then saw the returning Frank
Lampard lose possession to Kuyt on the edge of the penalty area.
Javier Mascherano miskicked the loose ball back towards the goal, and veteran Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele inexplicably failed to connect with his
attempted clearance -- allowing Kuyt to stab the ball through the legs of onrushing goalkeeper Petr Cech.
It was a deserved goal for 2005 European champions Liverpool, who rebounded strongly after Chelsea started the match the stronger.
However, it was Kuyt who had the first chance in the 13th minute, but his chest control let him down following a fine long ball by Alonso and Cech was able
to clear the danger.
England midfielder Joe Cole should also have done better for Chelsea when Lampard picked him out with a cross at the far post seven minutes later, but he
failed to make any significant contact with a flailing leg.
And then Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who passed a late fitness test, appealed in vain for a penalty after Jamie Carragher appeared to make contact with
him on the edge of the area.
Liverpool's top scorer Fernando Torres had the first clear-cut opportunity in the 31st minute after being set free inside the penalty area by Steven
Gerrard's neat pass, but the Spaniard fired straight at Cech.
Kuyt's goal just before the interval gave Liverpool the momentum they wanted, and winger Ryan Babel flashed a volley just wide in the 59th minute.
The home side then lost defender Fabio Aurelio with a groin injury soon after, with manager Rafael Benitez sending on Riise in his place.
Chelsea boss Avram Grant, whose future has been the subject of much speculation, responded by replacing Joe Cole with forward Salomon Kalou -- a surprise to
the visiting fans following the ineffectual display of the recalled Florent Malouda.
But the move appeared to spark Chelsea, with Michael Ballack heading a free-kick straight at Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina in the 66th minute.
Malouda then had a chance to level, but took too long with his shot as he turned inside the penalty area and Mascherano was able to block his shot and
concede the corner.
Lampard, who returned to the Chelsea squad following a two-game absence due to his mother's illness, appeared to find space in front of goal with 10 minutes
left, but Carragher scrambled well to clear the danger.
Five minutes later, Cech tipped over a stunning right-foot volley from Gerrard, and the Czech Republic international also did well to deny Torres at the far
post following a set-piece.
In between, Blues captain John Terry picked up his second yellow card of the tournament -- another one next week would see him suspended for the final on May
21 in Moscow should Chelsea make it through.
Riise has given Grant every chance to succeed where predecessor Jose Mourinho could not, having sought to beat lurking substitute Nicolas Anelka to Kalou's
whipped cross.
The match was attended by Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks, who was abused by the home fans when he appeared to join in the club anthem "You'll Never Walk
Alone," The Asocciated Press reported.
The American is in a bitter dispute with business partner George Gillett Jr., who invited members of the Dubai consortium wishing to buy his 50 percent share
to also attend at Anfield.
Parreira quits as coach of South Africa
22 April 2008
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira resigned on Monday to return to Brazil to be with his family and ill wife, leaving the national football team in
disarray just two years before the country hosts the 2010 World Cup.
My family needs me, especially my wife needs me to be near her," Parreira told a news conference. "After 36 years of marriage, I can't say 'No.'"
South African federation president Molefi Oliphant said Parreira wanted to be with his wife, Leila.
"The coach has dilemma, a family dilemma," he said. "The health of his wife has deteriorated."
Parreira was hired 16 months ago after resigning as Brazil coach. He put together a young and inexperienced team which suffered a series of poor results and
were eliminated in the first round of the African Cup of Nations in Ghana earlier this year.
But Parreira's tactics seemed to be paying off when South Africa beat Paraguay 3-0 in a friendly last month.
Parreira's resignation takes effect on May 2. He will continue as technical advisor, and his two assistant coaches -- Jairo Leal and Pitso Mosimane -- will
remain.
Parreira said he would help officials find a new coach tasked with building South Africa into a credible force for the 2010 World Cup.
Parreira's reported monthly salary of more than $250,000 caused an outcry in a country battling poverty and unemployment.
He warned the federation against interfering with his coaching methods. The federation has often been blamed for forcing a rapid succession of coaches to
quit.
"Thirteen coaches in 13 years is not a good record," Parreira said at his first news conference. "The moment I am not happy or not feeling comfortable, then
it is bye bye."
Parreira led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup and during his second spell in charge they won the Copa America and Confederations Cup titles but were knocked out
in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup.
He then took up the reins in South Africa with the hope of leading them to the 2010 finals.
Lampard, Gerrard back for Euro semifinal
22 April 2008
Frank Lampard has made himself available for Chelsea's all-British Champions League semifinal at Anfield on Tuesday, while opponents Liverpool have been
boosted by the return to fitness of captain Steven Gerrard.
England midfielder Lampard has sat out the last two Premier League matches after his mother was rushed to hospital last Monday suffering from
pneumonia.
Lampard's agent Steve Kutner said on Monday that his client was ready to play again.
"Frank Lampard has made himself available for tomorrow night's Champions League match at Liverpool after spending the last seven days at the bedside of his
sick mother," he said in a statement.
"Although still very ill, her condition has now stabilized. Hopefully there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel."
Lampard had to miss the disappointing 1-1 home draw against Wigan and the 1-0 win at Everton which later revived their English title hopes.
With fellow midfielder Michael Ballack still a doubt for the match, Lampard could well win a starting place despite not training last week.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant was sympathetic to Lampard's plight, saying last week: "I tell the players all the time that football is very important but
sometimes there are things that need to be taken care of.
"This is more important and I understand that. I hope everything will be okay."
Chelsea, however, have injury concerns over top scorer Didier Drogba and Germany midfielder Michael Ballack.
Liverpool have passed midfielder Gerrard fit for the first-leg tie following a painful neck injury.
The England international missed the 2-0 win at Fulham on Saturday, but manager Rafael Benitez told reporters on Monday that the club's talismanic leader
would be back to face Chelsea.
"Yes, he is fit," Benitez confirmed. "He was training this morning so he is okay."
The Merseyside club's Web site also said that veteran defender Sami Hyypia and midfielder Javier Mascherano were fit to play despite being substituted after
suffering knocks against Fulham.
Real romp towards Spanish league title
21 April 2008
Real Madrid are poised to clinch a second successive Spanish league title after going 10 points clear at the top with a 2-0 victory at Racing Santander on
Sunday.
Coach Bernd Schuster will earn a trophy in his first year in charge next weekend if Real beat Athletic Bilbao next Sunday and nearest rivals Villarreal and
Barcelona drop points.
Villarreal moved back into second place on Sunday as Nihat Kahveci and Santi Cazorla scored in the 2-0 victory against Real Valladolid, while Barcelona are a
point further back in third after Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to city rivals Espanyol.
Real captain Raul Gonzalez put the visitors ahead in the 13th minute with his 17th league goal this season, the 30-year-old deftly diverting Robinho's left-
wing cross past goalkeeper Tono Rodriguez.
Santander, seeking to climb up into fourth place, almost leveled before halftime when a Cesar Navas skimmed past the post and then Real goalkeeper Ikar
Casillas did well to deny Mohamed Tchite soon after the break.
Robinho and Arjen Robben both fired wide and Tono kept out another effort from Raul before Gonzalo Higuain sealed victory for Real in injury-time when he
sidefooted home a pass from fellow second-half substitute Javier Balboa on the counter-attack.
The result meant that Real are almost guaranteed the title with five matches still to play.
Villarreal, who will secure the highest placing in the club's history by finishing second, left visiting Valladolid just two points above the relegation
zone.
Cazorla's long pass set up Nihat for a 15th-minute opener, with the Turkey international beating defender Alexis Suarez before firing into the net.
Nihat repaid the compliment as he helped set up Cazorla less than a minute after the halftime interval.
Kings Cup winners Valencia were left just two points above the relegation zone in 15th place after a humiliating 5-1 thrashing at Bilbao in Sunday's late
game.
The 2004 and 2004 Spanish champions, who qualified for next season's UEFA Cup with Wednesday's final win over Getafe, have registered just one win in the
last 10 league outings, and coach Ronald Koeman's future is now in serious doubt.
Deportivo La Coruna, who host Barcelona next weekend, beat struggling Osasuna 1-0, with a 65th-minute penalty by Sergio Gonzalez clinching a fourth
successive victory.
Bottom club Levante staved off relegation for a week with a 3-1 win over Getafe, but are still 12 points from safety and will go down with defeat at
Recreativo Huelva next Sunday.
Second-bottom Murcia seem set to join Levante in the second division next season after losing 4-1 at home to Real Mallorca, with Spain international Daniel
Guiza netting a hat-trick.
Under-fire Mosley aims to quit FIA in 2009
21 April 2008
FIA president Max Mosley intends to step down in 2009 even if he is given a vote of confidence by a special general assembly following his alleged
involvement with prostitutes.
Mosley's future as the leader of world motor racing's governing body will be decided in Paris on June 3.
A British tabloid reported this month that Mosley engaged in sex acts with five prostitutes in a scenario that involved Nazi role-playing. Mosley admits
visiting the prostitutes but denies any Nazi connotation.
The 68-year-old has been under pressure to quit.
Mosley was quoted by Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper as saying he wants to step down in 2009 even if he wins the secret vote by 222 national motoring
member organizations from 130 countries.
"If they wish me to continue, I will continue; if they don't, I'll stop," Mosley told the newspaper. "But I will also say to them that it was always my
intention, because it is, that I was never going to go beyond 2009.
"The reason's very simple. If you stop in 2009, aged 69, you can maybe still do something else useful. Were I to stay on till I was 73, I'd be getting very
marginal."
Mosley is suing Sunday tabloid The News of the World, which reported the sex acts on March 30 and showed video excerpts of the episode on its Web
site.
While four auto manufacturers and several national motoring federations have publicly criticized Mosley, he told The Sunday Telegraph that he had received
more than seven letters of support for each critical one.
"It would then be impossible to turn around to all these people, the great majority, and say, 'No, I'm going to walk away', even if I'm inclined to," Mosley
said. "But my inclination is to stay and fight."
However, the South African federation has said it will vote against him fulfilling his fourth mandate, which lasts until October 2009.
Mosley said his wife and two sons were embarrassed by the revelations about his private life but that his "eccentric" behavior has no effect on his
suitability for his job.
Mosley is the son of British Union of Fascists party founder Oswald Mosley, a former British politician who served in Parliament for both the Labour and
Conservative parties.
Oswald Mosley, who had Adolf Hitler as a guest at his wedding, died in 1980.
Flying Alonso gives Renault glimmer of hope
18 April 2008
Renault's Fernando Alonso has given his team's season a glimmer of hope after flying through testing in Barcelona.
The French team has struggled this year, the two-times world champion Alonso barely hiding his frustration with his car's lack of speed.
Renault are currently sixth in the contractors' championship, with Alonso's best finish a fourth in the trouble-plagued opening Australian Grand Prix. He
finished 10th in the last grand prix in Bahrain and is ninth in the drivers' championship.
However, on the third day of testing in Barcelona Alonso, running on slick tires, set the fastest lap time of 1:18.483.
Retired seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, test driving for Ferrari, was next fastest nearly a second behind.
Alonso, for the first time this season, expressed his pleasure with the car.
"It has been good and I was happy with the developments... but we still need to keep improving because it seems that our competitors have also improved and
so it is still difficult to say how we really compare with them."
Christian Silk, Renault's chief test engineer, said "overall" they were "happy" with the test.
"We have had three days and completed most of what we wanted to achieve."
However, Alonso still expressed a note of caution.
"We have till wait until next week [Spanish Grand Prix] to get a full picture of where we stand. It was fun to try the slick tires, which gave very good
grip."
The Spaniard was one of many drivers to hail the slick tires, which will return to use in Formula One next year.
Force India test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi said the tires were "amazing", providing excellent grip compared to the grooved tires currently used.
Formula One switched to grooved tires in 1998 in an attempt to improve the racing spectacle by reducing cornering speeds.
A slick tire is made using very soft rubber and has no tread on its surface to promote maximum possible grip. It allows teams to configure their cars with a
lot less downforce, and produces quicker times.
Many of the teams have been testing the slicks in Barcelona ahead of their reintroduction, with lap times falling as a result.
Toyota's Timo Glock said testing the new tires had been a valuable experience.
"We gathered some important information but we still need to learn more."
Essien keeps Chelsea title hopes alive
18 April 2008
Michael Essien kept Chelsea's title dreams alive as Everton's hopes of finishing in the top four -- and grabbing a Champions League slot -- all but
disappeared with a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park.
Chelsea efficiently won three points to cut Manchester United's lead at the top to just two points, with the pair clashing at Stamford Bridge in a likely
title decider later this month.
Everton found themselves overpowered, with Essien's first-half goal leaving them five points behind Merseyside rivals Liverpool with just three games left.
Chelsea always looked in command and the decisive breakthrough came four minutes before half-time.
Neat passing involving Salomon Kalou, Essien and Shaun Wright-Phillips ended with the ball deflecting off Phil Jagielka straight into the path of Ghanaian
Essien who lifted the ball over diving goalkeeper Tim Howard.
It was a huge relief for manager Avram Grant who saw Chelsea denied a vital victory by lowly Wigan in the last minute of added time on Monday.
Grant recalled Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Wright-Phillips to his starting side, but Frank Lampard was again missing because
of family illness.
England winger Wright-Phillips had one shot blocked, saw another float wide and wasted another first half chance after he was put clear by Kalou.
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech pushed away a dipping free kick from Manuel Fernandes but otherwise Everton failed to find a way round dominant duo Carvalho and
John Terry.
The pattern changed little after the break and with Chelsea moving efficiently towards victory, Everton had to change things.
Thomas Gravesen and Victor Anichebe took over from Andy Johnson and Pienaar and Everton at last made an impression.
Fernandes produced a stunning, dipping free-kick which missed the far post by inches while Essien fired a dipping drive just over for Chelsea before Malouda
replaced Joe Cole after 76 minutes.
Chelsea must now hope that defending champions United drop points at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday -- before the leaders go to Stamford Bridge on April 26.
Toni double fires Bayern 10 points clear
17 April 2008
Luca Toni scored twice as Bayern Munich staged a 3-1 comeback win at Eintracht Frankfurt to restore their 10-point advantage at the top of the Bundesliga on
Wednesday.
Bayern trailed after 29 minutes when Benjamin Kohler opened the scoring.
Daniel van Buyten levelled on the hour before Italian international striker Toni secured the win and brought his league-leading tally to 20 goals.
The World Cup winner put Bayern in front after 74 minutes and added a second 12 minutes later to take his tally to 33 in 40 games in his first season for
Bayern.
Eintracht went ahead against the run of play when a mistake by Andreas Ottl allowed defender Patrick Ochs cross to the far post where Kohler headed in past
Michael Rensing.
Frankfurt could have doubled the lead after Martin Fenin beat the offside trap, rounded Rensing and passed to Ioannis Amanatidis, whose shot was way off the
mark.
Early in the second half, Franck Ribery narrowly missed the target as Bayern brought in Lukas Podolski to shore up Toni in the attack in a side that showed
five changes to the starting line-up from Sunday's 5-0 win against Borussia Dortmund.
Amanatidis missed another chance but from the subsequent corner Fenin's volley deflected onto the crossbar by Rensing.
Frankfurt paid the price for missing the chances when Van Buyten headed the equalizer after a corner. Toni's first followed a defensive mix-up and he drove
home the second following a pass from Jan Schlaudraff.
Stuttgart most likely sent last year's cup winner Nuremberg to the second division by winning 3-0 at home against the team stuck at the bottom of the
standings.
Cacau intercepted a bad backward pass to score in the fourth minute, then provided the pass for Antonio da Silva's goal in the 13th. Defender Fernando Meira
headed in unchallenged off a corner to make it 3-0 before halftime.
Borussia Dortmund trailed on first-half goals form Arnold Bruggink and Frank Fahrenhorst in a 3-1 defeat against Hannover.
Alexander Frei put the home team back into the game by scoring in the 65th only seconds after coming on. Dortmund conceded a third when Szabolcz Huszti
scored in the 78th.
On Saturday, Dortmund will play Bayern in the German Cup final in Berlin.
In Bielefeld, central defender Andre Mijatovic headed down a free kick for the only goal over Leverkusen, then sent a penalty against the post. But Bielefeld
held on to win and escape from the relegation zone.
Tamas Hajnal scored a late goal to give Karlsruhe its 1-0 win in Duisburg, another team trying to avoid relegation.
Johnson named England rugby team manager
17 April 2008
Martin Johnson has been named England team manager after the Rugby Football Union management board unanimously approved his appointment following a meeting
at Twickenham on Wednesday.
Brian Ashton ceases to be England head coach, and has been offered a role as head coach of the RFU's national academy.
There is no news at this stage whether or not 61-year-old Ashton will accept the change of job after 22 Tests in charge during which time he led England to
last autumn's World Cup final.
The RFU says Johnson will be in charge from July 1 -- even though the former England captain has no coaching experience.
"He will bring a new and fresh approach to team development and preparation in his own inimitable style," RFU elite director of rugby Rob Andrew
said.
"I would also like to thank Brian for the job he has done in difficult circumstances. He is an outstanding coach and deserves enormous credit for leading
England to a second successive rugby World Cup final last year and securing the runners-up position in this year's Six Nations."
Johnson, who led England to the 2003 World Cup title as a player, will be in charge of appointing the coaching and management staff and the player selection
process.
"It is a great honor to be offered this position," Johnson said. "I am passionate about the England team and delivering success for it."
The 6-foot-8 (2.03 meter) Johnson made 84 appearances for England, 39 of them as captain.
Ashton had been reappointed as coach on an indefinite contract in December after England unexpectedly reached the final of last year's World Cup, losing to
South Africa.
However, the team then had a mixed Six Nations campaign, with losses to Wales and Scotland and a disappointing game against Italy before beating Ireland for
the first time since 2003.
"Whilst Brian is naturally disappointed that he will not have a role in the new senior structure, I believe the new post that we have offered him as head
coach of the national academy is ideally suited to his special talents and expertise," Andrew said.
Ashton was England's attack coach before he replaced Andy Robinson in late 2006, after the team lost eight of nine games and dropped to seventh in the world
rankings.
The RFU said Johnson had kept John Wells as forwards coach and Mike Ford as the defense coach. Another coach will also be appointed.
Johnson, whose wife is expecting their second child, agreed to a contract through 2011.
Andrew will be team manager for England's match against the Barbarians at Twickenham on June 1 and the two-test series in New Zealand. England play in
Auckland on June 14 and Christchurch on June 21.
Andrew will be helped by Wells, Ford, Graham Rowntree and Jon Callard -- with input from Johnson.
"I will be working closely with Rob and the England coaching team on selection for the Barbarians match and the New Zealand tour, as well as selecting the
first senior elite player squad of 32," Johnson said.
England will have to do without captain Phil Vickery who suffered a knee injury during Wasps's Premiership win over Sale on Tuesday which is expected to rule
him out for at least eight weeks, according to his club.
Johnson retired from rugby in 2005, two years after leading England to glory at the rugby World Cup in Australia.
Ashton was offered the role of head coach of the national academy Wednesday at the RFU's meeting.
The RFU sanctioned the appointment of a new team manager and a new specialist coach when director of rugby Rob Andrew delivered his review of the Six Nations
last month.
Brazil legend Romario retires at 42
16 April 2008
Former Brazil striker Romario has officially announced his retirement -- and insists that this time there will be no turning back.
The 42-year-old ended a 23-year career that included the 1994 World Cup title, the FIFA Player of the Year award and more than 1,000 goals by his own
count.
"My time is over," he said at the launch of a DVD showing 910 of his goals on Monday.
"Officially, I might play a farewell game with the jersey of the national team or one of the three clubs I defended in Rio," he added, referring to former
national champions Vasco, Flamengo and Fluminense.
Romario's contract with Vasco ended last month. He said he hadn't played since November and was four kilos over his playing weight, which made his return
difficult at an age when most players have already stopped.
He told a Brazilian newspaper last month he was retiring, but then recanted the next day. It was not the first time he had changed his mind about quitting
the game.
Romario burst on to the soccer scene in 1985 with Vasco, with a sprinter's speed and masterly ball control that made him a worthy successor to Vasco's all-
star striker Roberto "Dynamite."
Three years later, he was sold to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven for US$5 million -- a huge sum at the time -- and was later inducted into the club's Hall of
Fame.
In 1993, he jumped to Spain's Barcelona, where former Dutch all-star and coach Johan Cruyff dubbed him a "genius of the goal area." Romario led his new club
to the Spanish league title and was named the world's outstanding player by FIFA in 1994.
After a falling-out with Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, Romario returned to the national team in 1994 and led Brazil to its fourth World Cup title,
teaming up with striker Bebeto to end a 24-year drought for soccer's top prize.
In 1995, he returned to Brazil and played for rivals Vasco, Fluminense and Flamengo. His standout play sparked a national "draft Romario" campaign for the
2002 World Cup, but coach Luiz Felipe Scolari declined to name the player to the team that won its fifth Cup title that year.
Romario made his last foray abroad in 2003, playing for Al Saad in Qatar, Miami FC in the United States and Adelaide United in Australia. But he scored few
goals and returned to Brazil in quest of his 1000th goal -- a mark achieved only by the great Pele.
He reached the landmark last year, although FIFA officially gave him a much lower total. Romario's count included goals scored in amateur games and
unofficial matches against small clubs.
As player-coach of Vasco, Romario remained a major attraction for fans even after he had lost his speed and stamina.
Last year, he tested positive for the banned substance Finasteride and was suspended for 120 days in December.
Romario said he had used the hair-loss medicine Propecia, which contains Finasteride, and the Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice later accepted his claim
that he did not take a performance-enhancing drug and lifted the suspension.
Kuranyi hits four as Schalke shine
16 April 2008
Kevin Kuranyi scored four goals as Schalke 04 trounced Energie Cottbus 5-0 in the Bundesliga on Tuesday, two days after firing coach Mirko Slomka.
But Schalke remained third in the standings as Werder Bremen protected their second place with a 2-1 win at Hansa Rostock.
Slomka was fired on Sunday, a day after Schalke lost 5-1 against Werder Bremen.
He was replaced by former players and top-level coaching novices Youri Mulder and Mike Bueskens, who will guide the team to the end of the season.
Kuranyi gave Schalke a winning start by scoring four goals in a Bundesliga game for the first time in his career and bringing his total for the season to
14.
Cottbus, coming off three straight wins, fell behind when Vragel da Silva knocked the ball into his own net after 31 minutes while trying to clear a header
by Marcelo Bordon.
Kuranyi doubled the lead six minutes later when he beat a Schalke defender to prod in a cross from Fabian Ernst.
He then ended a solo effort with a shot inside the post to make it 3-0 and nearly added another with a header that bounced off the crossbar.
Early in the second half, Kuranyi got his third from collecting an offside-beating pass from Ernst, then notched his fourth with a header off a cross form
Rafinha in the 80th.
"It was great to score four goals but I'm also happy with the football we played today," saud Kuranyi. "We were in fighting mood and gelled well as a team.
It was important to find our feet again after the Bremen defeat."
In Rostock, Werder midfielder Torsten Frings struck form 20 meters for his first goal of the championship after missing much of the season with knee
injuries. But Sebastian Haehnge used a counterattack to level the score in the 76th.
Werder regained the lead when Frings earned a penalty. Rostock goalkeeper Stefan Waechter punched out Naldo's 82nd minute shot from the spot but Ivan Klasnic
fired in the rebound.
Bochum upset Wolfsburg 1-0 and Hamburger SV and Hertha Berlin played to a dull 0-0 in other matches.
In Berlin, Hamburg striker Ivica Olic wasted a penalty in the 75th by shooting wide.
Bochum upset Wolfsburg on a goal from Stanislav Sestak two minutes form the end of the game after a counterattack left Wolfsburg's defense short-
handed.
Roy Contout struck three minutes from time to give Amiens a 1-0 victory in their French Cup quarterfinal at home to Dijon.
In the night's other last-eight encounter Lyon shaded Metz 1-0 thanks to a goal by Karim Benzema.
Riyadi-Beirut 2007-2008 Cup Champions
15 April 2008
Once again Riyadi and for the third consecutive season have retained the Cup Title after beating in the final Champville on the score of 107-81.
The game had a good start from both teams and it was full of intensity throughout the first 20 minutes of the game , Ismail Ahmad had a big show and he
scored from everywhere and gave his team the lead from the first minute, on the other side Champville was answering through Jonathan Jones, and lot of
comebacks were made but sometimes they were stopped by the quick decisions on the offense which resulted easy fast break points for Riyadi .The score at the
half was 47-36.
In the third quarter the same tempo continued dominance from Riyadi . come backs from Champville , in the fourth Coach Sarkis rested his second Import and
riyadi never look back since that minute and cruised to an easy win in the end at the score of 107-81.
On Wednesday the play offs will be starting with two series , Riyadi against Anibal and Sagesse against Feytroun.
Best Performances :
Riyadi : Ismail Ahmad (31pts) , Ace Custis (23pts)
Champville : Jonathan Jones (27pts)
Q1 : 25-18 Q2:22-18 Q3:29-22 Q4:31-23
Late Heskey goal dents Chelsea's hopes
15 April 2008
Emile Heskey's shock injury-time equalizer blew a massive hole in Chelsea's hunt for the English Premier League title as visitors Wigan held the Blues to a
1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The 30-year-old former England striker struck a volley on his 400th top flight appearance to leave second-placed Chelsea five points behind Manchester United
with four games to go.
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien looked to have sealed victory for the London side with a 55th minute shot from the edge of the penalty area.
However, Heskey gave Wigan's chances of ensuring a fourth season in the top flight a major boost with his dramatic equalizer.
It hands a massive advantage to Manchester United, who are the next visitors to Stamford Bridge on April 26. A victory for Sir Alex Ferguson's side will
effectively see them retain their title.
Wigan remain in 15th place, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Chelsea coach Avram Grant made seven changes from the side which beat Fenerbahce in the Champions League -- including a recall for goalkeeper Petr Cech.
The Czech Republic international played with a special chin guard to protect 50 stitches he required after a training-ground clash with defender Tal Ben-Haim
two weeks ago.
However, Grant was hampered by the sudden loss of midfielder Frank Lampard, who pulled out of the side just before kick-off because of a family
illness.
Despte that handicap, Chelsea should have been in front in the fifth minute but a cross from Salomon Kalou was headed wide by Nicolas Anelka.
Wigan withstood Chelsea's early fire and created a real opportunity of their own in the 19th minute when Wilson Palacios back-heeled the ball and Antonio
Valencia forced Cech into a fine save at his near post.
Chelsea were largely disappointing going forward and Anelka was left to chase hopeful long balls that Paul Scharner and Emmerson Boyce dealt with
comfortably.
There was little to enthuse about Chelsea's performance during the first 45 minutes and the home fans booed their team off at the half-time whistle.
Grant's displeasure with the tepid opening half from his side produced a half-time change with Joe Cole replacing the ineffective Florent Malouda.
The move almost brought an instant reward when a shot from Cole was charged down by the Wigan defense. Then another effort from Cole in the 49th minute
failed to trouble Kirkland but the England international's introduction had clearly had a galvanising effect on the home side.
The visitors began to defend deeper and deeper and Chelsea captain John Terry thumped the ball against the crossbar when he let fly with a volley from
Belletti's 53rd-minute corner.
But two minutes later Chelsea were finally in front and Cole was the architect. His cross into the penalty area was collected by Anelka who looked to have
wasted the chance when he slipped over but the Frenchman cleverly knocked the ball into the path of Essien, who beat goalkeeper Chris Kirkland with a rising
drive.
Cole almost added a second for Chelsea in the 77th minute but his fierce, angled drive flew inches wide of the target.
Three minutes from time though Chelsea had Cech to thank when he pulled off a superb save to deny Wigan substitute Antoine Sibierski.
But worse was to come for Chelsea when Heskey volleyed home a cross from substitute Jason Koumas to leave the gap at the top looking almost too wide for
Chelsea to close.
Hargreaves free-kick sinks Arsenal
14 April 2008
Owen Hargreaves curled in a superb free-kick, 18 minutes from time, to give Manchester United a 2-1 Premier League victory over Arsenal at Old
Trafford.
The win lifted United six points clear of Chelsea, who meet Wigan on Monday, and effectively ended Arsenal's fading title bid.
The Gunners trail United by nine points with four matches left to play.
Emmanuel Adebayor gave Arsenal a 48th minute lead but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot minutes later with his 38th goal of the season.
The loss dooms Arsene Wenger's side to their third season without a trophy and ends a black week which also included a Champions League quarterfinal defeat
to English rivals Liverpool.
England midfielder Hargreaves, best known for his determined defending, Scored United's 100th goal in 50 games this campaign when his curled free-kick from
the edge of the box over the wall left goalkeeper Jens Lehmann standing.
Adebayor headed Arsenal in front three minutes into the second period when he met Robin van Persie's cross and profited from confusion between United keeper
Edwin van der Sar and center-back Rio Ferdinand.
There were no complaints from United about the goal but tv replays suggested Adebayor may have handled the ball rather than knocked it in with his head, even
though he was just a few yards away from goal.
Six minutes later Arsenal defender William Gallas clearly handled inside his own area and referee Howard Webb pointed to the spot.
Ronaldo netted but Webb ordered the penalty to be re-taken because of encroachment by other players.
Lehmann, only playing because of a wrist injury to first-choice keeper Manuel Almunia, was then booked for delaying the second kick.
Ronaldo, making light of the pressure of the situation, stuck with his stuttering run-up and struck the ball low and hard past the German international's
right-hand.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard scored and created a goal for Fernando Torres in a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Anfield.
Spain striker Torres now has 30 goals this season and midfielder Gerrard 21 .Substitute Andriy Voronin added a third in the 90th minute.
This win left Liverpool five points clear of city rivals Everton in the race for the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Sunday's match, played out against a backdrop of ongoing boardroom rows at Anfield, was all square for an hour until England midfielder Gerrard beat several
Rovers players on the edge of the box before sliding the ball past goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
Torres then became the first Liverpool player to score in seven consecutive top-flight games at Anfield when he headed in Gerrard's cross eight minutes from
time.
Voronin then got on the end of a John Arne Riise cross to make it 3-0 before Roque Santa Cruz pulled a goal back for Rovers in stoppage time.
Immelman holds off Tiger, wins Masters
14 April 2008
Four months after he had a tumor removed from his back, Immelman handled the wind and pressure of Augusta National far better than anyone chasing him Sunday
to win the Masters, the first South African in a green jacket in 30 years.
Immelman held it together around Amen Corner and stretched his lead to as many as six shots on the back nine, taking the life out of a Masters that began
with so much hype.
A two-putt par on the final hole gave him a 3-over 75, matching the highest final round by a Masters champion. Even so, it was good enough for a three-shot
victory over Tiger Woods, whose hopes for a calendar Grand Slam ended with a thud.
Woods never got within five shots of the lead when he was on the course, twice missed birdie putts inside 8 feet and had to settle for a 72 and his second
consecutive runner-up finish in the Masters.
"I learned my lesson there with the press," said Woods, who started the talk about a Grand Slam by stating three months ago that winning all four majors in
the same year was "easily within reason."
The only slam possibilities now belong to Immelman, a 28-year-old with a polished swing, who finally realized his potential in the wicked wind of Augusta and
a final round that yielded only four rounds under par.
Immelman, who finished at 8-under 280, started the week by playing a practice round with his boyhood idol, Gary Player, who won his third Masters in 1978 and
set a record by playing for the 51st time.
Player told Immelman he was good enough to win the green jacket, and he left him a voicemail Saturday night that Immelman played on his speaker phone for his
family to hear. The message: "I know you're going to win."
"He's been on me all week, telling me to believe in myself," Immelman said. "He also told me to keep my head still on putts. It's really a special moment,
and I'm glad I pulled it through for him."
Immelman's wife, Carminita, and their 1-year-old son were waiting for him behind the green. Jacob took hold of the 18th flag, fussing when he couldn't go
into the scoring shack to be with his father.
Sharapova rallies to reach quarterfinals
11 April 2008
Maria Sharapova rallied from 3-0 down in the final set to squeak past Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 7-6 5-7 7-6 and reach the Bausch & Lomb Championships
quarterfinals on Thursday.
There were a lot of ups and downs in the match," said Sharapova, who is making her clay season debut at Amelia Island Plantation for the first time. "I think
I should have won the match in two sets, to be honest. But I stopped hitting the ball, and I kind of let her back in the match."
In other third-round matches, three-time champion Lindsay Davenport beat Croatian qualifier Karolina Sprem 6-4 3-6 6-4, and 2001 winner Amelie Mauresmo led
three Frenchwomen into the quarterfinals by narrowly beating seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for her 500th career win.
Top-seeded Sharapova took nearly three and a half hours to subdue 15th seed Medina Garrigues, who controlled the momentum early in the third set before
Sharapova began the first of two bursts to escape.
Down 3-0, Sharapova won the next five games and saved several of her opponents' game points in the process to breathe easy at 5-3.
"It's the game of tennis, it can change really fast," Sharapova said.
It changed again as Sharapova, seemingly in control, served for the match at 5-4. Medina Garrigues won the first two points and converted her sixth break of
serve to even it at 5-all.
But the tiebreak went Sharapova's way. The Russian won the first three and the last four points as Medina Garrigues wilted under the setting Florida
sun.
This type of win, a marathon with long baseline rallies against a strong clay player, was just what Sharapova needed in order to prepare for the French Open.
"I still feel like I can improve," Sharapova said. "Hopefully all these matches that I play here, as many as I can, will help me toward this year's French or
future clay-court matches."
Mauresmo needed more than two and a half hours to win 3-6 7-5 7-6.
Against Radwanska, Mauresmo was up 5-2 in the third before dropping two match points and then three straight games to force a tiebreaker.
"Even though I had some opportunities to finish it off before the third-set tiebreak, I couldn't make it," Mauresmo said. "I was glad that I was coming in
and trying to go for it in that tiebreak. That's what made the difference, I thought, in the end."
She engineered a mini-comeback from 5-3 down in the tiebreak and closed it out with a crosscourt backhand winner that clipped the line.
"I tried to really come in and be aggressive and not let her dictate the game in the key moments, which I probably should have done a bit earlier in the
match," Mauresmo said. "I finished with a positive note, so I'm glad."
She has now won three matches in a row for the first time since last year's Wimbledon. Mauresmo was ranked third a year ago, but an emergency appendectomy
then a right adductor strain in the summer robbed her momentum and she has fallen to 24th and struggled.
Compatriots Virginie Razzano, the 13th seed, and Alize Cornet, unseeded, won in straight sets and will meet for a third time, with Razzano up 2-0.
Razzano put away Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2 6-4, and Cornet beat Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1 7-5.
Eighth seed Agnes Szavay was through to her first quarterfinals since reaching the Paris Indoors final in February when she overcame 12th-ranked Katarina
Srebotnik 3-6 6-2 6-3. Tenth seed Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine edged sixth seed Dinara Safina of Russia 7-6 0-6 7-5 and plays Sharapova next.
Late Toni double strike rescues Bayern
11 April 2008
Luca Toni saved Bayern Munich by scoring two extra time goals to give the German giants a 3-3 draw in a remarkable match at Getafe and a place in the UEFA
Cup semifinals.
Toni's first came in the 115th minute when Getafe goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri lost control of Mark Van Bommel's cross in the box.
The Italian headed home the deciding goal in the dying seconds after Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who had pushed forward, flicked the ball on to
him.
The two goals were enough to put Bayern into a last four showdown with Russian side Zenit St Petersburg, sealing a 4-4 draw on aggregate but going through on
the away goals rule.
Getafe, who had not lost a two-legged series in any competition since January 2006, thought they had eliminated the cup favorites early in extra time after
Javier Casquero and substitute Braulio Rodriguez both scored.
Casquero had put Getafe 2-1 up in the first minute of extra time when he sent a shot in off the inside of the left post and past goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.
Braulio, who had missed two good chances earlier in the game, then stole the ball from Lucio in the box two minutes later and turned to shoot into the top
corner of the net.
The Spanish side had taken the lead in the 44th minute when Cosmin Contra drifted past two defenders before slamming the ball past Kahn.
But Bayern sent the match to extra time when Franck Ribery fired a loose ball past the outstretched Abbondanzieri with just a minute remaining in regulation
time.
Getafe played almost the entire match with 10 men after Ruben De La Red was sent off as early as the sixth minute for a foul on Miroslav Klose.
Braulio should have clinched it in the 68th minute but the Getafe forward slipped as he squared to shoot after going around Kahn. The Spaniard missed another
chance in the 87th.
After De La Red's dismissal, Abbondanzieri deflected Ribery's free-kick onto the crossbar only for Toni to net the rebound, but the referee ruled that Toni
had handled.
Toni, the competition's leading scorer with 10 goals, had another goal disallowed in the 48th -- this time for being offside.
Klose had chances in the 55th and 63rd minutes but shot wide, while Bastian Schweinsteiger also missed a chance between those two opportunities.
Meanwhile, Zenit St Petersburg sealed their last four place, depite losing 1-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen. The Russian champions advanced with a 4-2
aggregate win after their first leg success in Germany.
Dmitri Bulykin headed in the only goal from Gonzalo Castro's right-wing 18th minute cross.
Leverkusen went on the attack from the kick-off and Bulykin came close four minutes into the game but failed to beat goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev from a
one-on-one.
Zenit had only one shot on goal in the first half but pressed in the second half and missed a great chance to level on the night when Anatoliy Tymoschuk
failed to convert an 85th minute penalty.
Tevez goal steers United into semis
10 April 2008
Carlos Tevez capped an industrious display to steer Manchester United to a 1-0 victory over Roma and into the semifinals of the Champions League for a second
successive season.
The Argentina striker put the game out of Roma's reach by scoring in the 70th minute at Old Trafford, ensuring the Premier League side went through 3-0 on
aggregate.
It was Tevez's fourth goal of the European campaign and his 17th of the season -- setting up a clash with Barcelona in the last four.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson decided to leave Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney on the bench, with a crucial Premier League match to follow against
Arsenal on Sunday, and the outcome could have been vastly different if the Italian side had not squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 30th
minute.
Wes Brown was adjudged to have brought down Mancini in the penalty area and referee Tom Henning had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.
However, Italian midfielder Daniele De Rossi blasted his spot-kick high over the crossbar to United's obvious relief.
Roma re-grouped and Mirko Vucinic came close to making the breakthrough in the 48th minute when Edwin van der Sar spilled his shot.
He tried to muscle in on the rebound but Rio Ferdinand, showing no sign of the foot injury that made him doubtful for the game, stood firm and made a crucial
block.
The only goal came in the 70th minute when Tevez peeled away from his marker to head home a superb right-wing cross from Owen Hargreaves.
The result sets United up for a heavyweight semifinal showdown with Barcelona, with the winners facing Liverpool or Chelsea in the Moscow final.
Both sides are unbeaten in the competition this season and Ferguson said: "If we've got a full squad we've got a chance -- somebody has got to lose.
"You have opportunities in life when you've got something special. We have got something special and we want to go there and show that -- we have to go there
and be positive."
Three records broken in world short-course
10 April 2008
The United States have set a new world record in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay at the world short-course swimming championships in Manchester -- one of
three records to be broken on Wednesday.
The American team of Ryan Lochte, Bryan Lundquist, Nathan Adrian and Doug Van Wie finished in a time of three minutes, 8.44 seconds.
Sweden had set the previous world mark of 3:09.57 in 2000.
The Netherlands finished second in 3:09.18 -- also ahead of the previous mark --while Sweden finished third in 3:10.04. Italy came home fourth and a strong
Australian team trailed in a disappointing fifth.
The longer 4x200m freestyle relay also resulted in a new world record with the victorious Dutch team of Inge Dekker, Fernke Heemskerk, Marleen Veldhuis and
Ranomi Kromowidjojo coming home in seven minutes, 38.90 seconds -- smashing China's previous mark of 7:46.30 set at the 2002 short-course worlds in Moscow.
The next three finishers -- Britain, Australia and the United States -- were also ahead of the old mark.
Britain finished in 7:38.96, while Australia clocked 7:39.01 and the United States 7:45.58. China came home fifth in 7:57.93.
Earlier in the evening, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe set a world record in the women's 400m individual medley, recording a time of four minutes, 26.52
seconds.
Yana Klochkova of Ukraine set the previous world mark of 4:27.83 in 2002.
Briton Hannah Miley finished second in 4:27.27 and Mireia Belmonte of Spain took bronze in 4:27.55 -- both also ahead of Klochkova's old mark.
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Coventry won the 200m backstroke, finished second in the 100m backstroke and third in the 200m individual medley.
Liverpool face Chelsea in Champions semis
09 April 2008
Champions League experts Liverpool swept into another all-English semifinal against Chelsea on Tuesday when they emphatically ended Arsenal's glory bid with
a 4-2 second leg triumph at Anfield.
Ryan Babel sealed a dramatic 5-3 aggregate triumph for Liverpool who will be contesting their third semifinal in four years.
Liverpool beat Chelsea at the last-four stage in 2005 -- when they went on to lift the title for a fifth time -- and again in 2007.
A cooly-taken penalty by skipper Steven Gerrard scuppered Arsenal's hopes of going through on away goals after the north London side had drawn level 2-2 on
the night.
Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory over Turkish side Fenerbahce in their second leg at Stamford Bridge to put them into the last
four 3-2 on aggregate.
Arsenal took the lead at Anfield when Abou Diaby surged into the box before crashing home a shot between Jose Reina and his near post in the 13th minute
after some poor defending.
Veteran Sami Hyypia celebrated signing a new contract this week with the equalizer on the half-hour when he escaped the attention of Philippe Senderos and
headed in a corner from Gerrard.
Then Arsenal suffered the blow of Mathieu Flamini being carried off after looking to have fallen awkwardly on an ankle. Gilberto came on after 40
minutes.
By then Liverpool looked a changed side; steaming forward, their confidence restored.
Fernando Torres put the hosts ahead in the 69th minute. Crouch's flick-on reached the Spanish striker in the box and Torres turned Senderos with ease before
firing his shot into the top corner.
Arsenal were back in the driving seat after 84 minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor found the target after a spectacular run down the right by Theo Walcott from
just outside his own area.
That would have been enough to send Arsenal through on away goals, but Gerrard scored from the spot a minute later after Kolo Toure pulled down Babel just
inside the area.
"They held me a little bit and they tried to take a chunk of me," said Babel, who added to the lead in the second minute of time added on.
It was the third match between Arsenal and Liverpool in seven days. Besides the two legs of the Champions League, Liverpool drew 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium
in the Premier League on Saturday.
Skipper Gerrard told ITV1: "That was possibly one of the worst performances I've ever put in in a Liverpool shirt. But I still had the confidence to score
the penalty."
Asked if he thought Liverpool were worthy winners, Gerrard was diplomatic, saying: "It's difficult to say because it would be unfair on Arsenal. But over two
legs we're a match for anyone."
The skipper paid tribute to the club's fans. "If those fans perform like that, it's a big help to us and other teams find it impossible," he said.
Those sentiments were echoed by Babel, who said: "They pulled out another level. It's like you play with 12 men."
Manager Rafael Benitez hailed his players' "confidence and belief".
"We were losing, we drew and afterwards we were losing again," he said. "We knew we need to work really hard and try and do the right things.
"At the end of the day, you must win, and we won."
Of the prospect of another semifinal against Chelsea, Benitez said: "We will try to enjoy it and after we will think about Chelsea."
Gerrard added: "We've got some big games coming up but we'll be ready for Chelsea."
Agent: Ronaldinho exit rumors unfounded
09 April 2008
Ronaldinho's agent has played down growing speculation that the Brazil forward will be leaving Barcelona at the end of this season.
The former World Player of the Year's brother and agent Roberto de Assis has recently been seen in both England and Italy, where he met with officials from
Manchester City and AC Milan.
Both clubs have expressed an interested in signing the 28-year-old, who has been linked with a move away from the Nou Camp after struggling to regain his
best form in the past two seasons.
However, De Assis told Spanish football magazine Don Balon that the meetings were "personal matters" and not related to Ronaldinho's immediate
future.
"My work is to form relationships within the world of football," he said. "It is normal for me to travel to speak with certain people about personal matters
when I believe it to be necessary."
"He has a contract until 2010 and I'm not looking for anything."
Ronaldinho has been ruled out for the rest of the Spanish season with a torn leg muscle -- the latest in a series of fitness problems that have plagued him
in the past year.
He has played only 13 of 31 La Liga matches, with Barcelona now seven points adrift of bitter rivals and defending champions Real Madrid with seven games to
play.
"Ronaldinho is a little down at present. He has spent five weeks having specific treatment for a problem and now this has happened," De Assis told Don
Balon.
"What hurts him most is not being able to help his team-mates at an important time."
Ronaldinho was again strongly linked with a switch to big-spending Premier League side Chelsea during the January transfer window, but De Assis reiterated
that he had unlikely played his last game for Barca -- who he joined in 2003.
"It's a little early to say that. I hope he can be playing again soon. I think a player who has been in the hearts of Barca fans and this group of players
deserves to leave on a high," De Assis said.
"Decisions need to be taken calmly at the right time, not in the heat of the moment or in difficult times."
Olympic torch hit by protests during Paris leg
08 April 2008
The last part of the Olympic torch relay in Paris was canceled Monday after a day of chaos in which anti-China protesters forced authorities to extinguish the flame at least five times, take to a bus and skip some scheduled stops, including city hall.
There were confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators throughout the day as the relay attempted to crisscross Paris, birthplace of the modern Olympic movement, passing landmarks including l'Arc d'Triomphe, the Place de la Concord, The Louvre and Notre Dame.
The torch was eventually driven by bus to its ending destination, where it was displayed again during a public ceremony at a stadium.
Numerous protesters, some armed with fire extinguishers, were taken away by police, The Associated Press reported. At other times police used tear gas to remove demonstrators who lay in the road and tried to block the route.
The chaos came one day after human rights activist demonstrators made the torch's journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, as UK police made more than two dozen arrests. What do you think of protests at the Olympic torch relay?
The chaos began almost immediately as French 400-meter athlete Stephane Diagana, the first torch bearer, left the Eiffel Tower at around 1030 GMT (0630 ET) -- only for Sylvain Garel, a Green Party activist, to try to grab the torch, agencies reported.
The torch was being carried by a wheelchair athlete when it was halted and extinguished for a second time due to demonstrators shouting, according to AP.
The procession was interrupted for a third time when police spotted a crowd of demonstrators waiting for the torch on a bridge as they approached, the agency added.
Protesters close to the River Seine twice forced authorities to put the torch out and take to a bus so they could continue the relay.
But the Olympic flame itself, lit from the birthplace of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece and used to light the torch, continued to burn in a small lantern in the bus.
Jim Bittermann, CNN's senior European correspondent based in Paris, said that while it was hard to gauge numbers, it looked like thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets -- although some were Chinese backing the Olympics. There was a small punch-up between some supporters of Tibet and some supporters of the Olympics," he added.
Paris police had conceived a security strategy to keep the torch in a safe zone during its 17-mile (28 km) journey -- significantly shorter than the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay undertaken in London Sunday.
The plan was for the torchbearers to be encircled by several hundred officers, some in riot police vehicles and on motorcycles, others on rollerblades and on foot. Closest to the torchbearer would be the Chinese torch escorts, with Paris police on rollerblades moving around them. French firefighters in jogging shoes would encircle the rollerbladers, while motorcycle police would form the outer layer of security.
French Olympic champion Marie-Josee Perec, Portugal forward Pedro Miguel Pauleta and badminton player Pi Hongyan are among the featured torch bearers, although some were expected to wear protest buttons.
The head of Reporters Without Borders, a French-based group that disrupted last month's torch lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece, had told CNN before the relay began that his group has planned "something spectacular" to protest the relay.
At least six groups had permits to protest along the route, but only for demonstrations well away from the flame's path. The Paris mayor had ordered a banner to be hung from city hall that reads "Paris City of Human Rights."
The protests have been timed to coincide with the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
On Monday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said all options remained open for Paris concerning a possible boycott of the opening of the Beijing Olympics, AP reported.
In London Sunday, the Olympic torch was met with widespread protests and scuffles between demonstrators and police as thousands turned out to protest Olympic host China's human rights record and its recent clampdown on Tibet.
Some demonstrators threw themselves at the torch, and at least one tried to snatch it away during the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay. Another tried to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher. They were quickly pushed back and cuffed by Metropolitan Police, which said its officers made 36 arrests on a variety of charges.
Beijing Olympic spokesman condemned "attempts to sabotage" the London relay, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency. The official was not named in the article.
China has come under international criticism because of its crackdown last month on protesters calling for democratic freedoms and self-rule in Tibet and neighboring Chinese provinces.
Chinese authorities have denied those allegations and have accused the Dalai Lama of instigating violence among his followers -- an allegation he rejects. U.S. and other Western leaders have called on China to provide civil rights and freedoms to those in Tibet and to enter peaceful discussions aimed at resolving the crisis.
In most cases, however, the torch passed through London without incident. Tessa Jowell, Britain's Olympics minister, called it "a demanding day for the police" and for the Beijing Organizing Committee, but also noted thousands had come out "to welcome the torch."
Arsenal urged to show 'spirit of Milan'
08 April 2008
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on his players to recapture the "spirit of Milan" as they bid to reach the Champions League last-four with a win
over Liverpool.
"That is what is needed and wanted. We have to go into the game with the same positive attitude," said Wenger on the eve of Tuesday's second leg tie when the
sides resume quarterfinal battle locked at 1-1 on aggregate.
Having come through a severe test to silence the AC Milan faithful at the San Siro in the last round, the Frenchman insists his young side can cope with the
added pressure of the Anfield cauldron.
Wenger, who also declared his side can still win the Premier League title, said: "We have belief we can win everywhere in the world."
He added: "They (Liverpool) have the support, but it's down to us to keep the crowd quiet. It is difficult here because they are a little bit louder than
anywhere else, and they have had a bit more stamina than anywhere else -- but we will try."
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor is set to return to the starting line-up and Robin van Persie is also included in an 18-man squad after being substituted at
half-time in the first leg draw with a recurrence of the thigh injury which has sidelined him for much of this year.
"It will be a very exciting game and of course, both teams will be under pressure," said Wenger whose side were also held at home by Liverpool 1-1 in the
Premier League on Saturday.
"There will be a bit more urgency in this game than in the previous matches. I would like to score early goals, as many as we can, but if we need to be
patient, we will be.
"However, we will try to play the game to win it rather than go to penalties."
Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez maintained: "We are confident. We have been playing well in recent games and have been getting the results. The
performances have been good. That is what we have been looking for at this stage of the season.
"But we are not favorites, not with the the quality players they have. But this will be different from the first leg, because playing at Anfield is a massive
difference.
"And they need to win. It could well be an attacking game. It is important for the club and for me to progress. We have been working hard to get to this
point all season, so it is important for all of us."
Although Benitez believes Arsenal are experienced despite the suggestions that they have too many youngsters, he predicts that they could suffer just as
Chelsea did in the famous 2005 semifinal at Anfield.
He said: "You could feel the atmosphere against Chelsea in the semifinal, and I expect that to be the same this time. Our fans can also hold the key.
"I saw Chelsea affected by the Kop, it was clear. Hopefully it will be the same again."
Benitez will only be missing winger Jermaine Pennant from his squad as the former Arsenal man picked up a hamstring injury at the Emirates on Saturday.
Daniel Agger and Harry Kewell are long-term absentees, and Benitez will recall all the big guns rested at the weekend. Javier Mascherano, suspended for the
league game at Arsenal, will definitely return.
Beckham scores first MLS goal in victory
04 April 2008
David Beckham scored his first goal in a Major League Soccer game and assisted on another to help the Los Angeles Galaxy win their home opener, 2-0 over the
expansion San Jose Earthquakes on Thursday night.
Beckham took a pass from Landon Donovan at the top of the box in the ninth minute, and fired the ball into the back of the net.
Donovan, the Galaxy's biggest pre-Beckham star, added his own goal from virtually the same spot late in the first half, off an assist from Beckham.
The Galaxy beat their former coach Frank Yallop, whose Earthquakes returned to MLS after a two-year absence. The team's previous incarnation became the
Houston Dynamo.
Los Angeles was embarrassed in a 4-0 loss at Colorado in Saturday's season opener.
That defeat, last year's losing season and the waning novelty of Beckham's presence gave Thursday night's game an extra sense of early season urgency. The
Galaxy brought in former Dutch World Cup star Ruud Gullit to succeed Yallop in an attempt to turn the pomp and press that Beckham's arrival brought into
wins.
It didn't take long for Gullit to see his first goal in Los Angeles.
Beckham took a perfect pass from Donovan on his left and scored on an 18-yarder from the right side with 8:16 expired.
Beckham had scored one previous goal for the Galaxy, on a free kick in a Superliga game against D.C. United on August 15.
Donovan's goal, which came in the 37th minute from nearly the same spot, sailed into an empty net after goalkeeper Joe Cannon had charged forward.
San Jose had appeared to start the scoring with a goal in the third minute, but was called for offsides.
Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin kept the net empty after that for his first career shutout.
The Galaxy had several breakaway chances in the second half, but failed to score again.
Elsewhere in Major League Soccer on Thursday, Polish forward Tomasz Frankowski scored two first-half goals for Chicago in a game played in wet conditions in
Illinois.
Chad Barrett and Cuauhtemoc Blanco also scored for the Fire (1-0-1), which played the final 83 minutes with a man advantage after Revolution midfielder Jeff
Larentowicz was given a red card for a tackle on Brandon Prideaux.
New England's best chances came in the 48th and 49th minutes, but Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch stopped shots by Adam Cristman and Mauricio Castro.
The Revolution (1-1-0) played without injured scoring stars Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston. The last time New England gave up four goals in a game was May
26, 2007, in a 4-3 home loss to Kansas City.
Roddick ends losing run against Federer
04 April 2008
Andy Roddick ended a streak of 11 consecutive losses to Roger Federer by beating him 7-6 4-6 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in
Florida.
Dominating with his serve, Roddick took advantage of Federer's suddenly shaky play in the final set to earn a place in the semifinals against
Nikolay|Davydenko.
"I came in knowing that nobody has beaten me 12 times in a row," Roddick told the delighted capacity crowd afterward. "So I had that on my side."
Roddick improved to 2-15 against Federer, who came into the tournament hoping to quell talk that his game is in decline.
Slowed by mononucleosis early in the year, the top-ranked Federer has yet to reach a final in 2008, making this his worst start since 2000.
"I am just sort of disappointed not to see my name playing in the finals," Federer said. "I think I have the game to obviously be there."
Fourth seed Davydenko beat unseeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-2 6-1.
Roddick was at his best against the top-ranked Federer, especially down the stretch. Roddick fell behind love-30 serving at 3-3 in the final set, then won
the next 11 points, five of them thanks to unforced errors by Federer.
Twice during the stretch Federer shanked shots.
"I figure I was due," Roddick said. "He hadn't missed a ball in a crucial moment for about six years against me. I figured the law of statistics had to come
my way eventually."
Federer was broken for the only time at love to fall behind 5-3, losing the only break point he faced in the match. Roddick closed out the victory with a
225-kph (140-mph) service winner.
That helped him end a streak of 10 consecutive sets lost against Federer.
"I always said it's tough to play against Andy -- you know, that serve," Federer said. "He's always going to have a chance. That's why I'm quite amazed about
my record against him."
Federer, off to his worst start since 2000, still hasn't reached a final this year.
Fenerbahce hit back to shock Chelsea
03 April 2008
Colin Kazim-Richards led the fightback for Fenerbahce as they recovered from a 1-0 half-time deficit to stun Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions
League quarterfinal at a hostile Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
Avram Grant's side were leading through an own goal by Deivid in the first half and could have extended their advantage before former Premier League striker
Kazim-Richards came on as a 54th minute substitute.
His goal came 10 minutes later and Deivid then added a spectacular second, to leave Chelsea needing to win at Stamford Bridge next week to reach their fourth
semifinal in five years.
Chelsea silenced the passionate home fans by controlling the opening 45 minutes, although their goal came from a huge slice of luck.
Michael Ballack dummied the ball for Florent Malouda to chase down the left flank. His cross was powerful and low, but not heading towards goal, until Deivid
shanked the ball past goalkeeper Volkan Demirel and in at the near post in the 13th minute.
Chelsea steamed forward looking for more goals. Michael Essien could have doubled the lead five minutes later but his 25-meter drive, swerving away from
Demirel, hit the crossbar.
Essien then crossed for Didier Drogba to leap over Onder Turaci but his header went just wide.
Gokcek Vederson tried his luck from long range for the Turks but Chelsea were in control and threatened to add to their advantage.
Frank Lampard, making his 50th appearance in the competition, looped a header wide after the hosts failed to clear.
Ballack then played Drogba through down the right channel, the Ivory Coast striker turned and his shot was saved by Demirel as it arrowed towards the top
corner.
The home side showed more attacking purpose after the break and Brazilian Alex glanced a header just wide, kicking the post in frustration at spurning the
hosts' best chance of the match.
Former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman also tried his luck with a scissors-kick that goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini saved at the near post.
Drogba threatened with a couple of long-range efforts, and Ballack forced a save from Demirel with a powerful drive, with the rebound just eluding Malouda.
But for all of Chelsea's pressure, ex-Sheffield United striker Kazim-Richards, who has a British father and a Turkish mother, was brought on and grabbed the
equaliser in the 65th minute, latching onto Mehmey Aurelio's through-ball and smashing past Cudicini.
Ballack could have restored the lead in the next move when he raced through -- but Demirel saved well.
However, Deivid made up for his own goal with a stunning winner nine minutes from time. The Brazilian picked the ball up 30 meters out and sent a cracking
drive into Cudicini's top corner -- giving the Italian goalkeeper no chance.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant tried to put a positive spin on the result. "We dominated the game and created chances -- but that's football.
"Normally it's a good result to lose 2-1 away from home in Europe -- but because we played the better football, we are disappointed," he added.
Mosley will miss Bahrain Grand Prix
03 April 2008
Under-pressure FIA president Max Mosley will miss Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix because of legal issues stemming from his involvement in a sex scandal.
Mosley, who has said he would take legal action against the British tabloid that accused him of engaging in sexual acts with five prostitutes in a scenario
that involved Nazi role-playing, will instead stay in Britain.br>br>
"The FIA president will not be attending the Bahrain Grand Prix as scheduled," the FIA said in a statement to The Associated Press. br>br>
"We understand that legal matters detained him in London."br>br>
Mosley had been scheduled to attend the Formula One race and join the Bahraini Royal Family for a formal dinner.br>br>
On Tuesday, the 67-year-old Mosley rejected calls to step down, writing a letter to FIA officials saying he was embarrassed by what the News of the World
reported but adding there was no "Nazi connotation to the matter."br>br>
A video posted Sunday on the newspaper's Web site showed a man identified as Mosley arriving at an apartment and then engaging in various sex acts with
several women, at least one in a prisoner's uniform, while also speaking German. The video can no longer be found on the newspaper's Web site.br>br>
Mosley is the son of British Union of Fascists party founder Oswald Mosley, a former British politician who served in Parliament for the Labour and
Conservative parties. Oswald Mosley died in 1980.br>br>
Some people involved in the sport have called for Mosley's resignation, including 1979 F1 champion Jody Scheckter. However, F1 chief executive Bernie
Ecclestone has essentially backed Mosley, saying what the FIA president did was "nobody else's business."
Roddick battles back to earn Federer clash
02 April 2008
Roger Federer and Andy Roddick will meet in the quarterfinals of the Masters Series tournament at Key Biscayne after contrasting fourth round victories.
Swiss top seed Federer cruised past unseeded Jose Acasuso of Argentina 7-6 6-2, while later Roddick had to come from a set down to beat Julien Benneteau of
France, 4-6 6-3 6-2.
"Is that who I play?" Roddick said facetiously. He's 1-15 against Federer and has lost their past 11 meetings, but the world number one has been vulnerable
this season after battling mononucleosis.
Federer has not gone this long into a year without winning a championship since 2000 -- the last year he failed to win a title.
He was impressive against Acacuso though, with 31 winners and only 11 unforced errors. He lost just 10 points on his serve.
"It's always nice when you feel well from the beginning on your serve," he told the Associated Press.
Second seed Rafael Nadal of Spain swept past Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, 6-4 6-4, while fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia beat Croatian wild card
Mario Ancic, 4-6 6-3 7-5.
Nadal's opponent on Wednesday will be ninth seed James Blake, who wobbled at the finish but beat Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-4.
Blake needed six match points in the final game to close out the victory.
By reaching the final eight, Blake matched his best showing at Key Biscayne. He has often struggled in the event, where his career record is only 11-6,
including a loss in his opening match last year.
"I definitely haven't had the best results here," Blake said. "It's one of the things I can't really explain, but this year is hopefully going to be very
different."
Last year's runner-up Guillermo Canas of Argentina lost to Russian Igor Andreev 6-4 7-6.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals were tenth seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Dmitry Tursunov 6-2 6-2, while Serbian Janko Tipsarevic came from a set down to
beat 11th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny, 3-6 6-0 6-3.
Ronaldo and Rooney set United on way
02 April 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney scored a goal in each half as Manchester United won 2-0 in Roma's Olympic Stadium to virtually assure the Premier League
leaders a place in the Champions League semifinals.
United proved they can still dominate the Italian side, following last season's 8-3 aggregate triumph at the same stage of the competition, with a stylish
display.
The visitors enjoyed a lot of the ball in the first period as Roma -- missing talismanic striker Francesco Totti -- sat back, seemingly intent on not giving
anything away.
On 12 minutes, United opened up the Roma defense but after Park Ji-Sung took the ball down on his chest he was crowded out.
Christian Panucci headed over the bar from a David Pizarro corner and Mirko Vucinic shot over as he was falling backwards, after Rio Ferdinand had slipped,
as Roma briefly threatened.
United then suffered a blow as defender Nemanja Vidic was stretchered off with a leg injury, to be replaced by John O'Shea.
Chances were few and far between but on 39 minutes United produced a move of majestic quality to take the lead.
United switched the ball around the edge of the Roma box before Paul Scholes eventually crossed for Ronaldo to come steaming in to out-jump Marco Cassetti
and thump home a header.
Just three minutes later Roma had their best chance of the half after a mistake from Ferdinand, but Vucinic dragged his shot from the left just beyond the
far post.
Roma came out after the break with more purpose and Vucinic played in Max Tonetto, but he lashed his shot wide of the near post, failing even to force Edwin
van der Sar into making a save.
From a quick throw Panucci had great chance but skied his volley from five meters. Substitute Ludovic Giuly then got behind the United defense but Van der
Sar cut out his cross.
And the big Dutch keeper then made a stunning one-handed save on 62 minutes from a Vucinic header to keep the scores level.
Four minutes later, United scored a crucial second as Park headed a deep cross from Wes Brown back across goal and Rooney mopped up the loose ball after
goalkeeper Doni and Panucci impeded each other.
Moments later Ronaldo had a shot deflected onto the outside of the post as United threatened to run riot.
Rooney had two glorious chances to heap more misery on Roma late on but had one shot blocked and sent the other wide.
Ronaldo then almost scored with a stunning late volley from substitute Carlos Tevez's cross but the ball flew over the bar.
With Barcelona taking a 1-0 lead over Schalke in the other semifinal, it looks increasingly likely that United will face the Catalan giants for a place in
the Moscow final mext month.
Ronaldo played down his goal, simply saying his 36th of the season was "a good header" and preferred to comment on the team's overall performance.
"That was a very good performance in what was a top game," he said. "We created a few chances,scored twice and deserved the victory.
"The defense were terrific and they played their part. It was a good job overall but we must remember that the Champions League is a different style to the
Premier League and this match is not over yet," added the Portuguese winger.
Capello faces Rome perjury proceedings
01 April 2008
Prosecutors intend to open proceedings against England coach Fabio Capello for perjury in a case stemming from the Italian match-fixing scandal, according to
Italian news reports
The reports also confirm prosecutors are seeking a similar case involving former Juventus chief executive Antonio Giraudo.
Capello testified at the corruption trial of the Gea World player agency, which was run by the son of Luciano Moggi -- the former Juventus general manager
who is at the heart of the scandal.
Capello coached Juventus from 2004 until 2006 and, according to the text of his testimony, repeatedly said he did not remember nor knew any details of the
scandal. He has not been implicated in the match-fixing itself.
Prosecutor Luca Palamara has been quoted as saying that Capello cannot hide "behind the 'I don't remember' line."
Capello resigned from Juventus after the 2005-06 season and the club's two titles won under his direction were revoked.
While Capello was not charged before a sports court for direct involvement in the scandal, Giraudo was banned from football for five years.
Juventus were relegated to Serie B for their role in the scandal.
"I never knew of pressure on players or cases related to contracts with players. At Roma, and then at Juventus when I was coach, I was only concerned with
coaching choices," Capello told the court according to the ANSA news agency.
Loeb slams regulations after Argentina win
01 April 2008
Sebastien Loeb called for a review of the new tire regulations in place for this year's World Rally Championship after he survived treacherous conditions to
claim his fourth consecutive Rally Argentina and leadership of the overall standings.
The Frenchman had built a sizeable lead on the opening two days and his hopes of claiming his third rally win of the season were confirmed when nearest rival
Petter Solberg was forced to retire during the opening stage on Sunday.
That allowed the four-time world champion the luxury of coasting through the final few stages in conditions he described as "the hardest I've ever faced",
finishing two minutes 33 seconds ahead of Subaru driver Chris Atkinson.
Mikko Hirvonen, who had led the standings heading into this week's rally, finished fifth to trail Loeb by five points in the overall classification.
But despite his victory Loeb was critical of the new tire regulations in place this season, which left all the competitors to try and negotiate the muddy
conditions on hard compound tires.
"I like difficult conditions but I thought Sunday's were the hardest I've ever faced. It wasn't so much of a problem for me because I had a good lead, so
luckily I didn't have to push too hard, but it's almost impossible to drive in so much mud," said Loeb.
"I think we have to do something, otherwise it could be dangerous. In some places it was very hard to keep the car on the road at all." He added.
"Yes, we see fog, rain and mud on other rallies, but up to now we've always been able to choose an appropriate tire. I hope we can do something to improve
the limited options we have now."
Loeb began Sunday with an 80-second advantage over Subaru driver Petter Solberg, however the Norwegian's hopes were dashed on the opening stage of the day
when he was forced to retire after his car succumbed to electrical failure.
Loeb all but sealed victory when he successfully negotiated the tricky El Condor stage, to hold a two-minute-30-second lead heading into the final two road
sections and Superspecial stage.
Finnish driver Hirvonen was second fastest in the Superspecial stage to claim fifth place and ensure he did not lose too much ground on Loeb in the overall
standings.
Loeb's team-mate Daniel Sordo guaranteed Citroen had two drivers on the podium as he finished the rally in third.
Liverpool edge Everton in crunch derby clash
31 March 2008
Liverpool delivered a vital blow in the battle for fourth place in England's Premier League with a 1-0 victory over city rivals Everton on Sunday.
While Chelsea earlier reclaimed second place after a 1-0 win over visiting Middlesbrough, Liverpool moved five points clear of its neighbor through Fernando
Torres' 28th goal of the season.
The Spanish striker scored in the seventh minute at Anfield to lift the Reds to 62 points from 31 games, with Everton back in fifth and now struggling to
clinch a Champions League qualifying spot with only seven matches to play.
Liverpool got the early breakthrough when Everton striker Yakubu Ayegbeni lost possession on the edge of his own area, and Dirk Kuyt prodded the ball through
to Torres, who hit a right-foot shot past American goalkeeper Tim Howard into the far corner.
Torres equaled the club record of scoring in six successive home league games.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard hit the post with a fierce right-foot volley and had a shot saved by Howard, while Lucas Leiva had a volley blocked by
Joseph Yobo and Kuyt's shot was deflected over the bar.
Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho scored in the sixth minute to lift the Blues back above Arsenal and to within five points of leader Manchester United.
The Portuguese center-back headed home Wayne Bridge's free-kick for his first goal this season after Chelsea went into the game without injured top scorer
Frank Lampard.
Striker Didier Drogba squandered two chances to double the lead before half-time, heading wide from Salomon Kalou's corner and then nodding over the bar when
unmarked from Joe Cole's cross.
Middlesbrough, only four points above the relegation zone, hit the woodwork three times at Stamford Bridge.
Substitute striker Alfonso Alves struck the post after being set free and trying to beat goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini from long range, and both he and defender
Danny Wheater headed against the bar in quick succession late on as the home side battled to preserve their lead.
Chelsea now have 71 points, one more than the Gunners, who rallied from 2-0 down to halt a five-match winless streak and beat Bolton 3-2 on Saturday.
The win was crucial for Chelsea after defending champion United won on Saturday, thrashing UEFA Cup hopefuls Aston Villa 4-0.
Newcastle seemingly ended any danger of relegation with a surprise 4-1 win at Tottenham in the other match, as both sides started the match with three
strikers in attack-minded formations.
Tottenham, already guaranteed a place in the UEFA Cup next season after winning the League Cup, took the lead when Darren Bent celebrated his return to the
starting line-up with his second goal in successive games.
The striker, a $33 million signing from Charlton last summer, headed home Steed Malbranque's left-wing cross on 26 minutes to take his tally to this season
to eight.
But Newcastle, who earlier hit the bar through midfielder Habib Beye, equalized on the stroke of half-time when Nicky Butt's speculative effort found the
bottom left corner of the net.
Geremi put the visitors ahead seven minutes after the break with a free-kick which left goalkeeper Paul Robinson rooted to the spot, while Michael Owen -- a
substitute last week for the second successive game under England coach Fabio Capello -- made it 3-1 on 65 with his third goal in as many games for his
club.
Obafemi Martins, who started alongside Owen and Mark Viduka in a three-pronged attack, sealed victory with seven minutes left as Newcastle gave manager Kevin
Keegan just his second win in 11 matches since returning to the club and moved a point above North-East rivals Middlesbrough.
Raul milestone helps Real extend lead
31 March 2008
Real Madrid marched closer to a second successive Spanish league title on Sunday, moving six points clear at the top after beating Sevilla 3-1 at the
Santiago Bernabeu.
Bernd Schuster's side bounced back from last weekend's shock defeat by Valencia to take advantage of Barcelona's surprise 3-2 loss to Real Betis on Saturday
night.
Real now have 65 points with eight games remaining, ahead of Villarreal -- 3-0 victors against fourth-placed Atletico Madrid on Saturday on 59 and Barcelona
one further back.
Gabriel Heinze, having moved from left-back into central defense to replace the injured Pepe, put the home side ahead in the seventh minute with his first
goal for Real when he headed home Wesley Schneider's free-kick.
Raul was twice denied by Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop before striker Fredi Kanoute volleyed home an equalizer eight minutes from half-time.
Captain Raul scored two minutes later for his 290th Real goal to make him the club's joint second all-time top scorer along with Carlos Alonso Santillana --
17 scores behind Alfredo di Stefano's benchmark total.
Gonzalo Higuain added a third on 65 minutes as Real ended a sequence of two successive league defeats.
In Sunday's other games, Kings Cup finalists Valencia crashed to a demoralizing 3-0 home defeat to Real Mallorca, with Spain international Daniel Guiza
netting twice.
Racing Santander kept alive their unexpected hopes of Champions League qualification with a 3-0 victory at Espanyol which left the little-fancied outfit
level on points with Atletico.
Real Zaragoza, who qualified for the UEFA Cup last season, are fourth from bottom following a 2-1 defeat by fellow strugglers Valladolid.
Deportivo La Coruna moved four points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win over struggling Real Murcia, while bottom club Levante suffered a 21st
defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at Almeria.
Warne calls time on first-class career
March 28 2008
Shane Warne will not return to play for English county Hampshire this season, in a move that effectively signals the end of the leg-spin legend's first-class
cricket career.
Australian great Warne, 38, who had a year remaining on his Hampshire contract and had been due to captain them again this season, said business commitments
and a desire to see more of his young children had prompted his decision to end an eight-year association with the county.
Warne, second in the list of Test cricket's all-time leading wicket-takers, will now retire from all first-class cricket following his involvement as captain
and coach of the Jaipur franchise in the new Indian Premier League.
"My eight years involved with Hampshire have been a wonderful experience. Memories that will last with me forever and likewise the friendships that have been
formed at the club," Warne said.
"Unfortunately I am retiring from all first-class cricket but will participate in the IPL with the Jaipur franchise as captain and coach.
"This was not an easy decision to make but due to some exciting business opportunities and wanting to spend more time with my children, I had to make this
call," Warne, Hampshire's captain since 2004, added.
"I was very lucky to have played with such a wonderful group of guys, thanks for the great times -- thank you very much for your support and
friendship.
"To all the fans that have turned up to watch Hampshire play, thank you very much for embracing me as one of you, and supporting me and the team, it meant a
lot to me."
Warne took 276 first-class wickets for Hampshire at an average of 25.59 with best match figures of seven for 99 against Middlesex at the Rose Bowl. He also
scored 2,040 runs with a best of 107 against Kent at Canterbury in 2005.
Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove said: "Hampshire Cricket has been hugely privileged to have enjoyed the unstinting loyalty of this living legend since
2000.
"The most effective and entertaining bowler of all time, Shane Warne was also a brilliant leader and strategist. As our captain, his influence was
instrumental in the development of Hampshire into one of the country's top sides.
"I know this will be a major disappointment to many fans of both Hampshire and Shane but, after much discussion and soul-searching, it has become clear to
both of us, that Shane can no longer make the commitment required to continue to lead Hampshire.
"After the commitment and loyalty he has shown to this club over the past few years, I can only wish him all the success and happiness he deserves."
Credited with singlehandedly reviving interest in leg-spin bowling, Warne finished his Test career at the end of last year's Ashes series against England in
Australia with 708 wickets at an average of just over 25 apiece from 145 matches.
Warne's record, however, has been subsequently surpassed by Sri Lanka's extraordinary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
British men break world pursuit record
March 28 2008
Great Britain's team pursuiters broke the world record as they successfully defended their title at the track cycling world championships in Manchester on
Thursday evening.
The British quartet of Bradley Wiggins, who won the individual gold on Wednesday, Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Paul Manning completed the 4000 meters race
against Denmark in three minutes, 56.322 seconds.
The time beat the previous best of three minutes 56.610 seconds set by Australia when they won the Olympic gold in Athens in 2004.
Wiggins believes the team can go even quicker at the Beijing Olympics, when they will hope to improve on their silver medal behind Australia four years
ago.
He said: "The big aim is always the Olympics but we prepared well for this. Then we had a couple of illnesses over the last six weeks which put to bed the
thought of doing a world record, so I absolutely believe we can go faster."
On a great evening for the host nation, Rebecca Romero overpowered two-time defending champion Sarah Hammer to win the women's individual pursuit
title.
Romero, a former world champion in rowing who won an Olympic silver medal in 2004, clocked a winning time of three minutes 30.501seconds to beat the American
who began fading badly less than halfway into the race -- eventually finishing over three seconds adrift.
Australia's Katie Mactier claimed her second consecutive bronze in the 3km discipline after overpowering Britain's Wendy Houvenaghel in their medal
duel.
Romero, who won Olympic silver in the quadruple sculls rowing event at Athens in 2004, only turned to track cycling in 2006. However, she made an immediate
impact, winning the British road time trial in practically her first race.
After becoming British time trial champion on the track in 2007, she grabbed her first world medal, a silver, after finishing second behind Hammer in the
pursuit at last year's championships in Mallorca.
Britain claimed a third gold on the night when Victoria Pendleton and Shanaze Reade defended their team sprint crown against China.
The Chinese pairing of Jinjie Gong and Lulu Zheng claimed the silver medal, with Germany taking bronze after winning their medal match-up with
France.
Pendleton, the world sprint champion, and reigning world BMX champion Reade set a new world best time of 33.186 seconds for the two-lap event to beat heat
rivals France and claim their spot in the final.
And despite China taking a slight lead after the first lap of the two-lap event Pendleton dug deep to pull back the deficit and come over the finish line in
a time of 33.61 seconds.
England beaten as Beckham wins 100th cap
March 27 2008
David Beckham's 100th cap ended in disappointment as France beat England 1-0 in their friendly international at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
Beckham was substituted just after the hour mark by which time the home side had taken a firm hold and led through Franck Ribery's penalty after 32
minutes.
Playing in his customary wide right role, Beckham managed the occasional dangerous cross and trademark raking pass, but also picked up a yellow card.
"I'm very honored," Beckham told Sky Sports.
"Straight from when I started playing for England I never dreamed I'd get 100 caps, and hopefully beyond.
"I'm happy but like I said during the week I want to carry on. Of course things can change but I want to carry on playing for my country."
Beckham's replacement David Bentley of Blackburn also failed to make an impression as England labored to their first defeat under new coach Fabio
Capello.
France, by contrast, always looked sharper despite missing several first choice players although it took a misjudgment by England goalkeeper David James to
concede the penalty.
He dashed out rashly to haul down Nicolas Anelka with Ribery easily beating the Portsmouth man from the resulting spot-kick.
Beckham, who had come close to turning in a cross by Ashley Cole in the 16th minute, was shown his yellow card for a foul on Ribery in the 38th
minute.
Capello made four changes at halftime, changing his ineffective strikeforce of Wayne Rooney supported by a distant Steven Gerrard and sending on Peter Crouch
and Michael Owen in a more orthodox 4-4-2.
But it was France that went closer to scoring early in the second half with Anelka sending an angled shot wide and Florent Malouda driving a low left foot
shot which appeared to beat James but shaved the post.
Djibil Cisse, who replaced Anelka 10 minutes from the end, almost made it 2-0 in the 87th minute as he outpaced Ashley Cole down the left and saw his shot
flash wide of the near post.
Despite the defeat, Capello professed to be pleased by the way his side played. "I'm actually quite happy because I have seen improvements," he told Sky
Sports.
"We played against a top-level team and I think we did well."
Beckham became the fifth Englishman to win 100 caps, joining Billy Wright, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton in reaching that
landmark.
And Capello's verdict on Beckham ? "Yes I saw him well, he was fit and could have carried on playing. I subbed him because I needed to see other players as
well.
Pato goal sees Brazil defeat Sweden
March 27 2008
Alexandre Pato scored in the 72nd minute to give Brazil a 1-0 win over Sweden in a rematch of the 1958 World Cup final, played at Arsenal's Emirates
Stadium.
The match marked the 50th anniversary of that final played in Stockholm -- but failed to come close to the 5-2 scoreline of Brazil's original win.
Milan striker Pato needed a major blunder from Sweden's substitute goalkeeper Rami Shaaban to break the deadlock.
Shaaban ran out to clear a ball outside the left side of the area but hit it straight at Pato, who controlled well before sending a curling lob into the
net.
Both sides were missing their top players. Brazil without both Kaka and Ronaldinho, while Sweden were without Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In a tight match, Sweden had the best chance of the first half in the 25th minute when Markus Rosenberg sent his shot wide of the right hand post after a
rare defensive lapse from Brazil.
That was followed by a flurry of opportunities for both sides. Julio Baptista was played through for Brazil a minute later only for his shot to be saved by a
charging Andreas Isaksson.
Sebastian Larsson then sent a cross in from the right for Sweden that was met by Johan Elmander, but his header went straight at goalkeeper Julio
Cesar.
Diego, who served as Brazil's playmaker in the absence of both Kaka and Ronaldinho, had several efforts off target including a curling shot in the 35th
minute that went past the right hand post.
Beckham promised 100th cap in Paris
March 26 2008
England manager Fabio Capello has brought David Beckham back onto his team and it's nothing to do with the star reaching 100 appearances.
He believes that the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder might well be wearing the same white shirt at the 2010 World Cup.
"The David Beckham I know can certainly last and get to 2010 if he carries on training and working hard," said Capello, who has recalled Beckham for
Wednesday's friendly against France.
"I know David Beckham and what he can give me, and I think he can make the difference in some respects. I know what he can give to a team. As for the future,
we will have to see. Nobody knows what the future holds."
The 29-year-old Ferdinand will make his 66th international appearance.
Ferdinand missed the 2004 European Championship because he was serving an eight-month ban for failing to attend a doping test at Manchester United's training
ground. England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
"If you learn from those mistakes then you've got every right to aim as high as you want to aim," Ferdinand said. "But I'm under no illusions to think I'm
going to be captain in the future."
Headed for his 33rd birthday in May, Beckham knows his time as an England player has to be running out after more than a decade. But the fact that Capello is
happy to recall him and then talk about the star playing in his fourth World Cup gives the Galaxy player plenty of hope for the future.
"I've managed him previously and he's always been a very good professional," said Capello, who still speaks in Italian even though it's clear he understands
questions in English. "Only people who are so professional can last and be at the top for so long."
The manager who has guided Italian clubs AC Milan, AS Roma, Juventus and Spain's Real Madrid to multiple titles had Beckham on his squad last season in the
Spanish league.
Capello dropped Beckham in midseason when the England midfielder announced his move to Major League Soccer. But Beckham's reaction to being dropped was to
train even harder than usual and, when Capello recalled him, the player was a major force in Madrid staging a strong charge in the second half of the season
to capture the Spanish league title.
Beckham also was dropped by Steve McClaren, the manager Capello replaced when England failed to qualify for this summer's European Championship.
But McClaren couldn't leave him out either and Beckham returned to set up goals for England with his expertly aimed crosses and passes.
He was left on 99 appearances when England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and there was the danger he might finish there when Capello left him out of his
first game in charge against Switzerland in February.
But the Italian stated Beckham was overlooked solely because the MLS season had long finished and he was not playing at the time, even though he was training
in England with Arsenal.
Now back playing preseason with the Galaxy, Beckham has shown Capello he is fit enough to play for his country, even if he only comes off the bench against
France.
"He will play a part," Capello told reporters at England's team hotel in downtown Paris on Tuesday.
"It would have been very cruel of me to make him come all the way from the U.S. and not play him."
Asia teams face off in World Cup qualifiers
March 26 2008
The soccer World Cup prospects of some of Asia's strongest teams will be tested in China when its hosts two vital qualification matches.
Not only does China take on Australia, but North and South Korea will meet in a much anticipated game in Shanghai.
North Korea's refusal to fly the South's flag and play the South Korean anthem prompted FIFA to relocate the game from Pyongyang to Shanghai's Hongkou
Stadium.
With one game of the third round of qualification already completed, 20 Asian nations are still on the road to South Africa in 2010. The top two teams from
each of the five four-team groups will progress to the final stage of continental qualification.
The two Koreas occupy the top two spots of Group 3. North Korea won 1-0 in Jordan while the South thrashed Turkmenistan 4-0 at Seoul.
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in February's East Asian championship, also held in China, but this time South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo has summoned his
England-based players.
Park Ji-sung of Manchester United has made the journey east along with Fulham's Seol Ki-hyeon, Lee Young-pyo of Tottenham and new West Bromwich Albion
midfielder Kim Do-heon.
"It would be great to have more players like Park," Huh said as he departed for Shanghai. "He can play in many positions and makes my job easier.
"North Korea is a team that is strong on the counterattack with fast and dangerous strikers but we are in pretty good shape."
High-altitude match
China's decision to play Group 1 rival Australia at Kunming, at an altitude of almost 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), has provoked a few comments from the
Socceroos.
"It's going to be a real challenge," West Ham defender Lucas Neill told Australian media. "Altitude, China away. Probably a dodgy hotel, dodgy food, a dodgy
ground -- they'll try and do everything they can to test our character."
It should certainly be a tougher test than the one provided by Qatar at Melbourne in February, especially as Premier League stars Brett Emerton and Tim
Cahill are absent.
Coach Pim Verbeek's first game in charge of Australia ended with a 3-0 win, the same night China drew 1-1 with Asian Cup champion Iraq.
"China have to win," Verbeek said. "There is no doubt about that -- a draw is not good enough and a loss will probably mean the end of qualification. The
pressure is much more on their shoulders than ours."
Iraq faces Qatar after firing Norwegian coach Egil Olsen and reinstating former player Adnan Hamad in February.
Asian powerhouse Japan should be able to establish control of Group 2. After defeating Thailand 4-1 in Saitama last month, Japan takes on Bahrain. Celtic
midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura wasn't recalled for the match, while Eintracht Frankfurt player Junichi Inamoto has withdrawn with a thigh strain.
Saudi Arabia lived up to its billing as Group 4 favorite with a 2-0 win over Singapore in its opening game, but faces a tougher task in Tashkent, where
Uzbekistan is aiming for revenge for its 2007 Asian Cup quarterfinal defeat.
Whatever the result in Central Asia, both teams should progress to the next round. Singapore and Lebanon, both winless, meet in the other match.
Group 5 is an all West Asian affair. Iran has failed to score in its last six games, a barren run that includes a surprise goalless draw at home to Syria in
the opening World Cup qualifier at Tehran.
In order to rectify the situation, Iran appointed Ali Daei -- the man who has scored more international goals than anybody in the world -- as national coach
this month and he faces his first test against Kuwait.
We have only ourselves to blame for not defeating Syria," Daei was quoted as saying ahead of Kuwait city match. "Missing too many chances at home is not the
best start, but I am sure that we will recover."
The United Arab Emirates leads the group after a 2-0 defeat of Kuwait, but coach Bruno Metsu will face a tougher task in Syria.
Dallas lose Nowitzki for NBA title run-in
March 25 2008
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks was sidelined indefinitely on Monday with a high ankle sprain and a mildly sprained
knee.
It's a blow to the Mavericks' NBA title hopes -- and perhaps their chances of making the playoffs.
The team announced the diagnosis following a MRI exam the day after German star was injured during a game against San Antonio. He landed awkwardly on his
left leg after running to block a shot.
Nowitzki said he's hoping to be out for only one or two weeks. The regular season ends three weeks from Wednesday.
"I'm trying to see the positive and it could've been a lot worse," Nowitzki said, wearing a protective boot on his left ankle. "It could've been a season-
ending injury or even career-ending."
Nowitzki has had ankle problems throughout his career, but he's never missed more than six games in a season. His durability is a big reason why he recently
became the leading scorer in team history.
He was seventh in the league at 23.6 points per game this season. He's also the team leader in rebounds (8.8) and averaging a career-best 3.6
assists.
The Mavericks have lost three straight, continuing a spiral since adding Jason Kidd. They are only 9-8 with the All-Star point guard and hold a half-game
lead over Golden State for the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Nowitzki has led the club in scoring every season since 2000-01, including two years ago when the Mavericks made the NBA finals and last year when they won
67 games.
Nowitzki's injury could also have international ramifications with Germany among 12 teams vying for the three remaining spots in the Olympics. The qualifying
tournament is in July.
Beckham wants to extend England career
March 25 2008
David Beckham is hopeful his 100th international appearance for England is the start of a new phase.
Beckham, the former England captain, will play against France on Wednesday after being recalled by coach Fabio Capello.
Beckham would become just the fifth Englishman to reach that milestone.
"As much as I'm honored to be here, I want it to carry on," Beckham said Monday. "It doesn't stop here for me. It's not about 'Have your 100th game and then
retire.' It's about carrying on trying to play well for my country."
Beckham sat out Capello's debut win over Switzerland last month because the coach ruled that he wasn't fit enough during the Major League Soccer off-season.
He's been playing preseason exhibitions for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Beckham would move within 25 appearances of the record set by England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Billy Wright are the other
former England players to have reached the century milestone.
Even if this match at Stade de France proves to be his last, Beckham will be happy.
"I never thought a year ago or two years ago that I would make 95 caps, never mind 100," Beckham said. "I'm honored that I'm making, hopefully, my 100th
appearance in an England shirt, but I'm also honored to be doing it against one of the best teams in the world."
The 32-year-old Beckham was dropped by Capello's predecessor, Steve McClaren, after the 2006 World Cup and missed nine England matches. He was recalled a
year later following a string of poor results.
Beckham remained on the team through the remainder of England's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the European Championship, but missed out on Capello's
first squad even though he was training with Arsenal in an effort to stay fit.
"He's a really good player," Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini said. "It was a pleasure to train with him. He's very fit, good technically."
Ronaldo fires United three points clear
March 20 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to give Manchester United a 2-0 victory over Bolton and a three-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
In Wednesday's other game, Robbie Keane equalized two minutes from the end as Tottenham snatched a dramatic 4-4 draw against Chelsea to stop the Blues
drawing level with second-place Arsenal.
With Manchester United-Liverpool and Chelsea-Arsenal to come on Sunday, the Premier League title race is heating up as the teams go into their final eight
games.
United has 70 points from 30 games, Arsenal 67 and Chelsea 65. Fourth-place Liverpool appears to be out of contention with 59.
Against a Bolton side which has won only once and now lost 11 times on the road, United cruised into a 2-0 lead inside the first 19 minutes at Old Trafford,
where Alex Ferguson's team has two more home games in a row.
Captain for the game, Ronaldo gave United the lead in the ninth minute.
Bolton failed to clear a corner and the ball dropped to the winger who fired it into the roof of the net to match George Best's club record for a winger of
32 goals.
Back from suspension after his red card against Portsmouth in the FA Cup loss, goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak blocked a close range shot from Kevin
Davies.
A minute later it was 2-0, however, when Bolton needlessly gave away a free kick and Ronaldo powered a dipping 30-meter shot that flew inside the post.
That made it 24 league goals in 24 starts for Ronaldo and the Portuguese star had taken Best's mark.
In a spell of Bolton pressure, Kuszczak made two good saves to deny Nicky Hunt and Gavin McCann and El Hadji Diouf had the ball in the United net from a free
kick in the 56th minute only for referee Alan Wiley to rule it out because he hadn't blown for it to be taken.
Didier Drogba headed home a cross from John Terry to give Chelsea a third minute lead at White Hart Lane against the side that shocked them in the recent
Carling Cup final at Wembley.
But Spurs leveled in the 12th when Jermaine Jenas swung in a free kick from the right and Jonathan Woodgate scored with a powerful header.
Chelsea regained the lead in the 20th minute when Joe Cole dribbled through the Spurs defense and supplied a pass to Michael Essien to chip the ball over
goalkeeper Paul Robinson who had raced off his line.
Cole made it 3-1 in the 52nd after taking a pass from Claude Makelele but Dimitar Berbatov replied for Spurs in the 61st, beating Terry in the air and
heading home a cross from Tom Huddlestone.
Huddlestone then equalized for 3-3 in the 75th minute but Cole edged Chelsea back in front five minutes later.
It appeared that Chelsea would draw level on points with Arsenal but Keane struck again with a shot into the top corner in the 88th minute to make it 4-
4.
Bulgarian Berbatov was then denied a winner in time added on by a superb Carlo Cudicini save.
Rangers avoided an embarrassing Scottish Cup exit by battling back from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to First Division Partick Thistle on
Wednesday.
Damon Grey had handed the Jags a stunning 67th minute lead, provoking dreams among the Thistle fans of one of Scottish football's greatest upsets.
However Kris Boyd saved some of the Ibrox side's blushes by equalising within 90 seconds to take the quarterfinal tie to a replay.
Nadal rallies to revenge Australian defeat
March 20 2008
Rafael Nadal came back to win the final five games and beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday in an intense, crowd-pleasing rematch of their Australian Open
semifinal.
Nadal, the defending Indian Wells champion, avenged his lopsided loss in Melbourne with a scrappy 6-7 7-6 7-5 victory in the fourth round of the Pacific Life
Open.
Top seed Roger Federer, bidding for his fourth Indian Wells title in five years, cruised to a 6-3 6-4 victory over Ivan Ljubicic to also move into the
quarterfinals.
James Blake and Mardy Fish, the two U.S. players remaining in the men's competition, each won to advance to the quarterfinals. Blake took a 6-4 6-2 victory
over Richard Gasquet, and Fish beat two-time Indian Wells champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-5 3-6 7-6.
After Tsonga, a hard-hitting Frenchman, went up 5-2 in the third set, Nadal held serve the rest of the way and broke Tsonga's serve in the ninth and 11th
games to take a 6-5 lead.
With the crowd beginning to cheer even as he set up for the shot, the Spaniard capped the match by slamming an overhead past Tsonga.
The 22-year-old Tsonga, who has vaulted from 212 in the rankings in 2006 to No. 17, upset No. 2 Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 in the Australian Open semis before losing
to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Nadal insisted he wasn't out for revenge, but acknowledged that the match was significant in another way.
"He is going to be one of the rivals for this year, will try to be in the top positions, so I try to win. These matches are very important always," the 21-
year-old Spaniard said.
He believes Tsonga has the potential to move into the top three or four spots, saying, "He has an unbelievable forehand."
Tsonga considered the match important for another reason.
"I would like to show everybody my run in the Australian Open was not luck," he said. "I want to prove to everybody I can play at this level, so I'm
disappointed about this."
Tsonga played brilliantly at times in the rematch, but mistakes cost him at other times.
The match lasted three hours and three minutes, and the crowd seemed rapt, reacting loudly to practically every point. Some fans yelled "Go, Ali!" a Tsonga
nickname alluding to his resemblance to boxing great Muhammad Ali, and others screaming, "You can do it, Rafa!"
In other matches, Djokovic advanced with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Guillermo Canas; Tommy Haas edged 11th seed Andy Murray of Britain 2-6 7-5 6-3; and David
Nalbandian beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2 6-2.
Owen earns Keegan's Newcastle vital point
March 18 2008
Michael Owen eased some of the pressure on Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan by salvaging a point in a nervy 1-1 Barclays Premier League relegation battle with
Birmingham at St Andrews.
England coach Fabio Capello watched Owen show his predatory instincts in front of goal as he levelled 10 minutes into the second half with his seventh goal
of the campaign.
James McFadden had given Birmingham a deserved half-time lead with a goal after 33 minutes but it was a different story after the break when the Magpies
looked the more menacing.
Owen's strike earned Newcastle only their third point from the eight Premier League matches since Keegan returned to Tyneside and it was enough to keep them
above Alex McLeish's side in the battle to stay in the top flight.
Newcastle were disjointed and barely posed a threat in the opening 45 minutes despite Keegan playing Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins together for the
first time.
Birmingham were well worth their interval lead with McFadden a constant menace after being restored to the starting line-up and Fabrice Muamba impressing in
the centre of midfield.
But the visitors were transformed after Keegan's half-time pep talk and it needed goalkeeper Maik Taylor to make some crucial saves to deny Newcastle their
first league win since mid-December.
McFadden had broken the first half deadlock with his ninth goal of the campaign.
There appeared little danger when left-back David Murphy lofted the ball into the Newcastle box but McFadden was able to turn Abdoulaye Faye before clipping
the ball wide of Steve Harper into the corner of the net
Birmingham were forced to make a half-time substitution with the limping Larsson replaced by Stuart Parnaby. But they began where they left off and Harper
denied Forssell from close range after good play by McFadden
After 50 minutes Owen -- unmarked 10 meters out -- tried to curl the ball past Taylor but the Birmingham goalkeeper made an excellent reflex save.
Owen was not to be denied and five minutes later he grabbed an equaliser. Taylor again did well to parry away a low drive from Martins but Owen was the first
to react to the rebound and clipped it into the corner of the net.
Taylor pushed aside a stinging drive from Jose Enrique as Newcastle finished the stronger and he also had to be alert to keep out a shot on the turn from
Martins.
Nadal and Djokovic ease to California wins
March 18 2008
Defending champion Rafael Nadal and third seed Novak Djokovic breezed through to the last 16 of the Masters Series tournament at Indian Wells with straight
sets victories.
Nadal eased past American teenager Donald Young 6-1 6-3 with Australian Open champion Djokovic beating 27th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3 6-2 in
a night match on Monday.
Nadal has won eight straight matches at the Pacific Life Open without dropping a set, but a sterner test for the Spaniard will come in the fourth round
against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who upset Nadal in the Australian Open semifinals.
Two days after hitting no aces, Tsonga racked 15 and broke French countryman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the last game to win 7-6 6-4.
"In Australia I had a tough loss but I'm going to try and improve this time," Nadal said. "It's going to be important to serve well because he's strong in
his serve, and from the baseline try to play a little bit more aggressive than in Australia."
In other men's action, 16th seed Guillermo Canas rallied to beat fellow Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3 6-7 6-2 and South Korean Lee Hyung-taik upset fifth-seeded
Spaniard David Ferrer 7-6 6-7 7-6.
Earlier, eighth-seed Richard Gasquet of France hammered Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 6-2 6-1 and will next meet ninth-seeded home hope James Blake, who
downed Carlos Moya of Spain 6-3 6-4.
Also, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland dispatched Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-3 6-7 6-0 in their first career meeting.
Miller claims second World Cup ski title
March 14 2008
American Bode Miller claimed his second overall World Cup title after closest challenger Didier Cuche of Switzerland decided not to race in the final slalom.
Miller finished ahead of Cuche in Thursday's super-G race in Bormio but the Swiss still had a mathematical chance of picking up the title.
However, Swiss team spokeswoman Kristina Schneider said Cuche would not compete in the slalom.
Miller declined to speak to reporters at the finish line.
"I am not talking today," he said.
His personal coach John McBride, who set Thursday's course, said he was glad the title came before the final race.
"I am very happy I don't have to drag this all the way to the slalom and chew my fingers off watching him try to bring home the bacon in the slalom," McBride
told The Associated Press.
"Even though I know he can, it would have really nerve-racking for me. I'm super relieved that he's done it because I think he proved he was the best overall
skier this year."
Miller split from the U.S. team this season to train on his own.
"I am proud of the kid. We definitely had our ups and downs this season, which had lots of missed opportunities and some super inspirational moments,"
McBride said.
The mood at Miller's trailer, in which he travels and lives during the season, appeared low-key. Miller looked to be in a dour mood and refused repeated
requests by the AP to talk.
He may have been upset at his 12th-place finish on a course set by McBride.
"Today was disappointing for sure," McBride said. "I thought I went out there and set a course that was a skier's course and I thought he was going to be the
man to take care of it."
Miller, who also won the coveted Crystal Globe in 2005, increase his overall lead to 191 points in the super-G race, which was won by Austrian Hannes
Reichelt.
Reichelt's victory earned him the super-G crown. Miller was 12th, and Cuche was 16th. Only the top 15 finishers score points.
Miller now has 1,409 points while Cuche stayed at 1,218.
Cuche never races slalom and would have had little chance of gaining points even if he competed
The 33-year-old Swiss's disappointment was made worse by the fact that his teammate Daniel Albrecht played a significant part in depriving him of the super-G
crown.
Cuche had to finish among the top 15 to collect some points, to have any chance of holding on to his super-G lead.
After starting with bib 21 he took provisional 13th place with five racers to go, but then Andrej Jerman (10th) and Christof Innerhofer (14th) pushed him
down to 15th.
Albrecht was second last to race from the field of 27, and his 11th place finish, just ahead of Miller, meant he pushed Cuche down to 16th.
"I'm happy with my own race but it's kind of sad that I pushed Didier out," Albrecht said.
It seems there may have been a communication breakdown amongst the Austrian team prior to his start.
"The last time I looked, he was 13th. Then a few seconds before I started they (coaches) told me not to be too fast. But I didn't realize ... I had to
concentrate on my own race as well. Things happen."
He added: "It's not easy for him (Cuche), because I pushed him out and I'm a teammate. It's a bad situation."
Cuche blamed himself, saying that he tried to ski a safe run to finish in the points to secure the super-G title.
"I wanted to use tactics," the 33-year-old said. "If I had only come in 15th, you could have said that I was clever. Now I'm the idiot."
Reichelt took the Super-G title by one point over Cuche, winning the race by one-hundredth of a second over Didier Defago of Switzerland.
He dedicated his crown to his compatriot Matthias Lanzinger, who had to have his leg amputated last week after a horrific fall in the super-G at Kvitfjell,
Norway.
"I'm very pleased as it's been a tough week after Matthias' accident," said the 27-year-old who won the super-G at Beaver Creek in the US in
December.
Reichelt covered the Stelvio course in one minute, 45.00 seconds for his third victory of the season and his fourth career win. Ales Gorza of Slovenia was
third in 1:45.34.
Miller missed out on a chance for the downhill title when weather forced the race's cancellation, allowing Cuche to take the title without have to
race.
On Thursday, Miller had a safe run to clock 1:46.01, while Cuche finished in 1:46.44.
The United States is now well placed to complete an overall title sweep, with Lindsey Vonn virtually assured of the women's trophy after finishing second in
the final women's super-G in Bormio.
The Americans have not pulled off the double since Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney took the titles in 1983.
Battling Rangers reach UEFA Cup last 8
March 14 2008
Scottish giants Rangers booked their place in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals after a dramatic 90-minute rearguard action at Werder Bremen on Thursday.
Defeat by the only goal was just enough to see Walter Smith's side through on aggregate following their 2-0 first leg victory at Ibrox.
It was one-way traffic from the start but the Rangers defense stood tall until the 58th minute when Diego found the back of the net.
Werder kept pressing and hit the crossbar through Boubacar Sanogo five minutes from time -- but the Scottish Premier leaders prevailed.
"One, two three goals, we had the chances, but we didn't do it," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said. "The fact is, we aren't scoring those goals."
The goal cam when Diego flipped the ball to the side to escape two defenders before driving a powerful shot past goalkeeper Allan McGregor inside the far
post.
Bremen, second in the Bundesliga, dominated the first half, with Daniel Jensen and Sebastian Boensisch sending shots wide, Hugo Almeida heading over the bar
and Markus Rosenberg forcing McGregor into a save.
Tim Borowski also volleyed over from close range and McGregor stopped another shot from Jensen.
McGregor was also busy in the second half, twice keeping out Jensen and pushing Sanogo's shot onto the woodwork.
"I can't recall a match where we were so dominant, this was very unjust," Diego said after Bremen had 35 shots on goal to four by Rangers.
Sporting Lisbon claimed the final berth in Friday's draw when Bruno Pereirinha scored the only goal against Bolton five minutes from time to give the
Portuguese a 2-1 aggregate victory.
On Wednesday, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St. Petersburg, PSV Eindhoven, Fiorentina and Getafe advanced.
Manager Gary Megson paid the price for fielding an under-strength side as Bolton followed Everton and Spurs out of this season's competition at the last-16
stage.
There was no Kevin Nolan, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Kevin Davies, Matt Taylor, El Hadji Diouf, Andy O'Brien, Ricardo Gardner, Ivan Campo or Gavin McCann at the
Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Megson's focus is firmly on Sunday's clash with relegation rivals Wigan at the JJB Stadium, and understandably so with the club now back in the bottom
three.
The millions of pounds available for survival far outweigh the prestige of winning a piece of silverware, a sad indictment of the financial pressures placed
on top-flight managers these days.
Sporting enjoyed the majority of the play, creating one fine opportunity in the 31st minute. With right-back Jlloyd Samuel the weak link in Bolton's defense,
Pereirinha delivered a cross that was flicked on by Vukcevic to the far post where a full-stretch Marat Izmailov steered the ball over the crossbar.
Sporting finished the half with Leandro Romagnoli pulling another good save out of Al Habsi, but for all their possession, that was as much as they created.
The home side contined to enjoy the lion's share of possession after the break, they barely troubled their visitors until late on.
After Liedson sidefooted one chance that was parried by Al Habsi, the Oman international was beaten soon after courtesy of a superb curled left-foot strike
by Pereirinha into the top right-hand corner.
Four-goal Lampard leads Chelsea charge
March 13 2008
Frank Lampard hit four goals as doomed Derby felt the backlash from Chelsea's shock FA Cup exit with a 6-1 thrashing at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
England midfielder Lampard was left of Saturday's humiliation at Barnsley but returned in sensational style as the Blues moved within five points of Barclays
Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole were also on target as Derby, 10 points adrift at the bottom, were run ragged.
Lampard opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 28 minutes and was also on target after 57, 65 and 72 minutes as he destroyed Derby.
Derby were completely out of their depth and presented Avram Grant's side with a farcial second goal in the 42nd minute.
When Nicolas Anelka chased down Lampard's pass, Darren Moore waited for Carroll to clear, but the keeper opted for a despairing tackle which went straight to
Kalou.
The Ivory Coast striker took full advantage as his first-time shot flashed into the empty net from 30 yards.
Chelsea showed no signs of easing up after half-time and a third goal arrived in the 58th minute. Anelka's pass gave Joe Cole room to drill a low cross to
Lampard and he tapped-in from close-range.
The fourth goal was Joe Cole's in the 64th minute. Anelka sprinted clear of Derby's woeful offside trap and although Carroll saved his shot, Cole was on hand
to bury the rebound.
Lampard completed his hat-trick two minutes later when his fine effort from the edge of the area bounced in over Carroll's dive.
He wasn't finished there and claimed another with a low strike into the corner for his 17th goal of the season.
Chelsea could be forgiven for one lapse in concentration and David Jones pulled a goal back for the visitors with a simple finish a minute later.
Portsmouth followed up their FA Cup quarterfinal win over Manchester United with a 4-2 victory over relegation-threatened Birmingham at Fratton Park.
Jermain Defoe struck twice in the first nine minutes, the first from the spot, as Pompey threatened to run riot.
Birmingham pulled one back through Fabrice Muamba a minute later and were level before half-time following a superb Sebastian Larsson free-kick.
Hermann Hreidarsson put Pompey back ahead four minutes after the break and this time Harry Redknapp's side held on. Kanu added the finishing touches with a
fourth goal in the last minute.
Gareth Barry's controversial second-half penalty denied Middlesbrough a much-needed win as Aston Villa claimed a 1-1 draw against Gareth Southgate's side at
Villa Park.
Barry converted in the 74th minute after Luke Young was harshly penalised for handball.
Stewart Downing had put Boro on course for a win that would have taken them seven points above the relegation when he took advantage of a poor Zat Knight
clearance.
Celtic failed to put pressure on Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Rangers by drawing a blank against Dundee United at Parkhead.
Shunsuke Nakamura and Scott McDonald hit the woodwork in the first half before United midfielder Craig Conway missed a sitter from six yards out when he
headed over with only Artur Boruc to beat.
The Hoops dominated the second half but could not find a way past a resolute Tannadice defense who now look forward to Sunday's CIS Insurance Cup final
against Rangers at Hampden.
Jeers rang out around Celtic Park at the final whistle with the realisation that the Ibrox club are three points ahead and with a game in hand as the SPL
title race hots up.
Mancini to quit Inter at end of season
March 13 2008
Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini is to quit the two-time defending Serie A champions at the end of the season.
Mancini, 43, made the surprise announcement after his much-vaunted side crashed out of the Champions League to Liverpool on Tuesday night, but insisted that
defeat had not influenced his decision.
"The next two and a half months will be my last as the manager of the team," Mancini said.
"This is a decision that I had already taken and has nothing to do with the defeat to Liverpool."
Inter hold a six-point lead in Italy's Serie A with 11 games left to play in a season that ends in May.
His shock move was met with disbelief by key members of his squad.
"I didn't know anything about this," said striker Julio Cruz.
"But then again in the heat of the moment many things are said."
Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso is hopeful Mancini will reconsider. "We must remain calm and not make any comments on the spur of the moment," he
said.
"From what I heard, he said the word 'probably', so we will try to rest and then think about this some more in the coming days when we've all cooled down.
"We are disappointed just as he is."
With Mancini at the helm, Inter have won the last two Italian league titles though the crown two years ago came after Juventus were stripped of the scudetto
in a match-fixing scandal.
Mancini -- who had a successful career as a striker for Bologna, Sampdoria and Lazio, took the helm at Inter in 2004 and led the squad to the Italian Cup in
his first year.
The Serie A triumphs that followed ended a 17-year drought for Inter who had been in the shadow of city rivals AC Milan.
Tuesday's match against Liverpool saw Fernando Torres score a second-half goal to give the English Premier League side a 1-0 win and 3-0 aggregate
quarterfinal win.
Torres controlled a cross inside the area and beat Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar with a low shot in the 64th minute.
Inter played the last 40 minutes a man down after defender Nicolas Burdisso was sent off with his second yellow card.
Torres fires Liverpool into last eight
March 12 2008
Fernando Torres fired Liverpool into the Champions League quarterfinals with the only goal against 10-man Inter Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday.
Liverpool join three other English teams -- Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal -- in the next stage, making this the first time four teams from the same
country have made it to the final eight.
Torres controlled a cross inside the area and beat Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar with a low shot in the 64th minute.
Inter played the last 40 minutes a man down after defender Nicolas Burdisso was sent off with his second yellow card.
Liverpool, who won the tournament in 2005 and lost in the final last year, advanced with a 3-0 aggregate after winning 2-0 at Anfield in the first leg three
weeks ago.
They follow in the footsteps of Arsenal who a week earlier won in the San Siro to eliminate Inter's groundsharing rivals AC Milan.
Barcelona, AS Roma, Schalke and Fenerbahce also have made it to the quarterfinals, but Premier League clubs will dominate Friday's draw.
"I don't think anyone will want to play us in the last eight," said Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, who saluted Torres.
"We're lucky to have Fernando - he only needs one chance," Gerrard told Sky Sports, while adding that Rafa Benitez's men deserved their win.
"Up to the sending off it was a difficult game (but) I think we controlled the game and we deserved to go through."
Teammate Jamie Carragher, making his 100th European appearance, said Liverpool knew exactly what was expected of them and called ultimately on their
experience to deliver.
"We knew if we kept a clean sheet we were through," Carragher said.
Torres' 26th goal of the season enabled Rafael Benitez's team to reach the last eight of Europe's premier club competition for the 12th time in their
history.
"We've beaten possibly the best team in Europe here tonight. On domestic form they are top of their league and have only lost one game," Carragher added.
"But we've proved it again - we've proved in the last three years we are as good as anyone in Europe.
Liverpool needed to defend magnificently in the first half but when Burdisso was sent off the visitors men took control.
Inter were desperate for an early breakthrough and it almost came after eight minutes when Jose Reina made a fine save at full-stretch from Julio Cruz's
drive from just outside the penalty area.
Javier Zanetti was a constant threat down the left while Esteban Cambiasso followed Gerrard everywhere and still had time to keep Inter's play moving
relentlessly forward.
Liverpool had their moments and a mistake by Cambiasso in his own box let in Torres, who side-stepped one defender and forced Cesar into a crucial block at
his near post.
Cruz should have scored after 30 minutes, racing on to an Ibrahimovic pass only to fire an angled shot just wide of the far post.
Gerrard was booked for a foul on Cambiasso but Inter were reduced to 10 men when Burdisso received a second booking for a high tackle on Lucas.
Inter, who had Materazzi dismissed at Anfield, had to move Cristian Chivu into a central defensive role and push Zanetti back.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have scored after an Aurelio error, but Inter were being stretched and after 63 minutes Liverpool scored the goal they
needed.
Aurelio won possession on the left and surged forward, feeding Torres on the edge of the box -- and the Spaniard turned to fire a stunning shot inches inside
Cesar's right-hand post.
Germany in farewell game for keeper Kahn
March 12 2008
Oliver Kahn's retirement will be marked by a September farewell match to be played between Bayern Munich and the German national team.
The occasion will go down as the final time Germany will play a tribute match for a former great, permitted only because the country's soccer federation said
Kahn enjoyed "exceptional status."
It did not specify which team the goalkeeper would play for.
Kahn, known for his fierce will to win, collected numerous trophies in his career -- including three world goalkeeper of the year honors.
"It won't be easy for me when I close the door on 20 years of professional football," said the 38-year-old Kahn who quits at the end of the season.
"But I'm looking forward to September 2, it is a big accolade the national team and FC Bayern are giving me for my retirement."
Kahn won the Champions League with Bayern in 2001 and his saves carried Germany to the final of the 2002 World Cup final, earning him the tournament's Golden
Ball as best player along the way.
That year he was also runner-up to Ronaldo for world player of the year honors.
Kahn's final match for Bayern will come during an Asia exhibition tour on May 27 in Calcutta, India, against Mohan Bagun. About 120,000 spectators are
expected.
Fernando Meira headed in a 30th-minute corner and VfB Stuttgart beat Energie Cottbus 1-0 in the Bundesliga on Tuesday to close in on a European
berth.
The defending champion won its fourth straight to be only a point behind fifth-placed Schalke.
"We are back at the top like we wanted," Meira said.
The match rescheduled from a week ago, when the wind storm Emma hit Germany, had few highlights but the win against the league's bottom team put Stuttgart in
range of both UEFA Cup and Champions League berths after a sluggish season start.
Stuttgart kept Mario Gomez, responsible for its upswing, on the bench due to minor pains. Injured while the team struggled, the forward has since scored 23
goals in 24 games this season.
Liverpool co-owner sinks sale to Dubai
March 11 2008
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks terminated talks with a Dubai consortium Monday over acquiring a minority stake in the Premier League club.
His decision came hours after Dubai International Capital said its negotiations with co-owner George Gillett Jr. were moving along.
"I have decided to terminate any further discussions with DIC regarding their possible purchase of a minority stake in Kop (Holdings) and, in turn, in the
club," Hicks said in a statement. "DIC made it clear that if they invested in the club, they would want it to be managed by committee."
Hicks, who also owns baseball's Texas Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars, has been trying to ensure DIC wouldn't use its financial muscle to force him out of
Anfield. Casey Shilts, the chief operating officer at Hicks Sports Group, and Hicks' son, Mack, met with the UAE group Monday.
"Based on my 13 years of successful experience as an owner of professional sports teams, and based in particular on the situation at Liverpool Football Club
over the past year, it is clear to me that such a committee approach would not be in the best interest of Kop, of the club or of the club's loyal and
passionate supporters," Hicks said.
"Accordingly, I have decided to exercise my right under the Kop Football (Holdings) Limited partnership agreement to veto any sale of any portion of Kop and
the club to DIC."
Over the weekend, Hicks denounced DIC's conduct in trying to acquire 49 percent of the Reds from Gillett. As co-owner, the Texan has the power to block the
deal, which was set to be worth 170 million pounds ($342 million; euro223 million).
Hicks said other parties could be preferred to buy most of Gillett's stock.
"I and my colleagues and representatives will continue to explore a number of other options with regard to the ownership of Kop and the club aimed at
achieving an appropriate ownership, financial and organizational structure for Kop and the club over the long term," Hicks said.
On Saturday, Hicks said he was furious with DIC lead negotiator Amanda Staveley for leaking private correspondence to the media, and stating that Dubai-ruler
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's true intentions were to seize control of the whole club.
Last week, Hicks rebuffed DIC's 500 million pound ($993 million; euro650 million) bid for the club. That would have included paying off the refinancing
package that Hicks and Gillett negotiated in January for the loan used to purchase the Reds.
Hicks can block Gillett from selling because of a pre-emption agreement that says one partner can't sell his stake without the other's approval.
The duo's relationship has broken down since they bought Liverpool for 218.9 million pounds (then $431 million) in March 2007.
On Tuesday, Liverpool will try to become the fourth English team to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League when it faces Inter Milan with a 2-0 lead
from the first leg. The Champions League is essentially Liverpool's last chance of winning a title this season.
Serena too strong for Schnyder in final
March 10 2008
Third seed Serena Williams clinched the Bangalore Open title by defeating Swiss fourth seed Patty Schnyder 7-5 6-3 on Sunday.
The American Williams dominated the final with powerful serves and groundstrokes, while Schnyder committed several unforced errors in trying to hit deep and
keep her opponent at the baseline.
"It's good to be a champ here, it always feels good to win," Williams said. "I did not want to make too many errors. That was my game plan, but I did not
stick to it.
"It wasn't my best match. Patty played well and forced me to do better."
World No. 11 Williams was warned for a court violation after she cursed and smashed her racket when she faced two break-points in the fifth game of the first
set.
"I'm passionate about what I do. I got too passionate, my grip was wet and that's what happened," said Williams, who managed to hold her serve.
She broke Schnyder in the sixth game, but dropped her own serve in the seventh.
Williams wasted two set points in the 10th game when she failed to break Schnyder, who stayed level at 5-5. In the 12th game, Williams again let go two set
points, but won the third when Schnyder sent a return into the net.
They traded service breaks in the first three games of the second set with Schnyder breaking Williams in the first and third games.
Williams surged ahead by breaking Schnyder in the sixth and eighth games.
Serving for the match in the 12th game, Williams saved two break points and then won on the first match point she held.
"When you're playing a champion like Serena, you've got to be at your best," the 12th-ranked Schnyder said.
"The first set could have gone either way," she said. "Serena was really focused, she played tough and it was difficult for me to play my game even when I
was 5-5."
Rampant Bayern hit five past Anderlecht
March 07 2008
Bayern Munich virtually made sure of their place in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals with a 5-0 demolition of Belgian side Anderlecht in the first leg of their
last 16 tie on Thursday.
The German giants were in front after just nine minutes when Turkish international Hamit Altintop found the target with a superb 30-meter drive.
The night got more comfortable for Bayern, who were missing rested goalkeeper Oliver Kahn as well as the injured Lucio and Ze Roberto, when Anderlecht's
Polish defender Marcin Wasilewski was sent off for a foul on Luca Toni on the stroke of half-time.
Italian international striker Toni added the second goal for Bayern in first half injury time before Lukas Podolski made it 3-0 in the 57th minute.
Miroslav Klose, who came on as a half-time substitute, put away the fourth goal in the 67th minute from a pass from fellow-replacement Frank Ribery.
French midfielder Ribery completed the scoring with a 20-meter free-kick four minutes from the end as Bayern celebrated their first win in five European
visits to Anderlecht.
"I'm very happy," said Ribery. "It's always special to score a free-kick like that.
"It was a good match for us. We are the favorites for the UEFA Cup and I really believe that if we play all of our matches as seriously as this one then we
can do it."
Meanwhile, another Bundesliga side, Werder Bremen, have a lot of work to do if they are to reach the last eight of the competition following their 2-0 defeat
at Glasgow Rangers.
Rangers took the lead on the stroke of half-time in stunning style. Goalkeeper Tim Wiese managed to get both hands to the ball but Daniel Cousin's sublime,
30-meter shot was packed with so much power that the Bremen custodian succeeded only in helping the ball drift over his head and into the net.
The home side added their second goal just two minutes after the interval. Steve Davis started the move when he released Cousin out on the right flank and
the striker's angled drive was parried by Wiese.
However, the keeper was left with no chance when midfielder Davis followed up to rifle home the rebound from just five meters out.
Mourinho will return in Italy or Spain
March 07 2008
Jose Mourinho wants to coach in Italy or Spain next season, but has professed his never-ending love for English football and plans a Premier League return
one day.
"I will always be in love with English football, even when I go to another country," Mourinho said on Thursday during a presentation by his sponsorship
partners Samsung and Adidas. "But that's not going to be the next step."
Mourinho led Chelsea to back-to-back English Premier League titles as well as two domestic cups victories.
He left the club in September after falling out with owner Roman Abramovich, but said: "I still feel Chelsea is part of me, part of my heart forever."
Mourinho said he had spoken with Abramovich and other Chelsea officials last week and wished them all the best in the Champions League.
"I told them I hope we play against them in the Champions League next season," Mourinho said. If that happened, despite his love for Chelsea, "I will want to
kill them."
The Portuguese-born coach, who won the Champions League with Porto, said he still had no deal with any club and would not return to coaching before next
season.
"I am completely free to decide my future," he said. "I hope to work again soon."
Mourinho ruled out returning to England as soon as next season, and dispelled speculation in the German media that he could sign for a Bundesliga
club.
"I believe in communication and I don't speak German. I am quite intelligent but I cannot learn German in two months," he said.
The 45-year-old Mourinho ruled himself out of the running for the England coaching job after early discussions with FA chief executive Brian Barwick. Fabio
Capello was appointed in December.
s
"England is in the right hands," Mourinho said. "I admire him (Capello) very much. He is the right man to push England in the right direction."
Roma sink Real to reach quarterfinals
March 06 2008
Roma reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League after emerging from an explosive final 20 minutes at the Bernabeu Stadium with a 2-1 victory over Real
Madrid, who finished the match with 10 men.
The Italians, who won the first leg 2-1, looked to have booked their spot in the last eight when they took a 73rd minute lead through Rodrigo Taddei, three
minutes after Real's Pepe was sent off for collecting a second yellow card.
But Real, now two goals down on aggregate, produced a prompt reply when Robinho's through ball found Raul Gonzalez, who fired past Doni to revive the
Spaniards.
Roma hung on grimly against the 10 men as Real pressed in a frantic finale, and it was the Italians who had the last word when Mirko Vucinic headed in their
second goal past stranded goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
The opening exchanges were tense, with Real only needing a goal to add to their one in Rome to go through.
However, the Serie A side went close when Alberto Aquilani fired a ferocious drive against the angle of post and crossbar before Francesco Totti set him up
for a second effort, which was well saved by Casillas.
Four minutes before half-time Pepe picked up his first yellow for a bad tackle on Pippin.
Real stepped up their attacks in the early stages of the second period but suffered two major setbacks in quick succession.
Roma sub Vucinic, who had hit the woodwork shortly after coming on, cleverly worked his way past Pepe on the left but was then hauled down. Pepe was shown
his second yellow card and three minutes later Real's 10 men went 3-1 down on aggregate.
Roma full-back Max Onto put over a well-judged cross and Taddei headed powerfully into the net.
Real hit back within three minutes as Raul burst clear with Roma looking hopefully for an offside award.
Real sub Royston Dente almost forced Chicano into conceding an own goal when the defender diverted his cross onto the roof of the net.
As Real tried to send the tie into extra time Roma resorted to time wasting and there was a flurry of yellow cards as tempers became strained.
But two minutes into stoppage time Roma broke away and Vucinic headed home to put themselves in the last eight and end Real's hopes of a first Champions
League crown since 2002.
Ronaldo fires Man Utd into last 8
March 05 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo fired Manchester United into the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday when his second leg goal at Old Trafford clinched a 2-1
aggregate triumph over Lyon.
The Portugal international scored his 30th goal in all competitions in the 41st minute against the French to give United a slender 1-0 win on the
night.
That put him within two of matching George Best's club-record from 1967-68, when United went on to win their first European Cup.
Wes Brown crossed the ball to Anderson, whose shot from the edge of the area was blocked by a combination of Lyon right back Francois Clerc and Ronaldo.
Clerc stumbled and went to ground, while Ronaldo regained possession and shot past Gregory Coupet.
Karim Benzema, who has been upset at playing on the left, was restored to lead the front line from the center at Old Trafford. He troubled United defender
Patrice Evra in the opening exchanges as Lyon searched for an away goal.
Evra was booked in the fourth for a crunching challenge from behind on Benzema. Nemanja Vidic then denied the 20-year-old France striker, who had a penalty
claim dismissed in the eighth.
Ronaldo started United's response, rampaging down the right flank in the 10th, cutting inside Fabio Grosso until he was blocked from shooting by Cris. Darren
Fletcher then attempted to find from the target from 25 meters in the 16th.
While goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar knocked away Kim Kallstrom's fierce shot in the 29th, United stamped their authority on the first half.
Lyon was menacing after the interval, with Juninho and Hatem Ben Arfa searching for the equalizer with long range shots.
United was given a scare in the 74th when substitute Kader Keita, after exchanging passes with Benzema in the 74th, hit the near post, although Van der Sar
had it well protected.
But Ben Arfa's wayward backpass at the other end was intercepted by Rooney and it took Coupet's block at point blank range to prevent United from doubling
their lead.
United had three players -- Fletcher, Nani and Evra -- booked by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti, while Grosso and Sebastien Squillaci were also shown yellow
cards.
Tyson and Holyfield in talks over rematch
February 29 2008
Evander Holyfield has raised the prospect of a rematch of his infamous world heavyweight title fight with Mike Tyson despite both men being into their
40s.
Holyfield took Tyson's crown in an epic bout in 1996, but it was their second fight a year later that is remembered for all the wrong reasons with Tyson
disqualified for biting a chunk out of his opponent's ear.
Holyfield, 45, has revealed he is considering an offer from 41-year-old Tyson's camp to meet in the ring for a third time. "There has been some talk between
us," Holyfield told The Guardian newspaper on Thursday.
"Mike had Jeff Fenech, who's been training him, call me a few months ago. Jeff says Mike wants to fight me again - but he needs to know if I would agree to
it.
"I said, 'It all depends on what they are going to give us - because I'm gonna catch a lot of flak if I say I'm fighting Mike Tyson again.
I've already said I don't want to fight Mike no more'. "Jeff says, 'What if Mike gets in proper shape?' I told him that's OK but I can't be part of it if
Mike's going to pull out.
Jeff said, 'The main thing Mike wants to know is if you would be willing to fight him again?' I said, 'Yeah, if the price is right, I probably
would'."
Both fighters have made largely unsuccessful attempts at comebacks in recent years with Holyfield continuing his pursuit of an unlikely fifth title against
the advice of boxing experts.
He is believed to have held on to a large portion of his career earnings, but, by contrast, Tyson has suffered well-publicized financial problems.
Venus shocked by qualifier Kvitova
February 28 2008
Top seed and defending champion Venus Williams was upset in the opening round of the WTA's Cellular South Cup in Memphis on Tuesday by qualifier Petra
Kvitova.
The 17-year-old Kvitova achieved only the second WTA Tour win of her career, stunning Williams, the winner of four Wimbledon titles, 2-6 6-4 6-3.
"I am very happy," said Czech Kvitova. "It is the biggest (moment) of my life."
Williams followed the tournament's No. 2 seed, Tatiana Golovin, out of the tournament. Earlier, Golovin was beaten by American Bethanie Mattek 6-4 6-
4.
After winning the second set, Kvitova took charge midway through the final set and in the fifth game, she had two break points against Williams.
Williams saved the first one with a forehand winner, but Kvitova recovered and followed with a forehand volley winner to go up 3-2.
She closed the match with another break, sending a forehand volley winner past Williams before a stunned crowd. "She had a good serve and she was left-
handed," Williams said. "She mixed it up really well. I'm not happy about the result of the match, but she played well."
Playing in only her 14th WTA match, Kvitova, ranked 143rd, matched Williams' power with punishing groundstrokes of her own.
Williams was hampered by six double faults, including five in the second set. "I just made some mistakes," Williams said. "I definitely had more errors than
I wanted."
In the other upset, Mattek, a 22-year-old ranked 131st, played one of the best matches of her career. "Honestly, I was seeing the ball really well and I was
there to every shot she hit," Mattek said.
"I just stuck to my game plan. My goal was to get on top and get as many points right away as I could. I just came out firing."
Avoiding the upsets, third seed Shahar Peer of Israel, runner-up to Williams in Memphis last year, beat American Ahsha Rolle 6-2 6-1.
Sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki also moved into the second round with a 6-0 6-2 victory over Milagros Sequera of Venezuela.
In the men's tournament fourth seed Radek Stepanek beat qualifier Jesse Levine 6-1 6-4 and fifth seed Sam Querrey survived an upset bid by Michael Russell,
winning 3-6 6-3 7-5.
Woodgate joins Tottenham revolution
January 29 2008
Tottenham have signed England international defender Jonathan Woodgate from Middlesbrough, the Premier League club announced on Monday.
The clubs had earlier confirmed they had reached agreement for the 28-year-old who joined Boro from Real Madrid in August 2006, initially on loan with the
move made permanent in April 2007.
"We are delighted to announce we have reached agreement with Middlesbrough for the transfer of Jonathan Woodgate," said a statement on the Tottenham Web
site.
Centre-back Woodgate, whose career has been blighted by injury, has made 19 league appearances for Middlesbrough this season and is reported to have cost
Spurs $14 million.
Woodgate opted to join Carling Cup finalists Tottenham rather than former club Newcastle who sold him to Real in 2004 and were also ready to pay the asking
price.
New Spurs manager Juande Ramos, who has already banked a Wembley final against Chelsea next month, has identified several transfer targets as he rescues the
club from a poor start to the campaign.
Stewart Downing's agent insists the England international has no intention of signing a new contract at Middlesbrough.
The 23-year-old winger, who has two years left on his deal, has rejected the offer of an extension and has been the subject of repeated speculation that he
could leave for Tottenham during the current transfer window.
Boro manager Gareth Southgate and chief executive Keith Lamb have repeatedly experessed the club's intention to hang on to their home-grown talent and a
player they are understood to value at around $24million.
However, Downing's agent Ian Elliott said: "We will not enter into any further negotiations and the player will see out the two years and option his rights
under freedom of contract at the end of it."
Woodgate, meanwhile, could make his Spurs debut in Wednesday's league match away to fourth-placed Everton and says he's delighted to be at a club that's
clearly moving forward.
Wright-Phillips inspires Blues win
January 09 2008
Shaun Wright-Phillips pushed his England claims in front of new national coach Fabio Capello by inspiring 10-man Chelsea to a dramatic 2-1 Carling Cup semifinal first leg home
win over Everton.
Wright-Phillips struck the breakthrough goal for the holders after 26 minutes when he steered a shot beyond goalkeeper Tim Howard and in off the far post.
The tricky forward then challenged defender Joleon Lescott for a cross on the six-yard box in time added -- and claimed he got a touch before the ball flew into the net.
Yakubu Ayegbeni had left Chelsea fighting to hold onto their trophy when he fired a 64th minute equalizer nine minutes after the home club had Mikel John Obi red carded for a
reckless challenge on Phil Neville.
Everton later came within inches of taking the lead when a dazzling run from James McFadden ended with the forward's low attempt rebounding off an upright to safety.
Instead it was Chelsea who grabbed the glory on the night and Wright-Phillips told Sky Sports: "It was all down to hard work and team spirit - that's how we train and we had to
take it on the pitch.
"The character, team spirit and everything we showed today when down to 10 men - Everton are a hard team with good players.
"It's easy to lose games, we had to stay compact and concentrate."
The man of the match was confident enough to try to hijack Lescott's own-goal as his after he leapt with the Everton defender. "Of course I touched it and I'm going to claim
it," he added
Wright-Phillips had proved a handful and his opening goal was set up by Florent Malouda who was a surprise inclusion in the Blues' line-up after recovering from his knee injury
earlier than expected.
Wright-Phillips instigated Chelsea's next major attack, breaking from his own half and feeding Joe Cole who was fouled by Phil Jagielka on the edge of the area.
German midfielder Michael Ballack stepped up to take the free-kick but his powerfully struck effort flew inches wide of the target.
Chelsea began to look comfortable with Wright-Phillips deployed in an advanced central midfield position and tenacious work saw the former Manchester City star create an
inviting opening for Pizarro.
The Peruvian, Chelsea's only fit striker, was played into the area but he failed to connect cleanly and Howard was able to save a great chance.
Blues boss Avram Grant brought on Steve Sidwell to beef up the midfield after Mikel's dismissal, sacrificing Cole, and the free transfer from Reading was lucky to escape a
booking for a studs-up challenge on Carsley.
Everton, who had to do without Steven Pienaar after FIFA ruled he had to report for African Nations Cup duty with South Africa, were enjoying a purple patch and were rightly
rewarded with Yakubu's equalizer.
Goalkeeper Hilario made a horrible mess of a free-kick, lamely attempting to punch it clear with one hand, and the ball finally fell for Yakubu who rifled home an emphatic half
volley.
It looked as though Everton would launch the second leg in two weeks time with the upper hand until the late drama.
Even then Lescott could have salvaged a draw when he broke into the area in the fifth minute of time added on -- only to lose control with Hilario to beat.
10 August 2010 Government Commissioner to the military court Magistrate Saqr Saqr on Tuesday pressed charges of spying for Israel against Fayez Karam and referred him to Military Magistrate Riad Abu Ghida for questioning and the issuance of an arrest warrant against him.
Fayez Karam, 62, a retired Lebanese army officer and a senior official with Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of spying for Israel.
10 August 2010 Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's evidence was not convincing and that the international tribunal would only take the new revelations into consideration if it didn't have enough proof.If the international tribunal had evidence on ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's killers, then it could continue its operations without taking into consideration.
10 August 2010 Israel has dismissed Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's accusations of the Jewish state's involvement in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination.
"The international community, the Arab world, and most importantly, the people of Lebanon all know that these accusations are simply ridiculous," a senior Israeli official told The Associated Press.
10 August 2010 Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday unveiled footage allegedly intercepted from Israeli surveillance planes of the site of the 2005 murder of former premier Rafik Hariri prior to his assassination.
10 August 2010 A senior government official said Tuesday that Lebanon is contacting the U.S. government to provide assurances that American weapons supplied to the Lebanese army are not falling into the "wrong hands."
The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said Monday he placed a hold on $100 million in assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces over concerns that Hizbullah may have influence over the army.
9 August 2010
Lebanon said on Saturday it was committed to building up its armed forces after complaints by Israel about Western assistance to the military following a deadly border clash between the two countries.
