Contador in yellow after stage 17

CASTELSARRASIN, France (Reuters) -- Spaniard Alberto Contador officially took the overall lead of the Tour de France after Thursday's 17th stage, which started without previous yellow jersey holder Michael Rasmussen and the Cofidis team.

Rasmussen was sacked by his Rabobank team, who said he had lied about his training whereabouts, and the Dane was not at the start of the stage.
In line with race regulations, no one wore the yellow jersey during the 188.5km stage won by Italian Daniele Bennati.
Contador, the Paris-Nice winner, finished in the bunch and has a lead of one minute and 53 seconds over Australian Cadel Evans, who is unlikely to close the gap in Saturday's decisive time trial from Cognac to Angouleme.
"It is strange to take yellow in such circumstances," Contador told reporters. "But it can happen, sometimes it is because the leader has crashed."
Asked if he thought Rasmussen's exclusion was fair, the 24-year-old said: "I am not here to judge him. It is the decision made by his team and I am not aware enough of the situation to judge what happened."
Contador believes he is now favorite to win the Tour, although he admits he is likely to lose time to Evans on the final time trial. "Of course, it depends on the day. It is over 55km, it's a long way to go and the jersey will be hard to keep.
"But if you look at the results of the last time trial, I have my chance and I will do anything I can to keep it." Contador finished last Saturday's time trial in Albi 1:04 behind Predictor Lotto rider Evans.
Rasmussen had led the race since taking the eighth stage and had also won on Wednesday. His Rabobank team decided to continue in the Tour although Russian Denis Menchov quit halfway through the stage from Pau to Castelsarrasin.
Lampre rider Benatti outsprinted German Markus Fothen of the Gerolsteiner team to win on Thursday and Swiss Martin Elminger came home third for the AG2r team.
"We have to fight against doping. I hope the sport will see the end of the tunnel because I think there are riders who do their job honestly," Benatti told reporters.

Hushovd sprints to Tour stage win

JOIGNY, France (Reuters) -- Norway's Thor Hushovd claimed his first victory of the year when he clinched the fourth stage of the Tour de France, a 193km trek from Villers-Cotterets to Joigny on Wednesday.

The Credit Agricole rider, who won the green jersey in 2005, launched the bunch sprint 350 meters from the finish line to edge Barloworld's South African rider Robert Hunter.
Spaniard Oscar Freire, who has yet to win a stage this year, was third for the Rabobank team.
Hushovd's fifth victory on the Tour means the Norwegian leapfrogs German Andreas Kloeden for second place overall thanks to time bonuses, with Briton David Millar now out of the top three.
Swiss Fabian Cancellara, who finished safely in the main pack, retained the leader's yellow jersey.
"It was a pretty cool day because the team did the job even though there was some wind," Cancellara told a news conference.
Belgian Tom Boonen was a disappointing eighth in the stage but retained the green jersey.
Hushovd, who won last year's opening prologue and the closing sprint on the Champs-Elysees, paid tribute to Australian team-mate Julian Dean, who piloted him through the pack in the final kilometer.
"He is the best in the world to launch the sprints," said Hushovd.
Frenchman Matthieu Sprick launched a breakaway after 30km and was followed by compatriot Sylvain Chavanel, Spaniards Juan Antonio Flecha and Gorka Verdugo, and Germany's Christian Knees.
The fugitives built a four-minute gap but were swallowed by the peloton with just 7km remaining.
The Caisse d'Epargne team were reduced to eight men after Spaniard Xavier Zandio retired with a fractured collarbone following a crash early in the stage.
"He fractured his right collarbone, he really cannot go on," said manager Jose-Luis Jaimerena. "It is a huge loss for the team because he is a rider who can work on any type of course. It's a pity."
Another rider, Remy di Gregorio of the Francaise des Jeux team, was involved in the crash and sustained an elbow injury.
Di Gregorio, however, managed to reach the finish line almost eight minutes after Hushovd.

Tipsarevic sends Gonzalez crashing

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic doused the fire of Fernando Gonzalez at Wimbledon to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.
The rugged world number 64, with tattoos on both arms, a stud in his eyebrow and red tennis strings, withstood the most fearsome forehand in tennis and saved a match point before winning 6-3 3-6 6-4 4-6 8-6.
Fifth seed Gonzalez, the Australian Open runner-up, is the biggest casualty so far in the men's draw.
Gonzalez, who beat Tipsarevic at Queen's Club earlier this month, was subdued for long periods and his frustration boiled over when he fluffed a backhand to hand Tipsarevic a two sets to one lead, slamming his racket into the turf.
The slow-burning contest came to life at the end of the fourth when Gonzalez broke at 5-4 to level.
He had his chances to win it. He served for the match at 5-3 in the decider only to be broken and had a match point on Tipsarevic's serve at 6-5 but sent a tame backhand into the net.
Tipsarevic broke for 7-6 coming into the net for a volley and held his nerve to convert his second match point and set up a fourth round match against Spain's former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Gonzalez said the windy conditions had troubled him.
"I never felt one game comfortable on the court because it was like the wrong wind," he said. "It's the same for both players but for my game, I couldn't loosen up. I was really tight. I'm really disappointed with this match today."
Ferrero secured his place in the last 16 with a surprise 3-6 6-3 6-3 7-6 victory over ninth-seeded James Blake.
Spaniard Ferrero, the 20th seed, recovered after going a set down on Court One and held his nerve in the final set, when the American number two forced a tie-break.
Ferrero triumphed in his only match so far with against Tipsarevic, beating him in five sets at the 2006 Australian Open.
Federer continues march
Meanwhile, Roger Federer barely had his feathers ruffled in a 6-1 6-4 7-6 win over Marat Safin, dispelling any pre-match notions that it could be a close encounter.
The world number one broke in the fourth game of the first set and a combination of some over-hitting on the groundstrokes by Safin and some tricky changes of speed by Federer allowed the Swiss to steam to a convincing lead.
Former world number one Safin, who famously beat Federer in a five-set epic on the way to winning the 2005 Australian Open, fought back early in the second and even broke serve.
But the top seed seemed unperturbed. He broke back immediately and again in the seventh game, prompting some characteristic racket-throwing from the volatile Russian before Federer nailed the set with an ace.
The third set went with serve and in the tiebreak Safin's forehand volley into the net gave Federer a mini-break and he served out the remainder to take it 7-4.
"I don't know if I played phenomenal, I just think I played the right way against Marat today," the Swiss told a news conference. "I really kept the balls in play, served well when I had to, moved well, returned pretty good."
Federer, aiming for a fifth successive Wimbledon crown, will face 13th seed Tommy Haas of Germany in the fourth round.
Roddick keeps U.S. hopes alive
Third seed Andy Roddick kept the flag flying for the United States with a 6-3 6-4 7-6 victory over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
The 24-year-old did not look under any pressure against Verdasco in the first two sets, rattling them off in 58 minutes but the world number 41 then upped his game.
Verdasco broke Roddick in the third set on his way to a 4-1 lead and the American, who won the title at Queen's earlier this month, had to rely on his serve to get him out of trouble.
Roddick broke back for 5-4 when Verdasco put a forehand volley out. The Spaniard then squandered two set points and crumpled in the tiebreak which Roddick won 7-2.
Roddick is the only American left in the men's draw after compatriot Blake's defeat earlier in the day.

Henry poised for move to Barcelona

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Arsenal's French international striker Thierry Henry was poised to join Barcelona on Friday, a source from the Spanish club told CNN.
"In the next several hours Barcelona Football Club will be ready to announce the signing of Thierry Henry from Arsenal Football Club, but it is not official yet," the source said.
"The deal would be worth around 24 million euros (£16m; $32m)and would keep Henry at Barcelona for the next four years.
"There are still some legal details that need to be confirmed. We expect these details to be confirmed and when they are we will issue a release on Barcelona FC's Web site confirming Thierry Henry's signing, probably on Saturday," the source said.
Henry has been with Arsenal since 1999, scoring a club record 226 goals in 364 appearances for the Gunners. He helped the London club win two Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
Henry still had three years left on his contract with the Gunners, but speculation about his departure increased after Arsenal failed to win a trophy last season and finished only fourth in the Premier League for the second year in a row.
Henry acknowledged he was upset that David Dein, who was responsible for bringing manager Arsene Wenger to the club in 1996, quit as vice-chairman of Arsenal.
Wenger, who has led Arsenal to three Premier League and four FA Cup triumphs, has said he has no plans to follow Dein away from the club. But he, too, has been linked with a possible move to Spain
Henry spent much of last season sidelined because of stomach and groin injuries. But he remains one of the game's biggest stars with his ability to score top-quality goals and beat defenses with his fast runs and dribbling.
Henry also helped the Gunners reach the Champions League final in 2006, only for Arsenal to lose to Barcelona.
He was frustrated that Arsenal did not strengthen their playing squad with big names and expressed his disappointment when the Gunners sold Patrick Vieira to Juventus two years ago.
Precocious
Henry started off his career as a precocious winger with Monaco under Wenger's tutelage in 1994 a year before the latter headed off to Grampus Eight in Japan.
After playing a cameo role in France's World Cup win on home soil in 1998 Henry, a product of the hugely productive French training center at Clairefontaine outside Paris, joined Juventus in 1998 after 28 goals in 129 games for the Monegasques, winning the 1997 French title.
Henry played barely half a season and scored only three goals in 16 starts for the 'Zebras' before heading back to the Riviera for a brief spell.
Arsenal then came calling with Wenger at the helm in 1999 and after the professorial coach turned his protege into a center-forward Henry blossomed into one of the greatest players in the world, scoring more than a goal every other game over eight seasons.
He also won the 2000 European Championship with France and was European Golden boot winner in 2004 and 2005.
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Baddeley leads Woods by two shots

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- Australian Aaron Baddeley burst out of a four-way tie on Saturday to grab a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods going into the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
The 26-year-old Baddeley made back-to-back birdies from the 12th to seize the lead, then bounced back from bogeys at 15 and 16 with a birdie at the last to post an even-par 70 and a two-over-par 212 total.
Woods, playing a near-perfect round from tee to green, took five on the 484-yard 18th for his only bogey in a rock steady round of one-under-par 69 to stand at four-over 214.
"You always dream of playing in majors and having a chance to win going into Sunday," Baddeley told reporters.
"I can only focus on what I'm doing. Today I felt really calm out there and peaceful. My game felt nice. I wasn't trying to press or do anything special."
Officials watered the hard, sloping greens before the start and the demanding Oakmont course played two shots easier than it had on Friday, with the average score 74.68 on Saturday.
Conditions allowed players to shoot more aggressively to the greens, and the flow of birdies and bogeys made for a see-saw struggle on the leaderboard.
Second-round leader Angel Cabrera of Argentina and American Bubba Watson dueled early in the round, with Woods among a pack of players tight on their heels before Baddeley surged ahead.
After missing the cut in his two previous Opens, Baddeley said he was excited about playing in the last group with Woods, as he goes for his first major.
"It's perfect, it's exciting," he said.
"He's the best player in the world, but I feel like I'm playing nicely."
Knotted in third place at five over par, three strokes off the pace, were Britons Paul Casey (72) and Justin Rose (73), Canadian Stephen Ames (73) and American Bubba Watson (74).
A shot further back were Americans Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, the 2003 champion, and second-round leader Cabrera, who finished with two bogeys for a 76.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who won last year's Open at Winged Foot, fell out of contention with a 78 that put him 12 shots back.
Watson held the lead briefly before posting a triple-bogey at the 477-yard, par-four ninth hole, where he rushed fluffed a shot in the green-side rough then rushed his follow-up shot.
Woods had birdies at the third and fourth holes and saw numerous other birdie putts that could have shot him into the lead slide just past the cup.
The world number one, chasing his 13th major title, was the last in the field to post a bogey on the warm, humid day.
At 18, Woods hit his tee shot into a bunker, blasted out to the fairway and placed his third shot on the green. He left his 20-foot par-putt on the edge of the hole.
"I didn't drop a shot today until 18, which was nice and that's what ultimately you want to have at a U.S. Open," Woods told reporters.
"I hit a lot of putts that just grazed the edge, but I'm right back in the mix."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Federer reaches French Open final

PARIS, France -- Roger Federer reached a record eighth consecutive grand slam final by overcoming Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 7-6 7-6 in a thrilling French Open semifinal on Friday.
World number one Federer bettered the record of seven successive final appearances set by Australian Jack Crawford in the 1930s but was made to work for it.
The elegant 25-year-old Swiss, chasing the only grand slam title to elude him, showed more composure when it mattered to set up a final against either defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain or Serbian newcomer Novak Djokovic.
Fourth seed Davydenko, who failed to advance to his first final of a major event, gave his all but it was not enough.
The 26-year-old bowed out by sending a backhand wide on the second match point after just over three hours of high quality tennis.
It was a case of missed opportunities for fourth seed Daydenko who held the lead in each of the three sets and saw Federer save 14 break points.
Federer, who committed 45 unforced errors also had to save three set points in the final set.
"I could have lost in three sets," Federer said. "He's an excellent player. It's a superb win for me before the final."
He is bidding to win his fourth consecutive grand slam title, something last accomplished by Rod Laver in 1969, and 11th overall, which would tie Laver and Bjorn Borg for third on the all-time list.
A dejected Davydenko, who weighs in at a frail 70kg, said he needs to improve his physical durability if he is ever to become Federer's equal.
"I have to find more power," said the Russian.
"Maybe I made a mistake by starting so quickly. I was trying to fight all the time and by the second set I was already very tired. I need to learn how to keep it up for the whole match."

Djokovic into quarters with ease

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- Serbian Novak Djokovic was only seven when Swede Jonas Bjorkman made his debut at Roland Garros but whatever he lacks in experience he made up for with youthful exuberance on Monday as he bounded into the quarterfinals.
Powerful, razor-sharp and fleet-footed, the 20-year-old sixth seed made mincemeat of Spain's Fernando Verdasco, winning 6-3 6-3 7-6 on a humid day at the French Open.
Bjorkman, at 35 the oldest man to reach the fourth round since 1972, started well enough against former champion Carlos Moya before the exertions of the past week caught up with him.
Moya, no youngster himself at 30, now carries the flag for the older generation after a 7-6 6-2 7-5 victory.
Djokovic, the youngest player in the last 16, proved again that he has the game to loosen the Nadal-Federer stranglehold.
Kitted out in bright yellow shirt and black shorts, Djokovic buzzed across the red clay, stinging Verdasco with winners from every conceivable angle.
A single service break was all it needed in the first set and he went 4-0 up in the second to establish complete control against the highest-ranked player he has faced here so far.
Fierce rally
Verdasco, who had a 2-0 career record over Djokovic, made a match of it in the third set but even luck was against him.
A fierce rally at 1-3 in the tiebreak ended when a fizzing Djokovic backhand dropped dead off the netcord.
The Serbian looked to the heavens, arms aloft, but he needed no further assistance from above as he closed out the match.
Bjorkman defied conventional wisdom last year by getting to the semi-finals of Wimbledon and said on Saturday that reaching the fourth round of Roland Garros in the twilight of his admirable career was on a par.
When he moved into an early 3-0 lead and threatened a double break it even looked possible that the dream run might continue, but although the mind was willing his body began to fail him.
Twenty-third seed Moya, the 1998 champion and still a force on clay, recovered from a sluggish start to take the first set on a tiebreak and then cruised through the second.
Bjorkman, who came back from two-set deficits in the first two rounds here, needed treatment on his shoulder at the end of the second set and although he gamely hung on in the third, there was no way back on this occasion.
In later play defending champion Rafael Nadal was facing Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis was taking on Russian Igor Andreev.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Jankovic knocks out Venus in Paris

PARIS, France -- Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic underlined her credentials as a leading contender for the French Open title with a three-set victory over Venus Williams in the third round on Friday.
Jankovic won 6-4 4-6 6-1, reserving her finest play for the third set after the American had bravely fought back to force a decider.
The 22-year-old Serbian has claimed three titles on the WTA tour this season and won the Tier One claycourt tournament in Rome earlier this month.
Williams, who reached the final at Roland Garros in 2002 but missed the last two grand slam tournaments because of injuries, also lost to Jankovic in the third round at Wimbledon last year.
"The third set went a little bit faster than what I expected," Williams said. "I felt a little bit slow ... I couldn't get my feet where I wanted them."
Jankovic dominated the five-time major champion in the first set, winning 20 of the 24 points played in her service games, including the first 10.
Williams, who had hit a world record 206 kph service in the previous round, immediately broke to take a 3-0 lead in the second set and held on to level affairs after 80 minutes without every looking entirely convincing.
Jankovic, who reached the semifinals at the 2006 U.S. Open, broke Williams in the third game of the deciding set and took advantage of a weak double-fault in the fifth to break again for a 4-1 lead.
With Williams wilting, the next two games went to Jankovic as she wrapped up victory in an hour and 53 minutes following a lengthy rally.
Jankovic, who has never before progressed to the last 16 at Roland Garros, will meet either former runner-up Elena Dementieva or France's Marion Bartoli.
"I stayed mentally very strong in third set and I really went for my shots," Jankovic said.
"I was a little bit tired in the second set, but I just went for it in the third and it paid off."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

FIA probes McLaren's Monaco win

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Formula One's governing body said on Monday it was investigating McLaren for a possible breach of the rules in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
"The FIA has launched an investigation into incidents involving the McLaren Mercedes team at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix in light of a possible breach of the International Sporting Code," the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement.
"The relevant evidence is under review and a further announcement will be made in due course."
Double world champion Fernando Alonso won the showcase race for the second year in a row, ahead of British rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The two are now level on 38 points but Spaniard Alonso leads the championship on race wins.
Hamilton revealed afterwards that he had been told to ease off rather than put pressure on Alonso and possibly jeopardise the one-two.
Team orders, effectively manipulating the outcome of a race, have been banned in Formula One since the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where Ferrari ordered Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher win.
However, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis denied any such manipulation on Sunday.
"We don't have team orders, we had a strategy to win this race," he said.
"I make no excuses for instructing the racing drivers to slow their pace after the first stop and to effect our strategy."
A FIA spokesman declined to say what possible sanction might be faced by the team, who lead Ferrari by 20 points in the championship after winning two of the season's five races so far.
"You can all give whatever twist or headline you want on it, my job is sometimes difficult and today was one of those times," Dennis added on Sunday.
"There will be places where they will be absolutely free to race, but this isn't one of them."
"This is a place where one driver pushing another driver... is the way to induce a mistake," he continued.
"Everyone in the pit lane would be saying what an idiot the team principal of McLaren is for allowing their cars to compete to a level where one of their cars and maybe two of them are in the barrier."
Hamilton had qualified with a far heavier fuel load than Alonso -- a tactical move that would have won him the race had the safety car come out and given an advantage to those able to make only one stop. In the end, the safety car stayed in.
Timely boost
The 22-year-old Hamilton celebrated his fifth podium in five races, but victory gave Spaniard Alonso a timely boost after being beaten by his team-mate in his last two races.
"It means a lot, psychologically and also for the championship battle," said Alonso after securing McLaren's 150th grand prix win and second one-two of the season.
"I enjoyed today and that's probably the best thing about today."
Despite winning two of the season's five races so far, the 25-year-old is facing his toughest team-mate yet in Hamilton.
Alonso has yet to gel fully with his new team after switching from Renault while Hamilton has been a McLaren protege for more than a decade.
There have been rumors of discord, speculation stamped on by team boss Ron Dennis at the weekend.
"Our personal relationship is absolutely perfect. We talk between races, we eat together, he comes to my home when he comes to England," Dennis told reporters.
"He is still going up a curve of getting to know people, to trust people and feel comfortable with everybody and that is not something Lewis has had to do.
"But Fernando is a wonderful chap. He is quiet, thoughtful, worries endlessly about everything, but just loves being in a racing car."
Alonso particularly enjoyed his second straight win at Monaco. "I never won with more than a minute to the third guy. For sure, this is the easiest and probably the nicest victory so far," he said.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Final fans held for forged tickets

ATHENS, Greece (Reuters) -- Greek police on Wednesday arrested 65 people for possessing or selling forged tickets for the Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool.
A group of 56 fans -- mostly British -- attempted to pass the security perimeters around the Olympic Stadium hours before the start of the match but were found to hold forged tickets and were arrested on the spot, police said.
Another six people -- four Norwegians, a Pole and a Greek -- were caught in central Athens trying to sell some of the 43 tickets stolen from a UEFA hotel room earlier in the week.
Police said hotel cameras had also recorded them during the theft.
European soccer's governing body had said the tickets were marked for VIPs and could not be sold on.
More than 50,000 Italian and English fans have arrived in Athens for the final, many of them without tickets.
Black-market prices for match tickets have soared to more than 5,000 euros ($6,727) for a single ticket.
Police had earlier arrested a 28-year-old Briton for selling 50 forged final tickets to an Italian travel agent for 58,000 euros.
Two French men were also caught as they tried to sell two tickets to a group of British fans on a central Athens street. Police said they were charging 600 euros for each 140-euro ticket.
"The British man (who had sold the 50 tickets) was arrested yesterday in Athens," police spokesman Panagiotis Stathis said.
The man had sold 50 forged tickets over two days on Monday and Tuesday before being arrested in central Syntagma Square and was now facing charges of forgery and fraud, police said in a statement.
Greek Football Federation officials were called in to examine the tickets and ruled that they were fakes.
"He will be taken to an Athens prosecutor today," the statement said.
Liverpool play AC Milan in the final of European soccer's biggest club competition later on Wednesday.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Romario nets 1000th goal of career

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- Former Brazil striker Romario scored what he said was the 1,000th goal of his career by converting a penalty in Vasco da Gama's 3-1 win over Sport Recife on Sunday.
The 41-year-old sent Sport goalkeeper Magrao the wrong way to spark extraordinary scenes at Vasco's Sao Januario stadium, where celebrations held up the Brazilian championship match for 16 minutes.
Dozens of people, including friends, relatives and a horde of radio and television reporters ran onto the pitch to hug, congratulate and interview the 1994 World Cup winner after his 48th minute goal.
Romario admits that his tally includes goals scored in youth team, friendly and testimonial games but this failed to dampen the celebrations.
The former PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona player was presented with a special shirt with the number 1,000 on the back by club president Eurico Miranda and completed a lap of honor.
He then went back onto the pitch and played for another 15 minutes, before being substituted to a standing ovation.
"I dedicate this to my family, my children, I'm really emotional, this is an extraordinary moment in my life," he said immediately after the goal.
"It's a great pleasure to reach this target, which only one other player has managed," he added. Pele also scored his 1,000th goal from a penalty for Santos against Vasco da Gama in 1969.
"There are always some who don't like it, but only one other person has done it and I'm proud."
Asked about Sport goalkeeper Magrao, who was on the receiving end, he said: "He has gone down in history when he wants to or not. This could be good or bad for him, depending on how he looks at it."
Romario's striking partner Andre Dias scored twice in the first half to put Vasco in control. Romario, who always said he would have preferred to score the goal at the Maracana stadium, had two chances to score in the first half.
The first effort was cleared off the line by Du Lopes and the second went begging as he was tackled when about to shoot.
But there was no mistake when Vasco were awarded a penalty for handball three minutes after the break.
Vasco went off the boil after the goal and Luciano Henrique pulled one back for the visitors with seven minutes left.
Romario, playing his first game for nearly six weeks, had been stuck on 999 goals for three matches, during which Vasco were knocked out of two competitions and coach Renato Portaluppi was fired.
Magrao said the defeat hurt more than being on the wrong end of history.
"I would have preferred a win for Sport Recife. Nobody likes to lose and I'm no different," he said.
Vasco coach Celso Roth said: "It's a great honor. I'm very grateful to be here at this historic moment for Brazilian and world football."
The win left Vasco as one of six teams who have taken maximum points from their opening two games alongside Palmeiras, Corinthians, Botafogo, Atletico Paranaense and Parana.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Federer overcomes a mid-game slump

HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) -- Roger Federer came through a worrying second-set slump to beat Spain's David Ferrer 6-3 4-6 6-3 and reach the semifinals of the Hamburg Masters on Friday.
The world number one was in dazzling form at the start of the quarterfinal as he broke the Spanish 12th seed in his first and last service games.
He edged into a 4-2 lead in the second only to throw that commanding position away, losing his next two service games as he suddenly seemed unable to get his forehand on target.
The Swiss, who had never lost so much as a set in six previous meetings with Ferrer, pulled his service game together for the decider but, with his opponent gaining in confidence, he had few chances to break.
The turning point came when Federer, serving at 3-3 and 30-30, saw a scooped forehand hit the top of the net and dribble over. It brought a relieved smile from Federer, while Ferrer threw his racket down in frustration on the red clay.
Federer duly held and took a decisive 5-3 lead when he converted a fifth break point in Ferrer's next service game.
Federer will continue his preparation for the French Open, the only grand slam he has never won, with a semifinal against fourth seeded Serb Novak Djokovic or Spain's Carlos Moya.
The favorite, Rafael Nadal, will look to extend his clay-court winning streak to 80 matches when he takes on fifth seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.
The reward for the winner of that match will be a semifinal against Nicolas Almagro or 16th seed Lleyton Hewitt.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nadal settles score with 79th win

HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) -- Rafael Nadal settled an old score against Igor Andreev on Thursday, while Roger Federer was back to his best to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero and join him in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters.
Nadal's 6-4 6-1 victory over the Andreev took his winning streak on clay to 79 matches, dating back to a quarterfinal defeat by the Russian in the Valencia Open in April 2005.
Federer, the world number one, followed him out on court and needed just an hour to rack up a ruthless 6-2 6-3 win over Ferrero, a former French Open champion.
Nadal had not played Andreev on clay since the Valencia defeat. With the sun out and roof open, the Spaniard overcame a few early difficulties with Andreev's dynamite forehand to seize control.
He broke early in the first set and saved two break points on his own serve to consolidate. The second set was more one-sided, with the double French Open champion taking it at a canter to complete victory in 87 minutes.
"I'm very happy with my game at the moment," Nadal said at a news conference. "I played a serious match and I feel confident."
Two other Spaniards joined Nadal in the last eight. Twelfth seed David Ferrer beat seventh-seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 6-3 and Carlos Moya, another former French Open champion, recovered from a bad start to beat eighth-seeded American James Blake 1-6 6-3 6-3 in an entertaining battle
Ferrero could not join his countrymen, as he was expertly beaten by Federer.
It was a far more impressive performance from the Swiss than his scratchy victory over Juan Monaco in the second round and should give him more confidence as he approaches Roland Garros, starting later this month.
He now faces Ferrer in the last eight.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Warnock leaves Sheffield United

SHEFFIELD, England -- Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock left the club on Wednesday following their relegation from the Premier League after one season in the top flight.
In a news conference at Bramall Lane club chairman Kevin McCabe said Warnock was leaving by mutual consent after seven years in charge.
United were condemned to the drop on Sunday when, needing to avoid defeat at home to Wigan Athletic, they lost 2-1.
Sheffield-born Warnock had been in charge since 1999 and guided the side through 388 games.
In the 2002-03 season he led the Yorkshire club to the semifinals of the FA Cup and League Cup and reached the second division playoff final.
He eventually restored United to the top flight after more than 10 years when they finished as second division runners-up in 2006.
They seemed set to retain their status in the Premier League this season when they moved 10 points above the bottom three in mid-February. However, they picked up just eight points in their last 11 games before their final-day relegation.
Warnock said that the club had come a long way since he took over. "The pride has come back to Sheffield United," he declared.
He dismissed reports that he was leaving because he was displeased with new financial terms for next season. "Never has money come into this situation," he said.
"This is one of the best jobs going for a manager but we feel it's time for a new face."
He was emphatic that he did not have another job lined up but said that he wanted one more challenge as a manager, preferably in the Premiership.
Legal action
McCabe is still pursuing possible legal action against the Premier League after relegation rivals West Ham United were handed a £5.5 million ($10.93 million) fine, rather than a points deduction, for breaching ownership rules over Argentines Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
"We are doing everything we can to undo the wrong," McCabe told reporters, adding that he had written to every member of parliament about the controversy that has clouded the finale to the English season.
McCabe said that the club was in no hurry to apoint Warnock's successor.
"We want to take a considered view as part of the transformation and shaping one of the best clubs in the land," he said.
"Exciting times and further challenges lie ahead on and off the field for United and the new manager will have a full part to play."
Warnock's departure continues a flurry of managerial changes at the end of the season.
Wigan's Paul Jewell resigned on Monday, a day after the club clinched Premier League survival, saying he needed a break from football and was replaced by assistant Chris Hutchings.
Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce was sacked on Monday, and Sam Allardyce, who quit Bolton Wanderers with two games of the season remaining, took over at Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Australia bans cricket tour to Zimbabwe

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Prime Minister John Howard said Sunday the Australian government has banned the country's cricket team from touring Zimbabwe in September because he does not want to support the regime of a "grubby dictator."
Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television that his foreign minister has written to the Cricket Australia organization, calling off the tour for the World-Cup champions.
"We don't do this lightly, but we are convinced that for the tour to go ahead, there would be an enormous propaganda boost to the Mugabe regime," he said of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
"The Mugabe regime is behaving like the Gestapo toward its political opponents. The living standards in the country are probably the lowest of any in the world, you have an absolutely unbelievable rate of inflation. I have no doubt that if this tour goes ahead, it will be an enormous boost to this grubby dictator."
Mugabe, 83, has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. He has been criticized by the West and domestic opponents for repression, corruption, acute food shortages and gross economic mismanagement that has driven inflation above 2,000 percent -- the highest in the world. Mugabe has acknowledged that police used violent methods against opposition supporters.
Critics say Mugabe drove the agriculture-based economy into ruin since the government violently seized white-owned commercial farms in 2000 as part of a program to redistribute land to poor blacks.
On Friday, Howard called for the International Cricket Council to cancel the tour, reiterating that the three one-day matches planned would give Mugabe a moral victory. The Australian government then said it was investigating legal ways to cancel the tour without Australia incurring a $2 million fine from international cricket authorities.
Cricket Australia said it might try to play the three matches at a neutral venue.
Howard said the legal basis of the government's decision was solid.
"We do have power over people's passports," he said. "We have made our position very clear."
He said it was better for the Australian government to take the blame for the ban, and not cricket authorities.
"It's pretty obvious to me that the players and the body wanted to act in conformity with public opinion but in the end, not surprisingly, they wanted a situation where the decision was taken by the government and not the players," Howard said.
"I don't think it's fair to leave a foreign policy decision of this magnitude on the shoulders of young sportsmen. It's much better, in the end, for the government to take the rap."
The team likely would have spent less than two weeks in the country.
In August 2005, the ICC rejected a request from the British government to ban Zimbabwe as punishment for increasing human rights abuses. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said then that the ICC's policy was that international matches proceed unless blocked by a government ban.
"We accept that the Australian government has the responsibility for making decisions about our nation's international relationships," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said Sunday.
"Given our commitment to help Zimbabwe cricket develop, we will now explore the possibility of playing the three ODIs [one-day internationals] we are due to play against Zimbabwe in September at a neutral venue outside Zimbabwe."
On Thursday, Sutherland said that while there was "strong sentiment" against the tour, Australia remained contractually bound and obliged to tour as a full ICC member.
Australian team captain Ricky Ponting said he was "comfortable" with the government decision.
"As captain of Australia, I've never had a problem playing against international cricketers from Zimbabwe," Ponting said in a statement. "The Australian squad understands its responsibility to spread the word of cricket throughout the world."
There was no immediate Zimbabwean reaction to the ban. Calls to the Zimbabwe embassy in Canberra were not answered.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nadal heading for third Rome title

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Rafael Nadal swept towards a third consecutive Rome Masters title, beating fifth seed Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3 in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The world number two, whose victory took his winning streak on clay to 75 matches, went through to a semifinal against fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Tommy Robredo 1-6 6-3 6-3 in an earlier match.
In the other half of the draw, wild card Filippo Volandri swept past 12th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-3 to become the first Italian player to reach the last four since Adriano Panatta in 1978.
Volandri will next face the winner of the later quarterfinal between sixth seed Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Ignacio Chela.
Djokovic had beaten Nadal on the way to winning the Miami Masters in April. That result, along with the 19-year-old Serb's victory at last week's claycourt event in Estoril, had raised expectations he might pull off an upset.
Instead, Nadal dominated the early stages of the match, bludgeoning Djokovic with heavy groundstrokes to break in the opening game of the match.
Djokovic saved seven break points in his next two service games but when Nadal whipped a crosscourt winner past him to create another break point in the seventh game he cracked, putting a drop-volley into the tramlines to go 5-2 down.
Typical aplomb
Nadal served out for the first set with typical aplomb. Midway through the game he looped a crosscourt pass on to the baseline with Djokovic stranded at the net.
Djokovic walked slowly back, looked at the mark the ball had made on the baseline and crossed himself.
The intensity of the contest dipped slightly at the start of the second set as errors crept into both players' games but a pair of long forehands in the seventh game gave Nadal a crucial break.
In the ninth game Djokovic netted a routine volley and a backhand to lose serve again and with it the match.
World number 53 Volandri had caused the shock of the tournament by beating Roger Federer in the last 16.
He kept up his momentum against Berdych, losing just five points on his serve on the way to a comfortable victory.
"This win was just as important as yesterday's. Berdych might not be Federer but he's still an excellent player," Volandri said.
"I played another perfect match today -- another fairly easy win. I feel really solid, really confident at the moment."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

De La Hoya earns record $45m purse

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Oscar De La Hoya's WBC super welterweight bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. generated revenue of $120 million from American pay-per-view television, earning a record $45 million purse for De La Hoya.
A total of 2.15 million households in the U.S. paid $54.95 for the fight, which a person close said would be worth $45 million for De La Hoya and just over $20 million for Mayweather. That person requested anonymity because the promoters did not want official figures released.
The $45 million would be the biggest purse paid to a fighter, higher than the $35 million purses Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield reportedly were paid for their second heavyweight bout, the infamous "Bite Fight" when Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.
Mayweather beat De La Hoya on a split decision on Saturday night in an entertaining fight that drew a record live gate of $19 million at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas.
The American cable channel HBO produced the bout through its pay-per-view arm and Ross Greenburg, head of HBO Sports, credited the success of the network's "24/7" reality show that ran in a coveted Sunday night slot for three weeks leading up to the fight with helping to sell the bout.
Mayweather and his dysfunctional family, including his estranged father, Floyd Sr., and his trainer and uncle, Roger, became the stars of the show, allowing non-boxing fans a glimpse into the life of the fighter.
"The series was not only well received by the American public, who were suddenly attracted in a very human way to these two fighters, but it allowed the media to cover the fight in more depth," Greenburg said.
"They were able to dive deeper into the backgrounds of both fighters."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Roddick beats Gaudio on Rome clay

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Third seed Andy Roddick edged into the last 16 of the Rome Masters with a 6-1 7-6 win over former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio on Wednesday.
Serbian fifth seed Novak Djokovic also progressed, holding his nerve to beat Robin Soderling 3-6 6-4 6-3.
Roddick, who as playing his first tournament since pulling out of the Miami Masters with a hamstring injury in March, dominated the early stages of the contest, lashing a forehand drive down the line to go a break up in the fourth game, then breaking again in the sixth before taking the first set in 28 minutes.
The second set, however, was much tighter. Roddick created four match points with aggressive serve-volleying, but 2004 Roland Garros winner Gaudio saved them all.
Gaudio too had a chance to take the match to a deciding set at 8-7 up, but Roddick fired down an ace.
A double-fault by Gaudio, however, gave Roddick a fifth match point, which the American converted by coming into the net to put away a winning volley.
He will next play the winner of the later match between Juan Ignacio Chela and Igor Andreev.
Djokovic, 19, came into Rome full of confidence after winning last week's claycourt event in Estoril -- his third title of the season -- but was pushed all the way by Soderling.
The Swede seemed in control when he got an early break in the decider, but Djokovic leveled the scores then fended off break points in the fifth and seventh games to stay in contention.
Soderling crumbled in the eighth game, a series of unforced errors giving Djokovic the decisive break he needed to serve out for the match.
Twelfth seed Tomas Berdych also reached the last 16 with a 7-6 6-3 win over Albert Montanes.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Malaysia to cancel United fixture

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) -- Manchester United will be asked to cancel their July tour match in Malaysia after organisers bowed to mounting pressure from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the country's top football official has said.
"We have to abide by the ruling of the Asian football family. Manchester United can't come in July," said Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Abdullah was speaking just after FIFA president Sepp Blatter and AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam pleaded during the body's Congress for countries to withdraw support for Manchester United's tour of Asia during the July 7-29 Asian Cup.
United were due to play in Kuala Lumpur on July 27, two days before the Asian Cup final in Jakarta.
The AFC and Football Association of Malaysia last year signed an agreement banning the promotion of any other football event during the Asian Cup.
The English Premier League champions are also due to visit Japan, South Korea and Macau during their tour.
Alex Ferguson's side enjoy huge support in Malaysia and the region and the club sees Asia as a major market for its merchandise.
"I think this is a question of solidarity and one of respect," Blatter said. "Shall football only be about business?" Malaysian officials were clearly taken aback by the show of support from the AFC's 45 other members, who all clapped loudly after Blatter and Hammam made their requests.
FAM general secretary Ibrahim Saad criticised the AFC for interfering in Malaysia's 50th anniversary celebrations.
"I don't think it's right for other people to tell our country how we should celebrate our 50th anniversary," Saad said.
The United tour was also part of the "Visit Malaysia 2007" campaign and Abdullah said he would leave it to the organisers to inform the English club of their change of plans.
"We saw the reaction of the Asian football family and we have no choice," Abdullah said. "Malaysian fans will be disappointed. I sympathise but we know the wishes of the president and we have to support that."
Earlier, Blatter echoed Hammam's frustration at the timing of the United tour, which would steal the spotlight from the Jakarta final.
"We will be taking this case up at the FIFA Congress (at the end of this month in Zurich) and we will also contact the English FA," Blatter told delegates.
"It's not correct for European teams to play in Asia during the continent's biggest competition," he added.
Hammam had previously described the proposed tour as "immoral and unethical", accusing United of being disrespectful towards Asia.
He publicly called on Abdullah, an AFC executive council member, to cancel the tour on Tuesday.
"I would say Asia for Asians," Bin Hammam told reporters when asked what message he had for United fans disappointed by any cancellation or rescheduling.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Henin strolls to 32nd career title

WARSAW, Poland (Reuters) -- Justine Henin became the first player to win three titles this season when she eased to a 6-1 6-3 victory over unseeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in the weather-delayed final of the Warsaw Cup on Monday.
The Belgian's victory in the match postponed because of persistent rain on Sunday gave Henin her 32nd career title, and followed back-to-back victories in Dubai and Doha this season.
The top seed also reached the final of her last tournament in Miami, before falling to Serena Williams.
Bondarenko, whose ranking is expected to improve from 40 to 29, was competing in her third career final with her only title victory coming in Luxembourg last year.
"To wait yesterday was pretty hard," Henin said. "But finally it was a good day today. I'm very happy to win my second title here in Warsaw and the first tournament on clay. That gives me confidence."
Henin, who needed just 61 minutes to secure victory over her far less experienced opponent, got off to a great start and always looked in control after breaking in the opening game and holding serve to love for a 2-0 lead.
Although the 22-year old rallied well, she had nothing in her game to cause Henin any great concern and the Belgian gave up only three points in the last three games of the opening set and broke the Ukrainian twice more.
Henin began the second set by winning the first two games to love, before a loss of form helped Bondarenko fight back to 2-2 and a 40-0 lead on the Belgian's serve.
However, Henin fought off the break points and regained the advantage when she broke to love with a forehand volley to move into a 5-3 lead, before serving out for the match.
"In the second set I lost a little bit of my intensity," Henin told reporters. "When I was leading 2-0 in the second, things were going a little bit too easy at that time and I lost my concentration for a few games.
"It's good I was able to keep my service game at that time. Then finally at the end of the match I was pretty aggressive again so I did a good job."
Bondarenko said the match had been a valuable experience for her.
"I wasn't hitting the ball hard enough to win today," she said. "I was very nervos in the first set, but in the second set I started playing a little better. I enjoyed the experience of playing Justine and hope next time I play better."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Former world No.1 Clijsters quits

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- Former world number one Kim Clijsters announced her immediate retirement from tennis on her Web site on Sunday.
Clijsters, 23, has struggled with injury over the last few years and had said this season would be her last.
The Belgian former U.S. Open champion, who is getting married in July, had already pulled out of the French and U.S. Opens.
"It has been more than great. The rackets will be hung up," Clijsters told her web diary.
She said recurrent injuries and the need to stretch for an hour every morning, along with preparations for her forthcoming wedding, had made it harder to carry on.
"Stopping aged almost 24 is pretty young but it has been wonderful. It would be easy to go on for a few more months and take in the four big earners in tennis," Clijsters wrote, referring to the remaining grand slams and the end-of-season Masters.
Although Clijsters won only one grand slam -- the 2005 U.S. Open -- she reached four other finals and six additional semifinals.
She also won the season-ender twice in a 10-year professional career highlighted by fierce rivalry with compatriot Justine Henin.
"Money is important, but not the most important thing in my life. Health and a private life are more important."
Risk factor
Clijsters said last week she did not want to risk getting injured again and having to wear a cast at her wedding to American basketball player Brian Lynch.
But she added then she planned to play at Eastbourne and Wimbledon in June. She had even mooted competing in the doubles at what would have been her final grand slam.
Sunday's announcement means the Belgian played her last tournament in Poland last week, where she was defending the Warsaw Cup but looked short of form and lost in the second round to Ukrainian qualifier Julia Vakulenko.
Clijsters had also committed to tournaments in Luxembourg and Stuttgart in late September and early October. She said she could yet attend, albeit from the stands.
"But I'm not going away without saying farewell to you and so I'm inviting you once more to a big party in September," she told her fans.
Then she will retreat into a private life for which she is clearly yearning.
"Time to marry. Children? Time for cooking and playing with my dogs. And particularly a lot of time with my friends and family. No more travelling. No more stepping in and out of planes. No more having to read gossip or lies in the papers."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

United win derby to close on title

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United moved to within touching distance of clinching the English Premier League title with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's first half penalty after the Portuguese winger had been tripped by Michael Ball settled the 147th Manchester derby, but United owed their three points to a late penalty save by Dutch international Edwin van der Saar.
City were awarded an 80th minute spot kick after Ball had gone down under a challenge by Wes Brown.
Former England international Darius Vassell struck his penalty down the center but van der Saar reacted to save with his legs.
United, who move eight points clear of reigning champions Chelsea, will reclaim the title if Jose Mourinho's men fail to beat London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
United, rarely at their best after their midweek Champions League disappointment against AC Milan, might have been ahead before their 34th minute penalty as defenders Nemanja Vidic and fit-again Rio Ferdinand both hit the crossbar with headed efforts at the far post.
With Ferdinand back to give added reassurance to the United defense, City rarely threatened as their goal drought continued.
Stuart Pearce's men ended their last home game of the season without a goal in eight successive home matches since New Year's Day.
Their tally of 10 home league goals is the all-time worst record in the English top tier since league football began in 1888.
Ronaldo had been kept quiet, but his trickery drew a clumsy challenge from Ball and he easily dispatched the spot kick past Andreas Isaksson for his 23rd goal of the season.
Ball, who was lucky to punishment for an apparent stamp on Ronaldo in the opening moments, ironically gave City their best chance of salvaging a point as he burst into United's penalty area to be baulked by Brown.
United protested Rob Styles' penalty award, but Vassell could not finish the job for the disappointing home side.

Ronaldo is Footballer of the Year

LONDON, England -- Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United was named Footballer of the Year on Friday, completing an unprecedented clean sweep of England's three major individual honors this season.
The Portugal winger finished ahead of Didier Drogba of Chelsea and United team mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in the 60th vote organized by the Football Writers' Association (FWA).
"I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to win such an important award, it is a real honor," Ronaldo told the FWA after being informed of his victory in a poll in which an unusually high number of 12 players received votes.
FWA chairman Paul Hetherington said: "(It) completes a remarkable turnaround for the player, who was so heavily criticized during last year's World Cup for his part in the sending-off of club mate Wayne Rooney when England played Portugal in the quarter-finals.
"It shows in England we do not bear a grudge and can accept and recognize individual brilliance. He was the deserved, overwhelming winner of a poll dominated by United players which underlines their success this season."
The 22-year-old becomes the first United player to win the award since Teddy Sheringham in 2001 and the first Portuguese to land the honor.
Ronaldo was also voted Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers' Association last month.
The winger, who joined United from Sporting Lisbon for £12.2 million ($24.31 million) in 2003, has been in inspirational form this season, scoring 22 goals for United.
Although United were knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan on Wednesday, they can still lift a Premier League and FA Cup double.

Milan thrash United to reach final

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -- AC Milan set up a repeat Champions League final showdown against Liverpool when they brushed aside Manchester United 3-0 on Wednesday to complete a 5-3 win on aggregate.
First-half goals by playmaker Kaka and midfielder Clarence Seedorf, and a second-half strike by substitute Alberto Gilardino rewarded a commanding display by the six-times European champions, who will dispute their third final in five years and the 11th in their history in Athens on May 23.
The game against Liverpool will also give them a chance to avenge the defeat they suffered against the English club in the 2005 final in Istanbul, when they squandered a 3-0 half-time lead before losing 3-2 on penalties.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "None of the coaches could imagine a match like this. We played perfect football. It is like a dream. Manchester United are a very strong team but we played well in the first leg so it gave us strength to play well today."
Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso added: "The end of the season has been very good because it began very badly for Milan this year.
"In the first leg we both played very well and nobody could bet on us, but working hard we have pulled ourselves up."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said afterwards: "We were on the back foot all night and we gave the goals away cheaply.
"They were better prepared physically tonight, they've been resting players and that can make a difference at this level while we've been playing the same players for a few weeks now.
"They were sharper and quicker to the ball and pressed really well and they were good winners. We needed a goal to get back into it and in fairness we didn't look like we were going to score."
The game and pre-match preparations in the city passed off peacefully despite fears of violence after Roma and United fans clashed in the last round.
Outclassed
But United were outclassed from the moment they stepped out at the San Siro where lashing rain, lightning and thunder resembled a wet winter's night in Manchester rather than Milan in spring.
But it was the Italian side that looked more comfortable on the greasy pitch and Kaka needed less than a minute to show why Alex Ferguson had identified him as Milan's most dangerous player.
The Brazilian international, who scored both Milan's goals in the first leg, effortlessly accelerated round Wes Brown to send in a low cross that flashed invitingly in front of Filippo Inzaghi and Clarence Seedorf.
He didn't take long to find the target, latching on to a Seedorf nod-on before dispatching a low left-footed drive into the bottom corner of Edwin can der Sar's net after 11 minutes.
United jerked briefly into life. Giggs forced Dida to make his first save of the match after 20 minutes, but the Premier League leaders continued to lack their usual bite.
Cristiano Ronaldo, in particular, looked isolated on the left, where Gennaro Gattuso, who had an outstanding match, and Massimo Oddo snapped at his heels every time he received the ball.
Milan struck again on the half hour. The move began when defender Nemanja Vidic slipped over on the edge of the area to concede possession to Andrea Pirlo.
The midfielder's cross was cleared only as far as Seedorf on the edge of the area, and the Dutchman jinked to his right before beating van der Sar with another low drive.
Milan began the second half as they finished the first, with Kaka bursting into the box and angling in a shot that the goalkeeper did well to keep out.
United were more industrious than they had been before the break, though they seemed no closer to scoring.
With 12 minutes remaining, Ferguson sent on Louis Saha as an additional striker in place of defender John O'Shea.
It was a gamble that backfired on him. With United team pushed upfield, Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini picked out Inzaghi's replacement, Gilardino, with a long crossfield ball, and the striker dashed into the area and fired past Van der Sar.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Injured Maldini to miss United tie

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -- AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini will miss the Champions League semifinal second leg match against Manchester United after failing to recover from a knee injury.
"I've got a swollen knee and I'm not going to recover in time. I'm getting old," the 38-year-old defender told radio station VivaRadioDue on Wednesday, just hours before the teams were due to meet at Milan's San Siro stadium.
Milan need to overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit against the Premier League leaders to reach the final of Europe's top club competition for the 10th time in their history.
Maldini, who picked up the injury in last week's match at Old Trafford, has represented the club in seven of their previous nine finals.
His place in the starting line-up is likely to be taken by Daniele Bonera.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Shevchenko denies row with Chelsea

LONDON, England (AP) -- Andriy Shevchenko and Chelsea denied on Tuesday that he had refused to travel to Liverpool for the second leg of the Champions League semifinal in a dispute over his playing status.
"He suffered an injury during training on Sunday and it was decided after training that he was not fit to play against Liverpool and therefore, like other injured players, did not travel," Chelsea said in a statement.
Shevchenko said he aggravated a groin injury in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Bolton on Saturday, a result which virtually ended the Blues' Premier League title hopes.
"I am really sorry to miss the match and can't be with the team to help and support them in what must be one of the most important games in Chelsea's history," Shevchenko said on his official Web site.
"I will remain in London and work hard on my rehabilitation to ensure I can make myself available as soon as possible."
British newspapers reported on Tuesday that Shevchenko refused to join the team in Liverpool when he learned he would not start Tuesday night's game.
Shevchenko has scored 14 goals in 51 games for Chelsea. He played in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League first leg semifinal on Wednesday, and was substituted at halftime in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Bolton on Saturday.
That draw virtually ended Chelsea's hopes of winning its third straight Premier League title.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Barthez confirms Nantes departure

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- Fabien Barthez's flamboyant career has almost certainly ended with a controversial exit in keeping with one of the world's best but most eccentric goalkeepers.
The former world and European champion had a fight with a Nantes fan after a home defeat on Saturday, turned in the keys to his club house and drove out of the Atlantic port city with his family in his car en route to an unknown destination.
The 35-year-old said on Monday he had left Nantes because he feared for his safety and would not return.
"I will not play for Nantes again," Barthez told French radio France Info. "This has got nothing to do with football. I no longer feel safe there and it's better for me to leave."
Olympique Marseille coach Albert Emon, who knows Barthez well, strongly suggested the goalkeeper's career was now over.
"It's sad, it's something very personal. He's had a great career. You can't take that away from him. He's been one of the best keepers in the world," said Emon, who was an assistant coach when Barthez played for Marseille.
Barthez was hailed as a saviour when he came out of retirement in mid-December to help Nantes in their bid to escape relegation.
But the famously shaven-headed keeper has committed some embarrassing blunders reminiscent of his worst days at Manchester United.
He has also stirred controversy, notably after conceding a clumsy goal in a 1-0 defeat at home to lowly Sedan earlier this month. After being substituted with an injury, he left the stadium without waiting for the end of the game.
Unwanted headlines
Barthez then earned more unwanted headlines when he hurt team-mate Dimitri Payet with a dangerous tackle in training on Tuesday.
Always an individual, Barthez failed to win acceptance from the rest of the team before leaving the sinking ship after an ugly scene.
On Saturday, after a 2-0 home defeat by Stade Rennes which means Nantes will almost certainly be relegated for the first time in their history, five drunken fans blocked his car as he was driving out of the Beaujoire stadium.
They kicked the car and banged on the windscreen and one fan tried to open the car door.
Barthez then got out of his car and started trading punches with one of the fans. Security staff moved in to separate them.
"Fabien is in a state of shock," Nantes president Rudi Roussillon said on Sunday after the news that Barthez had left.
"He has been deeply affected by this assault. This is not acting. He can't cheat."
An eccentric genius to some, and just plain eccentric to his critics, Barthez will be remembered in France as a prominent figure of the team who lifted the World Cup on home soil in 1998.
His shot-stopping ability was one of the host nation's keys to success and the ritual good-luck kiss on the head before kick-off from defender Laurent Blanc will stay as one of the tournament's abiding memories.
As well as enjoying international success in his 87-cap France career, he also won two English Premier League titles during a five-year spell with Manchester United.
Before crossing the Channel, he had lifted the European Cup with Olympique Marseille in 1993 and won two French titles, with Monaco, in 1997 and 2000.
Controversy, however, has always accompanied a player who was suspended for five months in May 2005 after spitting at a referee during a friendly match between Marseille and Wydad Casablanca.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Donald maintains lead at Byron Nelson

IRVING, Texas (Reuters) -- Britain's Luke Donald endured an up-and-down third round at the Byron Nelson Championship on Saturday but emerged with a one-shot lead going into the final round of the $6.3 million event.
Donald shot a 67 for a three-round total of 200, 10-under-par, one better than Dallas native Scott Verplank who shot a 66 on Saturday.
American Michael Allen is a shot further back in third place after an eight under par 64, with Briton Ian Poulter fourth on 204 for the three rounds. Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are among five players tied for fifth on 205.
"I know I'm the kind of person that's good enough to win this tournament tomorrow," Englishman Donald told reporters.
"I felt like I was very patient today, with the weather conditions being so mild.
"I knew there were some scoring opportunities out there and I made some nice birdies on the back nine," he added.
Donald shot an even par 35 on the front nine and at one point was three shots behind Verplank, who grew up 20 miles from the course and once served as a volunteer sign carrier at the tournament.
But the back nine of the Tournament Players Course at the Four Seasons Resort was a different story -- Verplank shooting even par 35 while Donald went three-under.
"Everybody knows how I feel about this tournament and Mr. Nelson," Verplank told reporters. "It would be the highlight of my career to win here."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Man Utd on brink of title triumph

LONDON, England -- Manchester United moved five points clear in the Premiership title race after fighting back from two goals down to beat Everton 4-2 on a day of rollercoaster drama on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney's 79th-minute strike and a stoppage time goal from youngster Chris Eagles capped a remarkable fightback at Goodison Park where Everton had led 2-0.
Victory ensured that Alex Ferguson's side took full advantage of Chelsea being held to a 2-2 draw by Bolton at Stamford Bridge.
It was a dramatic turnaround on a day that had seen Chelsea 2-1 ahead at the time United trailed by two goals.
Everton went ahead in the 11th minute after Patrice Evra fouled Mikel Arteta 20 metres out to concede a free-kick in a dangerous position which Alan Stubbs fully exploited.
The 35-year-old defender powered in a ferocious shot that took a slight deflection off Michael Carrick and flew past Edwin van der Sar into the back of the net.
United dominated most of the rest of the half but it was Everton who were the first to find the net again when Manuel Fernandes created space for himself and then drilled an unstoppable shot past Van der Sar to make it 2-0 after 50 minutes.
But poor defending at two corners midway through the second half turned the game United's way.
Iain Turner, in goal because Everton's regular keeper Tim Howard is on loan from United and not allowed to play against his parent club, fumbled an inswinging corner from Ryan Giggs, allowing the ball to drop at the feet of John O'Shea who lashed it into the empty net from close-range.
United's equalizer seven minutes later followed another corner when the Everton defence failed to clear a header from substitute Cristiano Ronaldo.
The ball fell to former United defender Phil Neville -- who scored nine goals in 386 appearances during his 11-year career at Old Trafford.
But he scored for United again when he sent the ball into the back of his own net instead of clearing it.
United's dominance finally paid off in the 78th minute when Everton failed to deal with a high cross from Ronaldo.
The ball fell to Rooney, who is still unpopular with some Everton fans after he left for United in 2004, who rode a tackle before steering a shot into the right-hand corner for his 14th league goal of the season.
Youngster Chris Eagles, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after 86 minutes, marked his first appearance for United in the Premier League with the fourth goal in stoppage time when he curled the ball home from 18 meters to complete United's stunning comeback.
Over at Stamford Bridge, Slovakia defender Lubomir Michalik gave Bolton a surprise 19th minute lead on his full debut, only for Chelsea's Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou to level soon after with a header.
Kalou was also responsible for Chelsea's second goal, sending in a header that struck the crossbar and rebounded into the net off keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 33rd minute.
But as Chelsea closed in for the kill, Bolton forward Kevin Davies exploited a defensive lapse to head an equaliser soon after the re-start and Sam Allardyce's men held on for a point.
It means that United, who travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on May 9, have 85 points to the champions' 80.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "With Chelsea drawing, it's back with us. A five-point lead and a superior goal difference gives us an absolutely marvellous chance with just three games left."
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho conceded Manchester United were now very close to Premier League glory.
"Mathematically, we still have a chance and when there's a chance you have to wait...you have to win and you have to wait.
"I think Manchester United at the moment feel very close... They feel very comfortable...They can come to Stamford Bridge and they can lose," he said.
"I feel sad, but I feel I have a big game against Liverpool on Tuesday. That's a good thing, about being in this situation, that you still have a big game so you don't have time to be sad," Mourinho said.
Mourinho began against Bolton by resting England midfielders Frank Lampard and Joe Cole and top scorer Didier Drogba but all three eventually came off the bench.
Remaining fixtures of English Premier League title contenders:
Manchester United
Saturday, May 5: v Manchester City (a)
Wednesday, May 9: v Chelsea (a)
Sunday, May 13: v West Ham (h)
Chelsea
Sunday, May 6: v Arsenal (a)
Wednesday, May 9: v Manchester United (h)
Sunday, May 13: v Everton (h)

Podolski absence hits Bayern hopes

MUNICH, Germany -- Germany international striker Lukas Podolski is set to be sidelined for six months with a knee injury, dealing a big blow to his club side Bayern Munich's hopes of securing a Champions League spot next season.
The 21-year-old needs an operation to repair his injured left knee and will miss his side's final four Bundesliga matches as the German champions try to avoid missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 11 years.
"Lukas has damaged the cartilage in his left knee and will have an operation on Thursday and will be out for the next six months," a statement on Bayern's Web site said on Thursday.
His absence will also be a serious setback for Germany in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and he will miss matches against San Marino and Slovakia in June.
Germany's coach Joachim Loew was disappointed by the news and will be looking for a new striking partner alongside Schalke 04's Kevin Kuranyi.
"Lukas told me on Wednesday night," said Loew.
"This is a great shame for him personally, of course, but also for the national team, because we will miss Lukas for the European qualifiers.
"I wish him a quick recovery and hope that he is fit at the beginning of the new season again."
Podolski made a big impact at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany being voted best young player of the competition.
He has scored 22 goals in 38 internationals, but he has underachieved at Bayern since joining at the start of the season from Cologone -- scoring just four goals in 22 games.
Bayern are fourth in the Bundesliga and five points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots.

Nadal launches Barca hat-trick bid

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) -- Ruthless Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak on clay to 68 matches on Wednesday as he opened his bid for a third successive Barcelona Open title with a 6-1 6-2 demolition of Belgian Kristof Vliegen.
The top seed needed exactly one hour to advance to the third round, giving up just one more game than he did when beating Vliegen in Monte Carlo last week.
Vliegen held serve in the opening game but that was as good as it got as a rampant Nadal reeled off six straight games.
Nadal broke serve again early in the second set and though the Belgian did manage to win two games the result was never in doubt.
The Spaniard will meet the winner of the all-Swedish clash between 13th seed Robin Soderling and former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson.
Nadal is bidding to become only the second man, after Swede Mats Wilander, to win the Barcelona Open in three successive years.
Second seed Nikolay Davydenko overcame a troublesome right shoulder and a difficult opponent in fellow Russian Yuri Schukin to reach the third round.
Davydenko, beaten in his first match in Monte Carlo last week, struggled for form again before scrambling his way to a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory.
The world number four looked on course for an easy win when he led by a set and 2-0, but world number 218 Schukin, who was appearing in his first ATP Tour event of the year, hit back to level.
Davydenko was then broken in the first game of the final set but after having treatment at 1-2 reeled off the next five games to set up a clash with Italian Filippo Volandri, who ousted Spanish 14th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-7 6-4 6-1.
Eighth seed Juan Ignacio Chela also advanced with a 6-3 6-3 victory over American Vince Spadea.
He will play Potito Starace, who beat Marat Safin's conqueror and fellow Italian Simone Bolelli 6-4 6-3.
Twelfth seed Guillermo Canas hammered Czech Jiri Vanek 6-1 6-1, while former Barcelona champion Carlos Moya ended the comeback of Felix Mantilla with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over his fellow Spaniard.
Mantilla, in his first tournament for 18 months after overcoming skin cancer, pushed Moya for more than two hours before the former French Open champion sealed victory on his second match point.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.