update sports news around the world

Essien steers hosts Ghana to last eight

2008-01-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

ACCRA, Ghana -- Premier League pair Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari scored as Ghana progressed to the quarterfinals of the African Nations Cup as group winners following a 2-0 victory over Morocco.

Chelsea midfielder Essien was on target as hosts Ghana reached the African Nations Cup last eight.

The win means the hosts top their group with a 100 percent record and will be joined in the last eight by Guinea, who progressed despite an unimpressive 1-1 draw with Namibia in Sekondi.
Chelsea midfielder Essien was the inspiration behind Ghana, driving the team forward and putting them ahead after 26 minutes when he chipped in a free-kick.
He then set up the second for Portsmouth's Muntari who fired in a 15-meter shot at the near post on the stroke of half-time.
Soulemayne Youla put Guinea ahead after 62 minutes when he slid the ball home from an acute angle having squandered a clear cut chance in the first half.
Namibia levelled 10 minutes from time when Brian Brendell's long-range shot took a couple of bounces on the bobbly pitch and into the net.
The draw meant Guinea edged out Morocco by a point as they recovered from defeat in their first game to

Contador in yellow after stage 17

2007-07-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-30T02:12:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Rooney goal gives United late win

2007-04-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Manchester United came from behind to beat AC Milan 3-2 in the first leg of a dramatic Champions League semifinal at Old Trafford on Tuesday with Wayne Rooney scoring the winner in stoppage time.
He latched on to a pass from Ryan Giggs to lash the ball past Dida's near post from the edge of the penalty area for his second goal of the game.
A beaming Uniited manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I thought we played some fantastic football and dominated the game.
"The equaliser gave us the incentive to go on and win it and the late goal gives us a magnificent chance of winning the tie now."
United, missing six first team regulars, made a superb start when Milan goalkeeper Dida could only parry a Cristiano Ronaldo header into his own net after five minutes.
But Milan, the last team to beat United at home in European competition two years ago, equalised when Brazilian Kaka fired an angled left-foot shot past Edwin van der Sar after 22 minutes.
Kaka then put Milan 2-1 up 15 minutes later with a fine individual goal capitalising on the uncertainty in United's patched-up defence.
Rooney brought United back into the tie when he converted from close range to make it 2-2 in the 59th minute after a brilliantly executed scooped pass from Paul Scholes.
United, out to avenge consecutive 1-0 defeats by Milan in the 2005 knockout round, had to field a patched-up back line after injuries to Rio Ferdinand, skipper Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Nemanja Vidic and midfielder-turned-defender Kieran Richardson.
But it seemed to matter little in the opening exchanges, with United drawing first blood when Ronaldo met a Ryan Giggs corner with a header that Dida parried upwards and then flapped into his own net under pressure from Gabriel Heinze.
United's Argentine defender was less lucky soon afterwards, though, when he failed to prevent Kaka from latching on to Clarence Seedorf's through-ball and rifling a low left-foot shot past Edwin van der Sar.
Though United replied with plenty of pressure and a stinging shot from Ronaldo which Dida could only parry, their night went from bad to worse in the 37th minute.
Kaka surged forward on a solo run, outmanouevring Darren Fletcher and then dodging the luckless Heinze, who was promptly flattened by the in-rushing Patrice Evra to leave both United men in a heap.
The Brazilian nodded the ball through the gap the United defenders created and was left completely alone to sweep the ball past a helpless Van der Sar from close range.
Kaka, already the Champions League's top scorer this season, took his tally to nine and left United facing a first home defeat since a league loss to Arsenal in September.
To complete a miserable half for United's back four, left-back Evra marked his return from injury with a yellow card for dissent that rules him out of the second leg at San Siro next Wednesday.
But United, who have only lost five times at home in 51 years in Europe, came storming back in the second half before Rooney sealed victory with his late winner.
Milan, with two away goals, are far from beaten and will also fancy their chances of reaching next month's final against either Liverpool or Chelsea when they face United at home in the San Siro in next Wednesday's second leg.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Palermo dismiss Guidolin as coach

2007-04-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Serie A side Palermo have dismissed Francesco Guidolin as coach and appointed assistant Renzo Gobbo in his place.
Sunday's 4-3 defeat to relegation-threatened Parma proved the final straw for 51-year-old Guidolin, in his second stint at the Sicilian club after leading them to the top-flight in 2004.
Palermo started this season strongly and were considered possible title contenders.
However, a loss of form, compounded by an injury to leading striker Amauri, has left them in danger of missing out on Europe next season.
A dismal run of form has left Palermo sixth in the league with 49 points from 33 games, 35 behind Inter Milan who sealed the title on Sunday.
Palermo have slipped alarmingly in recent weeks, having led Serie A in the autumn, and have gone 11 matches without a victory.
The winless streak -- seven draws and four defeats -- dates back to February 2, when they beat Sicilian rivals Catania 2-1. "This measure has been taken to save our season," said club president Maurizio Zamparini
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nadal secures third Monaco success

2007-04-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

MONTE CARLO (Reuters) -- Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his third Monte Carlo Masters Series in succession when he extended his record winning streak on clay to 67 matches with a 6-4 6-4 defeat of world number one Roger Federer in Sunday's final.
The double French Open champion, who has not lost on the slow surface since a defeat to Russian Igor Andreev in April 2005, became the second player to win three straight titles in the principality.
Only Romania's Ilie Nastase had achieved the feat before him, from 1971 to 1973.
Nadal, who thrashed all his opponents en route to Sunday's final, has already emerged as a hot favorite to retain his French Open crown.
"Congratulations to Rafa. I am very happy for him. What he has achieved is fantastic," Federer said in a courtside interview. "I will try again to beat him in Rome, Hamburg and here in Monte Carlo next year."
Nadal said: "I have to say it is an honor to be here up against him (Federer) and to win for the third time."
The Majorcan took advantage of his opponent's sloppy forehand to improve his record against Federer to 7-3. The Swiss has never beaten him on clay in five meetings.
Federer had won his two previous matches against the world number two, beating him for his fourth consecutive Wimbledon crown and in the semifinal of last year's Masters Cup.
The left-handed Spaniard defeated Federer in last year's final before clinching his second French Open title with victory in Paris against the Swiss.
Federer, who outclassed claycourt specialists David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero in the previous rounds, never seemed in a position to bother Nadal.
Nadal broke decisively on his second chance when Federer sent a forehand long in the ninth game after wasting three opportunities to take the Spaniard's serve.
The double French Open champion clinched the set with a crosscourt forehand winner in 47 minutes.
The Swiss, who made 13 forehand unforced errors in the first set, dropped his serve in the third game of the second as Nadal managed an impressive passing shot.
Federer saved two match points with forehand winners but bowed out on the third, giving Nadal his 19th career title when he sent a backhand long.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Viduka goal blows title race open

2007-04-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER, England -- Premiership leaders Manchester United dropped two potentially costly points in the race for the title with Chelsea, after a diving header from Mark Viduka gave Middlesbrough a deserved 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
United had taken an early lead when Kieran Richardson slotted home after Wayne Rooney had collected Paul Scholes' pass and rounded Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer.
United struggled to break Boro down after the break and were indebted to goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar's save to thwart Viduka from scoring his second.
The result leaves United four points ahead of Chelsea, who can cut that gap to just one if they win at Newcastle on Sunday.
United have 82 points from 34 games, while Chelsea, who host United in a potential title decider at Stamford Bridge on May 9, have 78 from 33 games.
If United had had any nerves about their absorbing title duel with Chelsea they should have been dispelled thanks to Richardson's third-minute goal.
Scholes' raking pass took Jonathan Woodgate out of the game to release Rooney, who wasted no time in taking the ball round Schwarzer.
Rooney's final touch on the ball was a little too strong, but it made no matter as Richardson stepped in to sidefoot home.
The Old Trafford crowd could have been forgiven for expecting an avalanche of goals at this point, but Boro failed to play the role of willing lambs to the slaughter.
Belying their mid-table position, Boro were impressive following their uncertain start and dominated for long periods due to their midfield control.
As Boro regrouped United were indebted to some brave defensive play from Wes Brown, who first tackled Yakubu and then came across to block Stewart Downing's attempted cross.
Viduka castigated Downing for not delivering his cross more quickly, but when the England international picked up on the ball on the left at the end of the first half he had clearly learned his lesson.
Downing whipped in a cross to the near post and Viduka stole in between Paul Scholes and Brown to send a diving header past Van der Sar.
With United due to face AC Milan in their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, Ryan Giggs had started the game on the bench, but Viduka's goal saw the Welshman stripped and ready to go for the start of the second half.
But it was Boro who initially threatened in the second period when Viduka bamboozled Brown allowing the Australian a clear sight of goal. This time Van der Sar got the better of Viduka, spreading himself to make a good save.
United brought on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it was Boro who next threatened as Lee Cattermole went agonisingly close with a powerful shot.
Solskjaer did get the ball in the net, but all he earned was a booking for unsporting behavior towards Schwarzer.
And late on United might have concede a penalty when Dong-Gook Lee went down following a John O'Shea tackle.
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was full of praise for his side's performance. "We wanted to have a go and our front boys were a real handful. There were some outstanding defensive performances as well.
"We showed real character after the worst possible start. We might even have pinched all three points and the longer it went on you could sense the crowd getting edgy."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted the result opened the door for Chelsea to retain their title for a third straight season.
"We always said that if we made mistakes, they (Chelsea) have got the ability to come back at us," Ferguson said.
"The way I am looking at it is that we have got four games to go and it looks as if the decider is going to be at Chelsea. It will be some game."

Federer races to 500th career win

2007-04-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

MONTE CARLO (Reuters) -- World number one Roger Federer sped into the Monte Carlo Masters Series semifinals when he thrashed Spaniard David Ferrer to clinch his 500th professional victory on Friday.
The Swiss, who has never dropped a set against the claycourt specialist in their six encounters, won 6-4 6-0 and will meet 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero for a place in Sunday's final.
The Spaniard ended Frenchman Richard Gasquet's run in the principality with a 5-7 7-5 6-2 victory.
Gasquet started brightly but ran out of gas by the end of the second set as Ferrero outplayed him with powerful groundstrokes from the baseline.
He clinched victory in two hours 26 minutes on his first match point.
Federer wasted no time in defeating Ferrer. Following two exchanges of breaks, Federer stepped up a gear and broke decisively in the ninth game when Ferrer sent a forehand wide.
The second set was a mere formality for the Swiss, who wrapped up the win in 58 minutes. "I just felt like it was easy to keep the ball in play. It was easy to play aggressive. And usually that always happens against the best players. David is a very good player from my point of view," Federer told reporters.
"He's an excellent grinder and baseline player and he plays very well so it's hard to beat him. But I always find a way against him to overpower him from the baseline and just have enough variety to maybe frustrate him a bit.
"When I needed good shots they came along and today was a really good match so I'm really pleased."
Czech Tomas Berdych came back from the brink of elimination to advance with a 5-7 6-3 6-0 victory over Swede Robin Soederling.
Tenth seed Berdych will play either German qualifier Philipp Kohlschreiber or holder Rafael Nadal for a place in Sunday's final.
Nadal is hoping to extend his record winning streak on clay to 65 matches.
Following an exchange of breaks, Soederling took his opponent's serve in the 12th game to clinch the opening set when Berdych sent a forehand wide.
The Swede opened a 3-0 gap in the second set before Berdych suddenly woke up and won 12 games in a row.
"I started badly today but then things changed. I'm really happy to be in a position to prepare for tomorrow's semi-final," Berdych told reporters.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Berbizier to quit after World Cup

2007-04-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Italy coach Pierre Berbizier will step down from his post when his contract expires at the end of the World Cup in France, the Italian Rugby Federation has announced on its Web site.
"Pierre Berbizier has expressed his wish, for personal reasons, to return to France at the end of his contract," read a Federation statement.
"For now, the only thing I want to say is that I'm in Rome, and I'm working to make the World Cup an unforgettable one for Italy and their fans," Berbizier was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The 48-year-old Frenchman's decision to quit will be a huge blow to Italian rugby, which has flourished under his leadership.
Italy had just come off the back of a miserable Six Nations tournament when he took up the post in April 2005.
Berbizier's influence was felt just two months later, however, when they beat Argentina in Cordoba -- their first ever away win over the Pumas.
Last place in the 2006 Six Nations masked a series of lively performances in which they held second-half leads over England and France.
In this year's Six Nations, the Azzurri recorded back-to-back wins over Scotland and Wales -- the first time they had won two games in the same tournament -- to finish fourth, their best placing since joining in 2000.
At the World Cup in France, where they start in a Pool C alongside New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and Portugal, they stand their best chance of reaching the knockout stage.
"I'm disappointed, but I respect his decision to return home," Italy captain Marco Bortolami said. "Now we want him to go out on a high at the World Cup."
Italy flanker Mauro Bergamasco said he had hoped Berbizier would stay.
"It's a shame because with him Italy have made a constant improvement," he said. "We've got a solid base of players and a plan, and the results speak for themselves.
"Berbizier has given us great confidence in ourselves. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other and he has always been highly professional."
The World Cup kicks off on September 7 with France taking on Argentina at the Stade de France in Paris, and concludes on October 20 with the final at the same venue.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Weekley chips in for first victory

2007-04-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

ATLANTA, Georgia (Reuters) -- Boo Weekley spectacularly chipped in to save par on the last two holes to claim his maiden PGA Tour victory by a shot at the weather-delayed Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, South Carolina on Monday.
Two off the pace after Saturday's third round, the 33-year-old American carded a three-under-par 68 at the Harbour Town Golf Links for a 14-under total of 270.
Boosted by an eagle at the fifth, Weekley overhauled early pacesetter Stephen Leaney of Australia before producing his dramatic finish over the wind-swept closing stretch.
World number five Ernie Els birdied the last for a 70 and second place at 13- under, one better than Leaney, who double-bogeyed the par-four 16th on his way to a 68.
U.S. Ryder Cup player Vaughn Taylor parred the last four holes for a 70 as winds gusted up to 35mph, to share fourth at 10-under with fellow- American Kevin Na (73).
Weekley, who lost out in a four-way playoff for last month's Honda Classic, was almost at a loss for words after securing the winner's cheque for $972,000.
"It's unreal, this is unreal," he told reporters after watching Els narrowly fail to eagle the par-four last to force a playoff. "Back-to-back chip-ins. I just thank the good Lord they went in."
Weekley, who bogeyed 16 for his lead to be trimmed to one, chipped in from 40 feet from behind the green on the par-three 17th and from 36 feet at the last after his third shot ended up in fluffy rough to the front of the green.
"Sixteen, 17 and 18 are probably the most difficult I've played in a while," he added. "I had to work real hard at it. I beat the golf course."
Smooth-swinging South African Els, in the right rough off the tee, struck a superb approach to within two feet of the flag to set up his fifth birdie of the round.
Hunting his first PGA Tour title since the 2004 WGC-American Express Championship, Els trailed Weekley by a stroke with two holes to play but bogeyed the par-three 17th after his tee shot ended up in reeds behind the green.
"I'm obviously disappointed, but I played well the last four holes," the three-times major winner said.
"I knew it was going to be tough over the last stretch because of the breeze, but I kept the ball in play most of the way. I didn't win, but this is a step in the right direction."
For much of the final round, Leaney appeared to be on track for a breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour.
Bidding to become the fifth Australian to triumph at the Heritage, the 38-year-old charged one shot clear after a sizzling front nine of six-under 30 that included an eagle at the par-five second.
After briefly surrendering the lead to Weekley with a bogey on 13, Leaney drew level by rolling in a monster birdie putt from 70 feet at the par-three 14th.
But the Australian dropped three shots over the next two holes, hitting his approach into a tree and out of bounds on 16, as he slipped back into third place.
"To be honest, I really executed everything the way that I wanted to today," Leaney said. "It's such a hard golf course and, the wind blowing the way it was on the last three holes, I was just happy to make par the last two holes."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Ballack steers Chelsea into final

2007-04-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Chelsea set up a dream FA Cup final against Manchester United at the New Wembley on Sunday but needed an extra-time goal by Michael Ballack to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in a pulsating Old Trafford semifinal.
Chelsea took a deserved first-half lead through Frank Lampard but Blackburn stormed back after the break to level through Jason Roberts before Germany midfielder Ballack drove in the winner in the 19th minute of extra time.
Chelsea were the last team to win the FA Cup at the old Wembley in 2000 and manager Jose Mourinho heads to the new stadium aiming for his first victory in the competition and still on course for an unprecedented quadruple.
"It's a big, big final, between first and second in Premier League, between two semifinalists in the Champions League," said Mourinho.
Chelsea, who had already beaten Blackburn three times this season in the League and League Cup, settled quickly and took the lead in the 16th minute when Ballack sent Lampard through to clinically clip an angled effort past Brad Friedel.
Andriy Shevchenko wasted a chance to put the game out of Blackburn's reach at the start of the second half by comically missing his kick when Drogba presented him with an empty net.
Blackburn made him pay when Roberts scored his first goal for the club when he cleverly diverted a low Morten Gamst Pedersen free-kick in the 64th minute.
Mark Hughes' side should have won the game in normal time but Pedersen headed wide from David Bentley's cross and Peter Cech made an impressive save to prevent a John Terry own goal.
Ballack eventually settled it and there was still time for Michael Essien to strike the bar with a superb long range shot.
"It's a very special feeling, I think the game was amazing," Mourinho said. "It was the kind of game where you win you are crazy with happiness but you have a lot of thoughts for your opponents. They gave us a game -- it was not a surprise to me I was waiting for this -- they fought like heroes."
United made it through to their record 18th FA Cup final by beating Watford 4-1 at Villa Park on Saturday.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Milan set up Man United showdown

2007-04-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -- Coolly taken goals from Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi saw AC Milan cruise to a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich and into the Champions League semifinals on a 4-2 aggregate on Wednesday.
Milan, who will play Manchester United for a place in the final, edged ahead in the 27th minute when Kaka slipped a pass to Seedorf, who turned on the edge of the area and beat Oliver Kahn.
The Italians took advantage of another slip four minutes later, as Seedorf's sublime back flick played in Inzaghi to score his 36th Champions League goal.
A ruthless display of finishing combined with equally mean defense will give Milan hope of avoiding the fate of AS Roma, who were destroyed 7-1 by United on Tuesday, and taking a place in the final for the third time in five seasons.
Bayern, the four-times European Cup winners, went into the return as slight favorites at a 66,000 sell-out Allianz Arena, after they had come from behind twice in Milan.
But Milan maintained their dominance over the Germans and have now lost only once to them in 10 European meetings since they first met in 1968.
Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was able to being back Kahn and Mark van Bommel, both suspended for the first leg, but injuries to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Willy Sagnol left the side weakened in midfield and defense.
Bayern at least started with a bit of imagination.
Massimo Oddo had to clear a Christian Lell shot off the line in the eighth minute and a couple of minutes later Lukas Podolski forced a sharp save from Dida after the German had controlled a flighted cross from Roy Makaay and swept goalwards.
Bayern soon ran out of ideas and a mistake gave Milan their first goal.
Awesome display
Podolski lost the ball out on the Bayern left and Kaka pounced on the chance to bring the ball into the middle, for once without being shadowed by Lucio, the Brazilian defender who gave an awesome personal display.
Seedorf took his pass, then took out Daniel van Buyten before sliding a shot between the Belgian's legs and into the opposite corner.
There was a feeling in the Milan side that they had let Bayern off the hook in the first leg. They did not repeat the mistake.
Seedorf's clever pass fooled the home defense and Inzaghi, who looked marginally offside from TV replays, helped himself against Kahn, lifting the ball past the keeper.
For Bayern, there was barely a suggestion of a comeback.
Perhaps if Podolski had managed to get a shot in after the ball dropped to him from a Mark van Bommel free kick at the end of the first half they might have had a chance.
Van Bommel and Owen Hargreaves tried their luck with long shots but it was Milan who came closest to another goal when Kaka showed rare skill to spin in the area and force a save from Kahn in the 66th minute.
Milan, the six times European Cup winners, became the first team to beat Bayern in a European game at the Allianz Arena. They now have the advantage of playing the second leg of their semifinal against Manchester United at home.
They are the only non-English side in the last four, after United were joined by Chelsea and Liverpool.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Seven-up United thrash sorry Roma

2007-04-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Manchester United produced one of their finest ever performances in European competition to overwhelm Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford and reach the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2002.
United, trailing 2-1 from the first meeting in Rome, had never previously overturned a first leg deficit in five attempts in the competition but did so in remarkable style to win the tie 8-3 on aggregate.
It was the biggest victory in a quarterfinal match in either the European Cup or Champions League since Real Madrid beat Sevilla 8-0 in 1957-58, clocking up a 10-2 aggregate victory.
It was also the biggest winning margin in a Champions League knockout round game and Roma's heaviset defeat in Europe.
Three goals in a scintillating eight-minute burst early in the first half swept Alex Ferguson's side towards the semifinals to face either Bayern Munich or AC Milan and sustained their hopes of repeating their 1999 European and domestic treble.
Michael Carrick, Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney had United 3-0 up after 20 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo (44th and 49th) scored either side of the break.
Carrick then netted a spectacular second and after Daniele De Rossi pulled one back, Patrice Evra had the final word with their seventh goal nine minutes from time.
It was a breathtaking performance by United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised his team afterwards.
"It was a fantastic performance. We showed great confidence after two defeats in the last week. All great teams get over these mishaps and we did that tonight," he said.
Ferguson sprung a tactical surprise by playing Rooney, Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs as a three-man attacking midfield unit to support Smith, recalled for only his fourth start of the season, as the lone striker.
The idea worked like a dream as the trio ran Roma ragged in a blistering opening quarter that settled the tie. Ronaldo got things moving when he rolled the ball into the path of Carrick, whose quickfire shot from outside the box left goalkeeper Doni rooted as the ball flew past him.
That would have been enough to send United through on the away goals rule but they were in no mood to settle.
In the 17th minute Rooney combined with Giggs to send Smith through and the striker put every moment of suffering from a year of injury hell into his unstoppable finish.
Less than two minutes later Old Trafford was in raptures as Giggs was given time and space to cross low from the right for Rooney to touch in the third.
The Italians, second in Serie A with a parsimonious defence, were all over the place and could have conceded again as Ronaldo shot wide and Doni saved a point-blank header from Carrick.
Their only worthwhile effort at goal was a well-struck free-kick by Francesco Totti that Edwin van der Sar saved well.
Instead it was United who finished on the offensive as Ronaldo was offered the channel he loves down the right and duly accepted the offer before driving in the fourth.
It had been an incredible half and it took only two minutes of the second period for United to extend their lead.
Again Giggs was the provider as his perfectly-measured low cross was turned in by Ronaldo for the Portuguese winger's 20th goal of a sparkling season.
Roma eventually roused themselves and a Mancini effort was scrambled off the line by the hard-working Darren Fletcher but it was the briefest of respites as, on the hour, Carrick drove home a superlative sixth from 25 metres.
Roma got on the scoresheet with a lovely volley on the turn by De Rossi but United restored their astonishing six-goal margin when substitute defender Evra scored again with a low shot from the edge of the box nine minutes from time.
Arrests
Meanwhile, trouble flared before the match with police having to separate rival fans.
A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman told Reuters: "We've been required to deal with a number of small and isolated incidents. We have made some arrests in order to maintain peace at the ground."
There were 18 arrests, seven for stealing goods from the Manchester United megastore, she added after the match.
A spokeswoman for the Greater Manchester ambulance service said one male had been taken to hospital with a slight head injury.
Police had been prepared for trouble following disturbances at last week's first leg when Italian police launched themselves at United fans at the Olympic Stadium in Rome and were widely condemned for their actions.
The trouble on Tuesday, quickly contained by the police, came after a calm afternoon in the city center where fans of both sides mixed amicably in the spring sunshine.
The atmosphere turned nastier at the ground with small scuffles involving isolated groups of fans and police.
The police quickly moved in and divided fans, creating a no-go area and the situation was soon under control.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Arsenal, Bolton both held to draws

2007-04-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Bolton Wanderers squandered a chance to leap into the Champions League places when they were held 1-1 at home by Everton while fourth-placed Arsenal drew 0-0 at Newcastle United, their fourth match without a win, in the Premier League on Monday.
Striker Kevin Davies put Bolton ahead in the 18th minute when he volleyed home Ivan Campo's free-kick but James Vaughan equalised for Everton in the 33rd minute.
However, 18-year-old Vaughan's joy turned to despair when he was taken to hospital after severing an artery in his left leg after a challenge from Abdoulaye Meite.
Arsenal stay two points ahead of Bolton on 56 while leaders Manchester United, who have 78 points, second-placed champions Chelsea, on 75, and Liverpool, who have 60, prepared for Champions League quarterfinal, second leg matches this week.
At St James' Park, Arsenal ended a run of three consecutive defeats but they have only scored once now in four games.
"At end of day it was important not to lose," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "If you want to improve your confidence it's not a bad result."
Newcastle defender Nolberto Solano twice saved on the line from Gilberto Silva in a goalmouth scramble near the end of a second half that began with James Milner hitting the Arsenal bar with a swerving cross from well out on the right.
Manchester City passed their relegation worries to Fulham with a surprise 3-1 win in London, their third away in succession, to climb to 12th on 40 points. Fulham, on 35, are only four points above the drop zone.
Wigan Athletic's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa left them three points above the relegation zone. Wigan played with 10 men for 56 minutes after Ecuador's Luis Antonio Valencia was sent off for a two-footed lunge on Villa's Dutch defender Wilfred Bouma.
Bottom club Watford claimed their biggest victory of the season, 4-2 at home to Portsmouth, but it has almost certainly come too late to help them avoid relegation.
Adrian Boothroyd's side won for just the fourth time in the Premiership this season thanks to a double strike from Hameur Bouazza and goals from Gavin Mahon and Tamas Priskin.
Matt Taylor had given Portsmouth an early lead but Harry Redknapp's team showed no stomach for a fight and Arnold Mvuemba's late goal was no consolation for the visitors.
Watford, eight points from safety, are still likely to suffer a quick a return to the Championship after just one season in English football's top division.
Portsmouth arrived on a high after their win over leaders Manchester United on Saturday and took the lead in the 16th minute through Taylor.
He controlled Gary O'Neil's pass 25 yards out and had time to assess his options before curling a shot past Hornets keeper Ben Foster.
Watford snatched an equalizer after 27 minutes.
Priskin provided the opportunity by winning a penalty when he stumbled under Djimi Traore's challenge after cutting in from the byline.
After a debate among the Watford players over who should take the penalty, Bouazza stepped up to send David James the wrong way.
Watford then went ahead through Mahon's stunning strike on the stroke of half-time.
James punched Tommy Smith's cross out to the edge of the area, but Mahon latched on to the loose ball and drove a fierce half-volley for his first goal of the season.
Watford extended their lead with a well-worked goal after 51 minutes. Bouazza slipped a pass to Steve Kabba on the left and the striker whipped in a cross to the far post, where Priskin sent his shot back past James into the opposite corner.
Bouazza got his second in the 73rd minute when he played a one-two with Kabba and beat James from close range at the second attempt.
Mvuemba got one back for Portsmouth with his first goal following his loan move from Rennes. The French midfielder turned and lashed a shot into the roof of the net after 81 minutes, but there was never any chance of a late comeback.
Meanwhile, in the night match, Charlton claimed another point in their battle against relegation with a 0-0 draw against Reading.
The result leaves the south London side fourth bottom of the table, a point ahead of Sheffield United -- who have a game in hand.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Alonso-Hamilton in McLaren one-two

2007-04-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

SEPANG, Malaysia -- World champion Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday to hand new team McLaren-Mercedes its first Formula One triumph since 2005.
Rookie Lewis Hamilton, F1's first black driver, added to the McLaren resurgence by finishing second ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who won the season-opening Australian GP last month.
Pole-sitter Felipe Massa of Ferrari was overtaken by Alonso and Hamilton on the first lap and never challenged the lead from then on, finishing fifth.
Sunday's win is the 16th of Alonso's career. The last time a McLaren won an F1 Grand Prix was October 2005 in Japan, when Raikkonen claimed victory.
In the first race of the year it was Raikkonen, Alonso and Hamilton in the top three. Nick Heidfeld of BMW-Sauber finished fourth Sunday for the second straight race.
Massa lost the lead to Alonso and Hamilton in the run to the first turn. The Brazilian went onto the grass on the sixth lap trying to overtake Hamilton, losing five seconds and two places.
Alonso, who took the world title in 2005 and 2006 for Renault, switched this season to McLaren, which had a winless season in 2006, its first since 1996.
The Spaniard also become the first McLaren winner in Malaysia since Raikkonen in 2003. Alonso started from pole position for that race at the age of 21, setting a record for the youngest driver to take pole in Formula One.
After taking the lead Sunday, Alonso quickly established a five-second lead after four laps, increasing it by almost a second a lap.
After 10 laps Alonso was cruising 10 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who had a slim lead over Raikkonen.
At the midpoint of the 56-lap race, Alonso led by almost nine seconds over Hamilton, with Raikkonen 21 off the pace. It stayed that way through the rest of the race with Alonso building up the advantage after the second pit stops.
Giancarlo Fisichella, last year's winner here, was sixth for Renault but more than a minute behind. He was followed Toyota's Jarno Trullie and Heikki Kovalainen, who replaced Alonso at Renault.
In the constructors race, McLaren now leads with 32 points after two races with Ferrari next at 23 points. Alonso leads the drivers standings on 18 points, ahead of Raikkonen on 16.
The next race is the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 15.
Fantastic job
"We did it, fantastic job, you deserve it, thank you so much," the 25-year-old Alonso gasped on the team radio as he crossed the line.
"It is a perfect result, a dream," he added later. "This is such a tough race and you never know about tires, but we were relaxed in the end. I lost radio communications from lap ten, like Kimi in Australia, so it is a lucky thing!
"But they fixed it and to win is absolutely fantastic and it is a wonderful surprise to achieve this after such a short time with the team. Everyone has worked so hard. So much has been done by the whole team."
Hamilton, 22, followed up his third-placed finish on his debut in Australia last month by becoming the first 'rookie' driver to score successive podium finishes in his first two races since fellow Briton Peter Arundell in a Lotus in 1964.
"That was the toughest race of my life," said Hamilton afterwards. "It was so difficult, so hard to defend. I ran out of water -- and now I feel overwhelmed!"
He said he felt almost over-awed by his fight to keep the two Ferrari drivers behind him during the early stages.
"To see two Ferraris in your mirrors behind you and to know they are slightly lighter and probably quicker than you - it is so difficult to hold them back," Hamilton admitted.
"Felipe (Massa) had a couple of moves to try and pass me, but, unfortunately, I was able to trick him into out-braking himself and then I was very fortunate to cut across and get in front of him again. And then he went off and I apologize for that.
"Then, Kimi was behind me for the rest of the race and I ran out of water and it was so tricky and it got hotter and hotter and I just kept pushing and concentrating on making no mistakes.
"The team did a fantastic job this weekend and I thank them for that - for preparing me and the car."
Raikkonen said: "Of course, I am happy with the points, but I am disappointed at how the race ended up - we just had to compromise on too many things. We lost too much speed. I hope we can turn the tables next weekend and fight to win again."
Alonso added: "It is very important for any driver to win his first race for a new team at a Grand Prix and to have wins with two different teams is something very special. It is a dream come true after my winning with Renault. I am proud for all the team."

Chelsea narrow gap to three points

2007-04-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England -- The English Premier League title race was blown wide open on Saturday when a rare goal from central defender Ricardo Carvalho gave Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Tottenham before Manchester United slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth.
A catastrophic misunderstanding between United's Rio Ferdinand and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar presented Portsmouth with the decisive goal.
United's lead at the top of the Premiership is down to three points with six matches to go, including a meeting between Chelsea and United at Stamford Bridge on May 9.
Carvalho struck with a 52nd minute long range effort that eluded Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who looked to be unsighted by his defense.
It came after Tottenham's best attack of the match as Jerrmaine Jenas' cross was helped on by Hossam Ghaly for his Egyptina counterpart Mido to bring a stunning reaction save from Petr Cech.
The first half had been a sterile affair with Chelsea pressing but getting few clear glimpses of goal.
Carvalho's effort pepped up Spurs who must have been weary after playing a UEFA Cup quarterfinal tie in Sevilla 39 hours previously and made five changes from the team beaten 2-1 in Spain.
Jermain Defoe, playing in place of Dimitar Berbatov who was rested to the bench, again bought out the best in Cech as they pressed for an equalizer.
Robinson partially redeemed himself with a reaction save from Salomon Kalou and he then kept out a fierce drive from 30-goal Didier Drogba.
Eight minutes from time, a powerful header by substitute Berbatov from a Steed Malbranque free-kick forced a fine save from Cech.
Another bright spot for Chelsea was the return to Premier league action for Joe Cole.
The England midfielder played 14 minutes of his side's Champions League quarterfinal clash against Valencia on Wednesday, and followed that up with five minutes against Spurs, earning a yellow card for a clumsy foul on Didier Zokoro but looking generally sharp.
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said: "In the first half we were by far the better side.After that, Tottenham came more into it, played well and had a great shot and great header but Petr Cech was there to give us the security we needed.
"We deserved it and because Tottenham gave us a hard time it has an even better meaning."
Punished
United kicked off at Portsmouth more than two hours after Chelsea had completed their victory, and they were punished for slack defending in the 30th minute.
Kieran Richardson was caught in possession on the edge of the area by Benjani, whose dipping shot was parried but not held by van der Sar. Matthew Taylor muscled his way past Ferdinand to force the ball in.
Former England goalkeeper David James preserved Portsmouth's lead with fine saves from Cristiano Ronaldo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in quick succession before tipping over a powerful shot from Ryan Giggs and holding a Wes Brown header.
Portsmouth threatened in breakaways and van der Sar did brilliantly to keep out efforts from Kanu and Sean Davis.
The game seemed to be settled in the final minute of normal time when van der Sar came out and Ferdinand steered the ball past him into an empty net but United hit back with a stoppage time goal from John O'Shea after James fumbled a Solskjaer shot.
There was still time for Alan Smith to drive in a shot which James saved splendidly.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I've got no complaints with our effort today" He told Sky Sports: "The travelling and playing Roma with 10 men told on us today."
"Six games to go, three points ahead and a better goal difference...given that at the start of the season I would have snatched that.
"We're a little bit stretched in terms of playing the young players all the time but I've got the benefit of an FA Cup tie next weekend and a 10-day break from the league programme, which is probably at the right time for us."

Youzhny beats Gasquet in epic tie

2007-04-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

MOSCOW, Russia -- Mikhail Youzhny overcame leg problems and a dogged opponent to beat Richard Gasquet 6-2 6-3 6-7 5-7 8-6 and put defending champions Russia level with France on the first day of their Davis Cup quarterfinal in Moscow on Friday.
The two players switched control of the match, which lasted four hours and 48 minutes. "It was very nerve-racking," Youzhny said, adding that he had failed to exploit his chances and finish the match sooner.
France had taken a 1-0 lead when Paul-Henri Mathieu upset world number four Nikolay Davydenko 2-6 6-2 6-1 7-5 in the first rubber.
Youzhny, ranked 17th in the world, took the first and second sets confidently but his luck started to falter in the third set when he slipped and had to undergo treatment to his left thigh and shin.
He returned to the court to loud cheers from the home crowd, which had grown as the working day in Moscow came to an end.
Gasquet won the third set tiebreak 10-8 before Youzhny, who took time-outs to have both his cramping legs massaged, took the fourth set.
The neck-and-neck fight carried on into the fifth set until a Youzhny winner finally relieved the palpable tension in Moscow's Luzhniki arena.
Davydenko blamed his lacklustre performance against the 56th-ranked Mathieu on the clay surface, which he said he found difficult to get used to after a season of playing on hard courts.
"I understood I am not ready for the clay season," he said.
He praised Mathieu's game, saying the Frenchman had rallied after a jittery and error-ridden first set.
"In the second set after my first serve which I lost...he became more confident and started to play better, faster and more confidently."
In the third set, Mathieu sent the ball skilfully all around the court forcing Davydenko to chase it.
Looking exasperated, the hosts' highest-ranked player upped his game but it was too late to make a difference and Davydenko lost the fourth set.
Russia beat France at the quarter-final stage in the previous two Davis Cups and also defeated them in the 2002 final to lift their first title in Paris.
Sweden take 2-0 advantage
Meanwhile, Thomas Johansson and Robin Soderling gave Sweden a commanding 2-0 lead in their quarterfinal against Argentina in closely-fought matches that featured a total of five tie-breaks.
Johansson stunned Argentine number one David Nalbandian 6-7 7-6 6-2 7-6, while Soderling beat teenager Juan-Martin Del Potro 7-6 7-6 6-4.
The 18-year-old Del Potro, number 58 in the world, kept up with Sweden's top player for the first two sets, losing both tie-breaks by 7-4.
In the third set, the 30th-ranked Soderling sent the lanky Del Potro running from corner to corner, chasing the ball fruitlessly.
The Argentine fought valiantly to save two match points but eventually succumbed to the more experienced, 22-year-old Swede.
In the first rubber, Johansson, 32, a former Australian Open champion currently ranked 73rd, proved too tough a nut to crack for the 12th-ranked Nalbandian on the fast carpet surface at the Gothenburg Convention Center.
"This was probably the best Davis Cup match I've ever played," said Johansson. "This is our best surface and we have three great singles players to choose from."
Nalbandian, 25, won the first set on a 7-3 tie-break after the players broke each others' serve once. The Swede won the second-set tie-break 7-2 after denying Nalbandian on a set point in the tenth game.
"I was tight and nervous in the beginning," Johansson said. "If he had made that set point it would have been a different match." Johansson, who served a total of 33 aces to only 18 for Nalbandian, took the third set easily.
Nalbandian yelled at himself several times in frustration as he committed 41 unforced errors, drawing a warning from the umpire.
"He was very good," Nalbandian said of his opponent. "The surface was not easy to play on. Sometimes the ball bounced faster, sometimes not. It was terrible."
In a tense fourth set, the players broke each other once before Johansson took the tie-break to love in front of a noisy, partisan, capacity crowd of 4,000.
On Saturday, Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Lindstedt can win the tie for Sweden in their doubles match against Nalbandian and Sebastian Prieto.
The winner of this tie will play either the United States or Spain in the semifinals.
Germany looking good for semifinal place
Germany lead Belgium 2-0 after the first day of their quarterfinal in Ostend following wins for Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber over Kristof Vliegen and Olivier Rochus respectively on Friday.
Victory for Germany in Saturday's doubles, which pits Belgium's Christophe Rochus and Dick Norman against Michael Kohlmann and Alexander Waske, will see them reach a semifinal against either Russia or France.
Davis Cup debutant Kohlschreiber made easy work of his victory over the younger of the Rochus brothers with a scoreline of 6-3 7-5 7-6, after Haas had come from behind to defeat Vliegen 6-7 7-5 6-4 6-2 in the opening rubber.
Vliegen, who upset former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the first round, looked on course to repeat his heroic feat when he took the opening set on a tie-break.
World number 10 Haas, however, began to settle and took control of the second set before levelling matters.
Haas eventually proved too strong for the Belgian, ranked 41 places below him, and raced to take the next three sets and secure the rubber.
"He is a clever player and gave me a fright early on," Haas told reporters.
"It took me a while to get used to the court and I think he picked up a little injury which helped me out. Hopefully I can just continue from where I left off over the weekend."
Kohlschreiber completely dominated his match against Rochus and never looked like losing. "I was very pleased with the way I controlled the game and we are now in pole position. But we cannot take anything for certain tomorrow," Kohlschreiber said.
Victory for Germany on Saturday would keep them on course for a fifth straight whitewash of the Belgians.
Blake puts American ahead
James Blake rediscovered his form at precisely the right moment as he put the United States 1-0 up in their quarterfinal against Spain in North Carolina.
The ninth-ranked Blake defeated Tommy Robredo 6-4 6-3 6-4 to bolster his recent sagging confidence.
The American, who had lost six of his last nine matches, paved the way for team-mate Andy Roddick, who was facing Fernando Verdasco in the day's second rubber on an indoor hardcourt.
A sold-out crowd of 15,000 cheered their hero from the start at the venue where Blake made his Davis Cup debut against India just weeks after the September 9, 2001 attacks on the U.S.
The American cracked open the first set with a break in the final game, then seized the second after taking a 4-1 lead over world number six Robredo.
Robredo applied pressure as he broke while Blake was serving for victory at 5-2 in the third set but the American clinched the win two games later on his fourth match point.
"My forehand was working really well, it felt great to hit them," Blake told reporters. "But I had to fight hard against Tommy.
"At the end you could see why he's a top-10 player. They never die, I'm just glad I got through this one."
Spain are playing without Rafael Nadal as the world number two rests a foot injury. The nations last met in the 2004 final, with Spain winning in Seville in front of 27,000 fans.

Rose blooms but title holder wilts

2007-04-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

AUGUST, Georgia -- Britain's Justin Rose and American Brett Wetterich posted a three-under-par target while Phil Mickelson made a horror start to his Masters title defense in Thursday's opening round.
Back on the PGA Tour for the first time in six weeks after nursing a back strain, Rose defied demanding conditions at Augusta National with a flawless 69.
The 26-year-old Englishman, who led after the first two rounds at the 2004 Masters, reeled off three birdies on a 7,445-yard layout running fast and firm in bright sunshine.
Rose parred the last four holes to finish two ahead of South African Tim Clark and Americans Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson, Rich Beem and J.J. Henry.
"The reason I played so well was my short game, my touch was amazing," he said.
"I knew I was playing well and had had a decent start to the season, but the competitive edge was the one area I was not sure about having had six weeks off.
"But I had plenty of energy and that kept me calm and fresh."
Wetterich then joined him a joint early leader with Briton David Howell heading the chasing pack out on the course at two-under.
Mickelson, who struck a spectator off the tee on his way to a bogey at the par-four first, opened with a 76 -- he birdied the last two holes -- while four-times champion and tournament favorite Tiger Woods was one over after nine holes.
Only 10 players in the 96-strong field were under par in the first Masters since 1999 to be played under optimal, dry conditions.
"It is brutal out there," Chris DiMarco told reporters after shooting a 75. "The greens are firm and if you hit on the wrong side of holes you're just trying to make bogey.
"It's the hardest the course has played since I've been coming here," added the American, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the 2005 Masters.
Steady performance
Clark, who finished two strokes behind Mickelson last year, made the most of a steady performance that included 13 fairways hit out of 14.
"I tried not to make any mistakes and just put myself into position to make par," the 31-year-old said. "I was putting cautiously but I made a lot of good two-putt pars."
South African Ernie Els, twice a runner-up, struggled to a 78 and U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, who ran up a triple-bogey eight at the second, carded a 75.
"It was a very tough day," said three-times major winner Els, who had to settle for second place after an epic last-day battle with Mickelson here in 2004.
"If you mishit a shot today, you really paid the penalty. Everything was firm out there."
Seven players failed to break 80, among them 1987 champion Larry Mize and three-times winner Gary Player who returned matching 83s.
The 71-year-old Player is making a record-equalling 50th appearance at the Masters.
Cool, dry weather has been forecast for all four rounds at the pine tree-lined Augusta National.

UEFA to investigate crowd clashes

2007-04-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

ROME, Italy -- UEFA has opened an investigation into the trouble surrounding Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between AS Roma and Manchester United, it confirmed on Thursday.
The game, which Roma won 2-1, was over-shadowed by violent clashes between police and fans at the Olympic stadium and 11 United fans were taken to hospital, the British Embassy said.
The government official responsible for public security in Rome claimed that police did not use excessive force to control crowd trouble at the match.
Achille Serra, the Prefect of Rome, told the ANSA news agency: "It did not seem to me a night of violence.
"There were incidents before and after but they were certainly not serious.
"There are stray groups of delinquents in all soccer clubs in the world and they have nothing to do with the majority of good fans," he added.
In an official statement UEFA said it was "currently gathering evidence and will be studying the official reports of the referee, delegate and security officer in detail before announcing any further action."
In England, Manchester United called on the British government to examine the incidents surrounding the trouble.
In a statement, United said: "Distressing scenes witnessed in the Stadio Olimpico last night shocked everyone at Old Trafford.
"In what the club views as a severe over-reaction, local police handed out indiscriminate beatings to United supporters.
"In these circumstances, neither Manchester United nor AS Roma is able to call the police to account.
"As a result, the club warmly welcomes the government examination of the incident and will collect witness statements from fans to submit to the Home Office."
The club has also urged supporters who attended the game and wish to provide evidence to contact them."
Trouble began inside the Olympic stadium after Roma took the lead just before halftime when rival fans traded insults and threw objects from one section of the ground to the other.
Television pictures showed Italian police flailing at United supporters with batons, leaving several of the English club's fans bleeding profusely from head wounds.
Raining blows
One policeman was shown raining blows on a supporter who lay motionless on the ground.
"The police just went in indiscriminately hitting anyone and everybody, it didn't matter whether they were old people, young people, men, women, whatever they just hit everyone," United fan Mick Thorne told Reuters TV.
The British Embassy said more than 11 fans were injured, with local media putting the number at 18. Italian police could not confirm the number injured, pending their own investigation.
"It was pretty violent, all the English fans were targeted, none of the Italian people were hit by the police because they were the other side of the fence," said United fan Tommy Taylor.
One United supporters' club said it would complain to UEFA and asked fans for eyewitness accounts of the clashes.
"The Italian police were stationed on our side of the fence, in attack formation against United fans, in a way that only made sense if they were trying to protect the Roma fans from us," the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association said on its Web site (www.imusa.org).
"There is something very wrong here and IMUSA aims to get to the bottom of it."
United warned fans before the match that they might be attacked in Rome, prompting a rebuke from the city's mayor Walter Veltroni and Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.

Chelsea saved by Drogba equaliser

2007-04-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Valencia earned a valuable 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Wednesday in a cagey first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
Valencia took the lead with a stunning first-half strike from David Silva, which flew past goalkeeper Peter Cech, but Didier Drogba nodded his 30th goal of the season in the 53rd minute to equalise.
Chelsea will be frustrated at the outcome after having had the lion's share of the possession, but Valencia deserve credit for keeping it tight at the back and playing some sharp incisive football going forward.
The away goals rule tips the tie in the Spaniards' favor as a goalless draw in next Tuesday's second leg will see them through to the semifinals, most likely against Liverpool after their 3-0 first leg win over PSV Eindhoven.
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho went for an attacking line-up with Claude Makelele dropped in favor of John Obi Mikel in the holding midfield role, striker Salomon Kalou on the right flank and Drogba paired with Andriy Shevchenko up front.
Chelsea were quicker to settle and Drogba nearly opened the scoring in the 10th minute, the Ivorian spinning round to smack a shot onto the crossbar after Shevchenko had been flattened by a Roberto Ayala challenge.
Valencia, comfortable on the ball, created their first chance a minute later when David Villa, who was linked with a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window, sent a fizzing drive wide of Petr Cech's near post.
His strike partner Silva should have done better minutes later, when Joaquin's wayward shot found him completely unmarked in the middle of the penalty area and his scuffed effort flew wide of the target.
But Silva made amends on the half hour in spectacular style, collecting the ball 25 meters out on the left flank and unleashing a left-foot piledriver past the diving keeper.
Chelsea were quick to recover. Mikel, switching effortlessly between short and long passes, drove them forward down the center, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard bustled around the penalty area and Ashley Cole probed down the left.
Despite all the activity, Valencia's defence did a good job of denying Chelsea any clearcut chances. The impression lasted only a few minutes into the second half, though, when the Spaniards paid for a lapse of concentration.
Cole punted a long ball upfield and Drogba, cut adrift from his markers, was first to the bounce and nodded the ball over stranded keeper Santiago Canizares.
The Spanish bench were appealing minutes later when Lampard's tackle on Joaquin sent the ball through to Cech, which looked like an illegal pass back to the keeper but Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere waved play on.
Needing a goal, Mourinho made a double substitution after 75 minutes, taking off Mikel and Kalou for wingers Joe Cole, his first appearance since late November after injury, and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
But Chelsea could still not find a way through, despite a late assault in which Ricardo Carvalho's shot was charged down and Shevchenko's overhead kick deflected over.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Chappell resigns as coach of India

2007-04-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI, India (Reuters) -- India coach Greg Chappell handed in his resignation on Wednesday, two days before the Indian cricket board meet to analyse the team's poor World Cup performance.
"Today I informed the president of the BCCI that I would not seek an extension to my contract to coach the Indian cricket team for family and personal reasons," Chappell said in a statement.
The Australian's two-year contract was due to run out at the end of April.
Chappell, 58, took up the post in 2005 with an eye on success at this year's World Cup, but India suffered a first-round exit last month at the showpiece event in the Caribbean, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Gerrard points Liverpool to semis

2007-04-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands -- Liverpool dominated PSV Eindhoven to win 3-0 in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday and virtually guarantee a place in the semis against either Chelsea or Valencia.
Liverpool took the lead after 27 minutes when Steve Finnan broke free on the right and crossed for Steven Gerrard to power home a header which PSV goalkeeper Gomes had no chance of saving.
They doubled their lead against the injury-hit Dutch side after 49 minutes when John-Arne Riise controlled the ball on his chest before thundering in a left-foot volley from 20 meters.
They wrapped up victory on the night -- and most likely the tie -- when Peter Crouch headed home after 63 minutes for his seventh Liverpool goal in his last seven starts.
The only worry for Liverpool was an injury for Fabio Aurelio who appeared to snap his Achilles with no other player around him 15 minutes from time.
PSV coach Ronald Koeman, the first man to take three different sides to the quarterfinals after previously leading Ajax Amsterdam and Benfica to the last eight, used the same tactical plan as he did last month at home against Arsenal.
But Koeman, whose Benfica side beat Liverpool in the first knockout round last season, had no answer to Liverpool's authority this time.
His two strikers, Jefferson Farfan and Diego Tardelli, broke in from the flanks to leave Liverpool's defensive center open.
But despite all the space they tried to exploit the home side registered only one first half chance when Mika Vayrynen's tight angled volley was deflected and went over the goal.
Vulnerable
On the other side the Eindhoven defense proved vulnerable with the absence of the powerful Brazilian Alex.
Alex, whose late header at Arsenal last month earned PSV their quarterfinal ticket, was missed for his organizing skills and the PSV defense generally lacked confidence and were under pressure from almost constant Liverpool attacks.
Crouch gave the first warning with a well placed header after 15 minutes which forced goalkeeper Gomes to stretch.
But Gomes had no answer when Gerrard headed in the opener with his thumping header. It was his 19th European goal for the club and his 15th in the senior competition.
Riise and Crouch added the second and third goals to underline Liverpool's dominance with Rafa Benitez men now dreaming of a return to the Champions League final, two years after they were crowned European champions for the fifth time.
The second leg is at Anfield next Wednesday.

FINA anxious to trace Thorpe leak

2007-04-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

SYDNEY, Australia -- Swimming's world governing body FINA have promised to carry out a full investigation into how details of Ian Thorpe's drug test results were leaked to the French newspaper L'Equipe.
Swimming Australia chief executive Glenn Tasker said FINA want to hire a private investigator to help trace the person responsible for leaking the confidential information that Thorpe had produced a sample in May last year that showed elevated levels of naturally-occurring hormones.
Swimming and doping officials have confirmed that Thorpe did not fail the test and there was no suggestion of any wrongdoing but the retired Olympic champion said his reputation had already been tarnished.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), that carried out the test, are launching a separate investigation, but said they were confident they were not the source of the leak.
"We do need to get our head around this and understand where in the system, between ASADA and our various international partners, it was possible for a journalist from a French language newspaper to get access to some of this information," ASADA chairman Richard Ings told reporters.
Thorpe told a news conference in Melbourne that he had never cheated and was confident of being cleared of any doping offences but feared the publicity surrounding the case had damaged his reputation.
He said the leaking of the test report was a serious breach of the confidentiality agreements designed to protect innocent athletes.
Thorpe's lawyer Tony O'Reilly said legal action would be considered once the culprit was found.
Thorpe is regarded as one of the greatest swimmers of all time, winning five Olympic gold medals, 11 world titles and setting 13 world records since bursting on to the world stage as a 15-year-old at the 1998 world championships.
Thorpe won three gold medals as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 200 and 400 meters freestyle double at the 2004 Athens Olympics but never swam at international level again.
He announced his retirement in November 2006, saying he had lost motivation and wanted to do something else with his life.
WADA worry
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) expressed its concern on Monday at the serious breach of confidentiality that occurred.
"WADA is especially shocked that the name of an athlete was apparently given to the media while no adverse analytical finding has been determined at this point," the body said in a statement.
"This particular case has not led to an analytical positive result, but is rather an unusual situation which is subject to further inquiry," it said without naming Thorpe.
"Only when this process is completed and if an adverse analytical finding is then made, will WADA be informed of an athlete's name."
WADA said it would discuss ways to strengthen confidentiality provisions as part of its World Anti-Doping Code review, which culminates at a conference in Madrid from November 15 to 17.

Djokovic dash to Miami title glory

2007-04-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) -- Serbian teenager Novak Djokovic breezed to a 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over Argentine Guillermo Canas to claim the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday, underlining his status as a possible future world number one.
After losing to Rafael Nadal in the Indian Wells final two weeks ago, the 19-year-old 10th seed would not let a second opportunity for his first Masters Series title slip through his fingers, replacing Andre Agassi as the youngest ever winner in the 23-year history of the Miami event.
It was the second title of the season for Djokovic and fourth of his young career.
Employing an all-round game that has drawn comparison with Roger Federer's, Djokovic stands out among a list of great Miami champions, joining Ivan Lendl (1989) as the only player to lift the title without dropping a set.
Canas, who recorded back-to-back upset wins over world number one Federer at Indian Wells and Miami, had no answers for the energetic Djokovic who will climb to a career high number seven in the world rankings on Monday.
"I'm always comparing myself to the best players in the world because that is what I want to be one day," Djokovic told reporters.
"Right now I feel like for the first time in my career that I am on that level, that I deserve to be one of the three best players in the world.
"I'm really happy with my achievement right now and hope this is only the start."
Back on the ATP Tour after serving a 15-month doping ban that ended last September, Canas had battled through qualifying and five seeded players to reach the final but could not manage a single break on five chances in the final.
Djokovic won a contentious first set when the 29-year-old Argentine was charged with a foot fault giving him triple break point which he immediately converted into a 3-1 lead.
Furious Canas
A furious Canas argued the call with the chair umpire and struggled to regain his composure, losing the next 12 points as Djokovic went on to take the opening set.
Djokovic also recorded the early break in the second to go up 3-2 but the set eventually swung on the sixth game that went to deuce eight times and needed 19 minutes to decide with the young Serb finally holding serve and both players receiving a standing ovation.
"It was probably the turning point," said Djokovic. "You always have turning points every match.
"It's very important to stay calm and mentally strong.
"In the end I managed to be stronger mentally."
Canas received treatment on his left thigh in the third set but continued to battle until handing Djokovic the decisive break when he double-faulted at 4-4 allowing the Serb to serve out the match.
"Today I did everything I could to try to win," said Canas. "I did my best all three sets.
"He's a great player, very confident, he played great tennis these four weeks.
"If he continues like this he will be one of the top three players very, very soon."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

U.S. teen Hoff grabs medley double

2007-04-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- American teenager Katie Hoff, who trained as child alongside Michael Phelps, emerged from the shadows of her famous team mate to break her first world record on Sunday.
The 17-year-old belied her slight frame to storm home over the concluding freestyle leg and complete the 400 meters individual medley in four minutes 32.89 seconds.
She slashed seven-tenths of a second off the previous mark of 4:33.59 set by Ukraine's Yana Klochkova at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Hoff and left her rivals for dead, finishing more than seven seconds ahead of Russian silver medalist Jana Martynova and Australia's Stephanie Rice.
"I was feeling the most confident I've felt, it's traditionally been a tough event for me," Hoff told reporters.
"I felt good all the way through and turned around and saw a best time and world record so I couldn't be happier."
Hoff's victory underlined her status as the world's most versatile swimmer. She also won the 200 medley final earlier in the week to become the first woman to complete the medley double at successive world championships.
Hoff has been earmarked for greatness since she first joined the North Baltimore Aquatics Club but her best is yet to come.
She was the youngest member of the U.S. team at the 2004 Athens Olympics but was overcome by nerves and failed to win a medal, however she says that will not be a problem when she gets to Beijing next year.
"I think each time I swim I'm getting more experience," she said.
"When I was younger I was taking it out way too fast and now I just really control the first 200. I can build on my techniques like that as we go to Beijing."
Happy Hardy
Jessica Hardy won the women's 50 breaststroke as the U.S. scooped up three of the seven golds on offer to finish at the top of medals table with 21 golds, including 20 in the pool.
Laure Manaudou of France was named as the outstanding female swimmer after winning the 200 and 400 freestyle, finishing second in 800 freestyle and 100 backstroke and a third in the 4x200 freestyle relay.
Australia's Libby Lenton signed off by winning the 50 freestyle final in a slick 24.53 to defend the title she won in Montreal two years ago and join American Tracey Caulkins (1978) as the only women to win five gold medals in a single world championship.
Therese Alshammar of Sweden was second in 24.62 after winning the 50 butterfly and Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands was third in 24.70 but it was Lenton who once again got her hand on the wall first.
"If someone had told me I would have won five gold medals I would have pretty much have laughed in their face," said the 22-year-old, who is getting married next week.
Lenton's performances in Melbourne ended years of frustration for the Queenslander and provided the perfect platform for next year's Beijing Olympics.
She won two relay golds at the 2004 Athens games but failed to win either of her individual events.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Record for Phelps but U.S. mess up

2007-04-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Michael Phelps of the United States broke his own world record in the men's 400 meters individual medley final to collect his seventh gold medal at the world championships on Sunday.
Phelps, 21, won in four minutes 06.22 seconds to wipe 2.04 off the previous mark of 4:08.26 which he set at the 2004 Athens Olympics. It was his fourth individual world record of the week.
Phelps's team mate Ryan Lochte finished second in 4:09.74 after leading at the 200 and Italian Luca Marin was third in 4:09.88.
Phelps, who also won the 200 medley, 200 freestyle, 200 butterfly, 100 butterfly and two relays, became the first person to win seven gold medals at a single world championships, bettering the previous record of six set by Australia's Ian Thorpe at Fukuoka, Japan in 2001.
"I didn't expect to be two seconds under my world record tonight," said the 21-year-old from Michigan.
"I knew this was going to be the hardest race. I was emotionally dead, almost physically dead and I had to step up.
"I didn't feel good this morning, didn't feel good in warm-up so I tried to block it out and think about what I did in training and use it in the race."
Phelps had been bidding to win eight events and go one better than American Mark Spitz's golden haul of seven at the 1972 Munich Olympics, but his chances were dashed when the U.S. team were disqualified from the medley relay during Sunday's morning heats.
The U.S. set the fastest time in the heats but were disqualified when Ian Crocker left the starting blocks too early at the second changeover.
Without the heavily favored U.S. in the final, it was a wide-open race that had the screaming crowd on its feet throughout.
Australians Matt Welsh, Brenton Rickard, Andrew Lauterstein and Eamon Sullivan outtouched Japan by 0.23 seconds for the gold. Russia finished third.
Get over
Phelps, who did not swim in the heats but would have taken part in the final had the Americans qualified, said it was a mistake they would get over.
"Team USA goes into a meet as one, and that's how we're going to exit. Everything can't go perfect so it's all about how you adapt from these things and learn from your experiences," said Phelps.
"It definitely wasn't intentional. They all wanted to swim and they all wanted to get us into the finals tonight and that's the goal but sometimes you slip and make a mistake.
"Ian will battle back from that and next time when we have a relay like that we'll remember this."
Crocker was back in the pool for the first time since losing the 100 butterfly to Phelps the night before
Neil Walker, who swam the anchor freestyle leg called it "just an unlucky exchange,"
Walker attributed Crocker's mistake to "a little bit of overexcitement."
"Ian had such an awesome race last night with Michael Phelps. To get back up the next morning is tough to do in the morning relay," he said.
Crocker completed the exchange with Scott Usher 0.04 seconds early -- one-hundredth of a second outside the allowable time, so no protest could be lodged.
There was disappointment for the hosts when Grant Hackett's long stranglehold on the 1500 freestyle came to a shuddering halt.
Unbeaten for a decade, Hackett went into the championships under an injury cloud and could only manage seventh place as Polish teenager Mateusz Sawrymowicz stormed to the gold in 14:45.91.
"Every athlete goes through difficult times in their career," Hackett said.
"I am proud of myself for getting up there. People thought I had plenty to lose but I had nothing to lose."
Gerhard Zandberg won the men's 50 backstroke in 24.98 to provide South Africa with their second gold medal of the week following Roland Schoeman's win in the men's 50 butterfly.

Crouch hat trick sends Liverpool over Arsenal

2007-04-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP) -- Peter Crouch's hat trick powered Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday that lifted the club into third place in the Premier League and ended a four-game losing streak against the Gunners.
Crouch scored in the fourth, 35th and 81st minutes, with Daniel Agger heading in the other goal for Liverpool at Anfield. William Gallas had a late goal for Arsenal.
"It's a special moment," Crouch said. "The win was the most important thing, but I'm so pleased with the hat trick."
Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett and Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks, who completed their takeover of Liverpool this week, watched from the stands.
Manchester United rallied to beat Blackburn 4-1 with goals from Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Park Ji-sung and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. The Red Devils lead the league with 78 points.
Chelsea remained six points behind Man U after a 1-0 win over last-place Watford. Salomon Kalou took a cross from Andriy Shevchenko to head in the winner in injury time.
Arsenal dropped from third to fourth with 55 points. Liverpool is third with 57.
Man United fell behind when Carrick deflected the ball toward his own goal and Blackburn's Matt Derbyshire ran on to score in the 29th.
U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel of Blackburn denied United in the first half, but Scholes delivered a tying goal in the 61st minute. Carrick put United in the lead in the 73rd, with Park adding a goal in the 83rd.
United lost defender Nemanja Vidic in the 28th minute with a broken collarbone. He'll be out for up to five weeks.
At the other end of the standings, Charlton moved closer to safety with a 1-0 win over Wigan. It's in 18th place with 30 points. West Ham is in 19th place with 26 points after a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough. Carlos Tevez scored one goal and set up Bobby Zamora for the other.
Fulham tied 1-1 with Portsmouth, with Carlos Bocanegra playing the whole game and Brian McBride taken off after 65 minutes.
MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o scored and defending champion FC Barcelona beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-1 to take a three-point lead in the Spanish league.
Barcelona's victory was its 11th in 14 league games at Camp Nou stadium this season. It drew the other three.
Sevilla has the chance to move level on points again with Barcelona when it visits Osasuna on Sunday.
Earlier, Valencia climbed into third place by beating Espanyol 3-2, boosting its morale ahead of the Champions League first-leg quarterfinal at Chelsea on Wednesday.
And Robert Pires' first Spanish league goal helped Villarreal draw 3-3 with Real Betis, while Real Sociedad beat Levante 1-0.
Barcelona has 56 points, Sevilla 53, and Valencia 50, two more than Real Madrid.
Messi struck on the stroke of halftime when he ran into the area to chest down Ronaldinho's chip before volleying home. The goal was the Argentine teenager's fifth in three games. Eto'o fired home in the 51st minute.
In the 68th, Deportivo's teenage striker Adrian Lopez took advantage of Giovanni van Bronckhorst's weak header to burst past Barcelona's defense and reduce the deficit with the first Spanish league goal of his career.
BERLIN (AP) -- Roy Makaay and Hasan Salihamidzic scored to keep Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title hopes alive with a 2-0 win against leader Schalke.
Schalke leads with 53 points, with Werder Bremen at 51 and VfB Stuttgart at 49. Bayern is fourth with 47 and has a good chance of gaining one of the league's three Champions League berths.
Makaay scored his 100th Bundesliga goal in the third minute in front of 69,000 at Bayern Allianz Arena. After two quick Bayern passes, he finished with a sidefooted shot over Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. In the 79th, Lucio found an unmarked Salihamidzic in the area and the Bosnian chipped under the bar for 2-0.
Schalke retained its lead because Bremen tied Energie Cottbus 0-0, but the performance will increase speculation the team is about to surrender its league lead late in the season for the third time in six years.
A depleted Stuttgart beat Alemannia Aachen 3-1, and Bayer Leverkusen ran its streak to four wins and a draw with a 3-1 victory against Mainz 05. Sergei Barbarez scored twice and Bernd Schneider added the third.
FC Nuremberg beat Hertha Berlin 2-1 while Borussia Moenchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt drew 1-1.
ROME (AP) -- AS Roma and AC Milan warmed up for their Champions League quarterfinals with a 1-1 draw in the Serie A.
Roma defender Philippe Mexes scored with a drive from the edge of the area after four minutes at Stadio Olimpico and Alberto Gilardino equalized with a header in the 61st.
Milan hosts Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals and Roma plays Manchester United.
Roma captain Francesco Totti was angered by a tackle from former teammate Cafu in the 40th. Totti grasped his surgically repaired left ankle but continued playing with no apparent problem.
Ronaldo rarely threatened for Milan and was replaced by Gennaro Gattuso in the 80th.
Roma is second in the league with 59 points -- 17 behind Inter Milan -- and Milan is fifth with 44 points.
Earlier, Siena beat Reggina 1-0 to move six points clear of the relegation zone, and Alessandro Birindelli scored as Juventus won 1-0 at Pescara to extend its lead atop Serie B to six points.
PARIS (AP) -- Brazilian defender Henrique scored in the last minute for Bordeaux to beat Lyon 1-0 and win the League Cup for the second time in its history.
Bordeaux last won the trophy in 2002, the year after Lyon won it for the only time. Bordeaux is guaranteed a spot in next season's UEFA Cup.
Lyon, on course for a record sixth straight French league title, was out of all cup competitions after also exiting the Champions League and French Cup.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) -- Celtic's bid to retain its Scottish league title hit a setback when it tied 1-1 with Dundee United.
Shunsuke Nakamura gave Celtic the lead in the 48th minute with a free kick. Dundee United, down to 10 men after Barry Robson was sent off in the 89th minute, evened the score with an injury-time half-volley from Jon Daly.
Celtic has failed to win its last four games, two in the league and one in the Champions League. It leads with 75 points, 13 more than second-place Rangers, which drew 1-1 with 10-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- PSV Eindhoven drew NAC Breda 1-1 and dropped points for the third straight game in the Dutch league.
PSV, which hosts Liverpool in the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday, has not won a league match since defender Alex suffered a hamstring injury on March 11 against Excelsior Rotterdam, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
PSV tops the standings with 68 points. AZ moved into second with 63, Ajax has 62 and FC Twente is fourth with 58. But Ajax can reduce the gap to three points Sunday with a home win against Heracles Almelo.

Pak in sight of career Grand Slam

2007-04-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

RANCHO MIRAGE, California (Reuters) -- South Korea's Pak Se-ri moved into a tie for the lead at the Kraft Nabisco Championship with Norway's Suzann Pettersen on Saturday, putting her within touching distance of a career Grand Slam.
Five-times major winner Pak shot a 70 in the third round of the LPGA's first major of the season, a stroke better than Pettersen's 71.
The pair share the lead at four under par 212, a shot better off than Meaghan Francella and joint overnight leader Paula Creamer on 213.
Mexico's Lorena Ochoa, who started the day tied for the lead with Creamer, slumped to a horror 77 that included a quadruple-bogey at the par three 17th.
Pak, who will enter the LPGA Hall of Fame at the end of this her 10th season on the Tour, needs only the Kraft Nabisco to complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors.
"This is one title that I would love to win," she said after a round of four birdies, including one at the last from 35 feet.
"This is going to be a special year for me, and to win this major would be the perfect celebration."
Pak has already won three LPGA Championships -- including last year's -- as well as the U.S. and British opens.
Pettersen, the 2001 French Open winner, has been hampered by injuries on her four years on the LPGA circuit but is now getting back to full fitness.
"It's going to be a tough race, but whoever is the most patient tomorrow will win," she said.
Mexican Ochoa, who would take world No.1 ranking from Annika Sorenstam if she wins on Sunday, slipped five shots off the lead thanks to a nightmare at the 17th.
The 25-year-old hit a tree, chipped over the green, duffed her third shot and then hit the next to 45-feet and three-putted.
"It would be nice to win a major with a quadruple-bogey on the card," she said, somehow managing to smile.
"I'm just really sorry about that one hole. But at least I am not completely out of it. I'll try and forget today and give it everything tomorrow."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Thorpe confident he'll be cleared

2007-04-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Clearly distressed, Ian Thorpe said Sunday he's confident he'll be cleared of any doping violation after a test last year showed elevated levels of two banned substances. "I have never cheated," he declared.
The five-time Olympic champion, at the center of a doping controversy five months after retiring, told a packed news conference that he had been one of swimming's most drug-tested athletes.
"There's not going to be an ideal outcome to this, but it will finish, and I will win," the "Thorpedo" said.
The unshaven Thorpe, dressed in slacks and a rumpled striped dress shirt, spoke publicly for the first time since the French sports daily L'Equipe reported Friday that he had elevated levels of two banned substances in a doping test last May. He announced his retirement in November at age 24.
Thorpe said the report had "already tarnished" his reputation, and that it would be tough to undo the damage.
"I've always been remembered in this sport as a hero to a lot of people," he said. "I want that to remain."
Flanked by his attorney, Thorpe described his initial reaction to the report.
"I sat in my room physically shaking. I didn't really understand it," he told a couple hundred journalists gathered across the street from the world championships. "It's completely rubbish, it really is."
Thorpe has long been an outspoken critic of FINA's drug testing methods, saying the sport's governing body isn't tough enough on cheating.
At the 2001 world championships, he complained that FINA should be testing blood for EPO and human growth hormone. Three years later at the Athens Olympics, he said it was naive to think that all swimmers are drug-free.
"I speak my mind, and it gets you in trouble, but I was also brought up to be honest," Thorpe said. "If you can't speak your mind and be honest, it's not worth it. Unfortunately, that offends a lot of people."
Thorpe said he didn't think it was a coincidence that the test results were revealed during the world championships in his home country.
He suggested that three different groups could be responsible for leaking his name and results, an apparent reference to FINA, the Australia Sports Anti-Doping Agency and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Thorpe said he is "deeply alarmed" about the leak.
"The press receiving this information before an athlete jeopardizes the whole integrity of the testing process," he said. "What is even more troubling is that the result is one for which I understand there is many innocent explanations."
A haggard-looking Thorpe, admitting he had not slept well the previous night, managed a joke when pressed about who might have revealed his test results.
"I think the Pink Panther did it," he said.
Case not closed
FINA, swimming's world governing body, confirmed that it had appealed a ruling by ASADA to the Court of Arbitration "with the aim of clarifying issues surrounding this case." FINA did not mention Thorpe by name.
L'Equipe reported that ASADA threw out the case against Thorpe for lack of scientific proof. FINA then went to CAS, the highest tribunal in sports.
Richard Ings, chief executive of the Australian anti-doping agency, said the investigation had not been closed and was requesting more information on the case.
"I now have to go back through my medical history with my doctor and see if there was any medication I was taking at that time that could have affected the results," Thorpe said.
Cornel Marculescu, FINA executive director, said the appeal was made in December and he was not sure why the news came out now. He also insisted that FINA did not know the name of the athlete involved when it appealed for a review.
The French newspaper said Thorpe turned up with irregular levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone.
Synthetic versions of testosterone, the male hormone, can act like steroids to improve performance. Luteinizing hormone is released by the pituitary gland and produces testosterone in men.
Thorpe said he received a stack of letters over the years confirming negative drug tests. He said he also asked for his blood to be frozen for future testing, when improved technology could allow for greater scrutiny.
Thorpe did not compete in another major international meet after the 2004 Athens Olympics, his return scuttled by injuries, illness and a lack of motivation.
Even though he was not competing, Thorpe was still subjected to regular drug testing until he formally retired.
Besides his Olympic titles, Thorpe won 11 world championships and set 13 world records during his career. He still holds the world mark in the 400-meter freestyle.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Scholes inspires United fightback

2007-03-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER, England -- Paul Scholes inspired a Manchester United second-half recovery which transformed a 1-0 half-time deficit into a rousing 4-1 defeat of Blackburn Rovers and brought the English Premiership title closer to Old Trafford.
Scholes provided the missing spark United had so sorely lacked in the first period as he took over the game after the interval, launching the comeback with a superb 61st minute equalizer.
The win sent United nine points clear of Chelsea, who just managed to claw it back to six with Salomon Kalou's stoppage time winner in the late game at bottom club Watford.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports: "The great thing we showed was the composure to not lose our heads, keep our nerve and keep on playing and by doing that we kept on making chances in the second half.
"The intensity of our game was absolutely fantastic but so was the support - that probably put us over the line today.
"They were absolutely fantastic and the players were all talking about it in the dressing room - they couldn't believe the volume of noise coming out today."
Scholes' driving play from deep had already helped to create two chances for Wayne Rooney, a difficult header which flew just wide and a low shot which was well saved by Brad Friedel, before the former England midfielder punished a rare Blackburn mistake.
Defender Christopher Samba dallied on the ball on the edge of the Rovers area and was robbed by Scholes, who skipped past Ryan Nelsen and Stephen Warnock before beating Friedel with a superbly-driven shot.
It was a cruel way for Blackburn to surrender the lead given the discipline and organisation they had shown in stifling United and taking a 29th minute lead through Matt Derbyshire.
But worse was to follow for the visitors as United, clearly sensing victory, pressed on. In the 66th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo might have edged United in front as David Dunn gifted him a chance only for Friedel to make a superb save as the Portuguese winger bore down on goal.
Ryan Giggs fired against the crossbar when faced with an open goal but United were in full cry now and another marauding tricky run down the left hand by-line by Ronaldo led to the 73rd minute goal which sent them ahead.
His cross somehow evaded the players in a packed area but flew to the back of the box where the lurking Michael Carrick was able to steady himself and choose his spot, scoring with a precise finish.
In the 82nd minute Friedel saved magnificently from Ronaldo's vicious free-kick only for Park Ji-Sung to net the rebound.
Unmarked
In the final minute of normal time unmarked substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer met Park's cross and rammed the ball home.
It was a rousing comeback from United who must have been concerned that Derbyshire's strike would do serious damage to their bid to hold off Chelsea in the title race.
The visitors' goal came from a Morten Gamst Pedersen cross which Carrick, sliding in to steer the ball behind, only succeeded in directing on his own goal. After Edwin van der Sar had saved well at the foot of his post, Derbyshire reacted quickly to force the ball over the line.
Rooney should have equalised after Friedel fumbled a Ronaldo shot into his path but the American goalkeeper recovered to pull off a superb block.
If that was a poor miss by the England centre-forward, worse was to follow in the 24th minute when he appeared on the end of Ryan Giggs's superb far post ball with conversion appearing a formality.
However, Rooney first miskicked entirely, a delay that allowed Friedel to recover and make another desperation block from the forward's follow-up attempt.
Seconds later, United's problems mounted as Nemanja Vidic went up for a header with Dunn and Nelsen, falling awkwardly and suffered a suspected fractured collar bone.
With the regulation 90 goalless minutes played at Vicarage Road, the title looked destined for Old Trafford but Chelsea, winners of the last two titles, kept themselves in the hunt for a hat-trick when Ivorian substitute Kalou struck in the second minute of stoppage time.
He met a right wing cross from Andriy Shevchenko and headed past Ben Foster.

Williams stages stunning comeback

2007-03-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

MIAMI, Florida -- Serena Williams fought off two match points on her way to an epic 0-6 7-5 6-3 comeback win over world number one Justine Henin to claim her fourth Sony Ericsson title on Saturday.
Brushed aside in 26 minutes in the opening set and broken by the Belgian to start the second, Williams's title hopes had appeared over.
But the muscular American, backed by a vocal home crowd at Crandon Park, gathered her reserves and slowly clawed her way back into the contest, finally gaining control after fending off two match points with Henin serving at 5-4 in the second.
With the crowd and the momentum now on her side, a ruthless Williams moved in for the kill sweeping through the next six games to take a 3-0 lead in the third set, closing out the two hour 26 minute marathon with service winner on her first match point.
"It's just not in me to give up," said Williams afterwards.
While Williams is currently ranked 18th, the final featured the WTA Tour's two hottest players with both women coming into the showdown having lost just one match this season.
Henin arrived in the championship match riding a 13 match unbeaten streak including back-to-back titles in Dubai and Doha while Williams, playing her first event since the Australian Open, brought a 12 match unbeaten run onto Stadium court.
Playing her first tournament since her improbable Australian Open triumph in January, Williams broke Henin in the 12th game of the second set to force the deciding third set.
This time it was Williams who took charge, breaking Henin in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead.
Henin put the set back on serve with a break in the fifth game, but Williams broke again for a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve for the match.
But inconsistency struck the American again, and she was quickly in a 0-40 hole. She battled back, with two stinging backhands and a service winner, and took the match with a line-kissing second serve on her first match point
Henin, who overtook Maria Sharapova atop the world rankings on Monday, had arrived in Miami buoyed by tournament victories in Dubai and Qatar.
Poised
The 24-year-old, who skipped the Australian Open in January because of personal troubles, had never made it past the quarterfinals in Miami, but appeared poised to make the most of her first finals appearance when she raced through the opening set.
Williams failed to muster even a game point on her own serve until the fifth game, when Henin battled back from 40-15 to get the break and serve for the set.
A forehand wide on her first set point was the first noticeable miscue from the Belgian, and Williams dug in to save two more set points before Henin pocketed the set when Williams fired a backhand wide.
"She's a real fighter," Henin said. "At the end she was better than me, she was really focused on every point. I gave my best but it wasn't enough."