Federer and Mauresmo named as top seeds for the US Open

Defending men’s champion Roger Federer and women’s world No 1 Amelie Mauresmo have been named as the top seeds for the US Open, which begins at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

World No 1 Federer is looking to become only the third man in the Open era, after John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, to win the title three years in succession.

Rafael Nadal, the world No 2 and French Open champion, is seeded second, while Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and Argentine David Nalbandian are three and four.

Frenchwoman Mauresmo will be aiming to win the title for the first time, adding it to the Wimbledon and Australian Open crowns she won earlier this year.

Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne is the number two seed behind Mauresmo, with Russian Maria Sharapova at three and compatriot Elena Dementieva, the 2004 runner-up, at four. Reigning women’s champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium will miss the event due to a wrist injury. – Reuters

Liverpool, AC Milan, Benfica and Valencia through to group stage

Liverpool, AC Milan, Benfica and Hamburg SV, all former European champions, and twice runners-up Valencia advanced to the group stage of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Milan put their domestic difficulties behind them with a 2-1 victory at Red Star Belgrade to go through 3-1 on aggregate while Liverpool had a nervy last 25 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Maccabi Haifa in neutral Kiev for a 3-2 aggregate.

Benfica thrashed Austria Vienna 3-0 in Lisbon for a 4-1 aggregate, Valencia were similarly impressive in beating another Austrian side, Salzburg 3-0 for 3-1 overall, while Hamburg advanced on the away goals rule after a 1-1 draw at Spanish side Osasuna.

Red Star, also former winners of the European Cup, found Milan too hot to handle despite the support of a passionate 55,000 Belgrade crowd.

Filippo Inzaghi headed Milan into a 29th minute lead and Clarence Seedorf made sure in the 78th before Dusan Djokic got a consolation for the hosts.

Maccabi were forced to play in Ukraine because of the security situation in Israel and Liverpool looked like the home side as they dominated the first half.

Liverpool, the 2005 champions, finally converted a chance in the 54th minute when England striker Peter Crouch scored with a header but Maccabi equalised nine minutes later through Roberto Colautti, the Argentine striker who scored their goal in the first leg.

Another goal for the Israelis would have taken the tie into extra time but Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina prevented it with a great late save from Colautti.

Portugal will have three teams in the group stage for the first time after Benfica joined Porto and Sporting in today’s draw.

Rui Costa, back from Milan at the club where he began his career as a schoolboy, opened the scoring.

Nuno Gomes made it 2-0 before halftime and Armando Petit got the third in the 57th.

Strike duo Fernando Morientes and David Villa turned things round for Valencia with goals after 13 and 32 minutes as Salzburg saw their 1-0 first-leg lead quickly blown away.

One goal for the visitors would have still sent them through but the final word went to Valencia’s David Silva.

Osasuna, who held Hamburg 0-0 in the first leg, looked on the verge of going through after Carlos Cuellar put them in front six minutes into the second leg but Hamburg scrambled the decisive away goal through Nigel de Jong 16 minutes from the end. – Reuters

Ferrari ace itching for action after three-week break

The three-week break in the Formula One calendar ahead of this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix was too long – at least as far as Michael Schumacher is concerned.

“We took a short break and, of course, we had a nice time, but I didn’t really need that. I would have preferred if we had gone straight to the next grand prix from Hungary,” the German Ferrari star said on his website.

“The fight for the championship title is really exciting and so I’m extremely eager to race again. It’s about time now for the weekend at Istanbul to get under way.”

Schumacher trails defending champion Fernando Alonso by 10 points in a dramatic title race heading into Sunday, which sees the fifth-from-last race of the season.

Istanbul also marks the last race for Schumacher ahead of the planned announcement on his future at the following home event in Monza, Italy.

It is not known yet whether the seven-time champion will continue for another year or retire.

Neither Schumacher nor Alonso finished the turbulent Hungary race on Aug 6, but Schumacher at least picked up one point by being ranked eighth at the Hungaroring after crashing out late in the race.

Schumacher also failed to finish at the F1 debut of the Turkish race last year, but hopes that this won’t happen again.

“I’ve got mixed emotions when I think of last year’s race there. The race itself was a little bit disappointing, but the city and the people there were great.

“I felt very welcome here last year and I think I have reason to believe that I will do well on this circuit this time,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher said that the team must be at their very best in the concluding stages of the season as a small mistake can make a big difference in one race in particular and the world championship in general.

“We all know that the smallest details can turn everything around. So now we have to focus totally and do our best,” he insisted.

Schumacher also does not believe in a full advantage for Ferrari over Alonso’s Renault team – even though the German won the three races ahead of Hungary.

“It’s difficult to say prior to a race who is strongest and that can also change from race to race.

“But I think we will be among the best. After all, we are just as strong as before,” he said.

Schumacher also refused to dwell on a possible missed opportunity in Hungary as completely worn-out tyres denied him a possible second-place finish, which would have reduced the gap to three points.

“It’s no use being sad about the missed chances at Hungary, you’ve got to look ahead – things could have been looking a lot worse by now after all. We are still determined to secure the title and Istanbul is the next step for that.

“Our fighting spirit is the best – we’re ready for Istanbul,” he said. – dpa

Schumacher revved up for Alonso challenge after three-week break

Germany’s seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher said on Monday that he was relieved the season was finally resuming this weekend after a three-week break and insisted he is geared up to overtake Fernando Alonso in the championship race.

The 37-year-old Schumacher won three out of the last four races before the break and the Ferrari driver has been waiting patiently for Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul as he bids to carry on his rich vein of form.

“We had a bit of a holiday and of course it was a nice time but I could have done without it,” Schumacher said on his homepage www.michael-schumacher.rtl.de.

“I would have preferred to have gone straight to the next Grand Prix after the Hungary race.”

Spain’s reigning champion Alonso has seen his lead cut to just 10 points in the driver’s championship and Schumacher has the remaining five races to reel him in and win a record eighth crown.

“The world championship race is a lot of fun and I am raring to go for the next race. It is time for this Istanbul weekend to finally be upon us,” Schumacher declared.

“There are five possibilities to turn the world championship on its head and win the title.

“The hunt goes on and our will to win the title remains and Istanbul should be the next step.”

However, Renault driver Alonso is also confident of retaining his title.

“I’m feeling very positive. I am in the position where everybody wants to be – leading the championship, with the races counting down,” said Alonso. – AFP

Julio Baptista is bent on staying with Real

Brazilian midfielder Julio Baptista said on Monday he had no intention of leaving Spanish giants Real Madrid despite suggestions that coach Fabio Capello wants to get rid of him.

Spanish media reports had suggested that Capello wanted to use the under-performing Baptista – known as the “beast” – as a makeweight in a deal to bring AC Milan’s Brazilian playmaker Kaka to the “meringues” as he tries to put an end to bitter rivals Barcelona’s recent dominance in the league and Europe.

However the message from Baptista, scorer of just eight goals in 32 matches last term after his 24mil euros transfer from a hugely successful stint at Sevilla where he scored 38 goals in two seasons, was he was not going anywhere.

“I don’t know how many times I have to say it but I want to stay at Madrid,” said 24-year-old Baptista, who still has four years to run on his contract.

“The club said nothing to me and I am very happy, here at Real. The press can say what they want, I will decide my future.If I want to leave, I will do so, but I don’'t want to go.”

Capello, though, is believed to be not happy with either Baptista or compatriot Robinho and is also keen for Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen to leave.

He has already signed Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from Manchester United and Emerson and Fabio Cannavaro, both from his old club Juventus.

He is also on the point of signing Mali international midfielder Mahamadou Diarra from French champions Lyon and is rumoured still to be sweet on Arsenal’s Jose Antonio Reyes.

The nine-time European champions have failed to win a trophy of any sort in the last three seasons. – AFP

Marion Jones shocked by positive drugs test

Former triple Olympic champion Marion Jones said on Monday she was shocked her initial drugs test from a urine sample taken in June was positive.

Jones added she had requested the testing of her second or ‘B’ sample be dealt with quickly.

“I was shocked when I was informed about the positive ‘A’ sample,” Jones said in the statement issued by her Los Angeles-area attorney Howard Jacobs.

“I have requested that the testing of my ‘B’ sample be expedited and done as soon as possible.

“I would also like to note that only my lawyers have the authority to speak on my behalf in this matter, and I will have no further comment until the results of the ‘B’ sample are released.”

The comments were the first by Jones since sources said last Friday she had tested positive for the banned blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO) at the US championships in Indianapolis in June.

Jones, 30, has repeatedly denied taking performance-enhancing substances and had never previously failed a doping test.

Jones had been under scrutiny by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in connection with the BALCO laboratory doping scandal but has never been charged with a doping offence.

Her statement did not name the substance for which her ‘A’ sample was positive. If her ‘B’ sample is positive, she faces a two-year ban from the sport under anti-doping rules.

Jones won five Olympic medals at the 2000 Sydney Games, including golds in the 100m and 200m and 4x400m relay. – Reuters

Hafiz can breathe easy now that Gade-Christensen’s out

Malaysia’s men’s singles shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim can see a clearer path in his bid for glory in the US$300,000 Korean Open following the withdrawal of defending champion Peter Gade-Christensen of Denmark.

The Open begins today at the Jangchoong Gymnasium in Seoul with competitions in three events – the men’s and women’s singles and the mixed doubles.

Second seed Gade-Christensen and Hafiz, who is the joint fifth-eighth seed, were in the same lower half of the draw.

With the Dane out because of a knee injury, Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat and South Korean Lee Hyun-il are tipped to play for a place in the semi-finals.

The 24-year-old Hafiz said that he was more concerned about his opponents in the early rounds.

“My focus now is to clear the early rounds and reach at least the quarter-finals to justify my seeding,” he said.

Hafiz opens his campaign against Nicholas Kidd of England and is tipped to meet China’s Bao Chunlai in the last eight.

“It will be great if I can create an upset. It will help me to improve on my world rankings and it will also be a boost for me ahead of the World Championships in Madrid (Sept 18-24),” said the world number nine.

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei is the top seed and he is expected to face his first real test in the quarter-finals against Chen Yu of China.

The men’s and women’s doubles competitions begin tomorrow.

Burton, Kyle Busch take big hits in Chase race

Resurgent Jeff Burton ran into a speed bump Sunday on the way to a hoped-for spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.

Burton's engine failed just 17 laps into the GFS Marketplace 400, relegating the Richard Childress Racing driver to a 42nd-place finish and bumping him from fourth to ninth in the season standings.

With only three races left to lock up one of the 10 spots in the 10-race Chase, that was a big blow for Burton and the RCR team. But the driver tried to cheer up his team and keep a positive attitude.

"I just wanted to remind everybody that this is a good race team and this happens to everybody," said Burton, who started from the pole. "Today was our turn, and we're not going to get down about this. This is nobody's fault. We've got great race cars, but we break engines and mess up from time to time.

"We won't use this as an excuse. We have three races to get our business done, and we're going to go get it done."

Another driver who had a really bad day in the points was Kyle Busch, who completed only 132 of the 200 race laps and wound up 39th after tagging the wall and having a blown tire send him into the wall two laps later.

It dropped him from fifth to a precarious seventh in the points.

"Typical Michigan luck," said Busch, last year's top rookie. "It's a tough break for our team. They worked their hearts out. We'll just have to go to Bristol [Saturday night] and see what we can do there."

Only series leader Jimmie Johnson, runner-up Kenseth and third-place Kevin Harvick -- Burton's teammate -- have all but sewn up spots in the Chase. The top two need only to start the next three races to make it, no matter their results, and Harvick is 78 points ahead of fourth-place Mark Martin.

Martin, defending series champion Tony Stewart, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, Busch, rookie Denny Hamlin, Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are all bunched within 89 points, with 11th-place Kasey Kahne only 49 points out of 10th.

Kahne, who fell into a slump after winning the June race at Michigan, finished fourth Sunday but gained only five points on Earnhardt, who finished sixth.

"That's the way it's going to be," Kahne said. "It's going to be tough to get back in [the top 10]. But, if we do our job, hopefully, it will happen. You just never know in racing. It's an up-and-down sport."

-- The Associated Press

Ana Ivanovic beats Martina Hingis to win Rogers Cup title

Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic beat Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-3 on Monday to claim the rain-delayed $1.34 million (euro1.05 million) Rogers Cup title, her second career tournament victory and first in a WTA Tour Tier-1 event.

"This is a big step for me,'' Ivanovic said. "She's a great player. In juniors, I watched her winning grand slam titles and now I played against her and played good tennis. Basically, now I can consider myself one of the top players and that gives me motivation to work even harder to stay at this level.''

A largely pro-Hingis crowd of 8,000 was on hand in sunny weather following postponements the previous two days.

The 18-year-old Belgrade native used her powerful forehand to put shots down the lines and overwhelm the 25-year-old Swiss.

Ivanovic won $196,900 (euro152,400), while Hingis earned $99,850 (euro77,300).

In the semifinals, Hingis was able to counter Svetlana Kuznetsova's big shots with clever drops and slices, but that didn't work against Ivanovic, who did not appear intimidated by playing one of the sport's biggest names.

"There were times I felt there wasn't much I could do,'' Hingis said. "Kuznetsova would make a return error or an error in a rally, but I wasn't able to push Ivanovic to get nervous or anything to start making errors.''

The seventh-seeded Hingis, a dominant player in the late 1990s, is in her first season back on the tour after a three-year absence due to foot and ankle injuries. Her performance this week will put her back in the top 10 in the WTA Tour rankings for the first time in almost three years.

Hingis won the Rogers Cup in 1999 and 2000.

The 13th-seeded Ivanovic, who will improve her rank to 17th this week, remains unbeaten in two visits to the Rogers Cup at 7-0. Last year in Toronto, she withdrew before a scheduled third-round meeting with Kim Clijsters with an injury.

In the doubles final, Martina Navratilova of the United States and Nadia Petrova of Russia romped 6-1, 6-2 over Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany. Navaratilova, 49, is to retire after the Aug. 28-Sept. 10 U.S. Open.

Tiger Woods coasts to victory at Medinah

TIGER Woods stayed ice-cool throughout the final round to cruise to his 12th major title with a five-shot victory in the PGA Championship on Sunday.

Tied for the overnight lead with playing partner Luke Donald, the American world No 1 fired a four-under 68 in low-scoring conditions to lift the Wanamaker Trophy for the third time.

Woods, who also won the year’s final major in 1999 and 2000, rattled up five birdies and a solitary bogey at the par-three 17th before finishing at 18-under 270 in bright sunshine at Medinah Country Club.

After sinking his final putt he gave a double fist pump to celebrate moving past fellow American Walter Hagen into outright second place in the all-time major standings with only Jack Nicklaus, on 18, ahead of him.

His 72-hole aggregate matched the lowest below par in the tournament’s history, tying the 18-under total of 270 set jointly by Woods and fellow American Bob May at Valhalla in 2000.

“This is really sweet, it was a special day out there,” a smiling Woods told reporters after delivering an inspired display with his putter. “I just had one of those magical days on the greens.

“I just felt like if I got the ball anywhere on the green, I could make it. It’s not often you have days like that, and I happened to have one in the final round of a major championship.

“I made some bombs early in the front nine to stay ahead, knew I had to continue making birdies and I was able to do it,” added Woods, who needed only 27 putts on the day.

Asked how he felt with only Nicklaus ahead of him in the all-time major standings, he replied: “It took Jack over 20 years to get his, so it’s going to take a career. I’ve just got to keep plugging along and keep trying to win these things.”

By securing his third PGA Championship, Woods drew level with Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead. Only Nicklaus and Hagen, with five victories apiece, have fared better.

Briton Donald, bidding to become the PGA Championship’s first European-born winner in 76 years, had to settle for a share of third place at 12-under after a frustrating day and a closing 74.

“I felt I played nicely today but got zero out of my game,” the 28-year-old said. “I had a run of three lip-outs on four, five and six and had those gone in it might have been a different story.

“I just needed a few breaks, a few putts to go in. But it was a good learning experience considering this was my first real time in contention playing the last group (in a major) on Sunday. Even though I shot 74, I played a lot better.”

Level with Donald were Australia’s Adam Scott, who fired a seven-birdie 67, and Spaniard Sergio Garcia, after a 70. American Shaun Micheel, winner of the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, secured second place at 13-under, despite bogeying the last for a 69.

Canada’s Mike Weir closed to within three strokes of Woods with a birdie at the 10th before dropping four shots over the closing holes on his way to a 75 and sixth place.

Woods, who won last month’s British Open at Hoylake, has a perfect record of 12 victories after leading or sharing the lead going into the final round of a major championship.

Any speculation the game’s leading player might be reeled in on the final day at Medinah effectively ended when he immediately broke clear by rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-four first.

He picked up his second shot after reaching the green in two at the 537-yard fifth, coolly sank a 40-footer at the par-four sixth and holed another 40-footer to birdie the par-three eighth.

After reaching the turn four strokes ahead of the chasing pack at 18 under, Woods picked up his fifth shot of the day at the par-four 11th after hitting a brilliant eight-iron approach shot from the right rough to within eight feet of the flag.

Oozing confidence on another day of low-scoring, he dropped his only stroke of the round after finding the back left greenside bunker at the 197-yard 17th.

After missing a downhill eight-footer to save par, he split the fairway at the last, safely reached the green with his second shot and savoured warm-hearted applause from the packed galleries before two-putting for a 68. – Reuters

Champs PSV Eindhoven get off to winning start

Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven kicked off their new league campaign with a 3-1 win over NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch first division on Sunday.

Rivals Ajax Amsterdam were even more impressive as they hammered RKC Waalwijk 5-0, while last season’s surprise package Groningen scored three goals in 13 minutes to sink Feyenoord 3-0.

PSV captain Phillip Cocu opened the scoring from close range in the 44th minute before Brazilian Alex doubled the lead in injury time.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink sealed the win early in the second half, while Rutger Worm scored a consolation goal for the visitors a minute before time.

Ajax had to wait until the 33rd minute to open the scoring but once Ryan Babel put them ahead, the floodgates opened. Wesley Sneijder scored twice while John Heitinga and Mauro Rosales completed the rout.

After a poor first half, Groningen raised the pace following the interval.

Erik Nevland broke the deadlock in the 55th minute with a close range header. Koen van der Laak and Glen Salmon sealed the win for Groningen.

On Saturday Simon Cziommer scored a hat-trick for AZ Alkmaar in their 8-1 rampage over NAC Breda. – Reuters

Loris Capirossi wins Czech Grand Prix

Italian Loris Capirossi won the MotoGP Czech Grand Prix yesterday after leading from start to finish.

The Ducati rider, attacking from second place on the grid, sustained a gap he built in the early stages to finish 4.90secs in front of defending world champion Valentino Rossi, who made a slow start from pole.

Rossi, bidding to win his sixth consecutive MotoGP title and cheered on by the enthusiastic crowd, fended off a late challenge from Spain’s Dani Pedrosa, who took third at the 5.4-km Brno circuit.

Nicky Hayden of the United States finished ninth and retained his overall lead but his advantage over Pedrosa shrunk to 25 points. Rossi moved up from fourth to third overall, 38 points behind Hayden.

The 20-year-old Pedrosa remains well on his way to become the Rookie of the Year in the premier-class after winning at the Brno track in the 250cc class last year. – Reuters

Theo Walcott makes his mark

Seventeen-year-old Theo Walcott quickly made a mark on his Premier League debut, setting up Arsenal’s equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on the opening day of the season on Saturday.

Arsenal were in danger of losing their first match at the new Emirates stadium after falling behind to Olof Mellberg’s 53rd-minute goal but Gilberto Silva levelled in the 83rd from a cross by the livewire Walcott.

“I know a lot is expected from him but I am pleased,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger of Walcott, who was picked by former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson for the World Cup but did not feature in any games in Germany.

“He had that sharpness that we missed and was dangerous on the left flank. He was involved in the goal and his overall performance was very positive,” Wenger told BBC Sport.

“It was a typical beginning of the season game where the players were not completely ready physically,” added Wenger, who was critical of the timing of a spate of international friendlies in midweek.

IMPRESSIVE DEBUT: Theo Walcott, playing his first EPL game for Arsenal, came on to help his club clinch a draw against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Wenger said the friendlies had disrupted his preparations for the start of the season “massively”.

“It is very difficult to take on board that you’re in pre-season and your players are away,” he said.

“We had seven players who played for 90 minutes far away and when they come back it’s very short (time) to prepare and there’s a real conflict between the importance of our game today and the ridiculous importance of the national team games.” – Reuters

Fiery start from Manchester United

Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United crushed Fulham 5-1 yesterday while champions Chelsea began their Premier League title defence with a 3-0 home win over Manchester City.

The two other probable title contenders, Arsenal and Liverpool, were both held 1-1 on Saturday. Villa spoilt Arsenal's first match at their new Emirates stadium and Liverpool needed a penalty equaliser to deny promoted Sheffield United a first-day win at Bramall Lane.

Yesterday, City's Italian striker Bernardo Corradi was sent off just past the hour for a late tackle on Michael Essien, having earlier been booked for a late challenge on Paulo Ferreira.

Defender John Terry followed his first goal as England captain in midweek by heading home Arjen Robben's curling left-footed free kick from the right to put Chelsea ahead in the 11th minute.

Terry's England colleague Frank Lampard, who also scored in the 4-0 win over Greece, struck the second in the 25th, taking a square ball from Essien and hitting a low shot that took a slight deflection off Richard Dunne.

Striker Didier Drogba added a late third for Chelsea with a diving header from Wayne Bridge's low cross from the left.

United were even more impressive as they tore Fulham to shreds in a devastating opening burst that brought them four goals in the first 12 minutes.

Rooney, putting to the back of his mind the three-match suspension hanging over him, scored United's third in the 16th minute and rounded off the scoring just past the hour from defender Wes Brown's cross.

The England striker will start a three-match ban on Aug. 23 after being sent off during a pre-season tournament in Amsterdam.

France's Louis Saha, relishing the confidence of manager Alex Ferguson who off-loaded Ruud van Nistelrooy, his rival for the central striker's role, headed the seventh-minute opener from Ryan Giggs's fine cross for his third goal against his ex-club.

Defender Ian Pearce turned the second into his own net in the 14th trying to prevent Saha's pass from finding Rooney.

Rooney netted the rebound after keeper Antti Niemi saved a Saha shot in the 16th and the England striker's fine ball to the far post allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to volley home the fourth from a tight angle three minutes later.

The young pair's embrace after Ronaldo's goal showed they had put behind them the controversy over the Portuguese player's involvement in Rooney's sending off during England's loss to Portugal on penalties in the World Cup quarter-finals.

“It's proved that people who have been saying things about us don't know either of us,” Rooney told Sky Sports. “We let our football do the talking and I thought Cristiano was brilliant and he scored a great goal.

“Getting four goals in the first 20 minutes helped us relax a bit,” he said.

“We wanted to get about them early on and we did that and managed to get four goals. I'm delighted to have scored two and it's great to create goals as well.”

Fulham, whose defending was ragged, pulled one back to make the halftime score 4-1 when Heidar Helguson's shot from the edge of the box was deflected by defender Rio Ferdinand into his own net over goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

"It's probably our best start to a season,'' said United manager Alex Ferguson. "The younger players are getting better so I'm happy about that. The making and taking of the goals was excellent. – Agencies

Ribery steers Marseille to the top of the table

France midfielder Franck Ribery helped Marseille to a 3-0 win at Auxerre on Saturday which put his side top of Ligue 1 on goal difference ahead of Le Mans.

Ribery, who shone at the recent World Cup in Germany, opened the scoring after 45 minutes and also sparked the move which led to the second goal by striker Toifilou Maoulida after 48.

Auxerre, coached by former Marseille boss Jean Fernandez, were reduced to 10 men when forward Kanga Akale elbowed Marseille defender Ronald Zubar in the 51st minute.

Striker Mickael Pagis netted the third goal from close range with 20 minutes remaining.

“Having scored is a relief,” said Ribery, who considered a move to champions Lyon during the close season but was persuaded to stay at Marseille.

“I’ve been through a difficult time,” he told reporters. “This pleases me and I hope it pleases the fans as well.

“We played really well tonight. Our goal is to finish in the top three and our good start to the season suggests we will be able to.”

Former European champions Marseille have seven points from three games, leading on goal difference from Le Mans, who recovered from two goals down to beat promoted Valenciennes 3-2.

Lille, who had won their first two matches, dropped to third place after losing 1-0 at Paris St Germain.

Portugal striker Pauleta scored the winner for PSG from a superb free kick on 60 minutes.

Lille went down to 10 men four minutes later when Brazilian defender Rafael was sent off for grabbing Pauleta round the waist.

Monaco looked set for their first win of the season after Czech striker Jan Koller gave them a 1-0 lead but Stade Rennes equalised four minutes from time through forward Jimmy Briand.

The team from the principality, who had lost their first two matches, are third from bottom.

Girondins Bordeaux, in fourth place on six points, entertained Lyon yesterday. Lyon, chasing their sixth consecutive title, are eighth on four points. – Reuters