Pakistan open campaign with big win, Australia and India go down

Japan had no answer to Pakistan's attacking play as they fell to a 4-0 thrashing at the men's World Cup here yesterday.

A penalty corner conversion by Sohail Abbas and a field goal to Rehan Butt in the first twelve minutes of the match allowed Pakistan to slip into cruise control against less skilful opposition.

Abbas added a penalty corner conversion and Shakeel Abbasi a field goal in the last five minutes as Japan wilted under Pakistan's pressure.

Shahnaz Sheikh, Pakistan's coach, is optimistic Pakistan can carry on from their good start.

“When Pakistan starts well in a tournament it is likely Pakistan will do well in the tournament,” Sheikh said.

“I was impressed with the improvement in Pakistan to beat Japan 4-0 after we beat them 4-2 in the Asian Cup,” Sheikh added.

“Our young team was nervous today as it is a big game for us but the experience will mean we can get better as the tournament progresses,” said Akira Takahashi, Japan's coach.

Earlier in the day, India's nightmare start to the tournament continued with a 3-2 loss to England.

The Asians had already lost by the same score to Germany in their opening match on Wednesday.

India actually took the lead in the first half and went in a goal to the good at the break after England had failed to convert two penalty strokes.

“We played our game and not the occasion and did that even though we missed the two penalty strokes,” said Jason Lee, England's coach.

India took heart from England's first miss and scored first as Tushar Khandker set up Shivendra Singh for an easy tap-in.

But despite that bright start, India succumbed to an English fight-back after the break.

“We did not play hard enough and made too many errors in the midfield link by giving the ball away to England,” said Vasudevan Baskaran, India's coach.

“It is not the end of all hope for us in the tournament and I know the team can do a better job in later matches.”

Two losses from two matches make it most unlikely India can make the semi-finals from here, with matches against Holland and South Korea still to come.

Spain continued their edge over Australia with an impressive 3-1 victory in the clash of the top two seeds in Group A yesterday.

The Spaniards scored their goals through Eduard Tubau, Pol Amat, and Xavi Ribas.

After a batch of penalty corners after half time, Australia finally scored with Troy Elder flicking high into the net. – Agencies

Pedrosa in doubt for Malaysian GP after fall in practice

Spain's Dani Pedrosa is in doubt for Sunday's MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix after falling from his Honda during practice Friday.

Pedrosa, who is second in the MotoGP World Championship riders standings, was leading in practice until he slipped at lap 11 at the Sepang International Circuit.

He left the scene unaided, but the medical report said he suffered "an open wound of the right knee and contusion of the big toe of the left foot.''

Race organiszers said he will undergo a medical check on Saturday morning to determine if he can race.

Italy's Loris Capirossi made the most of Pedrosa's exit and stayed on track for back-to-back MotoGP wins with a best time of 2 minutes, 1.711 seconds on his Ducati.

Pedrosa's time of 2:02.021 stood as second fastest, ahead of America's Kenny Roberts Jr. with 2:02.563 on his Honda.

MotoGP leader Nicky Hayden of the United States was not at full throttle on his Honda and finished tenth with a time of 2:03.199.

Hayden leads the season with 201 points, 25 ahead of teammate Pedrosa and 38 points ahead of defending world champion Valentino Rossi, who was sixth fastest at 2:02.970 Friday on his Yamaha.

Capirossi dominated the Czech Grand Prix last week for his second victory of the season.

Spain's Hector Barbera in the first qualifying for the 250cc on his Aprilia with a time of 2:08.266.

Compatriot Jorge Lorenzo, who is currently leading the 250cc standings with 199 points, came in a close second with a time of 2.08.404, followed by Hiroshi Oayama of Japan (2:08.566) and Italy's Roberto Locatelli (2:08.902).

In the 125cc, Spaniard Alvaro Bautista took top spot in the first qualifying session with 2:12.846, ahead of Mika Kallio of Finland with 2:13.974 and Italy's Mattia Passini at 2:14.121. - AP

Podolski hits four in record 13-0 win over San Marino

Germany recorded the biggest victory in the history of the European Championship when they crushed San Marino 13-0 in a Group D qualifier on Wednesday.

Germany's huge win in Serravalle will increase the growing argument that UEFA should re-organise the competition to prevent the top nations playing one-sided matches against the tiniest countries on the continent.

TO THE FORE: Lucas Podolski celebrates after scoring against San Marino. He hit four in the 13-0 win. – REUTERSpic
Lukas Podolski netted four times, while Miroslav Klose, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Bastian Schweinsteiger all scored twice. – Reuters

Asiad boost for Lee Lee

Karate exponent Lim Lee Lee secured a big boost to her preparations for the Doha Asian Games when she bagged the gold medal in the Istanbul International Open championships on Sunday.

It is the first time that a Malaysian exponent has emerged as the winner at an European-level competition. Lee Lee bagged the individual kata title, beating Turkey's Ozlem Akin 4-1 in the final.

The Penangite opened accounts beating Nazli Sazak of Turkey 3-0 and went on to defeat Ardiata Iseni of Macedonia by a similar margin to qualify for the semi-finals. She edged Esra Bahadir of Iran 2-1 to qualify for the final.

For her efforts, the two-time Asian Games medallist earned US$2,000.

Kumite exponent Vasantha Marial came close to giving Malaysia a second gold medal in the below 48kg category competition.

Vasantha settled for the silver after losing in extra time to Turkish exponent Gulderen Celik. Both were tied at 1-1 after the first three rounds.

Vasantha, who is the Asian Championships gold medallist in the same category, received a first-round bye and won two bouts to reach the gold medal match. Her efforts in Istanbul were worth US$1,500.

Malaysia also bagged a bronze in the men's individual kata through Ku Jin Keat, who earned US$750.

Five more exponents in the squad for the Doha Asiad in December – R. Puvaneswaran, Lim Yoke Wai, S. Mahendran, S. Kunasilan (men's kumite) and G. Yamini (women's kumite) – failed to make to the medal rounds.

The two-day championships in Istanbul were part of the European circuit and saw participation from exponents from 20 countries.

The Malaysia Karate Federation (Makaf) secretary, Clement Soo, said that winning in Istanbul would be good for Lee Lee's confidence before the challenge in the Asian Games.

“Lee Lee went to Japan for a short training stint this year. Her performances are smoother now and we plan to sent her back to Japan before she leaves for Doha,” said Clement.

The fact that Turkey won two gold medals in the last World Championships in Mexico in 2004 will give the Malaysian winners in Istanbul better confidence of their abilities when they compete in the Asian Games.

“It is not easy to win a medal in an European senior competition,” said Clement.

“Turkey are very strong in karate, especially in kumite. Malaysia were not the only Asian side competing there. Iran also sent 20 national exponents to the championships.”

The national karate team will remain in Europe and compete in the Finnish International Open from Sept 10-13.

Motor Racing: Heat is on Rossi

Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will be in an unfamiliar position when he races in the Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix this weekend.

The pressure is on Rossi to secure a win at the circuit in Sepang to keep his championship hopes alive.

Over the last few years, Rossi used to arrive here with the world title virtually in his grasp but the tables have turned this time.

He finds himself among the chasing pack for the first time in Sepang since winning his first world title in the premier class in 2001.

Yamaha rider Rossi, who has only won four races this year, is in third place in the standings on 163 points. He definitely needs to be at his best to reel in the younger challengers in championship leader Nicky Hayden and Daniel Pedrosa.

With just five rounds remaining in the 17-leg World Championships, Hayden holds a healthy 25 points lead over Pedrosa.

With a total haul of 201 points, the 24-year-old American will be searching for his third victory of the season in a bid to regain the world title for Honda.

The 20-year-old Pedrosa has also showed stunning form in his debut in the MotoGP class. The Spaniard has won two races thus far and has 176 points.

It will be a different scenario but the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) general manager, Datuk Ahmad Mustafa, said that the stage is nevertheless set for another thrilling battle.

“The battle for the MotoGP title is obviously still alive and is still wide open. We should see a fantastic Malaysian GP this weekend,” he said.

“Hayden have the advantage and there is real pressure on Rossi this time. Rossi cannot afford to slip up because his defence of the world title may run to an end in Sepang. The race here could be a turning point in the world championship battle.”

Ahmad added that a win for Hayden would boost his chances of becoming the new world champion.

However, it would not be easy to predict the winner in Sepang this year if one takes into consideration that five riders have claimed race victories this season.

Beside Hayden, Pedrosa and Rossi, the others who had taken the chequered flag were Italians Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi.

Melandri was the winner in Turkey and France. Capirossi won the opening race in Spain and took his second victory in the last round held in Brno, Czech Republic, last month. Capirossi was also the winner in Sepang last year.

Red Devils turned down Javier deal twice

Manchester United turned down the opportunity to sign Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano twice before his surprise move to English Premier League rivals West Ham, the Old Trafford club said on Sunday.

On Thursday, Mascherano, 22, along with striker Carlos Tevez, 22, signed for West Ham from Corinthians on permanent deals for undisclosed fees.

“We were never interested in Tevez,” United chief executive David Gill told BBC Five Live. “We were also offered Mascherano, but we didn’t want to go for him. We were offered Mascherano for a significant sum at the start of the summer and also last week on a loan deal.

“We had watched him last season but the manager (Alex Ferguson) and his staff didn’t want to pursue him. While he is clearly a very good player it was decided he wasn’t required at the club.”

Gill added that he was optimistic over a new contract for striker Wayne Rooney.

England international Rooney, 20, wants to extend the six-season deal he signed when he joined United in August 2004.

“His eagerness to sign a long-term deal is great,” Gill said. “I think there will be developments over the next few months. We want to tie him down to the club.” – Reuters

Schuey to reveal future plans at Monza

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher left a decision on his Formula One future open when he appeared on Sunday at the Ferrari Racing Days event at the Nuerburgring.

Ferrari is set to announce their drivers for the 2007 season immediately after the Italian Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, but the 37-year-old German would not be drawn on his future.

“In Monza we will, I think, find out what is going to happen,” he said.

Schumacher has so far not said whether he would sign a new contract with Ferrari for 2007 or end his career as the most successful driver in F1 history after the 2006 campaign.

He is 12 points behind Renault driver Fernando Alonso, the defending champion, going onto Sunday's race.

“We will give our best. Maybe that will be enough, maybe not,” said Schumacher.

“The position (going into the race) creates pressure, but with my experience I can cope with it.”

Meanwhile Jean Todt, Ferrari's general director, would also not be drawn on Schumacher's plans.

He told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche the former world champion should do “what he really wants to”. Schumacher's career “gives him the privilege at the age of 37 to decide himself on his future.” – dpa

Ballack admits facing English culture shock

German international captain Michael Ballack admits he is still coming to terms with his new life in England with Premiership champions Chelsea and revealed that he was still living in a hotel as he searches for a house in the capital.

The 29-year-old Ballack, who played in his country’s 1-0 Euro 2008 qualifying win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in the summer and admits it has been a real culture shock.

“It really is something new for me. As a family it changed the day we left Germany and I am still living in a hotel,” Ballack said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag.

“It is not that easy to find something in London. I know that London is expensive but I am a well paid footballer so I am lucky.”

Ballack, who led Germany to third place at the World Cup, was accused of joining Chelsea, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, for the money but said that was not the major factor.

“The main reason to come to England and Chelsea was to play with a great team,” Ballack said. “Money and the chance to live in a city like London are additional factors.”

A pin-up in his homeland – where he is often plastered across the front pages – Ballack admits he can often stroll through London without being recognised.

“A lot less people know me here than back in Germany but then again I have only just arrived,” said the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

“I already speak English but really need to improve. A few players speak with an accent and need to speak more slowly with me. I can understand the foreigners better as they speak more slowly.”

Ballack also revealed that his Chelsea team-mates heard him sing a German song on his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

“It was recommended that I sing in German as no-one understands it. I did not think it was that bad,” Ballack explained.

Ballack injured his hip on his debut for Chelsea in the 2-1 Community Shield defeat to Liverpool but has since recovered and has his eye on trophies.

“I want to prove myself at Chelsea and be successful in the Premiership and the Champions League,” Ballack declared.

Powell, Wariner and Richards share the jackpot

Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell and American 400m runners Jeremy Wariner and Sanya Richards blitzed their rivals yesterday to share the Golden League jackpot for a perfect six wins in the six-meet series.

The trio will each take home a cool US$250,000, but will have to compete in the IAAF World Athletics Finals in Stuttgart on Sept 9-10 to be eligible for the prize.

Powell, joint world record holder with drug-tainted American Justin Gatlin, clocked up his record 11th sub-10-second race this year, romping home in a meet record of 9.86, 0.1 second ahead of American Tyson Gay.

There was no repeat of the awful start Powell suffered in Brussels last week, and once he hit his elegant long stride there was no stopping the 23-year-old as he powered away from the field.

“I am sorry for the Berlin audience that I did not run faster,” Powell said, putting his success on the track down to “training a lot and staying healthy”.

Wariner duly wrapped up his perfect six from six in the men’s 400m, producing a strong final bend to outrun pacesetter Lashawn Merritt, who himself was caught by Gary Kikaya of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 22-year-old, the only athlete to have won two gold medals in both the 2004 Olympics and last year’s World Championships, fell short of his target of another sub-44-second run, timing 44.26.

“It was a tough one but I was able to focus on my race and stay consistent, as I have done the whole season,” said Wariner. “Merritt went fast on the first 200m but I continued to run my own race.”

Richards hit the 300m mark a full 10m up on the field and won comfortably in 49.81 seconds ahead of compatriot Dee Dee Trotter (50.87).

In the hunt for a share of a second pot of US$500,000 for athletes having won five out of six events, there was good news for Kenenisa Bekele and Irving Saladino, who won their 5,000m and long jump events (8.35m) respectively.

But there was heartbreak for Tirunesh Dibaba who lost out on a perfect six as Ethiopian compatriot and Olympic champion Meseret Defar won a frantic sprint of a last lap in the women’s 5,000m to come home in 15:02.51.

“I’m disappointed I lost. But I’m still happy I got part of the jackpot,” the 20-year-old Dibaba said in reference to the US$83,333 she won – as did Bekele and Saladino. – AFP

Holloway wants bowlers to stay home and hone Asiad skills

The national women's bowling team, except for Shalin Zulkifli and Lai Kin Ngoh, have been told to cancel all upcoming international tournaments and concentrate on their preparations for the Asian Games.

For a start, their entries for the Hong Kong Open next week have been withdrawn. Only Shalin, the current Asian number one, and Kin Ngoh, who is based in Hong Kong, will carry the challenge for Malaysia.

The decision to withdraw the other bowlers could see fewer Malaysian qualifiers for the Asian Bowling Tour (ABF) Grand Finals this year. The Hong Kong Open is the last tournament that offers ranking points for the Finals.

World Championships singles gold medallist Esther Cheah and Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi are certain to miss the cut as both are now in 19th and 37th places respectively in the standings. Wendy Chai, who is in 13th spot, is also in danger of not making the grade.

Only the top 16 men and top 16 women after the season's eight legs for men and six legs for women get to compete in the Finals.

After a disappointing outing by the women in the recent Asian Championships in Jakarta, national chief coach Holloway Cheah has decided to keep all his charges at home.

“The importance is not on having a record number of qualifiers for the Grand Finals. By not competing in the Hong Kong Open, some of our bowlers may miss the cut. But that is not our priority,” he said.

“The priority is getting a solid team for the Asiad (in Doha from Dec 1-15). It is best that all the bowlers improve on their technical part of the game. There is so much to change.”

At the Asian meet, the women's team failed to win a medal for the first time in over a decade.

Besides Shalin, Wendy, Zandra and Esther, the other member of the elite team is Choy Poh Lai.

FedEx, Justine win before rain washes out evening session

TWICE defending champion Roger Federer and 2003 winner Justine Henin-Hardenne followed different paths to advance at the US Open on Friday before rain washed out the evening session at the season’s last Grand Slam.

American Lindsay Davenport’s match against Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik, and fourth-seeded David Nalbandian’s game against unseeded 2000 Open winner Marat Safin were rained off.

Top seed Federer was not at his best on a windy, chilly day at Flushing Meadows but still managed to ease past Briton Tim Henman 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in a workmanlike second-round match.

Henin-Hardenne, however, needed to recover from a disastrous first set to defeat Japanese 28th seed Ai Sugiyama 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 before moving on to the fourth round.

Among Friday’s winners were 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and runner-up that year Elena Dementieva, while on the men’s side fifth seed James Blake, Nikolay Davydenko (7), Fernando Gonzalez (10), Tommy Haas (14) and Andy Murray (17) advanced.

Top-seed Federer registered only six aces and never seemed to be firing on all cylinders but still proved to be in a different league than the 31-year-old Henman.

“I think the conditions were tough today, breezy, chilly,” said Federer, who has yet to lose a set in his two matches. “Henman was trying to kind of break the rhythm, as usual.

“So it makes it hard to really play well and get the good rhythm going. I think it could have been easier but I thought it was a solid match because I didn’t give him any chances on my own service games and that’s what I wanted to do from the start.”

Federer next meets 84th-ranked American Vince Spadea, who eliminated 29th seed Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden in straight sets.

Blake posted his second successive straight-sets win at the Open, advancing past Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.

“I was real proud of the way I served. That got me out of trouble, especially in this wind,” said Blake, who next faces former French Open champion Carlos Moya. “I feel like I’m playing well.”

The American also registered a striking homage to Andre Agassi, wearing a reproduction of a vintage hot-pink Agassi outfit circa 1990, and blowing kisses and bowing to the crowd in signature Agassi style at the end of his match.

Henin-Hardenne committed an uncharacteristic 17 unforced errors in the first set and squandered a 4-1 lead as Sugiyama broke her serve three times.

But the Belgian found her form in the final two sets to subdue the 31-year-old Japanese without much of a fight.

“I was leading pretty easily in the first set,” Henin-Hardenne said. “I didn’t have the feeling that I was moving well at the time, and I lost a little bit of my intensity. The conditions were pretty difficult.

“When I lost the first set, I understood I had no more choice than winning the next two, and so be very focused on every point. Then I played very, very solid tennis.”

Russian Kuznetsova rolled on to the fourth round with a 59-minute 6-3, 6-0 whipping of compatriot Anastassia Rodionova.

Next up for the 21-year-old will be 19th seed Jelena Jankovic, who upset ninth seed Nicole Vaidisova 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

Dementieva advanced past fellow-Russian Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-3 to set up a meeting with unseeded Aravane Rezai of France, who ousted 20th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-1. – Reuters

Chong Wei and Tan Fook-Wan Wah crumble in HK Open final

The expectations were high but when it came to the crunch, Lee Chong Wei and Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah crumbled in their respective finals in the Hong Kong Open badminton championships at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium yesterday.

World number one Chong Wei lost 19-21, 21-8, 16-21 to China's top seed Lin Dan in the men's singles while Tan Fook-Wan Wah fell 24-22, 16-21, 20-22 to Indonesia's Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan in the men's doubles.

Yesterday, Chong Wei failed to get the psychological boost he wanted over his closest rival ahead of the World Championships in Madrid, Spain on Sept 18-24.

With the hard earned win in the men's singles final, Lin Dan has now extended his 2006 record against Chong Wei to 4-1.

The Malaysian's only triumph came in the Malaysian Open final in Kuching in June and he has yet to beat the Chinese ace outside Malaysia.

Lin Dan's other victories came in the finals of the Macau and Taiwan Opens and the semi-finals of the All-England Championships.

In the final, Chong Wei raced to a 19-17 lead in the first game but froze at the vital moment to allow his opponent to take four straight points.

The Malaysian made amends by taking full control of the second game and allowed the Chinese to collect only eight points before forcing the tie into the rubber.

But mistakes started creeping into Chong Wei's game and despite putting up a good defence, he gave away too many easy points and Lin Dan clinched a second straight Hong Kong Open title.

Despite the defeat, Chong Wei can take comfort from the fact that he still leads Lin Dan in the IBF world rankings and will start as the top seed in Madrid.

Tan Fook and Wan Wah, meanwhile, received a ticking off from national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky for handing the Indonesians their first title of the year.

An angry Rexy, who is in Kuala Lumpur, rang his doubles players in Hong Kong immediately after the final to voice his displeasure.

The Malaysians almost lost the first game when they threw away a comfortable 13-5 lead and were made to slog before prevailing 24-22.

Kido and Setiawan edged the second game 21-16 but found themselves trailing in the decider.

But the Malaysians failed to sustain their 13-8 lead and threw away two match points to lose the tie 20-22.

“They (Tan Fook and Wan Wah) played well until they led 13-8 in the third game,” said Rexy.

“Then, they changed their tactics and played as if they were already the champions.

“The problem is that they think too far ahead even before the game is over and I was angry, especially with Tan Fook, as Malaysia should have won the men's doubles title easily,” he added.

It was a no-show in the women's singles final as world number one Zhang Ning conceded a walkover to compatriot and second seed Xie Xingfang without stepping on the court.

There was an upset in the all-China women's doubles final when second seeds Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen toppled the top seeds Gao Ling-Huang Sui 21-19, 15-21, 21-19.

Zheng Bo-Zhao Tingting ensured China took four of the five Hong Kong Open titles at stake by defeating Indonesia's Nova Widianto-Liliyana Natsir 22-20, 21-19 to capture the mixed doubles crown.

Portugal aim to fend off FIFA suspension

The Portuguese Football Federation will issue a decree on Monday aimed at settling a relegation row that has disrupted the start of the season and could lead FIFA to suspend Portugal from international football.

Gilberto Madail, the federation’s head, said the decree will say it is in the public interest for Gil Vicente to abide by the body’s recent decision to relegate the club from the first division.

“This will be the next step to solve the problem. We’ll see if it’s enough,” he told reporters after a meeting with junior minister for sport, Laurentino Dias, and the head of the Portuguese League, Valentim Loureiro.

Last month the federation demoted Gil Vicente after ruling the club broke rules governing the mid-season registration of Angola midfielder Mateus.

It replaced the club in the top league with Belenenses, who had been relegated last season.

Gil Vicente then applied to a civil court to clear the player’s eligibility, contravening federation and FIFA rules and leading the federation to suspend the club from all football competitions.

Madail travelled to Zurich on Thursday to discuss the legal wrangle with FIFA, which prohibits clubs from contesting decisions by football regulatory bodies in civil courts.

Portugal’s sports media reported Friday that European body UEFA was mulling replacing FC Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica in the Champions League with Italy’s Chievo, Spain’s Osasuna and the Netherland’s Ajax.

Dias said he was optimistic that the decree would resolve the problem with FIFA.

“This is not a problem of a few clubs, it is a problem for the image of the country.

“I am convinced that with this step Portuguese football will return to normal,” he told reporters.

Portugal begin their Euro 2008 qualifiers on Wednesday with a match against Finland in Helsinki. – AFP