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Goals from wingers Arjen Robben and Joe Cole earned Chelsea a 2-0 win over London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, restoring their nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
   Chelsea's first league win at Highbury since 1990 put the champions 20 points clear of Arsenal, all but snuffing out the title hopes of Arsene Wenger's side who suffered their third successive league defeat without scoring.
   Dutchman Robben broke a bad-tempered deadlock in the 39th minute when striker Didier Drogba put him through just over the halfway line.
   The speedy winger kept his head to angle a left-footed shot past Jens Lehmann from 10 metres, the ball hitting the far post before bouncing in.
   It was only the second goal of the campaign for Robben who took the Premier League by storm last season but has lacked confidence recently after hamstring injury problems.
   Cole made it two in the 73rd minute with another fine individual effort to win possession from Lauren on the right, cut inside and outflank England team-mate Sol Campbell before poking the ball home.
   Arsenal also had chances in an intense but scrappy game.
   Thierry Henry hit the post in the 20th minute and Dutch striker Robin van Persie had a first-half goal controversially ruled offside. Lauren, substitute Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires forced Petr Cech into second-half saves.
   It was the Czech Rebublic goalkeeper's 50th Premier League game and his 33rd clean sheet behind a defence that has conceded only seven goals this season.
   Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger bemoaned Van Persie's disallowed goal.
   Seven players were booked and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard played much of the second half with his head swathed in bandages after a clash.
   The day's ill-feeling appeared to extend to the managers.
   Chelsea's Jose Mourinho disappeared down the tunnel without the customary handshake with his opposite number, continuing the pair's acrimonious relationship.
   Chelsea restored their nine-point lead at the top over Manchester United, who won 2-0 at Aston Villa on Saturday.
   In the day's other game, Tottenham Hotspur earned a point in a see-saw 3-3 draw at Middlesbrough to stay in touch with the title challengers.
   Tottenham went ahead in the 25th minute, Robbie Keane's shot bobbling into the net after Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer had failed to clear a high ball.
   The home side's response was to attack and they were rewarded five minutes later when Aiyegbeni Yakubu drifted clear of the Spurs defence, latched on to a Gareth Southgate header and volleyed home from six metres.
   Yakubu was on hand in the 43rd too when midfielder James Morrison drilled a left-footed shot from 18 metres towards the goal and it deflected into the net off the Nigerian's chest.
   Spurs levelled 18 minutes into the second half when Jermaine Jenas struck an exquisite 25-metre free-kick that curled over the Middlesbrough wall and past the diving Schwarzer.
   Their elation was short-lived, however, as Middlesbrough defender Franck Queudrue headed a corner on to the underside of the crossbar and just over the line.
   Tottenham replied in similar fashion seven minutes from time when striker Mido jumped high above the home defence to head home a Michael Carrick corner.

A disconsolate Bangladesh football team is expected to return home tonight after losing the fourth edition of the SAFF Champion 2-0 to India in the final played at Karachi on December 17.
   The charges of Argentine coach Diego Andres Cruciani however will get little respite as Pakistan will follow them hours later to play in an Asia Cup pre-qualifying match.
   The first-leg of the pre-qualifying round will be held on December 22 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Bangladesh will then fly to Pakistan to play the away leg on December 26.
   Though Bangladesh defeated Pakistan in the semi-finals of the regional football competition 1-0 in their own backyard for the first time in 20 years thanks to a penalty converted by central defender Shujon, many apprehend an even tougher contest this time as the morale of the side is understandably now at an all-time low.
   The 2003 winners Bangladesh who played some fascinating football in the 11-day event, were completely outclassed by the Indians at the Karachi People’s Sports Complex Stadium.
   The only way for them to compensate their disheartened fans is to qualify for the Asia Cup defeating Pakistan in the home and away ties.
   Both countries have been asked to play the matches by the Asian Football Confederation after they received 25 entries for the qualifying round against 24 slots. The qualifying round will start from February 22.

Soccer Club of Feni kept their hopes of reaching the final round of the Nitol-Tata National Football League alive by thrashing Rangamati Mohammedans 5-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday.
   The team, placed in the same group with the three Dhaka giants Mohammedans, Abahani and Muktijoddha, got their first point of the second round from the match, but it was enough for them to stay in contention for a final-round slot.
   Abahani and Muktijoddha are sure to play in the final round from this group with seven and five points respectively from three matches, but Mohammedans are in danger of missing it having earned only four points.
   Feni Soccer Club will play their final group match against Mohammedans on December 23 and an unlikely victory in the game will see them through at the expense of the popular Dhaka giants.
   And the club from the tiny south-eastern district has proved they are capable of causing an upset after ripping apart their opponents of the hill district at the big bowl. Komol opened the floodgate for them in the fourth minute with an angular shot before he set up the other first-half goal for Ritu to tap in 37 minutes later.
   After the breather, the club added three more goals with Yousuf, Kabir and Anwarul finding the back of the net on 64, 84 and 90 minutes respectively of which the fourth one was from the penalty spot.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh grabbed four quick wickets in a mesmerising spell to put Sri Lanka in deep trouble in the third and final Test against India here on Monday.
   He took 4-24 off 11 probing overs to send Sri Lanka tottering at 131-5 at stumps on the second day in reply to India's first-innings 398. Tillakaratne Dilshan (27) and Jehan Mubarak (11) were the not-out batsmen.
   Sri Lanka now need 68 more runs to avoid a follow-on.
   Among Harbhajan's victims were well-set skipper Marvan Atapattu (40) and Kumar Sangakkara (41), and in-form Mahela Jayawardene (nought).
   India earlier rode on Venkatsai Laxman's solid 104 and lower-order batsman Irfan Pathan's resolute 82 to post a respectable total after resuming at 247-6.
   Pathan then returned as a fast bowler to trouble Sri Lanka as he denied the tourists a sound start when he had debutant Upul Tharanga (two) caught behind in his second over.
   Sri Lanka's slide began with the dismissal of Atapattu, caught sweeping by stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag after hitting six fours.
   Jayawardene, who scored three half-centuries in the previous two Tests, lasted just one ball this time as he was caught off his gloves by short-leg fielder Mohammad Kaif.
   Thilan Samaraweera (one) managed to survive the hat-trick ball before falling to the Harbhajan-Kaif combination. The Indian spinner then bowled Sangakkara round the legs for his fourth victim.
   Laxman and Pathan played big roles in putting India in a strong position, adding a record 125 for the seventh wicket.
   The stand surpassed the previous best of 104 between Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Dhoni in the second Test of the ongoing series at Delhi.
   Laxman, 71 overnight, completed his ninth Test century in style when he flicked fast bowler Farveez Maharoof for a four.
   He was the lone batsman to be dismissed in the morning session, bowled by Maharoof through bat and pad. He struck 14 fours in his 237-ball knock.

Kenya will play in a five-nation tournament involving ‘A’ teams from Asia and Africa in Bangladesh early next year.
   According to a report in the Daily Nation of Nairobi, details of the Afro-Asia A team tournament have finally been announced. The tournament starts on January 18 in Chittagong.
   The event will feature teams from India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya. All the sides will play each other once, with the top two meeting in the final at the MA Aziz Stadium on January 28.
   The Kenya Cricket Association (KCA), however, said it had no information about the tournament reported the newspaper.
   It appears that the organisers of the Bangladesh tournament were hoping for an African Representative XI, based around Kenya and Uganda, to take the fifth slot but it seems that the Kenyans refused, arguing that as they had recently whitewashed Zimbabwe ‘A’ in Zimbabwe, they deserved a place on their own merits.
   There is also some unease with the criteria for what constitutes an ‘A’ side, with the Zimbabwe team containing six of their most recent Test side and only three of their squad have not played Tests or ODIs.

Pakistan fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed has been banned from bowling for one year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Monday.
   Ahmed, is the first bowler to be banned from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after an independent assessment by the University of Western Australia (UWA) confirmed he bowled with an illegal action.
   The finding comes after Ahmed was reported for the second time under the revised ICC bowling review regulations by the on-field umpires Simon Taufel and Billy Bowden and TV umpire Asad Rauf during the first Test against England in Multan in November.
   He was first reported and suspended earlier this year but returned to international cricket following remedial work on his action and a full bio-mechanical analysis that demonstrated that he had made the necessary adjustments to his bowling style.
   Having been reported and assessed as bowling illegally for a second time within two years of the first period of suspension, Ahmed has received a mandatory one-year ban.
   His team-mate Shoaib Malik has been cleared of a suspect bowling action reported against him last month, a
   senior cricket official said Monday.
   'The report after tests on the all-rounder's action cleared him and it is a reprieve for him,' Pakistan Cricket Board director of operations Salim Altaf said.
   Malik's bowling action was reported as 'illegal' for a third time during the first Test against England at Multan last month. He was sent to Australia for tests on his bowling action early this month.

Brad Hodge completed a double-century on Monday to put Australia in control of the opening Test against South Africa with one day’s play remaining.
   Hodge struck an unbeaten 203 to allow Ricky Ponting to declare Australia’s second innings at 528 for eight and set the South Africans a daunting target of 491 to win in just four sessions.
   With no real victory prospects, the Proteas signalled their intentions to bat out a draw but lost two early wickets to slump to 85-2 when play ended early because of bad light.
   AB de Villiers was caught by Hodge at short-leg off Shane Warne for 12, having survived for 76 minutes and needing 33 balls to get off the mark.
   Then captain Graeme Smith was trapped lbw by left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken for 30, leaving Jacques Rudolph (18 not out) and Herschelle Gibbs (17 not out) to battle through to the close.
   South Africa had led by 38 on the first innings but Hodge put the match out of their reach with his maiden hundred in just his third Test appearance.
   Dropped on 13 on the previous day, Hodge batted 469 minutes, faced 332 balls and hit 22 boundaries in a brilliant mixture of patience and aggression.
   The Victorian middle-order batsman started the day on 91. He survived a loud appeal for lbw off Shaun Pollock on 98 but did not flinch or play another false shot.
   He brought up his maiden Test hundred shortly in the same over when he flicked Pollock square off his pads for four then immediately raised the tempo.
   The 30-year-old needed 198 balls to reach his century but took just 134 more to reach his double, which he brought up with a cut shot off Rudolph that went behind point and trickled to the boundary rope as he raised his arms in triumph.
   Bracken finished unbeaten on 14 but played a bigger role than his score suggested, sharing an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 77 with Hodge after Australia had lost a flurry of wickets in the pursuit of quick runs.
   Mike Hussey added just four runs to his overnight score of 54 when he was poked a catch behind to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher off Pollock at the start of the day and Andrew Symonds fell for 25 before lunch when he got a thick edge off swing bowler Charl Langeveldt that went straight to Gibbs at a wide first slip.
   Adam Gilchrist pounded 44 off 58 balls before throwing his wicket away in the middle session, holing out to Rudolph at deep square leg off Andre Nel, while Warne was trapped lbw by Justin Kemp for five.
   Australia started the day on 310-4 and were already in complete control at 401-6 by lunch but piled on 127 runs in the next 21.4 overs to allow Hodge to get his double-hundred and Ponting to make an early declaration.
   Warne extended his world record for the most wickets in a calendar year to 88 when de Villiers popped a catch off his glove to Hodge then Bracken pinned Smith on his crease with a ball that pitched outside off stump but straightened up and struck him in front.

SHANE Warne has again dismissed talk of a return to one-day cricket to play in the next World Cup, and it’s hardly surprising. Considering that since his one-day retirement his playing workload has soared, perhaps the last thing his 36-year-old body needs is another form of cricket.
   After a year in which Warne’s powers have been proven to still be strong enough to earn him Dennis Lillee’s Test record for calendar-year wickets, some Warne watchers, including Mark Waugh, have forecast he will come out of his one-day exile, self-imposed at the end of 2002, for the World Cup in the Caribbean in early 2007.
   Warne played down the chance after breaking Lillee’s record, saying it was the lack of one-day internationals which had helped him play some of his best Test cricket this year. But a study of Warne’s recent workload raises questions, at first glance, about how much his ODI retirement is helping to keep him fresh.
   In his last year as a one-day player, Warne bowled a total of 763 overs in all his forms of cricket – Tests, the Pura Cup, and one-dayers for his country and state.
   This year the figure has almost doubled. Having become captain of English county Hampshire since his ODI retirement, Warne had, before the current first Test, bowled 1,268 overs in 2005 – in Tests, the Pura and ING cups, and in first-class and limited-over games for Hampshire.
   This could indicate his year away from the game while serving his doping ban in 2003 has helped his longevity.
   But Warne points to other reasons. The man who has rolled over his right arm 1,26,712 times in professional cricket insists his ODI retirement has helped him due to the reduced amount of training he is asked to do, particularly fielding practice, which puts stress on his once-troublesome right shoulder.
   And while he has added Hampshire to his list of commitments, the leg-spinner, who has also dealt with a marriage collapse this year, says playing a county season has its advantages over the grind of an ODI schedule, and the time on the road that it demands.
   ‘With one-day international cricket, there are so many tournaments of three weeks here and there,’ Warne said. ‘With international one-day cricket, it’s the training and everything that goes along with it. Diving at training, the constant throwing all the time and the impact on your shoulder. I hardly throw at all now. I field at first slip, I bowl, and I try and slog some runs down the order.
   ‘All that practice of throwing is going to start to hurt your shoulder. I don’t have to throw too much at all, so that keeps my shoulder strong. In one-day cricket you’ve got to be really good in the field, you’ve got to be able to dive around, you’ve got to have a good flat arm and be able to throw - all those sorts of things. With the training and the playing, you’re playing 25 or 30 one-dayers a year and you’re training a couple of days before that.
   ‘There is also the time away from home. But in England [with Hampshire], you’re in one spot, you drive down the road for an hour and a half and you play and come back,’ said Warne.

Geoff Boycott has slammed England for ‘falling apart’ – and written them off as World Cup no-hopers.
   The ex-Test star reckons that Michael Vaughan’s men still have a long way to go before becoming a real one-day international force.
   England were humiliated by Pakistan in the third of the limited-over clashes in Karachi, where they lost by a record 165 runs.
   But Boycott is more worried about the long-term future of a team which is clearly out of sorts.
   He said, ‘I’ve picked four teams who I believe have a chance of winning the World Cup – and England are not one of them.
   ‘We look pretty ordinary and way off the pace. We did well in the first game and I thought, “Great, this lot can play well even without one or two key players.” But then they just fell apart in the next two games.
   ‘There’s still 15 months before the tournament in West Indies but most of the other top teams already know their strongest one-day sides. I believe Pakistan have a very exciting and talented team. They bat right down to number eight.
   ‘Their bowling attack is pretty useful as well, with Shoaib Akhtar bowling quickly, two decent medium pacers, and some good slow bowlers like Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi. Australia are obviously one of the favourites, but New Zealand are the dark horses and have a lot of bottle and talent.
   ‘They recently chased down over 300 to beat Australia and have a good batting line-up.
   ‘My last choice is India. They will be a force because their young players will have come through by the time the tournament arrives.’
   England captain Vaughan, however, is adamant his team will have a chance in the Windies.
   He said, ‘It’s a difficult tour of Pakistan. Will the conditions in the West Indies be similar? I doubt that.
   ‘We do need to improve if we’re going to win the World Cup, but there are some exciting players in and around the squad which should give us an opportunity.
   ‘The last major tournament was the ICC Champions Trophy and we got to the final.
   ‘Over the last two years there’s been some good strides made, and we played some good one-day cricket against Australia in the summer.’
   Vaughan, who was at home to see the birth of his son Archie last week, is on course to be fit for England’s tour of India in February after knee surgery.
   He said, ‘I went and saw the England physio a week after the operation. I’ll start full rehab on Monday and the plan is to start hitting cricket balls in the middle of January.
   ‘So far it’s all gone well but the real test is when I start twisting and turning.’

Veteran Australian Test opener Justin Langer may miss the remainder of the Test series against South Africa after straining his hamstring during the opening match at the WACA ground.
   Australian physiotherapist Errol Alcott said here Monday that Langer had a severe strain in his left hamstring and would miss the second Test starting in Melbourne on December 26.
   And he added that the 35-year-old stalwart had only a 50 per cent chance of being fit in time for the Sydney Test starting on January 2.
   ‘The scans revealed a grade one plus strain to the upper left hamstring which will require intensive physiotherapy,’ Alcott said.
   ‘We are going to bring him over to Melbourne on Boxing Day and go through intensive treatment and see how he might come up for the Sydney Test match.
   ‘He has got a definitive strain so it’s running the gauntlet a bit if he’s going to be right for Sydney.
   ‘But we’re prepared to give it a whirl and he’s committed to try and do it. He’s a good patient so we’ll see how we go.’
   Langer, who has played in 96 Tests for Australia with an average of more than 46, pulled up just before lunch while running between the wickets on Sunday.
   He returned after the break with a runner before being dismissed soon after.
   Alcott said Langer was determined to recover as soon as possible.
   ‘He’s a healthy thirtyish fit athlete ... his recovery powers as we know have always been pretty good,’ he said.
   Langer suffered a back injury last year and was ruled out of Australia’s first two Tests this summer against the West Indies with a broken rib.
   With Langer unfit, there are two likely options for the Australians, including drafting in New South Wales state opener Phil Jaques, 26, who belted an unbeaten 158 on Sunday.
   Jaques told he was ready for a possible promotion. ‘You never know until you actually get there, but I’m in some good form at the moment and I’d like to take the chance if I got a chance,’ he said. ‘If I got the opportunity I’d take it with both hands and enjoy every minute of it.’
   Alternatively, recently-deposed middle-order batsman Michael Clarke could return to the side with Michael Hussey moved up to open.
   A spokeswoman for the Australian team said the Test side for Melbourne would be named on Tuesday.

England coach Duncan Fletcher has told Darren Gough any application he makes to become the national side’s new bowling coach will be considered.
   England paceman Steve Harmison wants Gough to take over when Troy Cooley returns to Australia in May 2006.
   ‘Darren’s got good experience. Players who have just left the international scene have some new modern ideas,’ Fletcher said of the 35-year-old.
   ‘But we would have to look at the whole package and who else applied.’
   Harmison says he and his fellow England bowlers would welcome the chance to work with Gough, who has retired from Test cricket but is still available for one-dayers.
   ‘As far as working with the international bowlers is concerned, if anyone can fill Troy’s boots, Darren can,’ the Durham seamer told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
   ‘I still believe he could do a job for us as a bowler and I think he would be a great addition to the squad for India.
   ‘Whether or not he is picked again as a player, I would love to have him as coach.
   ‘He is a master of the art of bowling with the new ball and “at the death” and some of that knowledge would be invaluable, particularly in the one-day game.
   ‘He would have the instant respect of all the bowlers because he’s been there and done it, the kind of man you would always go the extra yard for.’
   Gough, who won the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing TV show on Saturday, has retired from Test cricket and is only available for one-dayers for England.
   However, he sat out the current tour of Pakistan and it is uncertain if he will be picked for the series in India next March and April.
   ‘We’ll just have to see,’ added Fletcher. ‘At the end of the day, we just have to make sure we pick the best squad to go to India and the best squad that we believe has got to get ready to face the World Cup in 2007.
   ‘We haven’t ruled out anyone as we have shown with Shaun Udal for the Test series. We will consider everyone when we sit down for selection.’

Pakistan have agreed to play two Tests and five one-day games on their tour to Sri Lanka in April and May next year, officials said Monday.
   ‘After the postponement of the Asia Cup, we requested Sri Lanka to include two Tests on our tour and they have agreed to the request,’ Pakistan Cricket Board director of operations Salim Altaf told AFP.
   A final tour itinerary will be finalised by both countries next month.
   Pakistan had scrapped the Tests to shorten the Sri Lankan tour because it was scheduled to host the six-nation Asia Cup in February. But the event has been postponed at India’s request.
   ‘Since the Asia Cup has been postponed, the team has ample break so we have now decided to play two Tests on the tour,’ said Altaf.
   After the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan will travel to England to play four Tests and five one-day internationals between July and September.
   Pakistan is also scheduled to host Zimbabwe and the West Indies in their home season from October to December.

Australia came up with a brilliant team effort to flatten the Netherlands 3-1 in a rain-interrupted final and win the 27th Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Sunday.
   Mathew Wells (21st minute), Liam de Young (37th) and Jamie Dwyer (62nd) struck for Australia at the floodlit Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium while Taeke Taekema provided some consolation for the Dutch with a 66th minute goal from their only penalty corner.
   Australia thus picked up their eighth Champions Trophy gold medal, the same as Germany.
   Earlier, Spain outplayed Germany 5-2 to finish third in the final standings, while Pakistan scrambled to fifth place, defeating India 4-3.
   There was not much separating Australia and the Netherlands in the first half of the final, barring the penalty corner goal by Wells. Expectedly, the rivals kept it tight in the midfield with some close marking. Consequently, it was left to individual runs to achieve breakthroughs.
   One such move by Grant Schubert, who cut in from the left in an arc, resulted in a penalty corner for Australia, and Wells was on target with a hard hit that got deflected to the net off a defender’s stick.
   The Australians appeared slightly better organised, especially in the deep defence where Wells and Bevan George were outstanding. Only on rare occasions did the Dutch managed to breach the Aussie defence that did not concede a single penalty corner in the first half.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Belgian Kim Clijsters were named 2005 world champions by the governing body of tennis (ITF) on Monday.
   World number one Federer is the sixth man to win the award for two consecutive years after Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Lleyton Hewitt, the ITF said in a statement.
   He won 11 titles including Wimbledon and the US Open in 2005.
   Clijsters finished the season ranked second behind Lindsay Davenport after a superb comeback from a wrist injury.
   She won the US Open, her first grand slam title, after starting the year ranked outside the top 100.

Jose Mourinho has reignited his feud with Arsene Wenger after claiming Arsenal's players deliberately set out to get Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien sent off in Sunday's Premiership clash at Highbury.
   Chelsea's 2-0 win ensured the champions will go into the busy Christmas and New Year programme with a nine-point cushion over Manchester United, their nearest rivals.
   But Mourinho ensured that all the headlines would focus on another clash between him and Wenger by insisting that Arsenal's players had over-reacted to an incident in which Essien caught Arsenal full-back Lauren with an elbow in the first half.
   The Chelsea manager claimed Arsenal had attempted to capitalise on the notoriety Essien earned with a horrific lunge at Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann during a Champions League clash earlier this month.
   'I saw ten players jumping on one,' Mourinho claimed. 'It looked like a strategy, like they were going to use the image Essien has at this moment and in the first body-to-body situation we have to jump on him.'
   Wenger, who threatened to sue Mourinho earlier this year after being branded a 'voyeur' by his Chelsea counterpart, scoffed at the claim.
   'Essien was a straight red in my opinion - it was just in front of the dugout. The ref was not brave enough to make the decision but it was a straight red. He did not play the ball he played the player.
   'We did not even speak about this before the game. If it was a deliberate strategy, we hid it very well.'
   The Arsenal manager had said before the game that he would be prepared to shake Mourinho's hand. He did not get the chance however as the Chelsea manager raced straight down the tunnel on the final whistle, although the missed opportunity for a reconciliation did not trouble Wenger.
   'I must say that frankly that does not stop me from sleeping,' he said.
   Wenger was more aggrieved over a disallowed goal from Robin van Persie that would have given his side the lead mid-way through the first half. Television replays showed that van Persie was onside when Freddie Ljungberg's pass found him.
   'Eighty-five per cent of these types of games are decided on the first goal, so we feel that the referee made a very bad decision,' Wenger said. At that moment we were playing well, we had just hit the post and we scored a goal. I would have loved to see the game with us being 1-0 up instead of them being 1-0 up. It is easy to be strong defensively when you are leading.'
   Wenger conceded that his side, now languishing in eighth place and 20 points behind the leaders, had left themselves with too much to do.
   'We are too far behind Chelsea to consider that we will challenge them from the championship,' the Frenchman acknowledged, although he refused to accept that the title race is over as far as other contenders were concerned.
   Mourinho underlined the significance of Sunday's victory by pointing out that his side have now completed their three most difficult fixtures - trips to Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool and won two of them.
   'It is only three points but it is in a stadium where you can lose three points, so at the end of the day it's a little bit more than a victory,' Mourinho said.
   'Now we know that destiny is in our hands because we don't have to play away again against the three top teams and we know they are going to drop points against each other.'

Real Madrid reserve striker Roberto Soldado came to the Spanish giants' rescue for the second time this season with the equaliser seven minutes from time in their 1-1 draw with 10-man Osasuna on Sunday.
   Soldado, the joint top-scorer in the Spanish second division where he normally plies his trade with the Real Madrid 'B' team, had only been on the pitch a few minutes after replacing Julio Baptista before he latched onto a pass from Zinedine Zidane.
   Earlier in the season, Soldado had come on late in Real's Champions League game against Olympiakos and grabbed a last-gasp winner in a 2-1 victory.
   The 20-year-old saved Real's blushes, although the Spanish giants were once again whistled from the field by their critical fans.
   Osasuna had been a man short for most of the game following Francisco Punal's red card after 16 minutes for man-handling Real's Roberto Carlos.
   Despite the disadvantage, Savo Milosevic headed the visitors ahead after 76 minutes and another embarrassment for Real seemed on the cards until Soldado's intervention.
   The draw means that Real's bitter rivals Barcelona open up a two point gap at the top of the Spanish first division in the wake of their comfortable 3-1 win over struggling Cadiz on Saturday.
   Fourth-placed Villarreal continued their good run of form by coming from behind to beat Getafe 2-1 on Sunday.
   They have lost only one league game in their last 13 and that was to Barcelona.
   Riki Sanchez put Getafe ahead after 20 minutes but Villarreal's Juan Roman Riquelme equalised with a free-kick from more than 20 metres in injury time at the end of the first half.
   Diego Forlan, the joint winner of last season's European Golden Boot, got another vital goal when he blasted Villarreal's winner from just inside the area after 58 minutes.
   'The key to our win was that we made the most of our chances,' said Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini.
   'The 1-1 draw at half time was a fair reflection but we went out after the break with a lot of motivation and convinced we could win the game.
   'I warned the team before the match that Getafe were an accomplished team regardless of their recent run of bad results and they did their best to complicate matters, especially in the first half.'
   Valencia, Spanish champions twice in the last four years, boosted their hopes of returning to Europe next season when they won 1-0 at relegation-haunted Alaves
   Raul Albiol got the only goal after just seven minutes and the defeat leaves Alaves, who are second from bottom, still without a win in front of their home fans.
   Sevilla engineered a remarkable recovery against Real Sociedad, with three goals in the last 14 minutes to beat the Basque visitors 3-2.
   Real Sociedad's Mikel Labaka found the net with a header after 25 minutes but the side from San Sebastian were then reduced to 10 men after defender Daniel Cifuentes was sent off late in the first half.
   However, Sociedad defied the odds and Gaizka Garitano headed them further ahead after 56 minutes.
   Kepa Blanco started Sevilla's fightback after 76 minutes and ex-Tottenham striker Fredi Kanoute equalised five minutes later before Kepa got Sevilla's winner a minute from the whistle.

Inter and AC Milan raised their hopes of catching Serie A leaders Juventus with emphatic 4-0 victories on Sunday.
   Inter thrashed Reggina in Calabria while Andriy Shevchenko scored twice as AC Milan trounced Messina at the San Siro.
   Juventus, held to a 1-1 draw at Lazio on Saturday, have 43 points from their 16 matches played, followed by Inter on 35 and AC Milan on 34.
   Inter coach Roberto Mancini took encouragement from the weekend's results which enabled his side to trim Juve's lead from 10 to eight points.
   'There are 22 matches remaining until the end of the season and many things can happen,' he said. 'We are going well at the moment, but we have to hope that Juve slip up.'
   Carlo Ancelotti was a little less optimistic about his team's chances of winning the championship.
   'It was a win that gives us confidence. We made two points on Juventus and that's something positive,' he said.
   Fiorentina dropped one place to fourth after they drew 1-1 at local rivals Empoli and surprise package Livorno won 2-0 at Palermo to maintain their push for a place in Europe next season. Fiorentina have 33 points, two more than fifth-placed Livorno.
   Chievo climbed to sixth after defeating Udinese 2-0, while Cagliari boosted their chances of surviving the relegation dogfight with a 2-1 win against fellow strugglers Ascoli.
   Parma gained a valuable point in their battle to stay up in a 2-2 draw at Siena.
   Sampdoria, dumped out of the UEFA Cup on Thursday, drew 1-1 at home to Roma in Sunday's late match. Francesco Totti put Roma ahead but Francesco Flachi levelled the score with a second-half penalty.
   Inter enjoyed the perfect start at Reggina, taking the lead with less than two minutes on the clock.
   Juan Sebastian Veron's free-kick was pushed away by Nicola Pavarini and Ivan Cordoba lashed home the rebound.
   Inter tightened their grip on the match when Luis Figo crossed from the right for Obafemi Martins whose close range header beat Pavarini at the near post.
   Adriano scored with a left-footed shot in the 40th minute after good work from Figo and Claudio Pizarro's stoppage-time solo effort completed the rout.
   At the San Siro, AC Milan took the lead in the 22nd minute thanks to a highly-dubious penalty.
   Nigerian defender Matthew Olorunleke was judged to have pulled down Alberto Gilardino and Shevchenko tucked home the spot-kick.
   Shevchenko doubled his tally two minutes into the second half with a cool finish after Kaka's cheeky back-heel had unlocked the Messina defence and a sublime Andrea Pirlo free-kick made it 3-0.
   Gilardino completed the scoring with a right-footed shot five minutes from time.

Liverpool's bid to win the World Club Championship ended in controversy as they were robbed by a Canadian linesman.
   Sub Florent Sinama-Pongolle's last-gasp strike was wrongly ruled out when flag-happy Hector Vergara ruled Luis Garcia offside as he crossed.
   Rafa Benitez's side had the ball in the net three times and Garcia fumed, 'We feel cheated. We scored three and one was definitely a goal.'
   Mexican ref Benito Armando Archundia made a series of strange calls which astounded Liverpool. Garcia added, 'I think the ref was clearly wrong with some of his decisions and we are really unhappy.
   'We have lost out on the trophy but we know we've played well. They had one chance and nothing else after that.
   'At least we showed we can compete with the best teams in the world. I believe we can kick on from this now.'
   Benitez spoke with FIFA president Sepp Blatter afterwards. And, although he kept the details quiet, there was little doubting the subject.
   The Liverpool boss was also unhappy that Diego Lugano was only booked for a cynical foul on Stevie Gerrard.
   And he was fuming that Archundia added on only three minutes, despite the Brazilians' constant time-wasting. Benitez, touched by a minute's silence for his father - who died last week - before kick-off, said, 'It was unbelievable the ref didn't show the red card for that foul.
   'I also can't understand why only three minutes were added on. I talked to the officials at the end of the game but you can't change things.
   'But something should be done if you want to give importance to this competition. You wouldn't get a Mexican ref and Canadian linesman in the World Cup final.
   'The stats show we had 21 shots, 17 corners, hit the crossbar twice and scored three goals. I am disappointed with the result but can only say congratulations to my players.'
   Sao Paulo coach Paulo Autuori said, 'The only important thing is the score. Football is about having a winner and a loser - everyone congratulates the winner and the loser tries to justify himself.'

League leaders Barcelona will be looking to extend their current club record of 12 consecutive wins in all competitions by one more game when they play host to Celta Vigo today.
   Getting at least a draw will also mean the Catalan club take the unofficial honour of being 'Winter Champions', thanks to being in pole position ahead of the two week break in the La Liga calendar over the festive season.
   Barca's 3-1 win over Cadiz on Saturday propelled them to 37 points from 16 games, and they have also won their last nine consecutive league matches.
   Celta, who were early league leaders but who have now slipped to eighth, have always struggled in the Catalan citadel of the Nou Camp and their one victory in 44 visits came 64 years ago.
   Nevertheless, this season the Galician side has beaten Real Madrid and Villarreal away from home, and could still prove a handful although Barca coach Frank Rijkaard has drummed into his side that complacency does not win titles.
   ‘We are not invincible. There doesn't exist a single club that is invincible. But we work hard and we are going to carry on working hard,’ said Barca winger Deco on Sunday,
   Deco's speed and skill have been one of the key factors in their success story over the last two campaigns.
   Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard will be hoping that quick trip to Zurich for the FIFA World Player of the Year Awards on Monday night does not take too much out of his stars Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.
   The pair have been short-listed for the main honour and the club have hired a private jet to bring them straight back after the ceremony, but Ronaldinho missed the trip to Cadiz with flu and only returned to training on Sunday.
   Bitter rivals Real Madrid have a chance to redeem themselves on Wednesday when they face struggling Racing Santander at home but both sides will be without key players.
   Osasuna will be looking to preserve their 100 per cent record in their intimidating El Sadar stadium against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

Brazilian trio Ronaldo, Julio Baptista and Roberto Carlos have blamed Real Madrid fans for creating a tense atmosphere that has made it difficult for the team to play well in home matches.
   Real have been jeered and whistled by their own fans in recent games at the Bernabeu and their reaction to the side's narrow 1-0 victory over neighbours Getafe two weeks ago was instrumental in the dismissal of coach Wanderley Luxemburgo.
   'We won't win anything if the team and the fans go out there in an atmosphere of tension,' Baptista told reporters after his side's 1-1 draw with Osasuna on Sunday.
   'The whistling has to end because if not we won't get anywhere.'
   Fellow striker Ronaldo complained after the draw against Getafe that playing at the Bernabeu was 'like playing away from home'.
   Defender Roberto Carlos said the impatience of the fans was making the players nervous when they stepped on to the pitch.
   'We were never able to relax when we had the ball at our feet because the fans wanted us to play so quickly, but we have got to be more patient,' he told the club's website.
   The Brazilian left-back appeared to be one of the players most affected by the atmosphere during Sunday's match.
   He injured Osasuna midfielder Valdo with a tough two-footed tackle in the 15th minute and sarcastically clapped his former team-mate off the pitch when he had to go off.
   A minute later the full-back was involved in the incident that led to the sending off of Osasuna captain Patxi Punal as the two challenged for a header.
   Real's caretaker coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, in charge for the first time in a league match at the Bernabeu, said he thought the fans were within their rights to complain about the team.
   'The fans can do what they want and their views always have to be respected,' he told a news conference after the game. 'We have to be professional and understand that we all have a major responsibility in working for Real Madrid.'

Brazil was named the world's best team for the fourth straight year.
   FIFA's top-ranked team for all of 2005 won the Confederations Cup in June and topped the South American qualifying group for next year's World Cup. The five-time world champions are strong favorites to win the World Cup again in Germany.
   Brazil was 10-4-2 this year, losing only to Argentina and Mexico. Three weeks after losing to Argentina in a qualifying match, Brazil beat its South American rival 4-1 in the Confederations Cup final.
   The Czech Republic finished the year ranked second, followed by the Netherlands, Argentina and Mexico. Spain, France, the United States, England and Portugal rounded out the top 10.
   Ghana, which qualified for its first World Cup, was named 'best mover' after moving up 27 places from its January ranking to finish the year ranked No. 50.
   FIFA will present the team awards alongside the prizes for the world's best male and female players at a gala ceremony later Monday in Zurich.

German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is poised to sign an extension to his contract with German champions Bayern Munich.
   The 36-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but is set to pen a two-year deal keeping him at the club until June 2008.
   'I am signing until 2008,' Kahn told Munich newspaper TZ. 'The question was should I stay at Bayern or do something new?
   'I am in too good a shape to retire and feel I can deliver for one or two more years.'

Holders Brazil have booked a converted castle as a base for their World Cup second round match.
   Brazil, who will play their second-round tie in Dortmund if they finish top of Group F, will stay at the Schlosshotel Lerbach located in Bergisch Gladbach between Cologne and Leverkusen, said the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Sunday.
   'It is in the middle of an immense park with its own lake,' said the CBF on their Web site.
   Brazil have already announced that they will stay on the outskirts of Frankfurt for the first round and before that will spend two weeks at a lakeside hotel in Switzerland.
   The CBF added that they had set up an alternative near Kaiserslautern, where they would play if they finished second in a group which also includes Croatia, Japan and Australia.
   Brazil's second round match will be against a team from Group E which includes Italy, Czech Republic, Ghana and United States.

Aston Villa manager David O'Leary believes Manchester United can challenge Chelsea for the English Premiership as long as Wayne Rooney plays well.
   Chelsea regained their nine-point advantage at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at Arsenal on Sunday.
   But O'Leary, who saw Rooney grab a 10th goal of the season in the 2-0 win over his Aston Villa on Saturday, says United appear to be turning the corner.
   'United are a class act and I think Rooney is getting better and better,' he said.
   'I have never known a lad at such a young age like him. If he plays well, Manchester United play really well.'
   United have taken 19 points from their last seven matches as they try to keep in touch with Chelsea. Ruud van Nistelrooy, also on target at Villa Park, said, 'We're getting momentum, when you win confidence grows.
   'We want to continue our form and the run. Who knows what can happen?'

Portugal midfielder Deco on Monday rejected suggestions in the Spanish press he was set to leave Barcelona.
   'I have a contract for five more years here and I don't see any reason to leave,' he told Portuguese state-owned radio RDP.
   Last week Spanish sports newspaper AS, citing unnamed club sources, said the Barca management were preparing to sell one of their bigger names at the end of this season and Deco was a likely target.
   But the 28-year-old said both Barcelona president Joan Laporta and coach Frank Rijkaard had assured him they counted on him.
   'The press in Madrid were the first to speak about this issue, they want to destabilise Barcelona and this is the only way they can do it,' he said.

Bangladesh earn bronze in Asian
Junior Cycling
Bangladesh cycling team earned bronze medal in the team sprint event of the 12th Asian Junior Cycling Competition that concluded on Sunday at Ludhiana in the Indian Province of Panjab. The bronze medallists of Bangladesh team include Sonia Yasmin Ovi, Parul Akhter and Monwara Khanam Sathi.
— UNB

Biman win V-day shuttling title
Biman Bangladesh Airlines anchored the absolute authority in the Fahami Group Victory Day Open Badminton Tournament as they grabbed all the titles at Wooden Floor Gymnasium Monday. In the Men’s single, Porosh became champion beating Polash of Gulshan Club 15-5, 15-3 and in men’s doubles Sumon-Porosh beat Hannan-Mahbub of the same team 15-5, 13-15, 17-14. In the women’s single’s Konika of Biman defeated Dulali, also from Biman, 11-7, 11-4 while Konika-Dulali thrashed Nabila-Rozina of Pabna 15-1, 15-5.
— BDNews

Imran to
coach Sami
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan is to give paceman Mohammad Sami specialist one-to-one coaching. Imran will take Sami under his wing before the home Test series against India in January, with the 24-year-old struggling for form and confidence. Sami has taken only 65 wickets in 24 Tests at an average of 46.12 and his place has come under threat, reports said. ‘Imran is very concerned Sami has not yet fulfilled his potential,’ said Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq. ‘Imran has said that when we have our training camp for the Indian series he will come down and work with Sami to see what is the problem holding him back. ‘Imran believes that if Sami can start producing the performances that he has been threatening to do with his vast potential then Pakistan will have a very balanced bowling attack for Tests and one-dayers.’
—AGENCIES

Nostalgic
Prosinecki
Former Croatian footballing great Robert Prosinecki has come out of retirement after a two year hiatus to help save a team his late father loved from relegation. Prosinecki, who turns 37 in January, is aiming to save Croatian regional side Savski Marof from relegation and does not want to be paid for it. ‘I have decided to try and help Savski Marof because it is a club that my late father loved,’ he told AFP. ‘It always gives me pleasure to play when my body allows me to,’ added Prosinecki, who was a member of the Yugoslavia side that reached the second round of the 1990 World Cup finals and the Croatia team which finished third in the 1998 edition.
— AFP

Real don’t
want Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not a target for Spanish giants Real Madrid their vice-president Emilio Butragueno told the BBC on Sunday. Real are seeking to replace Wanderley Luxemburgo who was let go after a series of poor results but Butragueno said that they would probably announce his successor later this week. ‘Wenger is Arsenal’s coach and we have to be respectful to them,’ said the former Spain international striker.
— AFP