Brothers Union played like true champions after being down by a goal and finished the game with a thumping 3-1 victory over Muktijoddha in the Premier Bank Premier Division Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday.
   Brothers Union went to take the drinks with one goal
   deficit as Muktijoddha took the lead in the 33rd minute through a fortunate strike from Arman.
   But Brothers returned like an injured tiger and scored thrice after the interval and two of them were the best goals of the league to date.
   Mukitjoddha and Arman were celebrating in the 33rd minute as Arman took a purposeless shot from30 yards
   out but saw Brothers custodian Tarek slip before gripping
   the ball allowing it roll into the net.
   Earlier, Brothers’ Russian striker Victor continued his off-form missing a chance in the 18th minute and saw his well taken free-kick fisted away by Aminul for a corner.
   But Brothers proved they were not in a mood to budge an inch as they started to attack their opponents’ citadel.
   Two minutes after the break Emily blasted the ball over the crosspiece from a close range. Substitute striker Topu brought Brothers back in the match as he placed a Liton minus into the far corner of the net with a neat placing shot in the 65th minute.
   Then the two-goal man Emily came into scenario.
   His powerful header off a Shiraji cross flew into the far corner of the net that gave Brothers the lead and in the 84th minute and then banged the net with a cracker from 30 yards.
   Brothers were unfortunate in the 77th minute as Topu’s placing shot whisked past the side net after collecting a faulty pass of Aminul.
   It is the second defeat for Muktijoddha who have 13 points from seven matches while Brothers went to the top position with 16 points.

Argentina face Brazil in the Confederations Cup final after beating Mexico 6-5 on penalties.
   Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso came up with the winner after Mexico defender Ricardo Osorio’s effort was saved by Argentina keeper German Lux.
   This ill-tempered semi-final had to be decided by spot-kicks after the sides were deadlocked at 1-1, Carlos Salcido putting Mexico ahead in the 14th minute of extra time, with Luciano Figueroa levelling six minutes later.
   The game was scarred by the first red cards of the competition, with Argentina’s Javier Saviola sent off in the 90th minute and Mexico’s Rafael Marquez following him off the pitch in injury time.
   Mexico, missing defender Aaron Galindo and midfielder Salvador Carmona, who were sent home in disgrace on Tuesday after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolene, welcomed back Marquez. But the Barcelona star’s first major imprint on the game was not a positive one – a cynical tackle on Javier Saviola in the 21st minute securing him his first yellow card.
   The first half was evenly balanced as stoic work by both sets of defences meant goal-scoring opportunities were thin on the ground. Argentina had to wait until one minute before the break for their best chance when only Mexico midfielder Gonzalo Pineda’s quick reflexes denied Juan Sorin’s close range shot into an open goal.
   Mexico had earlier come close to breaking the midfield deadlock with Argentina keeper German Lux only able to deflect Sinha’s shot behind his line for a corner.
   On 36 minutes Ramon Morales was brought down in the box but Italian referee Roberto Rosetti brushed aside Mexico’s claims for a penalty, much to the chagrin of coach Ricardo Lavolpe, looking as cool as anything in jeans on the bench.
   Argentina, wearing black armbands in memory of a young goalkeeper who died on Saturday, started the second half brightly with Luciano Figueroa putting a purposeful header over Oswaldo Sanchez’ bar.
   Up at the other end, Sinha, with his right hand bandaged, unleashed a shot from just outside the box which, with Lux beaten, rocketed off the right post. The Brazilian-born midfielder has excelled in this competition. What he makes up for in stature – he was the shortest player on the pitch – he more than makes up for in ability.
   Mexico goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez is another who has caught the eye this month in Germany, and he produced a great save to keep out Argentina defender Fabricio Colocchini’s 58th minute effort.
   The mop-haired Deportivo La Coruna defender was then booked in the 69th minute after a thuggish challenge on Morales, who had to be stretchered off in evident distress. The ill-tempered game then took on a reddish hue with Saviola first to feel Rosetti’s wrath when he lashed out at Gonzalo Pineda – the Monaco player misses Wednesday’s final.
   Marquez was sent packing when he picked up his second yellow for a nasty challenge on Gabriel Milito. In the 14th minute of extra time Salcido’s deflected shot from the left hopped over Lux and into the back of the net.
   But Figueroa levelled with his fourth goal of the competition, juggling the ball on his backfoot before shooting under Sanchez from point blank range, to leave penalties the only answer with Cambriasso holding his nerve to end Mexico’s 21 match unbeaten run.

Amelie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce led a French charge into the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday.
   Mauresmo, who many see as having her best chance yet to become the first French woman to lift the women’s singles title at the All England Club since the fabled Suzanne Lenglen in 1925, cruised past Russia’s Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 6-0.
   Pierce was in total command against Italy’s Flavia Pennetta winning 6-3, 6-1.
   A third French hope, Nathalie Dechy, was following Mauresmo on court to take on title-holder and second seed Maria Sharapova of Russia.
   Mauresmo lost narrowly to Serena Williams in the semis last year, and has been growing in confidence once again this year dropping just 11 games in her first three ties.
   But she got off to a troubling start against Likhovtseva, a semi-finalist in the French Open earlier this month. The Russian opened up a 2-0 lead before Mauresmo broke back to level at 2-2.
   Likhovtseva then rattled off eight points in a row to lead 4-2 as Mauresmo struggled to find her timing and confidence.
   But the 25-year-old stuck to her task and piece by piece her game came together as she won the next four games in a row to take the set 6-4 sealing it with an easy forehand volley into an empty court.
   That seemed to lift the weight off the Mauresmo shoulders and she raced through the second set 6-0 with the 29-year-old Likhovtseva having no answer to her opponent’s powerful all-court game.
   Mauresmo will play the winner of the all-Russian tie between Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva for a place in the semi-finals.
   Pierce equalled her best ever Wimbledon performance by defeating Pennetta having last reached the quarter-finals in 1996.
   The 30-year-old Frenchwoman has staged a remarkable comeback this year after a depressingly long spell in the wilderness with injuries, weight-gain and loss of confidence.
   She followed a strict fitness regime and gradually clawed her way back to near her former best culminating in a run into the French Open final in Paris earlier this month.
   But she found the early going tough against the 23-year-old from Brindisi who had already produced her best performance in a Grand Slam event to get to the fourth round.
   Games went with serve up until the eighth game when Pierce stepped up the pace blasting a forehand winner to set up break point and then moving 5-3 up.
   Pierce served out comfortably for the set and then broke the Italian’s serve once again in the second set opener to clamp a stranglehold on the match.
   Pennetta was struggling on every serve and Pierce broke again to lead 5-1. She squandered three match points in the next game before finally converting with a backhand winner from wide out in the court.
   Pierce will now play the winner of the all-American tie between Venus Williams and Jill Craybas for a place in the last four.
   David Nalbandian of Argentina reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday by defeating Richard Gasquet of France 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0.
   The 18th seed will next play Thomas Johansson in the last eight after the Swedish 12th seed coasted past Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
   Meanwhile, Feliciano Lopez became the first Spanish man for 33 years to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals when he brushed aside 2004 semi-finalist Mario Ancic on Monday.
   The 23-year Lopez, the 26th seed, clinched a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over the 10th seeded Croatian and will now face either third seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, the 2002 champion, or America’s Taylor Dent.
   Manuel Orantes, in 1972, was the last Spaniard to make the last eight at the All England Club. Manuel Santana was the only Spanish men’s champion in 1966.
   ‘It’s been a long time since a Spaniard got to the quarter-finals here and it’s easy to dream of the semi-final or the final, but I am just thinking about the next match,’ said Lopez who hadn’t even played on grass before the 2002 Wimbledon.

Brad Hogg has insisted Australia’s remaining one-day games against England could have a key bearing on the Ashes Test series that starts next month.
   England got off to a flyer in the Triangular Series with a 10-wicket win against Bangladesh followed by a three-wicket success over Australia.
   By contrast, the world champions suffered the embarrassment of a five-wicket defeat against Bangladesh.
   However, normal service was resumed with a 57-run win over England at Durham on Thursday while Saturday saw Bangladesh beaten by 10 wickets at Old Trafford.
   Left-arm wrist spinner Hogg, who took three for 29 in Manchester, will be back on familiar territory when England and Australia, now in the triangular final, meet in Tuesday’s ‘dead’ match at Edgbaston.
   For many Australians their most recent memory of the ground is as the venue where England ended a run of 14 successive one-day defeats against their oldest opponents in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in September.
   But last season Hogg, 34, spent the English season with Edgbaston-based Warwickshire, helping the Bears win the County Championship.
   ‘Edgbaston has a good international reputation and a place where England enjoy playing, but I will have to see if I can turn that around,’ Hogg said.
   ‘From my own experience at Edgbaston, it will be pretty easy to turn around!,’ added the former postman who scored over 650 runs and chipped in with 14 wickets for Warwickshire last season.
   Hogg is not a member of the Test squad where the slow-bowling spots have gone to Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.
   But he believes he and other one-day specialists such as Andrew Symonds can still play their part in helping Australia win a ninth successive Ashes series.
   Looking ahead to Tuesday’s match, Hogg said, ‘I think it is going to be a crucial game and will set the tone for the final of the one-day series (at Lord’s on July 2). Even more importantly, it will have a bearing on the Ashes.
   ‘Only being in the one-day side it is my job to make sure we stay on top of England and make it easier for the Test boys to come in and keep up the pressure on the opposition.
   ‘Obviously some of the early results we had were embarrassing but you have to take these sorts of things on the chin and bounce back. These sorts of things are always going to happen in cricket.
   ‘We were a little rusty at the start after a two to three months lay-off but we are now getting back to the heights where we were six months ago.
   ‘We have rectified the situation, although there is still some way to go before we are really happy.’
   Hogg was philosophical about his Test chances.
   ‘It is every kid’s dream to play Test cricket, particularly against England. But Warne and MacGill are ahead of me. They are world-class players.
   ‘Obviously, I am happy to be in the one-day team and can pop up now and again and get a Test outing when either is injured.
   ‘Naturally, I would like another crack but I have to bide my time, keep doing what I am doing,’ said the Western Australian.
   Hogg declined to comment on the news that Warne had separated from his wife but said he did not expect it to affect Australia’s performance.
   ‘The Australian team is a close-knit unit and if any of the boys have any problems at home we get right behind each other.
   ‘We’ve had dramas in the past and they have all got through it and produced the goods. It is not going to affect what happens on the field.’
   The first Ashes Test starts at Lord’s on July 22.

Stand-in skipper Marcus Trescothick warned England would have to raise their game against Australia for the remainder of the season after a shoddy fielding display in a five-wicket win against Bangladesh at Headingley here.
   The result set up an Anglo-Australian Triangular Series final at Lord’s on July 2 and ended Bangladesh’s interest in the tournament ahead of their final group match against Australia at Canterbury on Thursday.
   England missed four chances Sunday and saw fast bowler Simon Jones start with four successive wides.
   All-rounder Andrew Flintoff eventually restored order with four for 29, including two in two balls, as Bangladesh were held to 208 for seven.
   In reply Andrew Strauss’s 98 saw England to the brink of victory before the left-handed opener was bowled trying to slog a boundary for his hundred with England needing one more run to win.
   Trescothick, deputising for the injured Michael Vaughan who was still out with the groin injury that forced him to miss Thursday’s 57-run defeat against world champions Australia at Chester-le-Street, was concerned by England’s slipshod start.
   And with Australia now England’s only opponents for the rest of the summer, the Somerset left-hander warned his team-mates they could not afford similar lapses when the sides met in Tuesday’s ‘dead’ day/nighter at Edgbaston.
   ‘It took us about 15-20 overs really to get going before we’d switched on to playing the sort of cricket we have been over the past couple of months,’ Trescothick told reporters after Sunday’s match.
   ‘If we take 20 overs to get going against Australia they are going to hurt us,’ he added having already accepted his share of the blame for fielding first at Chester-le-Street.
   ‘We can’t play against Australia for the rest of the summer and not be as good as we have been,’ added Trescothick, a member of the team that this month thrashed Ricky Ponting’s side by 100 runs in a Twenty20 international at the Rose Bowl and also defeated them by three wickets in the Triangular at Bristol.
   England overpowered Bangladesh by an innings in both their two Tests and had already recorded two crushing wins (by 10 wickets and 168 runs respectively) over the Tigers in the Triangular before Sunday’s game.
   Asked if that had led to a lack of intensity, Trescothick replied: ‘Possibly. We’ve been on the road for a while. I don’t want to use that as an excuse because everyone’s playing the same amount of cricket so we can’t afford to switch off when we think we can,’ the 29-year-old left-hander added.
   ‘It looked wrong, all the energy we normally have wasn’t there today.’
   Flintoff, who sustained an ankle injury that ruled him out of the one-day internationals in South Africa earlier this year, is widely regarded as vital to English hopes of ending a run of eight successive Ashes Test series defeats.
   ‘He bowled really well today, his figures obviously showed that. He came on at two interesting times when the momentum of the game was changing and he changed it for us.
   ‘There were those two wickets in two balls and then at the end he bowled some cracking yorkers, better than I’ve seen him bowl for a long time.’
   Strauss was fortunate to come through a frenetic start which saw him dropped on 14 before he regained his composure only to lose it at the end.
   ‘Twos don’t count if you need one to win but going for a massive hack is probably not the best way to do it. But it’s not something that’s important to me,’ Strauss said.
   ‘I don’t know why but I felt like going harder at the ball early. But once 10 overs had gone I played my normal game which served me a little bit better.
   Opener Javed Omar top scored with 81 for Bangladesh who at least had the satisfaction of batting out their 50 overs after Australia gained revenge Saturday for last week’s shock defeat in Cardiff by dismissing the Tigers for just 139 in 35.2 overs during a 10 wicket stroll at Old Trafford.
   Fitness coach Stuart Karppinen, in temporary charge after Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore flew Saturday to Melbourne to be with his ailing father, said: ‘There have been improvements along the way. Getting 300 in the second Test at Durham, Mohammad Ashraful’s batting (he made 100 against Australia in Cardiff and 94 against England at Trent Bridge on Tuesday) and Mashrafe Mortaza’s bowling.
   ‘But the win against Australia was easily the highlight.’
   Omar added: ‘At this level it’s not comfortable but our aim was to get to 50 overs. I respect every bowler but Flintoff has given me particular problems.

India’s cricketers began pre-season training under new coach Greg Chappell on Monday despite growing uncertainty over their first two engagements in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
   The Indians are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka in late July for a one-day series also featuring the West Indies before joining New Zealand and hosts Zimbabwe for another limited-over showdown in August-September.
   Both events are, however, mired in controversy. A contracts dispute threatens the West Indies’ trip to Sri Lanka, while the New Zealand government wants its team to boycott Zimbabwe in protest against the Robert Mugabe regime.
   Unless both issues are settled amicably, the Indians may have no one to play against.
   All eyes are focused on London where the sport’s administrators have gathered for the annual meetings of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which end Tuesday.
   ‘The chiefs are in England. Hopefully they will solve the problem,’ an Indian official said on Monday.
   The West Indies, who are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka next week for two Test matches preceding the one-dayers, are struggling to assemble a team due to a sponsorship tussle between the players and their cricket board.
   Only three of the 13 selected players – Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Powell and rookie wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin – have signed tour contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
   With no solution in sight, WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite warned in a statement that the deadlock could ‘potentially delay or cancel the tour at a time when all arrangements were already in place’.
   The WICB, which could face heavy fines if it decides to call off the tour, is planning to ask players from its ‘A’ team, which is currently touring Sri Lanka, to sign up for the senior team.
   The Sri Lankans are, however, unlikely to agree to a second-string West Indian team playing the Test and one-day matches.
   Batting superstar Brian Lara has already withdrawn from the one-day series in a bid to prolong his Test career.
   New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe in August was on track till the government stepped in with calls to boycott the trip.
   New Zealand Cricket said last week its players had unanimously agreed to embark on the five-week tour after an independent security report gave the all clear.
   But threats by New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Phil Goff last week to deny visas to the Zimbabwean cricketers on their return trip to New Zealand in December could invite a backlash from the Mugabe government.
   On Sunday, Goff said he plans to enlist British and Australian support to get the ICC to ban Zimbabwe before August.
   ‘The ICC is not considering its responsibilities of a situation where human rights abuses are not simply bad and ongoing but actually have reached an extreme point,’ he said.
   New Zealand would make an approach to the ICC, asking it to waive the fine for forfeiting tours in situations where there were extreme human rights abuses, he said.
   India, which enjoys good diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe and has never declined to visit the troubled African nation, is also scheduled to play two Test matches there after the one-dayers.

Asia’s elite cricketers will clash against Africa’s best in three one-day matches to be played in South Africa in August, sources said on Monday.
   The August 15-21 event has been promoted by cricket administrators of the two continents under the banner of the newly-formed Afro-Asian Cricket Cooperation.
   A formal announcement on the venues and team compositions will be made in London this week on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sources said.
   The ICC has been approached to grant official status to the series which will be played annually, alternating between venues in Asia and Africa.
   The seriousness with which the event is being taken can be gauged by Sri Lanka’s willingness to advance the dates of an official tri-series against the West Indies and India from August 1-14 to July 30-August 9 to accommodate the new venture.
   ‘Asia versus Africa will be attractive not only for fans but also television and sponsors,’ an Indian official told AFP.
   ‘Spectacular batsmen like Shahid Afridi of Pakistan, Virender Sehwag of India and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka will play for the same side.
   ‘Then there will be Muttiah Muralitharan (of Sri Lanka) and India’s Anil Kumble bowling together. It will be a feast for the eyes.’
   While Asia’s players will be drawn from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the African team will comprise cricketers mainly from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
   If the matches are granted official status – meaning runs scored and wickets taken are entered into the record books – it will be another move by administrators to break
   away from cricket’s traditional contests between national teams.
   The ICC is organising a super series of one Test and three one-day matches between the sport’s best nation, Australia, against the Rest of World in October. Those matches have also been officially recognised.

Two England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) security experts have arrived in the Pakistani city of Karachi to inspect venues for England’s tour this year.
   England have expressed safety concerns over playing in the southern port city on the tour which starts in October.
   ‘These two experts will also visit Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore and Islamabad for the next week to inspect the match venues and security details,’ the director of operations of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s director of operations Abbas Zaidi told Reuters on Monday.
   The two experts, Douglas Dick and Andy Allman, declined to comment.
   Pakistan has ruled out holding a match in the north-western city of Peshawar, near the Afghan border, during England’s tour.
   Zaidi said the experts would be briefed by Interior Ministry officials in the capital, Islamabad, on security arrangements he described as elaborate.
   ECB director of cricket operations John Carr and a representative of the English players’ association Richard Bevan are due to arrive next week to finalise details of the tour.
   Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and subsequent increased security worries, only South Asian neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have played Test matches in Karachi.
   Other teams including Australia, West Indies and South Africa have shunned Karachi as a match venue because of security concerns.
   Karachi has been hit by several suicide bomb attacks and other blasts since 2001.
   In May 2002, New Zealand players returned home midway through their tour after a bomb blast just opposite their hotel in Karachi killed 14 people.

Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy wants a move to Real Madrid.
   The Sun says Van Nistelrooy, 28, is angling for a move to Real and his agent Roger Linse has appealed to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to let his man leave.
   However, Fergie reacted with fury to Linse’s request.
   Van Nistelrooy and Linse hoped they could engineer a swap deal which would entail England striker Michael Owen switching from the Bernabeu to Old Trafford. A United insider said, ‘The whole of Europe knows Van Nistelrooy wants a move.
   ‘But there are not that many clubs available to him other than Real. If he does not get what he wants he might have to accept he will have to knuckle down at United.’
   Van Nistelrooy only has one last card left to play and that is to formally ask for a transfer.

Top referee Pierluigi Collina might be be able to carry on another year after the Italian football federation proposed changing its retirement age from 45 to 46 for international referees.
   The proposed rule needs to be approved by the federation council on Wednesday. Collina would be able to handle matches in the Italian league upto June 30 next year but would be ruled out of the 2006 World Cup.

Argentina turned in a less than flawless performance in Sunday’s penalty shoot-out win over Mexico but coach Jose Pekerman warned that the sparkle will be back when they take on Brazil in Wednesday’s Confederations Cup final.
   ‘That wasn’t one of our best matches,’ Pekerman conceded after Esteban Cambiasso knocked in his spot-kick to hand Argentina a 6-5 penalty win after the side’s were deadlocked 1-1 after extra time.
   ‘But my team has the capacity to produce a good performance against Brazil,’ the coach added.
   Brazil have the luxury of an extra day’s recovery time having seen off Germany in the other semi-final on Saturday, but Pekerman dismissed the notion that fatigue could count against Argentina.
   ‘Okay we’ve got one day less before the final but my team are young and ambitious and I’m sure we’ll be ready for Brazil in two days time.’
   As well as the lack of recovery time the grey-haired former Argentine youth coach will also have to make do without striker Javier Saviola after the Monaco star was sent off after an ill-judged tackle on Gonzalo Pineda in the 90th minute.
   Pekerman has used the Confed Cup to hand valuable international experience to players like goalkeeper German Lux, who set up Argentina’s win when he saved Mexico’s sixth penalty taken by Ricardo Osorio.
   ‘Saving that penalty represents an important stage in his career,’ said Pekerman.
   Argentine defender Ricardo Zanetti, who was making his 100th international appearance, added, ‘As expected it was a hard game but at the end we deserved to win.’
   Pekerman believes that despite his team’s shortcomings there were plenty of positives to take from the game.
   ‘It wasn’t a great performance – there’s always a sense of drama in a game that will take you to the final.
   ‘But we showed our fighting spirit, especially in the second half, and we kept our faith when we went a goal down. The players came up with the answers in the end.’
   ‘We showed a lot of heart,’ Argentine captain Juan Pablo Sorin said.
   ‘The final against Brazil is a classic, but we’re not afraid.’
   Sorin had Argentina’s best chance of the first half, but his shot into an open goal just before the break was kept out only by the quick thinking Pineda who cleared the ball off the line.
   Argentina, wearing black armbands in memory of a promising young goalkeeper who died on Saturday, started the second half brightly with Luciano Figueroa putting a purposeful header over Oswaldo Sanchez’ bar.
   Sanchez went on to produce a great save to keep out Colocchini’s 58th minute strike.
   The mop-haired Deportivo La Coruna defender was then booked in the 69th minute after his thuggish challenge on Ramon Morales, who had to be stretchered off in evident distress.
   Minutes after Saviola’s redcard Mexico’s influential defender Rafael Marquez was sent packing when he picked up his second yellow for a nasty challenge on Gabriel Milito.
   The deadlock was finally broken in the 14th minute of extra time when Salcido’s deflected shot from the left hopped over Lux and into the back of the net.
   But Figueroa levelled with his fourth goal of the competition, juggling the ball on his backfoot before shooting under Sanchez from point blank range, to leave penalties the only answer with Cambriasso holding his nerve to end Mexico’s 21-match unbeaten run.
   Sunday’s game was held in memory of Marc Viven Foe, the former Manchester City player who collapsed and died when playing for Cameroon in the last Confederations Cup in France in 2003.

Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe suggested financial considerations were behind what he regarded as questionable refereeing in his team's semi-final loss on penalties to Argentina.
   Mexico's fine run in Germany came to a bitter end here on Sunday when, in an ill-tempered match, Argentina set up a dream final with Brazil in Frankfurt on Wednesday after a 6-5 penalty shoot-out win.
   But Lavolpe believes referee Roberto Rossetti was in part to blame for his team's demise. In particular he questioned the Italian's decision not to red card Argentina's Fabricio Coloccini after a horror tackle on Ramon Morales in the 70th minute.
   Morales had to be stretchered off in agony and following the incident boos rang round the stadium every time Coloccini touched the ball.
   'At this level of competition above football there is finance and the thinking that the final must be disputed by certain teams,' Lavolpe said.
   'Colocchini should have been sent off for a terrible foul, that's beyond dispute, because he was obviously playing the man.
   'The superpowers are always at an advantage in this sort of situation, whilst the sport would like everyone to be treated equally,' added the Argentina-born coach after seeing Mexico's 22-match unbeaten run was stopped by the South Americans.
   Argentina coach Jose Pekerman was understandably taking an opposing view of Rossetti's performance.
   'I don't want to go into this but as far as I'm concerned the referee performed to the rules and I trust the decisions he took on the pitch,' he told the post-match press conference.
   Lavolpe's frustration was tempered by what he saw as a positive display by his CONCACAF champions with Carlos Salcido handing them the lead in the 14th minute of extra time only for Luciano Figueroa to level, with Argentina going on to win 6-5 on penalties.
   'We showed good ball control by both teams. The difference was in the individual Argentine players, as we were better as a team.'
   In the dying moments of normal time both teams were reduced to ten men with first Argentina striker Javier Saviola red carded for an injudicious tackle on Gonzalo Pineda, followed by influential defender Rafael Marquez' expulsion for a second yellow card.
   Lavolpe reflected, 'Marquez's sending off hurt us badly, with him off the pitch our defence found it hard to withstand Argentina.
   'And it's tough when you're 1-0 up then the other side gets an equaliser, we had to work hard to hold off Argentina.
   'On top of that we were getting tired.'
   Lavolpe and Mexico head home to prepare for the final push towards qualifying for Germany next year with the satisfaction of having beaten Japan and Brazil in the group stages.
   But the latter stages of their Confed Cup campaign was overshadowed by the expulsion of two key players - Aaron Galindo and Salvador Carmona - on suspicion of having taken the banned steroid nandrolene.

Javier Zanetti celebrated his 100th cap by inspiring Argentina to reach the Confederations Cup final with a 6-5 win over Mexico on penalties on Sunday - a victory he said was written in the stars.
   'When the penalties were about to start I did look up and think that this was a match we couldn't lose, on the night of my 100th cap,' said Zanetti, who became only the second Argentine to reach the milestone after Diego Simeone, who played 106 times for his country.
   'We deserved to win.'
   Argentina will go on to face arch-rivals Brazil in the final in Frankfurt on Wednesday.
   They will have every reason to be confident after beating Brazil 3-1 on June 8 to clinch their place in next year's World Cup finals back in Germany.
   'The match against Brazil will be one to enjoy for three reasons,' Zanetti said. 'Firstly, because we're in the final and secondly, because it's in Germany, where the next World Cup is going to be played.
   'We should also savour it because it's against Brazil. I'm sure it will be a beautiful game, and I hope the result turns out the same as this one.'
   Zanetti was a forceful presence in defence against Mexico in a bruising encounter. On a night of little good football, his display was enough to win him the man of the match award.
   'We had to suffer to win this,' the 31-year-old said. 'We knew Mexico would be very strong but we've made it through.
   'I want to dedicate the victory and the award to my daughter, who was born recently, and to my wife.
   'I'm very proud to have played 100 games. I've represented Argentina in every corner of the world.' Zanetti made his Argentina debut in November 1994 in a 3-0 win over Chile in a friendly international, Daniel Passarella's first match in charge of the national team.
   The right-back, who joined Inter Milan from the Buenos Aires side Banfield the following year and has spent the last 10 years at the Italian club, is a veteran of two World Cups.
   He helped Passarella's Argentina reach the quarter-finals in France in 1998 and was part of the debacle in Japan in 2002 when Marcelo Bielsa's side, who started the tournament as favourites, failed to progress from the group stage.
   Zanetti, who scored a superb goal when Inter beat Lazio 3-0 in the UEFA Cup final in Paris in 1998, is still looking for his first major trophy with Argentina.
   He came closest when Argentina lost to Brazil on penalties in last year's Copa America final in Lima.

Mexico should return to Germany next year with a realistic chance of matching their best ever performance in the World Cup.
   Mexico reached the quarter-finals when they hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986 and their performances in this month's Confederations Cup, including a 1-0 win over world champions Brazil, hint that under Argentine coach Ricardo Lavolpe they may pose a major threat to the leading contenders.
   They were only defeated on penalties by Argentina in Sunday's semi-final following a 1-1 draw after extra time, ending a 20-match unbeaten run.
   A point clear at the top of the final group stage in the CONCACAF qualifiers, Mexico will almost certainly clinch their place in the finals and return to Germany a more knowledgeable and confident side.
   'This experience will stand us in good stead for next year,' said defender Gonzalo Pineda. 'We now have 12 months to keep learning.'
   Despite their relative success in reaching the semi-finals, Mexico's campaign was overshadowed by a doping case involving Aaron Galindo and Salvador Carmona. Both were expelled from the camp after testing positive in controls held before the start of the tournament.
   Mexico gained little credit for the way they handled the situation.
   Their officials initially played down the incident, saying the players had been sent home for disciplinary reasons. Lavolpe implied the pair had been punished for going out partying.
   Only later did the Mexico Football Association confirm the case was doping related, with the players now facing sanctions that could jeopardise their hopes of playing in next year's finals.
   Even before the tournament started, Mexico incurred FIFA's wrath by releasing four Guadalajara Chivas players in their squad to compete in the Libertadores Cup. FIFA ordered their reinstatement in the squad.
   By contrast, their on-field progress was remarkably smooth.
   Lavolpe employed similar tactics to those used by Otto Rehhagel last year to lead Greece to a surprise victory at Euro 2004, often playing with seven or eight men in defence, and launching swift counter-attacking moves.
   They were helped by a goalkeeper in Oswaldo Sanchez who had an outstanding tournament and was named man of the match in the 1-0 win over Brazil and a goalless draw with Greece.
   With the inventive, Brazilian-born midfielder Zinha always causing the opposition problems and Jared Borgetti a threat up front, Mexico looked strong in all areas.
   'I have been able to play so well because I have very good defenders in front of me, who make it very hard for the opposition,' said goalkeeper Sanchez.
   Mexico proved their resilience by coming from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in their opening match, fully deserved their victory over world champions Brazil and, with their place in the semi-finals assured, played out a low-key draw with Greece.
   They were just 10 minutes from a place in the final before conceding only their second goal of the tournament against Argentina, who went on to take the penalty shoot-out 6-5.

Bayern Munich custodian Oliver Kahn insists he is more than ready for the three-way battle to become Germany's number one goalkeeper for the 2006 World Cup.
   Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann has decided to announce his first choice goalkeeper in May 2006, just a month before the World Cup kick-off on June 9, leaving Kahn, Jens Lehmann and Timo Hildebrand embroiled in a three-way tussle.
   'I have proved what I can do and I will do so again,' Kahn said. 'I have no problem with the situation and think this is a good challenge.
   'The most important thing for me is to be in goal for the 2006 World Cup opener in Munich and I will give everything to achieve this.'
   After watching Hildebrand and Lehmann play in the glamour Confederations Cup matches against Argentina and Brazil, Kahn will play his second match of the competition against Mexico in Wednesday's third-place play-off.
   'I am not interested in how many caps I get. It is the big competitions that count,' said Kahn.
   'It will be my 80th cap against Mexico but playing in the World Cup is more important than winning 90 or 95 caps.'
   Kahn conceded three goals in the opening 4-3 Confederations Cup win over Australia and is disturbed by how many goals the hosts are letting in.
   'We conceded too many goals and it is something to be worked on ahead of the World Cup,' added Kahn.
   Germany conceded eight goals in their four Confederations Cup matches but managed to score 12 times to ensure passage to the semi-finals, where they lost out 3-2 to Brazil.

Santos will only let Robinho join Real Madrid if the Spanish club pays the US$50 million buyout clause in the Brazil striker's contract.
   Madrid reportedly bid US$18 million for Robinho last week, but Santos rejected the offer.
   Robinho's agent, Juan Figger, said Madrid should have sealed the transfer last November, when it acquired first option on Robinho, news reports said Monday.
   'Now Robinho's transfer involves a lot more work and money,' sports daily Marca quoted Figger as saying. 'He's really in demand and his price has gone up a lot in recent weeks.'
   Figger and another agent, Wagner Ribeiro, own 40 per cent of the striker's playing rights.
   Figger said Santos president Marcelo Teixeira was staying 'very calm' because Robinho's contract with the club doesn't expire until 2008.
   'Robinho has become a state matter. He's the best player in the Brazilian championship and no one wants him to leave, not even the president,' Figger said.
   Figger said other clubs including Arsenal were interested in Robinho, but that Madrid were best-placed as they have agreed personal terms with the 21-year-old.
   'This isn't an auction. Real Madrid now know the price, what he costs and how far they have to go,' the agent said.
   Robinho, who is preparing for Brazil's Confederations Cup final with Argentina on Wednesday, has played a key part in Santos' revival over recent years. He has earned comparisons with Pele, who also played for the team.
   In 2002, Santos won their first national title since 1968, and reached the Copa Libertadores Cup final a year later. They won the league again in December under coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, who then joined Madrid.

Juventus have reportedly targeted Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira after rejecting Chelsea's 30 million pound bid for their France striker David Trezeguet.
   The Italian champions insist Trezeguet is not for sale as Fabio Capello builds a squad to defend their Scudetto title.
   And Vieira is seen as the man to partner Brazilian Emerson at the heart of the team.
   Chelsea apparently turned to Trezeguet - Juve's third-choice frontman behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro Del Piero - after failing to lure Samuel Eto'o or Andriy Shevchenko from Barcelona and AC Milan respectively.
   Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wants a new striker after both Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman failed to impress last season despite Chelsea's Premiership title triumph.
   But he looks like being forced to look elsewhere after Juve managing director Luciano Moggi dismissed their
   approach for Trezeguet out of hand while appearing to test the water with regards a move for Vieira.
   'They made a formal offer for Trezeguet.
   ‘But none of our champion players is for sale,' Moggi told The Sun.
   'What we want now is to find a midfield partner for Emerson - and our wish is to buy Patrick Vieira if Arsenal are willing to sell.
   'Obviously, they will not let him go cheaply, as he is a magnificent, winning midfielder.
   ‘But if Arsenal are willing to do business, we'd buy him tomorrow.'
   Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Sunday Vieira was going nowhere.

The home town of South Korea midfielder Park Ji-sung has named a street after Manchester United’s new signing.
   The 24-year-old Park, who joined the Premier League club on a four-year contract last week pending a work permit, attended a ceremony on Monday to open ‘Park Ji-sung Road’.
   Park, who helped PSV Eindhoven win the Dutch title and reach the Champions League semi-finals last season, will become the first South Korean to play in the Premier League.
   The decision to name a road after him and set up a display area in the Suwon World Cup stadium in his honour was made before he signed for Manchester United.
   Park played a key role in South Korea’s run to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals,
   scoring one of the goals of the tournament to knock out Portugal.
   He returned to South Korea at the weekend after successfully completing his medical in Manchester and said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of England captain and
   former United player David Beckham.
   ‘Maybe if I was as handsome as Beckham I could be as famous as him,’ Park told reporters. ‘But I don’t think it’s impossible to become a player like Beckham.’