Why Abahani have become champions was the question in the stadium arena after the sky-blue outfit finished their Citycell B League campaign at the top of the points table, six points ahead of runners-up Dhaka Mohammedan. The football experts’ views are given below:
   It was the individual quality: Dido The Brazilian national coach of Bangladesh, Edson Silva Dido, thought the individual qualities of the Dhaka Abahani players were the main reason behind the success. ‘All the players tried their best to help the team win the title and the individual qualities of each player were combined into teamwork. Abahani would have been far better if they were more organised in every department, I think their midfield was the source power in their successful mission, I hope they will get more organised in the upcoming tournaments.’
   
   Adaptability to different circumstances was the key: Manik
   The assistant coach of the Bangladesh national team, Shafiqul Islam Manik, pointed out their ability to coping with different conditions was the key to Abahani’s success. ‘The players showed their integrity when the team was in danger. They were experienced and were thoughtful, they came back behind to win the match against arch rivals Mohammedan and the teamwork was very good.’
   
   Players’ motivation was the main factor: Maruf
   According to Mohammedan coach Maruful Huq, Abahani players’ motivation made all the difference between the champions and the runners-up. ‘The Abahani players were more motivated than us. I don’t believe that Abahani were tactically and technically superior to Mohammedan, but for many reasons I could not raise my players’ motivation to the highest level, so I finished second.’
   
   Abahani’s reserve bench provided the consistency: Wazed Gazi
   Veteran coach of Sheikh Russell Wazed Gazi felt Abahani maintained their consistency due to the strong reserve bench. ‘To win the league title you need consistency and it is not possible if you don’t have a strong reserve bench. Abahani maintained the same tempo throughout the league with their strong
   
   reserve bench. Apart from Abahani all other teams struggled to keep up their consistency.’
   Abahani’s foreign recruits blended splendidly: Amer Khan
   The manager of Brothers Union, Amer Khan, lauded Abahani’s foreign recruits. ‘In fact the three overseas recruits of Abahani – Awudu Ibrahim, Emeka Christian and Samad Youssif – were awesome in the field; their performance level was high in every match, they blended with the team splendidly and turned the team into a total unit.’

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak will have his bowling action reassessed in Australia in his bid to return to international cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Monday.
   The ICC had suspended Razzak from bowling in international cricket in November after an independent analysis of his bowling action revealed that his action exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under regulations.
   The spinner, who was scheduled to leave for Australia last night with coach Jamie Siddons, will head to Brisbane first where he will work with specialists at the Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence to fine-tune his bowling action.
   Razzak will appear for a reassessment test at the Australian Institute of Sports in Canberra on February 23. Marc Portus, a member on the ICC Panel of Human Movement Specialists at the AIS’ Biomechanics Department, will conduct the assessment, said the BCB.
   The same specialist had done the independent analysis of his action on November 17.
   The BCB has applied to the ICC for reassessment of his bowling action after its bowling review group expressed satisfaction with Razzak’s progress following a rehabilitation programme.
   He was also allowed to bowl in the Premier Twenty20 Tournament, where the video footage of his action was taken. He, however, has refrained from playing in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League.

Ricky Ponting is making the most of the unfamiliar role of underdog, insisting that the pressure of favouritism and the pursuit of the No 1 Test ranking could overwhelm Graeme Smith’s men throughout the three-Test series in South Africa. Ponting was in a bullish mood at a pre-departure press conference in Sydney on Monday, confident that a victory in South Africa would go far to establishing a new, competitive identity for a team eroded by injuries and retirements in recent seasons.
   ‘You wouldn’t have to be Einstein to work out that they’re going to be favourites,’ Ponting said. ‘If we get off to a great start over there with them being favourites, and with a lot of expectation from their people and their crowds, then who knows - things could turn against them pretty quickly.
   ‘There won’t be any added pressure on us, but maybe on South Africa. They’ve been striving for a long time to be recognised as being the No. 1 Test team in the world, so maybe that will weigh on their minds more than ours.’
   The Australians have reached a critical point in their evolution as a Test side. Series defeats to India and South Africa eroded the aura of invincibility, but the 103-run victory in the most recent Test in Sydney provided Australian audiences with hope that, while nowhere near their zenith, Ponting’s men may have ascended above the point of nadir.
   Ponting underlined the importance of the month ahead by equating a series victory in South Africa above anything he had previously achieved in his esteemed 128-Test career. ‘I’m ultra excited about the challenge of playing against the No. 2 ranked Test team in the world for three Tests on their soil,’ he said. ‘It’s the reason you play the game.
   ‘I’ve been around a long time and played a lot of games but this will be as big a series for me as any I’ve played in. This would be a huge win for us, there’s no doubt about that. Coming back from the Ashes in 2005 having lost over there and steeling ourselves for the Ashes in Australia was one of the biggest moments in my career. This one is certainly going to rank up there alongside that. A series like this could certainly be the making of the team. If we go there and play well and happen to win the series, then everything that’s happened over the last few months will hopefully be forgotten about.’
   The Australians will reveal their hand early on tour, with Ponting indicating that the XI selected for the three-day game against South Africa A in Potchefstroom will most likely be that which takes the field for the first Test at the Wanderers on February 26. The battle between the incumbent Andrew McDonald and the uncapped Marcus North for the allrounder’s berth looms as the most intriguing selection duel, although Ben Hilfenhaus could yet challenge Doug Bollinger for a fast-bowling place after taking seven wickets in four one-day matches against the South Africans.
   ‘I don’t think it was any coincidence that towards the end of the summer when we got a more steady and stable team on the park that we started playing our best cricket,’ Ponting said. ‘Hopefully when we get to Potchefstroom for our first game [beginning on Thursday] we can pick what we feel might be our first Test team and, touch wood, we can go through the South African series picking the team that will be most suited to the conditions that we’ll be confronted with.
   ‘A lot of the guys in the squad were part of the squad that played South Africa out here so they’ve had a taste of losing and they’ve had a taste of winning that last Test match of the series.
   ‘There are a number of things riding on this. The winner of this series will be the No 1-ranked team in world cricket. We’ve been there before on a number of occasions and we’ve played very well in South Africa in the past, but probably not with a squad with this much inexperience. If we can do that again and have little things go our way more than they did in Australia, there’s no reason why we can’t win this series.’

All-rounder Thilan Samaraweera on Monday vowed Sri Lanka would provide a decent send-off for Mahela Jayawardene, who steps down as skipper after the two-Test series against Pakistan.
   ‘I think we will give a good farewell to Mahela as captain,’ Samaraweera told reporters after team’s practice session here. ‘Everyone knows his record as captain and he deserves a befitting farewell.’
   Jayawardene last week took the shock decision to step down from the captaincy after the Pakistan Tests, saying poor batting form in a recent 4-1 one-day defeat against India had been a deciding factor.
   The middle-order batsman, who has scored just one half-century in his last 17 one-day innings, said he would give up the captaincy so that his successor could build a team for the 2011 World Cup.
   Sri Lanka arrived here on Sunday. They start a two-day warm-up match on Tuesday against Patron’s XI, led by Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
   The first Test starts here on February 21. The second is scheduled for Lahore from March 1.
   The 32-year-old Samaraweera, a regular in Test matches, said Pakistan would be tough opponents.
   ‘Pakistan have a lot of good cricketers. They have good fast bowlers and in Danish Kaneria they have a very good leg-spinner. It’s going to be a big challenge, but we are looking forward to it.’
   Samaraweera is regarded as an adhesive middle-order batsman, having scored 2,800 runs in 47 Tests at an impressive average of 45.16, with seven centuries.
   Samaraweera said he hoped to continue his batting form on the Pakistan tour.
   ‘I am gearing up for the challenge and will do my best to contribute in the overall performance of the team,’ said Samaraweera.

England (301/3) against West Indies at stumps,
   day 1
   Skipper Andrew Strauss’s 15th Test hundred helped England bury the double misery of their Jamaica humiliation and the abandoned second Test on the opening day of the third Test on Sunday.
   Strauss hit 169, and there were half-centuries for Owais Shah and Alastair Cook, as England, sent in to bat by the West Indies, reached 301 for three in their first innings when stumps were drawn at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
   Strauss turned his over-pitched 169th delivery from Daren Powell through backward square leg for two to reach the milestone to help make his team’s 51 all out in the first Test, and Friday’s aborted Test, a distant memory.
   He put on 123 for the first wicket with Cook before Shah, who was replacing Ian Bell, joined him to add 153 for the second wicket before they both departed in the final period of the day.
   ‘It was important we came out positive today just to show there is a lot of fight in us and we did that from ball one,’ said Strauss.
   ‘On this pitch it is not that easy to get ones, it’s easier to get boundaries than get ones.
   ‘And once me and Cooky (Alastair Cook) were in we decided that if the shot was on we should back ourselves and go for the shot.’
   But Strauss was fortunate. On 47, West Indies captain Chris Gayle dropped him at slip off Sulieman Benn before he steered Jerome Taylor to third man for two to bring up his 50.
   Then on 71, he edged Ryan Hinds between wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and slip fielder Gayle for the 10th of his 24 fours before he reached triple figures.
   Strauss and Cook had provided England with a firm foundation. They carried England to 58 without loss at lunch before Cook was caught at slip off Gayle for 52 after the interval.
   Shah entered and immediately announced himself with a cracking back-foot drive off his first ball from Gayle.
   They took England to 206 for one at tea before Shah was run out for 57, when he failed to beat a direct hit from Taylor on his follow-through going for a suicidal run.
   Strauss continued to stroke the ball crisply, but Gayle claimed the second new ball with England on 291 for two after 87 overs and was rewarded with the prized scalp of the left-handed opener.
   Trying to pull a short, rising ball from Fidel Edwards, Strauss only succeeded in giving the bowler a simple return catch.
   He batted for five minutes short of six hours, faced 277 balls, and also struck a six, a lovely straight hit out of the ground off Benn.
   The start had been delayed by 45 minutes, following overnight and early morning rain which affected parts of the parched outfield with an area straight behind the wicket at the northern end being the most troublesome.
   West Indies made no changes to their 11 that took the field for the second Test, but England brought Steve Harmison and Graeme Swann in to replace Ryan Sidebottom and Monty Panesar.
   The ARG was cleared to stage the match late on Saturday, following an inspection from ICC Match Referee Allan Hurst.
   ‘I’m very happy with the ground,’ he told reporters. ‘I think in the 24 hours they’ve had to prepare the ground they’ve done a fantastic job.
   ‘There are a few problems with the (outfield) and it is not perfect, but they’ve done as good a job as they could have and the pitch looks great.’
   The ARG is hosting a Test for the first time in three years, after the second Test at the nearby Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground was abandoned on Friday because of an unsuitable outfield after just 10 balls.
   West Indies lead the series which now comprises five Tests 1-0, following an innings and 23-run victory in the opening match at Kingston inside four days.
   The other two Tests in the series take place at Kensington Oval in Barbados from February 26 to March 2, and Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad from March 2 to 6.

Cham-pions Dhaka Abahani signed off their Citycell B League campaign in style by thrashing Rahmatganj 6-3 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday. Dhaka Mohammedan finished runners-up for the second consecutive time defeating Chittagong Abahani 3-1 at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittgaong and Muktijoddha won 2-1 at the bottom of the table duel against the relegated Khulna Abahani at the Khulna Stadium.
   Midfielder, Emeka Christian slammed the ninth hat-trick of the league helping Dhaka Abahani chalk-out the big win. Emeka scored in the 45th, 56 and 88th minute while Mamun, Emily and Zahed Parvez scored the other three in the 27th, 39th and 75th minute. For Rahmatganj, Nche Francis scored twice from two penalties in the 32nd and 68th minute while Herok Joarder scored the third in the 88th minute.
   Dhaka Mohammedan’s Nigerian forward, Alamu Bukola Olalekan moved to the top of the scorers list with 18 goals scoring two against Chittgaong Abahani in the 3rd and 14th minutes. Egyptian midfielder, Hazem Mahmood scored the third in the 51st minute. Mithun Chowdhury scored the only goal for the losers from a penalty in the 23rd minute.
   Abahani finished their mission with 50 points from 20 matches while Dhaka Mohammedan completed their quota of 20 matches with 44 points.
   The two former national forwards Moni and Kanchan scored for Mukitijoddha in the 29th and 60th minute while Bhashani of Khulna Abahani scored for the losers in the 78th minute.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday fined Bangladesh Boys Club official Ziaur Rahman Tapu Tk 20,000 and suspended him for three matches for misconduct during a Dhaka First Division Cricket League match.
   Tapu, also a BCB councillor and a member of game development committee, used abusive language and charged one of the umpires after running on to field, during the BBC’s match against Jatrabari KC at the City Club ground on Sunday.
   The penalties were imposed based on the report of match referee Hemayet Ahmed Siddiky, who charged him for breaching the section 19.3 of the playing condition. Tapu, however, has rejected the charges and said he was denied a chance of defending himself in the hearing.
   ‘The umpires blatantly favoured Jatrabari in the match that created a repercussion among our officials, but sadly the BCB punished only me,’ said Tapu, who also accused the BCB of adopting a double standard.
   ‘Just a few days ago the Orient SC officials threw bottles at the umpires after they lost a game against Khelaghar KC. But the BCB did not take any action against them. And in this case they did not bother to call me for a hearing,’ he said.

Injury-prone Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar said Monday he hoped to recover from a knee injury and return to action in time for next month’s tour of Bangladesh.
   The 33-year-old fast bowler was ruled out of Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting later this week, due to the injury.
   Initial reports suggested he would need an operation but Akhtar expressed hope that the injury would heal with rest.
   ‘Doctors have advised me that the blood and pieces of bones in my knee could be removed through injections and there won’t be any need for an operation,’ Akhtar told AFP.
   Akhtar had both knees operated on in early 2006. It was feared that he would miss most of this year if he went back under the knife. But Akhtar said he had been reassured about his condition after a medical update.
   ‘I sent the MRI reports to Australia and England, and the advice was not to have an operation, so I hope to be back in action by next month,’ said Akhtar, who was dropped from the third one-day international against Sri Lanka last month.
   Akhtar managed just one wicket for 88 runs in the first two matches.

Bangladesh Ansar play against Rajshahi in the opening match of the final round of the Citycell National Women’s Football Championship on Wednesday.
   Eight teams including the zonal champions and runners-up of four zones, will participate in the final round split into two groups.
   The champion of the meet will receive Tk 40,000 as the prize money and the runners-up Tk 20,000 while the losing semi-finalists will get Tk 5000 each. The player of the tournament and the highest scorer will receive Tk 5,000 each.
   The semi-finals will take place on February 26 the finals on February 28, both at the BNS. State minister for youth and sports, Ahad Ali Sarker will formally inaugurate the 11-day final round as the chief guest.
   BFF’s Women Football Committee chairman, Sirajul Islam Bacchu disclosed the details at a press conference at the BFF House on Monday. Women Football Committee deputy chairman, Mahfuza Akter Kiron was also present.
   Participating teams:
   Group A—Bangladesh Ansar, Satkhira, Rajshahi and Narayanganj.
   Group B—Bangladesh VDP, Jessore, Rangamati and Khulna.

Phillip Hughes is barely 20; Bryce McGain approaching 37. Hughes is a farmer’s son for whom cricketing greatness seemed assured; McGain a city-dweller who almost abandoned the game for a career in IT. Hughes, the bachelor, might have stepped from the pages of GQ; McGain, the single father, would not look out of place at a meeting of the G8.
   The superficial differences between the uncapped duo may be immense, but Hughes and McGain are looming as the pivotal members of the Australian touring squad for South Africa. Barring unforeseen circumstances, both players should find themselves in the starting XI for the first Test on February 26, and stand to be the major difference between the side soundly beaten by South Africa in Perth and Melbourne, and that which aspires to retain its No. 1 ranking in hostile territory.
   Untold column inches have been devoted to Hughes’ batting exploits since his first-class debut for New South Wales last season. A redoubtable, unorthodox strokemaker with an insatiable appetite for runs, Hughes was deemed to be of baggy green calibre before he received a baggy blue. His 1,570 runs from 17 first-class games attracted much excited chatter among Australian cricketing circles, particularly as Matthew Hayden’s position in the Test side became increasingly untenable, and no less a judge than Justin Langer believes him ready to shoulder the responsibility of opening the Australian innings.
   Ricky Ponting was hopeful Hughes would establish a solid partnership with his state skipper, Simon Katich, over the coming weeks. ‘Obviously he’s a very driven and motivated young bloke who wants to be very successful for Australia,’ Ponting said. ‘He’s certainly done that for New South Wales. We hope he can be what we’re looking for at the top of the order. He’ll be jumping out of his skin, there’s no doubt about that.

Mufazzal Hossain of Bangladesh defeated Jao Chi Shih of Chinese Taipei 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the boys’ singles second round of the Dhaka Bank 23rd Bangladesh International Junior Tennis at the National Tennis Complex on Monday.
   However, Omar Faruk Sunny, the other Bangladeshi player, failed to progress as he was defeated by Tirumurti of India 6-0, 6-3. In the second round, Mofazzal will meet Sumit Sindee of India.
   In the other first round boys’ singles matches, Ho Yen Ju (TPE), Mao Jui (TPE) Batachia Wang Chieh-Fu (TPE), Saraza Kim Ivor (PHI), Jao Chi Shan (TPE), Raman Rishabdev (IND), Sivakumar (IND), Bisht Rohit (IND), Pan Yuantao (CHN), Lertchai Kong Pop (THA), Hsu Ching (TPE), Arvind Fernando (SRI), Mokhtar (MAS) moved to the second round winning their respective matches.
   In the girls’ singles, Handa Tarrannum (IND), Thombare Prarthana (IND), Huang Hui I (TPE), Babu Raj (IND), Huang Yu Ting (TPE), Kaur Jaanesh (IND), Janssen Loes (NED), LU Chia Chen (TPE), Amrita Mukharjee (IND) and Yea Hyojung (KOR) moved into the second round.

Andrew Strauss credited an aggressive approach for him helping England get their groove back with his 15th Test hundred against West Indies in the third Test on Sunday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
    ‘We’ve had a hard couple of weeks,’ Strauss told reporters.
   ‘After being bowled out for 51 in the last Test, you want to come out and play positively and prove to everyone that as a batting unit we have a lot of good players. In that respect it’s very satisfying.
   ‘As a captain, it’s always important to get runs and lead from the front, but I’ve felt in pretty good form all tour, so I knew that if I backed my game plan that runs would come.’
   Strauss struck 24 fours and one six, driving, cutting, and pulling with a confidence that many knowledgeable observers reckoned had been missing for a long time.
   ‘There are two ways to come back from what happened last week,’ he said.
   ‘One is to go into your shell and try and get runs, and the other is to take the bull by the horns and say, ‘I’m going to get runs’, and that’s certainly the kind of mindset I had.

Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos paid tribute to captain Raul after the former Spain international scored twice in Real’s 4-0 win over Sporting Gijon to become the club’s all-time leading scorer with 309 goals.
   Raul, 31, scored twice to overtake Alfredo di Stefano’s long-standing record of 307 as Real marched to an eighth successive league win that helped them close to within ten points of leaders Barcelona.
   ‘It will be many years before there is another player that emerges to beat his record,’ said Ramos. ‘The team scores the goals but Raul has had a great career over many years and deserves all the praise that comes his way.’
   After reaching his astonishing milestone, Raul told journalists that he hopes to continue to add to his total for as long as he can.
   He said, ‘I’m happy. I am delighted I’ve managed to overcome (Alfredo) Di Stefano’s total, and now I hope to continue and score as many goals as I can for Real Madrid.’
   Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was also on target with his first Real goal while Brazilian Marcelo also grabbed a rare goal.
   Real have managed to shave two points off Barcelona’s lead this weekend after their rivals’ run of ten consecutive wins came to an end with a 2-2 draw at Real Betis on Saturday.
   ‘We are a bit closer after cutting Barcelona’s lead by two points but it is still going to be difficult,’ admitted Ramos. ‘It is not in our hands after all.’
   Real are ten points behind Barcelona with 15 games left although the leaders have the superior head-to-head record having beaten Real 2-0 at Camp Nou in December.
   Real paid a costly price for the international friendlies in midweek with Dutch winger Arjen Robben picking up a knock.
   Rafael van der Vaart was also suspended, forcing Ramos to switch things around but Huntelaar was not complaining as he was handed a rare start up front.
   Raul struck after 15 minutes with his record-breaking 308th goal in Real’s colours and Sporting – hammered 7-1 by Real in September – justifiably feared another rout.
   Huntelaar had not scored for Real since a 20-million-euro move from Ajax but broke his duck with a neat finish on 37 minutes.
   Marcelo, jeered by Real fans on several occasions this season, then produced a deft finish to wrap up the game early in the second period before Raul netted again.
   Real’s win applies a little pressure on Barcelona who came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Betis with Samuel Eto’o scoring twice to make it 23 for the season.
   ‘We were confident that we could get something out of the game and are happy with a draw after a great game,’ said Eto’o.
   Villarreal finished above Barcelona last season but have been anything but consistent this campaign and drew 1-1 with Racing Santander on Sunday.
   Villarreal are now locked on 38 points with Valencia who drew 1-1 with Malaga on Saturday.
   After three straight defeats Sevilla got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over ten-man Espanyol to go third, three points clear of Valencia and Villarreal.
   Frederic Kanoute, 31, scored twice in the final seven minutes to leave Espanyol deflated.
   ‘It was a match where we were constantly searching for the breakthrough,’ admitted Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez. ‘We had lots of chances, hit the woodwork twice and (Carlos) Kameni made some great saves.’
   Espanyol have not won since the beginning of November and fell to the foot of the table, three points from safety, after Real Mallorca climbed above them with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Numancia.
   Atletico Madrid could not take advantage of slips from Valencia and Villarreal drawing 1-1 with derby rivals Getafe.
   Diego Forlan scored his 15th goal of the season to put Atletico ahead but Juan Albin equalised in the 88th minute for Getafe.
   It was an emotional rollercoaster for Albin who had horribly skied a penalty over the crossbar eight minutes before his leveller.
   ‘We had to win this match so this is a missed opportunity,’ said Forlan. ‘We had to get the second goal but we didn’t and paid the price.’
   Atletico lie sixth two points behind Valencia and Villarreal with Sevilla five points ahead.

Manches-ter United’s bid for a remarkable haul of five trophies in one season remains on course after Sunday’s 4-1 win over Derby in the FA Cup fifth round.
   Having already won the Club World Cup in December, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side sit top of the Premier League, face Tottenham in the League Cup final and take on Inter Milan in the Champions League second round.
   Now they are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals as well thanks to goals from Nani, Darron Gibson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Danny Welbeck at Pride Park.
   Ferguson made seven changes to the side that won at West Ham last weekend, but that was little encouragement for their Championship opponents as United’s starting line-up still included Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs.
   United took the lead in the 29th minute when Giggs slipped a pass to Nani on the edge of the Derby area. The Portuguese winger cut inside and lashed a superb strike past Stephen Bywater.
   Gibson added a second goal in the 44th minute when he volleyed home from Ronaldo’s deflected free-kick.
   Ronaldo got on the scoresheet himself three minutes into the second half with a powerful header from Giggs’ corner.
   Miles Addison’s 56th-minute header was no consolation for Nigel Clough’s Derby, who also lost to United in the League Cup semi-final earlier this season, and highly-rated young winger Welbeck curled home a sublime fourth in the 81st minute.
   Ferguson later confirmed that Gibson had booked a place in United’s line-up to face Spurs at Wembley in the League Cup final.
   ‘Darron did really well,’ said Ferguson. ‘He has got into the League Cup final team with that performance. He has played in every round, so he deserves it.’
   Australia midfielder Tim Cahill scored the decisive goal as Everton booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
   Cahill struck with 14 minutes remaining to put the fifth round result beyond doubt at Goodison Park after Mikel Arteta’s penalty had put Everton ahead for the second time.
   Teenage midfielder Jack Rodwell gave Everton the perfect start as he scored his first goal for David Moyes’ team in the fourth minute.
   Cahill met Arteta’s corner with a bullet header that Stiliyan Petrov could only clear off the line to Rodwell, who lashed the loose ball back into the net from close range.
   Villa equalised when Tony Hibbert chopped down Gabriel Agbonlahor in the eighth minute and James Milner’s low penalty trickled under Tim Howard.
   Everton, who last reached the quarter-finals in 2002, went back in front in the 24th minute through another penalty. This time Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell brought down Victor Anichebe and Arteta stroked home the spot-kick.
   Cahill sealed the win after 76 minutes when he sprayed a pass wide to Anichebe and burst into the area to finish the striker’s return pass with a scuffed shot.
   Everton boss David Moyes said: ‘With Villa’s resources, I felt we would have a problem with the injuries we had to cope with.
   ‘But they adapted. Senior men Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Phil Jagielka, they all did so well. It was a very good team performance.’
   Chelsea are the only other team definitely into the last eight after beating Watford 3-1 on Saturday.
   Blackburn rescued a 2-2 draw with Coventry, West Ham drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough, Fulham were held to a 1-1 draw at Swansea and Hull were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.

Inter Milan defeated bitter local rivals AC Milan 2-1 in a thrilling derby at the San Siro on Sunday to close in on a fourth straight title.
   First-half goals from Adriano and Dejan Stankovic fired Inter to a nine-point lead over Juventus at the top of Serie A with Milan a further two points back as their Scudetto hopes all but died.
   ‘There are still 33 points up for grabs, there is a long way to go yet. I cannot think the Scudetto is over,’ said Inter coach Jose Mourinho.
   ‘I can say that if we don’t win it, then it will be because we’ve given it away. It’s in our hands now.’
   Before the match Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would pick a team capable of combating Inter’s physical and aerial threat but the nominal visitors at the ground the two clubs share failed to do exactly that and paid the price.
   However, he blamed the defeat on a handball in Adriano’s opener.
   ‘I don’t know if it was intentional or not but it was decisive,’ he said.
   ‘I think we played well and I expect us to always play like this. It’s not easy but we will try.
   ‘It wasn’t just Inter who dominated for long periods because in the first half we were often the better side.
   ‘Inter made the most of their high balls which were difficult for us to cope with. The title isn’t over, Inter have a lead to hold onto and we’ll try to bounce back.’
   Milan were playing some attractive football early on but without overly threatening the Inter goal.
   One sweeping move that went from left to right ended with Gianluca Zambrotta trying a speculative bicycle kick but his effort plopped tamely into Julio Cesar’s arms.
   Inter opened Milan up on 17 minutes and only a last ditch tackle from Massimo Ambrosini saved the seven-time European champions, although Stankovic dithered on Esteban Cambiasso’s pass a moment too long.
   Milan had a few half chances and Pato couldn’t quite get enough purchase on Ronaldinho’s ball into the area to trouble Julio Cesar while Ronaldinho met a David Beckham corner on the volley without connecting cleanly.
   They were made to pay for that when a deep Maicon cross from the right on 29 minutes was headed home by Adriano, via a deflection off his own arm.
   Inter doubled their lead two minutes before the break as Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed down a long ball into Stankovic’s path for the Serbian to rifle home.
   Adriano could have settled the match early in the second period after a slip by Georgia centre-back Kakha Kaladze but the Brazil striker curled his shot narrowly wide.
   Inter were cruising until 19 minutes from time when a perfect Ronaldinho through ball put in Marek Jankulovski, who pulled the ball back for Pato to tap home.
   There was late drama as substitute Filippo Inzaghi seemed to have snatched an equaliser with a stunning left-foot volley but it was controversially chalked off for offside.
   Inzaghi had another chance in stoppage time but Julio Cesar saved with an outstretched boot.
   Earlier in the day, Juventus saw their title hopes dealt yet another blow as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Sampdoria.
   They have won just one of their last four matches and that only courtesy of an injury time winner from Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen at Catania last weekend.
   Juve fell behind to Giampaolo Pazzini’s 10th-minute opener for Sampdoria following a pass from reported Juve target Antonio Cassano.
   The hosts dominated the match thereafter but could only muster a single goal from Brazilian Amauri’s header from Sebastian Giovinco’s cross on 62 minutes.
   ‘When you create so many chances and don’t score, you risk defeat and so we did well to get a point,’ said Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri.
   ‘We managed to get something out of this and the lads played very well, so I could not have asked for more from them.’
   Fiorentina held on to fourth spot and the final Champions League qualifying position as they came back from 3-0 down at Genoa to snatch a 3-3 draw with Romania captain Adrian Mutu’s equaliser deep into injury time completing his hat-trick.
   The aftermath of the game, however, was marked by a serious injury suffered by a Genoa fan who fell beneath the wheels of the Fiorentina team bus as it left the ground.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has called for his contract negotiations to be brought to a positive conclusion after denying he wants total control of transfers.
   The Spaniard’s deal runs out in the summer of 2010 and he believes the continued uncertainty over his future, and those of several members of the Anfield backroom staff, is hampering the club’s long-term planning.
   ‘Anyone that has just a year left on his contract does not have anything at all and I have only got a year and a half left,’ Benitez told The Guardian.
   ‘When people, either within the club or from outside it, realise that the manager only has that much time left then he is dead.
   ‘I’ve got 10 or 12 assistants whose contracts are up in June. How can a manager lead a project properly if the continuity of his staff is not secure for two or three years?’
   One of the reputed stumbling blocks to Benitez’s contract negotiations has been his alleged insistence that he is given a free rein on transfers, where chief executive Rick Parry currently holds ultimate power.
   But he added: ‘I would like to clear one thing up - I never asked for complete control.
   ‘I did, however, ask for the power to be able to make my own decisions and run the team the way I see fit. That is not the same thing.’
   When Benitez’s time on Merseyside does come to an end, he admits it would be a privilege to take charge of Real Madrid, where he was coach of the youth teams earlier in his career.
   ‘I am not thinking about leaving and I hope to be here for a long time but of course Real Madrid would be the perfect ending to anyone’s career,’ he said. ‘But my career is not at an end yet.’

It was hailed around the world as a triumph of the spirit for a war-torn country but it seems that Iraqis could not contain their joy after winning the Asian Cup football title in 2007.
   The trophy was handed over to Qatari football bosses in Doha on Sunday complete with dents inflicted during its journey around Iraq’s 18 provinces after the team’s victory in Indonesia in 2007.
   ‘There was some damage to the trophy because of the happiness of the Iraqi people,’ said Najeh Hamud, vice president of the Iraqi Football Union. ‘It had been thrown around between some people on its travels.’
   Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 to win its first Asian Cup in the summer of 2007, but competition rules dictate that the winning side hand the trophy to the hosts of the next tournament well ahead of the start of the competition.
   Gas-rich Qatar will host the next Asian Cup in 2011.
   ‘The Qatari Football Union will repair it,’ Hamud said, confirming that a representative had handed the trophy over in Doha.

Chelsea captain John Terry insists he will end his career at Stamford Bridge after the Blues rejected a bid from Manchester City for the England defender.
   City made a 20 million pounds offer to sign Terry during the January transfer window, but Chelsea refused to consider selling their centre-back.
   Terry was delighted to hear Chelsea had been so determined to keep him and quickly rubbished suggestions that he has grown disillusioned at the Premier League club after two seasons of turmoil following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.
   ‘Chelsea told me what had happened with the enquiry as a courtesy,’ Terry said. ‘I was very happy with their reaction as mine would have been the same.
   ‘I have always said that I want to end my career at the club which I love and we all see no reason why that cannot happen.
   ‘Given recent events I am more determined than ever to make Chelsea successful again.’
   Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon confirmed that City’s bid was given short shrift.
   ‘We made it very clear that John was not for sale,’ he said. ‘We did not entertain any further conversation on the subject and nor will we in the future. John is our captain and the captain of England. He is part of the heart and soul of Chelsea.’

The Nerazzurri recorded a potentially decisive win with regards to the Scudetto race by defeating city-rivals Milan 2-1 in a heated encounter.
   Adriano opened the scoring at the San Siro, but the ball controversially came off his forearm before landing in the back of the net.
   ‘It’s true that I touch the ball with my arm, but it was inadvertent. I wanted to score with my head, but my hand was where it usually was. For me, it was involuntary, and all who have seen it agree that it was so,’ the Brazilian international told the Corriere dello Sport immediately following the match.
   ‘I dedicated the goal to his son,’ Adriano revealed, referring to his embrace with the ex-Chelsea boss in celebration of his goal. ‘Mourinho’s given me the opportunity to play again and I hope to continue like this.’

Spain’s Euro 2008 golden boot winner David Villa has become Spanish football’s most-wanted man and cash-strapped Valencia may be forced to sell their highly-prized asset in the summer.
   Villa, 27, made history when he became the first Spanish player to score in six successive internationals following his goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 friendly win over England.
   ‘It gives me enormous pleasure to have scored again and to know that I’ve achieved something that nobody else has done,’ said Villa
   ‘But, as I always say, the most important thing is that my goals help the team and that we continue the way we have been going.
   ‘It’s not necessarily straightforward to score (at international level), but in a team like this, with this quality, you know that you are not going to be lacking in opportunities.’
   Former Spanish internationals Telmo Zarra and Ladislao Kubala had scored in five successive internationals, but Villa was the first to score in six.
   Spain are unbeaten in 29 games, incredibly winning 27 of them, and Villa now has a strike rate of 25 goals in 42 internationals.
   While Spain rely on Villa, Valencia are even more dependent on the prolific target-man who has scored 18 out of their 43 league goals this season.
   Villa was hot property in the summer after firing Spain to Euro 2008 glory - with the tabloids labelling him ‘maravilla’ which translates as ‘wonder’.
   After missing out on Manchester United winger Ronaldo, Spanish champions Real offered a reported 45 million euros for him, but Valencia didn’t want to do business and the striker signed a contract extension until 2014.
   ‘The club wanted to keep me and I feel comfortable here so it is all fine,’ Villa explained at the time.
   However, Valencia’s financial problems are well known and the club may choose to cash-in or alternatively sell his Spanish international team-mate David Silva.
   At 27, Villa could also feel the time is right especially with Valencia, currently 22 points behind Barcelona, looking far from title challengers.
   Real, Barcelona, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been mentioned as potential suitors for the former Real Zaragoza man.
   ‘I think I’m made to succeed in England,’ Villa has been quoted as saying. ‘However, of course it is one thing saying it and quite another getting there and then doing it.’

Didier Drogba is craving time on the pitch in order to make a good impression on new Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink.
   The Dutchman officially begins work with the London club on Monday, combining the role with his duties as Russia coach until the end of the season.
   One of his key tasks will be to get the best out of £24million striker Drogba, who has struggled for form and fitness this season and was a peripheral figure in the team under Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was sacked a week ago.
   The Ivorian has been dogged by injury problems so far this season but when asked whether he could get back to his best, he said: ‘I hope so. When you are sidelined for four months like I was, and then you return and get injured again, it isn’t easy.
   ‘The important thing for me now is simply to be on the pitch. It is up to me to show that I deserve to be on the pitch. I hadn’t lost my instincts, I just lacked matches.
   ‘If you want to improve your condition, it is better to be on the pitch. Training is all well and good but playing for 90 minutes is better.’
   Scolari tended to operate with a lone striker but Drogba admits the pressure is now on him and Nicolas Anelka to prove they can work as an attacking partnership.
   The early signs were good, with Drogba playing alongside Anelka in the FA Cup win over Watford in which the Frenchman scored a hat-trick.
   ‘There is something between us,’ Drogba told French sports newspaper L’Equipe.
   ‘We are both quite intelligent players who know how to play together and create spaces for one another.
   ‘It is a long time since he scored and then he scores three, three real striker’s goals. I hope that will provide him with a boost, because the team needs him.’
   Anelka even suggested today that he and Drogba could have saved Scolari’s job had the Brazilian played them in tandem.
   ‘Of course we can work as a partnership for Chelsea,’ Anelka said.
   ‘I have said it before and so has Didier but Scolari never tried playing us together.
   ‘It was me scoring this time, but it might be Didier next time. That’s good for Chelsea.’
   Midfielder Frank Lampard, meanwhile, believes Hiddink’s arrival at Stamford Bridge has already started to have an impact, even though he has yet to take charge of a match.
   He was in the stands for the 3-1 win over Watford and will be in the dugout for the first time for the visit to Aston Villa on Saturday.
   But England star Lampard believes the playing squad are already raising their games.
   He told www.chelseafc.com: ‘He has cast his eye over training and the game and you can see a little lift in the lads trying to impress him, which always happens when a new manager comes in.
   ‘I think he will be happy with the desire and spirit we showed at 1-0 down (against Watford) and some of the football we played on a difficult pitch was good. I am sure he is looking forward to working with us.
   ‘I think I will enjoy working with him because we all know him as a manager, we know what he did before with other teams. We look forward to working with him.’
   Hiddink insisted when he arrived in London that the title was not out of Chelsea’s reach despite falling far off the pace set by Manchester United, and Lampard has echoed those sentiments.
   He added: ‘Aston Villa is massive because they are in front of us (in the Premier League).
   ‘To still be in the chase we have to win the game.
   ‘It is going to be tough but we have a lot of big players, a strong team and we can do it.’

David Beckham has admitted that he would find it hard to go back to Los Angeles if the Galaxy and AC Milan failed to come to an agreement over his proposed transfer.
   Beckham was speaking following his team’s 2-1 defeat to champions Inter in the Milan derby on Sunday that virtually ended Milan’s hopes of claiming the Scudetto crown this season.
   And while he said he had nothing new to add in the way of developments to his potential switch from the Americans to the Italian giants, he left no doubt as to how he would feel should the move not go through.
   ‘(There’s) nothing that I know of, not yet,’ said Beckham who is desperate for a switch to Italy to enhance his chances of playing in the 2010 World Cup finals.
   ‘I’ve said I want to stay here and obviously if I do go back it will be a bit difficult. But I’m always professional so we will have to wait and see when the final decision is made.
   ‘I hope things go the way I want them to. I’ve already said that I want to stay, I’m enjoying my time here and hopefully I will (stay).’
   ‘Talks have obviously been going on and on and whether talks will go on or not, everyone’s still talking about it. It’s out of my hands but there will be talks next week.’
   Sunday’s result was a real blow for Milan and Beckham admitted that the title was starting to look beyond his team who are in third spot in the table, 11 points behind their city rivals.
   ‘We’re quite far behind, we were before the game started and we needed to win it,’ said the former England skipper.
   ‘You never know in this league, it’s up and down, you can win one week and play great. There’s a chance but it’s slim.’
   Beckham said it was an honour to have played in a Milan derby having previously played in ‘El Classico’ in Spain between Barcelona and Real Madrid and clashes between Manchester United and Liverpool in England.
   ‘It’s one of the biggest games in football, sure it would be better if you win it. It was a tough game, in the first half we conceded two goals. It’s tough to come back from that,’ said Beckham who was substituted in the second half.
   ‘We played better towards the end and put more men up front and that caused them more problems.
   ‘They are all huge games, the biggest games in football and I’m proud to have played one in England, one in Spain and now one in Italy, but it would have been better to have had a different result.
   ‘The pressure that they (Inter) put on us in the first half, especially the first 20-25 minutes set the tempo for the game.
   ‘We came back in the last 20-25 minutes and there were some decisions that went more their way than anything else but I’m taking nothing away from them, they have great players and they’re a very good team.’
   Beckham also said that the result, Milan’s success and the uncertain future of Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti would all have no bearing on his personal future in Italy.
   ‘Not one bit. The club have made it clear they want me for the rest of the season.
   ‘He (Ancelotti) is a great manager and I hope he stays here. He’s already said he doesn’t want to go anywhere.
   ‘There’s always speculation around great managers and great players.’
   Ancelotti refused to be drawn on his own future but insisted that despite Galaxy’s claims on Friday night that any deal was off, there was still time to finalise an agreement.
   ‘I have a contract until 2010, after that we’ll see what we do. For Beckham there is still time until March 9 to find a solution,’ he said.

Bayern Munich, who fell to their second defeat in three matches at the weekend, can no longer be considered favourites for the German title, club president Franz Beckenbauer claimed on Monday.
   Jurgen Klinsmann’s side were dominated 2-1 by Hertha Berlin on Saturday, that loss coming after last month’s 1-0 defeat to Hamburg.
   Bayern are lying fourth, two points behind new leaders Hertha Berlin, leaving Beckenbauer to question their championship credentials.
   ‘After three games and two defeats I have to say that Bayern are no longer favourites for the title,’ the German football legend wrote in his column in Bild.
   ‘There are no longer any favourites,’ he added.
   ‘The five or six top teams in the league can take the title.’
   Reflecting on Saturday’s slip-up Beckenbauer said: ‘In Berlin, Bayern didn’t do enough. Ze Roberto and (Franck) Ribery weren’t at their best and our right side suffered.’

Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe was left out of the last three squads at his own request after being heckled by home fans at the Bernabeu last month, coach Juande Ramos has said.
   ‘Drenthe’s suffering from anxiety. He’s a young lad that needs all the support of the people who work with him,’ Ramos told radio station Cadena Ser.
   ‘As his coach I will do all I can to help him because he has a lot of potential.’
   The Dutch youth international, 21, was whistled and mocked by Real fans during their 1-0 home win over Deportivo Coruna on January 25, and was visibly upset after the game.
   He was left out of the squads against Numancia, Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon and last Friday appealed to his own fans to get behind him.
   ‘I don’t like to feel like I am playing at the Nou Camp or another rival’s stadium when I am playing at home,’ he told sports daily Marca. ‘When the fans are unhappy you notice it and it makes it harder to perform well.’

Nicklas Bendtner does not believe Andrei Arshavin’s arrival at Arsenal has dislodged him as the club’s top striker – but admits he never saw the Russian play before his move to the Emirates Stadium.
   The Dane is likely to play a prominent role for Arsene Wenger’s team over the coming weeks after Emmanuel Adebayor was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
   But regardless of the Togo striker’s misfortune, or the presence of the talented Robin van Persie and Arshavin in the Gunners squad, Bendtner insists he should be considered the north Londoners’ best frontman.
   ‘I’m very sorry to see Adebayor injured as we need him fit and to be playing in the league,’ he told the Daily Mirror.

Sir Alex Ferguson insisted that his quest for five trophies is not an impossible dream after Manchester United remained on course for an unprecedented haul of silverware by beating Derby 4-1 in the FA Cup fifth round.
   Having already claimed the Club World Cup and a place in the League Cup final against Tottenham next month, United can extend their advantage at the head of the Premier League to five points with victory over Fulham on Wednesday.
   Ferguson, whose team are also in the Champions League last-16, certainly believes he has the squad to attempt a clean-sweep.
   After making seven changes against Derby including relegating Nemanja Vidic to the bench and leaving out Dimitar Berbatov entirely, the Scot is determined to give himself every chance of keeping his team fresh for the run-in.
   ‘The squad has been fantastic. They have carried us through and got us through some difficult games,’ said Ferguson whose team have been drawn against either Swansea or Fulham in the FA Cup last eight.
   ‘With the game on Wednesday in mind I made some changes and the squad did very well again.
   ‘That is encouraging and we are delighted to be in the next round of the FA Cup. It would have been nice to have a home draw, but we are one game away from the semi-final and that should give everyone a great incentive.
   ‘I hope the squad can maintain the levels they have hit in the last few weeks, but I saw Swansea play very, very well against Fulham in the first game and that tie is far from finished.’
    ‘It is a very difficult thing to do and would be unprecedented, but they looked very good indeed and if anyone can do it they can. If they had played Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool today they could have put four goals past them as well. That is how good they were.’
   Cristiano Ronaldo scored one of United’s goals from a relatively rare outing in a central striking role, to add to others from Darren Gibson, Portuguese winger Nani and substitute Danny Welbeck, while Miles Addison got one back for Derby.
   Despite Ronaldo’s impressive partnership with Ryan Giggs, Ferguson has no plans to use him in that position on a more regular basis.
   ‘He did well in a central role and we have great options with Ronaldo, but he is such a fantastic player out wide. He is streets ahead of everyone else in the game,’ added Ferguson.
   ‘The goals he can get from out there are very valuable to us and you cannot deprive yourself of that by moving him and we also have plenty of strikers. Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney will be back next week.