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Ramna-resh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul steered the West Indies into the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 at England’s expense as they beat the hosts by five wickets on the Duckworth/Lewis method here Monday.
   West Indies, set a revised target of 80 in nine overs after rain delayed the start of the second innings, finished on 82 for five at the Oval with four balls to spare to triumph in a Super Eights match where the winners knew they were going through to the last four.
   Sarwan was 19 not out and Chanderpaul 17 not out, their unbroken stand worth 37 after West Indies had been wobbling at 45 for five in the sixth over.
   But the experienced duo got the target down to 16 off two overs.
   And that became four off seven balls when left-hander Chanderpaul clipped Stuart Broad off his pads for a boundary.
   They were left needing three off the last over from Ryan Sidebottom and Sarwan’s second ball four saw them home.
   Earlier, West Indies captain Chris Gayle square cut James Anderson for four but later in the first over opening partner Andre Fletcher fell for his third straight duck when he skied the bowler to wicket-keeper James Foster.
   That left the West Indies six for one but in the next over, from left-arm quick Sidebottom, Gayle drove and square cut two superb boundaries.
   However, with his fifth ball, Sidebottom bowled the left-hander for 15 and the West Indies were 16 for two.
   And the very next ball that became 16 for three when Lendl Simmons was out for a golden duck after a cut off Stuart Broad flew straight to Sidebottom at third man. But Kieron Pollard rallied West Indies by driving off-spinner Graeme Swann for six.
   Leg-spinner Adil Rashid was then launched for six first ball over extra-cover by Dwayne Bravo but hit back fourth ball to bowl Pollard.
   West Indies were 43 for four at the end of five overs but two balls later Foster, who’d stumped India star Yuvraj Singh during England’s nailbiting three-run win which saw the defending champions go out at Lord’s on Sunday, whipped off the bails to get rid of Bravo.
   Sarwan though counter-attacked with a cover-driven four off Anderson and next ball whipped him down to the fine leg boundary.
   England made 161 for six in their full 20 overs.
   Ravi Bopara top-scored with 55 but no other batsman made more than Kevin Pietersen’s 31.
   Pietersen, who made 46 against India, pulled his first ball, from Pollard, for four and next ball flicked him behind square for another boundary.
   Opener Bopara too showed plenty of class in on-driving Darren Sammy, a late replacement for the injured Fidel Edwards (back) and fellow quick Jerome Taylor for high quality boundaries.
   But a stand worth 56 was ended when Pietersen was caught by Andre Fletcher at deep square leg off medium-pacer Simmons for 31.
   Bopara, having made a fine fifty, could not press on and was lbw to occasional off-spinner Gayle.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle was a happy man as his side atoned in part for their ‘disaster tour’ of England by going through to the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 at the hosts’ expense.
   Set a revised target of 80 in nine overs, West Indies beat England by five wickets in a rain-affected match at the Oval here on Monday.
   They won with four balls to spare after a stand of 37 between senior batsmen Ramnaresh Sarwan (19 not out) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (17 not out) saw them recover from 45 for five.
   This victory was especially sweet as West Indies had been on the end of drubbings by England in both Test and one-day series earlier in this English season, defeats that called into question their character and commitment.
   Opening batsman Gayle said: ‘It was very satisfying. They had had the better of us.
   ‘We are happy to be in the semi-final after our disaster tour of England. We wanted to give our supporters something to cheer about. It’s been a long hard summer for us, so to be in the semi-final is brilliant.’
   Before they batted, the West Indies held England to 161 for six off 20 overs and Gayle said the home side had paid for a lack of power hitting down the order after star batsman Kevin Pietersen fell for a relatively modest 31.
   ‘The game was won and lost in that middle period. They lost Pietersen, they lost crucial wickets at crucial times. They needed a couple of hitters down there would have been really handy.
   ‘To restrict them to 161 was a good effort from our bowlers.
   ‘We didn’t then have the start to our innings we wanted but we couldn’t have had a better situation into which to have two experienced batsmen at the crease and they brought it home for us.’
   The West Indies scored 13 runs off both the seventh and eighth overs, bowled by England seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and Sarwan said: ‘We knew we were one big over from getting to a run-a-ball.
   ‘I always believe in myself and my team-mates. The most important thing was that I was calm and I had Shiv at the other end,’ he added.
   The Oval has been the scene of some of the West Indies’ greatest triumphs in England, including their 2004 Champions Trophy final win over the hosts.
   And they could well be back at the south London ground, where they have traditionally enjoyed strong support from the local Afro-Caribbean community, for Friday’s semi-final.
   Last year Gayle led the Stanford Superstars, a West Indies side in all but name, to a Twenty20 win over England in Antigua in a match where his team received one million dollars each for their victory.
   Asked if this was better, a smiling Gayle replied: ‘Definitely, you are just trying to get me into trouble now.’

Pakistan captain Younus Khan said the additional scrutiny his team had been placed under at the World Twenty20 because of ball-tampering allegations was ‘embarrassing’.
   Fast bowler Umar Gul’s feat in taking a Twenty20 international record five wickets in a comprehensive victory over New Zealand last weekend was soon mired in controversy after the Black Caps made an informal complaint regarding the state of the ball.
   However, no action was taken after match officials satisfied themselves there had been no foul play although that did not stop umpires Rudi Koertzen and Rod Tucker making repeated spot checks at the Oval on Monday as Pakistan beat Ireland by 39 runs to book their place in the World Twenty20 semi-finals.
   ‘We’re not cheating and today was very embarrassing with the umpires checking the ball all the time,’ Younus told reporters.
   ‘Sometimes it is very embarrassing because there are a lot of cameras so how can we cheat?’
   It was at the Oval three years ago that Pakistan became the first side in history to forfeit a Test match when Australian umpire Darrell Hair, supported by West Indian colleague Billy Doctrove, penalised them five runs for ball-tampering.
   Although they were subsequently cleared at an International Cricket Council hearing, their first visit to England since 2006 has seen them plunged into fresh controversy.
   ‘Why does this happen all the time in England?’ asked Younus. ‘Don’t talk about a bowler like Umar Gul because he has a good reputation. Why is it always about Pakistan?
   ‘I think we should forget about this thing and just focus on the game. There are a lot of cameras so why didn’t the cameras catch us doing something?
   ‘In this cricket there are a lot of sixes and the ball goes into the crowd a lot so the ball changes like that. It is an art actually, it’s not cheating.’
   Younus indicated he felt New Zealand’s complaint might be a case of sour grapes.
   ‘Everyone has their own opinion, especially when you lose a game like that. New Zealand have a good) reputation around the world and they are upset about getting out cheaply.
   ‘I still believe for reverse swing you need pace and a good action and he (Gul) has a good action.’
   Defeat ended the involvement in this World Twenty20 of Ireland, the last non-Test nation left in the tournament.
   But having beaten Bangladesh - a side they defeated along with Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean - and then run Sri Lanka close before losing by nine runs on Sunday, Ireland captain William Porterfield was proud of the way his side had performed.
   ‘I think we’ve learnt an awful lot,’ he said. ‘We’ve shown and reinforced that we can compete with these sides and hold them to respectable totals and really put pressure on them.
   ‘I think with the bat we’ve learnt a lot of things and looking at these teams and playing against them, that we’ve got to make a step up in class.’
   ‘The lads have seen what level we have to be at and hopefully we’ll be better prepared for the next Twenty20.’
   Younus has repeatedly said that this format is all about entertainment and enjoyment for spectators.
   But he stressed he was utterly determined Pakistan, who lost the inaugural World Twenty20 final by five runs to arch-rivals India in Johannesburg two years ago, go all the way at this event.
   ‘Only two games more and we win the World Twenty20. This is still good fun for the crowd, but everybody knows I am very serious about my cricket.’

India’s coach Gary Kirsten pointed fingers at the cash-rich Indian Premier League for his team’s ouster from the World Twenty20, saying it had left the players tired.
   India, who won the inaugural T20 Worlds in South Africa two years ago, lost both their Super Eight matches to the West Indies and hosts England to be knocked out before the semi-finals.
   Kirsten, the former South African opener, said his team was physically and mentally unprepared to defend the title because the cricketers were involved in the IPL.
   He also did not rule out asking his main players to withdraw from next year’s edition of the IPL in March so that they will be fresh for the next World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in April.
   ‘We had a lot of players with niggles coming into this tournament. A lot of those niggles were picked up during the IPL,’ said Kirsten ahead of the last Super Eights match against South Africa at Trent Bridge later on Tuesday.
   ‘We lose contact with our players during the IPL because they are connected to and responsible to their franchises.
   ‘The players take a lot of pride in playing for their franchises, but the bottom line is the amount of cricket did not play into our hands.
   ‘The next World Twenty20 is only something like nine months away and we are keen to start setting up our plans and strategies.
   ‘We got it wrong in this tournament and we need to go forward from that.’
   Kirsten said ordering his players out of next year’s IPL was an option he will consider.
   ‘I’ve seen that happen in other sports, I know in South Africa they do that in rugby union,’ he said. ‘Maybe that is something to think of in the future.
   ‘Whether it is possible, we don’t know.’
   The Indian cricket board-backed IPL was held in South Africa in April-May after the Indian government expressed inability to provide security because the tournament clashed with parliamentary elections.
   The five-week IPL is contested by eight franchises, owned by tycoons and Bollywood stars, who bought the world’s leading cricketers for huge amounts.
   Kirsten said Indian players should consider resting from the IPL, which he described as a ‘club competition’ whose standards were lower than the T20 Worlds.
   ‘That is a domestic competition, a club competition in many respects,’ he said. ‘While you have got international players playing in the teams, you have got first-class cricketers making up the rest.
   ‘I sense there is a reasonably big gap between what is happening at the IPL level and what is happening internationally (like the World Twenty20).’
   The IPL had left the Indian players exhausted, Kirsten added.
   ‘The one thing that did not play into our hands here is that we had a bunch of cricketers who were quite tired when they arrived in England,’ he said.

Paul Collingwood said England’s morale would not be damaged ahead of the Ashes by their World Twenty20 Super Eights exit at the hands of the West Indies.
    Collingwood, England’s Twenty20 captain in the absence of regular Test skipper Andrew Strauss, who opted out of the World Twenty20 because he believes himself unsuited to the format, said he would be returning the side to the opening batsman in a sound state. ‘Part of my job as captain is to keep the same sort of team ethos,’ he said.
   ‘Obviously Straussy hasn’t been a part of the Twenty20s so it was important for me to keep that togetherness. ‘When I give the reins back, the boys will be in good spirits.’
   England, beaten 5-0 in Australia in 2006-07, will look to repeat their home Ashes triumph of four years ago when the latest edition of cricket’s oldest Test rivalry gets underway in Cardiff on July 8.
   ‘Now we can focus on what’s coming ahead,’ said middle-order Test batsman Collingwood. ‘Now it’s time to get the bodies, minds and skills right to beat the Aussies in the Ashes.’
   ‘I am very proud of the guys,’ added Collingwood. ‘The way they’ve fought all the way through the tournament, which has been a rollercoaster ride for us, has been terrific.
   ‘At one point in that game I thought we had a real chance of winning it.
   ‘To get yourselves in that sort of position shows that we’ve got a lot of character in the side because it’s not easy defending a total like that off nine overs.

Pakistan could earn more than 10 million dollars even if they don’t host a single match in cricket’s World Cup in 2011, the sport’s governing body has indicated.
   The showpiece event is due to be co-hosted by South Asia’s four Test nations—India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh—in February-March 2011.
   The International Cricket Council took away the 14 World Cup matches from Pakistani soil due to the volatile security situation there, but the country retained its hosting rights.
   It means Pakistan will still get a hosting fee of 750,000 dollars per match from the ICC—a total of 10.5 million dollars for the 14 games—irrespective of where they are held.
   ‘Pakistan remains a co-host and retains its host fees for the 14 matches originally scheduled to take place there before the decision to remove the country as a host location for the tournarment,’ the ICC said in a statement.
   It added that the other three host nations have agreed to forego hosting fees for the 14 extra matches allotted to them that were originally due to be held in Pakistan, the ICC said.
   ‘Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka all accepted that if any of those 14 matches were to take place in their countries, then they would not be due any fee for hosting them,’ the statement said.
   ICC officials did not rule out the possibility of Pakistan holding its matches in the United Arab Emirates, where it hosted a one-day series against Australia in April-May in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
   ‘There are already four host nations,’ ICC president David Morgan said after a meeting with officials of the four co-hosts in London on Monday on the sidelines of the World Twenty20.
   ‘There could be a fifth country hosting matches.’
   The Pakistan Cricket Board, which had sent a legal notice to the ICC after the matches were taken away from the country, appears to have emerged a clear winner.
   If an off-shore venue is not finalised to host Pakistan’s matches, the PCB will still earn millions of dollars for the additional games allotted to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Feni Soccer Club thrashed Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club 3-0 in the Bashundhara Club Cup Championship at the Feni Stadium on Tuesday. At Cox’s Bazar, GRC Sporting Club of Narsingdi edged past Chittagong Mohammedan Sporting (Blues) 1-0.
   With this win Feni Soccer Club became the first team to reach the semi-finals.
   Arif opened the account for Feni Soccer Club in the 8th minute. Raju doubled the margin in the 28th minute and Sobuj netted the third in the 45th minute.
   In an evenly contested match, GRC Sporting scored the match winner through Shah Aziz in the 81st minute.

The Shapla Rong Biponi 1st National Baseball involving eight teams starts at the Platan Ground today.
   NSC secretary Shafik Anwar will inaugurate the meet as the chief guest.
   At a press conference held at the NSC auditorium on Tuesday the president
   of Bangladesh Baseball Association Alhaj Md Solaiman and general secretary Aminul Islam Liton disclosed all the details of the meet. The tournament will conclude on Friday.

BKSP, Viqarunnisa Noon School & College ‘A’ and Amzad Ali Sarkar Girls’ High School ‘A’ registered victories in the Girls’ School Cricket Tournament on Tuesday.
   BKSP registered a massive 10-wicket win over Amzad Ali Sarkar Girls High School ‘B’ at the Gulshan Youth Club ground. BKSP reached 32 for no loss in two overs after restricting the opponents to 31-8 in the stipulated 20 overs.
   Viqarunnisa thrashed Par Gandaria by eight wickets at the Azimpur Girls High School ground as they raced to 30-2 in 12.5 overs after bowling Par Gandaria out for 29 in 15.1 overs.
   Amzad Ali Sarkar Girls High School ‘A’ (29/3) routed Rahmatullah Model High School (26/10) by seven wickets at the Azimpur Girls High School ground.

Siddesh-wari Girls’ High School upset reigning champions Aga Khan School in the opening day of the Citycell Dhaka Metropolitan Women’s School Football Championship at the Dhanmondi Women’s Sports Complex on Tuesday.
   In the other matches of the day, Scholastica overpowered Rahmatullah Model High School 3-0 and Sir John Wilson School thrashed Agrani School Azimpur 6-0. Naushin of the winners slammed the first hat-trick of tournament.
   In the first match of the day, Scholastica rode on Zara, Zerin and Karishma who scored in the 19th, 23rd and 33rd minute.
   Naushin of Sir John Wilson School scored four goals in the 1st, 25th, 29th and 39th minute while Maisha and Namira scored the other two in the 17th and 24th minute.
   In the last match of the day, Akhi and Shantona of Siddheswari scored in the 16th and 19th minute to upset the champions Aga Khan School. Adiba of Aga Khan reduced the margin in the 36th minute.
   State minister for youth and sports Ahad Ali Sarker inaugurated the tournament as the chief guest. BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, Citycell’s general manager of Marketing Communications and Corporate Business, Sania Mahmood, BFF SVP Abdus Salam Murshedi, VP Monjur Hossain Malu, tournament committee chairman Sirajul Islam Bachchu were also present on the occasion.

Bangladesh Football Federation will host the AFC ‘A’ license certificate course from July 20th and has requested all the AFC ‘B’ licensee coaches to collect the entry form within June 18th. Two passport size photos, photocopy of national ID card and the B license certificate will be needed to collect the form.

Bangladesh Olympic Association felicitated its member Syed Shahed Reza for being appointed as the ambassador of Kuwait at the NSC auditorium on Tuesday.
   BOA secretary general Kutubuddin Ahmed presided over the programme. ‘With the selection of a sports organiser as an ambassador the government has honoured whole community. We hope Shahed Reza will be able to contribute towards the development of sports as the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Asia is located at Kuwait,’ said Kutubuddin.
   Syed Shahed Reza pledged to do his best. ‘I am a sports organiser and I will always be focused to it. I will try my best to help the country,’ said Reza.
   BOA vice presidents Mizanur Rahman Manu, Sirajul Islam Bachchu, CEO Col (Rtd) M Waliullah, president of Women’s Sports Association Rafia Akter Doli were also present.

A team of Aboriginal cricketers sets off for Britain on Saturday, following in the footsteps of a pioneering indigenous side recognised as the first to represent Australia in any sporting code.
   The original indigenous team toured England in 1868 — nine years before the first Ashes series established cricket’s oldest rivalry—enduring a three-month voyage before embarking on a 47-match tour.
   The side, which recorded a creditable 14 wins, 14 losses and 19 draws, is widely acknowledged as the first to compete under the Australian national banner, according to Cricket Australia.
   More than 140 years later, CA has assembled a team of young Aboriginal cricketers to honour the original touring party, playing at many of the same venues as the sporting trailblazers.
   Captain Dan Christian said it was daunting to consider the obstacles the tourists faced in 1868 and he hoped the tour,
   which coincides with Australia’s Ashes series, would fire interest in cricket among the Aboriginal community.
   ‘It’s hard to imagine what is was like to tour 141 years ago, three months on a boat for a start would have been hard enough for those guys,’ he said.
   ‘As we’ve seen through other sports, indigenous people are some of the most talented sportspeople in the country and it’s only a matter of time until some of this squad make their mark in first-class cricket.
   ‘This will give kids in the indigenous community more role models to look up to.’
   Tour manager Neale Price said the trip would show Aboriginal children the opportunities available to them if they pursued a career in cricket.
   ‘Cricket’s a game that can take you to the UK, India, South Africa, the West Indies—any corner of the world,’ he said.

Real Madrid’s new signing Kaka rescued Brazil with a last-gasp penalty to hand the defending champions a controversial 4-3 win over Egypt in the Confederations Cup on Monday.
   Brazil were leading 3-1 with first-half strikes from Kaka, Luis Fabiano and Juan cancelling out Mohamed Zidan’s effort before Egypt drew level with two second-half goals inside a minute.
   The game looked destined for a draw until substitute Ahmed al-Muhamadi deliberately handled the ball on the Egyptian goal-line and was sent off, leaving Kaka to coolly convert from the spot in the 91st minute.
   The penalty decision by English referee Howard Webb did not go down well with Egypt, who filed a complaint with FIFA after the match.
   They were unhappy that Webb initially blew for a corner but changed his mind after the fourth official, Australia’s Matthew Breeze, spoke to him after seemingly checking television replays.
   ‘Since when do the regulations say it is a penalty based on the monitors or on the television?’ asked Egypt’s deputy coach Shawki Gharib.
   ‘Egypt is going to file a complaint against the penalty.’
   Brazil coach Dunga said he saw nothing wrong with the decision.
   ‘It was a clear case of a penalty,’ he said, adding that his team let a two-goal lead slip because they were tired.
   ‘We had two tough (World Cup) qualifiers, 23 hours of travel and the time difference. The players have not been sleeping well so obviously we are quite happy with the win.’
   Despite the match being played in front of thousands of empty seats, there was a carnival atmosphere that was ignited by an incredible opening 12 minutes that saw three goals.
   Kaka produced a piece of magic, and exploited hesitancy in the Egyptian defence, to open the scoring in the fifth minute.
   Barcelona full-back Daniel Alves chipped the ball into the box and Kaka took one touch to lob it over a defender then rounded another before slotting it past goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary.
   But Brazil’s jubilation did not last long with Egypt back on level terms four minutes later when Mohamed Aboutrika crossed from the right and Zidan rose above Alves to send a powerful header into the net.
   There was more drama to come in a breathless opening spell with Brazil taking the lead again after 12 minutes when Elano’s free kick found Luis Fabiano, who cleverly directed his header into the bottom left-hand corner.
   Brazil got their third eight minutes before the break when Juan climbed above the defence to plant a header past Al-Hadary from Elano’s well-placed corner.
   Egypt had plenty to prove here after crashing 3-1 to Algeria in World Cup qualifying last week - a result which has put their place at next year’s tournament in doubt - and they showed their mettle in the second half.
   After a clever build-up Sayed Moawad pulled the ball back from down the left to Mohamed Shawky, who thundered a right-footed strike past Julio Cesar.
   Before a dazed Brazil had time to recover, Egypt had another with Zidan finding the net barely seconds after the restart.
   It sparked a new urgency to the game with the crowd getting behind the underdogs.
   Dunga took off Manchester City pair Robinho and Elano soon after and replaced them with newly signed Benfica midfielder Ramires and AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato but it was Kaka who ultimately saved the day.

New Real Madrid signing Kaka has defended the penalty decision that handed Brazil a controversial 4-3 win in their Confederations Cup opener against Egypt.
   The former AC Milan playmaker converted the spot kick in the 91st minute to crush Egyptian hopes late Monday after they fought back from 3-1 down.
   ‘It was definitely a penalty,’ said Kaka, who will link up next year at Real with the club’s other big money summer signing, Cristiano Ronaldo.
   ‘It is good for the referee to have people around him to help,’ he added, referring to English referee Howard Webb apparently awarding the penalty after consulting with the fourth official who Egypt claimed watched a video replay.
   Referees are not allowed to use video technology.
   Egypt said it would lodge an official complaint with FIFA.
   ‘The Egyptian Football Association finds it very strange that the referee whistles for a corner and the linesman said corner and then the decision came from the fourth official,’ said deputy coach Shawky Gharib.
   ‘Since when do the regulations say it is a penalty based on the monitors or on the television?’
   Kaka also said: ‘We got the win, and that’s extremely important,’. ‘But there still a lot to improve.’
   Kaka did not have one of his best matches, missing several passes and failing to create many dangerous scoring chances for Brazil. But the former world player of the year scored Brazil’s first goal and the decisive penalty kick in front of 27,851 fans at Free State Stadium.
   ‘It wasn’t a great performance, I know, but at the end we got the result we needed,’ Kaka said.
   ‘We made some mistakes and Egypt was able to take advantage of them,’ Kaka said. ‘That cannot happen again.’
   Kaka said the Brazilian players were too tired from the long trip to South Africa and the recent World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay.
   ‘We had a very good first half but then we started getting tired,’ the 27-year-old Kaka. ‘Exhaustion was a key factor.’
   Kaka made an ‘L’ with his fingers and showed it to the cameras during the celebration of his second goal, honoring his son Lucas, whose birthday was just a couple of days ago.
   ‘There is no doubt that this match should come as a warning,’ midfielder Gilberto Silva said. ‘I don’t remember Brazil allowing two goals in one minute and it’s been a long time since we allowed three goals in a match. It should be a warning for all of us so it doesn’t happen again.’
   It was the first time in 57 matches that Brazil conceded three goals. The last time was four years ago in a World Cup qualifier against South American rival Argentina.
   ‘We had more problems than we expected,’ striker Luis Fabiano said. ‘We were all a bit tired, but we have to find ways to get over that and avoid more difficulties in the next match.’
   Brazil coach Dunga said the team’s exhaustion in the second half led to a tactical mistake that allowed the Egyptians to come back.
   ‘We should have played back a bit instead of trying to push forward at that time, and in the end we gave Egypt too much space,’ Dunga said. ‘But that’s natural because the players were exhausted.’
   Dunga said he saw some positive aspects in Brazil’s performance.
   ‘Despite being tired, the players fought until the end to get the victory,’ the coach said. ‘That was important to see.’
   Brazil played at Uruguay and hosted in qualifiers Paraguay shortly before heading to South Africa for the Confederations Cup. Players complained they haven’t been able to sleep well since arriving on Thursday because of the five-hour time difference between the two countries.
   ‘Things should get better as we spend more time here and get used to everything,’ captain Lucio said.
   Dunga said he may make changes in his lineup for the match against the United States, depending on his players’ condition. The team was expected to return to practice Tuesday in Pretoria.

World champions Italy joined Brazil at the top of Group B after coming from behind to beat 10-man United States 3-1 in an electric Confederations Cup encounter here on Monday.
   Landon Donovan put the States into a first half lead only for the Azzurri to hit back after the break with goals from New York-born substitute Giuseppe Rossi and Daniele De Rossi.
   USA coach Bob Bradley naturally pointed to Ricardo Clark’s red card eight minutes before half-time as a turning point.
   ‘The sending off seemed harsh, for me it was more yellow. To have to play so long down a man was difficult,’ he said before reflecting on the irony of Rossi’s’ American connection.
   ‘I’ve known the Rossi family a long time, Giuseppe’s dad coached high school soccer in New Jersey. I certainly hoped that he would have played for us but he made his decision.’
   Italy coach Marcello Lippi too dwelled on his star substitute’s birthplace, smiling: ‘I was certainly happy tonight Giuseppe was Italian and not American!’
   He added: Even though they went a man down it wasn’t that easy, they are a strong team but once we found our peace of mind we played with greater lucidity and won, but it wasn’t easy.
   ‘Rossi’s contribution was significant, he obviously scored a goal seconds after coming on and that helped our mental state.’
   The state capital’s 45,000-seater Loftus Versfeld stadium was three-quarters full with the Tricolor comfortably outnumbering the Stars and Stripes off the pitch and, after Clark’s dismissal, on it too.
   Lippi was without injured World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, but back on national duty was another World Cup winner, Gennaro Gattuso, fit after a knee injury that had kept him sidelined since Christmas.
   Six of Bradley’s CONCACAF Gold Cup winners were veterans of the bruising 1-1 draw with Italy at the World Cup in which two US and one Italian were sent off.
   Italy, who hadn’t lost to the States for 75 years, had the early run of play.
   On eight minutes Gianluca Zambrotta lobbed a long ball for Vincenzo Iaquinta to head into the path of Alberto Gilardino only for the Florentina forward’s shot to fall safely into the hands of Tim Howard.
   Nicola Legrottaglie’s diving header in the 20th minute would have posed a greater threat if it hadn’t gone wide of the Everton stopper’s right post.
   Gianluigi Buffon had his first taste of action when Michael Bradley, the US coach’s son, burst into the box only for Legrottaglie to take the punch out of his angled shot.
   The US’s lone striker, Jozy Altidore, then came calling on the Italian captain but his slide rule pass from the left failed to make it to the waiting Benny Felhaber.
   The States went a man down in the 32nd minute after Clark was sent off, arguably harshly, by Chilean referee Pablo Pozo, for a foul on Gattuso triggering heated protests from the men in white.
   Soon after the Italians had the ball in the back of the net thanks to US defender Jonathan Bornstein’s boot, only for Mauro Camoranesi to be ruled offisde.
   The Americans took the lead in the 41st minute when Altidore was felled by Juventus defender Giorgio Chielleni in the box with Pozo pointing immediately to the penalty spot.
   Donovan stepped up to do the honours, his country’s all-time top scorer slotting home his 40th international goal on his 111th cap.
   With their numerical superiority Italy came out for the second half intent on restoring world order against a team ranked 10 places below them in FIFA’s rankings.
   Lippi brought on striker Rossi for Gattuso and Ricardo Montolivo for Mauro Camoranesi on 57 minutes and seconds later Rossi let loose a 30 metre cannonball which flew past Howard’s fingernails to land in the top left hand corner of his net.
   Howard had to look lively to punch away a shot from Andrea Pirlo but he had no answer when De Rossi, in the 72nd minute, struck with his right foot from 20 metres, the ball bouncing once on its journey into the bottom right corner.
   Rossi rounded off the night with Italy’s third in the fourth minute of injury time.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas says he is proud to have cemented a place in Spain’s starting 11, but knows he needs to perform consistently to stay there.
   The 22-year-old played a starring role in Spain’s 5-0 demolition of New Zealand in their opening Confederations Cup game on Sunday, proving the perfect foil for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.
   He also scored a goal, in the first time he had started for Spain at a major international tournament.
   ‘I played well, as did the whole team. It was a great way to set the ball rolling, and I hope that from here we can improve with every game,’ he told fifa.com.
   Fabregas, who this month moved to quell speculation over his future by pledging to stay with Arsenal, said starting for Spain was a source of pride, although he talks down the achievement.
   ‘It’s not as though I wasn’t a regular before this tournament. I came on as a substitute in many games and played 30 minutes or more, so in total I played for longer than a lot of the players who started,’ he said.
   ‘I’ve always felt like a regular on the team, and I think I’ve played my part in our success.’
   Fabregas admits, however, that there is something special about being on the pitch from the outset and lining up for the anthems.
   ‘Naturally ever player wants to start games, but there are fantastic players in this team, all of whom are good enough to be out on the pitch. That’s why breaking into the starting 11 is no easy task.’
   Next up for Spain is Iraq, who ground out a 0-0 draw with South Africa in their opening game.
   Despite Spain being favourities here today, Fabregas said there was no room for complacency as the national team searches to extend its 33-game unbeaten run.
   ‘We know we’re favourites but we’ve got to be wary going into these matches,’ he said.
   ‘We saw the game between South Africa and Iraq before travelling to the stadium and we’re going to analyse the video. We’ll be taking the remaining matches extremely seriously.’
   A victory for Spain would ensure the European champions’ progression into the semi-finals.

Marcello Lippi brushed aside suggestions that he had conjured up Italy’s spellbinding second half performance against the United States in Monday’s 3-1 win with a ‘magical’ half-time talk.
   Rather he said his world champions had found ‘peace of mind’ having gone into the break trailing by Landon Donovan’s 41st minute penalty which followed teammate Ricardo Clark’s controversial sending off.
   Seconds after being introduced as a 57th minute substitute Giuseppe Rossi levelled with Daniele De Rossi putting the Azzurri in front only for his New York-born colleague to get a second deep in injury time.
   Lippi revealed: ‘There were no magic words at half-time. In the locker room you say things that you think need saying at certain times. You can get angry with the players if they’re not concentrated enough, but that wasn’t Italy’s case.
   ‘We found our peace of mind in the second half - ‘ooomph’ is not enough, you have to have peace of mind.’
   Italy’s numerical advantage certainly helped, Lippi admitted, but it was by no means the deciding factor.
   ‘Remember in Germany (at the 2006 World Cup) the teams were down to ten men each and then 10-9 for us and we still didn’t win that game.
   ‘Just because we were in the majority here it wasn’t easy as the US are a very strong team, their number five (Oguchi Onyewu) was intercepting all our high balls.
   ‘But then Rossi came on and scored after one minute and we went on to win, but don’t think it was easy.’
   Asked how pleased he was to have American-born Rossi, who could have played for the States, wearing an Italy shirt he smiled: ‘Very!’
   For US coach Bob Bradley though Rossi’s contribution was hard to take.
   ‘I’ve known the Rossi family a long time, Giuseppe’s dad coached high school soccer in New Jersey. I certainly hoped that he would have played for us but he made his decision.
   ‘He’s a very talented young player, it’s an exciting day for him and obviously a very disappointing day for us.’
   Italy can seal their place in the semi-finals with victory over Egypt in Johannesburg on Thursday but Lippi is wary of the Pharoahs after the African Nations Cup champions’ pushed Brazil all the way in Monday’s 4-3 loss.
   ‘Egypt have won two African titles, I know the team well.

Real Madrid has received loans worth 153 million euros to pay for new players to build its team of new ‘Galacticos,’ such as Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.
   A spokesman for Caja Madrid savings bank said Tuesday it had leant Real 76.5 million euros, ‘half of the total’.
   The newspaper El Mundo reported Real had received two loans, one from Caja Madrid and the other from Santander bank to pay for new players.
   Neither Santander nor Real would confirm the report.
   El Mundo said the loans would be guaranteed by the 600 million euros that club will receive from the Mediapro group for television broadcast rights of its matches.
   New Real president Florentino Perez has vowed to create a ‘spectacular team’ capable of overtaking arch-rivals Barcelona next season.
   During his first stint as president, from 2000 to 2006, he oversaw the era of the ‘Galacticos’ when world stars such as France’s Zinedine Zidane, England’s David Beckham and Brazil’s Ronaldo were attracted to the club.
   This month, he signed Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a world record 94 million euros, days after paying AC Milan 65 million euros for Brazilian playmaker Kaka.

Bayern Munich are demanding ‘an astronomic sum’ for French international midfielder Franck Ribery, Real Madrid’s managing director said Tuesday.
   ‘There was interest (by Real) in Ribery at a certain point, but Bayern are sticking to a very hard position,’ Jorge Valdano said.
   ‘They don’t want to sell and that is why they are proposing an astronomic sum.’
   Spanish media said Tuesday that Ribery would prefer a move to Real than to other clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea or Barcelona.
   The sports newspaper Marca said that Ribery’s transfer could be announced this week.
   Another sports paper, AS, said Ribery discussed his future at a meeting last weekend with his family and his agent, Alain Migliaccio, who also works for Zinedine Zidane, the France legend who is now adviser to Real’s new president Florentino Perez.
   ‘Real (Madrid) or nothing,’ was the conclusion of the meeting, according to AS.
   The German media has said only an offer of more than 60 million euros could tempt Bayern to sell the 26-year-old, who is under contract with the club until 2011.
   Perez has vowed to create a ‘spectacular team’ capable of overtaking arch-rivals Barcelona next season.
   During his first stint as president, from 2000 to 2006, he oversaw the era of the ‘Galacticos’ when world stars such as France’s Zinedine Zidane, England’s David Beckham and Brazil’s Ronaldo were attracted to the club.
   This month, he signed Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a world record 94 million euros, days after paying AC Milan 65 million euros for Brazilian playmaker Kaka.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted that he could retire from the game when his current contract expires in 2013, in an interview with France Football magazine published on Tuesday.
   Gerrard made his debut for the club in 1998 and has since gone on to win two FA Cups, one League Cup, one UEFA Cup and the 2005 Champions League, when he inspired his side to a memorable comeback from 3-0 down against AC Milan.
   ‘I will be 33 at the end of my contract in 2013 and I don’t know if I will go any further,’ said Gerrard, 29, who was named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year for 2008-09 after scoring 24 goals in all competitions.
   ‘If I do retire, then I will know that from the start to the end of my career I only had one club. And I don’t want to think about wearing any other shirt in the future.
   ‘I was close to leaving in the past, maybe twice, most notably in 2005. That year we were a long way off the Premier League title and Chelsea’s interest turned my head.
   ‘It was a difficult moment for me. However, now when I look back I am very happy that I chose to stay here. It has given me real pride.’
   The only major trophy to elude Gerrard in his Liverpool career is the Premier League title, as the Merseyside giants haven’t finished a season at the summit of English football since 1990.
   But Rafa Benitez’s side pushed eventual champions Manchester United all the way last season, and Gerrard believes they will be able to mount an even stronger challenge next term.
   ‘I think the experience of defeat will help us next season,’ he said.
   ‘When you’re a player, it’s always hell to see other players lifting trophies.
   ‘The team made huge progress last season. Today we are much closer to the title than in the past.
   ‘Manchester United have more depth in their squad than us, we have to be realistic.
   ‘But if we can add two or three quality players to what we already have, we’ll be at their level. The summer recruitments will be crucial.’

Barcelona won legions of new admirers with their breathtaking football last season, but they were not the only European team to set tongues wagging about the quality of their play.
   Expansive, attacking football garnered plaudits and trophies across the continent, with Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over defending champions Manchester United in the Champions League final the crowning moment of a season in which beauty frequently triumphed over brawn.
   Barca, steered by 38-year-old former captain Pep Guardiola in his debut season as a coach, were the standard-bearers, winning an unprecedented haul of Spanish league, King’s Cup and Champions League.
   A brand of football based on aggressive pressing in the opposition half and quick, incisive passing saw them eviscerate teams from Munich to Mallorca, but Guardiola revealed that their high-octane style had as much to do with their shortcomings as their strengths.
   ‘Without the ball we are a horrible team,’ he said. ‘We need the ball, so we pressed high up the pitch to win the ball back early.’
   The results were astonishing.
   In all competitions they amassed a total of 158 goals, with their feted front three of France forward Thierry Henry, Cameroon hitman Samuel Eto’o and dazzling Argentine winger Lionel Messi scoring more goals between them (97) than any team in any of Europe’s major leagues.
   Barca’s stellar success spelled misery for their fierce rivals Real Madrid, but even the Spanish league’s runners-up notched an eye-catching 83 league goals after embarking on an 18-game unbeaten run in mid-season that almost upset the Barcelona trophy procession.
   Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, secured fourth place and Champions League qualification with a run of eight wins in their last nine games that owed much to the league-high 32 goals of Uruguayan international Diego Forlan.
   It was not only in Spain, however, that attacking football was given free rein.
   In Germany, Felix Magath’s Wolfsburg roared to a first Bundesliga title in their history thanks to an attacking formula that saw them net 80 league goals.
   ‘Magath gave his artists a framework in which they could let loose - with an idea of fast attacking football, with hungry and able players, with a hard training regime,’ wrote German daily Tagesspiegel.
   Their title triumph was built on a tremendous late-season burst of form, in which strikers Edin Dzeko of Bosnia and Brazilian Grafite came to the fore.
   The pair’s 54 goals broke the 37-year-old record for a strike partnership set by Bayern Munich pair Gerd Muller and Uli Hoeness in 1971-72, but owed much to the promptings of Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic.
   Playmakers like Misimovic were in vogue across Europe, with Yoann Gourcuff inspiring Bordeaux to their first French title for 10 years, while in England the deployment of Steven Gerrard in a more advanced role took Liverpool to within inches of their first league crown since 1990.
   Brazilian maestro Diego earned a lucrative move to Italian giants Juventus after inspiring Werder Bremen to glory in the German Cup and a place in the UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten by another team based on Brazilian flair in the form of Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk.
   ‘My philosophy is to build teams, to educate players, to try to bring through young players,’ said Shakhtar’s 63-year-old Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu after his side’s 2-1 victory.
   ‘It’s a big passion and I will do it for as long as I can.’
   As this summer’s transfer merry-go-round swings into motion it is the sport’s star attackers - Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery among them - who are generating all the headlines, and it is hardly surprising after a season in which attack was firmly established as the way forward.

Bora Milutinovic, the only man to coach five different teams at the World Cup, said Tuesday he believed Spain’s time had come to dominate world football.
   The veteran Serb, now in charge of Iraq, said the current generation of Spanish players was one of the best he had seen.
   ‘They have a great generation of players like Brazil in the 1970s and France in the 1990s. Now is the time of Spain,’ he said ahead of Iraq’s showdown with Spain at the Confederations Cup here Wednesday.
   ‘They play a beautiful game with outstanding performers.
   ‘Spain has always had excellent players and competitive teams but it seems that the results are starting to come for them,’ he added.
   ‘They are spectacular and they seem to be enjoying playing the game, which, for me is very important and one of the reasons why they are doing so well.’
   Spain go into Wednesday’s match looking to equal the record for the longest winning run by a national team, giving them an extra incentive to beat Iraq.
   The record of 14 straight victories is jointly held by Brazil and France and the European champions have a great chance of not just matching it but going one better, with South Africa next up after Iraq.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the verge of a world record transfer to Real Madrid, has received more good news after the Portugal winger was told he will not face any charges after writing off his Ferrari sports car in a crash.
   The Manchester United star, who should finally complete his long-desired move to Real for 80 million pounds later this month, demolished the front of his Ferrari when it hit a roadside barrier under a tunnel near Manchester Airport in January.
   Ronaldo, FIFA’s World Player of the Year, escaped uninjured and spoke to police at the scene before making his way to Manchester United’s training ground.
   After investigating the incident and interviewing Ronaldo last month, Manchester police decided not to take action against the 24-year-old, who also provided a written statement following the crash.
   A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said on Tuesday: ‘No further action will be taken against the driver of a Ferrari 599 GTB, which collided with a wall on the A538 Wilmslow Road on Thursday, January 8.
   ‘No one was injured and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.’

Atletico Madrid’s president said Monday he has received no offers for Argentine star Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero, a reported target of Chelsea, or Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan.
   ‘No club or representative has come to us,’ said Enrique Cerezo. ‘We have no offers for our players.
   ‘We don’t want to sell, the idea is to make a great team,’ he said.
   British media reports last week said Chelsea had launched a 45-million-pound (53-million-euro) bid to sign the 21-year-old Aguero, who scored 17 goals last season to help Atletico claim a place in the Champions League.
   Cerezo said he had not heard from Real Madrid’s new president Florentino Perez, despite Spanish press reports the club was interested in Forlan, the top scorer in the Spanish league last season.
   Atletico qualified for the 2009/2010 Champions League by finishing fourth in the league.

Spanish Primera Liga club Valencia said it has yet to receive any ‘satisfactory offer’ for star striker David Villa, a target for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
   ‘On the subject of David Villa, two points need to be clarified: Valencia has never concluded an agreement with a club for Villa’s possible transfer and currently we have not received any satisfactory offer,’ said the club’s sporting director Fernando Gomez Colomer.
   ‘There have been foreign clubs interested, there have been offers. The player prefers to stay at Valencia,’ he said following a board meeting of the club on Monday.
   The Spanish press have said Manchester United are interested in Villa, one of the stars of Spain’s victorious Euro 2008 squad.
   Barcelona vice president Rafael Yuste said on Sunday that the Spanish and European champions had began negotiations for the 27-year-old.

Italy unveiled new light blue retro jerseys and brown shorts Monday that hark back to the Azzurri’s first two World Cup titles in 1934 and 1938.
   ‘It’s a bit more pallid blue, but whatever the color is, the four stars are there and we want to honor this jersey,’ coach Marcello Lippi said when the sky-blue shirts were presented recently.
   The new kits also give Italy the possibility to alternate brown shorts and socks with the traditional white ones. The brown option was on display when the Azzurri opened the Confederations Cup against the United States, which wore all white.
   ‘That is also an homage to the national team of those years,’ Puma Italia general manager Andrea Rogg said. ‘Back then they wore black sometimes, but we preferred dark brown for aesthetic reasons.’Puma’s eight-year deal with the Italian football federation is reportedly worth ?114 million ($157 million), plus royalties.
   The new kits are only for the Confederations Cup. Italy will revert to its traditional darker blue jerseys at an Aug. 12 friendly with Switzerland, while another new kit will presented for the 2010 World Cup.