Main Page «
Front Page «
Metro «
Business «
International «
National «
Editorial «
Op-Ed «
Home «
Timeout «
Letters «

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

Argen-tina scraped into the World Cup Wednes-day with a 1-0 win over Uruguay as Diego Maradona finally celebrated mission accomplished after a stumbling, lacklustre qualifying campaign.
   The two-time champions needed a goal by substitute Mario Bolatti six minutes from time to earn the three points and secure the fourth and final qualifying spot from South America.
   Brazil, Chile and Paraguay had already made sure of their places in the finals.
   Uruguay finished in fifth and now face a play-off against Costa Rica, who finished fourth in the CONCACAF region behind USA, Mexico and Honduras, to decide their World Cup fate.
   In a poor match with few opportunities, the crucial moment came when Uruguay were reduced to 10 men when Martin Caceras was red-carded for a foul on Jonas Gutierrez.
   From the ensuing free-kick, Juan Sebastian Veron had a shot charged down, but Bolatti, on the field for just four minutes after replacing Gonzalo Higuain, reacted quickest to the loose ball to beat Nestor Muslera in the Uruguayan goal.
   Maradona, who had used over 70 players since taking over a year ago, opted to leave Carlos Tevez on the bench alongside Martin Palermo, who grabbed the last-minute goal which saw off Peru on Saturday.
   ‘I thank the team and the fans, who crossed the River Plate, for the privilege of taking Argentina to the World Cup,’ said Maradona, who was in combative mood at his post-match news conference.
   ‘But there were people who did not believe in us and who treated me like rubbish.’
   Uruguay, needing a win to make sure of automatic qualification, were on top early with Argentina unsurprisingly nervous and defender Gabriel Heinze picking up a booking after just nine minutes.
   Andres Scotti almost gave the home side the lead at the famous Estadio Monumental, but his header slipped by Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero’s post.
   Lionel Messi, who has yet to shine under Maradona despite his scene-stealing performances for Barcelona, attempted to catch out Muslera with a long distance free-kick.
   The goalless half-time stalemate suited Argentina as Ecuador, the only other rivals for the last qualifying spot, were also being held 0-0 at the interval by Chile in Santiago.
   The low-quality affair continued after the break with the first opening not coming until the 73rd minute when Diego Lugano headed wide from a pinpoint Diego Forlan free-kick.
   Uruguay continued to press against an Argentine team happy to pack seven defenders behind the ball as the clock ticked down before Bolatti, in just his third international, put his country into the finals.
   In Santiago, Chile took the lead against Ecuador thanks to a 51st-minute strike from Humberto Suazo. Ecuador, who had Segundo Castilla sent-off, needed to win to keep their qualifying hopes alive.
   Five-time champions, and group winners, Brazil were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Venezuela and they too finished with 10 men after Sao Paulo defender Miranda was red-carded.
   Paraguay also ended on a low note, losing 2-0 at home to Colombia.
   Rock-bottom Peru completed their programme with a 1-0 win over Bolivia, who had defeated Brazil at the weekend, thanks to a second-half strike from Johan Fano.
   It was Bolivia’s 38th qualifier away from their high-altitude fortress of La Paz without a win.
   Fano, meanwhile, was later sent-off.
   
   Final standings
   South America qualifying zone standings for the 2010 World Cup on Wednesday, the final round of matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):
   Brazil 18 9 7 2 33 11 34 - qualified
   Chile 18 10 3 5 32 22 33 - qualified
   Paraguay 18 10 3 5 24 16 33 - qualified
   Argentina 18 8 4 6 23 20 28 - qualified
   Uruguay 18 6 6 6 28 20 24 - play-offs
   Ecuador 18 6 5 7 22 26 23
   Colombia 18 6 5 7 14 18 23
   Venezuela 18 6 4 8 23 29 22
   Bolivia 18 4 3 11 22 36 15
   Peru 18 3 4 11 11 34 13
   
   * Note: Top 4 teams qualify for the World Cup. Uruguay enter a home-and-away playoff with Costa Rica, the fourth-placed team from North, Central America and Caribbean zone.
   
   World Cup qualified teams
   Countries assured of qualification for next year’s World Cup in South Africa after Wednesday’s South American zone matches (32 nations will take part in the tournament):
   Europe Zone
   Netherlands, England, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia
   Asia Zone
   Japan, Australia, South Korea, North Korea
   Africa Zone
   South Africa (as hosts), Ghana, Ivory Coast
   South America Zone
   Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina
   North America Zone
   Mexico, United States, Honduras

Aba-hani, Gazi Tank Cricketers, Moham-medan SC, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and newcomers Khelaghar SKS all recorded their second successive win while Kalabagan KC bounced back from a defeat to beat CCS in the Premier Twenty20 League on Thursday.
   Most of the second round matches were low scoring affairs as Abahani beat Old DOHS by four wickets before Khelaghar won by 22 runs against Victoria SC in Duckworth-Lewis method at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium.
   On a day when the bowlers ruled the roost, one exception was Mohammedan-BKSP match, a day-night affair at the Sher-e-Bangla
   National Stadium, where Tamim Iqbal smashed
   his second half-century
   of the competition to give the holders a 79-run victory.
   Star-studded Gazi Tanks survived a scare against Surjo Tarun at Fatullah before winning by 11 runs. Biman, however, faced little problem in beating Partex at the same venue in the afternoon.
   
   Mohammedan v BKSP
   Opting to bat first, Mohammedan ended their 20 overs with 155-7 thanks to the superb innings of Tamim, who scored 69 off 47 balls clubbing six fours and three sixes. Mohammad Ashraful was the other notable scorer with 34 off 30 balls.
   BKSP, in reply, were restricted to 76-8 in 20 overs, conceding their second defeat.
   Pacer Sajedul Islam took two wickets for Mohammedan giving away 14 runs.
   
   Kalabagan v CCS
   In the only televised match of the day at the SBNS, left-arm spinner Enamul Haque took 4-14 to force CCS to end their 20 overs for 85 runs and the Kalabagan batsmen made no mistake to overhaul the total with eight balls to spare.
   Abahani v Old DOHS
   After opting to bat first, Old DOHS managed a paltry 96-6 with Fazle Rabbi scoring 39 from 34 balls and Parvez Ahmed chipping in with 25 off 42 balls. Nasir Hossain and Shubhashish Roy scalped two wickets each conceding 14 and 19 runs respectively.
   Abahani cruised to 97-6 with 1.2 overs to spare with Rony Talukder hitting 49 off 44 balls. Nadif Chowdhury and Mahbubul Karim remained unbeaten on 17 and 11 runs.
   
   Khelaghar v Victoria
   Newly promoted Khelaghar could score only 113-7, but they faced little problem to return to the dressing room as winners despite the intervention of rain. Victoria were 58-6 in 14 overs
   when rain stopped the play and Khelaghar were declared winners according to Duckworth-Lewis method. Niaz Morshed made highest 39 runs for the winners.
   
   Gazi Tank v Surjo Tarun
   At the Fatullah Stadium, Gazi Tank failed to produce the performance of their first match and were all out for 115 runs, but luckily they could restrict Surjo Tarun to 103 runs. All-rounder Farhad Reza was the hero for the winners scoring 20 off just 10 balls before grabbing three wickets for 16 runs.
   Sanajamul Karim captured 5-22 while pacer Tapash Baishya grabbed 4-14 for Surjo Tarun but
   saw their efforts go in vain as apart from Imtiaz Hossain (46) and Rajin Saleh (26), none of the Surjo Tarun batsmen could deliver.
   
   Biman v Partex
   Pacer Talha Jubaer returned with 3-13 as Biman restricted Partex to 99-9 and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim did the rest to take them to 103-3 in 16.1 overs with his unbeaten 54 off 40 balls.

The first day of the 25th National Age Level Swimming saw five new national records at the National Swimming Complex at Mirpur on Thursday.
   Nazma Khatun of Bangladesh Ansar set a new national record in the 100 metre butterfly of the girl’s 11-12 year section with a timing of 1:21:40 seconds breaking the previous record of 1:24:84.
   In the 200m breaststroke for the girls’ 13-14 age group, Lucky Khatun of Bangladesh Ansar timed 3:15:14 seconds to wipe out the previous timing of 3:15:25sec.
   Jewel Ahmed of Bangladesh Ansar set a new national mark in the 400m individual medley of the 15-17 year section with a timing of 4:38:33 seconds. The old mark was 4:51:54 seconds.
   Md Asif Reza of the BKSP created a new national mark in the 200m breaststroke of the 13-14 year boys’ section crossing the distance in 2:48:73 seconds erasing the old mark of 2:54:00sec.
   BKSP’s Nazma Akhter won the 11-12 girls’ 100m breaststroke with a timing of 1:32:05sec. The previous record in the event was 1:32:90sec.
   A total of 404 boys and 174 girls from 77 teams are participating in the meet.
   Zahid Ahsan Russell, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the youth and sports ministry, inaugurated the competition as the chief guest.

Veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid’s one-day future looked in doubt Thursday after he was dropped for the first two home matches against world champions Australia starting later this month.
   The 36-year-old had returned to the team for a tri-series in Sri Lanka last month after spending nearly two years in the wilderness. He figured in three more matches in the recent Champions Trophy in South Africa before being axed again.
   Dravid, only the third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly to have completed 10,000 one-day runs, fared reasonably well on his return as he scored 180 in the last five matches.
   Hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag and all-rounder Yuvraj Singh returned to the squad after recovering from injuries.
   Sehwag, who missed the World Twenty20 in England in June and the Champions Trophy due to a shoulder injury, has scored 6,592 runs in 205 one-dayers with 11 centuries.
   Yuvraj was ruled out of the Champions Trophy after suffering a finger injury during a practice session before India’s first match in the competition.
   India failed to qualify for the semi-finals of both global events.
   ‘The selectors were advised that Yuvraj would definitely be fit to play (in the second one-dayer at Nagpur) on Oct 28,’ Indian cricket board Secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement.
   ‘It is possible that he may be able to play the first match as well. The decision on the playing eleven for the first match will be made based on Yuvraj’s fitness on October 25.’
   The hosts made five changes from the Champions Trophy squad, with paceman Munaf Patel and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja making comebacks. Seamer Sudeep Tyagi is the lone new face in the 15-man squad.
   All-rounders Yusuf Pathan and Abhishek Nayar, left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh and batsman Dinesh Karthik were also dropped.
   The squad for the remaining five games of the seven-match series will be announced later.
   Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Sudeep Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra.
   
   Schedule:
   Oct 25: First one-dayer at Vadodara
   Oct 28: Second one-dayer at Nagpur
   Oct 31: Third one-dayer at Delhi
   Nov 2: Fourth one-dayer at Mohali
   Nov 5: Fifth one-dayer at Hyderabad
   Nov 8: Sixth one-dayer at Guwahati
   Nov 11: Seventh one-dayer at Mumbai

Rustam Ali of Bangladesh and Dhankar Shaurya of India won the doubles crown in the Prime Bank ATF Under-14 Tennis Championships beating Biplob Ram and Jamil Bhuiyan of Bangladesh 6-4, 6-3 in the final at the National Tennis Complex on Thursday.
   Rustam was leading 6-3, 3-5 in the boys’ singles final against compatriot Biplob before rain halted the game. The game will resume in the morning today, said the Bangladesh Tennis Federation.
   Ka Man Cairn Ma of Hong Kong won double crown after lifting both the girls’ singles and doubles tittles. Ma beat India’s Moulika Ram 6-2, 6-1 in the singles final before winning the doubles teaming up with her compatriot Tsz Ching Chan against Moulika and Shambhavi Dixit.
   Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Deen, a vice-president of the BTF, has decided to donate Tk 1,60,000 per year to Rustam and Biplob, the boys’ singles finalist, who both come from a very poor family.
   A total of 35 players including 16 girls from eight countries – Bangladesh, USA, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan –participated in the competition.

The two semi-final matches and the final of the Citycell Federation Cup will be televised live from the Bangabandhu National Stadium by the BTV.
   The first semi-final between Dhaka Moham-medan and Feni Soccer Club will take place on Saturday at 6:00pm while Dhaka Abahani and Biyanibazar SC will play the second semi-final at 5:00pm on Sunday.
   The final will be held at 5:00pm on Tuesday.

The New Zealand cricket selectors are gambling on injured captain Daniel Vettori and all-rounder Jacob Oram being fit for next month’s limited-over series against Pakistan.
   Both were named in the 15-man squad announced Thursday for the series being played in the United Arab Emirates.
   The squad also includes one new international and three former players recalled after New Zealand’s stocks were decimated by injury during the recent Champions Trophy tournament where New Zealand were beaten finalists.
   Vettori and Oram, who were unable to play in the final, remain subject to fitness assessments on their hamstrings while Jesse Ryder, Daryl Tuffey, Brendon Diamanti and Grant Elliott were not considered because of injury.
   South African-born batsman BJ Watling is the new face following scores of 94 and 115 not out when he toured Australia with the New Zealand emerging players earlier this year followed by 97 with New Zealand A in India.
   Scott Styris, Tim Southee and Nathan McCullum are back in the side while Aaron Redmond remains as a top order batsman after being called in to replace Ryder during the Champions Trophy.
   ‘Coming off a great performance in the Champions Trophy there’s a confidence in the squad that we can do well in this series on neutral ground,’ said Vettori, who is now also a New Zealand selector.
   ‘It’s disappointing that we will be without some key players, but our campaign in South Africa showed there’s depth in the squad, with a number of players available to step up and perform.’
   New Zealand beat Pakistan by five wickets in the Champions Trophy semi-final before losing to Australia by six wickets in the final.
   The series is being played in the UAE after New Zealand backed out of a scheduled tour to Pakistan when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore in March, killing eight Pakistanis and injuring seven members of the touring squad.
   The first of three one-day internationals is on November 3 at Abu Dhabi and the series closes with two Twenty20 matches on November 12 and 13 at Dubai before both teams travel to New Zealand for a three-Test series.
   Squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Aaron Redmond, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor and BJ Watling.

Pakistan captain Younus Khan on Thursday met the country’s cricket chief to discuss his future after submitting his resignation over match-fixing allegations.
   The allegations were levelled by the chairman of the National Assembly sports committee following Pakistan’s close one-wicket defeat against Australia in a group match and semi-final loss against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy held in South Africa in September-October.
   Although the committee cleared the team of wrongdoing, Younus offered his resignation, saying he was offended by the accusations.
   ‘I am hurt by the allegations of match fixing which forced me to resign. Now its up to the PCB to take a decision,’ Younus told AFP on Wednesday.
   Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt, who has rejected the resignation despite Younus’s insistence, said he would consider the matter.
   ‘Chairman PCB met with Younus and a detailed discussion was held. Details of this meeting will be announced in (the) next few days,’ the PCB said in a statement.
   The PCB chairman has also summoned team coach Intikhab Alam, manager Yawar Saeed, assistant manager Shafqat Rana and vice-captain Shahid Afridi to further discuss on Friday the team’s performance during the Trophy.

The 5th Asian Archery Grand Prix, organised by Bangladesh Archery Federation and sponsored by Uttara Bank, will be held from October 19 to October 25 at the BKSP.
   Archers from India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Nepal, Iran, Iraq and Bangladesh will take part in the meet.

The 10th National Summer Athletic Competition, organised to judge the standard of athletics in the country ahead of the SA Games, begins at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.
   The state minister for youth and sports, Ahad Ali Sarkar, is expected to inaugurate the day-long meet as the chief guest.
   About 350 male and female athletes from across the country will take part in the 21 events of the competition.
   Shah Alam, general secretary of the Bangladesh Athletics Federation, said the event will provide the much-needed competitive atmosphere to the athletes and the officials ahead of the SA Games.
   He was addressing a press conference at the federation’s office on Thursday.

Pexatech Open International Chess comprising 202 players started at the chess federation on Thursday. 98 players won their first round matches.
   Niaz Murshed the first Grandmaster of the country inaugurated the tournament as the chief guest. The BOA vice-president, Mizanur Rahman Manu, Mokaddes Hossain, the general secretary of the chess federation, Ranadev Das Gupta, the treasurer were also present in the opening ceremony.

   Olympic 100m champion and world record holder Usain Bolt will switch from athletics to cricket on Sunday when he takes part in a celebrity match, organisers said.
   Bolt will join the star line up of players for the 15-over tournament taking place at Discovery Bay here.
   The one-day event also features West Indies stars Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor facing veterans such as Courtney Walsh, Richie Richardson and Curtley Ambrose.
   Bolt said: ‘When I heard about the event that Chris Gayle was planning, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
   ‘In terms of sport, cricket is my first love. I grew up watching cricketers like Courtney Walsh take the West Indies to new heights – and I am a big admirer of Chris Gayle for his power batting and calm attitude; he is my favourite player right now. So, to have the chance to play with these guys is a dream come true for me.’

India’s cricket chiefs on Thursday sacked the national team’s bowling and fielding coaches after the side’s first-round exit from the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
   The Indian cricket board ‘has decided to discontinue the services of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh with immediate effect,’ board secretary N. Srinivasan said in a terse one-line statement.
   Srinivasan did not detail why the two former India internationals, who had been involved with the national team since the tour of Bangladesh in May 2007, were removed.
   The board is expected to name their replacements before the seven-match one-day home series against world champions Australia, which opens on October 25.

Star-studded Portugal kept their World Cup hopes alive Wednesday by booking a back-door play-off place while unheralded Switzerland and Slovakia completed the nine automatic European qualifiers.
   Portugal, without injured Cristiano Ronaldo, defeated Malta 4-0 in Guimaraes with Nani, Simao, Miguel and Edinho making sure of second spot behind Group One winners Denmark, but ahead of Sweden, who missed out on qualification despite beating Albania 4-1.
   While Portugal, who were 2006 World Cup semi-finalists, can look forward to a two-legged play-off, Sweden and their 69 million-euro Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will watch next summer’s South African showpiece from home.
   Portugal had endured a terrible start to their campaign, winning just two of their first seven games and at one stage registering three back-to-back goalless draws.
   But Sweden’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark on Saturday allowed them to move into second place, and Wednesday’s win meant they joined seven other sides in the draw for the two-legged European play-offs, which take place in November.
   ‘For sure some points lost at home made life difficult for us but the important thing is that we made it and now we have to prepare for these two finals,’ said Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz.
   Slovakia qualified for their first World Cup finals after a 1-0 win against Poland secured their place as Group Three winners.
   An own-goal from Polish defender Seweryn Gancarczyk after just three minutes set Slovakia on the way to their first major finals since the country’s split with Czechoslovakia in 1993.
   Slovenia saw off San Marino 3-0 to make sure of a play-off spot.
   Switzerland made their German coach Ottmar Hitzfeld’s dream come true as a tense 0-0 draw against Israel in Basel made sure of top spot in Group Two.
   The Swiss clinched the group with 21 points, with Greece, who beat Luxembourg 2-1, finishing one point behind and securing a play-off spot.
   ‘It’s another success for me and a dream being fulfilled, it’s a present that Switzerland has given me,’ former Bayern Munich coach Hitzfeld said.
   England, who had already wrapped up Group Six, recovered from Saturday’s 1-0 defeat in Ukraine to beat Belarus 3-0 at Wembley with Peter Crouch (2) and Shaun Wright-Phillips grabbing the goals. Crouch has now scored 16 times in 17 starts for the national team.
   ‘Some things worked good, some things not so good. The players got better in the second half – what didn’t work is what we told the players at half-time, but that’s for us to know,’ said England coach Fabio Capello.
   Ukraine booked a play-off place with a 6-0 drubbing of Andorra, a result which meant Croatia were eliminated despite beating Kazakhstan 2-1 in Astana.
   Alexei Mikhailichenko’s Ukraine finished on 21 points, one ahead of Croatia.
   European champions Spain, who will be one of the favourites in South Africa, finished their Group Five campaign with a 100-per cent record after a 5-2 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina, who were already assured of the runners-up spot.
   Spain, without Xavi, Fernando Torres, David Villa, Carles Puyol and Cesc Fabregas, joined Group Nine winners Holland as the only team with a perfect record in Europe.
   First half goals from Gerard Pique and David Silva, a second-half brace from Alvaro Negredo, on his first start, and a late strike by Juan Mata ensured home Spain’s 10th win.
   Elsewhere, world champions Italy needed a late hat-trick by Alberto Gilardino to secure a 3-2 win over Cyprus who had led 2-0 at one stage.
   Italy had already secured top spot in Group Eight, but their fans jeered their team’s efforts in Parma.
   ‘Some of those fans forgot this team are world champions,’ said Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
   Germany, Group Four winners, were also well below-par needing a last-minute scrambled goal from Lukas Podolski to salvage a 1-1 draw against Finland in Hamburg.
   
   
   Final tables
   World Cup European zone tables after the final round of qualifiers on Wednesday (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):
   Group 1
   Denmark 10 6 3 1 16 5 21 - qualified
   Portugal 10 5 4 1 17 5 19 - play-offs
   Sweden 10 5 3 2 13 5 18
   Hungary 10 5 1 4 10 8 16
   Albania 10 1 4 5 6 13 7
   Malta 10 0 1 9 0 26 1
   Group 2
   Switzerland 10 6 3 1 18 8 21 - qualified
   Greece 10 6 2 2 20 10 20 - play-offs
   Latvia 10 5 2 3 18 15 17
   Israel 10 4 4 2 20 10 16
   Luxembourg 10 1 2 7 4 25 5
   Moldova 10 0 3 7 6 18 3
   Group 3
   Slovakia 10 7 1 2 22 10 22 - qualified
   Slovenia 10 6 2 2 18 4 20 - play-offs
   Czech Republic 10 4 4 2 17 6 16
   Northern Ireland 10 4 3 3 13 9 15
   Poland 10 3 2 5 19 14 11
   San Marino 10 0 0 10 1 47 0
   Group 4
   Germany 10 8 2 0 26 5 26 - qualified
   Russia 10 7 1 2 19 6 22 - play-offs
   Finland 10 5 3 2 14 14 18
   Wales 10 4 0 6 9 12 12
   Azerbaijan 10 1 2 7 4 14 5
   Liechtenstein 10 0 2 8 2 23 2
   Group 5
   Spain 10 10 0 0 28 5 30 - qualified
   Bosnia-Herzegovina 10 6 1 3 25 13 19 - play-offs
   Turkey 10 4 3 3 13 10 15
   Belgium 10 3 1 6 13 20 10
   Estonia 10 2 2 6 9 24 8
   Armenia 10 1 1 8 6 22 4
   Group 6
   England 10 9 0 1 34 6 27 - qualified
   Ukraine 10 6 3 1 21 6 21 - play-offs
   Croatia 10 6 2 2 19 13 20
   Belarus 10 4 1 5 19 14 13
   Kazakhstan 10 2 0 8 11 29 6
   Andorra 10 0 0 10 3 39 0
   Group 7
   Serbia 10 7 1 2 22 8 22 - qualified
   France 10 6 3 1 18 9 21 - play-offs
   Austria 10 4 2 4 14 15 14
   Lithuania 10 4 0 6 10 11 12
   Romania 10 3 3 4 12 18 12
   Faroe Islands 10 1 1 8 5 20 4
   Group 8
   Italy 10 7 3 0 18 7 24 - qualified
   Republic of Ireland 10 4 6 0 12 8 18 - play-offs
   Bulgaria 10 3 5 2 17 13 14
   Cyprus 10 2 3 5 14 16 9
   Montenegro 10 1 6 3 9 14 9
   Georgia 10 0 3 7 7 19 3
   Group 9
   Netherlands 8 8 0 0 17 2 24 - qualified
   Norway 8 2 4 2 9 7 10
   Scotland 8 3 1 4 6 11 10
   FYR Macedonia 8 2 1 5 5 11 7
   Iceland 8 1 2 5 7 13 5

Diego Maradona lashed out angrily at the media for failing to back him during Argentina’s roll-coaster ride to last-gasp qualification for the World Cup finals.
   After sneaking victory here over Uruguay on Wednesday night, the coach who led his country to World Cup glory in 1986, used the crudest terms to attack repeatedly ‘those who did not believe’.
   ‘I would like to thank the team for the privilege they have done me by taking me to the World Cup and (to thank) the people who travelled here,’ Maradona said Wednesday night.
   ‘However, there are people who do not deserve thanks,’ he said, in a barb aimed at the press which questioned his suitability for the job as well as the tactics of a team blessed with the talents of Lionel Messi.
   The criticism gathered pace after Argentina went down 6-1 in Bolivia in April and then lost to Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay.
   Argentina had to win their last two group games and just managed to do so thanks to a last-minute goal on Saturday against Peru and a scrambled winner from virtual unknown Mario Bolatti six minutes from time in Montevideo.
   As a result, Argentina claimed the region’s fourth and last qualifying place for South Africa.
   ‘I have a good memory,’ Maradona warned reporters. ‘I will not forget those who did not believe in my team and treated me as a good-for-nothing.
   ‘Today we are in the World Cup finals, without anybody’s help,’ Maradona said.
   Buenos Aires newspapers had reported that the coach’s relations with team manager Carlos Bilardo were on the rocks. ‘You made up the problems with Bilardo,’ Maradona charged.
   ‘God exists’ was sporting daily Ole’s headline.
   A shock choice to replace Alfio Bastile as coach on October 28 last year, Maradona turned 48 two days later.
   With no serious coaching experience, the decision was ridiculed as another dangerous flirtation with a legend whose lustre, outside of Argentina, had long faded.
   But at first he confounded his critics.
   A team which had won just one of its seven previous matches beat Scotland 1-0 in Maradona’s first game, saw off France 2-0 and Venezuela 4-0.
   Four days later, at La Paz’s unforgiving 3,500m altitude, Argentina were humiliated by Bolivia, one of two-time world champions’ heaviest defeats in history.
   Before the last two matches Maradona even suggested he might quit.
   ‘After the qualifying, I will speak with Julio (Grondona, the president of the Argentine football federation). I will see if I am to continue and this will be on my terms,’ he said.
   ‘When Julio offered me the job, I was the happiest man in the world. But since then, there are things that have not pleased me.’

Hondu-ras qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1982 and only the second time in history on Wednesday after a 1-0 victory at El Salvador and a heartbreaking draw for Costa Rica.
   Carlos Pavon scored in the 63rd minute to give the Hondurans the triumph over their ‘Soccer War’ rivals and join the United States and Mexico from North America for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
   After civil unrest over a power struggle in Honduras, national team coach Reinaldo Rueda sees the World Cup qualification in unifying terms.
   ‘It’s a contribution toward peace,’ he said.
   Victory alone was not enough and it appeared Costa Rica would cling to the last spot but Jonathan Bornstein’s header in the fifth minute of stoppage time gave 10-man United States a 2-2 draw with the Ticos at Washington to deny them.
   On a cold and rainy night where Bryan Ruiz scored in the 21st and 24th minutes to give Costa Rica a 2-0 lead, the Americans fought back to finish North American qualifying with three wins and two draws when foes score first.
   ‘It’s a good thing we respond and compete,’ US coach Bob Bradley said. ‘It was a strong effort. It’s not how you draw it up but it showed their maturity, the spirit of our team and we’re very proud of that.’
   Seconds away from a victory that would have booked a third consecutive trip to the global football showdown, Costa Rica instead lost out to Honduras and must now play Uruguay in a two-leg playoff to decide which makes the World Cup.
   The Americans finished atop the North American regional qualifying group at 6-2-2 for 20 points, one more than Mexico with Honduras third ahead of Costa Rica on goal difference plus-six to nil after each finished 5-4 with one drawn.
   ‘We’re very proud to win the group,’ coach Bradley said.
   But the victory came at a heavy cost.
   US star defender Oguchi Onyewu of AC Milan will be out three to four months with a torn left patellar tendon, the injury coming a day after a severe car crash that badly injured US forward Charlie Davies and likely took him out of the World Cup.
   ‘We’ve had two days of tough news,’ Bradley said. ‘It’s another setback for us.
   ‘Gooch has been such an important part of our team. It’s normally three of four months recovery time. He’s young. He’s healthy. He has good doctors. He’s someone we’re sure is going to get back.’
   With Onyewu carried off on a stretcher in the 83rd minute, a 10-man US side was left since the Americans had used all their substitutions. It proved enough.
   Michael Bradley, the US coach’s son, scored in the 72nd minute but the Ticos were still on track for a World Cup berth until defender Bornstein took a pass from Robbie Rogers and nodded it past Costa Rican goalkeeper Keilor Navas.
   ‘We put a lot of numbers in the box,’ Bornstein said. ‘I don’t usually go up for that but it was last shot time. No one marked me. I just snuck in there and the ball landed on my head.’
   Mexico could have captured the CONCACAF qualifying crown but settled for a closing 2-2 draw at Trinidad and Tobago.
   Kerry Batiste opened the scoring for the hosts in the 32nd minute on a penalty kick. Mexico’s Enrique Alejandro Esqueda levelled in the 55th minute but Baptiste scored his second goal of the game five minutes later.
   Mexico’s Carlos Salcido netted the final goal in the 67th minute.
   
   Final table
   Final table of the North and Central America and Caribbean zone after Wednesday’s final matches:
   Standings (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):
   United States 10 6 2 2 19 13 20 - qualified
   Mexico 10 6 1 3 18 12 19 - qualified
   Honduras 10 5 1 4 17 11 16 - qualified
   Costa Rica 10 5 1 4 15 15 16 - play-off
   El Salvador 10 2 2 6 9 15 8
   Trinidad and Tobago 10 1 3 6 10 22 6
   
   * (Top 3 advance to World Cup 2010 in South Africa, fourth-place Costa Rica faces Uruguay, the fifth-place team from South America, to determine another World Cup qualifier)

Fabio Capello laughed off David Beckham’s man-of-the-match award in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Belarus as comparable to Barack Obama being given the Nobel Peace Prize after only nine months in office.
   But the Italian nevertheless dropped his strongest hint yet that the midfielder will be on the plane to next year’s World Cup finals with a ringing endorsement of the 34-year-old’s ability to come off the bench and influence the course of matches.
   Beckham’s short corner led to Shaun Wright-Phillips scoring England’s second goal a minute after he had come on as a second-half substitute, and the LA Galaxy player also struck the post in the closing minutes.
   But the decision to name him the game’s outstanding player would have come as a surprise to Peter Crouch, who scored England’s other two goals, and the impressive Gareth Barry, who created both of the Tottenham forward’s strikes.
   ‘I was a bit surprised,’ Capello admitted with a smile. ‘It was like Obama winning the Nobel prize after nine months as president, Beckham being man of the match after 30 minutes.’ Beckham is expected to shortly agree another loan move to AC Milan for the second half of this season which will ensure he is operating at the kind of level Capello regards as essential if he is to be taken to South Africa.
   ‘With Beckham, the most important thing is that he has to play,’ Capello said.
   ‘For me it is very important because Beckham, when he plays, whether it is five minutes, 20 minutes or half an hour, he always plays very well. He is focused on the game. This is important. Sometimes players when they come on, have difficulty to enter the game but David always plays very well.’
   Capello would not be drawn on whether Crouch’s double would force him to reconsider his preference for Emile Heskey as a first-choice partner for Wayne Rooney, who missed Wednesday’s match with a calf injury.
   ‘I know very well Peter Crouch, I know very well the other players. He is one part of the squad, not more.
   ‘It will depend on the game we are playing and the style we want to play which players are on the pitch.’

Italy coach Marcello Lippi said the work begins now for the team’s defence of their title after finishing their World Cup qualification campaign with an unimpressive 3-2 win over Cyprus.
   Italy finished Group Eight undefeated after Alberto Gilardino scored a hat-trick in the last 12 minutes to turn around a 2-0 deficit into an unlikely victory.
   It means the world champions will set off on the long preparation journey ahead of June’s trip to South Africa in buoyant mood.
   But after changing all 11 players from those who clinched qualification – thanks to a last minute equaliser from substitute Gilardino – with a 2-2 draw in Dublin on Saturday, Lippi said there was nothing to be learned from this game.
   ‘I dont care about the result, if I had I wouldn’t have changed 11 players,’ he said.
   ‘I’m not disappointed, I will evaluate this match. We have six or seven months to work and we started tonight.
   ‘I can’t make a technical assessment because we changed 11 players, we knew we would have problems but I wanted to change things around because I wanted these players to experience the atmosphere.
   ‘Cyprus dominated and they played well but they lost and that’s the reality. We can’t get anything out of this game but the door is still open for anyone (to make the World Cup squad).’
   Despite the thrilling nature of Italy’s victory they were poor for most of the game, certainly up until the last 12 minutes, and they were booed off at half-time.
   Some fans also shouted at players to work harder, something which enraged Lippi.
   ‘I’m fuming, I’ve already said it on the pitch, some of those fans forgot this team is world champions,’ he said.
   ‘That means we went to the World Cup and finished ahead of everyone else.
   ‘We’ve qualified for the next tournament after a great match (against Ireland) and now we will go and defend our title.
   ‘We celebrated after that match and I promised the players I would make changes and we changed 11 players, something which I’ve never done before.
   ‘We knew we could have some problems as this is a team that on Saturday scored four against Bulgaria.
   ‘And for those people who during the game told us to go to work, they should be ashamed because we’re the world champions.
   ‘What angers me is the lack of respect for these incredible players who play with great heart and who despite the problems went on to win.
   ‘To those who said go to work, I say you go to work.’

David Beckham is on the verge of sealing a second loan move to AC Milan as he bids to cement his place in England’s squad for the World Cup in South Africa.
   Beckham believes it is 95 per cent certain he will return to the San Siro in November once his commitments with LA Galaxy are completed.
   The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder is desperate for one more crack at the World Cup and he knows England coach Fabio Capello will only consider him if he is playing top level football in Europe in the run-up to next year’s tournament.
   There had been speculation Beckham may choose to return to the English Premier League but instead it seems he is set to rejoin Milan, who he played for on loan last season. ‘The move to Milan is close,’ Beckham said. ‘I’ve always said I want to go back there and Milan have said they’ve wanted me from the time I left there to go back to the United States.
   ‘They are still saying the same now. It is 95 percent done so I don’t see why it is not going to happen now.’
   Despite no longer being a regular starter, Beckham still brings plenty to the table for England. The 34-year-old’s ability at set-pieces is second to none and his enthusiasm and professionalism make him a respected figure in the England camp.
   He underlined his value as a second half substitute in England’s 3-0 win over Belarus at Wembley on Wednesday.
   With England in danger of drifting through their final World Cup qualifier, Beckham came off the bench and set up his side’s second goal with virtually his first touch - a short corner converted by Shaun Wright-Phillips. He also hit a post and laid on a sumptuous pass that Peter Crouch should have finished.
   Capello was suitably impressed and said: ‘Whether Beckham plays five minutes, 20 minutes or half an hour he always plays very well. Sometimes substitutes have a problem to play normally. David always plays well.’
   Beckham, who didn’t feature in Saturday’s defeat in Ukraine, earned the man of the match award for his brief cameo role, a decision that surprised even the England star, but he knows that is the type of performance he has to deliver on a regular basis to stay in the squad.
   ‘It was either one of my ex-teammates or my mum or dad,’ he joked. ‘I was quite surprised by it but of course I’m honoured to get it as well.
   ‘We all know no-one is guaranteed a place. We all have to prove every game and training session that we want to be in the squad and in the team for every game. Not just for the World Cup, but every qualifier and every time we meet up. ‘We know what the manager is like and his feelings about whether you are playing well or not.

France signed off their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign with a 3-1 victory at home to Austria at the Stade de France here on Wednesday.
   Raymond Domenech’s side had already secured a play-off place behind Group 7 winners Serbia and gained revenge for their 3-1 defeat to Austria in September thanks to goals from strikers Karim Benzema, Thierry Henry and Andre-Pierre Gignac.
   The result puts Les Bleus in the draw for November’s play-offs alongside the seven other best runners-up in the European zone.
   Domenech took advantage of the fixture’s essentially meaningless nature to field a number of fringe players, with Real Madrid striker Benzema earning his first start since December 2008.
   The visitors produced the first serious attempt at goal when striker Stefan Maierhofer extended Hugo Lloris with an effort from the edge of the box, but a mistake from the Wolves man shortly afterwards led to the French opener.
   In attempting to play his way out of trouble after a French corner, Maierhofer allowed himself to be dispossessed by Florent Malouda, who scuttled to the byline before crossing for Benzema to score with a diving header.
   Henry made it 2-0 in the 26th minute, and extended his national record to 51 goals, with a powerful penalty after Christian Fuchs was penalised for a tug on France’s roving right-back Rod Fanni.
   Austria replied in the third minute of the second half when Marc Janko tapped home after Lloris had saved from substitute Erwin Hoffer, before Gignac – on for Henry – sealed France’s victory by cutting in from the left and curling a beautiful finish into the bottom-right corner.
   In the other matches in the group, group winners Serbia conceded two penalties in a 2-1 loss in Lithuania and Romania defeated the Faroe Islands 3-1.