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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Heroes

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was Manchester United's hero as Sir Alex Ferguson's side claimed the club's third European Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea on a night of almost unbearable drama in Moscow. Edwin van der Sar could do nothing about Lampard's goal but ended the hero as he produced a brilliant decisive save to keep out Anelka's penalty.


Ronaldo's undiserable miss could have create a end to the Champions League but Lampard's made it to draw as he slipped and miss the target that could have given Chelsea the title. Both sides shows their best performance that extended to extra time but the winner shows the winning game in the penalty shots.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Nadal dethrones Federer as Hamburg champion

Rafael Nadal warmed-up for his French Open title defence in style when he ousted a demoralized Roger Federer as Hamburg Masters champion winning the final 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 here on Sunday.

In a rematch of the 2007 title clash, which was won by Federer, triple Roland Garros champion Nadal showed a determined fighting spirit with a superb array of shots to claim victory after 2 hours 52 minutes.

It was the Spaniard's tenth win over Federer - his eighth on clay. It also ended the Swiss world number one's 41-match unbeaten run on German soil.

Since Federer's previous defeat in Germany - to Mark Philippoussis here in 2003 - he had won seven straight German tournaments: three in Hamburg on clay and four in Halle on grass.

It left Nadal with 108 wins on clay from 110 matches since April 2005 and reinforced his position as the overwhelming favourite to win a fourth consecutive Roland Garros, which starts on May 25, and where he is unbeaten after 21 matches.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Federer to face Nadal in final

Holder and top seed Roger Federer beat unseeded Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-1 in the Hamburg Masters on Saturday to set up a final with Spain's Rafael Nadal for the second year in a row.

Second seed Nadal won a magnificent three-hour semi-final battle with Novak Djokovic, beating the fast-rising Serb 7-5, 2-6, 6-2

In Saturday's first semi-final, world number one Federer was only once under pressure on his serve against Seppi and closed out the win in 79 minutes. The Swiss had played the 24-year-old Seppi once before, coming through a tight match at the Monte Carlo Masters last year in straight sets.

Federer played some fabulous shots on Saturday, with a drop-shot return and a whipped crosscourt forehand winner on the run the pick of the bunch. The 26-year-old said he was very happy to be back in the Hamburg final with the French Open starting at the end of this month, the only grand slam he has failed to win.

For the first time in 69 years Portsmouth won the FA Cup

Portsmouth won the FA Cup for the first time in 69 years on Saturday when striker Nwankwo Kanu's first-half goal secured a 1-0 win to defeat the spirited challenge of Championship side (second division) Cardiff City.

The first final not to mark one of the current 'big four' teams since 1991 was initially open and daring, given a magnificent scenery on an overcast day at Wembley by both sets of noisy fans making the most of a rare moment in the glare of exposure.

The goal came after 37 minutes when midfielder John Utaka whipped in a low cross from the right and Cardiff's on-loan Finland goalkeeper Peter Enckelman could only push it into the path of Nigerian Kanu, who fired it straight back past him to make compensation for an earlier miss when he hit a post.

Portsmouth's win secured a place in next season's UEFA Cup.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Man United continued the English Premier League title win

Man United retained the English Premier League title with 2-0 win at Wigan and ended the season on 87 points, two points clear of Chelsea.

A first-half penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo and a late strike by Ryan Giggs on the day he equalled Bobby Charlton's record of appearances for United, sealed the tenth title under manager Sir Alex Ferguson. United finished two points clear of Chelsea, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolton at Stamford Bridge. Kevin Davies scored a late equalizer for Bolton after Andriy Shevchenko had given Chelsea the lead.

Arsenal, who won 1-0 at Sunderland, and Liverpool, 2-0 winners at Tottenham, finished third and fourth respectively. They will enter the final qualifying round for next season's Champions League. Everton beat Newcastle 3-1 in their final match to clinch fifth place in the table and automatic qualification for the UEFA Cup.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Williams booked her quarter-final post

Serena Williams booked her quarter-final berth at the German Open on Thursday with her 17th consecutive win but admitted she was just glad not to follow world number one Justine Henin out of the tournament.

Williams had few problems in her third round 6-3, 6-1 win over Agnieszka Radwanska, in her 17th straight victory after winning the Miami, Charleston and Bangalore WTA tournaments this year. But she said her number of wins was irrelevant and she was just happy not to suffer the same fate as Henin, who was earlier beaten 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, her second defeat in her last three games.

Williams, who hammered Henin 6-2, 6-0 in Miami at the start of last month, now plays Safina in the last eight, but said world number one Henin is more than capable of bouncing back after her latest setback.

Henin suffers shock defeat in Berlin

World number one and top seed Justine Henin was a shock third round casualty at the German Open on Thursday as she was beaten by Russia's Dinara Safina after a marathon third-round struggle.

Third seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova also crashed out after her third round defeat at the hands of Alona Bondarenko, but the shock of the day saw Henin fall 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 her second defeat in the last three games.

Safina had five match points in the third set at the end of the two hours 34 minute marathon and broke Henin eight times in total as the Belgian's poor run this season continues.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Real Madrid won its record 31st Spanish league title

No David Beckham, no Fabio Capello, no Roberto Carlos. No matter. Real Madrid won its record 31st Spanish league title Sunday night credit goes to the late heroics of newer accompaniments who led the Spanish champions to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Osasuna.


Madrid was reduced to 10 in the 46th following Fabio Cannavaro's ejection.

Substitute Gonzalo Higuain volleyed in the winner in the 89th minute, two minutes after Arjen Robben headed in the equalizer with 10-men Madrid trailing through Francisco Punal's 83rd-minute penalty. Higuain chested down Sergio Ramos' short pass to volley home from the right after former Chelsea winger Robben headed in a cross from Fernando Gago from the left to equalize.

The defending champions now have 78 points - 10 more than second-place Villarreal - and can't be caught with three games remaining, making Wednesday's match against bitter rival FC Barcelona meaningless.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Chelsea beat Newcastle United

Chelsea make sure for the English Premier League title race will go to the final game of the season as second-half goals from Michael Ballack and Florent Malouda sealed a priceless 2-0 victory at Newcastle United. German international Ballack put the visitors in front in a stressed encounter as he rose to head home Didier Drogba's 60th minute free-kick, controversially awarded for defender Abdoulaye Faye's challenge on Florent Malouda.

Malouda deservedly sealed the points eight minutes from time after a slick passing move involving Michael Essien, substitute Frank Lampard and Ballack released the midfielder to slot his fourth goal of the season past exposed Newcastle keeper Steve Harper. Leaders Manchester United remain strong favourites to retain their crown, and only need to match Chelsea's result against Bolton Wanderers when they travel to Wigan Athletic on Sunday to bring the curtain down on the campaign with their 10th title in 16 Premier League seasons.