All England: Zakry-Hoon mara, Fairuzizuan-Ong tersingkir

KUALA LUMPUR - Dua beregu negara mengalami nasib berbeza dalam pembukaan kejohanan badminton All England semalam.

Ketika Mohd. Zakry Latif-Hoon Thien How berjaya ke pusingan kedua, Mohd. Fairuzizuan Tazari-Ong Soon Hock pula kandas pada pusingan pertama di Arena Tertutup Birmingham.

Turut tersingkir awal ratu badminton negara, Wong Mew Choo yang terpaksa akur 16-21, 16-21 kepada pemain No. 3 dunia, Wang Xin hanya dalam masa 34 minit.

Kekalahan terbaru ini melebarkan rekod kekalahan Mew Choo di tangan bekas pemain No. 1 dunia dari China itu kepada 0-5.

Bagi Zakry-Thien How, yang memulakan saingan dari pusingan kelayakan, mereka berjaya mengelak daripada tersingkir awal, apabila mengejutkan pilihan ketujuh dari Taiwan, Fang Chieh Min-Lee Sheng Mu 21-14, 21-19.

Kemenangan tersebut bakal menemukan beregu senior negara itu dengan pemenang di antara pasangan remaja senegara, Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong atau beregu Jepun, Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa.

Harapan untuk menyaksikan Fairuzizuan-Soon Hock turut melangkah jauh pula berakhir dengan kekalahan 10-21, 21-19, 14-21 kepada pilihan kelapan dari Indonesia, Mohamad Ahsan-Bona Septano.

"Beraksi dari pusingan kelayakan memberi kelebihan kepada kami untuk berada lebih lama di atas gelanggang, seterusnya mempunyai masa untuk menyesuaikan diri. Ia benar-benar membantu kami menghadapi perlawanan ini.

"Pada Terbuka Jerman minggu lalu, kami tidak perlu mengharungi pusingan kelayakan dan akibatnya kami tersingkir seawal pusingan pembukaan.

"Harap kecemerlangan ini tidak berakhir setakat ini dan kami akan berusaha sebaiknya untuk melangkah lebih jauh,'' ujar Zakry.

Sementara itu dalam saingan perseorangan lelaki, dua jaguh Indonesia, Sony Dwi Kuncoro dan Simon Santoso tersingkir pada pusingan pembukaan masing-masing. Sony tewas mudah 10-21, 6-21 di tangan jaguh China, Bao Chunlai, manakala Simon disingkirkan oleh pilihan kelapan, Boonsak Ponsana dari Thailand 21-19, 21-15.

NEW DELHI, March 10 — India has sounded an alert over a possible militant attack on the cricket World Cup, a government official said yesterday, but he added that there was no specific threat.

"There have been a large number of inputs over the last couple of months," UK Bansal, Secretary, Internal Security, told Reuters. "All these put together could be an opportunity, which anti-India elements could exploit."

"We are sounding an alert," Bansal added.

The cricket tournament is being held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and will end on April 2 in Mumbai.

Indian authorities say they have taken measures to ensure the high-profile tournament is safe.

India suffered one of its worst militant attacks in 2008 when Pakistan-based gunmen carried out coordinated attacks across Mumbai, killing 164 people. — Reuters

LONDON, March 10 — Tottenham Hotspur and Schalke 04 belied their reputations to knock seven-times winners AC Milan and twice finalists Valencia out of the Champions League yesterday with performances that went entirely against type.

Tottenham had pledged not to sit back and defend their 1-0 lead from a tempestuous first leg in Milan but that was exactly what they did, escaping with a goalless draw thanks to an unimpressive night in attack from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co.

Surprisingly, it fell to Schalke to supply the outstanding forward display as they shrugged off poor Bundesliga form and intense pressure on coach Felix Magath to beat Valencia side 3-1 and win 4-2 on aggregate.

Jefferson Farfan was the hero for Schalke, with two wonderful goals in a barnstormer in Gelsenkirchen, where fans have been used to seeing more grim-faced defending than attacking greatness in a difficult league season.

Yesterday's games were inevitably something of a comedown after Barcelona's heady win over Arsenal on Tuesday.

While Tottenham were never likely to match the Catalans for panache it was still a surprise to see them take such a pragmatic approach against Milan.

Tottenham racked up 18 goals in the group stage, playing with a bravado that seemed to wilfully invite trouble, but back at White Hart Lane in the knock-out phase they packed the defence and let Milan come at them.

The surprise tactic made for a tense evening for their fans but, in truth, Milan created only a few clear chances, with Robinho missing the two best — a weak effort that William Gallas cleared off the line and a shot that fizzed just over right at the end.

Milan, who have not reached the quarter-finals since they last won the competition in 2007, had plenty of possession but their attack was more blunt instrument than the fine blade required.

MUCH-ADMIRED

Schalke had no such problems thanks to the razor-sharp Farfan but they also had much-admired goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to thank for victory on a night when they really chanced their arm.

Valencia took the lead with a Richard Costa header in the 17th minute before Farfan curled in a free kick for the equaliser to launch the comeback.

The 21-year-old Swiss Mario Gavranovic made it 2-1, playing pinball with a shot that went in off both posts before Farfan rounded off the evening with a glorious run and chip over the Valencia keeper.

"I hope I gave our fans something to smile about," Farfan said.

Schalke, down in 10th in the Bundesliga, are through to the quarter-finals for the second time since 2008, while Tottenham have to look back to 1962 for the last time they reached such European Cup heights.

They joined Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk, who pulverised AS Roma on Tuesday, in the draw for the last eight, with the remaining four places to be decided next week. — Reuters

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID,JAKARTA -- Ambisi Taufik Hidayat meraih gelar pertamanya di All England kandas. Pebulu tangkis nomor satu Indonesia ini disungkurkan tunggal putra nonunggulan dari Jepang, Kazushi Yamada, 21-10, 21-14, di babak pertama di National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, Kamis (10/3) dini hari WIB.

Taufik sudah mencicipi berbagai gelar bergengsi selama 13 karirnya di bulu tangkis, termasuk medali emas Olimpiade 2004 dan juara dunia 2005. Namun, pebulu tangkis asal Jawa Barat ini bernasib nahas bila berlaga di All England. Ini satu-satunya gelar yang belum pernah diraih Taufik. Pencapaian terbaik Taufik di turnamen yang berusia lebih dari 100 tahun ini hanya dua kali runner-up pada 1999, 2000.

Kali ini, Yamada (23) mengimbangi Taufik di permainan net. Smes-smes Yamada juga kerap mematikan Taufik. Kekalahan dari Yamada merupakan yang kedua bagi Taufik. Pada pertemuan pertama di Swis Terbuka tahun lalu, Taufik kalah 21-15, 21-12.

Gugurnya Taufik membuat Indonesia hanya bergantung pada Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka di tunggal putra. Ia mengalahkan Ajay Jayaram dari India, 21-17, 21-19. Sebelumnya, Simon Santoso dijungkalkan pebulu tangkis Thailand, Boonsak Ponsana, 21-19, 21-15, dan Sony Dwi Kuncoro dikalahkan Bao Chunlai (Cina), 21-10, 21-6.

Namun, Hayom harus langsung menghadapi jagoan bulu tangkis dari Cina, Lin Dan, di babak kedua, Jumat (10/3) dini hari WIB. "Lawan Lin Dan, target saya bisa menahan saja dulu," kata dia.

Di nomor lain, Indonesia hanya menyisakan empat wakil di putaran kedua. Mereka adalah Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan dan Mohammad Ahsan/Bona Septano (ganda putra); Tantowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir (nomor campuran); serta Hendra yang turun di nomor campuran bersama pebulu tangkis Rusia, Anastasia Russkikh. 

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID,SURABAYA--Dell Aspac Jakarta harus berjuang keras untuk memastikan tiket semifinal Liga Basket Nasional 2011, setelah mengalahkan tim sekota Stadium dengan skor tipis 71-65 di DBL Arena Surabaya, Rabu malam. Pada laga semifinal yang dimainkan Jumat (11/3), Aspac akan menantang tim tangguh Satria Muda Britama yang sebelumnya menang telak 86-53 atas Muba Hangtuah IM Sumsel.

Laga Aspac melawan Stadium berlangsung sangat ketat sejak kuarter awal. Hingga akhir kuarter pertama, Aspac hanya unggul setengah bola 13-12 dan melebarkan selisih menjadi 44-39 di kuarter kedua. Namun, Stadium tidak menyerah dan bangkit pada kuarter ketiga untuk mengejar ketinggalan. Permainan ofensif yang diperagakan Stadium mampu membalikkan keunggulan menjadi 55-53.

Stadium berusaha mempertahankan keunggulannya pada kuarter terakhir, tetapi mantan juara IBL Aspac juga meningkatkan tempo permainan. Pada kuarter ini, Aspac mampu membukukan tambahan 18 angka, sementara Stadium hanya mendulang 10 poin hingga memastikan Aspac lolos ke babak empat besar.

Xaverius Prawiro menjadi bintang kemenangan Aspac dengan menyumbangkan 25 angka dan lima "rebound", ditambah Mario Gerungan yang mencetak 12 angka. Dari kubu Stadium, donasi 27 poin yang dibukukan Merio Ferdiansyah dan angka ganda dari Daniel Iskandar dengan 10 poin dan 12 "rebound", masih gagal membawa kemenangan bagi timnya.

"Stadium bermain sangat bagus dengan pertahanan yang solid. Mereka lawan seimbang bagi kami," ujar asisten pelatih Aspac, Tri Prasetyo Utomo, usai pertandingan. Ia menambahkan timnya masih memiliki sejumlah kelemahan dan harus dibenahi saat laga semifinal melawan SM Britama. "Sekarang kami harus fokus menghadapi Satria Muda, terutama masalah mental harus lebih baik lagi," tambahnya.

MESSI STUNNER: The Argentine ace scored two goals to gun down Arsenal

With this, the Catalans won 4-3 on aggregate to move into the quarterfinals.

Barca secured the win with goals by Xavi in the 69th minute and a Lionel Messi brace in the 45th and 71st (via a penalty).

Arsenal replied through an own goal by Sergio Busquets in the 53rd minute.

Arsenal also saw Dutch striker Robin van Persie sent off in the 56th minute after two bookable offences.

Guardiola praised his side for the number of chances they created and claimed the Gunners simply could not keep possession of the ball.

"Arsenal are a very good team but they didn't make three passes in a row," he told Sky Sports.

"So we created many, many chances. We kept a lot of control and played the perfect game. They defended very, very well but they didn't pass more than three or four passes."

Van Persie branded the decision to send him off "a joke" and Guardiola admitted he could understand the frustration.

"I can understand Arsenal, because it's difficult with 10 against 11, and I can understand the reaction about van Persie — the second yellow," he said.

"I try to look at the game, how we play, how they play. In this situation we are so, so happy with our performance. I think we deserve to be in the quarterfinals. In the two legs we have been better than them."

There was this big gap in quality between the two teams this morning.

Never mind van Persie's controversial dismissal. The visitors had no shots on goal, something incredibly disappointing, and with only 24 per cent possession, it shows just how dominant the hosts were.

Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta, meanwhile, believes Arsenal had every intention of playing defensive. He saw players such as Tomas Rosicky and Samir Nasri, drop back and help out defensively, but is pleased to have overcome the English club.

"On many occasions, they defended with six players because Rosicky and Nasri came back to help out the defence," Iniesta told the club's website.

"We were forced to play well. The team deserved the victory and we succeeded in achieving this. There were many good players involved in the Champions League tie.

"We anticipated they would push back, but we tried to do things right. We had the misfortune of scoring an own goal. We knew we had to stay close to their players, especially on the counter-attack. Our defence has been great this season, and prevented them from causing any danger.

"The outlook is good, as we are where we wanted to be. The last part of the season is the hardest, yet the most beautiful. We have to keep on doing what we are doing."

DONETSK: Shakhtar Donetsk manager Mircea Lucescu believes that reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League means they have now created a "new benchmark".

The Ukrainian club qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time in their history after defeating 10-men Roma 3-0 at home this morning in their last-16 second-leg match to win the tie 6-2 on aggregate.

Lucescu hailed his players for the success.

"This team are maturing. We have players of 20 and 21-years-old, under contract for four to five years," Lucescu told Fifa's website.

"We won the Uefa Cup (in 2009), we have created a new benchmark against Roma. What interests me is to take a step forward. We are not thinking of what comes next."

Shakhtar's goals were scored by Tomas Hubschman, Willian and Eduardo.

EUGENE, Oregon (AP) - Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 7-5 in an exhibition match Tuesday to warm up for the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.

Joining Nadal, the No. 1 player in the world, and Federer, who is No. 2, at the Clash of the Champions were Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, who also played a match at the University of Oregon's new $227 million basketball arena. All are Nike-sponsored athletes.

The foursome then played a set of mixed doubles.

The Matthew Knight Arena was built with the financial backing of Nike co-founder and University of Oregon Ducks supporter Phil Knight.

"We've had many big battles over the years and also had some wonderful moments in exhibition play," Federer said of his many matches against Nadal. "We've played in some amazing places and this is obviously very special doing it for Nike in a place that means a lot to Phil. We're very happy to be here tonight."

John McEnroe was a surprise guest at the event.

Knight contributed $100 million to establish the University of Oregon Legacy Fund, which the school used to back the state bonds it needed to pay for construction of the arena, named after Knight's son who died in a scuba diving accident in El Salvador in 2004 at age 34.

Tickets for the event sold out in an hour the day they went on sale and Tuesday, 12,220 packed the arena and gave the players a rock star's welcome as they entered the arena floor under a spot light and to deafening applause.

"Walking down those stairs and hearing the crowd, you would think it is normal but it is not normal for us," said Federer, 29, who has 16 grand slam singles titles. The crowd was given a surprise in return when McEnroe appeared to randomly walk out of a tunnel onto the court during pregame introductions.

McEnroe took over the umpire's chair for the mixed doubles match, with former Oregon quarterbacks Joey Harrington and Dennis Dixon as guest sideline judges.

"I never thought I'd stoop this low," said McEnroe, who had many infamous disputes with chair umps throughout his storied career. With Sharapova and Federer leading 5-3, McEnroe and Federer switched places and McEnroe joined Sharapova on the court and thrilled the crowd with some of his old magic, getting the team to match point before Federer came back to polish off a 6-3 victory with an ace.

Azarenka and Sharapova opened the night with an entertaining singles set that featured plenty of banter with courtside fans and each other before Azarenka won 5-4 (5-0) in a tiebreaker.

In the men's singles set, Nadal and Federer showed little of the intensity that typically when the two meet. Instead, they playfully worked their way through the set with trick shots and amusing commentary before Nadal won.

Serena Williams was originally scheduled to play in the exhibition but had to withdraw because of injury. She was replaced by Azarenka.

Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, hasn't played an official match since winning Wimbledon last July because of a foot injury she sustained off the court. She had a further setback when she was diagnosed recently with a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in her lungs. She also needed emergency treatment for a hematoma last week.

NAGPUR: Police yesterday clashed with hundreds of fans seeking tickets for India's World Cup showdown against South Africa, the incident again highlighting the country's inability to handle the huge demand for seats.

Twelve days after similar scenes were witnessed in Bangalore, stick-wielding police battered fans in front of the ticket counter at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

Spectators had been queuing up behind wooden barricades since Monday evening after learning that a limited number of tickets would be made available.

A Reuters witness said sections of the crowd became restless yesterday and started climbing over the barriers, breaking them down, which forced the police to take action.

The ticket counter remained closed as police were seen trying to control the crowds swarming outside the area, as they hoped to secure seats for Saturday's Group B match.

"I have been here since last night. Many villagers who had also come here for tickets slept outside the stadium as they waited for the ticket counter to open. When the counter opened, there was a huge rush to buy the tickets," Ram Dixit told Reuters Television.

"Police baton-charged the people as they tried to control the crowd. I could not get a ticket so I will have to watch the match on television."

The International Cricket Council declined to discuss the matter while India's own cricket board could not be reached for comment.

Last month's violence in Bangalore erupted after tens of thousands of fans who had camped overnight outside the 38,400-seat M Chinnaswamy Stadium were told all 7,000 tickets allocated for public sale for the Feb 27 India v England game had been sold. — Reuters

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Hayom yang menjadi satu-satunya tunggal putra yang tersisa setelah kalahnya Simon Santoso dan Sony Dwi Kuncoro, membukukan kemenangan atas Ajay Jayaram dari India 21-17, 21-19, sedangkan Lin Dan mengalahkan pemain veteran Malaysia Wong Choong Hann 21-14, 21-17.

Pertemuan di Birmingham itu menjadi pertemuan pertama bagi Hayom yang saat ini berperingkat 21 dunia dengan juara Olimpiade Beijing tersebut.

Sementara itu, pasangan Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir menjadi satu-satunya ganda campuran Indonesia yang tersisa meskipun turnamen All England baru dimulai.

Tontowi/Liliyana yang menjadi unggulan ketujuh, meraih kemenangan pada babak 32 besar atas pasangan Malaysia Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying 21-12, 7-21, 21-19.

Kemenangan itu membawa pasangan tersebut maju ke babak 16 besar bertemu ganda Jerman Michael Fuchs/Birgit Overzier yang menang atas mads Pieler Kolding/Julie Houmann 21-11, 21-19.

Pasangan peringkat 23 dunia itu menjadi satu-satunya ganda campuran Indonesia yang tersia setelah pasangan lainnya, Muhammad Rijal/Debby Susanto dan Nova Widianto/Vita Marissa menyusul Fran Kurniawan/Pia Zebadiah yang sudah tersingkir lebih dulu.

Rijal/Debby kalah oleh pasangan tuan rumah Inggris, Nathan Riobertson/Jenny Wallwork 16-21, 19-21, sementara Nova/Vita dikalahkan unggulan keempat Robert Mateusiak/Nadiezda Zieba dari Polandia dengan skor 14-21, 19-21.

Adapun ganda putra unggulan delapan Mohammad Ahsan/Bona Septano juga mempertahankan harapan Indonesia dengan meraih kemenangan pertama pada turnamen berhadiah 350 ribu dolar AS tersebut atas pasangan Malaysia Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari/Ong Soon Hock 21-10, 19-21, 21-14.

Sedangkan pasangan senior Alvent Yulianto/Hendra Aprida Gunawan kalah oleh ganda Polandia Adam Cwalina/Michal Logosz 16-21, 17-21. (F005/K004)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
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Memasuki pertandingan babak 16 besar Liga Europa nanti juara tiga kali Piala UEFA itu memiliki bekal percaya diri yang tinggi setelah pada Minggu lalu mereka secara meyakinkan berhasil menaklukkan musuh bebuyutan mereka Manchester United 3-1, demikian AFP melaporkan.

Keberhasilan itu yang diharapkan oleh Dalglish menjadi awal rententan keberhasilan Liverpool sampai berakhirnya kompetisi Liga Europa musim ini, meskipun untuk itu mereka pertama-tama harus menghadapi lawan berat dan lihai di Portugal.

Sundulan Dirk Kuyt pada menit ke-86 berhasil membuat Liverpool melaju ke babak 16 besar setelah sebelumnya menang tipis 1-0 atas Sparta Prague dua minggu sebelumnya, dan pemain sayap dari Belanda itu sekali lagi menjadi bintang ketika dia menciptakan hatrik ke gawang United dalam kemenangan meyakinkan tim itu di Anfield.

Kuyt mengungkapkan harapannya agar keberhasilan itu dapat terus berlanjut sehingga Liverpool bisa mencatatkan kemenangan berturut-turutnya musim ini.

"Kami ingin memenangi setiap pertandingan, dan kami ingin melanjutkan hasil positif ini," katanya.

"Kami sudah perlihatkan bahwa kami mampu bersaing dengan tim terbaik, namun bekal hasil bertanding melawan yang terbaik belum cukup untuk dapat menang nanti, butuh semangat tinggi dan optimisme," kata Kuyt menambahkan.

Sementara Sporting Braga yang berhasil bangkit mengalahkan tim Lech Poznan dari Polandia juga sedang memiliki optimisme yang tinggi setelah pada akhir minggu lalu berhasil membalikkan keadaan untuk kemudian mengalahkan Benfica 2-1.

Braga juga telah mencatatkan lima kemenangan dalam enam pertandingan kandang mereka dalam Liga Europa musim ini yang merupakan debut mereka di kancah Eropa.

Rangers, finalis Piala Europa 2008, akan bertandang ke PSV Eindhoven, sementara Manchester City akan berkunjung ke Ukraina untuk melawan Dynamo Kiev yang pada putaran sebelumnya berhasil menyarangkan delapan gol ke gawang Besiktas.

"Mereka adalah tim yang tanggung yang akan sulit untuk dikalahkan, khususnya jika bermain di kandang sendiri," kata pemain depan City David Silva.

Sementara itu, kapten tim Rangers David Weir mengatakan bahwa dia sangat ingin memenangi pertandingan melawan Eindhoven nanti dalam upaya melupakan "pertandingan gila" mereka melawan Glasgow dalam Piala Skotlandia yang berakhir rusuh.

PSV Eindhoven telah kalah tiga kali dalam empat pertemuan melawan Rangers, namun dalam Liga Europa kali ini mereka tak terkalahkan dalam sembilan kali pertandingan secara berturut-turut.

Dua tim Belanda lain yang berhasil lolos ke babak 16 besar akan menjamu dua tim Rusia, dimana Ajax akan melayani Spartak Moscow dan FC Twente akan menghadapi juara Piala UEFA 2008 Zenit St Petersburg`s.

Klub Rusia ketiga CSKA Moscow akan menjamu pemimpin klasemen sementara Liga Portugis FC Porto dalam sebuah pertandingan yang disebut sebagai pertarungan antara dua mantan juara Piala UEFA dimana CSKA merupakan juara pada 2005 dan Porto pada 2003.

Paris Saint Germain akan menghadapi pertandingan berat melawan juara dua kali liga Eurapa Benfica, sementara satu-satunya tim Spanyol yang mampu bertahan dalam liga ini, Villarreal, akan bertandang ke Jerman untuk menghadapi Bayer Leverkusen. (OKS/I015/K004)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
COPYRIGHT © 2011

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MUNICH - Berita miring pemecatan Louis Van Gaal dari kursi kepelatihan Bayern Munich ditanggapi positif oleh Andreas Ottl. Gelandang internasional Jerman meyakini, sang pelatih takkan menyerah hingga akhir musim.

Rentetan hasil buruk di kancah Bundesliga, menyeret juara bertahan ke peringkat lima klasemen sementara, tertinggal 19 poin dari Borussia Dortmund yang menguasi puncak klasemen. Terakhir, pasukan Bavarians takluk 1-3 dari penghuni tempat ketiga, Hannover 96.

Namun, asa FC Hollywood masih terbuka di ajang Liga Champions. Bayern berpeluang melaju ke perempatfinal, usai menumbangkan juara bertahan Inter Milan 1-0 pada leg pertama babak 16 besar, di Giuseppe Meazza.

Terlepas gencarnya kabar kepergian Van Gaal dari Allianz Arena, Ottl tak meragukan kesetiaan sang pelatih. Menurutnya, pelatih asal Belanda tetap mengerahkan seluruh kemampuannya hingga akhir musim.

"Banyak hal terjadi dalam beberapa hari terakhir. Pelatih sudah menegaskan, dia akan mengerahkan segalanya hingga musim berakhir, sama seperti yang dituntut para pemain," ungkap Ottl, dikutip dari Goal, Kamis (10/3/2011). (far)

ROMA - Liga Champions baru memasuki penghujung babak 16 besar, Gianluca Vialli sudah memprediksi dua tim yang akan melaju ke final. Mantan striker plus pelatih Chelsea menyebut, The Blues akan bertarung memperebutkan trofi dengan Raksasa Spanyol, Real Madrid.

Menduduki peringkat empat klasemen sementara Premier League, seakan menghambat usaha Chelsea mempertahankan gelar juara. Menurut Vialli, skuad besutan Carlo Ancelotti akan lebih fokus menjaga eksistensi di kancah Eropa.

"Saya rasa, Chelsea sudah keluar dari perburuan gelar juara (Premier League). Jadi, mereka bisa lebih fokus di Liga Champions," ujar Vialli pada talkSPORT.

"Chelsea memiliki skuad dan pemain-pemain hebat serta berpengalaman. Mereka sangat lapar untuk menjuarai Liga Champions karena beberapa tahun terakhir, nyaris meraihnya," jelas mantan punggawa Timnas Italia.

Alasan itulah yang meyakinkan Vialli memprediksi The Roman Emperor sanggup mencapai final, bahkan menunjuk Madrid sebagai lawan ideal.

"Tentunya, mereka juga butuh keberuntungan saat pengundian ke babak selanjutnya. Tapi saya rasa, final akan berlangsung antara Chelsea dan Real Madrid," tegasnya, dikutip dari Goal, Kamis (10/3/2011).

Di babak 16 besar kali ini, Chelsea sudah mengantongi kemenangan 2-0 atas Kopenhagen di leg pertama. Sedangkan Madrid, harus berjuang menaklukkan Olympique Lyon di leg kedua lantaran hasil 1-1 di pertemuan pertama. (far)

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Malaysia lepasi halangan pertama

LANGKAH skuad bola sepak kebangsaan dalam saingan Kelayakan Olimpik 2012 ternyata cemerlang apabila berjaya mara ke pusingan kedua.

Kejayaan itu hadir selepas mencatatkan keputusan seri tanpa jaringan dengan Pakistan pada aksi kedua pusingan pertama di Stadium Punjab, Lahore semalam.

Keputusan itu sekali gus menyaksikan skuad kendalian Ong Kim Swee itu mara ke pusingan kedua dengan agregat 2-0.

Terdahulu, skuad negara tampil penuh bergaya apabila menewaskan Pakistan 2-0 pada aksi pertama di Stadium Shah Alam pada 23 Februari lalu.

Pujian sewajarnya diberikan kepada anak-anak buah Kim Swee yang dikatakan tampil dengan aksi penuh konsisten apabila berjaya mengekang serangan bertali arus Pakistan yang memerlukan sekurang-kurangnya tiga gol untuk membolehkan mereka mara ke pusingan kedua.

Berkat usaha serta komitmen yang dipamerkan barisan pemain muda negara pada perlawanan tersebut ternyata telah memberikan sinar baru buat sukan bola sepak tanah air apabila peluang untuk beraksi ke temasya Sukan Olimpik 2010 di London kini terbuka luas.

Bagaimanapun, anak-anak buah Kim Swee tidak boleh terus dibuai mimpi dengan kejayaan tersebut.

Sebaliknya, mereka perlu mengekalkan rentak kecemerlangan itu bagi menghadapi ujian yang dijangkakan lebih getir pada saingan pusingan kedua kelak.

Pada aksi pusingan kedua yang bakal berlangsung pada 19 dan 23 Jun depan, skuad negara berkemungkinan diundi bertemu sama ada Australia, Bahrain, China, Korea Utara, Korea Selatan, Jepun, Iraq, Lebanon, Qatar, Arab Saudi, Syria, Uzbekistan mahupun Vietnam.

Sebanyak 13 pasukan terbabit mendapat undian bye pada pusingan pertama.

Apa-apa pun, tahniah buat skuad bola sepak negara yang berjaya melepasi halangan di pusingan pertama.

Barcelona kecewakan Arsenal

BARCELONA - Buat tahun kedua berturut-turut, Barcelona mengecewakan Arsenal pada aksi Liga Juara-Juara.

Selepas menyingkirkan Arsenal pada saingan suku akhir tahun lalu, Barcelona sekali lagi menewaskan skuad The Gunners pada kejohanan paling berprestij di Eropah ini.

Awal pagi semalam, bintang sensasi Argentina, Lionel Messi meledak dua gol untuk membantu Barcelona menewaskan Arsenal 3-1 pada aksi kedua pusingan kedua.

Skuad The Catalan itu melangkah ke suku akhir dengan agregat 4-3 selepas tewas 1-2 pada aksi pertama di Stadium Emirates pada 17 Februari lalu.

Pada aksi di Stadium Nou Camp itu, Messi meletakkan Barca di depan pada minit ke-45 sebelum rakan sepasukan, Sergio Busquets menjaringkan gol sendiri minit ke-59 untuk mengikat kedudukan 1-1.

Begitupun, perancang Sepanyol, Xavi kembali meletakkan Barcelona di depan hasil jaringan pada minit ke-69 sebelum Messi melengkapkan kemenangan pasukan itu hasil sepakan penalti yang diperoleh dua minit kemudian.

"Untuk bercakap sama ada ia adalah gol terbaik yang dijaringkan Messi, bagi saya itu tidak ada gunanya," kata jurulatih Barcelona, Pep Guardiola.

"Ini kerana, setiap gol yang dijaringkan Messi merupakan jaringan yang hebat dan kini ia sudah menjadi perkara biasa buat pemain itu."

Bagaimanapun, penyerang Arsenal, Robin van Persie berang dengan pengadil perlawanan, Massimo Busacca yang melayangkan kad merah kepadanya.

Penyerang Belanda ini dituduh cuba melambat-lambatkan permainan apabila tetap menendang bola meskipun Busacca telah meniup wisel kerana ofsaid.

Begitupun, rayuan Van Persie tidak diendahkan oleh Busacca.

"Saya tidak faham apa yang difikirkan oleh pengadil dalam situasi tersebut.

"Ia merupakan hari paling buruk buat kami (Arsenal). Saya tidak tahu mengapa dia (Busacca) berada di sini hari ini (awal pagi semalam). Kami terasa seperti dianiaya," kata Van Persie. - Agensi

Pahang tingkatkan keselamatan

Oleh SHAHRULANOOR ISHAK
shahrulanoor.ishak@kosmo.com.my

PERSATUAN Bola Sepak Negeri Pahang (PBNP) meningkatkan tahap keselamatan di Stadium Darul Makmur bagi mengelak kejadian tidak diingini berlaku semasa saingan Liga Super 2011 menentang Kelantan pada 12 Mac ini.

Naib Presiden 1 PBNP, Datuk Omar Othman berkata, pihaknya mendapatkan kerjasama polis dan Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (Rela) bagi menjaga keselamatan penonton serta pemain sepanjang perlawanan tersebut berlangsung.

"Kita tidak mengatakan akan berlaku kejadian yang tidak diingini disebabkan oleh mana-mana pihak. Ia cuma sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga.

"Perlawanan antara Pahang dengan Kelantan dijangka sengit dan bakal menarik ramai penyokong daripada kedua-dua pasukan," katanya.

Tambah beliau lagi, pihak polis juga bersetuju menambah 100 anggota berbanding hanya 50 orang dalam perlawanan-perlawanan sebelum ini manakala Rela akan menempatkan 130 petugas di sekitar Stadium Darul Makmur.

Ujar Omar lagi, kemasukan penyokong secara berasingan melalui empat pintu di stadium tersebut juga akan dipantau bagi mengelak berlaku pertembungan atau pergaduhan.

"Pihak keselamatan juga akan memeriksa semua penyokong bagi memastikan bahan larangan seperti letupan dan mercun tidak dibawa masuk ke stadium.

"Kami meminta penyokong kedua-dua pasukan tidak membuat perkara yang menimbulkan rasa tidak puas hati mana-mana pihak dalam memastikan keselamatan bersama," katanya.

LONDON, KOMPAS.com - Kapten Chelsea, John Terry, mengucapkan rasa terima kasihnya kepada fans setia Chelsea yang selalu mendukung mereka di mana pun. Menurut Terry, tanpa dukungan fans, Chelsea tak akan bisa mencapai prestasi sejauh ini.

Terry mencontohkan dukungan hebat fans Chelsea saat "The Blues melumat Blackpool 3-1 di Bloomfield Road, Minggu lalu. "Fans terlihat berkilau lagi pada hari Minggu. Sangat disayangkan kami menjalani banyak laga tandang di pertengahan pekan," kata Terry.

"Kami mengapresiasi waktu yang mereka habiskan untuk mendukung kami. Kami ingin berterima kasih atas dukungan hebat dari mereka," sambungnya.

Dukungan fans setia Chelsea kembali diharapkan tuahnya saat Frank Lampard dkk bertarung melawan Manchester City di Stamford Brigde, Minggu (20/3/2011). Jika berhasil mengandaskan City, Chelsea akan menggusur posisi lawannya tersebut dari peringkat ketiga. Saat ini Chelsea berada di peringkat keempat dengan 51 poin, selisih tiga poin dari City yang menempati posisi ketiga. (SUN)

BARCELONA, KOMPAS.com - Arsenal mengklaim wasit sebagai biang kegagalan mereka melawan Barcelona di leg kedua babak 16 besar Liga Champions. Mendengar kabar ini, kuping gelandang Barca, Javier Mascherano, panas. Ia pun menuduh "The Gunners" sebagai pihak yang munafik.

Dalam pertandingan yang berlangsung di Camp Nou tersebut, Arsenal memang harus bermain dengan 10 orang karena Robin van Persie mendapat kartu merah di menit ke-55. Skor yang awalnya 1-1, pada akhirnya berubah menjadi 1-3 sehingga Arsenal pun tersingkir.

Seusai laga, Manajer Arsene Wenger dan beberapa pemain Arsenal langsung menyerang kepemimpinan wasit Masssimo Bussaca. Mereka menilai, wasit telah berpihak kepada tuan rumah.

Hal ini mendapat respons dari Mascherano. "Barcelona selalu menang karena bantuan wasit, bukan karena permainan bagus, atau melepas 19 tembakan ke arah gawang, atau karena menguasai jalannya laga hingga 74 persen, dan juga sukses membuat 900 umpan," sindir Mascherano.

"Jangan munafik! Kami sama sekali tak membiarkan mereka leluasa dalam bergerak dan itulah kuncinya. Kami memainkan permainan gaya Barcelona dan karena itulah kami bisa lolos," papar pemain internasional Argentina tersebut.

Menurut laporan terakhir, UEFA akan menjatuhkan hukuman kepada Wenger dan Samir Nasri karena dinilai memberikan bahasa yang tidak pantas kepada wasit Massimo Busacca. (GL)

(From left) Ng Ping Loong (sports sponsorship manager Nestle Malaysia), Nur Azmi Ahmad (MHF deputy president), Abdul Jalil Abdullah (NSC sports management director) and Johari Aziz (KLHA deputy director) at the launch of the National Under-16 Championship at the KLHA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — Picture by Fariz Iswadi Ismail.

Chiow Chuan, a former international, said those selected will be called up for training just before the first leg qualifying round of the Razak Cup in April.

"My immediate task is to select at least 50 players from the Under-16 competition. These players will be groomed accordingly," said Chiow Chuan after the launch of the National Under-16 Championships at the KLHA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

For the Razak Cup, the national Under-16 team have been placed in the North Zone where they will face Penang, Kedah and Perlis in a home-and-away (April and May) qualifying round format before the tournament proper in July.

"The Razak Cup will give me the opportunity to select the best for the Four-Nation Invitational in Manheim, Germany," Chiow Chuan added.

Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are the other teams competing in the Four-Nation on June 10-13.

Meanwhile, a total of 15 teams, including Singapore and debutants Police, will battle it out in the National Under-16 Championship at the KLHA Stadium.

Defending champions Kuala Lumpur have been drawn in Group A with Selangor, Johor, Malacca, Pahang, Police and Sabah while Group B comprises Perak, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, Penang, Terengganu and Singapore.

One significant factor in this year's event is that the two coaches of the teams that contest in the final will be given the opportunity to join the National Under-16 team as attachment coaches.

Tabriz Petrochemical's Mehdi Sohrabi puts on the yellow jersey after winning the first stage of Jelajah Malaysia yesterday. — Picture by Mohd Yusni Ariffin

The 30-year-old Sohrabi of the Tabriz Petrochemical Team was part of the decisive breakaway attempt that started 60 kilometres from the finish of the 162.5km stage, on a day that had multiple attempts at denying the sprinters' teams their choice of a bunch sprint finish with many attacks breaking off the front of the peloton from the start.

The moment that defined how the finish would transpire happened after the peloton had passed the final of the three intermediate sprints at the 113.4km point in Kota Tinggi when groups of between 10 and 16 riders had multiple attempts at distancing themselves from the rest of the pack. Sohrabi had been active in this latter part of the race and had Estonian Mart Ojavee of the Champion System team alongside as he charted a possible victory.

"Entering the final kilometres, I saw the peloton was closing in and the finish line was already visible. That last few hundred metres, I just decided to look down and sprint all the way. There was no other way for me but to just go for it," said Sohrabi, who took the TM yellow jersey as the overall leader and also held the lead in the Asian riders' classification.

A surging peloton almost gobbled Sohrabi up in the final 50 metres as a bunch sprint was already clearly lined up, but Sohrabi had enough to deny Ojavee the win while the peloton zoomed in with Terengganu-Pro Asia Cycling Team's Harrif Salleh taking third, just four seconds adrift of the lead duo.

Harrif also took the lead in the points classification, as teammate and favourite Anuar Manan reeled himself home in 10th spot, still within striking distance of the overall and points classification lead.

Sohrabi, however, distanced himself from talks of him taking the overall lead to the finish in Nilai on Sunday.

"There are many good riders in this race and with a flat route, I expect the lead to change everyday. In my team, we have a good sprinter, Boris Shpilevsky (of Russia) and maybe we can prepare a bunch sprint for him to take a victory in the coming stages as well," said Sohrabi, overall winner of the 2007 Jelajah Malaysia.

"It is still very open because my lead is only four seconds. I think even tomorrow (today) it won't be me in this yellow jersey anymore."

Today sees a 204.4km stage from Bandar Penawar to Kluang which will offer another chance for breakaways to succeed, given the unpredictable nature provided by the sheer size of the peloton that are made up of 30 six-man teams.

Yesterday already claimed 18 riders, who dropped out either from crashes or from having made the finish line beyond the time limit.

STAGE 1 (162.5km from Kota Iskandar to Bandar Penawar): 1 Mehdi Sohrabi (Irn) Tabriz Petrochemical 3:39.34s, 2 Mart Ojavee (Est) Champion System 3:39.36s, 3 Harrif Salleh (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia 3:39.38s, 4 Steele Von Hoff (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisors, 5 Sergey Kudentsov (Rus) Polygon-Sweet Nice, 6 Boris Shpilevsky (Rus) Tabriz Petrochemical, 7 Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) SP Tableware, 8 Hossein Nateghi (Irn) Vali-ASR Kerman, 9 Rico Rogers (NZ) Giant-Kenda, 10 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia (all same time).

General classification (TM yellow jersey): 1 Mehdi Sohrabi (Irn) Tabriz Petrochemical 3:39.34s, 2 Mart Ojavee (Est) Champion System +06s, 3 Harrif Salleh (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia +08s, 4 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia +11s, 5 Yasuharu Nakajima (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team +11s.

Points classification (Milo green jersey): 1 Harrif Salleh (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia 16 points, 2 Mehdi Sohrabi (Mas) Tabriz Petrochemical 15, 3 Mart Ojavee (Est) Champion System 14, 4 Steele Von Hoff (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisors 12, 5 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia 11.

Mountains classification (Genting red jersey): 1 Mark John Lexer Galedo (Phi) 7-Eleven 4 points, 2 Daniel Westahelmann (Ger) Eddy Merckx-Indeland 4, 3 Yasuharu Nakajima (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team 2, 4 Patrick Shaw (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers 2, 5 Shinpei Fukuda (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team 1.

Asian riders' classification (Naza blue jersey): 1 Mehdi Sohrabi (Irn) Tabriz Petrochemical 3:39.24s, 2 Harrif Salleh (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia +08s, 3 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia +11s, 4 Yasuharu Nakajima (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team +11s, 5 Shinpei Fukuda (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team +11s;

Malaysian riders classification (100Plus white jersey): 1 Harrif Salleh (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia 3:39.32s, 2 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu-Pro Asia +03s, 3 Ahmad Fakhrullah Alias (Mas) Malaysia +06s, 4 Adiq Husainie Othman (Mas) Malaysia +06s, 5 Wan Mohd Najmee Wan Mohamed (Mas) Kuala Lumpur +06s.

Teams classification: 1 Tabriz Petrochemical (Irn) 10:58.50s, 2 Champion System (HK) +02s, 3 Malaysia +04s, 4 Police +04s, 5 Armed Forces +04s.