LONDON, March 28 — Teenage striker Neymar scored twice on his third appearance for Brazil as the South Americans outclassed Scotland 2-0 in a friendly played in something of a carnival atmosphere at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium yesterday.

The 19-year-old curled in a cool goal after 42 minutes, and a penalty after 77, as Brazil overwhelmed their British opponents on a sunny afternoon in front of 53,082 fans in London.

Having lost their last two friendlies to Argentina and France, and with an eye on the Copa America in July, Brazil looked for easier opposition to avoid a hat-trick of defeats.

In Scotland, who they had beaten seven times and drawn with twice in their previous nine games, they had the ideal victims for their 19th friendly on neutral soil in the past five years.

The five-time world champions, without strikers Alexandre Pato and Nilmar through injury, and Ronaldinho through non-selection, handed a debut to Leandro Damiao.

He clipped the bar with an early header following a prodigious leap but it was his strike partner Neymar who caught the eye, and not just for his 10cm-high Mohican haircut and his glossy purple-and-lime-green boots.

From the start he was keen to display his collection of flicks, feints and clever turns but his tiny teenage frame found things hard going in the face of some determined and sturdy Scottish defending.

Something of an amalgam of Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, his theatrical responses and sulky indignation quickly established him as the villain in the eyes of the Scotland fans.

However, his face lit up three minutes before halftime after breaking the deadlock.

Andre Santos advanced up the left and found Neymar in an unforgivable amount of space on the edge of the box. He took a touch to kill the ball then stroked it round a defender and beyond goalkeeper Allan McGregor, quickly following with an extended jig in the company of half a dozen teammates.

Scintillating runs

It was the least Brazil deserved after dominating possession in a one-sided half.

Lucio, out of favour since the team he captained in the 2010 World Cup were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Netherlands, could not have asked for a more comfortable return as the centre back and goalkeeper Julio Cesar barely broke sweat despite the unseasonable sunshine.

Within seconds of the restart, Neymar burst through the Scottish defence and grazed the bar with a fizzing 25-metre shot; McGregor had to make a scrambling double save; and Ramires blazed horribly over the bar from 10 metres.

Scotland finally forced a corner after an hour, greeted with delirium by their success-starved fans, but in keeping with the gulf in class, Charlie Adam's flag kick barely left the ground.

Coach Mano Menezes handed another debut to the highly rated 18-year-old Lucas, who teamed up with Neymar to such devastating effect to help Brazil win the South American under-20 championship last month.

His first touch sent Neymar into the box, and when his dummy led to him being tripped by Adam, Neymar got up to stroke home the penalty.

Lucas gave a glimpse of his talent with two scintillating runs in the dying minutes, the second of which handed fellow substitute Jonas a glorious chance for the third goal, which he blasted high over the bar. — Reuters

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ORLANDO, Florida, March 28 — Britain's Martin Laird won the Arnold Palmer Invitational today, overcoming a dreadful start to beat American Steve Marino by a stroke.

The Scotsman's second win on the PGA Tour came via a rough and tumble three-over-par round of 75 in the final round, and was helped by Marino's double bogey on the penultimate hole.

Laird, who finished with an eight-under-par total of 280, had a two-stroke overnight lead that evaporated when he made three bogeys on the front nine.

It got worse for Laird on the par-four 11th, when he went from fairway bunker to water for a double bogey.

But Laird regained his composure with a birdie on the 12th, and although he bogeyed the 14th, successive birdies followed.

Marino, seeking his first PGA Tour win, was in the frame before he hit a green-side bunker shot on the 17th over the back of a treacherously hard and fast green for a double bogey.

Laird only needed a par on the final hole to secure victory but he sent his drive into rough and while he found the green with his second shot, he was still 87 feet from the hole.

Memories of a missed opportunity at the Barclays in August, the last time Laird was in such a winning position, no doubt came flooding back.

Laird took a three-shot lead into the final day of the Barclays but he three-putted the final hole and then lost to American Matt Kuchar in a playoff.

This time, however, Laird stroked the ball to just under four feet and then finished off the job, releasing his tension with a Tiger Woods-style fist pump.

It was a good day for Britain at the Bay Hill course, with Englishman Justin Rose shooting a 68 to tie for third. Australian Marc Leishman (71) and American David Toms (72) finished two shots back of Laird. — Reuters

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London (ANTARA News/AFP) - Pemain muda Brazil Neymar menandai reputasinya yang sedang menanjak dengan menciptakan kedua gol dalam kemenangan Brazil 2-0 atas Skotlandia dalam pertandingan persahabatan di Stadion Emirates milik Arsenal, Minggu.

Neymar, striker remaja yang bermain di Santos, menurut laporan berada dalam dalam daftar belanja transfer Chelsea dan Real Madrid dan hal itu mudah diketahui penyebabnya setelah penampilannya yang menarik perhatian dengan menciptakan gol pada babak pertama dan sebuah penalti pada babak kedua.

Pemain berusia 19 tahun itu juga mencetak gol pada debut penuh dia bagi tim asuhan Mano Menezes pada Agustus lalu dan kini dia sudah mengoleksi tiga gol dari tiga penampilan internasionalnya saat Brazil kembali ke jalur setelah kekalahan beruntun ketika melawan Argentina dan Prancis.

Dengan kehadiran legenda Brazil Ronaldo, yang diperkenalkan sebelum pertandingan dimulai, mengingatkan kembali pada era kemenangan mereka yang termasuk juga gelar terakhir mereka pada Piala Dunia 2002.

Dengan Brazil akan menjadi tuan rumah Piala Dunia 2014, tekanan mengarah pada Menezes untuk menjadikan sebuah tim yang bisa mengulangi sukses generasi Ronaldo.

Tim Menezes itu masih memiliki banyak pekerjaan dalam persiapan mereka menghadapi Copa America Juli mendatang. Tapi meskipun tanpa pemain bintang Robinho dan Alexandre Pato yang cedera dan juga pengatur serangan Kaka, mereka masih memiliki kemampuan yang lebih bagus untuk terus menerus menekan Skotlandia.

Ada tanda-tanda potensi mereka ketika tembakan Jadson memaksa Allan McGregor untuk beraksi sebelum Leandro Damiao menikmati debut impiannya saat dia menyambut tembakan pojok Elano dengan sundulan kepala namun menyerempet mistar gawang.

Sesaat kemudian, Brazil mengajukan pelanggaran handball namun ditolak oleh wasit Howard Webb, meskipun tayangan ulang televisi memperlihatkan kalau Gary Caldwell menggunakan lengannya untuk menahan tembakan silang Lucas Leiva.

Skotlandia gagal meraih satupun kemenangan dari sembilan pertemuan mereka dengan Brazil, termasuk pertandingan Piala Dunia yang sulit dilupakan pada 1982 dan 1998, tapi kemungkinan kembali menghadapi kekalahan, tidak menghentikan 20 ribu penonton untuk datang menyaksikan pertandingan melawan juara dunia lima kali itu.

Tim asuhan Craig Levein tampil penuh hasrat tapi dengan mudah bisa diatasi Brazil.

Saat Skotlandia akhirnya bisa berada di posisi yang lebih ke depan, sundulan Steven Whittaker dari tendangan bebas Charlie Adam sama sekali tidak menguji Julio Cesar.

Neymar akhirnya memecahkan kebuntuan dengan penyelesian akhir yang matang pada menit 42.

Ramires memulai pergerakan dengan umpan panjang ke Andre Santos di sayap kiri dan umpan silangnya mengarah pada Neymar di area penalti yang kemudian melepaskan tembakan melengkung ke sudut terjauh dalam gawang Skotlandia.

Beberapa peluang kembali diciptakan Brazil pada babak kedua termasuk ketika Ramires menyambut umpan silang Dani Alves dengan sebuah sundulan dan juga ketika Leandro nyaris menjebol gawang dengan sundulan lainnya.

Akhirnya Neymar yang kembali menciptakan gol dan kali ini dari titik penalti pada menit ke-77 setelah pelanggaran yang dilakukan Adam.(*)
(Uu.SYS/I015)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
COPYRIGHT © 2011

Ikuti berita terkini di handphone anda di m.antaranews.com

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP): Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel made an ideal start to his Formula One title defense, driving a flawless race to outpace McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Starting from pole position, Vettel maintained his lead off the start, sped away and was never seriously threatened.

Hamilton's chances of launching a pursuit were hampered by a damaged floor on his car and he had to settle for second, 22 seconds behind the German.

"The car was quick but also reliable and that is the key," Vettel said. "Its the first time I have finished the Australian GP as well, so I am very, very happy."

Renault's Vitaly Petrov was a surprise third, claiming his first ever podium finish with a strong drive.

"To be honest I can't believe I'm sitting with these guys," Petrov said at the post-race media conference.

Vettel, who drove a two-stop strategy on the new Pirelli tires, made his first pit to change to fresh rubber on the 14th lap, importantly emerging in third ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button. Vettel was back in the lead after Hamilton and Petrov pitted two laps later, and he retained a comfortable buffer from then on.

"With Lewis dropping off later in the race, there was no pressure, so I was able to control it," Vettel said.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished fourth, while Australian Mark Webber was fifth, as both used three-stop strategies - one more than the podium finishers.

Button was sixth, falling short in his bid to win the race for a third straight year. He had to do a drive-through penalty after using a slip road to pass Ferrari's Felipe Massa after a dogfight between the pair in the early part of the race, and that cost him a shot at third.

"I tried to overtake him around the outside of Turn 11," Button said. "I was in front before we turned in, but he went really deep into the corner and pushed me wide so that I couldn't take my normal line," Button said. "After my drive-through penalty I had to fight my way back, which was fun but also frustrating."

Sauber's Sergio Perez was an impressive seventh in his first grand prix; remarkably only pitting once. Going into the race there were expectations that each car would have to pit at least three times, but the Mexican rookie's successful nursing of his worn rubber showed that fears about quick degradation of the Pirelli tires were exaggerated.

He finished ahead of teammate Kamui Kobayashi, while Massa was ninth and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi took the last point in tenth.

There were mixed emotions in the Red Bull garage, with Vettel's euphoria offset by Webber's ongoing failure to show his best at his home race. It is the third time he has finished fifth, never improving on the remarkable performance in the struggling Minardi car at his first attempt in 2002.

"I wish it was already tomorrow, it was frustrating," Webber said. "I wanted to get more out of it and we could have got more out of it."

It was a bad day for Mercedes, with both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg forced to retire.

"I had a good start, made up quite a few positions, then had a good run into turn three, but as I turned in someone (Jaime Alguersuari) knocked on to my right rear," Schumacher said. "The consequence was I had a puncture which destroyed the right tire, and driving back to the pits basically destroyed the right floor. In the end the team decided for safety it wasn't worth staying out."

Hamilton also damaged the floor of his car when he went wide on turn one of his 32nd lap, or perhaps shortly beforehand. He continued on even though he said after the race the floor was "massively damaged" and occasionally touching the ground.

"When it touches the ground it stalls the underneath of the car and disturbs a lot of the flow," he said. "I was having some oversteer moments, some stalling through corners and underbraking particularly."

It was a creditable performance by McLaren, who were expected to be off the pace early in the season after a difficult offseason.

"We can take this and be very proud of ourselves," Hamilton said. "A week or two ago we weren't expecting to be anywhere near the top five, so to come to second is a great achievement."

Petrov's mature performance was impressive and would give a boost to a Renault team who lost No.1 driver Robert Kubica to serious injury after a rally crash during the offseason.

"In the race the team did everything perfectly," Petrov said. "We can be very proud of what we have achieved."

Rosberg was forced to retire shortly after colliding with Williams' Rubens Barrichello on the 24th lap. Barrichello was handed a drive-through penalty for causing the crash.

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula One world champion, says his Australian compatriot Mark Webber will be spurred to outperform teammate Sebastian Vettel this season by reports that the German is getting paid twice as much.

Vettel recently signed a lucrative contract extension with Red Bull that lasts to the end of the 2014 season and which enhanced status since claiming the 2010 drivers' championship.

Webber is now a distinct No.2 in the team, and Jones said that should ignite the Australian's fighting spirit in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix and for the remainder of the season.

"I believe Mark's brutally realistic attitude to racing can put all that aside and that he will throw everything at Vettel and be a championship contender," Jones said in Melbourne newspaper The Age.

"If Mark needs any more incentive, what better than Vettel's new multiyear contract, which I'm told is about double what Mark is getting. If it was me, I'd take great delight in beating the driver who the team bosses thought was worth twice as much."

Jones said Webber must assert himself early in the season by outperforming Vettel, after the German got the upper hand toward the end of 2010 after a close tussle in the first half of the campaign.

"One of Mark's strengths is his ability to surround himself with a strong engineering support group focused totally on him," Jones said.

"He has had the best preseason preparation of his career and I reckon he has both the car and the self-belief to do it."

ADIOS HISPANIA: Hispania became the first team to fall victim to Formula One's reintroduced '107 percent' rule and did not take its place in Sunday's race.

The rule dictates that in the first session of Saturday qualifying, any car that is not within seven percent of the best time will not be able to enter the race.

With the cut-off time set at 1:31.266, Vitantonio Liuzzi could manage only 1:32.978 and Narain Karthikeyan had 1:34.293. There was some expectation that Hispania would be allowed to race with the permission of rival teams, as it was the first race of the season, and appealed to stewards along those lines, but were turned down.

"If you're out, you're out," FIA chief technical delegate Charlie Whiting was quoted to say by Speed TV. "However, there is provision in the rule for the stewards to allow a car in under exceptional circumstances, which could include setting a good time in a previous session, or if there were changeable weather conditions that clearly disadvantaged some cars that couldn't get out at the beginning when it was dry.

"Those sorts of things, or generally speaking if a car's done a good time in (free practice) 3, for example, and has a mechanical problem and can't do a clear lap; we've seen it all before. Then the stewards are probably likely to allow the car to start. I personally don't believe that's the case with HRT (Hispania)."

Hispania team principal Colin Kolles was accepting of the decision, saying "in the end it just couldn't be, still I'm incredibly proud of my whole team."

"Our drivers produced the maximum in the least amount of time possible. We managed to get both cars ready in time for qualifying and proved that the car is capable of running a lot quicker than today.

"The circumstances in which we arrived were not as desired. We created a miracle again, but it wasn't enough. We'll be back stronger than ever in Malaysia. There we will have more time to test the car and show where the F111 really belongs."

Hispania came to Australia unprepared to compete, with neither car able to complete a lap in Friday's practice sessions as the crew worked long hours on Thursday night and through Friday to piece the cars together.

That eleventh-hour work raised the question of what state the team would have been in had the scheduled opening race of the season gone ahead in Bahrain two weeks' previously.

The team has received some sponsorship from Indian car manufacturer Tata this year, following the hiring of Karthikeyan, but the problems in Australia cast further questions upon its viability.

On the positive side, Kolles has widespread admiration among rival teams for his ability to keep the team going, technical director Geoff Willis too is also a respected name in F1 design, and the hiring of the experienced Liuzzi rather than a sponsor-laden rookie indicated a commitment to ontrack performance rather than purely money.

NO KERS, NO WORRIES FOR RED BULL: The most surprising thing about Red Bull's speed advantage at the Australian Grand Prix is that it was achieved without the use of the KERS power-boost system.

Sebastian Vettel's pole position time was three-quarters of a second ahead of the best McLaren and 1.4 seconds better than the best Ferrari - huge margins in F1 terms - and to rub salt into their rivals' wounds, it was done without a KERS system that is estimated to cut about four tenths of a second per lap.

This prompted intense speculation in the paddock about the source of Red Bull's advantage, with the consensus opinion being that the team was using a 'start-only' KERS system; one that can be used to launch the car off the grid in the race but then not used again.

The KERS technology takes the energy from braking and stores it in batteries, which can then be used to provide a turbo-like power boost at the press of a button. The disadvantage is that the batteries are heavy; the entire device weighs about 25 kilograms.

A 'start-only' KERS system can be pre-charged in the garage before the race and, because it is not used again, does not require batteries, greatly reducing the weight in the car and thereby improving acceleration.

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ASTON VILLA – Ashley Young hanya menyisakan 15 bulan kontraknya dengan Aston Villa. Sejumlah klub dilaporkan siap membujuk Young untuk ganti kostum.
 
Tak heran nama Young cukup santer disebut-sebut bakal memanaskan bursa transfer musim panas mendatang. Apalagi kabar yang beredar Manchester United dan Liverpool tengah bersaing untuk menggaetnya.
 
Ashley Young memang memiliki kapasitas yang menjanjikan seperti yang ditunjukannya baik di timnas Inggris maupun klub. Tak heran rekan satu tim Ashley Young, Darren Bent menganggap rumor itu tidak mengejutkan.
 
Di klub, gelandang kelahiran 1985 ini telah mengoleksi enam gol dari 26 penampilan. Di Timnas aksi mantan pemain Watford ini berperan besar membawa kemenangan bagi Inggris saat menghantam Wales di kualifikasi Euro 2012.
 
"Ashley telah bermain sangat baik, dan dihubung-hubungkan dengan klub-klub besar. Itu karena performa yang ditunjukkannya saat melawan Wales membuatnya diburu klub-klub itu," kata Bent, seperti dikutip Goal, Senin (28/3/2011).
 
"Dia fantastis dan itu membantu saya dan juga Villa. Hal yang terpenting adalah kami tetap berjalan, menahannya selama mungkin, dan menciptakan peluang bagi Villa untuk mencetak gol," eks striker Sunderland ini menegaskan.
(fit)

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TURIN – Pembenahan skuad terus dilakukan Juventus sebagai persiapan di musim depan, setelah terpuruk di musim ini. Bek kiri Arsenal Gael Clichy menjadi salah satu pemain yang sedang dekat dengan Juve.

 
Manajemen Juve bahkan sudah menyiapkan dana sebesar 15 juta euro untuk memboyong Clichy. Direktur Juve Fabio Paratici sudah menyempatkan diri terbang ke London, guna berbicara dengan perwakilan Arsenal.
 
Seperti dilaporkan Tuttosport, Senin (28/3/2011), Paratici berada di Inggris untuk melakukan negosiasi awal kepada pemain 25 tahun tersebut. Clichy sebenarnya sudah masuk dalam daftar incar sejak musim lalu, tapi Juve malah menggaet Armand Traore dari Arsenal dengan status pinjaman.
 
Direktur umum Juve Giuseppe Marotta, mengkonfirmasi bahwa timnya akan mencari tiga sampai empat pemain berkualitas pada bursa transfer nanti. Clichy masuk dalam daftar teratas Bianconeri.
 
Arsenal bersedia melakukan negosiasi dengan tawaran awal sebesar 15 juta euro. Pemain asal Prancis tersebut dikabarkan akan menerima bayaran paling sedikit 3,5 juta euro pertahun.
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Joachim Loew mengatakan akan bertemu Michael Ballack untuk membicarakan masa depannya di tim nasional Jerman.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Meski mengaku tak menutup kemungkinan pindah ke Premier League, neymar mengaku lebih mengutamakan pindah ke Serie-A.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Neymar jadi bintang saat Brasil menundukkan Skotlandia di laga ujicoba. Kecemerlangan aksi Neymar itu sayangnya dinodai aksi tak terpuji dari penonton.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Barcelona memang masih berminat untuk memboyong Cesc Fabregas ke Camp Nou. Akan tetapi Los Cules menegaskan tidak akan banyak menaikkan penawarannya dari musim lalu.

Capello puji Wilshere

WILSHERE (kanan) dicabar pemain Wales, Aaron Ramsey pada aksi Kelayakan Euro 2012 di Stadium Millennium, Cardiff kelmarin.

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LONDON - Jurulatih England, Fabio Capello memberi pujian melangit terhadap Jack Wilshere setelah pemain tengah muda berbakat itu menjadi nadi utama ketika mereka menewaskan Wales 2-0 pada aksi Kelayakan Euro 2012 malam kelmarin.

Pemain Arsenal itu hanya beraksi 52 minit bersama England sebelum ini dan prestasi terbaiknya pada aksi menentang Wales membolehkan England kini kembali ke landasan untuk layak ke pusingan akhir Euro 2012.

Biarpun dua jaringan England pada perlawanan itu dibuat oleh Frank Lampard dan Darren Bent, Wilshere yang baru berusia 19 tahun lebih mendapat pujian Capello.

"Persembahan Wilshere sepanjang musim ini cukup menakjubkan. Dia telah mempamerkan peningkatan dalam tempoh yang singkat," kata Capello.

Wilshere kini sedang dalam landasan terbaik untuk menjadi pilihan utama di jentera tengah bersama-sama Lampard di hadapan Scott Parker yang beraksi sebagai pemain tengah bertahan pada aksi malam kelmarin.

"Saya telah berbicara dengan Arsene Wenger (pengurus Arsenal) dan beliau turut bercakap perkara yang sama iaitu luar biasa. Wilshere beraksi seperti pemain berusia 28 tahun dengan 35 hingga 40 caps antarabangsa," jelas Capello.

Sementara itu, Wilshere sendiri enggan hanyut dengan pujian melambung terhadapnya.

"Memang ia perkara yang mahu saya dengar tetapi pada usia baru 19 tahun ini, masih terdapat pemain-pemain hebat lain seperti Steven Gerrard yang akan kembali ke dalam pasukan.

"Cuma saya perlu terus berkerja keras bersama pasukan kelab dan melihat sama ada Capello akan terus memanggil saya untuk tugasan antarabangsa atau sebaliknya," kata Wilshere.

Namun Capello sedikit kecewa apabila Wayne Rooney dilayangkan kad kuning pada minit ke-37, sekali gus menyebabkan penyerang Manchester United itu terlepas aksi seterusnya bertemu Switzerland di Wembley pada Jun depan. - AFP

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Vettel juara pembuka tirai 2011

VETTEL (tengah) menjulang trofi selepas menjuarai perlumbaan GP Australia di Litar Albert Park semalam. Hamilton (kiri) dan Petrov masing-masing menduduki tempat kedua dan ketiga.

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MELBOURNE - Pemandu sensasi Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel memulakan musim baru perlumbaan Formula Satu (F1) dengan bergaya apabila menjuarai Grand Prix (GP) Australia semalam.

Vettel menamatkan perlumbaan di Litar Albert Park itu dengan catatan masa 1 jam 29 minit 30.259 saat.

Kemenangan itu juga sekali gus memberi gambaran awal betapa dia seakan-akan berpotensi besar untuk mempertahankan gelaran juara dunia yang dimenangi musim lalu.

Pemandu muda dari Jerman berusia 23 tahun itu yang memulakan perlumbaan di petak depan langsung tidak menoleh ke belakang untuk mendahului sehingga tamat dan meraih kejuaraan ke-11 dalam kariernya.

Ini merupakan kemenangan ketiga berturut-turut diraih Vettel jika diambil kira pencapaian dalam dua perlumbaan terakhir musim lalu.

Tempat kedua menjadi milik pemandu McLaren, Lewis Hamilton yang ketinggalan 22.2s di belakang Vettel.

"Terima kasih krew, perlumbaan yang hebat. Segalanya terkawal, kereta mantap, hentian pit cemerlang. Kita banyak belajar hari ini (semalam)," katanya menerusi radio pasukan sebaik melintasi garisan penamat.

Vettel bagaimanapun menegaskan, kejayaan itu tidak dicapai dengan mudah terutama ketika permulaan yang genting sebelum berjaya terlepas daripada asakan lawan.

"Mujur juga di pertengahan perlumbaan Lewis tercicir sedikit dan ia membolehkan saya mengawal perlumbaan dengan lebih baik.

"Ini kali pertama saya berjaya menamatkan perlumbaan di GP Australia. Jadi tentulah saya cukup gembira," kata Vettel.

Hamilton pula memberi pujian kepada pasukannya, McLaren kerana berjaya memulihkan jentera sehingga menjadi kompetitif pada saat akhir.

"Saya hanya perlu mengawal keadaan kereta ini untuk memungut mata penting di sini kerana musim masih panjang. Saya fikir kami cukup bagus dalam memberikan saingan," kata juara dunia 2008 itu.

Pencapaian mengejutkan pula dicatat pasukan Lotus Renault semalam apabila pelumba mereka, Vitaly Petrov berjaya menduduki tempat ketiga.

Selain menghadiahkan podium pertama buat pelumba yang datang dari Rusia, kejayaan itu juga satu kemenangan moral buat dua jenama kereta yang baru bergabung tenaga musim ini dalam kancah F1.

"Saya sendiri tidak percaya dapat duduk dengan Vettel dan Hamilton. Pasukan kami pasti bangga," kata Petrov.

Pemandu harapan Ferrari, Fernando Alonso sekadar menduduki tempat keempat manakala Felipe Massa bernasib baik apabila naik dari tangga kesembilan ke tangga ketujuh.

Ia gara-gara pembatalan keputusan dua pemandu Sauber, Sergio Perez dan Kamui Kobayashi yang pada awalnya menamatkan perlumbaan di tempat ketujuh dan kelapan.

Rakan sepasukan Vettel, Mark Webber pula gagal memanfaatkan kelebihan beraksi di negara sendiri apabila hanya mampu menduduki tempat kelima.

Kegagalan nama-nama besar ini dikaitkan dengan strategi mereka yang melakukan tiga hentian pit berbanding tiga pelumba teratas yang hanya melakukan dua hentian pit sepanjang perlumbaan. - Reuters

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Ribery, Evra berdebar

RIBERY (kiri) dan Evra menjalani latihan menjelang aksi menentang Croatia pada aksi persahabatan di Stade de France awal pagi Rabu ini.

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PARIS - Franck Ribery dan Patrice Evra menjangkakan mereka akan diejek penyokong sendiri apabila buat pertama kali turun beraksi untuk skuad Perancis di laman sendiri pada awal pagi Rabu ini.

Kedua-dua pemain itu sebelum ini digantung berikutan penglibatan mereka dalam pemberontakan pemain ketika kempen Piala Dunia 2010 di Afrika Selatan.

Akibatnya, Evra digantung lima perlawanan manakala Ribery digantung tiga perlawanan setelah mereka meninggalkan sesi latihan sebagai tanda protes terhadap rakan mereka, Nicolas Anelka yang disingkirkan daripada pasukan.

Kedua-dua pemain itu kembali buat kali pertama ketika Perancis menewaskan Luxembourg 2-0 pada saingan Kelayakan Euro 2012 di tempat lawan pada awal pagi kelmarin.

Evra dan Ribery dijangka terus diturunkan apabila Perancis melayan kunjungan Croatia pada aksi persahabatan di Stade de France awal pagi Rabu ini.

"Saya rasa pasti akan terdapat bunyi siulan daripada penonton. Ia mungkin daripada sebahagian kecil penonton. Tapi dengan jangkaan 80,000 penyokong berada di stadium, kita lihatlah apa yang akan berlaku nanti.

"Apa yang pasti kami berdua perlu menerimanya saja. Biarkan perkara yang lalu pergi dan kami perlu pandang ke hadapan," kata Ribery.

Evra pula berkata, dia yakin ejekan terhadap mereka nanti sama sekali tidak akan menjejaskan rentak skuad kendalian Laurent Blanc itu.

"Saya juga jangkakan akan berlaku ejekan. Tapi saya boleh jamin, orang pertama yang akan bersiul nanti akan menjadi orang pertama yang mahukan jersi saya pada penghujung perlawanan nanti," kata Evra. - Reuters

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GARUT, Kompas.com — Petinju asal Indonesia, Isack Junior, menang KO melawan Joel Rafols asal Filipina di ronde kedelapan dalam kejuaraan tinju dunia World Boxing Organization (WBO) Aspac kelas Bantam Junior 52,2 kg.      

Pertandingan di Gelanggang Olahraga Kerkoff, Kabupaten Garut, Jawa Barat, Minggu. Pada ronde pertama Isack menunjukkan penampilannya cukup baik di ring tinju lapangan terbuka yang sempat membuat Joel jatuh setelah menerima pukulan tangan kiri tepat pada muka.

Meskipun Joel terjatuh, tapi dia masih mampu berdiri dan melanjutkan pertandingan hingga ronde pertama selesai. Ronde selanjutnya, Isack terus melakukan serangan tanpa menyempatkan lawannya balik menyerang.      

Aksi serangan Isack mulai melemah, bahkan Joel mulai melakukan penyerangan hingga di ronde ketiga Isack terjatuh akibat mendapatkan pukulan cukup keras.      

Di ronde tiga, wasit Nus Riri Hena sempat memberikan hitungan kepada Isack hingga dia mampu berdiri dan melanjutkan pertandingan. Mereka saling serang hingga ronde keempat, kelima, dan keenam.

Memasuki ronde ketujuh, Isack mulai menunjukkan kebolehannya melakukan serangan pukulan hingga beberapa kali mengenai lawannya.

Serangan Isack dibalas oleh Joel dengan pukulan, tapi Isack yang tampak lincah beberapa kali berhasil menghindari pukulan Joel.

Di ronde delapan, Isack terus melakukan serangan hingga petinju asal Filipina itu tersudut di atas ring, tapi berhasil melakukan perlawanan hingga terjadi saling pukul.

Menit-menit akhir dalam ronde delapan itu, Isack berhasil melayangkan pukulannya mengenai rahang Joel hingga tersungkur. Wasit langsung melakukan hitungan, tapi Joel tetap lemas tidak berdiri dan wasit menyatakan Isack menang KO.

Pertandingan tinju dunia itu tampak meriah dengan kehadiran para penonton yang memadati kawasan lapangan olahraga Kerkop, bahkan Bupati Garut Aceng HM Fikri ikut menyaksikan pertandingan tersebut bersama Ketua Umum Komisi Tinju Profesional Indonesia (KTPI) Pusat Ruhut Sitompul.

Kedua petinju tersebut merupakan partai utama kejuaraan WBO Aspac Garut Super Fight 2011, memperebutkan sabuk emas Wakil Gubernur Jawa Barat. Sebelumnya, tiga pasangan lawan petinju nasional bertanding dalam kejuaraan tersebut.

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Kejuaraan karate OSO cup

Karateka DKI Juara Umum

Kirim Komentar Anda

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THE national team had a good workout in their 1-1 draw with S-League French side Etoile FC in a practice match at the Jalan Besar Stadium yesterday.

National coach K. Rajagobal opted to mix-and-match his players and liked what he saw.

He played Khairul Fahmi Che Mat in goal and opted for Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak, Muslim Ahmad, Asraruddin Putra Omar and Mahalli Jasuli in defence.

Captain Safiq Rahim led the midfield together with Amar Rohidan, S. Kunanlan and Amirulhadi Zainal to support Ahmad Fakri Saraani and Norshahrul Idlan Talaha upfront.

Rajagobal, however replaced almost the entire team in the second half with fringe players, which subsequently affected the tempo and pace of the team's flow.

Norshahrul said it was a good match, which his team should have won.

"We had opportunities, which we couldn't put away. But I think we played very well," Norshahrul told Astro Awani yesterday.

"It was a difficult second half as several changes were made. We lost possession but it's okay."

Malaysia made a promising start when Ahmad Fakri headed past Etoile's goalkeeper Antonin Trilles in the seventh minute.

It was a well-worked goal coming from a resulting pass from captain Safiq, off a corner kick, to Asraruddin, who in turn, crossed the ball into the penalty box, which found Ahmad Fakri.

They relied on the quick legs of flankers Kunanlan and Amirulhadi to do the damage with their darting runs, but when the crosses came in, strikers Norshahrul and Ahmad Fakri failed to win the aerial battle against their taller opponents.

The Malaysian defence were erratic throughout the match with their blunders, which almost proved costly on several occasions.

Etoile's Maxime Belouet was the most creative player in the match as the midfielder's accurate passing and flair created problems for the visitors.

His pass from the middle of the field found Kevin Lefranc in the box but the striker's shot hit the side netting in the 20th minute.

And 19 minutes later, Belouet's inswinging corner kick almost caught an out-of-position Malaysian keeper Khairul Fahmi but he managed to flick the ball away to safety.

Scottish-born Jonathan Toto was also unlucky before the half time as both his attempts could only rattle the crossbar.

Since it was a practice match, Rajagobal decided on testing his substitutes including goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee, Azidan Sarudin, Mohd Fadli Shas, Azmi Muslim, Shahrizal Saad and Rizal Fahmi Rosit.

But Etoile's persistence paid off when midfielder Hicham Bouchemlal equalised with a long range effort in the 62nd minute. It served as a wake-up call for the visitors, who were obviously asleep in much of the match.

In one of Malaysia's rare attacks, Shahrizal set-up Ashaari Samsudin with a beautiful pass but the Terengganu player's shot was parried away by keeper Trilles for a corner kick in the 72nd minute.

The visitors had a few more opportunities but Etoile defended well to force a draw.

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MIAMI: Andy Murray's post-Australian Open slump shows no sign of ending. The three-time Grand Slam runner-up lost on Friday in his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open to American qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-1, 7-5.

"I was trying to get myself back into the match, trying to find ways," Murray said. "But I just didn't have that spark."

The Scotsman hasn't won a set in three matches since he was routed in the Australian Open final by Novak Djokovic.

Following Murray's departure, Djokovic improved to 19-0 in 2011 by drubbing Denis Istomin 6-0, 6-1. Djokovic's record is the best to begin a year since Ivan Lendl started 25-0 in 1986.

A year ago Murray lost opening-round matches in back-to-back tournaments, including at Key Biscayne as defending champion. This swoon is worse, with consecutive defeats against players ranked outside the top 100.

Bogomolov is ranked 118th, and his only other win over a top 10 player came in 2002, his senior year in high school, when he beat No 3 Tommy Haas in Los Angeles.

While his victory gave US tennis fans something to brag about, the last American in the women's draw was eliminated in the second round when Varvara Lepchenko lost to Petra Kvitova 6-1, 6-2.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters needed only 50 minutes to win her opening match, beating qualifier Anastasiya Yakimova 6-1, 6-1. The No. 2-seeded Kim was playing for the first time since retiring two weeks ago in the fourth round at Indian Wells with a right shoulder injury.

"It's not fully healed, but it's healing," she said. "After Indian Wells I was pretty worried. Now I feel that I'm almost able to do everything that I want."

Reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone advanced by beating Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-4. No 3-seeded Vera Zvonareva rallied to defeat former No 1 Dinara Safina 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

In other men's play, No 4 Robin Soderling earned his 20th victory this year -- most on the men's tour -- by beating Ivan Dodig 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Americans Mardy Fish, John Isner and James Blake also reached the third round. Fish, seeded 14th, won his opening match against Julien Benneteau, 6-4, 6-3. The unseeded Blake edged No. 27 Thomaz Bellucci 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), while Isner, seeded 30th, defeated Russia's Igor Andreev 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2).

Juan Martin del Potro took another step in his comeback from right wrist surgery by edging No 29 Philipp Kohschreiber 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 7-5. -- AP

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MELBOURNE – Lewis Hamilton meminta McLaren tetap bangga atas raihan mereka di GP Australia 2011. Menurut pembalap asal Inggris, pencapaian sekarang sudah jauh diluar dugaan dan patut disyukuri.

Pada balapan perdana di sirkuit Albert Park, Hamilton hanya mampu meraih podium kedua. Dia terpaut sekitar 20 detik dari jagoan Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel yang keluar sebagai juara.

Meskipun demikian, Hamilton tidak terlalu kecewa. Sebaliknya dia malah bangga dengan raihan yang dinilai mengejutkan tersebut.

"McLaren pantas berbangga diri atas pencapaian ini. Semua telah melakukan yang terbaik," ujar Hamilton.

"Satu atau dua pekan lalu kamu tidak berharap bisa masuk jajaran lima besar, jadi ketika berhasil naik podium kedua dan melihat performa mobil yang sangat reliable itu sudah menjadi sebuah raihan yang luar biasa," cetusnya lagi seperti dikutip Autosport, Minggu (27/3/2011).(msy)

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MELBOURNE – Sebastian Vettel menolak sesumbar meski telah menggenggam kemenangan di GP Australia 2011. mendominasi sepanjang balapan, pembalap Red Bull tersebut tetap mengakui kalau hasil positif itu tidak diraih dengan mudah.

Memulai balapan dari grid paling depan, Vettel seperti tak terkejar oleh lawan-lawannya. Catatan waktu juga menunjukkan kalau pembalap asal Jerman begitu jumawa dengan unggul sekitar 20 detik dari pesaing terdekatnya Lewis Hamilton.

Walaupun demikian, Vettel tidak besar kepala. Pembalap muda Jerman ini mengaku harus berjuang cukup keras ketika melakukan start di sirkuit Albert Park tersebut.

"Balapan yang sangat bagus. Saya agak tenang karena Hamilton tidak terlalu mendesak," ujar Vettel seperti dikutip Autosport, Minggu (27/3/2011).

"Tapi saya tidak menganggap itu balapan yang mudah. Start yang sangat krusial dan saya bisa melakukannya dengan baik dan meninggalkan lawan-lawan di belakang," cetus sang juara bertahan.(msy)

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Sukan

Juara dunia F1 sambar petak pertama GP Australia

JUARA Formula Satu (F1) dunia Red Bull Racing, Sebastian Vettel mengakui dia tidak perlu menggunakan tenaga pecut tambahan KERS (sistem pemulihan tenaga kinetik) untuk menyambar petak pertama Grand Prix Australia di litar jalanan Albert Park, semalam.

Pemandu Jerman berusia 23 tahun itu, turut membuatkan ra­­kan sepasukan Mark Webber menggelengkan kepala selepas mencatat masa sepusingan terpantas satu minit 23.520 saat. Catatan Vettel itu hampir setengah saat lebih pantas berban­­ding masa yang dilakukannya ketika merebut petak utama di litar sama tahun lalu, dan 0.8s lebih pantas berbanding pencabar terdekat dari pada McLaren, Lewis Hamilton.

Namun juara F1 termuda dunia itu dengan nada berwaspada berkata, walaupun jurang tampak agak besar, musim perlumbaan baru bermula dan banyak perkara boleh berlaku.

"Ini posisi yang baik dan saya gembira tetapi kami perlu berpijak di bumi nyata," katanya yang gagal menamatkan saingan dalam perlumbaan terakhir musim lalu.

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]DUA gol awal membolehkan England menewaskan Wales 2-0 dalam saingan Kumpulan G kelayakan Euro 2012 di Stadium Millennium, Cardiff malam tadi, di tengah-tengah kritikan pedas terhadap cara pengurusnya, Fabio Capello menangani isu pelantikan semula John Terry sebagai kapten.