Messi named Best Player in Europe
MADRID: UEFA has named Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as the Best Player in Europe for the 2010-11 season.
Messi claimed 38 votes for the newly-created award, putting him some distance ahead of Barcelona team-mate Xavi, in second place with 11 votes, and third-placed Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who received just three votes.
The UEFA Best Player in Europe Award is given to players on the basis of their performances for club and country. The award is designed to replace the old Ballon d’Or award for the best player in Europe, which has been supplanted by the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world.
Messi enjoyed a hugely successful season with his club, scoring 31 goals in the league to help clinch the league title and putting in a man-of-the-match performance in the Champions League final victory over Manchester United.
“I’d like to thank all the people that voted for me, and all my team-mates,” Messi said. “I keep all these awards at home and I still have some space for more. It’s an honour to be so successful and to come up with the goods at the right time – thanks to my team-mates for helping me achieve this.
“My motivation comes from being at a club that’s so successful and having a structure that allows us to be so successful. That was taught to me when I moved over and I’ve tried my best to keep it up.”
UEFA Best Player in Europe 2010-11 top ten
1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
2 Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
3 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
4 Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
5 Falcao (FC Porto)
6 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
7 Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
8 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)
9 Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
10 Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke)
Visa issues jeopardise Usman Khawajas tour
Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja was scheduled to participate in Champion League T20 Tournament.
On a twitter message, Usman said he is being stopped from travelling to India – because he was born in Pakistan.
Khawaja, who went to Australia when he was three, is set to fly to India as part of the NSW Blues side that will compete in the Champions League Twenty 20 competition next month. But on Tuesday, he tweeted: “Indian Visa department need to sort their issues out.
Usman Khawaja, who became the first Muslim to play a Test for Australia when he was picked for the final Ashes match against England at the SCG in January, is set to join the rest of the Aussie squad later this month for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka.
Pak-India series 5, 5 matches are expected to play: Butt
Pak-India series 5, 5 matches are expected to play: Butt
Pakistan India cricket series of five tests five one-days and two T20 is expected in the end on the on going year. Chairman PCB Ijaz Butt told that Pakistan Cricket Board is confident about holding of series at home ground but on the request of India matches can be played in India. In an interview to media Butt said that when Pakistan team went to India then it played five test, five one-day and two T20 matches with India so now India too will have to play same number of matches with Pakistan
Pakistan is hopeful for representation in Champions League: Butt
Butt further said that meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proved good and we want to hold the series as soon as possible but to find time, from busy schedule of teams, to hold this event would be a difficult task. We can hold the series after six months as well. Chairman further added that initially BCCI had some reservations on some matters but now all problems would be solved by Manmohan Singh. Regarding the issue of nonprticipatio of Pakistani players in IPL he said that both countries had political tensions in the past due to which our players were not invited but now bilateral relations are improving and Pakistan is hopeful for representation in Champions League.
Indian team will get a warm welcome: Butt
He told that as soon as we will get the green signal the preparations will be started. Butt further said that complete security plan will be provided to the government and Indian team will get a warm welcome.
Royal Challengers Bangalor Vs Guyana, Champions League Twenty20
Royal Challengers Bangalor won the toss and elected to field first in Champions League Twenty20’s 5th match. RCB bowling was excellent and they didn’t allow Guyana to score runs easily. They took wickets at regular intervals and restricted he opponents to 103 runs. CD Barnwell remained top scorer with 30 runs under his name.
JH Kallis took three wickets and gave away 16 runs and also bowled a maiden over. P Kumar took 2 wickets along with DW Steyn, A Kumble and ND Doshi who took one wicket each. RCB chased the target of 104 easily. Both openers played really well and provide strong start to their team. They lost their first wicket on 78 runs when Dravid got out after scoring 33 runs. Robin Uthappa came in and batted aggressively. He hit 2 sixes and 2 four in his little inning of 25 runs on 8 balls. In the end it was easy chase for RCB.
Before this match South Australia defeated Lions team by11 runs. Lions were chasing the target of 179 runs but they could manage to score only 167 runs. SW Tait bowled well from South Australian side and took 3 wickets. DT Christian also took couple of wickets.
Today both South Australia and Royal Challengers Bangalor won their matches. Lions after winning from Mumbai Indians could not defeat South Australia team.
Australia still on top as Pakistan ranked eighth in hockey
AMSTERDAM: Australia continue to retain the first position in hockey world ranking while Pakistan, four-time winners of the World Cup, have been placed eighth.
As per the latest ranking released after the Champions Trophy, Australia are still on top with 2,620 points and Germany are second with a difference of 250 points while The Netherlands hold the third position.
England, the Champions Trophy finalists, went up to the fourth from the fifth position while Spain came down from the fourth to the fifth.
South Korea have been ranked sixth followed by New Zealand (seventh) and Pakistan (eighth).
Australia win third match in Champions Trophy
August 4, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under Breaking News
MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany: Defending champions Australia trounced England 3-2, the third win in the tournament, to ensure place in final of Champions Trophy field hockey.
Read more here:
Australia win third match in Champions Trophy
Germany, Australia advance in Champions Trophy
BERLIN: Australia and Germany won their respective matches whereas Spain and England played draw in Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament.
In the first match, Germany out-class New Zealand by 5-2 while in another fixture, Australia beat Holland by 3-6. The third match played between England and Spain ended at draw by 3-3.
Germany, Australia advance in Champions Trophy
BERLIN: Australia and Germany won their respective matches whereas Spain and England played draw in Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament.
In the first match, Germany out-class New Zealand by 5-2 while in another fixture, Australia beat Holland by 3-6. The third match played between England and Spain ended at draw by 3-3.
Chile beat 10-man Switzerland to close in on last 16
PORT ELIZABETH: Chile continued their dream World Cup run with a 1-0 defeat of 10-man Switzerland here on Monday to move within touching distance of the last 16.
The South Americans climbed to the top of Group H after second half substitute Mark Gonzalez finally broke down a steely Swiss defence in the 75th minute.
Chile, who had beaten Honduras 1-0 last week, will be assured qualification if Monday”s late game between Spain and Honduras ends in a draw.
Switzerland, stunning 1-0 winners over favourites Spain in their first match, were up against it after going a man down on 30 minutes when Valon Behrami was sent off.
The West Ham midfielder was given his marching orders by Saudi Arabian referee Khalil Al Ghamdi for a tangle with Arturo Vidal after he appeared to elbow the Bayer Leverkusen player in the face.
Hitzfeld, who is only one of three coaches to have won the Champions League with two different clubs, was scathing about the referee.
Chile, who had impressed with their attacking passion in their opening 1-0 win over Honduras, had the first shot on target when Italy-based Carlos Carmona fired in from 20m, the ball safely scooped up by Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio.
Carmona then ensured he would miss Chile”s closing Group H match with Spain on Friday by picking up a yellow card for a challenge on Behrami in the 21st minute to add to the one he received last week.
Four minutes before the interval Hitzfeld made a tactical switch, pulling off striker Alexander Frei and replacing the team captain with Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta.
After the break Chile”s Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa replaced midfielder Vidal with Gonzalez.
Alexis Sanchez thought he had scored in the 49th minute, celebrating ecstatically only to then see out of the corner of his eye the linesman”s flag raised for offside.
It was all Chile now as the ball rarely left the Swiss side of the Nelson Mandela Bay pitch.
On 55 minutes the Europeans were let off when Gonzalez jumped over the white wall only to head a corner high.
Trigger happy Al Ghamdi then dished out three yellow cards in the space of one minute to Swiss defender Reto Ziegler and Chilean duo Gary Medel and Matias Fernandez to take the tally to eight with one red and still 20 minutes on the clock.
Chile finally made the breakthrough they had been threatening for so long when Esteban Paredes, who had only entered the fray 10 minutes earlier as a replacement for Matias Fernandez, raced around Benaglio and found Gonzalez who headed into an empty goal.
Switzerland almost grabbed an unlikely last minute equaliser when substitute Eren Derdiyok shot just wide of Bravo”s left post.
Small consolation but the Swiss set a new World Cup record of 559 minutes played without scoring a goal, to overtake Italy”s mark of 550 minutes.
Drogba back as Ivory Coast draw with Portugal
PORT ELIZABETH: Ivory Coast and Portugal entered the World Cup fray here on Tuesday and produced a goalless draw marked by Didier Drogba”s return to action just ten days after surgery on his broken arm.
The African superstar, wearing a protective cast, was introduced as a second half substitute but he was unable to tip the balance in his countrymen”s favour in the Group G clash.
Sven Goran Eriksson described the encounter as “tight”.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo had the best chance to break the stalemate on a crisp winter”s afternoon in the first half when the Real Madrid winger”s 25m shot rattled Boubacar Barry”s left post in the 10th minute.
Barry”s opposite number Eduardo was let off the hook when shortly after Siaka Tiene”s curling long range freekick edged wide.
Another Ivorian, Ismael Tiote, then watched as his effort went over the Portuguese crossbar.
Referee Jorge Larrionda flashed his yellow card at defender Guy Demel for a foul on Ronaldo who in turn was cautioned for his stroppy reaction.
The Ivory Coast, the last of the six teams from Africa to enter the World Cup fray in South Africa, were giving as good as they got against their rivals from Europe ranked third in the world.
The game needed a goal and Salomon Kalou had Eduardo working with his shot on target in the 50th minute as Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz made his first change, replacing Danny with Atletico Madrid forward Simao.
Gone now was the caution that had marked much of the first period as this Group of Death curtain raiser really opened up and Barry had to be at full stretch to get hold of Liedson”s header after some nifty work down the left from Deco.
On 66 minutes Eriksson unleashed Drogba, who came on for his Chelsea
teammate Kalou to by far the biggest cheer of the afternoon.
As the rain came down Ronaldo thought he had put the 2006 semi-finalists into the lead but Larrionda had already whistled for a foul by Liedson.
On 80 minutes Ronaldo, who failed to score in any of Portugal”s World Cup qualifiers, sent a 35m freekick edging over Barry”s crossbar.
A Drogba-inspired Ivory Coast had Portugal on the hop in time added on but he miscued his shot and man-of-the-match Ronaldo and co. escaped with a point.
The result left Ghana as the only one of the six African teams playing in this first ever World Cup in Africa to have won their opening first round match.
Group G favourites Brazil take on North Korea later Tuesday.
