Novak Djokovic wins Shangai Open after Thriller match against Andy Murray

Novak Djokovic avenged his US Open defeat to beat Andy Murray Sunday, saving five match points to seal a stunning 5-7, 7-6 (13/11), 6-3 victory in the Shanghai Masters final.The iron-willed Serbian second seed, 25, came out on top in a gripping second set tie-break lasting more than 20 minutes to level the match. He broke twice in the decider in a marathon match lasting three hours and 21 minutes.A gruelling first set contained seven breaks of serve as the players went toe-to-toe in a breathtaking display of power hitting, with neither able to grab the initiative.But third seed Murray, 25, made what proved to be the crucial breakthrough in the 11th game, recovering from 0-40 to break for a 6-5 lead as an infuriated Djokovic destroyed his racquet, tossing it away in disgust.It was a different story in the second set, with both players secure on serve until defending champion Murray broke in the seventh game to lead 4-3 when Djokovic put a volley into the net.But agonisingly for Murray, Djokovic, refusing to be beaten, saved a match point to pull level at 5-5 and the set went into the dramatic tie-break.The Serbian denied the Scot four more times in the shoot-out, sealing the set with a drive volley that was followed by a trademark fist-pumping celebration.Two breaks in the decider were enough for Djokovic to claim victory.Murray beat his rival in five sets in last month's US Open final to secure Britain's first men's Grand Slam singles title since the 1930s, just weeks after his Olympic triumph in front of home fans in London.The Scot, who lost the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer, had never been beaten at the Shanghai Masters before Sunday, winning the 2010 and 2011 tournaments.Djokovic came into the match on a 9-0 winning streak since losing to Murray, a run that included his third China Open title.Djokovic enjoyed one of the finest seasons in tennis history in 2011, winning three Grand Slams. He is hot on the heels of Federer as he tries to secure the year-end number one ranking for the second year in a row.

Wayne Rooney keen to take Captaincy for England

Wayne Rooney has said he would love to become the full-time England captain when Steven Gerrard's tenure comes to an end.The Manchester United striker wore the armband for the Three Lions' 5-0 World Cup qualification win over San Marino on Friday, and hopes it is not the last time he gets to lead out his country in an international match."If you can get the opportunity to captain your country, it's something which I think - as a player - you need to grab with both hands," Rooney said. "In the future, hopefully that'll happen but, at the minute, Steven's our captain and he'll lead by example for us."He added: "To actually lead a team out, you look up, you see the crowd and - the atmosphere - it's quite a feeling."To captain your country at Wembley is the greatest honour you can have. It's something that, as a young boy, you dream of and to actually do it is a great honour for me something which I'll take and cherish for the rest of my life."Rooney was on the scoresheet twice in the regulation triumph against the European minnows, moving him into fifth on the list of all-time top scorers for England with 31. He hopes there will be many more to come, however, with Bobby Charlton's record of 49 goals understandably within his sights."I'm extremely proud to be in England's top five scorers," Rooney said. "But I am only 26 and I hope I can score a lot more."At the other end of the spectrum, winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fired past San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini to notch his first goal for the senior side. The Arsenal player revealed afterwards that his father, also an England international, had been impressing upon him the need to get a goal for his country."It's a relief to get the monkey off my back, as they say," Oxlade-Chamberlain noted. "I have been looking for my first goal for England and my dad's been pushing me, telling me I needed a goal."

Messi keeps Argentina on course for Brazil

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina defeated Uruguay 3-0 on Friday to remain comfortably on course for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.The victory kept the 1978 and 1986 world champions on top of the nine-nation South American group while continental champions Uruguay remain in the fourth and final automatic qualifying place.Messi grabbed his 11th and 12th goals of the campaign in Mendoza, but the Argentina skipper had to wait until midway through the second half to unlock a tight Uruguay defence.He opened the scoring in the 66th minute when he slid in from a cross by Angel Di Maria with his second goal -- and his team's third -- coming eight minutes from time.In between, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero hit the target, again from good approach work from the tireless Di Maria.Argentina thought they had a fourth goal in the dying minutes but substitute Hernan Barcos's effort, off a one-two with Messi, was ruled out for offside.The win leaves Argentina with 17 points from eight matches, one ahead of both Colombia and Ecuador who both also won on Friday.Colombia, coached by veteran Argentine Jose Pekerman, moved to 16 points with a 2-0 home win over Paraguay in Barranquilla with both goals coming from prolific Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao.He opened the scoring after 52 minutes and closed out a memorable performance with a second, two minutes from time."Undoubtedly Paraguay are a strong team, we knew it would be difficult, and in the end we got the goals that gave us the victory," said Falcao."But there is still a long way to go to the World Cup finals."Colombia has now won their last three qualifiers -- beating Uruguay 4-0 and Chile 3-1 before Friday's triumph.Paraguay's fifth successive defeat left them firmly rooted to the foot of the table.Ecuador also stayed on course for the finals with a 3-1 win over Chile who finished with nine men in Quito.Felipe Caicedo scored twice for Ecuador with a 33rd-minute opener followed by a 56th-minute penalty while Segundo Castillo added the third in stoppage time as Ecuador claimed a fifth successive home win.Chile, who have never won in the Ecuador capital, had taken the lead through a Juan Carlos Paredes own-goal in the 25th minute.Their miserable night was completed by having Pablo Contreras and Arturo Vidal red-carded.In La Paz, Bolivia and Peru fought out a 1-1 draw which did neither side any favours in their faltering campaigns.The top four teams in the South American qualifying tournament will be guaranteed spots in the 2014 finals with the fifth-placed team playing off against the fifth-best side in Asia.

Shangai Open: Murray Beats Federer! Djokovic face Murray in FINAL!

Andy Murray heaped the misery on Roger Federer on Saturday, taking advantage of an astonishing service meltdown by the Swiss great to set up a mouthwatering final against Novak Djokovic.The US Open champion, who has never been beaten at the Chinese tournament, won 6-4, 6-4, repeating his victory in the Olympic final that came after the searing pain of defeat to Federer just weeks earlier at Wimbledon.The pair swapped breaks at the start of the match but the first set hinged on an incredible fifth game when 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer was broken to love after the normally ice-cool Swiss double-faulted three times in a row.Third seed Murray, who won the Shanghai Masters in 2010 and 2011, immediately put the world number one under the cosh at the start of the second set but the Swiss dug deep to save seven break points and edge ahead.But Federer, 31, continued to struggle and it was the fifth game of the second set that again proved pivotal, with the 25-year-old Scot sealing a break against the Swiss, who had led 40-0, with a devastating forehand return winner.Murray faced an agonising wait of more than half an hour to serve for the match as the roof was closed at the Qi Zhong Stadium after it started raining and an army of people descended on the court to dry the playing surface.The players left the court and had to knock up again but Murray kept his nerve to serve out for victory, sealing the match when Federer netted.Earlier, in-form Djokovic accelerated his push for the year-end number one ranking, dismissing the challenge of fourth seed Tomas Berdych in a one-sided match.The Serbian second seed came into the clash with an impressive 9-1 lead against the Czech player in head-to-head match-ups and immediately took charge, dominating the contest to win 6-3, 6-4."Tomas is in great form in the last couple of months. He's always a difficult player to play against on any surface because he has a very powerful serve and great forehand," said Djokovic."I played tactically right," the 25-year-old added. "I was putting a lot of returns into the court, making a lot of pressure on his serve. On the other hand, I was serving well when I needed to."Yet to drop a set in Shanghai, the Australian Open champion was ruthless, breaking at the first opportunity and repeating the feat as he threatened to run away with the opening set.Berdych, 27, bidding to reach the elite ATP World Tour Finals in London, slowed Djokovic's charge but could not prevent him from sealing the set, with a single break enough for the five-time Grand Slam champion in the second set.Djokovic faded towards the end of a stellar 2011 but looks fresh as he hunts down Federer at the top of the rankings. He is looking to add the Shanghai Masters title to the China Open crown he won last weekend.Because of his limp end to last season, Djokovic has relatively few points to defend in the rolling 12-month rankings whereas Federer has more to lose after a successful spell towards the end of 2011.

WCQ: England, Germany, Spain cruise

England, Germany and Spain all secured big victories in Friday night's World Cup qualifiers.Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck led the charge with two goals apiece as England cruised to a 5-0 victory over San Marino at WembleyRooney, wearing the armband in the absence of the suspended Steven Gerrard, led by example as he scored twice in what ultimately proved to be a comfortable victory for Three Lions.England were always expected to emerge as easy victors against the European minnows, but it took Roy Hodgson's side more than half an hour to find the net.

Rooney opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Danny Welbeck, who moments earlier had hit the woodwork, was brought down by goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini.Welbeck doubled England's advantage three minutes later with a neat finish, flicking the ball past Simoncini from Aaron Lennon's pull-back.Rooney then sparked a second-half goal flurry, curling the ball in to score his 31st international goal and move ahead of Nat Lofthouse, Tom Finney and Alan Shearer to become England's fifth-highest goalscorer.As in the first half, Welbeck was not far behind, slotting home from Tom Cleverley's ball before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain capped an easy victory with his first senior England goal.England were also given a boost as Ukraine, who earned a point at Wembley last month, played out a goalless draw against Moldova.Ukraine, without Oleg Blokhin as the coach required surgery to remove a blood clot from a carotid artery, failed to produce their best form in Chisinau.World champions Spain eased to a 4-0 win over Belarus in Minsk, with Pedro netting three goals.Pedro provided the assist for Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba to open the scoring on 12 minutes before completing an impressive hat-trick.The result puts Spain ahead of France at the top of Group I on goal difference.In the other game in the group, ten-man Finland secured a 1-1 draw at home to Georgia. Kuram Gashia put the visitors ahead on 57 minutes. Finland had Alexei Eremenko sent off soon afterwards, but Kasper Hamalainen equalised to give Mixu Paatelainen's men their first point of the campaign.Germany made it three wins out of three in Group C as they recorded a thumping 6-1 victory over Republic of Ireland in Dublin.Marco Reus and Toni Kroos netted two goals apiece, while Mesut Ozil, with a penalty, and Miroslav Klose were also on the scoresheet. Andy Keogh headed a late consolation for the hosts.Russia produced a strong defensive display to secure a 1-0 victory over Portugal in Moscow.Alexander Kerzhakov scored the only goal of the game after six minutes following a defensive mix-up, with Russia then forced to withstand lengthy spells of pressure.Cristiano Ronaldo led the charge, but Fabio Capello's men were resolute as they claimed a victory that maintains their 100% record in Group F after three games. Portugal are in second place with six points.

Israel are two points behind Portugal after a 6-0 victory in Luxembourg. Real Mallorca striker Tomer Hemed hit a hat-trick while Maharan Radi, Eden Ben Basat and Maor Melikson were also on target Italy failed to hit top gear but emerged from their clash in Armenia with a 3-1 victory in Group B.Italy took the lead with an early Andrea Pirlo penalty after Hrayr Mkoyan had handled, but the hosts were level on 27 minutes through Henrikh Mkhitarian.A Daniele De Rossi header on 64 minutes restored the Azzurri's lead, and the Roma midfielder crossed for club team-mate Pablo Osvaldo to round off the scoring with ten minutes remaining.Czech Republic battled to a 3-1 victory against Malta in Plzen.Theodor Gebre Selassie opened the scoring in the 34th minute, but the visitors grabbed an equaliser four minutes later. Tomas Pekhart and Jan Rezek then scored to avert embarrassment for the Czechs, although former Coventry striker Michael Mifsud missed a 95th-minute penalty for Malta.Also in Group B, Denmark are still searching for their first three points of the campaign after being held to a 1-1 draw away to ten-man Bulgaria.Denmark, who drew their opening game against the Czechs, had an extra man for more than an hour in Sofia but were unable to make their advantage count. Dimitar Rangelov had put the hosts into an early lead before Ivan Bandalovski was dismissed in the 27th minute and, while Nicklas Bendtner levelled shortly afterwards, they could not find a winner.Belgium secured an impressive 3-0 win in Serbia as they moved to the top of Group A.Christian Benteke, Kevin De Bruyne and Kevin Mirallas scored the goals as the Belgians made it seven points from three games.Croatia are also on seven points after claiming a 2-1 win away to Macedonia.Agim Ibraimi gave Macedonia a surprise lead in the 16th minute, but Croatia hit back as Vedran Corluka levelled and Ivan Rakitic fired the winner from 25 yards.Two late goals from Gareth Bale earned Wales a memorable victory as they came from behind to beat Scotland 2-1 in Cardiff.James Morrison's first-half strike looked to have secured all three points for the visitors at the Cardiff City Stadium, but Bale equalised from the penalty spot ten minutes from time before netting the winner with less than two minutes remaining.Netherlands maintained their 100% start as they dispatched Andorra 3-0 at De Kuip.Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring on seven minutes with a long-range strike before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and debutant Ruben Schaken added their names to the scoresheet.

Romania trail the Dutch on goal difference alone after beating Turkey 1-0 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. Gheorghe Grozav got the only goal of the game just before the break as Nuri Sahin missed a good chance to level late on for the hosts.

Hungary trail Netherlands and Romania by three points after they beat Estonia 1-0in Talinn, with Tamas Hajnal netting the goal at the start of the second half.

Sweden were forced to rely on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to avert embarrassment in a 2-1 Group C victory away to Faroe Islands.

Rogvi Baldvinsson gave the minnows the lead just before the hour mark, but Ibrahimovic set up Alex Kacaniklic for the equaliser and then the Paris Saint-Germain star scored the winner with 15 minutes to play.

Austria had to settle for a goalless draw in their Group C game at Kazahstan as both sides claimed their first point of the campaign.

Switzerland played out a 1-1 draw with Norway in Group E. Mario Gavranovic opened the scoring in the 79th minute in Berne, but Brede Hangeland headed an almost instant reply to ensure a share of the spoils.

Iceland battled to a 2-1 victory in Albania. After Birkir Bjarnason and Edgar Cani had exchanged goals, Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson smashed in a free-kick with nine minutes to play to give the visitors the win.

Also in Group E, Slovenia defeated Cyprus 2-1 thanks to a Tim Matavz brace. Cyprus threatened a comeback as Efstathios Aloneftis scored in the 83rd minute but, while Bostjan Cesar was dismissed late on, they could not secure a share of the spoils.

Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina are joint top of Group G after a 0-0 draw at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

The pair were joined on seven points by Slovakia, who beat Latvia 2-1.

A Marek Hamsik penalty and a further goal from Marek Sapara put Slovakia in control inside ten minutes and, while Maris Verpakovskis won and converted a penalty late on, those early strikes were enough to claim the victory.

Lithuania won 2-0 in Liechtenstein courtesy of a Edgaras Cesnauskis brace to secure their first three points in Group G.

Shangai Open: Murray struggles past Stepanek to set up Federer reunion

The rivalry with Roger Federer which helped to propel Andy Murray into his greatest summer will resume here today when they face each other for the first time since their gold-medal match at the Olympic Games. The Swiss and the Scot meet in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, where Murray has yet to lose a match, having won the tournament in his two previous appearances.Murray, who reached the semi- finals by beating Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 yesterday, has won nine of his 17 matches against Federer, but it was his battling defeat to the world No 1 in this year's Wimbledon final that proved to be the launchpad for the Scot's triumphs at both the Olympics and US Open.Federer, who beat Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in his quarter-final, often brings the best out of Murray, who relishes the challenge of taking on the greatest player in the sport's history. Murray won both their previous meetings here at the Qi Zhong Tennis Centre."To win the match you need to play great tennis," Murray said as he looked forward to meeting Federer for the fourth time this year. "It's a challenge playing against him because he has a lot of variety in his game. He can win points from a lot of different parts of the court."Each time you play against him, there's things that happen a lot differently compared with the previous time, so you need to make sure that you're on your toes and you're ready to make some adjustments during the match. You need to think while you're out there against him."Federer believes the key to Murray's breakthrough has been his more aggressive approach and not staying so far back for his returns, particularly on second serves."He kind of always gave you the first hit [in the past]," Federer said. "By virtue of returning further in, it takes time away. He's got great hands, great anticipation, great reaction. I guess it's the right way to play. It's paid off. Now he's obviously in his absolute prime. Hit fitness, his mind, his game is all coming together now."

Novak Djokovic, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Tommy Haas, and Tomas Berdych, who beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6, meet in the other semi-final, meaning that the top four seeds are all through to the final stages.In truth Murray was well below his best for most of his quarter-final. The world No 3 has not been in the best of health since picking up a bronchial infection on his way to Asia a fortnight ago and often looked short on energy.Stepanek, who at 33 remains one of the fittest players on the tour, struck the ball well in the first set, in which he dropped only five points on his serve and made the only break in the fifth game. It took Murray an hour to get to deuce in any of the Czech's service games, but from 2-2 in the second set he won four games in a row to level the match.After an early exchange of breaks in the decider, Murray finally came good. Having played cautiously until that point, the US Open champion belatedly started going for his shots and secured victory by winning 20 of the last 25 points."I got my kick of energy at the end of the match and played really well for 15 minutes, but I didn't play particularly well up until that point and I was pretty sluggish at the beginning in terms of my movement," Murray said.At the end of the match Murray wrote a "happy birthday" message to his girlfriend, Kim Sears, on the television camera lens. "I didn't tell her I was going to write that," he said. "I hadn't really thought about it until I finished the match." Had he wanted to win the match for her? "I guess so, yeah," Murray smiled.Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins reached their first Masters Series semi-final when they beat Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer 7-6, 4-6, 12-10. The Britons, who next play Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, can still play in the end-of-year Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Eight doubles teams qualify for London based on their 2012 performances and Fleming and Hutchins are currently 11th on the list. Britain's Jonny Marray and Denmark's Frederik Nielsen, the Wimbledon champions, should also make the field.

Ronaldo, Messi net 2 as Madrid draws 2-2 at Barca

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dueled each other to an entertaining stalemate on Sunday, with both superstars scoring twice as Barcelona drew 2-2 with Real Madrid to keep an eight-point lead over its archrival intact. The result ended Barcelona s perfect start to the league campaign as it dropped points for the first time in seven games, but provided yet another memorable chapter in the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, the two biggest names in the sport. Ronaldo put Madrid ahead at Camp Nou stadium in the 23rd from a pass by Karim Benzema to extend his scoring streak in "clasico" matches to six. Then it was Messi s turn, as he took advantage of a defensive slip to level for Barcelona in the 31st, before adding a second goal in the 61st with a perfect free kick from almost 25 yards out. But as Barcelona looked to seal the result, Mesut Oezil unlocked Barcelona s makeshift defensive line to set up Ronaldo to respond five minutes later and split the points. It was, perhaps, a fitting end to the latest head-to-head duel between arguably the two best players in the world, who for the last two seasons have engaged in a two-way scoring race unlike anything the Spanish league has seen before. Messi and Ronaldo are the leading candidates for the world player of the year award, and both showed they more than deserved it with standout performances on Sunday night. Ronaldo added to his pair of hat tricks from the previous week, while Messi recorded his 17th career goal against Madrid, leaving him one short of equaling Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefanos record. The two players lead the Spanish league with eight goals apiece through seven rounds. Atletico Madrid can move even on points with Barcelona if it beats third-place Malaga later. Camp Nou was bedecked with independence flags and the game started with the 90,000-plus fans holding up colored cards to form a mosaic of the red-and-yellow Catalan flag before shouting "Independence" in unison in the latest manifestations of the surge of separatist sentiment in the northwestern region of Spain. But politics aside, the home fans quickly returned their attention to Barcelona s thinned backline, which was without both center backs Carles Puyol (elbow) and Gerard Pique (foot). To compensate, coach Tito Vilanova, in a minor susprise, left new signing Alex Song on the bench, and aligned Adriano alongside Javier Mascherano in the center of his defense. With Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas in midfield, Barcelona quickly made their intentions known as the pair wove together combinations with Messi up front. But Ronaldo made sure Madrid opened the scoring when he took Benzema s pass and used one sharp touch to drive the ball between the near post and goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Ronaldo s goal seemed to stun Barcelona, and Madrid had two golden chances to double its advantage two minutes later when Benzema scuffed a close-range shot, sending it off the bar, and Angel Di Maria punched the rebound wide. Barcelona s injury troubles in defense mounted in the 27th when Dani Alves had to be replaced by Martin Montoya. Just when Barcelona was suffering the most, Messi stepped up to level the score. Madrid defender Pepe failed to clear a high ball from a deflected cross by Pedro Rodriguez, and Messi slipped in to poke the loose ball past goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Messi started the second half with a long gallop from deep in his own half, passing two defenders before sending a cross into the area the defense had to scramble to intercept. Messi then put the hosts in front, winning a free kick before looping it over the wall and beyond Casillas  diving grasp. Ronaldo hit right back when Oezil threaded a pass through the defense for the Portugal forward to slot past Valdes. The draw spoiled Vilanova s bid to become the first coach to lead Barcelona to seven wins in as many games to start the season.

Djokovic wins fourth title of the year

World number two Djokovic dug deep in the first set after an early trade of breaks to win a close tie-breaker and then broke the third-seeded Tsonga twice in the second set. After receiving his trophy, Djokovic delighted the crowd by joining the ball girls and boys in doing the "horse dance" made popular by Billboard chart-topping South Korean rapper Psy in his "Gangnam Style" hit. Sunday s victory gave Djokovic, who also won the China Open in 2009 and 2010, his fourth title of the year. "I think the first set was really even and maybe a couple of points decided the winner there," Djokovic told reporters. "We both had our chances aside from those breaks that we converted. I managed to hold my nerve in the end. "I made that early break in the second (and) I felt much more comfortable on the court." The Australian Open champion will remain in the hunt to take back the world number one ranking from Roger Federer at the end of the year. "That s the target," Djokovic said. "This will definitely help me in that race but it s still quite open. There are still tournaments to come, big ones." Tsonga said he needed to raise his game to beat top players such as Djokovic after his sixth straight loss to the Serbian. "I think it was a good match," Tsonga said. "I missed maybe something in the middle of the first set. I was a break up and I was playing well but then he played solid. It was really difficult to control him. "I just tried to play my game, to be aggressive, but against a player like this, for the moment, my level is not high enough and it s not enough to beat him." Earlier, Mike Bryan overtook Australian Todd Woodbridge s mark of 83 career doubles titles when he, along with brother Bob, beat Carlos Berlocq and Denis Istomin 6-3 6-2 for their third China Open title in four years. It was the seventh title of the year for the American pair. 

West Indies wins World Twenty20 final

Samuels hit six sixes and three fours in his 78 off 56 balls to lift West Indies to 137-6 after it stuttered at 87-5. Samuels then bowled a tidy four-over spell (1-15) as Sri Lanka was bowled out for 101 in 18.4 overs. Offspinner Sunil Narine grabbed 3-9 and captain Darren Sammy picked up 2-6 with Sri Lanka losing its way through the innings to the despair of 35,000 home fans at R Premadasa Stadium. Ajantha Mendis took 4-12 but finished on the wrong side as West Indies won its first major title since clinching the Champions Trophy in 2004. 

'Super Saturday' Premier League: Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City thrashed in Premier

Chelsea retained the top spot in the Premiership after winning Saturday at Norwich by 4 goals to 1 at Stamford Bridge, and Manchester City, who beat Sunderland 3-0, placed second in the Premier League. Chelsea had no trouble against a team yet to taste victory this season in the Premier League, despite being ahead on the scoreboard with a goal from captain Grant Holt (11). Immediately thereafter, the Spanish striker Fernando Torres equalized head (14) after a good move by the band between compatriot Juan Mata and Serbian Branislav Ivanovic. In another move on the right wing, the ball broke to Torres, who, back in Chile tried to finish, but the ball touched a defender and the rebound was tapped by Franck Lampard to make it 2-1 from the edge of the area , in a satin finish hit the post. In a masterful counterattack led by Mata, Spanish gave a pass to the slot that attaining the Belgian Eden Hazard 3-1 (31) with which it came to rest. In the second half, Chelsea controlled the situation at all times and did not go through troubles. Ivanovic closed the scoring in the 76th minute. Chelsea, who have won six of their seven league games and has scored 16 goals in his last four games (all competitions included) retains four points clear of Manchester City. Previously, the reigning Premiership Sunderland won 3-0, with goals from Aleksandr Kolarov Serbia (5), Sergio Aguero (60) and James Milner (90). The 'Kun' paid with a goal the confidence coach Roberto Mancini. "The influence of Agüero has been fantastic. Has scored one goal and created other chances," said the Italian coach after the match. Aguero scored just five minutes after taking the field to replace the always controversial Mario Balotelli. The City was able to react to the disturbing image given by the team on Wednesday in the Champions League, where he managed to equalize in the last minute against Borussia Dortmund, and placed second in the standings.The Everton runner the day before, was not the draw at home to two goals from Wigan, coached by Roberto Martinez Spanish. One of the goals of the local team was scored by Argentine striker Franco di Santo. The Swansea led by Dane Michael Laudrup, leader in the early days of the championship, drew at home to Reading, with a new goal Michu Spanish striker, who five great goals in the league. The Queens Park Rangers, bottom club championship despite having made spectacular signings last summer, lost again against West Bromwich 3-2, although the excentrocampista Real Madrid's Esteban Granero, scored his first goal in England. Santi Cazorla also shone with Arsenal, author of one of the three goals of victory against West Ham (1-3). The Frenchman Olivier Giroud, the stroke of halftime, and England's Theo Walcott, a few minutes remaining, Arsenal unbalanced in favor of the French shock Mohamed Diame had uphill for Arsène Wenger to twenty minutes. Cazorla, who had been somewhat hidden behind a first half in which they threw the team on his back, appeared again in the 83rd minute to kill off the match with his second goal with the Arsenal shirt, yellow today: a left from outside the area that put the leather away from the Finnish goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen. The three points serve the "gunners" for a total of twelve in the table and temporarily overcome, in fifth place at Manchester United, which is measured Sunday at Newcastle.

How To Stop Gayle? Lanka's Big Question

A day before the final between hosts Sri Lanka and favourites West Indies, there should have ideally have been plenty of dressing room talking points. But, rather anti-climactically, it was a former South African wicketkeeper, Dave Richardson, who made all the news. Richardson, the new ICC CEO, was critical in his assessment of the R Premadasa pitch used for the semi-finals, specifically the dry one that played its role in kicking Pakistan out of the tournament.Pakistan struggled to chase a measly 139 against Lanka, while in the second match the same stadium produced a featherbed, with the Australians finding it extremely hard to match West Indies’ 206. So to bring about some sanity to the situation, the burly figure of Andy Atkinson, ICC’s go-to pitch doctor, was seen minutely scrutinising the playing area on Saturday — with his presence kicking off a further string of talking points — that regarding the soil, moisture and grass content on this remedied wicket.But all that seems almost irrelevant for a West Indies match, considering the only factor that really affects the state of play is Chris Gayle’s mighty wooden blade.At about the same time of Saturday afternoon when Gayle rested his body through a minor side strain, the Lankans went into a huddle at the practice arena to perhaps discuss just what it would take to stop this monster of a run scorer. Mahela Jayawardene’s bowlers must not just have a Plan A, but also a B and C to contain the great Jamaican. But the Lankans will be pleased to know, that as far as T20 cricket is concerned, Gayle disappoints in finals.

ICC T20 2012 SEMI FINAL: West Indies Crushed Australia

Chris Gayle smashed an unbeaten 75 off 41 balls as the West Indies stormed into the World Twenty20 final with a record 74-run demolition of Australia here on Friday.The left-hander pounded six sixes and five fours as the Windies piled up the tournament's highest total of 205-4 after electing to bat on what was regarded as a slow pitch unsuited to aggressive batting.The Australians found the huge target too hot to handle and folded up for 131 in 16.4 overs at the Premadasa stadium in front of 28,000 awe-struck spectators still reeling from the West Indies innings.Skipper George Bailey played a lone hand for the Aussies, making 63 off 29 balls with four sixes and six boundaries after adding 68 for the seventh wicket with Pat Cummins.Darren Sammy's men take on hosts Sri Lanka in Sunday's final with both sides looking for their first World Twenty20 title.The biggest Twenty20 win for the West Indies, surpassing their 70-run victory over Ireland in 2010, was celebrated by the entire team performing an energetic version of global hit "Gangnam Style" in the middle.Gayle, who lost his opening partner Johnson Charles in the third over, plodded for nine balls to make four before swinging Shane Watson for a six over long-off.That opened the floodgates for an onslaught as Marlon Samuels and Gayle smashed left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty for a six each in one over and Brad Hogg was greeted into the attack with another six from Samuels.Samuels contributed 26 in a second-wicket stand of 41 with Gayle when he was bowled by Cummins attempting another big hit.Gayle, who faced just 18 balls in the first 10 overs, still managed to bring up his half-century off 29 deliveries with the help of four sixes and three boundaries.All-rounder Dwayne Bravo (37) helped Gayle add 83 for the third wicket from just 51 deliveries to propel the innings at a brisk pace.Kieron Pollard hit 38 off 15 balls as the West Indies plundered 55 runs in the final three overs, including 25 off the last six deliveries by Doherty.Doherty was the most expensive Australian bowler with 1-48 from three overs, while Watson went for 35 runs in four unsuccessful overs.Australia never recovered after opener David Warner was bowled by spinner Samuel Badree with the sixth delivery and crashed to 43-6 by the eighth over.Badree took two of those wickets and seamer Ravi Rampaul chipped in by removing Cameron White and the recalled David Hussey in the space of three balls.Pollard dismissed Bailey and Cummins off successive deliveries in the 14th over to end Australia's resistance.

ICC T20 2012 Semi Final: Sri Lanka Beat Pakistan in Thrilling Game

In front of a delirious packed stadium Mahela Jayawardene, already a national hero, led his side to the final of the World T20. Sri Lanka won on a tired pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium, which is fast becoming batsman-hostile.Suddenly sixes have become a rarity again. There was only one in this game but the wining score, 139-4 – an odd one in a Twenty20 match – was enough to defeat Pakistan.Jayawardene does not miss many tricks. Here he selected his experienced left-arm spinner, Rangana Herath, for just the third time in the tournament. Herath repaid this faith by taking three wickets, including the Pakistan captain, Mohammad Hafeez, who proved the greatest threat. He turned the ball, not prodigiously, but enough.When defending such a modest target nothing can be taken for granted. Pakistan needed 32 from their final three overs but Jayawardene's other spinner, Ajantha Mendis, stayed cool and despite the presence at the crease of Umar Akmal and Umar Gul, the heroes in Pakistan's defeat of South Africa, the home side prevailed without too much bother.But there were signs of nerves even among the veterans of the Sri Lankan side. Lasith Malinga bowled well enough, delivering a succession of devious slower balls, but he has seldom been so butterfingered, dropping a simple catch and spurning the chance of a run-out. Semi-finals do that to the most gnarled of cricketers.So Sri Lanka will face either Australia or West Indies in Sunday's final. And they will not be at all disappointed that the pitch at the Premadasa is showing inevitable signs of wear and tear. Sri Lankan batsmen tend to know what to do when the ball is turning and stopping. So do their bowlers.It was obvious after the women's semi-final that batting might be a hazardous occupation but this was unlikely to intimidate the likes of Jayawardene. The Sri Lankan captain – yes, he did toss up this time – innovated cleverly from the start having decided to bat first. But there were far more reverse sweeps and reverse hits from Jayawardenethan normal, a hint that this surface would not encourage silky strokeplay. Sri Lanka were determined not to be too greedy. There were moments when they did not even seem hungry. While Jayawardene prospered Tillakaratne Dilshan, so fluent earlier in the tournament, struggled. No wicket was lost until the 11th over when Jayawardene was caught trying to paddle a delivery from Shahid Afridi, by which time there were 63 runs on the board.Kumar Sangakkara was skittish by his standards but unusually Dilshan never was. Sri Lanka kept waiting for the acceleration but they could not find it, despite Saeed Ajmal not being at his best. Eventually Dilshan might have been relieved to be given out lbw in the 18th over for 35 from 43 balls. The home side needed a fruitful final over, from which they scored sixteen runs courtesy of Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera to bring anything approaching a smile to their captain. A couple of hours later just about everyone in the stadium was beaming.

Sri Lanka 139-4; Pakistan 123-7

 Sri Lanka win by 16 runs

Barclays Premier League Current Standings:

Barclays Premier League Current League Table At The Moment:

POS		LP	CLUB	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1		(1)	Chelsea	6	5	1	0	11	3	8	16
2		(2)	Everton	6	4	1	1	12	6	6	13
3		(3)	Manchester United	6	4	0	2	14	9	5	12
4		(4)	Manchester City	6	3	3	0	12	8	4	12
5		(5)	Tottenham Hotspur	6	3	2	1	11	8	3	11
6		(6)	West Bromwich Albion	6	3	2	1	8	5	3	11
7		(10)	West Ham United	6	3	2	1	7	5	2	11
8		(7)	Arsenal	6	2	3	1	10	4	6	9
9		(8)	Fulham	6	3	0	3	13	9	4	9
10		(9)	Newcastle United	6	2	3	1	8	8	0	9
11		(11)	Swansea City	6	2	1	3	10	9	1	7
12		(12)	Stoke City	6	1	4	1	6	5	1	7
13		(13)	Sunderland	5	1	4	0	5	4	1	7
14		(14)	Liverpool	6	1	2	3	9	12	-3	5
15		(15)	Aston Villa	6	1	2	3	6	10	-4	5
16		(16)	Wigan Athletic	6	1	1	4	5	11	-6	4
17		(17)	Southampton	6	1	0	5	10	18	-8	3
18		(18)	Norwich City	6	0	3	3	4	13	-9	3
19		(19)	Reading	5	0	2	3	6	11	-5	2
20		(20)	Queens Park Rangers	6	0	2	4	4	13	-9	2
POS		LP	CLUB	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS