Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 21 runs

Pakistan scored a competitive 262-8 off 50 overs while Bangladesh could only score 241 runs all out at the Asia Cup one-day tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.

Pakistan set 263-runs target for Bangladesh

Pakistan scored a competitive 262-8 off 50 overs against Bangladesh in the opening match of the Asia Cup one-day tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday. Mohammad Hafeez (89) and Nasir Jamshed (54) hit half-centuries for Pakistan, while paceman Shahadat Hossain (3-53) and left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan (2-41) were the main wicket-takers for Bangladesh in the day-night match.

Ronaldo double as Real Madrid go 13 points clear

La Liga's top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid opened up a 13-point lead with a 3-2 win over Real Betis on Saturday, their 11th victory in succession. 

MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid marked Jose Mourinho's 100th match in charge by opening up a 13-point lead with a 3-2 win over Real Betis on Saturday, their 11th victory in succession.But it was a tough night for Mourinho's men who had to come from behind before they could celebrate a 21st victory in 22 games.Jorge Molina scored after nine minutes for Betis before Gonzalo Higuain drew Real level.La Liga's top-scorer Ronaldo then put Madrid ahead after the break. Betis refused to roll over and Jefferson Montero equalised before Ronaldo secured the win with his 32nd goal of the season after 72 minutes.Ronaldo had a shot saved by the keeper in the opening exchanges but Betis went ahead from a counter-attack with Ruben Castro's defence-splitting pass setting up Molina who fired home past helpless goalkeeper Iker Casillas.Betis have impressed with their adventurous football since their return to the top flight and they were making life hard for Real who were unable to take control of the game and appeared uncomfortable at the back against the pace of the home side.Real responded with their first clear-cut chance with Mesut Ozil lofting the ball over the defence for Higuain to run onto and the Argentine finished clinically.Before half-time, Salva Sevilla hit the crossbar with a free-kick for Betis while Higuain and Ronaldo also went close with openings at the other end. Real looked like they had asserted their authority on the match with Ronaldo spinning and slotting the ball home after 51 minutes but minutes later Betis were level. The visitors failed to clear a corner and Montero, who had been a threat all game, pounced with a drive from the edge of the area.Both sides pressed forward and Montero had a strike well saved by Casillas while, at the other end, Marcelo was denied by Betis keeper Fabricio Agosto.Ronaldo restored Real's lead when he was quickest to react inside the area after Agosto parried a Sergio Ramos header.Barcelona will look to reduce the deficit on Sunday when they play away to Racing Santander.Newly-rich Malaga leapfrogged Levante into fourth place with a Jose Rondon header giving them a 1-0 victory over the modest side from Valencia.Levante, with the lowest budget in the league, have been a major surprise this season as they are more used to fighting around the lower reaches of the league.But they have now been overtaken by Malaga who have been bank rolled by Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani and spent heavily on new players last summer.Malaga dominated the opening stages of the game but lacked a cutting edge while Levante could have stolen a lead on the counterattack by Abdelkader Ghezzal.After the break, chances began to appear at either end and Joaquin Sanchez had a strike well saved by the keeper before shortly afterwards he laid on the pass from a free-kick for Rondon to head the ball into the corner after 51 minutes.Arouna Kone went within inches of equalising with a toe poke past the keeper but Malaga should have extended their lead through excellent openings for Rondon and Isco Alarcon.At the other end of the table, bottom side Zaragoza's problems increased as they were beaten 3-0 by Real Sociedad but Sporting Gijon moved to within three points of safety with a 1-0 victory over Sevilla.

Tottenham beaten by Jelavic goal

Croatian scores his first for Everton to seal victory at Goodison Park

Everton 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Croatian forward Nikica Jelavic's first goal for Everton earned them a hard-fought win over Tottenham to extend their unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League to seven matches.

Everton had already gone close through a Marouane Fellaini shot that was saved by Brad Friedel's legs before Jelavic scored with a half-volley from a Leon Osman cross.

Spurs' Jermain Defoe had a goal ruled out for offside, while substitute Louis Saha was denied by the post in injury time against his old club, as Spurs drew a blank for only the third time in the Barclays Premier League this season.

Saturday's Barclays Premier League round-up

Didier Drogba's 100th Barclays Premier League goal earns win for Chelsea

Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City

Didier Drogba scored his 100th goal in the Barclays Premier League to hand Roberto di Matteo victory in his first League match in charge of Chelsea.

Drogba finished off expertly from a Juan Mata pass in the second half to earn the Blues a valuable three points against Stoke, who had Ricardo Fuller sent off for violent conduct before half-time.

Mata almost added a second late on when he fired a superb free-kick against the post with Asmir Begovic well beaten.

Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham

Andreas Weimann scored his first goal for Aston Villa to give them a dramatic late win over Fulham.

Weimann showed great persistence to bundle in from close range three minutes into injury time after Mark Schwarzer could not deal with a shot from Gary Gardner.

Villa had earlier hit the post through Marc Albrighton, while Fulham also went close through Damien Duff.

Wolves 0-2 Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn climbed three points clear of the drop zone with a crucial win away to relegation rivals Wolves.

Junior Hoilett got both of Blackburn's goals to hand them only a second away win as they also earned their first clean sheet in the League this season.

Hoilett opened the scoring two minutes before half-time and then added a fine second with a low, left-foot shot from outside the area.

Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool

Nicklas Bendtner scored for the second consecutive week to earn Sunderland victory over Liverpool at the Stadium of Light.

Bendtner fired home from close range 11 minutes after the break when a shot from Fraizer Campbell came back off the woodwork and Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.

The home side climb up to eighth in the table, just two points behind their opponents Liverpool.

Pakistan wary of Bangladesh in Asia Cup

He said his side would not make the mistake of taking Bangladesh lightly despite Pakistan s nearly perfect record against the hosts. Of the 29 matches between the sides, Pakistan has lost just one, an ODI at the 1999 World Cup. "We don t want to commit that mistake. Bangladesh is a difficult opposition at home, because they know the condition very well," Misbah said. "On their day they can upset you, so we will not take them lightly. We have to put in our hundred percent, we really have to come out hard to win the game." He added that new Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore, a former Bangladesh coach, should be able to provide the tourists with details about the opposition and the local conditions. "He is already contributing, and of course he can give some input about the Bangladeshi players," Misbah said. "But I think we are playing lots of cricket against Bangladesh, we played a series against them here in Dhaka. So we are quite familiar with them. "Both the teams know each other well, both the teams know strengths and weaknesses of each other." He added that Pakistan will pay particular attention to Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan. "Shakib is a key player, so we are focusing on him. But we are also focusing on other players as well," he said. Meanwhile, Shakib said dealing with Pakistan s spin attack would be the key challenge for Bangladesh. "Handling Pakistan s spin attack is vital for us, and moreover their fast bowling unit is also good. I think they have the best bowling unit of all the teams playing this tournament," Shakib said. Despite Bangladesh s inconsistent performance against top teams, Shakib said the hosts will aim to win every match at the tournament. The Asia Cup also involves India and Sri Lanka. Although Bangladesh was whitewashed in its bilateral series against Pakistan earlier this year, Shakib remained confident of his side s chances. "We have the ability to bowl well against any big side in the world. We will play every game to win," he said. "We did not perform well in the last series we played against Pakistan, but this is a different tournament, and we are preparing well." Shakib said Bangladesh could not practice much as a team before the Asia Cup, "but we have been playing domestic cricket so the guys are confident." India has won the Asia Cup five times while Sri Lanka won it four times. Pakistan has won it once.

Bolton sink QPR as tech debate reignited

The debate over goal-line technology was reignited after a blunder from match officials. An 86th-minute winner from substitute Ivan Klasnic bagged a vital three points for Bolton after Djibril Cisse s equaliser looked to have earned a draw for Rangers following Darren Pratley s opener. The win saw Bolton claw their way out of the relegation zone at the expense of Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers, although QPR are guaranteed to be left in the bottom three by the end of the day after the late matches. But the main talking point from an entertaining game was a disallowed goal from QPR centre-back Clint Hill after 20 minutes. Replays showed Hill s powerful header had clearly crossed the goal-line yet despite QPR protests, neither the linesman nor referee Martin Atkinson were inclined to give the goal and Bolton escaped. Fuming Rangers coach Mark Hughes said the incident was further proof of the need for goal-line technology, which world governing body FIFA have said they hope to introduce by the end of this year. "I m really disappointed in the performance of the officials," Hughes told the BBC. "The referee was let down by his assistants. Clearly the ball was over the line. The linesman is there to see that -- that is what his job is. "Laughably the FA have come out almost immediately and said they re in favour of goal-line technology. "What we re finding is that key moments and key decisions in games are going against us. Please just give us an opportunity to play the game and show how well we can play. And do it on our own merits. "Circumstances like today just bring us closer together. Today, it wasn t about football. We just need officials to give us a fair crack of the whip. " Bolton manager Owen Coyle admitted his side had been the beneficiaries of a crucial decision. "There s no doubt we got a big break today, but we scored good goals. With 15 minutes to go, we threw on another striker and scored a terrific goal," Coyle said. "It s a valuable three points, there s no doubt about it. "I said prior to the game that it was going to be two teams going all-out to win, and so it proved. It was incident-packed and that s what s going to happen. Games will be like this until the end of the season. "Nobody s a bigger advocate than myself for goal-line technology. I can totally understand how Mark Hughes will be frustrated." Among the later games on Saturday, Chelsea will aim to get their faltering league campaign back on track against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge, while Liverpool bid to bounce back from last weekend s loss to Arsenal in their trip to Sunderland. League leaders Manchester City are playing Swansea City on Sunday, while second-placed Manchester United entertain West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.

Germany takes women's relay gold

France claimed second and Norway took the bronze. The Germans finished with a combined time of one hour 9.33min while the French quartet came home 28.5sec behind with Norway at 39.5sec back. Germany s Magdalena Neuner, 25, who will retire at the end of the season, claimed her second gold and fourth medal of the championships having also won the sprint, finished second in the pursuit and third in the mixed relay.