Legends of Sports

Bhaichung Bhutia's farewell match finished in an expected defeat, but the Indian legend was given a rousing farewell by the crowd, even as German giants Bayern Munich outclassed India 4-0 in an exhibition tie at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday. Thomas Muller scored a brace, while Mario Gomez along with Bastian Schweinsteiger netted a goal each, as the Bavarians established their advantage without having to break a sweat.

However, after conceding four goals in the first half, the Indians gave a much better account of themselves in the second period by denying the German side any further success, although Bayern also eased off after several first-team players were substituted. Coach Jupp Heynckes made numerous changes at the break, substituting Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm, Rafinha and Muller, though Franck Ribery came off the bench.

Earlier, the German side happening with most of their first eleven, apart from Ribery, and toyed with the Indians, attacking almost at will. It was no shock then that Bayern opened the scoring as early as the 14th minute through Gomez, who tapped in a Robben pass past Indian goalkeeper Karanjit Singh. Muller then scored two in the space of nine minutes, first nodding home without any challenge near the far post off a cross from the right by Robben in the 29th minute, before slotting home again from an help by Toni Kroos in the 37th minute.

With all the action taking place in their half, Indian forays forward were few and far between, with all emphasis on defending and trying to contain the dominant Bayern stars. Bhaichung made a determined attempt from 30 yards out, but the ball sailed into the crowd. However, the quality of their opponents shone through and it was Schweinsteiger's turn to join the act with a beauty in the 43rd minute.

Boxing Gloves, Cheap Shot Put

Lionel Messi‘s exploits with Barcelona won him the World Player of the Year award for an extraordinary third year in a row on Monday at the age of 24. The Argentine swept home with 47.88 percent of the votes in the survey among national team coaches, captains and selected media, getting the trophy from former Brazil striker Ronaldo, himself a three-times winner of the award though not successively. Although FIFA scheduled only the players’ nationality when they published the full results, it was clearly Messi‘s stunning performances for Barcelona which earned him the plaudits.

Messi, followed by Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona team mate Xavi in the poll, was last season’s top scorer in the Champions League with 12 goals in Barca’s successful campaign and net 31 times as they won La Liga. Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year holds his FIFA Ballon d'Or 2011 trophy next to singer Shakira during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2011 football awards ceremony in Zurich. By contrast, he was severely criticized after Argentina, hosting the Copa America, went out in the quarter-finals to Uruguay in July.

Meanwhile, Uruguay’s exploits in winning the Copa America failed to earn them a proposal in the coach and players’ shortlists, or even a mention in the team of the year. Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez was fifth in the coach of the year poll, won by Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola. Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson was second and Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho third. Former France skipper Michel Platini said afterwards Messi would still have to shine for Argentina before he could be measured among the greats.

Boxing Gloves, Cheap Shot Put

Captain Amri Yahyah is sure that he can shoulder the burden of leading Selangor's frontline in the absence of forward Lelo Mbele. The Malaysian giants look set to be without Congolese import Mbele - who was signed despite arriving in Kuala Lumpur injured - for the start of the new M-League season, leaving former Malaysia international Yahyah and just arrived R. Surenden as the club's principal strikers along with two other new workers in the shape of Famirul Ashraf Sayuti and Wan Mohd Hoesne Wan Hussain.

"Mbele's absence will be felt but we have enough strikers in the squad as replacements. If I am chosen to play upfront, I will be ready to shoulder the responsibility," the 30-year-old told. "With or without Mbele, we must do our best and win trophies this season. We cannot play the blame game or make excuses if we fail. As captain, I want my teammates to give 100 percent all through the season." After last season's despair, Amri is worried for the club to return to winning ways.

"It is important that we get a good start. We were unsuccessful not to win titles last season and I hope it will be better this season," Yahyah declared."We have quite a number of new players in the squad and all of them are responding well in training and friendlies. We are getting better and everyone is joyful to play under new coach Irfan Bakti," he added. Selangor, 32-time winners of the Malaysian Cup, start their new home season away to Negeri Sembilan on January 10, and will also characteristic Lebanese defender Ramez Dayoub who signed from Myanmar's Magway.

Discus throw, Cheap Shot Put

Greuther Furth knocked their more memorable neighbours Nuremberg out of the DFB Pokal with a 1-0 win at the Frankenstadion on Tuesday night. The second division side, who have been on the brink of endorsement to the top flight year-on-year for nearly a decade, booked their place in the quarter-finals thanks to Edgar Prib's goal in the 15th minute. The lesser-known side from just outside Nuremberg handles to hold on to their win despite playing the last 25 minutes with 10 men after Bernd Nehrig was sent off.

They were joined in the last eight by Bavarian rivals Bayern Munich, who needed a last-gasp goal from Arjen Robben to see them to a 2-1 win against second division hosts Bochum. Giovanni Federico put Bochum ahead in the first half at the Ruhrstadion, but Toni Kroos levelled early in the second half. However, their passage to the quarter-finals was preserved with the last kick of the game as Robben prohibited the tie from going into extra time.

Extra time and penalties were wanted to find a winner between second division leaders Fortuna Dusseldorf and defending Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, who unsuccessful to find a goal between them over 120 minutes. But Thomas Broker missed his side's next penalty, with Dortmund net all five of their kicks to win 5-4. Hoffenheim saw off Bundesliga rivals Augsburg 2-1 in front of just over 10,000 fans at the Rhein-Neckar Arena - a record low crowd for the stadium in Sinsheim.

Sports Equipment , Sporting Goods

Barcelona striker David Villa has undergone surgery on his broken shinbone and, as expected, is set to be sidelined for between four and five months. The 30-year-old Villa suffered the injury during the first half of Thursday's Club World Cup semi-final win over Al-Sadd in Japan. Barca announced last week that Villa, who returned to Spain on Friday, was likely to be not present for up to five months, and that timescale remained the same following his operation today.

A statement on the Barca website read: "David Villa has had his broken left tibia operated on this afternoon by Dr Ramon Cugat and Dr Ricard Pruna."The player will remain in hospital for three or four days and the recovery time will be between four and five months."That means Spain's all-time record scorer is likely to miss the popular of Barca's La Liga and Champions League battle’s but could yet be fit for Euro 2012.

Sports Equipment , Sporting Goods

Schalke coach Hub Stevens has praised his former club Hertha Berlin ahead of his return to the capital on Friday night. Stevens coached Hertha in 2002 and 2003 and he silent knows the club ladder well, although his precedence on Friday is taking the Royal Blues up to second in the Bundesliga table. "Hertha are enjoying a good season and the team is showing great morale," the Dutch coach told. "Their general manager Michael Preetz was a player under me back then and he and the rest of the management are doing a good job."

Markus Babbel is presently in charge of the capital club and has a good connection with Schalke's director of sport Horst Heldt, who is looking forward to meeting him again. "We go back a long way," Heldt said. "When he played for Bayern Munich, I was playing for 1860 Munich and we clashed in many a derby.”Later, I was manager in Stuttgart and he was our coach there. "We get on very well, but that friendship will be put to one side during the 90 minutes and I hope that we get the three points from Berlin."

Babbel's relationship with Hertha's current general manager Michael Preetz appears rather more strained though. Babbel has yet to commit to a new contract beyond the end of the season and Preetz is reported to have given him and taunt to make up his mind. "Before the second half of the season gets under way, the question will be answered one way or another," he told. No questions about Babbel's future were asked at the pre-match press conference.

Sports Equipment, Athletic News

Chelsea avoided the impossible on Tuesday as Andre Villas-Boas sacrificed his ideals for a place in the Champions League knockout phase. With the Blues in danger of crashing out of Europe's premier club contest before Christmas for the first time, manager Villas-Boas discarded the cavalier tactics that have been the seal of his supremacy in what was the club's final Group E game against Valencia.

The counter-attacking approach paid off spectacularly as Chelsea emerged from the brink of elimination to top the group thanks to a brace from the excellent Didier Drogba, a goal from Ramires and Bayer Leverkusen's failure to win at Genk. That meant the Blues avoided a last-16 clash with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, although they would happily have taken that ahead of a game Villas-Boas had frequently billed as "life or death".

The 34-year-old last night refused to tolerate the prospect of failure, something he was nevertheless adamant would not cost him his job. Seemingly backed to the hilt by billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, Villas-Boas flexed his muscles this week by banishing Nicolas Anelka and Alex from his first-team squad and he was ruthless again on Tuesday by axing Frank Lampard from his starting XI. It was not the first time Lampard had been left out this season but the midfielder's omission was debatably the most significant of his entire Chelsea career.

Sports Equipment, Athletic News

The Carling Cup final will feature an npower Championship team after the semi-final draw inclined Crystal Palace and Cardiff against each other. Palace beat an inexperienced Manchester United team 2-1 after extra-time at Old Trafford on Wednesday night to reach the last four while Cardiff had beaten Blackburn 24 hours earlier.

The Londoners will play the first leg at home before going to Wales for the return and the victors will face the winners of Manchester City against Liverpool. The ties will be played in the weeks commencing January 9 and January 23.Eagles boss Dougie Freedman told "It's going to be a very complicated tie for us."Cardiff are an exceptional team with good quality players and it's probably made it a harder draw for us."

Carling Cup semi-final draw

1. Manchester City v Liverpool

2. Crystal Palace v Cardiff City

Discus Throw

Cricket News

Sergio Aguero came off the bench to fire Manchester City into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a 1-0 win at Arsenal. Both teams had made sweeping changes, but in spite of industry from Arsene Wenger's young side - with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain again producing an impressive display - it was big-spending City who had the edge as £35million Argentina striker Aguero slotted home with seven minutes left following a sweeping counter-attack.

The Barclays Premier League leaders will now turn their attentions to securing safe passage into the latter stages of the Champions League next month after the depth of Roberto Mancini's squad again paid dividends. There was a compliment to late Wales manager Gary Speed, with the away fans spontaneously singing his name followed by applause. Samir Nasri, on his first return since an acrimonious £24million summer transfer, was booed.

The former Gunners midfielder's first touch was dully booed, before chants of "you only left for the money" rang out around Emirates Stadium. City winger Adam Johnson's 25-yard effort dipped just over before Arsenal broke down the left through Oxlade-Chamberlain. Park Ju-young, who scored in the last round against Bolton, arrived on cue at the far post, only for reserve keeper Costel Pantilimon to make a brilliant reaction save to his left.

Goals: Aguero 83.

Discus Throw

Cricket News

Real Madrid wrapped up top spot in Champions League Group D in forceful fashion on Tuesday night by thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 6-2.The Spanish giants stormed into a 3-0 lead over Dinamo Zagreb inside nine minutes with goals from Karim Benzema, Jose Callejon and Gonzalo Higuain, and Mesut Ozil made it four before 20 minutes were up. Callejon and Benzema struck again after the interval and Madrid could have had even more goals, while late strikes from Dinamo's Fatos Beqiraj and Ivan Tomecak gave a merely beauty effect to the score line.

The opener came after just 83 seconds as Benzema tucked away Ozil's cut-back to round off a flowing team move. The France striker then laid the ball off for Callejon to rifle home the second from the edge of the box and there were still only nine minutes on the clock when Higuain netted a appetizing third. Racing into the right side of the penalty area, the Argentinean confused defender Leandro Cufre with a sharp turn before producing a deft finish over wrong-footed keeper Ivan Kelava.

Higuain then fired Fabio Coentrao's cross over the bar before Luis Ibanez had shell-shocked Dinamo's first real effort, curling a free-kick over. Benzema was off target from distance but Real's fourth was not long in coming, Ozil finishing calmly after Kelava parried Higuain's drive. Kelava remained insolent in the face of the onslaught, saving with his feet to deny Coentrao and then tipping Benzema's shot over. Dinamo sought to get themselves on the score sheet as half-time approached but Jorge Sammir fired over after Benzema only half-cleared Mehmed Alispahic's corner and Ibanez then shot directly at keeper Antonio Adan.

Shotput Technique

Recent Cricket News

Athletic Bilbao continued to climb up the table with a 2-1 victory away to Sevilla on Sunday which put it in sixth place of Spanish League. Marcelo Bielsa's side has now gone 11 matches victorious following a slow start to the battle under the Chilean coach which took it six attempts to register its first win in the La Liga. Since then it has not looked back and fully deserved the three points against a Sevilla side which has not won in five games and is just a point above Athletic.

Andoni Iraola gave Athletic the lead after just five minutes and while Sevilla hit back through Jesus Navas after a headed knock down from Frederic Kanoute, the visitor was in charge. In particular Sevilla was verdict it hard to cope with Athletic's physical threat although the winner came from a move with the ball on the ground as Iker Muniain found Oscar de Marcos who scored from close range.

Earlier, Sporting Gijon came from behind to beat Getafe thanks to a late Nacho Novo winner. Oscar Trejo equalised a Nicolas Miku goal in first half time and then a minute from the end Novo headed in a second. Osasuna drew 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano while it was also goalless between Real Sociedad and Espanyol, which moved onto the outer edge of the European places with 17 points.

The results:
Spanish League: Real Sociedad 0 drew with Espanyol 0; Sporting Gijon 2 (Trejo 45+5, Nacho Novo 90) bt Getafe 1 (Miku 35); Osasuna 0 drew with Rayo Vallecano 0.

Sevilla 1 (Jesus Navas 14) lost to Athletic Bilbao 2 (Iraola 6, de Marcos 71). Atletico Madrid 3 (Pizzi 69, Adrian 74, Ribas 83) bt Levante 2 (Torres 72, Ruben Suàrez 90+2).

Italian League: Roma 2 (Pjanic 24, Gago 53) bt Lecce 1 (Bertolacci 60).

Kettlebells

Florida Resorts

Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has signed a new five-year contract which ties him to the club until the summer of 2016. Conjecture over the Belgium midfielder's future had been growing over current weeks even though he had 18 months remaining on his existing deal. But Toffees manager David Moyes was always positive he could keep the 23-year-old on board. "We are delighted to have protected the services of Marouane for the long term," chief executive Robert Elstone told.

Elstone added: "As everyone is aware these negotiations have been ongoing for some time but both parties remained positive that we would reach agreement.”Marouane has been a hugely important player for Everton since his arrival in 2008 and we hope that remains to be the case for the next five years." Fellaini signed from Standard Liege for £15million in 2008 and has impressed in central midfield this season, having overcome injury troubles in the past two seasons.

Shotput Technique

Tennis News

Blackburn boss Steve Kean has signed a new contract at Ewood Park, according to sources in the UK. The 44-year-old's job has been on the line after an unsatisfactory start to the Barclays Premier League season. The Rovers are now second-bottom after gaining just six points in the opening 11 games. Demonstrations against Kean by a section of Blackburn fans have piled additional pressure on the English coach.

And not even a ban against the demonstrations could stop them as they hired an aircraft to display a banner "Steve Kean Out" during Saturday's defeat to Chelsea. Now according to The Daily Mirror, the club's Indian owners have handed Kean the strongest possible vote of assurance by handing him an improved contract. Kean's previous contract would last till 2013 and the new deal is believed to have given him better terms. The move is likely to enrage the Rovers fans, which are expected to show their displeasure.

Shotput Technique

Tennis News

Wales will again be with no James Collins when they face Norway at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday after the Aston Villa defender withdrew from Gary Speed's squad. Collins, 28, has not played for his country since the 2-0 Euro 2012 qualifying defeat against England in March, and withdrew from last month's meetings with Bulgaria and Switzerland due to a knee problem.

And Collins, who has seen Cardiff young person Darcy Blake impress in his absence, will be missing this weekend after the Football Association of Wales exposed the list of withdrawals from Speed's original 24-man panel on their website.

Collins, David Vaughan and Boaz Myhill are the other players to pull out, with Bristol City defender Lewin Nyatanga and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Lewis Price being called in to the squad. The FAW later announced that West Ham midfielder Jack Collison had turn out to be the fifth player to remove from the squad.

Kettlebells

Tennis News

England midfielder Frank Lampard is looking forward to the extremely anticipated friendly clash against Spain on Saturday. It will be an acid test for Fabio Capello's men as they come up against the reigning world and European champions at Wembley. But Lampard, who has silenced his critics with an inspiring run of form for Chelsea, cannot wait to face the Spaniards."Spain is a great team with so many great players. So the skill of taking them on at Wembley will be fantastic for us," the 33-year-old was quoted.

"It will be a terrific test against such a quality side and such brilliant individuals."But if we can put in a top performance - as I'm sure we can - it can give us a real boost for what's in store at the European Championship finals next summer."Asked if the racist row saga concerning John Terry will affect the Three Lions, Lampard just brushed it off."You have to get used to off-field situations like this - it comes with the country of playing for a top club like Chelsea and representing England.

"What you need to do is trying and keeps out of anything controversy it is. You must remember it's what matters on the pitch that's the most significant."That's what most people react to and that's what I will keep trying to do for club and country."Lampard also reiterated his want to play for England for as long as he can. He stressed: "England will always matter so much to me. I love playing for my country, I always have done."It doesn't matter if I'm on the bench or in the squad. I will always be there if selected."Lampard has 89 caps and 22 goals for England.

kettlebells

Cricket News