Champions League: Inter edge Chelsea 2-1 after thrilling first leg

MILAN: Jose Mourinho got one over his former employers as Inter Milan beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League last 16, first leg clash at the San Siro on Wednesday.

It's a slender advantage but a crucial one for Inter ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 16th and also represented a milestone as it was the first victory for the Italians against an English team since 2003 and a 3-0 win over Arsenal in London.

For Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti it was an unhappy return to the stadium where he served AC Milan for eight years with such distinction, winning two Champions League titles and one scudetto.

Inter were off to a flying start and went ahead after just three minutes following some shoddy defending by Chelsea, as Thiago Motta played the ball into Samuel Eto'o who fed it on to Diego Milito, the Argentine cutting too easily inside the wrong-footed John Terry and shooting home at Peter Cech's near post.

It was just the dream start Inter would have wanted but Chelsea's reaction was awe-inspiring as the visitors took total control.

Their first chance came on 11 minutes as Nicolas Anelka shot wide of the near post before a minute later Salomon Kalou twisted and turned on the edge of the box but shot straight at Julio Cesar.

Then up stepped Didier Drogba on the quarter-hour mark to crash a free-kick from 25 yards against the cross-bar and follow that up with a fine effort that forced Cesar into a sprawling save.

Cesar then had to parry from Michael Ballack and Drogba hooked a volley wide after controlling the ball on his chest in the box and then sent another volley wide when fed by John Obi Mikel.

Inter finally got a chance on 33 minutes when a defence splitting pass from Walter Samuel found Wesley Sneijder on the left and he crossed to Samuel Eto'o but the Cameroon forward connected only with air with a wild left foot swipe from eight yards.

The half ended in controversial fashion as Samuel appeared to trip Kalou in the box referee Manuel Gonzalez waved away Chelsea appeals.

Chelsea got what their play deserved just six minutes after the restart but from some poor Inter defending.

Thiago Motta let Branislav Ivanovic run forward from right back to the edge of the Inter area without a challenge before the Serbian cut across the box and tapped the ball out to Kalou, whose nonchalant side foot from 20 yards somehow found its way through a crowd of defenders and past Cesar, who possibly should have done better.

And yet four minutes later Inter were back in front as Esteban Cambiasso's wild shot from distance, which was going wide, struck Ivanovic in the midriff and came back to the Argentine whose second effort deceived Cech and found the far corner.

Mourinho then made the surprising move of bringing on striker Mario Balotelli for midfielder Thiago Motta while Cech suffered a serious knee injury and was replaced by Henrique Hilario.

On 65 minutes great play between Drogba and Anelka teed up Frank Lampard but Cesar parried his close range effort.

Chelsea dominated the ball but created little in the way of clear cut chances in the final stages and it is advantage Inter and Mourinho.

India-England clash will be a battle in the trenches

India will be taking on a high-flying England, winners of the 2009 European Championships with back-to-back wins against the Netherlands (semi-finals) and World champions Germany (final), on March 6 in what would be the fourth encounter for both teams in the 12th men's Hockey World Cup.

Over the years, England or Great Britain in the Olympics, have proved to be India's nemesis. It was Great Britain who knocked India out of the 2008 Olympic competition in the faraway Santiago, Chile, to author the worst chapter in the book of the one-time "Kings of Hockey".

Thus, if the Indians enter this game with some trepidation, it is understandable, though England presents an outside chance for the hosts to pick up some points with a possible fourth victory in seven World Cup meetings.

The traditionalists might accuse England of a regimented style of play with specific roles assigned to players who are expected to limit themselves to their given task with some tolerance of course.

England's best moments in the World Cup were on home turf in the London suburb of Willesden way back in 1986 when the event for the first time was played on astro-turf.

England then boasted of an array of stars like Sean Kerly, Saleem Sherwani and legendary goalkeeper Ian Taylor who were the cornerstones of Britain's astounding success at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where they won the gold medal. That apart, they have consistently remained in the 5-8 positions at the World Cup, a feat that India cannot boast of.

In the recent times, England have produced several fine players like Ashley Jackson, the Mantell brothers (Simon and Richard) and Barry Middleton. The team might be short on eye-catching individual skills, but have proved themselves to be the fighters to the core as becomes an English trait. Often, the team resembles an infantry unit fighting from the trenches to the last man as India have found to their grief far too many times, especially in Santiago.

Discipline is at the very heart of England's game plan and often, that has helped them to extricate from difficult situations. This virtue was showcased quite brilliantly in Santiago where India, despite dominating, lost twice to Britain, losing twice (league 3-2 and final 2-0) in the Olympic qualifiers.

England might not enjoy a great World Cup record, but they are often considered as the dark horse or a dangerous floater who could trip any team on their day.

For India to get past England, they need to be patient and bide their time. For certain, aesthetically it will not be a pretty match to watch, but all the more reason why the onus will be on India to adapt their game against an opponent whose primary plan would be not to concede goals and opt for a careful, if unhurried, build up for their attacks.

As such, India would have to rein in their penchant for individual runs at the slightest opening and instead, work their way in through co-ordinated and disciplined moves. A sensible approach would fetch better dividends than weaving pretty patterns that more often than not wins applause but not necessarily a goal.

England in World Cup (10 appearances): Second in 1986; fifth in 1990, 2006; sixth in 1973, 1975, 1994, 1998; seventh in 1978, 2002; ninth in 1982.

India in World Cup (11 appearances): Winners in 1975; 3rd in 1971; 2nd in 1973; sixth in 1978; fifth in 1982, 1994; 12th in 1986; 10th in 1990, 2002; ninth in 1998, 11th in 2006

Manavjit Sandhu sets new Commonwealth record, Indians bag 3 more gold

NEW DELHI: Manavjit Singh Sandhu bettered the Commonwealth Games record in the individual trap event as Indian shooters won all the three gold medals on offer on the seventh day of the Commonwealth Championships here today.

India's overall tally stood at 17 gold, 12 silver and six bronze medals. By adding the consolation badges given to shooters in a team event, India's tally swells to 26 gold, 17 silver and 10 bronze.

Manavjit set a new Commonwealth Games record in the men's trap individual event scoring 146 points, which is also his personal best, to pocket the gold.

England's Aaron Heading (143) took the silver, while Australia's Adam Villa (142) bagged the bronze.

The other two golds for India came in the 10m air rifle women's event and 25m centre fire pistol competition for men.

Neha Sapte, 17, who incidentally has to appear for her Class XII board exam tomorrow in Mumbai, won the gold in the women's 10m Air Rifle event scoring 496.1 points.

In a nail-biting finish for the next two spots, Sharmin Akhter Ratna of Bangladesh barely managed to avoid a tie with Australia's Robyn Nus Van. Ratna's total score of 494.5 points earned her the silver while Robyn's 494.2 got her the bronze.

Indians swept all three medals in the men's 25m Center Fire Pistol individual event.

Gold grabber Vijay Kumar again took the top spot on the podium for his 580 points. Mahender Singh took the silver for his 568 points while Viraj Singh took the bronze for his 567 points.

1st ODI: Depleted India snatch dramatic win over South Africa

JAIPUR: India overcame the absence of four top stars to beat South Africa by one run in a thrilling One-Day International on Sunday and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Wayne Parnell was run out off the final delivery, attempting a second run that would have tied the match, to leave the Proteas on 297 all out in reply to India's 298/9.

The tourists were tottering at 225/8 in the 43rd over when the ninth-wicket pair of Parnell and Dale Steyn swung the day-night match around by adding 65 off 38 balls.

South Africa, needing 26 off the final 12 deliveries, smashed 16 runs in the penultimate over of Ashish Nehra that included a six each by Parnell and Steyn.

With nine runs required from five deliveries, seamer Praveen Kumar bowled Steyn and conceded just seven more off the next four to hand India a thrilling win.

Parnell hit a defiant 49 off 47 balls and Steyn plundered an 18-ball 35, but the pair failed to take the tourists across the line at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.

Earlier, Suresh Raina top-scored with 58 off 63 balls and Virender Sehwag hammered a typically aggressive 46 off 37 balls as the hosts piled up 298/9 after being sent in to bat.

South Africa's stand-in captain Jacques Kallis starred for the tourists with both bat and ball, claiming 3-29 from seven overs with his medium-pace bowling before making a fluent 89.

The veteran all-rounder hit six fours and a six before being eighth out, bowled by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, 11 runs short of his 17th One-day century.

India took the field in the series opener without bowling spearheads Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and frontline batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.

Harbhajan was given permission to miss the first two matches due to his sister's wedding, while the other three were injured.

Kallis led South Africa in the absence of Graeme Smith, who opted out of the One-dayers with a finger injury sustained during the Test series, which ended 1-1 last week.

When India batted, Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik (44) put on 79 for the second wicket in 75 balls after veteran Sachin Tendulkar was run out for four in the second over of the match.

Sehwag, who hit two audacious sixes over the third man and cover region, was unlucky to be run out when a Karthik drive was deflected to the non-striker's wicket by bowler Charl Langeveldt.

South Africa made a flying start as Herschelle Gibbs (27) and Loots Bosman (29) put on 58 for the first wicket off just 8.4 overs.

South Africa, who were 134/3 at one stage, lost three middle-order wickets for 27 runs to slip to 161/6 by the 35th over.

The second match will be played in Gwalior on Wednesday and the third in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Dhoni pulls up his bowlers for mediocre show against SA tail

JAIPUR: Clearly not happy with the performance of his bowlers in India's one-run victory over South Africa in the first One-dayer in Jaipur, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said he had not expected his best bowlers to get the pasting from the visiting tailenders.

"So many runs needed by their (SA) tailenders and you don't expect your best bowlers to concede so many runs (at the death). The bowlers need to do better in remaining matches," Dhoni said after the cliffhanger of a contest.

"In the initial overs (of South African innings) also the bowlers could have done better," he added.

He praised all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his fine performance with the bat and ball.

"Virender Sehwag could not bowl and we were short of a bowler. But Yusuf Pathan bowled well and Ravindra Jadeja all the difference today. He bowled and batted well," said Dhoni.

He also felt that his batsmen got the starts but failed to convert them into big scores.

"Most of batsmen got the starts but failed to convert them except for Suresh Raina, Sehwag and (Dinesh) Karthik. We thought we would crossed 300 but we could not," he said.

Dhoni said South Africa are capable of bouncing back into the series and his side will have to keep the winning momentum going.

"Both are good sides and they can bounce back. But it will be a very good and tightly contested series," said the home team captain.

Man of the match Ravindra Jadeja said he stuck to the basics while bowling and it paid off.

"I was not thinking of trying anything new. I was just trying to concentrate to stick to the basics and bowl stump to stump and no loose balls," said the youngster who scored a 20-ball 22 and took 2/29 from his 10 overs.

Asked how he focused on his game after he was recently penalised by the Indian Premier League, he said, "I was trying to focus on cricket. I was concentrating to Duleep Trophy and this ODI series."

Participate in IPL at your risk, cricket boards tell players

LONDON/MELBOURNE: England, Australia and South African cricket boards have washed their hands of the safety of players in India, warning them to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at their own risk.

According to Daily Telegraph the report, commissioned by the players' unions in England, Australia and South Africa and written by the England team's security adviser Reg Dickason, will state the players' safety cannot be guaranteed and threats issued by al-Qaeda sources last week were credible.

The Australian, South African and English player associations share the security report, which they commissioned independently because the IPL refused to deal with the associations.

Federation of International Cricketers (FICA), the international players' union, expects a mass pull-out of players from the tournament this week unless security concerns are addressed or the IPL is moved out of India.

The report will be passed on to the IPL's international players, who will then make the decision to travel to India on an individual basis.

The IPL begins in Mumbai March 12. Most of the eight franchises begin training as early as next week.

Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said he had received the report from Dickason but would not disclose its contents until he had advised the players.

"We haven't spoken to the players at this stage," Marsh was quoted as saying in The Australian.

"We have just received the report and we are working through it," he said.

"We need to go through the process of talking to our executive and our players before we are in a position to make public comment," Marsh added.

England's Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood, who plays for Delhi Daredevils, said he is yet to make a decision on IPL participation.

"I am aware of the reported security risks and am in constant communication with Delhi Daredevils," Collingwood said.

"I will make a decision once I have had a chance to review all the available information and talk to the relevant people."

Ailing Roger Federer out of Dubai Open

DUBAI: Ailing top-seed Roger Federer has pulled out of the two-million-dollar ATP Dubai Open due to a lung infection

, officials said here Sunday.

"He has got a lung infection," said ATP circuit official Stephen Duckett. "He saw a doctor and he was advised not to play for a fortnight."

According to the ATP's website Federer, who picked up the infection last week, will return in the ATP World Tour Masters at Indian Wells in March.

Federer, a four time Dubai champion, was due to appear here for his first tournament since beating Andy Murray to win his fourth Australian Open at the start of the month.

That was the Swiss ace's 16th Grand Slam and it secured him the top ranking for a 268th week.

The victory in Melbourne ensured that the 28-year-old kicked off the new season firmly ensconced at the top after winning Wimbledon and the French Open last year.

The world number one was out for revenge in his second home city here in Dubai where play opens Monday, both by deposing Novak Djokovic as champion and by getting the better of Murray, who beat him in his last appearance here in 2008.

These two 22-year-olds present the most immediate threats to Federer's world number one ranking with Rafael Nadal slipping to fourth in the latest ATP rankings.

Federer was due to play Julien Benneteau of France in the first round here with a potential date with Murray in the semi-finals.

He won the title here in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 and was runner-up in 2006.

New Zealand striker pulls out of hockey World Cup fearing security

WELLINGTON: Concerned over security, Kiwi striker Simon Child has pulled out of the hockey World Cup starting on Sunday, even though Hockey New Zealand (HNZ) said it was satisfied with the arrangements made by the Indian government.

Child said he took the decision because he felt he could not give his best under such heightened security environment during the February 28-March 13 mega-event.

"It's not an ideal environment to be trying to play your best hockey and to be performing for your country," he said.

"I think that was the major issue that swayed me when I made up my mind. It was extremely tough, probably the toughest decision I've had to make in my life.

"A big part of me of course wanted to go to the World Cup," said the 21-year-old striker, who already has 119 international caps to his name in his five-year-old career.

Child travelled with the 18-member Black Sticks squad to Perth for practice games, including two Tests against Australia, in the run-up to the World Cup.

But the recent terror threats on foreign athletes visiting India during this year's World Cup, Indian Premier League and Commonwealth Games has prompted the Aucklander to opt out of the tournament at the last moment.

New Zealand coach Shane McLeod admitted that security fears have made it difficult for his players to focus on the game.

"Just having a threat hanging in the background take its toll and I think, performance-wise, it has affect us," he said.

"Also a decision like Simon's is tough on the team. We do a lot of things together and to have one of us not with us is something we will have to work really hard to deal with."

Respecting Child's decision, HNZ said the Black Sticks would participate in the World Cup as they have received positive feedback on security from various agencies.

"The detail we have received has reassured us that the required level of security will be in place," she said.

Poole said they have also been reassured by the New Zealand shooting team which is presently participating at the ongoing Commonwealth Championships in Delhi.

Depleted India meet South Africa to prove ODI superiority

JAIPUR: After the Test stalemate, a depleted India and a scarred South Africa will begin their battle of ODI supremacy on Sunday when the three-match series gets underway at a fortified Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

The Indian team arrived on Friday high on morale and low on resource and it would require more than a nip and a tuck to fill the void created by the absence of some of their key players.

The hosts's bowling unit will lack the firepower of Zaheer Khan after the pace spearhead strained a leg muscle during the Kolkata Test against the Proteas. Zaheer's absence would sorely be felt not just because he leads the attack but also because he has been virtually India's bowling captain, mentoring fellow pacers with his elder-brotherly concern.

The spin department would also not be the same without the feisty Harbhajan Singh, who would miss the first two ODIs to attend his sister's wedding.

The volatile offie, who had just regained his mojo in Kolkata, would have been quite a handful for the South Africans with his bag of tricks and reckless slogging down the order, not to mention of his confrontational approach.

India's batting also loses some of its formidability because of the absence of left-handed duo of Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, the first is nursing an injury in his left wrist and the second a groin.

Like the recent Test series, here also India has more than just a bunch of personal reputations at stake.

India need to win the three-match ODI series to remain the number two One-day side in the world which would entitle them to $75,000 from the ICC.

To stave off the South Africans, India would expect the substitute players to come to the party on Sunday.

S Sreesanth, Zaheer's replacement, is expected to share the new ball with Ashish Nehra and the Kerala speedster would have to ensure that he is upto the mark. Uttar Pradesh teammates Sudeep Tyagi and Praveen Kumar would vie for the third pacer's slot.

In the slow bowling department, Amit Mishra is almost certain to play and he is expected to share the spin burden with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, whose utility in One-day cricket has been proven beyond doubt.

In the batting line-up, Gambhir and Yuvraj's absence could be compensated only if the top order fire in unison.

Irrespective of whether India set a total or chase one, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have to provide the start they are expected of and Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina need to continue the good work.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has fond memories of the venue. In 2005, it was at the same venue that the star stumper-batsman, then with flowing tresses, had hit a devastating unbeaten 245-ball 183 which remains his highest ODI score so far.

Since then, the Indian captain has modelled himself more into a finisher but the crowd would assemble on Friday to see glimpse of the old Dhoni.

A product of the same power-hitting school, Baroda all-rounder Yousuf Pathan is also set to make it to the playing XI, hoping to continue his red hot form that has won him a recall to the side.

Fortunately for Dhoni, India is not the only team grappling with injuries.

South Africa has already lost their charismatic captain Graeme Smith and even though stop-gap leader Jacques Kallis has an enviable record against India, how much inspiration this burly all-rounder manages to provide remains to be seen.

Prolific top order batsman Hashim Amla has been asked to stay back and fill Smith's void. Amla may have been a run-machine in the drawn Test series but One-day cricket is a different kettle of fish altogether and the bearded batsman might struggle to adjust to the ODI mode.

Their bowling, especially Dale Steyn, looked too hot to handle in the Nagpur Test but was pretty pedestrian in Kolkata. Steyn's pace, Morne Morkel's bounce and Wayne Parnell's angles remain a worry but the Indian line-up is capable enough to blunt them all.

The match would be played amid unprecedented security after reports of potential terror attacks on the city surfaced.

The stadium has already been turned into a fortress with CCTV cameras, metal detectors, sniffer dogs and a sea of security personnel taking care of the venue and the Indian Air Force has been entrusted with aerial surveillance.

Teams (From):

India: MS Dhoni (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, S Sreesanth, Ashish Nehra, Sudeep Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan and Amit Mishra.

South Africa: Jacques Kallis (C), Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers, J P Duminy, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Roelof van der Merwe.

'Sorry' Tiger says will return, but not when

Golfer Tiger Woods during his first public statement to a small gathering of reporters and friends at the US PGA Tour headquarters in Florida. (Reuters Photo)

FLORIDA: Despair and hope followed one another in quick succession at a cosy clubhouse room in TPC Sawgrass, home of the US PGA tour, on Friday as a contrite Tiger Woods apologized for his "selfish" behaviour and at the same time, showed signs of moving on.

In Pics: Tiger Woods' public statement

"I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year," Woods said to the gathering of 40-odd people, including his mother.

Emerging from a nearly three-month break from the game and public life after admitting to cheating on his wife, the 34-year-old said: "I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable." His wife, Elin, was not present in the room. He admitted he had a "long way to go" in repairing his personal life.

Woods said that 45 days of in-patient therapy - to which he will return on Saturday - had helped him realize that his life needed a spiritual element, one drawn from his Buddhist upbringing. "People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist and actively practice my faith from childhood... Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.

"In therapy, I've learned the points of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centred so I can save the things that are most important to me, my marriage and my children," he said.

Woods talked for more than 13 minutes from the clubhouse, with just one video camera in the room, even as the media milled outside. He hugged his mother, Kultida, who was in the front row, when he finished speaking. "I said 'I'm so proud of you. Never think you stand alone. Mom will always be there for you and I love you,"' Kultida later said.

Admitting he felt he "deserved to enjoy the temptations" that came with his fabulous success, Woods said he was solely responsible for his actions. "I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior," Woods said.

Woods said he was in treatment for 45 days and would return for more therapy, adding he has more work to do to resolve his personal problems. Woods had not talked in public since his traffic accident on November 27 triggered shocking revelations about Woods' serial infidelity.

Friday's event was tightly controlled, with only a few journalists allowed to watch Woods live. The televised confession became a major television event with networks breaking in to show it.

Woods is one of the most recognized athletes in the world. Television ratings double when he is in contention, which has happened a lot on his way to winning 71 times on the US PGA Tour and 14 majors, four short of the record held by Jack Nicklaus.

In Friday's statement, the golf legend also made special mention of the speculation surrounding a bizarre car accident in November outside woods' Florida home in the middle of the night. "Elin never hit me that night, or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence (in our family)..." Woods said.

Woods did not take questions after his statement and gave no account of what actually happened to cause the accident when he crashed his car outside his home. It was that accident that snowballed into tawdry revelations about his personal life. Numerous women claimed to have had affairs with Woods in the days that followed. The revelations hit Woods's sponsors hard, with Accenture and AT&T ending their endorsement contracts with him while the sordid saga became the stuff of jokes worldwide.