Next week, the NBA will announce the starters for the Feb. 14 All-Star Game. I've made an early run through my own unofficial ballot, and to my surprise find these five names on it.

 Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti felt his team did "nothing special" despite defeating West Brom 6-0 in their opening Premier League fixture.

Didier Drogba scored a hat-trick as Chelsea notched the biggest opening-day win in the Premier League.

"We did our job," said Ancelotti. "This team can show this kind of play, scoring a lot of goals.

"We had a difficult pre-season, but now everything has come back to be OK. We played a good game and I am happy."

Chelsea lost to Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hamburg in pre-season friendlies and Manchester United in the Community Shield as they prepared for the defence of their Premier League title.

But the Blues boss explained that the 2010 World Cup finals meant several key players had returned to training late and were still short of peak fitness.

"We knew it would be difficult because we gave a holiday to the World Cup players," he added. "We made sure they did not come back too early.

"They needed time and good training sessions - and maybe they are not yet 100% but they are already in good condition. They can improve and in two weeks, we will be 100%."

Drogba scored a free-kick, from short range and with a 20-yard strike that took a deflection as Chelsea kicked off their title defence with an emphatic victory over the newly promoted Baggies.

"He did a fantastic job, not just because he scored, he worked really hard for the team," stated Ancelotti.

It is very important to have this mentality from all our strikers.

"Last season he scored a lot of goals, and he has started very well, I think he can do the same again."

Chelsea won the Premier League and FA Cup during Ancelotti's first season in charge in England - and the Italian boss stressed that is was important to start well this season as they defend their silverware.

"We want to do out jobs this season," commented Ancelotti, whose team finished one point clear of Manchester United last season.

"I think it will be a fantastic Premier League because a lot of teams will be involved at the top."

Florent Malouda scored twice and Frank Lampard the other as all of Chelsea's goals on Saturday came from players who were at the World Cup.

"It is the perfect start and the perfect reaction to our poor pre-season," reflected France international Malouda.

"It is important to have a good start because we are the champions and we want to stay like that.

"The result is good for our confidence in front of goal but the season is long. We have a lot of big games and we have to make sure that we are ready."

West Brom manager and former Blues midfielder Roberto di Matteo received a warm reception from the Stamford Bridge crowd.

But there was little else to please the 40-year-old Italian as his team were thrashed on their return to the Premier League - his first fixture as a top-flight manager.

"Playing the champions away on the first day of the season, you know it is going to be a tough day for you but I thought the scoreline was a bit harsh," said Di Matteo.

"There are not a lot of teams which come away from Stamford Bridge with much.

"We know we will have to learn very quickly, but on the upside, we will not be playing Chelsea every week.

"Not every team has the quality this one does. You can see why they are the champions, they are strong across the team, powerful and play well.

"The first three goals were from set pieces and we will have to do better than that. We will keep working on it."

 Fernando Torres scored in the 93rd minute to give Liverpool a dramatic late victory over Aston Villa.

The Reds' season of frustration looked set to continue as Villa produced a spirited display in snowy conditions.

Steven Gerrard went close, Pepe Reina denied Stewart Downing and Gabriel Agbonlahor, and John Carew headed wide.

A draw beckoned but Torres raced on to a ricochet and slotted in, setting a record for reaching 50 league goals for Liverpool in the fewest appearances.

The Spaniard strike provided a pulsating end to a disappointing encounter and Liverpool's joy at snatching a morale-boosting three points was clear for all to see.

Torres will dominate the headlines having notched 50 goals in 72 Premier League matches, but much of the credit should go to Pepe Reina, who kept his team in contention with a couple of magnificent saves.

He helped Liverpool to only their sixth win from 19 matches in all competitions, which lifts them above Birmingham into seventh, four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and two adrift of Villa.

Martin O'Neill's men drop down to sixth having conceded more goals than Manchester City and they are entitled to feel totally deflated by their last-gasp defeat.

The sense of importance surrounding the match was heightened by the knowledge that a win for either side would boost their top-four aspirations.

And there was little to choose between them during a cautious opening period that saw both teams zip the ball around with confidence and work hard for an early breakthrough.

Alberto Aquilani was handed his second start in four days at the heart of Liverpool's 4-4-1-1 formation and the Italian midfielder linked well with Gerrard and Torres.

Gerrard came close to opening the scoring when he collected a Torres pass and curled a dipping first-time strike towards goal, only for a back-tracking Brad Friedel to tip it over the bar.

For all their effort, Villa's desire to prise open the Liverpool defence was undermined by a lack of creativity in midfield.

With Ashley Young suspended, the recently impressive James Milner was deployed on the left of a 4-4-2 system and the Englishman struggled to assert his authority on proceedings.

The hosts had to wait 24 minutes for their first shot on target - Milner drove tamely at Reina - but they were gifted an opening on the half-hour.

Milner hoisted a corner to the back post where a completely unmarked Downing saw a smashed volley expertly saved from point-blank range by the arm of Reina.

At the other end, Liverpool felt they should have been awarded a penalty for a mis-timed tackle by Richard Dunne on Dirk Kuyt, but referee Lee Probert waved away their appeals.

Amid bitterly cold conditions and heavy snowfall, the players deserved credit for the general quality of the first half - but the same could not be said about much of the second.

Despite Liverpool having lost four of their previous six away league games, Villa strikers Agbonlahor and Carew posed little threat to the visitors' back four.

That said, the hosts' midfield became sloppy as the match wore on, starving their front men of service and allowing Liverpool to push forward at every opportunity.

But the Anfield club could not translate their dominance into goalscoring chances and Torres looked particularly off-form.

The game was in desperate need of a goal and the breakthrough might have arrived when Agbonlahor capitalised on Jamie Carragher's slip to race clear, but his low effort was turned behind by Reina.

Moments later, Carew glanced a header just wide of the far post from Milner's corner and Villa had a penalty shout rejected when Emiliano Insua appeared to head the ball on to his arm.

When the fourth official indicated four minutes of injury time it was Villa who seemed most likely to go on and snatch a last-gasp winner.

But the hosts carelessly relinquished possession and after a ricochet put Torres clean though on goal, the 25-year-old made no mistake with a crisp finish into the bottom corner.

 Barcelona are through to the Club World Cup final to face Estudiantes after coming back from a goal down to defeat Mexican champions Atlante 3-1 in Abu Dhabi.

Guillermo Rojas had given Los Potros de Hierro a stunning lead after just four minutes, but the Spanish side eventually found their rhythm and goals from Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi and Pedro handed Pep Guardiola's squad a deserved place in the showpiece event on Saturday.

Barcelona were considered massive favourites to make it through to the final prior to kick-off, and Guardiola opted to leave talismanic forward Lionel Messi on the substitutes' bench, instead starting with a front three of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta and Pedro.

But the Blaugrana could not have envisaged a worst start to the match, as the Mexicans flew from the blocks to take the lead after just four minutes. Guillermo Rojas ran beyond the static Carles Puyol and Dani Alves to lift the ball over Victor Valdes and slide it  into the empty net.

It was a shocking goal to concede by the Spanish champions, and their ineptness defensively continued as their offside trap was sprung by Fernando Navarro. However, the midfielder was indecisive when bearing down on Valdes and his cutback eluded his team-mates.

Barcelona enjoyed the huge majority of possession for the remainder of the half, but their play lacked any incision as Atlante defended stoutly on the edge of their 18-yard box.

Long-range efforts from Iniesta and Yaya Toure whizzed over, while an ambitious Ibrahimovic free-kick flew over the crossbar, as Guardiola’s side grew frustrated at their inability to penetrate the Mexicans' goal.

However, the equaliser arrived at a timely moment before the interval, and it took a set-piece routine to drew the European champions level. Xavi’s corner was flicked on by Toure and Sergio Busquets instinctively drilled the ball under the body of Federico Vilar.

Barcelona sensed an opportunity to go into half-time with the lead, and it should have arrived as Dani Alves burst in on goal from one of his trademark forays forward on the right, but he could only shoot into the side-netting and it remained 1-1 at the break.

Guardiola recognised his side’s lack of invention and introduced Lionel Messi seven minutes into the second period. His reshuffle paid immediate dividends as the Argentine put the Catalan giants in front.

Ibrahimovic slid an exquisite through pass into the path of the Ballon d’Or winner, and he rounded Vilar to roll the ball home via the flailing hand of the goalkeeper, to give his side a lead that their dominance of play deserved.

Barcelona were beginning to further exert their influence on proceedings as the match progressed, with Atlante’s flying start looking more and more to be a distant memory, and a two-goal cushion arrived on 66 minutes thanks to a lovely move.

Once again Ibrahimovic was involved, sending Iniesta clear on the left, and the Spaniard drew two defenders towards him before flicking a lovely pass to Pedro, who controlled and nonchalantly lifted his shot into the net from ten yards. It was a picturebook goal from the Blaugrana, and one that edged them closer to more silverware.

To Atlante’s credit, however, they continued to attempt to fashion a route back into the match, and Valdes had to be on his toes to parry a Rafael Marquez Lugo effort as he bore down on goal.

But that was the last attack from plucky Atlante as Barcelona played out the final ten minutes as only they can, maintaining possession and although both Pedro and substitute Bojan should have extended the lead it mattered little - the European giants had successfully negotiated a tricky tie to qualify for the Club World Cup final.
 

 The surgeon who operated on David Beckham's ruptured Achilles tendon has deemed the procedure as "a success".

The severity of the injury means Beckham could be out for up to six months, said surgeon Sakari Orava, ending his 2010 World Cup hopes.

The 34-year-old was aiming to represent England in a fourth World Cup but was injured playing for AC Milan on Sunday.

Beckham's spokesman said the midfielder was expected to make a full recovery from the 50-minute procedure.

The former England captain, who is in his second loan stint with AC Milan from LA Galaxy, suffered the injury in the final minute of Milan's win over Chievo.

"Following a scan, David Beckham's left Achilles was found to be ruptured," said the player's spokesman.

"Professor Sakari Orava performed a successful operation today, repairing the tendon completely.

"David is expected to make a full recovery. Professor Sakari Orava will conduct a further examination on Tuesday, when a programme for rehabilitation will be finalised.

"David wants to thank everyone who has given him messages of support - it meant a lot to him."

Orava, who carried out the 50-minute procedure, said: "The operation went smoothly and nicely."

Asked whether Beckham would be able to play in the World Cup that starts on 11 June, Orava replied: "No, I don't think so... healing takes a long time.

"It is difficult to say how long the recovery period will be but I would guess it will be three or four months and for example for running it usually takes four or five months until one can do it properly."

Beckham was unchallenged when he suffered the injury and limped off before being carried away on a stretcher.

He left his hotel in Milan on Monday morning with his father Ted and flew to Turku in south western Finland to undergo surgery at the clinic of orthopaedic surgeon Orava.

The severity of the injury has prompted speculation that Beckham's career could be over, but before the operation the former England captain's spokesman insisted: "This is not the end of his playing career as has been suggested.

"Even if David does miss the World Cup, he is aiming to play [with LA Galaxy] towards the end of the Major League Soccer season."

England coach Fabio Capello, who has yet to finalise his squad for the World Cup, said Beckham would be a loss for the finals in South Africa.

"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow," he said.

In 2006, Beckham suffered an Achilles injury during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat by Portugal but recovered in time to play for Real Madrid in their first game of the Spanish season eight weeks later.

AC Milan coach Leonardo commented: "Beckham's injury makes us feel terrible. He understood immediately that he had torn his Achilles tendon.

"He is an extraordinary guy and today's game proves it yet again."

AC Milan team-mate Ignazio Abate revealed the England star was inconsolable after the game.

"He's not doing well. He was in tears in the dressing room, he wasn't saying a lot. This has affected us all," confirmed Abate.

Former Manchester United star Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, was bidding to become the first England player to feature in four successive World Cup finals. He shares the record of three with Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton.

And with Tottenham's Aaron Lennon still suffering from a groin problem, Capello may now turn to both Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips to cover the right side of midfield, with James Milner, Joe Cole, Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson also in the reckoning.

Former England defender Martin Keown told BBC Radio 5 live: "Capello's not stupid, he knew there was a role for Beckham within the squad and this is a massive blow.

"He's going to be out for six months, he needs to now look at rescuing his career and what's left of it."

Beckham's loan spells at AC Milan were a deliberate attempt to convince Capello of his worth in an England squad but he was an unused substitute in the recent friendly win over Egypt and was quoted in several Sunday papers as saying he feared for his place.

Sunday's injury is the latest in a string of heartbreaking World Cup moments for Beckham.

His sending off against Argentina in the second round was widely blamed for costing England their chance of glory in France in 1998.

Four years later he was not fully fit after suffering a broken metatarsal in his foot in the build-up as England went out to 10-man Brazil in the quarter-finals in Japan and South Korea.

In 2006, Beckham limped off midway through the last-eight game against Portugal after sustaining a tear in his right Achilles tendon and a lesion in the ligaments of his left knee.

England went on to lose on penalties and, after the game, Beckham tearfully announced he was relinquishing the captaincy.
 

 Two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo has announced he will retire from professional football at the end of next year.

The Brazilian, regarded as one of the best footballers ever, has spent most of his career in Europe but will end it with Corinthians in his homeland.

"I've already made up my mind - these will be my last two," said the striker.

Ronaldo, 33, has scored 62 goals in 97 appearances for Brazil and hopes to be in squad for this summer's World Cup.

The striker, who is the all-time leading World Cup finals scorer with 15 goals, said there was "still a possibility" of a call-up for the South Africa tournament - despite not playing for Brazil, which will host the 2014 competition, since 2006.

"But for 2014 it's impossible - time goes by for everyone," he added.

Ronaldo extended his contract with Corinthians on Monday and said of his remaining time at the club: "I'll give my best and I'm hoping to have some fun and win many significant titles."

It will bring an end to his 17-year-career, during which time the Brazilian formed part of the World Cup winning teams of 1994 and 2002.

The striker also played in the 1998 World Cup final, when Brazil were beaten by France.

The match became famous as Ronaldo's name was mysteriously missing from the team sheet, but reappeared shortly before the kick-off and he gave an under-par performance.

It subsequently emerged that he had suffered a convulsion but had been cleared to play in the match in Paris.

The striker, who began his career with Cruzeiro in his home country, won the Fifa Player of the Year and the Ballon D'or awards in 1997 and 2002, also being handed the former prize in 1996.

He moved to PSV Eindhoven while still a teenager, scoring 42 goals in 45 matches.

The striker soon came to the attention of Sir Bobby Robson's Barcelona, whom he joined in 1996, scoring 34 goals in 37 league matches.

But he only stayed at the Nou Camp for a season, switching to Inter Milan for a then-record fee of £18m, helping the Italian side win the Uefa Cup during his five years with the club.

However, it was at Inter that he suffered the first of a series of debilitating knee injuries that would affect the rest of his career.

His next club was Real Madrid, who won the Primera Division crown during his first season at the Bernabeu.

He returned to Italy in 2007 with AC Milan but made 20 only league appearances, before later joining Corinthians.

As to his future after he hangs up his boots, Ronaldo's agent Fabiano Farah said: "Ronaldo will become a representative of Corinthians abroad.

"We will combine his name and the importance it has with the strength of the club."

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti says he will grant John Terry some time off if the defender asks for it following revelations about his private life.

The Italian retained the 29-year-old as captain in the recent win over Burnley and Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Hull.

But amid reports Terry wants to miss the FA Cup tie with Cardiff on 13 February, Ancelotti said: "If he needs a holiday I will give him a holiday.

"It is an issue for me and John Terry, it is not your problem, I think."

Ancelotti, whose side missed the chance to go four points clear at the top of the Premier League by failing to beat Hull, added: "For him, nothing has changed. He has played a very good game and every game he is leading very well. He is doing his best every game."

However, Ancelotti was keen to play down suggestions the furore surrounding the centre-back had affected the Chelsea dressing room.

The Premier League leaders were far from convincing in beating Burnley 2-1 at the weekend - and even less so in their draw at the KC Stadium.

The Italian stated: "The atmosphere in the team is the same. No change.

"I have never had a discussion with him about the accusations. I like to speak to my players but I don't like to speak about this. It is not a question I want to speak about here."

And Ancelotti also insisted that the interest in Terry would not derail Chelsea's battle for the title, with the Blues top of the Premier League by two points from Manchester United and six ahead of Arsenal.

"Nothing can disturb our concentration in this competition," he added. "I think that Chelsea are focused for every game.

"Sometimes we play good football and sometimes we have more difficulty but the concentration is always on top."

However, Ancelotti was content to take a point back to Stamford Bridge after conceding Chelsea were not at their best at the KC Stadium.

"We did our best but it was a tough game," he said. "Hull played a good game and it's a good result.

"We don't have to be disappointed, sometimes it can happen against a small team, we can draw. We are at the top of the table and have to look forward.

"We are in a good position now. We know it will be a long race until the end of the season and for now we are happy with two more points. It was an opportunity but it is impossible to win every game."

Hull boss Phil Brown admitted that the level of interest in Terry's appearance had taken him aback.

"You had the John Terry effect and you had the whole media circus that is surrounding this situation John finds himself in," he said.

"For the team coach to come into the internal grounds of the KC Stadium and be followed by all the cameras, then you realise the intensity of the situation.

"But as far as we're concerned we were focused on playing football."

 England coach Fabio Capello says he will not pick David Beckham to play in another competitive international.

The Italian wants to build around players younger than the 35-year-old former Manchester United midfielder.

Asked if Beckham was in his plans, Capello said: "No, I need to change it. David is a fantastic player but I think we need new players for the future."

Capello said Beckham could play once more for England at Wembley so fans could pay tribute to the ex-skipper.

The Italian, who revealed he has not spoken to Beckham about his future, stated: "If he is fit, I hope we will play one more game here at Wembley so the fans can say goodbye."

Capello was speaking after watching his new-look England side defeat Hungary 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley - their first match since the World Cup.

Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson both impressed in Beckham's favoured position on the right wing.

"I saw four young players tonight," the coach told BBC Radio 5 live. "This is the future of the team under Fabio Capello or another manager."

Former captain Beckham, who joined Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, has 115 England caps - more than any other outfield player.

His last appearance for England was as a substitute in October 2009 in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Belarus.

He missed out on playing in the World Cup in South Africa because of an Achilles tendon injury.

Capello's feelings were first revealed in a television interview before Wednesday night's friendly, prompting Beckham's agent to release a statement confirming the player's desire to carry on playing for England.

It read: "For your information, there has been no discussion of retirement. He will always be available for his country, when fit and if needed he will be there."

In an interview with BBC Sport in July, the former Real Madrid midfielder said he still believed he had something to offer England.

"I'm not ready to step aside," he commented. "If I don't get picked for England again then I'm very proud of my record, 100 starts and 115 games. I'm very proud of that but I still believe I have a part to play.

"I take each day, week, month and year as it comes. Like I say, I never want to step down from playing for my country."

Upon returning to training with LA Galaxy on Wednesday - much earlier than expected in light of the Achilles tendon problem he suffered in March - Beckham said he hoped to play again soon.

"A few people are surprised, but I'm not [about returning so early]," he told the LA Galaxy website, before hearing Capello's announcement prior to the England game. "I expected to push myself to the limit and I have.

"In my own head I could have been back a month ago. The doctors said 1 October, but hopefully it will be a few weeks before that."

"I will know personally when I am ready. Obviously I have to listen to the advice of the doctors, but in the end, it will be me knowing whether I'm ready or not."

Steven Gerrard, who scored both goals for England on Wednesday night, tipped Beckham to work hard to force himself back into Capello's thinking.

"I'm sure that if he hears that news, it will drive him on and he'll try to prove people wrong and try to get back in the set-up because I know he loves playing for England," he added.

Reflecting on his former team-mate's international career, Gerrard said Beckham would enjoy "legendary status" among supporters.

"He's put a long shift in as an England player," he stated. "He's had some fantastic performances, some fantastic goals, memories. I've learnt a lot from David and it's been a pleasure to play alongside him."

Goalkeeper Joe Hart described Beckham as an "ambassador for the game" who was an "icon to the players".

Beckham made his England debut in 1996 and helped his country qualify for the 1998 World Cup under Glenn Hoddle.

After scoring a superb free-kick in the group stages, Beckham was sent off in the round of 16 for kicking Argentina's Diego Simeone and was subsequently vilified as England went out of the tournament.

However, he remained one of his country's most important players and was named captain by interim manager Peter Taylor for a friendly against Italy in 2000.

Sven-Goran Eriksson stuck by Taylor's choice and Beckham was inspirational in England qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, sealing their place at the tournament with a last-minute free-kick against Greece.

Beckham captained England on 58 occasions, tearfully relinquishing the armband after their exit from the 2006 World Cup.

He was dropped by Steve McClaren but was restored to the side as England's qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 faltered.

He played a role in 16 of the 21 matches matches under Capello before a ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered when playing on loan for AC Milan, put paid to his hopes of appearing in a fourth straight World Cup.

Instead, he was a member of Capello's back-up staff as England crashed out to Germany in the last 16.

Beckham returned to full training with LA Galaxy on Wednesday and is hoping to return to Major League Soccer action in October.

Former Football Association chief executive David Davies told the BBC that it is too soon to write off Beckham, despite Capello's words.

"He has had one of the great England careers of any England player," he said.

"I've heard about the end of David's international career before and he came back. Who knows, even at 35, he might manage it again."

It might have been a slow burner but Thursday's match at Ellis Park eventually exploded into life and provided the most drama, desperation and edge-of-the-seat excitement that we have seen so far at the World Cup.

However, Italy's shock 3-2 to defeat to Slovakia won't be remembered fondly by Marcello Lippi and his players - most of whom could not get down the tunnel and into the very private sanctity of their dressing room quickly enough after the final whistle.

Only retiring skipper Fabio Cannavaro hung around, heading towards referee Howard Webb to vent some of his fury and frustration in the direction of the English official.

Eventually, as Slovakia's players and their entire backroom staff congregated in a giant huddle in the centre of the Ellis Park pitch to celebrate their extraordinary victory, Cannavaro was teased off the field by a member of the Italian delegation.

It was a sad end to a great career for the 36-year-old central defender, who has won 137 caps for his country, but the referee was not to blame for his team's exit.

The sad truth for the Azzurri is that in 2010 they were simply not good enough. Italy drew with Paraguay and New Zealand and lost to Slovakia. They did not deserve to qualify.

Only in the final 15 minutes against Slovakia did we finally see some attacking cohesion and desire from an Italy side that had previously misfired.

Italy trailed 2-0 and 3-1 but twice moved back to within one goal of the draw that would have seen them sneak into the round of 16. They created enough chances in the final 15 minutes to pull off a stunning comeback - and would surely have done so if substitute Fabio Quagliarella's late strike had not been ruled out for offside.

It was all too much for the 27-year Napoli striker, who was a lively presence after his half-time introduction but who left the field in tears.

It proved to be the final game of coach Marcello Lippi's second spell in charge of Italy and afterwards the 62-year-old spoke with great dignity and honesty about the campaign.

"When you see a team that plays with fear in their legs and in their hearts you understand that you have failed," said Lippi.

Four years ago, Lippi used the negative publicity that surrounded the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal to galvanise his squad, who had arrived in Germany unfancied but left clutching their fourth World Cup title.

But they, like fellow finalists France, have been eliminated at the group stage in South Africa - and Lippi stressed time and again that he accepted total responsibility.

Every question, whether about selection, tactics, motivation, preparation or psychology, saw Lippi deflect the blame away from his players.

He was clearly at a loss to explain why his team performed so miserably for so long against Slovakia in what was a game his team knew they needed to win to be absolutely sure of qualification.

You can understand why he was so perplexed because Italy's record in crunch group games is exceptional. They had not failed to qualify from the group stage at the World Cup since 1974 and so history would suggest that Italy produced when it mattered.

The reasons why they did not do so in South Africa are varied.

It has been suggested that they have an ageing squad.

It is not as old as either Brazil or England but at times against Slovakia the years appeared to have caught up with Cannavaro, who could easily have been dismissed for two poor tackles in quick succession in the opening half.

Italy conceded twice in the 2006 tournament, one of them an own goal, but errors played a part in all three goals they conceded on Thursday.

Daniele De Rossi's awful pass led to the first, a moment's hesitation from Giorgio Chiellini contributed to the second and the entire defence was caught out by Kamil Kopunek's run as he collected a throw-in for the third.

Italy constructed their previous World Cup campaign on clean sheets but they failed to keep one here and conceded five goals in three games.

They could argue that they were unfortunate in that the only two shots on target against them in their first two games resulted in goals.

Nonetheless, Italy had not conceded more than two goals in a World Cup fixture since their 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the 1970 final, but they were found wanting by a team who were outclassed by Paraguay in their previous fixture.

The injury sustained by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon against Paraguay did not help. He is a reassuring presence and his influence on the team was clear even on Thursday as he stood in front of the Italy dugout imploring his colleagues to push forward.

He was stood next to Gennaro Gattuso, who made his first appearance of the tournament against Slovakia but was withdrawn at the break. The 32-year-old warmed up with all the vigour I expect of him but, after an injury affected season for AC Milan, he lacked the snarl and bite of old and has also quit the international scene.

This Italy team has also been short of goals - with Lippi's attacking selections during the three games strongly suggesting that no one striker had done enough to cement a place.

They had scored five in their previous eight games before Thursday, with just one goal coming in open play from a striker, Quagliarella's effort in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in a warm-up fixture.

But what Italy have really missed during this campaign is midfield creativity. Andrea Pirlo was a deep-sitting playmaker in 2006 and instrumental in his team's victory but a calf injury meant that his only role in South Africa was as a second-half substitute against Slovakia.

During the first half the television images cut to Pirlo watching from the dugout, the obvious message being that he was the man Italy so desperately needed.

His absence was clearly keenly felt - a point that Lippi himself made - and, with a view to the long-term, Italy needs a new star to emerge in the middle of the park.

In one sense, Italy's World Cup failure is not all that surprising. They were awful in last year's Confederations Cup but Lippi, like Enzo Bearzot in 1986, perhaps continued to rely too heavily on players who were so successful for him four years earlier. They were 10 from the 2006 squad in South Africa.

But when the chips are down Italy normally show enough composure, skill and professionalism to produce a result.

The fact that Slovakia's players ended Thursday's match sliding across the turf in joyous celebration in front of their own supporters showed that this Italy team is now in need of reinvention.
 

 After the national team kick-off their preparations for South Africa 2010 with a testing friendly against five-time world champions Brazil, fans can continue to play a key role in helping to bring World Cup football to England in 2018.

Significant global backing has already been secured as fans from 140 countries around the world have pledged their support to the England 2018 FIFA World Cup Bid via the official website, Facebook pages and text message service. England 2018 supporters have also been pictured all over the world with Back the Bid scarves from Mt Everest to the Rocky Mountains, Hong Kong to Sydney and Rome to Dar es Salaam.
 

English football`s passionate followers can provide vital support to the England 2018 World Cup Bid by demonstrating how much a World Cup in England would mean to them. Fans from across the globe have joined some of the biggest names in English sport and entertainment in backing England 2018, including: John Terry, David Beckham, Germany captain Michael Ballack, Ghana midfielder Michael Essien, World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles, Formula One champs Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, Chicago Bulls captain Luol Deng, England`s Ashes winners, Hollywood star and comedian Eddie Izzard, funnyman Peter Kaye, world champion athlete Jessica Ennis and legendary musicians Noel Gallagher and Sting.
 

There are a variety of ways supporters can Back the Bid including texting 'ENGLAND` to 62018, logging onto the official website www.england2018bid.com , joining the official Facebook site www.facebook.com/england2018 or by following the bid on Twitter twitter.com/england2018bid . As well as being Fans recently provided another dramatic illustration of their desire for World Cup football in England when a giant 'Back the Bid` message involving 25,000 supporters was unveiled at the Belarus fixture at Wembley.
 

Speaking ahead of this week`s Brazil game, England captain John Terry urged fans to show their support:

'The passionate support for English football is one of our greatest assets and I`ve no doubt people will show how much they want a World Cup in England by texting ENGLAND to 62018 and getting their friends and family to do the same. Support from fans could really make a difference and help us win the bid so I hope they join me in Backing England 2018.'
 

 Fernando Alonso believes he could have won the Australian Grand Prix - even after his first corner incident with Jenson Button had put him to the back.

In the event his charge towards the front was halted at fourth place, any further progress stymied by being stuck behind team-mate Felipe Massa.

With Ferrari unwilling at this early stage in the season to ask one of its drivers to make way for the other, it created a situation in which Alonso might have fallen into conflict with his new team for the first time.

How he handles this will be a crucial test for him; Alonso has a history of not coping well with this sort of situation.

At Indianapolis in 2006 he was at odds with his Renault team when team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella was running ahead of him, insiders telling of him screaming over the radio to move 'Fisi' aside.

An almost identical situation arose a year later at the same venue, with McLaren when Lewis Hamilton was running ahead of him and Alonso felt he was being held up.

In between times, he was publically critical of Renault in the aftermath of China 2006 when the team did not prevent Fisichella from taking advantage of Alonso's tyre problems.

He made a now infamous speech in which he talked of "feeling alone" in the team. Whereas the Indianapolis '06 incident had been contained within Renault at the time, this was the first public appearance of a previously unsuspected chink in the champion's armour.

It was a chink that was prised open at McLaren by Hamilton's speed.

Alonso's failure to gel at McLaren, and his ill-judged attempts at using the team's difficulty with governing body the FIA as 'spy-gate' unfolded to get internal championship priority, led to him being dropped after just one year of what was originally a long-term contract.

This in turn led to two pretty barren years with Renault in 2008 and 2009.

Having finally got himself back into a car worthy of his talent, he surely knows he cannot allow himself the indulgence of risking team unity over a relatively minor point.

Interestingly, however, Sunday's situation in Melbourne created the exact sort of circumstances that have in the past led to just that - i.e. his team's attempts at equality apparently compromising their chances of beating the opposition.

During his first race for McLaren at the same venue three years ago, he felt it would have been more logical for the team to have given him strategic preference rather than "waste" a set of fresh tyres just to beat his team-mate in qualifying and thereby earn preference.

This, he reasoned, denied him use of fresh tyres when they might have been needed the following day when fighting Ferrari.

He tends to assume dominance within the team and the only time this expectation has not been met, it triggered his 'glitch'.

Can Alonso assume dominance within Ferrari and if not will the same glitch be revealed?

At McLaren Hamilton was sufficiently competitive throughout the season that Alonso could not dominate.

At Bahrain two weeks ago Alonso beat Massa in the race, but was out-qualified by him.

But at Melbourne Alonso was much the faster driver in qualifying - and by a margin of 0.7 seconds, which is huge by F1 team-mate standards. However, too much should not be read into that at this stage.

There was a very specific explanation for the size of the gap between them on Saturday and it was to do with tyre temperatures.

In the cool conditions of qualifying the tyres were right on the knife-edge of not reaching the temperature threshold at which they suddenly 'switch on' - around 100C.

If a driver could somehow get to that threshold he would suddenly have a huge advantage over one who could not, and that is what we saw at Melbourne. No matter what Massa tried, he could not emulate Alonso's ability to generate tyre heat during the out-lap from the pits.

There may be qualifying days where this again becomes a problem for Massa but it is unlikely to happen often. It was a specific mismatch of tyre compound to weather conditions on the day.

There is as yet no underlying evidence that Alonso will be able to consistently beat Massa and thereby form a natural hierarchy between them.

He is a psychologically complex man so it is going to be fascinating seeing if he can learn from past errors.
 

 Ferrari have insisted they will not prevent Michael Schumacher making a Formula 1 return with another team.

The seven-time world champion has been a consultant for Ferrari since retiring in 2006 and said recently he would stay in the role for another three years.

But Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo says his position is "not binding".

Schumacher, 40, has been linked with a move to Mercedes, who have taken over world champions Brawn and already signed driver Nico Rosberg for 2010.

Schumacher was on the brink of a racing return with Ferrari in August to deputise for the injured Felipe Massa.

Those plans were abandoned following medical checks on a neck injury the German suffered in a motorcycle accident earlier this year.

With that neck problem now understood to be fully healed, Schumacher is thought to be close to completing a sensational return to the sport with German giants Mercedes.

"If he takes another road, our agreement will no longer be valid. You can't work with a competitor and with us at the same time," said Ferrari president Montezemolo.

"I still haven't spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars."

Schumacher agreed a new role with Ferrari over the summer, cutting his links with the F1 team to become an ambassador, consultant and test driver for the company's road cars.

Now Mercedes are understood to want him to launch their return to F1 following the takeover of Brawn.

Countryman Rosberg, 24, has already been signed up, but the team's second driver has yet to be confirmed, although they have also been linked with Nick Heidfeld.

"I hope that my team-mate will be sorted out pretty soon and at the moment the rumours are very strong for Michael Schumacher," said Rosberg, who drove for Williams between 2006 and 2009.

"I have no idea if it is true or not but obviously if he would join that would be an absolutely fantastic move."

German newspaper Bild reported that Schumacher, who turns 41 in January, had already agreed a deal, thought to be worth 7m euros, with Mercedes in principle.

Should he return, Schumacher would go head-to-head with fellow world champions Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Button, who won the 2009 title with Brawn, will drive for McLaren in 2010, alongside fellow Briton and 2008 champion Hamilton.

Alonso, champion in 2005 and 2006, will spearhead Ferrari's challenge following his move from Renault.

Button has already told BBC Sport that Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull are the teams most likely to trouble McLaren next season.

Goal-line technology is back on the agenda after Fifa revealed this World Cup is set to be the last tournament under the existing refereeing system.

Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke told the BBC that TV replays showing Frank Lampard scoring a goal against Germany was a "bad day" for organisers.

And Valcke suggested changes will be made before the 2014 World Cup.

"We're talking about a goal not seen by the referee which is why we are talking about new technology," said Valcke.

Fifa's general secretary also suggested that the use of two extra referees positioned on the goal-line - a system trialled last season in the Europa League and set to be used in the Champions League this coming season - might be used in future World Cups.

"Let's see if this system will help or whether giving the referee an additional four eyes will give him the comfort and make duty easier to perform," added Valcke.

"I would say that it is the final World Cup with the current refereeing system."

Although Valcke's comments will be interpreted as a change of policy by Fifa following the International Football Association Board's (Ifab) decision to reject goal-line technology and other aids for referees in March, the Fifa general secretary wants the whole approach to refereeing to be reformed.

"The teams and the players are so strong and so fast. The game is different and the referees are older than all the players," said Valcke.

"The game is so fast, the ball is flying so quickly, we have to help them and we have to do something and that's why I say it is the last World Cup under the current system."

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has repeatedly rejected calls for the introduction of goal-line technology or TV replays, insisting an element of human error has always been a part of the game.

Opponents have also pointed to concerns over universality - that all levels of the game should be subjected to the same rules and methods of refereeing.

But following the Lampard "goal" in England's 4-1 defeat by Germany and Carlos Tevez's offside strike for Argentina against Mexico in a game the South American side won 3-1, Blatter performed a U-turn, saying that it would be a "nonsense" not to reopen the file on technology.

Ifab - the game's rule making body which consists of representatives of the English, Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh FAs as well as four representatives from Fifa - is due to hold a meeting on 21 July where the issue is expected to be discussed.

But Valcke said it was unlikely serious discussions would be held until a further meeting scheduled for October.

In March, Ifab heard presentations from two companies pitching to introduce systems which they say provide definitive proof when the ball has crossed the line for a goal.

But both the proposals from Cairos Goal-line technology, which uses a microchip inside a football and magnetic fields around the goal line, and Hawk-Eye, which uses six television cameras positioned around the goal, were rejected.

The Cairos system was tested by Fifa in the World Club Championships in Japan in 2007, but despite their claims that the test was a success, Ifab again rejected the proposal in March 2008.

It was debated again in 2009 but again turned down.

Both Hawk-Eye and Cairos insist cost is not an issue as they offered to pay for the installation of the system in return for a share of sponsorship rights.

Ifab also turned down the chance to introduce the system of two extra referees positioned on the goal-line in time for the World Cup in South Africa.

 Germany captain Michael Ballack says his side are not among the favourites to win next year's World Cup.

The 33-year-old Chelsea star believes getting through a group that also includes Serbia, Australia and Ghana will be a challenge in itself.

"We do not have the consistency or strength in depth in the squad," Ballack told Kicker magazine.

"We have been too weak, particularly in friendlies, to be able to say that we have the class to beat everybody else."

That said, Germany have a well-deserved reputation as high achievers at the World Cup, whether they have the best players or not.

West Germany won the trophy in 1954, 1974 and 1990, while the unified country were runners-up in 2002 and third on home soil in 2006 when many pointed to a lack of high-quality players.

They have qualified for every one of the 16 World Cups they have entered and reached the last eight or better every time since 1938.

 
But Ballack added: "You can forget about us having had the luck of the draw - we have a tough group and all three opponents are uncomfortable and physically very strong.

"We are going to have to put our foot down from the very beginning. Focusing on big games has always been one of the strengths of German teams."

Germany, coached by Joachim Low, are likely to rely heavily on Ballack, along with the likes of fellow midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and strikers Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose.

Germany's next game before the World Cup is a friendly against Argentina in Munich on 3 March.
 

  Andres Iniesta struck a dramatic winner late in extra time to give Spain World Cup glory for the first time but condemned the Netherlands to their third defeat in a final.

Iniesta drilled his right-foot strike across goal - but the Dutch were incensed after referee Howard Webb had failed to award their side a corner moments earlier when a free-kick took a sizeable deflection off Cesc Fabregas.

However, Euro 2008 champions Spain, who conceded only two goals during the tournament, deserved their victory after gradually taking a grip on a tense and bad-tempered contest that produced 14 yellow cards with Johnny Heitinga sent off on 109 minutes after picking up a second yellow card.

The Dutch, who lost in the 1974 and 1978 finals, were bidding to become the first side since Brazil in 1970 to go through World Cup qualifying and the finals unbeaten.

They had a glorious chance to take the lead in the second half but Arjen Robben, comfortably his team's most potent attacking weapon, could find no way past Spain captain Iker Casillas, who slumped to the floor and cried tears of joy after the final whistle.

Sergio Ramos was equally culpable of a glaring miss for Spain when he headed over and substitute Fabregas, as with Robben before him, also failed to convert a one-on-one chance.

But it was from a through ball by the influential Fabregas that midfielder Iniesta struck making Spain the first team to win a World Cup after losing their opening game of the tournament.

Spain also became the team to win the World Cup having scored the fewest number of goals - finding the net eight times in their seven matches. The previous mark was held by three teams, including England in 1966.

The dramatic finale at Soccer City was in stark contrast to a hugely underwhelming opening 45 minutes, which was a brutal disappointment after the spectacular opening ceremony and moving appearance by former president Nelson Mandela that had preceded it.

Spain dominated possession in the opening minutes and looked to have the measure of an uncertain Dutch backline. Ramos almost put them ahead after just four minutes but his thunderous header was brilliantly saved by Maarten Stekelenburg.

The Netherlands could not get a grip on the game but were helped by a spate of yellow cards from referee Webb that disturbed the rhythm of the match.

Webb booked five players in the opening 28 minutes, although several crude challenges left him with little option.

Dutch enforcer Mark van Bommel was booked after going through the back of Iniesta, while Nigel de Jong was lucky to escape red after planting his foot in the chest of Xabi Alonso.

Robben did force a decent save from Casillas with a low left-foot strike after cutting inside during stoppage time.

But the match had degenerated to the extent that Alonso opted to shoot with a free-kick on the wrong side of 40 yards instead of a seeking out a team-mate.

Spain defender Joan Capdevila wasted a good chance shortly after the restart, failing to make contact with a Carles Puyol flick-on.

The bookings continued after the break and the contest occasionally threatened to boil over as the tension appeared to affect the players.

But there were also a few moments of real quality, none more so than a sumptuous through ball from the largely anonymous Wesley Sneijder that played Robben clean through on goal.

Robben delayed his shot but, equally, Casillas stood his ground as long as possible and brilliantly saved with his legs.

It was a head-in-hands moment for Robben, but one quickly followed for Spain when a completely unmarked Ramos headed a corner over the crossbar.

Robben's pace troubled the Spanish defence throughout and another burst from the Bayern Munich man unsettled Puyol, who appeared to impinge his opponent. Robben, just outside the penalty area, chose to stay on his feet and Casillas again denied him.

Spain had moved into the ascendancy as the match wore on, with Xavi increasingly influential.

Fabregas replaced Alonso in the 87th minute and quickly made an impression by collecting a superb Iniesta pass, but the Arsenal man could find no way beyond Stekelenberg, who saved brilliantly with his legs.

The complement was returned shortly afterwards but Iniesta opted not to strike from 18 yards and was eventually dispossessed by the excellent Gregory van der Wiel.

Heitinger became the fifth man to be sent off in a World Cup final when he pulled back Iniesta on the edge of the area, giving Webb little choice but to hand him a second caution, and that seemed to spur Spain on for a final effort.

Joris Mathijsen headed over for the Netherlands in what was their only good chance of the extra-time period before Iniesta struck his late and decisive blow.

  Rafael Nadal won the French Open for the fifth time and made amends for last year's defeat by Robin Soderling as he swept past the Swede in straight sets to regain the title.

Nadal saved all eight break points he faced to come through 6-4 6-2 6-4 in two hours 18 minutes at an overcast Roland Garros and secure his seventh Grand Slam title.

"I played my best match against you," Nadal told Soderling during the trophy ceremony. "If not, it's going to be impossible to beat you."

Nadal then told the crowd in French that it was "the most emotional day in my career".

The victory ensures that the 24-year-old Spaniard will regain the world number one ranking on Monday and leave Roger Federer one week short of Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks at the top.

Soderling, 25, must be content with the runner-up spot for the second year in succession, having become the first and only man to beat Nadal at Roland Garros in last year's fourth round before losing to Federer in the final.

The Swedish fifth seed had gained some measure of revenge with a highly impressive win over Federer in the quarter-finals this time around but failed to find a way past Nadal's impregnable defence.

Nadal had come into Sunday's final on a 21-0 winning streak on clay that saw him win titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid.

But he had lost his last two matches against Soderling, and memories of the defeat 12 months ago on Court Philippe Chatrier were put to the Spaniard repeatedly ahead of the final.

The predicted overcast conditions were also expected to favour the Swede's flat hitting, as opposed to the heavy topspin of Nadal, but instead the match began in bright sunshine, and by the time the clouds came it was too late for Soderling.

There was a sign of things to come as early as the fourth game when Soderling earned the first break point of the match, only to thump a backhand over the baseline.

Nadal showed him the way in the very next game by converting his second break point with a backhand cross-court pass that the Swede allowed to drop inside the angle of sideline and baseline.

Soderling had said before the match that he hoped the experience of playing in the final 12 months ago would benefit him this time around, but it did not appear to be helping when Nadal had another two chances to break in game seven, before two big forehands got the Swede out of trouble.

Nadal then showed the first chink in his armour with a double-fault at 30-30 in the following game but Soderling put his forehand long, confirmed by a quickly raised arm from Nadal, and a tame backhand return saw a third break point slip by.

Soderling did well to recover from facing three set points at 0-40 in game nine with a purple patch of serving, but moments later he blazed a forehand wide on the fourth as Nadal served out the set.

Try as he might, Soderling just could not hit through the Spaniard's brilliant defence, and too often he made an error when a chance presented itself.

With clouds gathering overhead, the Swede attacked some short forehands from Nadal early in the second set, only to blast a backhand long with the open court gaping on the second of four more break points in a tense fourth game.

Having spent much of the first 75 minutes scrambling with success behind the baseline, Nadal went on the front foot to make the decisive move of the match.

A brilliant backhand cross-court pass and a wayward Soderling forehand saw the Spaniard break for 3-2 and he consolidated the advantage thanks in part to a magnificent point in game six as he returned a smash, worked his way into the net and angled away a beautiful volley.

Soderling looked as good as done for, and he gave up another break as Nadal wrapped up the set, before hammering a desperately loose forehand into the tramlines to drop serve at the start of the third.

There was one final chance for the Swede with his eighth break point of the day in game two but Nadal hit a fine swinging serve to slam the door shut and went on to serve out the match with little trouble.

And after 12 months that saw him lose his French Open and Wimbledon titles - as well as the world number one ranking - and suffer serious injury problems, the emotional Spaniard collapsed on the dirt before returning to his chair and breaking down in tears.

Nadal's victory also makes another mark in history as he moves into second place in the all-time list of male winners at Roland Garros with five victories, one behind Bjorn Borg's record.

And like Borg in 1978 and 1980, Nadal has now twice won the tournament without losing a set, after a perfect run in 2008. 
  

 Chelsea suffered a first leg defeat to former boss Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in their Champions League last 16 tie.
Inter got off to the perfect start when Diego Milito cut inside and fired in with only three minutes gone.
Chelsea rallied from the early blow and after Salomon Kalou was denied a strong first-half penalty claim he was on hand to fire Chelsea level after half-time.
Parity was short-lived, with Esteban Cambiasso drilling in to give Inter a narrow lead to take to Stamford Bridge.
Predictably, it was Mourinho who took centre stage as it was the first match against the club he led for two-and-a-half seasons, but this was an encounter laden with context.
Current Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti led Inter's local rivals AC Milan with aplomb between 2001 and 2009 and this was the first time he has brought a side to the city since leaving for west London last summer.
In addition, there is the added spice that former Champions League winners Mourinho and Ancelotti - the Portuguese with Porto in 2004, the Italian with Milan in 2003 and 2007 - are managers charged with repeating their feat in Europe's premier club competition with their current clubs.
Under Mourinho, Chelsea were often accused of an overly cautious approach that came at the expense of entertainment, but Ancelotti affords his charges greater licence to be expansive and, on the front foot, they are an attractive team to watch.
Unfortunately, they are occasionally susceptible at the back as a result and Inter capitalised on this fallibility with their very first attack.
With the ball won just inside the Chelsea half, firstly Thiago Motta and then Samuel Eto'o fed the ball through for Milito who, with space afforded by Wesley Sneijder's presence, stepped inside John Terry and beat Petr Cech at the near post.
Despite falling behind, Chelsea were not overawed and slowly began to assert themselves on the game, claiming the greater share of possession and attacking with intent.
However, they were limited to a series of long-range efforts by a hard-working home side.
Didier Drogba came closest with a powerfully struck 25-yard free-kick which beat Julio Cesar but struck the underside of the crossbar before being cleared to safety.
Ivory Coast international Drogba is the only African player with more career Champions League goals than ordinarily lethal Cameroonian Eto'o.
However, the Inter number nine missed a glorious opportunity to add to his tally of 18 Champions League goals just after the half-hour mark.
Sneijder cut in from the left and drove a low cross over for the centrally positioned Eto'o in plenty of space and only eight yards out but he badly miscued his effort.
The half ended in controversy when a mistake in midfield gave Kalou a clear run on goal, but before he was able to shoot he was felled by a last-ditch tackle from Walter Samuel.
Referee Mejuto Gonzalez waved away calls for a penalty but replays showed that Kalou's heels had been clipped by the defender.
Within five minutes of the restart Kalou's anger had turned to jubilation as he brought his side level.
Branislav Ivanovic carried the ball deep into Inter territory, evading a number of challenges, before feeding Kalou 20 yards out and his side-foot shot beat Cesar and found the corner of the net.
Once again the sides were level but only for three minutes.
Sneijder's cross from the right was headed away by Ricardo Carvalho to Cambiasso, whose first shot was blocked by Ivanovic but his second, from 18 yards was drilled perfectly into the far corner.
It was a decisive blow so soon after Chelsea had deservedly levelled and the Blues never fully recovered their composure.
There were intermittent glimpses of their capabilities; most notably when Drogba and Nicolas Anelka combined for the latter to provide a golden chance for Frank Lampard eight yards out, but Cesar was equal to it.
A single-goal first leg deficit will not worry Ancelotti, but the sight of goalkeeper Cech being carried injured from the pitch was more concerning with the season entering a crucial phase.
Fears that Cech had badly damaged a knee were dispelled when it was revealed that he had suffered a calf injury.

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho hailed his side's Champions League semi-final victory over holders Barcelona as "the greatest moment of my career".

Mourinho, who worked at Barca in the 1990s, led his side to a 3-2 aggregate win, despite losing the second leg 1-0.

"For the players, me, the fans, it's the greatest. I've won the Champions League (with Porto in 2004) but today was better," said the Portuguese, 47.

Inter will face Bayern Munich in the final in Madrid on 22 May.

The Germans,who won the Champions League in 2001, booked their place at Real Madrid's Bernabeu with a 4-0 aggregate victory over Lyon.

Inter, who were last champions of Europe in 1965, have not been in the final of European club football's most prestigious competition since 1972.

"It's been 38 years since Inter played in the final," added Mourinho.

"We were a team of heroes, we sweated blood. I thank everyone who played and who did not play. I thank all the fans, those who were here and those who remained at home.

"Absolutely incredible things happened. Now is our festival. I want the fans at the airport waiting for these guys."

Inter went into the second leg in a strong position following their 3-1 win over Barca at the San Siro on 20 April.

But the Italians suffered an early setback at the Nou Camp when Thiago Motta was sent off on 28 minutes for putting a hand in the face of Sergio Busquets.

Busquets went down clutching his face but was caught on camera glancing up to see the ref's reaction.

Motta claimed afterwards: "He always does it, I have seen it on TV and he is holding his face and then looking at the referee - it is terrible behaviour."

The sending off looked likely to turn the tie in Barcelona's favour as Pep Guardiola's side battled to reach their second successive Champions League final and retain the trophy they won in Rome last year.

But the hosts struggled to break down a well-organised and resilient Inter, Mourinho's team producing a near-faultless defensive performance to contain their illustrious opponents.

 McLaren's Lewis Hamilton took advantage of some rare dry conditions in the second session to clock Friday's fastest practice time in Melbourne.

Hamilton set a lap of one minute 25.801 seconds to edge out team-mate Jenson Button by 0.275 secs before a spell of heavy rain hit the Albert Park track.

Red Bull's Mark Webber emerged as the track dried later on to go third ahead of Mercedes's Michael Schumacher.

Renault's Robert Kubica was fastest in the day's first practice session.

"It's definitely not the weather I am used to in Australia, but we did get some dry running which is not too bad," said Hamilton.

"The track was very dirty in the first session, everyone just waits forever to go out and I wanted to go out and have some fun, so I went out early.

"Generally the session was quite good. I had to make some changes to the car but I did that in between sessions.

"It was difficult at the end when we made some more changes as the track was not up to top speed. Nevertheless we felt quite comfortable with the balance of the car so I am quite happy."

With temperatures lower than in the first session and light rain falling, there was little action for the opening part of the second 90-minute session as the pit crew switched their attention to the weather and weighed up swapping slick tyres for intermediates.

The BMW Sauber pair of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi were among the first to go out, but they struggled for grip.

But the rain eased off and the Williams duo of Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg posted the first times after 16 minutes.

Hamilton and Button's McLarens then vied for the lead, with the 2008 champion responding after his successor had stolen ahead.

Button pushed hard to strike back but could not match his colleague and the two McLarens stayed at the top of the times for the rest of the session as the rain came and went.

The track dried in the closing minutes of the session, allowing Michael Schumacher to depose Russian novice Vitaly Petrov's Renault from third spot before the seven-time champion was himself beaten by Red Bull's Webber.

The Australian's team-mate Sebastian Vettel ended the session 16th fastest, sandwiched between the Ferraris of Bahrain winner Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa as all three appeared to concentrate on race preparation with heavy fuel loads.

After his short-lived debut at Bahrain, Karun Chandhok's Hispania had to be pushed back to the pit lane by the marshalls after a suspected gearbox failure left it stranded on the track.

There was more drama right at the end as De la Rosa narrowly avoided collisions as he was overtaken by both Button and Hamilton.

"As soon as I jumped in the car, I was reasonably happy with the balance and it's just got better throughout the day," said Button.

"It is so busy that it is difficult to get a gap but our cars are running well around here so it is positive in that way. The last couple of laps were frustrating.

"I think some cars are not being told the correct information about us catching them up.

"I know it is tough with a big difference in speed and we are one of the quicker cars at the moment, but we will forget about that and just focus on making sure it is competitive tomorrow."

One of those struggling outfits, Virgin Racing, suffered badly from technical problems as a gearbox leakage and telemetry problems blighted Lucas di Grassi and Timo Glock's second sessions.

Kubica was 11th in the second session after setting the pace in the first session with a fastest lap of 1:26.927, 0.199secs ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

The German was 0.356secs ahead of Button's McLaren in third, with Massa, Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton were next up.

Force India reserve driver Paul di Resta, who drove the session in place of regular driver Adrian Sutil, was a creditable 11th on his Formula 1 race-weekend debut, one place ahead of Schumacher's Mercedes.
 

 Wayne Rooney took his goal tally to 27 for the season as Manchester United saw off West Ham to move to within a point of Premier League leaders Chelsea.
The in-form frontman opened the scoring with a firm header from Antonio Valencia's excellent volleyed cross.
And another Valencia cross was headed home by Rooney for the hosts' second, before substitute Michael Owen clipped a late third from Paul Scholes's pass.
West Ham battled bravely, but fell away in the face of Rooney's brilliance.
It was another sensational performance from the England forward, and one that rendered a Hammers display full of spirit, if lacking in final-third quality, pointless.
Still, the visitors need feel no shame in failing to find a way to stop Rooney at Old Trafford - they are by no means the first this season - and how national coach Fabio Capello will be hoping his key striker maintains this form up to and through the World Cup this summer.
The thought of where Manchester United would be this term without Rooney must at times send shivers down the spines of their fans, and once again the striker was the hosts' inspiration, his touch and movement first class, and his form in front of goal simply unstoppable.

It was he who almost single-handedly dragged the hosts out of a lacklustre opening to near domination as the game dragged to a close.
On the back of Saturday's defeat by Everton, and perhaps with half an eye on Sunday's Carling Cup final against Aston Villa, Sir Alex Ferguson made five changes, with the likes of Ben Foster, Anderson and Darron Gibson brought in from the cold.
However, the changes served only to produce a disjointed first-half display and, but for Rooney, West Ham may have taken advantage.
Playing on the counter, the visitors went close when Valon Behrami lashed wide after being played in by Alessandro Diamanti, while the Italian almost embarrassed Foster in the home goal when his deflected shot was parried down onto the goal line by the keeper.
At the other end, Valencia should have done better when his air-shot inside the box allowed a good chance to go awry in the opening 10 minutes, before Robert Green produced a smart double stop from the winger's shot and Dimitar Berbatov's flicked follow-up.
But as the game neared the break, the Hammers appeared more than comfortable - that is until Rooney's goal-scoring intervention.
It was a marvellous move. Berbatov collected Ji-Sung Park's pass and crossed for Valencia, who volleyed expertly into the six-yard area where the unmarked Rooney slammed home a header.

That lead was almost doubled seconds into the second half when Park rattled the crossbar from Valencia's low cross, and yet there was still a feeling that West Ham were in it if they could get the dangerous Carlton Cole and Diamanti on to the ball.
But the hosts effectively settled the game on 55 minutes, Valencia - a close rival for the man-of-the-match award - again the provider from the right for Rooney to head past the sprawling Green.
West Ham, on the back of two Premier League wins for the first time in nearly a year, refused to compromise their footballing approach and continued to probe at the Manchester United backline.
But with the returning Nemanja Vidic marshalling the defence brilliantly, clear-cut chances were very much at a premium for the Hammers.
And as it turned out it was another England striker who put the match firmly to bed in the 80th minute, Owen dashing on to Scholes's pin-point pass and chipping over Green's dive and into the net.
West Ham were aggrieved that play was not stopped in the build up to the goal with Mark Noble lying injured, but referee Alan Wiley was unmoved as Owen raced clear to fire into the corner.
There was still time for Scholes to fashion a chance for a fourth, only for the midfielder to blast high and wide from 16 yards out.
A fourth would have been harsh on the visitors, though, and West Ham will now look ahead to their potentially crucial six-pointer against relegation rivals Bolton at the weekend.
Ferguson, meanwhile, will comfort himself with the knowledge that while his side are looking to win the league cup for a fourth time in their history, they cannot fall any further than four points off the Premier League summit with 10 matches left in the campaign.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"We had to win and we did that. In the second half, especially, we played some really good football and it could have been more.
"But we're happy with the three points. Wayne Rooney was magnificent again. They were two excellent headers, although there was also some good play from Antonio Valencia.
"Now there will be changes on Sunday (for the cup final). I have done that all along in the competition and I will have to look at the situation to make sure we have a fresh team."
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola:
"We played some good football and looked like we were in the game for most of the first half, but after that we did not play as well.
"Manchester United are a fantastic team and we could not live with them. We probably played them at the wrong time after their defeat on Saturday and, in Rooney, they have a player who turns everything to gold. He is one of the most complete strikers in the world.
"Now we look ahead to the game against Bolton, which is absolutely massive for us."

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has opted to appeal against his increased ban for violent conduct imposed by the Football Association.

The 31-year-old lost his original appeal against a three-match suspension for an altercation with Craig Fagan in the 4-0 win over Hull on 23 January.

The FA labelled the appeal "frivolous" and increased his ban to four games.

The appeal board will meet before the end of next week and could decide to further increase the punishment.

If that happens, Ferdinand will be ruled out of the Carling Cup final against Aston Villa on 28 February at Wembley.

Ferdinand only returned to action at Old Trafford against Hull for the first time in three months after recovering from a calf injury.

But after appearing to swing an arm at Hull striker Fagan, the England centre-half picked up a three-match ban, which was then extended to four after the FA rejected the defender's appeal.

Because of the appeal, Ferdinand, who has made only 10 appearances for his club so far this season, was able to play in the Carling Cup semi-final win over Manchester City.

His ban began at the Emirates against Arsenal on Sunday and he will definitely miss the next Premier League matches with Portsmouth and Aston Villa.

If Ferdinand is successful in overturning the extra match ban then he will be available for the clash at Everton on 20 February.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson expressed his displeasure last week with the disciplinary processes being used by the game's governing body.

The Scot said at the time there were "conflicting ways in how these decisions are being viewed".

He added: "I watched the game between Leyton Orient and Charlton (on Monday 25 January) and there was an elbow on the Charlton player three times as he was running with the ball.

"But nothing has happened with that. There is a lot of confusion there."

The United defence has been ravaged by injury for much of the season with Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville, John O'Shea and Wes Brown all spending lengthy periods on the sidelines.

 The defending champion Rafael Nadal is out of the Australian Open after he was forced to retire hurt during his quarter-final against Andy Murray.

Murray was 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 3-0 up when a right-knee injury forced Nadal to quit.

The Spaniard needed a medical treatment at the start of the third set, but could not continue for long.

It was a sad end to an absorbing encounter but Murray is through to the last four for the first time in Melbourne, where he will meet 14th seed Marin Cilic.
 

Nadal, a four-time French Open champion, is looking forward to returning to the surface after failing to win a set during three straight defeats at the ATP World Tour Finals in London last week and losing in the semifinals in Paris before that.

Those matches were on fast indoor surfaces, but the second-ranked Spaniard is now back on clay at the Palau Sant Jordi. He is determined to help Spain, playing for its fourth title in its fifth final since 2000, become the first team since Sweden in 1998 to defend its crown.
 

“It wasn’t a big surprise,” Nadal said Thursday of his defeats in London. “When you are not 100 percent at a tournament like that you’re going to lose. Here I am 100 percent. I will be playing a little bit better I hope. You can’t always play perfect … but I think I’m ready for tomorrow.”

Nadal, who is 10-0 in Davis Cup singles matches on clay, has won four straight over Berdych since an ill-tempered defeat in Madrid three years ago that led to questions over how the 20th-ranked Czech will be received by the 16,000-capacity crowd.

“There’s no problem between Rafael and I. I don’t think this will play a part in this game,” said Berdych, who is not discounting Nadal despite the Spaniard’s recent struggles. “He’s going to play at home and he’s going to play on his favorite surface. I think he’s going to be at his best.”

Nadal said: “I have an excellent relation with Berdych. He made a mistake, I made a mistake and that’s it.”

The Davis Cup final caps a year that started with Nadal winning the Australian Open and dominating tennis as the top-ranked player. But the four-time champion was upset in the fourth round by Robin Soderling at the French Open, couldn’t defend his Wimbledon title because of injuries, dropped to No. 2 and failed to win another tournament.

“The only important thing is to win the Davis Cup,” Nadal said. “I did all that I can in the second half of the season. I play good tournaments. I didn’t win but I didn’t play really bad tournaments. So the motivation is that, not to start the next season better, no. Now is only to win this tournament.”

In the second singles match of the best-of-five series, David Ferrer was picked over Fernando Verdasco to face Radek Stepanek despite being sidelined for more than a month because of a hamstring injury.

Spain captain Albert Costa went with Ferrer, who is 9-3 in singles play, over Verdasco, who was the hero one year ago in Argentina as underdog Spain triumphed in Mar del Plata. Spain is a heavy favorite this time. The hosts have won 17 straight at home and 19 straight on clay.

“I think it’s a strategic thing and Fernando has to play another day,” Costa said. “I think it’s the right player to play tomorrow.”

Ferrer and Stepanek have split all six of their previous matchups, including the two on clay, in a closely contested rivalry.

“It doesn’t matter who it is—it’s going to be a tough match either way,” the 12th-ranked Stepanek said. “I was ready for either of them.”

Verdasco, who also lost all three of his matches in London last week, has recovered from a foot injury and will team up with Feliciano Lopez for Saturday’s doubles, as the Spanish pair are scheduled to take on Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Halek.

Team selections can be changed up to one hour prior to the match and both teams expect Berdych and Stepanek to play in the doubles, unless the Czechs have the comfort of a 2-0 lead. The pair have a 5-0 record in doubles and have clinched all nine live matches this year in wins over France, Argentina and Croatia.

“I think they will change the doubles but we have to respect these two other players who are very good too,” Costa said.

Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil offered a veiled response.

“We’ll have to see after the first day of singles,” said Navratil, who leads the Czechs into their first final since 1980 when Ivan Lendl earned the country—then combined with Slovakia as Czechoslovakia—its only title.

Spain returns to the site of its first Davis Cup title in 2000, a team that included Costa and current reserve Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ferrero and Nadal helped lead Spain to a title in Seville four years later.

Spain leads the head-to-head series 3-2.
 

The new Virgin team have been forced to stop running their car following a front-wing failure at this week's test.

The front wing fell off the car after driver Timo Glock had completed only 11 laps at Jerez in southern Spain.

Technical director Nick Wirth said the cause of the failure had been identified and that the team planned to continue work on Friday.

Glock's best time before Virgin ended their running was more than nine seconds off the fastest lap of the day.

Glock had done three short runs when the problem occurred about an hour and a half into the second day of the four-day test.

Wirth said in a team statement: "This morning we experienced a front wing mounting problem which caused the wing to come off the car at the beginning of a run. The cause has already been identified.

"Unfortunately, we're missing one or two spare parts which will hopefully arrive this evening, so we won't be able to run for the rest of the day.

"In the short amount of running that we've achieved so far, we are very encouraged by what we've seen and we have gathered some vital aero data which is very much in the range of what we were predicting.

"We look forward to resuming the programme tomorrow morning."

Virgin also managed only limited running on Wednesday, when the late arrival of new parts meant Glock did not go out on to the track until the afternoon.

He managed only five laps before the team ended his work, saying they wanted to ensure the car was ready for a full day's testing on Thursday.

Virgin are one of four new teams to enter F1 in 2010, and are the first to get their car on to the track.

The new Lotus ran for the first time in secret at Silverstone on Tuesday, and will join the other teams for the second of the two Jerez tests, which starts on Wednesday next week.

US F1 and Campos have not run their cars.

US F1 are expected to do their pre-season running close to their base in Charlotte, North Carolina.

There are question marks over Campos's participation as they struggle to raise the required funding.

Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso set the fastest lap of Thursday's running before lunch, with a best time of one minute 20.026 seconds.

Jenson Button's McLaren was second quickest on 1:20.618, followed by Nico Hulkenberg's Williams (1:21.565), Michael Schumacher's Mercedes (1:21.907) and the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso (1:21.928). Glock had done a 1:29.964.

It is all but impossible to judge the relative performances of the cars at this year's winter tests because teams do not release information about how much fuel they have on board.

Alonso's best time, for example, was set on his final lap of a run of nearly 50 laps, while others set them after much shorter runs.

 Real Madrid missed their chance to top Spain's Primera Division after being held to a 0-0 draw at Osasuna.

A win would have put Madrid level on points with Barcelona and ahead on goal difference after the Catalans drew 1-1 against Villarreal on Saturday.

Barcelona lead the standings with 40 points after the first round of games following the winter break. Real Madrid are next with 38, Valencia have 32.

"We wanted to win because it was a very important game but this is a very tough place to play,'' said Madrid's Marcelo.

"Now we have to keep working and winning to catch up with Barcelona.''

Mallorca fourth

In other results on Sunday, Mallorca moved up to fourth place and the Champions League spots by beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Julio Alvarez and Aritz Aduriz.

Alvarez's left-footed shot glanced off a defender and looped into the goal in the 49th minute.

Aduriz scored his eighth of the season in the 66th when he lobbed goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.

Mallorca's eighth home win out of eight give them 30 points. Bilbao are eighth on 26 points.

Racing Santander and Almeria both climbed away from the relegation zone with wins.

Santander beat Tenerife 2-0 with second-half goals from Gonzalo Colsa and Francisco "Xisco'' Jimenez, lifting the team two places to 14th on 16 points.

Almeria beat bottom-placed Xerez 1-0 with an 89th minute winner from Jose Ortiz Bernal in Juan Manuel Lillo's first game in charge following the departure of Hugo Sanchez.

The result leaves Almeria in 15th place on 16 points.

Another struggling team, Malaga, appeared to have risen out of the bottom three, twice going ahead against Sporting Gijon with goals from Sergio "Duda'' Barbosa and Weligton before the hosts equalised through Gregory Arnolin and a long-range shot by Roberto Canella.

Malaga remain 18th with 13 points.

No Kaka

At the Reyno de Navarra stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain led the Madrid attack, supported by Rafael van der Vaart in a playmaking role as Kaka completes his recovery from injury.

The game opened at a frantic pace with both sides finding it hard to settle into their game. In the 17th minute, Sergio Ramos fed Ronaldo down the right, although the Portugal striker's return pass was too subtle for the defender, who was left standing.

Though Madrid had more possession, Osasuna's Carlos Aranda and Walter Pandiani managed to unsettle the visitors going forward.

Madrid were particularly vulnerable at set pieces and Miguel Flano came close in the 32nd minute when he headed Francisco Punales' corner wide. Iker Casillas had to save Javad Nekounam's header from another corner kick shortly before half-time.

Ronaldo, Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa combined to effect on the counter attack although Van der Vaart's shot was weak.

Ronaldo was at the centre of most of his team's attacks and he blasted a free kick from just outside the area over the bar in the 57th minute.

A rare error by Casillas nearly put the hosts ahead when he mis-punched Flano's header from a corner before his defence cleared the ball.

Karim Benzema came on for Van der Vaart on the hour to bolster Madrid's attack and Raul Gonzalez replaced Higuain shortly after.

With time running out the game opened up and both sides started making chances. Higuain was through on goal after a defensive lapse by Osasuna although the Argentina striker shot high.

Egypt secured a record seventh Africa Cup of Nations title, after beating Ghana 1-0 in a tense final in Angola.

Substitute Mohamed Gedo scored the only goal of the game, playing a neat one-two before curling a superb shot past Richard Kingson in the 85th minute.

Gedo's winner came against the run of play, but Milovan Rajevac's young Ghana side failed to create many openings.

Gedo finished the tournament as the top scorer and Egypt became the first team to win three successive titles.

The final will not go down as a classic, but it proved to be a tight and absorbing affair in Luanda.

Ghana set out from the start to execute a well-organised game-plan of crowding out the Egyptians in midfield and defence, while looking to feed their front men quickly.

Centre-half Isaac Vorsah in particular looked very authoritative at the back for Ghana.

But Egypt remained organised and solid, as they did throughout the tournament, and succeeded in cutting out many of Ghana's attacks.

The Black Stars started brightly and had promising spells throughout, with striker Asamoah Gyan having the majority of their best chances.

Gyan's early free kick hit the Egyptian wall and from the resulting corner, the ball fell back to the striker, who attempted an ambitious overhead kick, which sailed over Essam El Hadary's goal.

Egypt were mainly reduced to shooting from distance, with captain Ahmed Hassan's repeated efforts from outside the box showing a level of early frustration.

Late in the first half, Hassan clearly handled a free-kick from Hosni Abd Rabou at the far post in an attempt to palm it goalwards, but the offence was not spotted by the referee.

After a tight first half, which yielded little in terms of clear shots on goal, Ghana began to impose themselves on a cautious Egypt side.

And their best spell came in the last 20 minutes, with Gyan seeing two excellent efforts on goal go begging.

On 73 minutes, a long and patient build-up from the Black Stars almost produced an opener when Gyan rounded it off by curling a beautiful shot just over the bar.

Five minutes later Gyan unleashed another fierce in-swinging effort from outside the area, this time from a free-kick, which was punched away unconvincingly by El Hadary in the Egypt goal.

Then Opoku Agyemang broke into the box and squared to Kwadwo Asamoah, who just could not connect.

Ghana were then punished for not putting their chances away when Gedo broke into the box at pace and played a wonderful one-two with Mohamed Zidan, before excellently tucking the ball home across Kingson's goal and into the far corner.

The goal made him the top marksman in the tournament with five goals, all of them coming as a substitute. It was also his sixth goal in only eight appearances for Egypt.

The Ghanaians desperately tried to get back into the game in the final few minutes.

Asamoah struck a near-post shot just past El Hadary's upright on 90 minutes after more Ghana pressure, but desperately watched it go wide.

And an injury-time chance fell to substitute Eric Addo in the six-yard area, who just could not convert it.

Egypt held on for their record seventh title and their team and fans celebrated wildly on the final whistle, as the Pharoahs confirmed their status as kings of the Nations Cup tournament.

But there were also some ugly scenes amid the celebrations, as security forces prevented Zidan from celebrating with his own fans.

Egypt assistant coach Shawky Garib paid tribute to Ghana's performance, after the Black Stars overcame a slew of injuries to come close to claiming their first title in 28 years.

"I'd like to congratulate Ghana for what they did," he said

"It's important to take your chance, and we took it.

"But we respect the Ghana team, they played a very good match."

Garib also acknowledged how difficult a task the Egyptians had in winning yet another African title.

"We said we were the champions from the first day we arrived in Angola, and we would defend our title," he said.

"We have won three titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. This was the most difficult of all of them."

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac, who led his young Ghana side to their first final in 18 years, said his team's lack of experience showed in the end.

"We are not so experienced, we wanted to win it so badly in our hearts but in the end Egyptian experience was crucial," he said.

 A Peter Crouch hat-trick helped Tottenham secure their debut in the lucrative Champions League group stages as they saw off Swiss side Young Boys.

Spurs trailed 3-2 from the first leg of the qualifier but drew level when Crouch headed in a Gareth Bale cross.

Jermain Defoe appeared to control the ball with his arm before lashing in a controversial second for Spurs.

Crouch powered in a header and added his third with a penalty after Senad Lulic was sent off for a foul on Bale.

Spurs will now be eagerly awaiting the draw for the Champions League group stages on Thursday as they take their place among Europe's elite for the first time since 1961/62.

Their place had been far from guaranteed after their first-leg defeat but the thought of throwing away the hard work they had put in to finish fourth in the Premier League last season helped provide the inspiration to overcome Young Boys.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp wanted his side to launch an onslaught on the Youngs Boys goal from the off and the home side set about the visitors with a pace and energy which quickly earned them the lead.

Crouch had scored the goal against Manchester City to secure a top four top-flight spot for Tottenham last season and he was left unmarked to steer in a header at the far post from Bale's floated cross.

The home side were pressing Young Boys high up the pitch with the type of dynamism their play lacked on the artificial surface of the first leg.

Spurs were dominant but had a slice of luck as Defoe contentiously added to their lead in his final game before undergoing surgery on a groin injury.

He appeared to handle the ball as he controlled a Bale pass and, despite pausing guiltily after lashing in a left-footed shot, the extra official behind the Young Boys goal failed to see the offence and the goal was was given.

Defoe dragged another effort just wide and the only worry for Spurs was keeper Heurelho Gomes signalling that he wanted to come off with an injury only to be kept on by Redknapp.

The move nearly backfired when Xavier Hochstrasser sent a dipping strike just wide of the Spurs goal, with Gomes looking as if he would struggled to save it if it had been on target.

Gomes and his defenders then left a Mark Costanzo cross to each other, but Henri Bienvenu sent his header over the bar.

The Brazilian goalkeeper was then belatedly replaced by Carlo Cudicini at the interval.

Those chances for the Swiss side left a hint of anxiety among the home faithful, but that was all but vanquished when Crouch put Spurs 3-0 up.

The England striker had seen Marco Wolfli block his shot from point-blank range but the Swiss keeper had no chance when Crouch beat Ammar Jemal to a Bale cross and headed in for a now rampant Spurs.

Having set up all three goals for Spurs, the influential Bale then won a penalty after being brought down by Lulic.

Crouch stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way from the spot to complete his hat-trick and leave the Spurs faithful to joyously revel in the glory of the awaiting Champions League group stages, which could be worth in excess of £20m.

 The Vancouver Winter Olympics drew to a spectacular close on Sunday after 17 days of intense competition.

Canada topped the medal table, with 14 golds, seven silvers and five bronze medals, while the United States won the most medals with 37 overall.

Amy Williams clinched skeleton gold to win Britain's only medal at the Games.

Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said: "This extraordinary embrace by the entire city is something unique and has given a great atmosphere for these Games."

The closing ceremony began with the comedic emergence of the Olympic flame's fourth ice crystal leg, which had failed to appear during the opening ceremony.

The show, which lasted more than two hours, featured the likes of Canadian actors William Shatner and Michael J. Fox poking fun at their country in a self-deprecating manner.

The Games, which featured 2500 athletes from 82 competing nations, had begun in the worst possible way with the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili.

The 21-year-old was killed when his sled flipped and he hit a steel pole during a training run on the much criticised, high-speed Whistler Sliding Centre track.

Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, admitted the death of Kumaritashvili had hit him hard, before going on to praise the efforts of the Games organisers who battled unseasonably warm, wet weather and a resulting lack of snow.

"It is clear that the death cannot leave you indifferent," said Rogge.

"It hit me very strongly from a personal point of view. I didn't sleep for two consecutive nights.

"In my profession (Rogge is a doctor) you are used to seeing people pass away, but for acceptable reasons - disease, age.

"But when you see a young athlete pursuing his dream at the Olympic Games end in such an accident, it hurts.

"I'm sure no-one will forget (the death), but you have to be fair to Canadians, to the athletes and the organisers and to judge the Games on their own merit without forgetting what happened before.

"The Games began with teething pains but I commend VANOC (Vancouver Organising Committee) for rapidly correcting that and from then on things went extremely well.

"So in all, I can say that the IOC is happy with the Games."

It took until day three, but when Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's historic first home Olympic gold medal with his performance in the men's moguls, thousands of Canadians partied in the streets of Vancouver.

And the Canadians went on to become the most successful ever hosts of a Winter Olympics, thanks in part to their controversial 'Own The Podium' programme, which gave Canadian athletes more practice time at venues.

The men's ice hockey team provided a fairytale ending to the Games, with a 3-2 overtime victory over America to win the final gold medal in front of a wildly expectant crowd at Canada Hockey Place.

Elsewhere, American Shaun White lived up to his favourite's tag to retain his men's half-pipe title with the 23-year-old scoring 46.8 out of a possible 50, in a run which included his trademark double McTwist 1260.

The men's downhill, traditionally the blue ribbon event of the games, was won by Swiss skier Didier Defago, while Lindsey Vonn of the United States sealed the women's title.

After missing our four years ago, despite being tipped to win five medals, Bode Miller finally won gold.

The American became Olympic champion in the super-combined and completed his set with silver in the super-G.

Switzerland's Simon Ammann became the most successful ski jumper in Olympic history after winning his fourth individual gold, while Norway's Marit Bjoergen won two gold medals, taking the women's 15km pursuit after success in the women's 1.4km sprint classic and bronze in the 10km cross country.

The British team, which came home from Turin four years ago with only Shelly Rudman's skeleton silver, improved on that showing overall with Williams' gold.

But several medal prospects disappointed, with the men's curling team, the current world champions, one of them.

Britain failed to even reach the semi-finals of the event, eventually won by Canada, after a 7-6 play-off defeat by European champions Sweden.

The team, led by skip David Murdock described their exit as "heart-breaking".

Meanwhile, Britain's women's curling team, led by 19-year-old Eve Muirhead, also failed to make it to the semi-finals - with Sweden winning the gold medal.

And there was more frustration when world champion bobsleigh partnership Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke crashed out on the third of their four runs - with the men's two-man and four-man teams also crashing out of contention.

The lack of medals won by Team GB, which consisted of 52 athletes, prompted Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave to suggest creating Britain's first long-track speed skating venue and housing other winter sports within it - an issue which may gather pace in the aftermath of the Games.

Learning lessons from Vancouver has been a key phrase from British officials throughout, not just in terms of sporting performance.

The national outpouring of support from the Canadian public has been noted, with the London 2012 organising committee (Locog) paying particularly close attention.

"The four 'S's we've identified - sport, service, stadia and sites - give us real food for thought and an added level of detail to our planning as we become the next taxi off the Olympic Games rank," said chairman Sebastian Coe

"Over the next two and a half years, we will use this information to ensure that we stage a Games for everyone in London."
 

 European champions Spain survived a stern test from Portugal to book their place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup through David Villa's goal.

Two years to the day since they beat Germany to triumph at Euro 2008, Vicente del Bosque's side showed their slick brand of passing football is still just as effective by edging out their well-drilled Iberian rivals.

Spain had to survive a succession of missed chances by the Portuguese in the first half but, once Villa broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute with his fourth goal of the tournament, they rarely looked threatened.

Portugal, semi-finalists in Germany four years ago, had Ricardo Costa sent off for an off-the-ball clash with Joan Capdevila before the end but by then their fate already looked sealed.

The only concern for Spain, who play Paraguay in the last eight, is the continuing lack of form shown by striker Fernando Torres, who seems to still be feeling the after-effects of the knee operation he had in April.

Torres did play his part in a bright start by Spain, cutting into the area and testing Eduardo with a curling shot, but he quickly faded and it was actually Portugal who had the best openings before half-time.

Villa had also brought a fine save out of Eduardo early on, while Xavi fired a first-time shot over from a corner but, after surviving those scares, Carlos Queiroz's side not only found a way of keeping Spain at arms length, they also began to threaten at the other end.

Twice Cristiano Ronaldo tried his luck from long range with free-kicks, and on the second occasion Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas could not hold on to the ball and Gerard Pique had to mop up.

Casillas looked jittery again when he parried a pile-driver by Tiago and had to race to beat Hugo Almeida to the ball, which was dropping towards the net.

Almeida somehow missed the target after rising to meet Simao's inviting deep cross, while Tiago wasted another good opening when he nodded wide from Fabio Coentrao's driven centre.

That should have acted as a warning for Spain, but they were caught on the break again early in the second half and were lucky to escape when Almeida's cross span off Carlos Puyol and looped just beyond the far post.

Portugual failed to seriously test Casillas again after that, but it still took the introduction of striker Fernando Llorente, who came off the bench for the ineffective Torres just before the hour mark, to spark Spain into life.

Within seconds, Llorente met a Sergio Ramos cross with a diving header that flew straight at Eduardo, who was relieved when Villa bent a shot round his post from the outside of the box soon afterwards.

You sensed the Spanish knew this was their moment and, in their next attack, Xavi's clever backheel played in Villa, who had his first shot saved but lifted the rebound into the roof of the net.

Del Bosque's men grew in confidence after taking the lead and, with Ronaldo anonymous, Portugal seemed short on ideas of how they could find an equaliser.

Spain should have added to their lead before the end, with Eduardo saving from Ramos and Villa, while the impressive Llorente headed wide.

But one goal was enough for them to secure victory and they look in good shape to go past the last eight, which is as far as they have progressed at a World Cup since they finished fourth in Brazil in 1950.

Vancouver will welcome some 2,500 athletes to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada at Friday's opening ceremony.

Financial worries and a lack of snow have hampered preparations, but the focus now switches to the competitors.

Canada could earn their first ever home Olympic gold medal on Saturday, while Team GB's 52 athletes have been set a target of three medals of any colour.

"We're keen to mark the beginning of a new era for winter sports in Britain," said British chef de mission Andy Hunt.

"It is extraordinary to have the number of athletes in the team that we do.

"We haven't set a specific medal target - our real target is for every athlete to achieve their personal best."

While the British Olympic Association (BOA) is playing down medal targets, funding body UK Sport expects a three-medal return on its investment.

That pales in comparison to the pressure facing the host nation's team of 206 athletes, competing across the Games' 15 sports over 17 days.

The Canadian team has defined a successful Games as winning more medals than any other nation - rather than necessarily aiming for more golds than other countries - with the men's ice hockey final considered a must-win showpiece event by home supporters.

Leading Canada's charge is 37-year-old speed skater Clara Hughes, who will carry her country's flag at the opening ceremony. A former cyclist, she has both Summer and Winter Olympic medals to her name.

Of the 82 nations expected to take part, the United States and Germany should also be close contenders both in terms of gold medals, where Norway also feature, and overall medal count.

The US team of 216 athletes is the largest at the Vancouver Games and is fronted by talismanic skiing sensation Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn has had a troubled build-up to her five Olympic events after suffering a shin injury during training - but few teams have arrived at the Games without incident.

The British team, in particular, saw its skiing and snowboarding governing body go into administration just one week before the Olympics, leaving the BOA to arrange emergency funding for the 14 affected athletes.

And financial problems extend to the Vancouver Organizing Committee (Vanoc) itself, which has faced reports of a 30m Canadian dollar (£18.1m) revenue shortfall.

However, Vanoc no longer expects large-scale protests against the Games outside the opening ceremony - the contents of which remain a closely-guarded secret - at the 60,000-capacity BC Place arena.

More problematic for organisers is the weather in the region, on Canada's west coast, which has been unseasonably warm in recent weeks.

Rain has played havoc with the Cypress Mountain freestyle skiing and snowboarding venue to the north of Vancouver, which has had to rely on snow imported from higher ground.

"The organisers have been doing everything they possibly can," said British snowboarder Zoe Gillings, who will compete at Cypress Mountain, where more rain is forecast.

"They've put so much work in that I think it'll be alright."

Whistler, the home to alpine skiing events situated two hours north of Vancouver, has no such trouble - there are record levels of snow on the ground.

But training runs there have already fallen prey to the fog for which the resort is renowned.

If the weather does not intervene, Whistler will play host to one of the first major spectacles of the Games when the men's downhill skiing takes place on Saturday.

The event is traditionally the blue riband event of the Games and 35-year-old Swiss veteran Didier Cuche, who leads the season-long World Cup standings, begins as favourite - despite skiing with a broken thumb since the end of last month.

Cuche's 23-year-old countryman Carlo Janka and Austrian Michael Walchhofer are also ones to watch. Local star Manuel Osborne-Paradis could go close, while Ed Drake will become the first Briton to compete at the Games.

British medal interest at Vancouver 2010 lies largely in Whistler, where world number one women's bobsleigh duo Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke will compete, as will skeleton star Shelley Rudman, who won GB's only medal - a silver - at Turin in 2006.

Back in Vancouver, the two British curling teams are also expected to challenge for medals, while there are outside chances in figure skating and speed skating.

"Pretty much everybody on the team skated British records and personal bests the week before we came here," said 29-year-old British short track speed skater Sarah Lindsay, who is set to compete at her third Winter Games.

"You can't ask for much more than that. For us, if one person can win, the whole team does."

  Spain boss Vicente del Bosque urged his players to go on and win the World Cup final after their 1-0 semi-final victory against Germany.

Carles Puyol's second-half header put Spain in the final for the first time and Del Bosque is already focused on beating Netherlands on Sunday.

He said: "Our players carried out their job in a magnificent way.

"But let's think about the game in front of us. We're in good shape physically - let's try to win."

Puyol's 73rd-minute winner, when he powered home an unstoppable header from Xavi's pin-point corner, made the result a repeat of the Euro 2008 final between the two sides.

And it means that a new name will adorn the World Cup trophy come Sunday, as the Dutch were beaten finalists in both 1974 and 1978.

The victory for Spain, who have never faced the Netherlands in a major tournament, was just reward for arguably their best performance of the tournament so far, one which saw them control possession for large periods and restrict Germany - who had been prolific in attack in the lead up to the last-four clash - to only a handful of half-chances.

In the end, Spain had 13 attempts to Germany's five, and Del Bosque said: "From defence through to attack I think we played a great game."

Spanish striker David Villa, who is joint top scorer in South Africa with five goals, said the team wanted to make the most of their opportunity in the final, having grabbed their first semi-final appearance with both hands.

"We've shown that in the big moments we can grow even more," Villa said. "We should have scored more goals, but one from Puyol has put us in the final.

"The group deserves this but we want more. We are happy to be in the final, that was our objective, but now we want to be champions."

Puyol's strike against Germany was in fact the first of La Furia Roja's seven goals that Villa did not either score or create.

But even though the margin of victory was a slender one German coach Jochim Loew backed Spain to triumph in the final and he paid full respect to their possession-based approach.

"They've been the best team for a few years. They circulate the ball well and you just can't keep up with them," stated Loew.

Spain midfielder Xavi also said that they would not change their methods for the match at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

"Let's enjoy the final," he said. "We dedicate this victory to Spain. If we play on Sunday like we did today, we will have a great chance."

The Barcelona playmaker added: "We will have to impose our personality and football on them."

Meanwhile, Spanish defender Gerard Pique admitted that the team had grown up since their opening game defeat by Switzerland.

And he also said the team had a tendency to play too much.

The Barcelona centre-back produced a fine performance alongside Puyol to keep Germany at bay in Durban, but asked if his team should be worried about the Netherlands in the final, he told BBC Sport: "Yes, a lot.

"The Netherlands have a lot of good players - [Arjen] Robben, [Robin] Van Persie, [Wesley] Sneijder. We have to try to stop them but at the same time we need to play our game, to keep the ball and score goals.

"Sometimes we play too much. We try to play a lot and we don't shoot as many times as we want, but I think at the moment we are on a great run and if the opposition do not score, one goal is enough to win games."

  Brazil boss Dunga expects his team to improve considerably following their 2-1 win over North Korea in their opening Group G match in Johannesburg.

Second-half goals from Maicon and Elano gave Brazil a 2-0 lead before Ji Yun-nam's 88th-minute strike set up a nervous final few minutes.

"The start is the most difficult match, you have a long wait for this and the anxiety builds up," said Dunga.

"I'm not entirely happy but this is common in football."

The five-time world champions were frustrated by a resilient first-half defensive display by the unheralded North Koreans, 104 places below their opponents in Fifa's rankings.

Robinho posed a constant threat with the ball at his feet but, despite a number of promising attacking moves, Brazil could not penetrate North Korea's three central defenders until after the interval.

"When we come across a team that is also offensive it creates the necessary space but it is very difficult against some teams to develop a counter-attack," added Dunga.

"North Korea passed extremely well and defended extremely well but nevertheless Brazil were able to create a number of opportunities."

It took a moment of inspiration in the 50th minute from full-back Maicon to break the deadlock, firing a superb goal with the outside of his right boot from an acute angle to beat goalkeeper

"I thought of everything which I went through to get to this moment," reflected the Inter Milan defender.

"It was my first World Cup match, I didn't cry but I was very happy with the goal I scored.

"It is important to start with a victory and we did it. It was a good step toward our goal of being in the final on 11 July."

Maicon's goal at first seemed a touch fortuitous but Dunga insisted it was no fluke.

"We have training drills and I can tell you it's not the first goal that Maicon has scored in this fashion," stated Dunga.

"It's not so much an error by the goalkeeper but creativity on the part of Maicon. Yes, the goalkeeper could have stayed [on his line] but he anticipated that the ball was going to be crossed."

While Robinho impressed, Galatico Kaka was less influential and was replaced by Villarreal striker Nilmar in the 78th minute."

The Real Madrid star has been restricted by a series of injuries this season, although Dunga insisted his plan was to replace the midfielder during the second half.

"We had already anticipated that Kaka would be substituted - he wasn't going to play the full 90 minutes because he hasn't played a full game in five months," commented Dunga.

"We wanted to increase the rhythm and speed of our team so at 2-0 up we wanted to replace him."

Robinho is confident that the three points will allow his team to improve in their next two group matches against the Ivory Coast and Portugal.

"It wasn't our best match but at least we got the win, that's what matters now," he said.