MONACO: Atletico Madrid defeated Champions League winners Inter Milan 2-0 on Friday to lift the European SuperCup, delivering an early-season bodyblow to coach Rafael Benitez.After a disappointing first half, Europa League winners Atletico opened the scoring in the 62nd minute through

BERLIN: Former captain Michael Ballack has been left out of Germany`s squad for their Euro 2012 qualifiers next month, coach Joachim Loew said on Friday. Ballack suffered an ankle injury in last season`s FA Cup final while playing for his former club Chelsea. He was forced to miss the

SINGAPORE: Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam on Friday ruled out running for the FIFA presidency next year, opening the door for Sepp Blatter to run the world game for another four years. The 61-year-old Qatari is seen as a successor to the 74-year-old Swiss and one

MOSCOW: Spartak Moscow`s Brazilian forward Welliton, who wants to play for the Russian national team, has gone to the top of the league scoring charts, courtesy of an extraordinary six-minute hat-trick. Welliton, born in balmy northern Brazil, has a real chance of making the Russian

MADRID: Jose Mourinho embarks on his new adventure as Real Madrid coach making his bow with a tricky trip to islanders Real Mallorca on Sunday as he begins his quest to bring the glory days back to Real. Mourinho has been typically bullish in the press talking up his team`s chances of

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool announced on Friday they had accepted a new improved offer from Barcelona for Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano, with a deal set to be concluded this weekend. "Liverpool Football Club have agreed terms for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to FC Barcelona," a

DHAKA: Top Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman hopes to make his name in Europe after becoming the first man from his country to win an Asian Tour event. Rahman, 25, became an overnight celebrity in Bangladesh when he clinched the Asian Tour`s Brunei Open earlier this month, raising hopes

PARAMUS: Tiger Woods, playing his first tournament since his long predicted divorce became final, fired his lowest score of the year Thursday to share the first-round lead at The Barclays. In fact, Woods`s six-under 65 was his best score since he was engulfed last November by a sex

BERNE: Liverpool diced with elimination before scoring two late goals to win 2-1 at Trabzonspor and squeeze into the Europa League on Thursday while Swiss second division side Lausanne came through with a shock win over Lokomotiv Moscow. Rapid Vienna, who knocked out English Premier

SYDNEY: Australia`s former world number one Lleyton Hewitt is looking for a new coach after splitting with Nathan Healy, reports said on Thursday.The pair, who played together in doubles tournaments this year, have parted ways after 12 months.Hewitt`s manager David Drysdale said the split

LONDON: Premier League sides Newcastle, Everton and Fulham strolled into the League Cup third round with convincing wins over lower league opponents on Wednesday.Newcastle, fresh from their 6-0 demolition of Aston Villa on Sunday, eased to a 3-2 win over League Two Accrington Stanley,

WASHINGTON: Tiger Woods`s ex-wife has broken her silence on the sex scandal that ended their marriage, saying the extent of his philandering had made her feel "stupid" and she had been through "hell."Elin Nordegren told People magazine that stress from the lurid tabloid scandal caused her

Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa and the Pakistan Cricket Board have agreed to play an additional Twenty20 International match at the start of the Proteas` tour to the United Arab Emirates to raise funds for the victims of the floods disaster in Pakistan.This will be the first match of

MADRID: Jose Mourinho has vehemently denied launching an astonishing attack on England manager Fabio Capello in a British tabloid.The outspoken Real Madrid coach was quoted by The Daily Mirror on Wednesday as claiming that England under Capello would never win a major tournament.But in a

ROME: Inter Milan coach Rafael Benitez has hit back at his predecessor Jose Mourinho`s jibes in a video-chat with the club`s fans.Mourinho has previously claimed that Benitez, the former Liverpool and Valencia boss, will have an easy job having inherited his own treble-winning team.But

BERLIN: Germany midfielder Michael Ballack is set to be dropped by national coach Joachim Loew for next month`s Euro 2012 qualifiers, according to reports in the German media on Thursday.The 33-year-old is still working his way back to fitness after suffering an ankle injury in May which

ROME: Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed that his Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola hardly ever speaks to him as rumours linking him with a move to AC Milan gathered pace.The 29-year-old played for Barca in a friendly against Milan in Spain on Wednesday night, after which he told

DAMBULLA: Young Indian batsman Virat Kohli was on Thursday fined 15 percent of his match-fee for showing dissent at an umpire`s decision during a tri-series match.Kohli stood his ground after he was given out caught by wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins off seamer Andy McKay for eight runs in

LONDON: Tottenham romped into the group stages of the Champions League after Peter Crouch`s hat-trick at White Hart Lane inspired a 4-0 victory over Young Boys in the play-off second leg on Wednesday.Harry Redknapp`s side trailed 3-2 from the first leg but Crouch`s starring role and a

DAMBULLA: Tim Southee and Nathan McCullum shared seven wickets as New Zealand bowled India out for 223 despite a superb century by Virender Sehwag in the tri-series match on Wednesday.Paceman Southee finished with 4-49 and off-spinner McCullum with 3-35 as India failed to capitalise on