Monday Sports News

Rain washes out Nairobi final 
Agence France-Presse . Nairobi 

Heavy rain washed away the final of the Nairobi Tri-Series between hosts Kenya and Zimbabwe here on Saturday.
  It was the fourth consecutive game scheduled for the Nairobi Gymkhana ground to be washed out without a ball being bowled.
  Overnight rain had delayed the planned 9.30am start and then the outfield failed to dry despite the sunshine. Play was officially called off an hour later with the teams sharing trophy.
  Only three matches were possible in the tournament, with each team winning a game. Ireland failed to make the final on the basis of net run-rate. 
Soderling takes on Benneteau 
in Lyon final 
Agence France-Presse . Lyon 

Sweden’s Robin Soderling and France’s Julien Benneteau compete in Sunday’s ATP final here following victories over last week’s surprise Madrid finalist Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
  Swedish seventh seed Soderling, considered by French opponent Simon as ‘one of the best indoor players in the world,’ won 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 while Benneteau beat Tsonga 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.
  Soderling, who won in Lyon in 2004, had trouble in the first set but hit back in the second and then, breaking Simon’s serve in the first game of the final set, went on to victory.
  Simon, who beat world number one Rafael Nadal last week in Madrid, said: ‘At the beginning of the second set I felt I was losing it. I wasn’t able to return so well and I had my serve broken twice stupidly.’ 
All’s not well in Wayne’s world 
Agence France-Presse . Liverpool 

Wayne Rooney’s temperament is once again under scrutiny after Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he withdrew the striker during Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at Everton because he feared the player would be dismissed.
  Rooney was booked on his return to his former club in the 69th minute for a foul on Mikel Arteta and reacted to goading from the Goodison Park crowd by kissing the badge on his United shirt and pointing a finger in the air.
  Less than two minutes later United manager Ferguson intervened, substituting the forward for Nani because of concerns he would earn a red card from referee Alan Wiley.
  Rooney was replaced just eight minutes after Marouane Fellaini had equalised for Everton, cancelling out Darren Fletcher’s 22nd-minute opening goal.
  ‘I don’t know why he got booked,’ Ferguson said of Rooney. ‘And the way the referee was behaving I feared he would get sent off. ‘The way the crowd was reacting was having an effect on things.
  ‘So I had to take him off in case he got sent off.’
  Ferguson was unhappy with Wiley’s handling of a game that threatened to boil over after Everton captain Phil Neville’s crunching tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo that was punished with a yellow card,
  ‘It was like Australian Rules football and the referee didn’t give us enough protection. It was the speed of the challenges that were the problem.’
  But Everton manager David Moyes disagreed, saying: ‘Phil Neville’s tackle is a fantastic tackle, it really is. It was an outstanding tackle, it’s a full boot on the ball and there’s no way that is a booking or a foul.
  ‘Maybe the United players reacted because they thought it was bad tackle. I thought it must have been a foul by their reaction. But I’ve seen it again.’
  A solitary point meant United missed out on the chance to reduce the gap between themselves and joint leaders Chelsea and Liverpool to three points just a day before the top two were due to face each other at Stamford Bridge.
  And it also left them in the extraordinary position of being five points behind Hull after the Premier League new boys’ 3-0 win away to West Brom.
  ‘We had some good chances, played some fantastic football but at the end, I don’t think we capitalised on that,’ Ferguson admitted. ‘This was two points dropped.’
  Everton had taken just one point from their four home league games this season before the visit of United. But an optimistic Moyes said: ‘I hope this can help our season. To get a point against Manchester United is as good as a win because of the way we have been playing.
  ‘The team we had today (Saturday) was more or less the team that got us to fifth with Marouane Fellaini for Lee Carsley and Louis Saha for Andy Johnson.
  ‘These are the same players, we haven’t done anything different, but we have players coming back from long term injuries in the summer.’
  Moyes was especially pleased with Fellaini, who scored his second goal since his 15 million pounds transfer window move from Standard Liege.
  ‘I think people thought when we paid the money this was going to be something that would instantly happen but this is a 20-year-old boy and he’s coming into a team that, if I’m being honest, has been struggling at the moment,’ the Scot explained.
  ‘If you go and talk about him in Belgium, they’ll tell you he’s a big star of the future. He’s a big player for the Belgium national team and I think in the future he will be a star.
  ‘He’s getting used to us and we’re getting used to him.’ 
Ballack apologises for Low blow 
Agence France-Presse . Berlin 

Germany captain Michael Ballack has apologised to national team coach Joachim Low for comments made last week in a German newspaper criticising him for showing a lack of respect to senior players.
  ‘I must acknowledge it was unfortunately an error to chose this way (to communicate),’ Chelsea midfielder Ballack said in a statement.
  ‘I will meet with Joachim Low as soon as my health allows and I will apologise to him for my behaviour.’
  Ballack first apologised to Low in a telephone conversation on Saturday evening and the pair have agreed to meet in Germany once Chelsea allows him to travel from London after recovering from his foot operation.
  But Low has made it clear the future role of Ballack in the national team will depend on the outcome of the conversation.
  ‘I have registered the explanation of Michael Ballack,’ said Low on the German Football Federation (DFB) website.
  ‘The personal discussion is much more important. Afterwards, I will give a concluding statement.’
  The pair are expected to meet in the next seven days once the stitches from Ballack’s operation have been removed.
  The row between the pair erupted last Tuesday in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) when Ballack criticised Low and said senior players in last June’s Euro 2008 squad were being treated unfairly.
  ‘Experienced national players deserve at least some respect and loyalty,’ Ballack had said following Germany’s wins over Russia and Wales in World Cup qualifiers.
  ‘There was a group of experienced players in that squad like Torsten Frings, Miroslav Klose and me whose achievements have suddenly been questioned and we find ourselves under attack.’
  But Ballack, 32, has now back-tracked on the FAZ interview and said he never intended to attack Low.
  ‘I telephoned Jogi Low again on Saturday and said it was never my intention to criticise his work as national team coach, but primarily to protect and support my fellow players in a difficult situation,’ said Ballack.
  ‘I have a high opinion of Jogi Low as a coach and a person.
  ‘Comments in the interview were made due to the situation and were not meant to be personal.
  ‘I did not want to attack anyone, but to openly address and criticise issues which were close to my heart.
  ‘But I do not stand by the
  contents of that interview any more.’
  Ballack has already been in hot-water with the DFB this year after his on-field argument with Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff immediately after the Euro 2008 final against Spain in June.
  With Germany set to face England at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on November 19 it remains to be seen if Ballack will captain ‘die Mannschaft’ for the friendly international - or for future matches. 
Ivanovic faces Zvonareva in final 
Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Linz 

Ana Ivanovic and Vera Zvonareva had contrasting victories on Saturday to reach the final of the Linz Open.
  Top seeded Serbian Ivanovic battled for over two hours to beat third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, while Russian second seed Zvonareva needed only 51 minutes to trounce sixth seed Marion Bartoli of France 6-0, 6-1.
  Ivanovic and Radwanska played to a high standard. Ivanovic served and returned better and struck powerfully from the baseline but Radwanska was smarter and more persistent.
  The Serb gave up just three points on serve in the first set but her opponent became more aggressive in the second, often forcing Ivanovic into errors.
  Ivanovic did not give up the set lightly, though, and twice recovered a break. Even after a forehand error gave Radwanska a further break to lead 5-3 the Pole needed four set points to level the match.
  The final set was also tense. Ivanovic broke to lead 5-3, but two double-faults and a netted forehand allowed Radwanska to break back, and the outcome was finally settled when she netted a backhand volley to drop her serve at 6-5.
  ‘I was very emotional. It was a lot of up and downs in the third set,’ said Ivanovic, who reached her first final since winning the French Open in June.
  ‘I think the best thing I did was managing to stay calm and fight through the whole match, especially at 5-5 in the third set.’
  Zvonareva barely broke sweat against Bartoli.
  After winning just six points on serve in the first set Bartoli continued to struggle in the second, and did not earn a game point until the 11th game.
  The beleaguered Frenchwoman then won her only game when Zvonareva double-faulted but it was a brief reprieve.
  Zvonareva broke again to lead 5-1 but then struggled to close out the match, saving four break points before finally moving into the final on her third match point.
  ‘It was definitely a good performance from me,’ said Zvonareva. ‘I think I was staying pretty aggressive throughout the match and executed well in the important moments and that probably made the difference.’ 
I need to become more Italian, 
says Mourinho 
Agence France-Presse . Milan 

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho was up to his old tricks again on Saturday, toying with the Italian press and claiming he needs to become more Italian.
  Mourinho was well known for his soundbites during a little more than three years in England, often providing the content for column inches with his outrageous claims.
  The Italian press have not taken to him yet and were particularly outraged when he failed to turn up to a post match press conference earlier in the season, sending his assistant Giuseppe Baresi instead.
  And ahead of Sunday’s visit of Genoa, he poked fun at the Italian way of doing things when refusing to divulge his formation for the match.
  ‘I’m Italianising myself, I need to become more Italian, I’m also trying to become a nicer person,’ he said.
  ‘We have to respect our opponents, they know how to play, they’ve got great players and always play good football.
  ‘Hence, the match will be tough. Hopefully Inter will have more of the ball and more chances but we still have to defend well because Genoa know how to make the most of their opportunities.’
  Mourinho refused to be drawn on the wisdom of AC Milan’s pursuit of David Beckham, claiming it wasn’t his concern.
  ‘If Beckham comes to Milan I’ll be happy, it will be a pleasure to meet him because he’s a very polite and calm guy,’ he said.
  ‘It’s not my problem if his choice is good for him or if Carlo (Ancelotti, the AC Milan coach) will be happy or not.
  ‘I only think about Milan twice a year or maybe three or four times if we meet in the Coppa Italia.
  ‘I don’t care who Milan sign. I’m Inter’s coach and that’s it, I don’t want to be any more than that.’
  Mourinho also hit out at the French as he is without midfielder Patrick Vieira, who returned from international duty last week injured.
  ‘He’s getting a bit better but he can’t play yet. I also had French players at Chelsea and it was always the same thing.
  ‘They came back injured from international duty or they got injured a few days later.
  ‘I’m worried about losing Vieira for several more weeks.’
  Mourinho said he hoped France wouldn’t call up the former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder for a friendly in November.
  ‘France’s next official match is in 2009 and given that the player has always had problems when he goes (on international duty) the most logical thing would be to leave him to work at his club and call him up in 2009,’ he said.
  ‘But I bet for this friendly in November he’ll be called up. When I arrived here Vieira was injured with the national team, then he came back playing very well, he played four matches in a row for the first time in many years, he was really playing well.
  ‘Then he got injured again and now he’s out.’
  Mourinho is also without Esteban Cambiasso and Luis Jimenez but Brazilian full-back Maxwell is available again and goalkeeper Julio Cesar will take over in goal from Francesco Toldo, who made a rare appearance in midweek against Anorthosis Famagusta. 
Schweinsteiger strike fires 
Bayern up to fourth 
Agence France-Presse . Berlin 

Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger on Saturday scored his second goal in two games to give Bayern Munich a 4-2 win over Wolfsburg to fire the defending Bundesliga champions up to fourth in the table.
  Having gone 2-0 behind at Munich’s Allianz Arena, it looked like Bayern were heading for their third defeat of the season - having lost to Werder Bremen and Hanover last month which left them 11th in the table before kick-off.
  But after conceding first-half goals from Wolfsburg strikers Brazilian Grafite and Edin Dzeko, Jurgen Klinsmann-coached Bayern wrestled back control of the game and have now won their last three matches.
  ‘We said before the game that we must hit the ground running and make a strong start,’ said Klinsmann. ‘We didn’t do that and suddenly found ourselves 2-0 down.
  ‘We had to put in a lot of hard work, but I must compliment the team on how they turned the game around. There was a lot of hard, hard work out there and it was no place for the faint-hearted.’
  Having scored in the 3-0 win over Fiorentina in the Champions League on Tuesday last week, Schweinsteiger then scored the fourth and final goal against Wolfsburg which sealed the win.
  His Germany team-mate Tim Borowski had put Bayern ahead in the 63rd minute with their third goal after French star Franck Ribery and Dutch captain Mark van Bommel before Schweinsteiger netted with ten minutes to spare.
  Wolfsburg, coached by former Bayern boss Felix Magath, took the lead when Munich defender Martin Demichelis was judged to have tackled Dzeko before the ball and referee Jochen Drees pointed to the penalty spot. Grafite fired home on 31 minutes to put the visitors ahead.
  And two minutes later Japanese midfielder Makoto Hasebe crossed the ball in and, with Munich’s defence seemingly reluctant to clear the danger, Dzeko headed home.
  But Bayern responded as Ribery drilled in a shot after a wonderful strike on 41 minutes to keep Munich in touch at the break.
  The home side then equalised in the second half as Ribery cut in from the wing for Germany striker Miroslav Klose to shoot, his shot was deflected by Wolfsburg’s goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, but van Bommel headed home on 54 minutes.
  And Bayern took the lead on 62 minutes when Borowski connected with Ze Roberto’s cross to put the home side ahead before Schweinsteiger hit the fourth on 80 minutes.
  Also on Saturday, bottom side Energie Cottbus are two points adrift at the bottom of the table thanks to their 3-2 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.
  Having earned Werder Bremen a point at Panathinaikos in the Champions League on Wednesday, Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida equalised for his side at Hanover in the 1-1 draw which leaves Bremen eighth.
  Schalke 04 drew 0-0 with Arminia Bielefeld to move up to fifth in the table and Borussia Moenchengladbach came off the bottom of the league with a 1-0 win at home to Karlsruhe as veteran coach Hans Meyer took charge.
  On Friday night, Bayer Leverkusen became league leaders with their 2-0 win over Cologne, but with main title rivals Hamburg and Hoffenheim playing each other on Sunday their lead may only be temporary. 
Rossi thwarted as Stoner 
thrives in Valencia 
Agence France-Presse . Valencia 

Newly-crowned world champion Valentino Rossi suffered another bout of Valencia misery on Saturday when he could only clock the 10th-fastest time in qualifying for the final race of the season.
  Outgoing world champion Casey Stoner of Australia took pole on his Ducati ahead of Honda duo Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden.
  Rossi, with eight world titles to his name and six in the top class, fell off his machine in the 2006 race here while he broke his hand in 2007.
  Now the Italian has a mountain to climb if he is to set a new record on Sunday.
  With 357 points, he needs 11 more points to beat his own mark for points scored in a season (367 in 2005) and equalled by Stoner in 2007. ‘I have had two bad years at Valencia and I want to erase those memories with a good result this year,’ said Yamaha rider Rossi.
  ‘In 2006 I fell and I lost the championship and last year I broke my hand and lost second place in the championship. It’s not the best circuit for Yamaha but I won here the first year with them and I want to win again on Sunday.’
  Stoner captured his ninth pole position of the year, clocking 1min 31.502sec, and the 19th of his career in the MotoGP class.
  ‘This afternoon we struggled a bit at the beginning of the session to get a decent setup; we were a long way off the times,’ said the Australian.
  ‘We tried something a little bit different in the rear shock and it seemed to really help us. We got a lot more feeling in the middle of the turn and were able to corner harder.
  ‘Then we threw on the qualifying tyres and were quite lucky there - it had looked like it was going to rain and I’d end up at the back of the grid.
  ‘But it stayed away and we were able to get our qualifiers in. The laps were reasonable, not great, but we had some nice clean laps.’
  Pedrosa, who won here last year, was just 0.053sec behind with Hayden a 10th of a second slower.
  The American rider will leave Honda after Sunday’s race to join Stoner at Ducati.
  Marco Simoncelli is on pole in the 250cc division with Hungary’s Gabor Talmacsi leading the 125cc class.