Download - Kuwait Times

More documents

Recommendations

Info

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 SAO PAULO: Uruguayan striker Sebastian “El Loco” Abreu missed a penalty in the shootout and former Liverpool goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri made two saves as Fluminense defeated Botafogo 4-3 on penalties to reach the final of the Guanabara Cup. Fluminense will play for the title of the first stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship against Vasco da Gama, which on Wednesday came from behind to defeat Flamengo 2-1. In the Sao Paulo state championship, Palmeiras drew Oeste 1-1 at home and relinquished the lead to Corinthians, which beat Portuguesa 2-0 on Wednesday. The match in Rio went to a shootout after the teams drew 1-1 at the Engenhao stadium. Abreu missed the final penalty as Cavalieri dived to his right to stop the Uruguayan’s low shot. A reserve at Liverpool before returning to Brazil last year to play for Fluminense, Cavalieri had already saved Lucas’ shot from the spot. “We kept our calm and that allowed us to equalize at the end to send the match into the shootout,” Cavalieri said. “I was happy to make the saves that allowed us to reach the final.” Jean missed Fluminense’s only penalty. His shot was saved by Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson. Midfielder Elkeson had put Botafogo ahead in the 30th minute after a cross by Argentine striker German Herrera, and defender Leandro Euzebio equalized for Fluminense in the 80th from inside the area after a badly executed offside trap. The Guanabara Cup winner will play for the Rio state title against the Rio Cup champion later in the tournament. On Wednesday, Vasco da Gama beat Ronaldinho’s Flamengo at the Engenhao, ending an eight match winless streak against the rival that dated back to nearly three years. It was Vasco’s eighth straight win to start the year. The team won the Brazilian Cup and was runner-up to Corinthians in the Brazilian league last season. Vagner Love put Flamengo ahead just three minutes into the match, dribbling past a defender and firing a powerful shot from outside the area. Vasco equalized through striker Alecsandro in the 15th after Flamengo goalkeeper Felipe failed to hold on to a free kick taken by former Brazil midfielder Juninho. Playmaker Diego Souza scored Vasco’s winner with a header in the 78th. Flamengo striker Deivid incredibly missed a simple opportunity in the 36th, when the match was level. He received a low cross inside the six-yard box, with nobody near him and only the net in front. The cross came slowly to his feet but he sports Fluminense reach Guanabara Cup final Dalglish relishing Wembley return LONDON: Kenny Dalglish believes winning the League Cup may be a staging post to bigger things as Liverpool return to Wembley for the first time in 16 years to face Cardiff tomorrow. After little more than a year since his emotional Anfield homecoming, Dalglish has overseen a steady improvement in the club’s fortunes with a first piece of silverware beckoning this weekend. It is six years since Liverpool last won a major trophy-the 2006 FA Cup against West Ham at Cardiffand the Merseysiders have not played in a final at Wembley since 1996. Dalglish believes tomorrow’s clash with Championship side Cardiff is reward for the unwavering support of the club’s fans during a period which has seen Manchester United overhaul them as the most successful team in English football. “It means a lot to myself but more importantly it means a lot to a lot of people who have had to endure a few years when we’ve not been there (to Wembley),” Dalglish said. “For everyone who is connected with the club it is just reward for the loyalty and support they have shown.” Dalglish is satisfied with the steady progress Liverpool have made since he assumed control last year following the arrival of new American owners the Fenway Sports Group after a protracted takeover battle. “We have moved on from where we were last year, progressing in the FA Cup and the final of this cup and are four points behind fourth in place - this time last year we were nowhere near that,” he said. “There is progress being made. For the players it is an indication of how well they have done so everyone is looking forward to it. “We have a chance so we will do as well as we possibly can and we will try to progress the club and move forward.” Dalglish believes Liverpool’s place in the final is reflects the club’s commitment to a competition which has lost its lustre over the past two decades. “I don’t think it (the competition) has regained the credibility from years gone by,” said Dalglish. “I think we have treated it with respect but the teams that have treated it with respect are few and far between. We have treated it very seriously.” Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard meanwhile will be fulfilling a boyhood dream when he finally leads his club out at a Wembley final. Although Gerrard has produced memorable performances to win FA Cup and European Cup finals, he has never skippered Liverpool at Wembley. “Every time I played for Liverpool at Cardiff and led the team out there, there was a bit of me thinking ‘if only this was Wembley’,” Gerrard said. “Don’t get me wrong, we had some great days in Cardiff and I’ve got some fantastic memories of playing at the Millennium Stadium, but I’d have preferred to have won those trophies at Wembley. “To finally get the chance to achieve that with Liverpool will be amazing. I’ve experienced both the old and the new Wembley and I can tell you it’s a very special place.” Meanwhile tomorrow’s final gives Cardiff, desperate to win promotion to the Premier League this season, the opportunity of seeing how they measure up against top-flight opposition. Manager Malky Mackay believes the Wembley appearance reflects the transformation he has set about since taking over last summer from Dave Jones. “It’s been hard work for a lot of people, getting key people into good positions and being allowed to do that,” Mackay said. “Everyone’s parked their ego at the door and when you get that from a group of players, with a character and a determination, things go in the right direction. “We’re going to the final to go and be competitive and make sure we do the best we can do for Cardiff City. “It’s terrific for everyone at the football club and everyone should embrace it - be it a fan, a director, a staff member or footballer.”—AFP MEXICO CITY: Guadalajara hasn’t won in 13 matches, and the spiral of poor results has prompted one of Mexico’s most famous football brands to call for outside assistance in the shape of former Dutch great Johan Cruyff. Chivas was humiliated 3-0 by Velez Sarsfield of Argentina on Wednesday in the Copa Libertadores, meaning the club has failed to win a match in four months and forcing new coach Ignacio Ambriz to simply say that “faith is needed.” Chivas said Thursday it would be taking several key steps to stop the rot. Foremost, it announced that former Barcelona coach Cruyff was joining the club as an advisor. He will be formally introduced today. “Welcome Johan Cruyff to the Chivas family,” the club said on its website. Cruyff, 64, is regarded as one of the game’s greatest player. He retired in 1984 and went on to coach Ajax and Barcelona. He led Barcelona in 1992 to its first Champions League title. Sporting director Rafe ael Ortega says new players may have to be signed in the offseason, a change of course for a club that has tried for several seasons to win with young, unproven talent. “The team is down from what is expected, but I still have faith,” said Ambriz, who replaced Fernando Quirarte as coach several weeks ago. “Although they are young players, they know what it means to wear the Chivas shirt and I have faith we are going to move forward.” It will not be easy for the most successful club in Mexico football history. In the Clausura tournament - the second half of Mexico’s split season - Chivas has only two points from seven matches. Ten league games remain and they are all likely to be difficult. Chivas must play Santos and defending champions UANL Tigres, which mis-hit the ball from less than 3 yards away and it ended striking the post. In the Sao Paulo tournament, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Palmeiras played poorly in front of its fans and was held 1-1 by minnow Oeste. The result kept the team unbeaten after nine matches, but it dropped to third in the 20team standings, one point behind Guarani and two behind Corinthians. On Wednesday, Corinthians defeated Portuguesa 2-0 with a goal by Peruvian midfielder Luis Ramirez. Sao Paulo drew Bragantino 3-3 in Braganca Paulista, while defending champion Santos beat Comercial 2-0 with a great performance by Brazil striker Neymar. The Brazilian football season begins with regional championships in the 26 states in the first few months, with the nationwide league running from May until December. —AP BUENOS AIRES: Omar Arellano of Mexico’s Chivas (right) fights for the ball with Sebastian Dominguez of Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield during a Copa Libertadores soccer match in Buenos Aires. —AP Chivas’ winless run reaches 13 share the league lead this season. There is also a showdown with archrival America and a derby match against city rival Atlas. “Our finishing has not been good,” Ambriz said. “We have created some chances, but we have not followed through in attack. We can’t do anything but keep working.” Club owner Jorge Vergara and his wife Angelica Fuentes, who serves as executive president, have been criticized for failing to spend money on talented players. Vergara owns the Omnilife company, which sells health supplements throughout the Americas and in Spain. A large void was left when Javier (Chichartio) Hernandez moved to Manchester United almost two years ago. Ortega, the sporting director, says that problem will be addressed. “There will have to be a few changes made,” Ortega said. “One could say it’s a necessity.” —AP
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 SPORTS Arsenal, Chelsea feeling heat as league resumes LONDON: The Premier League title duel between Manchester United and Manchester City could be relegated to sideshow status this weekend as all eyes descend on the turmoil bedevilling Arsenal and Chelsea. With Manchester City facing lowly Blackburn today and United travelling to Norwich 24 hours later, few will be surprised if City’s two-point lead at the top of the table remains intact come tomorrow night. Yet the stakes could not be higher for Arsenal and Chelsea, whose campaigns are teetering on the brink following a series of poor results which have left their managers Arsene Wenger and Andre Villas-Boas facing stinging criticism. Arsenal followed their 4-0 thrashing at AC Milan weekend with a dismal FA Cup exit at Sunderland last weekend, a result that effectively ensured the Gunners’ trophy drought would enter an eighth year. While conventional wisdom suggests Wenger has built up enough reserves of goodwill during his 15 years at Arsenal to be the author of his own exit strategy, the recent chorus of criticism directed at the Frenchman will become deafening if Tottenham prevail in tomorrow’s north London derby at the Emirates. Spurs, who beat Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart LONDON: Andre Villas-Boas admits he was forced to answer questions from owner Roman Abramovich about Chelsea’s Champions League defeat in Naples. And the Chelsea manager can expect another interrogation if his side fail to take advantage of the opportunity to strike a blow in the battle for fourth place by beating struggling Bolton at Stamford Bridge. Villas-Boas’s team currently lie fifth, trailing Arsenal on goal difference, but will leap-frog their London rivals if they avoid defeat 24 hours before Arsene Wenger’s side take on Tottenham. In previous seasons, few would have backed against anything other than a home victory, but after another difficult week, nothing can be assured. Still reeling from the failure to beat Championship Birmingham at home in the FA Cup fifth round, Chelsea were humbled 3-1 by Napoli in the first leg of the last 16 clash when Villas-Boas’s decision to omit several senior players-including Frank Lampard and Ashely Cole-sparked controversy. And Villas-Boas admitted Abramovich had sought answers via the club’s technical director Michael Emenalo. “He is disappointed about the result and asking questions about how we set up the team and they were duly explained,” he said. “Again, we shared ideas regarding what happened in the game and how they happen but we still have 90 minutes to play and we strongly believe we can turn the tie around. “I spoke to the people close to the owner to transmit the message. That is the normal way we communicate. I see it as normal. He just wants to know the thought process.” Villas-Boas remains convinced he has the owner’s backing but he knows his side must halt the recent run of results that threatens to leave the club without a trophy or a place in next season’s Champions League. He insists his relationship with Cole and Lampard remains sound but admits the loss of captain John Terry to a knee injury for six weeks is a major blow. “We will badly miss him. It is a massive, massive loss. He is a leader and has been a great performer even through adversity,” Villas-Boas said. Fernando Torres missed training because of illness on Thursday but is expected to be fit to play. Villas-Boas will find an ally in the opposition dug-out in Bolton manager Owen Coyle. The Bolton manager and Villas-Boas did a coaching course together in 2007 and is sure that his friend will find a way to resolve his problems at Stamford Bridge. His team remain in the relegation zone after their 2-1 defeat to Wigan before the break for the FA Cup. “They are led by an outstanding manager, someone who I know extremely well,” he said. “Andre has come into the club and looked at how he can progress them for many years to come and I’m sure he’ll do that. “We now go into two away games against Chelsea and Manchester City and there’s no doubt that they are big games for us. “We also know that even after those games there are points to be had, with a lot of those games at home. “Our destiny is in our own hands and we’re looking forward to the challenge that goes with it.” —AFP Lane earlier this season, have not done the double over the Gunners for nearly 20 years. A victory for Harry Redknapp’s side would see Spurs open up a 13point lead over Wenger’s men, a vast gulf between third and fourth place that underscores the acute sense of two clubs heading in opposite directions. Arsenal defender Johan Djourou has challenged his team-mates to prove that the club remain “the kings of London.” “When you play (Tottenham), you forget the table; it is a battle and the best team will win,” Djourou said. “They are in great shape this season, they have been playing a lot better than before but you have to forget about that and go to war. “At the start of the season some people wrote them off because they lost a few games but since then they have been unbelievable. But it is up to us to show that we are the kings of London.” While Wenger is expected to weather the current storm, Villas-Boas’s position at Chelsea remains shrouded in uncertainty despite the Portuguese manager’s insistence that he retains the full backing of owner Roman Abramovich. The 34-year-old Chelsea boss lurched into another crisis this week as his team slumped to a 3-1 loss at Napoli which has left the Londoners staring down Chelsea’s coach seeks relief against Bolton NAPLES: Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas, gestures during the Champions League, first leg, soccer match between Napoli and Chelsea, at the San Paolo stadium in Naples, Italy. — AP the barrel of Champions League elimination. Villas- Boas’s selection for the match has come under severe scrutiny following the decision to omit Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole from his starting line-up. Several reports have suggested Villas-Boas is struggling to get a grip on a full-scale dressing room mutiny, with headlines this week such as “Bench warfare” and “Battle at the Bridge” highlighting the strained relationship between the coach and his players. Failure to beat relegation-threatened Bolton today could prove fatal to Villas-Boas, who has won just four of his last 14 games. Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic is adamant that the club needs to unite behind the manager to have any chance of saving their season. “Chelsea has to be the priority for everybody,” Ivanovic said. “We all have to think like this to try to make the position better. “Things like this always happen when you are losing and they always leak out. But it is the manager who decides who plays and then it is up to us players to do our jobs. “This is a critical period for this club and we will only get through it if we stay positive and keep working hard.”—AFP Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Liverpool v Everton ...................................... 15:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Wigan v- Aston Villa ..................................... 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD West Brom v Sunderland .............................. 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD QPR v Fulham ................................................ 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Newcastle v Wolves ...................................... 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Chelsea v Bolton ............................................ 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD City v Blackburn ............................................ 20:30 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Italian League Genoa v Parma ............................................. 20:00 Aljazeera Sport +1 AC Milan v Juventus .................................... 22:45 Aljazeera Sport +1 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Spanish League Real Betis v Getafe ...................................... 20:00 Aljazeera Sport +4 Real Racing v Sporting ................................ 20:00 Aljazeera Sport +5 Malaga v Real Zaragoza ............................. 22:00 Aljazeera Sport +5 Tomorrow Espanyol v Levante ..................................... 0:00 Aljazeera Sport +2
Page 1 and 2: SUBSCRIPTION 150 Fils SATURDAY, FEB
Page 3 and 4: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 Scrap a
Page 5 and 6: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 KUWAIT:
Page 7 and 8: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 Palesti
Page 9 and 10: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 LONDON:
Page 11 and 12: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 JAKARTA
Page 13 and 14: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 KATHMAN
Page 15 and 16: Lloyds bank annual net 17 loss ball
Page 17 and 18: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 NEW DEL
Page 19 and 20: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 TOKYO:
Page 21 and 22: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 www.kuw
Page 23 and 24: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 Simon C
Page 25 and 26: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 Here ar
Page 27 and 28: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 An inte
Page 29 and 30: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 Red siz
Page 31 and 32: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 CHICAGO
Page 33 and 34: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 22:50 J
Page 35 and 36: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 ABS Ann
Page 37 and 38: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 HEALTH
Page 39 and 40: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY25, 2012 Arrival
Page 41 and 42: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 MARSEIL
Page 43 and 44: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 DETROIT
Page 45: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 BERLIN:

Download - Kuwait Times

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?