MADRID, Spain (AP) – Spanish champions Real Madrid were upset 2-1 at Deportivo La Coruna in the opening match of their bid for a third straight league title on Sunday, while bitter rivals Barcelona lost 1-0 at promoted Numancia in a major disappointment for new coach Pep Guardiola.

Bernd Schuster’s Real have not won at Deportivo since 1991, and went behind in the 26th minute to Mista’s goal.

Ruud van Nistelrooy leveled two minutes after halftime but defender Alberto Lopo put the hosts ahead again with the eventual winner on 51.

Real were missing Brazil forward Robinho, who earlier Sunday called a press conference to repeat his desire to join Chelsea.

Numancia midfielder Mario Martinez decided the game against Barcelona in the 13th minute at Los Pajaritos Stadium with a fierce shot which flew past goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Barcelona attacked Numancia’s goal after falling behind, with striker Samuel Eto’o coming closest when he curled a shot that hit the bar four minutes later.

Guardiola, the former reserve-team coach and 1992 European Cup winner who replaced Frank Rijkaard after Barcelona finished a second straight season without a major trophy, replaced Thierry Henry with Bojan Krkic in the 62nd minute but the 18-year-old headed wide soon afterward.

Villarreal, last season’s runners-up, drew 1-1 at Osasuna in an encounter in which both teams ended with 10 men.

Midfielder Marcos Senna, who helped Spain win the European Championship two months ago, gave Villarreal a 54th-minute lead with a free-kick from the edge of the area.

Villarreal defender Diego Godin was ejected for fouling Osasuna’s Masoud Shojaei, and Javad Nekounam converted the resulting penalty in the 68th minute.

Osasuna then had defender Miguel Flano sent off for a 77th-minute foul.

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written by Andrew

NEW YORK (AP) — Men’s No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal came back from down a break in the second set to beat Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-4, 6-3, 6-0. His next opponent will be American Sam Querrey, who reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over No. 14 seed Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.

The 20-year-old Querrey came into the year with two goals: win an ATP tournament and raise his ranking into the 30s.

He accomplished both, winning in Las Vegas in March and climbing to No. 38 in May. Currently ranked 55th, his next goal is to end the year at No. 32 or better so he’ll be seeded at the Australian Open.

The 6-foot-6 (198 centimeters) Querrey is considered the tall guy with the big serve against most opponents, but not the 6-10 Karlovic. In his second-round match, Karlovic led Florent Serra in the aces department 42-0.

This time, Karlovic only edged Querrey 24-20 and struggled to win points against Querrey’s serve. Karlovic managed just three break points and didn’t convert any.

“If I can get my racket on the ball, it’s not too bad,” Querrey said of Karlovic’s serve. “I’m a tall guy, as well. It’s up near my shoulders, where other guys it’s toward their head. … Against a guy like him, there’s a sense of urgency to every point, especially when he’s serving.”

Querrey was hardly the only man to author a surprise Saturday, capped by Mardy Fish’s 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 9 Blake in an all-American match at night. Fish took the last five points to earn his first berth in the fourth round at the U.S. Open. Fish now meets French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils, who beat No. 7 David Nalbandian in straight sets, then showed off some club-worthy dance moves to mark a victory he called “gorgeous.”

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written by Andrew

NEW YORK - Even for the mathematics major from Clemson, it just didn’t add up: How could someone who recently struggled so badly she wanted to quit tennis stay on the court with the No. 1 player in the world?

Ana Ivanovic probably wondered the same thing.

In one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history, the top-seeded Ivanovic was ousted from the U.S. Open, stunned by 188th-ranked Julie Coin 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round Thursday.

“Obviously, if you would ask me at the moment if I’m playing like a No. 1, probably not,” Ivanovic said. “It’s very frustrating because I know I can play so much better.”

Never before in the Open era that began in 1968 had the No. 1 woman lost this early in the tournament. Plus, all the favorites had been breezing at Flushing Meadows.

The French Open champion seemed to be rallying in the third set when Coin suddenly recovered to win 10 straight points. The 25-year-old French math whiz screamed when Ivanovic’s last shot sailed out, then hopped for joy and hit an extra ball high into the stands.

“I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight,” Coin said. “I don’t know when I will realize everything.”

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written by Andrew

BEIJING - Order is restored in international basketball. The United States is back on top, but not by that much anymore. Culminating a three-year mission to end years of embarrassment, the U.S. Olympic team survived a huge challenge from Spain, winning 118-107 Sunday in the gold-medal game.

After overwhelming everyone for seven games, the Americans led by only four points with under 2 1/2 minutes to play. Then the U.S. proved it could handle a close game that seemed would never come in Beijing.

Their prize: the first U.S. gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.

"Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again," LeBron James said.

Argentina won the bronze with an 87-75 victory against Lithuania.

Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for the Americans, who found a much gamer Spanish team than the one it humiliated by 37 points earlier in the tournament. Kobe Bryant added 20 points.

In a game so devoid of defense that it felt more like an NBA All-Star game than one with a title at stake, the Americans had too much offense down the stretch. Bryant converted a clutch four-point play with 3:10 remaining, holding his finger to his lips to quiet the rowdy Spanish crowd behind the basket.

Wade added another 3-pointer that made it 111-104 with just over 2 minutes left, and only then could the Americans relax a little.

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written by Andrew

Ceremonia de deschidere a Jocurilor Olimpice de la Beijing a început, vineri seară, pe stadionul olimpic din capitala Chinei, la ora locală 20.00 (15.00, ora României) printr-un foc de artificii.

Spectacolul din “Cuibul de pasăre” a durat circa o oră înainte de defilarea celor 204 delegaţii şi apoi deschiderea oficială a JO de către preşedintele chinez Hu Jintao.

Zeci de şefi de stat şi de guvern, printre care Traian Băsescu împreună cu soţia sa, George W. Bush, Nicolas Sarkozy şi Vladimir Putin, au asitat la ceremonia de deschidere a primei ediţii a Jocurilor Olimpice desfăşurată în China.

Sportivii români au defilat la festivitatea de deschidere a Jocurilor Olimpice de la Beijing, în frunte cu portdrapelul României, handbalista Valeria Beşe, dar fără restul echipei de handbal care se pregăteşte pentru a debuta, sâmbătă, în competiţia din China, în meciul cu Kazahstan.

De la defilare au lipsit şi toţi sportivii români care intră în concurs sâmbătă, adică judoka Alina Dumitru, Iulian Raicea (tir), canotoarele Camelia Lupaşcu, Viorica Susanu, Simona Muşat şi Roxana Cogianu, înotătorii Dragoş Coman şi Valentin Preda şi echipa masculină de gimnastică. De asemenea, au lipsit şi o parte dintre atleţi şi întregul lot de kaiac-canoe, care nu au ajuns încă la Beijing.

Campionul olimpic la judo, Ilias Iliadis, portdrapelul delegaţiei Greciei, a fost primul sportiv care a defilat la ceremonia de deschidere a JO de la Beijing, conform protocolului olimpic. Defilarea delegaţiilor participante s-a făcut în ordinea numărului de linii care formează numele ţării în limba chineză.

După încheierea defilării celor 204 delegaţii participante la Olimpiadă, Preşedintele Chinei, Hu Jintao, a declarat oficial deschisă a XXIX-a ediţie a Jocurilor Olimpice.

Fostul gimnast Li Ning, în vârstă de 44 de ani, a aprins flacăra olimpică, care va arde pe întreaga perioadă a Jocurilor Olimpice din China.

Flacăra olimpică a fost purtată de mai mulţi sportivi chinezi înainte de a ajunge la Li Ning.

Sursa: mediafax

written by Flory

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – Iraq will be allowed to participate in the Beijing games after the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday rescinded its suspension of the country’s Olympic association.

The decision came after last-minute talks during which an Iraqi government delegation pledged to hold free elections for its national Olympic committee under international observation.

The deadline to submit competitors’ names for athletics events expires Wednesday.

Iraq is expected to send two athletes to Beijing. Five others lost their chance to go when the final date to select competitors for archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting passed last week.

“The National Olympic Committee will have fair elections before the end of November,” said Pere Miro, head of the IOC’s department for relations with national Olympic committees.

Until then, Iraq’s Olympic organization will be run by an interim committee proposed by its national sports federations and approved by the IOC, he said.

“We want to forget all the past,” Iraq’s government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said after signing the agreement in front of journalists. “We want to have real representation for the Iraqi teams and the Iraqi supporters.”

The IOC suspended Iraq in May citing political interference in the country’s national Olympic committee, which the government had dissolved over allegations of corruption.

Basil Abdul Mahdi, an adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sport, said last week there would be “no retreat” in Baghdad’s decision to replace the disbanded Olympic committee. The hardline stance prompted concern that Iraq would not be represented in Beijing.

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written by Andrew

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Asafa Powell took on the world’s fastest man with every intention of beating him to the finish line.

Usain Bolt just couldn’t catch up in time.

Powell capitalized on Bolt’s weak start and edged the world-record holder by one-hundredth of a second, leading from start to finish in the 100 meters at the DN Galan meet on Tuesday.

Powell, the former world-record holder, won their highly anticipated rematch in 9.88 seconds. Bolt, who was slow out of the blocks, nearly caught his fellow Jamaican at the finish line. Third went to Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy Ndure in 10.06.

“I was really happy with the race,” Powell said. “My goal was to win. My start was quick and fast. And the speed stayed with me through the finish.

“I’m really looking forward to the Olympics.”

The win was a measure of revenge for Powell, after losing to his close friend Bolt at Jamaica’s Olympic Trials last month.

Bolt set the world record of 9.72 in New York on May 31, breaking Powell’s mark of 9.74.

It was Powell’s third straight win at Olympic Stadium. Last year, he won in 10.04. In 2006, he set the stadium record of 9.86.

“I needed today’s win for my confidence,” Powell said. “That is most important in order to get really good times.”

Bolt was somber.

“I’m disappointed,” he said. “My start was not good enough. That was the key tonight. I was also disturbed by the false start. I could not focus at 100 percent.”

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written by Andrew

SOUTHPORT, England - Padraig Harrington enjoys few moments more than the walk down 18th fairway of a century-old links course, especially with a four-shot lead in the British Open and the engraver putting the final touches on the oldest trophy in golf.

He stopped Sunday to share the moment with Greg Norman, who knows this path all too well.

Celebration for one, sympathy for the other.

“I did say to him coming down 18 that I was sorry it wasn’t his story that was going to be told,” Harrington said. “I did feel that, but I wanted to win myself. In this game, you have to take your chances when you get them.”

Harrington seized his opportunity by smashing a pair of fairway metals into the par 5s that carried him to a 32 on the back nine of blustery Royal Birkdale and made him Europe’s first player in more than a century to win the British Open two years in a row.

“Obviously, winning a major puts you in a special club,” Harrington said after closing with a 1-under 69 to win by four shots over Ian Poulter. “Winning two of them puts you in a new club altogether.”

Norman got a chance no one saw coming.

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written by Andrew

K.J. Choi rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the final hole for a 3-under 67 in more gloom and wind along the Irish Sea, giving him his first lead in a major championship. It will be the second straight year he plays in the final group at the British Open going into the weekend.

But the biggest surprises were right behind him, starting with a pair of British Open champions who once were No. 1 in the world.

Norman barely touched a club in the month leading up to his 26th appearance in golf’s oldest championship. The 53-year-old married tennis great Chris Evert three weeks ago, and a trip to England counts as the tail end of his honeymoon.

He wound up renewing his love affair with links golf, delivering great escapes over his final three holes for an even-par 70 that put his name atop the leaderboard for most of the afternoon until Choi birdied the final two holes.

Choi was at 1-under 139, one shot ahead of Norman.

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written by Andrew

FOIX, France (AP) — Kurt-Asle Arvesen of Norway celebrated his first Tour de France triumph after an 11th stage that started with the second doping bust to mar the race this year.

Australia’s Cadel Evans retained the race leader’s yellow jersey by finishing 14 minutes, 51 seconds back in the main pack that included his top rivals for the overall title in the three-week race.

Arvesen, of Team CSC, led a sprint among three riders in a 12-man breakaway group at the end of the 167.5-kilometer stage from Lannemezan to Foix that featured a category 1 climb up the Col de Portel.

The 33-year-old Norwegian national champion edged out Swiss rider Martin Elmiger and Italy’s Alessandro Ballan in a photo finish, for Arvesen’s first Tour stage victory.

“Today I rolled the dice and everything worked well,” said Arvesen, who said the exhilaration he felt topped that during each of his two stage wins in the Tour of Italy. “Winning a stage of the Tour while I’m wearing my national jersey — it can’t get much better than that.”

Evans, the Silence Lotto team leader and a top pre-race favorite, held onto his narrow one-second lead over Frank Schleck of Luxembourg. American rider Christian Vande Velde is third, 38 seconds behind.

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written by Andrew