Serena wins US Open

Serena Williams claimed her third US Open women's title on Sunday with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Jelena Jankovic.

Serena Williams claimed her third US Open women's title on Sunday with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Jelena Jankovic at Flushing Meadows.

Despite making 39 unforced errors, the fourth seed prevailed in just over two hours against the second seeded Serbian, who has yet to win a grand slam title.

Williams struggled with unforced errors early on, dropping her second service game of the match to love and she looked set to go 3-1 down when Jankovic went 40-0 up in the next game.

But the fourth seed battled back, winning the next five points to break the Serbian and claimed another break on Jankovic's next service game as she moved into a 5-2 lead.

Serving for the set at 5-3, Williams put herself into a 0-40 hole and surrendered the game after saving two break points. But she had the Serbian into the same position in the next game and claimed the opening set 6-4 when Jankovic put her return on the second set point long.

Jankovic appeared out of sorts at the start of the second set and faced two break points in her first service game before holding for 1-1.

After five breaks of service in the opening set, the first six games of the second set went according to serve until Williams put a lazy drop shot from the baseline into the net to give Jankovic a 4-3 advantage.

The Serbian had a chance to close out the set when she went 40-0 up in Williams' next service game but the American held and broke Jankovic in the next game to make it 5-5.

Williams held to make it 6-5 and then took the match by breaking Jankovic with her 44th winner of the match.

Jankovic, playing in her first final, was left to regret her missed opportunities.

"Serena was a little bit better on the important points," she said. "I had my chances the first set and the second set as well and I just had some unlucky points.

"I should have won them but I didn't. I let my opportunities slip away.

"But overall, I'm happy that I made it to the finals, especially as I struggled a lot this year.

"I had a lot of injuries and all these problems, and I really worked hard to be here on this stage."

by espnstar.com

Tags: sport, tennis, US Open, Serena, Williams, Jelena Jankovic, win

Pats QB Brady hurts knee in victory over Chiefs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Tom Brady went from the disappointment of a Super Bowl loss to the devastation of an injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season.

After missing the entire preseason with an unspecified foot injury, Brady left Sunday's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter after being hit on the left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Coach Bill Belichick provided no information on the injury, but Pollard had a diagnosis of his own.

"He was in a lot of pain," he said. "When you hear a scream, you know that."

Various reports Sunday night said Belichick told the players that the injury was serious. The Patriots were already looking for a possible replacement for Brady. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that former Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms was coming in Monday for a physical.

Brady was the NFL MVP last season after throwing for a record 50 touchdowns and leading the Patriots through a perfect regular season to the brink of their fourth Super Bowl title in eight years. But New England lost its chance at an unprecedented 19-0 record when the Giants won the championship, 17-14.

Any chance at redemption might have disappeared when Brady, who has started 128 consecutive games, went to the turf clutching his left knee midway through the first quarter. After being tended to on the field, he walked off, limping, between two trainers.

Brady, 31, went to the locker room and wasn't seen again on the sideline as backup Matt Cassel led the Patriots to a 17-10 victory. The two-time Super Bowl MVP was not available for comment after the game, and Belichick said he had nothing to add to the in-game announcement that it was a knee injury.

"They're looking at him, doing some tests on him, so I don't have any information there," the coach said, cracking a smile as he added, "doubt anybody's interested."

The Chiefs also lost their starting quarterback when Brodie Croyle was sacked in the third quarter. The team said he had a bruised right shoulder and he was replaced by Damon Huard.

Brady was 7-for-11 for 76 yards, completing a 28-yard pass to Randy Moss on the play in which he was injured. Moss fumbled the ball away when he was tackled; the Patriots forced Kansas City to punt, then Cassel came in for New England.

"Since I've been here and been around Tom, he's always popped back up," Cassel said. "I didn't know (how serious it was). I just buckled my chinstrap and the guys rallied around me. I felt their support."

Cassel took over at his 2 yard-line and, after two handoffs nearly netted the Chiefs a safety, completed his first pass to Moss for a 51-yard gain. Cassel, Brady's backup for the past three years, finished the 98-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Moss that gave New England a 7-0 lead.

"This is something I've been preparing for for a long time," said Cassel, who threw just 33 passes while backing up Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at Southern Cal. "It's not something I expected to come up on opening day."

A former fourth-stringer who was the 199th overall selection in the 2000 draft, Brady himself took over at quarterback when longtime starter Drew Bledsoe sustained a life-threatening chest injury in a 2001 game against the New York Jets. Brady led the Patriots to their first NFL title that year, another in 2003 and another in 2004.

In the process, Brady has become one of the league's biggest stars and a crossover cover boy who has met the Pope and the president, dated actresses and supermodels and rewrote one of the NFL's most coveted records.

Last year, while leading New England to a 16-0 regular season, Brady set a record with 50 touchdown passes and improved his overall record as a starter to 100-27 — the best in the Super Bowl era. The Patriots blew a chance at an unprecedented 19-0 season and a fourth NFL title with a 17-14 loss in February's Super Bowl to the New York Giants.

Brady did not play in four exhibition games this summer — all of them Patriots losses — while trying to recover from a right foot injury.

"He's the face of the New England Patriots, and Tom being who he is it kind of hurts, to be honest with you," said Moss, who caught 23 of Brady's TD passes in 2007, also a record. "I know the show must go on. Hopefully Matt Cassel is ready to step in. I know the team is ready to embrace him and let him lead us."

by news.yahoo.com

Tags: Tom Brady, Super Bowl, New England Patriots, NFL, football

Real ready to pounce for Poldi

Real Madrid's dire lack of options up front has now seen them turn their sights to Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski.

The German hitman, who is a huge fan of Real coach Bernd Schuster, is currently considering his future at the club after falling behind the pecking order to Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

In fact, Podolski has already admitted that moving to Bayern has been a huge mistake and has already made his intentions of leaving clear to Bayern officials.

Now Spanish daily Marca claims that Real are set to grant Podolski his wish of escaping from his Allianz Arena nightmare by lodging a US$17 million bid for the former Cologne player's services in January during the transfer window.

However, one sticky point for Real could be the fact that Podolski will be cup tied for the Champions League should he play for the German champions in that competition during the group stages.

by espnstar.com

Tags: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Podolski, Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, football, news

African WC qualifying review

Angola's chances of qualifying for their second World Cup were dealt a major blow when they were beaten by Benin.

The Palancas Negras, who made their debut at the 2006 finals in Germany, put up a good fight in Cotonou, but were edged out 3-2 by the hosts thanks to a brace from Razak Omotoyossi.

Khaled Adenon fired the Squirrels ahead after just two minutes, before Flavio Amado (12) pulled the visitors level.

The score remained at 1-1 until the 52nd minute when Omotoyossi restored his side's advantage and then he stretched the lead even further with his 66th-minute effort.

Manuel Morais (78) pulled one back for Angola, but it proved only a consolation as Benin assured themselves a first-place finish in Group Three.

Michel Dussuyer's team now have 12 points, five more than the Angolans, who must win their last game against Niger and hope results elsewhere go their way if they are to finish as one of the eight best runners-up in the 12 group zone.

The other game in the pool saw the Mena claim a stunning victory over Uganda with three goals in the final 13 minutes enough to secure victory in Niamey.

David Obua's 34th-minute goal looked to have earned his side all the points, but the hosts had other ideas scoring through Issoufou Dante (77 and 88) and Kamilou Daouda (89) to complete a memorable first win in the qualifiers for Niger.

In Group Two, Zimbabwe and Guinea had to settle for a share of the spoils in a goalless draw in Harare.

A point apiece was not the ideal result for either side, who must now rely on victories on the final day as the only way of guaranteeing qualification to the final phase. Guinea host Kenya and Zimbabwe play away at Namibia.

Gabon threw Group Five wide open by overcoming Lesotho 3-0 in Bloemfontein.

Goals from Bruno Ecuele, Roguy Neye and Bruno Mbanagoye were enough to help the Gabonese move into second place on eight points, ahead of the much fancied Ghana, who lost 1-0 to leaders Libya on Friday.

However, the Black Stars have the easier final game against strugglers Lesotho, while Gabon host Libya.

Ivory Coast moved a step closer to qualification in Group Seven despite only drawing 1-1 against Mozambique in Maputo.

Bakari Kone (47) fired the Elephants ahead, but the lead lasted just seven minutes as Miro earned his side a fighting draw.

The Ivorians move to nine points, three clear of closest challengers Madagascar, who claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Botswana.

Praxis Rabemananjara (18) scored the only goal in Antananarivo and the islanders will now have to win their final game in Abidjan to have any chance of progression.

In Brazzaville, Wilfrid Endzanga scored an 88th-minute winner as Congo stunned Mali 1-0 to join their opponents at the summit of Group 10.

Both sides now have nine points, three more than Chad, and should progress to the final round of qualifying.

Finally in Group 12, Mohamed Aboutreika's goal on the half-hour mark guided African champions Egypt to a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa.

The Pharaohs now have 12 points and are guaranteed a place in the final qualifying stage, while DR Congo must battle with Malawi to try and go through as runners-up.

In Group 10, Chad moved within three points of leaders Mali alongside second-placed Chad with two games remaining after recording a 2-1 win over Sudan.

by espnstar.com

Tags: African, World cup, qualifying, football, Ivory Coast, sport, news

Terry, Beckham quash talk of Croatia revenge mission

BARCELONA (AFP) - England's senior players, including David Beckham and John Terry, are attempting to quash any talk of revenge as they prepare for a World Cup qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb on Wednesday that could begin to define the new Fabio Capello era.

It was Croatia who dramatically ended England's hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals when they won 3-2 at Wembley last November, a result that ultimately led to the sacking of Head Coach Steve McClaren.

Slaven Bilic's side also beat McClaren's team 2-0 at home during the same campaign and the wounds from both those defeats still fester for many players in the England camp.

Their return to Zagreb, so early in the World Cup qualifying campaign, is certain to bring calls for both revenge and redemption but Beckham, in particular, is anxious to avoid any further hype.

Having stuttered to a 2-0 victory over Andorra in their opening match in Group 6 this is hardly the time for England to indulge in overblown statements, particularly as they have yet to impress under new manager Capello - the man brought in at great expense to save English football from another summer home alone in 2010.

"It's not about having a score to settle," insisted Beckham. "We just want to get a good result and put a good performance in, that's the thing.

"It's not about settling old scores and old games we've played against Croatia because we know they are a tough team, we know they've got some really good player and we know it's very hostile there.

"We have to forget about what has gone on in the past. This is the present and we have to work towards what we want to achieve in this group."

Beckham's message was echoed by his captain Terry in Barcelona, where England will continue to be based until flying to Zagreb on Monday evening.

Terry said: "I don't want to get across any kind of revenge message but, at the same time, it's a new campaign and we are going there to pick up three points so if we can get off to a good six-point start then we will take that.

"We have to rise to the challenge. We know it's difficult and we know they have not been beaten there for a long time. We have to go there with a clean slate and not think about the last game we played against them."

It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, Capello makes to his team after he needed Joe Cole to come off the bench and save England against Andorra with two quick goals early in the second half at the Estadi Olimpic.

Certainly Cole will hope to replace the ineffective Stewart Downing in the starting line-up while Beckham, left on the bench against Andorra as Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was handed his debut, is tipped to return in Zagreb where experience will be crucial.

But the former England captain is positioning himself very much as a team player these days.

He said: "We will have to wait and see if I start the next game. At the end of the day it's all about a squad, I've already said that. I was happy to get on and get another cap but I think the players stuck together against Andorra, and we have done all week.

"We've worked hard together as a unit, not just the starting 11 but everybody else that's in the squad. Obviously I've got experience but there's other players that are younger than me that have got experience just by the fact that they have played in some of the biggest games in the world.

"We've got that experience and we will need it on Wednesday."

by news.yahoo.com

Tags: England, David Beckham, John Terry, World Cup, qualifier, Croatia, Slaven Bilic, football, sport

Stress-free Federer ready for final

Roger Federer stormed into a fifth straight US Open final on Saturday and insisted he has nothing to prove.

Four-time defending champion Federer beat third seed Novak Djokovic 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2 to set up a final meeting on Monday with either sixth seed Andy Murray or new number one Rafael Nadal, whose semi-final was brought to a halt by the arrival of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Hanna.

Federer's form at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre has helped the Swiss star put on hold all the talk of his imminent demise that followed him into the final grand slam of the year.

"The pressure is off," Federer said after dispatching Djokovic, who had beaten him in the Australian Open semi-finals at the start of the year.

"I think now you can look forward and just try to win, really. Because I think the pressure is always on in the early rounds, coming through and not getting an upset early on.

"There was a couple of tough opponents early on, so I think once you get to the semis you can maybe play a little bit more freely again, because you're also playing opponents who you know most likely have a better chance to beat you.

"You also know them better, so it's easier to play against them, as well. I don't feel like now I need to prove myself in the finals."

Against Djokovic, the second seed finished with five breaks en route to capturing his 33rd consecutive win at Flushing Meadows, while the Swiss star also had 20 aces compared to six for Djokovic and edged the Serbian in winners with 51 to 43.

"I'm happy to be through to another Grand Slam final. I've been on an incredible run at slams lately, and this was a big match," added Federer.

"I knew it from when I saw the draw. If we both get to the semis it was a huge match, he's seeking the number two ranking a little bit. He's been playing very well on hardcourt for the last one-and-a-half years.

"I knew it was always going to be difficult. I'm very happy with the result."

Federer is now relishing a chance to face Nadal, the man who dislodged him at the top of the word rankings and denied him a sixth Wimbledon title earlier this summer.

"I don't want to put pressure on him, but that's how it was for me. I was always expected to win," added Federer. "I had maybe a little bit less this year, but nevertheless I'm defending champion. I know what it's all about."

Nadal came off court trailing two sets to love against Murray but up a break in the third set with their semi-final scheduled to resume on Sunday, with Federer paying more attention to Nadal than the British number one.

"What we went through at Wimbledon and in the past, in Paris and all the tough matches we've had over the years, it's just always nice to play against him, even though I have a losing record against him," said Federer.

"I'd like to play Andy, as well, but obviously he hasn't been as good as Rafa for the past years. But I'm sure he will be at the top of the game for a very long time, because I always thought Andy has incredible talent. He's a great player."

by espnstar.com

Tags: tennis, Roger Federer, US Open, final, Andy Murray

Zola closing in on Hammer time

Former Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola has moved into pole position in the race to be the next West Ham manager.

Zola had a second interview in Rome on Sunday and club officials are set to make him their top recommendation to the Hammers board on Monday.

Zola hugely impressed West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury during today's interview, and also has the support of club technical director Gianluca Nani.

According to club insiders, Zola's enthusiasm, his experience of the Premier League, his commitment to entertaining football and his coaching experience with the Italy Under-21 side have pushed him to the top of the list.

Roberto Donadoni also impressed but Slaven Bilic's chances look to have receded dramatically after question marks over when the Croatia coach would be available led to some doubts about his commitment.

Michael Laudrup is not out of the running yet - Duxbury and Nani will make their final report to the board only after interviewing him tomorrow.

West Ham's selection process has already ruled out Gerard Houllier and the former Scotland midfielder John Collins, plus former Ajax boss Martin Olsen.

Earlier today, club director Mike Lee confirmed Zola and Donadoni were leading candidates.

Lee told BBC Radio Five Live: "We have a very strong shortlist and it's going to be a tough decision with some exciting candidates.

"From the meetings that have taken place so far the two that have really shone have been Donadoni and Zola.

"We have been surprised and pleased by the number of applications we have had and we are moving towards a short shortlist and ideally have a manager in place in time for the West Brom match next week.

"Slaven Bilic could potentially be on that shortlist but it depends very much upon his availability. If for whatever reason he was not available until January in terms of working with us I'm afraid that will rule him out."

by espnstar.com

Tags: football, Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola, manager, West Ham, Premier League, sport news

City can't be serious about Ronaldo bid, says Gill

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United chief executive David Gill said he would treat suggestions that Manchester City could table a 135 million pound bid for Cristiano Ronaldo "with a pinch of salt".

Ronaldo heads into the new English Premier league season still being closely followed by Real Madrid, who tried but failed during the summer to secure the Portuguese international's signature.

But now cross-city rivals Manchester City have entered the fray.

Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the billionaire businessman at the centre of the club's takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, said he wants to build a "dream team" which can compete in the Champions League within the coming three years.

And he added they could be willing to make a world record bid of 135 million pounds (210 million dollars) for the United star.

Gill, speaking to BBC radio's Five Live show on Sunday, admitted that any club would get excited about such a sizeable bid for one player.

But, while highlighting the fact that United manager Alex Ferguson was the subject of complaints to the Premier League during his pursuit of new signing Dimitar Berbatov, Gill said he needed convincing about the authenticity of City's ambitions.

"It was an interesting comment, I think it's a fan's-type comment," said Gill.

"It's interesting when Alex [Ferguson] mentioned the Dimitar Berbatov signing in advance that complaints were made to the Premier League.

"He (Al-Fahim) mentioned (Fernando) Torres and (Cesc) Fabregas in the same article so I think we will treat that with a pinch of salt.

"I have never met the gentleman. That is a fantastic amount of money and would turn the industry upside down so I can't believe he is serious at those sorts of levels.

"Ultimately we would discuss any offer with Alex and the owners, as that sort of money is very large for one person. But we are not in the market to sell our best players."

Gill also insisted the club stayed "entirely within the rules" during their pursuit of Berbatov.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has called for a change in transfer rules, and initially complained to the Premier League about United's approach for the player.

Gill however has rejected allegations that United did anything wrong.

He added: "We are very comfortable with how the whole thing went. There were allegations made, we are comfortable that how we approached it was entirely correct and within the rules."

Gill also confirmed they would be looking to finalise a permanent deal for Argentina striker Carlos Tevez.

He said: "One other bit of business we will do is finalise the Carlos Tevez deal and then the composition of the squad will be first class."

by news.yahoo.com

Tags: football, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, English, Premier league, Champions League, bid, Alex Ferguson

Federer too strong for Djokovic

Defending champion Roger Federer gave one of his best displays of a troubled season to beat Novak Djokovic and reach his fifth successive US Open final.

The Swiss world number two, unbeaten at Flushing Meadows since 2003, stormed to the first set after an early break.

Djokovic rallied to take the second but Federer showed his class and experience to come through 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2.

Federer will play Andy Murray or Rafael Nadal in the final, which has been moved to 2200 BST on Monday.

Rain began to fall during the third set between British number one Murray and world number one Nadal, forcing the match to be suspended until Sunday.

"This was a big match, I knew it from when I saw the draw," said Federer. "He's been playing very well on hard courts for the last one-and-a-half years.

"It was important to stay grounded because I knew the match could change, like it did in the second set.

"I think I broke his will when I won the third set and then I knew if I played well I could win in four sets."

And looking ahead to the final, Federer admitted he would like another crack at Nadal.

"I won't be surprised if Andy would beat Rafa, but just I think the meaning would be more to play against Rafa here at the Open," he said.

In what was a rematch of last year's final, both Federer and Djokovic held their opening service games in impressive fashion, but Djokovic could not manage to do so in his second as Federer's power from the baseline saw him establish a 3-1 cushion.

Federer denied the Serbian any opportunities to get back into the first set, making just three unforced errors in total.

The second set looked like it too would hinge on the fourth game, when Federer sent a backhand wide to hand Djokovic his first break of the match and a 3-1 lead.

Federer, appearing in his 18th straight Grand Slam semi-final, battled back to 4-4 but then at 5-6, having already saved two set points, pulled a forehand wide to hand the Serb the set.

Defeat for Federer would have seen the 27-year-old slip to number three in the rankings behind Djokovic.

But, after the third set went with serve up to 5-5, the 12-time Grand Slam champion raised his level to secure a crucial break en route to taking the set 7-5.

Federer lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals of this year's Australian Open but there was to be no repeat for the 21-year-old, who made two backhand errors to gift Federer a break in the fifth game of the fifth set.

The world number two never looked likely to relinquish that advantage and did not lose another game in sealing his triumph.

"I think he deserved to win, absolutely," said Djokovic. "I was just a little disappointed from my side that I wasn't able, physically I wasn't able enough to give him a challenge.

"I think I played well that second set, and, you know, was on serve in that third one. Then I was just unlucky to lose that third set and then more or less routine in the fourth for him.

"Overall, it's been a very exhausting tournament mentally and physically for me, so I'm happy that I got to the semi."

And asked if he regretted his critical comments towards the New York crowd following his semi-final win over Andy Roddick, the Serb said: "No, I think they were pretty fair."

by news.bbc.co.uk/sport2

Tags: tennis, Roger Federer, US Open, final, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, sport news

Andorra 0-2 England

Two-goal hero Joe Cole spared England's blushes as Fabio Capello's side began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a stuttering victory over Andorra.
In Capello's first competitive match in charge, England dominated but were booed off at half-time after failing to break down Andorra's packed defence.
Cole came on at the break and made an instant impact, volleying home Frank Lampard's free-kick on 49 minutes.
Six minutes later, Cole prodded home his second from Wayne Rooney's pass.
It was a match reminiscent of England's last visit to the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, under Steve McClaren in March 2007, when they were also jeered off at the interval and had to wait until Steven Gerrard's 54th-minute goal to break the deadlock against the part-timers.
Again England's frustration grew as Andorra, ranked 186th in the world, continued to hold out and Capello will be relieved that the changes he made at the break paid dividends.

He may have left established players such as Joe Cole and David Beckham on the bench here with that match in mind but it will worry him that their replacements struggled against such unheralded opposition.
Initially, Capello's decision to hand a first start to Theo Walcott looked a good one, with the Arsenal forward involved in two good chances in the first three minutes.
Walcott used his pace to reach a ball on the byeline then sent it across the face of goal and, after Rooney miscued, Jermain Defoe was beaten to the ball by Koldo.
Seconds later, Walcott ran into the area to meet a lofted pass from Rooney but had to rush his shot and clipped the ball narrowly over.

It was a promising start for England but, despite them staying in complete control, that was as good as it got for the visitors in front of goal in the first half.
Capello continued to try to use Walcott's speed on the right flank but he was increasingly crowded out as the match wore on.
And, with Stewart Downing's crossing completely ineffective on the opposite wing, England quickly ran out of ideas.
Too many times the ball was pumped aimlessly into the Andorra area where, with Defoe unable to offer a physical presence, it was easily cleared by defenders.

The travelling England fans showed their discontent as the players came off at the interval and, unsurprisingly, Capello made changes - replacing the Downing with Joe Cole and sending Emile Heskey on in place of Defoe.
Cole had a point to prove after being left out of Capello's last four starting line-ups and immediately looked lively.
He soon made his presence felt too, providing an emphatic first-time finish when Joleon Lescott flicked Lampard's free-kick into his path.
The goal visibly lifted England and John Terry went close to making it 2-0 when he drove a shot into the side-netting from the edge of the area.
A second goal was not long coming, however, and inevitably it was Cole who got it - running on to Rooney's superbly weighted pass to prod the ball past the onrushing Koldo.
Glen Johnson thought he had added a third just after the hour mark but his powerful strike was ruled out because Cole - for once the villain - had drifted into an offside position.
By now England were more than comfortable and Terry also came close to adding to their tally against a side that managed only one shot on target in the entire match and were clearly only interested in damage-limitation.
But there are harder tests to come in Group Six, starting with the trip to Zagreb on Wednesday to face Croatia - the scourge of McClaren in his failed bid to reach Euro 2008.
Andorra: Alvarez, Ayala, Txema, Sonejee, Antoni Lima (Fernandez 90), Ildefons Lima, Pujol (Vales 90), Vieira, Silva (Toscano 65), Jimenez, Andorra.Subs Not Used: Josep Anton Gomez, Riera, Escura, Moreno.
Booked: Silva, Vieira, Antoni Lima.
England: James, Johnson, Lescott, Terry, Ashley Cole, Walcott, Barry, Lampard (Beckham 79), Downing (Joe Cole 45), Rooney, Defoe (Heskey 45).Subs Not Used: Robinson, Brown, Bridge, Bentley.
Goals: Joe Cole 49, 55.
Att: 17,500
Ref: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).

Sunday 7th September 2008
by espnstar.com

Tags: football, European, FIFA, World Cup, England, Fabio Capello, qualifying, Croatia, Joe Cole, Chelsea, Beckham, Lampard, Andorra, friendly international, sport news