Sports Infomation

Authorities say Tiger Woods has been seriously injured in a car wreck in Florida, local media reported on Friday.

The Orlando Sentinel, citing the Florida Highway Patrol, said Woods' car struck a fire hydrant and a tree in Florida's Isleworth community, near Orlando.

He pulled out of his driveway early Friday in his 2009 Cadillacsport utility vehicle.

Woods was taken to Health Central Hospital. His condition was not immediately known, though the news release said his injuries were serious.

The highway patrol says the crash is still under investigation, and charges are pending. However, the highway patrol said the crash was not alcohol-related.

Li Chao and Lee Seong-ho will leads trong Chinese and South Korean contingents in both next week's Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the back-to-back events concluding the inaugural OneAsia season.

The 1.2 million U.S. dollars Australian Open will be held from December 3-6 at the New South Wales Golf Club outside Sydney, while the PGA Championship, from December 10-13, will offer the same purse at the Hyatt Regency Coolum on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Lee, 23, currently lies third in the Korean Tour Order of Meritafter winning two titles this year. Hong Chang-kyu, 37, and Hong Soon-sang, 28, have also won in 2009 and are part of a 29-strong contingent from the Korean Tour, including five players in the top15 on the Order of Merit.

Li, who won the China Tour Order of Merit in 2005 and 2007, and Liao Guiming, who topped last year's money list, are the leading lights arriving from China.

The 29-year-old Li is returning to Australia two years after travelling alone to compete in the 2007 Australian PGA Championship, when he withdrew after the first round with chest pains.

"Many star players will be competing in both events, so it's my chance to learn from them and to improve," said Li, who won a record eight titles on the China Tour from 2005 to 2008.

"I'm in better condition than last time so I'm looking forward to the trip. I'm also very happy because the re are many Chinese players competing, so I won't be alone. It's very good for me as we can all help each other."

Australian stars including Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott and popular American John Daly will compete in both events, while former world number ones Fred Couples and Vijay Singh will star at the Open and PGA respectively.

Kunming-based pro Chen Jian is also excited about competing Down Under as the 34-year-old concludes his most successful season, which included a playoff victory over Australian Rowan Beste in June's Luxehills Golf Championship in Chengdu.

"Many of my friends have been asking me what it feels like to be playing big events in Australia with players like Fred Couples, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and John Daly. They're all superstars on the US PGA Tour, so it will be a great chance for me to learn from them," said Chen, 34.

"I've never played an event with famous players like this, so I'm excited and looking forward to the two weeks in Australia . I've done some research on the two courses so I know more about the greens and hope my preparation will help me score well."

Liao, 32, is another of China's top players and won last year's Sofitel Golf Championship in Nanjing and recorded two runner-up finishes on his way to winning the China Tour Order of Merit for the first time.

South Korean teenager Eom Jae-woong, who is based in Qingdao, will also be flying down from China. This year the talented 19-year-old finished runner-up once and sixth twice in three China Tour events while also competing on the Korean Tour.

Striker James Chamanga scored a hat-trick to help Zambia beat DPR Korea 4-1 in a friendly international on Saturday.

Chamanga scored twice within the first 15 minutes and completedhis hat-trick with a 70th minute penalty.

Mun In Guk converted a penalty for the Koreans before Zambia substitute Felix Sunzu, who came on for Chamanga, completed the rout by netting home in the final minute.

In South Africa, DPR Korea will make its first World Cup appearance since the 1966 finals in England.

Zambia was using the match to warm up for January's African Nations Cup finals in Angola.

FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admitted he was worried about the possible extent of the groin injury striker Leo Messi suffered in Bilbao on Saturday night.

Messi was substituted after 75 minutes of his side's 1-1 draw against Athletic Club and sat in the dugout with an icepack on the left side of his groin.

It's not yet certain whether or not the Argentinean has merely a strain or whether he has torn a muscle, but he will certainly miss Tuesday's vital Champions League match against Inter Milan and is a doubt for next Sunday's "Clasico" against Real Madrid.

"The first feelings we have about the injury are not that good," he admitted in declarations published on the Barcelona website on Sunday.

"I am certain he feels sad about it, because nobody likes to be injured," said the Barca coach, who is also without a Rafael Marquez, Toure Yaya and Eric Abidal, who all have cases of the A/H1N1 Swine Flu virus.

"What can we do about it?" commented Guardiola. "We can't just stop and wait for them to get better. The fans will have to realize that we are going to play with the players that we have available," he said.

Ceara, Guarani and Atletico-GO, together with the second division champion Vasco Saturday mathematically guaranteed their spots in the top flight in the Brazilian soccer championship next season.

With one round left to play in the second division, Vasco leads the field with 76 points, followed by Ceara on 67, Guarani with 66and Atletico-GO, 65.

Vasco, just as Corinthians in 2008, only spent one year in the second division before earning the right to return to the Serie A.Mean while, the triumph marks the end of Ceara's 16-year absence from the first division.

On the other end of the standings, the four teams to be sent into the third division (Serie C), will be decided after the 38th and last round of play next week.

As of today, Campinense-PB holds onto dead last place with 33 points, followed by ABC in 19th place with 35 points, Fortaleza with 37 points and Juventude with 44 points.

However, Ipatinga, Brasiliense-DF and America-RN all have 45 points, making the final round of play decisive for the bottom teams of the league.

Sevilla announced on its website on Sunday that striker Arouna Kone will miss Tuesday's Champions League match away to Romania's Unirea Urziceni after his daughter injured in an accident.

The Cote d'Ivoire international has flown to Brussels to be with his six-year-old daughter who fell down the stairs at home and suffered a serious blow to the head.

Sevilla have already qualified from Group G.

South Africa’s Crime Line organization has stepped up the fight against sex trade abuses known as “human trafficking” as the country gears up to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, less than 200 days away.

“With 2010 around the corner, we must stop the abuse of women and children,” said South African Crime Line Chief Executive Yusuf Abramjee in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Crime Line is a tip-off service where members of the public are encouraged to give the police information anonymously via cellphone text messages.

The anticipated surge in human trafficking during the 2010 FIFA World Cup has prompted a prevention drive by nongovernmental organizations and the police, who say they have already begun tracking possible traffickers.

Abramjee said the Crime Line special focus on human trafficking for the next two weeks would coincide with the annual 16 days of activism campaign against the abuse of women and children, which starts on Nov. 25 and runs until December 10.

“The theme for the 16-days campaign is: ‘Don't look away, Act against Abuse’. This is exactly what Crime Line is constantly urging,” said Abramjee.

“Human trafficking is a growing problem worldwide. Women and children are constantly being exploited and abused. It’s time to break our silence. If you have any information on human trafficking, send your tip-off to Crime Line now and the police will act."

“Many women and children are also been drawn into prostitution by organized crime syndicates. Let’s get the leaders of these syndicates arrested,” said Abramjee.

"We encourage the public to continue passing on general information but are zooming-in on human trafficking for the next two weeks. It’s no secret that human trafficking increases around big event. And we have FIFA 2010 coming up.”

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said last week (November 19) “We need to strengthen the partnership between the police, the public and the media. The Crime Line initiative is a good example of how – if we all work together – we can win.”

“Since the launch of Crime Line in June 2007, 853 suspected criminals have been arrested and R32,1 million worth of stolen property, drugs and counterfeit goods has been seized by the SA Police Service," said the minister.

“We are pleased to see more and more members of the public blowing the whistle on crime. We urge them to continue using the Crime Line”, the minister said.

“We know who does wrong in our communities – whether they are murderers, rapists, drug dealers, or peddlers, cash heist gangs, fraudsters, buyers of stolen goods, hijackers or robbers, don’t protect them."

“The war against criminals needs to be intensified. We will therefore not retreat from our tough stance neither will we be distracted. We will search and find them, if they go to the sea, we will dive in. If they hide in the bushes, we will be offensive in our approach. All these approaches will be policy-driven and within the ambits of the law. This is a re-affirmation we are giving to South Africans,” the minister added.

South Africa has recently launched a Red Light 2010 campaign in Johannesburg. The initiative was spearheaded by Johannesburg Child Welfare, together with two local NGOs, the Southern African Network on Trafficking and Abuse of Children and Women Leadership in Southern Africa, a gender-based organization in the Southern African Development Community region.

Child Welfare's assistant director Carol Bews said: "During 2010, there will be a lot of visitors coming to our country. With so many people in South Africa, we will see women and children being trafficked. This campaign intends to give people knowledge about how trafficking happens."

"At this point, the traffickers are probably well in place yet we have not yet got our activities together," Bews said.

The Red Light campaign came in the wake of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report which recommended that South Africa "address demand for commercial sex acts and protect children from commercial sexual exploitation in advance of the 2010 World Cup".

Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city, is the capital of Gauteng province. At the Red Light 2010 launch, Kate Mocheki, a social worker at the Gauteng Children's Rights Committee, said the lack of awareness within communities was problematic.

“Crime statistics do not reflect human trafficking as it is not often reported because communities do not understand the nature of the crime,” she said.

"There is no understanding of what human trafficking is, hence it is not yet seen as a crime. Yet human trafficking is a growing trend in South Africa," she said.

South Africa plans to create special courts dedicated to handling crimes committed during the World Cup, aiming to speed up the judicial process, especially for cases involving foreigners, the Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday.

The South African government hopes the promise of swift justice will help stamp out crime during the event and ease worries of fans visiting one of the world's most violent countries.

"The courts are here to speed the process. There is not going to be any leniency," said Justice Department spokesman Tlali Tlali.

"We're going to deal with all cases that have to do with the tournament," he said.

An average of 50 people die violently every day in South Africa, while 250, 000 homes are burgled every year.

The Justice Ministry is concerned that the influx of 450, 000 tourists will bring with it a surge in crime.

"The experience from previous host countries has shown that the influx of foreign nationals in World Cups also potentially increases criminal activities," the Justice Ministry said.

"Therefore, special measures do need to be put in place in order to process any criminal matters that may arise from big events such as the World Cup."

If any foreigners are involved in crimes - either as victims or perpetrators - their cases will receive priority at the special courts.

"The scheme obviously hopes to see justice done to foreigners who are the victims of crime, while the foreigners are available in South Africa to give evidence," said lawyer Peter Jordi, a professor at the University of the Witwaters-rand.

"This will also act as a disincentive to commit crimes against foreigners," he added.

China beat Lebanon 1-0 to get their third win in a row at the AFC Asian Cup qualifier at the Yellow Dragon Sports center here on Sunday.

China ranks the second with 9 points after three wins and a loss, a point lower than Group D leaders Syria at 10. China lost to Syria in their first meeting, and the two sides will meet again next January in Hangzhou. Vietnam sits at the third with four points, while Lebanon takes the bottom seat after four defeats.

Captain Du Wei took the winner with a header following Deng Zhuoxiang's right wing cross in the 19th minute.

The hosts had several clear chances in the match. Rong Hao burst down the left and fed a nice low cross to pick an unmarked midfielder Hao Junmin in the box, before the latter's shot was parried by keeper Lary Mehanna on 18 minutes. Zhao Xuri forced the in-form keeper another great save with a powerful long range shot before the break.

Deng Zhuoxiang's 56 minute freekick was also denied by Mehanna.

Valencia scored an easy win away to Osasuna to keep the pressure on leaders Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla in the Spanish first division soccer league.

Spain international forward David Villa opened the scoring after 12 minutes. David Albelda added the second eight minutes later and Carlos Marchena made it 3-0 nine minutes into the second half.

The home side were reduced to 10 men when Walter Pandiani was given a red card, but a Masoud header helped the team pull one goal back.

Earlier, Real Mallorca maintained their 100 percent record at the Ono Estadi with a 3-1 victory over Almeria, but it needed two late strikes from Victor and Gonzalo Castro, who bagged his second of the game, to secure all three points.

Mallorca are sixth with 20 points.

Brazil striker Nilmar scored twice to lead Villarreal to a 3-1 home win over Real Valladolid that moved them up to 11th with 12 points.

Real Madrid replaced Barcelona at the top of the league on Saturday after Gonzalo Higuain scored in a 1-0 home win over Racing Santander, moving them on to 28 points.

Champions Barca were held 1-1 at Athletic Bilbao and have 27 points, two ahead of third-placed Sevilla, who beat promoted Tenerife 2-1 away.

Atletico-MG suffered their third straight game in the Brazilian championship after losing 1-0to Internacional on Sunday.

Atletico-MG dropped to 5th place with 56 points, while Internacional return to the top four - 3rd place with 59 points.

The second-to-last round of this year's tournament will take Atletico-MG to Palmeiras on November 29. The team's last match will be at home when they face Corinthians.

Internacional will travel to play last place Sport on November 29. In the last round of play on December 6, Internacional will host Santo Andre.

Newell's Old Boys were held 2-2 by Rosario Central in the Argentine championship on Sunday.

Central raced into a two-goal lead in 12 minutes, but Newell's tied the score line with goals from Uruguayan Joaquin Boghossian at the 15th minute and Paraguayan Jorge Achucarro at the 28th minute.

After this match Newell's have 33 points, followed by Banfield and Central.

In front of a sold out crowd of more than 84,000 fans, Flamengo was unable to produce an important win over Goias in the 36th round of play in the Brazilian Championship.

With Sao Paulo's 3-2 defeat at the hands of Botafogo, all Flamengo needed to do was to win to take the lead and stand in first place with only two weeks left of competition. However, the 0-0 result frustrated both teams.

Flamengo now has 61 points, one point behind leader Sao Paulo. Goias dropped to 9th place on 51 points.

In the 37th round, Flamengo will travel to play Corinthians on November 29, and Goias host Sao Paulo.

Nacional stayed on the top of the Uruguayan soccer league after defeating Danubio club 2-0 on Sunday.

Nacional won with goals scored by Gustavo Varela and Diego Verain the 29th and 85th minute apiece.

Nacional has 27 points, two more than Liverpool, which tied Wanderers at nil.

Nacional will face Pernarol in the next round.

Meanwhile, Defensor Sporting won 4-1 over Cerro and Central Espanol tied Cerrito at 2-2.

Juventus player Alessandro Del Piero (R) challenges Andrea Coda (L) of Udinese during their Italian Serie A soccer match at Olympic stadium in Turin, November 22, 2009. Junvetus wins with 1-0.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Getafe during their Spanish first division match at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium in Getafe, September 12, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
MADRID, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona issued a statement on Sunday with good news about the extent of striker Leo Messi's groin injury.

The Argentinean limped out of Saturday's 1-1 draw away to Athletic Club Bilbao after 75 minutes of the game. He sat in the dugout and applied an icepack to his upper left leg.

In the post match press conference, coach Pep Guardiola admitted he had feared the worst for the striker.

"The first feelings we have about the injury are not that good," he admitted in declarations published on the Barcelona website.

With Barcelona due to entertain Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday and receive title rivals Real Madrid next Sunday, it was initially feared Messi would miss the two most important games of the season to date.

However, the club's medical section says that Messi's injury is not serious and says he could even be fit to play against Inter.

"The player has a grade one injury on his left quadriceps. We will follow the evolution of the injury, but his participation is not ruled out for Tuesday," Barcelona said in the press release.

The same press release also said striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich could recover from his hamstring strain in time to face Inter, while adding that defender Rafael Marquez is not suffering from A/H1N1 flu.

Toure Yaya does, however, have the virus and will not be available until the weekend.

FC Barcelona plays perhaps the most important game of the season to date when Inter Milan visits the Camp Nou Stadium on Tuesday night.

Barcelona goes into the match third in its qualifying group and knowing that defeat to the side coached by Jose Mourinho could leave them out of the competition they won last June.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has to count on several injury worries. Star striker Leo Messi limped out of Saturday's 1-1 draw in Bilbao with a groin strain.

Medical reports on Sunday gave him a chance of playing, but Messi will be a doubt until the last moment and could well start the game on the substitutes' bench.

Zlatan Ibrahimovich is also doubtful for the match against his former side after missing Saturday's match with a hamstring problem, while Rafael Marquez has a fever and Toure Yaya and Eric Adidal have cases of the A/H1N1 Swine Flu virus.

That means Maxwell will play at left back with Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique in central defense and Dani Alves on the right.

The Barca defense will have to be at its best, because former Camp Nou hero Samuel Eto'o will be doing his best to score against his former club.

Eto'o, who scored the opening goal of last season's final, was deemed surplus to requirements by Guardiola and formed part of the Ibrahimovich transfer.

He will be keen to show Guardiola was wrong and his pace will be a constant threat.

The Camp Nou will also be looking forward to welcoming back Mourinho, who was assistant to Bobby Robson in the late 90s. Mourinho became a hate figure for the Barca faithful during his time at Chelsea and can expect a difficult evening.

With the visit of Real Madrid around the corner, Barcelona needs a win both to boost club morale and also to ensure its place in Europe. Any other result would be seen as a humiliation before the month of November has finished.

Portsmouth's England keeper David James shrugged off the scare of the injury he has sustained in the warm-up for Sunday's Premier League match against Stoke City.

"I had a scan and it's just a minor tear, so in some respects I'm happy. We thought it could be worse," the 39-year-old told local media on Monday.

England coach Capello said earlier this month that he would only bring fit players to next year's World Cup in South Africa, so James, who has not started a match for England since April, needs to prove his fitness to Capello.

Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday moved back to the top of the German Bundesliga standings after fighting to a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich.

The win takes Leverkusen to 27 points, one more than Werder Bremen and two more than Schalke 04. Bayern are seventh on 21.

Germany striker Mario Gomez had given the home side an early lead in the 8th minute when he ran on to a Miroslav Klose through ball and sliced the ball past Germany goalkeeper Rene Adler.

It took the visitors just six minutes to level when Stefan Kiessling scored after a quick breakaway, which Arturo Vidal set up with a pass through the middle from inside his own half.

Elsewhere, Hamburg lost to Bochum 1-0.

Botafogo shocked first place Sao Paulo 3-2 in the 36th round of play in the Brazilian Championship on Sunday.

Estevam Soares, the head coach of Botafogo, said that the win was important, as it would help the team avoid being relegated to the second division next season.

"We need a great win like this in the closing weeks of the Brazilian Championship. Next week, we will have a tough match. However, enthusiasm will carry on and will help us to keep from the risk of being lowered into the second division," said Soares.

Botafogo now has 44 points, but remains in 16th place of the 20-team league. The team cannot afford to lose in the remaining two rounds.

Botafogo will next travel to play Atletico-PR on November 29.

Liverpool remained at the top of the Uruguayan soccer league after a goalless draw with Wanderers on Sunday.

Liverpool now has 25 points, followed by Nacional at 24.

During the match, Liverpool created many scoring chances but was unable to convert on any of them.

Italy's demotion-threatened soccer club Siena sacked coach Marco Baroni and named Alberto Malesani as his replacement on Monday.

Youth team coach Baroni took charge of the team just one month ago but the results did not improve as Siena have slipped to the bottom on the standings.

"Siena announce they have reached an agreement with Alberto Malesani to be first team coach," a statement said.

Malesani, who won the UEFA Cup with Parma in 1999, was last manager of Empoli in the top flight in 2008 before they were relegated.

Atletico Madrid full-back Mariano Pernia is likely to be included in the starting lineup away to APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League on Wednesday after being injured in a car accident five months ago.

The former Spain international suffered multiple injuries including fractured bones in his shoulder and back and a puncturedlung.

Atletico now are third in Group D, behind already qualified Chelsea and Porto, and need a victory over the Cypriots to claim aplace in the Europa League.

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees said on Tuesday the choice of Sydney as a venue for a FIFA-organised fan park during the 2010 World Cup is a positive sign in Australia's bid to host the event.

Sydney has been selected as one of seven sites worldwide for a official FIFA Fan Fest site during the World Cup finals in South Africa.

The other cities selected are London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro as well as all nine host cities in South Africa.

Rees said the choice of Sydney was a boost for the bid with five of the other live site cities - London, Paris, Rome and Berlin - having previously hosted the World Cup final.

"Five of the other cities have hosted a World Cup final. Rio is likely to host the World Cup final in 2014," Rees told reporters.

"We don't want to raise expectations too high but we can only interpret it as a positive sign," Rees said.

The Sydney site at Darling Harbour is expected to attract 30,000 fans a night, with all 64 matches of the tournament to be shown live on giant screens.

The coverage of the matches will be complimented with pre-match and post match concerts and other performances.

The site will also be linked to other live sites across the globe and the official broadcast coverage which will have a cumulative audience for the 64 games of about 30 billion people in214 countries.

The exposure will be invaluable as Australia bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals.

The 2010 World Cup will be the first time the Fan Fest concept has been taken internationally

Marcio Braga, president of Brazil's Flamengo soccer club, said on Monday that he is fully confident that his team will win the Brazilian championship.

With two rounds left to go, Flamengo now has 61 points, only one point short of defending champion and leader Sao Paulo.

"Our team is ready. We are all very focused on winning this year's Brazilian soccer championship. We are close," said Braga.

Reigning champions Barcelona cruised past Inter Milan 2-0 to go top of European Champions League Group F thanks to two goals in the first 26 minutes through Gerard Pique and Pedro Rodriguez on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola's side started the day under pressure lying third in the table and appeared to be weakened when Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were sidelined from the match.

First half goals were enough to give the Catalans all three points and they only need a point from their trip to Kiev in two weeks time to assure a place in the knockout stage.

Elsewhere, five-times winners Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages despite a 1-0 win at Debrecen in Group E action.

The same group saw Fiorentina go through to the knockout stage by beating already-qualified Olympique Lyon 1-0 with a penalty from Peru's Juan Vargas. The win by the Italians also ended Liverpool's chances in the group.

"I'm very disappointed because we had chances in all the games," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. "We have to be disappointed but at least we won. We did our job today."

David Ngog scored in the fourth minute, and Liverpool had several other chances, with Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic making good saves from Ngog in the 38th and Steven Gerrard in the 59th.

Benitez said that goals suffered in earlier group games had ruined Liverpool's campaign.

"We were not worse than the other teams," he said, adding that Liverpool would now concentrate on Sunday's English Premier League match against Everton and later on the Europa League.

In Group H, Arsenal reached the last 16 thanks to a 2-0 home win over Standard Liege.

The Gunners took the lead through Frenchman Samir Nasri in the first half and added a second through a long-range drive by Denilson shortly before the half-time break.

Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o was given a warm welcome on his return to the Nou Camp with new club Inter but had little else to enjoy.

Although the Catalans had won only three of their previous seven home Champions League games, they were unbeaten in six matches against Italian sides.

Even without injured Messi and Ibrahimovic, Barcelona were too good for Inter.

"Barcelona were the only team that played and they played very well," said Inter coach Jose Mourinho, who used to work as a translator for the late Sir Bobby Robson at the Catalan club.

"They were far superior and we can't have any complaints about the victory."

Debutants Unirea Urziceni boosted their chances in Group G by beating already-qualified Sevilla 1-0.

The Romanian champions are second with eight points, two ahead of Stuttgart, who beat Rangers 2-0.

Reigning Champions FC Barcelona took a huge step towards qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League following a 2-0 win at home to Inter Milan.

First half goals from Gerard Pique and Pedro Rodriguez were enough to give the Catalans all three points and the result leaves them top of Group and needing just a point from their trip to Kiev in two weeks time to assure a place in the knockout stage.

The run up to the game had been dominated by speculation as to whether Barcelona duo Leo Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovich would be able to shake off injuries in time to start.

Messi was struggling with a groin strain picked up in Bilbao on Saturday, while Ibrahimovich had a hamstring problem.

In the end both started the game on the substitutes' bench with Pedro Rodriguez and Thierry Henry in the starting 11. Eric Abidal was also a surprise starter after having recovered from his case of Swine Flu.

The news of the 0-0 draw in the other Group F game between Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kiev, which had kicked off two hours earlier, took some pressure off Barcelona, meaning a win would take Pep Guardiola's team back to the top of their group.

Had Rubin won in Russia, a defeat in the Camp Nou would have seen Barcelona out of the competition.

Buoyed by that news Barcelona started strongly forcing three corners in the first 10 minutes. From the third of those Pique opened the scoring: Xabi Hernandez crossed, Thierry Henry got a touch and Pique finished at the far post.

Inter remained true to its defensive style of play and the game ran the risk of getting out of control as the Italians committed a series of fouls in the middle of the park.

Pedro Rodriguez doubled Barcelona's lead after 25 minutes, volleying home a cross from right back Dani Alves.

If Inter had any hopes of getting back into the match in the second half, they were soon to disappear. Although Jose Mourinho's side tried to pressure further up field, Barca remained in control.

With Xabi and Iniesta back to their best, Barcelona was able to move the ball around to the frustration of the Italians.

The fact that Inter only managed three shots in all of the game says everything about Barcelona's control and that will give Guardiola's men the perfect morale boost for the visit of Real Madrid next Sunday.

Elsewhere Dragutinovich's own goal at the end of the first half saw Sevilla slip to its first European defeat of the campaign away to Rumanian side Urinrea Urziceni.

After enjoying his most successful season with Los Angeles Galaxy, England midfielder David Beckham looks to his loan spell with Italy's soccer club AC Milan in January.

Beckham needs more time to prove his worth to England manager Fabio Capello who is in charge of making the squad for June's World Cup finals in South Africa.

According to the contact with Galaxy, Beckham will formally join AC Milan on Dec. 28, and stay in Italy for the rest of its season that ends on May 16.

He scored two goals and had three assists in 11 games for the Galaxy this season.

Gamba Osaka midfielder Yasuhito Endo has been named Asian Player of the Year, the Asian Football Confederation said here on Tuesday.

Endo was the fourth Japanese to win the honor, after Masami Ihara (1995), Hidetoshi Nakata (1997-98) and Shinji Ono (2002).

The National Team of the Year award went to South Korea, whose coach Huh Jung Moo claimed the Coach of the Year award.

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to make his long awaited return to action when Real Madrid entertains Swiss side FC Zurich in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The Portuguese international has been out of action with an ankle injury that he picked up on international duty at the start of October.

Now he returns at exactly the right moment, as his side look to qualify for the last 16 of the competition, just four days ahead of Sunday's visit to the Camp Nou Stadium.

Real Madrid should have few problems against a side that it defeated 5-2 away from home.

However, Manuel Pellegrini's players would do well to remember that their goals arrived in injury time after the Swiss team had fought back to 3-2 from 3-0 down back in September.

Pellegrini could use the match as to give an opportunity to captain Raul Gonzalez, who has been out of favor of late. That would allow him to rest Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema ahead of the trip to Barcelona.

With Real Madrid, AC Milan and Marseilles all within a point of each other at the top of Group C, Real needs a win to avoid a potential banana skin in its last group game, which is away to Marseilles in two week time.

Pellegrini also knows the advantages of finishing top of the group and the need for a positive performance to avoid further criticism of his direction of the team.

Ronaldo is unlikely to start the game, but will certainly get minutes as a substitute as he aims to be 100 percent fit for the Camp Nou.

Real Madrid has not played well during the month and a half the Portuguese star has been injured and Pellegrini will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief when he steps onto the pitch.

Meanwhile Atletico Madrid travels to Cyprus to play AOEPL with no chance of making it into the last 16. However, the winner of that game will earn a place in the knockout phase of the Europa League.

With Atletico currently lying third from bottom of the Primera Liga, it is vital that Quique Sanchez's Flores' side triumphs in Nicosia to keep its season alive.

Dutch soccer first division league champion AFC Ajax signed a three-year contract with the Chinese Football Association (CFA) here on Wednesday, aiming to help groom Chinese youth players and improve coaches' levels in the future.

Nan Yong, vice-president of the CFA, revealed that China had invited some trainers from Ajax to be the instructors for Chinese elite youth training course and some coaching staffs from Chinese national youth team and technical department were also sent to study in the Dutch club.

"Through these projects, we had a better understanding about the quality and idea for Ajax youth training program. Meanwhile, both sides have shown a strong interest to further develop the collaboration. After discussion, we have reached the agreement for next step," said Nan.

Based on the three-year contract (2010-2012), both sides will cooperate in the training of young talented players and coaches, the build-up of professional clubs' youth pools, and improvement of Chinese national Olympic and youth team's competitive levels.

Nan also disclosed that Ajax will play a friendly match in China next year.

The agent of Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago has dropped a hint that he would like to leave the club for a starting role in order to assure a place in Argentina's World Cup squad.

Gago, 23, is in his third season with the club that he joined from Boca Juniors, but the arrival of Xavi Alonso from Liverpool has limited his starting chances and according to his agent, Marcelo Lombilla, Gago is unhappy.

"It's not a question of money, what Gago wants is match rhythm, because the World Cup is getting close and he wants (Argentina coach Diego) Maradona to pick him for the squad," Lombilla said.

"It's no good to me to have a player who is not happy with his club, Gago is not playing and when Gago is not crying, he stays at home crying," he added.

Fiorentina beat Lyon 1-0 to book their place in the Champions League knock-out stages with a game to spare and send 2005 winners Liverpool crashing out on Wednesday.

Peru winger Juan Vargas scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as the Italians moved to the head of the table.

They now lead Group E with 12 points from Lyon on 10 and Liverpool on seven, but the English team cannot overtake their French rivals due to an inferior head-to-head record.

For Fiorentina's French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey, whose two fine saves at the death helped the Italians hold onto victory, this was a handy reminder to those back in his homeland of what he is capable of.

"I am French but I'm just so happy about this qualification, we were so motivated today, this is a huge emotion," he said.

"We've grown, we've matured, we've changed a few players, however at home we've always managed to impose our game.

"Away from home all the other teams are very good but at home we've played exceptionally.

"It's true that when I play French teams I do want to prove a point but I don't think of it as an injustice (that France coach Raymond Domenech continues to overlook him), although it does hurt."

With Adrian Mutu and Stevan Jovetic both unfit, Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli played Mario Santana behind his lone striker, a move that paid dividends early on.

Lyon's goal miraculously stayed intact despite a stunning triple chance for Fiorentina in the 11th minute that saw them twice hit the post.

Vargas sent a cross over from the left that Santana took on his chest on the edge of the box with the French team's centre-backs ball-watching.

He spun and hit a volley that came back off the post with Hugo Lloris well beaten but the France goalkeeper then reacted admirably to make a sprawling save to his right from Alberto Gilardino's follow-up.

Vargas then took the resulting corner and Gilardino rose above former Juventus defender Jean-Alain Boumsong but his header hit the far post with Lloris again spectating.

It was a rare moment of action in the first period with the next significant passage of play resulting in the goal.

Marco Marchionni skipped behind full-back Aly Cissokho with the former Porto player clumsily bringing him down from behind in the box.

Vargas smashed the penalty high into the net with Lloris diving the wrong way.

Lyon came out with more purpose after the break and Miralem Pjanic had two chances, shooting wide from Bafetimbi Gomis's lay-off and then firing over from a free-kick.

Around the hour mark, Fiorentina had two good chances of their own as Gilardino shot wide on the turn after he was played into the box and then Santana played Marchionni in only for Cissokho to come to the rescue with a perfectly-timed last ditch challenge.

And on 68 minutes Gilardino had a chance to wrap up victory as Lorenzo De Silvestri's right-wing cross found him in the middle but his first time shot on the half-volley was off target.

Teenager Pjanic was proving Lyon's best attacking option and a swerving, dipping free-kick almost flummoxed La Viola goalkeeper Sebastien Frey, who somehow scooped the ball away volleyball style.

By now it was clear that the hosts simply wanted to hold on to what they had and they almost paid for it three minutes from time as Frey had to get down low to beat out Jean II Makoun's low shot.

Lyon kept pushing and Frey again saved from a fierce Lisandro Lopez strike from 12 yards in stoppage time - the Argentine failing to repeat his last gasp antics against Liverpool three weeks ago.

German giants Bayern Munich preserved their chances for Champions League last 16 with an unspectacular 1-0 victory over Macabi Haifa at Allianz-Arena on Wednesday.

Thanks to the 2-0 victory for Bordeux against Juventus, Bayern's hope to advance still keeps alive.

Bayern dominated and controlled the ball from the start, who produced good goal scoring opportunities but failed to score at the first half.

Macabi Haifa staged a well-positioned defence to resist Bayern's attack. After interval, Bayern striker Ivica Olic opened the scoring at the 62nd minute.

Mario Gomez hammered to target but was denied by Macabi goalkeeper Nir Davidovitch. Olic slotted in from close distance into the open goal.

In 78th minute, striker Thomas Mueller and midfielder Mark van Bommel both missed the shot passing post wide. At injury time, Mark van Bommel had the opportunity to double the lead, but his shot missed the far post.

Bayern need a victory on last group match again second positioned Juventus to qualify for last 16.

Three points and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to action were the Orly positives that Real Madrid's supporters could draw from their side's performance in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Gonzalo Higuain's goal halfway through the first half was all that separated the sides and although Real Madrid needs a disaster in Marseilles to fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

The win means that Real has to lose 3-0 away to Olympique Marseilles to be knocked out of the Champions League.

Real Madrid went into the game knowing that they had beaten Zurich 5-2 in Switzerland in the opening group game and most of the fans must have been expecting a comfortable win.

However, there was little doubt that the supporters in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium had gone to see Ronaldo's return after 55 days sidelined with an ankle injury.

Ronaldo started the game among the substitutes, but there was a start for Raul, who partnered Higuain in attack, with Karim Benzema also dropping to the bench.

The first 45 minutes made it clear that Real Madrid was the better team. However, Manuel Pellegrini's side struggled to make that superiority count against a Zurich team that surrendered possession and waited for its rival to attack.

Real's football still lacked fluidity to the obvious discontent of the fans in the stands.

That changed after 22 minutes when Higuain opened the scoring, firing home from inside of the penalty area after collecting a pass from Kaka.

Marcelo hit the woodwork before the break with a volley after Madrid had taken a corner, but it was still clear that the game was crying out for a bit of Ronaldo magic.

As the second half began it was clear that most attention was on the Madrid dugout, rather than the action on the pitch, which became increasingly untidy as Pellegrini' s side got increasingly untidy.

Shots on goal were few and far between, but Ronaldo's entry into the game with 20 minutes remaining brought the crowd to life, if not the game.

He looked keen to join the action, but on a couple of occasions seemed to lack the confidence to risk his ankle.

Rafael Van der Vaart should have scored a second with a minute remaining, while Ronaldo himself fired wide in the 91st minute.

Two minutes later Zurich won its first corner of the night. It came to nothing, but was enough to ensure that once again the Real Madrid players were booed off the pitch.

FC Barcelona's French international defender Eric Abidal this Wednesday extended his current contract with the club until the end of June 2012.

The 30-year-old has added another year onto his previous deal which was due to expire at the end of the 2010-2011 season.

He is the sixth Barcelona player to pen a new deal with the reigning European and Spanish Champions in recent months, following the footsteps of Carles Puyol, Leo Messi, Toure Yaya, Pedro Rodruguez and goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Abidal arrived at the club in the summer of 2007 and is first choice in his position of left back after holding off the pressure from Sylvinho and Maxwell, who arrived from Inter Milan this summer.

"I feel very happy in this city and at this team. It is the best club in the world," Abidal told Barcelona TV after the announcement of his deal.

The player has recently shaken off an ankle injury and a case of swine flu and played in Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League win at home to Inter Milan.

Cristiano Ronaldo has returned after being sidelined nearly two months due to injury on Wednesday.

Ronaldo came back as a second-half substitute in Real Madrid's Champions League match against FC Zurich.

The Portugal winger, who hasn't played for Madrid since injuring an ankle in a Champions League win over Marseille on Sept.30, was brought on for Raul Gonzalez in the 70th minute of Wednesday's Group C match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Ronaldo is Madrid's leading scorer in Europe this season with four goals.

Arsenal's Cameroon international midfielder Alex Song has signed a new long-term contract, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old, nephew of Cameroon defender Rigobert Song, joined Arsenal from French club Bastia in 2006. He has made 96 appearances for the north London club while helping his country to next year's World Cup finals.

Manchester United's 23-match unbeaten home record in the Champions League came to a sudden halt on Wednesday as the English Premier league outfit lost 1-0 to Turkish side Besiktas.

Rodrigo Tello netted the only goal for the Turkish side after 20 minutes with a shot from distance.

United have already qualified for the knockout stage but they still need a point from their visit to Wolfsburg, who lost 2-1 to CSKA Moscow, in a fortnight to claim top spot.

"I think we were a bit anxious but its not a bad thing - they're young and you expect that," said United manager Alex Ferguson, who fielded a largely young side for the match.

"It was a stellar performance in terms of the flow of the game and we've shown some really good things," added Ferguson.

Bayern Munich, facing an early Champions League exit, revived their chances of reaching the last 16 as they beat Maccabi Haifa 1-0 and rivals Juventus lost at Girondins Bordeaux, who have qualified for the knockout stage.

Bayern will in the next round face Juventus, who collected eight points, one clear of third-placed Bayern.

Haifa, bottom of the group, have yet to score a point or a goalin the competition.

"I saw a very good match against a very tough team," Bayern coach Louis van Gaal told reporters. "It could have been more than just one goal. I think it was one of our best games.

"I think now the chances are 50-50 against Juventus," he said. "We will get our chances in Turin."

In Group C, nine-time champions Real Madrid took a huge step towards securing their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 victory over FC Zurich.

AC Milan failed to keep pace with Real in the same group as they were held 1-1 by Marseille, leaving both qualifying spots wide open in Group C.

In Group D, Chelsea ensured they would finish top with an efficient 1-0 win away at Porto. Both teams have qualified for th eround of last 16.

Romario will temporarily end his retirement to fulfill his late father's dream by playing a match with Rio de Janeiro-based club America.

The 43-year-old striker, who retired last year after a 23-year professional career, will try to help America win the title of Rio's second division on Wednesday.

Romario's father cheered for America and had always wanted to see the striker wear the club's jersey.

Romario oversees the football operations of the club, which has already secured a spot in the first division next year and can clinch the title against Artsul on Wednesday.

Romario, who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title, hasn't played an official match since November 2007 with Vasco da Gama.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo promised he will score a goal against FC Barcelona in the Camp Nou Stadium this Sunday.

The most expensive footballer in the world came off the bench to play the last 20 minutes of his side's disappointing 1-0 draw to Zurich on Wednesday night.

It was his first appearance since injuring his right ankle whilst playing for Portugal in early October. He missed almost two months and looked slightly off the pace despite almost scoring a goal in the last minute of the game.

However, speaking to local television station TeleMadrid, he promised to improve at the weekend.

"I felt OK and my ankle didn't give me any problems. I've been out of action for a while and it's normal for me not to be 100% atthe moment," said Ronaldo.

"I am confident that I can soon get back to the condition I was in before I got injured, because I want to help the team by scoring goals."

"I couldn't score today, but I will score in the next game (against Barcelona)," he added.

"I want to start in the Clasico, but that is down to the decision of our coach. I want to play, to win and to score in that game," insisted the Portuguese striker, who knows that Barcelona, who beat Inter Milan 2-0 on Tuesday, will be tough rivals.

"It will be a hard game, but we can win it. We have got our strengths and I don't care who plays for Barcelona," he said.