Top 10 sports scams - cheating and great sport scandals
To be sure, the winner-take-all aspects of our economy and culture inspire great striving and the pursuit of excellence. But they also bring out the worst in people, producing envy, cheating and cutthroat behavior. These problems — the moral downsides of Worlds current brand of extreme capitalism — deserve more attention in the national debate about “values.”
One big reason for more cheating today is that we live in an age of vast income gaps, where the carrots for winners are bigger than ever. Look in any field, and you’ll find bigger paychecks for the stars these days. Given how big these carrots have become, it shouldn’t be surprising that more people will cut corners to grasp them.
1. Hand of God - Maradona goal
The Hand of God goal (Spanish: Mano de Dios) was scored as the result of an illegal (but unpenalised) handball by Diego Maradona in the quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup between England and Argentina, played on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. Argentina won 2–1 and for some English people the legacy of this event perhaps best symbolizes the rivalry between the two teams, and is usually mentioned whenever the two sides meet.Six minutes into the second half, the score was 0–0. Maradona cut inside from the right flank and played a diagonal low pass to the edge of the area to teammate Jorge Valdano and continued his run in the hope of a one-two movement. Maradona’s pass, however, was played slightly behind Valdano and reached England’s Steve Hodge, the left-midfielder who had dropped back to defend.
Hodge (who swapped shirts with Maradona after the game) tried to hook the ball clear but miscued it. The ball screwed off his foot and into the penalty area, toward Maradona, who had continued his run. England goalkeeper Peter Shilton duly came out of his goal to punch the ball clear, with his considerable height (6′1″ or 185cm) making him clear favourite to beat Maradona (5′5″ or 165cm) to it. However, Maradona reached it first—with the outside of his left fist. The ball went into the goal, and the referee, (Tunisian Ali Bin Nasser), not having seen the infringement, allowed the goal.
Many people, including Shilton, did not initially realize it was a handball. Some television commentators thought the objections of the English defenders were claims for offside (Maradona could not have been offside because the previous touch was by an England player), and it was only clear from other camera angles—not the original one—that there had been an offence.
The Argentine players and fans celebrated (video shows Maradona looking toward the referee; he later said “I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came . . . I told them, ‘Come hug me, or the referee isn’t going to allow it.’” [1] while the English players protested to no avail.
Incidents of players seeking to gain an advantage by skirting the laws of the game, in the hope that the referee does not see, are common. This incident has derived its notoriety largely from the importance and closeness of the match, the animosity between the nations, and the responses of Maradona and the English media.There is more Hand of God Wikipedia.
2. It’s a Sprint, Not a Marathon
Cuban American runner Rosie Ruiz didn’t just win the 1980 Boston Marathon, she set a new record with a time of 2:31:56. However, on closer inspection, it turned out Ruiz probably hadn’t run the whole race. Or even most of it. No one saw Ruiz plodding along in the early going, and she somehow shaved over 25 minutes off her impressively fast time in the 1979 New York Marathon only six months earlier, further raising eyebrows.
It turned out that maybe the New York Marathon time wasn’t completely legit, either; a freelance photographer came forward with the revelation that she had definitely been with Ruiz on the subway during the race. Soon, a narrative formed: it seemed that Ruiz had cheated in the New York Marathon, and cheated so well she’d posted an outstanding sub-three-hour time and qualified for Boston, a major achievement for any marathon runner. Her boss was so excited about this triumph that he offered to pay her expenses to run Boston. At this point, Ruiz was probably too embarrassed to fess up to her earlier misdeed, so she went to Boston and waited at Kenmore Square, around a mile from the finish line, jumped into the race, and sprinted to the finish. Most observers don’t think Ruiz was trying to win, just post a respectable time, but she jumped in too early and set a new record.
Marathon officials stripped Ruiz of the title after interviewing her and finding she knew very little about the course’s landmarks or distance-running jargon, but she still maintains that she finished both races fair and square. As such, Ruiz has never returned her first place medal.
3. A Black Pox on the Black Sox
The 1919 Chicago White Sox Team Photo (Image Credit: Wikipedia)
This is pretty much the mac-daddy of all sports scandals. The 1919 Chicago White Sox was one of the greatest baseball teams ever to take the field, including superstar left fielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.
But two gamblers, “Sleepy Bill” Burns and Billy Maharg, backed up by gangster Arnold Rothstein, changed that by bribing eight players with $100,000 to throw the World Series [wiki]. The fix was a success, the Sox lost, and nobody really suspected a thing until late in the next season, when the eight players were indicted. Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis suspended them all from baseball for life, and they all had it coming.
Except one. “Shoeless” Joe did all he could to avoid being involved: he told Sox owner Charles Comiskey about the scam, but was ignored; he asked to be benched for the Series, but was refused; he even batted .375 for the Series and had 12 base hits (a Series record at the time) and the only home run. Due to the scandal, Jackson is still not in the Hall of Fame, though many players have supported his induction.
4. Stella “the Fella” Walsh
In 1980, a 69-year-old member of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame was shot and killed outside a Cleveland shopping mall. Police immediately ascertained that the victim was Stella Walsh, the greatest female track-and-field athlete of her day. Stella, born Stanislawa Walasiewiczowna in Poland, won a gold medal for Poland at the 1932 Olympics and a silver in 1936, and set 20 world records. But when the police took the body to be autopsied, they found something very unusual on the 69-year-old woman: male genitals?! Further studies showed that she … er, he … had both male and female chromosomes, a condition called mosaicism. When the shocking news got out, it took approximately 2.7 seconds for the great runner to get a new nickname: Stella the Fella.
5 Mighty Sports Illustrated Fans Strike Out
The greatest baseball pitcher of all time was actually a figment of George Plimpton’s imagination. His article for the April 1, 1985, issue of Sports Illustrated was entitled “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch.”
It told the story of an English orphan, raised by an archaeologist, educated at Harvard, and trained by a yogi in Tibet, who showed up at the Mets training camp in Florida. He could throw a fastball at 168 mph (the record at the time was a comparatively sluggish 103) and preferred to pitch with one foot bare and the other in a large hiking boot. As of the magazine’s publishing date, Finch hadn’t yet decided if he was going to play for the Mets.
The response was massive. Sports Illustrated received over 2,000 letters immediately following the story, many expressing their hopes that Sidd would play. Two weeks later, the magazine fessed up to their hoax. Of course, the clever Plimpton had included a subtle clue in the article’s subhead: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent lifestyle, Sidd’s deciding about yoga …” Confused? Just take the first letter of each word: “happyaprilfoolsday.”
6. Fishy Results
In 2005 angler Paul Tormanen of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was a rising star on the competitive bass fishing circuit, often grabbing his limit of fish within an hour of a contest opening. His career seemed to really be taking off, at least until he was arrested in Louisiana for felony contest fraud. Tormanen admitted a fairly basic scheme for winning some big-money bass tournaments; he’d catch his fish beforehand, take them out on the lake, and tie them to stumps. He used his tethered fish to win the 2005 Red River Bassmaster Central Open in Louisiana, in the process taking home a new fishing boat and $10,000 cash. Unfortunately for Tormanen, another competitor found one of his ringer fish during a practice round and secretly marked it with the help of fish and wildlife officials. When Tormanen weighed in with his catch, authorities caught onto his fraud. The incident earned Tormanen a lifetime ban from B.A.S.S. competitions, and he received a suspended sentence of six months, a fine, 120 hours of community service, and two years of probation.
7. Harness Racket
Harness racing is a bit different from the horse racing you see in competitions like the Kentucky Derby. Jockeys sit in a little cart called a sulky, and the horse pulls them along at a trotting gait. However, in the 1950s it was as corrupt as any other major gambling endeavor.
Harness racing was quickly gaining popularity in its move from pastoral enterprise to legitimate gambling sport until a major scandal rocked it in 1953. The previous year a labor baron named Thomas F. Lewis had been gunned down outside his apartment in the Bronx, and the investigation into his untimely demise turned up some sordid tales of the racing industry. Lewis had been president of a chapter of the AFL’s Building Service Employee’s Union, and as such had been the de facto boss of Yonkers Raceway, the most popular harness racing track in the country.
During his rein Lewis forced the course’s management to illegally hire hoodlums and ex-convicts as track employees without submitting to background checks. The track was also forced to retain four thugs as “labor troubleshooters” to insure against future labor disturbances that could halt racing. When Governor Thomas Dewey learned of this corruption, he promptly closed the track until each of the 1200 employees could be fingerprinted and properly identified as suitable for a racecourse.
8. Camp Barbed Wire
Rugby union is a major passion in South Africa, and the national team, known as the Springboks, wanted to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup so much that they went a bit overboard in their preparations. When the roster for the event was named in September 2003, coach Rudolph Straeuli decided to send the squad to a police camp in the South African bush. The activity, known as Kamp Staaldraad, or “Camp Barbed Wire,” would bring the players together as a team.
This excursion was no corporate team-building retreat, though. It was a bit more brutal: players were allegedly forced at gunpoint into a freezing lake to pump up rugby balls, then dumped naked into a foxhole where icy water was poured on their heads as they sang the national anthem. Other reports included the news that the players were forced to crawl naked across gravel and kill chickens.
When the South African media got wind of this training exercise it became a full-blown scandal that cost Straeulli his job and earned the contempt of most fans. Even worse, the fracas demoralized the Springboks, who couldn’t make it past New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
9. Tug of Whine
Tug of war was still a medal event during the 1908 Olympics, and that meant it could become embroiled in a scandal. When a team comprised of Liverpool’s finest police officers met the American pullers, the Englishmen quickly dispatched the Yanks. The Americans, though, cried foul. They claimed that the Brits were wearing illegal boots equipped with steel cleats to give them a traction advantage. The Liverpudlians countered that they were just police officers wearing police boots and that the Americans would have to deal with it. This response so enraged the American squad that they abruptly withdrew from the event, and the team from Liverpool went on to win the silver. That fall the Brits magnanimously offered to pull against the Americans with both sides wearing stocking feet and the proceeds going to the charity of their choice. However, it doesn’t seem this match ever took place.
10. Drug Racing
Critics occasionally like to poke fun at NASCAR’s alleged roots of Southern moonshining and bootlegging, but the now-defunct IMSA GT race circuit was rife with real smuggling during its brief life as an alternative racing league in North America. From at least 1975 to 1986 a handful of top drivers on the tour paid for their racing teams not just by selling sponsorships, but by operating a massive drug-smuggling cartel. How big was their outfit? When the drivers were caught, it was estimated that they’d imported and distributed over 300 tons of Colombian marijuana over the course of eight years. Several drivers, including John Paul, Sr., John Paul, Jr., Randy Lanier, and the Whittington brothers were convicted in connection with the ring. Former 12 Hours of Sebring winner John Paul, Sr. was the alleged mastermind of the operation; he received a 25-year federal sentence for charges that included shooting a federal witness. Pundits noted that the initials IMSA must have stood for “International Marijuana Smugglers Association.”
Conclusion : There are no easy solutions to the deep trends in World society that lead to more cheating. However, if the pattern of history holds, this era of greed and social Darwinism is likely to be followed by a new emphasis on equality and community, values that foster honest competition. In the meantime, there are plenty of practical reforms that can help keep people honest.
Chelsea and Liverpool win - Chelsea 2 Besiktas 0 and Liverpool 4 Arsenal 2
Liverpool, England - Steven Gerrard and Ryan Babel scored in the final minutes as Liverpool beat Arsenal, 4-2, in another classic Champions League battle Tuesday at Anfield to advance to the semifinals.
Liverpool, which was in danger of being eliminated in the 84th minute, rallied on a penalty kick from Gerrard and then secured a spot in the semifinals on an extra-time goal from Babel.
Liverpool won the series on aggregate, 5-3, and plays another English Premier League rival, Chelsea, in the semifinals. Chelsea defeated Fenerbahce, 2-0, to overcome a first-leg deficit and advance on aggregate, 3-2.Late goals from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Wayne Bridge gave Chelsea a comfortable win over Besiktas and confirmed Claudio Ranieri’s side as Group G winners.
The match had been switched to Germany because of security concerns in the wake of the bombings in Istanbul.
But Chelsea still faced an intimidating atmosphere after 51,000 Besiktas fans crammed into the Aufschalke Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Hasselbaink eventually silenced the ‘home’ supporters when he found the net on 77 minutes before Wayne Bridge doubled the lead with five minutes left.
Hasselbaink, restored to the Chelsea line-up in the absence of the injured Hernan Crespo, was subjected to some rugged defending.
Besiktas forward Ilhan Mansiz was also in the wars, needing running repairs for a head wound after jumping for the ball with John Terry.
Arsenal led 1-0 on Abou Diaby’s goal in the 13th minute, then after allowing a pair of goals, tied the match on Emmanuel Adebayor’s goal in the 84th minute - which would have been enough to advance on away goals.
But Gerrard converted a penalty kick just over a minute after Adebayor’s goal, then Babel finished a breakaway in extra time to give Liverpool the only win in the teams’ three meetings in the last week.
Liverpool and Arsenal tied the first leg 1-1 last week and tied their English Premier match Saturday 1-1.
Arsenal got off to a perfect start when Diaby scored less than 13 minutes into the match.
The French international midfielder ran onto a short pass from Aleksandr Hleb in the penalty area and, with a pair of Liverpool defenders closing the angle, drilled a shot that skimmed off of goalie Pepe Reina and inside the near post.
Diaby’s second Champions League goal gave Arsenal a 2-1 edge in aggregate, but the lead didn’t last long.
Liverpool’s Fabio Aurelio helped earn a corner in the 30th minute when a cross deflected off an Arsenal player and forced goalie Manuel Almunia to divert it wide.
Off the corner kick taken by captain Gerrard, Hyypia shook off his defender to get free in the area. Hyypia then headed off the right post, just over Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, and into the net.
Liverpool sensation Fernando Torres handed his side the lead in the 69th on a great effort in the box where he turned to loose two defenders and fired into the upper left corner.
Torres’ 29th goal in all competitions this season gave Liverpool the 3-2 edge in aggregate, but also meant all Arsenal needed was a 2-2 draw to advance.
Adebayor nearly delivered the equalizer in the 73rd minute when he had a one- on-one chance, but fired wide of the right post and put his hands on his head in disgust.
But frustration turned to excitement in the 84th minute when Theo Walcott made a brilliant run - covering nearly the entire field - and set up Adebayor for a simple tap-in goal.
Walcott, a teenage England international, picked the ball up just outside the penalty area and lost four defenders during his long run, which ended with the perfect pass to Adebayor.
Less than a minute later, though, Arsenal’s emotions took another quick turn. Off the restart, Babel was breaking loose in the area but was fouled by Kolo Toure and was awarded a penalty kick.
Gerrard converted with precision, firing an unstoppable rocket into the upper left corner. Almunia even guessed the right way, but had no chance to get to the perfectly-placed shot.
Babel took all the suspense out of the final seconds by running onto a pass in midfield and taking the ball into the box before scoring into the lower right.
Chelsea got off to a perfect start against Fenerbahce on German international Michael Ballack’s goal in the fourth minute. Ballack scored off a header and the one goal was all Chelsea needed to advance based on away goals.
Frank Lampard, who assisted Ballack’s goal, put the finishing touches on the victory with a goal in the 87th minute.
On Wednesday, Roma will try to overcome a two-goal deficit when it visits Old Trafford for the second leg at Manchester United. Schalke trails 1-0 entering the second leg of its series at Barcelona.
Roger Federer sick with Mononucleosis - Federer suffered illness
Roger federer, the top player in men’s tennis over the last four years, revealed on his web site Saturday that he suffered from mononucleosis at the start of this season.
Federer, who said he finally got over the illness about 10 days ago, has played in only two events this year, including this week’s tournament in Dubai where he was upset in the first round by Andy Murray.
The question mark that hung over Roger Federer’s pale blue bandana-wrapped head was large when he arrived at the year’s opening Masters Series event. It grew to gigantic proportions as he took his leave from the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, a dispirited figure left not only humiliated by the world’s 98th-ranked player but increasingly concerned at the state of his own health.
Glandular fever, from which Federer suffered at the beginning of the year, is a debilitating and often recurrent problem that is rarely banished from the body in a few weeks. So it is unfair to expect the world No 1 to recapture his most imperious form in the first tournament since his problem was identified.
Of course he has stood relatively unchallenged as the No 1 ranked player for 216 weeks, since February 2004, has won 12 Grand Slam titles, including five straight Wimbledons, and in five previous meetings had dropped just one set against last night’s opponent, Mardy Fish.This tennis star got problem.
Finally, after defeats to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of January’s Australian Open and Britain’s Andy Murray at Dubai less than three weeks ago, he is also going through a crisis as worrying as anything he has suffered in his career. Not since he reached No 1 has he gone three tournaments without reaching a final. Not since 2000 has he had he failed to lift any silverware in the opening three months of the competitive calendar. Yet on the evidence of his frankly sorry 6-3 6-2 demise against Fish, himself for so long the victim of the most atrocious ill-fortune with health and injuries, it seems at the moment that a lack of confidence seems to be most chronic ailment afflicting him.
The 53-time champion had not played since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals.
Federer was diagnosed with food poisoning just prior to Melbourne, which severely disrupted his preparation, and appeared off his game there despite reaching the round of four.
That effort, combined with his loss to Murray, fueled speculation that Federer’s dominance of the ATP Tour was perhaps nearing an end.
“As you can imagine, the beginning of this season has been rather tough for me,” Federer said on his web site. “(Last year) ended with an illness which cost me a lot of energy.
“I was unable to play at the beginning of January. I was still taking antibiotics five days before the Australian Open, making a recovery in time for the tournament impossible.”
The 26-year-old Swiss superstar said he began to feel poorly again following his appearance in Australia and decided to see a doctor.
“It was at this time that they found out what was bothering me all along - mononucleosis,” Federer said. “I had had it for six weeks already, meaning it would normally be over.
“It was relieving to finally know why I had felt weak in Australia and also later on. So the good news really is to be certain of what has occurred. The bad news is that I have quite some catching up to do in terms of fitness.”
Federer added he is now training at maximum level, but had only three days of intense training before Dubai.
“The match I played against Andy Murray in Dubai was a good one taking into consideration the circumstances,” Federer said. “My expectations weren’t all too high, it was a tough draw and Andy certainly played an excellent match.”
Federer will play an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden on Monday against the now-retired Pete Sampras, whose 14 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record. He said he plans to play this week at the Indian Wells event.
The world No. 1 since February 2004, Federer has participated in 33 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, winning 12 of them - two short of Sampras’s mark.
On the end Roger said :
“I finally have the green light and finally I can give 100 percent in practice again, because it wasn’t fun sort of being there sort of halfway,” he said. “I didn’t enjoy that too much. But again, it was interesting, and you’ve got to go through those moments, as well. I know that. Through a career, a long career maybe as No. 1, you have to go through injuries and sicknesses.”
Federer, who said he had now learned the English term “sour grapes,” said he was trying only to provide “constructive criticism” and did not mean to imply that he did not respect Murray’s game.
“He beat me after all,” Federer said. “It’s unfortunate, because that’s not what I meant at all.”
He added: “I’ve always thought he was one of the most talented ones of the whole group, even more talented than Djokovic, to be honest. I thought he would do the most first before Djokovic, but Djokovic played really well the last year and started this year unbelievably.
UEFA Champions League - Kuyt strike gives Liverpool advantage and Deivid crowns Fenerbahçe fightback
Liverpool FC will take a slender advantage back to Anfield for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final after their first meeting with Arsenal FC inside three days ended 1-1 in London.Deivid’s spectacular long-range effort nine minutes from time gave Fenerbahçe SK a UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg win against Chelsea FC that had seemed most unlikely when the same player scored an early own goal.Unsurprisingly the volume inside the arena was now ear-splitting and Deivid was unlucky not to turn it up further as he just misjudged an acrobatic attempt similar to the one that stunned FC Internazionale Milano on Matchday 1. But something more spectacular was coming, a strike from 30 metres out that swerved beyond Cudicini’s dive to give the home side their fifth successive home win in this season’s competition and the edge in the tie.Fenerbahçe Chelsea .2-1
The clubs were already scheduled to play at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, April 5, and so will now go head to head three times in a week, with Anfield hosting the second leg of the European tie which was drawn out of the hat in Nyon today.
Arsenal’s victory over holders AC Milan in the last round has left Wenger confident of making further progress towards May’s final in Moscow.
Wenger said: “Let’s give our best. We showed against Milan that when we are at our best we can beat anyone. We just knocked Milan out, who were the holders. That was a big hurdle.
“Now we have the finalists on our route - so why can’t we do it again?”
Liverpool took on Arsenal four times last season, losing both their FA Cup and Carling Cup ties. Earlier in the current campaign, the Gunners earned a 1-1 draw at Anfield with a late goal from Cesc Fabregas.
The winners of the tie could face Chelsea in the semi-finals, if the Londoners progress in their tie against Fenerbahce. But Benitez said: “The first thing is to think about Arsenal. After, I think it’s important to go one step at a time.”
Chelsea manager Avram Grant was also reluctant to look too far head. The last round saw the Turkish champions knock out Sevilla, who beat Arsenal in the group stages.
Grant said: “Every game in the Champions League quarter-final is not an easy game. They played very well against Sevilla. We know Arsenal lost in Seville.
“It’s not an easy draw but our targets stay the same. We are a club that hasn’t been in the final. We want to be in the final. This is our main target for the next years but we want to do it as soon as possible.”
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon was more confident, however. “There’s a lot of clubs who didn’t want to draw Chelsea. We’re got a real pedigree in Europe. We have got a lot of respect for Turkish football and Fenerbache as a team. I think with four English teams, it was always likely we would meet one in the quarters or semis and I think we have done well.”
Emmanuel Adebayor drew first blood for Arsenal with a first-half header but Liverpool replied just four minutes later with a goal courtesy of Dirk Kuyt as the two sides began their trilogy of fixtures at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the all-English Champions League quarter-final tie.
Arsenal had gone into the match mindful of the threat from Torres whose goals tally for Liverpool this season stood at 28 in 38 games, but it was always Gerrard’s midfield presence that caused the most anxiety for the home side.
Equaliser: Dirk Kuyt finds himself in the right place at the right time
Although both were kept well in check in the early exchanges with only Dirk Kuyt noticeable for his ever-present endeavour, the visitors came into the game as the first half wore on. But Arsenal began the stronger and after Robin Van Persie squandered two successive chances, Adebayor made the pressure tell with his headed goal from a corner in the 22nd minute.
The two sides were level less than five minutes later when Kuyt stretched to meet a Gerrard cross into the Arsenal area.
Neither side was able to stamp their authority on the match as the second half began. However, Arsenal did enjoy the majority of possession and the introduction of Theo Walcott began to pay dividends as Liverpool struggled to keep the winger’s pace in check.
The subsequent introduction of Nicklas Bendtner almost paid instant dividends but the forward actually stopped a weak shot from Cesc Fabregas from going into the Liverpool goal.
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The 1-1 scoreline leaves both sides in the tie though Rafael Benitez will be the happier of the two managers with his side securing the all-important away goal.
As well as the second Champions League quarter-final at Anfield next week, Arsenal will also face Rafael Benitez’s team in the Premier League on Saturday before playing Manchester United a week on Sunday in a match that could decide the title race.
Fenerbahce (0) 2 Chelsea (1) 1
Chelsea dominated Fenerbahce for long stretches of the game but squandered a first-half lead as Fenerbahce stormed back with goals from Colin Kazim-Richards and Deivid that secured victory for the home side.
Much had been made of the lack of flair from Avram Grant’s Chelsea but no one will blame him for taking a cautious approach against a well-coached Fenerbahce side in the most hostile of environments in the shape of the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
The visitors were always strong favourites to progress from the quarter-final tie against the Turkish league leaders but that is now in jeopardy despite next week’s return leg to be played at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s first-half lead came courtesy of an Deivid own goal that was very much the product of the pressure the visitors put on an over-matched home side struggling to cope.
It came in the 13th minute after Michael Ballack dummied the ball for Malouda to chase down the left flank. His cross was powerful and low but not heading towards a team-mate only for Deivid to sliced the ball past goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.
Essien could have doubled the lead five minutes later but his 30-yard drive, swerving away from Demirel, hit the crossbar. Lampard and Drogba both squandered chances as Chelsea attempted to make the most of their superiority though just one goal separated the sides at half-time.
The side that beat Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla en rote to their first quarter final appearance refused to roll over and although Chelsea began the second half much like the first, they could not extend their lead.
Indeed for all of Chelsea’s pressure, Kazim-Richards, the former Sheffield United forward, was brought on and grabbed the equaliser in the 65th minute, smashing past Cudicini.
Deivid’s strike in the 81st minute more than made up for the first-half own goal as Fenerbahce will now have the luxury of a 2-1 lead for the second leg in London.
Liverpool have lost the reputation of the ’70s and ’80s when they were known to play champagne football, and in their desperation to return to the elite of the game they now play for results rather than for the love of the game. It is a sorry state of affairs for such an important club.
I believe Arsenal will win this Champions League tie. Wenger will set out the side to win the game, and will not sit back on a 1-0 lead like so many other teams would. To be honest though, as much as I would love Arsenal to go through (and I really would), I only want that to happen the Arsenal way – win, and win with style. Thankfully, Wenger thinks the same way. And if there is any justice in football, his attacking mentality will take Arsenal through to the Champions League semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic & Ivanovic won Indian Wells 2008 - Serbian stars shine
Defending champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and women’s top seed Ana Ivanovic all advanced to the third round of the Pacific Life Open with straight set wins Saturday.
Nadal, the No. 2 seed, beat qualifier Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, 6-3, 6-3.
The third-seeded Djokovic bested Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-3, 7-6 (3) on another day plagued by cold, gusty winds.
Novak Djokovic held off a fightback by American Mardy Fish to win the Pacific Life Open final 6-2 5-7 6-3 in California today and secure his second prestigious ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) title of the year.
Two months after claiming his first Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open, the third-seeded Serb broke world No 98 Fish once in the final set before sealing victory in just over two hours.
“There is something in this desert air which keeps me going year after year,” said world No 3 Djokovic, the runnerup at Indian Wells 12 months ago.
“I am doing pretty good here.
Fish, ranked a career-high 17th four years ago, capped a remarkable week that featured three victories over top-10 players by stunning Swiss world No 1 Roger Federer in yesterday’s semifinals.
“This has been a tremendous week for me, definitely one I will never forget,” said Fish, who won the last of his two ATP titles in Houston in 2006.
“Yesterday was one of the best days of my life and this is my favourite tournament.”
The women’s final was won by Serb Ana Ivanovic, who clinched her first title of the year by hammering Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 6-3.
The 20-year-old top seed broke Kuznetsova, the second seed, three times in the second set to wrap up victory in one hour 21 minutes.
It was the sixth success of Ivanovic’s career and Kuznetsova’s third loss in a final this season.
“It’s a great victory for me,” Ivanovic said after securing the first Masters Series title of the year and beating the Russian for a fifth time in six meetings.
“When I managed to break her at four-all in the first set, it gave me confidence and I went strong from that point on.
“I was most happy about my aggressiveness today,” added the Serb, who hit 30 winners to Kuznetsova’s 14.
Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, conceded she had been totally outplayed.
“It’s always painful to lose, but I prefer to get to the final losing than to lose in second round,” the Russian said.
So, Novak won 9th ATP title and proved his the most dominant player this season. After winning the first Grand Slam of the season, Novak dominated in the season’s first Masters Series tournament. In front of 18.000 spectators, Novak won first set with 6:2.
In 2nd Novak won 2 break games and led 4:2 and it seemed it will be a fast finish of the match with Novak on serve. Though, Mardy made the match more interesting equalling to 5:5 in games, Mardy won a break and after a powerful service game won the set 5:7 to become the only player this year in Indian Wells who won a set against Novak.
3rd set started with 40:0 for Mardy on Novak’s serve, then Novak made 3 aces for 40:40, 1 service winner, and a point for 1:0 lead in games. In the following games Mardy (Fish) was caught up in Novak’s net and didn’t manage to get out. Soon it was 3:0 for Novak, 4:1, 5:2, 6:3.
Novak talked about the opening game of 3rd set: ‘That was a crucial moment and it was the turning point in the whole match, if I didn’t come up with the three aces, it could go either way’.
Novak’s thought about his season up to now: ‘It’s been a dream start, of course. Before I started playing this season, I said that my two goals is to be consistent with the results, I reach the Masters and hopefully win one Grand Slam. I did all that in very, very small amount of time’.
Novak: ‘But again, I don’t want to stop here, even though I’ve been playing fantastic, and I’m lucky enough to have a lot of important tournaments on this surface, which suits me the best, and I just try. I’ll try to keep going in Miami, and I’m defending champion there. But coming up from Indian Wells as tournament winner, it’s much easier to play’.
Mardy: ‘It would be really nice to take this momentum and take this confidence into next week, because next week is just as big of a week for me. I didn’t play last year. I think I put myself in a nice position now around 40 in the world with not a match to defend until August 19th, which I checked’.
Novak won additional 150 ATP points as he played in the Final last year (that earned him 350 ATP points) and is now a step closer to the leading duo, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Title brought Novak $550.000 in prize money, while Mardy won $277.000 in prize money also emense 350 ATP points which rocketed him from previous World #98 position to #40 position in this morning’s, Monday March 23rd, ATP rankings.
