Confederation Cup: Italy beats Mexico 2-1

Andrea Pirlo scored a stunning free-kick on his 100th cap for Italy, but it was Mario Balotelli who sunk Mexico in a 2-1 win in their Confederations Cup duel at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.

The Juventus midfielder lifted a free-kick over the wall and high into the Mexico goal with keeper Jose de Jesus Corona left with no chance on 27 minutes.

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez sent Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way from the penalty spot on 34 minutes for the equaliser after Andrea Barzagli had clumsily bundled Giovani Dos Santos to the ground.

Barzagli was fortunate to avoid a straight red with replays showing there were no defenders between him and Buffon when he bundled Dos Santos to the ground.

Balotelli won it for the former World Cup holders with 12 minutes remaining of normal time when he outmuscled Francisco Rodríguez before sending the ball beyond Corona in the Mexico goal from deep inside the area.

Balotelli was booked for whipping off his shirt, but did not seem to care much with Italy getting their tournament off to a perfect start.

Cesare Prandelli's side face Japan in their next Group A match with Mexico meeting host nation Brazil on Wednesday.

Brazil began their campaign with a 3-0 win over Japan on Saturday evening.

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, the only player to score in a competitive game for Mexico in 2013, started up front for El Tricolor while Mallorca attacking midfielder Dos Santos was also recalled after starting the game against Costa Rica on the bench.

Italy deployed a new 4-3-2-1 system with Juventus duo Emanuele Giaccherini – who scored Italy’s fastest ever goal after 19 seconds against Haiti this week – and Claudio Marchisio.

Andrea Pirlo won his 100th cap and was majestic, but Mexico contributed to a lively contest that sped from end to end with some regularity.

Italy carved out the first chance of the night when Riccardo Montolivo picked out Balotelli, but his shot was halted by Jose de Jesus Corona.

Dos Santos picked out Guardado in space on 12 yards, but his shot came back off the bar from 12 yards with Buffon beaten.

Another Pirlo free-kick broke to Montolivo early in the second half, but his shot was held by Corona.

Balotelli should have been awarded a penalty around the hour-mark when he was clearly felled by Hector Moreno, but the referee was not interested his appeals.

Andrés Guardado threw a fine free-kick into the heart of the Italy box, but Gerarrdo Flores nodded wide of goal when it looked easier to find the target.

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Confederation Cup: Dominant Spain down Uruguay 2-1

Spain strolled to a 2-1 victory over Uruguay in the opening game in Group B of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Both Spain goals came in a first half dominated by the FIFA World Cup™ holders. Pedro opened the scoring in Recife with a deflected effort before Roberto Soldado grabbed his sixth Spain goal in ten internationals.

Luis Suarez struck a superb late free-kick which with what was only Uruguay's second shot on target.

The tone was set in the opening stages, as Spain enjoyed a remarkable 92 per cent of the ball in the first five minutes. That was an omen of things to come.

La Furia Roja took the lead when a Xavi corner was partially cleared by the Uruguay defence. The ball found its way to Pedro whose strike from the edge of the box took a huge deflection off Uruguay captain Diego Lugano and flew past Fernando Muslera.

Things did not get any better for La Celeste's goalkeeper, who continued an unhappy 27th birthday by conceding again after the half-hour mark.

Iniesta sent Pedro wide on the right who in turn found Fabregas in the centre of the pitch. The Barcelona maestro pulled off a quite brilliant reverse pass to find Soldado on the edge of the box. Spain's No14 made no mistake and calmly found the net.

The second half represented something of a procession for Vicente Del Bosque's men. Roberto Soldado went closest to adding another Spanish goal but he was inches away from a dangerous Pedro cross.

Luis Suarez struck late on, but it was not enough for the South American champions, as Spain survived a tetchy final few moments to collect all three points.

A lot of the pre-match talk was about Iker Casillas' inclusion in the starting XI, but the Real Madrid man was hardly troubled. It is likely Spain's No1 will have an even quieter evening when the FIFA World Cup holders face Tahiti at the Maracana on Thursday.

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Confederation Cup: Brazil beat Japan 3-0

Brazil got their Confederations Cup campaign off to the ideal start with a three nil win over Asian Champions Japan at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia.

Barcelona-bound Neymar got the hosts off and running after three minutes, Paulinho struck the second just after the restart while Jo made it three in stoppage time.

The first round of matches in group A will be completed on Sunday when Concacaf Gold Cup winners Mexico take on Italy, who secured a place in the event as runners up to European champions Spain.

Spain, who are also the World Cup holders, start their group B campaign against Uruguay at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife also on Sunday.

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FAM League: Panthers crowned league champions

PENANG were crowned FAM Cup League champions after defeating Kuantan Port 1-0 at the Temerloh Stadium in Pahang.

The islanders, who secured promotion to the Premier League a week ago, added the league title with four matches to spare.

A late strike by Khairul Anwar, just his second league goal this campaign, landed Penang the league crown.

The Panthers were rampant throughout this season under the tutelage of former star player Merzagua Aberrazak, who now has to leave the state to obtain his official A-level coaching license from an African Confederation (CAF) affiliate country.

Penang will receive the FAM Cup trophy at the City Stadium before their league tie against Kedah Malays on June 16.

In the other FAM Cup matches, Kuantan FA and Land Forces kept up the pressure on second-placed PBAPP FC for the second promotion berth after securing convincing wins.

Land Forces trounced Sabah’s Chebagoo FC 6-0 to move up to 26 points, just three points behind PBAPP.

Kuantan FA lie three points behind following their 4-2 triumph over Malacca.

Kelantan club side Tumpat FA also kept their faint hopes alive with a hard-earned 1-0 win over basement team YBU FC in Ipoh.

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Football: Johor Darul Takzim fan dies

THE die-hard Johor Darul Takzim fan who fell from about 15 metres at the Larkin Stadium while trying to take down a Johor flag after the first-leg FA Cup semifinal match against Pahang on May 25, has died.

Rosdhi Rosiman, 29, a factory worker, passed on at 2.15am – about four hours after the Southern Tigers qualified for their for their first-ever FA Cup final despite a 2-1 defeat to Pahang in the return-leg semifinal played at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night. Both teams were tied 2-2 on aggregate but the Southern Tigers advanced on away goals.

His family members were with him when he died at Sultanah Aminah Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Johor Bahru.

Rosdhi was said to have fallen while trying to bring down a Johor flag which was tied to a pole at the end of the match, which Johor Darul Takzim won 1-0.

He was still conscious when he was taken to the hospital but slipped into a coma after surgery the following morning.

Rosdhi’s younger brother Roshanajid Rosiman, 28, said Rosdhi was a die-hard fan of the Southern Tigers and never missed Johor Darul Takzim’s home matches.

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Tigers’ charmed FA Cup life

JOHOR DARUL TAKZIM lived a charmed life in their march to their first ever FA Cup final, where they will meet defending champions Kelantan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on June 29.

The Southern Tigers came through two penalty shootouts – against Kedah in the second round (5-4) after a 2-2 draw and against Selangor (4-2) in the two-leg quarterfinals with both teams winning 2-1 away.

The semifinal against Pahang was played at three venues. After winning the home leg 1-0 at the Larkin Stadium on May 25, they had to go through a nervous second leg played at two venues. The return leg in Kuantan on May 28 was abandoned without the ball being kicked due to crowd violence.

This forced the match to be played at the ‘neutral’ National Stadium, with Pahang enjoying home status.

The Elephants seemed to be on their way to the final after leading 2-0 by the 40th minute via a double strike by Argentine hitman Matias Conti, who neutralised Johor Darul Takzim’s one goal cushion as early as the second minute.

However, the Southern Tigers turned the tide in their favour with an all-important goal by Brazilian playmaker Andre in the 48th minute.

“It has been a hectic journey for us in the FA Cup. We went through some anxious moments even in our first round match against Perak before we won 1-0,” said Johor Darul Takzim coach-manager Fandi Ahmad.

“No one gave us any chance when Selangor beat us 2-1 in the first-leg quarter-finals at Larkin, but we showed the character to come off winners at Shah Alam.

“But what we went through in the semifinals stands out – thanks to the strong mentality we have built in our come-from-behind wins in previous matches, both in the league and the FA Cup.

“It gave us some plus points and the never-say-die attitude prevailed once again in Bukit Jalil. It was harrowing to be two goals down with the first coming as early as the second minute.

“I tabik (salute) my players for their commitment and discipline on the field. However, I must admit that our defence is still shaky. The backline seem to put themselves under pressure when attacked.”

Fandi, Singapore’s best known professional footballer who had stints in Indonesia, Malaysia and Holland as a player, has given his players a much needed four-day break from football.

“Let them relax with their loved ones and forget football for now. We have a tight league schedule and the FA Cup coming up and I want them to be in the right frame of mind when they come back,” added Fandi.

In the league, Fandi’s boys are in second place with 34 points – four behind leaders LionsXII.

When the league resumes on June 21, Johor Darul Takzim will be away to LionsXII at the Jalan Besar Stadium. LionsXII are unbeaten at home on the artificial pitch and that match’s outcome could decide the new league champions.

“We have to put the FA Cup final aside and turn our focus to the league battle. It is within our reach but we cannot get distracted along the way.”

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JOSE MOURINHO is Chelsea’s new boss — and that’s official!

The Special One sealed a spectacular £40million four-year deal on Tuesday night.

A senior Blues source revealed: “It’s official Jose is a Chelsea man again! Everyone is delighted he’s coming back — the club, the players and the fans

“We are already looking forward to next season — we are sure it’s going to be very exciting.”

The Sun exclusively told you on May 3 that Real Madrid chief Mourinho was heading back to the Bridge.

And we can now reveal Mourinho finally put pen to paper during a two-day trip to London this week.

His cover story was attending the Crystal Palace-Watford play-off final at Wembley on Monday and visiting friends in the capital.

But the real purpose of the visit was to seal an emotional return to his beloved Blues along with right-hand man Rui Faria.

Now it is expected he will be unveiled next week in a blaze of publicity by the Europa League champions.

That is after he has taken charge of Real’s final game at home to Osasuna on Saturday, which will bring to an end his controversial three-year reign at the Bernabeu.

There is just time for the 50-year-old father of two to squeeze in a holiday with his family before starting work in earnest in July.

Mourinho’s first match looks sure to be the pre-season friendly in Thailand against the Singha All Stars XI, the kick-off to a Far East tour that also takes in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Then he will take the Blues to America for the International Champions Cup tournament which features two of Mourinho’s former clubs, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, as well as Everton, Juventus, AC Milan, Valencia and LA Galaxy.

Much is expected of Mourinho, who won six trophies in just three seasons during his first spell at Chelsea between 2004-07.

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Chelsea thank Benitez as they release him to Napoli

Chelsea have officially confirmed the departure of interim manager Rafael Benitez, who is to take over as boss of Serie A side Napoli.

Benitez, who led Chelsea to Europa League success, the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup, plus third place in the Premier League, will replace Walter Mazzari at the Stadio San Paolo.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis had announced via Twitter on Monday that Benitez would be the club's new coach after they finished runners-up to Juventus.

Now Chelsea have confirmed Benitez's exit and thanked him for his efforts.

"Chelsea Football Club has today [Tuesday] released Rafael Benitez from his contract to become the new manager of Napoli,'' said a statement on the club's official website.

"Rafa was appointed as the club's interim manager last November, and steered us to automatic Champions League qualification thanks to our third-place finish in the Barclays Premier League, while also leading us to the Europa League title in Amsterdam earlier this month.

"Also departing to join Napoli are first-team fitness coach Paco De Miguel and Xavi Valero, the first-team opposition analyst.

"Everybody at Chelsea Football Club would like to place on record our thanks to Rafa and his staff for their work at the club, and wish them success for the future.''

Jose Mourinho is expected to be announced as Chelsea manager for a second time next month.

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(Video) A Goal By Norizan Secured Penang To Premier League

A 31st minute goal by striker Norizan Salaman was enough for the FAM Cup league leaders to collect the three points needed for their 14th win in 15 matches and confirm a top-two finish in the 10-team league.

Watch the video below

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FAM League: Penang secure promotion to Premier League

PENANG secured promotion to the Premier League next season - Foto Arena Penang FC

PENANG secured promotion to the Premier League next season after grinding out a 1-0 victory over Perak’s YBU FC at the City Stadium today.

A 31st minute goal by striker Norizan Salaman was enough for the FAM Cup league leaders to collect the three points needed for their 14th win in 15 matches and confirm a top-two finish in the 10-team league.

With five matches remaining, Penang are 19 points ahead of the third-placed Kuantan FA and will grab one of the two promotion berths to the second-tier competition next year.

Against YBU FC, Penang were made to slog to break down the opposition’s defence. The breakthrough came after the half hour mark when Muhammad Aminuddin managed to wriggle behind the YBU backline and sent a pin-point cross from the byline for Norizan to tap in from close range.

YBU’s Mohd Aliff had a glorious chance to equalise just before the break but saw Penang goalkeeper Amir Omar Khata produce an acrobatic save to keep his effort out.

Penang lived dangerously in the second half but managed to protect their slender lead.

“The players were under tremendous pressure to win today, and it showed in their nervous display,” said Penang coach Merzagua Abderrrazak.

“But they did enough to secure the three points needed for promotion. I am happy to achieve the target in just my first season here, and now we will switch our focus to confirm the FAM Cup title.”

With second-placed PBAPP FC losing 1-2 to Malacca, Penang can be crowned FAM Cup league champions if they can beat Kuantan Port at the Darulmakmur Stadium on June 2.

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Liga - Real Madrid confirm Mourinho exit

Real president Florentino Perez made the announcement in a special press conference at the Bernabeu stadium on Monday evening.

He also said that presidential elections would be held on June 16 and that he would run for the post again.

"We've decided to bring our relationship with manager Jose Mourinho to an end at the end of the current season," Perez said. "The club and the manager have agreed the time is right to bring our relationship to an end.

"Nobody has been sacked, it's by mutual agreement. And we have no pre-contract signed with any managerial candidate - it's something we'll look at in the coming days.

"When someone leaves Real Madrid there is something they are not happy about. But after three years it was the right time and we thank him for all his hard work."

Mourinho joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, winning the Copa del Rey in his first season and the Liga title the following campaign.

But Real will end this season without major silverware following Friday's defeat by city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.

Portuguese Mourinho, who has done little to contradict reports he will return to Premier League club Chelsea next season, said it had been a "disastrous" campaign and his "worst ever" as a coach.

Chelsea will part ways with interim boss Rafael Benitez, who is expected to join Napoli, and the majority of the club's fans are keen on Mourinho to return.

Paris St Germain's boss Carlo Ancelotti has been widely tipped as Mourinho's successor, and the Italian has told the French side he wants to leave.

Mourinho was widely praised for breaking Barcelona's dominance of the Spanish Liga last season after joining from Internazionale, with whom he won a domestic and European treble.

But he has had a fractious relationship with the Spanish media, league officials and even his own colleagues, falling out with several players including Real and Spain captain Iker Casillas.

Failing to win the Champions League is also a sore point for Real, although Mourinho has taken them to the semi-finals in each of his three seasons - the club had failed to pass the second round of the competition for six consecutive seasons previously.

Perez did reserve special praise for that feat, saying Mourinho "brought us back to a higher level". He also added that the former Porto boss had returned a "culture of winning" to the club, and that he "would have liked Mourinho to continue" in his post.

Real have reportedly approached Ligue 1 champions PSG regarding coach Ancelotti, who like Mourinho is a former Chelsea manager. The Italian has asked PSG for permission to leave for Real, who despite the riches of the Qatari-owned French club are still considered a bigger draw. Real have denied this speculation.

Whether Chelsea is Mourinho's next destination remains to be seen though - while he is still hugely popular with the Blues faithful, Mourinho may view replacing Ancelotti at PSG as a greater challenge, while Manchester City have not yet formally approached Malaga over their coach, former Real boss Manuel Pellegrini.

Either way, the tempestuous spell at the Bernabeu is over, and one of the most highly-rated managers in world football on the lookout for a new job.

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Premier League: Chelsea secure Champion League spot

Fernando Torres scored his first league goal since December as Chelsea secured third place in the table and an automatic place in the Champions League group stages with a 2-1 home win over a fine Everton side at Stamford Bridge.

With London rivals Arsenal winning 1-0 at Newcastle, Chelsea needed a second goal to ease the tension around the ground and Torres provided it with a fine winning goal on 76 minutes as he volleyed into the net after substitute Victor Moses had provided him with a cushioned header from Oscar's cross.

In a breathless and brilliant contest that could have gone either way, Chelsea completed a rousing week after lifting the Europa League with their 2-1 win over Benfica on Wednesday.

Chelsea moved ahead on seven minutes when visiting goalkeeper Tim Howard failed to hold a Demba Ba effort as Juan Mata slotted the rebound with some ease.

Torres was booked for a late tackle on Seamus Coleman in the first half and was fortunate to avoid a red card after diving in the box under pressure from Marouane Fellaini.

The Spanish striker sarcastically applauded a linesman, a gesture missed by referee Anthony Taylor that would have surely saw him walk.

Everton always looked as dangerous as the hosts in their attacking forays and equalised when Steven Naismith lifted the ball over Petr Cech on 14 minutes to restore parity after Victor Anichebe had played provider with some lovely play as David Luiz was penalised for losing the ball with a heavy first touch.

It was David Moyes's last match as Everton manager before he departs to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. His side finish the campaign in sixth spot, two points above Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

Rafael Benitez is also likely to be moving on from his successful seven-month spell at Chelsea with Jose Mourinho widely expected to return to the club from Real Madrid.

Benitez can depart with real satisfaction having led Chelsea to a trophy while they also avoid having to qualify for the Champions League, a scenario that fourth-placed Arsenal must now confront in the final play-off match for European football's elite competition.

Everton substitute Nikica Jelavic should have rescued a point for the visiting team late on, but he somehow ended the match without a goal.

He knocked Leighton Baines's ball wide on 74 minutes before driving a shot straight into the arms of Cech on 81 minutes.

Cech then clawed out the Croatian forward's header five minutes later after a wonderful cross from Baines as a tiring Chelsea clung on for the three points.

The first half was a joy to watch on a balmy day at Stamford Bridge as both teams set about their task with some relish.

Howard was guilty of spilling a Ba shot and Mata was gifted the rebound as he converted with some simplicity.

Naismith should have equalised on 10 minutes when he nudged Coleman's cutback wide from 12 yards out.

But the former Rangers man played a leading role in the equaliser as a heavy first touch by Luiz enabled Anichebe to earn possession.

He supplied Naismith, who coolly lifted the ball over Cech to end his sequence of 20 games without a goal.

Everton were suddenly warming to the task as Darron Gibson saw a shot come back off a post with Cech beaten.

The effort spun off the frame of the goal with Cech fortunate the ball did not come back off him and end up in the net.

Torres headed wide with Nathan Ake lifting a shot over from distance as the play continued to rage from end to end.
Kevin Mirallas then came up with a feeble finish for Everton when his attempted volley from Gibson's cross was easily held by Cech.

Howard redeemed himself in the Everton goal to beat out a powerful shot by Mata after bounding onto a pass from Frank Lampard, who was presented with an award before kick-off by Bobby Tambling who he overtook as the club's all-time top goalscorer last weekend.

Pienaar saw an effort come back off the frame of Luiz moments before half-time, but Everton needed some fine defending by Phil Jagielka to prevent Gary Cahill from scoring in the second half.

In the end, the huffing and puffing all came to nothing as Torres made his 22nd goal of the season in all competitions and an 80th Premier League of his career count towards those Champions League riches.

MAN OF THE MATCH
Juan Mata (Chelsea) - Was given a standing ovation after he was replaced by César Azpilicueta in the closing moments. A class apart with his control and vision.

PLAYER RATINGS
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 5, Cahill 7, Luiz 6, Cole 7, Ake 7, Lampard 7, Torres 8, Mata 9, Oscar 7; Ba 7..subs: Azpilicueta 6, Ferreira 6, Moses 7
Everton: Howard 7, Coleman 7, Baines 7, Jagielka 6, Distin 8, Gibson 7, Fellaini 6, Pienaar 6, Mirallas 6, Naismith 6, Anichebe 7..subs: Heitinga 6, Jelavic 6

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Premier League: Chelsea to sell flop Torres

CHELSEA are set to take a £30MILLION hit and sell Fernando Torres this summer.

The Blues want rid of their record £50m buy even though he has 22 goals this term, his best season at Stamford Bridge.

Torres has netted just seven times in the Premier League, the last coming against Aston Villa in December.

And that is why Chelsea hope today’s match against Everton will be his final one. Overall, Torres has 34 goals in 130 appearances since signing from Liverpool in January 2011.

That equals more than £2m a goal when you add his £22m pay to the £50m transfer fee.

Incoming boss Jose Mourinho wants a new-look attack and hopes to splash £70m on Napoli star Edinson Cavani and Bayer Leverkusen’s Andre Schurrle.

Chelsea’s willingness to sell could come as a shock to Torres as he wants to stay.

Torres, 29, trousers £170,000 a week and the Blues face the prospect of either topping up a contract at a new club or paying him a lump sum to go away.

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(Video): ATM vs Negeri Sembilan Goal Highlights

Armed Forces (ATM) who could have overtaken Lions XII to take the lead in the Super League bungled against no hopers Negeri Sembilan, losing 1-2 at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi Saturday night.

Here's the goals!

Thanks Sokernet!

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Super League: Gladiators Bungle

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 - Armed Forces (ATM) who could have overtaken Lions XII to take the lead in the Super League bungled against no hopers Negeri Sembilan, losing 1-2 at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi Saturday night.

The result left them trailing Lions XII, who have collected 35 points, by two points.

Negeri Sembilan who had yet to win a match this season, were fired up by the presence of temporary coach Ridzuan Abu Shah and were the more aggresive.

In the very second minute, Mohd Fauzi Nan shocked the Gladiators by netting the hosts' first goal.

However, ATM's captain Hairuddin Omar equalised in the 14th minute but Mohd Nazrin Mohd Nawi gave the 'Hoben Jang Hoben' squad their first win this season when his 20th minute goal was what finally mattered.

Ridzuan took temporary charge of the team after coach Divaldo Elves was rested due to the team's poor showing prior to tonight's match.

Meanwhile, Selangor PKNS had a massive 5-0 victory over Felda United FC at the Shah Alam Satdium.

Selangor PKNS goals were scored by Mohd Fauzan Dzulkifli (33rd minute), Muhd Khairu Azrin Khazali (45th), Patrick Wleh (50th), Roman Chmelo (58th) and Mohd Nizad Ayub (88th).

At the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium, Kota Baharu, Kelantan were only able to record a 1-1 draw against Selangor.

Selangor went ahead in the 55th minute through import player Adam Griffiths who headed home a corner kick taken by Mohd Raimi Mohd Nor.

Kelantan were able to share points when Zairo Anuar Zailani's piledriver from outside the box in the 65th minute sailed into the net.

--BERNAMA

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Football - David Beckham retires from football

The midfielder, who turned 38 earlier this month, was reportedly offered a new one-year-contract by Paris Saint-Germain but has chosen to end a 20-year football career.

He will quit at the end of the season, with his final game away to Lorient on May 26.

He said in a statement: "I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level."

Beckham won league titles in four countries with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and PSG, and also enjoyed two spells on loan at AC Milan.

He won 115 England caps, placing him second all-time behind Peter Shilton, scoring 17 goals and playing at three World Cups.

Beckham added: "If you had told me as a young boy, I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I'm fortunate to have realized those dreams.

"To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country.

"I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country.

"I'm honored to represent England both on and off the pitch... I want to thank all my team-mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from. I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed."

PSG wrapped up the Ligue 1 title on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Lyon - Beckham has played 13 times for the French team since joining on January 31.

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Asean To Bid For 2034 FIFA World Cup - Tengku Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 - Asean will bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup said Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Deputy President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Tengku Abdullah who is also a member of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) said he was asked to chair a committee at the Asean level for the 2034 World Cup bidding process.

He said the decision was based on a consensus by Sports Ministers of Asean countries and the committee would convene a meeting with representatives from Asean countries on June 19.

"The proposal and draft are ready but we will look at other details before announcing the details of the meeting because 2034 is still a long way to go.

"I spoke to FIFA President Sepp Blatter regarding the bidding process and received feedback that the bidding will start eight years before the actual tournament," he told reporters after launching the FAM-FRENZ Asia Cup Under-15 competition at Wisma FAM, here, today.

Tengku Abdullah hoped Malaysia would be able to mould a world class team to prepare for the challenges ahead through a National agenda which will include the setting up of more clubs in the country.

Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the FAM-FRENZ Asia Cup which offers US$50,000 (RM155,000) and held from May 25 to Sept 8, will feature 12 teams from 11 Asean countries.

Matches would be played on a home and away basis.

- BERNAMA

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Europa League final: Chelsea win Europa League with 2-1 win over Benfica

Chelsea made it back-to-back European wins as they claimed the Europa League with a 2-1 win over Benfica in the Amsterdam Arena.

The final had appeared to be heading for extra-time as Oscar Cardozo had levelled from the penalty spot just eight minutes after Fernando Torres had put Chelsea ahead on the hour.

But it was won in injury-time as Branislav Ivanovic rose brilliantly to head home a Juan Mata corner to give Chelsea yet more European silverware just 12 months after claiming the Champions League title.

As early as the second minute Cardozo headed over, whilst Nico Gaitan twice fired wide and Enzo Perez and Eduardo Salvio were constantly probing and driving forward from midfield.

One-time Bolton loanee Rodrigo probably had the best chance of the half when a free-kick was taken short and came into him just six yards out, but he twice lost his footing and missed the chance to test Cech.

Chelsea were limited but Artur had to pull off an exceptional save just before the break when Frank Lampard made a rare foray to the edge of their box and unleashed an archetypal thunderous drive, but the Brazilian managed to tip it over when he looked to be going the wrong way.

Into the second half and the expected reaction from Chelsea did not materialise with Benfica pushing forward in numbers again. Gaitan saw a half-volley fly wide before Cardozo had a header ruled out for offside.

On the hour mark Cech made a good save from Salvio's back-post header - but from that nobody expected what was to come as Chelsea were ahead within seconds.

Cech threw the ball long for Mata in the centre-circle, he flicked it on and Torres was away, holding off Luisao and going past Artur before finishing clinically.

Chelsea's lead though lasted just eight minutes. Cesar Azpilicueta handled in the box as substitute Lima flicked the ball on and Cardozo stepped up to hammer the ball past Cech.

Both teams pushed on for the winner and they both had their chances. Cech was at his best as he tipped over a brilliant dipping volley from Cardozo.

Then captain Lampard came within inches of winning it in the final minute of normal time but his stunning effort from 30 yards cannoned back off the bar.

But, just when the game looked to be heading into extra-time, Chelsea won it. Ramires chased down a long ball to win a corner, Mata took it and Ivanovic rose unmarked to head into the corner of the net.

Still there was time for Cardozo to almost be presented with a chance to take the match to extra-time, but he was denied by a great lunge from Gary Cahill and Chelsea celebrated as the full-time whistle went just moments later.

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AFC Cup: Selangor crashed out in extra-time

PETALING JAYA: Toothless Selangor were knocked out of the AFC Cup round of 16 match after going down 2-0 to Maldivian side New Radiant SC at the National Stadium in Male.

Two extra time goals from midfielder Niyaz Ahmad (97th minute) and striker Ali Fasir (115th) handed the homesters the hard-earned victory.

The Red Giants were second best throughout the match while New Radiant were woefully wasteful in front of goal.

Selangor can thank goalkeeper Norazlan Razali, who was in top form, for taking the match into extra time.

While the Red Giants wilted in extra time, New Radiant found new wind to launch fast attacks, forcing the Selangor players to commit unnecessary fouls.

The hardworking Niyaz broke the deadlock with a clever flick-on from a freekick at the edge of Selangor’s penalty box. Ali then put the game beyond Selangor’s reach eight minutes later with an easy tap-in.

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AFC Cup: Back problem ends Kelantan’s dream

PETALING JAYA: Kelantan paid the price for their defensive complacency and were duly knocked out of the AFC Cup by Kitchee SC.

The Hong Kong club won the last 16 match 2-0 at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium last night.

An own goal by Croatian defender Lek Kcira in the 15th minute gave the Hong Kong side the lead before Spaniard Jordi Tarres doubled the score deep into added time in the first half.

The Red Warriors controlled most of the match but failed to create any clear cut chances. Coach Bojan Hodak’s men were also guilty of lapses in concentration at the back.

Kelantan could have gone in front in the first half but Australian striker Dimitrios Petratos’ shot found the side netting.
Kitchee’s game plan – defending deep and launching fast counter attacks – worked well as Zeeshan Rahman’s attempt deflected off Kcira and bounced into goal.

The east coast giants tried to play a high defence to get back into the game but it backfired when Tarres beat Kelantan’s offside trap to slot in Kitchee’s second goal – and his 12th of the competition – just before the half-time whistle.

The introduction of Nigerian striker Dickson Nwakaeme after the break gave Kelantan more bite upfront as he cleverly linked up play with Petratos and Mohd Norfarhan Mohd.

Norfarhan and Nwakaeme came close to getting Kelantan back into the game but their attempts in the 63rd and 70th minutes were ruled offside.

The crushing defeat – Kelantan’s second home loss of the season – ended their hopes of repeating last season’s quarter-final achievement.

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