Schalke's Ebbe Sand scored a hat trick and Newcastle's Patrick Kluivert hit two on Thursday as the favored teams in the UEFA Cup took big strides toward the second round.
Lazio scored a 3-0 victory in Ukraine, Germany's Schalke won 5-1, and VfB Stuttgart won 3-1 on the road.
Hired from FC Barcelona, Dutch star Kluivert scored after only four minutes against Israel's Hapoel Bnei Sachnin, an Arab-owned team coached by an Israeli, and added a second four minutes before halftime.
Although the 2-0 scoreline against such a modest opponent didn't really please the Magpies fans at St. James' Park, it meant that new manager Graeme Souness, who took over from the fired Bobby Robson a week ago, has seen his team win two games in a row after failing to win any of its first five.
One sour note was the ejections of Newcastle's Nicky Butt and Hapoel's Abas Soan for a second half flareup.
On a good night for the Bundesliga, Schalke scored an easy 5-1 victory over Latvia's Liepajas Metalurgs while Stuttgart won 3-1 at Hungary's Ujpest and Alemannia Aachen won 5-1 at Iceland's FH Hafnarfjordur with Kai Michalke scoring twice in the first 14 minutes. Division two Alemannia qualified by reaching the final of the German Cup.
Massimo Maccarone, back in Italian soccer after a disappointing spell with Middlesbrough, scored twice in Parma's 3-2 beating of Slovenia's Maribor and set up the third for Marco Marchionni.
No longer with the bald striker on the roster, Middlesbrough celebrated its debut in European soccer with a 3-0 beating of Banik Ostrava of the Czech Republic. Australian striker Mark Viduka scored two and another summer signing, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, added the other. Viduka has scored five goals in four games since his move from Leeds United, and Hasselbaink, signed from Chelsea, has four.
Veteran England midfielder Dennis Wise fired Millwall into the lead with a free kick against 20-time and defending Hungarian champion Ferencvaros, only for Peter Lipcsei to reply for the visitor to the New Den in a 1-1 draw.
Millwall, from the second tier League Championship, earned its place as runner-up to Manchester United in last season's FA Cup final.
On a mixed night for Italian clubs, Lazio scored a 3-0 victory at Ukraine's Metalurh Donetsk with all three goals coming in the last 17 minutes through Tommaso Rocchi, Brazilian defender Rodriguez Cesar and Macedonian forward Goran Pandev.
But Udinese went down 3-1 at Greek club Panionios with Panagiotis Giannopoulos scoring twice for the Athens team.
Substitute Glen Fitzpatrick headed two goals in three minutes late in the game as Ireland's Shelbourne hit back from 2-0 down to gain a 2-2 draw with French club Lille.
Japanese midfielder Shinji Ono scored in the 74th minute to give Dutch league leaders Feyenoord, the UEFA Cup winner three seasons ago, a 1-0 victory over Norway's Odd Grenland.
Villarreal, the semifinalist in last year's UEFA Cup, edged Hammarby of Stockholm 2-1 after taking a 2-0 lead just 23 minutes into the first-leg match.
UEFA announced a new anti-doping program Thursday in an effort to step up its fight against drugs in soccer.
Speaking to journalists after a two-day meeting of its Executive Committee, UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said the new program would allow an increase in the quantity and frequency of doping tests carried out during competitions sanctioned by the organization, including at youth level and in women's soccer.
Olsson also said UEFA was concerned about the failure of authorities in Zurich, Switzerland, to secure a permit for rebuilding the Hardturm Stadium in preparation for Euro 2008. Switzerland and Austria will co-host the next European Championships.
UEFA called for stronger political commitment by the Swiss and Austrian authorities and set an end-of-year deadline for a report by both that all requirements will be met.
At its meeting, UEFA's executive body also agreed on the participation of the Champions League winner in the new FIFA Club World Championship on an invitational basis only. Olsson also criticized the level of refereeing at the Athens Olympics, saying it was "not up to standards."
"The game is developing faster than the level of refereeing," he said and offered UEFA's support to other soccer associations.
He expressed full support for Swedish referee Anders Frisk, who was badly injured by Roma fans during Wednesday's Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev, calling the incident "regretful."
In a show of sympathy for victims of the hostage drama in a school in North Ossetia, Russia, UEFA's Executive Committee offered two mini-pitches to the school in Beslan as part of its reconstruction program.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely