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Sports Briefs

■ Ice Hockey
Jagr Czech player of the year
New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr was voted the Czech Republic's player of the year for the seventh time. The 34-year-old veteran won the vote on Saturday by a panel of sports journalists and hockey coaches. Toronto's Tomas Kaberle was the runner-up for the 2005-2006 season, and David Vyborny, the Czech Republic's national team captain at the World Cup this year, placed third.

■ Motorcycling
Rossi takes Brno pole
Italian Valentino Rossi took pole position at the Czech Gran Prix on Saturday as he looks to make up ground on American Nicky Hayden and win his sixth consecutive MotoGP title. Rossi, who has won five times at the 5.4-km Masaryk Ring, posted a fastest lap in one minute 56.19 seconds on his Camel Yamaha, a new track record. Rossi won the German GP last month, but failed to finish the next race, the US Grand Prix, which Hayden won before the competition took a three-week break. "I think I came back from holiday in a good shape," Rossi said. "Before the start I was quite stressed and not relaxed, because we had a lot of problems ... [But] this time we did a great job together with the team and I am very happy," he added. Italian compatriot Loris Capirossi, riding a Ducati, took second position on the grid, 0.25 seconds back.

■ Basketball
Monarchs advance to finals
Yolanda Griffith scored 17 points, Rebekkah Brunson added 14 and the Sacramento Monarchs advanced to the WNBA Western Conference finals with a methodical 92-64 victory over the Houston Comets on Saturday in Game 2 of their first-round series. Ticha Penicheiro had seven assists and hit two 3-pointers for the defending WNBA champion Monarchs, who won Game 1 of the best-of-three series in Houston before rolling into the conference finals for the fourth straight season.

■ Soccer
Men can watch women
Soccer authorities in Pakistan have dropped restrictions on men watching women play soccer a senior official said on Saturday. "Anybody can come and watch the matches," Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) technical director Mir Farooq said. "We have made adequate security and seating arrangements for everyone." When the women's championship was launched last year in this Muslim country, the PFF did not allow unaccompanied men to watch. Only men who came with their families were allowed in. Farooq said the women players had to wear baggy track suit trousers and long-sleeved shirts and their matches were to be supervised by a women referee. "We want to promote women's sports but we are also aware of the sensitivities associated with women's sports," he said.

■ Portugal
Porto wins Super Cup
Double winners Porto beat Cup runners-up Vitoria Setubal 3-0 on Saturday to win the Super Cup, the new season's curtain-raiser. Porto opened the scoring after 54 minutes through a bicycle kick from Brazilian striker Adriano. With Porto's new coach Jesualdo Ferreira in the stands and caretaker Rui Barros on the bench, the champions doubled the lead after 75 minutes when Brazilian teenager Anderson tapped in. One minute from the final whistle substitute Vieirinha completed the rout with a powerful shot from outside the area. Ferreira, Porto's sixth coach since they won the Champions League in 2004 under Jose Mourinho, replaced Dutchman Co Adriaanse who resigned last week.

■ Netherlands
Alkmaar thrashes Breda
A hat-trick from Simon Cziommer inspired AZ Alkmaar to an 8-1 hammering of NAC Breda in their opening Dutch first division game of the season on Saturday. Danny Koevermans began the goal spree in the 33rd minute before Cziommer netted a free kick seven minutes later. Ronnie Stam pulled one back early in the second half after a blunder from Alkmaar goalkeeper Joey Didulica. But bemused Breda were buried by four goals in 10 minutes from Joris Mathijsen, Cziommer, Stijn Schaars and Tim de Cler. Koevermans grabbed his second to make it 7-1 before Cziommer completed his treble with 10 minutes left.

■ Sweden
Larsson under scrutiny
Former Barcelona striker Henrik Larsson, playing for Helsingborgs, was involved in controversy on Saturday when television cameras caught him delivering what looked like a punch to an opponent's stomach. The incident happened during the first half of a quarter-final cup match against Elfsborg which Helsingborgs won on penalties after the game ended 4-4 after extra time. Television showed Larsson, who spent seven seasons at Celtic before joining Barcelona in 2004, being held by Elfsborg player Jon Jonsson then delivering a jab to his opponent's stomach. Jonsson had to leave the field. "He was holding me and I just tried to push him away," Larsson told the TV4 channel, which broadcast the match. He also said it had not been such a serious blow.

■ Spain
Villarreal suffer blow
Villarreal's Argentine international center back Gonzalo Rodriguez will miss most of the season after tearing the cruciate ligaments in his right knee in a pre-season game against Real Madrid. "Gonzalo has sustained a very serious injury," club president Fernando Roig told reporters after his side's 1-0 win in the Ramon de Carranza tournament in Cadiz. "We will have to do without him for the next seven months. It is a very heavy blow." The Primera Liga team said Rodriguez would undergo further tests today to assess the full extent of the injury.

■ Italy
Juve off to winning start
Juventus began the season with a 3-0 win over third division Martina Franca in the first round of the Italian Cup on Saturday. Goals by Pavel Nedved and new signings Marco Marchionni and Valeri Bojinov gave the Turin giants a victory in their first competitive outing since they were relegated to the second division following a match-fixing trial. Playing in the first round was a novelty for Juventus. Italy's top clubs get a bye through the first three rounds before joining the competition at the last-16 stage.

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