OCEANIA NATIONS CUP
Totori scores equalizer
Benjamin Totori scored a 57th-minute equalizer for the Solomon Islands in a 1-1 draw with New Zealand yesterday as both teams clinched places in the semi-finals of the Oceania Nations Cup, the second round of regional qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. New Zealand, which represented Oceania at the 2010 World Cup, entered their last Group B match unbeaten and with their semi-finals place already secured. The Solomon Islands faced uncertainty at the start of the final day of pool play, but were able to relax when Fiji were held to a 1-1 draw by Papua New Guinea. Fiji needed to win to have any chance of displacing the host nation in the final four. The top four teams progressed to the third round of World Cup qualifying.
FRANCE V ESTONIA
Benzema gets brace
Karim Benzema scored twice and brilliantly set up Franck Ribery for his third goal in three games as France beat Estonia 4-0 on Tuesday to boost confidence ahead of next week’s Euro 2012 match against England. France have won their three Euro 2012 warm-up matches and are undefeated in 21 straight games. Although the defense still looks shaky, France are bristling with menace in attack, with the attacking trio of Ribery, Benzema and Samir Nasri in ominous form. Winger Jeremy Menez completed the scoring in injury time.
UKRAINE V TURKEY
Euro co-hosts lose again
Ukraine slumped to their second straight defeat ahead of Euro 2012 when the tournament’s co-hosts were beaten 2-0 by Turkey in a warmup game on Tuesday. Midfielder Caner Erkin gave Turkey the lead with a low shot past goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov after 30 minutes, and striker Mustafa Pektemek doubled the score in the 70th from a quick counterattack after the Ukraine offside trap failed. The defeat came four days after Ukraine’s 3-2 loss to Austria in another friendly. In both matches, Ukraine looked vulnerable in defense and powerless in attack. Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin rested key players Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andriy Voronin, while Andriy Shevchenko only appeared for the second half.
SWEDEN V SERBIA
Defense looks shaky
Sweden beat Serbia 2-1 in their final pre-Euro 2012 friendly on Tuesday, securing an encouraging victory which nonetheless raised questions about whether the team’s defense is up to scratch ahead of the Euro championship. Sweden started off the scoring in the 23rd minute after Serbia’s ’keeper Branimir Aleksic fumbled the ball on a Swedish corner and Ola Toivonen tapped it through the posts with his heel. However, Serbia equalized just four minutes later, after a tackle by midfielder Anders Svensson gave Serbia a free-kick that led to a corner, which Neven Subotic headed in between two Swedish defenders. Serbian ’keeper Damir Kahriman, who replaced Aleksic at the start of the second half, pulled down Toivonen and earned Sweden a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, which Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasted into the far-left corner to produce Sweden’s winning goal. However, despite the win, the hosts looked shaky and uncertain, nowhere near the smooth-playing and united team seen during training camp, raising concern as to whether coach Erik Hamren would be able to iron out the wrinkles before the Euros start. Also of concern was Sweden’s starting goalkeeper, Andreas Isaksson, who left the pitch in the 71st minute with a slight groin injury.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
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