Krong Angkor

Egypt, Ghana 0-0 at half-time

LUANDA (AFP) - Title holders Egypt and Ghana were drawing 0-0 after an incident free first-half of the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.

Feyenoord and Ajax draw in Dutch classic

(GSM) - The Dutch classic between Feyenoord and Ajax ended undecided as the two teams held each other to a 1-1 draw in the Eredivisie this Sunday.

Ajax were the better side in the first half at Rotterdam's Kuip stadium, and scored the opening goal on 25 minutes.

An error from Denny Landzaat initiated an Ajax attack that allowed Marko Pantelic to score for 0-1 and temporarily silence the home crowd.

But Mario Been's Feyenoord improved in the second half, particularly when Roy Makaay replaced Landzaat in an attempt to create more possibilities up front.

The equaliser came in the 67th minute, when Urby Emanuelson failed to properly clear the ball and allowed Georgino Wijnaldum to pick up and score, 1-1.

Ajax successfully defend their third place in the Eredivisie, as Feyenoord follow in fourth at four points from their arch rivals.

Twente back on top in Eredivisie

(GSM) - FC Twente are back at the top in the Dutch Eredivisie following a 2-0 win over Roda JC on Sunday. PSV had their winning streak ended at Vitesse.

The day began with PSV in the lead, as the Eindhoven outfit had two points more than Steve McClaren's Twente.

But PSV, who had won their last ten leagues games in a row and were looking to add an 11th, failed to make a difference at Vitesse's Gelredome stadium and left Arnhem with just one point.

Twente took advantage, although it needed until late to force a decision against Roda.

Danish midfielder Kenneth Perez broke the deadlock after 71 minutes, and Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz added a goal to his account two minutes later, 2-0.

PSV and Twente now share the lead in the Eredivisie, although PSV do have the better goal record.

Guti backheel makes him World Cup material - Lotina

MADRID (AFP) - Guti showed he deserves a spot in Spain's World Cup squad with a sublime assist during Real Madrid's 3-1 win at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, according to Deportivo coach Miguel Angel Lotina.

"After what I saw, Guti should take part in the World Cup," he said.

French striker Karim Benzema scored shortly before half-time during the match at Deportivo La Coruna?s Riazor stadium after Guti set him up with a cunning backheel following a pass from Kaka.

"I saw him (Benzema) out of the corner of my eye, the goalkeeper was coming towards me and I thought he had an easier chance. In football it is important to give the ball to a better placed colleague," Guti said after the match.

"I think we showed we're a great team. Despite all the injured players, the team has fought hard and showed what is needed to wear this shirt."

Guti's heroics during the match won him heaps of praise in the Spanish media on Sunday, just weeks after he appeared to be out of favour with Real coach Manuel Pellegrini.

"Guti's pass will be remembered 30 years from now. Football fans will remember it as a monument of class and creativity. And calmness and courage," wrote sports daily Marca.

"He dared pull out an unforgettable stroke of genius. He is a unique player built with the materials of geniuses. Few footballers in the history of Real Madrid have been more brilliant," it added.

Rival sports daily AS dubbed Guti's move the "golden heel flick".

"Football isn't about wearing down the opponent with shots, but rather about winning in style. Guti converted a play on goal into a piece of art," it said.

Top-selling daily El Pais called the move "a masterpiece of talent and generosity" while El Mundo dubbed Guti "the heel flick expert".

Guti, 33, did not play for over two months following a bust-up with Pellegrini during the club's embarrassing 4-0 Spanish Cup defeat against third-division side Alcorcon on October 27.

Both coach and player have always insisted his absence was down to injury and Guti criticised journalists who suggested otherwise during a tense press conference earlier this month.

He also suggested in a TV interview earlier this month that he would like to leave Real to play in another league amid reports of interest from Spanish and English clubs.

A product of Real's youth system and one of the longest-serving members of Real's squad, Guti last played for the Spanish national team in 2005.

New coach, same problems for misfiring Juventus

ROME (AFP) - Alberto Zaccheroni was unable to deliver a winning start as Juventus coach on Sunday when the troubled Turin side were held 1-1 at home by lowly former club Lazio.

Stefano Mauri volleyed home in the 78th minute to earn the Roman visitors a draw just after Alessandro Del Piero had converted a dubious penalty to give Juve the lead.

The draw left Juventus, who also hit the woodwork with a Diego shot, joint fifth in the Serie A table alongside Palermo on 34 points, and four points behind Napoli who currently occupy the final Champions League qualifying place.

"There was a desire to do too much sometimes," said Zaccheroni, who had replaced the sacked Ciro Ferrara on Friday.

"The players went after the result too frenetically. Tonight they showed desire. Here we have a team capable of winning. I like winning and here I have that opportunity.

"At the moment there's a bit of confusion. There's certainly a lot to do. But with the squad I have, I'm confident".

Second-placed Milan's hopes of taking a big chunk out of Inter Milan's lead after their city rivals' visit to Parma was snowed-off, were dashed when they were held 1-1 at home by Livorno.

Cristiano Lucarelli's 53rd-minute goal earned the Tuscan visitors a point after Massimo Ambrosini had put Milan in front just before half-time.

Third-placed Roma took advantage to pull level with Milan on points, having played one game more, by beating basement side Siena 2-1 despite missing captain Francesco Totti, Luca Toni and Mirko Vucinic who were all unfit.

Milan have 41 points from 21 games, eight points less than Inter, at the end of a disappointing eight days in which they were knocked out of the Italian Cup by Udinese and lost last weekend's derby 2-0.

Livorno were well organised at the San Siro and proved difficult to break down until Ambrosini hooked in with the help of a blunder by keeper Francesco Benussi, who gifted the midfielder the ball in front of goal when he flapped at a David Beckham cross.

Ronaldinho had come closest before that when he thumped the post with a right-footed strike from the edge of the area in the 36th minute.

Both sides had penalty appeals turned down after Lucarelli poked in a mis-hit Claudio Bellucci shot while Benussi produced a fine save to keep out an Ambrosini header.

"We lacked that little something," Milan coach Leonardo said. "We went into the game after these (bad) results and we needed a good performance.

"We didn't play a great match but it wasn't bad either. We didn't take our chances against a side that came to defend."

In the capital, John Arne Riise, who scored a stoppage-time winner against Juventus last weekend, gave Roma a deserved lead with a spectacular left-footed volley into the far corner in the 29th minute.

The visitors responded four minutes before half-time when Simone Vergassola touched in the rebound of a Mato Jajalo effort.

But Stefano Okaka, who is set to join Premier League side Fulham on loan on Monday, back-heeled a cross from fellow substitute Adrian Pit to seal victory for Roma in the 88th minute.

"The goal was really satisfying. I wanted to put on a beautiful performance," Okaka said.

"I'm going to England to improve myself. This opportunity came up and I couldn't say no."

Fiorentina, rocked in the week by Romania forward Adrian Mutu's failed drugs tests, drew 2-2 at 10-man Cagliari.

Sampdoria, who denied reports they plan to loan out injured fan favourite Antonio Cassano after tension with coach Luigi Del Neri, beat second-from-bottom Atalanta 2-0 with first-half goals by Angelo Palombo and Giampaolo Pazzini.

Supersub ´Gedo´ the hero as Egypt retain African crown

LUANDA (AFP) - Egypt entered the record books here on Sunday, beating Ghana 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with supersub Mohamed 'Gedo' Nagy lifting the Pharaohs to their third straight title.

Gedo, who has scored from the bench in Egypt's last four games in Angola, came on in the 63rd minute and produced his magic with five minutes left on the clock to cement Egypt's standing as the kings of Africa.

The win also gave veteran coach Hassan Shehata a history-making third championship after Cairo in 2006 and Accra in 2008 and extended Egypt's unbeaten record in the competition to an astonishing 19 games.

Egyptians dance in streets for African Cup football triumph

Shehata's assistant, Shawky Garib, said: "I'd like to congratulate Ghana for what they did today (Sunday).

"It's important to take your chance, and today we took it. But we respect the Ghana team, they played a very good match today.

"We said we were the champions from the first day we arrived in Angola, and we would defend our title.

"We have won three titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. This was the most difficult of all of them."

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevic, who has worked wonders to put the World Cup qualifiers into their first continental final in 18 years with most of his top players injured, commented: "We are not so experienced, we wanted to win it so badly in our hearts but in the end Egyptian experience was crucial."

Egypt were unchanged from the XI that crushed Algeria 4-0 in the semi-finals save for the absence of suspended defender Mahmoud Fatalla - former Spurs midfielder Hossam Ghaly started in his place.

Ghana named an identical line-up to their last four win over Nigeria, with captain Richard Kingson taking up residence between the posts despite a late fitness scare.

The Black Stars made it to the final playing pragmatic rather than beautiful football, but they began in enterprising fashion, matching the Egyptians for speed and dexterity.

In-form striker Asamoah Gyan had an early shot go high over the Pharaoh's crossbar and Serie A-based Kwadwo Asamoah had a long range effort safely scooped up by Essam al-Hadary as the supposed 'underdogs' counter attacked with menace.

Towards the end of the first period both skipper Ahmed Hassan, on his 172nd international appearance, and Emad Motaeb, failed to connect with a floating 25m Egyptian freekick into the box.

Honours even it was as the sides re-emerged after the break with the 50,000 capacity Chinese-built stadium by now three-quarters full and the near 40 degree heat which greeted the players at kick-off cooling down as night fell.

Opoku Agyemang went into Mali referee Coulibaly Koman's book for an ill-judged tackle on Ahmed al-Mohamady and not to be outdone Egypt's Sayed Moawad picked up a yellow card seconds later for handball.

Koman had his hand in his pocket again to fish out a card for al-Mohamady after a collision with Opoku.

The game badly needed a goal but what it got was another booking, this time Ghaly for pulling Asamoah.

Shehata brought on supersub Gedo with 20 minutes left for Motaeb hoping the Al-Ittihad striker would repeat his magic.

Ghana's best chance came in the 78th minute when al-Hadary did well to punch away Gyan's lethal looking 28m freekick as Ghana's youngsters had Egypt's red shirts on the run.

Then unbelievably, with the game heading towards extra-time, Gedo conjured up the decisive goal with a sublime 1-2 with Zidan down the left to slot an angled shot past Kingson.

Auxerre close on French pace-setters

PARIS (AFP) - Auxerre boosted their bid for European football next season by beating relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne 1-0 at the Stade Abbe Deschamps on Sunday.

Centre-back Jean Pascal Mignot scored the decisive goal 12 minutes from time when he dispatched Valter Birsa's right-wing corner at the near post.

Saint-Etienne, 10-time French champions, almost took the lead in the third minute when Dimitri Payet thumped a shot against the post, while Auxerre saw substitute Dennis Oliech graze an upright in the second half.

The visitors appeared to have brought themselves level when Gonzalo Bergessio netted four minutes from the end but his strike was controversially ruled out for offside.

"I said to myself that we were heading for a draw and then Birsa placed a good corner onto Mignot's head for a great goal," said Auxerre coach Jean Fernandez.

"I feel for Saint-Etienne as well, because they scored a valid goal that was not given by the referee. Saint-Etienne didn't deserve to lose, but that's football."

Auxerre move up to fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Monaco - who are a place below the Champions League qualification berths - while Saint-Etienne remain fourth from bottom, four points clear of the drop zone.

Valenciennes drew 1-1 at home to Sochaux, with Johan Audel's 21st-minute opener for the hosts cancelled out by Damien Perquis's equaliser nine minutes into the second period.

Lyon, sixth, host Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday's late game, where they will hope to bounce back from the disappointment of exiting both domestic cup competitions in the space of three days earlier in the week.

In Saturday's matches, leaders Bordeaux were held to a surprise 0-0 draw at home to second-bottom Boulogne, enabling Montpellier to move to within six points of the champions by beating Marseille 2-0.

Lille remain third, two points behind Montpellier, after beating Lens 1-0, while Monaco won 3-2 against struggling Nice for their first win in the Riviera derby for 14 years.

Imperious United sweep Arsenal aside

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United closed the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea as the champions swept to an impressive 3-1 win against title rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side stunned the Gunners with two goals in four minutes in the first half at the Emirates Stadium and were never in danger of surrendering their lead.

Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia pushed Nani's cross into his own net before Wayne Rooney put the champions in complete control with his 100th Premier League goal.

South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung added United's third goal in the second half to ensure Ferguson's men moved within one point of Chelsea thanks to their most emphatic performance of the season.

England star Rooney demonstrated the predatory instincts that make him, on current form, the most lethal forward in the world, but it was Portugal winger Nani, revitalised in recent weeks, who stole the show with a superb display.

Arsenal, beaten for the first time in 11 league games, had no answer to either player and, although Thomas Vermaelen got one back late on, Arsene Wenger's team looked short of the resilience and cutting edge needed to win the title.

Ferguson, who was without defensive duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, selected Nani ahead of in-form Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs and it proved an inspired decision.

With Chelsea's victory at Burnley on Saturday moving the leaders four points clear of United and five ahead of Arsenal, both teams knew a defeat could be disastrous to their title hopes.

Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin was a thorn in United's side in the early stages and the Russian twice threatened to open the scoring.

He curled a shot wide of Edwin van der Sar's far post, then went closer when he teased Wes Brown before tricking his way past the United defender and shooting narrowly wide.

Nani, playing on the right flank instead of his usual left wing berth, led United's response in imperious fashion.

He was causing Gael Clichy problems with his pace and nearly scored with a close-range shot after a goalmouth scramble.

Clichy had been warned but the French left-back had no answer to Nani again in the 33rd minute.

Faced with Clichy and Samir Nasri on the touchline, Nani cleverly flicked the ball past both opponents and surged into the penalty area.

Denilson couldn't stop Nani either and the United star was able to loft a cross goalwards. Almunia had a chance to tip it over, but mistimed his attempted save and could only push the ball into his own net.

Arsenal were rocked by Almunia's mistake and, just as in United's Champions League semi-final victory over the Gunners last season, Ferguson's team were able to take full advantage on the counter-attack.

Back in May it was Cristiano Ronaldo administering the killer blow, this time it was Rooney who capped a stunning break in the 37th minute.

When Park cleared to Rooney from inside his own penalty area, there was no immediate sign of danger. But in an instant Rooney had passed possession onto Nani, who sprinted towards the Arsenal box.

Rooney had continued his run and the England forward met Nani's precise pass with a first-time shot that gave Almunia no chance.

It was a sublime finish to a breath-taking move and Ferguson and his staff rose as one to acclaim Rooney's 22nd goal of the season.

United had failed to win any of their last six away games against 'big four' rivals, but this one was in the bag just after half-time.

Rooney served notice that United weren't going to settle for two goals with an audacious effort that Almunia scrambled to save, but it was Park who put the result beyond doubt in the 52nd minute.

Running onto Michael Carrick's chipped pass, Park was able to break into the penalty area without a single Arsenal player making a challenge and the South Korean was still unopposed as he slotted a low shot past Almunia at his near-post.

Belgian defender Vermaelen reduced the deficit in the 80th minute when his acrobatic volley from the edge of the area deflected in off Brown.

City players show Bridge support over Terry scandal

MANCHESTER (AFP) - England defender Wayne Bridge was shown widespread support from his Manchester City team-mates on Sunday amid a media storm over reports that England captain John Terry had an affair with his former girlfriend.

City manager Roberto Mancini - whose side had just beaten Portsmouth 2-0 - said after the match that some of the players wore shirts bearing the words "Team Bridge".

"The players are very close to Wayne," said Mancini.

"He is a fantastic player and a good guy. It was a nice gesture."

While Bridge is out injured, Terry is weathering a media storm following reports that he cheated on his wife Toni with the former girlfriend of Bridge, French lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel.

Terry's captaincy of England, only months from the start of the World Cup, is now reportedly under threat, although reports suggest Football Association chiefs are set to leave any final decision to England coach Fabio Capello.

Whether such a show of support for Bridge, considered England's second-choice left-back, influences any decision by Capello regarding the England captaincy would be hard to determine.

But Capello, a strict disciplinarian, is mindful of the effect the scandal could have on dressing room unity. One of the players to have shown support for Bridge was Gareth Barry, a certainty to make Capello's squad for South Africa.

In a statement released on Saturday, Bridge - who while at Chelsea was a neighbour and close friend of Terry's - said he would not make any comment about Terry's relationship with Perroncel and was interested only in the welfare of their three-year-old son.

However, Bridge - who ironically spent a lot of time last summer trying to covince Terry to quit Chelsea for City - is said to be so upset by the scandal that he has considered quitting the England team.

Warnock: Moses set to shine

(GSM) - Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock expects new Wigan signing Victor Moses to shine in the Premier League. Although several clubs were interested in acquiring his services, the teenage Palace forward eventually signed for Wigan.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton were all reportedly interested in the 19-year-old. However, only the Latics matched Palace's £2.5million valuation.

And Warnock said that he expects his now-former player to make some managers regret not trying harder to sign him.

Warnock said: "I expect to see Victor do very well in the Premier League and I think a lot of other managers, who have ummed and ahhed and thought I was wasting their time, are going to eat their words.

"I see him floating around up front off a targetman. Good players can play anywhere. He's got the ability and the quality and he's added the hard work of late. I've told him I'm really looking forward to watching him and if he needs me at all I'm on the end of the phone."

Agent: Celtic keen to sign Ramis

(GSM) - Celtic boss Tony Mowbray is in talks with Real Mallorca over signing defender Ivan Ramis, according to the player's agent.

The Spanish center back has been linked with a move to Parkhead, as the Hoops look like missing out on Preston North End's Sean St Ledger after failing to meet his club's valuation.

Ramis' representative, Javier Diaz, claims Celtic and Mallorca are in talks, though it is not certain a deal would be concluded before the transfer window closes.

"I don't know if an agreement will be reached by Monday night, but the clubs are talking and trying to reach an agreement," Diaz told BBC Scotland.

Reports claim Mallorca are seeking around £3million for the 25-year-old, who would be a direct replacement for Stephen McManus following the Scotland defender's loan move to Middlesbrough.

Mowbray also sold Gary Caldwell this month, drafting in Jos Hooiveld from AIK Stockholm and Thomas Rogne from Stabaek.

Ramis was not in the Mallorca squad for their game against Xerez on Sunday as a result of an arm injury.

The former youth player has helped his club emerge as genuine contenders for a place in next season's Champions League, and he has represented Spain at Under-19, Under-21 and Under-23 level.

Leverkusen blitz Freiburg to reclaim league lead

BERLIN (AFP) - Leverkusen on Sunday took over from Bayern Munich as Bundesliga leaders for the second week running after blitzing Freiburg with three goals in four minutes on their way to a 3-1 win.

Leverkusen remain the only unbeaten Bundesliga side this season and stunned Freiburg with first-half goals by Germany striker Steffan Kiessling, Swiss forward Eren Derdiyok and ex-Liverpool defender Sammi Hyypia.

Although Bayern picked up their seventh consecutive league win with a 3-0 victory over Mainz on Saturday, Leverkusen went back to the top of the German league and two-points clear after Sunday's win.

Germany squad member Kiessling remains the league's top scorer after he bagged his 13th of the season on 36 minutes with a well-taken header.

Then Derdiyok bagged his eighth of the season when he capitalised on a mistake in the Freiburg defence just 60 seconds later for his eighth league goal of the season.

And Hyypia made sure of the win with his second goal in two games when his header beat Freiburg goalkeeper Simon Pouplin five minutes before the half-time whistle.

Defender Felix Bastians then pulled a consolation goal back for Freiburg, but the defeat leaves them 15th in the table, just one off the relegation zone.

Earlier, Stuttgart coach Christian Gross picked up his fourth-straight win and remains undefeated after seven games in charge as his Bundesliga side enjoyed a 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Goals by Russia forward Pavel Pogrebnyak and Serbian striker Zdravko Kuzmanovic put Stuttgart in charge before Romanian striker Ciprian Marica and Christian Traesch scored late goals to put the result beyond doubt.

The result means the home side have now claimed 12 points from their last four league games with Spanish giants Barcelona beckoning in the Champions League last 16 clash on February 23.

Schalke 04 are third after their 2-0 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday with goals by striker Kevin Kuranyi and midfielder Lukas Schmitz while the defeat leaves Hoffenheim ninth in the table.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben, Germany striker Mario Gomez and defender Daniel van Buyten all scored in Bayern's win over Mainz in snowy conditions which leaves Bayern second.

Elsewhere, Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf is in a precarious position as his side have now gone seven German league games without a win after they went down 4-3 at midtable Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Second from bottom Nuremberg picked up only their second win in their last 10 games when they won 3-1 at Hanover and the result leaves bottom side Hertha Berlin five points adrift after a scoreless draw with Bochum in the capital.

Cologne are up to 13th after their second consecutive win having beaten Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1.

Defending champions Wolfsburg's 1-1 draw at Hamburg on Friday leaves the team from the Hanseatic city fifth in the table.

West Ham set to sign Brazilian striker

(GSM) - West Ham are closing in on the signing of Brazilian striker Ilan according to reports. St Etienne's Ilan could make a January move to Upton Park.

Ilan is out of contract in the summer and St Etienne are believed to be willing to cash in on him for a nominal fee.

Having missed out on Eidur Gudjohnsen -who opted to join Tottenham- West Ham have moved for the 29-year-old as they look to bolster their attacking options.

Ilan is expected to fly into London on Monday to tie up the move to Upton Park.

Negredo double keeps Sevilla on European path

MADRID (AFP) - Sevilla breathed new life into their Champions League ambitions with a 2-1 victory over fellow European hopefuls Valencia on Sunday with Alvaro Negredo grabbing both goals.

It was a key game for Sevilla who had suffered a worrying slump since Christmas, losing three of their last four games but they rose to the occasion against third-placed Valencia.

Sevilla took the game to the visitors and were a constant threat down the right-wing while Alexis Ruano struggled in defence.

From a 22nd-minute corner Sevilla went ahead as Julien Escude flicked on the ball for Negredo to slot home.

Midway through the second half Negredo finished off a well-worked move for Sevilla's second, and his seventh of the season.

Valencia battled gamely in the later stages with top-scorer David Villa conjuring up a couple of chances before David Navarro scored a consolation goal in injury time.

The result moved Sevilla up to fourth place on 36 points, three behind Valencia in third.

Barcelona still lead the table with 52 points, five ahead of rivals Real Madrid.

Villarreal sacked coach Ernesto Valverde following the club's 2-0 defeat at home to Osasuna. Valverde, who previously coached Espanyol and Greek side Olympiakos, is the sixth La Liga coach to lose his jop this season.

Juanfran Torres scored both Osasuna's goals.

"This was the worst since I have been here. We lost and played really badly," said Valverde after Sunday's loss.

Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez is another man under pressure after his side crashed 2-0 at home against relegation-threatened Malaga.

Malaga took an early lead with an unmarked Sergio Duda firing home after just three minutes.

On the counter-attack after the break Malaga grabbed a second though through Javi Lopez as the visitors moved three points off the relegation zone.

A brace from Carlos Calvo helped bottom side Xerez come from behind to beat high-flying Mallorca 2-1.

Xerez had only one win to their name all season but they took the game to Mallorca from the start.

Although they had the bulk of the possession Pierre Webo scored against the run of play for Mallorca mid-way through the first half.

In the second half, Xerez deservedly drew level with Calvo firing a right-foot rocket home from 30 yards and then completed the turnaround with a second 12 minutes from time.

On Saturday, Karim Benzema scored a brace as Real Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-1, their first win at the Riazor in almost 20 years.

Following Barcelona's 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon earlier in the evening, Real were desperate not to allow their rivals to escape at the top.

Esteban Granero headed Real in front after 13 minutes with the game played out in the home side's half.

Raul Gonzalez had the chance to add to the lead with a close-range volley before a moment of real quality from Jose Maria Guti.

Through on goal, instead of shooting on his weaker right foot, he back-heeled the ball into the path of Benzema to slot home.

In a late rally Ivan Riki scored from the penalty spot for Deportivo but Benzema had the last word with a goal in injury-time.

Barcelona saw Pedro Rodriguez score the only goal at home to Sporting Gijon when he latched on to a through ball by Andres Iniesta.

AEK hold Panathinaikos in Athens derby

(GSM) - Sunday's Greek top clash between Panathinaikos and AEK ended undecided, while Olympiakos reduced the gap with the top thanks to a narrow win at Panionios.

Leaders Panathinaikos hosted AEK in an Athens derby played at the Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium, but conceded an opening goal from Argentinian Ignacio Scocco after just nine minutes.

But AEK, who had just three Greeks in their starting line-up, could not hold on to that lead as Dimitris Salpingidis levelled the score in minute 27.

The draw allowed defending champions Olympiakos to bring the gap with Panathinaikos back from eight to six points.

A goal from Matt Derbyshire in the seventh minute was enough for Olympiakos to secure the win at Panionios.

The match was temporarily suspended in the second half due to fireworks on the pitch.

Lazio seal Hitzelsberger deal

(GSM) - Thomas Hitzlsperger has joined Lazio. The Germany midfielder has moved to the Italian club in a bid to boost his hopes of making his nation's World Cup squad.

The 27-year-old has not featured regularly for Stuttgart this season and his frustration has grown as his World Cup hopes looked slim.

Germany coach Joachim Low had warned the midfielder that he needed to play first-team football in order to book a place in Germany's World Cup squad.

And Hitzlsperger has now switched clubs to bolster his odds Low's 23-man list for this summer's World Cup.

The German side confirmed the move on their official website on Sunday, saying, "With the transfer window ending on Monday, Thomas Hitzlsperger decided to join Lazio."

ticle There´s no Juventus deal, insists Benitez

LONDON (AFP) - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez on Sunday denied that he has struck a deal with struggling Italian giants Juventus to take over at the end of the season.

"Contrary to reports in the Italian media this weekend, I want to make it absolutely clear I have no agreement with Juventus and have not and will not be meeting Juventus or their representatives or any other club," Benitez said in a statement.

"I have a long-term contract with Liverpool and I'll repeat what I said on Friday. I am happy here and my only focus is to do my job as well as I can to get the team back into to the top four, beginning with the derby against Everton."

Juventus sacked coach Ciro Ferrara earlier in the week after a run of five defeats in six league games and have replaced him with Alberto Zaccheroni whose reign in Turin began with a 1-1 draw with Lazio on Sunday.

On Friday, Benitez had said he was proud of Juventus's reported interest in him.

"I know they (Juventus) were interested, that is part of the game now in football, but I am not ready to talk too much because I don't want to lose my focus," said the Spaniard.

"When you are a manager and you have clubs asking (for you), you have to be proud because they are a top side in Europe, but I am really happy here and want to do my job as best I can."

Benitez remains a highly respected coach around Europe, despite Liverpool's problems this season which have seen them knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup.

Benitez is under contract at Anfield until 2013.

Turkey: Fenerbahce and Galatasaray win

(GSM) - Turkish Super Lig leaders Fenerbahce earned a comfortable 1-5 win at Sivasspor to defend their top spot, while nearest rivals Galatasaray secured three points from their away match to Denizlispor.

Fenerbahce needed 30 minutes for Semih Senturk to score the opening goal at Sivas' Eylül stadium, but Mehmet Yildiz equalised just seven minutes later.

In the second half, it was all Fenerbahce however as Senturk restored his team's lead in the 55th minute, and two goals from Ugur Boral (66th and 70th) left the match practically decided. Gokhan Gönül added a fifth goal in the 84th minute.

Galatasaray, who are just one point behind Fenerbahce, beat Denizlispor 1-2 to remain in their arch rivals' track.

Arda Turan put 'Gala' ahead after 19 minutes, but had his goal cancelled out by Engin Memisler in the 54th. The winning goal came another seven minutes later though, as Brazilian striker Jo beat keeper Ongün for 1-2.

Rooney scores 100th Premier League goal

LONDON (AFP) - England striker Wayne Rooney scored the 100th Premier League goal of his career here on Sunday when he rifled home Manchester United's second goal against titlechasing rivals Arsenal in the first-half.

The 24-year-old - who scored 15 for previous club Everton - has been in a rich vein of form of late and it was his 22nd goal in all competitions this season, making light of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure for Real Madrid.

United were leading 2-0 as half-time approached.

O'Hara rejoins Pompey

(GSM) - Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara has rejoined Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season. Spurs have let O'Hara go to Pompey, who have struggled financially recently, have re-signed O'Hara.

The 23-year-old former Arsenal trainee made 14 appearances for Pompey during the first half of the campaign, scoring one goal against Blackburn.

O'Hara had returned to White Hart Lane due to the transfer embargo placed on the South Coast side.

An agreement had been reached between Spurs and Pompey for the player to extend his stay at the club, but he was forced to move back to north London and bide his time.

O'Hara had spoken of his desire to return to Fratton Park, and Portsmouth fans will be glad of some good news in what is a turbulent time for the club.

With the financial situation seeming to get worse by the day, it remains to be seen whether O'Hara will be able to improve the fortunes of the cash-strapped outift.

He is expected to be part of Avram Grant's side for the Premier League game against Manchester City on Sunday.

Stern Shehata one win away from African record

LUANDA (AFP) - Stern, silver-haired Egyptian Hassan Shehata is one victory away from becoming the first coach to win three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

His 'Pharaohs' face the 'Black Stars' of Ghana at the 50,000-seat November 11 Stadium Sunday in an unexpected climax to the 2010 Cup between countries hard hit by pre-competition injuries.

Media-shy Shehata, who usually leaves the talking to long-time assistant Shawky Gharib, says his squad will claim a record seventh African title provided luck wears a red shirt.

"We just need luck. We could have beaten Cameroon by a wider margin but were unlucky," he said, recalling a 3-1 quarter-final victory over the 'Indomitable Lions' after extra time.

What the man who watches most games leaning against the side of the dugout forgot to mention was luck was very much on the side of Egypt in that showdown against one of the five African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

When a free kick from captain Ahmed Hassan struck the crossbar and came down it did not cross the goalline, but an assistant referee ruled it had and Egypt were two goals ahead and en route to the penultimate phase.

Shehata says teamwork and a lack of reliance on the many stars he can call up have been the recipes for success with his team unbeaten in 18 Nations Cup games spanning four tournaments.

"The top teams in Africa fear us because of our amazing teamwork. Much is made of those who miss tournaments because of injury, but we do not rely on individuals," he stressed.

Egypt were hard hit before departing Cairo for Angola with superstar Mohamed Aboutraika, fellow midfielders Mohamed Barakat and Mohamed Shawky and striker Amr Zaki ruled out by injury.

When the former national team striker replaced Italian Marco Tardelli six years ago in one of the 'hottest' African national team posts, few expected him to survive long.

Even when Egypt lifted the 2006 Nations Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Ivory Coast, there was no shortage of sceptics who claimed the feat was achieved largely because of home advantage and suspect refereeing.

But Shehata was a national hero in a country where football is an obsession and he stayed in charge for the title defence in Ghana, where Ivory Coast were hot favourites to succeed.

Written off as a tired, over-the-hill squad, Egypt launched their defence with a 4-2 thumping of Cameroon, crushed Ivory Coast 4-1 in the semi-finals and defeated Cameroon again in a tense final settled by a late Aboutraika goal.

Before Angola the media were once more critical of the defending champions, saying they were probably a spent force, full of ageing players in the twilight of their careers, and unable to conjour up the heroics of two years ago.

Try telling that to Nigeria, Mozambique, Benin, Cameroon or Algeria, the teams who had the misfortune to face the rampant Egyptians en route to the final.

Mutu banned after failing drug test

ROME (AFP) - Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu was on Friday provisionally banned over doping claims, while his mother suggested she was to blame after he tested positive for the banned substance sibutramine.

Italy's National Anti-doping Tribunal (TNA), operating under the jurisdiction of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), announced that it had "suspended the player according to the demand made by the office of the anti-doping prosecutor on January 28".

Mutu, 31, tested positive for sibutramine after scoring in his side's 2-1 home win over Bari in the league on January 10. The Romanian international risks a suspension of between one and four years.

CONI indicated later on Friday that Mutu had also tested positive for the same substance 10 days later, following Fiorentina's 3-2 Italian Cup win over Lazio, in which he scored a brace.

In a statement, the Tuscan club said their medical staff had had nothing to do with the administration of a banned substance and expressed their belief in "the good faith" of the player.

The club added that they wanted to see "the affair cleared up as quickly as possible".

Sibutramine is a medicine principally used in the treatment of obesity.

According to the ANSA news agency, who spoke to a pharmacologist, the substance would enable an athlete to increase his level of aggression.

Media reports in Romania on Friday, meanwhile, speculated that Mutu could have accidentally been given the drug by his mother.

Interviewed by the TV channel Telesport, Mutu's mother, Rodica Mutu, admitted to having taken slimming tablets and said she had "definitely left some of them in Italy" while visiting her son.

"Maybe he took them out of curiosity as I had boasted about losing weight," she said. "But in any case, the box says that they're a natural product that contains no banned substances."

Friends and relatives have rallied round the star, asserting that he would not have taken doping products on purpose.

Inter Milan defender Cristian Chivu, the Romania captain, also defended his "friend", saying that he was "obsessed by his figure".

"I know that he was always taking tablets to stay in shape," Chivu said.

"This time he must have just taken the wrong pill. I don't believe it was an intentional thing."

Mutu was fired by Chelsea after a positive test for cocaine in 2004, not long after joining the English Premier League club. He subsequently served a seven-month ban for use of a banned substance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport last year upheld the 17.17-million-euro fine handed to Mutu by FIFA as a punishment for breaching his contract with Chelsea.

The Romanian says he is unable to pay the fine but has offered to make a donation to a charity in its place.

Mutu arrived in Florence in 2006 after a year and a half at Juventus, and this season he has played in 11 Serie A and six Champions League matches, scoring four and three goals in each competition respectively.

Benitez ´proud´ of Juventus link

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said Friday that he was proud of Juventus's reported interest in him, in comments that will be seen as keeping the door open to a possible move to Serie A.

Juventus on Friday sacked Ciro Ferrara and installed Alberto Zaccheroni as their new head coach.

The Italian giants did not confirm the length of Zaccheroni's contract but local media reported that he had only been guaranteed the role until the end of the season.

That may be a sign that Juve's directors, who reportedly sent a delegation to Liverpool to see Benitez earlier this week, still harbour hope of persuading the Spaniard to quit Anfield.

Benitez insisted on Friday that he did not want to talk about the subject but, perhaps significantly, confirmed he had been made aware of Juventus's interest.

"I am not here to talk about speculation because people talk too much," he told reporters.

"I am focused on preparing my team for the game against Bolton. I know they (Juventus) were interested, that is part of the game now in football, but I am not ready to talk too much because I don't want to lose my focus.

"When you are a manager and you have clubs asking (for you), you have to be proud because they are a top side in Europe, but I am really happy here and want to do my job as best I can."

Benitez remains a highly respected coach around Europe, despite Liverpool's problems this season.

The club have been knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup and face a battle to secure a return to Europe's elite competition next season by clinching a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Benitez, who is under contract at Anfield until 2013, has vowed to ensure that goal is achieved and Liverpool's recent form -- three wins and two draws in their last five league matches -- has been encouraging.

But a section of the Liverpool support has already lost patience with the manager and, if the top-four place is not delivered, the club's American owners will come under increased pressure to sack him at the end of the season.

There is also a school of thought that Benitez, a fluent Italian speaker and a friend of Juventus director Roberto Bettega, may simply grow tired of Liverpool's boardroom politics, his strained relationship with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett and criticism from fans and former players.

And there certainly seemed to be a feeling of being under-appreciated as he mused on the reasons why Juve could be interested in him.

"Juventus is a big club, we have played against them in the Champions League and they know Liverpool are a top side," he said.

"They know it is not easy to do well always in a top side so it is a question of professionals who know the market, they know the managers and how to find someone good enough for them.

"But again I say, I am proud but I'm also really proud to be here. I am really happy here and want to do my job as best I can."

Ghana sweat on skipper Kingson

LUANDA (AFP) - Africa Cup of Nations finalists Ghana, beset by a bagful of injuries to star players, suffered a fresh setback on Friday involving inspirational captain Richard Kingson.

The Ghana and Wigan goalkeeper is one of only a handful of experienced players available to the Black Stars, who face champions Egypt in Sunday's final.

But Kingson, who pulled off a series of match-winning saves in the 1-0 semi-final win over Nigeria, had to be taken to hospital in Luanda on Friday to undergo tests on a groin problem.

He picked up the injury in last Sunday's 1-0 quarter-final win over hosts Angola, and was clearly not 100 percent against Nigeria, restricting his kicking to his left foot.

"I wasn't entirely fit but I promised the boys I would do anything for them, I sacrificed myself for the guys to help them reach the final," he said after Thursday's historic win in the west African derby, which has put Ghana into its first Africa Cup of Nations final for 18 years.

Coach Milovan Rajevic, already missing most of his regular first XI, told AFP at the team's hotel in downtown Luanda: "Richard has had to skip a couple of training sessions because of the injury. And as you saw he was feeling it yesterday, using only his left foot.

"He is in hospital today to have tests and treatment, but I'm hopeful he will be able to play on Sunday.

"He really wanted to play against Nigeria, he wanted to help them with his experience."

Despite his fine performance in the quarter-finals there was a sting in the tail for the Ghana captain, who was booked in injury time.

Another yellow card in the final will see him miss Ghana's World Cup first round opening game against Serbia in Pretoria, South Africa on June 13.

He is one of a rare breed of experienced players left in the squad following the defection due to injury of regular captain Stephen Appiah, Chelsea star Michael Essien, John Pantsil and John Mensah.

That has left the door open to Ghana's youngsters, who have grabbed the chance to shine and state their case to be included in Rajevic's World Cup squad.

As well as Rajevic's home country, Ghana are drawn against Germany and Australia in Group D in South Africa.

One piece of good news for the underdogs in Sunday's final is the return to fitness of Anthony Annan.

The midfielder, who plays his club football in Norway with Rosenborg, had to sit out Ghana's first three games but started against Nigeria and will be even sharper for Egypt.

The champions, seeking their third straight title and seventh in total, arrive in Luanda later on Friday to prepare for what they hope will be yet another continental crown.

Victory will see coach Hassan Shehata become the first manager to win three consecutive championships.

Anderson linked with Lyon switch

(GSM) - Manchester United's Anderson could be set for Old Trafford exit as the midfielder's representatives claimed a deal with Olympique Lyon could be "closed this weekend".

The Brazil international, who has made 96 appearances for United since joining from Porto in 2007, was left out of the squad for United's last two games.

Speculation about his future at Old Trafford has arisen, after reports have claimed that Anderson paid an unauthorised visit back to Brazil and is in line to be fined two weeks' wages.

He was linked with a move to Vasco da Gama in his homeland, although the club have played down suggestions they could sign the 21-year-old.

However, Lyon may be able to offer Anderson a route out of United after the player's representatives confirmed the interest from the French giants.

A spokesman for his agents Gestifute told The Sun: "We are working towards some authorisation with United.

"The subject could be closed this weekend."

There are suggestions that United will look to have the highly-rated goalkeeper Hugo Lloris included any deal which would see Anderson head to Stade Gerland.

Tottenham snub Blues' Pav bid

(GSM) - Birmingham City have had a formal bid for Tottenham's Roman Pavlyuchenko snubbed. Although Pav is set to leave Spurs, the North London club has dismissed Birmingham's offer as they hope to get a better offer for their Russian striker.

The two clubs have been talking over the past week about a possible deal. Blues boss Alex McLeish confirmed his interest in signing the Russia international.

Birmingham's approach has been rebuffed as Tottenham to return the £14million they paid for the player in 2008.

Spurs have already signed Eidur Gudjohnsen, a fact that will further unsettle Pavlyuchenko. However, Birmingham will have to better their offer if they want to land the Tottenham striker.

Pulis gives up on Jones

(GSM) - Stoke manager Tony Pulis has admitted that signing Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland is not going to happen. A deal for Jones to join the Stoke squad demands more money than the club can afford.

Kenwyne Jones has triggered interest from Stoke, Liverpool and Birmingham this window. But Pulis has now ruled out the prospect of signing the Trinidad & Tobago international.

"The Kenwyne Jones one, that is not going to happen, and Victor Moses, that was never going to happen anyway," Pulis said.

"We had Kenwyne here when we first started, quite a while back. I know there has been interest from Liverpool and other clubs and rightly so, he's a good player.

"But he's on a lot of money at Sunderland and they want a lot of money for him, it's been well documented. So we won't be in that market."

World Cup finalists battle for bronze in Benguela

BENGUELA, Angola (AFP) - World Cup-bound Nigeria and Algeria will have to dig deep to motivate themselves for Saturday's Africa Cup of Nations losers' final.

Nigeria were stopped from reaching the final proper by a youthful Ghana team courtesy of a first-half winner from Asamoah Gyan after the Super Eagles failed to convert a hat-full of chances in their semi-final in Luanda on Thursday.

Algeria, on the other hand, held out against their bitter rivals Egypt until just before half time in Benguela when they went behind through a penalty and also lost a defender.

Then in the second half they capitulated to let in three more goals and get two other players sent off.

This is the second time that Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu has failed to reach the Nations Cup final after his team also lost to Senegal in 2002.

Amodu may have met the semi-final target set for him in Angola by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), but the signs are ominous that, as in 2002, he may not be the man in charge when the Eagles feature at the World Cup in South Africa in June.

Osaze Odemwingie, captain on the day against Ghana, did not help the coach's situation when he questioned the team's tactics after the loss to perennial rivals Ghana.

He also said it would be difficult for the team to motivate themselves in the third-place playoff against Algeria at the weekend.

"It will be difficult. We will have to travel again for the last game and have only one day to train. We will be tired. Maybe those who have not had a chance will play," said the Lokomotiv Moscow striker.

The Eagles will have their top players available with Everton defender Joseph Yobo pressing for a starting line-up place after he claimed he has had a "miracle" healing on a hamstring injury that had earlier ruled him of the competition.

The Desert Foxes of Algeria will be without at least three top stars - goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi and defenders Rafik Halliche and Nadir Belhadj - after they all saw red against Egypt in Thursday's semi-final.

"It will be a very difficult task for us against Nigeria because we will be without several of our players," admitted coach Rabah Saadane.

Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra insisted Algeria will take a lot of positives from their experience in Angola despite going down to fierce rivals Egypt.

"We're a young team, who have continued to make progress. People did not expect us to get to the semi-final," said Bougherra, who again questioned the penalty kick awarded against his team by Benin referee Koffi Codjia.

Nigeria and Algeria last clashed at full international level in 2005 with the west Africans running away 5-2 winners in Algiers in a 2006 World Cup qualifier.

French mull post-Domenech era - as 8-year-old stakes claim

PARIS (AFP) - The head of the French Football Federation (FFF), Jean-Pierre Escalettes, said Friday the organisation was already mulling who would succeed coach Raymond Domenech, whose contract expires after the World Cup.

"Out of respect, this should be done before the World Cup," said Escalettes after a meeting of the FFF federal council.

"I thought it was my duty not to be a hypocrite, as everyone knows what will happen after the World Cup," he added in allusion to the long-held expectation that Domenech will be dispensed with after this summer's finals in South Africa.

Domenech took the French to the 2006 final - lost on penalties to Italy - but a poor Euro 2008 showing placed him under pressure and qualification for South Africa was only achieved after a controversial playoff win over Ireland, courtesy of Thierry Henry's blatant handball.

"You have to get on with things in advance - you can't choose a new coach in July. And don't say this destabilises the players," Escalettes told reporters.

"The players have to know - it's better the president of the Federation says that five or six months before the start of the World Cup rather than a fortnight before the kickoff," he added.

The FFF is now set to designate a successor in April or May.

Among those in the frame are Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc and Marseille's Didier Deschamps (Marseille), who were teammates in the side which lifted the 1998 World Cup.

Former international Luis Fernandez, who won Euro 84 with Les Bleus, has already staked his claim.

So too, has Nicholas, an eight-year-old boy whom Escalettes revealed had made a written application.

"I received a well-written letter from an eight-year-old putting himself forward as national coach," a smiling Escalettes said.

"On the back of the letter he added a postcript in which he wrote this is the team I would field' and laid out his selection."

Hearts sack Laszlo, bring back Jefferies

EDINBURGH (AFP) - Jim Jefferies returned to the Hearts hotseat on Friday, just two hours after the Scottish Premier League side had sacked Csaba Laszlo.

Jefferies was in charge at Tynecastle from 1995 and 2000 when he masterminded the 1998 Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers.

He also led Hearts to four top-four finishes before moving to Bradford in England.

Jefferies stood down as Kilmarnock boss on January 11 after almost eight years in charge at Rugby Park.

Laszlo was sacked after 18 months in charge when majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov finally lost patience with his repeated complaints about Hearts' transfer policy.

The 45-year-old Laszlo was the sixth man to fill the manager's seat in just over five years, following George Burley, Graham Rix, Valdas Ivanauskas, Anatoly Korobochka and Steven Frail.

He regularly criticised the club's failure to invest in new players with his latest outburst coming in a Friday morning press conference, at which he blamed Hearts' reliance on young players for the club's current injury crisis.

Hearts, who are fifth in the SPL, landed Falkirk captain Darren Barr this week on a pre-contract agreement but Laszlo described the signing as "not enough".

He added: "At the end of November or beginning of December, I gave to the board a complete plan for the short-term and also the long-term. Now the January transfer window is finished. This plan you can put in the dustbin."

Laszlo's departure could also lead to the exit of star defender Jose Goncalves, who is out of contract this summer and had publicly linked his own future to that of the manager.

The 24-year-old, a former Portugal Under-21 international, has attracted interest from Celtic and has suggested he agrees with Laszlo's view that Hearts need an injection of fresh blood.

"To get some ambition and motivation from the club is very important to go forward," he said on Friday, prior to news of the manager's dismissal breaking.

"If we get some good quality players, you can see the club want to build on something."

Barcelona to elect new chairman in June

2010

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - Spanish and European champions Barcelona to elect a new chairman in June 13 to replace Joan Laporta, the club announced Friday.

Under the club's rules, Laporta, 47, can no longer stand for election again after holding the post since 2003.

Several candidates have already come forward, including vice chairmen Alfons Godall and Jaume Ferrer. Former vice chairman Sandro Rosell is also expected to stand.

Laporta said earlier this month that he was considering creating a political party to seek independence for Spain's Catalonia region and running for office himself.

Liverpool reject new Babel bid

(GSM) - Liverpool have rejected a new bid from Birmingham for Ryan Babel. The Blues have been tracking the Reds winger since the opening of the January transfer window but Liverpool have snubbed Birmingham's offers.

Babbel is unhappy at Liverpool and wants to move after his career stalled at Merseyside. And with the World Cup on the horizon, Babbel wants to play first-team football.

Birmingham are also reportedly interested in Lens' Aruna Dindane, who is on-loan at Portsmouth and Tottenham's Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Judge lifts media gagging order on John Terry

LONDON (AFP) - England and Chelsea defender John Terry was named on Friday as the sportsman behind a gagging injunction involving his private life.

Terry's identity was revealed after a judge gave his reasons at London's High Court for lifting the order which he originally granted at a private hearing last Friday.

It covered the alleged relationship between "LNS" - as married Terry was referred to in court - and another woman.

It also covered details about the relationship, including certain specific consequences, information leading to their identification and any photographs. Justice Tugenhadt was told that News Group Newspapers - publishers of tabloids The Sun and News of the World - wanted to publish a story about the footballer last Sunday.

The judge said: "I do not consider that an interim injunction is necessary or proportionate having regard to the level of gravity of the interference with the private life of the applicant that would occur in the event that there is a publication of the fact of the relationship, or that the applicant can rely in this case on the interference with the private life of anyone else."

Terry, 30, who is expected to captain England at the World Cup finals this year, is married and has twins.

Fergie hits out at Wenger over Fletcher criticism

MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson believes Arsene Wenger "has let himself" down over comments the Arsenal manager has made about Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher.

Ferguson described Fletcher as one of the best players in the world on Wednesday after his commanding performance helped United squeeze past Manchester City into the League Cup final after a dramatic 3-1 semi-final second leg win at Old Trafford.

But while the United manager is clearly a huge fan of Fletcher, Wenger is most certainly not.

After losing 2-1 to United at Old Trafford earlier this season, Wenger - angered by Fletcher's fiesty tackling - claimed he was little more than a bully who played "anti-football".

Ferguson has taken exception to that opinion and has questioned whether Wenger even believes it himself.

"I think that's where Arsene lets himself down," Ferguson said. "Everyone knows that Darren Fletcher is not a dirty player, not a physical player, not built that way, but he can win the ball because his timing and energy to get to the ball is fantastic.

"You can't call that a fault. That's a great part of the game, being able to tackle properly and he does tackle properly.

"It's disappointing. I don't think Arsene really believes that."

United visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday to face Wenger's side with the race for the Premier League title as tense as ever.

United are currently in second position with 50 points with Arsenal just a single point and place behind them. As a result, Ferguson knows he will need his big players to put in a performance and he is backing Fletcher to come out on top.

"He's competitive and there's not many players who run off the ball as well as him," he added.

"His movement, energy and commitment in every game is wonderful to see.

"There's not been many big games that he has not played in over the last couple of years and it had maybe taken a while for the fans and press to appreciate what the boy has.

"And there is little you can do about that because he is not stylish player by any means, he is ungainly and gangly but he is a fantastic player."

Ferguson has recently been employing a single striker in his formation, with Wayne Rooney being tasked to fill that position.

Before this season began, concerns were raised as to whether Rooney could play as an out and out forward but 21 goals so far this season, including five in the last two, has comprehensively answered that question.

And Ferguson is now backing the 24-year-old to continue to prove that he is one of the most influential players in European football.

"There are periods where players hit great form," Ferguson added "Wayne has hit that great form now. He wasn't playing as well as that a few months ago.

"His form has increased. I thought Wednesday was an indication of the improvement from Wayne. In the last few weeks he has come on great."

Chelsea rest Drogba and Kalou after African adventure

LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea will leave strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou out of their squad for Saturday's trip to Burnley following their Ivory Coast pair's return from the African Nations Cup.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti wants to give the duo more time to recover from the long journey from Angola, but insisted they were fit and ready to go.

"They need to work for some days and so will not able to play tomorrow," Ancelotti said. "They will play on Tuesday against Hull.

"Didier will stay here to train. He has come back very well, also Kalou. They are fit but they travelled yesterday and so we don't want to take the risk for the next games."

A win over Burnley would allow Chelsea to open up a four-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the table, 24 hours before United take on third-placed Arsenal at the Emirates.

"Our job is to win and play well tomorrow and then we can watch a fantastic game between Manchester United and Arsenal," Ancelotti said.

"I am focused for tomorrow. If we are able to win, any result between United and Arsenal is good for us.

"But the Arsenal game is not a decisive match in terms of the title because there are a lot of games until the end of the season.

"We could be in a very good position if we win our next two games. It won't be easy though because Burnley and Hull are teams involved in the bottom of the table, so they will put strong pressure and determination into the game.

"So we have to pay attention. We played very well at home against Birmingham and Sunderland and we want to do the same away."

Kalou said he had been keen to get straight back into action.

"I thought I had a good game for Chelsea against Fulham before we left and now I come back in good form," he said.

Chelsea have not shown any signs of missing their African stars, with Nicolas Anelka in freescoring form in their absence, and Kalou acknowledged he now faces a fight for first-team chances.

"In Africa we were lucky because we had the Premier League on TV, so I watched the Sunderland game (Chelsea won 7-2), which was amazing," he said. "We were in touch with England all the time.

"The team has been playing a different system and with the 4-3-2-1, we played it in the second half against Fulham in December and played much better.

"It is a great way of playing, everyone has been at their best and it is nice to watch. I have been here almost four years and I have played in every system, so I know that I can adapt to it."

Upset Mourinho: 'Nobody respects Ferrara'

(GSM) - Jose Mourinho's Internazionale reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia on Thursday night, knocking out Juventus: 2-1. Afterwards, the Portuguese manager backed under fire Juve coach Ciro Ferrara who is expected to be axed on Friday after a dismal run.

"We are men, we have families," said Mourinho to support his colleague. "It's not nice all this talk of every other coach.

"I don't like the atmosphere around him.

"Ferrara deserves respect. If the club decides to make a change, we know that is part of our job, but at least while we are still on the bench and working we deserve respect.

"Right now nobody is giving Ferrara respect. Nobody. But I respect him."

Juventus president Jean-Claude Blanc didn't exclude a dismissal of Ferrara. "We are very disappointed, as we have failed at another of our objectives for the season,” said Blanc after the match against Internazionale.

"Tomorrow (Friday) we will make a decision and when we have made it, we will let you know."

Ferrara remained calm as usual after another setback. "I have not been told of anything. I will be conducting Juventus training tomorrow, as per usual," Ferrara stated.

Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon rued the Bianconeri's 'unlucky period'. "We wanted to win this evening, and did not deserve to lose," the Italy international said.

"But Inter also did not deserve to lose.

"Unfortunately, the team has been unlucky in this period, but we are trying to rectify this."

The 32-year-old goalie picked up a red card in last Saturday's match against Roma (1-2 loss) and will miss the game against Lazio this weekend.

Benitez ´proud´ of Juve link

LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said on Friday that he was proud of Juventus's reported interest in him, in comments that will be seen as keeping the door open to a possible move to Serie A.

Juventus on Friday sacked Ciro Ferrara and installed Alberto Zaccheroni as their new head coach.

The Italian giants did not confirm the length of Zaccheroni's contract but local media reported that he had only been guaranteed the role until the end of the season.

That may be a sign that Juve's directors, who reportedly sent a delegation to Liverpool to see Benitez earlier this week, still harbour hope of persuading the Spaniard to quit Anfield.

Benitez insisted on Friday that he did not want to talk about the subject but, perhaps significantly, confirmed he had been made aware of Juventus's interest.

"I am not here to talk about speculation because people talk too much," he told reporters.

"I am focused on preparing my team for the game against Bolton. I know they (Juventus) were interested, that is part of the game now in football, but I am not ready to talk too much because I don't want to lose my focus.

"When you are a manager and you have clubs asking (for you), you have to be proud because they are a top side in Europe, but I am really happy here and want to do my job as best I can."

Benitez remains a highly respected coach around Europe, despite Liverpool's problems this season. The club have been knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup and face a battle to secure a return to Europe's elite competition next season by clinching a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Benitez, who is under contract at Anfield until 2013, has vowed to ensure that goal is achieved and Liverpool's recent form -- three wins and two draws in their last five league matches -- has been encouraging.

But a section of the Liverpool support has already lost patience with the manager and, if the top-four place is not delivered, the club's American owners will come under increased pressure to sack him at the end of the season.

Rooney: 'Don't look on United as a one man team'

(GSM) - When Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid this summer, his absence was expected to leave a gaping hole in United's attacking arsenal, with a regular source of goals having been offloaded. However, Ronaldo's role as goalgetter has been adopted admirably by Wayne Rooney.

The England striker has already scored nineteen goals in the Premier League this season. But Rooney insists it's a team performance.

"I don't look on us as a one-man team or see it as a great burden on me, it's nonsense," said Rooney, who hasn't been able to net a goal in this year's Champions League campaign.

"We've shared the goals out well and it's certainly not just about me. We expect to win as a team, not as individuals."

United has scored 53 goals in the Premier League. Rooney is followed by Dimitar Berbatov, who has struck seven times this season.

Rooney is aware that his movement inside the penalty area has gained in intelligence.

"Those who said I'm not an out-and-out goal-scorer are probably right," said the former Everton forward.

"But I've worked on my movement to create space and it's paying off.

"So far this season I've managed it - in fact I can't remember a goal I've scored from outside the box - and those tap-ins are down to the whole team, not one player."

Campbell can cope with Rooney threat: Wenger

LONDON COLNEY, England (AFP) - Arsene Wenger insists Sol Campbell can cope with the challenge of facing in-form Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney in Sunday's crucial showdown at the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger will hand Campbell his first Premier League start since rejoining the Gunners if Belgian centre-back Thomas Vermaelen is unable to recover from the knee injury that forced him off at Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Campbell, who left Arsenal for Portsmouth in 2006, is on stand-by to replace Vermaelen in Arsenal's most important game of the season even though the ex-England international has made only three appearances all season.

The 35-year-old spent four months out of the game after quitting Notts County. He eventually returned to Arsenal following a lengthy period training with his old team and made his second debut in last weekend's FA Cup defeat at Stoke before coming on as a substitute against Villa.

Now Campbell faces the sternest test of his top-level comeback as he prepares to go head to head with England forward Rooney, who has scored 13 goals in his last 13 appearances for United.

Wenger has no doubts that Campbell's experience will enable him to rise to the challenge.

"Sol can cope with Rooney. He is ready if he has recovered well. I have to assess him but normally he will play if Vermaelen doesn't play," Wenger said on Friday.

"He has experience and he likes the big games. He can turn up if needed and experience helps in these kind of games.

"It was certainly not expected a few months ago when he signed for Notts County that he would be playing a game like this.

"That shows you how quick football is and I believe that he has worked very hard and credit to him, everyday he was motivated to push himself and he is quite fit."

While Wenger acknowledges Rooney will pose a substantial threat for United, he refuses to focus solely on shutting out the striker.

"I don't think they are over-reliant on Rooney, they changed their system a little bit the other day against Manchester City and didn't play with two strikers," Wenger said.

"They played with only Rooney up front and then of course he becomes the focal point of the game. But they have plenty of players, for example, in the game on Wednesday, (Ryan) Giggs was as well very influential.

"Rooney was at the end of things but Giggs created a lot of things in the game."

Wenger hopes Vermaelen could be back in a week if scans show he has not suffered a fracture, but the Arsenal boss will definitely be without Croatia striker Eduardo, who sustained a hamstring problem at Villa, and Nicklas Bendtner could deputise.

Those injuries couldn't have come at a worse time for Wenger as he tries to guide his team through a period that will define Arsenal's season.

The Gunners are two points behind leaders Chelsea and one point behind United. With tough games against Chelsea and Liverpool coming up next, Wenger knows a victory on Sunday would be a major boost to morale at such a pivotal point in the campaign.

"I believe that no matter what happens we will still be in a position where we will have a chance after these games, but it can put us in a very strong position and that is what we want," Wenger said.

"We know that to be successful in this period we have to be more of a team than the other teams. We have to think how strong and how much solidarity it takes to get through a period like that. That is what we want to show on Sunday.

"We love being in the race. Of course it was our dream to be in this position in this period of time."

Although Alex Ferguson has had the better of his duels with Wenger during their 14 years competing for supremacy in England, the French coach still relishes clashes with United more than any other contest.

"I look forward to it because it is a match which always promises good football," Wenger said.

"Manchester United and Arsenal have had some tough games, and sometimes they were not easy on the physical side, but both teams always tried to play.

"It was very rarely a boring game, you always thought at the start it would be a great football game, and so you love that.

"It is always one of the games of the season. We are really up for it. We are on a good run. We have good momentum and we want to continue that."

Newcastle strengthen defence, eye Moses swoop

LONDON (AFP) - Championship leaders Newcastle have signed QPR defender Fitz Hall on loan until the end of the season as cover for injured centreback Steven Taylor, who is out for two months with knee ligament damage.

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton is also hoping to sign a left-back and a striker before the transfer window closes on Monday as he seeks to bolster his squad for the final push for a return to the Premier League.

The Magpies are one of a number of clubs hoping to sign Crystal Palace's 19-year-old forward Victor Moses, who has been put up for sale following Palace's move into administration earlier this week.

"It's one we have a very, very keen interest in," Hughton confirmed. "He is a player who has an ability to score goals. There is a power and pace, but it is his potential.

"Around what we are trying to do here this season, which is the most important thing, there also has to be an eye on the future, and he is certainly a player of wonderful potential."

We are in Angola to win the title - Egypt

LUANDA (AFP) - Egypt turned up for the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola with only one intention, to defend their status as African champions, and by any assessment they've made a pretty good fist of achieving that aim.

Thursday's 4-0 wipe out of eight-man Algeria put the six-time champions into Sunday's final against a Ghana side that has overcome a spate of injuries to star players to make their first final in 18 years.

One of Egypt's goalscorers in Benguela, Mohamed Zidan, said: "We were one million times better than Algeria. We haven't won five games here in this competition to lose the final."

Captain Ahmed Hassan, in his 171st international, warned Ghana to expect more of the same silky smooth football from the kings of Africa.

"Against Ghana we will continue to play as we have started. We don't care how they play, we are here to defend our title, and we'll do everything to succeed.

"Our 4-0 win over Algeria has proved we are the best team in Africa, without argument.

"It wasn't a question of revenge against Algeria (for the World Cup play-off defeat in November). I told my players before the semi-final that you are the best and what you have to do is prove it on the pitch.

"We don't care about the World Cup and losing the play-off to Algeria, we put ourselves in that position after dropping two points against Zambia in an earlier qualifier.

"Anyway we are now seeing the fruits of our effort here."

Egypt coach Hassan Shehata was purring over the Pharoahs' latest imperious performance.

"We retained our dignity with this win, we proved our strong image. I tried to do the best with the players I've got (Egypt like Ghana are missing some key players to injury)."

Sunday's climax will be a fascinating clash between the champions whose defence and attack is rock solid and the Black Stars' mix of Under-20 world champions thrust into the spotlight and a smattering of experienced players.

Egypt, unbeaten in the Africa Cup of Nations now for a record 18 games, arrive in Luanda from Benguela later Friday, with a training session planned for late Saturday.

Ghana are already in town and trained Friday morning as Serb coach Milovan Rajevic maps out his blueprint to topple the continetal champions for what would be the west African country's fifth title.

Despite Ghana's superb run to the final it is Egypt who will start as hot favourites.

Egypt assistant coach Shawky Gharib commented: "We have said from the very beginning of the competition 'we are the champions, we are here to defend our title and only to do that'.

"The Ghana team are very strong, they are going to the World Cup."

A World Cup that will be sadly on the evidence of their imperious run to Sunday's final - 14 goals to two conceded, the only side unbeaten after five games - be missing Egypt.

"We have finished all our five games in Angola with victories and have played three World Cup qualifiers (Nigeria 3-1, Cameroon 3-1, Algeria 4-0), scoring 10 goals," noted Gharib.

"We won our games because of the strategies that we planned and used. We also planned well on how to handle each opponent since the start of the competition.

"Against Algeria we played an excellent match for African football.

"Now we are due to meet another team going to South Africa in Ghana, they are one of the strongest teams here."

Van Bommel: 'Focus on winning, not on contracts'

GSM) - A possible contract extension at Bayern München isn't on Mark van Bommel's mind. Last year, the captain of the Bavarian giants signed a deal which expires in June 2010.

"Six players at the club have an expiring contract and I am one of those players. However, nobody should be thinking about contract renewals at the moment," Van Bommel told Bild.

"We're in an extremely important part of the season.

"We are fighting for the Bundesliga title, can still win the DFB Pokal and face Fiorentina in the first knockout round of the Champions League. That's what we should focus on for now."

32-year-old Van Bommel thinks Bayern is strong enough to compete for every trophy. "I feel like we can go a long way in all competitions.

"Our current selection is the best team we've had since I joined Bayern in 2006. We have never been this attack minded and dominant before."

Fergie bills Gunners clash as biggest game of season

MANCHESTER (AFP) - Alex Ferguson has billed Manchester United's visit to Arsenal on Sunday as a match that could make or break his squad's season.

"I think the game on Sunday, to my mind now looking at the way the league is shaping up, is the biggest game of the season for us," the Scot told reporters at United's training ground on Friday.

"Arsenal have gone on a consistent run and it's amazing how this league has changed.

"The team that is most consistent will win the league now and Arsenal's current form has been very good and I'm looking forward to it.

"At the moment the league is looking like a three horse race but there have been so many changes and different result from the top sides that you cannot be 100 percent certain."

Just two points separate Chelsea at the top of the table and Arsenal in third with United in between. "Of course Chelsea have the advantage of the game in hand and if they win that they go four points ahead of us," Ferguson added.

"So that is the catch up part we are in and that means Sunday has a great relevance to both of us because we have a genuine chance to win the league."

Ahead of the match, Ferguson has appealed to United's travelling supporters to get behind his players in a positive way rather than indulging in the personal abuse of his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger which has been a regular and unpleasant feature of meetings between the two clubs.

"I think it's unavoidable in the way that managers get abused today," Ferguson said. "Sometimes I can't hear these chants and I can't make them out but I know there's been some terrible abuse from our fans to Arsene Wenger and there must be a line drawn and I think our fans must know that themselves.

"I was really proud of the way they supported us (in the League Cup win over Manchester City) on Wednesday. We don't need to worry about anyone else -- they should be proud of the team they are supporting."

Ferguson meanwhile has hinted that United will not appeal against the ban that has ruled Rio Ferdinand out of the club's next four matches despite what he sees as blatant inconsistencies in the handling of violent conduct cases.

Ferdinand was charged by the Football Association after flooring Craig Fagan with a swinging arm in United's 4-0 win against Hull last weekend.

The mandatory three-match ban was increased to four after the FA deemed United's appeal to be "frivolous" and Ferdinand will miss Sunday's encounter with Arsenal as well as further games against Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Everton.

Ferguson initially announced that United would try to have the decision looked at again only to later contradict himself by insisting the incident is now finished with.

"We have to decide if we appeal it because there are conflicting ways of viewing some of these decisions," he said. "I watched Charlton and Leyton Orient the other night and the Leyton Orient goal came after an elbow on the Charlton player three times and nothing happened.

"So there's a lot of confusion in terms of these decisions but we accepted he is banned and we will get on with it - there's nothing we can do about it."

If United were to appeal again, they would risk the ban being increased to five matches which would rule Ferdinand out of the League Cup final at the end of next month.

Ugly wins are beautiful for Ghana coach Rajevac

LUANDA (AFP) - Football may be the 'beautiful game', but Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac is delighted to mastermind 'ugly' victories at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

After being outclassed 3-1 by 10-man Ivory Coast in their opening match, the 'Black Stars' have ground out 1-0 victories over Burkina Faso, hosts Angola and Nigeria to book a final date with Egypt here Sunday.

In each of the three victories, four-time African champions Ghana took a first-half lead and then erected a defensive blockade no opponent could dismantle.

And the west Africans are now one victory away from a first title since 1982 despite fielding a team that bears scant resemblance to that Rajevac could choose were all his forces available.

Injury ruled central defenders John Pantsil and John Mensah and midfielders Stephen Appiah and Laryea Kingston out before the biennial football showcase kicked off while Spanish club Getafe refused to release Derek Boateng.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, most talented, best known and popular of the 'Black Stars', managed just 45 minutes of action against the Ivorians before a knee injury at training brought his tournament to a abrupt end.

Rajevac also ignored Sulley Muntari when it came to choosing his 23-strong squad for Angola because the Inter Milan midfielder refused to apologise or pay a fine for missing a Luanda friendly last November.

Many coaches would have compiled a list of excuses and gone whining to the media, but Rajevac drafted in eight of the Ghana squad that won the 2009 world youth championship and got on with the job.

The latest in a long line of Serbs to steer African national teams is a perpetually anxious looking 54-year-old who succeeded Frenchman Claude le Roy in 2008 and guided the 'Black Stars' to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

An international unknown before taking over the 'Black Stars' reins, Rajevac has no time for football romanticism as he repeatedly confesses to an obsession with results.

"We came here (Angola) to compete and not to play entertaining football. The most important thing is the result and not how much possession we had during a particular game," he told reporters.

"Every team must know how to defend because it is an essential element of modern football," he explained after his team eliminated Nigeria and stretched to 270 the minutes without conceding a goal in Angola.

Le Roy, now coach of Gulf state Oman and a spectator here, took hosts Ghana to third place at the last Nations Cup and praised the progess of the team under Rajevac.

"I watched the first match against Ivory Coast and had reservations, but they are looking much better now. They are young, fight hard and retain possession," he noted.

Fran: 'Real depend on Ronaldo'

(GSM) - Real Madrid hopes to sink Deportivo la Coruna to stay in touch with league leaders Barcelona. But they could face a daunting task when they are without Cristiano Ronaldo, according to former Deportivo captain Fran.

Ronaldo received a two-match suspension this week for a red card he picked up at the weekend, during the match against Malaga (2-0). The Portuguese winger was sent off after a stray elbow caught Danish defender Patrick Mtiliga.

Madrid's initial appeal against the ban was rejected by the Spanish football federation's appeals committee on Thursday, but the club have now taken their case to Spain's sporting disciplinary committee (CEDD) in a bid to have the former Manchester United man available for the Depor match.

If they won't succeed then according to Fran, their hopes of picking up a first win at the Riazor since the 1991/92 season will be all but extinguished.

"It (Ronaldo's absence) would be key because they depend on him while the others are not at their best," said club legend Fran, who played over 400 games for Depor between 1988 and 2005.

"Hopefully he will not be here, although Madrid will still give it everything. That's obvious because if they don't win, the difference to Barcelona will be very big," he told AS.

"I think it would be difficult with Cristiano (in Madrid's team), but if he doesn't play then the curse will continue; they will go away empty-handed once more. I have faith in Depor."

Real coach Manuel Pellegrini will travel to La Coruna without Rafael van der Vaart, who's still troubled by a knee injury he sustained three weeks ago during the match against Mallorca.

Ezequiel Garay, Lassana Diarra, Gonzalo Higuai­n, Mahamadou Diarra en Fernando Gago are also not available for different reasons.

The several absences have forced Pellegrini to add four players from the academy to his squad.

Deportivo lie fifth in the Primera Division, ten points adrift of Real Madrid.

Stern Shehata one win away from African record

LUANDA (AFP) - Stern, silver-haired Egyptian Hassan Shehata is one victory away from becoming the first coach to win three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

His 'Pharaohs' face the 'Black Stars' of Ghana at the 50,000-seat November 11 Stadium Sunday in an unexpected climax to the 2010 Cup between countries hard hit by pre-competition injuries.

Media-shy Shehata, who usually leaves the talking to long-time assistant Shawky Gharib, says his squad will claim a record seventh African title provided luck wears a red shirt.

"We just need luck. We could have beaten Cameroon by a wider margin but were unlucky," he said, recalling a 3-1 quarter-final victory over the 'Indomitable Lions' after extra time.

What the man who watches most games leaning against the side of the dugout forgot to mention was luck was very much on the side of Egypt in that showdown against one of the five African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

When a free kick from captain Ahmed Hassan struck the crossbar and came down it did not cross the goalline, but an assistant referee ruled it had and Egypt were two goals ahead and en route to the penultimate phase.

Shehata says teamwork and a lack of reliance on the many stars he can call up have been the recipes for success with his team unbeaten in 18 Nations Cup games spanning four tournaments.

"The top teams in Africa fear us because of our amazing teamwork. Much is made of those who miss tournaments because of injury, but we do not rely on individuals," he stressed.

Egypt were hard hit before departing Cairo for Angola with superstar Mohamed Aboutraika, fellow midfielders Mohamed Barakat and Mohamed Shawky and striker Amr Zaki ruled out by injury.

When the former national team striker replaced Italian Marco Tardelli six years ago in one of the 'hottest' African national team posts, few expected him to survive long.

Even when Egypt lifted the 2006 Nations Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Ivory Coast, there was no shortage of sceptics who claimed the feat was achieved largely because of home advantage and suspect refereeing.

But Shehata was a national hero in a country where football is an obsession and he stayed in charge for the title defence in Ghana, where Ivory Coast were hot favourites to succeed.

Written off as a tired, over-the-hill squad, Egypt launched their defence with a 4-2 thumping of Cameroon, crushed Ivory Coast 4-1 in the semi-finals and defeated Cameroon again in a tense final settled by a late Aboutraika goal.

Before Angola the media were once more critical of the defending champions, saying they were probably a spent force, full of ageing players in the twilight of their careers, and unable to conjour up the heroics of two years ago.

Try telling that to Nigeria, Mozambique, Benin, Cameroon or Algeria, the teams who had the misfortune to face the rampant Egyptians en route to the final.

Chelsea rest Drogba and Kalou after African adventure

LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea will leave strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou out of their squad for Saturday's trip to Burnley following their Ivory Coast pair's return from the African Nations Cup.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti wants to give the duo more time to recover from the long journey from Angola, but insisted they were fit and ready to go.

"They need to work for some days and so will not able to play tomorrow," Ancelotti said. "They will play on Tuesday against Hull.

"Didier will stay here to train. He has come back very well, also Kalou. They are fit but they travelled yesterday and so we don't want to take the risk for the next games."

A win over Burnley would allow Chelsea to open up a four-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the table, 24 hours before United take on third-placed Arsenal at the Emirates.

"Our job is to win and play well tomorrow and then we can watch a fantastic game between Manchester United and Arsenal," Ancelotti said.

"I am focused for tomorrow. If we are able to win, any result between United and Arsenal is good for us.

"But the Arsenal game is not a decisive match in terms of the title because there are a lot of games until the end of the season.

"We could be in a very good position if we win our next two games. It won't be easy though because Burnley and Hull are teams involved in the bottom of the table, so they will put strong pressure and determination into the game.

"So we have to pay attention. We played very well at home against Birmingham and Sunderland and we want to do the same away."

Kalou said he had been keen to get straight back into action.

"I thought I had a good game for Chelsea against Fulham before we left and now I come back in good form," he said.

Chelsea have not shown any signs of missing their African stars, with Nicolas Anelka in freescoring form in their absence, and Kalou acknowledged he now faces a fight for first-team chances.

"In Africa we were lucky because we had the Premier League on TV, so I watched the Sunderland game (Chelsea won 7-2), which was amazing," he said. "We were in touch with England all the time.

"The team has been playing a different system and with the 4-3-2-1, we played it in the second half against Fulham in December and played much better.

"It is a great way of playing, everyone has been at their best and it is nice to watch. I have been here almost four years and I have played in every system, so I know that I can adapt to it."

Zaccheroni replaces Ferrara as Juventus coach

ROME (AFP) - Juventus on Friday named Alberto Zaccheroni as their new coach in place of Ciro Ferrara, who was sacked after a string of poor results.

It is Zaccheroni's first job since he was fired as coach of Torino in February 2007, and he takes charge of Juve in time for Sunday's Serie A home clash with Lazio.

The 56-year-old has previously coached Udinese (1995-98), AC Milan (1998-2001) -- with whom he won the 1999 scudetto -- Lazio (2001-02) and Inter Milan (2003-04).

Ferrara's departure had long been predicted after the Turin giants slipped to sixth in the league standings following five losses in their last six games.

They have also been knocked out of the Champions League and exited the Italian Cup, for a record of nine losses in 12 games played since the end of November.

Ferrara, a former Italy and Juventus defender, had been handed the job despite his lack of experience just before the end of last season after current Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was fired.