La Liga midweek results

Sevilla - Mallorca 2 - 0
Racing - Barcelona 1 - 4

• Barca have starrted to defend their title in the best way they can with messi's brace yesterday night.
• sevilla have put their legs front with a good start to this seasons campaign

Champions Trophykicks off

Sri Lanka 319 for 8 (Dilshan 106, Jayawardene 77, Sangakkara 54) beat South Africa 206 for 7 (Smith 58, Mendis 3-30) by 55 runs (D/L)

• Led by a blazing century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a brace of cameos, the world's No. 5 team started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style by beating the top-ranked side.


• Graeme Smith's decision to field was based on the amount of dew around, but bar Dale Steyn none of the bowlers made an impression in the afternoon.


• Dilshan's 92-ball 106, coupled with significant inputs from captains former and present, lifted them to a daunting total that was well beyond South Africa.

The Treble

• FC Barcelona were crowned European champions for a third time – and the second in four seasons – as a vibrant display of pass and move, capped by goals in either half from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, defeated Manchester United FC in Rome.
• United, bidding to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy in the UEFA Champions League era, began an open contest at breakneck speed as Cristiano Ronaldo threatened three times.
• After ten minutes, however, Eto'o put the Spanish champions ahead and they never looked back.
• Xavi Hernández struck a post early in the second period and, though the clinching second goal did not arrive until the 70th minute – via, unusually, the head of Messi – Josep Guardiola's side were worthy winners.
• The 38-year-old becomes the sixth man to lift the European Champion Clubs' Cup as player and coach; United are the sixth club to lose the final as holders.

Delhi wins a thriller

Delhi Daredevils 173 for 7 (Karthik 44*, de Villiers 44, Ojha 2-26) beat Deccan Chargers 161 (Gilchrist 64, Symonds 41, Bhatia 4-15, Sangwan 3-18) by 12 runs

• Bhatia, arguably the best allrounder in India's domestic cricket, announced himself on the world stage tonight.
• Everything about Bhatia, his pace, his demeanour, his run-up, suggest an innocuous medium-pacer, but he was canny and deadly at the death, taking four wickets for four runs as Deccan Chargers choked to lose once again to Delhi Daredevils.
• Chasing 174 Deccan needed 25 in three overs, with six wickets in hand, but lost them all for just 12 runs.

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open

Singles - Second Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d J Melzer (AUT) 63 61
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [WC] O Hernandez (ESP) 63 63 [5] J Del Potro (ARG) d T Berdych (CZE) 62 41 ret. (left leg)
[6] A Roddick (USA) d [Q] T Haas (GER) 16 76(9) 64 [8] G Simon (FRA) d [Q] F Fognini (ITA) 63 62
[10] N Davydenko (RUS) d F Serra (FRA) 75 63
[11] S Wawrinka (SUI) d J Chardy (FRA) 64 75
[WC] J Monaco (ARG) d [12] D Ferrer (ESP) 64 64
P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [13] M Cilic (CRO) 61 67(5) 76(2)
[14] J Blake (USA) d I Karlovic (CRO) 67(4) 64 76(4)
A Seppi (ITA) d S Querrey (USA) 63 46 64

Doubles - Second Round
S Aspelin (SWE) / W Moodie (RSA) d [1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) 67(4) 61 11-9
F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d [3] OHernandez(ESP) / A Montanes (ESP) 63 62
S Huss (AUS) / R Hutchins (GBR) d [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) 64 75
J Del Potro (ARG) / M Fish (USA) d [6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 63 64
M Granollers (ESP) / T Robredo (ESP) d [7] M Mirnyi (BLR) / A Ram (ISR) 57 62 14-12

Doubles - First Round
A Fisher (AUS) / T Parrott (USA) d S Bolelli (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) 46 63 14-12
N Djokovic (SRB) / D Vemic (SRB) d J Coetzee (RSA) / J Kerr (AUS) 76(4) 63

Total Football wins

• Barca won their 25th cup yesterday against Athletic Club by 4-1
• Moments after the start Athletic took the lead by 1-0
• The only team in the world to play passing football at its best
• With the likes of Messi, Bojan, Xavi and Eto'o at the front they were attacking the Athletic defence
• But it was a magic and a stupendous goal from Yaya Toure in the 30th min to level the scores
• The caravan took off from there, after the half time one after the other went inside the net, Athletic defence were mere spectators in the front of Messi's magic
  
• The team deserved the victory and coach credited the team for the merit's he got
• The coach was flying in the air after the victory when the players were celebrating with him
• The new Era with Pep has began with a Copa Del Rey
• A treble is at the sight, No doubts that this team is going to make it this season
• It was a treat to watch Barca Players going upto the stands of Athletic fans and waved Athletics flags to appreciate them for their support
• At the stroke of 00:06 Puyol Lifted a major trophy for Barca after two years
• Barca is more than a club
  

Indian Premier League Standings

Todays Fixtures

Kings XI vs Royals 4.00 p.m IST


Delhi vs Knight Riders 8.00 p.m IST

Orange Cap - MatthewHayden

Purple Cap - Yusuf Abdullah

Indian Premier League

Chennai Super Kings 178 for 3 (Hayden 43, Dhoni 58*) beat Deccan Chargers 100 (Smith 49, Jakati 4-22) by 78 runs

• CSK soared to the top of the points table in dramatic fashion, recording their third consecutive win in a comprehensive defeat of Deccan Chargers at Buffalo Park
• The game had everything: excellent swing that had Deccan reeling at 1 for 3, left-arm spin from Shadab Jakati that gave him his second consecutive four-wicket haul and ripped the heart out of Deccan's batting, and two whirlwind innings, one by Dwayne Smith that could only stave off the inevitable and another by MS Dhoni, at the start of the match, to set up the win
• Much of that, and a dropped catch and a missed run-out, took place in a frenetic opening ten overs of Deccan's chase that had more twists, turns and frenetic passages of play than an entire Twenty20 match

Indian Premier League

Kings XI Punjab 154 for 4 (Jayawardene 52*, Katich 34) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 3 (Hodge 70*) by six wickets

• Four dropped catches undid Hodge's impressive half-century and took Kings XI back into the top four of the IPL table after they chased down 154 to beat the KKR by six wickets
• The match went to the final ball but Punjab clearly outperformed Kolkata through the chase. Jayawardene, who scored an unbeaten 41-ball 52, and Irfan Pathan held their nerve to ensure the match didn't need the Super Over

Royal Challengers Bangalore 150 for 1 (Kallis 69*, Uthappa 66*) beat Mumbai Indians 149 for 4 (Jayasuriya 52, Bravo 50*, du Preez 3-32) by nine wickets

• What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday, Royal Challengers Bangalore were at the bottom of the table, had slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat, and were looking ahead to surviving without two key batsmen, Dravid and Pietersen
• Now, after a thoroughly dominant performance against Mumbai Indians they are jostling for a share of the top spot
• The reversal of fortunes was illustrated by the two men who blunted the powerful Mumbai bowling, Kallis and Uthappa, who shrugged off their forgettable starts to the tournament with superbly paced half-centuries