Kaymer clinches first win of 2012 at Sun City

© Reuters Former world number one Martin Kaymer won his first tournament in more than a year with a two-stroke victory in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at a rain-soaked Gary Player Country Club on Sunday.

The German, whose last victory came at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai in November 2011, hit a final round 69 to finish on eight-under-par, two better than local favourite Charl Schwartzel who also shot a 69.

American Bill Haas was a further three strokes back after a one-under 71, one shot better than South African Louis Oosthuizen who was too inconsistent and struggled to a two-over-par 74 and fourth place.

Defending champion Lee Westwood was aiming to become the first player to win the event three times in a row but the Briton's poor putting let him down and he fell away, shooting a one-over 73 to finish fifth.

Kaymer, the 2010 U.S. PGA champion, started well and eagled the par-five second but then double-bogeyed the third to give his rivals hope in the soaking conditions.

Schwartzel emerged as his closest challenger and the former U.S. Masters champion got it to four-under after a birdie at the 14th to trail by one.

But the pivotal moment for Kaymer also came at the 14th. The German badly hooked his tee shot into some dense rough but a superb recovery helped him to get down in two more for a birdie four.

A bogey at the 17th effectively ended Schwartzel's hopes and Kaymer coasted home with three pars over the closing three holes.

World number 32 Kaymer, whose victory gave him the $1.25 million first prize in the 12-man invitational event, told reporters: "The biggest stroke of luck was definitely on 14. I could very easily have made a six or a seven.

"I'm just very happy to finally win this year. I've practised very hard and played very well but it just hasn't happened for me. I said to my caddie, we have to win one tournament every year and this was our last chance."

Kaymer had an eight-week spell as world number one early last year.

Schumacher fans hail their departing hero

© Reuters Michael Schumacher's fans made their presence felt at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday as the seven times Formula One champion prepared to say farewell to the sport at the age of 43.

"On 25 Nov 2012, last day of the golden age of F1," declared one banner in the grandstand overlooking the main Interlagos straight.

"Michael, F1 is nothing without you" and "Michael, we love you," said others.

Schumacher will start the race in 13th place, hoping to finish in the points at least at the end of a career that started in 1991 when Red Bull's current world champion Sebastian Vettel was four years old.

"We're not really in a position to offer a lot of fireworks in this last race although I wish to do," the German said, standing next to championship leader Vettel on a truck as they went around the circuit for the pre-race drivers' parade.

"It's been a pleasure to come back," added the sport's most successful driver, who won his titles and 91 races with Benetton and Ferrari before returning with Mercedes.

"I enjoyed most of it. It wasn't as successful as we wanted it to be but still I learned a lot for life and I'm quite glad for the good emotions again. Now is a good time to go..."

Schumacher retired for the first time in Brazil in 2006 and came back in 2010.

With Mercedes he has just one podium finish to his credit, at the European Grand Prix in Valencia this season. The German has not scored a point in his last six races.

Force India to get investment boost

© Reuters Force India will have a 50 million pound ($79.67 million) boost to help them move up the Formula One grid after a strong performance this year, the team's co-owner Vijay Mallya announced on Wednesday.

"We had a board meeting in India after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the board has approved a 50 million pound capital investment programme for the team," he said in a preview for Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

"We are going to invest heavily in new technology and give more tools to our design team to try and move further up the grid."

Indian Liquor and aviation tycoon Mallya is principal of the British-based team that he co-owns with the Sahara Group, who have a 42.5 percent stake.

Force India are seventh overall on 99 points, 25 behind sixth-placed Sauber and 23 ahead of Williams in eighth, and are almost certain to stay in that position now unless they or Williams have an astonishing result on Sunday.

They finished sixth last year, but with only 69 points, and their current tally is the most they have managed since Mallya bought the struggling Spyker (previously Jordan) team in 2007.

"Every year we've demonstrated that we've gone up the ladder," said Mallya. "And we've taken fairly significant steps, not just baby steps. Given the tools that we have, which are mostly of the Jordan era, we have done exceptionally well."

Sahara invested $100 million in Force India when they bought into the team in October 2011 and Mallya has said the money would be paid in three tranches over three years with the final instalment due in 2013.

No details were given on Wednesday about the time frame for the latest investment.

Both Mallya and Sahara have attracted negative headlines recently, with the former's Kingfisher airline grounded while the Sahara Group was ordered in August to refund about $4.6 billion to investors after India's Supreme Court ruled finance schemes run by two of its companies were illegal.

Mallya, one of India's richest men, also agreed a $2.1 billion deal this month to sell a majority stake in his United Spirits Ltd to Diageo Plc.

Sunday's race at Interlagos will be German Nico Hulkenberg's last with the team before he moves to Swiss-based Sauber.

Hulkenberg, who has scored 53 of the team's points so far, took pole position against the odds for Williams on his last outing in Brazil in 2010 and Mallya praised his contribution to Force India.

"Nico has been one of the stars this season. He's delivered exactly what we expected of him and brought a lot to this team. He has a big future in Formula One and we wish him well," said the Indian.

Galatasaray boost hopes with win over United

© Reuters Galatasaray earned a 1-0 victory in a hard-fought battle with a young Manchester United side on Tuesday, snatching the win through a Burak Yilmaz header in their Group H Champions League game.

The victory boosted Galatasaray's hopes of reaching the knockout stage, putting them in second place in the group, behind United who had already qualified after four wins in their first four matches.

Burak put the Turkish champions ahead in the 53rd minute, heading into the top left corner above the head of Rafael after Felipe Melo had gone close seconds earlier and won a corner.

Hamit Altintop just failed to double Galatasaray's lead in the 78th minute with a powerful shot which flew off the crossbar.

United, knowing qualification was already assured, rested a number of senior players including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David De Gea and Robin van Persie.

In their final match on Dec. 5, Galatasaray, who are ahead of CFR Cluj on goal difference, will play Braga. The Portuguese side, who lost 3-1 to Cluj, are already out of the competition on three points.

After a cagey start, Galatasaray became more of a threat as the first half progressed, pinning the visitors back into their own half but creating few goalscoring opportunities.

Striker Burak headed over the bar from a Selcuk Inan free kick in the 21st minute.

UNITED CHANCES

Galatasaray went close again some 10 minutes later when a strike from Hamit forced a save from Anders Lindegaard and United scrambled the ball away.

United worked hard to keep possession and neutralise any threat from Galatasaray and had chances of their own in the first half.

Eighteen-year-old Nick Powell, on his Champions League debut, saw his header fly off the crossbar in the 43rd minute.

Galatasaray started the second half in determined fashion and an Albert Riera volley from outside the penalty area was save by Lindegaard in the 49th minute.

United stepped up a gear and sought to find a way back into the game but Galatasaray survived a late bout of pressure to secure the points.

"Beating Manchester United is important," said Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim. "We played brilliantly and unselfishly. My players played football in a way we have been expecting for a long time.

"We are very hopeful for second place," he added. "There is no guarantee in football but we will play well at Braga who no longer have any chance."

United manager Alex Ferguson said: "Parts of the game were good but in the area which we were worried about - set pieces - we suffered.

"Other than that I was satisfied and it was a decent performance," Ferguson told the club website (www.manutd.com). "We had some good attacking play in the first half and at that point the only trouble they gave us was from outside the box. It was a very competitive, good game."

United's Darren Fletcher said the Istanbul pitch had made things difficult. "The biggest problem was that the pitch wasn't good at all," the midfielder told Sky television. "It was difficult to play one-twos."

Luiz Adriano nets hat-trick as Shakhtar qualify

© Reuters A hat-trick by Luiz Adriano helped Shakhtar Donetsk qualify for the Champions League last 16 as they beat Nordsjaelland 5-2 away on Tuesday, but the striker will be remembered as a villain in the Danish capital.

Nordsjaelland had taken the lead through Morten Nordstrand but Adriano equalised when he pounced on a pass back to the Nordsjaelland goalkeeper after an injured player received treatment, prompting loud jeers and whistles from the home crowd.

Kasper Lorentzen put Nordsjaelland back in front when he turned and rifled home minutes later, but a brilliant brace by Willian either side of halftime and two more by Luiz Adriano saw the Danish champions routed and put the Ukrainian side into the knockout stages.

Shakhtar top the group on 10 points, one ahead of Juventus who beat Chelsea 3-0 in Turin. Despite being out of the race, Nordsjaelland can still play a part in deciding who comes second as they face Chelsea in London in their final group game next month.

Chelsea on brink of exit after Juventus defeat

© Reuters Titleholders Chelsea were on the brink of an unprecedented group stage exit in the Champions League after being overpowered 3-0 at Serie A leaders Juventus in a rousing atmosphere on Tuesday.

Fabio Quagliarella broke the deadlock with a fortuitous goal seven minutes before halftime and Arturo Vidal capped another dynamic performance by side-footing the second just after the hour thanks to another deflection.

Sebastian Giovinco struck in stoppage time.

With Shakhtar Donetsk qualifying with a 5-2 win at Nordsjaelland in the other Group E match, Juventus need only a point to go through when they visit the Ukrainian champions in their final game next month.

Chelsea's only hope is to beat Nordsjaelland and hope Shakhtar defeat the Serie A champions, otherwise they will become the first defending champions to go out in the group stage since the Champions League began.

The defeat and looming elimination heaped the pressure on Chelsea's Italian coach Roberto Di Matteo, who left Fernando Torres out of the starting lineup and began without a recognised striker.

It could have been very difficult if Chelsea had taken an early chance set up by Oscar who ran 50 metres through the Juventus midfield and slipped the ball to Eden Hazard, who dallied and saw his effort deflected wide by Gianluigi Buffon's legs.

Juventus had already sounded a warning when Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech made a superb save to knock Stephan Lichtsteiners's close-range effort onto the post.

Juve hassled Chelsea incessantly in midfield, refusing to allow them to settle, and their approach work was often superb, but they lacked the final pass.

However, a stroke of luck allowed them to take the lead when Andrea Pirlo beat Oscar to the ball near the centre circle. He hit a weak effort from long range but it deflected off Quagliarella into the net past a wrong-footed Cech.

Chelsea defender David Luiz nearly turned Kwadwo Asamoah's cross into his own goal immediately afterwards but was saved when Ashley Cole made a last-ditch clearance off the line.

Chelsea made a promising start to the second half but Juventus wasted another chance when Quagliarella broke through but tried to round Cech, leaving himself with too narrow an angle.

They killed the game off when Asamoah burst into the area and laid the ball off for Vidal to sidefoot home via a deflection and Giovinco added the gloss late on.

Bayern join Valencia in last 16 after 1-1 draw

© Reuters Bayern Munich joined Group F rivals Valencia in the last 16 of the Champions League after the 2001 finalists played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Mestalla on Tuesday.

Lille's 2-0 win at BATE Borisov in the earlier kickoff had put the Spanish club through to the knockout stage and Bayern, last year's runners-up, also progressed despite failing to make their numerical advantage count against 10-man Valencia.

The hosts had right back Antonio Barragan sent off for a wild tackle on David Alaba in the 33rd minute but, roared on by their fans, produced a battling performance to thwart the side that beat them on penalties in the final in Milan 11 years ago.

Sofiane Feghouli's deflected shot put Valencia ahead against the run of play in the 77th before Thomas Mueller levelled five minutes later to secure a place in the knockout phase.

With five of six matches played, Bayern and Valencia each have 10 points and will aim to secure top spot and thereby avoid the big guns when they play their final matches on Dec. 5.

Bayern host BATE, who are third on six points and have already clinched a Europa League place by virtue of a better head-to-head record with Lille. Valencia visit the French side, who are bottom with three points.

Bayern defender Dante twice went close with headers from corners in the early stages against the Spaniards before Manuel Neuer pulled off a superb save to deny Feghouli.

With a man extra the Germans had plenty of possession in the second half but Valencia squandered a chance to open the scoring when Tino Costa played Roberto Soldado through in the 62nd.

The Spain striker, who has four goals in the competition this season, struck a fierce shot towards Neuer's goal but it flew narrowly over the bar.

Feghouli then gave Valencia the lead before Mueller's scuffed effort secured the late equaliser.

United and Chelsea slip up as City hit the top

© Reuters Manchester United were humbled 1-0 by Norwich City and Chelsea upset at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday as champions Manchester City took advantage of their rivals' mistakes to go top with a 5-0 demolition of Aston Villa.

United, who suffered their third Premier League defeat of the season in the late kickoff at Carrow Road, succumbed to a 60th-minute header from their former youth team player Anthony Pilkington.

Chelsea lost 2-1 at West Brom, with Peter Odemwingie's second-half winner sending the home side into fourth place and ruining the return of former Baggies manager Roberto Di Matteo.

City's victory at the Etihad Stadium, engineered with two goals apiece from Argentine duo Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, took them top of the league for the first time this season.

Roberto Mancini's side have 28 points from 12 matches, with United second on 27 points. Chelsea have 24 points from 12 games with Albion a point further back.

Arsenal had kickstarted their season in the early Saturday kickoff by beating north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 after Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off for a reckless first-half challenge on Santi Cazorla.

In-form Luis Suarez scored twice to help Liverpool to a 3-0 win at home to Wigan Athletic, who lost midfielder Ben Watson to a broken leg, while Swansea City enjoyed a 2-1 victory at a struggling Newcastle United.

Southampton increased the pressure on Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Hughes by winning their basement battle 3-1 away and Reading - who also started the day in the bottom three - surprised Everton with a 2-1 home win, Adam Le Fondre's double leading them to their first league win this season.

MISSED ROONEY

United missed Wayne Rooney, who was sidelined with tonsillitis, though Alex Ferguson was still able to pair Robin van Persie with Javier Hernandez, who had claimed a hat-trick seven days ago as United came back from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2.

Ferguson's men were suddenly facing another deficit when Pilkington got in front of defender Chris Smalling to glance a deft header from Javier Garrido's cross past keeper Anders Lindegaard.

Ferguson had said this week he could not remember Pilkington from his time at Old Trafford, though the midfielder joked after the game: "I was only about five, so that's probably why."

United were so poor they only put John Ruddy under serious pressure in the dying moments, the Norwich goalkeeper doing well to turn away a misplaced header from defender Sebastien Bassong and then saving bravely at the feet of Paul Scholes after he had blocked Anderson's 20-metre drive.

"We're disappointed, but they deserved it," Ferguson told ESPN. "We had one or two half-chances, and the players are used to making comebacks, but Norwich defended really well."

West Brom fans gave Chelsea manager Di Matteo a warm welcome on the Italian's return to the Hawthorns and then their team showed him how far they had come since he was sacked in 2011.

Shane Long headed the home side ahead in the 10th minute and after Eden Hazard equalised with a header six minutes before the break, it was another header that gave West Brom the points with Long this time the provider and Odemwingie nodding the cross through Petr Cech's legs.

The result was a personal triumph for Steve Clarke, the West Brom manager and former Chelsea coach and player.

Clarke said: "There is a feel-good factor here. Our job is to keep our feet on the ground but if the supporters want to dream they can."

City appeared vulnerable early on against Villa, but once David Silva had given the hosts the lead with a toe-poke seconds before halftime, Villa had little response.

The visitors, though, were angry at the way City doubled their lead as City were awarded a harsh penalty for what appeared to be a handball against Andreas Weimann.

Aguero converted the 54th-minute spot kick and 11 minutes later they had another penalty - this time Tevez taking the responsibility after Barry Bannan was penalised for handball.

Aguero made it four with a deflected effort and Tevez kept pace with his compatriot with his second on 74 minutes.

DIVED IN

At the north London derby in the early kickoff, Adebayor gave Spurs the lead after 10 minutes but seven minutes later the Togolese dived into a tackle on Cazorla and was shown a straight red card by referee Howard Webb.

Germany defender Per Mertesacker equalised for Arsenal with a powerful header after 24 minutes and Arsene Wenger's side scored twice in the last three minutes of the first half - through Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud - to take control.

Spaniard Cazorla made it four on the hour and although Gareth Bale's shot from the edge of the area gave Spurs some hope, Theo Walcott completed the scoring in injury time - the 39th goal in the last eight matches between the teams.

Speculation about Hughes's position as QPR manager will increase following Southampton's victory.

The south-coast club, who started the day one point ahead of bottom-placed QPR, took a two-goal lead through Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon and although Junior Hoilett pulled one back in the 49th minute, Anton Ferdinand's own goal seven minutes from time completed a miserable day for QPR.

Egypt's Al Ahli take African Champions League

© Reuters Goals from Mohamed Nagui and Walid Soliman handed Egypt's Al Ahli the African Champions League crown on Saturday following a 2-1 away win over holders Esperance of Tunisia.

A record-extending seventh title came at the end of a dominant, fast-paced performance that again proved Ahli's big match temperament in overcoming a hostile home crowd at Tunis' Rades Stadium to take the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

A mazy run from El Sayed Hamdi, who squeezed past muscular defender Walid Hichri to cut inside the penalty area from the left wing, set up the opening goal for Nagui two minutes before halftime.

Soliman made it 2-0 with a goal of some individual brilliance, bringing down a long defensive clearance with a superb first touch, rounding a defender and then placing his ball wide of the home goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifa.

That goal just after the hour mark effectively settled the destiny of the trophy with some 30 minutes remaining as it left Esperance needing to score three times to hold on to their crown.

But they could only manage a late consolation from Yannick Ndjeng in the 85th minute with a simple tap-in from close range. The Cameroonian import had earlier hit the outside of the post with another close-in effort.

Ahli squandered an 89th minute penalty after Ben Cherifa had needlessly given away a spot kick with a rash challenge on Dominique da Silva but then redeemed himself by saving the kick from Ahli's talisman Mohamed Aboutrika.

Saturday's success completes a year of triumph and tragedy for the Cairo giants. Al Ahli were playing Al Masry in February when 74 people were killed in a riot at Port Said, an incident which led to the suspension of Egypt's domestic league.

Despite the lack of competitive action, Ahli showed no signs of being short of match fitness or sharpness as they swarmed all over their hosts to win their first title since 2008.

They had been underdogs going into second leg after Esperance had forced a draw away in the first leg in Alexandria.

But if the Tunisians were expecting to dominate, they were quickly stunned by the pace of Ahli's play and the chances they swiftly set up.

It nullified any advantage Esperance were expecting from a crowd of 32,000, given dispensation to watch the game in a country where football has been mainly played behind closed doors for the last year because of security fears.

Ahli now advance to the Club World Cup in Japan next month.

Bayern braced for mini-final in Valencia, says Martinez

© Reuters Bayern Munich are treating their clash with joint Group F pacesetters Valencia like a final given a berth in the Champions League last 16 is up for grabs, Javi Martinez said on Monday.

Last year's finalists travel to the Mestalla with nine points from four games, but having beaten Valencia 2-1 earlier in the campaign the Germans would assure themselves qualification with another win.

"Both teams will be going for it," Bayern's Spain midfielder Martinez told a news conference.

"We are in a position where by winning we qualify for the next round. It is like a mini-final for the Group.

"The Mestalla is a tough stadium. Whenever I went there with Athletic Bilbao we always had problems. But now I am arriving with Bayern it is a different story."

Martinez, who has winners medals from the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, was signed for a German record 40 million euros ($51.26 million) from Bilbao in August but has been used sparingly by his coach Jupp Heynckes.

"When I arrived at Bayern, one of the first things I did was meet with Heynckes and plan the season," the versatile 24-year-old added.

"With Bilbao last season I played more than 60 games and over the summer I only had nine days holiday after Euro 2012 and the London Olympics.

"We decided to take it one step at a time. It would have been madness to play me in every game, because I would have been destroyed after two months."

Heynckes said he was satisfied with Martinez's progress.

"I am pleased and his colleagues are too. They expect him to be a 'top' player very soon.

"Team captain Philipp Lahm told me 'this is just the player we needed.'"

Bayern have a doubt over France winger Franck Ribery, who has bruised ribs, but Heynckes gave little away.

"I hope that he can come through a full training session today," he said. "If that's the case, then he will definitely play tomorrow."

Ferrer puts holders Spain 1-0 up against Czechs

© Reuters David Ferrer gave holders Spain a 1-0 lead over the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final when he beat a determined but ultimately outplayed Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-4 6-4 on Friday.

Spain are targeting a fourth Davis Cup crown in five years, while the Czechs aim to become the first country in 22 years to win the men's and women's team titles in the same season.

Ferrer, coming off the best season of his career, was looking to get Spain on top early in the tie against a Czech team with the home crowd and a fast surface to their advantage.

"It wasn't a stroll by any means, it cost me a lot of effort. Above all it was hard for me to finish off the points," Ferrer told Spanish television.

The win takes some pressure off team mate Nicolas Almagro, who is facing the leading Czech player and world number six Tomas Berdych in the second match later on Friday.

Ferrer, Spain's top player in the absence of injured former world number one Rafa Nadal, traded points with Stepanek early on as the pair got used to the pace of the indoor hard court.

Stepanek struggled to impose himself despite the backing of the crowd and their drumbeats at the O2 Arena - the venue where the Czech women lifted the Fed Cup trophy two weeks ago.

He levelled the opener at 3-3 after saving seven break points in a marathon sixth game before world number five Ferrer held serve and then broke Stepanek to claim the first set.

The Spaniard looked ready to cruise after that before Stepanek rallied in the middle of the second set to go 4-3 up.

But 30-year-old Ferrer won the next five games and survived a late rally from the 33-year-old Czech in the third set.

"I think I played pretty good attacking tennis (but) I played a better opponent. He deserved the match today," said Stepanek, who will likely join Berdych for Saturday's doubles.

The Czechs are aiming to avoid a repeat of their last clash with Spain in the final when they were crushed 5-0 on the clay courts of Barcelona in 2009.

The Czechs are aiming to win their first Davis Cup title since Czechoslovakia lifted the trophy in 1980.

QPR anchor Premier League but Hughes refuses to quit

© Reuters Mark Hughes said he would not resign as Queens Park Rangers manager despite a 3-1 defeat at home to Southampton on Saturday that left the London club bottom of the Premier League and without a win this season.

Hughes, who took over at Loftus Road in January, told reporters: "I don't run away from challenges, and this is a huge challenge.

"I knew (the job) was going to be problematic, but this year we had real expectations and I was quite prepared to raise expectation as I thought we'd have a good season. It hasn't happened for us, unfortunately.

"Because of raising expectations, more people are going to be disappointed, and that's the case now."

His players were booed off the pitch at the final whistle and fans called for the Welshman to be sacked.

"The fans are within their rights to criticise me," Hughes added.

"(The performance) was unacceptable. We have to take it on the chin ... it is my intention to see it through. We're not going to hide behind trying to make a positive out of a very big negative today.

"The club needs stability and that is what we are trying to bring. It was the worst performance since I came here. Maybe it is a watershed in that possibly we can't get any lower than this."

QPR's Malaysian owner Tony Fernandes, who has splashed serious cash on new players, wrote on Twitter: "I feel gutted. I have put my heart and soul into this with my other shareholders. And done all we can to give support to players and all management. I can only apologise to the QPR fans. We keep fighting."

QPR are the only team in England's four professional divisions without a win this season. They have four points from 12 games, five points adrift of 17th-placed Reading.

Southampton's victory was their second of the season but still left them second from bottom of the league.

Red Star beat Partizan in thrilling Belgrade derby

© Reuters Former European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade twice came from behind to beat Serbian champions and league leaders Partizan 3-2 in a pulsating city derby to cut their advantage at the top to five points.

Partizan, who are chasing a record sixth successive league title, have 33 points from 13 games while Red Star - who won Europe's premier club competition in 1991 - have 28 after a resilient performance which rekindled memories of former glories.

Having played second fiddle to Partizan in the last five years, hosts Red Star outshone their bitter arch-rivals in a cracking atmosphere, with well-behaved supporters at both ends providing a perfect setting.

Partizan saluted their outnumbered fans before the kick off, while their Red Star rivals in the 40,000 crowd unleashed volleys of fireworks that lit up the clear skies above Serbia's capital in the cauldron of the Marakana stadium.

The spectacular sight paved the way for an explosive start as Partizan's teenage striker Aleksandar Mitrovic fired the visitors into a ninth-minute lead, burying his shot under advancing keeper Boban Bajkovic after muscling his way past central defender Uros Spajic.

Roared on by their faithful, Red Star came surging forward and equalised five minutes later when Montenegro striker Filip Kasalica met Darko Lazovic's perfect cross from the right and side-footed his volley past Nikola Petrovic.

But Red Star's joy was short-lived as Serbia forward Lazar Markovic burst down the left and sent in a teasing low cross which central defender Milan Jovanovic turned into the roof of his own net.

The quick and crafty Markovic almost added a third for Partizan before the break, firing wide from a tight angle after weaving his way past two markers who were unable to cope with his pace.

CLUTCHING AIR

Red Star were back on level terms shortly after halftime thanks to a superb goal by midfielder Luka Milivojevic, whose dinking shot with the tip of his boot from 20 metres gave Petrovic no chance as it sailed over the keeper and left him clutching air.

Lazovic then fired over the bar from close range and only some desperate defending kept Partizan afloat moments later after Petrovic was caught out of position and his team mates scrambled the ball away.

But there was no rescue for the visitors in the 74th minute when former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Nenad Milijas sent a stooping header into the far corner after livewire Kasalica delivered a well weighed cross from the right.

Partizan missed their final chance to snatch a point when substitute Nikola Ninkovic shot high and wide after Red Star failed to clear their lines.

"We had only ourselves to blame for losing ground on Partisan and our self-confidence in the run-up to the derby, but following a poor first half the lads showed character and Milivojevic's goal got us back on the rails," Red Star coach Aleksandar Jankovic told a news conference.

"They played their hearts out and we are delighted our fans finally have something to cheer about after we beat a tough and more experienced team to haul ourselves back into the title race.

"But we can afford no more slip-ups."

Jankovic's counterpart Vladimir Vermezovic was disappointed.

"The lead we built through some hard work came crumbling down in the second half and we have to look at why we fizzed out after the break," he said.

Milan draw 2-2 at Napoli with El Shaarawy double

© Reuters A brilliant brace from young Italy striker Stephan El Shaarawy brought AC Milan back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Napoli while Serie A leaders Juventus were held 0-0 at home to Lazio on Saturday.

The scoreline relieved some of the pressure on Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose side are now 12th on 15 points after a performance that suggested they might have a decent season in them yet.

El Shaarawy hailed his team mates and Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, who flew in by helicopter on Friday to give the players a quick pep talk ahead of the game.

"We really played very well, in the first half as well, we started really well. Then we went a goal down due to an error but in the end we're happy and the president is happy as well," he said.

"Let's say that he's been close to us recently and it gave us a little push."

Napoli could have moved up to second place behind champions Juventus but Walter Mazzari's side remained third on 27 points.

Juventus have 32 from 13 games with second placed Inter Milan, who host Cagliari in Sunday's main programme, five points adrift.

Napoli took the lead after only four minutes with a bizarre goal from Gokhan Inler, whose tame long-range strike seemed to change trajectory completely in mid-air and confused the already-committed Christian Abbiati.

Milan's front three were causing Napoli's defence problems though, and they should have equalised five minutes later when Riccardo Montolivo weakly dragged a shot wide when presented with a glorious opportunity by Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Napoli doubled their lead on the half hour through local boy Lorenzo Insigne, who collected Christian Maggio's cross and fired a deflected shot through the legs of the hapless Abbiati.

It could have been 3-0 two minutes later when Insigne intercepted Milan left-back Kevin Constant's poor cross-field pass and raced through on goal before sliding a poor pass to Edinson Cavani instead of shooting.

FIRST-TIME STRIKE

El Shaarawy, who scored his first international goal on Wednesday in a 2-1 defeat by France, then pulled Milan back into the game with his ninth goal of the season a minute from half-time.

The 20-year-old strolled onto Francesco Acerbi's pass on the edge of the area and sent a wonderful first-time strike over Napoli keeper Morgan De Sanctis and into the top right-hand corner.

Milan almost equalised twice early in the second half, first on 57 minutes when Bojan Krkic finished a swift counter-attack by toe-poking wide and then a minute later Boateng missed with a header.

While Milan looked the better side, Napoli were always a threat on the break and Marek Hamsik should have put the game beyond reach in the 60th when he shot wide after a Cavani flick-on had put him one-on-one with Abbiati.

El Shaarawy gave Milan a deserved reward for their attacking play with eight minutes to go when he raced onto substitute Robinho's through ball and calmly slotted home the equaliser. It was his 10th of the season.

Juve, who welcome Chelsea in a crunch Champions League encounter in Turin on Tuesday, fielded arguably their strongest possible side but could not break down a solid Lazio - buoyed by last weekend's derby win over AS Roma.

Vladimir Petkovic's Lazio had goalkeeper Federico Marchetti to thank after he made a series of saves including one incredible stop from a deflected Fabio Quagliarella strike.

"It was a sudden deflection and I was quite lucky to push it over the bar," Marchetti told Sky Sport Italia. "It's an important point, not many teams come here and go home with anything. We'll enjoy it, knowing that we need to improve."

Messi nets another double as Barcelona march on

© Reuters Leaders Barcelona pulled six points clear of Atletico Madrid when Lionel Messi netted his seventh double of the campaign in a 3-1 La Liga win at home to Real Zaragoza on Saturday.

The Argentine World Player of the Year, who struck either side of Alex Song's debut goal for the club, took his league tally to 17 as unbeaten Barca moved on to 34 points from 12 matches.

Atletico can trim the gap back to three with a win at Granada on Sunday, while third-placed Real Madrid can close to within two points of their city rivals with a win at home to Athletic Bilbao later on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho's side, seeking a seventh win in eight games after a poor start to their title defence, have Karim Benzema back in the side after injury, while Cristiano Ronaldo is available despite sustaining a gash above his left eye in last weekend's 2-1 win at Levante.

After sending an early shot narrowly wide, Messi opened the scoring in the 16th minute at the Nou Camp when he picked up Jordi Alba's pass and clipped the ball into the bottom corner.

Zaragoza pulled a goal back eight minutes later when a Francisco Montanes shot took a slight deflection off Carles Puyol, back in central defence after injury, and flew past Victor Valdes.

Song, who joined from Arsenal in the close season, thumped a Messi pullback through a crowd of players into the net to restore Barca's lead in the 28th minute and Messi curled in his second to kill off the game on the hour.

It was his 78th goal of 2012 for club and country - 66 for Barca and 12 for Argentina - and he is closing in on the record for a calendar year of 85 set by German Gerd Mueller in 1972.

Barca, who play at Spartak Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday, have dropped points only once in La Liga this term, a 2-2 draw at home to Real.

Malaga extended their winless run in La Liga to three matches when they were held to a 0-0 draw at struggling Osasuna.

Manuel Pellegrini's side, who are through to the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare, stay fourth on 19 points but Real Betis and Levante can climb above them on Sunday with wins at Sevilla and Deportivo Coruna respectively.

Roberto Soldado's 89th-minute penalty gave erratic Valencia a much-needed 2-1 success at home to Espanyol, who had Hector Moreno and Sergio Garcia sent off for protesting the referee's decision to award the spot kick for a Moreno handball.

Jonathan Viera ran onto a loose ball and sidefooted past Cristian Alvarez to put Valencia ahead in the 16th minute in an ill-tempered match at the Mestalla, which as well as the two straight reds saw 11 yellow cards.

Samuele Longo scooped the ball over Diego Alves from close range to level 15 minutes later.

Valencia are sixth on 18 points, while Espanyol slip below Osasuna to the bottom of the table, making it increasingly likely coach Mauricio Pochettino will lose his job.

Klinsmann pleased with U.S. progress after draw with Russia

© Reuters The United States finished their 2012 campaign by twice fighting back for a 2-2 draw with Russia in Krasnodar on Wednesday, leaving head coach Juergen Klinsmann praising his team's personality.

A brilliant 76th minute strike from Michael Bradley brought the U.S. level after they gave up a ninth minute opener, then an injury time equalizer from Mix Diskerud cancelled out Roman Shirokov's penalty that looked to have given Russia the win.

"The way our team fought back twice after being down a goal was great," said former Germany player and coach Klinsmann.

"It showed a lot of personality. It showed a lot of character. This is a young team, and a team that is growing. We are pleased with the game overall, and to score in the last minute was great," he added.

This year, the U.S. have earned impressive wins on the road in Italy and Mexico in friendlies, both for the first time, as well as securing their place in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"We saw a very entertaining game. Russia proved why they are one of the best teams in Europe, and we wanted to see how good we are against such a strong team. I think you saw we can compete with very good teams in the world," said Klinsmann.

The U.S. did not include their all-time top scorer Landon Donovan, who stayed at home to focus on his club team LA Galaxy's bid to reach the final of the MLS playoffs.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Clint Dempsey was also rested for the game as Klinsmann took the opportunity to have a look at some younger faces.

Joshua Gatt, who plays for Norwegian champions Molde, was handed a debut on the right-flank, while there were substitute appearances for 19-year-old striker Juan Agudelo and 21-year-old Terrence Boyd.

"It was important for us to introduce some younger players to the senior level. I think they all did great. There is nothing to lose for them in a game like that. They can only win," said Klinsmann.

"For us, it's important that we have these youngsters grow step-by-step. Our team over the last 6-12 months grew a lot. We developed a lot more personality and confidence to compete with the best teams out there.

"We still have a long way to go, but I think we have a very good path and these younger players are a very important part of this path. Hopefully, we get more opportunities to give them playing time," he added.

Forward Jozy Altidore returned to the U.S. starting line-up after being surprisingly left out for the October qualifying games and Klinsmann, who had been critical of the player, praised his contribution.

"I think you saw Jozy Altidore today was a handful. He gets a big, big compliment for his performance," he said.

The U.S. start the final phase of qualification for the World Cup away to Honduras on February 6.

Romania come from behind to beat Belgium

© Reuters Romania came from behind to beat Belgium 2-1 at home in an friendly on Wednesday thanks to a stunning first-half goal by Alexandru Maxim and a second-half penalty by substitute Gabriel Torje.

The visitors made their early dominance pay midway through the first half when Florin Gardos failed to clear a cross from the left wing and Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke made no mistake with a 10-metre shot.

Before the interval, the Belgians threaded the ball neatly across a midfield featuring Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Defour but were also forced into desperate defence to keep out Romania's trademark quick counter-attacks.

The home side equalised less than 10 minutes later thanks to Maxim's fantastic curling shot from just outside the penalty area that gave goalkeeper Simon Mignolet no chance.

It was the 22-year-old Pandurii Targu-Jiu striker's second goal in four internationals.

Romania, making five changes at halftime, started brightly in the second half with Torje tormenting the Belgian defence on the right flank while Ciprian Marica tested Mignolet with a shot from a tight angle.

The lively Torje made it 2-1 in the 66th minute when he converted a penalty after Jan Vertonghen's handball following Alexandru Bourceanu's cross from the right.

Romelu Lukaku missed a golden opportunity to earn Belgium a draw, sending a low shot narrowly wide with only keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu to beat 10 minutes from time.

Romania are third their 2014 World Cup qualifying Group D with nine points from four matches, three points behind leaders Netherlands.

Much-fancied Belgium top Group A with 10 points from four matches, leading Croatia on goal difference.

Montenegro beat San Marino 3-0 to leapfrog England

© Reuters Two goals from Andrija Delibasic and another by Elsad Zverotic gave Montenegro a 3-0 home win over San Marino in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday to send the tiny nation top of Europe's Group H above England.

Montenegro have 10 points from four matches, two more points than England from the same number of games with the two teams yet to play each other on the road to the 2014 finals in Brazil.

Poland are third with five points from three games, followed by Moldova on four from as many matches, Ukraine on two points from two games and San Marino with zero from four.

Coach Branko Brnovic rested several first-choice players against San Marino, including Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, and his replacement Delibasic snatched his chance even if it was against one of the most timid rivals he is ever likely to face.

San Marino, who are yet to score a goal in this qualifying campaign, were on the back foot from the start and only a pair of reflex saves from their goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini denied Delibasic and his strike partner Fatos Beqiraj from giving the home side an early lead.

But Simoncini was helpless in the 14th minute when Delibasic tapped in a perfect low cross by Aleksandar Volkov after the left back's one-two with forward Filip Kasalica carved open the visitors' defence.

Delibasic made it 2-0 in the 31st minute from point blank range after Mitar Novakovic headed a teasing Simon Vukcevic corner into his path.

Defensive midfielder Zverotic added the third midway through the second half, burying a low shot with the tip of his boot from 15 metres, while substitute Blazo Igumanovic rattled the woodwork with a stinging free kick in the closing stages.

Main striker Mirko Vucinic was suspended.

Four-goal Ibrahimovic gives Sweden win over England

© Reuters Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored all four goals including a stunning overhead volley as Sweden opened their new Friends Arena on Wednesday with a 4-2 friendly win over England, who had six players making debuts and Steven Gerrard winning his 100th cap.

Ibrahimovic scored the first goal in the new stadium after 20 minutes when he powered the ball into the roof of the net and then equalised after 77 minutes, volleying an unstoppable shot past Joe Hart.

He completed his hat-trick by firing low past Hart after 84 minutes to put Sweden back in front and capped his performance with an incredible angled left-footed overhead kick, an immediate contender for the goal of the season.

England cancelled out his first goal when Danny Welbeck scored after 35 minutes, and Steven Caulker, one of the six debutants, scored his first goal for England three minutes later after a superb free kick from Gerrard.

Caulker, Leon Osman and 17-year-old Raheem Sterling all started for the first time, while Ryan Shawcross, Carl Jenkinson and Wilfried Zaha came on for their first caps as substitutes as Roy Hodgson lost for the first time in 12 matches as England manager.

No record for Messi as Saudis hold Argentina

© Reuters Lionel Messi failed in his bid to set an outright record for the most Argentina goals in a calendar year as his side were held 0-0 by Frank Rijkaard's Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah did well to keep out substitute Augusto Fernandez and Messi who shares the Argentina record of 12 goals in a year with former striker Gabriel Batistuta.

"We didn't have a good match. We lacked spark and kept giving away possession," visiting right back Pablo Zabaleta told Fox Sports television at the King Fahd stadium.

The 112th-ranked Saudis, coached by Dutchman Rijkaard who gave Messi his Barcelona debut in 2004, defended in numbers and frequently troubled Argentina with quick breaks.

The home team had the ball in the net when defender Mohammed al-Sahlawi headed a free kick past goalkeeper Sergio Romero in the 28th minute but were unlucky to see a marginal offside decision go against them.

Messi has 12 goals in nine internationals this year and 31 altogether for Argentina.

Batistuta, who holds the overall record for his country with 56 goals, hit 12 in 1998.

"We deserved to win. In the second half we created six goal chances," said coach Alejandro Sabella whose Argentina team lead the South American World Cup qualifying table.

Messi's strike partner Sergio Aguero said: "The important thing is we didn't lose but it would have been nice to end the year with a win".

The Saudis, who had the clearer chances in the first half, went close from a 19th minute counter-attack but a weak shot by the nippy Naser al-Shamrani was palmed away by Romero.

Messi broke away on the right in the 42nd minute only to see his low cross intercepted by a defender just as midfielder Eduardo Salvio looked set to score.

In a flurry of action midway through the second half both sides cleared chances off the line and late pressure from Argentina, who played mostly at training ground pace, failed to yield a goal.

The Saudis usually had at least eight men behind the ball, giving the Argentine forwards little room.

Aguero was just wide with a shot from outside the box and substitute Franco Di Santo, making his debut, headed an Angel Di Maria cross over the bar.

Argentina have won two and drawn two of their meetings with the Saudis.