CHINA DAILY SPORTS MONDAY MARCH 12, 200711 Dazzling Messi saves Barca Chinese with his left foot. short of entertainment but there second goal after 28 minutes, dominate Argentine’s injury-time equalizer “I said before the game was more than the usual ration mopping up after Ronaldinho that a draw would be two lost of drama on Saturday even be- had his effort parried away by world caps superb hat-trick performance points but when you see what fore Messi’s fi nal contribution. Casillas. happened during the game A freak goal from Sergio Ra- Barca were then reduced to BARCELONA: Barcelona “Scoring all our goals, it was you have to think that we had mos had put Real ahead after 10 men when Oleguer got his aerials teenager Lionel Messi hit a a special game for him. He’s a a success. 73 minutes after an astonishing second yellow card in the dying spectacular hat-trick to save magnifi cent talent. His goals “I’ve got to applaud the team fi rst half hour which saw four seconds of the fi rst half. SKIING the Catalan club’s blushes in saved us,” acknowledged Barca for showing such character in goals, two apiece for Messi and With Barca coach Frank the 3-3 draw with bitter rivals coach Frank Rijkaard. diffi cult circumstances to come Real’s Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Rijkaard having ambitiously MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Real Madrid on Saturday. The reigning Spanish cham- back and get that third goal,” An error by Barca defender opted to play a 3-4-3 formation Italy: Chinese skiers Han The Argentine winger, who pions looked well on their way added Rijkaard. Lillian Thuram helped Real take from the outset, he was forced to Xiaopeng and Li Nina swept does not turn 20 until June, sal- to their fi rst La Liga defeat at Derbies between the two the lead after fi ve minutes. shore up his defence at half time the aerials competitions on vaged a point for 10-man Barca home this season until Messi Spanish giants, who both A quick counter-attack saw with Eto’o being replaced by the Saturday at the freestyle world with a wonderfully taken goal a produced a move of individual crashed out of the Champions Gonzalo Higuain send the ball Brazilian defender Sylvinho. championships. minute into injury time. brilliance before fi nding the net League in midweek, are never into the box but Thuram fell Barcelona managed to slow Dale Begg-Smith of Australia over while trying to clear the the game down but Van Nistel- and Jennifer Heil of Canada won Argentine striker’s cross and rooy nearly got his third goal the dual moguls. the mis-hit ball went straight after 64 minutes when he was The fi rst ever Chinese man to Van Nistelrooy’s feet. set free by Higuain but was to win Olympic gold, Han Xi- The Dutchman had no prob- thwarted by Valdes, who got an aopeng, on Saturday became lems opening the scoring and, outstretched hand to the ball. the first Chinese to win the with a clear view of the goal, “We had several clear op- men’s world title with 240.86 hammered the ball home from portunities to get more goals points. Dmitri Dashinski of Be- the edge of the area. but the Barcelona goalkeeper larus was second with 236.42, Real only hung onto their made many important saves,” matching his Olympic silver advantage for six minutes reflected Real’s under-fire medal, and World Cup cham- before Messi took advantage coach Fabio Capello. pion Steve Omischl of Canada of the visitors’ defensive frailty Sergio Ramos put them back was third with 235.81. to sidefoot home a Samuel Eto’o in front, the ball spinning “I won the Olympics last year pass from the edge of the six backwards off his head from and today the world champion- yard box. a Guti free kick and the Span- ship,” said Han. “With the However, just two more min- ish international’s expression women’s success, it’s a great utes elapsed before Real were clearly showed that it was a day for China.” back in front again. fl uke. In the women’s competi- Van Nistelrooy got his second “For you I can never do any- tion, Li, the defending cham- goal of the night, and 14th of thing right,” added Capello, pion from 2005 and Olympic the season, from the spot after sarcastically mocking those silver medalist, was fourth Oleguer Presas had fouled Jose journalists who have been pre- after the first jump, but she Maria ‘Guti’ Gutierrez. dicting that this could be his took victory with a solid Messi then brought Barca last match in charge of Real. second jump as her rivals all FC Barcelona player Lionel Messi from Argentina celebrates his second goal during his Spanish back level again added to his made mistakes. League soccer match against Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday. AP tally by clinically taking his AFP “I was the defending world champion and I’m very happy to have been able to defend my title this year,” said Li. “I felt really good today, this was a Liang wins great day for China and I’m Charlton: Ronaldo in a class of his own very happy for that.” in Singapore SOCCER great players to grab the bull by given the chance, what would he ly wants another Championship, Chinese Li Nina jumps Assoli Slivets, of Belarus, the horns and lift people and he rather have, the penalty or the another FA Cup. He is what he is, during the Women’s took silver while Jacqui MANCHESTER, England: has been doing that recently. goal? He will always go for goal, he does what he does every day Aerials at the Freestyle Cooper, of Australia, won GOLF Manchester United legend “He does things I have never he is such a strong character.” and never changes. World Championship in bronze. Cooper had led after Bobby Charlton has paid argu- seen anybody else do. And the Charlton was talking before “The fi rst thing Alex Fergu- Madonna di Campiglio on the fi rst jump ahead of Olym- SINGAPORE: China’s Liang ably the greatest tribute yet to one thing he does do is he is United’s Champions League son ever said when he came here Saturday. Li won the gold pic champion Evelyne Leu of Wenchong parred the 18th the team’s brilliant Portuguese as tough as hell. If you clatter draw pitted them against was that winning the champion- as compatriot Han Xiao- Switzerland who eventually hole to beat Malaysia’s Iain winger Cristiano Ronaldo. him, it doesn’t bother him too Roma in the quarterfi nals and, ship was the only thing to do. peng (inset) triumphed in fi nished fi fth. Steel on the first hole of a Charlton, an Old Trafford much, he’ll carry on. His goal as the club prepares to celebrate That has never changed.” men’s category. AFP sudden-death playoff to win director, is uniquely quali- at Fulham was just marvelous its 50th anniversary in Euro- Charlton, a member of the Agencies and AFP the joint-sanctioned Singapore fi ed to discuss the quality of and I think he pean soccer first United team to win the Masters yesterday. footballers to have played for has been a bet- by playing a European title in 1968, also The 28-year-old Liang’s United after over half a century ter player than He does things I have European XI believes the signs are that his maiden victory outside China associated with the club. even people in a charity beloved Reds are capable of do- ensured he became the sec- Having spent the most pro- here realise.” never seen anybody fund-raiser ing so for a third time. ond Chinese player to win on ductive years of his club career Charlton else do. on Tuesday, “When you get to this stage of Lin Dan blazes to title the European Tour, emulating alongside players of the calibre also leapt to Charlton the season, things tend to settle BADMINTON which dates back to 1899. Zhang Lianwei, who captured of Denis Law and George Best, the defence of BOBBY CHARLTON believes suc- down a bit,” said Charlton. “A But Malaysians Koo Kien the same event in 2003. Charlton is no stranger to pro- Ronaldo, who Man United legend cess in the lot of the trepidation you had BIRMINGHAM, England: Keat/Tan Boon Heong spoiled The duo finished the $1.1- digious soccer talent, yet the is still accused competition about your form and your team Top seed and world champion China’s ambitious bid by de- million European and Asian England World Cup winner of diving in for the first back in September and October Lin Dan blazed to his third All feating China’s top seeds Cai Tour event on 11 under par for confesses that even he has been search of penalties. The latest time since 1999 is overdue. is gone. When you start getting England badminton title in Yun/Fu Haifeng 21-18, 21-15 the tournament, a stroke clear stunned by Ronaldo’s superla- such incident saw the United “A lot of people have said that through to the second stages, four years yesterday with a 21- in the men’s doubles fi nal. of Britain’s Simon Dyson, who tive form this season. star harshly booked for a sup- Alex has not won as many Euro- anything can happen.