City deserve top four spot says Mancini

AFP, LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom, April 11: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini insists his side have proved they deserve a Champions League place as they prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield on Monday.

Mancini's men have seven games remaining as they look to hold on to a top-four spot in the Premier League table.

And they also take on bitter rivals Manchester United in an FA Cup semi-final on Saturday at the end of a week that could define their season.

Big spending City have failed to launch a challenge for the Premier League title and were also frustrated to be knocked out of the last 16 of the Europa League by Dynamo Kiev.

City supporters are desperate to end their long wait for a trophy, which stretches back to their League Cup win in 1976.

But former Inter manager Mancini, who has faced constant speculation about his future, feels that taking their place in the Champions League for the first time will be key to developing the club.

"This year our target at the start of the season was to finish in the top four and be in the Champions League," he said.

"I think we deserve to achieve this because we have been at the top most of the season with United and Arsenal, always being between first and fourth position.

"We now have seven games until the end of the season and we will do everything to be in the Champions League next season.

"I am very happy to manage here at Manchester City as it is a big challenge.

"I think we can become a top team in two or three years. We have improved a lot and this for me is a good squad and I am very proud to be here.

"In football the situation can change every five weeks but in my opinion Manchester City will be one of the top clubs in Europe in the next five years."

Mancini will be without defenders Micah Richards and Jerome Boateng with respective hamstring and knee problems, while Liverpool are also missing a host of players for the game.

England midfielder Steven Gerrard will not play again this season due to a groin problem and Danish defender Daniel Agger is also ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.

Full-backs Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly are also both out with hamstring injuries to leave manager Kenny Dalglish short of options at the back.

With a lengthy injury list, Dalglish is considering throwing in youngsters Jack Robinson and John Flanagan against City.

Dalglish admits the current situation, with European football looking well beyond them, is not good enough for a club of Liverpool's pedigree.

He said: "We're obviously happier being sixth than seventh, but we'd also be happier being fifth than sixth.

"The football club has greater ambition than to settle for sixth spot and we'll be looking to improve on that as best we possibly can.

"The football club is better than sixth but we've got to prove that on the pitch.

"We don't know what team City will put out, we don't know if they'll be focused on the semi-final or not.

"I'm sure they place equal importance on their position in the league but when you see a trophy at the end of it sometimes your concentration wanes a little bit. We hope that can be the case.

"I'm sure they'll have half an eye on the cup tie because it's a massive game for them and a chance for them to get a bit of silverware."

Wenger insists Arsenal are back on track

AFP, BLACKPOOL, United Kingdom, April 11: Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal have finally recovered from the mental damage caused by their recent poor run as the Gunners got their title challenge back on track with a 3-1 win at Blackpool.

At the end of February, Wenger's side were dreaming of a quadruple but they lost the League Cup final against Birmingham and crashed out of the FA Cup and Champions League, while their Premier League hopes were derailed by three successive draws.

Wenger admits those setbacks left his squad seriously traumatised but he saw signs in Sunday's victory at Bloomfield Road that a return to the title race is on the cards.

Goals from Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Eboue and Robin van Persie moved Arsenal to within seven points of Manchester United and the Gunners also have a game in hand on the leaders, as well as a May clash with Sir Alex Ferguson's side at the Emirates Stadium.

"It was a massive disappointment," Wenger said. "You go through a period of grief and of denial first and then you have to stand up and show you have the mental strengths to respond. The team has done that remarkably well.

"This was only three points but it could help us to keep a chance. We have promised ourselves to give everything until the end of the season.

"There are still seven games. It is a long time - there are many games."

Wenger was also encouraged by the way German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann played on his first appearance in 11 months.

Lehmann, 41, came out of retirement in March to help his former club following Wojciech Szczesny's finger injury against Barcelona.

After first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia broke down with a knee problem in the warm up at Bloomfield Road on Sunday, Lehmann was called into action for the first time since he left Stuttgart in May last year.

Wenger is unsure of the severity of Almunia's injury and Szczesny's injury could clear up before Sunday?s match against Liverpool.

But the Frenchman insists he would not hesitate to use Lehmann once again if he has to.

Wenger said: "I was not concerned because I replaced a good goalkeeper with a good goalkeeper.

"The only concern was we had no goalkeeper on the bench and if something had happened to Jens, because he had not played for a long time, we would have had a problem.

"He did well. He was commanding, organising and showed authority, and he was exceptionally good at set pieces."

Lehmann himself believes Arsenal should still be confident of overhauling United.

The German, now in his second spell with Arsenal, said: "There are only four points when we win our game in hand. Look at me, you never know what is going to happen in life.

"Manchester United are a good team but they have to play a lot of competitions in the next weeks and I know from my own experience how exhausting that can be."

Diaby and Eboue put Arsenal ahead in the first half and, after Gary Taylor-Fletcher pulled a goal back, van Persie rounded off the win late on.

Blackpool remain only one point above the relegation zone after a run of one win in 12 matches.

But manager Ian Holloway insists his players must believe they can still pull away from the relegation zone.

"We're not even David and Goliath, we're like a gladiator going into the arena with a toothpick," Holloway said.

"I might come up against a sword and a shield but we aren't half having a stab at it and I need the lads to keep believing."

Holloway felt his team should have been given at least one penalty and added: "We need a five-second delay and a monitor for the fourth official. Then we'd get every one right. Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't get fined, no-one would get fined and it would all be perfect."

Madrid red card was a real low for Crouch

AFP, LONDON, April 11: Tottenham striker Peter Crouch admits his crazy red card against Real Madrid was the lowest moment of his career.

Crouch was sent off in the 15th minute of Tottenham's Champions League quarter-final first leg clash at the Bernabeu for two reckless and unnecessary challenges.

The England international's dismissal played a major role in Tottenham's eventual 4-0 defeat, which leaves them with virtually no chance in the return leg at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

And former Liverpool and Portsmouth star Crouch conceded he had never felt worse during his 13-year career than following his red card in the Spanish capital.

"That's as low as I've felt just because of the sheer importance of the match," Crouch said.

"It was the quarter-final of the Champions League at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. With all those things put together, it was very disappointing.

"I watched the game in one of the referee's rooms with Rafa (van der Vaart), who came off at half-time.

"It was really frustrating. With each goal that went in, it felt like I had cost the team."

However, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp took Crouch aside at the club's Chigwell base and told him to forget the incidents.

The move seemed to work as Crouch scored twice in Saturday's 3-2 win over Stoke.

Crouch revealed that he was so desperate to make up for his red card that he almost had to resort to begging Redknapp to start him against Stoke.

"I was dying to play," he said. "I was thinking of saying 'Please, please, play me' to try and make amends and help get three points.

"I told myself before the game, 'Don't do anything stupid' and I scored a couple of goals so thankfully it worked well."

Crouch's sending off had drawn criticism from some Spurs fans and there were signs that he would not be given a good reception when his name was greeted with a few boos as the teams were announced over the public address system prior to the warm-ups on Saturday.

But in the end the Spurs support got behind the 30-year-old and he now hopes they have forgiven him.

"I said sorry to the players and the manager but I had a chance to say sorry to all the fans as well," Crouch added. "Hopefully I have repaid them a little bit with two goals."

Crouch denied that the reason behind his two fouls on Marcelo and Sergio Ramos were because he was too pumped up for the Madrid game.

"I have played in lots of big games before. They were genuinely honest tackles," he said.

"I thought I could get the ball. (Stoke winger) Jermaine Pennant did a tackle in the first half that was exactly the same and he just got a warning. That's Premier League football."

Collins eases pressure on Houllier

AFP, BIRMINGHAM, April 11: James Collins eased the pressure on Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier as his header secured a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday.

Collins had been fined two weeks wages by Houllier in March for his part in a health spa altercation with the Frenchman's coaching staff, but the Wales defender doesn't seem to hold a grudge judging by his impressive efforts at Villa Park.

He headed the only goal midway through the first half and spent the rest of the match keeping Newcastle's forwards at bay as Villa moved five points clear of the relegation zone.

It was hardly a classic performance but even so it was a vital victory for Houllier after Villa fans vented their anger at the former Liverpool boss following a recent home defeat against Wolves.

As an added bonus, the win also went some way to avenging Villa's 6-0 thrashing at Newcastle in August.

The Magpies were the first to threaten and a dangerous left-wing cross from Jose Enrique picked out the run of Joey Barton at the far post, only for the midfielder to head well over.

Villa keeper Brad Friedel went down to his left to gather Nile Ranger's low attempt from Jonas Gutierrez's through-ball.

But that bright start from Newcastle quickly faded after 24 minutes when Collins put Villa ahead.

Barton was penalised for bringing down Ashley Young, who took the free-kick himself and Collins' glancing header flew past goalkeeper Steve Harper into the far corner of the net.

Young had a shot deflected wide after finding plenty of space 20 yards out, then a goalbound header from Richard Dunne was blocked from the resulting corner by Young.

Villa thought they had scored again just before half-time but Darren Bent's effort was harshly ruled offside.

The hosts started the second period on the offensive and a mistake by Barton allowed Stiliyan Petrov to find Gabriel Agbonlahor in space on the left flank.

He had time to make ground into the Newcastle box and his curling shot was parried aside by Steve Harper.

Villa were in the ascendancy and Harper went down to cling on to Agbonlahor's low shot on the turn.

The home side appealed in vain for a penalty when Steven Taylor barged into England striker Bent after an hour.

Houllier's side were still searching for the second goal and Collins had a goalbound header cleared from a Young corner.

Newcastle finally mounted a late rally and Friedel clung on to a Peter Lovenkrands header before blocking a low drive from Danish striker in injury-time.

Valencia trounce Villarreal to move clear in third

AFP, MADRID, April 11: Valencia staked their claim for third place in La Liga with a stylish 5-0 win in Sunday's head-to-head clash with local rivals Villarreal.

Neither side tried to play down the importance of the match with both teams comfortably clear of the chasing pack, with the victory pushing Valencia six points ahead of Villarreal.

Valencia had more time to prepare as Villarreal were in European action on Thursday night and it showed as they were far livelier and put plenty of pressure on the Villarreal players.

If the visitors were in good spirits after their 5-1 win over Twente then they were brought back down to earth quickly as Roberto Soldado gave Valencia an early lead.

Although they had further chances it was not until the second half that the floodgates opened against a tired looking Villarreal.

Ever Banega scored in between two goals from Juan Mata and Soldado also got his second of the night.

"We have found it difficult to be consistent and play well for 90 minutes but we have managed to do it in this match. It was an excellent performance," said Valencia coach Unai Emery.

"We also acknowledge the work and the great season Villarreal are having to the extent they have made us adapt our game to them. The only thing we still need to do is be more effective in defence and improve the way we defend with five back."

Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido admitted he was taken aback by the scale of the defeat.

"The scoreline is painful for us because we knew that we could lose but not by such a margin," he said.

Earlier, Atletico Madrid moved onto the verges of the European places with a comprehensive victory over Real Sociedad who have now lost five games on the trot.

After an inconsistent campaign Atletico are still in the fight for a place in the Europa League and have hit form at the right time. Back-to-back wins mean that Atletico are level with sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao who lost to Real Madrid 3-0 and a point behind Sevilla who drew 2-2 with Mallorca.

Atletico were in charge against Sociedad from the start with a deft back-heel from Diego Costa setting up Felipe Luis to put them ahead and then shortly before half time Mario Suarez added another after good work from Jose Antonio Reyes.

Sociedad, now just five points above the relegation zone, are going through their worst run of the season and conceded a further goal from Sergio Aguero.

"We were hoping for a weekend like this as it has gone very well for us," said Quique Sanchez Flores.

"We needed to close the gap but we have some important games ahead including the next one against Espanyol. We have done well in the last seven games, except for the (Real) Madrid result."

Espanyol's poor form continued with a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Hercules. They have struggled badly since Christmas and had lost eight of the last ten games going into the match.

Hercules' Royston Drenthe carried the greatest threat and went closest to scoring with a header which came back off the crossbar.

Second-from-bottom Malaga remain behind Hercules on goal difference as they also drew 0-0 against Deportivo La Coruna.

Sporting Gijon followed up their win over Real Madrid last weekend with a 1-0 victory against Osasuna thanks to a David Barral strike while Racing Santander drew 1-1 with Levante.

The visitors were heading for defeat following a Nano Rivas own goal but were rescued by Rafa Jorda in the dying minutes.

On Saturday Barcelona took a further step towards the title after coming from behind to beat Almeria 3-1 and maintain their eight-point lead at the top of the table.

After a slow start Miguel Corona scored on the breakaway for Almeria but the goal brought Barça belatedly to life.

Messi equalised with a penalty then Thiago Alcantara headed home a corner and in stoppage time Messi struck again to give a convincing win in the end.

Meanwhile a Kaka brace from the penalty spot helped Real to victory over Athletic with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the third.

AC Milan's Ibrahimovic apologises for red card

AFP, ROME, April 11: AC Milan's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has apologised after getting sent off for a foul-mouthed tirade at a linesman during his side's 2-1 win at Fiorentina.

Ibrahimovic had only just returned from a two-game ban for striking Bari's Marco Rossi in the ribs.

The 29-year-old was already facing a one-match ban having picked up a yellow card during the game, meaning he had earnt a suspension for an accumulation of cards over the season.

But late on he aimed a rant lined with expletives at a linesman after a throw-in decision went against him.

He was duly dismissed by the referee and walked off without protest.

However, afterwards he apologised and even insisted that he had not sworn at the linesman.

"I was angry because I'd lost the ball, I said a swear word to myself, not at the referee or linesman," he said.

"I want to apologise, I walked off without creating a scene. I was looking at the linesman because he was in front of me but I wasn't saying it to him.

"My team-mates would be right to be angry with me because I (was sent-off) while Fiorentina were attacking us.

"On top of that I was coming back from a suspension and it wasn't the right time to get sent off.

"But can't I get angry with myself without getting a red card?"

Ibrahimovic was dismissed with Milan holding onto a 2-1 lead and Fiorentina pushing forward for an equaliser.

The Swede somewhat unusually came to the post-match press conference to offer his apology, suggesting Milan had already moved into damage-limitation mode.

Players very rarely attend post-match press conferences, even less so when they've been dismissed.

But having publicised his somewhat unlikely explanation that it was simply by chance that he was looking at the linesman while shouting insults, apparently to himself, Milan may be hoping for a reduced punishment.

If precedence is anything to go by, he should face at least a three-game ban, maybe four given he had already earnt a one-game ban for his fifth yellow card.

However, he received the regulatory three-game ban for violent conduct when striking Rossi, only for Milan's lawyer to successfully argue on appeal that his strike could have been simply intended to push Rossi away from the ball to give himself a better chance ofwinning it.

The ball was nowhere near him at the time and video evidence would have sufficed to ridicule that argument, but that didn't happen and instead Ibrahimovic had one game knocked off his suspension, which was why he was able to play against Fiorentina.

Leverkusen down St Pauli to trim Dortmund's Bundesliga lead

AFP, BERLIN, April 11: Bayer Leverkusen cut Borussia Dortmund's lead at the top of the Bundesliga to just five points on Sunday as they came from behind to seal a 2-1 win at home against relegation-threatened St Pauli.

After Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Hamburg on Saturday, second-placed Leverkusen chipped away at Borussia's lead and fought back as Germany striker Stefan Kiessling equalised before Lars Bender scored the winner.

The hosts had to dig deep after St Pauli's Charles Takyi gave the guests a shock lead just after the break.

"It is difficult to play against a team who have such a high morale and passion," Leverkusen manager Jupp Heynckes said.

"We put on a few substitutes in the second-half, which turned the game.

"St Pauli gave a good account of themselves, it would be a shame if they got relegated."

With five games now remaining before the season finishes on May 14, Leverkusen have a crunch clash next Saturday at defending champions Bayern Munich.

The Bavarian giants are fourth -- outside the Champions League places for next season -- after drawing 1-1 at Nuremberg and sacked coach Louis van Gaal on Sunday with Heynckes set to take charge next season.

Second from bottom St Pauli are two points from safety and will play their next home game, against Werder Bremen on April 23, without spectators as punishment for the attack on an assistant referee by a fan ten days ago.

Earlier bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach gave themselves a Bundesliga life-line with a shock 5-1 win over mid-table Cologne which leaves the hosts four points from safety.

'Gladbach are now in with a fighting chance of avoiding relegation after racing into a 3-0 lead after less than 40 minutes.

But Borussia have their work cut out with games against Mainz, leaders Dortmund, Hanover and Freiburg coming up with all four sides in the top half of the table.

"Anybody can read the table, we are happy with the three points and we want to keep going," said 'Gladbach coach Lucien Favre.

The bottom two teams in the Bundesliga are relegated automatically with the side 16th, third from bottom, facing a play-off with the team third from top in the second division.

On Saturday, Hanover went third at the expense of Bayern with a 2-0 win at home to Mainz.

Fresh from their 5-2 win at holder Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, Schalke 04 earned a 1-0 home over VfL Wolfsburg, whose ex-coach Felix Magath returned to Gelsenkirchen just three weeks after being sacked by the Royal Blues.

The defeat leaves 2009 German champions Wolfsburg third from bottom and two points from safety while Schalke are up to ninth.

Hoffenheim are down to tenth in the table after losing 3-2 at Freiburg.

Relegation-threatened Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt shared the points with a 1-1 draw on Friday night in Frankfurt to keep both teams above the bottom three.

Lyon on the move as Ligue 1 leaders flounder

AFP, PARIS, April 11: Former champions Lyon kept their French league title bid alive Sunday with a 3-0 win at home to struggling Lens as the leading trio Lille, Marseille and Rennes all floundered.

A first half strike from South Korean forward Park Chu Young ensured Lille suffered just their fourth defeat of the season on Saturday as Monaco won 1-0 to move out of the drop zone.

Champions Marseille threw away the chance to pile the pressure on the leaders as they were held 2-2 by Toulouse Sunday as Lyon's win sees them move into third at the expense of Rennes who lost 2-0 at midtable Brest.

Lille have 58 points from 30 games with Marseille three points behind, while Lyon are now third on 53 and Rennes fourth with 51.

"We have the mental ability to go after the title," insisted Lyon midfielder Miralem Pjanic. "We're happy this evening, we did a good job and are on the podium. Everything depends on ourselves now."

Despite labouring to victory the former seven-time champions got back to winning ways after draws against Rennes (1-1) and Nice (2-2).

After a barren first half without the least shot on goal Lyon opened their account after 55 minutes thanks to Lens defender Henri Bedimo.

Jimmy Briand headed in a second six minutes later off a Yoann Gourcuff corner, with Lisandro adding a third in extra time.

Earlier Didier Deschamps' Marseille had a golden opportunity to close the gap on Lille to just one point at their Velodrome stadium.

But despite Loic Remy opening after 30 minutes, the champions were playing catchup after Daniel Braaten levelled just before the break through the legs of goalie Steve Mandanda and Mauro Cetto headed in after 61 minutes.

Andre-Pierre Gignac's goal five minutes from time nevertheless ensured the hosts earned a share of the points.

"Given the context, taking a point after trailing is the lesser evil," said Deschamps.

"It was important for us to win but we made mistakes. We'll settle for this. Few people could have seen Lille losing at Monaco, while everyone saw us beating Toulouse.

"It will be a tough battle to the end. We're still in the running even if we're disappointed at not winning. There are still 24 points to play for."

Lille meanwhile have lost an important tie with a view to claiming their first league title in 53 years.

The leaders were reduced to ten men after 37 minutes when Gervinho was given his marching orders, as their rivals showed a battling spirit which ensured they move out of the relegation zone into 14th place.

But it was a nightmare return from injury for Lille's Adil Rami as his poor back pass to goalkeeper Mickael Landreau allowed Park to score the winning goal after 12 minutes.

In Brittany, Brest opened with a superb first half goal from Nolan Roux under the eyes of Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish, who had come to watch Rennes goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez.

But it wasn't to be Douchez's night as he could find no reply when Roux fired in from 35 metres to opening the score after 29 minutes. Bruno Grougi scored the second after 55 minutes as Brest move up two spots to 11th.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint Germain got back to winning ways with a 2-1 success at Caen as they stay fifth with 49 points with eight games to play.

European hopefuls Saint Etienne were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling Auxerre, while Bordeaux's European hopes took a knock as they were held to a goalless draw at home to tailenders Arles-Avignon.

Midtable Lorient and Sochaux drew 1-1 as did Valenciennes after a last-gasp goal by Marama Vahirua gave visiting Nancy a share of the points.

An own goal from Montpellier's Geoffrey Jourdren ensured they had to share the points in a 1-1 draw against Nice on Sunday.

Bayern's Hoeness slams 'killjoy' Van Gaal

AFP, BERLIN, April 11: Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness took a parting swipe at coach Louis van Gaal, who was sacked on Sunday, describing the Dutchman as a killjoy who had alienated his players.

The 59-year-old Van Gaal was fired in the wake of his side's 1-1 draw at Nuremberg on Saturday which left the Bavarian giants fourth in the table and outside the Champions League places for next season.

Hoeness first voiced criticism of Van Gaal last October when he said the Dutchman was hard to work with and the Bayern boss did not waste the chance to put the boot into the departing coach.

"Success is one thing, fun another, but there has been no fun at this club for a long time, not amongst us (the board) and not with the players," said Hoeness in a press conference on Sunday.

"The idea they were behind the coach is already a fairytale."

Hoeness pin-pointed the incident which alienated the board, when Van Gaal decided to bring in experienced goalkeeper Thomas Kraft in January for ex-Germany international Hans-Joerg Butt.

"The whole crap started after the decision to replace Hans-Joerg in goal," said Hoeness.

"The board repeatedly advised Louis van Gaal against doing that, but he went ahead regardless.

"He didn't learn anything from this subject.

"That led to complete unrest in the whole defence."

Bayern face second-placed Bayer Leverkusen at Munich's Allianz Arena this Saturday and defeat would almost certainly see them miss out on a guaranteed Champions League place next season.

Hoeness expects a instant reaction from the team with Van Gaal's assistant Andries Jonker in charge until the end of the season and Bayer Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes set to take over as head coach for next season.

"I expect the players to come out fighting," he said.

"They have been put in a straitjacket for a months and if you had watched them for the last few weeks, there had been pure fear behind their actions.

"I assumed that will all end immediately."

After 40 years at the club as player, general manager and now president, Hoeness is on rocky ground with Bayern fans for lending financial support to bankruptcy-threatened neighbours Munich 1860.

Fans are also disgruntled that Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set to join Bayern for next season in a move heavily influenced by Hoeness.

The hardcore fans on the Munich stadium's south curve protested against Hoeness during recent home games, but the president refused to acknowledge any blame for their disgruntlement.

"You'd need to ask the fans about that," he said.

Kroenke set for Arsenal takeover - report

AFP, LONDON, April 11: American sports tycoon Stan Kroenke is set to launch a full takeover of Arsenal after agreeing a deal to increase his majority shareholding in the Premier League club, according to reports on Sunday.

Kroenke already owns 29.9 percent of Arsenal's shares and a BBC report claims he has negotiated the acquisition of the 16.1 percent stake held by Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith's 15.9 percent stake.

If the Denver-based billionaire does manage to buy those shares he would own 62 percent of Arsenal and would be obliged to make an offer for the remaining shares.

The BBC report says Kroenke has agreed to pay £11,000 per share, which would amount to a £225 million ($368,527 million) outlay and values the club at £750 million.

Russian steel magnate Alisher Usmanov is Arsenal's other major shareholder, holding a 27 percent stake through his Red and White Holdings.

Last month Kroenke, 63, increased his stake in Arsenal to within 10 shares of the threshold that forces him to make a takeover bid when he acquired seven more shares at a cost of £8,500 each.

Kroenke, who first bought a 9.99 percent stake in Arsenal in April 2007, also owns the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.

Boswell leads Dynamo over Whitecaps FC 3-1

AP, HOUSTON, April 11: Bobby Boswell scored the go-ahead goal and added an assist to lead the Houston Dynamo to its first win of the season, 3-1 over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday night.

Boswell put the Dynamo ahead 2-1 in the 42nd minute, deflecting a pass from Danny Cruz into the left net from eight yards out.

Rookie Will Bruin scored his first MLS goal in the 76th minute, getting a breakaway pass from Brad Davis on the left sideline and knocking it over Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Jay Nolly, who was sliding out of the box.

After Cruz hit a shot off the crossbar in the 28th minute, the Dynamo capitalized off a Davis corner kick in the 37th. Davis sent the ball to the right box and Boswell headed it to Cam Weaver, who sent it into the right net for a 1-0 lead.

Camilo answered for Vancouver a minute later.

Soccer-Larissa relegated from Greek Super League

Reuters, ATHENS, April 11: Larissa were relegated from the Greek Super League on Sunday after slumping to a 3-2 home defeat against AEK Athens in the penultimate round of matches.

The Thessaly club are the only team outside of Athens and Salonika to win the Greek title - a feat they achieved in 1988.

"The team was completely demoralised when I came. We had an opportunity to try to reverse the situation but it was not possible. In some matches we played well and I believe we did not lose any matches easily," said coach Nikos Kostenoglou who took charge in early January.

Despite opening an impressive 16,000-capacity stadium in December, Larissa struggled with poor form throughout the season and made three coaching changes.

Asteras Tripolis were also relegated on Sunday after a 1-0 defeat at second-placed Panathinaikos.

Toronto FC, Earthquakes play to 1-1 draw

AP, SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 11: Toronto FC's Alan Gordon and the San Jose Earthquakes' Simon Dawkins both scored for the second consecutive match as the teams played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night.

Gordon took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Earthquakes in the 27th minute to give Toronto (1-1-2) the lead.

San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch rushed from the net to grab a deflection, but Earthquakes midfielder Sam Cronin, apparently unaware of Busch's move, tried to head the ball clear. It landed 4 yards from the goal, where Gordon pounced for his for second score of the season.

Dawkins responded in the 38th minute for San Jose (1-1-2) as he took a pass from Chris Wondolowski, held off defender Ty Harden and sent a shot past Stefan Frei.

The rugged match was marked by eight yellow cards.

Wondolowski, the MLS' leading scorer in 2010, almost put the Earthquakes up in the 51st minute, but Frei stopped his shot from 13 yards, and Wondolowski's attempt on the rebound was blocked by Harden.

Gordon had a chance in the 56th when Ramiro Corrales' back pass fell well short of goal, but Gordon couldn't get much on the shot, and it was easily controlled by San Jose center back Brandon McDonald.

McDonald created a chance at the other end 4 minutes later when he dribbled through Toronto's midfield and sent a through pass for Ryan Johnson, who tried unsuccessfully to dribble around a charging Frei and lost possession without getting off a shot.

Crew, Chivas USA play to scoreless draw

AP,CARSON, Calif., April 11: Chivas USA's Dan Kennedy and the Columbus Crew's William Hesmer both had two saves as the teams played to a scoreless draw on Saturday night.

Chivas USA (0-2-2) got its first shutout of the season and remained unbeaten against the Crew (1-1-2) at the Home Depot Center since its debut in 2005.

Columbus had its best opportunity in the 74th minute when midfielder Eddie Gaven broke away on the counter attack, but Kennedy stopped his chance.

Chivas USA nearly scored in the 79th minute as Justin Braun who sent in a dangerous cross for Nick LaBrocca that was easily saved by Hesmer.

Davies converts penalty, DC ties 1-1 with Galaxy

AP, WASHINGTON, April 11: Charlie Davies converted a disputed 90th-minute penalty kick and D.C. United tied the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 Saturday night.

The goal, Davies' fourth of the year and third on a penalty, came 78 minutes after Mike Magee put the Galaxy ahead on a header off David Beckham's corner kick.

Davies drew the penalty by falling to the ground inside the 18-yard box after pushing the ball past Omar Gonzalez.

Television replays showed Gonzalez stretched his arm and made contact with Davies, but that Davies made the most of it. Several Galaxy players rushed toward referee Abiodun Okulaja to protest after he blew for the foul.

The Galaxy are unbeaten (3-0-3) in their last six matches against United, but failed to score more than one goal for the fifth straight match this season.

United, which snapped a two-game losing skid, got its first point against the Galaxy since the 2009 season, when the teams drew both meetings.

Torres scores to give Union 1-0 win over Red Bulls

AP, CHESTER, Pa., April 11: Roger Torres scored within a minute of coming on as a second-half substitute and gave the Philadelphia Union a 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Torres entered the match in the 67th minute and then found himself in perfect position less than a minute later. New York's Tim Ream passed the ball directly to Philadelphia forward Danny Mwanga, who then took a couple of dribbles and left Torres an easy ball to send into the net.

Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon earned his third victory and third shutout this season. Philadelphia already has more shutouts than in all of last season.

The Union (3-1-0) moved into first place in the Eastern Conference with nine points.

White scores again, Sounders beat Fire 2-1

AP, SEATTLE, April 11: O'Brian White scored his second goal in two games and set up another to give the Seattle Sounders their first Major League Soccer win of the season, 2-1 over the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Steve Zakuani scored the go-ahead goal in the 25th minute after Diego Chaves tied it for Chicago.

The Fire are 0-3-2 against the Sounders since Seattle joined the league in 2009.

On his goal, Zakuani got behind his defender down the left sideline, and White found him with a pass. Zakuani took the ball into the box against Fire defender Jalil Anibaba and, from near the left post, sent a shallow shot across the goalmouth into the back right corner behind goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

Seattle got on the board first early in the seventh minute when Mauro Rosales crossed a target ball from the right side into the penalty area, and White went up for a header from 16 yards away that sailed into the upper right corner.

Barely more than a minute later, Chicago tied it when Chaves, from 10 yards in front, redirected a short pass from Gaston Puerari into the back left corner past goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Cartoon birds, bunnies rule world box office

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 11: "Rio," the 3D animated misadventure of a Brazilian macaw, soared at the international box office, earning about $55 million in its opening weekend, its distributor said on Sunday.

Ahead of its Friday debut in North America, the 20th Century Fox release got an early start in 72 countries, opening at No. 1 in nearly all of them.

Top markets included Russia ($10.4 million) and, naturally, Brazil ($8.3 million), where it ranked as the biggest opening ever for an animated cartoon.

The cartoon revolves around Blu, a rare blue macaw (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network"), who returns to his native Brazil after a coddled existence as a smuggled pet in America.

It was directed by Carlos Saldanha, the Rio de Janeiro-born director of the "Ice Age" trilogy. Both those films and "Rio" were produced by Blue Sky Studios, and distributed by News Corp-owned Fox.

Animation also ruled in the United States and Canada, where the Easter-themed romp "Hop" was No. 1 for a second weekend, overcoming a challenge from a middling band of newcomers.

The live-action/computer-animated hybrid earned $21.7 million during the three days beginning Friday, taking its 10-day total to $68.2 million. Brash English comedian Russell Brand voices the teenage son of the Easter Bunny who dreams of becoming a rock'n'roll drummer in Hollywood.

The family picture was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the animation firm behind last year's hit "Despicable Me," and distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp's NBC Universal.

Brand also claimed the No. 2 spot in North America with the costly new remake of "Arthur," which opened with a disappointing $12.6 million.

PORTMAN COMEDY DISAPPOINTS

But at least it did better than newly minted Oscar winner Natalie Portman's medieval stoner comedy, "Your Highness," which opened at No. 6 with just $9.5 million.

Also new were two films with young heroines. "Hanna," an action movie starring 16-year-old Saoirse Ronan as an assassin, was No. 3 with $12.3 million. "Soul Surfer," the true-life story of a teen who lost her arm to a shark, was No. 4 with $11.1 million. Both were in far fewer theaters than "Arthur."

Stepping in for Dudley Moore, the star of the 1981 original, Brand plays a childish playboy. Helen Mirren fills in for John Gielgud as his quick-witted nanny. The film's distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, said it had hoped for an opening in the mid-teen millions. The film cost in the mid-$60 million range to make.

The Time Warner Inc unit said older audiences rushed out to see it -- almost two-thirds of viewers were aged 25 and over -- but those under 25 gave it a better rating in exit polls. The studio said it will tweak its marketing to focus on younger moviegoers during the spring break school holiday.

"Hanna" drew a younger audience, with almost two-thirds of viewers aged under 35, said distributor Focus Features. The studio also noted a strong support from Latino and black moviegoers. Focus is also part of NBC Universal.

"Soul Surfer," an inspirational tale targeted in part at religious audiences, exceeded expectations and received a rare "A-plus" rating in exit surveys conducted by tracking firm CinemaScore, said Sony Corp-owned distributor TriStar Pictures.

AnnaSophia Robb stars in the $18 million picture as Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who overcame the odds to become a champion again after losing her arm. Women accounted for 80 percent of the audience, and 56 percent of viewers were aged under 25.

"Your Highness," on the other hand, cost about $50 million to make and received an ominous "C-plus" CinemaScore rating. The spoof follows two royal brothers, played by Danny McBride and James Franco, on a quest to rescue the former's bride. Portman plays a mysterious warrior. Universal Pictures said it was disappointed that its "bold idea" fell flat.