International Olympic Committee : News

Football: AFC Champions League results

5/15/2013 12:00:41 PM

Results from AFC Champions League round of 16, first leg games on Wednesday:

At Gosford

Central Coast Mariners (AUS) 1 (Mitchell Duke 7) Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) 2 (Lucas Barrios 28, Muriqui 76)

At Jeonju

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) 0 Kashiwa Reysol (JPN) 2 (Masato Kudo 3, Tatsuya Masushima 75)

At Dubai

Al Shabab Al Arabi (UAE) v Esteghlal (IRI) at 7:40 pm (1540 GMT)

At Riyadh

Al Hilal (KSA) v Lekhwiya (QAT) at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT)

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Football: AFC Champions League result - 1st update

5/14/2013 1:22:15 PM

AFC Champions League round of 16, first leg result on Tuesday:

At Buriram

Buriram United (THA) 2 (Anawin Jujeen 16, Ekkachai Samre 76) Bunyodkor (UZB) 1 (Igor Taran 45+1)

At Beijing

Beijing Guoan (CHN) 0 FC Seoul (KOR) 0

Playing later

At Doha

Al Gharafa (QAT) v Al Shabab (KSA) at 6:45 pm (1545 GMT)

At Doha

El Jaish (QAT) v Al Ahli (KSA) at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT)

Playing Wednesday

At Gosford

Central Coast Mariners (AUS) v Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) at 7:30 pm (0930 GMT)

At Jeonju

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) v Kashiwa Reysol (JPN) 7:00 pm (1000 GMT)

At Dubai

Al Shabab Al Arabi (UAE) v Esteghlal (IRI) at 7:40 pm (1540 GMT)

At Riyadh

Al Hilal (KSA) v Lekhwiya (QAT) at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT)

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Football: J-League table

5/11/2013 12:25:54 PM

J-League standings after Saturday's games (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Omiya Ardija 11 8 2 1 20 8 26

Yokohama Marinos 11 7 2 2 24 13 23

Urawa Red Diamonds 10 6 2 2 16 9 20

Kashima Antlers 11 5 4 2 15 14 19

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 10 5 2 3 15 9 17

Cerezo Osaka 11 4 5 2 14 10 17

FC Tokyo 11 5 1 5 20 16 16

Kashiwa Reysol 10 5 1 4 17 18 16

Vegalta Sendai 10 4 3 3 15 14 15

Shimizu S-Pulse 11 4 3 4 11 17 15

Ventforet Kofu 11 3 5 3 11 11 14

Albirex Niigata 11 4 2 5 12 14 14

Kawasaki Frontale 11 3 4 4 19 21 13

Nagoya Grampus 11 3 3 5 13 15 12

Sagan Tosu 11 2 4 5 18 24 10

Shonan Bellmare 11 2 3 6 10 22 9

Jubilo Iwata 11 1 3 7 13 17 6

Oita Trinita 11 0 3 8 10 21 3

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Football legends help open Rio’s renovated Maracana Stadium

4/30/2013 8:00:00 AM

Former Brazilian football stars Ronaldo and Bebeto – who were part of the bronze medal-winning side at the 1996 Olympic Games – helped inaugurate the redeveloped stadium by playing an exhibition match in front of a crowd of more than 25,000 people, which included many of the construction workers who helped renovate the historic venue.

"It looks amazing," said Ronaldo, who also won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 1994 and 2002. "I'm happy to see the stadium ready again. The Maracana is a symbol of this country."

“I've played at Wembley, Camp Nou, Santiago Bernabeu and other top stadiums, but this is the greatest venue in football, it's very special,” added Bebeto, who also won a silver medal with Brazil at the 1988 Olympic Games, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 1994.

The exhibition match, which was attended by the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, and the President of the Organising Committee for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, enabled organisers to test the stadium’s equipment, facilities and infrastructure so that final adjustments for the full functioning venue can be made.

The Maracana was originally built for the 1950 World Cup and the redeveloped venue will now host matches during the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The renovations have seen the venue transformed from a double-deck seating bowl to a single tier stadium, which designers say will give supporters a better view, while the overall capacity has been reduced to 78,000.

A second test event is scheduled for 15 May, when approximately 60 per cent of the stadium’s full capacity will be used, while an official inauguration will take place on 2 June with a friendly match between the Brazil and England national teams.

Football: Japan's Kashiwa through to AFC knock-outs

4/23/2013 3:14:17 PM

Japan's Kashiwa Reysol grabbed their place in the AFC Champions League last 16 Tuesday, as Michael McGlinchey lifted Australian hopes with a late winner for Central Coast Mariners against Suwon Bluewings.

A 1-1 draw with China's Guizhou Renhe was enough for Group H table-toppers Kashiwa, who sealed their progression with a solitary point after Tatsuya Masushima's second-half strike was cancelled out by Li Kai.

The Emperor's Cup-holders become just the third team to reach next month's knock-out phase in what is a frantic finish to the group stage with 27 clubs still in the running in the penultimate week.

Behind them Australia's Mariners, the newly crowned A-League champions, climbed to second in Group H and dashed Suwon's hopes after their 1-0 away win which was sealed in the 80th minute and against the run of play.

Substitute McGlinchey ran onto a ball over the top of the defence and bounced in his shot off goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryong, as Suwon were left to rue their inability to capitalise on large amounts of possession.

The hosts had gone close through Stevica Ristikj, whose close-range half-volley was saved in the first half, and North Korean striker Jong Tae-Se, who grazed a stanchion with a sizzling effort after the break.

In Kashiwa, proceedings got off to a sombre start with a minute's silence for the victims of this week's deadly earthquake in Sichuan, which neighbours Guizhou province.

After play got under way, Masushima's shot from a rebounding free kick put the hosts ahead on 50 minutes. But Guizhou defender Li equalised with five minutes left to put his team third, two points behind the Mariners, with one game left.

"It was tough in the first half, because we made many mistakes," said Kashiwa's Brazilian coach, Nelsinho. "God gave us today's result. We also received a gift that we got past the group round."

Elsewhere Beijing Guoan kept their hopes alive in Group G with a 2-0 win over Pohang Steelers, courtesy of second-half goals from Colombian striker Joffre Guerron and former Bundesliga star Shao Jiayi.

In the same group, top team Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan failed to take their place in next month's knock-outs when they were held to a drab 0-0 draw by already eliminated Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Among Tuesday's West Asian games, Al Gharafa can lose to Al Ahli and still advance, as long as Sepahan fail to beat Al Nasr. And in Group D, Esteghlal, Al Ain and Al Hilal are all capable of sealing progression before next week's final games.

The top two teams from eight groups of four reach next month's knock-out round, played over two legs from May 14.

th/mtp

Football: Australian A-League result

4/21/2013 8:02:57 AM

Result of the Australian A-League grand final played in Sydney on Sunday:

Central Coast Mariners 2 (Zwaanswijk 44, McBreen 68-pen) Western Sydney Wanderers 0

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Football: English Premier League table

4/16/2013 8:52:58 PM

English Premier League table after Tuesday's match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Man Utd 32 26 2 4 73 33 80

Man City 31 19 8 4 57 27 65

Arsenal 33 17 9 7 64 35 60

Chelsea 31 17 7 7 61 33 58

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Tottenham 32 17 7 8 55 40 58

Everton 33 14 14 5 51 37 56

Liverpool 33 13 11 9 59 40 50

West Brom 32 13 5 14 42 43 44

Swansea 32 10 11 11 43 42 41

Fulham 32 10 10 12 44 48 40

Southampton 33 9 11 13 47 54 38

West Ham 32 10 8 14 36 45 38

Newcastle 33 10 6 17 42 59 36

Norwich 33 7 14 12 31 52 35

Sunderland 33 8 10 15 37 45 34

Stoke 33 7 13 13 28 41 34

Aston Villa 33 8 10 15 36 60 34

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Wigan 31 8 7 16 37 57 31

QPR 33 4 12 17 29 54 24

Reading 33 5 9 19 36 63 24

Note: Top four teams will qualify for the Champions League; bottom three clubs will be relegated

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Football: English Football League tables

4/16/2013 9:15:33 PM

English Football League tables after Tuesday's matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Championship

Cardiff 43 25 9 9 68 41 84 -- promoted

Hull 43 24 5 14 59 48 77

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Watford 43 21 8 14 78 55 71

Brighton 43 16 18 9 59 41 66

Crystal Palace 42 18 12 12 67 57 66

Leicester 43 18 10 15 65 42 64

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Bolton 43 17 12 14 64 57 63

Nottm Forest 43 16 15 12 60 56 63

Charlton 43 15 13 15 57 55 58

Middlesbrough 43 18 4 21 58 64 58

Leeds 43 16 10 17 54 62 58

Birmingham 43 14 15 14 60 65 57

Ipswich 43 15 11 17 44 57 56

Blackpool 43 13 16 14 57 54 55

Derby 43 14 13 16 60 59 55

Millwall 41 15 10 16 50 55 55

Burnley 43 14 12 17 57 58 54

Sheff Wed 43 15 9 19 50 59 54

Blackburn 42 13 14 15 51 55 53

Peterborough 43 14 9 20 62 69 51

Wolverhampton 43 14 9 20 53 63 51

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Huddersfield 43 13 12 18 45 70 51

Barnsley 43 13 11 19 52 68 50

Bristol City 43 11 7 25 57 77 40 -- relegated

League One

Doncaster 44 24 9 11 61 43 81

Bournemouth 44 23 10 11 73 52 79

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Brentford 44 21 15 8 61 45 78

Sheff Utd 43 19 17 7 56 38 74

Yeovil 44 22 8 14 68 53 74

Swindon 44 19 14 11 68 36 71

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Milton Keynes Dons 44 18 13 13 60 44 67

Walsall 44 17 16 11 64 55 67

Leyton Orient 44 20 7 17 53 47 67

Tranmere 44 19 9 16 58 47 66

Crawley Town 43 17 13 13 55 54 64

Notts County 44 15 16 13 58 47 61

Crewe 43 16 10 17 51 61 58

Preston 43 13 16 14 53 48 55

Carlisle 44 14 13 17 55 72 55

Coventry 44 18 10 16 64 56 54

Stevenage 44 15 9 20 47 59 54

Shrewsbury 43 11 15 17 50 58 48

Oldham 43 13 8 22 43 56 47

Colchester 44 13 8 23 45 68 47

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Scunthorpe 44 11 9 24 45 72 42

Portsmouth 44 9 12 23 46 66 39 -- relegated

Hartlepool 44 9 12 23 36 64 39 -- relegated

Bury 44 8 13 23 41 70 37 -- relegated

League Two

Gillingham 44 23 13 8 62 34 82 -- promoted

Port Vale 44 21 13 10 84 49 76

Rotherham 44 22 7 15 71 59 73

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Burton Albion 44 21 10 13 68 62 73

Cheltenham 44 19 14 11 57 51 71

Northampton 44 20 9 15 60 53 69

Bradford 44 17 14 13 62 52 65

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Exeter 44 18 10 16 63 57 64

Chesterfield 44 16 13 15 53 44 61

Southend 44 16 13 15 60 52 61

Fleetwood Town 44 15 15 14 53 52 60

Oxford Utd 44 17 8 19 54 61 59

Bristol Rovers 44 16 11 17 57 65 59

Wycombe 44 17 8 19 49 58 59

Rochdale 44 15 13 16 67 67 58

Morecambe 44 14 13 17 54 59 55

Plymouth 44 13 13 18 46 53 52

Dagenham and Redbridge 44 13 12 19 55 60 51

Accrington Stanley 44 13 12 19 50 65 51

Torquay 44 12 13 19 50 59 49

York 44 10 19 15 47 59 49

AFC Wimbledon 44 13 10 21 50 73 49

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Barnet 44 12 12 20 46 57 48

Aldershot 44 10 15 19 41 58 45

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Football: South African Premiership result

4/16/2013 8:12:58 PM

South African Premiership result on Tuesday:

Black Leopards 2 (Nkambule 74, Ramagalela 90+2) Ajax Cape Town 1 (Nale 19)

Playing Wednesday

AmaZulu v Bloemfontein Celtic, Chippa Utd v Moroka Swallows, Free State Stars v Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns v Pretoria University, Maritzburg Utd v Golden Arrows, Wits University v Platinum Stars. All 1730GMT

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Football: Sendai, Buriram rescue Asian campaigns

4/10/2013 1:24:30 PM

Japan's Vegalta Sendai and Thai minnows Buriram United rescued their Asian campaigns with upset wins Wednesday, throwing their AFC Champions League group wide open.

Sendai beat FC Seoul 1-0, inflicting the first defeat of the competition on the Group E leaders from South Korea and denying them an early berth in the knock-out phase.

And Buriram stunned China's Jiangsu Sainty 2-0 as they clawed their way off the bottom to lie on five points, the same number as Sendai and two behind leaders Seoul with two games to go.

Elsewhere, J-League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima earned their first point in a 1-1 away draw with Pohang Steelers, preventing an early exit and keeping alive their faint hopes of reaching the last 16.

Sendai's Brazilian striker Wilson hit the bar in the eighth minute.

But it was former Japan international forward Atsushi Yanagisawa who scored the only goal of the game, heading in from a Ryang Yong-Gi corner on 16 minutes.

Seoul came close to the equaliser in the second half when Dejan Damjanovic also struck the bar, before Mauricio Molina's shot was saved and Kim Ju-Young's header went wide.

In Buriram, backed by vociferous home support, the hosts took the lead in the first half through Suchao Nutnum, and Charyl Chappuis fired home the second on the hour-mark when he stretched to meet a ball behind the defence from Kai Hirano.

But the Swiss-born player's joy was tempered when he injured his right knee during his celebration and had to be stretchered from the pitch.

In Group G, Naoki Ishihara sparked hopes of a Sanfrecce win when he scored on 62 minutes, but the lead was quickly snuffed out by Hwang Jin-Sung's tap-in for Pohang five minutes later.

Among Wednesday's later matches, Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli need just a draw against Iranian team Sepahan to reach the knock-outs, after winning all three of their matches so far.

Another Saudi team, Al Shabab, can also advance if they beat Tractorsazi and Al Jazira fail to beat El Jaish in Group A. UAE sides Al Nasr and Al Jazira are both facing possible elimination.

The top two from eight four-team groups will make up next month's last 16, playing over two legs home and away. The competition then takes a break to avoid the harsh Middle East summer, before resuming for the quarter-finals in August.

hf-th/jms