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Jesus aiangamiza Yanga
Imeandikwa na Evance Ng'ingo; Tarehe: 19th January 2011 @ 10:16 Imesomwa na watu: 179; Jumla ya maoni: 0

Wachezaji wa klabu ya Yanga, Kigi Makassy (kushoto) na Abuu Zuberi (kulia) wakiwania mpira dhidi ya mchezaji wa klabu ya Atletico Paranaense ya Brazil, Jonatas Cardoso wakati wa mechi ya kirafiki ya kimataifa iliyofanyika kwenye Uwanja wa Taifa, Dar es Salaam jana. Yanga ililala kwa magoli 3-2. (Picha na Fadhili Akida).





TIMU ya Yanga ya Dar es Salaam jana ilishindwa kutamba kwenye Uwanja wa Taifa jijini baada ya kulala kwa mabao 3-2 dhidi ya Atletico Paranaense ya Brazil.

Katika mchezo huo Atletico ndio waliokuwa wa kwanza kuliona lango la wapinzani wao kupitia Bruno Costa dakika ya 12.

Baada ya bao hilo Yanga walikuja juu na Davies Mwape kuisawazishia timu yake dakika ya 30 akiunganisha vema krosi Salum Telela hivyo kufanya timu zote kwenda mapumziko zikiwa sare ya bao 1-1.

Hata hivyo Wabrazil hao walianza mchezo taratibu wakionekana kusoma wapinzani wao katika mechi ambayo haikuwa na mashabiki wengi.

Kipindi cha pili wageni walianza kwa kasi tena na iliwachukua dakika mbili kabla ya Jenison Jesus kuandika bao la kuongoza kwa Atletico dakika ya 47.

Lakini bao hilo liliwazindua tena Yanga na kupeleka mashambulizi ya nguvu kwa wapinzani wao wakionesha nia ya kutaka kusawazisha hivyo, kuwachanganya Wabrazil ambao dakika ya 59 Costa alijifunga na kufanya mchezo kuwa 2-2.

Alikuwa ni Jesus tena aliyeinyanyua timu yake baada ya kupachika bao la ushindi dakika ya 80 baada ya kutokea patashika kwenye lango la Yanga.

Wabrazil hao walionesha makali yao kipindi cha pili ambapo walishambulia zaidi lango la Yanga.

Yanga ambao mwishoni mwa wiki iliyopita waliikimbia Zesco ya Zambia ambayo ilikuwa wakutane katika mechi ya kimataifa ya kirafiki kwa kisingizio cha kuwa na wachezaji wengi majeruhi na wengine kuwa Cairo, Misri na timu ya Taifa ‘Taifa Stars' walionesha mchezo mzuri pamoja na mapungufu hayo.

Timu hiyo ya Brazil ambayo inashika nafasi ya tano kwenye msimamo wa Ligi Kuu ya huko kesho imepangwa kuvaana na miamba wengine wa Tanzania, Simba ambapo waandaaji wametangaza kuwa hakutakuwa na kiingilio.

Simba ambao pia wamepewa ofa ya kualikwa Brazil iwapo wataibuka na ushindi wataingia uwanjani wakiwa na kumbukumbu ya kujeruhiwa na Zesco katika mechi ya kimataifa ya kirafiki mwishoni mwa wiki iliyopita hivyo, kuwa na hasira za kutaka kulipa kisasi kwa Wabrazil.

Kocha wa Simba, Patrick Phiri alipohojiwa juzi alisema anafurahi kupata nafasi ya kujipima nguvu na Wabrazil kwa sababu soka lao lipo juu zaidi ya Tanzania.

Simba na Yanga zinajiandaa na michuano ya Ligi ya Mabingwa Afrika na Kombe la Shirikisho hivyo wanatumia mechi hizo za kirafiki kama moja ya njia ya kujifua.

Stars yazawadiwa mil. 75/- za huruma Misri


na Mwandishi Maalum, Cairo

WAANDAAJI wa michuano ya soka kwa Nchi za Bonde la Mto Nile wameipa timu ya taifa ya Tanzania 'Taifa Stars' sh milioni 75, ingawa ilivurunda.
Taifa Stars ilishika nafasi ya sita kati ya timu saba zilizoshiriki mashindano hayo ya kwanza ambayo yameandaliwa na Misri, huku Burundi ikiwa ndiyo ya mwisho na Sudan ikishika nafasi ya tano, baada ya Jumapili kuifunga Taifa Stars mabao 2-0 katika mechi ya kuwania nafasi ya tano.
Lakini juzi, Taifa Stars, Sudan na Burundi, timu vibonde katika mashindano hayo zilitangazwa kila moja kupewa dola za Marekani 50,000 sawa na sh milioni 75 za Tanzania na wandaaji Chama cha Soka cha Misri (EFA).
Fedha hizo zilitangazwa baada ya mchezo wa fainali ya michuano hiyo Uwanja wa Jeshi mjini hapa ambapo Misri iliibuka na ushindi wa mabao 3-1 dhidi ya Uganda na kuibuka bingwa.
Kwa kutwaa ubingwa huo ambao unaifanya Misri kuwa bingwa wa kwanza, ilizawadiwa dola 150,000 za Marekani sawa na sh milioni 225 za Tanzania, wakati Uganda iliyoshika nafasi ya pili iliondoka na dola za Marekani 120,000 sawa na sh milioni 180 za Tanzania.
Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo (DRC) ambayo juzi iliifunga Kenya bao 1-0 na kushika nafasi ya tatu, yenyewe ililamba dola za Marekani 100,000 sawa na sh milioni 150 za Tanzania, huku Kenya yenyewe ikitia kibindoni dola 60,000 sawa na sh milioni 90 za Tanzania.
Taifa Stars ambayo haikushinda mechi hata moja, ilitarajiwa kuondoka jana usiku na kufika Dar es Salaam leo alfajiri, ikiwa ikiwa imefungwa mechi mbili na kutoka sare mbili.
Ilifungwa na Misri 5-1, ikalala kwa Sudan 2-0 na sare ya 1-1 na Uganda na nyingine kama hiyo kwa Burundi, ambayo ilipata pointi moja tu ya Stars.
Wakati huo huo, kipa Kidiaba wa DRC alitangazwa kuwa kipa Bora wa Mashindano, huku mshambuliaji Said Khamdi wa Misri ambaye mechi ya fainali alifunga mabao mawili alitangazwa kuwa Mfungaji Bora baada ya kufunga mabao sita na Ahned Said Faraj pia wa Misri aliibuka Mchezaji Bora.

Stars kuivaa Afrika ya Kati Machi 26


na Makuburi Ally

TIMU ya Taifa ya Tanzania ‘Taifa Stars' inatarajia kucheza mechi ya tatu ya kuwania kufuzu kushiriki fainali za Mataifa ya Afrika dhidi ya Afrika ya Kati Machi 26 jijini Dar es Salaam. Kwa mujibu wa Ofisa Habari wa Shirikisho la Soka Tanzania (TFF), Boniface Wambura, kinyang'anyiro hicho ni kwa ajili ya kufuzu kwa ajili ya fainali zitakazofanyika mwakani nchini Gabon na Guinea ya Ikweta.
Wambura alisema, Jamhuri ya Afrika ya Kati imeomba itengewe viti 50 kwa ajili ya kuishangilia timu yao katika pambano hilo.
Mchezo wa kwanza wa Stars ambayo iko kundi la nne, ulichezwa Septemba 2010 mjini Algiers dhidi ya Algeria ambapo timu hizo zilifungana bao 1-1, kabla ya kukutana na Morocco Oktoba mwaka jana na kupokea kipigo cha bao 1-0 Uwanja wa Taifa, jijini Dar es Salaam.
Afrika ya Kati na Morocco ndizo vinara zikiwa na pointi nne, wakati Algeria ikiwa na pointi moja kama Tanzania.
Katika hatua nyingine, Wambura alisema, Shirikiso la Soka la Kimataifa (FIFA), na TFF wameandaa warsha ya menejimenti ya matukio, itakayofanyika Januari 24-28 katika Hoteli ya Whitesands, jijini Dar es Salaam.
Wambura alisema, warsha hiyo itaendeshwa na wakufuzi kutoka FIFA na itashirikisha makatibu wa klabu 12 za Ligi Kuu, wakuu wa idara za TFF na mameneja wa Uwanja wa Taifa, Uwanja wa Uhuru, CCM Kirumba, Amaan wa Zanzibar na Jamhuri Morogoro.
Aliwataja washiriki wengine kuwa ni wadhamini wa TFF ambao ni Vodacom, Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL), Coca-Cola, Tanzania Breweries (TBL), benki ya NMB na SS Bakhressa, wajumbe wa Kamati ya Habari na Masoko ya Shirikisho hilo na wawakilishi kutoka Wizara ya Habari, Vijana, Utamaduni na Michezo.
Pia TFF, imekipongeza chama cha soka mkoani Morogoro (MRFA), kwa kuendesha uchaguzi wake kwa amani na utulivu, uchaguzi uliofanyika Januari 15 ambapo Paschal Kihanga alichaguliwa kuwa mwenyekiti mpya wa chama hicho.
"Ni rai ya TFF kwa wanachama wake kufanya uchaguzi muda unapofika, kwani hiyo ni moja ya sifa za utawala bora na pia kuendesha soka kwa kuzingatia Katiba za vyama husika.

Simba Shibam wapata viongozi wapya


na Juma Kasesa

TAWI la Simba la Shibam Magomeni, jijini Dar es Salaam, limepata viongozi wake wapya watakaoliongoza kwa miaka minne huku Mwenyekiti wa Simba Ismail Aden Rage akiteuliwa kuwa mjumbe wa heshima wa kudumu.
Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari jijini Dar es Salaam jana, Ofisa Habari wa Tawi hilo, Maulidi Maulidi, maarufu ‘Lofombo', alisema katika uchaguzi huo uliofanyika mwishoni mwa wiki iliyopita, Ramadhan Sudi alichaguliwa kuwa Mwenyekiti huku makamu wake akiwa ni Juma Dadi na nafasi ya Katibu Mkuu ikitwaliwa na Othman Ally.
Viongozi wengine waliochaguliwa ni Salim Mzee, (Katibu Msaidizi), Othman Shabani (Mhazini), huku msaidizi wake akiwa Saidi Ndembo.
Maulidi alisema, Mwenyekiti mpya wa tawi hilo, licha ya kumteua Rage kuwa mjumbe wa kudumu wa heshima, pia amemteua Katibu wa Jumuiya ya Wazazi (CCM), Mkoa wa Kilimanjaro, Thomas Ngawaiya, Diwani wa Kata ya Magomeni, Julian Bujugo, Philipo Lyimo na Chano Almas kuwa walezi wa tawi hilo.
Aidha, Mwenyekiti huyo pia amewateua Ismail Mohamed, Julias Mapunda na Pater kuwa wadhamini, ambako leo Kamati ya Utendaji ya tawi inatarajia kukutana katika Ofisi za tawi hilo Shibam Kijiweni, kwa lengo la kukabidhiana majukumu, ikiwemo kujadili ushiriki wa Simba katika ngwe ya lala salama ya Ligi Kuu Tanzania Bara na michuano ya kimataifa.
Tawi la Shibam ndiyo tawi la kwanza la Simba kufunguliwa Tanzania Bara ambapo kwa Zanzibar ni Kikwajuni.

Mikoa yatakiwa kujiandaa na Nyika


na Samia Mussa

CHAMA cha Riadha Tanzania (RT), kimeitaka mikoa yote inayotarajiwa kushiriki mashindano ya Nyika Taifa yanayotarajiwa kufanyika Februari 19 mkoani Arusha, kuanza maandalizi mapema.
Akizungumza na Tanzania Daima jijini Dar es Salaam jana, Katibu Mkuu wa RT, Mujaya Suleiman Nyambui, alisema kuwa, wanatakiwa kuanza maandalizi mapema ili kuhakikisha kila mkoa unapata wachezaji wazuri watakaoshiriki mashindano hayo.
Alisema, lengo la kuwasisitiza kuanza maandalizi ya mashindano hayo mapema, ni kutokana na kwamba ni mikoa miwili tu ya Kilimanjaro na Arusha ambayo inawachezaji wenye viwango vizuri.
"Sio jukumu la Nyambui kuhakikisha kila mkoa unawachezaji wazuri, jukumu la kila mkoa ni kuhakikisha kuna wachezaji wenye viwango bora, ili tuweze kuwa na wachezaji wengi bora," alisema Nyambui.
Aidha, Nyambui alisema, mikoa yote inatakiwa kuiga mikoa hiyo ili kuhakikisha Tanzania ina wachezaji wengi wazuri ambao wanaweza kuiwakilisha nchi katika mashindano ya kimataifa.

BFT yajipanga kwa ubingwa wa taifa


na sam

SHIRIKISHO la Ngumi za Ridhaa Tanzania (BFT), liko katika mkakati madhubuti wa kujipanga vema ili kuhakikisha mashindano ya ubingwa wa taifa yanayotarajiwa kufanyika Februari 26 hadi Machi 5 jijini Dar es Salaam yanafana.
Katibu Mkuu wa BFT, Makore Mashaga, ilisema jijini Dar es Salaam jana kwamba maandalizi ya mashindano hayo yanaendelea vizuri, ikiwamo mikoa kuendelea kuthibitisha kushiriki.
Alisema kuwa shirikisho limefurahishwa na mwitikio wa mikoa, ambako tayari zaidi ya 20 imethibitisha kushiriki mashindano hayo.
Aidha, Mashaga alisema kuwa hivi sasa wanasaka wadhamini ambapo kuna kampuni chache zimekubali kusaidia, huku wakurugenzi wa taasisi mbalimbali wakionyesha nia ya kutaka kusaidia.
Wakati huohuo, mabondia 12 wa ngumi za ridhaa ya mkoa wa Ilala, leo wameanza kambi ya mazoezi kwenye ukumbi wa Vijana Amana jijini Dar es Salaam.
Kwa mujibu wa meneja wa timu hiyo, Rajabu Mhamila ‘Super D', kambi hiyo ni kwa ajili ya kujiandaa na mashindano hayo ya ubingwa wa taifa.
Mhamila waliwataja wachezaji hao kuwa ni Ismail Mohamed, Thomas Mwankenja, Mussa Mohamed, Idd Mtemvu, Ibrahim Class, Ramadhan Kimangale, Shomari Salehe, Salum Kindondi, Mohamed Amir, Raymond Mbwago, Msami Masawe na Edward Jackson ambao watakuwa chini ya kocha Habibu Kinyogoli.

Frank de Boer lands Ajax job






Updated Jan 3, 2011 6:15 PM ET
Frank de Boer has signed a long-term contract to keep him as Ajax head coach until June 2014.
The former Holland defender succeeded Martin Jol on a caretaker basis on December 6 following the latter's resignation.

TRANSFER SPECIAL

Keep up with all the biggest moves around the globe with our 2011 January transfer gallery.

And he has now been handed the reigns on a permanent basis, with Hennie Spijkerman joining Danny Blind as his assistant.
He told the club's official website: "I'm not surprised by this appointment as the intention of both sides was there from the start. We only needed to work out some details and that happened today."
Club director Rick van der Boog added: "Frank knows the club as player and youth coach and knows exactly what is demanded."
De Boer played for the club for 11 seasons from 1988, making over 400 appearances before leaving Holland to play for Barcelona and Rangers among others.
He was assistant to Holland coach Bert van Marwijk at this summer's World Cup and has also worked with Ajax's much-vaunted youth teams since 2007.

Sports Briefing | Soccer

Japan, Jordan Advance to Asian Cup Quarters

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: January 17, 2011


The Times's soccer blog has the world's game covered from all angles.





Filed at 12:20 p.m. EST

DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Three-time champion Japan routed Saudi Arabia 5-0 Monday to reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, and Jordan advanced by rallying for a 2-1 victory over Syria.



Shinji Okazaki scored in the eighth, 13th and 80th minutes, and Japan also got goals from Ryoichi Maeda in the 19th and 51st before a crowd of just 2,022 at Al-Rayyan Stadium.



After falling behind on Mohamad al-Zino's 15th-minute goal, Jordan tied it on Ali Dyab's own goal in the 30th and went ahead when Odai al-Saify scored in the 59th.



Japan and Jordan (2-0-1) both advanced from Group B with seven points, followed by Syria (1-2) with three and Saudi Arabia (0-3) with none.


In the quarterfinals on Friday, Japan plays Qatar and Jordan meets Uzbekistan.

Global Soccer

It Takes a Team Effort to Undermine Stability

By ROB HUGHES

Published: January 16, 2011

• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/sports/soccer/17iht-SOCCER17.html?ref=soccer#
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LONDON - January is a dangerous month in soccer team management. It is midseason, and club owners either think they can see success on the horizon or they look for someone to hire and fire to turn the season around.




The Times's soccer blog has the world's game covered from all angles.


Go to the Goal Blog



Players win matches, owners take the credit, and coaches or managers are caught in the middle.
In East London on Saturday night, Avram Grant, the Israeli coach of West Ham United, had the haunted look of a man staring down the barrel. His team is at the bottom of the Premier League. The newspapers all appear to know that his job has been offered to another manager. And the board that hired Grant six months ago is tight-lipped about his future.
Is it any wonder that the Hammers were hammered, 3-0 by Arsenal, on West Ham's own soil? Grant is a dignified man in a desperate situation.



Contrast this with Milan, where Leonardo, the Brazilian hired just before Christmas to take over Inter, heard his name lauded around the San Siro. The team has won four games out of four since the owner dismissed the previous coach and gave Leonardo the reins - and the 4-1 thrashing of Bologna Saturday night was emphatic evidence that Inter's form is flowing again.
How fickle we all are if we feel that one man, even a team boss, is solely responsible for performance of highly paid professional players. The stability in a soccer club always has been and always will be an amalgam of good faith among owners, trainers, players and fans. Break that trust at any level, and you have the recipe for costly failure.



West Ham is deep into the mire of that today. It is exactly a year since David Sullivan and David Gold, who partly built their fortunes through pornographic magazines, bought control of the famous old Docklands club from hapless Icelandic bankers.
The Davids, experienced owners who sold Birmingham City after running it for 16 years, pledged to restore West Ham to its former glory. They acknowledged that it would take time and patience.



The East London club was started by workers in the Thames Ironworks in 1895. Its credo once was what Barcelona's is now. West Ham forged its own players, raised them through the academy and with such homegrown players as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, gave England the nucleus for the team that won the 1966 World Cup.



The team manager in those days, Ron Greenwood, treated the club like his own family. He spent little, he spent wisely. But Greenwood and his assistant, John Lyall, who later succeeded him, were entrusted with running the team for a generation.
In its first 100 years, the team had only eight managers. Since the turn of this millennium, West Ham, flirting with bankruptcy, has already dispensed with five managers.



Gold and Sullivan inherited the Italian, Gianfranco Zola, as coach. They fired him within five months and hired Grant to a four-year contract. This club, they said, needs to rediscover stability.
Gold told the BBC little more than a month ago that Grant would leave the club "over my dead body." But as the tensions mount, as defeat piles upon defeat, Gold and Sullivan are dodging the media.



Grant, a decent man and a fighter, is left to dangle. He insists that he can save this team's Premier League status. But he reads the papers. He hears the rumor that Martin O'Neill, who quit as Aston Villa coach last August, has been offered his job.


stable, and its goal scorers on Saturday, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott, are just two Arsenal men who play the game at a speed and with a craft beyond anything in West Ham's armory.
Sadly, though, Arsenal's fans did not just cheer their team at West Ham. In the cruel and crude way of modern audiences, they loudly baited Grant by chorusing, "You're getting sacked in the morning!" That sweet sound had hounded Rafael Benítez toward the end of his short and sharp six-month tenure at Inter Milan. The owner there, Massimo Moratti, is an oil baron rich enough to pay for his own mistakes.
So when Benítez failed to maintain the success of his predecessor José Mourinho and complained loudly that he was not given the funds to rebuild the team, Moratti acted decisively.
He paid off Benítez's contract and replaced him with Leonardo.
This meant Leonardo's crossing the line that divides Inter from A.C. Milan, the Brazilian's former team. The critics said there could be only two ways this would work out: Either Leonardo would gel with Mourinho's team, or he would be dispensed of with even more impatience than Silvio Berlusconi, the Milan owner, had removed him last year.
So far, so tranquil for Leonardo at Inter. The team's players, many of whom had appeared too tired or too injured under Benitez, are suddenly playing with the zest of spring chickens.
They have much ground to make up in the league led by their neighbor, A.C. Milan. But Samuel Eto'o, the Cameroon striker, insists that Inter will not give up on the chase, and he believes it can close the gap on its neighbor.
"Its a personal challenge to us," Eto'o said two weeks ago. "We had a bad start to the campaign, but Inter has the best squad in the Italian championship." Eto'o scored twice against Bologna, his 22nd and 23rd goals of this season.
Diego Milito and Dejan Stankovic also scored, and if all of those are familiar names from the all-conquering Inter of a year ago, there is one even more renowned.
Time and time again on Saturday, the Argentine Javier Zanetti led the performance with a zest that belies his years. He is 37, and on Saturday he equaled Giuseppe Bergomi's record of 519 Serie A appearances in an Inter shirt.
He plays, in his 16th year at the club, as if it were his first. He is an example of the fruit of stability.

Global Soccer

It Takes a Team Effort to Undermine Stability

By ROB HUGHES

Published: January 16, 2011

LONDON — January is a dangerous month in soccer team management. It is midseason, and club owners either think they can see success on the horizon or they look for someone to hire and fire to turn the season around.




The Times's soccer blog has the world's game covered from all angles.


Go to the Goal Blog



Players win matches, owners take the credit, and coaches or managers are caught in the middle.
In East London on Saturday night, Avram Grant, the Israeli coach of West Ham United, had the haunted look of a man staring down the barrel. His team is at the bottom of the Premier League. The newspapers all appear to know that his job has been offered to another manager. And the board that hired Grant six months ago is tight-lipped about his future.
Is it any wonder that the Hammers were hammered, 3-0 by Arsenal, on West Ham’s own soil? Grant is a dignified man in a desperate situation.



Contrast this with Milan, where Leonardo, the Brazilian hired just before Christmas to take over Inter, heard his name lauded around the San Siro. The team has won four games out of four since the owner dismissed the previous coach and gave Leonardo the reins — and the 4-1 thrashing of Bologna Saturday night was emphatic evidence that Inter’s form is flowing again.
How fickle we all are if we feel that one man, even a team boss, is solely responsible for performance of highly paid professional players. The stability in a soccer club always has been and always will be an amalgam of good faith among owners, trainers, players and fans. Break that trust at any level, and you have the recipe for costly failure.



West Ham is deep into the mire of that today. It is exactly a year since David Sullivan and David Gold, who partly built their fortunes through pornographic magazines, bought control of the famous old Docklands club from hapless Icelandic bankers.
The Davids, experienced owners who sold Birmingham City after running it for 16 years, pledged to restore West Ham to its former glory. They acknowledged that it would take time and patience.



The East London club was started by workers in the Thames Ironworks in 1895. Its credo once was what Barcelona’s is now. West Ham forged its own players, raised them through the academy and with such homegrown players as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, gave England the nucleus for the team that won the 1966 World Cup.



The team manager in those days, Ron Greenwood, treated the club like his own family. He spent little, he spent wisely. But Greenwood and his assistant, John Lyall, who later succeeded him, were entrusted with running the team for a generation.
In its first 100 years, the team had only eight managers. Since the turn of this millennium, West Ham, flirting with bankruptcy, has already dispensed with five managers.



Gold and Sullivan inherited the Italian, Gianfranco Zola, as coach. They fired him within five months and hired Grant to a four-year contract. This club, they said, needs to rediscover stability.
Gold told the BBC little more than a month ago that Grant would leave the club “over my dead body.” But as the tensions mount, as defeat piles upon defeat, Gold and Sullivan are dodging the media.



Grant, a decent man and a fighter, is left to dangle. He insists that he can save this team’s Premier League status. But he reads the papers. He hears the rumor that Martin O’Neill, who quit as Aston Villa coach last August, has been offered his job.


stable, and its goal scorers on Saturday, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott, are just two Arsenal men who play the game at a speed and with a craft beyond anything in West Ham’s armory.
Sadly, though, Arsenal’s fans did not just cheer their team at West Ham. In the cruel and crude way of modern audiences, they loudly baited Grant by chorusing, “You’re getting sacked in the morning!” That sweet sound had hounded Rafael Benítez toward the end of his short and sharp six-month tenure at Inter Milan. The owner there, Massimo Moratti, is an oil baron rich enough to pay for his own mistakes.
So when Benítez failed to maintain the success of his predecessor José Mourinho and complained loudly that he was not given the funds to rebuild the team, Moratti acted decisively.
He paid off Benítez’s contract and replaced him with Leonardo.
This meant Leonardo’s crossing the line that divides Inter from A.C. Milan, the Brazilian’s former team. The critics said there could be only two ways this would work out: Either Leonardo would gel with Mourinho’s team, or he would be dispensed of with even more impatience than Silvio Berlusconi, the Milan owner, had removed him last year.
So far, so tranquil for Leonardo at Inter. The team’s players, many of whom had appeared too tired or too injured under Benitez, are suddenly playing with the zest of spring chickens.
They have much ground to make up in the league led by their neighbor, A.C. Milan. But Samuel Eto’o, the Cameroon striker, insists that Inter will not give up on the chase, and he believes it can close the gap on its neighbor.
“Its a personal challenge to us,” Eto’o said two weeks ago. “We had a bad start to the campaign, but Inter has the best squad in the Italian championship.” Eto’o scored twice against Bologna, his 22nd and 23rd goals of this season.
Diego Milito and Dejan Stankovic also scored, and if all of those are familiar names from the all-conquering Inter of a year ago, there is one even more renowned.
Time and time again on Saturday, the Argentine Javier Zanetti led the performance with a zest that belies his years. He is 37, and on Saturday he equaled Giuseppe Bergomi’s record of 519 Serie A appearances in an Inter shirt.
He plays, in his 16th year at the club, as if it were his first. He is an example of the fruit of stability.

Australia reach Asian Cup quarters
Team joins South Korea in moving a step closer to possible final football showdown in Doha.

Last Modified: 18 Jan 2011 20:29 GMT

South Korea swept past already-eliminated India to ease into the last eight of the tournament [AFP] Australia and South Korea moved a step closer to a possible Asian Cup final showdown when they eased into the last eight of the tournament on Tuesday.
South Korea swept past already-eliminated India 4-1 while Australia had a tougher time seeing off Bahrain 1-0 to leave Australia as Group C winners with seven points, edging out the South Koreans from top spot on goal difference.
Bahrain finished third with three points and India bottom with none.
South Korea, seeking their first Asian title since 1960, will now play Group D winners Iran in the quarter-finals, while Australia will meet whoever finishes second in Group D - either champions Iraq, United Arab Emirates or North Korea.
"It doesn't matter who we play, there is a great deal of quality in that group whoever we face we have to be ready," Australia coach Holger Osieck told reporters.
Low morale

On a wet, miserable day in the Qatari capital, Australia took the lead in the 37th minute after an even opening when midfielder Mile Jedinak collected a clearance and smashed a low, bouncing right-foot shot from 25 metres past Bahrain keeper Mahmood Mansoor.
It was the second goal of the tournament for Jedinak, who went close to doubling the advantage from a freekick move moments later but his fizzing low drive on the wet surface was palmed behind by Mansoor.
Bahrain's morale appeared to drop after the goal but they began the second half with renewed vigour and Ismaeel Abdulatif, who scored four in the 5-2 win over India on Friday, warmed the hands of Mark Schwarzer with a rasping drive from distance.
Bahrain enjoyed the better of possession for much of the second period as Australia appeared content to sit back but the west Asians struggled to create enough clear openings.
"We were able to reach the box but we lost many chances which is not acceptable as we needed to win," Bahrain coach Salman Shareedah said.
India brushed aside
At the Al Gharafa Stadium, South Korea had little trouble in brushing aside India 4-1.
Ji Dong-won put the Koreans ahead after six minutes and Koo Ja-cheol doubled the advantage three minutes later when he rounded the keeper to score from close range.
Sunil Chhetri sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 12th minute but the Koreans struck right back with Ji's second in the 23rd minute as the striker lifted an effort over the Indian goalkeeper.
Korea dominated the second half and could have scored at least three more, but were let down by some poor finishing.
Indian striker Bhaichung Bhatia, the country's most famous player, came on for the last 12 minutes of what will probably be his last appearance for his country after winning more than 100 caps.
Bhatia, who has nursed a calf injury for more than a year, was powerless to stop India from losing, but at least made his first appearance in Asia's top international event.
There was still time for Koreans to grab a fourth when 18-year-old substitute Son Heung-min smashed home.

Jordan and Japan reach quarters
Jordan win 2-1 to put neighbours Syria out of Asian Cup while Japan complete Saudi misery with 5-0 win to top Group B.

Paul Rhys in Doha Last Modified: 17 Jan 2011 15:17 GMT

Jordan will face Uzbekistan as they compete in the Asian Cup quarter-finals for only the second time [AFP] Striker Odai Al Saify scored the winner as Jordan beat neighbours Syria 2-1 on a rainy night in Doha to reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals at the expense of their neighbours.
Syria, needing to win to join Group B rivals Japan in the next round, took an early lead through Mohamad Al Zino at Qatar Sports Club on Monday.
But an own-goal from Syria defender Ali Dyab gave Jordan the equaliser they needed to go through, before Odai hit the winner direct from a goal kick with half an hour to play.
It is only the second time Jordan – who at 107th in the world are ranked three places above Syria – have reached the quarter-finals.
They lost to Japan at that stage on debut in 2004, and will now play Uzbekistan for a place in the semi-finals.
Twenty kilometres away, Japan completed Saudi Arabia's Asian Cup misery, going top of Group B with a 5-0 win that leaves the Gulf giants heading home pointless after the group stage.
Shinji Okazaki scored three and Ryoichi Maeda hit two at Al Rayyan Stadium to set up a semi-final meeting with hosts Qatar.
The match at Qatar Sports Club started at breakneck pace with Jordan almost going ahead after just 30 seconds, Amer Deeb slipping a through ball into the path of Hasan Abdel Fattah whose sliding shot was jabbed just wide.
Boisterous
Matters got no less calm from that point and, with both sides urged on by two equal blocks of support in a boisterous 10,000 crowd, tackles and shots on goal were being made at a furious rate.
Asian Cup Group B Sunday January 9

Japan 1-1 Jordan

Saudi Arabia 1-2 Syria

Thursday January 13

Jordan 1-0 Saudi Arabia

Syria 1-2 Japan

Monday January 17

Jordan 2-1 Syria

Saudi Arabia 0-5 Japan
But haste got the better of accuracy until the 15th minute when Jehad Al Hussain turned into space 35 yards out and threaded through for Sanharib Malki to hit a low drive from the right of the six-yard box.
Jordan keeper Amer Shafi parried it out but the ball fell straight for striker Mohamad Al Zino to hammer it low into the bottom left corner.
That sent the Syrian section into a series of Mexican waves that crashed, ignored, against the Jordanian stand.
Fifteen minutes before half time, Jordan levelled.
Amer whipped in a cross from the right touchline, and as goalkeeper Mosab Balhous rushed out to punch clear, defender Dyab jumped and looped a header back over the keeper and into his own net.
A rare desert rainshower hit Doha at half-time, making grass and ball slippy as Jordan keeper Shafi was instrumental in keeping the scores level – and then setting up the goal that ensured Jordan's qualification.
Ten minutes into the half he punched over a dipping free kick from Al Zino before Syria left-back Samer Aouad hit a viciously swerving drive that was parried away as it headed for the net.
Then on 59 minutes, Shafi's long, low goal kick straight up the middle was chased by Odai, who was being held off by the unfortunate Dyab before he somehow got his foot around the defender to dab the ball past the onrushing Balhous.
Jordan hung on comfortably for the next 30 minutes while the Syrian support gradually drained from the ground as the clock ticked down on their Asian Cup campaign.
Woeful
The Saudis' result was the heaviest they had suffered to Japan and capped a woeful tournament after they sacked coach Jose Peseiro following their surprise opening defeat by Syria.
Although they could not qualify for the last eight replacement coach Nasser Al Johar had called for an improved display from Saudi Arabia, who have been champions three times and were runners-up to Iraq in 2007.
But his side fell behind after just eight minutes as Okazaki claimed his first after good work from Yasuhito Endo.
The 24-year-old Shimizu S-Pulse forward then doubled the lead five minutes later with a diving header after a cross from Shinji Kagawa.
Ryoichi Maeda capped a terrible first 20 minutes for the Saudis when he beat keeper Waleed Abdullah to Yuto Nagatomo's cross.
The third goal brought about some respite for the Saudi defence as Japan eased off but after coach Alberto Zaccheroni's half time team talk the Blue Samurai regained their composure to score twice more.
Maeda added his second with a header from another cross in the 51st minute before Okazaki wrapped up his hat-trick 10 minutes before the end after Abdullah failed to keep out his shot.

Qatar join Uzbeks in quarter-finals
Asian Cup hosts beat Kuwait 3-0 to cap turnaround in Group A fortunes as Uzbeks claim top spot with draw against China.

Last Modified: 17 Jan 2011 09:43 GMT

French coach Bruno Metsu said he was 'dreaming' of his improving Qatar team going on to win the Asian Cup [Reuters] Qatar made sure of a place in their home Asian Cup quarter-finals as they beat Kuwait 3-0 in Group A while Uzbekistan finished top by drawing 2-2 with China.
Kuwait, who came into the tournament on a high after winning the Gulf Cup in December last year, make the short trip home with zero points, while China finish third with four.
Nearly 30,000 expectant fans turned out at the Khalifa Stadium hopeful that Qatar could match their tournament-best performance of a quarter-final place achieved 11 years ago.
Their nerves were eased after just 11 minutes when captain Bilal Mohammed rose highest to confidently flick a header past Yaqoub Al Taher in the Kuwait goal.
The hosts then doubled their advantage just five minutes later when Mohamed El Sayed curled a right foot shot past Al Taher, who was out of position having blocked the winger's initial header.
Confetti rained down at the stadium as Qatar bossed the remainder of the match against a deflated Kuwait side, who could still have qualified for the last eight if they won and other results went their way.
Turnaround
Substitute Fabio Cesar curled a late 30-yard free kick up and over the wall into the top corner of Al Taher's goal to add gloss to an easy victory that marked a full turnaround from their opening-day defeat to Uzbekistan.
Asian Cup Group A Friday January 7

Qatar 0-2 Uzbekistan

Saturday January 8

Kuwait 0-2 China

Wednesday January 12

Uzbekistan 2-1 Kuwait

China 0-2 Qatar

Sunday January 16

Qatar 3-0 Kuwait

China 2-2 Uzbekistan
Qatar's win was so convincing that many of the 28,339 spectators had left Khalifa Stadium before the final whistle.
They will get a chance to watch their team again in Friday's first quarter-final against the Group B winner, and Metsu didn't shy away from the idea that his side might go even further in the tournament.
"Why not?" Metsu said when asked if Qatar could win the Asian Cup.
"We will strive to win the trophy. It's our right to dream and you know I'm a big dreamer."
Qatar's bid had started in lacklustre fashion with a 2-0 loss to the Uzbeks, but since then the team has scored five goals without reply in the wins over China and Kuwait.
"The team was influenced by the importance of the opening match and it had an impact on the mentality of the players," Metsu said.
"The match against China was the starting point for the Qatar team. With today's performance and victory, they have reached the point they were aiming at."
China take early lead
At the Al Gharafa stadium, group leaders Uzbekistan fell behind after just six minutes in their bid to reach the last eight for a third consecutive Asian championships.
China midfielder Yu Hai stooped low to head home after a well-worked corner, although Uzbek keeper Ignatiy Nesterov will feel he should have done better.
The Uzbeks struck back with a neat goal from marauding centre-half Odil Akhmedov who slotted home an equaliser on the half-hour mark, before taking the lead straight after half time when striker Alexander Geynrikh shot home a brilliant dipping effort from the edge of the box.
But Hao Junmin matched that strike with a fine free kick to haul China level in the 56th minute and set up a nervy finale.
Uzbekistan finish the group on seven points ahead of Qatar on six.

Real slip up to send Barca clear
Second-placed Real Madrid draw 1-1 with bottom club Almeria before Barca take full advantage in beating Malaga 4-1.

Last Modified: 17 Jan 2011 08:31 GMT

David Villa scored twice for Barca but Real coach Mourinho said going four points behind was 'normal' [Reuters] Barcelona took full advantage of Real Madrid's shock slip-up at Almeria when they thumped Malaga 4-1 to stretch their lead over their great rivals at the top of the Spanish Primera Division to four points.
Real had squandered two crucial points in what is already a two-horse title race when they had to come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at bottom side Almeria, the team with the league's worst home record.
Barca's victory also set a new points record for the first half of the season, beating the mark of 50 set by Pep Guardiola's side in their treble-winning 2008-09 season.
They have lost just one match, a surprise 2-0 home defeat by promoted Hercules in September, drawn one, at home to Real Mallorca, and won 17, including a stunning 5-0 drubbing of visiting Real.
World Cup winner Andres Iniesta opened the scoring in the eighth minute at the Nou Camp with a superb first-time strike from the edge of the penalty area and his Spain teammates David Villa and Pedro put the home side 3-0 ahead by half time.
Malaga's Portuguese midfielder Duda briefly set the home fans' nerves jangling when he curled in a fine free kick in the 68th minute before Villa netted his second and 14th of the campaign.
"It was a vital win for many reasons," Villa said in a television interview.
"There is a long way to go yet although we are of course delighted that we have the advantage at this stage."
Kaka starts
In Almeria, Real coach Jose Mourinho gave fit-again Kaka his first start of the season after knee surgery, leaving Karim Benzema on the bench and using La Liga top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in the striker's role.
Results & fixtures Saturday January 15

Athl Bilbao 2-1 Santander

Getafe 0-4 Sociedad

Zaragoza 1-0 Levante

Gijon 2-0 Hercules

Villarreal 4-2 Osasuna

Sevilla 1-2 Espanyol

Sunday January 16

Valencia 2-0 Deportivo

Almeria 1-1 Real Madrid

Barcelona 4-1 Malaga

Monday January 17

Atl Madrid v Real Mallorca
The Portuguese forward, who has 22 goals this term, failed to convert several clear chances before the home side grabbed a surprise lead on the hour.
The ball broke to Jose Leonardo Ulloa after Pablo Piatti's fine run and the Argentine striker swept it past Iker Casillas from the edge of the penalty area.
Substitute Esteban Granero smashed in the equaliser with around 15 minutes left and Ronaldo thundered a free kick against the crossbar in stoppage time but Almeria held firm for a point.
Mourinho said his players had lacked their usual rhythm in the first half and praised Almeria for some stout defence.
"Four points behind under normal conditions is an open league," the Portuguese told a news conference.
"We have performed well in the first half of the season.
"We have won 15 games, lost one and drawn only three but that's not enough to win the championship. We hope to improve in the second half."
Valencia stayed hard on the heels of third-placed Villarreal when Jeremy Mathieu and Pablo Hernandez scored in a 2-0 home win over Deportivo la Coruna.
Barca, who set a new club record of 28 matches unbeaten in all competitions, lead on 52 points from 19 games with Real on 48.
Villarreal are third on 39 thanks to their 4-2 home win over Osasuna on Saturday and Valencia have 37 in fourth.
Almeria, without a home win this season, remained rooted to the bottom of the standings on 14 points.

Kiwis and Pakistan finely poised
Hosts end day three 11 runs behind in their second innings after bowling out Pakistan for a first-innings 376.

Last Modified: 17 Jan 2011 10:10 GMT

Misbah-ul-Haq fell one run short of his century after a 142-run partnership with Younus Khan [GALLO/GETTY] New Zealand were nine without loss at the close of the third day's play of the second Test after Pakistan had been bowled out for 376, a lead of 20, shortly before stumps in Wellington.
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill safely negotiated the five overs they needed to face to ensure New Zealand would begin the fourth day on Tuesday with an 11-run deficit as they look to square the series.

Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0 after a 10-wicket victory in Hamilton. They have not won a Test series since they beat West Indies 2-0 at home in November 2006.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq had led from the front for Pakistan, falling one run short of his third Test century and having shared in a 142-run partnership with Younus Khan.

The 36-year-old skipper had been incredibly patient as he clawed his way to 99 off 206 balls, but shuffled across his stumps to try to force a Martin delivery to the leg-side only to be hit in front and given out lbw.
Chris Martin, who had bowled an impressive spell between lunch and tea without reward, captured four for 91 while New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori finished with 4-100.

Vettori and Martin took three quick wickets after tea with Asad Shafiq caught at first slip off Vettori for a duck, Adnan Akmal caught by Martin off Vettori following a dreadful attempted sweep for 22, before Abdul Rehman (five) looped a catch to McCullum off Martin.
'Deserved'
"We were trying pretty hard there for a while and things weren't really happening... the way we felt we had bowled maybe we deserved a session like that," Martin said of the six Pakistani wickets that fell in the final session.
"We kept our focus, kept our lines and kept our disciplines and I think sometimes you feel like it's going to come and it's going to come quickly and it definitely did in that last session."

The day had a hint of controversy with Younus given out caught in close by Jesse Ryder for 73 off Vettori on the final ball before the tea break.
Television replays showed the ball had ballooned off Younus's pad, without touching his bat, to Ryder at forward short leg.
It was the seventh decision in the match that could have potentially been overturned by the umpire review system, which is not in use in the series, though Younus was philosophical.
"It was a good partnership with the captain, we were a little bit unlucky because it was 150 runs partnership and we could have gone on," Younus said.
"It's the nature of the game, the umpires are human. You can't blame anyone for the decision.
"In future we need it regularly in the test game and one-dayers, and also Twenty20 as well."

Jets shoot down outplayed Pats
Tom Brady hassled out of the game as wildcard NY Jets go through to title game with Steelers while Bears beat Seahawks.

Last Modified: 17 Jan 2011 08:03 GMT

The Jets must now get past Pittsburgh Steelers if they are to reach a first Super Bowl since 1969 [GALLO/GETTY] The New England Patriots admitted they were outplayed and out-coached by AFC division rivals New York Jets following a surprise 28-21 NFL playoff defeat that ruined a 14-2 campaign.
In Sunday's other contest, the Chicago Bears went through to an NFC championship contest with the Green Bay Packers by cruising past the Seattle Seahawks 35-24.
"A disappointing way to end the season," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after Sunday's game in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
"We just didn't do enough things well today to win. That's obvious."
Quarterback Tom Brady was harassed into five sacks by an assortment of Jets blitzes and often left fruitlessly hunting an appealing target.
Record snapped
"They mixed it up quite a bit," said Brady, who completed just 29-of-45 passes and had his NFL-record streak of consecutive passes without an interception snapped at 339 by Jets linebacker David Harris on New England's first drive.
"It was a good plan by them, you have to give them a lot of credit. I certainly wish I had done a better job."
The Jets' upset of the Pats included three touchdown passes by Mark Sanchez as Rex Ryan's wildcard team put itself one win away from backing up his Super Bowl boast.
Santonio Holmes, best-known for a brilliant grab that won the 2009 Super Bowl for the Steelers, took a leaping touchdown catch and now is close to a shot at another title with his new team.
The Patriots – who had the league's best record during the regular season – were beaten less than 24 hours after NFC top seeds Atlanta went down with a 48-21 rout by Aaron Rodgers and the streaking Green Bay Packers.
"We came here for a reason," said Ryan, the Jets' brash coach. "We believed we were the better team. I knew if we applied ourselves, we would beat them."
Backed up
The Jets will travel to Pittsburgh for their second straight AFC championship game, looking for their first Super Bowl appearance since Joe Namath boldly predicted a win in the 1969 title game – then backed up his words against the heavily-favoured Colts.
In Chicago, Jay Cutler passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the Bears.
Chicago will face the Packers in the NFC title game – the 182nd meeting between the teams over the last 90 years, but only the second time they've faced each other in a playoff.
Cutler said he was looking forward to his matchup with Rodgers.
"I texted him (Rodgers) after the game yesterday and said, 'Good game', said Cutler.
"We'll have some friendly little banter.
"Impressive win they had last night. What they did to Atlanta on the road, is hard to do... We're going to have our hands full."

Jets shoot down outplayed Pats
Tom Brady hassled out of the game as wildcard NY Jets go through to title game with Steelers while Bears beat Seahawks.

Last Modified: 17 Jan 2011 08:03 GMT

The Jets must now get past Pittsburgh Steelers if they are to reach a first Super Bowl since 1969 [GALLO/GETTY] The New England Patriots admitted they were outplayed and out-coached by AFC division rivals New York Jets following a surprise 28-21 NFL playoff defeat that ruined a 14-2 campaign.
In Sunday's other contest, the Chicago Bears went through to an NFC championship contest with the Green Bay Packers by cruising past the Seattle Seahawks 35-24.
"A disappointing way to end the season," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after Sunday's game in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
"We just didn't do enough things well today to win. That's obvious."
Quarterback Tom Brady was harassed into five sacks by an assortment of Jets blitzes and often left fruitlessly hunting an appealing target.
Record snapped
"They mixed it up quite a bit," said Brady, who completed just 29-of-45 passes and had his NFL-record streak of consecutive passes without an interception snapped at 339 by Jets linebacker David Harris on New England's first drive.
"It was a good plan by them, you have to give them a lot of credit. I certainly wish I had done a better job."
The Jets' upset of the Pats included three touchdown passes by Mark Sanchez as Rex Ryan's wildcard team put itself one win away from backing up his Super Bowl boast.
Santonio Holmes, best-known for a brilliant grab that won the 2009 Super Bowl for the Steelers, took a leaping touchdown catch and now is close to a shot at another title with his new team.
The Patriots – who had the league's best record during the regular season – were beaten less than 24 hours after NFC top seeds Atlanta went down with a 48-21 rout by Aaron Rodgers and the streaking Green Bay Packers.
"We came here for a reason," said Ryan, the Jets' brash coach. "We believed we were the better team. I knew if we applied ourselves, we would beat them."
Backed up
The Jets will travel to Pittsburgh for their second straight AFC championship game, looking for their first Super Bowl appearance since Joe Namath boldly predicted a win in the 1969 title game – then backed up his words against the heavily-favoured Colts.
In Chicago, Jay Cutler passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the Bears.
Chicago will face the Packers in the NFC title game – the 182nd meeting between the teams over the last 90 years, but only the second time they've faced each other in a playoff.
Cutler said he was looking forward to his matchup with Rodgers.
"I texted him (Rodgers) after the game yesterday and said, 'Good game', said Cutler.
"We'll have some friendly little banter.
"Impressive win they had last night. What they did to Atlanta on the road, is hard to do... We're going to have our hands full."

Kim Clijsters wins WTA title
Kim Clijsters beats Caroline Wozniacki to win WTA title in Doha.

Last Modified: 01 Nov 2010 18:08 GMT




Kim Clijsters won the season-ending WTA Championships for the third time with a battling win over world number one Caroline Wozniacki in Doha.

Al Jazeera's Andy Richardson reports from Doha, Qatar.

Federer warms up with Qatar title
Swiss world number two reasserts credentials ahead of Australian Open defence by beating Davydenko in ATP final in Doha.

Last Modified: 08 Jan 2011 17:53 GMT

Federer went through the Qatar Open without dropping a set as main rival Nadal exited in the semis [Reuters] Roger Federer set out his determination to hang on to his Australian Open title when he brushed aside defending champion Nikolay Davydenko to regain the Qatar Open crown.
The 16-times Grand Slam champion proved too much for his Russian opponent, claiming a break of serve in each set to complete victory under the floodlights at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha.
Federer overwhelmed the defending champion, who had put out top seed Rafael Nadal in Friday's semi-finals, 6-3, 6-4, sealing victory in 79 minutes when Davydenko netted an attempted backhand pass to huge cheers from a capacity crowd.
It was a 67th career title for the 29-year-old, who has not dropped a set this week in the tiny Gulf state and celebrated victory with a brief smile at his first win of the season.
"It feels fantastic," said Federer, who was beaten by Davydenko at last year's tournament.
"I have had a good week. I really appreciate the support I get here. I have had good preparation. I can't believe that I am on the board already this year."
When Davydenko beat Federer here last year, he had not long come from the biggest triumph of his career – winning the ATP Championships year-end title in London, and he was still on an emotional high.
This time he is re-starting from a season in which he has battled a persistent wrist injury, and slipped out of the world's top 20 for the first time in more than five years from a career-best third.
The Russian battled hard throughout, saving six break points in the first set and charging down every ball but was always under pressure on his own serve.
The second set was on serve until the ninth game when Federer broke Davydenko to love before serving out with ease to claim his third Qatar Open title.

Dramatic rise of women's tennis
The female half of the game was not always as well-paid and glamorous as it is today.

Last Modified: 26 Oct 2010 19:06 GMT







The female half of the game was not always as well-paid and glamorous as it is today.
Doha, the capital of Qatar, is hosting the first match of this year's season ending Women's Tennis Association championships.
This year, the world's top eight ranked women will play for a total purse of nearly $4.5m.
But, as Al Jazeera's Andy Richardson reports from Doha, such rewards were not always the case with the women's game.