Messi Magic Mesmerises Fans, Argentina Beat Venezuela 1-0/sportztouch

Kolkata, Sep 2: Lionel Messi weaved his magic though without scoring as he played full 90 minutes to enthrall the football-crazy fans in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Venezuela in a FIFA international friendly at Yuba Bharati Krirangan here today.
The 120,000 capacity stadium did not see a packed house, a common sight during the local Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal derby but it had enough Messi elements for a real treat for the nearly 75,000 spectators at the venue and many more on television across the country and abroad.
Messi sparkled throughout the match, though Venezuela kept the Argentines under pressure.
It was in the second half, a 67th minute goal by Nicolas Otamendi from a Messi corner that sealed the issue for the Argentines.
The Argentine approach was more restrained in the first half as new coach Alejandro Sabella, in his maiden appearance at the helm of affairs for the Albicelestes, gave more stress on the ball possession and passing.
They dominated the midfield, with some magical Messi footwork but failed to translate into goals as the final pass or the shot was lacking.But the spectators had a lifetime of a treat with some real Messi moments.
Early into the start, the spectators were left mesmerized by a clever Messi footwork off a foul at the top of the box but the FC Barcelona talisman could only found the wall from his powerful left-footer in the fourth minute. 
Five minutes later, Argentina got the first real chance but the Real Madrid medio Agnel D’Maria nearly put it in the goal before an alert Venezuela defender averted the danger. It also had the Messi element in it as the little genius nearly had it through Di Maria but only in vain.
There were some real Venezuela sparks as well but their inexperience showed with some wasted efforts.
In the 16th minute, Jose Salomon Rondon wasted a golden chance inside the box as he failed to connect a fine pass from the wide without even testing Argentina goalkeeper Romer.
In the 34th minute, Venezuela had a real possibility as Feltscher nearly put them up with a solo effort from the right side of the box.
Messi’s second real chance came in the 29th minute, in fact it was a better one. It was a grounder that went straight to the goalkeeper.
Messi kept squatted, regretting what went wrong. But the spectators knew there is more to come as cheers of ‘Messi...  Messi...” reverberated in the stands.
A little earlier, Messi stole the ball from Amorebieta in the box before a little dash towards the middle, but his low shot was stopped calmly by Romo.
Messi played for the full 90 minutes to enthrall the crowd though the football-crazy spectators could not see a goal from the world’s current best footballer.
The teams:
Argentina: Sergio Romero, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Luis Gonzalez (Jose Sosa, 69th), Javier Mascherano, Ricardo Alvarez (Javier Pastore, 61st), Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain (Sergio Aguero 73rd), Angel Di Maria.
Venezuela: Rafael Romo, Fernando Amorebieta (Andres Tunez 85th), Roborto Rosales, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, Gabriel Chicero, Cesar Gonzalez, Tomas Rincon, Angel Flores, Frank Feltscher (Yohandry Orozco, 70th), Nicolas Fedor, Jose Salomon Rondon. PTI

Rooney leads England romp as Bulgaria routed sports world

Sofia, Sept 3: A resurgent WayneRooney scored twice as new-look England edged closer to Euro 2012 qualificationwith a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Bulgaria on Friday. Rooney, building on his scintillating early seasonform for Manchester United, struck in the 21st and 45th minutes after Englandhad taken the lead through Bolton defender Gary Cahill at the Vasil LevskiStadium. The victory leaves Fabio Capello's men firmly incontrol at the top of Group G, with only next Tuesday's game against Wales atWembley and a trip to second-placed Montenegro next month remaining. But the defeat spelt the end of Bulgaria's slenderchances of qualification and piles the pressure on German coach LotharMatthaus, whose reign has been marred by reports of player mutinies. England captain John Terry told Sky Sports:"It was a really good night. "We were hoping for a good start andcertainly got that.
"Some of the football we played was the bestfor a long time. We're very pleased with that." Bulgaria, who had been beaten 4-0 by England inthe corresponding fixture at Wembley last year, proved every bit as toothlessas their home record -- zero goals in two previous matches -- suggested. Capello had sprung a surprise in his startingline-up, omitting Frank Lampard for the first time in four years after choosingto partner Scott Parker and Gareth Barry in central midfield ahead of the backfour. England's 4-2-3-1 formation, with Liverpool'sStewart Downing and Arsenal's Theo Walcott either side of Ashley Young behindRooney, proved too much for Bulgaria who were soon buckling under the superiormovement of the visitors. After a scrappy opening, England took the lead on13 minutes through Cahill, preferred at centre-half by Capello despite strongclaims to a debut cap for Manchester United's promising teenager Phil Jones. A corner from Young was cleared only as far asBarry, whose pass picked out Cahill in space leaving the defender free to pokehome beyond advancing Bulgaria goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov. After 21 minutes the match was effectively settledas a contest when Rooney punished abysmal marking by the Bulgarian defence tohead home a Downing corner for his 27th international goal. A dismal night for Bulgaria got even worse midwaythrough the half, when sections of the home support subjected England debutantChris Smalling to racist chants as the Manchester United defender receivedtreatment for an injury. It was the first salvo of repeated racist abuse ofEngland players by a small pocket of the home crowd, raising the prospect ofpossible disciplinary action from European football's governing body UEFA. England produced the best possible riposte on thestroke of half-time however when Rooney grabbed his second of the night to makeit 3-0. Parker broke up a Bulgarian attack with a braveheaded block, and the ball fell to Walcott who went on a surging run upfieldbefore releasing Young on the edge of the area. Young then picked out Rooney at the far post forthe simplest of tap-ins to leave England in control, with Bulgaria reduced to acouple of long-range potshots from Bolton's Martin Petrov which failed totrouble Joe Hart. England were equally comfortable after the break,and Downing hit the woodwork on 55 minutes with a header across the face ofgoal after a cross from Walcott.

Ronaldo Drives Portugal To 4-0 Rout Of Cyprus(sportz touch)

Nicosia, Sept 3: Cristiano Ronaldoscored two goals and set up another as Portugal thrashed a 10-man Cyprus side4-0 away to stay top of Euro 2012 qualifying Group H on goal difference. Portugal's first spell of pressure started on 13minutes when the lively Joao Moutinho put Joao Pereira through with a fine passbut the right back's shot was blocked by keeper Antonis Georgallidis. Just as Portugal's menace was starting to wane,Cyprus midfielder Sinisa Dobrasinovic stretched out his arm inside the box todeflect a Moutinho shot, received a second booking and allowed Ronaldo to slotin coolly from the resulting penalty on 35 minutes. Portugal took advantage of the added space inmidfield, with both Moutinho and striker Helder Postiga coming close todoubling their lead with fierce, long-distance efforts just before the break. "We played well in the first half, especiallyuntil we scored. The score could have been bigger in the first 45minutes," Portuguese coach Paulo Bento said. The Cypriots returned with an even more defensiveattitude and Portugal's passing game stalled. They threatened only with afierce shot by Ronaldo on 51 minutes, which the keeper blocked, and a diagonaldrive from Fabio Coentrao that hit the post six minutes later. "After we were reduced to 10 men it was veryhard for us, we had to chase Portugal, ran out of stamina and that's why wecollapsed at the end," Cyprus coach Nikos Nioplias said. The Portuguese left it late to secure the win,with captain Ronaldo sidestepping a defender near the box to create space andfire in his second goal in the 82nd minute. Two minutes later the forward usedhis speed on the left wing and set up substitute Almeida for a simple tap-in. Winger Danny came on to complete the rout bycutting in from the left and driving in the fourth goal in injury time. "The goals at the end brought justice. Therewere times when we did not play well in the second half, but the most importantthing was to improve our goal difference," Bento said. "We go intothe last two qualifying matches in a strong position." Portugal are level on 13 points with Norway, whobeat Iceland 1-0 at home. The Portuguese play Iceland at home and Denmark awayin October.

Sri Lanka Face Defeat In First Test

Galle, Sept 3:   Australia closed in on a convincing victory in the first Test in Galle on Friday after Sri Lanka's top order was ripped apart for a second time. 
Sri Lanka, set an improbable target of 379 to win on a crumbling wicket, were tottering at 120-5 at the close of the third day's play at the Galle International Stadium. 
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene provided a batting lesson for his teammates, making an unbeaten 57 with the help of eight boundaries. 
Angelo Mathews was the other not out batsman, on 32, having put on 52 runs for the sixth wicket with his senior partner. 
Australia start the fourth day's play on Saturday needing five more wickets to win and take the lead in the three-Test series, their first in Sri Lanka since 2004. 
Sri Lanka need to defy history to stop the tourists - the highest fourth innings score at the ground is 210 by New Zealand two years ago. 
The hosts, who were shot out for 105 in the first innings, succumbed to a hostile three-wicket burst by Ryan Harris and probing seam bowling from Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson. 
Harris trapped Tharanga Paranavitana leg-before with the first ball of the innings and then bowled Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan in his fourth over to leave the hosts 15-2. 
Kumar Sangakkara would have been another Harris victim, but survived a review for leg-before off the first ball he faced. 
Harris, a 31-year-old from Sydney playing only his sixth Test, followed his defiant 23 in Australia's second innings with 2-15 in his first five overs. 
Sangakkara and Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's two most experienced batsmen, attempted to rebuild with a 37-run stand on either side of the tea break. 
Watson, who took three wickets in 10 balls in the first innings, broke the partnership when Sangakkara (17) fenced a vicious rising delivery to Mike Hussey at gully. 
Thilan Samaraweera edged a ball from Johnson to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin for a 14-ball duck, leaving Sri Lanka on 63-4. 
Harris bowled Prasanna Jayawardene to complete a pair for the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper, butMathews dug in to ensure the game went into the fourth day. 
Australia resumed at 115-6 after the entire morning session was wiped out by heavy rain and were dismissed for 210 in their second innings midway through the post-lunch session. 
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 5-79 after claiming three wickets in the first innings. 
Australia added 15 runs to their overnight score when they lost the wicket of Johnson, who top-edged a high catch off Herath which was taken comfortably by the wicket-keeper. 
Usman Khawaja put on 40 for the eighth wicket with Harris before falling leg-before to Chanaka Welegedara for 26 to leave Australia 170-8. 
Australia's total was boosted by a last-wicket stand of 32 between debutants Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon. 
Lyon made 13 before he was caught in the deep off Dilshan, leaving Copeland unbeaten on 23.

Eoin Morgan steers England to Twenty20 win over India

Twenty20 international, Old Trafford:

England 169-4 (19.3) beat India 165 (19.4) by six wickets Match scorecard

Morgan hit his usual array of unorthodox attacking shots

Eoin Morgan starred with the bat as England scraped to a six-wicket Twenty20 victory over India with three balls to spare at Old Trafford.

Morgan smashed 49 off 27 balls as the Twenty20 world champions appeared to be cruising towards their target of 166.

India fought back but Ravi Bopara (31 not out) and Samit Patel (25 not out) saw England home under the lights.

Batting first, India had collapsed from 104-1 to 165 all out, with fast bowler Jade Dernbach taking 4-22.

Opener Ajinkya Rahane top-scored for the tourists with 61 on his international debut.

He starred in a partnership of 65 with veteran Rahul Dravid, whose 31 in his first, and final, Twenty20 international featured three consecutive sixes off Patel.

Their stand looked to be taking India towards an imposing total, but some fine bowling from the impressive Dernbach - including two wickets in the last over - kept Stuart Broad's side in the hunt.

The hosts got off to an inauspicious start when Alex Hales, making his England debut alongside Jos Buttler, was trapped leg-before by Praveen Kumar for a duck off the second ball of the innings.

Kevin Pietersen, rested for the upcoming one-day series, got England going with some characteristic aggression.

He reached 33, either side of Craig Kieswetter's dismissal for 18, before over-stretching to Virat Kohli and offering Mahendra Dhoni the chance to whip the bails off.

Morgan kept up the momentum as he thrashed two fours and a six in successive balls off Rohit Sharma while, at the other end, Bopara hung in there, despite never really finding the middle of the bat until he lofted Ashwin over extra-cover for his first four.

In an innings filled with brilliant pieces of improvisation, Morgan took England to within 32 runs of their target.

But a low catch by Rohit Sharma, confirmed by the fourth umpire, sent Morgan packing and gave India hope.

With four wickets in hand, England remained firm favourites but some clever bowling from Munaf Patel - who only conceded three runs from the penultimate over - left them still needing 10 from the last over.

That become nine when Vinaj Kumar was called for a harsh wide from the first ball.

And Patel, who earlier broke his bat in spectacular fashion, made light work of the runs as he clattered three boundaries in a row to clinch Broad's first win as Twenty20 captain.

The teams will now face each other in a five-match one-day series starting in Durham on Sunday.

Carvalho Quits Portugal Squad

Nicosia, Cyprus, Sept 2: Portugal coach Paulo Bento insisted Thursday he had no idea why defender Ricardo Carvalho stormed out of a training camp ahead of a Euro 2012 qualifier against Cyprus and announced his decision to quit international football.

After arriving in Cyprus, coach Bento said it remained unclear why Carvalho walked out from the camp in Portugal ahead of Friday’s game.

“Carvalho joined training with us. It was only just before we actually left (for Cyprus) that we were notified he wasn’t coming with us,” Bento said.

“We’re still a team of 22 good players, even though he’s not here,” Bento said. “There are many other good players in the squad available to help ... We’ll have to move on and do our best.”

As for Carvalho, the Real Madrid star said in a statement he felt hurt at the way he had been treated but didn’t explain what had happened.

“I feel in top form physically and mentally, as shown by my performance and club selection,” the 33-year-old former Porto and Chelsea player said in a statement to the Portuguese media.

“Having represented (Portugal) 75 times, I am deeply devoted to protecting the good name of the team. Never before have I felt so hurt disrespected,” he said. “I did not intend to end my (international) career this way, but I remain convinced that I have always honored my country.”

Portugal leads Group H in qualifying, above Norway and Denmark, but is looking to rebound from its previous encounter against Cyprus last September when it was held to a shock 4-4 draw at home.

“We’ve risen to the top position after being fourth—so that’s positive,” Bento said. “Despite Carvalho leaving, we need to go out and win this game. The players are ready and they’ve shown it in training. AP

Monty Panesar set to play grade cricket in Australia

Panesar will hope to make England's Test squads for the UAE and Sri Lanka

England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar is to play first-grade cricket for Sydney-based club side Randwick Petersham later this year.

The Sussex man played the last of his 39 Tests for England in July 2009.

Having been in the Ashes squad in Australia last winter, he will hope to maintain his push for a recall.

England do not play a Test until they face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in January and February, before heading to Sri Lanka in March.

But they are likely to name two or three spinners in their Test squad for the UAE and Sri Lanka, with the latter especially renowned for its spin-friendly conditions.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann is established as England's number one spinner in all formats of the game, but will need back-up.

Panesar, 29, has taken 56 County Championship wickets at 28.53 this season, and having been Swann's understudy in Australia, may be asked to fill that role again.

Some commentators - including BBC Test Match Special's Geoff Boycott - had even called for Panesar to play in the final Test against India at The Oval as part of a five-man bowling attack, although England have persisted with a four-strong Test attack for over a year.

He will face competition for the second spinner's berth from fellow slow left-armer Samit Patel, 26, who is in the squad for the forthcoming one-day international series with India.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, speaking on BBC Radio 5 live's "Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket Show" on Monday evening, gave his backing to Panesar.

"You need your two best spinners to win on the sub-continent," Vaughan said.

"I hope we don't pick an itsy-bitsy [spinner] like Samit Patel. I think Monty's the second-best spinner so you've got to find a place for him in the team."

Cricket New South Wales' website announced that Panesar, whose season with Sussex finishes on 15 September, will arrive at Randwick Petersham in time for their second round of matches, which begins on 8 October.

He will play alongside Australia off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, who has played 17 Tests but is currently out of favour with the national selectors.

Man City Players Welcome Owen Hargreaves 'Gamble

London, Aug 31 : Manchester City players on Tuesday welcomed the prospect of former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves joining them, despite failing to complete a match in three injury-plagued years.

Surgery on both knees restricted the 30-year-old Hargreaves to just five appearances in three seasons before being released by United at the end of last season.

The former England international was unable to find a club before the season started but is now poised to make a surprise move to big-spending City, which shares the league lead with his old club after buying top talent including Argentina striker Sergio Aguero.

Hargreaves was pictured attending a City medical examination on Tuesday and, although the club is refusing to make any public comment on the potential, his potential teammates have been talking.

“Owen is an experienced player, he has played in the Champions League, is an international. It is only going to be good for the City squad if he signs,” defender Joleon Lescott said while on England duty. “People ask if it represents a gamble but the club know what they are doing, Owen knows what he is doing. He is still a good player.

“He hasn’t played as much as he would have liked over the last couple of seasons but the medical team we have is very good and very strong. If we can get him fit, I’m sure it won’t be very long before he is back to his best. He will be a player with a point to prove after his injuries.”
City goalkeeper Joe Hart first heard about Hargreaves’ potential move to his club from journalists at the England team hotel ahead of 2012 European Championship qualifiers.

“Pardon. Is he? Wowzers. Where’s that come from?” he said. “I don’t know what to make of that. That’s been put on my toes. Great, great.”
Over the summer, the Canadian-born Hargreaves, who has played 42 times for England, resorted to posting videos on YouTube showing himself working in a gym and running to prove his fitness.

But five years ago, Hargreaves was England’s star performer at the 2006 World Cup and joined United from Bayern Munich a year later.
That first season ended in May 2008 with glory in the Premier League and Champions League, but his fortunes have since plummeted as he spent more time with Colorado-based Dr. Richard Steadman than on the pitch.

United striker Wayne Rooney questions whether Hargreaves can revive his career in the blue half of Manchester.

“He has worked really hard, got back last season and played one game but did his hamstring,” Rooney said. “It will be difficult for him to get back to his best but I hope he can. From an England point of view, he is the type of midfield player we haven’t really had before.”

While the transfer window closes Wednesday at 2200 GMT, there is no rush for City to complete Hargreaves’ signing as he is a free agent.

Clubs must submit their 25-man squad lists to the Premier League by Friday, but if City leaves a spare spot, Hargreaves can join any time. AP

Arsenal, Liverpool and Lille chase Yossi Benayoun

Benayoun has only played one minute of football this season

Arsenal, Liverpool and French club Lille have all approached Chelsea over the possibility of signing midfielder Yossi Benayoun, BBC Sport understands.

The 31-year-old Israeli posted on Twitter on Monday that he is on the verge of leaving Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal are looking to strengthen their midfield following the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

Benayoun joined Chelsea from Liverpool for £5m in July 2010 but has seen just one minute of action this season.

It has been rumoured Benayoun would be included in an offer from Chelsea for Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric.

"Negotiating with several teams... news soon," wrote Benayoun on Twitter.

Newcastle have also been linked with the Israel captain, who was restricted to 10 appearances for the club last season due to an Achilles injury, which kept him out for six months.

Benayoun spent two years at West Ham before joining Liverpool in 2007.

He scored 29 goals in 134 games for the Reds.

Brett Lee To Bring His Music, Active Wear Collection To India

Mumbai, Aug 28: Australian cricketer Brett Lee on Friday August 26 launched a line of his Active wear collection in association with H&A. The brand will be available in selecte Mumbai stores, and will soon be extended to other cities too, said Company head Varun Jiwrajka. The products include apparels, home linen, towels and accessories for the entire family. H&A products offer good quality product at an affordable price and have a great acceptability amongst customers across India. Addressing the media, Brettt Lee said, “I am very proud to present my brand to Indian fans and customers. My association with H&A is in sync with my desire to reach out to all of my fans across India. I am very happy and humbled by the large fan-following in cricket-loving India and hope that they would like and support my active wear line.” On another occasion, Lee also launched his pro-socio campaign titled ‘Spread the Music’ to help underprivileged children to learn music. Speaking about his music campaign Lee says, “I see so many children inclined towards learning music in India but unfortunately they do not have the infrastructure. My entire campaign focuses on giving these underprivileged children a chance to learn music. I want every kid to learn music and I am just going to try and provide them with that opportunity and the required instruments.” The cricketer added that he has not approached any personality from Bollywood to help his cause even though it would be beneficiary. Lee does have good friends in the industry. He said, “I have been fortunate enough to be friends with actor Shah Rukh Khan and his close friends and of course Preity Zinta has been a good friend all throughout but I don’t want to divert from the cause. This is about music and my initiative and I want to do it entirely my way.” With his immense love for music, he said that he is looking forward to bring it to India along with his own band. Speaking about Bollywood music, he said, “I love Bollywood and entire Indian culture. I share a special connect with this place that makes India so special for me. Though I listen to Bollywood songs when I am here, I do not know the names, but I really enjoy the tune. May be sometime in the near future I may think about it, but right now my priority is my campaign.” Lee who has been to India for a few matches and also for personal reasons said that the bond he shares with the country is a special one giving him sufficient reasons to keep coming back.

ICC Test Team Of The Year 2011 Announced

London, Aug 28: The ICC today announced its Test Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.
The announcement was made at the media conference to announce the short-lists for the LG ICC Awards 2011 which are due to be held in London on 12 September 2011. Presented in association with FICA, the LG ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.
The ICC Test Team of the Year is (in batting order): Alastair Cook (Eng), Hashim Amla (SA), Jonathan Trott (Eng), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Kumar Sangakkara (SL - wicketkeeper/captain), AB de Villiers (SA), Jacques Kallis (SA), Stuart Broad (Eng), Graeme Swann (Eng), Dale Steyn (SA), James Anderson (Eng), Zaheer Khan (Ind) (12th man)
Four countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and South Africa's Dale Steyn has earned a place in the ICC World Test Team of the Year for the fourth successive year. He was also a member of the ICC World Test Team of the Year 2008, 2009 and 2010.
India's Sachin Tendulkar makes the line-up for the third year in a row - having appeared in the ICC World Test Team of the Year 2009 and 2010 while South Africans Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, along with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, and England duo of Graeme Swann and James Anderson all appearing for the second year in a row.
Former Sri Lanka skipper Sangakkara is named as captain of the team.
The Chairman of the LG ICC Awards selection panel, Clive Lloyd, said: "The selection of this year's Test team was a difficult one with so many worthy candidates available to fill just 12 places. The team has a formidable line-up that bats well down the order and has bowlers with the ability and form to dismiss any opposition twice on any surface."
"The selection was a difficult process with so many outstanding performances available to look back on. All the top performers during the voting period were discussed at length and various combinations were considered."
"While selecting the squad, the selectors didn't rely only on statistics only but took into account all other factors like the opposition, pitch conditions, match situation etc. But when you have only 12 places to fill from a big group of world-class players, there will always be a few who will miss out.
"In the panel's expert opinion, it has selected the best team based on performances over the past 12 months."
Lloyd was joined on the panel by former South Africa spin bowler Paul Adams, former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas, former New Zealand bowler-turned-commentator Danny Morrison and former England batsman Mike Gatting. Statistics were available as a guide but were not necessarily the overwhelming factor in the choices made.
The ICC Test Team of the Year is one of two teams selected by the ICC selection panel along with the ODI line-up which will be announced at a special function the morning of the LG ICC Awards.

Manchester, Aug 29: Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick as champion Manchester United humiliated Arsenal with an 8-2 win in the Premier League on Sunday,

Manchester, Aug 29: Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick as champion Manchester United humiliated Arsenal with an 8-2 win in the Premier League on Sunday, the London side's heaviest loss under Arsene Wenger. Having seen cross-city rival Manchester City thrash Tottenham 5-1 earlier in the day, United responded in style with Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, Nani and Park Ji-sung joining Rooney on the scoresheet. Rooney converted two free-kicks and a penalty, while Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie replied for a makeshift Arsenal side. Van Persie had a penalty saved in the first half when Arsenal was trailing 1-0. United sits top of the Premier League with a 100 percent record, ahead of City on goal difference, while Arsenal has only one point and has had a player sent off in each of its three games after Carl Jenkinson was dismissed for two yellow cards against United. The pressure on Arsenal and manager Wenger had eased slightly after the midweek win over Udinese ensured the London club would be playing in the Champions League group stage this season, but the gulf in class against United served to illustrate that Arsenal's problems persist. Injuries and suspension meant the inexperienced Jenkinson and Francis Coquelin made the starting lineup at Old Trafford, the latter for his Premier League debut. A rampant United became the first team to score eight goals against Arsenal in a topflight game. Arsenal had not conceded eight goals in any league game since 1896. Welbeck, who later limped off injured, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after shrugging off the attentions Johan Djourou and looping a header home. Arsenal should have drawn level five minutes later when Jonny Evans pulled down Walcott for a penalty, but Van Persie's low spot-kick was turned aside by goalkeeper David De Gea. To add insult to injury, Young extended the home side's lead within 60 seconds. The 18 million pound ($29.4 million) summer signing from Aston Villa curled in from 25 yards (meters) out. Rooney made it 3-0 with a curling free kick from the left in the 41st, but Arsenal was at least given a glimmer of hope on the stroke of halftime when Walcott's strike -- which went through De Gea's legs -- rounded off an incident-packed half. But the visitors conceded three goals in a seven-minute burst in the second half. Rooney converted another free kick, this time from the right, in the 64th, Nani chipped home three minutes later and Park fired in the sixth in the 70th. Van Persie managed a consolation strike for the visitors in the 74th before Arsenal was reduced to 10 men when Jenkinson collided with substitute Javier Hernandez just outside the area to pick up his second booking. Rooney missed with that free kick, but completed his hat trick from the penalty spot in the 82nd after Walcott tripped Evra. Young completed the scoring in injury time to make it only the fourth Premier League match to have featured 10 goals or more. AP

Brazilian Named Qatar Olympic Football Coach

Doha, Qatar, Aug 29 : Qatar has named Brazilian Paulo Autuori as the new coach of the Gulf nation's Olympic football team. The statement Monday by the Qatar Football Association is the latest bid by Qatar to boost its world football credentials after winning the rights to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar also plans to bid for the 2020 Olympics. The first test for the 55-year-old Autuori will be next month in Asian qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics. Qatar's group includes Asian football power South Korea and regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Oman. Autuori has led Qatar's Al Rayyan club since 2009. AP