Seongnam win: Skipper Sasa Ognenovski opened the scoring to lead Seongnam Ilhwa to a 3-1 win over Iran’s Zobahan to claim the AFC Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history. Seongnam are South Korea’s most successful club with seven K-League titles. It was a third victory for South Korea, following triumphs by Jeonbuk Motors in 2006 and Pohang Steelers in 2009.
Braafheid: Dutch defender Edson Braafheid has been suspended by Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal for today’s game against Nuremberg after a heated exchange on the pitch between the pair. The 27-year-old defender reacted angrily when Van Gaal criticised him for cutting short his warm-up last week.
Barton: Preston midfielder Adam Barton has had a sudden change of heart and decided to play for Northern Ireland after all. Barton has been named in the squad to face Morocco in a friendly at Windsor Park on Wednesday following a number of withdrawals. The youngster had said he wanted to concentrate on his club career and also keep his options open for England.
OZIL: Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil has split from his girlfriend Anna-Maria Lagerblom. Lagerblom has split from Ozil after suffering from loneliness having moved to Madrid in September. “The lifestyle in Madrid was not for me, I didn’t like it,” said Lagerblom, the sister of popular German singer Sarah Conor and the former wife of Finland midfielder Pekka Lagerblom.
Postponed: The Ligue 1 match between Valenciennes and St Etienne was postponed after stormy weather hit northern France, yesterday. Almost four inches of rain has fallen on the Stade Nungesser pitch, leaving it unplayable in places.
Carroll: Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll earned his first England call-up as Fabio Capello last night named a quartet of new faces in his squad for Wednesday’s friendly against France at Wembley. Carroll is joined by three other new boys as Capello takes a closer look at Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd, Man. United defender Chris Smalling and Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson.
Volleyball: Russia powered their way through to the final by beating the US at the world women’s championship yesterday. The defending champions scored a 25-16, 13-25, 25-19, 25-21 victory over the Beijing Olympic silver medallists in the semi-finals. In the final today, Russia play Brazil who beat hosts Japan 3-2.
Squash: Malaysian Nicol David won her 50th World Tour title yesterday as she beat her old rival, Australia’s Rachael Grinham, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in the Qatar Classic final. The 27-year-old romped to victory in her 32nd meeting with the former world champion in 34 minutes.
Baseball: Brewer Anheuser-Busch sued Major League Baseball on Friday in a dispute over an extension of the company’s decades-long sponsorship. The maker of Budweiser beer contends Major League Baseball is improperly attempting to back out of an April agreement to extend the firm’s exclusive sponsorship deal. Anheuser-Busch has sponsored baseball for more than 30 years.
Basket, NBA: Minnesota’s Kevin Love grabbed 31 rebounds and scored 31 points, posting the NBA’s first “30-30” game in 28 years as the Timberwolves rallied to stun New York 112-103 yesterday. Moses Malone was the last player to notch a “30-30” game, scoring 32 points with 38 rebounds for Houston against Seattle in 1982.
Golf: Adam Bland stretched his lead to three shots as he closed in on an unheralded victory in the Australian Masters and left Tiger Woods flailing in his wake after a soggy third round yesterday. The Australian defied persistent rain to relegate 14-time major winner Woods and the other big names to supporting roles as he carved out a one-under 70 to be 11-under 202 for the tournament. Heading into today’s final 18 holes, Woods will somehow have to make up 10 strokes if he is to break his 2010 tournament drought.
Cricket: Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke hobbled through an innings yesterday, raising fears an ongoing back problem could hamper his preparations for the opening Ashes Test, which is just 12 days away. Clarke helped New South Wales draw their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground. But the batsman, a pivotal figure in the Aussies attempt to regain the Ashes, was in pain as he occupied the crease, regularly crouching on his haunches and throwing his head back in pain during his 102-minute innings.