Simeone: Racing Club picked up their first point and scored their first goal under new coach Diego Simeone in a 1-1 draw with Rosario Central on Saturday. Racing, who are bottom of the Argentine Clausura championship, had lost their first three games under the former Argentina captain. Simeone brought forward his retirement as a Racing player to take over as team coach.
Liverani: Lazio midfielder Fabio Liverani is due to decide his future with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The Rome club have done everything in their powers to persuade Liverani to pen a new deal, although he is yet to make up his mind. Lazio are desperate for Liverani to pen a contract, but have a contingency plan in place should he opt to leave on a Bosman style transfer. "If he doesn't stay, we will do everything to replace him with a player of the same value and younger,"president Claudio Lotito said.
Cycling: Floyd Landis of the Phonak team became the second American to win the Paris-Nice cycle race yesterday. Bobby Julich was the first American to win the stage race last year. Swiss Markus Zberg took the seventh and last stage, raced over 135kms around Nice. On the seafront Promenade des Anglais, Zberg outsprinted Russian Yevgeny Petrov, who finished second, and Spain's Alberto Contador who came home third.
World record: South Africa hit a world record 438 for nine in the highest-scoring one-day international in history for a series-clinching one-wicket win over Australia yesterday. The victory in the most extraordinary one-dayer ever was achieved with one ball to spare. A total of 872 runs were scored in the fifth one-dayer and two players, Australian captain Ricky Ponting and South African Herschelle Gibbs, scored over 150. Before yesterday, no side had scored more than 400 in a one-day international and South Africa's total topped Australia's record 434 for four earlier in the day.
Test cricket: England were 112 for five wickets in their second innings at stumps on day four of the rain-hit second test against India yesterday. Scores: England 300 all out (K. Pietersen 64, A. Flintoff 70, A. Kumble 5-76) and 112 for five (I. Bell 57, A. Kumble 3-41); India 338 all out (R. Dravid 95, I. Pathan 52, A. Flintoff 4-96).