Massa wins after Hamilton penalty
Lewis Hamilton claimed victory in a rain-affected Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps, but two hours later was handed a 25-second penalty and demoted to third place behind Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld. The McLaren driver had collided with Kimi Raikkonen in a late-race duel, resulting in Hamilton cutting a corner. The Briton allowed Raikkonen to retake the lead, but the infringement stood. Raikkonen crashed out of the race later in the same lap. The result leaves Hamilton just two points ahead of Massa in the drivers' championship. (The First Post)
Cole strikes to save England
Andorra 0 England 2. Substitute Joe Cole saved a dismal England side from embarrassment last night with two goals against Andorra in their first qualifying game of the World Cup. The world’s 186th best team held out in the first half largely thanks to their tactics of positioning all 11 men in their own half. With English fans' boos ringing in his ears manager Fabio Capello brought Cole and Emile Heskey on at half-time and the swap made an immediate impression as Cole emphatically smashing Joleon Lescott’s flick into the net before adding a second six minutes later. Said Amy Lawrence in the Observer: “Not for the first time, here in Barcelona England's players managed to look like imposters. There is something about wearing this shirt that makes high calibre Champions League performers for their clubs look like a rubbish tribute band for England.” Observer
"Another demonstration of their arrogant attitude. They forget that they weren't at the European Championship and have fallen to 15th place in the Fifa Rankings." An El Mundo Deportivo reporter takes exception to English journalists' failure to ask Andorra a question in the morning press conference.
Flower of Scotland wilts in Skopje
FYR Macedonia 1 Scotland 0. George Burley will be feeling the pressure after his Scotland side failed in the heat of Skopje. The Scots must get something out of their trip to the more familiar climate of Iceland to stand a chance of qualifying for South Africa in 2010. "The margin of defeat flattered Burley's side," said Patrick Glenn in the Guardian. "The concession of the winning goal from Ilco Naumoski as early as the fifth minute presaged another 85 in which Srecko Katanec's players were mostly in the ascendancy, denied a more comprehensive victory by some exceptional goalkeeping from Craig Gordon." Guardian
Newcastle accuses ‘bizarre’ Keegan
Newcastle United have hit back at the impression they forced Kevin Keegan out of the manager's job. Quoted by Joe Lovejoy in the Sunday Times, one director said: "Right from the start, at his interview for the job, it was made perfectly clear to [Keegan] the way the club wanted the job done. There was not going to be a Chelsea scenario, with Newcastle paying big money and massive wages for established stars." When Keegan, given a transfer budget of £12m for the summer, proposed signing Frank Lampard and Ronaldinho, "it was so bizarre that you had to wonder if he was doing it on purpose, to try to get sacked". The Sunday Times
Khan gone within 60 seconds
Amir Khan suffered the first defeat of his professional career last night, suffering a stunning 54-second knockout by Colombian Breidis Prescott at the MEN Arena in Manchester. The 2004 Olympic lightweight silver-medallist's ambitions to fight for the world title within the next 12 months are now in tatters. "It was always a high risk fight for Khan," said Alan Hubbard in the Independent on Sunday, "the taller Colombian bringing an unbeaten record which included 17 wins inside the distance in 19 bouts. Khan had made his usual dazzling start but this lasted merely a few seconds before Prescott sent him reeling with a wildly flung right hand. This was the punch that Khan's new Cuban trainer, Jorge Rubio, had supposedly been teaching him to resist following the last two knockdowns in Khan's professional career." Independent on Sunday
Hurricane delays Murray revolution
Andy Murray leads Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6, 2-3. Andy Murray looked on course for a famous victory against world number one Rafael Nadal before Hurricane Hanna interrupted play. The match will resume today at 9pm BST with Murray a break down in the third set – although if Nadal continues in the same form as yesterday in this US Open semi-final, the Scot will have no trouble breaking back. Kevin Garside in the Daily Telegraph said, “This became Wimbledon in reverse; Murray wielding the hammer, Nadal nowhere. Murray at times reduced Nadal to a lesser being, scrabbling around like club player. And this a man with five grand slams.” The winner will play Roger Federer in the final. Daily Telegraph
Exiles swamp rudderless Wasps
London Irish 26 Wasps 14. The champions were terrible in their first match of the season at Twickenham yesterday. Missing their talismanic back row Lawrence Dallaglio, Wasps were a shadow of their former selves. London Irish, meanwhile, marshalled by 37-year-old Mike Catt, played above themselves. “In full-back Peter Hewat they had the snappiest, brightest performer on the pitch,” said Paul Ackford in the Daily Telegraph. “They had the bulky Seilala Mapusua bashing the ball up in the middle, always gaining ground and always attracting a bunch of defenders to him. And they had the coherence and passion throughout the side that Wasps conspicuously lacked.” Daily Telegraph
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