IN BRIEF (Page 20)
Baseball
Yankees fend off late fightback to beat Red Sox
NEW YORK: The New York Yankees moved up a notch in the American League East, fending off a late-inning comeback by the Boston Red Sox to win 4-3 on Wednesday.
The Yankees have seen a quick turnaround in their playoff hopes, after returning to New York on Monday from a tough road trip.
Two wins against the Red Sox in the last two nights put the Yankees six games out of first place. Five straight losses by the Seattle Mariners now have the Yankees tied for the lead in the American League Wild Card race.
SOCCER
Barcelona beats Inter Milan 5-0 in friendly
BARCELONA:Barcelona defeated Inter Milan 5-0 on Wednesday to win the Joan Gamper trophy.
But the friendly game was played in a subdued atmosphere with a minute's silence held in memory of Antonio Puerta, the Sevilla defender who died from a heart attack at the weekend.
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o was slightly injured just moments after coming onto the pitch at the start of the second half.
Barcelona 5 (Ronaldinho 6-pen, Dos Santos, Toure 37, Iniesta 56, Motta 78) Inter Milan 0.
Owen back on Newcastle goal trail
LONDON: Injury-plagued Michael Owen celebrated his first start of the season with a goal as Newcastle beat Barnsley 2-0 to reach the English League Cup third round on Wednesday.
The England international striker scored 12 minutes after the interval to grab his first goal in 20 months.
Obafemi Martins wrapped up the victory three minutes from time.
Rolando Bianchi struck 10 minutes from time to give Manchester City a 2-1 win against Bristol City after Bradley Orr had levelled Emile Mpenza's first-half opener.
"I am relieved to be through," said City's former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
"We should have finished it much more easily. We had five or six good opportunities to score in the first-half alone."
More drama at Leicester as coach Allen leaves
LONDON: Leicester City was involved in a second major drama in less than 24 hours on Wednesday when manager Martin Allen left the club the day after defender Clive Clarke suffered a heart attack during a Cup match.
Allen, who joined the second division side in the close-season from Milton Keynes Dons, had been in charge for just three league matches and Tuesday's League Cup match at Nottingham Forest which was abandoned at halftime.
Just hours after Allen had been praising the club's medics for the way they treated Clarke, a statement on the Leicester City Web site (lcfc.premiumtv.co.uk) said Allen had left by mutual consent.
Boca ends Independiente's perfect record in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES: Independiente's 100 percent record in the Argentine championship ended on Wednesday when they lost 3-2 to South American champions Boca Juniors.
River Plate broke their duck, scoring two late goals to beat Estudiantes 4-2, although their win was marred by fighting among fans at a supermarket car park before the game.
Independiente, with four straight wins under its belt, went ahead after only three minutes when prolific striker German Denis tapped-in his seventh goal of the championship.
Boca, who has 10 points, leapt from seventh to second place after their third successive win.
(China Daily 08/31/2007 page20)
