IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Soccer

AC Milan knocked out of Italian Cup

ROME: European champion AC Milan went out of the Italian Cup on Wednesday after being held 1-1 at Catania, while holder AS Roma crushed Torino 4-0 to reach the quarterfinals.

Peruvian fullback Juan Manuel Vargas drilled home from 30m out to put Catania ahead in the 11th minute.

Teenage striker Alberto Paloschi leveled the score in the 68th for Milan, which rested several regulars.

Catania managed to hang on to the advantage it carried from its 2-1 first-leg triumph at the San Siro.

Roma started to rally from its 3-1 first-leg loss in the 59th minute, when French midfielder Ludovic Giuly sprinted from just beyond the halfway line and served Mancini, who slotted in from a central position.

Chelsea completes Ivanovic signing

LONDON: Chelsea completed the signing of Serbia defender Branislav Ivanovic from Lokomotiv Moscow on a three-and-a-half-year deal, the club said on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, capped nine times, is a versatile defender whose displays for club and country over the last two years have attracted interest from some of Europe's top clubs.

He has been outstanding in his time in Moscow and featured in the later stages of Serbia's unsuccessful qualifying campaign for Euro 2008.

Ivanovic, playing as an over-age player, also captained the Serbia side that finished runner-up to Netherlands in last year's European under-21 championship.

He becomes Chelsea's second major signing in the transfer window following the arrival of Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wanderers last week for 15 million pounds ($29.37 million).

McGhee and Burley set for Scotland manager talks

LONDON: Mark McGhee of Motherwell and Southampton boss George Burley have been given permission to talk to the Scottish FA about the vacant national coach's job, their clubs said on Wednesday.

McGhee, who took over at Fir Park last June after three years at Brighton and has takenit to third in the Scottish Premier League, has been identified as a possible successor to Alex McLeish, who resigned last November to take over at Birmingham City.

McGhee has developed a strong bond with Motherwell in the aftermath of the sudden death of club captain Phil O'Donnell on Dec 29 and has said he would not leave without the consensus of everyone at the club.

Burley took over at Southampton two years ago having had just 12 games in charge of Hearts. He managed Ipswich Town for eight years.

Baseball

Tigers sign Robertson to three-year deal

DETROIT, Michigan: The Detroit Tigers signed left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson to a three-year $21.2 million contract on Wednesday, solidifying their starting rotation.

Robertson, 30, was 9-13 last season with a 4.76 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings of work.

The Tigers boast a strong rotation, which also features Kenny Rogers, Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and recently acquired Dontrelle Willis, who agreed to a three-year contract last month.

According to the Tigers website (detroit.tigers.mlb.com) Robertson will earn $4.25 million in 2008, $7 million in 2009 and $10 million in 2010.

His 2010 salary jumps to $11 million if he pitches either 400 innings in 2008 and 2009 combined, or 200 innings in 2009 alone.

(China Daily 01/18/2008 page24)