IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Soccer

Roma reaches Cup semi with win over Sampdoria

ROME: Holder AS Roma reached the Italian Cup semifinals after Mancini's fine individual goal sealed a 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Tuesday and a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Roma, second in Serie A, will play Udinese or Catania in a two-legged semifinal in April and May. Brazilian midfielder Mancini broke forward on the hour, played a trick on the edge of the area and then fired into the near corner for his second winning goal in two games.

Visitor Sampdoria, unbeaten in five heading into the match, had some of the better chances and Hugo Campagnaro's second-half shot had to be cleared off the line by Rodrigo Taddei.

Palermo loses appeal over quickfire ballboy

MILAN: Serie A side Palermo has failed in its bid to have Saturday's 1-0 loss at AS Roma overturned or replayed due to the actions of a ballboy.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini said the boy had broken the rules by placing the ball on the corner spot and allowing Roma to take a quick corner from which Mancini scored.

"I have dispatched my lawyers and I have asked for a 3-0 win or at least for the match to be replayed," Zamparini said.

"We have read the rules - the ball boys must stay behind the advertising boards and throw the ball to the nearest player. What happened on Saturday is against the rules."

However, the league's disciplinary commission has rejected the appeal, a statement said on Tuesday.

Bayern sees off Wuppertal to reach Cup's last eight

BERLIN: Bayern Munich overcame an uncertain start to the second half of the season to beat third division Wuppertal 5-2 and book its place in the quarterfinals of the German Cup on Tuesday.

Bayern, looking a little creaky in its first match back after the six-week mid-season break, twice let slip the lead before a much improved second-half display saw the club home.

Werder Bremen, Bayern's closest challengers in the Bundesliga, saw its hopes of a domestic double ended when it lost the heavyweight tie of the third round 2-1 away to Borussia Dortmund.

Coach, player banned for one match in Spain

MADRID: Osasuna coach Jose Angel Ziganda and Sevilla midfielder Adriano Correia have been handed one-match suspensions for their involvement in incidents at the end of Saturday's league match between the two sides.

Ziganda received the ban for aggressive behavior toward the Sevilla match delegate, while Adriano was punished for pouring water over an Osasuna player during a scuffle at the end of the game, which Sevilla won 2-1.

Baseball

Major League strikes out Hall of Fame Game

NEW YORK: The Hall of Fame Game is to be scraped because of scheduling problems, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres will play the last exhibition game that has been a Cooperstown tradition since 1940 when they meet at the quaint Doubleday Field on June 16.

"Given the complexities of the Major League schedule and all its inherent challenges, it has become increasingly difficult in recent years to find a suitable date and make the proper arrangements for two clubs to participate in the Hall of Fame Game during the regular season," said Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball's president and chief operating officer.

The Cubs played in the first Hall of Fame Game in 1940 and will be making their seventh appearance in the classic while the Padres will take the field for the third time.

(China Daily 01/31/2008 page24)