IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Soccer

Inter bounces back with win against Palermo

ROME: Inter Milan restored its six-point gap at the top of the Serie A table with a 2-1 victory over Palermo at the San Siro on Sunday.

It was only Inter's second victory in its last seven matches and will go some way to boosting its self-belief following a series of poor results, including home and away loss to Liverpool in the Champions League.

AS Roma had piled on the pressure with its brilliant come-from-behind 2-1 home victory over AC Milan on Saturday night, but Inter found the response it was looking for with goals from Patrick Vieira and Luis Jimenez.

Fiorentina reopened a four-point gap between itself and AC Milan in the race for fourth spot as it cruised to a 3-1 victory over Genoa.

Eto'o centenary soured as Almeria holds Barcelona

MADRID: On Samuel Eto'o's 100th appearance for the club, Barcelona missed a golden opportunity to make inroads on leader Real Madrid when Almeria twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

After Real's surprise 1-0 slip-up at Deportivo La Coruna 24 hours earlier, Barcelona, which had Gabriel Milito sent off in the second half, could have cut the gap on the defending champion to five points.

But with this stalemate Frank Rijkaard's side is seven adrift with 10 games to go.

On Saturday an own goal by defender Pepe consigned Real to defeat at Deportivo. Real turned up on the north west coast seeking to end a winless run there stretching back to the 1991-1992 season.

Goalless draws complete weekend of violence

BUENOS AIRES: Boca Juniors and River Plate were involved in goalless draws on Sunday as a weekend of violence in Argentine soccer came to an end.

South American champion Boca missed a chance to go top of the Clausura championship when it was held 0-0 at Huracan, despite dominating most of the game.

River drew at home to bottom club Racing Club, a result which left the host undefeated after five games and the visitor winless after six.

Around two hours before kickoff, one man was stabbed and 174 were arrested as Boca fans fought amongst themselves near their club's headquarters.

Police said the fight involved rival factions of the organized supporters club known as The 12.

Boca dropped to third with 12 points from six games, one point behind Velez Sarsfield and Estudiantes. Velez leads on goal difference.

Cricket

Dominant England levels Test series v N. Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: England produced an all-around performance to level the Test series with New Zealand yesterday, winning the second match by 126 runs early on the fifth and final day at the Basin Reserve.

Left-arm pace bowler Ryan Sidebottom, who captured 10 wickets in the first Test in Hamilton, provided the impetus for the visitor with five wickets in New Zealand's second innings to help dismiss it for 311.

Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum had a swashbuckling 85 and Ross Taylor 55 in an effort to help chase down the record 438 needed for victory, but too often New Zealand's batsmen got starts but then fell just as they needed to push on.

"The plan was to try to make sure they were chasing 400. We did that yesterday and we bowled exceptionally well, as we have throughout the whole match," England captain Michael Vaughan told reporters.

(China Daily 03/18/2008 page24)