IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Soccer

Linderoth goal lifts Sweden

GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Midfielder Tobias Linderoth returned from a long injury absence to score Sweden's only goal in a 1-0 friendly win over Slovenia on Monday.

Linderoth has battled a hip injury and had not played for his country since the 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland in a Euro 2008 qualifier in October.

It was only the second goal in 74 national team appearances for Linderoth, who is regarded as a key player for Sweden at Euro 2008, which begins on June 7.

"I am a little worn out and it hurts a little, but it felt good to score," Linderoth, who was substituted at halftime, told TV3.

Sweden, which faces Ukraine in a friendly on June 1, is grouped with Spain, Greece and Russia at Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

Zaragoza signs Oliveira

MADRID: Relegated Real Zaragoza has exercized an option to buy on-loan Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira from AC Milan, the Spanish second division club said on its website (www.realzaragoza.com).

The 27-year-old, who has agreed to a four-year contract, top scored for the club in the Primera Liga last season with 17 goals, despite the team finishing 18th on the final day of the campaign to go down.

Spanish media reported the deal cost Zaragoza 10 million euros ($15.8 million) and that its plan could be to look for a quick return on its money by selling him or loaning him out to a top-flight club with Atletico Madrid and Villarreal possible destinations.

Milan paid Zaragoza's Spanish rival Real Betis 17 million euros for Oliveira in 2006.

Cricket

Clark bowls Australia to win

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Stuart Clark took five wickets to help Australia win the first Test against the West Indies on Monday by 95 runs after bowling out the host for 191 at Sabina Park.

Resuming on 46 for one on the fifth day, the West Indies lost skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan and opener Devon Smith early and slumped to 117 for six at lunch with Clark and pace bowler Brett Lee doing the damage.

Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy brought some respectability to the West Indies' score with a 67 partnership before Ramdin was run-out for 36, but by then Australia had the game in the bag.

Seamer Clark, finished with figures of five for 32, his best Test performance.

The second Test will begin in Antigua on Friday.

Baseball

Orioles snap Yanks' run

BALTIMORE: Garrett Olson pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Nick Markakis went 3-for-4 with a home run, and the Baltimore Orioles ended the New York Yankees' five-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory on Monday.

Aubrey Huff also homered for the Orioles, who snapped a five-game skid that began with successive defeats in New York. Markakis is 9-for-11 with two doubles and a homer against Darrell Rasner (3-1), who gave up one run and five hits in six innings.

Hideki Matsui had three of New York's five hits and scored the Yankees' lone run, on a ninth-inning single by Chad Moeller.

In Toronto, Shaun Marcum won for the first time in four starts, Gregg Zaun hit a two-run homer and Toronto completed its first four-game sweep of Kansas City after a 7-2 win on Monday.

Marcum (5-3) gave up two runs-one earned-and five hits in 7 1/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.64. He struck out six and walked one. The Kansas City native is 3-1 with a 1.09 ERA in seven career games against his hometown team.

(China Daily 05/28/2008 page24)