IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Sports

Ronaldo misses penalty as United draws

BARCELONA, Spain: A rare failure of nerve by Cristiano Ronaldo cost Manchester United the chance of a famous victory but Sir Alex Ferguson's side still emerged as favorite to reach the Champions League final after a goalless draw with Barcelona in their semifinal first leg clash here on Wednesday.

Bryant shines as Lakers beat Nuggets

LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant poured in 49 points to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 122-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal on Thursday.

Red Devils set to seal title victory

LONDON: Manchester United will all but retain its Premier League title on Saturday if it becomes the first English side to win at Stamford Bridge for four years.

O'Malley takes pole at BMW Asian Open

SHANGHAI: Australian veteran Peter O'Malley snatched the first round lead at the BMW Asian Open yesterday as in-form Indian star Jeev Milkha Singh headed the chasing pack at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.

Federer avoids humiliation

MONTE CARLO: Roger Federer narrowly escaped complete humiliation on Wednesday when he came back from 1-5 down in the final set to beat Spanish qualifier Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Sports

Chelsea Riise to occasion at the death

LIVERPOOL, England: Chelsea snatched a Champions League lifeline as Liverpool defender John Arne Riise's last-gasp own goal allowed Avram Grant's side to escape with a 1-1 draw from Tuesday's semifinal first leg.

Paul nets 32 as Hornets sting Mavs to lead 2-0

NEW ORLEANS: Chris Paul collected 32 points and 17 assists as New Orleans rolled over Dallas for the second consecutive game with a 127-103 win in Game 2 of their opening round series on Tuesday.

Sharks salvo extinguishes Flames' playoff hopes

SAN JOSE: The San Jose Sharks scored four second period goals in less than nine minutes to seal a 5-3 home victory over the Calgary Flames in a decisive Game 7 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series on Tuesday.

Ding edges Fu at Worlds

SHEFFIELD, England: China's Ding Junhui overcame an opening session blip to secure his place in the second round of the snooker world championships here on Tuesday as he edged Hong Kong's Marco Fu 10-9.