Sneijder has not been bullied, says Inter coach

© Reuters Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni has hit back at critics who have accused the club of bullying Dutch international playmaker Wesley Sneijder over a contract dispute.

The midfielder has been left out of the side recently and was again absent for Sunday's 1-0 win over Palermo in Serie A, with media reports saying he had been told to accept a pay cut or face being sold.

Stramaccioni, who has won plaudits for reviving third-placed Inter after poor spells under predecessors Rafael Benitez and Claudio Ranieri, said it was stupid to talk of bullying a player who earns as much as Sneijder.

"We should be careful about using the word 'bullying' when an ordinary worker earning 1,000 euros ($1,300) a month might hear it. That's my opinion," the Inter coach told reporters.

"As regards Sneijder I don't think there has been any type of violence, abuse or discrimination."

According to media reports, the Dutchman earns around six million euros a year.

Stramaccioni denied he had been forced by the club to drop Sneijder, saying he alone made the decisions regarding team selection.

"I have the right to choose who I want to play and at the moment I see better players for me to pick," the coach said.

"I'm the Inter coach and I'm in complete harmony with my president (Massimo Moratti). I will make my decisions but let's not talk about bullying please."

Inter's victory on Sunday, achieved with a 74th-minute own goal from Santiago Garcia, lifted them within four points of leaders Juventus.

Iniesta masterclass helps Barca crush Levante

© Reuters Andres Iniesta twice set up Lionel Messi, created a goal for Cesc Fabregas and netted a brilliant effort of his own as La Liga leaders Barcelona extended their near-perfect start with a thumping 4-0 win at Levante on Sunday.

The Spain playmaker's masterful performance at Levante's Ciutat de Valencia stadium helped maintain unbeaten Barca's three-point lead over Atletico Madrid, who earlier crushed nine-man Sevilla 4-0.

Barca's victory, their 12th in 13 matches, put them 11 points clear of third-placed champions Real Madrid after their arch-rivals were upset 1-0 at Real Betis on Saturday.

An almost impeccable performance was crowned when Victor Valdes saved Jose Javier Berkero's late penalty and Barca have 37 points with Atletico on 34 and Real on 26.

Malaga are fourth on 22 points after they thrashed Valencia 4-0 on Saturday, level with fifth-placed Betis and two ahead of Levante in sixth.

Messi's 18th and 19th league goals of the campaign put the Argentine World Player of the Year within three of the record for the most goals in a calendar year of 85 set by German Gerd Mueller 40 years ago.

The prolific 25-year-old has scored 70 for his club and 12 for Argentina and is hot favourite to win a fourth straight World Player award when the winner is announced in January.

Atletico, who visit city rivals Real next weekend, strolled to victory at the Calderon after Sevilla's Argentine centre back Federico Fazio was dismissed for tripping Koke in the penalty area in the 20th minute.

Colombia striker Radamel Falcao smashed his spot-kick into the roof of the net before Arda Turan's cross was turned into his own goal by Emir Spahic in the 40th minute and Koke clipped Diego Costa's volleyed centre into the net four minutes later.

Sevilla's Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic was shown a second yellow card and sent off seven minutes from time and Brazilian defender Miranda netted Atletico's fourth from Turkey playmaker Turan's clever set-up in the second minute of added time.

Athletic Bilbao squandered a chance to get their erratic season back on track when they surrendered the lead and were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Deportivo La Coruna.

Oscar de Marcos fired the Basques ahead in the 24th minute and Abel Aguilar headed an equaliser for Depor seven minutes after the break.

Bilbao are 14th on 15 points and Depor climbed out of the relegation places into 17th on 11.

Espanyol stayed firmly rooted to the bottom after they slipped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Getafe, Pedro Leon and Mane scoring for the Madrid-based side in Barcelona.

Determined AC Milan derail champions Juve

© Reuters AC Milan beat Serie A table-toppers Juventus 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a controversial penalty by Robhino after Mauricio Isla was adjudged to have handled the ball.

An unconventional looking front three of Robinho, Stephan El Shaarawy and Kevin Prince Boateng, pushed up from midfield, combined well to inspire's Milan's win.

Juventus found it difficult to deal with Milan's pressing play and went behind just before the half hour mark when the ball appeared to strike Isla's outstretched arm from Antonio Nocerino's header, although replays suggested it hit the Chilean's body.

Robinho stepped up to score, despite keeper Gianluigi Buffon getting both hands to the ball.

The visitors were slow to react, with too many misplaced passes and errors allowing Milan to control the game.

Juve began to turn up the pressure later in the second half, with substitute Sebastian Giovinco, on for Fabio Quagliarella, going close with an overhead kick from Simone Padoin's cross in the 62nd minute, but their lack of physical presence up front made life easier for the Milan back four.

The Italian champions attacked in numbers as the game entered its final stages, but Milan were increasingly happy to defend deep and try to catch Juve on the break.

It was a risky strategy and the home side lived dangerously at times, but worked hard to take all three points, putting a dent in Juve's title challenge and providing a possible platform for Milan to build on in the run up to the winter break.

Inter Milan now have the chance to close the gap on Juventus to just one point if they can win their game at Parma on Monday.

Earlier, Mounir El Hamdaoui came off the bench to score a late equaliser for Fiorentina at Torino, with a 2-2 draw enough to lift the Tuscans up to joint-second in the table.

The hosts took the lead five minutes from the break after Alessio Cerci got himself on the end of a low Danilo D'Ambrosio cross, with Riccardo Meggiorini's dummy fooling the Fiorentina defence.

Fiorentina came alive in the second half, but with talisman Stevan Jovetic still out injured and Luca Toni in the treatment room following a nasty collision with defender Kamil Glik, Torino were able to weather the storm.

The visitors drew level from the penalty spot in the 75th minute after D'Ambrosio upended Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, with Gonzalo Rodriguez converting.

However, just a minute later Torino were back in front, Valter Birsa's cross shot tricking everyone and ending up in the net.

Former Ajax striker El Hamdaoui equalised with pretty much his first touch of the game, turning and shooting in one movement, hitting an angled shot past Jean-Francois Gillet.

"It was a good game, very open. Both teams gave it a go and deserved to win. On balance it was the right result," Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella told RAI television.

"I was a little happier in the second half than the first. We reacted with a maturity, with personality and quality." Asked about the injured Toni, Montella replied: "He's still under observation, but I don't think there will be any problems."

Elsewhere, Mattia Destro scored only his second goal for AS Roma since arriving from Genoa during the close season, helping the Giallorossi to a 1-0 victory at Pescara, a win that takes the capital club up to joint-fifth in the table.

The big shock of the day was Genoa's 1-0 win at Atalanta thanks to Andrea Bertolacci's first-half goal for the lowly visitors. Fellow strugglers Siena drew 0-0 at Chievo.

Sampdoria continued their revival following victory in the Genoa derby last weekend with a useful 1-0 win at home to Bologna, Andrea Poli netting the winner.

Cagliari host Napoli in the other Monday game, with Lazio at home to Udinese on Tuesday.

Palermo see off local rivals Catania in style

© Reuters Palermo's Fabrizio Miccoli scored his 100th Serie A goal and Josip Ilicic netted twice in a 3-1 win over in-form Sicilian rivals Catania who got a late consolation goal from Franceso Lodi but missed the chance to go sixth.

Palermo, who moved away from the relegation zone and up to 14th place with 14 points from 14 games, took the lead in the ninth minute after enjoying the better of the opening exchanges.

Catania's Nicolas Spolli slipped while trying to cut out an Ezequiel Munoz cross, wrong-footing veteran defender Nicola Legrottaglie in the process and allowing Miccoli space and time to place his shot into the net from the edge of the box.

The home side looked confident, pressing the disjointed visitors and coming close to a second goal when Franco Brienza ran into the area, shrugged off two defenders and struck a powerful shot against the bar.

Catania, who remain seventh with 19 points, had their moments, notably a Sergio Almiron effort from distance and a wonderful curled Lodi free kick just before the break, but struggled to get any grip on the match.

Ilicic made it 2-0 in the 48th minute, after Brienza found the Slovenian courtesy of some loose Catania defending, scoring with a right-foot shot from just inside the area.

On the hour mark, with Catania again caught napping on the break, Ilicic ran from the halfway line, beat the sluggish Lodi and hit an angled drive past the unfortunate Mariano Andujar in the visitors' goal.

Lodi's powerful 70th-minute free kick gave Catania some hope but the hosts responded and nearly got a fourth goal when Spolli cleared Michel Morganella's close-range effort off the line.

Ireland thrash Argentina to secure W.Cup seeding

© Reuters Ireland scored seven tries in a 46-24 demolition of Argentina on Saturday to ensure they will be seeded when the draw is made for the next rugby World Cup and leave the South Americans waiting to find out if they will join them.

Ireland had to win the match, billed as the most important one either side would likely play this side of the 2015 tournament, to book a place in the second tier of seeds for the Dec. 3 draw and four tries in a blistering first half got them on their way.

Debutant wing Craig Gilroy got a first international try, as did the recently blooded Simon Zebo and Richardt Strauss while Jonathan Sexton and Tommy Bowe got a brace each to maintain Ireland's unbeaten home record against Argentina.

Argentina, who got two late consolation tries, will slip out of the world's top eight and face a potentially tougher World Cup pool draw if Samoa beat France later on Saturday and Wales defeat either New Zealand or Australia this weekend and next.

If the in-form Samoans lose by fewer than 15 points, they will tie with Argentina on 78.71 ranking points, with the higher-placed team determined by the next decimal place.

Argentina, who beat Six Nations champions Wales 26-12 two weeks ago to put them in the better position going into the game, simply had no answer for a rampant Irish side who put five successive defeats behind them in the best possible fashion.

Missing first-team regulars Brian O'Driscoll, Rob Kearney, Paul O'Connell, Stephen Ferris, Sean O'Brien and Rory Best, Declan Kidney gave Ulster's Gilroy a first start and the 21-year-old flyer inspired the hosts to victory.

The winger, who scored a hat trick in a non-cap win over Fiji last week, started his full international career with a bang as he jinked past one Argentine tackler and between another two before touching down and being mobbed by team mates.

Sexton, whose slick inside pass had set Gilroy free, added the conversion and, while Nicolas Sanchez got back three points for the visitors, Ireland were back under the posts within minutes.

Gilroy, not yet an established starter at provincial level with Ulster, was involved again and more free-flowing rugby from the hosts culminated in Sexton exchanging passes with Leinster team mate Gordon D'Arcy before crashing over.

Sanchez was once more gifted a chance to trim the advantage but Ireland, who had managed only two tries in their previous five games, made it three in 20 minutes when Strauss sneaked into the corner for his first try in his second Irish start.

Argentina finally made it deep into Irish territory on the half-hour and were unlucky to come away with just three points but Ireland were at it again from the restart with Munster fullback Zebo joining the list of maiden try scorers.

Sexton missed his second conversion in a row but Sanchez was off target too with a penalty a few minutes later to leave Ireland a comfortable 24-9 in front at the break.

The flyhalves traded penalties in the opening minutes of the second half before the ever-commanding Sexton spotted a gap behind the Argentine back three for Ulster winger Bowe to speed through for his first try of the game.

Sexton's mixed day with the boot continued but he more than made up for it with a second try three minutes later as Ireland finally began to produce the kind of attacking rugby that has seen Leinster dominate the European club game.

The game, the 11th between the sides in 14 years, petered out in the last quarter with the main highlight being Argentina prop Maximiliano Bustos's sin-binning for throwing the ball in Cian Healy's face until Bowe grabbed his 26th try for Ireland.

Replacement Tomas Leonardi and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe grabbed late tries for Argentina whose minds now shift to events in Paris and Cardiff later on Saturday.

Infiniti become Red Bull title sponsor

© Reuters Nissan's premium car brand Infiniti will become title sponsor of Formula One world champions Red Bull next season under a new four-year deal, both parties announced on Sunday.

The team, winners of the constructors' title for the past three years, have had a partnership with Infiniti since March 2011.

"As part of the expanded partnership, Infiniti's involvement with the team will evolve from being purely commercial to a relationship that is more technologically focused," said Red Bull in a statement at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

The team's Renault engines will not be renamed, however.

Benat leads Betis to 1-0 win over Real Madrid

© Reuters Benat Etxebarria gave Real Betis a surprise 1-0 win over Real Madrid in Seville on Saturday to leave the champions eight points behind leaders Barcelona having played a game more.

Spain midfielder Benat pounced on an error to score after 17 minutes and Jose Mourinho's team ran out of steam and ideas as they chased the game in the second half.

Real Madrid stayed third with 26 points, five behind second-placed Atletico Madrid who host Sevilla on Sunday.

Unbeaten leaders Barca can open an 11-point gap over their arch-rivals with a win at sixth-placed Levante, also on Sunday.

Betis climbed to fifth with 22 points, behind Malaga on goal difference after the Costa del Sol side returned to winning ways with a 4-0 rout at home to a desperately poor Valencia.

Francisco Portillo, Javier Saviola, Roque Santa Cruz and Isco were all on target as Manuel Pellegrini's side notched their first win in November.

Betis, stung by a humiliating 5-1 rout at Sevilla in the city derby last weekend, looked to make amends in front of their fans with a high-tempo start against Real.

Betis pressured the visitors and took the lead when Alvaro Arbeloa's miscued clearance reached Benat who skipped past Sami Khedira and fired a low shot past Iker Casillas from the edge of the area.

Madrid were making little headway, and Jose Mourinho gambled with a double change at the break, throwing on Luka Modric and Kaka in place of midfield duo Mesut Ozil and Khedira.

Karim Benzema had an effort unfairly ruled out for offside, but after a strong start to the second half Real wilted and Betis always looked dangerous on the counter.

SQUANDERED CHANCES

Malaga laboured to make the most of Portillo's superb eighth-minute curler against Valencia with a bumpy pitch at the Rosaleda doing little to help their cause.

They squandered a host of chances before Argentine Saviola struck a deflected second in the 74th minute, and Paraguayan substitute Santa Cruz followed up soon after. Midfielder Isco fired in a long-range fourth at the end.

Valencia, who are 10th with 18 points, and Malaga qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League during the week, but the former's exertions appeared to have taken a heavier toll.

Mauricio Pellegrino's side battled back with 10 men to draw 1-1 at home to Bayern Munich and were missing suspended top scorer Roberto Soldado.

They were kept in the game by goalkeeper Diego Alves until the last 15 minutes, when a second yellow card for defender Adil Rami contributed to their late collapse.

Earlier, exciting young Brazilian forward Leo Baptistao was the difference as Rayo Vallecano ran out 2-0 winners over plummeting Real Mallorca, with both goals coming in the last three minutes.

The 20-year-old broke the deadlock with a fierce low drive from outside the area, and then dribbled past two players to set up Andrija Delibasic for a tap in at the end.

A thumping shot from Manucho just past the hour mark earned Valladolid a 1-0 win over Granada.

Kenyan athletes arrived in London too late, Keino says

© Reuters Kenya's athletes had a disappointing Olympics because some of them arrived in London too late, the African nation's double gold medallist and former 5,000 metres world record holder Kip Keino said on Saturday.

Seen as one of the trailblazers for Kenyan athletics and still closely involved with its development, the 72-year-old Keino said the country's haul of two golds compared with the 12 targeted was also due to runners racing too many events in the run-up to the Games.

Lessons should be learned and the same mistakes avoided in the future, added Keino, who won 1,500 metres gold in Mexico City in 1968 and the 3,000 metres steeplechase title in Munich four years later.

"When we had the trials we selected the best team," Keino, a Nandi tribesman whose full name is Hezekiah Kipchoge Keino, said at a news conference at the IAAF centenary celebrations in Barcelona.

"The athletes should have come to London at least 10 days before the Games and many only got in three of four days before," he added.

"The body has to adjust and acclimatise and the timing was not the right timing.

"When it comes to the Olympics you should not be competing in other events.

"Their performances were not at the level they did before the Games and this is a lesson for the runners, the federation, the coaches and the agents."

While David Rudisha's gold and world record in the 800 metres was the highlight of the Games for many, Kenya fell well short of the 36 medals overall they were targeting.

Men's marathon favourite Wilson Kiprotich could only manage bronze, while on the women's side Vivian Cheruiyot failed in her bid to match the 5,000-10,000 metres double she achieved at last year's world championships, finishing second in the 5,000 and third in the 10,000.

Ezekiel Kemboi won gold in the men's steeplechase.

The East African nation enjoyed its best showing at an Olympics four years ago in Beijing with all of their 16 medals coming on the track, six of them gold.

HEADS TOGETHER

Keino said athletes should cut the number of meetings they competed in during an Olympic year and training methods needed to be overhauled.

"We need to put our heads together with Athletics Kenya and plan for future events," he said.

"We have a lot of talent. Let us forget about London, let us think about the next four years.

"If we sit together with those people we will be able to improve. Some of it is scientific training, some of it is mental training. Those are the most important in the world today.

"We have to work hard all the time and think for yourself and also for your country."

Maze amazes with second giant slalom win in Aspen

© Reuters Tina Maze broke clear in the women's alpine skiing World Cup with her second giant slalom victory of the fledgling season in Aspen on Saturday.

The discipline's world champion outclassed her rivals in a combined time of one minute and 59.39 seconds to take a commanding lead in the World Cup overall standings with 250 points from three races.

As in Soelden, the Slovenian again beat Austria's Kathrin Zettel, this time by 0.90 seconds while Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg was third, 1.54 adrift.

All eyes at the finish were on local favourite Lindsey Vonn, who had left her fans guessing whether she would be competing after being hospitalised last week with a stomach bug.

Vonn, who was yet to score points this season, finished a lowly 21st but at least crossed the line.

"Wow that was tough! Had a really hard time at the bottom of the course...just didn't have the energy I needed," the overall World Cup holder tweeted between the runs.

She is not entering Sunday's slalom on the same piste.

Vonn had been hoping to enter the men's downhill held in the same time in Lake Louise, Alberta, a plea rejected by the International Ski Federation.

Bayern crush Hanover 5-0, Dortmund up to second

© Reuters Striker Mario Gomez was on target in his first league appearance since surgery in August as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich crushed Hanover 96 5-0 and extended their advantage at the top to nine points.

Superb first-half goals from Javi Martinez and Toni Kroos and another from Frenchman Franck Ribery gave the hosts a 3-0 lead at the break.

Defender Dante headed in another on the hour and Gomez slipped past one defender to slot in seconds after coming on for his first league appearance this season after missing the first three months recovering from an ankle operation.

The show of force lifted Bayern to 34 points from 13 games with champions Borussia Dortmund, their opponents in seven days time, leapfrogging into second place nine points behind with a 2-1 win at Mainz 05 - their third straight win in the league.

Schalke 04 dropped to third on 24 after drawing 1-1 with visiting Eintracht Frankfurt, who are fourth on goal difference. Frankfurt ended the game with 10 men after the sending off of Karim Matmour with a second booking.

Having drawn their last two games in the league and the Champions League Bayern were eager to show they are in complete control of their season ahead of the derby with Dortmund next week.

Spaniard Martinez's fine bicycle kick - his first goal for the Bavarians since joining in the close season for 40 million euros, gave the hosts a fourth-minute lead.

Kroos' spectacular 24th-minute volley from a Philipp Lahm pass from the edge of the box made it 2-0 before Franck Ribery added another before the break.

Bayern were in no mood to let off and Dante headed in their fourth goal in a one-sided encounter. Gomez was brought on in the 66th minute for Bundesliga top scorer Mario Mandzukic and showed he meant business a minute later, slotting in from the left.

Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with Klaus Allofs facing the team where he worked as sports director for 13 years before joining Wolfsburg last week.

In a bad-tempered Bavarian derby, Nuremberg and Greuther Fuerth drew 0-0 but both had a player sent off. Nuremberg's Markus Feulner got a straight red card for a wild first-half tackle and Sercan Sararer was sent off with a second booking on the hour.

Running great Snell feels snubbed by New Zealand

© Reuters Former Olympic champion Peter Snell has hit out at his native New Zealand for not taking better advantage of his expertise after he ended his stellar career.

One of a host of great New Zealand middle distance runners such as Jack Lovelock, John Walker and Murray Halberg, Snell won the Olympic 800 metres title in Rome in 1960 and followed up with a stunning double of 800 and 1,500 metres golds in Tokyo four years later.

He set several world records before his retirement in 1965, eventually moving to the United States where he earned a PhD in exercise physiology before settling in Dallas, Texas.

Speaking at a news conference at the IAAF centenary celebrations in Barcelona, Snell, who will be 74 next month and was voted New Zealand's athlete of the century in 2000, was asked why he ended up settling in the U.S. after initially moving there to study.

"I was originally going to do an undergraduate degree and go back to New Zealand and be a fitness consultant," he said.

"Then I got turned on to research and after seven years New Zealand wasn't interested but the U.S. was and I got offered a post-graduate fellowship in Dallas, got married to a Texan and that was it.

"As far as New Zealand was concerned when they made me their athlete of the 20th century they said well why is he in the U.S.?

"I said well no one seemed interested in having my talents in New Zealand."

Snell, who drew massive crowds when he raced at home, said he was not the only successful sporting figure from New Zealand to be neglected at home.

Yachtsman Russel Coutts had been through a similar experience when he left to lead Switzerland's Alinghi to America's Cup glory by beating Team New Zealand in 2003, he added.

"New Zealand is weird in that respect," Snell said.

"They admire the results but they don't want to help you out professionally, they do it all the time.

"They did it to Russell Coutts, who then went to Switzerland and took the Cup away. I loved that."

GLORY YEARS

New Zealand suffered a slump in distance running after the glory years of Snell and Walker and Snell said changes in coaching trends had contributed.

"I think New Zealand runners got away from the coaching methods that had proved successful," he said.

"The methods of my coach (Arthur Lydiard) were controversial, distance running for middle-distance runners, and I think some of the runners coming up felt it was old-fashioned.

"They weren't looking at the times apparently. I'm absolutely sure that was the main reason."

He went on to reminisce about one of the greatest moments in his career, overhauling Belgian Roger Moens to win 800 metres gold in Rome in 1960 at the age of 21.

"I've spent quite a bit of time with Roger since and he didn't consider me a serious threat which I think was the problem," Snell said.

"His mistake was running wide and he left room for me to come on the inside," he added.

"The advantage I had in Rome was that I was a success just by making the final.

"A medal would have been fantastic and of course it ended up being gold, fantastic."

Flawless Cruden helps All Blacks overwhelm Wales

© Reuters World champions New Zealand overwhelmed Wales 33-10 in the third international of their November tour on Saturday with replacement flyhalf Aaron Cruden giving an immaculate display of place kicking.

Cruden, a late substitute for Dan Carter who withdrew on Friday with a leg injury, kicked four penalties and three conversions to leave the Millennium stadium with a 100 percent record.

The win extended the All Blacks' unbeaten record to 20 while Wales, who completed a third Six Nations grand slam in seven years last March, have now lost their last six games in a row.

Saturday's match was effectively over at halftime when the All Blacks led 23-0 although Wales, after slumping to defeats by Argentina and Samoa in their opening two November tests, at least showed some fight in the second half with two tries to New Zealand's one.

Flyhalf Rhys Priestland, one of several Welsh players who have failed to recapture the form they showed at the last Six Nations championship, tested the New Zealand defence against the high ball with his first kick of the game, hoisting a punt which left wing Julian Savea spilled forward.

From the resulting scrum Wales won a penalty within kickable distance but surprisingly decided to kick for touch. New Zealand cleared and Wales spurned another penalty within range which Priestland unforgivably wasted by kicking the ball dead.

The All Blacks regrouped, surged into Welsh territory and Cruden kicked his first penalty of the match in the ninth minute. Two more equally composed efforts followed in the next 15 minutes to put New Zealand 9-0 ahead.

Messam's try in the 25th came from a couple of sublime touches by Savea, who more than atoned for his early mistake.

Savea leaped high in an attempt to grasp another Priestland up-and-under and tipped the ball back to Israel Dagg.

The fullback cut through the Welsh defence and hurled a low, fast pass back to Savea who stooped to snap up the ball safely and hurtled towards the corner.

When the move broke down the ball was quickly recycled right with Messam in the clear to saunter over the line.

REPLICA TRY

A promising move by the Welsh, with centre Jonathan Davies combining with left wing Liam Williams to scythe through the All Blacks' defence, came to nothing.

Prop Paul James knocked on the simplest of catches but Wales had already won a penalty which Priestland promptly squandered by kicking the ball dead for a second time.

On the stroke of halftime, New Zealand scored a second well-constructed try with a replica of the move which gave them their only try of last year's World Cup final.

Sam Whitelock soared high in the lineout and prop Tony Woodcock, as he had in the one-point win over the French at Auckland's Eden Park, thundered through a gap to score.

New Zealand went straight back on the attack in the second half with Cruden kicking his fourth penalty in the 41st and lock Luke Romano scoring his first international try seven minutes later when he powered through an attempted tackle by right wing Alex Cuthbert.

Wales gave their supporters something to cheer at last when they won their lineout on the New Zealand line and the entire Welsh XV joined the shove which sent replacement centre Scott Williams over the line for a try. Cuthbert scored a second four minutes from time in the right hand corner.

Williams had taken over from the injured Jamie Roberts in a bleak period for the Welsh in the first half during which they also lost lock Bradley Davies and prop Aaron Jarvis, who was taken off on a stretcher, to injuries.

Davies had collapsed on the ground after a stiff arm tackle to the neck from All Blacks' hooker Andrew Hore in the opening exchanges which incensed the crowd but appeared to go unnoticed by South African referee Craig Joubert or his assistants.

Joubert did, though, send Corey Jane to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on by the New Zealand right wing midway through the second half.

Robshaw facing fresh criticism over decision-making

© Reuters England captain Chris Robshaw's decision-making came under scrutiny for the second week running on Saturday as England were edged out 16-15 by South Africa at Twickenham.

Debate will rage over a key moment with two minutes remaining when, with England trailing by four points, Robshaw told Owen Farrell to kick a penalty rather than bang the ball in the corner and chase a match-winning try.

The 80,000 crowd voiced their opinion with almost universal booing and although Farrell's kick was successful it left South Africa still holding a slim advantage which they held after the restart to hand England another loss.

Robshaw was criticised last weekend for not going for goal enough in the defeat by Australia.

"Unfortunately it was probably the wrong call," Robshaw told BBC Sport. "You have to judge every game as it comes and get a feel for it. That falls on my head. At the end of the day, I have to make those decisions."

It certainly underlined the old adage that rugby tests are won by good decisions made at crucial times but England head coach Stuart Lancaster resisted the temptation to question his skipper publicly.

"There are lots of decisions that get made in a game," Lancaster told reporters. "I won't start commenting on one individual decision after the game, especially not in a press conference. We'll wait for the emotion to go out."

But Lancaster was clearly surprised, adding his team "could've and should've won."

FORTUNATE TRY

The Springboks held off the fast finishing hosts at a rain-drenched Twickenham with a fortunate try by powerhouse flanker Willem Alberts just after halftime ultimately proving the difference in a match dominated by penalties.

England had built good momentum with a plenty of possession in the final quarter, although their inability to break South Africa open and turn opportunities into tries cost them.

South Africa's captain Jean de Villiers said he felt some sympathy for his opposite number, saying Robshaw had found himself in a no-win situation.

"Had they (England) caught that ball from the kick off, they could've come into our area and got a penalty," he said.

Robshaw may be facing another week of scrutiny ahead of the visit by world champions New Zealand but Lancaster remained defiant in defeat, offering up a side of England that will please the fans who question the heart of the team after the 2011 World Cup debacle.

"You can't question the character of this England team at the moment," Lancaster said.

"You might have been able to in the past but you can't now....the players deserve credit for that."

Malaga bury desperate Valencia 4-0 to climb to fourth

© Reuters Malaga returned to winning ways as they saw off a desperately poor Valencia 4-0 at home to climb to fourth in La Liga on Saturday.

Francisco Portillo, Javier Saviola, Roque Santa Cruz and Isco were all on target as Manuel Pellegrini's side notched their first win in November.

They laboured to make the most of Portillo's superb eighth-minute curler, however, with a bumpy pitch at the Rosaleda doing little to help their cause.

Malaga squandering a host of chances before Argentine Saviola struck a deflected second in the 74th minute, and Paraguayan substitute Santa Cruz followed up soon after. Isco fired in a long-range fourth at the end.

Malaga moved on to 22 points from 13 games, four behind champions Real Madrid in third, who were playing at Real Betis later on Saturday. Valencia were tenth with 18 points.

Both Valencia and Malaga had qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League during the week, but Valencia's exertions appeared to have taken a heavier toll.

Malaga rested a number of key figures for their 2-2 draw away at Zenit St Petersburg, while Mauricio Pellegrino's side battled back with 10 men to draw 1-1 at home to Bayern Munich.

Valencia also missed suspended top scorer Roberto Soldado, but were kept in the game by goalkeeper Diego Alves until the last 15 minutes, when a second yellow card for defender Adil Rami contributed to their late collapse.

Earlier, exciting young Brazilian forward Leo Baptistao was the difference as Rayo Vallecano ran out 2-0 winners over plummeting Real Mallorca, scoring both goals in the last three minutes.

The 20-year-old, who had already had a header ruled out for offside, broke the deadlock with a fierce low drive from outside the area, and then dribbled past two players to set up Andrija Delibasic for a tap in at the end.

A thumping shot from Manucho earned Valladolid a 1-0 win over Granada.

Chelsea challenge too great to turn down-Benitez

© Reuters Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez said the challenge of trying to win five trophies this season was too great an opportunity to turn down as he returned to the Premier League on Thursday.

The 52-year-old Spaniard, who left Liverpool at the end of the 2009-10 season and has replaced Roberto Di Matteo at Stamford Bridge, told a packed news conference he was unconcerned about any notion of a short-team deal at the west London club.

"I don't care about the short term, we have five trophies to fight for," Benitez said after being photographed on the podium with Chelsea's blue shirt, a slightly surreal sight as he was so associated with Liverpool's red one in England.

"The only thing that matters is that you win matches and then you can win trophies and then we will see what happens. In football, and in life, you never know what may happen."

As well as the Premier League, the European champions are still involved in the Champions League - although they face elimination in the group stage.

They are also in the League Cup with their defence of the FA Cup starting in January, a month after they take part in FIFA's Club World Cup in Japan.

Di Matteo was sacked on Wednesday following Chelsea's 3-0 Champions League defeat by Juventus and just six months after taking the team to the title.

MASSIVE GAME

Asked how he felt at being perceived as a stop-gap until Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich attempts to appoint former coach Pep Guardiola, currently on a sabbatical, Benitez said he was not concerned.

"I have a very good relationship with Pep, he is a great man and a great manager, but what will happen in the future you never know. All I know is that we have a massive game at the weekend against Manchester City and five trophies to fight for.

"When you analyse why you go to a club for seven months, when you wait for the right opportunity to come after 18 months, two years, you go to a club that can win matches and win trophies."

Benitez has asked former Chelsea and Liverpool player Boudewijn Zenden to be his assistant at Stamford Bridge.

"He was a great player for me at Liverpool and spent three years here, so he knows the place, and that is very important," said the Spaniard.

Benitez, who took Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005 is Abramovich's ninth appointment since the Russian bought buying the club in 2003 but has yet to meet the owner.

"I met the players, everything was good they were training well. My agent spoke to the owner, so I might meet him later today," said Benitez who will take his first training session on Friday as the team prepare for the home match against English champions Manchester City.

"I know what he wants. He wants to win matches and trophies."


INTENSE RIVALRY

Chelsea made an excellent start to the season but have won only two of their last eight matches, struggling in front of goal, where Fernando Torres, who cost 50.0 million pounds ($79.74 million) when he was signed from Liverpool in January 2011, has consistently failed to reproduce his previous scoring form.

Asked if he could bring Torres back to his old lethal self in front of goal, Benitez just said: "I spoke to him with all the other players today and his attitude was really good."

An intense rivalry that developed between Chelsea and Liverpool when Benitez was at Anfield and many Chelsea fans have expressed their regret at the appointment.

They also reminded anyone reading social media sites that Benitez once said Chelsea was one club he would never manage.

Explaining that comment he said: "We were playing against a top team, Chelsea, in the semi-finals of the Champions League and as the manager of the other team you do everything you can to win the game and give your team an advantage. But now I am here because I want to be here.

Montpellier's Jeunechamp suspended for hitting reporter

© Reuters Montpellier defender Cyril Jeunechamp has been suspended indefinitely after he hit a reporter following a Ligue 1 game last weekend, the French League (LFP) said on Thursday.

"The (disciplinary) commission is investigating the matter and bans Cyril Jeunechamp until further notice as of Friday, Nov. 23 because of the seriousness of his actions," the LFP said in a statement.

After last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Valenciennes, a number of Montpellier players were involved in an argument with a reporter from the L'Equipe newspaper over a story published earlier in the week and Jeunechamp then hit him.

The Ligue 1 champions apologised to the reporter in question and condemned Jeunechamp's behaviour, although the club took no action.

Montpellier sit 14th after 13 games following a disappointing start to their domestic season, and will finish bottom of their Champions League group after registering just one point so far.

Ten Tottenham fans injured in Rome attack

© Reuters Ten supporters of English soccer club Tottenham Hotspur were injured, one of them seriously, during an attack in Rome in the early hours of Thursday ahead of a Europa League match against Serie A side Lazio, police said.

The 10, nine British and one American, were attacked outside a pub near the centre of Rome by dozens of masked men. One suffered injuries to an artery and is in a serious condition.

A local resident who witnessed the violence and called the police said the assailants appeared to have planned the attack.

"The Italians were very organised, with helmets, bats, even balaclavas. There were much fewer of the English," Giuseppe Tamborra said.

"I saw four people lying on the ground, one with his forehead cut open from here to here, probably with a stool taken from the bar."

The attack took place at the Drunken Ship, a popular tourist pub, which was left wrecked by the fight according to photographs published in Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport which showed piles of smashed and overturned bar stools and a pool of blood on the cobblestones outside.

Commenting on their Facebook page the American owners of the bar, located in the central square of Campo dei Fiori, called the incident a "tragedy" and said they would consider claiming damages.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica described the scene as "urban warfare" and said up to 100 Lazio 'Ultras' - hard core fans of the club who are often associated with far-right politics - had attacked the pub.

However, police said that among 15 Italians detained were two fans of AS Roma, Lazio's bitter rivals as the other Serie A team from the Italian capital, who were charged with violence and grievous bodily harm.

"PURE DELINQUENCY"

Lazio issued a statement saying any suggestion that the assailants were Lazio supporters was "totally groundless."

It said the episode was "pure delinquency," that had nothing to do with football and called for those responsible to be punished.

European football's governing body UEFA fined Lazio 40,000 euros ($51,300) last month for racist chanting directed at black players in a match against Tottenham in London in September, and Spurs manager Andre Villas Boas said he feared a repeat at Thursday's game in Rome.

Some Italian media reports said the attack may have been politically motivated, as sizeable sections of Lazio supporters express extreme right-wing sympathies, while many fans of the north London side claim a Jewish identity for the club, some referring to themselves as the "Yid Army".

Hundreds travelled over to see the Europa League match at the Stadio Olimpico, due to start at 1800 GMT on Thursday.

Inside the stadium a group of Lazio supporters chanted "Juden Tottenham, Juden Tottenham" when the game got underway, and unfurled a banner saying "Free Palestine".

Tottenham fan Dave Illesly said he had left the bar shortly before the trouble started but feared further violence at the game later on.

"That is the trouble with football you never know, when you come abroad to foreign countries trouble comes to you," Illesly said. "I'm not really looking forward to it now, bit worried to be honest. I just don't know, I would rather go home."

"I'm going to cover up my Spurs shirt," fellow fan Sean Sill said.

Italy make two forward changes for Australia match

© Reuters Italy coach Jacques Brunel has made two changes to the pack for his team's third and final November rugby international against Australia in Florence on Saturday.

Robert Barbieri returns at openside flanker in place of Simone Favaro with captain Sergio Parisse and Alessandro Zanni completing the back three.

Quintin Geldenhuys comes into the second row in place of Antonio Pavanello to partner Francesco Minto.

Italy defeated Tonga 28-23 in their opening match before losing 42-10 to world champions New Zealand.

Italy: 15-Andrea Masi, 14-Giovambattista Venditti, 13-Tommaso Benvenuti, 12-Alberto Sgarbi, 11-Mirco Bergamasco, 10-Luciano Orquera, 9-Edoardo Gori, 8-Sergio Parisse (captain), 7-Robert Barbieri, 6-Alessandro Zanni, 5-Francesco Minto, 4-Quintin Geldenhuys, 3-Martin Castrogiovanni, 2-Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1-Andrea Lo Cicero.

Replacements: 16-Davide Giazzon, 17-Michele Rizzo, 18-Lorenzo Cittadini, 19-Antonio Pavanello, 20-Simone Favaro, 21- Manoa Vosawai, 22-Tobias Botes, 23-Luke McLean.

Puerto Rican boxing champ Camacho brain dead after shooting

© Reuters Three-time world boxing champion Hector "Macho" Camacho is brain dead following a drive-by shooting in Puerto Rico, a doctor said on Thursday.

Camacho, 50, whose speed and flamboyance made him a top attraction in the 1980s and 1990s, is in a coma and unresponsive, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, director of the Rio Piedras Medical Center.

Camacho "is clinically brain dead," Torres told reporters. "The tests showed a flat line, without any type of activity."

Doctors will meet with his mother, Maria Matias, and other relatives on Friday to discuss options, Torres said. They include removing him from life support and organ donation.

Two gunmen opened fire on Camacho and a friend, Adrian Mojica Moreno, 49, late on Tuesday as they sat in a car outside a liquor store in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon, Camacho's birthplace.

Camacho was hit in the jaw and the bullet fractured two vertebrae and lodged in his shoulder. Torres said the bullet damaged three of the four arteries that carried blood to the brain.

A police spokeswoman said Mojica Moreno was killed and the gunmen fled in a vehicle. Officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the driver's pockets and one open in the car.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, she said.

Ismael Leandry, Camacho's former manager, called him "a great friend and a great boss." He blamed a crime wave sweeping Puerto Rico for the shooting.

Camacho "took a ride with a friend who apparently had some problems in the street and got caught up in the shooting. They were not going after Macho," he said.

WHO'S WHO OF BOXING

Camacho, a left-handed fighter who grew up in New York's tough Spanish Harlem, had a record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts. His three-decade career featured fights with a "who's who" of boxing and a flamboyant style that included entering the ring in an outfit based on the Puerto Rican flag.

Camacho won the World Boxing Council's (WBC) vacant junior lightweight title by beating Rafael Limon in 1983. He then moved up to the lightweight division and took the WBC crown in 1985 by defeating Jose Luis Ramirez in Las Vegas.

Both the WBC titles were vacated after Camacho won them.

Camacho beat Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini to take the vacant World Boxing Organization's light welterweight title in 1989. He is one of a handful of boxers to win championships in three weight classes, and the first to win in seven divisions.

Camacho lost the title to Greg Haugen in February 1991, then regained it in a rematch two months later. The title was vacated in 1992.

Camacho beat "Sugar" Ray Leonard in 1997 and twice defeated Roberto "Fists of Stone" Duran. His last world title fight was in 1997 and his last fight came in 2010.

Camacho battled drug and alcohol problems during his career. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2007 for the burglary of a Mississippi computer store. During the arrest, he was found to be in possession of the drug ecstasy.

All but one year of the sentence was suspended and he was given probation. He violated probation, however, and served two weeks in jail.

Referee Clattenburg cleared of racism charge

© Reuters English referee Mark Clattenburg will not face any disciplinary action following a complaint by European champions Chelsea that he used racist language towards a player, the Football Association said on Thursday.

Chelsea lodged a complaint with the FA over language allegedly directed at their Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel by Clattenburg during the home Premier League defeat by Manchester United on Oct. 28.

"The FA has concluded its investigation into alleged misconduct by Mark Clattenburg during the match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC on Sunday 28 October 2012. No disciplinary action will follow against Mr Clattenburg," an FA statement said.

However, in a separate statement the FA said Mikel had been charged for breaching its rules.

"It is alleged that in or around the match officials' changing room at the end of the fixture, Mikel used threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour," the FA said. "The player has until Friday 30 November 2012 to respond to the charge."

The FA said the evidence for the accusation against Clattenburg had come from Mikel's Brazilian team mate Ramires.

"The details of the allegation were that following one or the other of the red cards issued during the second half of the game, Ramires heard Mark Clattenburg say to John Obi Mikel, "shut up you monkey". John Obi Mikel did not hear the alleged comment.

"Ramires, whose first language is not English, explained that his instinctive reaction was to seek confirmation from John Obi Mikel as to what the referee had said.

"John Obi Mikel, who was being spoken to by the referee, was much closer to the referee than Ramires and did not hear what it is suggested was said to him.

"Three other witnesses, i.e. the other match officials, to whom everything said by referee was relayed via their communication equipment, are adamant the alleged words were not uttered.

"There is nothing in the video footage to support the allegation."

In a statement, Clattenburg, 37, said he was looking forward to putting the incident behind him and concentrating on his refereeing.

"To know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening," he said.

"Racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse. However, there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved."

This month London Metropolitan Police dropped an investigation into a complaint about Clattenburg made by the Society of Black Lawyers following the incident.