Peter Velappan (r) general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), displays Iran's name during the final draw for the 2007 Asian Cup football tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday. Looking on are (l to r) former Asian soccer players, Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata, South Korea's Kim Joo-Sung, Iran's Khodadad Azizi, and Australia's soccer player David Carney. (Reuters Photo)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia,
Dec. 20--The draw for the AFC Asian Cup 2007 Finals has been made and traditional powerhouse Japan have been slotted in a tricky Group B with Qatar, UAE and Vietnam while top seeds Australia face the difficult task of overcoming Iraq, Oman and Thailand in Group A.
According to the-afc.com, three-time winners Iran have been paired with last edition’s runners-up China, Uzbekistan and Malaysia in Group C. In Group D are Saudi Arabia, Korea Republic, Bahrain and Indonesia.
The four hosts were the first ones to come out of the pot with Thailand, picked out by Malaysian superstar Mawi and settled into Group A, setting in motion the proceedings for the glitzy evening which was replete with entertainment. Vietnam went to Group B, followed by Malaysia in Group C and Indonesia in Group D.
The AFC Asian Cup 2007 Organizing Committee had decided before the draw to avoid slotting Saudi Arabia, three-time winners in 1984, 1988 and 1996, in the Thailand group due to diplomatic reasons. And, this also precluded the possibility of Saudi Arabia being placed in the Vietnam-based pool as the runners-up here are scheduled to play their quarterfinal match in Bangkok.
So it was inevitable that the Saudis would have to be placed in either the Malaysia or Indonesia groups and thanks to a special draw by AFC General Secretary Dato Peter Velappan, the West Asians were sent to Group D, which will be based in Jakarta, and were later joined by Bahrain and two-time champions Korea Republic.
The AFC’s biggest competition kicks off on July 7, 2007, in Bangkok with Thailand taking on Iraq in Group A.
Australia, who topped their qualifying group easily in their maiden AFC Asian Cup, open their campaign against Oman on July 8 in the Thai capital while Japan get underway their title defense and hunt for a treble the next day in Hanoi against Qatar, whose u-23 team won the Doha Asian Games gold medal recently.
Iran, seeded second, will be up against Uzbekistan on July 11 in Kuala Lumpur while Korea Republic play Saudi Arabia the same day in a mouth-watering clash in Jakarta.
The top-two teams from each group qualify for the quarterfinals which are scheduled for July 21 and 22. The semifinals will take place on July 25 while the Final will be held in Jakarta on July 29.

NEW YORK, Dec. 20--The Phoenix Suns set a franchise record with their 15th straight win on Tuesday, a crushing 115-98 home defeat of the Toronto Raptors.
According to Reuters, Amare Stoudemire played just 28 minutes after the Suns established a huge lead but still managed to score 28 points and 10 rebounds as Phoenix extended the NBA’s longest winning streak in seven seasons.
Phoenix broke the franchise record for consecutive wins set from Dec. 1-30, 1992 and the current streak is the longest overall since the Los Angeles Lakers won 19 in a row from Feb. 4-March 13, 2000.
The Suns (18-6) have not loss since an overtime defeat in Utah on Nov. 18 and were never in danger on Tuesday, taking a 27-point lead at one point in the third quarter before resting their regulars.
Six Phoenix players were in double-figures in scoring, as Steve Nash had 10 points and 15 assists in three quarters, Shawn Marion added 17 points, Leandro Barbosa 14, Raja Bell 13 and Boris Diaw had 12.
Stoudemire played perhaps his strongest game since returning from knee surgery last season, when he played just three times.
He was 11-for-14 from the field and made all six of his free throws as Phoenix shot 51 percent.
T.J. Ford led the Raptors (10-15) with 19 points and nine assists, but Toronto shot just 40 percent.
Rookie Andrea Bargnani had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors.
In Chicago, Luol Deng scored 23 points and had 12 rebounds as the Bulls beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-89. Kobe Bryant added 19 points for the Lakers.

Marcelo Zalayeta from Uruguay (r) challenges Bologna's Nicola Mingazzini for the ball during the Italian second division soccer league match between Bologna and Juventus at Bologna's stadium, Italy, Tuesday. (AP Photo)

BOLOGNA, Italy,
Dec. 20--Juventus beat Bologna 1-0 Tuesday with a controversial goal by Marcelo Zalayeta and moved into a four-way tie for the Serie B lead.
In the 73rd minute, Zalayeta stuck his right arm up to control a long cross before banging a shot from the edge of the box off the underside of the crossbar, AP said.
Bologna argued that Zalayeta should have been called for a handball.
It was also unclear if the ball crossed the goal line or not.
Juventus, Bologna, Napoli and Genoa each have 31 points, although Juventus has played one less game than the other leaders.
Napoli beat Brescia 3-1 Tuesday and Genoa won 1-0 at Triestina.
Juventus is undefeated and has the best record in the league but was penalized nine points for its role in the Italian match-fixing scandal.
Bologna also argued it deserved a penalty when Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon took down Massimo Marazzina in the 22nd.
Three minutes earlier, Buffon made a diving save on a free kick by Serie B scoring leader Claudio Bellucci.
A minute of silence was observed before the game for two juventus youth players who drowned in an accident at the club’s training facility on Friday. As they walked out onto the field, Juventus players wore shirts over the their jerseys with the two youth players names-Alessio and Riccardo-on them.

LONDON, Dec. 20--For Roger Federer to do any better next year, he’ll need to win everything.
The world’s top-ranked tennis player had another incredible year in 2006, winning three Grand Slams and the season-ending Masters Cup, reported AP.
The only major title Federer has yet to win-the French Open-is within reach, too. The Swiss star made the final for the first time but lost to defending champion Rafael Nadal.
“To finish (the season) off by winning the Masters Cup, the world championship so to speak, it’s the perfect ending to an incredible season,“ Federer said. “There’s not much more I could have done.“
Federer has been ranked No. 1 since Feb. 2, 2004, and already has enough points to ensure he’ll break Jimmy Connors’ record of 160 consecutive weeks atop the ATP rankings by the end of February. Only two players (Nadal and Andy Murray) beat Federer this year.
He finished the season with 12 titles in 16 finals appearances from his 17 tournaments, winning US$8.34 million.
Nadal also had a stellar year. Beside winning the French Open for the second consecutive year and losing to federer in the Wimbledon final, the 20-year-old Spaniard set a record for consecutive wins on clay. The win over Federer in the Paris final was his 60th in a row, dating to April 2005.

MADRID, Spain,
Dec. 20--Valencia, Spanish champions twice in the last five years, notched up their third consecutive victory with an emphatic 3-1 win over a lackluster Real Mallorca on Tuesday.
According to AFP, goals by Spanish internationals Vicente Rodriguez, David Villa and Fernando Morientes secured the victory for Valencia, although they remain in sixth place.
Villa squandered a great chance top open the scoring midway through the first half when he had a clear view of the Mallorca goal, after a loose ball came to his feet, but he uncharacteristically sent his shot wide.
However, he earned the forgiveness of his team mates after 38 minutes with an outstanding long-range pass which set up Vicente’s left foot effort from just inside the box.
The roles were then reversed for Valencia’s second goal after 56 minutes when Vicente provided the service for Villa to get his eighth goal of the season.
Morientes, who replace Villa on the hour, then rounded off the Valencia victory by heading home Miguel Angel Angulo’s cross eight minutes before the whistle.
The visitors got a late consolation three minutes from time thanks to Jonas Gutierrez penalty, after Raul Albiol had clumsily brought down Victor Casadesus but that couldn’t take the shine away from Valencia.
Mallorca have now lost their last three games and will be looking to recover their form during the 10-day holiday break in the Spanish league if they are to avoid being dragged into relegation trouble.
Athletic Bilbao, who Mallorca visit immediately after the New Year, fought out a dull 0-0 draw with fifth-placed Real Zaragoza.
The best chances for both sides came in the first five minutes when first Zaragoza’s Pablo Aimar and then Athletic’s Ismael Urzaiz both went close.
The Basques remain one place above the relegation zone.
At the other end of the table, Sevilla can ensure they end 2006 on top of the Spanish first division by beating struggling Deportivo La Coruna at home on Wednesday.
Barcelona are second, one point behind Sevilla but with a game in hand, and are looking to bounce back after the disappointment of losing the World Club Cup final to Internacional on Sunday by beating Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid lie third, one point further back and are at home to Recreativo Huelva on Wednesday.
FIFA World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro was honored before the match in Real’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

SYDNEY, Australia, Dec. 20--Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne has set sights on an Ashes whitewash and a 700th test wicket in front of his home crowd at the Melbourne cricket Ground.
Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker bowled Monty Panesar to seal the series-clinching victory in the third test on Monday and he is already looking forward to the fourth match starting on Dec. 26, Reuters said.
“Our execution has been fantastic so far, and we want to keep that going and win the series 5-0,“ Warne said in his column in the Sydney Telegraph.
“England have played pretty well but we just haven’t allowed them into the game. When the knockout blow needed to be done, we delivered.“
Warne said the victory was particularly satisfying following the disappointment of losing the Ashes in England last year. “This has been one of the sweetest victories of my career and the script couldn’t have worked out any better,“ he said. “We have got the Ashes urn back and now I have the chance to take my 700th wicket in front of my home crowd at the MCG on Boxing Day.
“It’s amazing how my career has unfolded. Things just have a funny way of working out.“
Warne is expecting England to battle hard to win at least one of the last two tests led by their captain Andrew Flintoff.
“Flintoff says they have pride to play for, so do we,“ he said. “That’s why we don’t want to lose a test.
“They will bounce back and we expect them to fight.“ The 37-year-old Warne said he did not know if this would be his final Ashes series.
“I am not thinking about that at the moment,“ he said. “I am enjoying my cricket and bowling well enough and we’ll see how it pans out.“

Yang-Yong-eun of Korea tees off during the final round of the HSBC Champions Tournament at the Shesan international Golf Club in Shanghai. (AFP File Photo)

SINGAPORE, Dec. 20--Asian golf came of age this year with success for Asian Tour players around the world and increasing numbers of top name stars attracted by what the region has to offer.
Asia hosted no fewer than nine European-sanctioned events, with the Tour enjoying another season of stellar growth, AFP said.
Tiger Woods again headlined the five-million-dollar HSBC Champions tournament, Asia’s richest event held in China where the golf boom continues apace. Top ranked players such as Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Adam Scott, Colin Montgomerie, Paul Casey and Jim Furyk all came to Asia as the trickle of big names turned into a flood.
Scott won back-to-back titles at the lucrative Singapore Open, outlasting Els in a play-off, while Goosen lifted the Volkswagen Masters trophy.
But the shock of the year was South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun securing his biggest career victory by holding off Woods and a host of big names to clinch the showpiece HSBC Champions.
Other Asians also got in on the act, with Mardan Mamat of Singapore winning the Singapore Masters and Charlie Wi of South Korea taking the Malaysian Open--both European-sanctioned events.
And Asian stalwart Thongchai Jaidee secured a first top-10 in a World golf Championship event at the American Express Championship in Ireland.
The name to emerge in 2006 though was Jeev Milkha Singh, who masterfully compiled four victories across three Tours while securing the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit title.
However, despite being in 319th position on the world ranking and coming off three missed cuts in four weeks heading into April, victory at the Volvo China Open set a magical season in motion.
More than a dozen top-10 finishes in Asia, Japan and Europe followed through the summer and beyond, before a victory at the European Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters truly grabbed the world’s attention.
He broke into the world’s top 50, ending the year at 47.
It was also a year that saw APGA chief executive Louis Martin, who helped shape the current Tour, depart to pursue golf course design opportunities with Els.
Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour, assumed his responsibilities and was buoyed by another successful golfing year.
“They are exciting prospects and have great futures ahead,“ he said.

FRANKFURT, Germany, Dec. 20--Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger scored twice to help Stuttgart reach the quarterfinals of the German Cup with a 4-1 victory over Bochum on Tuesday.
According to AP, Hertha Berlin also advanced, beating third-division Osnabrueck 3-1 behind two goals from Christian Gimenez.
Eintracht Frankfurt needed extra time to beat second-division Cologne 3-1, with Naohiro Takahara and Sotirios Kirgiakos securing Frankfurt’s win after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Nuremberg prevailed over second-division Unterhaching on penalty kicks 2-1 after 120 minutes of goalless soccer.
Mario Gomez and Cacau also scored for Stuttgart, which learned earlier that goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand had declined the club’s offer to extend his contract that runs out at the end of the season.
Tommy Bechmann scored Bochum’s only goal.