Mehdi Mahdavikia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 6--Bull-chested Bundesliga winger Mehdi Mahdavikia can lay strong claim to being Iran’s greatest ever player if he helps bring home the Asian Cup this year, reported AFP.
While the dynamic 29-year-old has never lacked personal accolades, he will be desperate finally to land a major trophy--and end Iran’s 31-year wait for a fourth regional title.
A direct and incisive runner with a lethal right foot, Mahdavikia was instrumental in Iran’s march to the 2004 semis and will cause the most jitters among Team Melli’s opponents.
The 2003 Asian Player of the Year will also want to make amends for Iran’s disappointing World Cup, where they earned just one point in three games.
Mahdavikia, recently moved to Eintracht Frankfurt after a distinguished eight-year spell at Hamburg, may get his chance with new coach Amir Ghalenoei’s revamped Iran.
With stalwarts Ali Daei and Yahya Golmohammadi retired, Mahdavikia will make up the experienced core along with fellow Bundesliga men Ali Karimi and Vahid Hashemian, and Bolton’s Andranik Teymourian.
Iran will look to Mahdavikia to provide the spark, as when he orchestrated 2004’s dramatic 4-3 quarterfinal win over South Korea.
Mahdavikia, known as ’der Teppich’ (the carpet) at Hamburg for his magical ability to glide past opponents, Arabian Nights-style, had a hand in three of the goals, adding to his legend among Iran’s fans.
He had already achieved immortality at the 1998 World Cup by getting Iran’s second in the 2-1 victory over the United States, thus sealing the most fabled result in the country’s football history.
Mahdavikia, who started his career with Persepolis FC and was Asia’s young player of the year in 1997, was also twice player of the season at Hamburg where he scored 29 goals in 223 Bundesliga appearances.
Known for his gentlemanly demeanor, the married father-of-one hit the headlines last year when it was revealed he had a second wife--an offence in Germany but not in Iran. He has since called the move a ’big mistake’.

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela, July 6--Argentina wrapped up Group C courtesy of a 1-0 win over Paraguay in Copa America on Thursday, said AFP.
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano scored the crucial goal 12 minutes from the end as Alfio Basile’s men recorded their third consecutive victory in South America’s showpiece tournament.
In the other Group C match Thursday, Colombia claimed its first win of the tournament as Jaime Castrillon headed the only goal of the game to overcome the last place United States 1-0.
Argentina (3-0-0) will now return here Sunday to take on Peru (1-1-1), the Group A runner-up, while Paraguay (2-1-0) faces Group B winner Mexico (2-0-1) in Maturin on the same day.
With both teams already assured of a place in the last eight thanks to victories over Colombia and the United States, both Basile and Gerardo Martin took the opportunity to field much-changed lineups.
Rodrigo Palacio, Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago and West Ham United striker Carlos Tevez came in for Argentina, while keeper Aldo Bobadilla and midfielder Aureliano Torres started for Paraguay.
Mascherano won the game in the 78th minute when he picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and beat Bobadilla with a precise shot.
Dante Lopez had Paraguay’s best chance of the second period but Getafe stopper Abbondanzieri again was equal to the challenge.

Serbian Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Australian Lleyton Hewitt during the 4th round at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in south London on Thursday.

WIMBLEDON, UK, July 6--Lower back pain, tennis shoes without traction and a feisty opponent were no match for Novak Djokovic, according to AP.
The fourth-seeded Serb reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time Thursday, stumbling and tumbling on the grass court before beating 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (5) in the fourth round.
“I did some slipping, sliding, whatever,“ said Djokovic, a French Open semifinalist. “So it was a bit dangerous. I can say that I was supposed to change my shoes ... I’ll take care for next time.“
Djokovic fell to his knees after winning, then got up, took off his shirt and pounded his chest with his fist while looking at his parents, who were hugging and cheering in the players’ box.
“It was one of the best matches in this year’s Wimbledon,“ Djokovic said. “So this win means a lot to me. It’s probably (the) most valuable win I ever had on this surface.“
Djokovic, who saved two set points in the first-set tiebreaker, broke Hewitt when the Australian was serving for the fourth set at 5-4. That led to another tiebreaker. “It’s pretty interesting how many tiebreaks I won in my career and how many I lost,“ said Djokovic, who has won 45 of 61 tiebreakers in his three years on tour. “I have much more success in tiebreaks, which is very encouraging and positive thing for me, considering the fact I’m only 20 years old.“
Djokovic, who was twice treated during the match for a right lower back problem, received a boost on his serve on the first point of the fourth-set tiebreaker when he successfully challenged his forehand being called long.
From that point, he took a 4-0 lead and eventually held three match points at 6-3.

Tim Benjamin

ZAGREB, Croatia, July 6--Britain’s Tim Benjamin came close to a shock win over reigning world indoor 400m champion Alleyne Francique in the Zagreb Grand Prix on Wednesday.
According to BBC, coming into the final turn, Benjamin was a stride-and-a-half down but made up the ground, only for Francique to burst clear and win in 46.29 seconds.
Benjamin came second in 46.57secs, comfortably ahead of American Elison Hurtauld in third.
Fellow Brit Tim Abeyie went one better by winning the 200m in 20.67secs.
Abeyie, who is now training with Colin Jackson’s former coach Malcolm Arnold, held his nerve in the closing stages to hold off Jamaican Christopher Williams (20.69) and Australian Patrick Johnson (20.78).
Jason Gardener started well before fading to third in the 100m, his second run in 48 hours after competing in Athens on Monday.
The European Indoor 60m champion clocked 10.34, behind European bronze medallist Matic Osovnikar (10.19) and American Greg Bolden (10.29).
Another Briton, Ryan Scott, who also ran in Athens, finished fifth in 10.44 in conditions which offered no favours to the sprinters.
Jemma Simpson was fourth in a high-quality women’s 800m, clocking a time of two minutes 02.32seconds.
Slovakia’s Lucia Klocova beat Svetlana Cherkasova and Olympic bronze medallist Jolanda Ceplak to win and maintain her recent impressive form.

NEW YORK, July 6--Eduardo Romero and Vicente Fernandez believe Argentinean golf is only getting better. Romero made timely putts and used his long, straight drives to overcome the more than 1,300 bunkers at Whistling Straits to take a first-round lead after shooting 6-under 66 on Thursday.
Fernandez is three strokes behind after shooting a 69, along with Jon Fiedler and Ron Vlosich. Half the field of 156 did not finish the first round after thunderstorms followed a brisk wind in the afternoon and suspended play. Loren Roberts, Bruce Vaughan and Jim Woodward were all 3-under par with several holes left in their first rounds, said AFP.
The 78 players who didn’t finish the round were to resume at 7 a.m. CDT on Friday.
Romero used his own money to sponsor Angel Cabrera, last month’s US Open winner, when Cabrera was trying to make it on the European Tour.
Cabrera, in turn, gave Romero some advice after winning at Oakmont.
“He said to me, ’If you go there, try to win the tournament, because two US Opens in one month is fantastic,’“ Romero said. “And I said, ’Angel, I know it’s hard, but I’ll try my best.’“
Romero said he knows he has a long way to go despite shooting the fourth-best opening round in US Senior history by hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He also sank a 50-foot eagle on No. 16.
“The opening round is very good and probably Angel Cabrera (is) trying to celebrate, but three more rounds to go, you don’t know what happens--especially in this golf course, especially in the US Senior Open, because there are a lot of good players behind me,“ Romero said. “I have to be very careful, you know?“
Cabrera was just a 10-year-old caddie when Romero’s father, a club pro in Argentina, proclaimed the boy had the potential to become a pro player. Fernandez thinks many more will follow.
“We have about 50 youngsters playing worldwide on different tours,“ said Fernandez, the only other Argentine in the tournament. “Argentinean boys are doing very well on every tour. They’re winning everywhere. So I’m not surprised.“