Minggu, 13 Juli 2008
Pedrosa Crash in German
A crash suffered whilst leading the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland could have left Dani Pedrosa with a broken finger and fractured ankle.
Whilst some of his MotoGP World Championship rivals will be making a direct journey to Laguna Seca for next weekend´s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, Dani Pedrosa will be making a brief stopover in Barcelona to undergo examination on a suspected broken index finger and ankle injury.
The Repsol Honda rider was leading the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland when he crashed out of the race, taking a big impact as he was flung from his RC212V. The fall dealt a double blow to the Spaniard, who not only conceded the lead in the World Championship but also could be affected by the latest in a string of injuries.
Pedrosa was examined in the Clinica Mobile immediately after the crash, with MotoGP Medical Director Dr. Claudio Macchiagodena giving an initial diagnosis of a fractured left digit. Further examination at the Clinica Dexeus in Pedrosa´s home city will reveal the full extent of the damage caused by the Sunday afternoon spill, the cause of which he was at a loss to explain.
`It was a little strange. I had only just touched the brake and I crashed. It was a real pity because I´d got a great start and was going well. I had a good feeling. The front felt perfect, the rear was sliding just a little, but the general feeling was good considering the track conditions. It is a real pity, ´ said the rider himself.
Finger fractures are notoriously fickle for riders, as their effects can vary wildly depending on the exact location of the break and how this corresponds to the demands of gripping and operating levers. With this in mind, Pedrosa´s participation in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix could be in
Riise AS Roma
AS Roma have announced the signing of Norwegian left-back John Arne Riise from Liverpool FC for a fee of €5m, which could rise to €5.75m with appearances.
Unhappy legacy
The 27-year-old, who has scored eight goals in 71 games for Norway, leaves Liverpool after seven seasons. Last term he played 22 games in the Premier League and scored an unfortunate added-time own goal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Chelsea FC as Liverpool were defeated 4-3 on aggregate. In total, he scored 21 goals in 234 league games for the Anfield side, whom he joined in 2001 after spells with Aalesunds FK and AS Monaco FC. Roma will compete in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage after finishing second in Serie A.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is not expecting to return for Manchester United FC until early October, ruling him out of the start of their UEFA Champions League group stage campaign.
Twelve-week absence
The Portuguese winger underwent ankle surgery in Amsterdam on Monday, and the English and European champions will assess his state at the start of August. However, the 23-year-old is quoted on United's official website as saying: "It's confirmed I'll be out of action for up to 12 weeks but recovery is going well. I must focus on my recovery. I'll be training with a ball in two months." Ronaldo, who moved from Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2003 and scored in United's UEFA Champions League final defeat of Chelsea FC in May, could miss the first two group stage games if his prognosis is correct, as well as the UEFA Super Cup against FC Zenit St. Petersburg in Monaco on 29 August and Premier League fixtures against the likes of Liverpool FC and Chelsea.
Rossi Runer Up in German
Jeremy Burgess and Valentino Rossi spoke to motogp.com after the Italian rider regained the advantage in the MotoGP title race in Germany.
Crew Chief to Valentino Rossi in the Fiat Yamaha team, Jeremy Burgess was understandably a happy man at the conclusion of the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland weekend.
Rossi took the runner-up spot in the German MotoGP contest in the rain on Sunday and moved back to the top of the championship, after Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the lead on lap six.
The result saw Rossi back at the top of the standings, 16 points clear of Pedrosa and 20 ahead of race winner Casey Stoner, much to the satisfaction Burgess who commented, `The bonus of the extra points is obviously of some benefit to us and hopefully we can carry that advantage through to the end, but Casey is riding very well too, so we will have to wait and see.´
Asked whether the team had been concerned by Pedrosa´s lightning fast start, before the Catalan rider – who had until today been leading the championship – crashed out on lap six, Burgess replied, `At that stage we were concerned because our target was to get through, to be on the podium. We were aware from our qualifying position that the job ahead of us was going to be a difficult one so our first priority was to get through the rest and then see what was there with Casey and Dani.´
`In the end things panned out differently because Dani wasn´t there after five or six laps and Casey was where we expected him to be and we were able to achieve what we set out to do.´
Rossi himself stated, `This result is positive for me especially because I go back to the top of the ranking and also second place today is not too bad considering this track and the bad conditions. I had a good feeling with my bike and tyres and I had fun riding in the rain.´
`After I found my rhythm and I saw Dani in the gravel trap I tried to take on Casey but he was so fast and it was not possible. I am happy though because I was fast until the end and we have to keep working but we are going in the right way in the wet.´
MotoGP Selengkapnya...
Laga Pembuka Berakhir Imbang
Dua jawara dari masing-masing grup di Liga Indonesia (Ligina) 2007 saling berhadapan dalam laga pembuka Indonesia Super Liga (ISL) 2008. Juara bertahan Sriwijaya FC yang bertindak selaku tuan rumah tidak mampu memanfaatkan keuntungan. Laskar Wong Kito harus puas memperoleh satu poin setelah ditahan imbang Persipura Jayapura dengan skor 2-2 (1-1) di Stadion Gelora Sriwijaya, Jakabaring, Palembang pada Sabtu, 12 Juli.
Meski bertajuk pertandingan perdana, kedua tim bermain lepas tanpa tekanan. Sejak menit pertama kedua tim saling bertukar serangan. Menit ke-12 Persipura membuka ancaman melalui Beto Goncalves. Tapi tendangan Beto melebar di samping kanan gawang. Tujuh menit kemudian peluang tuan rumah melalui sepakan kaki kiri Ngon Azam tipis di atas mistar.
Menit ke-23 Persipura kembali mengancam melalui tendangan Ian Luis Kabes. Meski antisipasi kurang sempurna, kiper Ferry Rotinsulu masih mampu menyelematkan gawangnya. Sriwijaya memperoleh peluang emas tiga menit kemudian. Sundulan Ngon Azam yang tidak terlepas dari kurang sempurnanya Jendri Pitoy dalam memetik bola dari tendangan penjuru Toni Sucipto masih belum menemui sasaran.
Setelah tendangan placing Eduard Ivakdalam hanya nyaris mengoyak gawan di menit ke-35, semenit kemudian Ernest Jeremiah membungkam publik Jakabaring. Tendangan Ernest dari luar kotak penalti tidak mampu dimentahkan Ferry Rotinsulu. Gol pertama dalam sejarah ISL. Keunggulan Mutiara Hitam hanya bertahan empat menit. Menit ke-40 Sriwijaya manyamakan kedudukan 1-1 lewat aksi Richard Obiora.
Di babak kedua Persipura menggebrak. Tim asuhan pelatih asal Negeri Jiran, Raja Isa, unggul 2-1 menit ke-52 lewat sepakan Beto memanfaatkan kejelian kapten tim Persipura, Eduard Ivakdalam dalam mengirim umpan terobosan. Sriwijaya yang Januari lalu mengalahkan Persipura di final Copa Dji Sam Soe 2007, mencoba untuk menyamakan kedudukan.
Serangan yang dibangun pasukan Rachmad Darmawan banyak bertumpu pada Richard Obiora. Tapi, gol balasan baru bisa dilesakkan pada menit ke-79. Bola umpan Richard Obiora diselesaikan oleh sundulan Ngon Azam dan skor pun berubah 2-2. Tempo permainan meningkat namun sampai pertandingan berakhir kedua kesebelasan tidak ada yang menambah jumlah gol.
