Mes Roll Past Rah Ahan

Rah Ahan suffered a heavy defeat against Mes in Iran Premier League (IPL) on Saturday.
Mes defeated Ali Daei’s team 4-0 in Kerman’s Bahonar Stadium, Mehr News Agency wrote.
Reza Enayati gave Mes the lead in the 41st minute of the match. Mostafa Shojaei netted a brace in the 57th and also in the 72nd minutes of the game. With six minutes remaining, Vahid Esmaeilbeigi rubbed salt into the visiting team’s wounds by scoring the fourth.
“I don’t believe we conceded four goals. Our strikers didn’t take advantage of their chances but they did that. Sometimes things don’t go the way you plan,” Rah Ahan coach Daei said in the post match news conference.
Elsewhere, Naft was held to a goalless draw by relegation-threatened Gahar.
Damash drew 1-1 with Saba in Rasht. Saba striker Mehdi Momeni was on target in the 65th minute and Saeid Hallafi equalized the match in the 72nd minute.
Esteqlal remains at top of the IPL table with 55 points followed by Traktorsazi and Sepahan with 52 and 50 points, respectively.
In the 28th round of the competition, popular club Persepolis is scheduled to meet Saipa at Tehran’s Azadi Satdium. The fixtures of the other games are as follows:
Zob Ahan vs Damash
Malavan vs Mes
Naft Abadan vs Foulad
Sepasi vs Aluminum
Paykan vs Rah Ahan
Teraktorsazi vs Naft Tehran
Gahar vs Sepahan
Saba vs Esteqlal

Messi Scores as Barca Fight Back to Beat Sevilla

Lionel Messi continued his goal-scoring exploits as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 at the Camp Nou, going 15 points clear in La Liga.
A sluggish first-half performance saw the runaway Liga leaders trail to Alberto Botia’s header, but Los Cules came out fighting in the second period as goals from Villa and Messi brought them victory, Eurosport reported.
The result sees Barca extend their lead over Atletico Madrid, who play Espanyol on Sunday, and crucially it is a confidence booster following the Champions League last 16 first leg loss to AC Milan, with a double Clasico in Copa and Liga coming up next week.
As usual Barcelona passed rings around Sevilla in the first half, but they failed to carve out too many opportunities as the visitors defended deep and gave the likes of Messi and Villa very little space.
Indeed the closest the hosts came in the first half was right at the start, when Andres Iniesta had an effort blocked after a mazy run from Messi.
Otherwise Messi was very quiet, barely able to get any time on the ball and weak with three free-kicks he put well off target.
Barca were almost predictable, content to pass it about with little probing attack play, so – while Sevilla were hardly an attacking force – it was not altogether surprising that they would take the lead.
The manner of their goal was equally unpredictable – a set piece that Barca, without Carlos Puyol at the back, look increasingly vulnerable to.
Ivan Rakitic’s delivery had been mis-hit, but it landed for Jesus Navas on the right, whose hanging cross was powered in by the towering leap of Botia.
Barcelona rightly changed things in the second half. The ineffectual Alexis Sanchez was replaced by the more direct Cristian Tello, and they mixed up their passing, with some quicker balls tossed into the mix.
One such ball – a fantastic right-wing cross from Daniel Alves – drew the hosts level, with Villa’s diagonal run giving him the freedom of the penalty area to pick his spot.
And Tello was the creator soon afterwards when Messi put Barca ahead with a cool finish from 12 yards, the Argentine’s 15th goal in 15 Liga matches.
Messi had suddenly clicked into gear, sending a couple of rasping efforts just off target and denied a tap-in by a fantastic intervention from Federico Fazio.
Sevilla tried to respond, bringing on Alvaro Negredo and taking the game to Barca, with Rakitic putting wide when he should have at least worked Victor Valdes.
Manu del Moral forced a smart stop from Valdes with a long range effort, while Negredo somehow lifted the ball over the bar after an excellent pass from the increasingly influential Rakitic sent him scuttling through.
Barca were still the more dangerous as a pair of Tello shots were deflected wide, while Messi put another long-range drive past the post.
They were back into their tiki taka groove too, using their ability to hold the ball at will to close out the latter stages, almost getting a third when Messi and Tello again put efforts just off target.

Harrison Wins 2nd Prizefighter Title

Audley Harrison scored two knockouts en route to victory in Prizefighter’s third ‘International Heavyweights’ one-night tournament at York Hall, London.
The success is the 2000 Olympic heavyweight boxing gold medalist’s second in the Prizefighter concept following a British Heavyweights win in 2009, and saw the 41-year-old bounce back from a first-round mauling at the hands of David Price last year, Eurosport reported.
Harrison took home the trophy and a grand total of £36,000 in prize money (£32,000 as tournament winner and £2,000 for each knockout win) after stopping American Derric Rossy in the third and last round of the final.
Rossy was a surprise finalist after shocking compatriot and pre-tourney favorite Travis Walker then Londoner Ian Lewison with split decision wins.
Harrison dropped Denmark’s Claus Bertino with a counter-hook just 33 seconds into their quarter final, setting up a last-four encounter with fellow 40-something and former Prizefighter winner Martin Rogan, who advanced with a third-round TKO over Polish slugger Albert Sosnowski.
Lewison - cheered on by a large and vocal support in the famed venue’s balconies - pummeled German giant Timo Hoffmann for a two-minute stoppage before being outpointed by Brooklyn-born Rossy, while Harrison won every round in the eyes of all three judges in a disappointing clash with Northern Irishman Rogan.
Rossy entered the final with cuts to his eye and nose and after surviving one knockdown, was ultimately felled by ‘A-Force’ for a history-making second Prizefighter crown.
Also on the card, Team GB’s London 2012 boxing captain Tom Stalker made the jump from amateur to professional with a solid first win over Kristian Laight in light-welterweight action.
Liverpool-born Stalker strung together good offence and showed promising ring presence on his way to taking all four rounds on the referee’s scorecard and ‘The Captain’ will return to the ring for his second pro bout on March 30 at Liverpool’s Echo Arena underneath Tony Bellew v Isaac Chilemba.

Horford’s Late Bucket Lifts Hawks Over Bucks

When the Milwaukee Bucks clamped down on Harris, Horford backed down defender Larry Sanders, who leads the league in blocked shots per game, and hit a baby hook shot with 5.9 seconds left as the Hawks rallied late for a 103-102 victory Saturday night.
“I was trying to get Devin a handoff,’’ Horford said. ‘’They played that real good. So I just kind of went ahead and ... I just made a strong play to the basket.’’
According to AP, Horford’s shot came after a driving layup by Monta Ellis had given the Bucks a 102-101 lead with 10.8 seconds left. Ellis missed a running shot in the lane as time expired.
Horford finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Teague also scored 23 and added nine assists, and Harris contributed 21 points for Atlanta.
“I knew when we got the ball into Al’s hands, he was going to make a play and he did what a great player is supposed to do. He finished it off,’’ Teague said.
The tight game featured 18 lead changes and was tied 13 times, but the Bucks led by as much as 10 late in the fourth quarter before the Hawks rallied.
“We were able to maintain our composure, particularly in the second half,’’ Atlanta coach Larry Drew said. ‘’When we went down ten, we didn’t panic. We came up with some big plays down the stretch.’’
Drew praised the play of Horford.
“I thought Al Horford was huge. He came up with some big baskets. Defensively, he also altered some shots.’’
Ersan Ilyasova had 19 points and newly-acquired J.J. Redick added 16 points and seven assists for Milwaukee. Sanders added 12 points and 19 rebounds, one off of his career high.
After taking a 100-93 lead, the Bucks went more than 3 minutes without a basket.
A 3-pointer by Josh Smith cut Milwaukee’s lead to 100-99 and after a shot-clock violation by the Bucks, Horford dunked to put the Hawks up 101-100 with 1:28 remaining.
Ilyasova then had a layup attempt blocked and Kyle Korver missed from 3-point range for the Hawks.

Man Utd Ease to Victory at QPR

Ryan Giggs scored on his 999th senior appearance for club and country to help lift Manchester United 15 points above Manchester City with victory over QPR.
The Welshman sealed the win after Rafael’s spectacular 20-yard strike had given the visitors a first-half lead, BBC wrote.
The young Brazilian also showed his worth in defense when he cleared Chris Samba’s header off the line.
QPR improved after the break but Giggs timed his run to tuck in with 10 minutes left and later hit the bar.
A stinging shot from Loic Remy was saved by David De Gea and it had looked like United might have to endure a nervous finish before Giggs’s intervention settled the contest.
In the end, there was time for Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney to waste further chances, as United inflicted a defeat that leaves QPR rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, seven points from safety.
Manchester City, who face third-placed Chelsea on Sunday, now face a huge task to catch United with 12 games remaining.
The only minor worry for the league leaders was an injury to Robin van Persie as the striker set up Rafael for the opener.
The Dutchman was replaced before half-time after suffering what looked like a hip injury as he fell down a cameraman’s bunker behind the goal-line.
The visitors had already threatened through Javier Hernandez’s early header before Rafael struck, and QPR were scarcely helping themselves by continually giving the ball away.
It was one such loss of possession that led to the opening goal. Adel Taraabt was dispossessed by Giggs, who fed Van Persie and when Julio Cesar palmed away the Netherlands international’s cross, the ball fell to Rafael, who sent his shot into the top corner.

Arsenal Grinds Out Narrow Victory Over Aston Villa

A deadly double from Santi Cazorla saw Arsenal return to winning ways as they edged out Aston Villa 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.
On the back of a tough week which had seen the Gunners crash out of the FA Cup and suffer a UEFA Champions League battering at the hands of Bayern Munich, one very early effort from Cazorla and one very late one, after Andreas Weimann had leveled for the visitors, offered welcome relief to Arsene Wenger and his troops--who are now just one point adrift of the top four, Sky Sport reported.
Watched by owner Stan Kroenke, making a rare visit to north London, Arsenal started well. Jack Wilshere capitalized on a poor backpass and raced at goal, but the midfielder fired straight at Brad Guzan.
Cazorla then lifted the quiet atmosphere inside the Emirates with Arsenal’s opener in the sixth minute. Nathan Baker blocked Cazorla’s initial shot after some good work by Wilshere, but the Spaniard made no mistake with his second effort, slotting past Guzan with a beautiful curling effort.
Urged on by an animated Paul Lambert from the touchline, Villa looked to hit straight back. Charles N’Zogbia raced down the right past Thomas Vermaelen and pulled the ball back for Gabriel Agbonlahor but Wojciech Szczesny saved.
Villa’s attacks led to a nervous atmosphere inside the Emirates, but Theo Walcott brought them to the edge of their seats with a teasing curler that flew inches over Guzan’s goal.

Kvitova Beats Errani in Dubai Final

Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won her first WTA title for six months with victory over Italy’s Sara Errani at the Dubai Championships.
The Czech, 22, came through 6-2 1-6 6-1 in one hour and 40 minutes to claim the 10th tournament win of her career, BBC wrote.
Top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams withdrew earlier in the week.
Kvitova, ranked eighth, last won a title in New Haven last August, and Dubai marks her biggest triumph since the 2011 WTA Championships.
“It was up and down, but I can say I was focused and calm, which was important after the second set,” she said.
“It was important to stay in the game and to do my best and to be aggressive.”
Kvitova’s victory was achieved without the presence of her coach David Kotyza, who was on holiday.
“I hope he is happy,” she said. “It was something special. I am here alone. Sometimes it is difficult to go on court and think about the game by myself.”
Kvitova won the first four games in 15 minutes and the opening set in half an hour as Errani, the world number seven, struggled to cope with her power.
The Italian had lost all three previous meetings against Kvitova in straight sets, but finally ended that sequence to level the final.
A drop volley and a Kvitova double fault helped Errani break in game four and a run of six straight games put her firmly in control with a deciding set looming.
Kvitova took a comfort break between sets and it proved a wise decision as she came through a mini crisis at 0-40 to make it 2-1, and did not lose another game.
“I was quite down,” she said of the decision to leave the court after the second set.

Daytona Rocked by Horror Smash

At least 28 fans and one driver were injured after a multi-car crash at the Daytona speedway on Saturday when car debris flew into the crowd near the end of the Nationwide NASCAR race.