< Daily_Bulletin > FINAL: Beckham captains Galaxy to loss; Ralf Schumacher signs
2008-02-22 09:18 47
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for DTM team; Klitschko and Ibragimov preview heavyweight unification bout
David Beckham on the losing side in the Pan-Pacific opener... Schumacher junior on the move to the German Touring Cars... And Klitschko and Ibragimov on their heavyweight unification fight. SOCCER BECKHAM Fans of David Beckham were out in force at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium on Wednesday as the England midfielder captained the LA Galaxy against Japanese side Gamba Osaka. The opening match of the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship pre-season tournament saw Beckham's side go behind in only the third minute. Mineiro's pass breached the Galaxy defence. Fellow Brazilian Bare, who scored 20 goals in 31 J-League matches last season, slid the ball past Steve Cronin. Keen to prove his fitness after being overlooked by new coach Fabio Capello for England's recent friendly with Switzerland, Beckham saw plenty of the ball. But the star attraction's team-mates were unable to provide the killer touch - this Edson Buddle header among their best efforts in the first half. There was further frustration after the break and Beckham's temper threatened to boil over after he collided heavily with Lucas. With time running out Galaxy piled on the pressure, but Ely Allen completely missed his kick and the follow up shot was dragged wide. Gamba Osaka held on to their slender lead and Beckham and the Galaxy now have only third place in the Hawaii competition to look forward to. They will play the losers of the second semi-final between the Houston Dynamo and Sydney FC on Saturday. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Disappointed because obviously we lost the game, but I think we didn't start off the game very well, first fifteen minutes we didn't play well and the other team obviously capitalised on that. But you know second half we played a lot better, we played some good football, there was togetherness, some defending. It was just unfortunate we didn't get a goal." SUPERCAPTION: David Beckham, LA Galaxy Captain. MOTORSPORT SCHUMACHER Without a job since parting company with the Toyota Formula One team, Ralf Schumacher is back in the driver's seat after signing a deal to drive for Mercedes on the DTM, or German Touring Car, circuit. The 32-year-old has agreed a one-year contract with Norbert Haug's AMG Mercedes team, the first time in his career Schumacher has moved away from the open-wheeled racing cars. Ralf's reputation as a six-time F1 race winner, and the younger brother of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, will do him no favours in the rough-and-tumble world of touring cars. SOUNDBITE: (English) "For sure, it is something completely new and its going to be difficult for me to start. I think I am going to start at the back and hopefully make my way through. As I said, the DTM is something completely separate from what I have been used to. There are a lot of good guys that have been in those cars for ages, already. So, its going to be a tough time, but I am looking forward to it." SUPERCAPTION: Ralf Schumacher. The 2008 DTM season, and Ralf Schumacher's DTM career, begin in Dusseldorf in early April. BOXING KLITSCHKO Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov had only kind words for one another on Wednesday, three days ahead of their heavyweight unification bout in New York. WBO belt holder Ibragimov and IBF champion Klitschko will meet at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Klitschko, with a record of 44 knockouts in his 49 professional fights, will enter the ring with a four-and-a-half inch, 20-pound size advantage. SOUNDBITE (English) "It is a very special opponent. He's undefeated, he is a world champion and I do respect him a lot. I will not underestimate Sultan Ibragimov and I will not overestimate him. So, you watch Saturday night. Amazing fight, amazing event." SUPERCAPTION: Wladimir Klitschko, IBF heavyweight champion Klitschko's Russian opponent took the WBO title from Shannon Briggs and defended it against the legendary Evander Holyfield last year. At 32 - a year older than his Ukrainian rival - Ibragimov holds a 22-0 record that includes 17 knockouts.
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