Argentina in Final of World Youth
Lionel Messi led Argentina past Brazil, 2-1, on Tuesday and into the final of soccer’s World Youth Championship, earning a match for the title against Nigeria, which beat Morocco, 3-0, in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Argentina will be seeking its fifth under-20 championship.
Messi, an FC Barcelona prodigy, scored his fourth goal in the seventh minute and was the architect of Argentina’s 93rd-minute winner by Pablo Zabaleta.
“It’s always beautiful to beat Brazil,†Messi said.
Defender Taye Taiwo, Olubayo Adefemi and Chinedu Ogbuke scored for Nigeria, ending Morocco’s improbable run and putting the West African nation in the final for the first time since it lost to Portugal in 1989. Argentina will face Nigeria on Saturday at Utrecht.
“It wasn’t a great game, because Argentina doesn’t play a great game. It plays an ugly game waiting for its opponent to make a mistake,†Brazil Coach Rene Weber said.
The win came 24 hours before the countries’ senior teams meet in the Confederations Cup final in neighboring Germany.
Brazil’s Renato nodded a free kick into the left corner to tie the score in the 75th minute, and the game seemed headed for extra time. But three minutes into injury time, Messi stole a ball and dribbled deep into the goal box before crossing it into the middle. Brazil failed to clear, and Zabaleta pounced, hitting it in off a defender’s leg.
*
FIFA fined Panama’s soccer federation $4,000 because fans threw objects at American players during a World Cup qualifier on June 8.
Federation director Ruben Alvarez said that FIFA had rejected Panama’s appeal.
The United States won the match, 3-0, leaving Panama in last place in the six-team final round of CONCACAF qualifying.
Pro Football
The New England Patriots signed free-agent return specialist Chad Morton.
Morton, a former USC standout, injured his right knee last year and appeared in only six games for the Washington Redskins. He was released this month.
Morton has three touchdowns in his career on returns, including two in one game in 2002, when he played for the New York Jets. Morton averaged 26 yards a kick return and 12.8 yards a punt return that year, the best of his five-year career.
Last season, Morton averaged 22.4 yards in 16 kickoff returns and 6.2 yards in 13 punt returns before his injury.
Jurisprudence
Police are investigating the shooting of a security guard at a pool party held by Washington Redskin linebacker LaVar Arrington and San Francisco 49er linebacker Julian Peterson in Gambrills, Md.
Investigators don’t believe Arrington was near the spot where James Sidney was shot and injured, although Arrington was present at the party, police spokesman Lt. Joseph Jordan said. It was not clear whether Peterson was at the Saturday party, Jordan said.
No one has been charged in the shooting and there are no suspects, Jordan said.
Sidney was shot when he intervened in a scuffle, police said. He was in serious but stable condition, Jordan said.
Manuel Sanchez, a Honolulu sports and business promoter charged with defrauding the NFL of more than $500,000, was placed on five years probation. Sanchez also was fined $25,000 and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.
Sanchez, 54, earlier pleaded no contest to felony theft and has paid the NFL $557,000 since he was charged in a case involving Pro Bowl tickets and a sponsorship fee.
Edson Cholbi Nascimento, the son of soccer star Pele, was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Sao Paulo to await trial on drug-related charges that could earn him a 15-year jail sentence. Nascimento was one of 50 people arrested June 6 in an operation to dismantle a drug gang in the port of Santos.
Hockey
The Toronto Maple Leafs extended the contract of Coach Pat Quinn. Terms were not disclosed. Quinn’s previous contract was to expire this summer.
Quinn, 62, ranks fourth in all-time NHL coaching wins (616).
Dallas Star Coach Dave Tippett signed a two-year contract extension, and his three assistants agreed to one-year extensions. Tippett is 86-47-27 in his first three years in Dallas.
Miscellany
Alabama football Coach Mike Shula received a one-year contract extension but didn’t get a raise to his $900,000 salary.
Shula, 40, has led Alabama to 4-9 and 6-6 records, including a berth in the Music City Bowl, in his first two seasons after taking over a program reeling from NCAA sanctions and the off-season firing of Mike Price.
The university gave men’s basketball Coach Mark Gottfried a $200,000 raise recently, boosting his salary to $1 million, making this the first time a non-football coach has been the highest-paid employee in Alabama’s athletic department.
Omaha was chosen to play host to the 2008 U.S. Olympic swim trials, beating out St. Paul, Minn., and San Antonio.
Chuck Wielgus, executive director of USA Swimming, said the selection committee sought an indoor pool to simulate conditions at the Beijing Summer Games, where the swimming competition will be held indoors.
Former NBA player Bryce Drew is returning to alma mater Valparaiso as a basketball assistant to his father, Coach Homer Drew.
Cal Lutheran named Dan Kuntz its director of athletics. Kuntz had been the interim director since August.
Kevin Steele became the dean of athletics at Cal Baptist, replacing the retired Doug Huckaby.
