Leaders Bayern share the spoils with Schalke

BERLIN: Bayern Munich had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Schalke 04 on Saturday, a result that cut their lead in the Bundesliga to a single point.

Ivan Rakitic beat Oliver Kahn with a low shot in the 36th minute to stun the 66,000 crowd at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern equalised with a Miroslav Klose header nine minutes after the break.

After five games, Bayern lead with 11 points, one ahead of Arminia Bielefeld and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bielefeld won 4-2 at home to Hansa Rostock while Frankfurt enjoyed a 2-1 thriller at home to Hamburg SV.

Champions VfB Stuttgart joined Schalke on seven points with a 3-0 win at home to Energie Cottbus.

With Luca Toni back and fit, Bayern looked capable of winning handsomely.

Toni, however, wasted his first chance in the seventh minute, dragging a shot wide after being put clean through on goal.

Klose then missed two perfect opportunities to play in his strike partner after neat build-up play and Christian Lell fluffed a good opening at the far post.

Schalke were struggling to hold on when from nowhere they took the lead.

Rakitic, fresh from his first two international games for Croatia, controlled the ball 25 metres out and swept in low at Kahn's right-hand post for a brilliant opener.

Kahn kept Bayern in the game by saving from Rakitic when the 19-year-old raced through on goal a minute before the break.

Bayern pressed hard and got the equaliser from a Franck Ribery free kick on the right. Toni's header forced a fine one-handed save from Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer and Klose pounced on the rebound for his fourth goal of the season.

Bayern had lots of possession but created few clear chances and Schalke might easily have claimed victory as two Christian Pander free kicks created confusion in the Bayern area.

“The first half was good,” Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld told reporters. “We didn't take our chances, though, and after that we didn't do enough. I think both sides deserved their point.” – Reuters

Roma claim top spot, Juventus suffer shock defeat at Udinese

ROME: Roma went to the top of the Serie A yesterday when they extended their perfect start to the season to three out of three with a 2-0 win over Reggina.

Juventus went into the weekend's action in the lead on goal difference but slipped to fourth when suffering a shock 1-0 loss, their first defeat of the new campaign, to Udinese in Turin.

Inter Milan climbed four places to second with their 2-0 win, the second of the season, over San Siro visitors Catania.

On paper Juventus rather than Roma looked to have the better chance of maintaining their unblemished record for 2007/08 with the Romans mustering only one win from their last four visits to Calabria.

But they boosted that record after Brazilian Juan marked his topflight debut in the best possible way, putting Roma in front in the 50th minute with Francesco Totti adding the second six minutes from time.

Roma's cause had not been helped when goalkeeper Alexander Doni failed to come back for the second half after suffering an injury, the gloves being taken by Under-21 international Gianluca Curci.

The result was a timely confidence booster ahead of Roma's opening Champions League group tie against Dinamo Kiev.

In Turin, Juventus had a frustrating afternoon with Alessandro del Piero hitting the post three times against a Udinese side that had proved capable of holding Inter to a 1-1 draw at the start of the campaign, only to crash 5-0 to Napoli.

There was to be no such repeat of that lopsided loss here with Udinese taking the lead in the opening seconds of the second half in a three player move started by Giuseppe Dossena and completed by the unmarked Antonio Di Natale's header.

Di Natale's heroics came after his two goals for Italy in their 2-1 Euro 2008 qualifier win over Ukraine last week.

Udinese went close to doubling their advantage in the 62nd minute only for Gyan Asamoah's half-volley to ricochet off the upright.

Napoli's 2-0 win over Sampdoria lifted them up five places into third between Inter and Juve.

On Saturday, fifth-placed AC Milan were held to their second successive 1-1 draw with only Alessandro Nesta's late late equaliser avoided an embarrassing slip up at struggling Siena.

The Tuscany club were heading for a valuable maximum points until Nesta popped up in the 91st minute to level from a volley after a move started by a freekick awarded when Leandro Grimi felled Clarence Seedorf.

Also on Saturday Lazio were held to a goalless draw by second from bottom Empoli. – AFP

England lacking talent, say bosses

LONDON: The English game is being hurt by a lack of over-priced talent and a flood of cheaper foreigners, according to Blackburn chairman John Williams.

On the first weekend of the Premier League season, only 37% of players that started Premier League matches were English. That was 81 players, a drop from 184 15 years ago.

And Williams sees that as bad for the English game. “There is a shortage of English talent and you have to pay premium prices for those out there,” said Williams.

“I’m afraid that we have to shop where the market is right, where the players are right and where the price is right. We want to support the England national team but the price of English players can be very off-putting.”

West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson, however, insists it is understandable that domestic talent costs more – but claims it still makes sense to buy British.

“You buy players who may have had a lot of success in the Dutch League or French League for example but doesn’t mean they are going to be successful in the Premier League. There is a bit of a gamble to take,” he said.

“You have to pay a little bit more for players who have a proven track record in the Premier League and that’s fully understandable – and that goes whether you are talking about foreign players who have proved themselves in the Premier League or English players.”

Magnusson does think it is important for clubs to have a strong base of domestic talent, however.

He added: “Sir Trevor (Brooking) can have no problem with West Ham because we want to have a strong England team and we believe it is important to support that and have English players at the club.”

Meanwhile, Williams predicts wages will soar this year to reflect the record spending on transfers.

Sports consultants Deloitte believe there will not be such a dramatic rise in players’ salaries compared to transfer fees, but Williams disagrees.

Deloitte’s report shows transfer spending by English clubs this summer has exceeded £500mil, smashing the previous summer’s £300mil.

Williams added: “I have read the predictions that wages will not rise dramatically but my feeling is that wages will grow very considerably this year.

“The market is buoyant because of the TV money, there is an ability to pay and a willingness to invest.” – AFP

Loew: Ballack baffled by Chelsea’s decision

COLOGNE: Michael Ballack does not understand his club Chelsea’s decision to axe him from their Champions League squad for the group stages, Germany’s head coach Joachim Loew revealed yesterday.

Ballack, 30, is hoping to return soon from April’s ankle surgery, but misses Germany’s Euro 2008 qualifier against Wales on Saturday, the friendly with Romania next Wednesday and has now been left out of Chelsea’s plans.

Having this week been axed from Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the autumn’s group stages, Germany’s captain is baffled, according to Loew, adding to rumours in the British press Ballack could be on the way out of Stamford Bridge.

“I discussed it with Michael and he could not fully explain Chelsea’s decision to me,” said Loew in a press conference yesterday ahead of Saturday’s Group D Euro 2008 qualifier.

“Chelsea’s doctors estimate he will not be able to play for two to three more months, but Michael is much more optimistic and expects to play sooner.

“For us, Chelsea’s decision isn’t justifiable,” added Loew who plans to recall Ballack for October’s Euro 2008 internationals with the Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland. – AFP