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Football: Messi not in right condition - Vilanova

Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova defended the decision to field Lionel Messi at the weekend after the Argentine was forced to sit out Wednesday's 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. The Germans' 7-0 aggregate victory was Barca's worst-ever European defeat, and although Vilanova recognised that the World Player of the Year's recurring hamstring injury had played its part in the Catalans' dismantling, he denied that their dependence on him has grown substantially this season.

Football: Bayern destroy Barca again, cruise to final

Bayern Munich cruised into their third Champions League final in four years as a 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Wednesday gave them an incredible 7-0 aggregate semi-final victory. The absence of Lionel Messi from the Barca starting line-up almost eradicated any hope of an unlikely comeback before the game had even begun, but Bayern showed their 4-0 first-leg win last week had been no fluke with a display of controlled dominance.

Football: Bayern secure all German final

Bayern Munich beat Barcelona 3-0 in their Champions League semi-final second-leg in Barcelona on Wednesday to set up the first ever all-German final and the Bundesliga champions' third final in four years. Goals by Arjen Robben, an own-goal by Gerard Pique and a header by Thomas Mueller, all in the second-half, saw them to an astonishing 7-0 aggregate victory and a date with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on May 25.

Football: Mourinho's Real stay marked by semi-final woe

Jose Mourinho chose his words very carefully after seeing his Real Madrid side fall just short of an amazing comeback in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. Two goals in the final eight minutes from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos brought Madrid to the brink of the final after being hammered 4-1 in Dortmund last week, but after going out for a third consecutive season in the last four, whether Mourinho will hang around for a fourth try with the Spanish champions is highly doubtful.

RugbyU: Welsh regions concerned by football resurgence

Next season's English Premier League will feature two Welsh clubs for the first time in the top flight's 125-year history but the achievements of Swansea City and Cardiff City have sparked fears for the future of rugby union in the sport's south Wales heartland. Everywhere you look in English football, Welsh clubs and players are making inroads. Swansea are the League Cup champions. Cardiff are back in England's top division after a 51-year absence. The Premier League's most lauded individual player, Gareth Bale, is a Welshman.

Football: Tudor era begins for Hajduk Split

Croatian First Division side Hajduk Split on Monday sacked coach Miso Krsticevic because of a run of poor results and replaced him with former international defender Igor Tudor. Tudor will be Hajduk's 28th coach since 2000, with none of his predecessors completing two full campaigns. "We estimated that at this moment our qualification for Europe was at risk ... and opted for changes," the club's president Marin Brbic said.

Football: Van Persie right to quit Arsenal says Evra

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra insists his club's Premier League title triumph proves that Robin van Persie was right to leave Arsenal. Van Persie infuriated Arsenal fans by quitting their team to join rivals United in a £24 million ($36 million) transfer last year. The Dutch striker's goals played a key role in United regaining the English title, giving him a first major medal since the 2005 FA Cup he won with the north Londoners.

Fbl: Serbia champions Partizan sack coach

Serbia's defending champions Partizan on Monday sacked coach Vladimir Vermezovic in a late bid to halt a series of poor results. Former Partizan player and the club's youth coach Teleoptik, Vuk Rasovic was appointed as his replacement with five matches of the season remaining. After a defeat and two draws, Partizan, seeking a sixth successive title, have seen their 11-point advantage over Red Star Belgrade reduced to just two points. str-ks/nr

Football: Huntelaar hits hat-trick on Schalke return

Holland's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar celebrated his Bundesliga return after six weeks out with a knee injury by netting a hat-trick as Schalke 04 hammered Hamburg 4-1 on Sunday to keep the Royal Blues on course for a Champions League place. After Hamburg took an early lead at the Veltins Arena through Germany's Marcel Jansen, Brazil midfielder Michel Bastos pulled a goal back before 'the Hunter' went on a goal-spree. "The win was highly deserved, especially the margin," said Schalke coach Jens Keller.

Football: Red mist as West Brom swamp Saints

Southampton were more sinners than Saints on Saturday as they slumped to a 3-0 home loss to West Bromwich Albion, ending up with nine players in a stormy encounter which also saw their rivals have a man sent for an early bath. The rot set in for the hosts, still not entirely out of the relegation picture with this loss, after just six minutes, as Marc-Antoine Fortune drove in from close range.
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