Milan coach insists that Pato will regain his form

ROME: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri insisted on Saturday that young striker Pato will come good despite struggling for form recently.

Pato lost his place in the Milan side to new signing Antonio Cassano last week before regaining his place in midweek, only to be substituted for Cassano in the second half.

Some in the Italian press claim he’s lost his way and can’t play with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Allegri puts his troubles down to injuries.

“If it wasn’t for an injury to (centre-back Daniele) Bonera I wouldn’t have taken Pato off,” he said.

“Recently one or two substitutions have been forced by injuries. He’s well, there’s no Pato issue.

“He’s young and has amazing talent. He has a lot to learn as everyone does but he should stay calm because he’s scored eight league goals and two in the cup despite not playing much.

“He needs to concentrate and focus. The more they play together the more Pato and Ibra will click.

“They’ve not played much together so far and last year Pato played in a different position.

“I’m happy to have Pato and I want to keep him and I believe like the others who have been injured, he will prove a great signing for Milan.”

League leaders Milan saw their lead over champions Inter Milan cut to just seven points in midweek while the nerazzurri also have a game in hand.

It increased the feeling across much of Italy that Leonardo’s team are most likely to be Milan’s closest challengers but Allegri insists he is not worried about Inter.

“We don’t need to think about Inter, we’re in the lead, our destiny is in our own hands,” he said. 

 

Bayern’s defeat to Cologne difficult to swallow, says Lahm

BERLIN: Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm admitted Cologne’s shock 3-2 win over the defending champions was a bitter defeat to swallow as the hosts came from 2-0 down to floor the Bavarian giants.

“It hurts,” said Lahm after Saturday’s defeat in Cologne left Bayern fifth in the league and 15 points behind leaders Dortmund.

“We’re making life difficult for ourselves. We’re making too many mistakes in our build-up play, and our tackling wasn’t aggressive enough.

“We made it much too easy for Cologne. Yet again, we’ve failed to perform at the start of the second half, failed to carry on where we’ve left off in the first half.

“Yet again, we’ve fallen asleep for the first 20 minutes of the second half and carelessly thrown away vital points.

“We wanted to set off on a long winning run, but it’s evaded us again.”

Bayern were cruising after striker Mario Gomez and midfielder Hamit Altintop scored first-half goals to leave Munich 2-0 up at the break.

But the champions’ recent run of seven wins in eight games came to a shuddering halt as Cologne fought back.

A capacity 50,000-strong crowd saw midfielder Christian Clemens and striker Milivoje Novakovic haul the home side back into the game with two goals in the first 15 minutes after the restart.

Novakovic then scored the winning goal with a superb effort with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Incredibly, this was Cologne’s fifth consecutive game against Bayern without defeat and Munich coach Louis van Gaal was left fuming as he accused his side of throwing the game away.

“It’s unbelievable,” said the Dutchman. “It’s the fourth or fifth time we’ve thrown a match away.

“We’ve missed a huge chance today, because all our rivals have lost, with the exception of Hanover. It was another commanding first half from us, so it’s unbelievable.”

Leaders PSV suffer shock home defeat

ROTTERDAM: Leaders PSV Eindhoven suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by ADO Den Haag in the Dutch league on Saturday after Wesley Verhoek struck in added time.

Verhoek scored from a tight angle to hand PSV their third league defeat of the season after 22 matches, and they could be knocked off the top of the table.

PSV, who struck a late winner themselves last week against Willem II Tilburg, have 47 points with Twente just one point behind ahead of their trip to Utrecht later yesterday.

Ajax Amsterdam, 2-0 winners over Graafschap Doetinchem on Friday, are in third place with 44 points ahead of Groningen, who hosted Tilburg yesterday, on 40 and ADO on 38.

Sixth-placed AZ Alkmaar, on 37 points, dropped off the pace after losing 2-1 at lowly Excelsior Rotterdam having led 1-0 at halftime through Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s 10th minute goal.

Tim Vincken equalised with a penalty in the 65th and Jordy Clasie won the match 10 minutes from time when his freekick from 40m was misjudged by Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

Heerenveen and NEC Nijmegen played out a 0-0 draw. 

 

Napoli take advantage of AC Milan’s stumble

MILAN: Serie A leaders AC Milan slipped up for the second straight game in a 1-1 draw at Genoa yesterday which opened the door for Napoli to cut the gap at the top to three points.

Napoli failed to take advantage when Milan drew 0-0 with Lazio in midweek when they lost at Chievo but red-hot striker Edinson Cavani helped make sure they did this time in a 2-0 home victory over lowly Cesena.

The Uruguayan, Serie A’s top scorer with 18 goals, converted Christian Maggio’s cross in the first half against second from bottom Cesena before Jose Sosa netted in stoppage time.

Champions Inter Milan, in fourth, hosted last term’s runners-up AS Roma later yesterday and can move within five points of Milan if they win while also having another game in hand.

Milan’s Alexandre Pato, preferred to Antonio Cassano upfront, latched on to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s pass to give the visitors a 29th-minute lead but Genoa forward Antonio Floro Flores struck home a loose ball just before the break.

Milan’s midfield was almost back to full strength after injuries and suspension but the hosts defended stoutly and deserved their point, with Rossoneri fans now fretting that a first scudetto since 2004 does not look as clear–cut as before.

Tensions were high at the Marassi given the game was the first time since the death of a supporter 16 years ago in crowd trouble that Milan fans had been allowed to the encounter.

Scuffles between fans were reported but nothing major.

Third-placed Lazio missed the chance to pressure Milan themselves with a 1-1 home draw with Chievo.

Hernanes put the Romans in front with a ferocious freekick deep into first-half stoppage time but Cesar equalised midway through the second period.

Palermo lie just two points behind Lazio in fifth following a thrilling 4-2 win at struggling Lecce.

Previously struggling on-loan Juventus forward Amauri superbly netted his first Parma goal in a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, who had Adrian Mutu back for the first time since being banished for quitting training last month.

Third-from-bottom Brescia won the relegation battle with basement side Bari, Alessandro Diamanti netting a penalty and Andrea Caracciolo with an injury-time strike in a 2-0 victory which puts eight points between the two sides.

Bologna beat Catania 1-0 in an early game to send the Sicilians closer to the drop zone with new coach Diego Simeone failing to stop the slide.

Juventus ended their bad run with a 3-1 victory at Cagliari on Saturday when Alessandro Matri scored twice against his former club while Udinese continued their ascent with a 2-0 win over toothless Sampdoria. 

 

West Bromwich Albion fires manager Di Matteo

WEST BROMWICH, England (AP): West Bromwich Albion fired manager Roberto Di Matteo on Sunday as the team battles against relegation from the Premier League.

A 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Saturday was West Brom's 13th loss in 18 games in all competitions, leaving the team only two points above the drop zone.

The 40-year-old Di Matteo had been in charge for less than 20 months before West Brom announced Sunday that he was being "relieved ... of his duties and placed ... on gardening leave."

"This has been a tough decision but we, as a board, believe it is the right one to give the club the best possible chance of remaining in the Premier League," West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace said in a statement. "Our poor sequence of results stretches back more than three months and there has been little sign of it coming to an end.

"If this run continues much longer, achieving our goal of retaining our Premier League status will become increasingly difficult. That is why we felt compelled to act now."

Di Matteo, a former Italy midfielder who was hired by West Brom in June 2009, secured the team's instant return to the Premier League last May.

After losing two of its first nine league games, West Brom was a contender for Europa League qualification. But the team has won only three times since then and taken one point from its past three games.

"This club's track record proves we do not take such decisions lightly, with Roberto being only our fourth manager or head coach in almost 11 years," Pearce said. "We are in a results-driven industry and felt we had no choice but to act now."

Assistant coach Michael Appleton will take over on an interim basis.

Di Matteo retired from playing due to injury in 2002 after struggling to recover from a triple leg fracture two years earlier.

The former Chelsea player impressed in his first managerial job at MK Dons, guiding the team to the 2009 League One playoffs in his only season in charge before moving to West Brom.

  

Brisbane Roar clinches first place in Australia's A-League

SYDNEY (AP): The Brisbane Roar, on a 23-match unbeaten streak, clinched first place in Australia's A-League and an Asian Champions League berth despite having the weekend off after the remnants of a cyclone in North Queensland postponed their match.

On Friday, the Central Coast Mariners played to a 1-1 draw with the Melbourne Heart. The second-place Mariners are eight points behind the Roar and can't catch the Brisbane side with only two matches remaining.

The Roar's Saturday match against North Queensland in Townsville, in the area that Cyclone Yasi hit, was postponed until Tuesday on the Gold Coast.

Wellington beat Adelaide 1-0 on English striker Chris Greenacre's goal. On Sunday, Newcastle hosts Sydney and Gold Coast United plays at Perth.

  

Dynamo breaks ground on new stadium

HOUSTON (AP): Houston Dynamo minority owner and boxing great Oscar De La Hoya joined city and county officials Saturday at the groundbreaking for the team's $95 million, purpose-built football stadium.

The 22,000-seat venue will sit near downtown, within walking distance of Minute Maid Park, the Toyota Center and the city's massive convention center. Besides being home to the Dynamo, it also will host international football matches, Texas Southern University football games, concerts and boxing matches.

The Dynamo have been sharing Robertson Stadium, home of the University of Houston Cougars football team, since moving to Houston from San Jose in 2005.

  

Wolves end Man United's unbeaten start to season

WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP): The 41st goal of a record day for scoring in the English Premier League gave Wolverhampton Wanderers a 2-1 win that ended Manchester United's unbeaten start to the season.

United's name goes alongside Manchester City and Chelsea as title contenders who have lost at Molineux this season as Wolves bounced back from an early goal and repelled a fierce second-half pummelling.

By the final whistle, the Red Devils were reduced to desperate measures as Paul Scholes tried to push the ball into the net with his hand to salvage a point.

Wolves were able to celebrate thanks to George Elokobi's header and Kevin Doyle's close-range finish - both in the first half after Nani scored in the third minute for the league leader.

"Everyone dug in and we ended up winning," Elokobi said. "We got beaten the other night, were bottom of the league and were very low. No one would have held out much hope tonight but to go 1-0 down early on and win shows the spirit we've got."

Nenad Milijas had already narrowly failed with an effort before United went in front. Nani collected possession on the right flank and stepped inside and beat Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey at his near post with a fierce left-foot shot.

Hennessey saved from Wayne Rooney, and Wolves made the most of their reprieve. With Rio Ferdinand injured in the warmup, United's defence failed to cut out a loose ball from a corner and Elokobi beat Nemanja Vidic to Matt Jarvis' cross and headed in.

The move that led to Doyle's 40th-minute winner started when Rooney lost the ball with his back to goal on the edge of Wolves' area. Wolves carried the ball up the middle of the pitch and won a free kick just outside United's box.

Milijas hit the free kick to the near post, where Doyle deflected it in. "They are a handful at set-pieces and they proved that again today," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "It was an opportunity for us to continue the great run we've been on."

  

Barcelona beats Atletico Madrid 3-0, sets record

BARCELONA, Spain (AP): Barcelona earned a record 16th straight win in the Spanish league by beating Atletico Madrid 3-0 with a Lionel Messi hat trick on Saturday.

The historic win provisionally lifted Barcelona 10 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table ahead of its fierce rival's match against Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Messi decided the contest with two goals before the half-hour mark and added a third in the second half. Barcelona's streak surpassed the 15 wins by Alfredo Di Stefano's Real Madrid 50 years ago.

"It is an honour for this team to have surpassed a record that had stood for so long," Messi said. Pep Guardiola's team has outscored its opponents 60-6 during the winning run that is the 10th longest in European history.

Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores left striker Diego Forlan out of the starting 11 and reinforced his midfield with former Barcelona youth academy product Fran Merida. But the move did not pay off, as Barcelona controlled the ball from the opening whistle.

Atletico resisted until Messi broke through for the two-time defending champions in the 17th. Messi cut back from the right flank across the edge of the area, leaving behind three defenders before firing a left-footer into the right corner of David De Gea's goal.

Messi's second goal was product of a great team buildup. After Antonio Lopez touched it but could not clear, Pedro Rodriguez linked up with David Villa, who slipped the ball between two defenders for Messi to punch in.

"We would not be who we are without Messi on our team," said Guardiola. "To be a great team you need to have a standout player. We have won 16 games because we have Messi."

With Forlan coming on after the restart, Atletico had a good beginning to the second half and Barcelona center back Gerard Pique saved a strike by Filipe Luis on the goal line in the 53rd.

De Gea swatted a Messi header over the crossbar in the 73rd, but six minutes later Messi pounced to tap in a ball that De Gea blocked but could not hold.

Messi has 40 goals in 33 games in all competitions and his 24 league goals put him two ahead of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo for Spain's leading scorer.

With 167 goals for Barcelona in all competitions, Messi moved past Josep Escola (164) into sole possession of fourth place on the club career scoring list, trailing Cesar Rodriguez (235), Laszlo Kubala (196) and Josep Samitier (178).

"Messi is the best player I have ever seen," said Sanchez Flores. "He is the Di Stefano of the 21st century." Messi said he wasn't "worried about leading all scorers in Spain. What concerns me is that the team continues to play like this and maintains its distance over the rest of the field."

Barcelona set a club record of 28 games without a loss earlier this season and stayed on pace to break a whole set of other records, including season points total, victories in a season, goals scored and fewest goals allowed.

Earlier, Levante handed Villarreal its first loss this season at El Madrigal Stadium with a 1-0 win, and Athletic Bilbao beat 10-man Sporting Gijon 3-0 to move into fifth place ahead of Espanyol, which lost 3-2 at Almeria.

Villarreal had previously dropped only two points at home, but Levante's line of five defenders succeeded in disrupting the "Yellow Submarine's" normally potent attack, and Valmiro "Valdo" Lopes scored the visitors' winner in the 49th minute.

Villarreal remained in third place, but let escape a great chance to close on Real Madrid, which stayed six points clear. At San Mames Stadium, David Lopez put Bilbao in front in the 16th from the penalty spot, Gaizka Toquero doubled the lead in the 27th, and Llorente scored his 13th this season to cap the win in the 74th.

Bilbao has won four straight games for the first time 1997. At Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium, Marcelo Silva, Kalu Uche, Hernan Bernardello put Almeria ahead 3-0 in 18 minutes.

Joan Verdu and substitute Alvaro Vazquez cut the deficit for Espanyol, but Almeria held on for its second home win. Also, Getafe downed Deportivo La Coruna 4-1, while Mallorca drew 1-1 at Osasuna and Racing Santander drew 1-1 at Zaragoza.

Adrian Colunga scored twice and Nicolas "Miku" Fedor added another goal before halftime for Getafe. Pedro Rios sealed the win in the 57th, and Ivan "Riki" Sanchez-Rico scored Deportivo's consolation goal in the 69th with a penalty.

At Reyno de Navarra Stadium, Osasuna went ahead in the 8th when Miguel Flano finished off a rebound in the area, but Gonzalo "Chori" Castro equalised for Mallorca in the 37th.

Zaragoza winger Sad Boutahar cancelled out Christian Fernandez's 14th-minute opener with a goal in the 40th, but his team saw its winning run end at three games. Also on Sunday, Sevilla faces Malaga and Hercules is at Valencia.

  

Juventus beats Cagliari 3-1 in Serie A

ROME (AP): Alessandro Matri scored twice as Juventus beat Cagliari 3-1 in the Serie A on Saturday, less than a week since the striker left the Sardinian club on the final day of the transfer window.

Matri struck in each half to help Luigi Del Neri's team end a run of three consecutive losses. In between Matri's goals, Robert Acquafresca equalised for Cagliari.

Under pressure, Juventus striker Luca Toni headed powerfully from the edge of the area to seal the victory with four minutes remaining.

"He's a good player," Toni said of Matri. "He's a great buy and will be important for the future of Juventus. During these tough times we've stayed united as a squad and got on with our work taking it game by game."

Matri squandered an early chance to score when Cagliari 'keeper Michael Agazzi raced off his line to block the shot after Claudio Marchisio put him through on goal. Agazzi then tipped Alberto Aquilani's volley away for a corner.

Matri scored the opener when Milos Krasic played him in behind Cagliari's defense and he hit a low drive past Agazzi. Radja Nainggolan wasted a chance to pull the hosts level. He failed to reach the ball with the goal at his mercy after Gianluigi Buffon missed Andrea Cossu's free kick.

In the second half Cossu set up Cagliari's equalizer. He picked out Acquafresca at the far post and the striker volleyed it past Buffon. Cossu nearly created a second five minutes later, but Daniele Conti volleyed his free kick wide from close range.

Matri punished his former teammates for such profligacy when he hit a volley past Agazzi from a cross by Giorgio Chiellini. Toni then completed the scoring, when he guided Alessandro Del Piero's cross past Agazzi for his 100th goal in the Serie A.

"This goal means a lot of things to me," Toni said. "Lots of people say I am finished, but here I am and I have a large desire to carry on and keep scoring goals for a club like Juventus."

Also, Antonio Di Natale scored his 100th Serie A goal for Udinese in its 2-0 win over Sampdoria. "I've been waiting for it for two weeks," Di Natale said. "I'm happy for myself and the team because it was a difficult game. I came to Udinese when I was young and I would like to remain here."

The Italy international scored Udinese's second just before halftime, after Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring in the 18th.

  

Rennes beats Paris 1-0 in French league

PARIS (AP): Rennes beat second-place Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the French league on Saturday to go level on points with its opponent in the standings.

Yacine Brahimi burst through the PSG defense to fire home from the edge of the box in the 19th minute.

Goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez preserved the win by stopping a close-range effort from Guillaume Hoarau in the 75th and tipping around the post a diagonal drive from Brazilian midfielder Nene in injury time.

"I'm disappointed by the result, not by the way we played," PSG coach Antoine Kombouare said. "We created a lot of problems for Rennes. We'll have to fix what went wrong, that is, finishing." Both teams trail leader Lille by four points.

Meanwhile, Marseille edged Arles-Avignon 1-0 to keep alive its title hopes and climb to fourth place, just a point behind Rennes. Andre-Pierre Gignac scored the winning goal with a low shot in the 55th after a pass from Brazilian forward Brandao.

Also, it was: Montpellier 1, Saint-Etienne 2; Nice 1, Sochaux 0; Brest 2, Nancy 1; Caen 0, Lorient 2; Lens 1, Valenciennes 1. Marseille hit the woodwork twice in the first half.

An overhead kick from Gignac hit the bar in the 12th, and a free kick from Argentine midfielder Lucho Gonzalez crashed against the bar in the 29th. Marseille kept pushing for the winner despite boos by its own supporters at halftime.

"It was a tough match," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "As long as we didn't open the scoring, it was a bit tense. There was also some pressure coming from the stands and we became a bit shaky. Of course we are capable of doing better than that."

Emmanuel Riviere scored twice for Saint-Etienne. He collected a throughball from Loic Perrin to dribble past Montpellier goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren and open the scoring in the 12th, then added a second goal in the 36th with a tap-in off a pass from Laurent Batlles.

Jonas Martin scored a consolation goal for Montpellier in the 86th. In Nice, defender Nemanja Pejcinovic headed home a free kick in the 29th to put the hosts ahead. Sochaux midfielder Kevin Anin was sent off in the 44th for picking up a second yellow card.

Bruno Grougi gave Brest the victory with a free kick into the top corner in the 88th. Forward Jonathan Ayite beat goalkeeper Damien Gregorini with a downward header in the 44th before Nancy equalised in the 74th with an own-goal from Brest defender Moise Brou Apanga.

Lorient midfielder Morgan Amalfitano headed in a cross from defender Franco Sosa in the 22nd. France international Kevin Gameiro notched his 11th goal this season to seal the win in the 87th.

In Lens, Issam Jemaa converted a rebound in the 37th after goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau denied the Tunisia forward. But Valenciennes leveled two minutes later with a header from Mathieu Dossevi.

On Sunday, Lille visits Auxerre, Lyon hosts Bordeaux and Toulouse faces Monaco.

  

ADO surprises PSV 1-0 in Eredivisie

AMSTERDAM (AP): Wesley Verhoek scored in injury time for ADO The Hague to shock Dutch league leader PSV Eindhoven 1-0 on Saturday.

Verhoek converted Charlton Vicento's cross from a tight angle as ADO secured its first win at PSV's Philips Stadium since 1971.

"PSV was perhaps the better team but we took our chances," said Verhoek, who was voted man of the match. "I must compliment our defence, which played really well tonight."

PSV forced five corners in the first 15 minutes and captain Orlando Engelaar had its best chance off a rebound, but his 29th-minute effort went just wide. PSV has one more point than FC Twente.

Seeking its record 30th title, Ajax was third, three points behind. "We had chances but we failed to make the best out of those chances," said PSV coach Fred Rutten. "ADO scored from one of their few chances, which was from a counter and we knew they were good at that."

FC Twente, which travels to FC Utrecht on Sunday without injured American defender Oguchi Onyewu, can return to the top for the first time in 2011 with a win against the eighth-ranked side.

Mounir El Hamdaoui's 100th league goal helped Ajax to a 2-0 win over De Graafschap on Friday. Facing a grim battle against relegation, Excelsior Rotterdam secured a morale-boosting 2-1 win over 2009 champion AZ Alkmaar.

Tim Vincken's 65th-minute penalty and Jordy Clasie's free kick gave the side its fifth victory of the season. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson scored after 10 minutes for AZ.

Ruud Boymans' missed penalty in the 38th had little impact for VVV-Venlo, which beat NAC Breda 3-0 off a goal each from Ahmed Musa, Jorge Chula and Achmed Ahahaoui to boost its fight against relegation.

On Sunday, it's: Vitesse Arnhem vs. Feyenoord; FC Groningen vs. Willem II and Heracles Almelo vs. Roda JC.

  

Braga beats Maritimo 2-1 in Portugal

LISBON, Portugal (AP): Braga beat Maritimo 2-1 to move into fifth place in the Portuguese league on Saturday.

Winger Helder Barbosa put Braga ahead just 21 seconds after the opening whistle, but Pap "Baba" Babacar was quick to pull the hosts even two minutes later. Custodio Dias de Castro headed in Braga's winner in the 68th.

On Friday, Sporting drew 3-3 against last-place Naval, and is seven points behind second-place Benfica ahead of its game against Setubal on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, FC Porto hosts Rio Ave looking to stay unbeaten and in full control of the league table.

  

Aris beats host AEK 2-1 in Greek league

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Darcy Neto scored in each half to help Aris defeat host AEK 2-1 in the Greek league on Saturday.

It was the Thessaloniki club's third away win against AEK in 52 tries. Ismael Blanco had temporarily equalized for AEK.

AEK remains in fourth place, 18 points behind league leader Olympiakos, while Aris climbed to sixth. Also, Iraklis prevailed 2-1 at Panserraikos and Asteras drew 1-1 at home with Larissa.

Neto, a Brazilian defender, created most of the scoring chances in a largely listless game. In the 18th minute, his powerful shot from the edge of the area went just wide.

Eleven minutes later, he received a perfect throughball from Michel to open the scoring. AEK equalised in the 51st when Blanco met Scocco's cross from the left and volleyed home his eighth goal of the season.

AEK kept attacking but had only one major chance, when goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis saved from Papa Bouba Diop's powerful shot two minutes from time.

Earlier, in the 76th, Neto dribbled past Diop and scored the winner with a powerful shot from the edge of the area.

On Sunday, it's Ergotelis vs Panionios, Kavala vs. Kerkyra, Volos vs. Atromitos, Olympiakos vs Xanthi and PAOK vs. Panathinaikos.

  

Hamburg derby is called off due to heavy rain

BERLIN (AP): The Bundesliga derby between Hamburger SV and St. Pauli scheduled for Sunday was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

An inspection of Imtech Arena on Saturday found the pitch to be unplayable after two days of heavy rain in Hamburg and more forecast.

A date for the postponed game will be set by the German football league next week. "It simply rained too much. There was nothing anyone could do," Hamburger SV spokesman Joern Wolf said.

Work to lay new grass at the stadium was completed on Friday, but the club said only the weather was responsible for the postponement of the 16th Bundesliga derby between the sides.

The game at the 57,000-seat stadium has been sold out for weeks, and public viewing points were set up around the city.

"We never imagined that a game would have to be called off now, when there's no snow," St. Pauli manager Christian Boenig said. "Now I have to ring each player individually to tell them the news."

  

Capello calls up Kyle Walker for England friendly

LONDON (AP): England coach Fabio Capello has called up Kyle Walker for Wednesday's friendly against Denmark after the Tottenham fullback impressed on loan at Aston Villa.

The 20-year-old Walker has played only three minutes as a substitute for Spurs this season but has excelled on loan at second-tier Queen's Park Rangers and now Villa.

The right back is the fifth Villa player in the squad, with Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent also picked. Bent is likely to start up front alongside Wayne Rooney in Copenhagen.

Rio Ferdinand is unavailable after he was hurt warming up for Manchester United on Saturday, so Steven Gerrard will be captain.

  

Cruz Azul beats Chiapas 2-0; San Luis wins 3-2

MEXICO CITY (AP): Christian Gimenez and Emanuel Villa scored in each half to give Cruz Azul a 2-0 home win over Chiapas in the fifth round of the Mexican Clausura championship Saturday.

Gimenez scored with a shot that rebounded in off the post in the 38th minute and Villa finished a cross in the 58th to move Cruz Azul atop the tournament's Group 3 overnight.

San Luis tops the general standings after rallying to win 3-2 over Estudiantes Tecos, while UANL Tigres had a 2-0 victory at Santos to head Group 1.

Elsewhere, defending champion Monterrey won 2-0 at home over a 10-man Pachuca, while Guadalajara beat Atlante 2-0.

The fifth round continues Sunday with Puebla vs. UNAM Pumas, Toluca vs. Atlas and America vs. Queretaro. Atlas could move above San Luis in the general standings with a win at Toluca.

The 18 clubs in Mexico's Primera Division are split into three groups, with the top two in each group, and the two other clubs best placed in the general standings, automatically contesting end-of-season playoffs.

In Torreon, Hector Mancilla opened the scoring for Tigres at Santos after a pass from American international Jonathan Bornstein in the ninth minute.

Bornstein produced an influential performance in midfield as he continues to settle in Mexico following a postseason move from Chivas USA.

Juninho scored the second for Tigres from Lucas Lobos' cross just before halftime to seal the win and put Tigres on ten points, three clear of Santos atop the tournament's Group 1.

Reigning title holder Monterrey got its second victory in five matches with a win over Pachuca.

Aldo De Nigris headed in Neri Cardozo's cross in the 27th minute and Pachuca was reduced to 10 men when Leobardo Lopez was sent off for a 31st-minute challenge on Monterrey captain Luis Perez that looked innocuous in TV replays.

Monterrey took advantage of the extra man as Cardozo added the second goal with a volley into the bottom corner from Humberto Suazo's back-post cross in the 49th.

Monterrey moved to six points in Group 1, level with Chivas of Guadalajara, which scored two late goals to defeat Atlante.

Patricio Araujo headed the opener for Chivas after Erick Torres nodded a free kick back across goal and Hector Reynoso scored a stoppage-time penalty after Marco Fabian was fouled in the box on a counter attack.

In Saturday's final match, Wilmer Aguirre hit an 89th-minute penalty as San Luis rallied past Estudiantes Tecos, which had three players sent off.

Elgabry Rangel opened the scoring for Estudiantes from Rubens Sambueza's pass in the 21st minute and Sambueza gave the visitors a two-goal cushion in the 55th.

Luis Hernandez started the comeback with a 63rd-mintue header and Juan Manuel Cavallo equalized for San Luis in the 79th.

Diego Jimenez was sent off for Estudiantes in the 83rd and Manuel Moran was also shown a red card after fouling Juan Cuevas for the penalty that Wilmer Aguirre converted to snatch the points for San Luis.

Juan Leano became the third Estudiantes player to be sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul deep in stoppage time.

San Luis, which has played six matches, tops the general standings and Group 2 with 11 points, while Estudiantes is level on points with Monterrey and Guadalajara in Group 1.