Manchester United failed to defend their Champions League title when they lost to Barcelona in Rome.

Four days later, my favourite tennis player and defending champion, Rafael Nadal, was bundled out in the French Open by Swede Robin Soderling. In four sets.

Numbers aside, the developments last week seem to show one thing: you can’t have it all.

Well, United were aiming to win a historic quadruple, while Nadal had won 31 consecutive Roland Garros matches on his favourite clay surface.

But, more often than not, things don’t always go your way but perhaps, it is justifiable.

For starters, Barcelona won on a night when United’s defence were found napping – on both occasions – safely put that the best team took the title that night.

Sir Alex Ferguson, unlike a certain man with the initials RB, took defeat gracefully, acknowledging that indeed, the better team won that night.

As for the Nadal-Soderling match-up, perhaps to Nadal’s chagrin, Soderling was able to match each of his shots – with much gusto.

More often than not, Nadal was found on the defensive on numerous occasions – and Soderling took full advantage of the situation.

Both have been on bad blood, but on court, Soderling appeared to have found the answer to Nadal’s whipping forehands and backhands, the 23rd seed coming out with his own killer shots.

For both cases, there could have been complacency, but that spells good news and this means there is a time to reflect and subsequently, a time to improve.

For United, there is the off-season to look forward to but as for Nadal, the number of tournaments and slams coming up will be his chance to show the world that he is not yet losing it.

That he is, indeed, the rightful world no. 1.

They may be down, but they are certainly not out.

Manchester United's Federico Macheda (R) celebrates together with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring the winner in a 2-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday.

Federico “Kiko” Macheda has done it again, living proof that lightning can, indeed, strike twice.

Just a week after the 17-year-old came off the bench to score an injury-time winner against Aston Villa, Macheda turn on his heroics again against Sunderland.

Another inspiring performance from the youngster saw Manchester United narrowly edging out Sunderland 2-1 after seasoned campaigner Paul Scholes had given United the lead in the first half.

This time though, Macheda’s impact was almost instant, coming off the bench with 15 minutes to go and deflecting Michael Carrick’s wayward shot past Sunderland’s Craig Gordon.

Sunderland must have been befuddled at the turn of events, but there was nothing strange or awkward about Macheda, who is fast turning out to be a real sensation.

At the start of the match, Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench, only to play a part in the final quarter of the match, while Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez headed the strikeforce.

United keeper Edwin van der Sar was also rested, with Ben Foster taking his place in front of the goal.

United had their first real chance through Nemanja Vidic, whose header was cleared off the line after 17 minutes, and a subsequent bicycle kick was wide.

But barely two minutes later, Scholes rose high to head home Wayne Rooney’s cross to give United the lead.

Things were rather quiet for a while, with Sunderland’s Djibril Cisse’s effort seven minutes from half time tipped over by Foster, but two minutes later, his teammate Carlos Edwards nearly levelled for Sunderland when his shot came back off the upright.

Four minutes after the restart, Rooney struck just over the bar, but two minutes after that, parity was restored when Kenwyne Jones netted from close range.

Both Scholes and Tevez had chances to restore United’s lead, but Sunderland were doing a pretty decent job keeping United’s offence at bay.

Macheda’s introduction to replace Berbatov 16 minutes from time turned the tables on the Black Cats.

Almost immediately, Macheda put the ball into the back of the net after a powerful deflection off Carrick’s initial strike. He was, undoubtedly, thrilled.

The goal ensured United remained on top of the league, but more importantly, at least for Macheda, the Italian has scored possibly the two most important goals of his life.

The win ensured back-to-back victories for United after a mini slump which saw them losing previously to Liverpool and Fulham.

For now, United shift their focus to the Champions League. Porto awaits.

Manchester United's Federico Macheda reels away in sheer delight, with Danny Wellbeck behind him, after scoring the winning goal against Aston Villa on Sunday. United won 3-2, and the win takes them back to the top of the Premiership.

On his first senior start, Manchester United’s 17-year-old Italian Federico Macheda produced a scintillating performance to ensure United went back on top, overtaking rivals Liverpool.

Signed from Lazio in 2007, Macheda had recently impressed in a reserve match against Newcastle United, scoring a hattrick.

But in the match against Aston Villa on Sunday, Macheda showed that he was no pushover when he scored in injury time, turning beautifully against a Villa defender and, despite losing his balance, managed a strike beyond Brad Friedel.

I screamed my lungs out, and no doubt, the Old Trafford faithful rose to their feet in sheer joy, revelling in the fighting spirit which United have long been renowned for, but which has been virtually absent the past three weeks.

The day also belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, whose second goal in the match pulled United back from the brink of defeat after Gabriel Agbonlahor had given the Villans a 2-1 lead in the second half.

United had begun the match short on key starters, with several key players sidelined with injury and Wayne Rooney suspended. But, despite Carlos Tevez being the lone striker up front, Ronaldo showed his mettle in front of goal too.

Ronaldo gave United the lead after 14 minutes with a clinically taken freekick in the six-yard box, which was awarded no thanks to a deliberate backpass from James Milner which Friedel caught with his arms.

Milner appeared disgusted, but you should have seen the look on Villa midfielder Stilian Petrov’s face after the shot went in.

The face said it all. Who could blame him?

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo making no mistake within the six-yard box, firing in a freekick which gave United the lead against Aston Villa. United eventually went on to win the match 3-2.

United were on a roll after that, stringing numerous beautiful passes but with a lack of finishing, the score stayed at 1-0. The cause was also helped by Edwin van der Sar, who pulled off a string of saves to preserve the lead, most notably from a freekick by Ashley Young.

Much against the run of play, Villa forward John Carew rose to head in – unopposed, despite the presence of two United defenders – from captain Gareth Barry’s inch perfect cross.

Villa’s confidence, rattled after a dismal 0-5 loss to Liverpool, increased after that, but United were still knocking, although they were let down by poor crosses and some poor finishing.

I wonder how Alex Ferguson must have felt going into half time, and not to mention Martin O’Neill as well.

The score stood at 1-1 at half time, but 13 minutes into the second half, Villa went ahead after Agbonlahor met a cross from Carew with a header ahead of  van der Sar, although the former paid a minor price.

Villa appeared to be getting stronger, with Young putting in two chances which were on target. United, on the other hand, were getting a tad frustrated.

The introduction of Macheda in the 61st minute to replace Nani did not seem to change anything for United – yet,  though it added more bite to United’s offensive front.

With a narrow 2-1 lead, Villa somehow seemed content to protect that lead and made a defensive change, with Nigel Reo Coker being brought on to replace Milner in the 76th minute.

But there was nothing he could do to stop Ronaldo from sliding the ball into the Villa net four minutes later, which sent the crowd into a frenzy and also sparked the belief that United could pull off a victory over Villa.

And so they strove. Really hard. Darren Fletcher found himself in space and blasted a strike which was tipped narrowly over the bar.

Time was running short. Two minutes from the end, United forward Danny Wellbeck was brought on in place of Tevez, who had a visibly frustrating afternoon.

Wellbeck was presented with a gilt-edged chance not too long after that following a Villa defensive slip, but Friedel was spot on to deny the youngster.

At this point, one would wonder if United’s slide in form would continue, but Macheda ensured that would not be the case with a composed, well-taken shot from within the box.

Macheda instantly became a hero, and the looks on the faces of the United players and an erupting bench showed just how valuable the victory was for United.

Even the SkySports commentator could not help but rejoice along with the United fans

They held on to win the match, a much needed tonic to prevent a third consecutive defeat and also a much needed boost ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal encounter against FC Porto at home.

The win also took them back to the top of the Premiership, one point ahead of Liverpool but with a game in hand.

Indeed, a moment to savour and revel in. Unbelievable.

EDDIE Jordan (pic), former owner of the Jordan team, yesterday said the
new Brawn GP team could go all the way and win the Formula One title this
year.

Jordan, 61, who is a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) analyst,
said Brawn GP could continue their scintillating form due to the
advantage their cars have with their rear diffusers, which some teams
consider illegal.

"You have got to look at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, and
subject to the clarification of the rules, and if Brawn GP are allowed to
keep their diffusers, then they have a reasonable chance to fight for the
championship," Jordan said at a press conference in Penang yesterday.

Jordan is in Penang to give a motivational talk to the Penang Medical
College (PMC) students and will also be performing with his band, `Eddie
Jordan and the Robbers' at a leading hotel tomorrow.

Jordan will also be in Kuala Lumpur this weekend for the Petronas
Malaysian Grand Prix as BBC's analyst.

He described Brawn GP's one-two finish at the Australian Grand Prix as
a huge surprise, noting that "in many respects, they should never have
been there", referring to Brawn's fight for survival earlier this year.

"Really, it is like a fairytale, and then to be first and second on the
grid and to finish first and second in the race, it is probably in many
respects one the greatest not only motor racing stories, but probably one
of the greatest sporting stories of all time from a team in such a
competitive business.

"For them to come back so successfully, I have never recalled something
in my time quite as remarkable as this," he said.

Jordan also noted that Brawn had two very experienced drivers in Rubens
Barrichello and Jenson Button, who are both winners.

"I can never see him (Barrichello) as a world champion but you never
know. I do not see Button (as a champion) either. But the car is very
strong and very fast," he added.

Jordan, having worked with Barrichello when the latter was with him for
four years, described the Brazilian as "not the quickest driver in
Formula One but very experienced, wily, understands the business and very
kind with the car".

Note: This was published in NST Sports page 46 on Mar 31. It's my first sports story
to be published as an NST reporter.

Most of you would have read about the skirmishes that ensued following Serbian Novak Djokovic’s victory over Bosnian-American Amer Delic in the Australian Open. But if you haven’t, you can read it here and here.

Over the years I’ve come to believe that sports bring people of different races and nationalities together. In short, it unites them.

It has always been heartening to see Malaysians rejoice together when the country does well in any sports – badminton, mostly.

You can see for yourselves how all races can just click together in rejoicing over the big achievement. There is no such thing such as Malays, Chinese or Indians. Just Malaysians.

But to see politics come into play – such as in the case of the above-mentioned tournament – it is indeed very sad and shameful to see a tennis tournament of such stature brought down to the ground by such unwanted incidents.

A tennis match is a tennis match. Nothing more. It is just two world-class players on court trying to outdo one another. Nobody talks politics on the court. You can do it outside but please, when you enter the arena, try being civilised and just enjoy a good tennis match.

After having travelled all the way from Eastern Europe to the Asia-Pacific, the last thing you would want to do is waste your time throwing chairs and getting yourselves arrested by police. This is the time when you exercise tolerance.

Yes, the history is still there. Yes, the hurt remains. Nobody’s denying that. But what has happened, has happened. You cannot change the past. Why not just move forward and be better?

The time has come for common sense to prevail and set aside all differences. It will not be easy, but it will definitely make everyone’s lives a lot better.

I hope I have not offended anyone here, but if I have, I apologise.

The match between Manchester United and Chelsea at the Luzhniki Stadium finished 1-1. And extra time yielded nothing else, hence, the inevitable penalty shootout.

Cristiano Ronaldo saw his spotkick saved by Petr Cech. And if you thought -that- was the end, John Terry slipped and his penalty hit the upright. Into sudden death, Edwin van der Sar pulls the most decisive save of the entire final in Moscow – going the right way and blocking Nicolas Anelka’s shot.

Arms in the air, teammates coming at you. Boy, van der Sar must have been on cloud nine, and no less relieved would be our dear friend Ronaldo.

But it was not just the Manchester United players who were going through an emotionally charged time – me – a self-professed die-hard United fan was going through a killer time managing her emotions on a night of glory to savour.

From the start of the shootout, my heart was thumping -really- madly – so mad that I thought my heart was going to burst right out from my chest XD.

But when Ronaldo missed his penalty, it appeared as though my heart just stopped beating. The excitement seemingly ebbed away. In short, my heart sank really low then.

Hoping against hope that Chelsea would miss at least -one- of their penalties, but as each a Chelsea player put the ball in the back of the net, my hopes were dashed to the ground.

Then came the decisive moment – for United -and- also Chelsea. As Terry stepped up to take the penalty, my hopes rose again, hoping that Lady Luck would smile on United and take the shootout into sudden death.

And she did. The poor skipper slipped as he struck the ball, and much to Chelsea’s agony and United’s relief (most notably Ronaldo, yes), the ball bounced off the upright. And van der Sar clenched his fists jubilantly.

My hopes skyrocketed then. When I had been sitting down watching every passing moment of the penalty shootout, the moment Terry missed his spotkick, I got up and began walking around – eventually leaning against the piano as the watched sudden death unfold.

Throughout the sudden death, I was only hoping that the United players would not disappoint. And they did not, with easy shots that Cech could not save.

On the other hand, van der Sar came close to saving Ashley Cole’s penalty, but the latter had put in just enough to ensure the ball went safely into goal.

With Anderson and Nani both converting their penalties, it was Anelka’s turn to turn on the style and ensure Chelsea remained in the hunt for the coveted Champions League trophy.

As van der Sar made his way slowly to the centre of the goal, Anelka trudged to the six-yard box to take his penalty. Stretching his hands as far wide as he could, the Dutch shot stopper braced himself for the Frenchman’s spotkick.

Anelka struck the ball, but more importantly enough, van der Sar dived the right way and parried out the former’s strike. As van der Sar clenched his fists -yet- again and celebrated, I stood in the living room – shellshocked.

But in a split second, as United players dashed from the middle of the park and embraced van der Sar, the thought finally hit home, “Hey! We’ve won the Champions League!!”

It was then I began to hop madly around in the living room. My bro, who had been watching the match in his own room, was also celebrating, though his wife slept soundly throughout XD (and so did my mom XD).

I hopped madly about for a while, while the United players in Moscow celebrated, with Ronaldo lying down with his belly to the ground, rejoicing after a nail-biting encounter that turned ugly towards the end of extra time.

As I went into my room to get my phone, and when I got out, my hands were trembling even as I searched for a fellow United fan’s number to call him. He sounded very calm and collected, in spite of all the excitement.

I was still celebrating, though I was not jumping already XD. I clenched my fists and punched the air on several occasions, revelling in a victory that everyone associated with Manchester United had been waiting for – for the past nine years.

I was also extremely happy for Paul Scholes, as he got his chance to experience the Champions League final after missing the last one in Barcelona in 1999 through suspension. And though he had a bloodied face, you could tell that -this- was a night that he would never forget.

As the trophy was hoisted by Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs – the latter having secured a record 759 appearances for United – the festive spirit was well and truly in the air.

Two words – SIMPLY AMAZING =D

SEBERANG JAYA: A malicious SMS spreading around Penang, urging Penangites to boycott their favourite nasi kandar stalls and restaurants, have caused business in the state to plummet. The SMS had accused nasi kandar operators of backing Umno’s illegal gathering to protest the Penang Government’s move not to carry out the New Economic Policy.

Malaysia Muslim Restaurant Operators Association president Sihabutheen Sirudu Mohamad said today members’ businesses had been badly affected by the SMS.

The public, he said, had the wrong information by claiming that nasi kandar restaurant workers were involved in the illegal gathering.

“We lost customers, most notably the Chinese,” he said. “I hope the public will not believe in such rumours being spread by those who are irresponsible.”

Meanwhile, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) denied urging the boycott, condemning those responsible for trying to take advantage and accusing the organisation of spreading the boycott call.
Hindraf national coordinator R. S. Thainenthiran told a press conference today that the irresponsible act had led to a decline in the nasi kandar restaurant business in the state.

“I want to stress that we were never involved in releasing statements of any form to boycott nasi kandar restaurants,” he said. “Last Friday, there were certain people who claimed that Indian Muslims were involved in the gathering but these nasi kandar restaurants have nothing to do with it.

“Therefore, we urge everyone not to listen to this rumour. Nasi kandar restaurant operators are carrying out their business and were not involved in any gathering,” he said.

Thainenthiran expressed hope that the rumour mongering would be stopped immediately as it hurt people’s rice bowl.

He appealed to loyal customers, especially the Chinese, not to be influenced by the rumour. “Business is business, and it must not be associated with politics,” he said.

GEORGE TOWN: The newly-formed DAP-PKR joint state government announced today fresh freebies for the people of Penang during its first state executive councillor’s meeting.

In this latest round, some 1,465 Kafa (obligatory religious requirement) teachers will receive a one-off RM600 ex-gratia payment effective April 1. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the Exco approved a RM879,000 allocation for the purpose.

When announcing the news earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin said the payment was made in appreciation of the religious teachers’ sacrifices and good work in educating the young in the state.

“We appreciate what the teachers are doing and to repay them, the state Exco has agreed to an ex-gratia payment,” he told a Press conference after the Exco meeting. The meeting, which concluded way past lunch time, was chaired by Lim.

In his first press conference upon his swearing-in as chief minister a week ago, Lim announced the waiver of all outstanding parking and hawker license summons issued by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) before he took office. The one-off arrangement was made to help reduce the burden of the people, especially the poor.
In today’s meeting, Lim said the Exco also discussed on the controversial RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project.

He reiterated that no approval had been given for the project, especially from the MPPP.

Lim said the developer of the project was disallowed from further promoting and selling contents of the project but can submit a new application through the normal procedure.

On the appointment of new MPPP and MPSP councillors, Lim said he would make an announcement on the matter at an appropriate time after getting advice from the state legal adviser. It was reported that all 44 MPPP and MPSP councillors had tendered their resignations in batches.

GEORGE TOWN: All procurement contracts below RM50,000 will be done on a drawing by rotation basis. The Penang Exco decided this to avoid disruptions in efforts to carry out the open tender system.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said procurement contracts above RM50,000 would be carried out on an open tender basis.

“For both methods, the respective quarters will be given a period of two weeks to voice their objections. If the objections are accepted, the results of the open tender or drawing by rotation contracts will be reviewed,” he said after chairing the Exco meeting today.

Lim said the process required time but expressed hope that the system can be carried out as soon as possible.

The Exco also decided on the setting up of a land committee, which will be chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin and participated by deputy chief minister Dr P. Ramasamy and state Health, Welfare and Caring Society committee chairman Phee Boon Poh.

The committee would be responsible against any quarters involved in alleged land cheating cases as well as to draw up new guidelines to ensure cheating cases do not occur in future.

“There have been complaints on land cheating cases and these cases need to be investigated thoroughly,” he said.

On the missing documents and files in the state executive councillors’ offices, Lim said state Secretary Datuk Jamaludin Hasan would be carrying out an investigation into the matter.

It was reported that Jamaludin had directed the former executive councillors to clear out and vacate their offices to ensure a smooth transition in power. It was also reported that Phee had walked into his office, only to discover that files were missing and that there were no documents for reference.