Arsenal, Chelsea reach League Cup quarterfinals
LONDON (AP): Arsenal and Chelsea overcame English Premier League opponents to reach the League Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the Gunners beating Liverpool 2-1 and the Blues routing Bolton 4-0.

Juventus routs Sampdoria 5-1 in Serie A
ROME (AP): Brazilian striker Amauri scored twice as Juventus routed Sampdoria 5-1 to jump ahead of Genoa into second place in the Serie A on Wednesday.

Bayern, Bremen, Schalke cruise in German Cup
FRANKFURT (AP): Bayern Munich crushed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 to storm into the quarterfinals of the German Cup on Wednesday.

Real lesson in humility
MADRID: Real Madrid suffered an astonishing 4-0 defeat at third-tier side Alcorcon in the King’s Cup on Tuesday, humiliated in the first-leg by a club with a budget more than 400 times smaller than the La Liga giants.

Aurelio gets chance to snatch World Cup spot
RIO DE JANEIRO: Liverpool wing back Fabio Aurelio was handed the chance of snatching a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad when he was named for the Middle East friendlies against England and Oman next month.

Al Ittihad storm into AFC Champions League final
NAGOYA (Japan): Two-time champions Al Ittihad moved within a match of regaining their AFC Champions League title yesterday when they defeated Japan’s Nagoya Grampus 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Messi the best in last season’s La Liga
MADRID: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won an award as the best player in last season’s Spanish League.

Football results worldwide

Hughton named as Toon manager
LONDON: Caretaker manager Chris Hughton was given an 18-month full-time contract and owner Mike Ashley said he was no longer selling the club in the latest twist in the chaotic saga of Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Spurs boss sees better future for Bentley
LONDON: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is optimistic that misfit midfielder David Bentley may have turned the corner at White Hart Lane after inspiring his team to victory over Everton in the fourth round of the League Cup.

United in cruise mode
LONDON: Manchester United got back on track after their defeat against Liverpool as the League Cup holders moved into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Barnsley on Tuesday.

England promotes diversity in 2018 World Cup bid
LONDON: England attempted to boost its chances of winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup with the announcement yesterday of an 11-member group dedicated to promoting the country’s diversity.

United ace gives Fabio, Fergie selection headache
LONDON: Michael Owen came out of the shadows to haunt Fabio Capello again.

FA to probe into violent incidents
LONDON: The violent incidents surrounding Tuesday’s League Cup clash between Barnsley and Manchester United, when eight arrests were made, will be investigated by the FA, the governing body said yesterday.

Swine flu scare: Players told not to spit
LONDON: Footballers were warned on Tuesday spitting could increase the risk of catching swine flu as Bolton joined English Premier League rivals Blackburn in saying squad members had contracted the virus.

Kroenke ups his stake
LONDON: Businessman Stan Kroenke moved closer towards the threshold that would oblige him to launch a takeover bid for Arsenal after purchasing 10 more shares in the club.

Drogba sets sights on Tambling’s record
LONDON: Didier Drogba has Bobby Tambling’s record tally of 202 goals for Chelsea in his sights, the Ivory Coast striker said on Tuesday.

Kelantan will be forced to play without their goal-getter Indra
PETALING JAYA: High-riding Kelantan will be put to test without inspirational goal-getter Indra Putra Mahayuddin (pic) in their Malaysia Cup semi-final second-leg match against Perlis at the Stadium Utama in Kangar on Saturday.

Terengganu to miss their inspirational skipper Marzuki
PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan plan to exploit on a weakened Terengganu side, who will be without skipper Mohd Marzuki Yusof in the Malaysia Cup semi-final second-leg match at the Sultan Ismail Stadium in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.