The Korea Herald

Spain still leads FIFA rankings; Korea No. 47

ZURICH (AP) ― World and European champion Spain remains atop the FIFA rankings, while Afghanistan made a big move in a quiet month for international football. Afghanistan rises to its highest place, up 48 spots to 141st, after victories in AFC Challenge Cup matches. Spain heads Germany, Argentina, England and Italy. Colombia is alone in sixth with Portugal dropping from a tie into seventh, as results in the four-year cycle lost value in the calculations. Africa’s top-ranked team, Ivory Coast, dr

SoccerMarch 15, 2013

Duncan, Spurs hold off Mavericks 92-91

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ― Sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in the regular season for the first time in 15 years could have been a cause for celebration. Instead, it just raised more concerns for the San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan had 28 points and 19 rebounds and San Antonio escaped with a 92-91 victory over Dallas when Vince Carter’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer. “Overall I thought (the Mavericks) played better than us,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I thought they executed better

BaseballMarch 15, 2013

Stefani flawless to take lead in Tampa Bay

PALM HARBOR, Florida (AP) ― Shawn Stefani is the latest PGA Tour rookie to look comfortable on a big stage. It just took him a little longer to get there. In breezy conditions on a tough golf course, Stefani never came close to making a bogey until his final hole Thursday in the Tampa Bay Championship. He rolled in a par putt from just inside 5 feet to complete a 6-under 65 and take a two-shot lead over Brian Harman. “Kind of fought through a couple of bad shots coming in ― or not so great shots

GolfMarch 15, 2013

Chelsea through, Inter falls in Europa League

LONDON (AP) ― Chelsea staged a thrilling comeback to beat Steaua Bucharest 3-1 and reach the Europa League quarterfinals, but Inter Milan failed to advance despite a second-leg recovery of its own on a breathless night of last-16 action on Thursday. John Terry and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to help Chelsea, the reigning European champion, squeeze past Steaua 3-2 on aggregate at Stamford Bridge. Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Inter thrashed Tottenham 4-1 at the San Siro for a 4-4

SoccerMarch 15, 2013

Chelsea through, Inter falls in Europa League

Kim far ahead of Asada in worlds

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na staged a successful comback to the world championships despite errors in the ladies’ short program on Thursday, leaving a wide score gap between her longtime rival Japanese figure skater Mao Asada.Kim surged ahead of her rivals by earning 69.97 points total in the short program, finishing first among 35 skaters at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships at Budweiser Gardens in London, southwest of Toronto. Mao Asada, the two-time world champion, ended up

More SportsMarch 15, 2013

Kim Yu-na leads after short program at world championships

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na finished first in the ladies' short program at the world championships here in Canada on Thursday. Kim scored 69.97 points in the short program to shoot to the top of the standings at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships at Budweiser Gardens in London, southwest of Toronto. Kim is seeking her second world title after winning it all in 2009 in Los Angeles. This is her first world championships appearance in two years. Carolina Kostner of Italy,

More SportsMarch 15, 2013

Kim Yu-na leads after short program at world championships

Heat 4th team to win 20 straight in one season

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ― LeBron James missed once, then again, whiffing on two easy looks at the rim that could have left Miami shaken.Like a good teammate, Dwyane Wade swooped in for the saving tip, preserving the lead and keeping the Heat’s amazing win streak rolling.James scored 27 points and the Heat became the fourth team to win at least 20 consecutive games in a season, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 98-94 on Wednesday night.Against a struggling Sixers team that was revved up like a playoff gam

More SportsMarch 14, 2013

Heat 4th team to win 20 straight in one season

Puerto Rico rallies in WBC

MIAMI (AP) ― With the score tied and two outs, Puerto Rico’s Alex Rios kept running from second base.Rios scored the go-ahead run without a play, and the Puerto Ricans rallied to oust Italy from the World Baseball Classic with a 4-3 victory Wednesday night.The Puerto Ricans went hitless in their first 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position but still overcame a 3-0 deficit to score once in the sixth inning and three times in the eighth.“With the lineup we had, it was a matter of time before

BaseballMarch 14, 2013

Tseng aims to raise enthusiasm

PHOENIX (AP) ― Yani Tseng is trying to recapture a youthful enthusiasm, searching for the balance of fun and precision that carried her to the top spot in women’s golf.The No. 1-ranked Tseng enters her title defense in the LPGA Founders Cup on a 22-event, 50-week winless streak. Conversely, third-ranked Stacy Lewis is coming off a victory ― her fifth in her last 22 tournaments ― two weeks ago in Singapore.“I just want to have fun and enjoy as much as I can because I know last year I paid too muc

GolfMarch 14, 2013

Chan shatters world record

LONDON, Canada (AP) ― Patrick Chan delivered the biggest thrill in a night full of them.The two-time defending champion shattered the world record for the short program Wednesday night, restoring order to standings that no one could have predicted when the World Figure Skating Championships began.Chan’s score of 98.37 for his elegantly sublime performance beat the previous world record by more than three points.When he saw the mark, the Canadian’s jaw dropped and the crowd let out a roar that co

More SportsMarch 14, 2013

Nadal, Federer, Sharapova win at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) ― Rafael Nadal ended the run of Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday night.Nadal advanced to the quarterfinals against defending champion Roger Federer, who survived a three-set marathon of his own, beating 18th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5.No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova defeated sixth-seeded Sara Errani 7-6 (6), 6-2 to reach the women’s semifinals without dropping a set, st

More SportsMarch 14, 2013

Nadal, Federer, Sharapova win at Indian Wells

Korean clubs bag four draws

Four South Korean representatives at the top Asian club soccer tournament couldn’t buy a victory this week, as all four of their matches ended in draws.In the second week of the 2013 Asian Football Confederation Champions League, Pohang Steelers of the K League Classic gave up a last-minute equalizer against their Group G rival Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan and walked away with a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.Suwon Samsung Bluewings played Guizhou Renhe of China to a scoreless draw in their Group H contest We

SoccerMarch 14, 2013

Bayern eliminates Arsenal

MUNICH (AP) ― Bayern Munich barely staved off an improbable comeback attempt by Arsenal and advanced in the Champions League despite a 2-0 loss Wednesday night, leaving England without a team in the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years.While the Gunners’ win tied the home-and-home series 3-3, Bayern Munich advanced because of a 3-2 advantage in away goals.After losing the first leg 3-1 at home on Feb. 19, Arsenal went ahead on Olivier Giroud’s goal in the third minute. Laurent Koscielny

SoccerMarch 14, 2013

Four draws for four S. Korean clubs at Asian Champions League football

Four South Korean representatives at the top Asian club football tournament couldn't buy a victory this week, as all four of their matches ended in draws.In the second week of the 2013 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, Pohang Steelers of the K League Classic gave up a last-minute equalizer against their Group G rival Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan and walked away with a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.Suwon Samsung Bluewings played Guizhou Renhe of China to a scoreless draw in their Group H co

SoccerMarch 14, 2013

Kim Yu-na to perform short program in middle of pack at worlds

South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na will perform in the middle of the pack for the short program at the world championships this week.In a draw held here on Wednesday, a day before the ladies' short program at the World Figure Skating Championships, Kim drew 14th among 35 skaters. The 2010 Olympic gold medalist will be the third skater in the third group.At Budweiser Gardens here in London, southwest of Toronto, the 35 performers will be divided into six groups. The first group features f

More SportsMarch 14, 2013

Ballgirl interferes with fair ball

A Hooters girl serving as a ballgirl at a Philadelphia Phillies-Tampa Bay Rays game in Florida said she was “anxious” when she caught a fair ball.Priscilla Daughtry, one of the Hooters calendar girls serving as ballgirls in foul territory for the spring training game in Clearwater, caught the grounder and tossed it to a young fan, before the boos of the crowd showed her she had just interfered with the play, Philly.com reported Tuesday.“That was a fair ball, right over the bag . . . and the ball

More SportsMarch 13, 2013

Side kicking

In the first picture, an opponent is approaching from the side. In this case, use the leg closest to the approaching opponent and kick using the heel of your foot to hit the opponent. This is called the side kick. It is when the whole leg extends toward the opponent in a straight line for a powerful attack.If the opponent approaches from the front, you can also turn your body to the side and use your back leg to attempt a kick immediately.Side kicks are very effective kicks to use against oppone

More SportsMarch 13, 2013

Djokovic, Sharapova win at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) ― Top-ranked Novak Djokovic reached the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday when he beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (4), 6-1 for his 20th consecutive victory.Defending women’s champion Victoria Azarenka extended her own streak despite a nagging right ankle problem, routing Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-1 for her 17th straight win. Urszula’s sister, third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, was beaten by No. 13 Maria Kirilenko, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. No. 3 Andy Murray beat Yen-Hsun

More SportsMarch 13, 2013

NC Dinos say no relocation

A South Korean expansion baseball team on Wednesday shot down rumors that it would relocate to another city in protest of its hometown’s decision to build a new stadium at a remote location.In a press release, the NC Dinos, based in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, said they aren’t going anywhere.“Our ballclub is only thinking about playing baseball for fans in Changwon,” the team said. “Presently, we’re not considering moving to another city.”The Dinos will join the top-flight Korea Basebal

BaseballMarch 13, 2013

Heat pick up 19th-straight win

MIAMI (AP) ― Standing at his locker after yet another victory, LeBron James finally acknowledged the obvious.This winning streak is something for the Miami Heat to savor.Dwyane Wade scored 23 points and on a night where the stat sheet would suggest a struggle, the Heat rolled once again, extending their winning streak to 19 games and leading wire-to-wire in beating the Atlanta Hawks 98-81 on Tuesday.“Let’s be honest, guys,” James said. “We’re not sitting here and saying this is not something spe

More SportsMarch 13, 2013