LuNo

2 - Betis: Ricardo; Damia, Juanito, Melli, Fernando Vega; Arzu, Rivera, Capi (Sobis, 59'), Mark Gonzalez; Edu (Caffa, 88') & Pavone (Juande, 73'). 1 - Real Madrid: Casillas; Salgado, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo; Gago, Guti, Drenthe (Van Nistelrooy, 57'), Robben; Baptista (Higuain, 68') & Raul (Balboa, 77'). REFEREE: Undiano Mallenco. Booked Gago (37'), Marcelo (39'), Arzu (53'), Baptista (62'), Robben (65'), Ramos (73'), Melli (90') & Rivera (90'). GOALS: 0-1 (6'): Robben. 1-1 (33'): Pavone. 2-1 (35'): Edu. HIGHLIGHTS: Matchday 24 of La Liga. Venue: Manuel Ruíz de Lopera Stadium. Attendance: 50,000.

Thanks Aga!!!!

Crocked Ronaldo to get new deal AC Milan are ready to offer Ronaldo a new deal despite his career-threatening injury, according to the Brazil striker's solicitor.Ronaldo underwent surgery in Paris on Thursday after rupturing tendons in his left knee during Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Livorno and is expected to be sidelined for up to a year. The 31-year-old's contract at the Rossoneri ends on June 30 but solicitor Fabiano Farah is confident Ronaldo will still be a Milan player when he comes back from injury. "Everything makes us think that the club are interested in renewing his contract," Farah told Brazilian daily Terra. "Vice-president (Adriano) Galliani has already expressed this desire. "Ronaldo wants to return to playing, but his primary aim is to get better and have a good rehabilitation. "He is the type of person that continues right to the end in his challenges, he has always won them. "He is a born fighter and I am sure he is ready for this new battle." These are the qualities that Eric Rolland, the surgeon who operated on Ronaldo, knows will be vital if the World Cup winner is to play professional football again. "He will need a lot of energy to return to playing," Rolland told French daily Le Parisien. "And his motivation will be the determining factor. "The rehabilitation time will be very long because his injury involved a tendon and not a ligament. "We have to give him back some solidity. "We know at once therefore that Ronaldo will not be able to run for at least six months and that he will not be in reasonable condition to train before nine months."

Flamengo desperate to get hands on Ronaldo: report ROME (AFP) - Brazilian club side Flamengo are desperate to get their hands on Ronaldo should he make a full recovery from the knee injury he sustained on Wednesday that has curtailed his season according to Italian agency Ansa. Flamengo tried to sign the former three-time world player of the year during the January transfer window before 'Il Fenomeno' opted to stay with European champions AC Milan. But his contract is up at the end of the season and his ruptured knee tendon means he will not play again for nine months to a year, making it unlikely a new contract will be offered. But Flamengo's vice-president Kleber Leite is still determined to bring Ronaldo back to the country of his birth. "The dream of having Ronaldo with us is still alive and in the coming days we will put a proposal to him through his agent Fabiano Farah," Ansa quoted Leite as saying. "We will present it to him in written form to show just how much we want him to play for us. "We will wait for him to recover and in the meantime we will try to finalise our plan." When Ronaldo injured his knee, which was subsequently operated on in Paris on Thursday, some feared he may never play again. He is already 31 and suffered the same injury to his other knee back in 1999, which saw him spend the best part of 20 months out of the game. However, this week he expressed his determination to come back, which has alerted Flamengo.

Brazil president prays for Ronaldo BRASILIA (AFP) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday said sent a letter to Ronaldo, a day after the striker had knee surgery in Paris, saying he was praying for the world champion's recovery. "We are praying and we pass on all our energy and support, my dear Ronaldo," said the president. "May God bless you," he added in the letter, whose contents were released by Brazilian media. "I join millions of Brazilians in saying: Carry on, resist and don't get down," said Lula, who added he was optimistic that the 31-year-old AC Milan player would return to action. "You will come back and again be an example of courage and perseverance. As a football fan, I know you will again allow Italians and Brazilians to witness your extraordinary feats."

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Jenson & Flo

A long way to go for new Honda - Button 16 February 2008 Jenson Button has warned that Honda has a long way to go with its 2008 car before the team can be competitive again. However, he acknowledged the team has made progress this winter, even though it might not be showing on the testing time sheets. "We have made good progress this week in understanding the car, addressing the issues that we experienced at the last test and getting the car balanced for long runs," Button said. "There is a great deal of work to do over the two remaining tests before we head to Melbourne, but I am now happier in the car and have more confidence to push it to the limit."

Honda facing up to issues after test 16 February 2008 Honda continued its intensive pre-season testing programme in Spain this week with the track activity moving to Jerez. Race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, along with Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz, were in action this week as the evaluation and development of the new RA108 race car continued. "After this week's test in Jerez, we now have a full understanding of the issues which have been affecting the handling of the car," said engineering chief Steve Clark. "The new components to address these issues will be ready in time for our next test in Barcelona. With this in mind, the focus this week was to sign off the race distance reliability of the car with Jenson and Alex completing full race distances today. We also made steady progress with improving the engine driveability and chassis controls which will give us a good starting point for the next test when we will be in a position to implement the new updates."

Barrichello and Button praise improving Honda With less than a month to go before the 2008 season gets underway in Australia, Honda’s Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button are cautiously optimistic that the RA108 is finally showing signs of improvement, after wrapping up a productive test at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Thursday. Barrichello covered more than 150 laps over two days of running on Tuesday and Wednesday. Although he failed to make it into the top ten on the timesheets on either day, he was pleased with progress, convinced the team have gone some way to solving the grip and pace issues that blighted early test sessions with the car. “We made some good steps with the driveability this week which have given me more confidence getting on the power,” the Brazilian said. “The car balance has improved with progress on the ride and suspension, and I'm feeling comfortable in the car and happier with my driving position.” Button, meanwhile, tested on Wednesday and Thursday, covering over 200 laps as he ran through aero evaluations and a race simulation. Despite finishing over three seconds down on fastest man Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren on Thursday, the British driver was also satisfied as he left Jerez. “We have made good progress this week in understanding the car, addressing the issues that we experienced at the last test and getting the car balanced for long runs,” added Button. “There is a great deal of work to do over the two remaining tests before we head to Melbourne, but I am now happier in the car and have more confidence to push it to the limit.” The team will be back in action at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya later this month.

You're welcome jfanatique

2008 la Methode Cauet

2008 le Grand Journal