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Injured Polak out of Czech qualifiers

Anderlecht midfielder Jan Polak has been ruled out of the Czech Republic’s two World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and San Marino after tearing ligaments in his knee while playing for his Belgian club on Sunday.

Czech coach Ivan Hasek said Monday: “We spoke on the phone and from what I can gather he will be sidelined for quite a while.”

Polak, 28, has been replaced in the squad by West Ham’s Radoslav Kovac.

After Saturday’s crunch match against bitter rivals Slovakia in Bratislava, the Czechs play the last three qualifiers at home against no-hopers San Marino on September 9 and Poland and Northern Ireland later this year.

PRAGUE (AFP)

Tags: belgian club, Bratislava, crunch, czech republic, czechs, hasek, ivan, Ivan Hasek, jan polak, ligaments, midfielder, Northern Ireland, Poland, PRAGUE, Radoslav Kovac, san marino, september 9, slovakia, west ham, World, world cup qualifiers

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Liverpool held to 1-1 draw by Thailand

A great second-half strike by Sutee Suksomkit earned Thailand a well-deserved 1-1 draw with Premier League giants Liverpool in a pre-season game here on Wednesday.

Sutee?s goal cancelled out an early opener from Ryan Babel which Liverpool failed to capitalise on.

There was little goalmouth action to excite the capacity 76,000 crowd with Liverpool looking decidedly ring-rusty.

The Premier League runners-up have still to win in their pre-season travels following a 0-0 draw with St Gallen of Switzerland and a 1-0 loss to Rapid Vienna.

“We had some chances, we were playing against a team that was well organised and they play quick,” said Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

“So you come to a new continent and conditions are different, always more difficult, but I was pleased with the performance of some players and also pleased to see the national team (of Thailand) play well.”

Benitez was left to rue a hamstring injury picked up by defender Martin Skrtel early in the second half but said he was not sure how long the Slovak would be out of action.

“Really disappointed because Martin has a had a problem with his hamstring and a little bit with the ligaments on the knee, so we have to wait,” he said.

Thailand coach Peter Reid, who starred for Liverpool?s local rivals Everton in his heyday, was overjoyed with the result.

“We passed the ball really well and it was great to get a good equaliser,” he said. “Liverpool are a strong team and it was a great experience for the Thailand team to play against them.”

As expected, Liverpool?s Spanish contingent did not feature in the starting line-up with Real Madrid target Xabi Alonso not even on the bench, heightening speculation that he will soon be on the move.

Dutch duo Dirk Kuyt and Babel, stand-in captain Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva were the most recognisable names in the team.

The highly rated Krisztian Nemeth and David Ngog formed the strike partnership with Fernando Torres named as one of the substitutes.

Thailand could have sprung a surprise after just two minutes, playmaker Datsakorn Thonglao sidefooting a weak clearance from keeper Diego Cavalieri just wide.

Liverpool opened the scoring in the simplest fashion four minutes later. A long ball from Carragher at first eluded Babel but he steadied and shot low into the net.

Babel should have grabbed his own and Liverpool?s second in the 20th minute, shooting tamely past the post after an exquisite through-ball from Lucas.

The last real action of a lacklustre first half saw Datsakorn fire a free-kick just over the top.

Benitez changed virtually the whole team for the second half with goalscorer Babel the sole survivor. But there was still no start for Torres despite calls from the full-house Rajamanagala Stadium.

Midfielder Javier Mascherano had a rasping drive from distance saved in the 62nd minute as Liverpool pushed forward for a second goal.

Thailand drew level in the 72nd minute after a well-worked move, substitute Sutee playing a one-two with Teerasil Dangda before finishing off with a left foot strike.

The spectators finally got their wish in the 80th minute when Torres and fellow Spaniard Albert Riera came on as substitutes.

Andriy Voronin, back with Liverpool after a loan spell with Hertha Berlin, should have sealed the issue for the Premier League side but shot wide from a good position.

BANGKOK (AFP)

Tags: albert riera, Alonso, BANGKOK, berlin, captain Jamie Carragher, coach peter, daniel agger, David Ngog, Diego Cavalieri, dirk kuyt, dutch duo, Fernando Torres, heyday, jamie carragher, Javier Mascherano, ligaments, Liverpool, Lucas Leiva, MADRID, Martin, martin skrtel, nemeth, new continent, Peter Reid, premier league, rafael benitez, Rajamanagala Stadium, rapid vienna, ryan babel, season game, st gallen, starting line, Switzerland, target, Thailand, thailand team, Vienna

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Vela diagnosed with sprain

HOUSTON – Carlos Vela’s injury is not as serious as first feared.

At least that’s what Mexico team doctor Radames Gaxiola told reporters in an official statement.

“The injury that is present is medial tibial pain, affecting the ligaments on the right leg,” Gaxiola said. “In simplest terms, he has a sprain.”

Vela injured his right foot early in Mexico’s 2-0 win against Nicaragua Sunday in both teams’ Gold Cup opener in Oakland.

He fell awkwardly after a challenge in the first half and it was initially feared the injury was a fracture. The striker limped off the field 11 minutes into the match.

“In the fifth minute of the first half, Carlos Vela was spun around by a rival player who leaned against him which caused Carlos to incur pain on his right leg,” Gaxiola said.

Vela was taken to a bay area hospital in an ambulance after the Nicaragua game. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said it was a precautionary measure taken by the team doctor.

“Upon initial treatment, he felt pain on his right fibula. For that reason, after the game I went with him to a hospital to take X-rays and fortunately after evaluating the results it was determined that it was not a fracture,” Gaxiola said.

Vela returned to the team hotel in Oakland in crutches.

It is not clear if Vela will be available to play against Panama at Reliant Stadium Thursday.

By Ivan Orozco

Go to Source

Tags: ambulance, Carlos, Carlos Vela, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, crutches, fibula, fracture, Gaxiola, gold cup, Houston, initial treatment, ivan, Ivan Orozco, Javier Aguirre, ligaments, Mexico, mexico team, Nicaragua, Oakland, Panama, Reliant Stadium, right foot, sprain, striker, team doctor, team hotel, x rays

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Hoffenheim hit by Ibisevic injury blow

BERLIN AFP) (AFP) – Hoffenheim’s surprise challenge for the German title suffered a serious blow on Wednesday when it was feared that Bundesliga leading scorer Vedad Ibisevic had torn cruciate ligaments in his right knee in a friendly match with Hamburg.

The 24-year-old Bosnian international, who has scored 18 goals this season inspiring the newly-promoted side to the top of the table, went off a few minutes from the end of the friendly which was played at La Manga in Spain.

"According to initial tests, it looks as if he has torn a cruciate ligament," read a statement on the club’s website.

Ibisevic, who has also played for French sides Paris Saint Germain and Dijon, will be flown back to Germany on Thursday and undergo further scans to determine if the injury is as bad as is feared.

The German championship resumes after its traditional winter break on January 30.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, berlin, bosnian, Bundesliga, cruciate ligament, dijon, few minutes, french sides, friendly match, Germain, german championship, german title, Germany, Hamburg, Hoffenheim, initial tests, injury blow, leading scorer, ligaments, manga, PARIS, paris saint germain, quot, Spain, surprise challenge, traditional winter, winter break

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