Kahn Doesn’t Help Cause
Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn picked the worst time to suffer one of the worst blunders of his career Tuesday in a European Champions League match.
Seven minutes from victory, Kahn misjudged a long free kick by Real Madrid’s Roberto Carlos and allowed the ball to trickle under him and into the net as the teams settled for a 1-1 tie at Munich in the first game of a two-leg series.
Kahn, who last week was criticized by German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann regarding whether Kahn deserved to be the national team’s starter, may have added fuel to that controversy as well. Kahn also misjudged a cross that led to a goal in a 2-1 victory over Croatia last week.
Roy Makaay had given Bayern Munich a 1-0 lead in the 75th minute when he scored on a header off a cross from Claudio Pizzaro.
But Carlos responded with a left-foot free kick from about 30 yards away that eluded Kahn eight minutes after Makaay’s goal.
In the day’s other three Champions League matches, Arsenal hung on for a 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo at Vigo, Spain; Lokomotiv Moscow defeated AS Monaco, 2-1, at Moscow; and AC Milan and Sparta Prague played to a 0-0 tie in the Czech Republic.
Brazilian midfielder Edu scored two goals for Arsenal, and Robert Pires scored the winner in the 80th minute for the English Premier League leaders.
In Lokomotiv’s victory, Marat Izmailov and Vladimir Maminov scored first-half goals. Spanish international Fernando Morientes scored in the second half for Monaco.
Four more Champions League games will be played today, highlighted by Vfb Stuttgart-Chelsea and FC Porto-Manchester United.
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Galaxy Additions
The Galaxy arrived in France on Tuesday for an 11-day trip that includes at least three games against first- and second-division French clubs.
When the team reached its hotel in Sainte-Maxime, it was joined not only by Austrian international midfielder Andreas Herzog, who signed with Major League Soccer and the Galaxy this month, but also by two Brazilians.
Defender Flavio Costa, 20, and midfielder Marcelo Saragosa, 22, both of whom play for Sao Paolo in the Brazilian league, will be on trial with the team during the trip.
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English FA Cup
Brian McBride scored what proved to be the winning goal off a pass from Carlos Bocanegra to give Fulham a 3-0 victory over West Ham to advance to the FA Cup quarterfinals against Manchester United.
McBride’s goal, which came in the 76th minute, occurred after he chested down a pass from fellow American Bocanegra and sent a shot into the upper corner of the net.
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Algarve Cup
The U.S. women’s national team will depart for the Algarve Cup in Portugal on March 10, only four days after returning from Olympic qualifying in Costa Rica.
The Americans will be in a group with Denmark, France and World Cup runner-up Sweden for the 12-team tournament, which will take place March 14-20.
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Quick Passes
The German soccer federation has suspended Hannover defender Kleber of Brazil for three games for throwing a punch at Hansa Rostock’s Rene Rydlewicz in a Bundesliga match last weekend.... James Hayter of second-division club Bournemouth in England scored the fastest hat trick in English league history in a 6-0 victory over Wrexham on Sunday. Hayter entered the game in the 84th minute and scored three goals in 2 minutes 20 seconds.... Bayern Munich defender Bixente Lizarazu will sit out two weeks because of a thigh injury suffered in Tuesday’s match against Real Madrid.... Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi’s two-month ban from Italian league soccer for hitting another player has been extended to the UEFA Cup, meaning he will have to sit out Thursday’s match against French club Sochaux.
-- Compiled by Jim Barrero
