Brazil Clinches Cup Berth
Adriano scored three goals to help Brazil defeat Chile, 5-0, Sunday and clinch its 18th consecutive World Cup appearance.
Defender Juan and striker Robinho also scored at Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.
Brazil, the only nation to have played in every World Cup since its inception in 1930, improved to 30 points from 16 matches in the South American qualifying group. It trails Argentina -- which lost, 1-0, to host Paraguay on Saturday -- by one point with two games remaining.
Chile has 20 points, five behind fourth-place Paraguay.
The top four teams are guaranteed a berth in the 32-team World Cup field in Germany next year. The fifth-place finisher faces the Oceania winner for another berth.
The victory was Brazil’s fifth in eight World Cup qualifiers against Chile and the 41st overall in 60 games. Brazil also remained unbeaten against Chile in 23 home games.
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Marcelo Zalayeta scored three goals, including the winner in the 85th minute, to give Uruguay a 3-2 victory over Colombia at Montevideo, Uruguay, and boost its hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
Zalayeta’s goals gave Uruguay 21 points and moved it into fifth place, four points behind fourth-place Paraguay, with two games remaining.
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Track and Field
Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia earned the $1-million IAAF Golden League jackpot when she won the women’s triple jump at Berlin in the final of the six-meet series.
She was the only athlete still eligible to win the prize. Lebedeva must participate in the Sept. 9-10 final at Monaco to ensure she collects her money.
The jackpot goes to athletes who sweep their events at the six Golden League meets. The prize was open to 12 events this season. Lebedeva became the second athlete to claim the full jackpot, following 800-meter runner Maria Mutola in 2003.
Wearing a starting bib with the No. 1,000,000, Lebedeva cleared only 45 feet 9 1/4 in her first leap to begin the competition in fourth place. But her second effort of 48-8 3/4 gave her the lead for good.
In the sixth and last series, Yamile Aldama of Sudan jumped 48-7 1/2 . Yargelis Savigne of Cuba, the silver medalist in last month’s world championships at Helsinki, Finland, was third at 47-9 3/4 .
Christine Arron of France won the 100 meters in 11.01 seconds. Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas was second in 11.02 and American Melisa Barber was third in 11.16. World champion Lauryn Williams of the U.S. finished fourth in 11.17.
Jamaicans dominated the men’s sprints. Dwight Thomas won the 100 in 10.01, with Ronald Pognon of France second in 10.08 and Jason Gardener of Britain third in 10.09. Christopher Williams beat Tyree Washington of the U.S. to win the 200 in 20.33. Washington clocked 20.43.
Daniel Kipchirchir Komen of Kenya won his fourth 1,500 in six Golden League meets this year, timed in 3:29.72, the second fastest this season.
Yelena Isinbayeva won the pole vault to help Russia beat the U.S. in a meet at Moscow. Isinbayeva, the world and Olympic champion, won with a vault of 15-1. She missed three attempts at 16-5 1/2 , which would have broken her world record of 16-5 1/4 . Russia won nine of 13 events to total 143 points. The U.S. finished with 107 points.
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Baseball
Mike Cervenak hit a two-run home run and had three runs batted in to lead the U.S. to a 12-1 victory over Colombia in its opening game of the World Cup at Amsterdam.
Cervenak, who plays for Fresno, San Francisco’s affiliate in the Pacific Coast League, had a run-scoring single in the first inning and a two-run homer in the fifth.
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Basketball
Oscar Torres scored 23 points and Victor Diaz had 22 to help Venezuela beat the U.S., 93-83, in the bronze-medal game of the world championship qualifying tournament at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Kris Lang led the U.S. with 30 points and 14 rebounds.
In the title game, guard Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead Brazil to a 100-88 victory over Olympic champion Argentina.
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Cycling
Russia’s Denis Menchov won a 30-mile time trial at Lloret de Mar to take the overall lead in the Spanish Vuelta from Roberto Heras of Spain. Menchov won the ninth stage in 1 hour 54 seconds. Heras finished fifth.
