Soccer: Middlesbrough get boost ahead of Basel rematch

ENGLAND

Middlesbrough had a morale-boosting 1-0 win at Manchester City with a first-half winner from Lee Cattermole in the English Premier League yesterday.

Steve McClaren's team, who will try to overturn a 2-0 deficit in their UEFA Cup quarter-final, second leg at home to Basel on Thursday, took the points when midfielder Cattermole headed in a Stewart Downing cross after 42 minutes. It was the 18-year-old's first goal at senior level.

The win lifted Middlesbrough level on 40 points with 13th-placed City, who barely produced a noteworthy effort on goal and drew a withering blast from manager Stuart Pearce.

In the day's other match former England striker Teddy Sheringham drew a blank on his 40th birthday in West Ham United's 0-0 draw with Charlton Athletic at Upton Park.

West Ham moved up one place to eighth on 46 points, two points behind seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers who have two games in hand. Charlton are 11th on 43 points.

Bottom club Sunderland staved off relegation for another week with a 2-2 draw at Everton and West Bromwich Albion lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool.

SPAIN

The big game ended with honours even as leaders Barcelona drew 1-1 at home to second-placed Real Madrid to stay 11 points clear on 69 and on course for the title with seven games left.

Ronaldinho put Barcelona ahead with a penalty but Real recovered from that and a red card for Roberto Carlos to level through Ronaldo.

Valencia moved to within two points of Real with a 5-3 home win over second-last Cadiz, their first victory in seven games. Osasuna dropped to fourth a point further back after being thumped 4-0 at home by Getafe.

FRANCE

Olympique Lyon moved to within touching distance of a record fifth successive title as a 1-0 win at Troyes combined with second-placed Girondins Bordeaux's 3-1 defeat at Paris St Germain stretched their lead to 12 points with six games left.

Tiago headed Lyon's goal after 77 minutes to put them in good heart for their Champions League trip to AC Milan tomorrow where they start the second leg level at 0-0.

PSG captain Pauleta scored a first-half hat-trick to end Bordeaux's 13-game unbeaten run.

Lille, third on 54 after a 1-1 home draw with Auxerre, are now a point ahead of Stade Rennes who won 1-0 at Toulouse. Racing Lens, Auxerre, and Olympique Marseille are a further point back in a contest for a Champions League qualifying slot.

GERMANY

Hamburg cut Bayern Munich's lead in the Bundesliga to seven points with a 2-0 win at 10-man Schalke after Bayern were held to a surprise 2-2 home draw by bottom club Cologne.

Schalke lost Brazilian fullback Rafinha to a red card in the 28th minute and Hamburg scored through Rafael van der Vaart and Ailton.

Bayern have 66 points from 28 games, seven clear of Hamburg with six games left. Werder Bremen are in third place - the last Champions League qualifying slot - on 56 points after a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw, with all four goals coming in the first half.

ITALY

The top-two, Juventus and AC Milan, had next week's Champions League quarter-finals on their minds as they failed to beat the bottom two.

Juve drew 0-0 at last-placed Treviso but stretched their lead to nine points as Milan paid for resting several first teamers by losing 1-0 at Lecce after a 54th-minute Cedric Konan goal.

Third-placed Inter, also in Champions League action this week, beat Messina 3-0 to close to within two points of their city rivals.

Fiorentina held on to the last Champions League qualifying spot with a 1-1 home draw against AS Roma, who are a point back in fifth.

NETHERLANDS

PSV Eindhoven were denied the Dutch title by the weather after they beat bottom club RBC Roosendaal 2-1 to relegate them on Saturday.

The victory meant PSV would have retained their title if AZ Alkmaar failed to beat NAC Breda on Sunday but that game was rained off.

SCOTLAND

Third division Gretna, a club playing in minor league English football four years ago, completed a remarkable transformation by reaching the Scottish Cup final by beating second division Dundee 3-0 a week after being promoted to the second division.

Hearts thrashed Edinburgh rivals Hibernian 4-0 to reach the first final not to feature Celtic or Rangers in nine years.

- REUTERS