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Roger Federer made his earliest exit from Wimbledon for eight years but vowed to come back stronger and hungrier than ever. The six-time champion crashed out 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-4 in Wednesday's quarter-finals to world number 13 Tomas Berdych, who will play third seed Novak Djokovic in his first Wimbledon semi-final. It was only Federer's second defeat at Wimbledon since he went out at the first-round stage to Mario Ancic in 2002. And after also failing to reach the semi-finals at the French Open, Federer has suddenly lost his air of invincibility. "I can't wait for Paris and Wimbledon to come around next year, that's for sure, because they've been frustrating tournaments for me," said Federer. However, the Swiss ace has warned his rivals not to write him off, insisting he can regain his position of world domination. "Yeah, I do think that," he insisted. "That's why I'm here." Federer also took some of the gloss of Berdych's fines

Andy Murray found a way past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to set up a blockbuster semi-final against Rafael Nadal. The fourth seed looked in danger throughout the first two sets as he fought to withstand a barrage of power. But coming through a tense tie-break to level the match, with some help from a huge Tsonga misjudgement, ultimately proved the turning point. Murray then broke serve after an epic game early in the third set before running away with the match as Tsonga battled body and mind, the Scot eventually winning 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 6-2. Murray said: "It was a really tough first couple of sets. He was going for huge shots on both sides, but I played very well in the last couple of sets." The Frenchman was clearly on a level above any of Murray's previous opponents, so it was not surprising the British number one found himself in his first tie-break of the tournament. After the first four points in the tie-break went against serve, it was Tsonga who made the decisive mo

Roy Hodgson will be named Liverpool manager on Wednesday, according to the Liverpool Echo. The newspaper claims the Reds have agreed a compensation package "in the region of £2million" with Fulham for the 62-year-old's release. Hodgson is reportedly due on Merseyside to complete the formalities of the deal which will see him succeed Rafael Benitez, whose six-year spell at Anfield was ended by mutual consent earlier this month after a disappointing season. Liverpool have remained tight-lipped regarding developments in the search for Benitez's replacement, leaving numerous names to be linked with the post. Former Reds boss Kenny Dalglish, now an Academy ambassador at the club, was tasked with assisting managing director Christian Purslow in identifying the right man before emerging as a serious candidate for a second stint at the helm. Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill, Marseille coach Didier Deschamps, Galatasaray's Frank Rijkaard and former Real Madrid manager M

The referee whose decision denied Frank Lampard a goal against Germany in the last-16 has been axed by FIFA. Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda and assistants Mauricio Espinosa and Pablo Fandino have been told they are not being retained for the quarter-final stages and beyond. FIFA president Sepp Blatter was forced to apologise to the FA following the officials' inexplicable failure to spot Lampard's first-half shot had bounced two feet over the line when it crashed down off the crossbar. Fabio Capello branded the decision "unbelievable" at the time and was still raging, knowing it might well cost him his £6million-a-year job. It has also prompted Blatter into a U-turn over his belief that video technology should not be used in even the biggest matches. "I understand they are not happy and that people are criticising," said Blatter. "I deplore it when you see evident referee mistakes and it is obvious that after the experience so far in this World Cup i

Spain's crusade to add the FIFA World Cup™ trophy to their Euro 2008 title continued with a last-16 win over Portugal. Vicente Del Bosque's side dominated on the ball as usual but were frustrated for long periods by Portugal, who had decent chances of their own at Cape Town's Green Point Stadium. Ultimately Spain's patience paid off, however, as David Villa's 63rd-minute goal secured victory exactly two years to the day since their European triumph in Austria. They will now fancy themselves in a quarter-final clash with modest South Americans Paraguay while Portugal - who had Ricardo Costa dismissed in the final minute - face a disappointing trip home. Fernando Torres, without a goal in South Africa, tested Portugal goalkeeper Eduardo after just a minute and strike partner Villa also forced an early save. The lively start continued when Villa, coming in from the left again, fired in a low effort which Eduardo stopped smartly. Another Torres shot from a short corner

Daniel Teo breaks down the players' performances in Spain's 1-0 victory over Portugal. Spain Iker Casillas - 7.5 Had an undistracted game despite having his reporter girlfriend at the sidelines. Showed good judgment and anticipation on several occasions to thwart Portugal. Carles Puyol - 7 The shaggy-haired defender was nothing but shaggy in a typically solid performance at the back. He was like a wall on his own! Nearly scored an own-goal though after a ball deflected off his knee and shaved past the post. Gerard Piqué - 7.5 The towering Barcelona defender continues his formidable club partnership with Puyol at the centre of the Spanish defence. Joan Capdevila - 6.5 The Spanish left-back did a commendable job of containing the threat from the Portuguese right-flank and supported the attack well. Sergio Ramos - 6.5 Sometimes I do wonder if he's a defender. The Real Madrid defender was more interested in offence than defence. Had a wonderful chance to put Spain 2-0 up in the

Joan Laporta says the form shown by David Villa for Spain has vindicated the club's decision to sign the player. Barca paid 40million euros for Villa in May, but the player has gone on to become the star player for Spain in this summer's World Cup, scoring four goals so far, including the winner as Vicente del Bosque's side knocked out Portugal to reach the quarter-finals on Tuesday. "Now everybody agrees we were right when we said that it was better to sign before the World Cup. What would it cost today to sign Villa? Let's say, at least, 20 million more," he told Sport. One signing Laporta was not able to tie up before the World Cup or the end of his tenure is that of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas. But the outgoing Barca boss says he hopes the Catalan midfielder will arrive and revealed he would also like Manchester City target Yaya Toure to remain at the club. "I would keep Toure, bring in Cesc and also another striker because it looks like Henry is leav

Goal-line technology would be 100% accurate and effectively free for Premier League clubs. This is the claim made by the inventor of the Hawk-Eye system. Paul Hawkins, managing director of Hawk-Eye Innovations, gave a cautious welcome to FIFA president Sepp Blatter's announcement that the issue of goal-line technology would be revisited next month, just four months after FIFA had kicked it into touch. He said the spin-off from sponsorship would more than cover the £125,000 to £250,000 cost per ground of installing and running the system. Hawkins said: "We would install it free of charge in every Premier League ground if we could have the rights to sell the sponsorship. "That just highlights that it is commercially viable and that the cost would not be an issue." Blatter has suggested that Hawk-Eye may not be the answer because it is based on cameras and "cameras can't see everything", but Hawkins rejected that. He added: "It's 100% accurate. Ha

Germany star Thomas Mueller has claimed England have "too many chiefs and not enough Indians" to be a successful team. As the inquest continues into England's dismal showing in South Africa and debate rages over whether Fabio Capello should continue in his job, Germany are preparing for Saturday's quarter-final showdown with Argentina in a state of quiet satisfaction. Yet again, the country England have not managed to beat at a World Cup finals tournament since 1966 came out on top, this time by a record score. Mueller grabbed the last two goals in the 4-1 win in Bloemfontein, becoming the youngest player since Pele to score more than once in any World Cup finals match. The achievement placed those lofty English reputations into some kind of perspective, totally overshadowing a number of high-profile Three Lions despite only just turning 20. And, as the world has a view on why England should continue to under-perform so badly, Mueller has his own take on the disappoin

Former Holland international Roy Makaay considers Argentina the best team on display in South Africa so far. Question marks hung over Argentina, or to be more accurate, about the coaching capabilities of Diego Maradona. Those questions have changed into exclamations as the Albiceleste have dazzled in winning all four matches they've played so far. Speaking to fifa.com, Makaay said: "The tournament's not really caught fire yet. We've had a couple of terrific games, but quite a few poor ones too. But I think it's beginning to change now we're in the knockout stages, and the games will be increasingly attractive. Holland are the only other team to have a hundred percent win record in the tournament. "The Dutch qualified for the quarter-finals very comfortably. They've been in no trouble at all in any of their matches - and they can still play a lot better too. "Germany fully deserve their place in the quarter-finals. They've played some lovely fo

Cristiano Ronaldo was left with a feeling of 'unimaginable sadness' following Portugal's elimination from the FIFA World Cup™. Portugal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in Cape Town on Tuesday evening, with Ronaldo again struggling to reproduce his magnificent club form at international level. The Real Madrid star confessed after the match that he was finding it hard to come to terms with the disappointment. "I feel a broken man, completely disconsolate, frustrated and an unimaginable sadness," he said in a statement released on the website of Gestifute, which is owned by his agent. Ronaldo refused to answer questions straight after the final whistle but remarked to television reporters: "How can I explain it (the defeat)? Ask the question of Carlos Queiroz." He later denied criticising his manager, while he also hit back at suggestions that he had not assumed his responsibilities as the national captain. "When I said put the question to

Manchester City are adamant that Argentina striker Carlos Tevez will not be leaving the club this summer. Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is rumored to be pondering a £40 million bid for the former Manchester United hitman after completing a deal for fellow Argentine international Angel di Maria on Monday. However, City have not received an offer from the Spanish giants and are sure that Tevez is happy at the Eastlands club, according to The Sun. "Carlos is going nowhere. He's happy here and we're looking forward to welcoming him back next month," a City source said. City are set to announce their £25 million move for Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure at the end of the week, and the Ivory Coast international will join brother Kolo on the club's pre-season tour of the United States. Moves for £10.5 million-rated Hamburg star Jerome Boateng and £26 million Valencia winger David Silva are set to be completed soon after. Tevez enjoyed a fine first season with City, ra

Former Chelsea ace Joe Cole is keen on a move to Italian giants AC Milan, according to reports in the English press. Cole, who was part of England's unsuccessful World Cup adventure in South Africa, was released by Chelsea at the end of last season, sparking a flurry of interest from European powerhouses such as Arsenal, Tottenham, AC Milan and Juventus. Only this week, Tottenham were thought to be close to agreeing a deal with the 29-year-old, but, according to The Sun newspaper, Milan have now entered the fray after learning that Cole would prefer a move abroad. The Serie A side are willing to pay Cole £9million over three years, a deal that works out at some £60,000 a week - £20,000 less than the midfielder was on at Chelsea where he was demanding wages of £100,000 a week before his Stamford Bridge exit. The paper also reported that Cole was recommended to Milan president Adriano Galliani by under fire England manager Fabio Capello who is a former Rossoneri coach.

England are prepared to talk about the unthinkable prospect of whitewashing Australia 5-0, but are still rightly wary of the threat posed by Shaun Tait in particular. The NatWest Series has been in the bag since England overcame a late collapse of six for 18 at Old Trafford on Sunday to scrape a one-wicket win and 3-0 lead with only two matches to play. They could therefore set out at The Oval this afternoon with unprecedented ambitions of whitewashing opponents still ranked top of the world in one-day internationals who - represent a nation who simply do not lose 5-0 to anyone at anything. But in the Australian corner is the express pace of Tait , pressed into action in Manchester after off-spinner Nathan Hauritz had to leave the tour with a foot problem and when seamer Ryan Harris was nursing a groin injury. England's Mike Yardy will certainly not be underestimating Tait, who returned in his first ODI in 16 months to take three for 28. "He has a great record in one-day cric

The Indian Cricket Board's (BCCI)request for exemption for its Rs 566-crore income for two years ending 2009-10 may not get a favourable response from the finance ministry, sources said. "BCCI has claimed exemption to Rs 421 crore income for 2008-09 and Rs 145 crore for 2009-10. But the exemption may not be acceptable and these amounts may be taxed by the department," official sources said. The department, however, has so far not raised any demand for tax from BCCI as assessment for these two years are still pending, official sources said. Meanwhile, BCCI has approached Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) for exemption. The tax to be imposed on BCCI may not be more than 50 per cent of these incomes, the sources said. However, if tax is not paid, a penalty of 100 to 300 per cent can be levied. BCCI is already grappling with controversy with the Income Tax Department probing into the source of IPL funds and bidding in an effort to gain further information on the financial