Diego Maradona has successful debut as coach
SOCCER
Argentina defeats Scotland, 1-0, on a goal by Maxi Rodriguez.
Diego Armando Maradona got off to a successful start as a national team coach on Wednesday when Argentina defeated Scotland, 1-0, in Glasgow in one of 46 international games played worldwide.
The 1986 World Cup winner had winger Maxi Rodriguez to thank for launching the second Maradona era in the right fashion.
With the match at Hampden Park only eight minutes old, the Atletico Madrid captain sprinted onto a pass from Manchester United's Carlos Tevez and fired a shot beneath goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
The Scots tightened their defense after that and counter-attacked when the opportunity arose, but Argentina's defense held firm.
"I think it's a new era," Argentina's new captain, Liverpool defender Javier Mascherano, told Britain's Sky Sports. "It was very important to win. You see Maradona on the bench coaching, it's fantastic for us."
Maradona, preoccupied by the pregnancy complications being suffered by his daughter, Giannina, in Spain, maintained an uncharacteristic low-key presence during the match but rebounded after the final whistle.
"Since the bad news I've had about my daughter, it's the first time I've managed to laugh," he said. "It was a great experience and I was relaxed throughout. It was a clear victory for us. We were brilliant for the first 25 minutes."
In Athens, a second-half goal by Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni earned Italy a 1-1 tie with Greece and allowed Azzurri Coach Marcello Lippi to equal a world record.
The tie extended Lippi's unbeaten streak to 31 games, tying the mark held by two former national team coaches, Spain's Javier Clemente and Argentina's Alfio Basile.
It also made Lippi the Italian record holder, surpassing the 30 games without defeat achieved by Vittorio Pozzo between 1935 and 1939. "What makes me happiest in this streak of good results is something very important, a World Cup," said Lippi, who coached Italy to the title in 2006. "The unbeaten streak in itself is meaningless without that important victory."
In Berlin, a weak England team, missing almost half of its usual starters, nevertheless managed to overcome Germany, 2-1, with Chelsea defender John Terry scoring the decisive goal.
Matthew Upson opened the scoring for England but Germany tied it when Terry sent a thoughtless back pass to goalkeeper Scott Carson that was intercepted by Patrick Helmes, who steered the ball into the net.
