Monday, June 30, 2008
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Fabregas wants Gunners to win trophies
The 21-year-old midfielder hailed Spain's victory over Germany on Sunday evening as a triumph for "beautiful football", after going three years without silverware in domestic competition.
There are similarities between Spain and Arsenal in their passing approach but Arsene Wenger's men tailed away after Christmas last season and ended empty-handed despite being looking poised to get something from their campaign.
Fabregas still earned PFA Young Player of the Year for his efforts and in Vienna helped his country end their run of 44 years since winning their last major tournament.
"Of course, that was the happiest day of my life as a professional footballer," said Fabregas.
"It was also for the Arsenal fans that have been suffering a lot this year. For them, at least one player has won something. It is for them."
The midfielder's enthusiasm for the Gunners cause will be welcome news for his manager Arsene Wenger, who is facing a fight to keep star striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
Spain capped a thrilling tournament by defeating Germany with the entertaining football that had seen them win their five previous matches at the finals.
"I haven't seen for a long time a team playing such nice football, playing the ball around and playing beautiful football and get a trophy as big as that," Fabregas said.
"Now at Arsenal we have more or less the same quality of game so hopefully the football will also get better and better for Arsenal."
Fabregas had suffered defeat in a final before, in the Champions League where they lost to Barcelona two years ago, and he added: "Does it make up for Paris? Definitely. I can see there is a massive difference between losing and winning in a final.
"Even if they say being a finalist is important, there is no way you can replace the feeling of winning.
"Now next year I want to win trophies with Arsenal, this is my target. I finally made something at a young age, I never expected it to be with Spain. Now I want to do it with Arsenal.
"It's the second trophy - I have an FA Cup. But of course a European Championship is not the same."
Fernando Torres grabbed the winner at Ernst Happel Stadium and Fabregas believes Spain can now focus on winning the World Cup in South Africa in two years' time.
"We are very young and of course now we will go for the World Cup," the Arsenal midfielder added.
"Yes, Fernando can be one of the best. He is all about the team and not the individual performance. I told him it would be his game and he got that goal."
Package from Santa
Maybe it's because with all the stress lately (will write more on this later) that I felt like I wanted to return to my childhood. I remember I loved celebrations when I was young. The fact that I may or may not be celebrating the festival didn't bother me at all, as long as there were food and fun, I'm looking forward to it! LOL! I had lots of friends from different religions when I was young so I kinda got caught up with all their preparations. I enjoyed eating ketupats and rendang during Hari Raya with my Malay friends as well as joining my Christian friends writing Dear Santa letters and receiving Letter from Santa. Well, at least for them, they did... but I never did receive any... nor did I get the presents that I requested. Perhaps asking for a rock from the moon and to travel to the future was a little beyond good old Santa! I know Christmas is not all about Santa but I was a kid then... Santa Letters was something that you could show and boast about in school! *grin*
Anyway, for the time being, this is my little package from Santa! His diarrhea has reduced somewhat, which is some great news. He still has loose stools off and on which the doctor asked to just monitor. Really hope he recovers fully soon... Till today, I'm not sure what is the major cause of his diarrhea.
Albrechtsen joins Rams
The 28-year-old Dane, who joined Albion in June 2004, was a regular fixture in Tony Mowbray's side as they won the Coca-Cola Championship title last season to secure a return to the Premier League.
Mowbray said: "The era of Bosman means the incentives offered by clubs to out-of-contract players are often decisive in whether a player stays or leaves. I'd like to thank Martin for his contribution last season and wish him all the best in his new challenge.
He added: "We will continue to push forward in our bid to find new faces to strengthen the squad for the season ahead."
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Hughes joined by coaching pair
The Blues have confirmed Eddie Niedzwiecki and Kevin Hitchcock have joined their staff, having previously worked with Hughes and assistant Mark Bowen at Blackburn.
It leaves Hughes free to plan for the new campaign, with their European opponents due to be learned on Tuesday.
Given City's status as top seeds for the first qualifying-round draw, they are hardly expected to be tested and the geographical division also ensures there will be no unwanted trip to Eastern Europe either.
However, some pairings are more favourable than others and given City will not have played a game prior to the first leg on July 17, Hughes would presumably be happy meeting Welsh opposition in the form of TNS or Bangor, both of whom would probably play at Wrexham, the City manager's birthplace.
City could also find themselves heading to either side of the Irish border, with Lithuania's Vetra Vilnius the best team they could face according to the co-efficients.
Yet even that will not test City too much, certainly not enough to necessitate the immediate signing of Brazilian forward Jo.
Although the deal was trumpeted last week, there has been no official confirmation of a record £19million switch from CSKA Moscow.
It is thought a work permit has been secured, so only the loose ends need to be completed given a fee has been agreed and the Premier League have now satisfied themselves as far as Jo's ownership status is concerned.
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Chelsea confirm Deco deal
And Chelsea tonight confirmed the 30-year-old has agreed the move to Stamford Bridge, becoming the club's first signing since Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed manager.
The west Londoners announced the news this evening and are expected to confirm they have paid US$15.8million (£8million) to sign the two-time Champions League winner on a two-year deal.
The Brazil-born player's exit from the Nou Camp proved to be protracted due to the Catalans' valuation of around £11million for the player despite his age.
That price seemed to have deterred Inter Milan - who were also apparently interested - but Chelsea have managed to negotiate the price down.
Jose Mourinho, who coached him during their time at Porto, was linked with the diminutive schemer on numerous occasions during his Stamford Bridge tenure and was reportedly interested in signing him after taking over at Inter recently.
Deco's arrival is Chelsea's second signing of the summer after international team-mate Jose Bosingwa.
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Barton admits his assault
The 25-year-old was due to go on trial at Manchester Minshull Crown Court over the incident, but changed his plea shortly before the scheduled start.
Barton admitted one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to Ousmane Dabo when they were playing colleagues at Eastlands.
It is the third time Barton has been in court in 2008, but his bad behaviour stretches back more than four years.
In April 2004 he stormed out of Eastlands before kick-off after being axed from the side to face Southampton and in a 2005 pre-season friendly sparked a mass brawl in a game against Doncaster.
A Christmas bash for Manchester City players that December saw him stub a lit cigar into the eye of young team-mate Jamie Tandy. He was fined six weeks' wages by City.
In May 2005 he broke the leg of a 35-year-old pedestrian while driving his car at 2am in Liverpool city centre and the following month was involved in a spat with a 15-year-old Everton fan at City's team hotel in Bangkok. Again he was fined by City.
The bad blood with Everton fans continued in 2006 when he dropped his shorts in the direction of home fans at Goodison Park. He was fined and warned by the FA for his conduct.
In February last year was arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage in an incident involving a taxi driver. Three months later came the fight with Dabo, and a month after that he was sold by City to Newcastle Utd for £5.8million.
Barton - whose victim Dabo was in court to hear him plead guilty - will be sentenced on Tuesday.
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Deco sets his eyes on title
The Blues made their move for the 30-year-old midfielder after he was told he did not feature in Barcelona's future plans.
The Brazil-born player is the club's first signing since the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager and he is believed to have cost around 11 million euros.
Deco told Chelsea TV: "It is good for me to be here and first of all I am very happy to be here.
"I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and come back to being the first one, not only in England but also to win the Champions League that has been their dream for so long."
Deco's move will see him link up once again with Scolari, his national coach at Euro 2008, and another Portugal team-mate in Jose Bosingwa, who signed for the club earlier in the summer.
His exit from the Nou Camp proved to a protracted one due to the Catalans' initial valuation of around 14 million euros for the player, despite his age.
The two-time Champions League winner had been linked with Internazionale, where his former Porto boss Jose Mourinho is now manager, but the Italians appear to have been put off by the price. Chelsea, however, seem to have negotiated the fee down to sign Deco on what is thought to be a two-year deal.
New coach Scolari officially starts work at Chelsea on Tuesday morning and will undoubtedly be happy with the club's transfer business so far.
Deco's arrival significantly boosts a midfield talent pool already boasting the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Mikel Jon Obi and Claude Makelele.
Yet Scolari is likely to have a busy first week ahead of him with top priority likely to be persuading England international Lampard and defender Ricardo Carvalho to stay.
Both have attracted interest from Mourinho's Inter and Lampard, with just one year remaining on his contract, recently refused to rule out a move.
Chelsea were planning to hold contract talks with Portugal international Carvalho, who has only just started his holiday due to Euro 2008, but Brazilian defender Alcides says he is returning from his loan spell at PSV Eindhoven to replace him.
Alcides has been with the Dutch club for the last 18 months and said: "PSV wanted me to stay but I have learned that Chelsea want me back. It seems Carvalho is leaving and I am going to replace him.''
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Larrazabal arrives with Paris win
Even with former number ones Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood chasing him, the 25-year-old who five years ago was caddying for his brother in the event stormed to a four-shot win.
Larrazabal, who came through 36 holes of qualifying to make it to Le Golf National, entered the tournament 481st in the world and even described himself as "the 150th best player here".
But, leader from the moment he opened with a 65, he clinched the massive £527,800 first prize with a dramatic and inspired closing 67.
As a result the European Tour rookie will play his first major at next month's Open Championship, has secured a place on the circuit for the next two years and is even in the top 20 of the Ryder Cup race.
Until his win he was not even in the top 100.
Larrazabal, rated a 200-1 shot before the start, finished on 15 under par with Montgomerie, in easily his best display of the year, runner-up and Westwood, third in the US Open two weeks ago, dropping to joint fifth after going in the lake on the last.
The young Barcelona golfer joined Westwood's ball when he was thrown in by some of his compatriots - then threw his shoes in as the celebrations continued.
"I don't know how it feels - it's fantastic," he said. "I really played great golf and my putter was great all week."
It was only the 17th Tour event Larrazabal had played in his life, although his past experiences do include The Masters at Augusta - again as a caddie for his brother Alejandro, British amateur champion in 2002.
Until this achievement he was only the fourth best-known golfer in his family as both parents were internationals.
Father Gustavo made him work on a fish farm before turning professional to get an idea of what hard work is and learn the value of money. He should never have to go back to it.
His previous best finish was 15th and he had never previously come within eight strokes of the winner, but now he charges from 128th on the Order of Merit into the leading 10 and up more than 300 places on the world rankings.
Larrazabal, who played all week without a driver in his bag on the firm and bouncy course, started the final day three ahead and remained firmly in the driving seat with three birdies in his first five.
A double-bogey seven on the ninth cut his advantage from five to two, but he promptly birdied the next two and after taking six down the long 14th ignored the dangers of the water to birdie the next two again.
"I lost my concentration a little bit on nine, but I told myself 'You're still leading, try to concentrate again'. That I did," he said.
Ignacio Garrido, who lent the new champion a pair of shoes after he emerged from the lake, commented: "I didn't know he was that good - I don't think anybody knew he was that good.
"It's unbelievable, amazing."
Montgomerie, giving his bid to safe his Ryder Cup place a huge boost with a £351,867 cheque, took second from Dane Soren Hansen with a 40-foot closing birdie putt.
"That's a big step in the right direction," said the Scot, 45 last Monday.
"Forgive me for not knowing the winner's name, but he has a great future ahead of him the kid.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
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Second place will be forgotten
And despite the euphoria that has surrounded Spain's achievements in getting this far, Aragones told his players that they will have no cause to celebrate should they fail to take that final step and lift the trophy.
"I have told my players that no-one remembers the runners-up," said Aragones.
"My players look good, with the desire to play a good game and lift the trophy. We respect Germany but I will only be happy and be able to show off if we win tomorrow."
Spain go into the final as favourites and the in-form side, a point emphasised by their 3-0 beating of Russia in Thursday's semi.
According to Aragones, the reason for this success is the team spirit within the camp.
He said: "You can have the best players in the world but if there is not a good atmosphere in the team, it's impossible to win.
"I feel happy to have a group that has believed in me and that has followed my tactics and style.
"We took a lot of criticism after Euro 2004 and we went through a bad time but now everything seems to be on course."
In spite of his warning Aragones knows it will require a mighty effort from his players to overcome a team they have not beaten in a competitive game since the 1984 European Championships, and appeared well aware of the threat posed by their opponents.
Although captain Michael Ballack is doubtful because of a calf injury, Aragones is still wary of the Germans.
"I have not watched all of Germany's games," admitted Aragones. "But I know that they have had better games than others in this tournament.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
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Heart problem for Thuram
The 36-year-old was expected to complete his switch to Paris St Germain from Barcelona on Friday, but the move has collapsed as a result of a routine medical he took 24 hours earlier.
A stunned Thuram, who was on national team duty with Les Bleus at Euro 2008 earlier this month, confirmed at a press conference held at the Parc des Princes that doctors had detected a problem similar to the one which caused the death of his brother.
Other members of Thuram's family have also been affected by cardiac complaints.
He will take further tests next month and still hopes to sign a one-year deal with PSG, but he admits his future is up in the air.
"It's a complete surprise to me, I didn't see it coming," he said.
"If I am holding this press conference, unfortunately it's not to announce my becoming a PSG player but to tell you doctors have detected a heart problem.
"It seems that it is the same problem that my brother had and which cost him his life on the basketball court.
"In a month or so, I should know whether I can pursue my career or if I have to stop.
"But I hope that everything can carry on as before."
Thuram revealed that the medical he took when he completed his move to Barcelona showed no sign of the heart defect discovered this week, although he said he was told earlier in his career that there was the possibility of cardiac problems down the line.
PSG president Charles Villeneuve said Thuram was suffering from cardiac hypertrophy - the thickening of the heart walls - and that every precautionary step had to be taken when dealing with such a situation.
The club's coach Paul Le Guen maintained he still wanted to sign Thuram, who retired from international football following France's elimination from the Euros a week and a half ago, and said all PSG could do now was wait and see.
"I was very surprised when I heard and I am very disappointed for him," said the former Lyon and Rangers boss.
"We are going to wait for the necessary tests and continue to hope, but it is disappointing.
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Nigeria scam busted
Edna Fiedler pleaded guilty in March to attempting to defraud U.S. citizens in a scheme known as a Nigerian check scam.
Fiedler helped her accomplices in Nigeria send fake checks to people who had agreed to cash the checks on behalf of the sender, keeping some of the proceeds and sending the rest back.
The Nigerians found people willing to cash the fake checks via e-mail. They would send their names as well as fake documents that looked like Wal-Mart money orders, Bank of America checks, U.S. Postal Service checks and American Express traveler's checks to Fiedler. They told her how to fill out the checks and where to send them.
The recipients most likely thought they were helping out someone who needed a person in the U.S. to cash a check for them, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. They were able to get the money by cashing the checks, and sent most of it to either Fiedler or her Nigerian accomplices. However, once the checks were discovered to be fake, the people who cashed them were responsible for the full amount.
All told, Fiedler sent out US$609,000 worth of phony checks and money orders. When U.S. Secret Service agents investigating the case searched Fiedler's house, they found additional fake checks worth more than $1.1 million that she was preparing to send out.
At a recent conference in Seattle, a representative from the U.S. Postal Service and Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna described ways they're working to shut down these kinds of scams, particularly because they often involve people who don't realize that they're taking part in illegal activities.
The U.S. Postal Service recently sent 15 postal investigators to Lagos, Nigeria, and during a three-month period there, they helped intercept counterfeit checks, lottery tickets and eBay overpayment schemes with a face value of $2.1 billion, Chris Siouris, a cyber investigator at the U.S. Postal Inspector, said at the recent conference. Siouris, McKenna and others are pushing for ways to better educate Internet users so that people don't unwittingly help out in these kinds of e-mail scams.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
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Dont dilute cricket
With Suresh Raina hitting his for international one-day century and MS Dhoni adding another ton, India never looked remotely troubled by the Hong Kong side.
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell was quick to dismiss the result of the match though, stating: "The result doesn't mean anything."
"There were some good things for India, such as Reina's century and Chawla's bowling, but I don't think either side get anything out of it."
Chappel also stated that he feels there must be a system in place to track the progress of smaller teams, such as Hong Kong from progressing to the higher levels too quickly, where they may struggle to perform and improve.
"There should be a better system in place to find out how teams are progressing," said the Aussie.
"It must be made sure teams are not brought up too soon."
"Take Bangladesh for example, they've been around for a decade now and still can't get close to the major teams, apart from the odd win."
"I'm all up for Globalising the game, but there should not be a need to dilute the standard of international cricket."
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Colly banned for slow over rate
He was found guilty of a level three offence in the International Cricket Council's code of conduct by match referee Javagal Srinath on Wednesday night.
Flanked by coach Peter Moores and operations manager Phil Neale at an after-match hearing, Collingwood faced a minimum ban of four limited-overs matches or two Test matches - or a combination of both. The severity was such because this is Collingwood's second such offence within a 12-month period.
He was fined 50% of his match fee following the match against India in Bristol last August.
As on that occasion, England were three overs down when their time allotment for bowling their 50 overs elapsed.
Former India pace bowler Srinath delivered his verdict at 1.35pm on Thursday afternoon.
In addition to Collingwood's spell on the sidelines, England's other 10 players will be fined 15% of their match fee.
Collingwood, who felt it necessary to publicly apologise for his decision not to reprieve a floored Grant Elliott after his run-out last night, has the right of appeal in writing within 24 hours.
But he does not intend to do so, which means England need to appoint a stand-in captain for the fifth one-dayer against the Black Caps.
Kevin Pietersen is technically next in line, having taken charge of the team when Collingwood has left the field during this current series.
But two men currently not in the XI - Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss, who is not even in the squad - may also be considered.
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Lippi to coach again
Donadoni left his position earlier on Thursday, four days after Italy crashed out of Euro 2008 at the quarter-final stage following a penalty shoot-out defeat to Spain.
"Marcello Lippi returns as the leader of the Italian national team," read a statement from the Italian Football Federation, just hours after Donadoni's departure.
"The president of the FIGC, Giancarlo Abete, named the new technical commissioner of the Azzurri as a replacement of Roberto Donadoni.
"Lippi will be presented on Tuesday July 1 at a press conference in Rome."
Donadoni earlier admitted he had been left "upset" by the FIGC's decision not to renew his contract.
The coach came under fire for his side's displays at Euro 2008 which culminated in the world champions crashing out on penalties against Spain in the quarter-finals.
Donadoni signed a contract extension which ran until the conclusion of the 2010 World Cup shortly before the tournament, but it came to light earlier this week that the deal was subject to Italy reaching at least the semi-final stage in Austria and Switzerland.
The former AC Milan player remained bullish over his prospects of staying on to lead the team to South Africa in two years' time despite the groundswell of opposition in his homeland, and on Thursday the FIGC finally parted company with their coach.
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Villa to miss the finals
Now Fabregas appears set to start the game against Germany in Vienna which was secured when Spain
scored three times in the second half to overcome Russia 3-0.
On his chances of playing in the final, Fabregas told ITV Sport: "I am here when the manager needs me."
He added: "We came here to win the tournament and we got to the final, which I think the most difficult thing.
"In the final anything can happen, a lot of things can influence the game.
"Right now we will enjoy tonight, the moment, then think about the game we are waiting for."
Spain's goals came from Xavi, Daniel Guiza and David Silva , with Fabregas have a strong influence in a forward position.
Villa has scored four goals so far.
Spain coach Luis Aragones confirmed: "David Villa will miss the final. It's not serious but he has a muscle injury."
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Stoner aims for double victory
The 22-year-old, who is a fan of the flowing Dutch circuit, said: "I've had good results at Assen in the past and the track, at least before they made the alterations, was spectacular."
He added: "Then they got rid of what was my favourite corner in the world, the 'De Bult' - a long off-camber left - which has been completely changed.
"Anyway, I still like the track and last year we found a good set-up for the bike, so I hope it's the same this year and that we can fight for the podium again.
"The team are working really hard and now we've got a base setting that we're a lot happier with. I really hope that all this hard work also bears fruit at this circuit."
Rossi took second place on his Fiat Yamaha at Donington to move to 162 points with Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa's third place keeping him close behind on 151.
And Spaniard Pedrosa knows with Stoner moving into third place in the championship on 117 points, he needs a win at Assen to keep hopes of a maiden title alive.
He said: "We got some useful points at Donington last week but at Assen we want a better result.
"First of all, I hope the weather stays dry because that way everyone can prepare better for the race. It will be a tough event because the level in MotoGP at the moment is just incredibly high."
Ince eager for the Hammers trip
The former Upton Park midfielder is guaranteed a hostile reception in the East End of London with fans still bitter over the manner of his departure for Manchester United in 1989.
But Ince, who is in his first top-flight job after two seasons in League Two with Macclesfield and MK Dons, cannot wait.
Ex-England international Ince, the first black British manager in the history of the Premier League, was confirmed as Mark Hughes' successor at the weekend.
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The veteran goalkeeper is his country's record caps holder and made his 118th appearance in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat to Germany.
The last-gasp loss in Basel will be Rustu's final game for the national team and he feels the time is right to quit the international arena.
"I am ending my international career where I served with pride, glory and honour for 14 years," Rustu told euro2008.com.
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Kobe heads the USA field
A first-time Olympian, Bryant headlined a star-studded 12-man roster announced Monday morning by USA Basketball.
Bryant, the NBA's reigning MVP, led the Lakers to the top seed in the Western Conference play-offs and an appearance in the NBA Finals this past season, but could not overcome a dominant Boston team.
A two-time NBA scoring champion, Bryant was a key component of last summer's FIBA Americas Championship team that finished 10-0 and won the gold medal en route to an automatic qualification into the 2008 Olympics.
Also returning from that squad is Cleveland Cavaliers swingman LeBron James, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd, Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince, Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams and Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd.
"The past two summers' experiences will definitely help our team," Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "As we have learned, the international teams we will face in Beijing are also extremely talented and they play very well as a team.
"Our senior national team program has helped us achieve confidence, continuity and excellent chemistry too. This summer's Olympics are going to be an unbelievable competition."
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer and Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh round out a roster that will attempt to erase the painful memories from the 2004 Athens Olympics, where Team USA delivered a disappointing performance en route to winning the bronze medal.
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Kuznetsova sees off her opponent
The fourth-seeded Russian struggled for consistency throughout, but eventually claimed a 6-7 (5/7) 7-5 6-3 victory after two hours and 13 minutes on Court Two.
Kuznetsova has never got past the quarter-finals at the All England Championships while world number 124 Johansson was making her first appearance at the tournament.
Both players showed early promise, but it was former US Open champion Kuznetsova who gained the edge in the fifth game of the opening set when she forced the first break.
Johansson was proving a tricky customer though and hit back five games later when her Russian opponent hit a weak forehand into the net.
A tie-break soon followed, and it looked as though Kuznetsova's experience would see her through when, with the help of a well-timed volley and a double-fault from Johansson, she found herself 4-1 ahead.
But the Frenchwoman would not give up and a series of stunning forehands allowed her to wipe out the deficit before claiming an entertaining opening set in 51 minutes.
Another tie-break looked on the cards in the second set, but Kuznetsova rediscovered her form at the right time and an unstoppable volley in game 12 secured a break and the set.
And despite being 2-0 down in the final set Kuznetsova fought back and wrapped up the match and a second-round meeting with Kateryna Bondarenko.
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Malik is fit to bowl
Pakistan named uncapped spinner Saeed Ajmal in their 15-member squad on Sunday, leading to more doubts over whether Malik would bowl in the tournament.
But Malik said: "I will bowl. I intend to use myself as an all-rounder."
Malik added his team would have a slight edge as hosts, but does not believe it will be significant enough to make them clear favourites.
"We would have a slight edge as we would be playing at home," he said.
"But then, conditions are pretty similar everywhere in the subcontinent, although they are better here than what we experienced in Bangladesh.
"There is a lot of expectation from people and that puts extra pressure on us.
"But we are professional and can handle it."
In their final 15 for the tournament, Pakistan also named Shahid Afridi, who had been considered a doubt because of wrist injury.
Fast bowler Sohail Khan, who made his debut in the tri-series in Bangladesh, was not considered after he contracted malaria on Saturday.
His unavailability leaves Pakistan with only four fast bowlers in the squad: Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Iftikhar Rao and the inexperienced Wahab Riaz.
Massa is the master of Magny Cours
Massa now leads an enthralling four-way title race by two points from BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, and five from Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who came home second at the Circuit de Nevers.
As for Lewis Hamilton, a drive-through penalty early on - after starting from 13th on the grid - wrecked his bid for points, with the 23-year-old finishing 10th, and he now trails Massa by 10 points.
Hamilton must certainly feel as if the race stewards are against him at the moment as they compromised his early charge through the field with another penalty.
Starting from the lowest grid placing of his career after incurring a 10-place penalty for running into the back of Raikkonen in the pit lane in Canada a fortnight ago, Hamilton had made up three places by the end of the first lap.
However, the stewards deemed his pass on the Toro Rosso of Sebastian Vettel to be outside the rules, and they hammered the exuberant Briton again, and with it any hope of a top-eight finish, despite a sterling effort over the second half of the 70-lap race.
Raikkonen and Massa were proving they were in a class of their own, with the Finn seemingly having the upper hand after the first round of pit stops after which he began to pull away from his team-mate.
But then Massa slowly started to reel in the Finn as each lap passed, and it soon became clear why as he had sustained damage to his rear tailpipe, that finally worked loose 10 laps from home, resulting in him finishing 18 seconds adrift.
But it was just beyond the halfway point Massa made his move on Raikkonen, and from that moment the race was effectively run as far as the two leaders were concerned.
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By then the 27-year-old Solheim Cup star had picked up three birdies in 11 holes to move to the top of the leaderboard.
She returned from the wait in the clubhouse to compile a string of pars and then picked up shots at the long 17th and the par-four 18th for a 14-under par 202 total.
American teenager Morgan Pressel, the outright leader at halfway, also birdied the last for a 71 and shared second place on 11-under with South Koreans Eun-Hee Ji, who had six birdies and an eagle in a career-best eight-under 64, and Inbee Park.
World number three Pettersen won the Swiss Open on the European Tour last month and has had three top-10s in America this year, including a tie for second in the first major of the year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
England's Laura Davies, whose last win in America was in this tournament seven years ago, followed her great comeback second round of 66 with a 67 and joined Scot Catriona Matthew as the leading British player in a tie for 17th on four under par.
Mexico's world number one and defending champion Lorena Ochoa had her best round of the week (69) to move into the top 10 on five under while teenager Michelle Wie was one under and while Annika Sorenstam one over.