UEFA Champions League

China hold Germany

Germany striker Mario Gomez (R) heads the ball ahead of China's Feng Xiaoting during their friendly match in Shanghai on Friday.

New coach Gao Hongbo got his reign off to a promising beginning as China drew 1-1 in a friendly against an under-strength Germany in front of a passionate home crowd in Shanghai.

China got off to the perfect start when four minutes in midfielder Gao Junmin took a pass into the area and breezed past defender Robert Huth to score with an angled shot past Robert Enke in the away goal.

But the euphoria did not last long, Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger playing in the unmarked Lukas Podolski, who fired home the equaliser two minutes later.

"We wanted to play the strategy laid out by the coaches, we wanted to play hard and build up our confidence," an elated Gao Junmin said after the match.

"We came here to learn from the Germans."

With big name stars Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose at home, German coach Joachim Loew had hoped their absences would give one of his newcomers an opportunity to shine.

As it was, China played on the break, packing the defence and with just one up front, and in the event restricted the Germans to few chances.

Indeed, the best opportunities went to the hosts. In the 36th minute, left-back Cao Yang saw his perfect cross to Gao Lin wasted.

China continued to create chances, with Enke saving a long-range shot by midfielder Jiang Ning in the 72nd minute, and just tipping a blast from Zhou Haining over the bar moments later.

Germany's best chance fell to Schweinsteiger, but he failed to capitalise on an open net in the 83rd minute.

Gao Hongbo was named head of China's national team earlier this month in the hope he can improve a side which has been dismal in recent years.

The former striker, China's seventh head coach since 2000 and youngest ever at age 44, takes over a team that has fallen to 97th in the FIFA world rankings, behind Iceland but just ahead of Sierra Leone.

Perez promises beautiful game

Former Real Madrid president Florentino Perez raises his hand during his presentation in Madrid on Thursday.

Former Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, set automatically to take charge of the club again on June 1, has promised to deliver fans the beautiful game as they try to move beyond Barcelona's year of hegemony.

Barca won the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Spanish Cup in a superb season under debutant coach Pep Guardiola and Real were left looking ordinary by comparison.

Perez said the team he would help to build would be world beaters.

"We will build a spectacular team with top notch players," Perez told a gathering of Real stakeholders and reporters Thursday.

"We have set up a strong and stable sporting project which will be able to call upon footballers who will turn each Real Madrid match into a fascinating rendezvous," vowed Perez, the architect of the multimillion-dollar era of 'galacticos', global stars such as Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham.

The recipe worked for a while and a ninth European Cup duly arrived in 2002 but, aside from a 2007 league title for Beckham's only trophy and a Liga repeat last year Real have seen the pendulum swing spectacularly towards Barcelona this season.

And in the past seven seasons which have elapsed since Zidane's brilliant winner in the 2002 final, the club have performed woefully in the Champions League ever since.

Perez did not mention any names regarding new top signings but the usually well-informed Cadena Ser radio said Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, currently at Villarreal, would become coach in place of stop-gap Juande Ramos, who replaced the sacked Bernd Schuster mid-season.

And reports Thursday said that the club would also land AC Milan's Brazilian playmaker Kaka.

Media reports constantly speculate that Cristiano Ronaldo, Liverpool's Spanish star Xabi Alonso and Bayern Munich's French star Franck Ribery will don the all-white strip next term.

Pulling strings as top advisors will be Argentine Jorge Valdano, long ensconced in the club's corridors of power, as well as Zidane.

Perez is set to return as chairman as the only other candidate still in the race for the job will not qualify to run, sports daily AS reported on Tuesday.

Little-known Eduardo Garcia will be unable to lodge a bank guarantee of 57.4 million euros with the club which is needed to be able to run for president by a May 31 deadline, the newspaper said.

According to the club's rules, if there is only one candidate for president, Perez will be appointed to the post on Monday, otherwise a vote will be held on June 14.

While the club normally holds elections every four years, it faces the prospect of holding a ballot a year early due to the resignation of former president Ramon Calderon in January.

Zia maintains 2nd position:

Grand Master Ziaur Rahman preserved his second position with Indian GM Sandipan Chanda, after his win over Xiu Deshun of China in the 2nd Subic Open International Chess Tournament in seven rounds yesterday at Olongapo City.

The second-place holders have 5.5 points each.

GM Niaz Murshed have earned four points from seven matches losing to GM Abhijit Gupta (India). GM Ghaem Ehsan Magami is the solo leader in the points table with six in his kitty.

The FA Cup

Everton ready to step up:

Everton midfielder Tim Cahill believes Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea represents the chance to start a golden era for David Moyes' team.

While Chelsea's star power and big-match experience makes the west London club favourites to win the Wembley clash, Cahill is convinced Everton are on the brink of something special and the Australia international wants the Toffees to make the final their coming of age party.

It is 14 years since Everton last won a major trophy - when Paul Rideout's goal clinched a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final - but even that was a rare moment of triumph in a barren period.

While more title success may be asking too much, under Moyes's astute leadership Everton now look capable of breaking into the Premier League's top-four and staying there.

They underlined their case by finishing fifth and knocking out Liverpool, United and Aston Villa en route to Wembley despite missing key players like Mikel Arteta and Ayegbeni Yakubu for long periods.

Victory at Wembley would validate Everton's rise and, although Chelsea are keen to win the Cup as a farewell present for departing boss Guus Hiddink, it could be that Moyes's success-starved players have more motivation on Saturday.

Sydney-born Cahill, who was on the losing side when he played for Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup final against United, is in no doubt that Everton can win if they show enough belief.

"We need to believe we can win. We need to believe that once we cross that white line this is our chance of winning some silverware," he said.

"On a day like the FA Cup final, I will be looking for that telling moment that hopefully will change the game, that telling pass that might put someone in or that tackle that's going to stop them scoring."

Everton captain Phil Neville, the former United midfielder, is one of the few players in the squad to have tasted sustained success, but he admits he would swap all that to help his current team become a major force.

"I think this club is going in the right direction. We can restore Everton to where it belongs and that is at the top of English football," Neville said.

Chelsea last won the FA Cup against United in 2007. That victory remains their last piece of silverware and midfielder Frank Lampard acknowledges it is time to end the trophy drought.

"It's very important we win something for the confidence of the club and take something away from the season," Lampard said.

"Personally the way I have played, I think it is my best season, and to round it off we do need to win the Cup."

Win or lose, it will be an emotional occasion for Hiddink, who resumes his role as Russia coach on a full-time basis immediately after the match.

Hiddink has made a big impact during his brief spell as interim manager and Lampard would love to send him home on a high.

"Our form since Guus Hiddink took over has been championship-winning form, and we only didn't go to the Champions League final because of things that happened on the night," Lampard added.

"It will be great to finish off with a big day out and a win for him," Lampard said. "It would be lovely if we could do that. All the players here and everyone he's worked with wants his season to finish like that."