England vs Algeria Preview

England will be looking to put a disappointing opening showing behind them when they face Algeria in their second World Cup 2010 game on Friday.

A 1-1 draw with the United States provided more questions than answers for the Three Lions and they know there is still much work to be done if they are to live up to their pre-tournament billing.

Victory over Algeria would go some way to appeasing a demanding public, and give them one foot in the knockout stages, but England have made a habit of doing things the hard way down the years.

If their showing against the USA is anything to go by, the 2010 World Cup could be heading in the same direction, as they allowed two priceless points to slip through their grasp.

Robert Green will have relived the horror of allowing Clint Dempsey's tame shot to trickle over the line a hundred times, while a number of others on show in Rustenburg are likely to have taken a long look at themselves.

A stuttering start, rather than a flying one, suggests changes could be on the cards when England arrive in Cape Town, but Fabio Capello has steadfastly refused to give any indication as to his selection thoughts.

Algeria could also decide to freshen things up for their second outing, with a 1-0 defeat to Slovenia in their opener doing little to inspire confidence.

The Africans endured a goalkeeping nightmare of their own in that contest and they too may decide to plump for a different last line of defence this time out.

They certainly need to raise their game considerably if they are to trouble England, while defeat would bring an abrupt end to their World Cup campaign and see them on the first plane home.

As mentioned, England face something of a selection dilemma heading into the game, with niggling knocks and a lack of adventure against America giving Capello food for thought.

The Italian is expected to back Green by giving him another opportunity to prove his worth between the sticks, but strong cases can be made for the involvement of either David James or Joe Hart.

In the back four, Ledley King will definitely be missing, having picked up a groin problem, meaning Jamie Carragher, Michael Dawson and Matthew Upson will battle it out for the right to partner John Terry.

Having seen James Milner and Shaun Wright-Phillips offer little down the left last time out, both could be forced to settle for a place on the bench.

With Gareth Barry back to full fitness and set to resume his holding role duties in midfield, Steven Gerrard is likely to be pushed out to the flanks.

Meanwhile, up front, Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney proved to be a handful last Saturday and should be paired alongside each other once again.

With Algeria hardly blessed with world-class options in the keeping department, they are tipped to keep faith with Faouzi Chaouchi - despite his glaring error against Slovenia and a knee problem picked up in training.

The main issue for coach Rabah Saadane to address is how to bring the best out of his attacking talents, allowing them to test an England defence lacking in pace and movement.

Much will be expected of Wolfsburg ace Karim Ziani, as playmaker in chief, but he needs support from those around him if he is to influence proceedings.

One of those who will definitely not be offering a helping hand is Abdelkader Ghezzal, following his reckless sending off against Slovenia.

He lasted just 15 minutes of that contest upon entering the game as a second half substitute, with two needless bookings meaning he must serve a suspension.

Schiavone overwhelmed by victory

Roland Garros saw its queen dethroned when Justine Henin suffered a shock defeat yesterday but 17th seed Schiavone played like her heir apparent on Philippe Chatrier Court this afternoon, her all-court game simply too much for teenager Wozniacki.

Schiavone won 6-2 6-3 in one hour 20 minutes to become the first Italian woman to reach the last four of a major in the Open era.

The 29-year-old got past the first week of each of the previous three grand slams before arriving in Paris but she had not been in the last eight at Roland Garros for nine years.

So she struggled to contain herself when the moment of triumph arrived, dropping to her knees and kissing the clay.

Comparing the feeling to a "heart attack", she said: "I think in that moment you remember many things from when you were young.

"It's special because it is your space, it is your time, it is your opportunity.

"I felt alone, but with all the love around.

"It's like if I ask you, 'How did you feel when you married?' You say, 'It's not easy to explain'."

Few players can have reached a grand slam semi-final having waited so long to do so.

This is Schiavone's 39th attempt in total but she insisted she never gave up on her "dream".

"The truth is that I always dream," she said. "One of my goals was this.

"But to arrive is different. To live every step before arriving in a semi-final is something.

"I don't have many words to say, because it is emotion, it is feeling, it is something that is coming from the heart.

"I lived some good moments and some bad moments last year and some years ago.

"I think the bad moments helped me a lot to grow up and to learn many things that today, when I was playing, I was thinking about."

Third seed Wozniacki admitted she was beaten by the better player.

"She played with a lot of spin, she didn't make a lot of mistakes, she played aggressively," the 19-year-old said.

"She was playing better than me today. I was always one step behind and couldn't really dominate the way I wanted to."

In an era of baseline battles in the women's game, it was refreshing to see such an all-action approach from Schiavone.

Wozniacki added tellingly: "She didn't play typical women's tennis."

In stark contrast to Schiavone, opponent Elena Dementieva will be contesting her ninth grand slam semi-final.

Her error-strewn match with Petrova could not have been more different either, a real case of survival of the fittest as both players struggled with leg injuries picked up earlier in the tournament.

Dementieva capitalised on her fellow Russian's discomfort to win 2-6 6-2 6-0 in two hours and six minutes.

The 28-year-old two-time grand slam finalist, runner-up at Roland Garros in 2004, said: "I've been in the final and a couple of times in the semi-final and never won.

"This is one of the biggest goals left in my career. This is great motivation for me."

Both players took medical timeouts at 3-2 to Petrova in the first set today.

The 27-year-old, who upset Venus Williams in the last round, admitted she had considered quitting in the decider with a groin injury she picked up in her marathon third-round victory over Aravane Rezai.

She added: "It's just so difficult to quit and walk away because you just want to give it all.

"Anything can happen. On clay, somebody can sprain their ankle and not able to continue."

Schiavone stuns Wozniacki to reach semis

Francesca Schiavone stunned Caroline Wozniacki to become the first woman into the semi-finals of the French Open.

Schiavone, 29, dominated almost the entire match, with teenager Wozniacki having no real answer to her opponent's all-court game.

A 6-2 6-3 victory on a soggy Philippe Chatrier Court made Schiavone the first Italian woman to reach the last four of a grand slam in the Open era.

The match was between the oldest and youngest players left in the draw, with Wozniacki the favourite courtesy of being the number three seed.

The 19-year-old US Open runner-up had lost her only previous match with Schiavone, although that was back in 2008.

But she struggled to contain her opponent this afternoon as Schiavone produced a clinical first set to take control of the match.

Despite the onset of rain on Philippe Chatrier, she broke in game four thanks to a wondrous backhand pass, a clever lob and a brutal forehand return.

The Italian immediately dropped serve but reeled off five straight games to wrap up the first set and move a break up in the second.

Wozniacki fought courageously and capitalised on a dip in Schiavone's serving form to recover both that break and a second.

But the Italian, who was producing winners from all parts of the court, broke again in game eight before serving out the match to set up a last-four clash with Elena Dementieva or Nadia Petrova.

England's World Cup Squad of 23

Fabio Capello has named his final 23-man England World Cup squad with Theo Walcott's omission being the biggest shock.

England 23-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green

Defenders:

Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock

Midfielders:

Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips

Strikers:

Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

Torres misses Spain training

Fernando Torres has missed training with the Spanish national team in preparation for their next friendly match against South Korea.

Vicente del Bosque and his medical staff is reluctant to force the Liverpool striker in the morning training session as Torres has not completely recovered from his knee operation that ruled him out of the last few weeks of the Barclays Premier League season.

The national team doctors felt that a double training session would be asking too much for the Spanish hitman.

Torres has previously assured that he will be 100% fit for Spain's opening World Cup match against Switzerland on 16 June.

Sidebottom in for Bresnan

Ryan Sidebottom was on Tuesday named in the England squad for the second npower Test against Bangladesh at Old Trafford, as a replacement for the injured Tim Bresnan.

Sidebottom, a key bowler in England's World Twenty20-winning campaign in the Caribbean last month, has not played Test cricket since the final match of four against South Africa at The Wanderers in January.

The 32-year-old had to leave England's subsequent tour of Bangladesh because of injury, but now gets his shot at a return against those same opponents thanks to his fellow Yorkshireman Bresnan's misfortune.

Bresnan suffered a stress fracture of his left foot during England's first-Test win over the Bangladeshis, completed at Lord's yesterday. His absence, and Sidebottom's inclusion, is the only change to the 12-man squad chosen for the first instalment of the two-match series.

National selector Geoff Miller, said: "We can be very pleased with a number of aspects from the first npower Test at Lord's, resulting in a comprehensive win against Bangladesh.

"It's very unfortunate that Tim Bresnan will miss the second Test through injury, because his bowling benefited from five days of Test cricket at Lord's - and he would have been looking forward to getting more overs under his belt at Old Trafford.

"It does, however, provide Ryan Sidebottom with an opportunity to push for Test selection following his outstanding performances in the World Twenty20.

"The entire bowling unit will be better for the overs bowled during the first Test and looking to further build on this in Manchester."

Bresnan will undergo further assessment this week before a recovery time frame is established.

SL register thumping win over Zimbabwe

Chasing a modest victory target of 119 runs against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka put a splendid display and cruised home with 9 wickets in hand.

Captain Tillakaratne Dilshancracked an unbeaten 60 to lead Sri Lanka to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in a rain-curtailed one-dayer in the Tri-Series at Bulawayo.
 
Chasing 119 for a win from 26 overs, Dilshan took the inexperienced Zimbabwe bowlers to the cleaners with his 45-ball innings which contained seven fours and a six.

He was given able support by his opening partner Upul Tharanga (37-ball 40) as Sri Lanka romped home with 10.4 overs to spare at the Queens Sports Club here.

Earlier, off-spinner Suraj Randiv led a disciplined Sri Lankan bowling charge with three scalps to skittle Zimbabwe out for 118 in 24.5 overs after Dilshan won the toss and inserted the home side.

The match was reduced to a 26-over affair after the start was delayed by more than four hours due to rain.

Tharanga and Dilshan, who stitched an 86-run opening stand, almost clinched the issue for Sri Lanka, but the opening combo came to an end when wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor found Tharanga short of the crease in 11th over. Tharanga cracked six fours during his breezy 37-ball innings.

Dinesh Chandimal (10 not out) then paired up with Dilshan to complete the formalities as Sri Lanka reached 119 for one in 15.2 overs.

Sri Lanka had lost to India on Sunday. Zimbabwe had beaten India on Friday in the tournament opener.

Earlier, Randiv, who gave away 23 runs for the three wickets, received good support from Dilhara Fernando (2/26), Ajantha Mendis (2/21) and Jeevan Mendis (2/12).

Opener Hamilton Masakadza waged a lone battle for Zimbabwe as his 62 off 69 balls helped the hosts cross the 100-run mark before being all out in 24.5 overs.

Masakadza, who cracked four fours and a six, was the only batsman to negotiate the disciplined Sri Lankan bowling.

Zimbabwe were off to a rather slow start as the first five overs yielded only 18 runs.

The hosts suffered an early blow when opener Taylor (2) was removed by paceman Fernando in the second over.

Greg Lamb (10) then joined Masakadza but spinner Ajantha Mendis struck just when the duo were trying to stitch a partnership. Lamb edged a turning delivery to square leg, where Jeevan Mendis ran backwards to take the catch.

Masakadza then found the company of Craig Ervine and the duo added 36 runs for the third-wicket, although the latter's contribution was only seven.

Teams

Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor(w), Gregory Lamb, Craig Ervine, Charles Coventry, Elton Chigumbura(c), Andy Blignaut, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Chris Mpofu

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan(c), Dinesh Chandimal(w), Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva, Thissara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis

Nemanja Vidic is looking forward to proving Serbia's unexpected defeat to New Zealand was a mere blip when they tackle Poland.

Serbia's preparations for the World Cup finals suffered a setback with their 1-0 loss to the All Whites in Klagenfurt on Saturday.

The defeat prompted angry scenes amongst the Serbian fans who had made the trip to Austria for the match, with Vidic having to ask them to calm down over the stadium's tannoy.

In the wake of the loss the Manchester United defender has maintained his appeasing role, claiming the defeat could actually help the players, with two more warm-up games to come against the Poles and then Cameroon on Saturday.

"Sometimes a defeat in the friendly matches can be more useful for the team than a routine victory," Vidic said.

"Our confidence is not shaken - on the contrary. Nothing in our plans has changed.

"There were some individual errors, starting from myself, but these games are to remove those errors.

"We have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup and believe the next two friendly matches will be better games.

"It remains our goal to reach the second round in South Africa."

Serbia's first game of the World Cup finals is against Ghana on June 13 before matches against Germany and Australia in Group D.

Serbia confirms final squad of 23

Zeljko Brkic was the unlucky man to miss out as Serbia coach Radomir Antic trimmed his 24-man party down to the final 23 names who will make the trip to South Africa.

Antic had earlier cut Chelsea duo Slobodan Rajkovic and Nemanja Matic from his provisional squad of 30, while also omitting Ajax forward Miralem Sulejmani, PSV Eindhoven defender Jagos Vukovic, Partizan Belgrade midfielder Nemanja Tomic and Red Star Belgrade striker Dejan Lekic.

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic will be expected to provide the solidity at the back while winger Milos Krasic of CSKA Moscow will aim to supply the chances for new Birmingham signing Nikola Zigic.

Serbia face Poland in a friendly in Austria, and are up against Germany, Australia and Ghana in World Cup Group D.

Serbia World Cup squad: Vladimir Stojkovic (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal), Bojan Isailovic (Zaglebie Lubin, Poland), Andjelko Djuricic (Uniao Leiria, Portugal); Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea, England), Antonio Rukavina (1860 Munich, Germany), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United, England), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese, Italy), Ivan Obradovic (Real Zaragoza, Spain), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, Italy); Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan, Italy), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Nenad Milijas (Wolves, England), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart, Germany), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade), Milos Krasic (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Zoran Tosic (Manchester United, England) , Milos Ninkovic (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege, Belgium); Nikola Zigic (Birmingham, England), Marko Pantelic (Ajax, Holland), Danko Lazovic (Zenit St Petersburg, Russia), Dragan Mrdja (Vojvodina Novi Sad).

Greece confirm final squad of 23

Giourkas Seitaridis and Christos Patsatzoglou have proved their fitness to gain inclusion in Greece's 23-man World Cup squad.

German coach Otto Rehhagel had concerns over the pair, with former Porto defender Seitaridis playing just eight league games for Panathinaikos this season while a knee injury kept the versatile Patsatzoglou, who plays for Cypriot club Omonia Nicosia, out of the majority of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

The star of the show in qualifying was Fanis Gekas, with 10 goals, and he has been included in Rehhagel's squad as Greece go in search of their first points and goals in a World Cup finals in South Africa after three straight defeats in their previous finals appearance in 1994.

They face South Korea, Nigeria and Argentina in Group B, but first they will take on Paraguay in a warm-up match in Switzerland.

Greece World Cup squad: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (AEK Athens); Giourkas Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Vangelis Moras (Bologna), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiacos), Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiacos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK Salonika); Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia Nicosia), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika); Angelos Charisteas (Nurnberg), Dimitris Salpingidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest), Fanis Gekas (Eintracht Frankfurt), Georgios Samaras (Celtic).

Slovakia confirm final squad of 23

Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss has taken a calculated gamble by including a trio of players who are fighting to re-establish themselves after injury in his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has been picked as he continues his recovery from a foot injury, while strike duo Filip Holosko of Besiktas and Robert Vittek of Lille are both involved after coming back from a broken leg and a knee problem respectively.

"There are still question marks," Weiss said.

"In case of an injury anything can happen."

Weiss has included his highly-rated son, Vladimir junior, in his squad after some encouraging national team appearances during qualification and on loan with Bolton from Manchester City, while Napoli star Marek Hamsik was included as expected.

Slovakia World Cup squad: Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw, Poland), Dusan Kuciak (Vaslui, Romania), Dusan Pernis (Dundee United, Scotland); Marek Cech (West Brom, England), Jan Durica (Hannover, Germany), Peter Pekarik (Wolfsburg, Germany), Martin Petras (Cesena, Italy), Kornel Salata (Slovan Bratislava), Martin Skrtel (Liverpool, England), Radoslav Zabavnik (Mainz, Germany); Marek Hamsik (Napoli, Italy), Kamil Kopunek (Spartak Trnava), Jan Kozak (Politehnica Timisoara, Romania), Juraj Kucka (Sparta Prague, Czech Republic), Marek Sapara (Ankaragucu, Turkey), Zdeno Strba (Xanthi, Greece), Miroslav Stoch (Chelsea, England), Vladimir Weiss (Manchester City); Filip Holosko (Besiktas, Turkey), Martin Jakubko (Saturn Moscow, Russia), Erik Jendrisek (Schalke, Germany), Stanislav Sestak (Bochum, Germany), Robert Vittek (Lille, France).

Japan confirm final squad of 23

Under-pressure Japan coach Takeshi Okada took few risks in naming his country's 23-man World Cup squad.

Europe-based quartet Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda, Daisuke Matsui and Takayuki Morimoto have all been included alongside Shunsuke Nakamura and 2009 Asian player of the year Yasuhito Endo ahead of Japan's Group E opener against Cameroon on June 14.

Playmaker Nakamura is expected to be fit for Japan's final World Cup warm-up against the Ivory Coast on Friday after the former Celtic midfielder missed the defeat by England due to an ankle injury, but played 90 minutes of a practice match on Monday.

Okada, who was in charge for Japan's winless World Cup finals debut in France in 1998, received the backing of Japan Football Association president Motoaki Inukai following the one-sided 2-0 defeat to South Korea on May 24.

Domestic-based Japan sides also lost to South Korea in February's East Asian Championship and to a second-string Serbia in April, making Okada's stated target of reaching the semi-finals in South Africa look decidedly optimistic. However, the Blue Samurai produced a much-improved display in Sunday's 2-1 defeat by England in Austria.

Japan World Cup squad: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata); Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers); Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Red Diamonds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg, Germany), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble, France); Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuhito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania, Italy).

South Korea confirm their final 23

Lee Dong-gook has been included in South Korea's 23-man World Cup squad with Lee Keun-ho, Shin Hyung-min and Koo Ja-cheol missing out.

Former Middlesbrough frontman Lee Dong-gook is set to miss South Korea's Group B opener against Greece due to a hamstring injury but has been included at the expense of Jubilo Iwata's Lee Keun-ho after Huh was assured the 31-year-old would be fit to face Argentina and Nigeria.

Oita Trinita midfielder Kim Bo-kyung, 20, has been included despite only making his international debut in January, with defender Kang Min-soo replacing Kwak Tae-hwi, who suffered a knee injury in Sunday's 1-0 defeat by Belarus.

As expected Manchester United's Park Ji-sung, Bolton's Lee Chung-yong, Monaco striker Park Chu-young and Celtic's Ki Sung-yong have all been included along with veteran forward Ahn Jung-hwan, who scored the winner as South Korea beat Italy en route to reaching the 2002 finals.

Coach Huh said: "We have three games and about three weeks. In my own way, I've thought about which members could play in the three games and contribute to the team."

Huh gets a final chance to look at his side against European champions Spain on Thursday before the June 12 opener against Greece.

South Korea World Cup squad: Kim Young-kwang (Ulsan), Lee Woon-jae (Suwon), Jung Sung-ryong (Seongnam); Kim Dong-jin (Ulsan), Kim Hyung-il (Pohang), Oh Beom-seok (Ulsan), Lee Young-pyo (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Lee Jung-soo (Kashima, Japan), Cha Doo-ri (Freiburg, Germany) Cho Yong-hyung (Jeju), Kang Min-soo (Suwon); Ki Sung-yong (Celtic, Scotland), Kim Bo-kyung (Oita, Japan), Kim Nam-il (Tomsk, Russia), Kim Jae-sung (Pohang), Kim Jung-woo (Gwangju), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton, England), Park Ji-sung (Manchester United, England); Park Chu-young (Monaco, France), Ahn Jung-hwan (Dalian, China), Lee Seung-ryul (Seoul), Yeom Ki-hun (Suwon), Lee Dong-gook (Jeonbuk).

Webber, Vettel to thrash things out

Mark Webber is to hold clear-the-air talks with Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Webber is hoping he and Vettel can resolve their differences ahead of the next race in Canada on June 13 as a feud erupted following their accident in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix.

Both drivers blamed each other for the lap-40 collision in which the young German turned into the Australian as he attempted to pass down the inside.

The outcome saw Vettel spin out of the race and Webber require a new front wing, allowing Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to score a one-two for McLaren.

Speaking in his column in the Australian Daily Telegraph, Webber said: "Seb and I will sit down and have a chat about it because we need to avoid costly slip-ups like this in the future.

"We'll probably have a difference of opinion about what happened on Sunday until we go to our graves, but we're both adults and we need to find a way of racing together that doesn't compromise the team.

"If we'd been fighting for 18th and 19th positions when this accident occurred, no one would have cared. As it was, we were fighting for the lead, and it's all anyone wants to know about."

Team principal Christian Horner blamed both drivers for the shunt, believing Webber should have given Vettel room, and accusing the 22-year-old German of turning in too aggressively.

Webber, though, is adamant he did nothing wrong, adding: "Vettel had a bit of a top-speed advantage and I could see him coming down my inside.

"We were fighting for the lead, so I stayed tight to ensure he'd be on the dirty side of the track as we approached the braking area. I was holding my line and he came across on me.

"We made contact. It was only a light touch, but when you're travelling at 300kmh (186mph) that's all you need for a situation to end in tears."

Hamilton: We'll keep it professional

Lewis Hamilton is convinced he and McLaren team-mate Jenson Button will never become embroiled in an on-track furore.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is now faced with picking up the pieces following Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix in which Sebastian Vettel collided with team-mate Mark Webber.

The shunt that sent Vettel into retirement cost the team 28 points and their lead of the constructors' championship as they now trail McLaren by a point as Hamilton led a one-two with Jenson Button.

The British duo, though, were almost involved in their own coming together 10 laps after Vettel turned into Webber, who had been on course for a third consecutive win, only to trail home third.

Although Button temporarily grabbed the lead off Hamilton as they diced side by side through Turns 12, 13 and 14, he soon gave it up for good to the 25-year-old at Turn One.

It was hair-raising stuff for all within McLaren, and perhaps a sign of things to come should the title fight become even hotter as the season progresses.

But Hamilton is adamant it will never descend into them sending one another off the circuit.

"It won't happen with me and Jenson," insisted Hamilton, speaking to Press Association Sport.

"We're both world champions, we're both professionals, and we both have a huge amount of respect for each other.

"We want to finish the race, we do both want to win, but not in an aggressive manner.

"For sure you want to be ahead, so if you finish second you're not the happiest, but he is a very supportive team-mate, he is doing a solid job, and I know when I win he is happy for me and vice versa.

"We had a great battle out there, he wasn't aggressive, he wasn't silly, he didn't make any stupid mistakes, and that's why it was a good fight.

"So I have no doubts the rest of the year will be the same."

There appeared to be a degree of friction between them immediately after the race, with Hamilton perhaps wondering how Button had made a move when they had both been told to turn down their engine to save fuel.

Yet the bonhomie later returned as they were united for the celebratory team photo that always follows a victory.

And as Hamilton departed the McLaren brand centre with Pussycat Doll girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, he gave Button's dad John a firm hug.

"He's been nothing but a positive energy on the team, polite to me and he is a great bloke to get on with," added Hamilton on Button.

"We get on well, we work well together on and off the circuit, and I feel it's great to have a team-mate supporting me in the races as well.

"He was right there behind me helping me fight with the Red Bulls."

Red Bull principal faces tough test

Christian Horner faces arguably the most testing time of his tenure as team principal of Red Bull Racing over the next two weeks.

Horner will begin to deal with the damaging headlines following a Turkish Grand Prix to forget as drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel blew a near-certain one-two finish.

Vettel's collision with Webber on lap 40, when he turned into his team-mate as he attempted to pass up the inside down the straight into Turn 12, culminated in the German spinning into retirement.

In an inconclusive aftermath Vettel claimed Webber should have given him room; Webber countered Vettel should not have turned into him, whilst Horner blamed both, although slightly favoured the German.

Given prior rumours of a split in the camp, Sunday's incidents have added fuel to the fire that is now raging around Red Bull.

Certainly the comments of Helmut Marko, the right-hand man to team owner and energy drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, in which he clearly blamed Webber, have further inflamed the situation.

What a contrast to two weeks ago when Red Bull appeared unbeatable after their one-two in Monaco which resulted in Webber and Vettel jumping into Monte Carlo's harbour in celebration.

Horner must now repair the apparent rift to ensure there will be no ongoing problem and the relationship does not sour further, otherwise Red Bull's championship challenge will disintegrate.

"It's one we will have to manage," said Horner, who now has just over a week to get the team's house in order before they head to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.

"They're both grown ups, they need to both look at it objectively, and we need to move on from here.

"What's happened has happened, and we need to make sure in going to the next race that as a team we learn from this and don't find ourselves in the same position again.

"The drivers need to learn from it because it's cost them and the team dearly. We gave McLaren their points on a plate.

"Clearly they are fairly strong-willed individuals, but they both drive for the team and they recognise that. No individual is bigger than the team.

"For me, it's not about blame, about whose fault it is, so we will sit down with both drivers, go through what's happened and do our best to ensure it doesn't happen again."

Horner categorically denied there was an Anglo-Austrian divide that could potentially rip the team apart as the season progresses.

But with McLaren clearly having made significant strides, Horner's concerns are growing ahead of the next two races.

"We have to bounce back, and we will in Montreal and Valencia," added Horner.

"But they are two tracks that are going to play to McLaren's straight-line advantage as they are very strong in that area.

"We will have to use the performance of our car in other areas, but it was very, very close between the two teams who were a long way ahead of the rest."

Button: Raging Red Bulls can help us

Jenson Button believes the blame game being played out at rivals Red Bull Racing plays into the hands of McLaren.

Following the accident between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in yesterday's Turkish Grand Prix, the duo opened a rift as they pointed accusing fingers at each other.

The incident on lap 40, which resulted in Vettel spinning out of the race with a damaged right-rear wheel, allowed Lewis Hamilton to end a nine-race winless drought and spearhead a McLaren one-two.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner now faces the unenviable task of repairing the damage done by his drivers.

But after the incident at Istanbul Park, Button knows that will be far from easy given a driver's instinct and nature.

"We are all competitive and sometimes you find it difficult to back down in certain situations," said the reigning world champion.

"But when you look at the data and the footage someone's always in the wrong, so it's about owning up and moving forward.

"If they can't do that it will play into our hands because we go to Canada (on June 13) having finished first and second and those two having crashed.

"When you are not getting on I'm sure you don't share information as much. I don't know, I've never had it with a team-mate.

"But I think you can get hung up on trying to beat the guy that you bashed with, and maybe that will be an issue for them."

Button and Hamilton almost had their own crash 10 laps later as they tussled for the lead, but despite probable palpitations on the pit wall for their team bosses, they came through unscathed.

Hamilton is adamant that he and Button will never become embroiled in the skirmish that cost their rivals their own one-two.

"It won't happen with me and Jenson," he insisted. "We're both world champions, we're both professionals, and we both have a huge amount of respect for each other.

"We want to finish the race, we do both want to win, but not in an aggressive manner.

"For sure you want to be ahead, so if you finish second you're not the happiest, but he is a very supportive team-mate, he is doing a solid job and I know when I win he is happy for me and vice versa.

"We had a great battle out there, he wasn't aggressive, he wasn't silly, he didn't make any stupid mistakes, and that's why it was a good fight.

"So I have no doubts the rest of the year will be the same."

Addressing the issue himself, Button added: "I hope so as well.

"We are here to fight, to beat each other, to beat everyone, and whilst we are pretty hard when it comes to racing, I think we are fair as well.

"Plus there's the fact we don't want to crash because points are so important. Yes, we want to go for the victory but also finishing is key.

"It was a strange accident in a way. You always hope it is never going to happen to you and you do the best you can to make sure it doesn't."

The respect Button and Hamilton have for each other is obvious, and not just because they are both British and the sport's two most recent world champions.

While some will attempt to find the cracks in their relationship, Button maintains they are wasting their time.

"He's probably the quickest guy I've ever raced alongside, one of the quickest Formula One has ever seen," Button said.

"For me that's exciting racing alongside him, and in a way judging yourself alongside him because I've a lot of respect for him.

"So yeah, I would say he's a good team-mate in the way that he's quick and he never gives up.

"It's fun to race alongside someone like that, but he is also very open. We're very open and say what we think. We discuss everything.

"If we have an issue with each other we don't hide it and talk about the other one behind their back.

"It's straight out and very straightforward, the way you have to be if you want to fight for a championship."

Webber-Vettel feud intensifies

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel both blamed each other for the accident that robbed the team of a Turkish Grand Prix one-two.

Vettel's attempted pass up the inside of Webber on lap 40 of the 58-lap race culminated in a collision from which the 22-year-old German spun into retirement.

Forced off the track, Webber dropped to third behind McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, having enough in hand over the chasing pack to pit for a replacement front wing.

But claiming just 15 points when 43 were there for the taking had team principal Christian Horner seething with frustration after the race.

In assessing the damage caused, neither driver gave any ground, mirroring what had unfolded at the Istanbul Park circuit.

"Seb had big top-speed advantage and went down the inside, we went side-by-side and then it looked like he turned pretty quick right and we made contact," said Webber.

"I wasn't at all expecting that at that point, and that's why it happened so fast and there was contact.

"Of course, in Seb's car it obviously feels very bad for him that I've turned left into him.

"But I'm pretty confident there was some drift from his way and then it was a disaster."

After spinning to a halt off track, and as Webber drove past in front, Vettel raised a hand towards the 33-year-old as if to say 'what did you do that for?'

A second indicator as to Vettel's position followed after climbing out of his stricken car as he twice twirled his right index finger around by his temple, suggesting what had happened was crazy.

In a post-race media scrum, Vettel stormed: "I'm not in the happiest of moods.

"I was on the inside going into the corner. I was there, ahead and focusing on the braking point and then we touched.

"Mark's car hit my rear right wheel and I went off. As far as I'm concerned I was not over eager. I felt I was a little bit faster.

"What happened was very silly among team-mates. As a team-mate you should give each other some room."

As for Horner, he blamed both his drivers - Webber for not giving Vettel space, and the German for attempting to cut across the Australian.

Offering his explanation after the post-race debrief, Horner said: "I think Mark has put Sebastian on the dirty side, giving him just enough room, but Sebastian has come across quite aggressively.

"He was quite a long way down the side, but came across too early, so it's very, very frustrating.

"We've seen the drivers racing each other previously and they are usually very, very good at giving each other room. But here, for whatever reason, that didn't happen.

"The frustrating thing is we have given away 28 points today as it should have been a one-two.

"From a team point of view it doesn't matter which way around they are, the priority is to finish one-two and that is exactly what we should have done."

Goss: Red Bull missed easy one-two

McLaren's chief engineer Tim Goss has rubbed salt into the wounds of Red Bull Racing by accusing their rivals of "throwing away an easy one-two".

In the absence of Dave Redding, whose wife was having a baby, Goss also served as acting team manager throughout the Turkish Grand Prix weekend.

It proved to be a special one for everyone within McLaren as Lewis Hamilton returned to winning ways after a nine-race drought, with team-mate Jenson Button claiming second.

The team's second one-two of the season, however, was handed to the Woking-based marque on a plate after the collision between Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel on lap 40 of the 58-lap race.

Although Hamilton and Button duelled for the lead themselves 10 laps later, Goss feels Formula One's last two world champions showed Red Bull exactly how team-mates should behave on track.

"In this race Red Bull did not deliver," said Goss, put forward as McLaren spokesman as team principal Martin Whitmarsh and director of engineering Paddy Lowe had made a hasty exit due to an early flight.

"Their drivers were racing, our drivers were racing, but I think that just shows how well our drivers can manage themselves on the circuit.

"We employ them to be aggressive racing drivers, but they are both very, very sensible.

"They like to fight, they are both world champions and out to prove they're the best - a superior racing driver.

"But the way they have handled themselves on the circuit has been absolutely exceptional so far this year.

"There has been more than one occasion when they have been close to one another like that (in the race).

"The two of them can race and avoid each other, unlike our next-door neighbours who clearly threw an easy one-two away."

Goss could understand why Webber was told to turn down his engine, laid out by Red Bull boss Christian Horner as the reason why Vettel managed to get close enough to make a pass.

As Red Bull have had engine problems this season, Goss is warning of further issues down the line too for the Milton Keynes-based team.

"They had an engine failure with Vettel earlier in the season, an engine failure over the weekend, so they are potentially going to run out of engines this season," added Goss.

"In racing one-two we would be telling both our drivers to turn their engines down equally.

"But with Vettel and our two drivers chasing, it was a surprising thing to do, although I'm sure they knew we were trying to conserve fuel.

"Everything (the pit-to-car radio) gets broadcast these days and I'm sure they were listening to it."

Although unaware of any split in the Red Bull camp, as is being suggested, Goss firmly believes the battle between McLaren's stars and their rivals will continue unabated.

"They (Red Bull) and ourselves have two drivers trying to win the world championship," added Goss.

"I'm sure all four of them are going to be racing hard to the end of the season."