Real Madrid lost 2-1 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal after Mario Gomez’s winning strike in the 90th minute. Still, the result doesn’t seem to scare Real’s coach, Jose Mourinho, who is extremely optimistic that his team will manage to turn things around in the return leg.

“We have the second leg to come and it’s not like we have to make a historical comeback, what we have to do is very achievable,” said Mourinho.

Mourinho called Gomez’s goal a “lucky punch”  and also said that  English referee Howard Webb made a mistake in awarding Bayern’s opening goal as replays showed Ribery fired home with a Bayern player offside, but he refused to criticize the official. “We had the feeling that one team could get through with a lucky punch and they made it,” Mourinho commented. “Their first goal was offside, that is clear. I accept the referee’s decision, but he shouldn’t have given the goal.”

As for Bayern’s coach, Jupp Heynckes, he was delighted with his team’s performance. “We deserved to win, it was a hard bit of work. I had said we would play with passion for 90 minutes and the players did just that, they gave their all. I must pay a great compliment to my team, they ran very hard and played a great game,” he said.

Franck Ribery opened the scoring in Tuesday’s semifinal in the 17th minute for Bayern Munich, and Mesut Oezil equalized in the 53rd. The second leg is next week in Madrid on Santiago Bernabeu.  However, before the return,  Mourinho’s team has to face Barcelona in the already famous El Clásico at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

Tiger Woods was forced to withdraw, after 11 holes, from Sunday’s final round of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in Doral, Florida, after suffering an injury to his left leg.

“I felt tightness in my left Achilles (tendon) warming up this morning, and it continued to get progressively worse,” Woods said in a statement on his website. “After hitting my tee shot at 12, I decided it was necessary to withdraw. In the past, I may have tried to continue to play, but this time, I decided to do what I thought was necessary.”

“I want to send my regrets to the World Golf Championships, Cadillac and the fans. The galleries were tremendous this week and I want to thank everyone for their support,” he added.

The 36-year-old golfer first suffered an Achilles injury at last year’s Masters and tried to return just over a month later at the Players Championship, where he withdrew after just nine holes. Woods is scheduled to next play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida from March 22-25. However, this depends on how his injury responds to treatment. “I’ll get my Achilles evaluated sometime early next week,” Woods said on Sunday.

McIlroy, who moved up to No. 1 in the world when he won the Honda Classic a week ago, said that, “It’s a shame because he looked like he was coming out this year, swinging it really well, playing good, getting himself into contention. It’s probably just precautionary, but I really hope he’s healthy for the Masters, because obviously it would be a great week with him there.”

Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup after a 4-0 victory against Brazilian club Santos in Yokohama, Japan. Lionel Messi scored two goals on Sunday with Xavi and former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas scoring Barcelona’s other goals.

“We played a complete game. It was a good game, an intense game and we’re very happy with the result,” captain Carles Puyol said.

Fabregas said that, “It wasn’t easy at all. Santos made it difficult at the beginning but we were fortunate to score quickly and then another one a few minutes later. If you say it was easy it’s because we played a very serious game and were very professional and disciplined and that made it look easy.”

“I’m excited about winning this title because we wanted to become the best in the world,” Messi said. “I’m happy about my goals but, more than that, I am happy with the performance of the team.”

This is the team’s second Club World Cup title after 2009 and the 13th trophy won since Pep Guardiola took charge at the Camp Nou in 2008. “We’ve got a core of very talented players and the secret of our success is simple. We study our opponents closely, use space well, keep control of the ball and move it around very quickly. My players are real competitors and I’m sure they’re going to want to keep on going and win more trophies,” Guardiola told the official FIFA website.

Tiger Woods ended his long unfruitful period on Sunday after winning the Chevron World Challenge title and defeating 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson by one stroke. It was Woods first victory in more than two years since the Australian Masters on November 15, 2009.

“It just feels awesome, whatever it is,” the 35-year-old golfer said. “I felt normal, felt very comfortable. I’ve been here so many times that, you know, I just feel very comfortable being here in this position. Was I nervous? Absolutely. Always nervous in that position. But it’s a comfortable feeling, and I enjoy being in that position. For some reason, it’s kind of a comfort to be in there with a chance to win” Woods added.

Woods was one stroke behind Johnson going up the 17th and he holed a 15-footer for a birdie on the par-3 17th to tie Johnson and hit a 9-iron from 158 yards that landed on a ridge behind the 18th hole and rolled down to 6 feet.

“The way I look at it, I don’t think I lost the tournament. I think he won it. He made two really good putts and hit good shots to get in those positions to make those putts. As I said (Saturday), if the man is healthy, that’s paramount. I mean, he’s the most experienced and the best player I’ve ever played with. In every situation, he knows how to execute and win,” Johnson said.

The greatest upcoming sport event keeps organizers and athletes on their toes. The latest news reveal that US Officials are worried about London 2012 Olympics and the security of the participants. Therefore, no less than 500 FBI agents will be sent to guarantee the safety of the guests and locals.

As the Guardian states America’s athletes will leave the country joined by 1,000 agents. This group of FBI and national agents will have the task of combating anti-terrorist attacks. The US considers the UK unable to handle any surprise and ‘stop and search’ style initiatives from extremist groups. According to the Guardian, “But Washington’s need for reassurance is exasperating British officials and anti-terrorism officials, who have privately raised concerns about the meddling, as well as the size of the US “footprint” in the UK during the games next year.”

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) has the duty to organize the event and handle the potential crisis over various security issues. They had thought about 10,000 guards, however after a meticulous review they considered that it will be necessary to mobilize at least 21,000 people responsible for the security of athletes. The Ministry of Defence and the Home Office stated that, “The focus of the government and everyone involved is to deliver a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games that London, the UK and the world can enjoy, […] Ministers and officials from across government are working closely with the police and Locog to ensure we have a robust safety and security strategy.”

Mike Tindall, England’s rugby team captain was fined and dropped from the team after a investigation done by the Rugby Football Union, which found him guilty of unacceptable behavior, following the highly criticized events that took place in Queenstown on Sunday night, September 11, 2011, where he was captured on camera alongside a woman in a bar in a spectacular boozy night out between games.

Mr. Tindall who married to Zara Philips the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, has also received a disciplinary fine of £25,000. His co-workers Chris Ashton and James Haskell were also fined £5,000 and warned about their conduct. The above mentioned were also involved in an incident at a hotel in Dunedin, where they allegedly made inappropriate comments to a female from the staff of the hotel.

Rob Andrew, Rugby Football Union director says that:
“Mike Tindall’s actions reached a level of misconduct that was unacceptable in a senior England player and amounted to a very serious breach of the EPS Code of Conduct. Whilst we acknowledge his previous good character it needs to be made clear that what he did will not be tolerated.
Regarding the events in Dunedin, it should be stressed that the allegations of very serious wrong-doing made against Chris Ashton, Dylan Hartley (which has been cleared of any wrongdoing) and James Haskell by Annabel Newton, a member of staff at the team hotel, were entirely false. We do not believe the players had any intention to sexually harass or intimidate Ms Newton. However, the incident is precisely the kind of dangerous, compromising situation the players were warned about prior to departure for New Zealand and that they were specifically told to avoid in the EPS Code of Conduct.”

The director concluded by saying that the players were aware of the conduct they should display and that:
“Finally, these episodes and the subsequent disciplinary action should stand as a strong reminder that the highest standards of personal conduct are expected from any England player on and off the field.”

The players have the rights to appeal the decisions of the RFU within three working days of the decision and it seems that Mike Tindall will appeal to RFU’s decision to fine and drop him from England’s team.

Photos courtesy of Reuters, DailyMail

Italian rider Marco Simoncelli died on Sunday at the Malaysian MotoGP race. The 24-year-old rising star lost control of his Honda on the second lap of the circuit and was hit by American Colin Edwards and Italian Valentino Rossi. The tragedy occurred exactly a week after British Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-car accident in the IndyCar finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The race was canceled as soon as the extent of Simoncelli’s injuries became apparent, while the medical staff continued to perform CPR. Unfortunately, Simoncelli, who lost his helmet during the crash, died within an hour after suffering ‘serious trauma’ to the head, neck and chest. American Edwards also fell and dislocated his shoulder, while Simoncelli’s fellow Italian Rossi was able to return to the pits.

Everyone involved in MotoGP reacted to the tragic loss. Valentino Rossi posted on Twitter: “Sic for me was like a younger brother, as strong on the track as he was sweet in life.”

Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso of Italy said that, “Marco was a strong rider and he always pushed hard. We raced together since we were kids. I saw him always pushing to the maximum. He crashed many times, but without major injuries, he seemed invincible.”

Spanish rider Dani Pedrosa, who had a dispute with fellow factory Honda rider Simoncelli earlier this season, also extended his condolences to Marco’s family. “In a tragedy like this there is not much to say. I just want to give my condolences to his family and all the people who love him. I’ve been with his father and all we could do was to hug, nothing else matters. It was a fatal accident and everybody in the paddock remains in shock. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and when you lose people on the way nothing has any meaning. It’s clear that we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today nothing matters.”

Casey Stoner, newly-crowned MotoGP champion, said that, “I’m so shocked and saddened by the loss of Marco. When things like this happen it reminds you how precious life is, it makes me feel sick inside. All I can say is how sorry I am for Marco’s whole family I can’t imagine what they are all going through and our thoughts and wishes are with them at this time. I hope they all stay close and pull through this tragedy together.”

Marco ‘Super Sic’ Simoncelli won the European 125cc title in 2002, while in June 2008 he won his first 250cc race at the Italian GP in Mugello. Then, in 2010, he moved up to ride in his debut MotoGP season for Honda, being fourth in Portugal and ending the year in eighth position. Marco’s manager, Carlo Pernat, said that Sic had all the qualities in order to become world champion. “Marco was a cheery boy, everyone’s friend. He had expectations, dreams. He was a boy from days gone by, with a wonderful family who taught him good values. It’s terrible, there are no words, everyone’s very upset, he could have become world champion one day. He had this desire to get to the top, it was really inside him, there was this desire for success because he knew he could have it,” Pernat said.

A German company that specializes in security camera technology has installed the world’s highest webcam. The M-12 webcam now sits at an elevation of over 18,500 feet to allow viewers a glimpse of the world’s highest m0untain.

The webcam now lies on Kala Patthar mountain and will offer viewers a hi-def view of the Mt. Everest summit, which is over 29,000 feet. The webcam is solar powered.

The location was selected due to its unparallelled view of the Everest summit’s West Ridge and western side. The position, however, means that the webcam must deal with extremely low temperatures, as low as -20°F and violent winds.

The images saved by the webcam are sent wirelessly to the Ev-K2-CNR Pyramid Observatory, and are then sent to Italy for evaluation.

The company, called Mobotix, says they spent a great deal of time working on and testing the ideal camera set up and position.

The project will be part of the Share environment and climate change monitoring conference. Researchers are hoping the webcam’s images and monitoring capabilities will offer more information on climate change.

View the Mt. Everest webcam at http://www.evk2cnr.org/WebCams/PyramidOne/everest-webcam.html

Note that the images are only available during the daytime, from 6am to 6pm local Nepal time. The images are updates every 5 minutes.

The Everest webcam becomes the highest webcam on earth, taking the title from a webcam in Argentina, sitting at the base camp of Mt. Aconcagua which sits at over 14,000 feet.

A beloved craft beer from New Zealand has inspired the latest American supercar. Called the Shelby Tuatara, the supercar, based on a totally new design, is designed by Shelby Supercars. The company is based in the USA.

The car is a sleek, slim, almost flat appearing supercar. The maker of the car says it will be the fastest car in the world. Rumors are that the car will be able to reach top speeds of 275 miles per hour. The current fastest car is the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport from Italy, apparently measured at a top speed of 268 miles per hour.

Previously, the Italian motorcycle maker Bimota had one of their fastest motorcycles named Tuatara, so Shelby is not the first automaker to use the name.

The beer Tuatara is famous for using high quality ingredients. The beer that the car is named after, and that is sought after by beer lovers the world over, is a Bohemian Pilsner made of yeast, hops, malt and pure water. The company says they make beer in the tradition of Bavarian beermakers since the 1500′s.

The company also makes a Belgian ale and will also be releasing a new barley wine flavored with licorice soon, also Belgian. The company is based in Wellington, New Zealand and enjoys a cult following around the world. Their beers are available in grocery stores around New Zealand, as well as gourmet stores and import stores globally.

The Tuatara Supercar will feature wheels made of carbon fiber, a 7 speed manual transmission and a 7 liter V8 engine.

Whether its a star of sports, television, movies or a politician, it seems there’s a lot of Schadenfreude happening these days.

Schadenfreude is basically when you take pleasure in the suffering or failure of other people.

Recent examples of Schadenfreude in our culture:

Lebron James – When he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat and a huge contract and better chance of winning a championship, he earned the scorn of many basketball fans. Seeing him lose the NBA championship last night, many of those same people are feeling just a wee bit happy at his failure.

Spider-man Musical – With the musical’s injuries, financial problems and scathing reviews, some people were almost giddy at the perceived failure of this show when it started previews in late 2010 and received all those terrible reviews in February.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – Just weeks earlier, he was weighing a movie career comeback, but then his love-child came to light and a media frenzy ensued. From the top of the world, to the bottom so quickly.

Charlie Sheen – Are people fascinated with him or is he being laughed at?  To many, he seems like a spoiled, rich middle-aged kid who has run amuck. With so many drug problems and charges of violence, more than a few people had to be happy at his downward spiral.

Mel Gibson – When he started with his racist and sexist rants, he lost the respect of many in Hollywood and much of the public. Now, with his recent marriage troubles and the failure of his latest movie, The Beaver, many almost certainly feel he’s getting what he deserves.