Dhanraj Kotian

The semi-finals of Champions League is underway, and there has already been some excitement.

Bayern Munich overcame a spirited Real Madrid side in the first leg of their clash at the Allianz Arena in Munich, to defeat the La Liga giants, 2-1. Bayern were initially put on the defensive with some good attacking from Madrid.

Franck Ribery came up with the first goal in the 16th minute to put the hosts ahead. Bayern played some classic following the strike to push the nine-time European Champions back into their own half.

Bayern's midfield was shaping up beautifully with Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger proving too much for the Madrid defenders. Bayern were sharp in attack with Mario Gomez coming just short of a goal on multiple occasions. Madrid responded eight minutes after the break to level the match with Karim Benzema scoring the much-needed away goal. Benzema's strike might be the deciding factor when the two clubs meet at Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg.

But Bayern would strike back. Gomez hit the game winner in the 90th minute to put the German giants ahead, 2-1.

What a perfect race by Nico Rosberg to claim the first win of his career from pole to finish.

Rosberg, the son of 1982 champion Keke, also scored the first win for Mercedes as an individual team since 1955. Mercedes left the sport in 1955 after the last race for them as a team ending in victory by Juan Manuel Fangio at the Italian Grand Prix. Mercedes brought the 2009 winning team Brawn GP in 2010 to set up an independent team, though they are engine partners to other teams. Team principal Ross Brawn was very happy with the result and this was evident when they were celebrating loudly on the radio.

When giants like Milan and Barca meet, there is always something you can expect. The score line read 0-0 after full time, but it was a classic Milan versus an energetic Barca. Milan stuck to what they do good and earned a decent result before going to Nou Camp.  Barcelona surely will have to find a way out to get past the Milan defense before the return leg at home. The San Siro was like a fortress and Barca never really got in the groove, with their quick passes and superior mid-field play.

Barca had a penalty appeal turned down when Abbiatti brought down Sanchez but other than that Milan never really gave a chance to Barca to come forward. Robinho missed a very good chance to go ahead. A few minutes later, Ibrahimovic too squandered a chance, when he was released by a gem of a pass by Seedorf.

Seedorf was clearly the man for Milan, the veteran playing an important role in all the attacking passes and coming back in time to hold the defence. Messi was heavily marked by Ambrosini and Nesta who played a pivotal role in the back.

This was a game where two playing styles met against each other. Such games though scoreless, still go on as classics.

It was one of those days of old for Andy Roddick.

The hard-hitting American dug deep and found a way to overcome the might of world No. 3 Roger Federer.

Roddick, the two-time Sony Ericsson Open champion, defeated Federer in three sets 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-4  to advance out of the third round in Key Biscayne, Fla.

Roddick stayed back on the returns, waiting for Federer to make the move. Meanwhile, Roddick's serve kept him in the match. He broke only once, and didn't lose a service game in the first and third set.

Meanwhile, Roddick held his nerve to hold off Federer in the third set despite struggling in the second.

"I had my chances. I thought Andy did well to get the first, and then to put me in the situation I guess in the third," said Federer. "I could have been up a break early in the third, but he did well also to fight off those break points. He served really well.

Next, Roddick faces 21st seed Juan Monaco, who rallied to beat 14th-seeded Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Monaco overcame a 2-4 deficit in the final set to improve to a 4-2 record against the Frenchman

What a race for Ferrari and Alonso.

No one really believed the car could be competitive, but Alonso made sure he stayed ahead of the pack in the rain soaked Malaysian Grand Prix. The inability of the car was visible by judging Massa's dismal 15th finish. Although Ferrari scripted a dream win here, utilizing the conditions well, they will have to make massive improvements to the F2012 to get anywhere close to the pace setters.

Sergio Perez drove the race of his life to finish second. He scored more points in this race than the entire of last season. He was driving aggressively chasing the Ferrari of Alonso. His chances became slim when he ran wide on lap 50 with 6 laps to go. Nevertheless this was the best result for Sauber as an individual team. There are even paddock rumors for replacing Massa with Perez before the end of the season. His teammate Kobayashi had to retire due to a brake problem.