Caracas  - Venezuela obtained a crucial 2-0 home win over direct rival Colombia late Tuesday in the South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The result leaves Colombia on 14 points from 12 games, with Venezuela on 13 points. If the qualifiers were to end now, neither team would continue to South Africa.

Despite Abel Aguirre being sent off in the first half, Venezuela could not crack the game until the last quarter-of-an-hour of play in Puerto Ordaz.

Miami  - Roger Federer stretched his run of form at the Miami Masters as he completed his 33rd victory Tuesday in his 11th straight year at the event, reaching the quarter-finals 6-3, 6-2 over Taylor Dent.

Dent, 27, spent six months in a body cast and underwent three back operations as he missed three years of ATP play due to the serious problem. The US player returned to the game at the start of 2009 with a ranking just inside the top 500 after his inactivity.

Johannesburg (South Africa), Mar. 31 : Ricky Ponting insists Australia''s South African tour hasn''t run off the rails despite three successive losses to the Proteas.

Ponting''s men must regroup for the opening one-day international in Durban on April 3 after losing the third Test by an innings and 20 runs, Friday''s first Twenty20 International by four wickets in the final over and Sunday''s second Twenty20 game by 17 runs.

St. Lucia (West Indies), Mar. 31 : England batsman Kevin Pietersen''s international career has probably hit a major roadblock, and speculation is rife that he may be sacked if he persists with his self-centered attitude.

Pietersen is officially on record as saying that all he wants to do is go home.

There is no doubt that he is still England''s best batsman, and remains committed to the cause. When he left the field during the fourth one-day international against West Indies complaining of a back spasm there was not sympathy but scepticism.

Seoul - The football teams of North and South Korea meet for the fourth time in 2010 World Cup qualifying Wednesday as both countries continue their quest for a ticket to next year's finals in South Africa.

The previous three encounters have all ended in draws, the most recent result a 1-1 six months ago. However, the sporting encounters been the two teams have been overshadowed by the ongoing political tensions on the Korean Peninsula and Wednesday's match at the World Cup stadium in Seoul is proving no different.

Here’s sad news for Chennai Super Kings. Kiwi all-rounder Jacob Oram might pull out of the much awaited Indian Premier League (IPL)'s second season, if a pesky Achilles tendon injury, which has been ailing him for sometime now, stops his involvement in the domestic State Championship final on April 6..

Chennai Super Kings picked the Kiwi all-rounder for a massive 675,000 dollars last year. Oram played a big role with both bat and ball in Chennai's first three wins in the last season of the IPL.