It was one of his best weeks in five years but shuttler Mohd Roslin Hashim fell short in his bid to become the first Malaysian to win a title in the Korean Open.

Roslin was beaten 18-21, 16-21 in just 38 minutes by China's Bao Chunlai in the men's singles final of the six-star tournament yesterday. It was his fourth defeat by the world number six.

The Nusa Mahsuri shuttler, who last won a major international title at the Japan Open in 2001, thus became the third Malaysian entry to settle for second place in the Korean Open.

Rashid Sidek was the men's singles runner-up in 2000 and Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock played second fiddle in the men's doubles in 1996 and 1997.

Despite the defeat, Roslin can walk tall. He bagged US$12,000 (RM44,160) and it was the biggest prize money won by a Malaysian player on the international Grand Prix circuit.

His performance saved the blushes for Malaysia, who saw their top two players – Lee Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz Hashim – crashing out in the early rounds.

Roslin, who is ranked 45th in the world eliminated top seed and world number two Chong Wei in the second round while Hafiz was shown the door by unheralded Thai player S. Poompat at the same stage.

“I had a comfortable lead (11-4) but I allowed him back in the game. It gave him a lot of confidence. I tried to keep up with his pace but he was always one step better,” said the 31-year-old Roslin in a telephone interview from Seoul.

“But this is my best performances in five years. And I am really happy. It shows that I am still able to give the best players in a world a run for their money. My career is not over yet.”

On Sept 1, Roslin will leave for Denmark on a six-month training and coaching stint with Vendsyssyl Badminton Club (VEB), a leading club in the Danish League.

“This will be a new experience for me. I hope the training and coaching there will make me a better player. My next Open assignments are in Japan and China (in October),” he said.

On whether he harbours hopes to be in the team for the Doha Asiad in December, Roslin said: “If the country needs me, I will certainly be back.”

Meanwhile, 2000 Olympic champions Tony Gunawan-Candra Wijaya showed that they are still a pair to be reckoned with when they bagged their first title together in six years – beating South Korean Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-man 21-18, 21-18 in the men's doubles final yesterday.

It was one of his best weeks in five years but shuttler Mohd Roslin Hashim fell short in his bid to become the first Malaysian to win a title in the Korean Open.

Roslin was beaten 18-21, 16-21 in just 38 minutes by China's Bao Chunlai in the men's singles final of the six-star tournament yesterday. It was his fourth defeat by the world number six.

The Nusa Mahsuri shuttler, who last won a major international title at the Japan Open in 2001, thus became the third Malaysian entry to settle for second place in the Korean Open.

Rashid Sidek was the men's singles runner-up in 2000 and Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock played second fiddle in the men's doubles in 1996 and 1997.

Despite the defeat, Roslin can walk tall. He bagged US$12,000 (RM44,160) and it was the biggest prize money won by a Malaysian player on the international Grand Prix circuit.

His performance saved the blushes for Malaysia, who saw their top two players – Lee Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz Hashim – crashing out in the early rounds.

Roslin, who is ranked 45th in the world eliminated top seed and world number two Chong Wei in the second round while Hafiz was shown the door by unheralded Thai player S. Poompat at the same stage.

“I had a comfortable lead (11-4) but I allowed him back in the game. It gave him a lot of confidence. I tried to keep up with his pace but he was always one step better,” said the 31-year-old Roslin in a telephone interview from Seoul.

“But this is my best performances in five years. And I am really happy. It shows that I am still able to give the best players in a world a run for their money. My career is not over yet.”

On Sept 1, Roslin will leave for Denmark on a six-month training and coaching stint with Vendsyssyl Badminton Club (VEB), a leading club in the Danish League.

“This will be a new experience for me. I hope the training and coaching there will make me a better player. My next Open assignments are in Japan and China (in October),” he said.

On whether he harbours hopes to be in the team for the Doha Asiad in December, Roslin said: “If the country needs me, I will certainly be back.”

Meanwhile, 2000 Olympic champions Tony Gunawan-Candra Wijaya showed that they are still a pair to be reckoned with when they bagged their first title together in six years – beating South Korean Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-man 21-18, 21-18 in the men's doubles final yesterday.

After naming his England squad yesterday, Steve McClaren will spend this weekend hoping that none of his chosen ones succumb to injury. Already without strikers of the quality of Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dean Ashton, and defenders of the European Cup-winning calibre of Neville and Jamie Carragher, McClaren is hardly blessed with options outside of midfield.

The weekend's Premiership assault course permitting, Paul Robinson should start in goal behind a back-line of Young, Rio Ferdinand, captain John Terry and Ashley Cole.

Steven Gerrard is expected to start on the right of a midfield four at Old Trafford with Owen Hargreaves in the centre, hoping to cement his place in the affections of the England fans and the Old Trafford establishment.

Hargreaves' form will keep out Michael Carrick, who missed the Greece game with an ankle injury but returned to make his Manchester United debut at Charlton in midweek. McClaren said: "Alex Ferguson says he's been training well and should be ready for the two games.

"It's a shame his start at United has been disrupted, but he's a top-quality player and a great passer of the ball."

Frank Lampard, encouragingly returning to form, should enjoy the midfield platform erected by Hargreaves while Stewart Downing lends penetration down the left, a role he filled so excitingly against Greece in the recent Old Trafford friendly.

With Downing on the left, and Gerrard roaming in from the right, England should provide plenty of top-class service for Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.

In the absence of so many potential leading lights, McClaren has drafted in understudies such as Everton's Andy Johnson to offer an option from the bench.

"Andy deserves his chance in this squad after starting the season well with his new club," McClaren said. "He's a great lad and a real team player who always gives everything."

McClaren's predecessor clearly did not agree, having left Johnson among the reserves for the World Cup. Even when Johnson started for England under Eriksson, a pacey central striker then at Crystal Palace was bizarrely used down the right flank, most notably in a friendly against Holland at Villa Park.

Johnson, understandably, was delighted yesterday simply to be back among the elite. "When I joined Everton I said that it would be good for my international ambitions and that's been proved right," he said yesterday.

"Every player wants to represent his country and I'm no different in that. I just hope that now I can actually play a part in the two games. "I'm happy with my form at Everton and I have to thank the lads who have made it very easy for me to settle in."

Everton manager David Moyes said: "He has a terrific work ethic about him and he deserves his chance at international level."

Squad: Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd), A Cole (Arsenal), Young (Charlton), P Neville (Everton), Bridge (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Brown (Man Utd), Dawson (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Carrick (Man Utd), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Richardson (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Lennon (Tottenham), Defoe (Tottenham), Bent (Charlton), Johnson (Everton), Crouch (Liverpool).

Uncapped midfielder Borja Oubina has kept his place in the Spain squad for their Euro 2008 qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Northern Ireland at the expense of Villarreal's Marcos Senna.

The 24-year-old Celta Vigo player, who was called up for the recent friendly against Iceland but did not play in the game, was included in an unchanged 22-man squad named by coach Luis Aragones on Friday.

Oubina helped Celta to sixth place last season on their return to the top flight.

Senna was dropped for the Iceland match because he had played so little for his club in pre-season after being on the verge of a move to Manchester United.

Barcelona players Carles Puyol and Xavi retained their places after dropping out of the Iceland game because of injury as did Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes who has not played for the London side recently.

Aragones said he saw no reason to make any changes to the team that managed only a disappointing 0-0 draw against Iceland earlier this month.

"I had confidence in these players at the World Cup and I still have now," he told a news conference in Madrid. "In my view this is my best team although there are other players that are close to making the squad."

Cassano, 24, is considered one of Italy's most talented players but was left out of the World Cup squad by Donadoni's predecessor Marcello Lippi after struggling to win a starting place at Real.

There was no room, however, for World Cup strikers Luca Toni, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Vincenzo Iaquinta, all of whom are short of full match fitness.

Also missing is defender Marco Materazzi, who is serving a two-match ban for goading Zinedine Zidane into head-butting him in the World Cup final.

Italy:

Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati (Torino), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Dario Dainelli (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Inter Milan), Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)

Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Marco Marchionni (Juventus), Simone Perrotta (AS Roma), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Franco Semioli (Chievo Verona)

Strikers: Emiliano Bonazzoli (Sampdoria), Antonio Cassano (Real Madrid), David Di Michele (Palermo), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Tommas Rocchi (Lazio)

Ganea, 33, who last played for his country against Ireland in May 2004, scored all four goals when Dinamo beat Universitatea Craiova 4-0 at the weekend.

"Great comeback for me," he told Reuters. "I have had bad times in the past two years but I believe I'm a good striker."

Steaua Bucharest midfielder Mirel Radoi will miss the two Euro 2008 qualifiers after undergoing knee ligament surgery.

Romania host Bulgaria on Sept 2. before visiting Albania four days later.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobont (Fiorentina, Daniel Coman (Rapid Bucharest)

Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Getafe), Valentin Badoi (Rapid Bucharest), Gabriel Tamas (Celta Vigo), Sorin Ghionea (Steaua Bucharest), Vasile Maftei (Rapid Bucharest), Cristian Chivu (AS Roma), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk), Petre Marin (Steaua Bucharest)

Midfielders: Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia), Banel Nicolita (Steaua Bucharest), Paul Codrea (Palermo), Razvan Cocis (Sheriff Tiraspol), Sorin Paraschiv (Steaua Bucharest), Dorinel Munteanu (CFR Cluj), Nicolae Dica (Steaua Bucharest), Laurentiu Rosu (Huelva)

Forwards: Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Ciprian Marica (Shakhtar Donetsk), Daniel Niculae (Auxerre), Ionel Ganea (Dinamo Bucharest).

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Dmitry Borodin (Torpedo Moscow), and Alexander Makarov (Krylya Sovietov Samara).

Defenders: Alexei Berezutsky, Sergei Ignashevich (both CSKA Moscow), Denis Kolodin (Dinamo Moscow), and Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St. Petersburg).

Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Marat Izmaylov (both Lokomotiv Moscow), Yevgeny Aldonin (CSKA Moscow), Vladislav Radimov (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexei Smertin and Igor Semshov (both Dinamo Moscow).

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin, Alexander Kerzhakov (both Zenit St Petersburg), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Tom Tomsk), and Ivan Sayenko (Nuremberg).

Hiddink said CSKA Moscow center back Vassily Berezutsky was still recovering from a knock picked up in early August and that he was in contact with Berezutsky's club doctors to establish whether he could take the field.

Russia's national team failed to qualify for this year's World Cup in Germany, but Russian fans expect Hiddink to work miracles guiding it to the Euro-2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland. Russia will face England, Andorra, Estonia, Macedonia, Israel and Croatia in qualifying Group E.

Macedonia leads the group after a 1:0 away win over Estonia on August 16. England, Andorra, and Israel will play their first qualifiers September 2.