First hurdle falls EGYPT'S Olympic football team overpowered 10-man Gambia 4-0 in Alexandria on Sunday to reach the second round of qualifications for Beijing 2008. Last month, Gambia and Egypt played to a goalless draw in the first-leg match in Gambia. On Sunday, Egypt, coached by Portuguese Eduardo 'Nelo' Vingada, ruled the match but it was only after Gambia lost Osman Koli in the 28th minute to a red card after a harsh challenge did it open the scoring. In the 33rd minute, Abdallah El-Said put Egypt ahead following a nifty give and go. Seven minutes later, Ahmed Magdi, who plays for Greek club Panionios, unleashed a cannon which gave the goalkeeper no chance. In the 56th minute a Gambian defender scored an own goal when he deflected Ahmed Ghanim's low cross. From another low pass from Ghanim, Hossam Osama easily side footed the ball home in the 73rd minute to complete the rout. The result takes Egypt to the second round of qualifiers in February and March 2007. Should Egypt stay on course, it will advance to the group stage in June. Croatia warned THE UEFA has warned Croatia they could be kicked out of Euro 2008 if fans direct any racism towards England's players. FIFA charged the Croatian Football Federation with bringing the game into disrepute after fans formed a human swastika during a friendly in Italy. Ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifier in Zagreb, UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said: "We can impose heavier sanctions if it happens again. "That ultimately could be exclusion from the competition." England's black players have been subjected to racist abuse in the past, with Ashley Cole being targeted by Spain fans in a friendly in Madrid. UEFA has contacted the Croatian government to spell out their warning, while their football federation has also implemented measures to ensure there are no problems against England. Croatia are keen the match goes ahead without incident because they are making a joint bid with Hungary to host the 2012 European Championship. The disrepute charge from FIFA followed the swastika incident, which involved 200 supporters at a friendly against Italy in Livorno in August. Croatia were fined during Euro 2004 over racist banners flown at a game against France. Gaillard added: "There are new rules, which can lead to exclusion from a competition and docking points in extreme cases. We will monitor events closely. "Ourselves and FIFA have imposed sanctions and the sanctions will be heavier in the future." Diao to Stoke LIVERPOOL midfielder Salif Diao is poised to join Stoke on loan. The deal is expected to be completed once the two clubs agree the percentage of Diao's wages City must pay. Senegal midfielder Diao, 29, was a �5m signing for Liverpool in 2002 but has never been a first-team regular and was loaned out to Portsmouth last season. He is set to be joined at the Britannia Stadium by Sunderland's Rory Delap, who is also on the verge of a loan move. Stoke recently signed Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie on loan as they look to climb the championship table following a disappointing start to the season. Henman moves up TIM Henman has moved back into the top 40 in the world rankings following his appearance in the Japan Open final against Roger Federer. The 32-year-old moved up 15 places to 40th despite losing in straight sets. Henman needs to secure a place in the top 32 to be sure of a seeding for the Australian Open in January. He said: "I am delighted to be back inside the top 40. I have believed all year that I have been playing better than my ranking suggested." Henman will now have a week's rest before learning if he has landed a place in next week's ATP Masters Series event in Madrid via a wild card. He added: "I have had some good wins this year but also some disappointing losses and I have not been able to go as deep into tournaments as I would have liked. "But in Tokyo last week it was a different story and that is why I was so pleased to have made the most of the chances I created on the way to the final." Running pregnant PREGNANT Paula Radcliffe has revealed she is still running every day as she targets a return to competitive action at the 2007 World Championships. Radcliffe competed in her last race before the January birth by taking part in the Nike Run London 10k on Sunday. "It's quite hard at the minute because I'm having some very up-and-down days," said Radcliffe, 32. "Some people run the whole way through. I don't think I will, but I'm not setting in stone when I'll stop." Radcliffe went round the Hyde Park course in 43 minutes, some way below her best time of 30:1.09, in what she described as "a fast jog." The three-time London Marathon winner is targeting a return to her true form in time for next year's World Athletics Championships in Japan. However, Radcliffe is uncertain whether she will contest the 10,000m or the marathon, where she would defend her title. "It depends how the training goes and how quickly I'm doing the mileage after having the baby," said Radcliffe. I'll just see how it is, what kind of birth it is and how I adapt. "If things are going better in the 10k then I'll do the 10k. But how I'm progressing in training will determine what events I run before the worlds." With Radcliffe taking it relatively easy in London, Jo Pavey won the women's title for the second time in three years with a time of 32:29.
