Russia have two World Cup qualifiers over the course of the rest of the Premier League season - at home to minnows Azerbaijan on 28 March and away to Liechtenstein four days later.
The women's slalom event in Ofterschwang, Germany was won by Slovenia's Tina Maze, who has already secured the overall World Cup title and remains on course to win five crystal globes in a season.
This time last year, of course, the World Cup broke the icy spell of seasonal despondency.
And the sports minister added that the FA should have post-World Cup reviews as a matter of course.
England captain David Beckham is still on course make the World Cup opener against Sweden as the countdown continues on the South Korean paradise island of Jeju.
Uzbekistan remain on course to reach the World Cup for the first time after a 1-0 win against Lebanon in Tashkent.
The newspapers predicted he would lift the economic gloom by guiding the national team to glory in the World Cup - not as winners, of course, but certainly as qualifiers for the second round.
The Indomitable Lions appeared to be on course for their fifth successive World Cup finals when Portugal-based striker Rudolph Douala scored in the 21st minute.
Warne, who has taken more one-day wickets than all bar five players, had one of his finest hours in the 1999 World Cup semi-final, against South Africa of course.
But his wife, knowing that he enjoyed showing visiting relatives and friends around Cape Town, advised him to do an accredited tour guiding course, in time for the football World Cup which took place in South Africa in 2010, so that he could be part of the experience.
The magnitude of the defeat is, of course, increased tenfold with it being a World Cup.
Slovakia were on course for a perfect start in their debut World Cup as an independent nation after Robert Vittek's 50th-minute header.
Austria's Raich crashed out on the tricky Kandahar course and dropped to second place in the overall World Cup standings.
"In October 2009, I completed the course and started guiding part-time till the World Cup came, where I was kept quite busy, " the entrepreneur remembers.
You've likely heard of Vonn and Ligety, as well as three-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso and, of course, Bode Miller, the winner of 33 World Cup races.
"Of course we would like him to stay, his bowling during the World Cup was outstanding and no one can deny that, " Hohns said.
Moving smoothly through the whitewater course with the supreme coordination they've demonstrated repeatedly on the World Cup scene since winning gold at Sydney, the Hochshorners even celebrated in unison as they crossed the finish line, simultaneously pumping their right fists in the air.
Since then, of course, the world's number one team have suffered the trauma of another World Cup disaster, the favourites shocked by France in last year's quarter-final in Cardiff.
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