select a team ---------- Europe: Belgium Croatia Denmark England France Germany Ireland Italy Poland Portugal Russia Slovenia Spain Sweden Turkey ---------- South America: Argentina Brazil Ecuador Paraguay Uruguay ---------- Africa: Cameroon Nigeria Senegal South Africa Tunisia ---------- Asia: China Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea ---------- CONCACAF: Costa Rica Mexico United States     Main page    Schedule    Stadiums

Keane back in action

MANCHESTER, England -- Republic of Ireland skipper Roy Keane made a surprise return to action on Wednesday after a rapid recovery from a hamstring injury.

The tough-tackling midfielder came on as a substitute for the last 10 minutes of Manchester United's 2-2 Champions League semifinal first leg against Bayer Leverkusen.

He was injured during the quarterfinal at Deportivo La Coruna on April 2.

At the time it was feared his World Cup preparation was in ruins, but Keane has responded well to treatment. On Tuesday, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he could be back for the second leg against Bayer.

But he was named as a substitute for Wednesday's match at Old Trafford and showed no problems in his brief appearance.

Keane has 57 caps and nine goals for Ireland, who are in a World Cup group with Germany, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia.