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CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland -- Canadas Jan Hudec raced to fifth place in a World Cup super-G race Saturday, nearly claiming his second podium finish in as many days. The 30-year-old from Calgary, who was second in Fridays super-G, made a couple of small mistakes to finish just 24-hundredths of a second out of the medals. "Im disappointed I missed the podium today," said Hudec. "I really felt like I had a chance. After losing time on the bottom (Friday), I really wanted to make sure I was fighting the whole way down. "I did that, but I ended up making a few mistakes. Im still satisfied with my approach and my skiing." Austrian veteran Benjamin Raich got his first World Cup victory in more than two years, while Adrien Theaux of France was second, and pre-race favourite Didier Cuche of Switzerland finished third. "I never gave up and that is very important, if you are a sportsman or in life," Raich said. Hudecs result extended Canadas recent hot streak, and saw the veteran climb to third in the overall super-G World Cup standings. Conditions deteriorated as the race progressed and visibility became an issue. Hudec -- nicknamed "Panda Bear" after the character from the movie "Kung Fu Panda" -- said he had a clear sight of the course the whole way down. "Panda Bear did a good job today. A really good job," said speed coach Johno McBride. "Any time you are in the top five you are a contender for the steps and he was today. When you make a couple of little mistakes on a day like today, there were not that many opportunities to make up speed." Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was 13th, while Ben Thomsen of Invermere, B.C., was 42nd. Raich showed that all his technical skills have survived a serious knee injury one year ago, mastering a tough middle section as he clocked one minute 34.37 seconds on the Nationale course. Theaux finished 0.24 seconds back, and Cuche trailed Raich by 0.36. "After my accident last year and my injury, and after the two years without victory, its great," Raich said. "I was sure that it was possible (to win again) but you never know. I worked really hard." Cuche, who won Fridays super-G when Raich was third, praised his old rival who was criticized by some Austrian media over his early-season results. "Nobody had enough patience to let him do what he is able to do," Cuche said. "But with Benni you can be sure that if he has no trouble, no pain, he will be back sooner or later." Cuche helped attract 23,000 spectators to see him race in Switzerland for the final time this weekend before retiring. Swiss teammate Beat Feuz, who is nursing knee pain, was 10th and missed another chance to take the overall standings lead from Austrian Marcel Hirscher. Hirscher, defending overall champion Ivica Kostelic of Croatia and Feuz, are separated by just 15 points. Hirscher sat out Saturdays race to prepare for his specialist giant slalom event on Sunday, and Kostelic is expected to race again in two weeks after knee surgery. Bode Miller was sidelined for a second straight day to help his left knee heal after undergoing minor knee surgery in the United States this week. Miller could race the GS on Sunday. Raichs 36th World Cup victory, sixth on the all-time list ahead of Miller, was his first in super-G. The former World Cup overall champion, who will be 34 on Tuesday, last won in December 2009 at a super-combined event at Val dIsere, France. Raichs injury sustained at the 2011 World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, ended his season one year ago, but he has come back strongly since January. His three podium finishes this season have all been in Switzerland. Despite supporting Cuche, the knowledgeable Swiss crowd generously applauded Raich when he crossed the line after an impressively clean run on the soft snow. Cuche lost his ideal line after a jump and was slowed by venturing into soupy snow at the side of the course. "I knew that I was able to win again but you have to bring it from the top to the bottom. It cost me all the speed because I had to push into the soft snow," the 37-year-old Swiss star said. However, Cuche closed to within seven points of super-G leader Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, who placed ninth for the second consecutive day. Two more super-G races are scheduled next weekend at Kvitfjell, Norway. -- With files from The Associated Press. Ron Santo Jersey .That sight softened the blow of what ended up as a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.Knowing their teammate was fine after a scary headfirst fall in the opening minute of the game helped calm the Maple Leafs. 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Javier Baez Jersey . -- Falcons running back Steven Jackson, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice on Wednesday.Neighbours and fierce rivals Iran and Iraq will meet in the Asian Cup quarterfinals on Friday, while defending champion and title favourite Japan will face the United Arab Emirates.Here are some things to watch:___IRAN VS. IRAQ (0630 GMT): The winner-takes-all match in the Australian capital Canberra will be fiercely contested between two teams that both believe they have the edge on their opponent.Irans form has been faultless, with three wins from three in the group stage, keeping clean sheets in every game. With experienced and highly regarded coach Carlos Queiroz in charge, the Iranians belief in their title chances is growing.Iran, which beat Iraq in a pre-tournament friendly, clinched top spot in its group with a stoppage-time winner by Reza Ghoochannejhad which delivered a 1-0 win against the UAE.The spirit is great in our team, Ghoochannejhad. The chemistry and spirit in this team is amazing and we hope to continue and get good results in the future.Iraqs form has not been quite as convincing, beating Jordan and Palestine while losing a tightly-fought match against Japan. Iraq, though, still has vivid memories of 2007 when it won the Asian Cup against the odds, with its homeland in the midst of war.I see it as a tough game, Iraq midfielder Yaser Kasim said. They are a good side. We played them in a friendly already, so we got a test how to play against them, and how they play. Its going to be a massive, massive game and a great rivalry, so hopefully we can put on a show for the people.___JAPAN VS. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (0930 GMT): Four-time champion Japan starts as a favourite against the UAE, and the Blue Samurai are living up to their billing as the team to beat for the title.Coach Javier Aguirre, who is working under thhe cloud of an ongoing match-fixing investigation relating to his time in Spanish club football, was not letting his players get ahead of themselves going into the Melbourne match.ddddddddddddFrom my experience in the Copa America, World Cup and the Gold Cup, I can say that our chances are the same as the other seven teams remaining, Aguirre said. From now we start from zero.Japan will have had only two days rest since its last group game — one day less than the UAE — and star attacker Keisuke Honda was not impressed with the timing.Two days is too short for recovery, Honda said. We have to deal with it but I dont agree with this schedule. It is very difficult, a tough schedule.We shouldnt think we will create many chances against them. They are strong physically, have speed and many talented players.The Emirates chances of pulling off a surprise win will rest largely on the shoulders of young playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, whose performances in this tournament have demonstrated why some of Europes big clubs are tracking his progress.The UAEs strength is a coherence born of having the same group of players coming up through the ranks from under-17s, but Abdulrahman is the standout.Japan captain Makoto Hasebe, as the ball-winning midfielder, will have the chief responsibility of negating the Emirati star.He gets a lot of the ball from his teammates and we know he is the key player, Hasebe said. He is a playmaker more than a finisher and we have to take care of the way he distributes the ball.I have seen some of their games and they are dangerous going forward. They have a lot of players that have come through younger age groups together and are a complete team. But, that said, on our day I think we are a better team. ' ' '