Loeb wins Acropolis Rally despite tire puncture

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Defending world rally champion Sebastien Loeb of France has won the Acropolis Rally on Sunday despite a punctured tire in the third of the final day's stages.

Loeb's closest rival at the start of the day, Petter Solberg of Norway, crashed into a tree in the day's first stage, damaging a rear wheel and retiring.

Loeb's Citroen teammate Mikko Hirvonen of Finland finished second overall, 40 seconds behind Loeb. Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala, Solberg's Ford teammate, came in third, 3 minutes 4.8 seconds behind Loeb.

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