Defending champions the Pohang Steelers and Adelaide United each ensured a place in the next stage of the Asian Champions League with a scoreless draw on Tuesday, when Japan’s Gamba Osaka also advanced and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal became the first West zone team into the round of 16.
Pohang’s progress means all four South Korean clubs are into the second round of the tournament. Adelaide, the 2008 finalists, needed the away draw to secure its spot from Group H.
Suwon Bluewings had a clean sheet and an unbeaten record through four matches until a 2-1 loss to Gamba Osaka, allowing both clubs to progress with a game to spare in Group G.
Takashi Usami scored the late winner for 2008 champion Gamba, which leads the group with 11 points from five matches, one clear of Suwon.
In the other Group G match, Singapore Armed Forces beat China’s Henan Jianye 2-1.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal became the first team from West Asia to secure a place in the second round this year when Iranian club Mes Kerman lost 2-1 to Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates. Al Hilal, which was then held to a scoreless draw by Al Sadd of Qatar, has a four-point buffer atop Group D with only one more match remaining.
Eight teams have already qualified for the second round, but none so far in Group C.
Pakhtakor’s 3-2 win over Al Ain, combined with Al Shabab’s 1-0 away loss to Sepahan in Iran, means that three teams remain in contention for a second-round berth in the last group matches later this month.
Odil Ahmedov’s hat-trick helped Uzbek club Pakhtakor hold off Al Ain, with all five goals in the match scored in the opening 30 minutes.
Pakhtakor leads with 10 points, one clear of Sepahan and two ahead of Shabab, leaving only 2003 champion Al Ain with no chance of progressing from Group C.
In yesterday’s matches, unbeaten Kashima Antlers was bidding to continue their winning streak when they traveled to Changhcun Yatai in Group F, with Jeonbuk Motors hosting Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapure at Jeonju.
In Group E, unbeaten Seongnam Ilhwa traveled to Kawasaki and Melbourne Victory hosted Beijing Guoan.
Group B leader Zohahan of Iran was away at Al Wahda and Al Ittihad hosted Uzbek giant Bunyodkor.
In Group A, Esteghlal hosted Al Ahli and Al Gharafa faced Al Jazira.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early on Tuesday struck out 11 in five shutout innings to match a franchise record during his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics. “Pretty sick performance,” teammate Romy Gonzalez said. “It was fun to watch.” The only other Red Sox starter to rack up 11 strikeouts in his first career game was Don Aase versus the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26, 1977. “It was amazing, just to go out there and have that first opportunity,” Early said after getting the win in a 6-0 victory. “A long day of travel yesterday and just getting to the field, seeing
ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS: Blake Snell allowed two singles and two walks against the Rockies as he ended a personal three-game skid with his first win since Aug. 16 Blake Snell on Wednesday struck out a season-high 11 in six innings, while Mookie Betts hit a grand slam in the eighth as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-0 for their fourth straight win. Helped by their third series sweep of the Rockies this MLB season, the Dodgers increased their National League West lead to three games over the San Diego Padres, who lost 2-1 at home to the Cincinnati Reds. Betts went four for five with five RBIs, capped by his seventh career slam on a 3-0 pitch from reliever Anthony Molina to make it 8-0. Andy Pages and
‘DEVASTATED’: Argentina’s win was a reversal of their 28-24 defeat last week, with Australian forward Fraser McReight adding that ‘we did the same thing last week’ Argentina flyhalf Santiago Carreras punished an undisciplined Australia with 23 points off the tee as the Pumas held on grimly for a 28-26 win in Sydney yesterday to breathe new life into their Rugby Championship campaign. A try-fest beckoned in afternoon sunshine at Sydney Football Stadium, but Argentina needed only one through captain Julian Montoya, with Carreras doing the damage with seven penalties and a conversion in front of a sell-out crowd. A week after letting a 14-point lead slip in a 28-24 defeat to Australia in Townsville, Argentina saw most of a 21-point advantage erased in the final quarter as the
China’s state-run People’s Daily newspaper on Monday published an essay about Chinese basketball it said was written by LeBron James, but a representative for the NBA star said on Thursday that the article was based on a series of interviews. The paper, better known as the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, had said James authored the essay, “Basketball is a Bridge that Connects Us,” a tribute to Chinese players and fans of the sport written in the first person. “LeBron James Pens an Article in the People’s Daily,” read a post published on the newspaper’s official WeChat account. On Thursday, a representative
RSS