Followers of Enrique Omar Sivori bade tearful farewell on Friday to the Argentina soccer great who led River Plate and Juventus of Italy to glory in his heyday half a century ago.
Sivori, who had been struggling with pancreatic cancer, died Thursday and was laid to rest Friday at a cemetery in his native San Nicolas, about 230km north of the capital of Buenos Aires. He was 69.
Prominent newspaper La Nacion called Sivori the soccer "ace without borders" in reference to his Argentine-Italian dual citizenship and his starring roles on fields both in South America and Europe.
Others hailed the "soccer genius" who dominated the field for both River Plate and Juventus beginning in the 1950s.
Sivori, honored as the best European soccer player of 1961, played on both the Argentine and Italian national squads and was a memorable onfield presence throughout the 1950s and most of the 1960s.
Known for his flowing hair and a powerful left foot, he starred at forward with the kind of mastery that would be likened later to the ball-handling wizardry of Diego Maradona.
"He was amazing ... a first-class dribbler who had speed and the ability to surprise at any moment," said Humberto Maschio, a former teammate on the Argentine national team.
Sivori led Argentina to the 1957 South American championship, winning the title on a team that included Omar Corbatta, Osvaldo Cruz and Humberto Maschio and remembered for its offensive prowess.
En route to the title, the team scored 21 goals in four games, including a 8-0 rout of Colombia.
As part of River Plate's lineup, Sivori also led the Buenos Aires club to league titles in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Sivori went on to Juventus of Italy where he won a huge following as he helped that squad to three league titles -- in 1958, 1960 and 1961 and to two Italian Cup victories -- in 1959 and 1960.
He remains revered among Juventus fans who still recall his 135 goals in 215 games.
Sivori closed out his career at Napoli in 1968, lifting the team to a 2nd-place finish in one season.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put