Traffic ground to a halt and feuding political factions briefly put aside their differences yesterday as Filipinos rejoiced over boxing hero Manny Pacquiao's victory over Mexican rival Erik Morales.
Pacquiao stopped Morales with a flurry of punches in the 10th of their 12-round rematch in Las Vegas to avenge a defeat to the Mexican fighter 10 months ago, drawing cheers from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, mountain-based guerrillas and the rich and poor alike.
"Thank you, Manny, thank you," Arroyo told Pacquiao in a telephone call minutes after he was proclaimed the winner. "Thank you for the honor you gave to our country."
The win was a rare piece of good news for Arroyo, who has struggled for months amid a crisis over vote-rigging and corruption allegations. Arroyo and her husband have been high-profile supporters of Pacquiao and other athletes.
Huge crowds watched the much-awaited showdown in theaters, public squares, gymnasiums -- halting traffic in Manila's downtown Quiapo district where hundreds watched the match on a drug store's large advertising screen. Others were glued on their TV and radio sets nationwide.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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