■ ENGLAND
Mancienne gets surprise call
David Beckham has been axed from Fabio Capello’s 23-man England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Germany in Berlin, while there was a surprise call-up for Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne. Capello left out Beckham because the LA Galaxy midfielder hasn’t played since the Major League season ended on Oct. 26. Beckham is due to join AC Milan on loan in January and could get the chance to equal Bobby Moore’s tally of 108 caps in England’s next friendly against Spain in February. Mancienne, 20, is yet to play a game for Chelsea, but Capello has been impressed by his performances on loan for Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers and the England Under-21 team. Uncapped Aston Villa duo Gabriel Agbonlahor and Curtis Davies are also included, as is John Terry, even though the England captain was scheduled to have a scan on a foot injury he suffered in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at West Bromich Albion on Saturday. There were also recalls for in-form Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent and Manchester City pair Micah Richards and Joe Hart. Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney were absent after missing Manchester United’s win over Stoke City with injuries.
■ NEW ZEALAND
North Korea win World Cup
North Korea beat the US 2-1 in extra time to win the FIFA under-17 women’s World Cup yesterday. The US took the lead after just two minutes when a long throw-in bounced awkwardly in front of the North Korean goal, struck defender Hong Myong-hui and looped over the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms into the net. The Americans’ lead endured until the 77th minute when Kim Un-hyang equalized for North Korea and forced the final into extra time. The first period was scoreless and the North Koreans were running into a strong wind in the second when Jang Hyon-sun struck the winner, preserving North Korea’s unbeaten record through six matches at the tournament. North Korea’s win was their first ever women’s World Cup title at under-17 level and adds to the under-20 title they won two years ago. Pre-tournament favorites Germany beat England 3-0 in the playoff for third place.
■ FRANCE
Lorient rally to beat Marseille
Olympique Marseille threw away a two-goal lead as they lost 3-2 at home to Ligue 1 strugglers Lorient on Saturday. Marseille stay second with 26 points from 14 matches, four behind leaders Olympique Lyon. Erik Gerets’s side looked set for a straightforward victory when Mamadou Niang added to Karim Ziani’s first-half opener from the penalty spot on the hour, but terrible defending cost them dear. Lorient scored three times in 14 minutes near the end. A bad clearance by the Marseille defense resulted in Morgan Amalfitano scoring from 20m in the 76th minute. Lorient continued to push forward and Fabrice Abriel equalized with a low 25m shot in the 84th minute after a swift counterattack. Three minutes later, Abriel fed striker Kevin Gameiro with a defense-splitting pass and he scored to give Lorient the points. An early double by Andre-Pierre Gignac earned Toulouse a 2-0 home win over promoted Grenoble as the southwestern side moved up to third in the table. Steve Savidan scored seven minutes into the second half as Caen snatched a 1-1 draw at Nancy. Paris St Germain beat Le Havre 3-1 and Alain Perrin, who was hired to revive struggling Saint Etienne last week, saw the scale of the task ahead of him as his team crashed 3-0 at Lille.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just