■ SOCCER
Lazio knock out Milan
Lazio fought back to claim an extra-time 2-1 Italian Cup win over 10-man AC Milan in Rome on Wednesday and claim a place in the quarter-finals. Milan had Brazilian star Emerson sent off in the 69th minute but they still took the lead at the San Siro through Andriy Shevchenko in the 77th minute. Lazio leveled in the dying moments when Giuseppe Favalli brought down Goran Pandev and Argentine Mauro Zarate scored from the penalty spot for his first goal since Nov. 9. Pandev grabbed the winner in the second minute of extra-time when he followed up a snapshot from Zarate, which had been parried by Milan keeper Dida, to score and secure Lazio’s first win. They will now face either Fiorentina or Torino for a place in the semi-finals.
■RALLYING
Dakar launched in Chile
Next year’s Dakar Rally, which has been transplanted from Africa to Argentina and Chile because of security fears, was officially unveiled in Santiago, Chile, on Wednesday. The event, which will start in Buenos Aires on Jan. 3, will feature 540 competitors from 50 countries and cover 9,000km. There will be 13 stages — three in Chile and 10 in Argentina — with the finish scheduled for Buenos Aires on Jan. 18. There will be around 200 police vehicles on duty while army and air force helicopters will escort the race over Chile’s 2,000km course, government spokesman Francisco Vidal said.
■SOCCER
CAS orders Adriaanse to pay
Former FC Porto coach Co Adriaanse must pay almost 1 million euros (US$1.27 million) in compensation to the Portuguese club because he quit just days before the start of a new season. The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, ruled on Wednesday that the former Ajax coach and his assistant Jan Olde Riederink breached their contracts in August 2006. The two men led Porto to a league and cup double the previous season, but their walkout disrupted planning for the next campaign.
■FOOTBALL
Judge blocks suspensions
A Minnesota judge temporarily blocked the NFL’s suspension of Vikings stars Kevin and Pat Williams on Wednesday for violating the league’s anti-doping policy, but whether they can play this weekend remained uncertain. Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson issued the temporary restraining order at the players’ request, saying he wanted more time to hear arguments in the case. The Williamses, not related, were among six players suspended for four games for testing positive for the diuretic Bumetanide, which can be used as a masking agent for steroids. The ESPN.com Web site reported on Wednesday night that the NFL Players Association planned to file a lawsuit in US District Court in Minneapolis yesterday, seeking to overturn all suspensions issued on Tuesday by the league for any player who took the substance.
■ICE HOCKEY
Agitator Avery apologizes
Suspended Dallas Stars agitator Sean Avery flew to New York on Wednesday for a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and gave a likely sample of what he’ll say by apologizing for comments about his former girlfriends. “I would like to sincerely apologize for my off-color remarks to the press yesterday from Calgary,” Avery said. “I should not have made those comments and I recognize that they were inappropriate. It was a bad attempt to build excitement for the game, but I am now acutely aware of how hurtful my actions were.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and