The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland picked up wins in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday, with the Republic moving even with world champions Italy in Group 8.
Robbie Keane scored a pair of second-half goals to lead the Republic to a 2-1 win over Georgia at Croke Park in Dublin. The win gave the Irish 10 points in their group, the same as leaders Italy after four matches apiece.
Northern Ireland moved up to seven points in Group 3 with a 3-0 win in San Marino, but have played a game more than first-place Slovakia and challengers Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia.
Also on Wednesday, Malta held Albania to a 0-0 draw at home, earning their first point of the qualifying campaign.
Alexander Iashvili gave Georgia the lead after only 46 seconds in Dublin, but Keane equalized in the 71st minute from the penalty spot.
The Spurs man added the winning goal seven minutes later from a corner. Keane scrambled past one defender, lunged low and caught the ball partly with his shoulder — but with enough power to slot between goalkeeper Georgi Lomaia and a defender.
■ CONCACAF
AFP, COLUMBUS, OHIO
Michael Bradley’s brace of goals lifted the US to a 2-0 victory over Mexico, while Andy Furtado struck twice for Costa Rica in a 2-0 World Cup 2010 qualifying win over Honduras on Wednesday.
El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago played to a 2-2 draw in the remaining match on the slate as the six-nation final phase of qualifying for the North and Central America and Caribbean region got underway.
In Columbus, Bradley opened the scoring in the 43rd minute and added another goal in the 90th — after Mexico had been reduced to 10 men with the sending off of Rafael Marquez in the 65th minute.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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