■GREECE
Greens beat PAOK 4-1
Panathinaikos beat PAOK 4-1 in the league playoffs for European competition on Sunday, moving closer to a place in the Champions League qualifiers. Giorgos Karagounis, Brazilian defender Gabriel, Dimitris Salpingidis and Antonis Petropoulos scored for Panathinaikos, while Ilias Anastasakos notched PAOK’s consolation goal. The win, combined with a 0-0 draw for AEK at Larissa, brought Panathinaikos closer to winning the four-team playoffs and gaining a berth in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. Two other teams will play in the second-tier Europa League. After five rounds, Panathinaikos leads with 15 points, followed by AEK with 12, PAOK with six and Larissa with one.
■BELGIUM
Liege retain title
Standard Liege retained the title on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Anderlecht in a playoff decider that guaranteed them a spot in the group phase of next season’s Champions League. Liege’s Axel Witsel scored a decisive penalty five minutes before halftime after Anderlecht’s Victor Bernardez was adjudged to have brought down Dieumerci Mbokani. The two teams finished the season level on 77 points last weekend to force a playoff as the title cannot be won on goal difference. Thursday’s first leg at Anderlecht ended 1-1. Liege dethroned Brussels-based Anderlecht last term to claim their first Belgian first division crown in 25 years. They have now taken their overall tally to 10. Anderlecht will go into the third qualifying round of the competition. Third-placed Club Bruges and Ghent, who came fourth, will play in the Europa League along with cup winners Racing Genk.
■DENMARK
Copenhagen win No. 7
FC Copenhagen won their seventh title on Sunday following a 1-0 victory at Esbjerg with one game remaining in the premiership season. Copenhagen won thanks to a late first-half penalty by Brazilian Cesar Santin that took them to 73 points. Runners-up Brondby lost 1-0 at Aarhus to stay on 68 points before the final round of matches next week. Copenhagen will enter next season’s Champions League qualification second round. The win completed Copenhagen’s second double in five years after they won the Danish Cup final on Thursday, 1-0 against Aalborg.
■EGYPT
‘Red Devils’ take title
An early Flavio Amado goal gave Al-Ahly a 1-0 victory over Ismailia Sunday in the championship play-off. It was the fifth consecutive title for the Cairo “Red Devils” and a fitting farewell to Portuguese coach Manuel Jose, who takes charge of next year’s African Nations Cup hosts Angola next month. Ironically, the goal was created and executed by Angolans with diminutive Flavio rising above “minder” Moatassem Salem to steer a Felisberto “Gilberto” Amaral free kick past goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi.
■BRAZIL
Clash leaves 30 injured
A clash between fans before a league match left about 30 people injured and 158 were detained. Authorities said fans used bricks, stones and pieces of wood in the brief confrontation before the scoreless draw between Palmeiras and Sao Paulo at Palestra Italia stadium on Sunday. Police officer Adelino Sobrinho said that about 400 fans participated in the violence, which was organized by fans from both teams in online communities. All injuries were minor and most of those detained were released after they were questioned.
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
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care