■ARGENTINA
Banfield win first title
Banfield won their first league title despite a 2-0 defeat at Boca Juniors on the final day of the season on Sunday. Argentina striker Martin Palermo ended a run of eight matches without a goal by netting twice for Boca. Newell’s Old Boys, Banfield’s only remaining challengers who began the day two points behind, also lost 2-0 at home to San Lorenzo, for whom Fabian Bordagaray struck twice. At Boca’s Bombonera ground, Palermo converted a sixth-minute penalty to the joy of Newell’s fans in the Rosario 350km north of the capital. Newell’s goalkeeper Sebastian Peratta then saved an early penalty from former Argentina winger Kily Gonzalez, only for Bordagaray to put San Lorenzo in front in the 10th minute with a shot into the top corner that raised a cheer from Banfield fans down in Buenos Aires. Palermo grabbed his second for Boca on the hour from defender Gabriel Paletta’s downward header following leftback Claudio Morel’s cross.
■NETHERLANDS
Utrecht held by Arnhem
FC Utrecht lost ground on the pacesetters in the league when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Vitesse Arnhem on Sunday, as the top four teams all won earlier in the weekend. Fifth-placed Utrecht next meet league leaders FC Twente in their final match before the winter break. Twente scored three times in the second half on Saturday to beat NAC Breda 3-1 and seal their 12th straight win to lead the league with 47 points, two ahead of PSV Eindhoven. PSV beat defending champions AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in Eindhoven on Saturday, with Ola Toivonen heading in the only goal four minutes before the end of the game. Third placed Ajax beat NEC Nijmegen 3-0 on Friday. Also on Saturday it was VVV-Venlo 3, RKC Waalwijk 0 and SC Heerenveen 0, Feyenoord 2. On Sunday it was Willem II 1, Roda JC 3; ADO The Hague 1, Heracles Almelo 4; and Sparta Rotterdam 2, FC Groningen 4.
■GREECE
Olympiakos stay on top
Olympiakos kept their one-point lead over Panathinaikos at the top of the Greek Super League on Sunday courtesy of a 3-0 home win over bottom club Panthrakikos. Luciano Galletti set Zico’s team on their way with a 37th-minute opener. Brazilian midfielder Dudu scored either side of halftime to complete a resounding victory that moved the Reds on to 36 points after 14 matches. Panthrakikos have just two points following 12 defeats and two draws. New Panathinaikos coach Nikos Nioplias got his reign off to a winning start at Iraklis on Saturday, with Sotiris Ninis scoring the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute. In Thessaloniki, Hector Cuper, the former Valencia coach, was left labeling Aris’ 1-0 home defeat by Asteras Tripolis “a disgrace.” Nigerian Shaloze Udoji Chigozie scored the only goal in the 12th minute and the defeat left Aris down in eighth spot.
■PORTUGAL
Porto close on leaders
FC Porto beat last-placed Setubal 2-0 on Sunday to close in on the Portuguese league leaders, as Braga blew a chance to move clear at the top with a 0-0 draw against mid-table Naval. League leaders Benfica, who drew 2-2 at Olhanense on Saturday, and Braga both have 30 points. Four-time defending champions Porto have 29 points after Ernesto Farias and Silvestre Varela scored within two minutes of each other in the first half. Also on Sunday, Rio Ave beat Maritimo 1-0 and Academica were 2-0 winners over Leixoes. Sporting fell to a 1-0 loss to Leiria on Saturday.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
RSS