■NETHERLANDS
Twente leapfrog PSV
FC Twente went top of the Dutch league on Sunday after Kenneth Perez scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over RKC Waalwijk. Perez headed home Bryan Ruiz’s curling cross in the 69th minute as Twente took full advantage of PSV Eindhoven’s 2-1 defeat at NAC Breda on Saturday. Twente lead the standings with 67 points, two more than PSV. Ajax, who face PSV in the next round of matches, are third with 61 points after beating Sparta Rotterdam 3-0 earlier on Sunday. “The next goal is to win the next game,” Twente coach Steven McClaren said. “We still have eight games to go. Who knows what will happen? There will be so many twists and turns.” Ajax’s goals came from Siem de Jong, Gregory van der Wiel and Dennis Rommedahl. Sekou Cisse scored twice and created another as Feyenoord topped Roda JC 4-2. Cisse opened scoring in the 14th minute from a rebound, before adding another goal in the 60th minute. He then set up Luigi Bruins for the third in the 71st minute. Substitute Roy Makaay added a fourth in the 82nd minute. Jeanvion Yulu Matondo and Boldizsar Bodor scored for Roda, who had Ruud Vormer sent off for a 20th-minute foul on Leroy Fer. Feyenoord goalkeeper Darley was also ejected in the 84th minute. Also on Sunday, it was FC Groningen 1, VVV-Venlo 0 and FC Utrecht 1, NEC Nijemegen 0.
■PORTUGAL
Benfica go three points clear
Benfica went three points clear at the top of the Portuguese league on Sunday after beating Pacos Ferreira 3-1. Ruben Amorim, Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo all scored for the hosts, while William Conceicao cut the deficit for Pacos Ferreira. The result leaves Benfica top on 55 points. Second-place Braga are on 52 points after being held 0-0 at Setubal on Saturday. Also on Sunday, fourth-place Sporting beat Belenenses 4-0 and Maritimo drew 0-0 with Academica. Third-placed Porto drew 2-2 with Olhanense on Saturday.
■CHINA
Corruption probe expands
The wide-ranging crackdown on corruption in soccer has expanded to referees and the women’s game as investigators cast a wider net to clean up the scandal-plagued sport, state press reported yesterday. Following the arrests of several top officials of the China Football Association on match-fixing and bribe-taking charges, numerous referees have gone missing and are believed to be in police custody, the Beijing Times said. “As far as the problems with referees, this is under investigation and it shows that the football industry is orderly and carrying out efforts to strike at match-fixing and gambling,” the paper quoted new CFA head Wei Di as saying. “We are not afraid of these things coming to light — the important thing now is to find out about these problems.” The paper said Shen Huangying, a woman who worked on top women’s matches at China’s National Games last year, was among the missing.
■BRAZIL
Piece of wood kills player
A futsal player has died following a match in Brazil after a piece of the court’s wooden floor came off and struck him in the abdomen. Globo’s G1 Web site says 23-year-old Robson Rocha Costa died of hemorrhagic shock on Sunday, a day after the accident in a friendly match in southern Brazil. Witnesses say Costa was hurt after a sliding tackle near the goal-line. A small piece of the court apparently came off as he was sliding, initially hitting his thigh and then making it to his intestines. Costa was immediately taken to hospital and underwent surgery, but succumbed to his injuries.
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
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