■BULGARIA
Skipper Berbatov retires
Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov retired from international soccer on Thursday saying he wants to focus on his family and protecting his health. “It was a difficult decision, but I made it,” Berbatov said in Sofia. The Manchester United striker has been captain of the national team for the last three years, but failed to lead the team to the World Cup in South Africa. “Everything has a beginning and an end, and that is today,” he said. The 29-year-old Berbatov made his international debut in 1999 and is Bulgaria’s all-time leading scorer with 48 goals in 77 appearances.
■SERBIA
Partizan seal league title
Partizan Belgrade sealed a record third successive league title with a match to spare after a 3-0 win at neighbors OFK gave them an unassailable seven-point lead over closest rivals Red Star Belgrade. Brazilian striker Cleo rounded the goalkeeper and stroked in an early opener and substitute Brana Ilic produced almost a blueprint copy in the 89th minute after a good solo run. Serbia midfielder Radosav Petrovic put the icing on the cake with a header in stoppage-time. Red Star, who needed OFK to avoid defeat to keep alive any hopes of taking the title race to the final day, slumped to a 3-1 home defeat by BSK Borca. Mladi Radnik Pozarevac were relegated after a 4-1 home defeat by fellow strugglers Cukaricki Belgrade, while Napredak Krusevac boosted their chances of avoiding the drop with a 2-1 win over Rad Belgrade.
■SWITZERLAND
Young Boys deposed
Young Boys Berne, who have led the Swiss Super League for almost the entire season, were knocked off the top with one match to play on Thursday after an extraordinary 5-1 defeat at FC Luzern. FC Basel overtook them on goal difference by beating Neuchatel Xamax 3-0, helped by two goals from Switzerland’s record international scorer Alexander Frei. Young Boys, runners-up in the last two seasons, will host Basel tomorrow in their final match, needing a win to clinch their first title since 1985-1986. Luzern’s win clinched a fourth-place finish, which gives them a place in the Europa League qualifiers along with third-placed Grasshoppers.
■AUSTRIA
Salzburg clinch the title
Red Bull Salzburg scored twice in three minutes to clinch the Austrian Bundesliga title for the second year running on Thursday with a 2-0 win at Sturm Graz on the last day of the season. German midfielder Simon Cziommer fired Salzburg ahead in the 14th minute and Roman Wallner scored direct from a free-kick two minutes later. It was Salzburg’s sixth Austrian title, three of them coming since the club was bought and rebranded by the Red Bull soft drinks company in 2005 amid protests by the fans. They finished with 76 points, one ahead of Austria Vienna and a further two in front of Rapid Vienna.
■GERMANY
Eigler gives Nuremberg edge
Christian Eigler scored with a late glancing header to give Nuremberg a 1-0 victory over Augsburg in the first leg of the playoff for a place in the Bundesliga on Thursday. Nuremberg need only a draw in Augsburg tomorrow to remain in the top division. Eigler scored in the 84th minute. Augsburg goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch saved a penalty in the 67th minute. Augsburg finished third in the second division to earn the right to play the 16th-placed finisher in the top tier, Nuremberg, for a place in the first division.
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
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
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
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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