SOCCER
FC Seoul take league title
FC Seoul won their first K-League title in a decade after beating Jeju United 2-1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium. After battling to a 2-2 draw in Jeju in the first leg on Wednesday, Seoul rallied from a goal down on Sunday to claim the title with a 4-3 aggregate victory in front of more than 55,000 fans. After having a goal disallowed as offside in the 10th minute, Seoul fell behind to Brazilian Santos’s goal 15 minutes later. However, Seoul striker Jung Jo-gook equalized with a penalty three minutes later before Adilson Dos Santos headed the winner from a corner in the 72nd minute. The team last won the K-League title in 2000, when they were based in Anyang, South Korea.
CYCLING
Meyer wins ‘Oppy’ medal
Cameron Meyer was awarded the Hubert “Oppy” Opperman medal when he was named this year’s Australian Cyclist of the Year at a gala ceremony in Melbourne late on Sunday. Meyer, 22, won the medal for the first time ahead of former winners Cadel Evans and Anna Meares. He also claimed the track rider of the year award. While Evans was the favorite to win his fourth medal in five years, Meyer was a deserving winner after an outstanding year. The West Australian won three titles at the world track championships in Copenhagen in March and another three gold medals at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October.
SOCCER
Four spots left to fill
With Europe’s major powers already through to the Champions League knockout stages, there are only four spots left to fill following this week’s final group matches. Rubin Kazan is at already-qualified Barcelona, needing to better FC Copenhagen’s result against Panathinaikos to edge the Danish side to the Group D runner-up spot, while AS Roma will be guaranteed progress from Group E if they avoid defeat at lowly Cluj. That leaves only Group H with both spots open, although Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal each need only to avoid defeat to freeze out third-place Braga. Elsewhere, Inter are at Werder Bremen, but need Tottenham to slip up at FC Twente to have any chance of winning Group A and secure a more favorable draw for the next round. Newcomer Tottenham lead defending champion Inter courtesy of a superior head-to-head record and the Italian side’s morale took another hit on Friday with a 3-1 Serie A loss to Lazio. That was Inter’s fourth domestic defeat, the same as they took in winning last season’s title. Inter head to Bremen for one of today’s eight matches without goalkeeper Julio Cesar, fullback Maicon, midfielder Coutinho and defender Walter Samuel — the latter out for the season with a knee injury
SOCCER
Sporting Lisbon win
Sporting Lisbon scored three first-half goals on Sunday to beat Portimonense 3-1 and jump from fifth to third place in the Portuguese league. Helder Postiga put Sporting ahead in the 23rd minute. Portimonense striker Jorge Pires scored his first league goal to equalize in the 38th, but Nuno Oliveira made it 2-1 in the 43rd from a cross by left back Evaldo. Andre Santos sealed Sporting’s win as the first half ended. Also on Sunday, Rio Ave drew 1-1 with Beira Mar. The other two matches scheduled for Sunday were postponed.
SOCCER
Monterrey win Apertura title
Chilean striker Humberto Suazo scored twice as Monterrey defeated Santos 3-0 on Sunday to win the Mexican Apertura title 4-2 on aggregate. Suazo, who returned to Mexico after a six-month stint with Zaragoza in Spain, scored in the 28th and 85th minutes as Rayados won the Mexican crown for the fourth time in their history and second in the last three seasons. Argentine defender Jose Maria Basanta also scored in the 72nd for a Monterrey team that also has titles in the Mexico 1986 tournament, the Clausura in 2003 and last year’s Apertura. Santos, which was also the runner-up in May in the Clausura final, wasted a 2-1 lead from the first leg on its home pitch. The victory was the seventh Mexican league title for Monterrey coach Victor Manuel Vucetich, who is known as the “King Midas” of Mexican soccer.
RUGBY UNION
Coach hails son’s play
Saracens coach Andy Farrell hailed his son Owen’s match-winning performance in a 26-14 win over the Harlequins that lifted his side up to third in the Premiership on Sunday. The 19-year-old fly-half, standing in for the injured Derick Hougaard and Alex Goode, kicked four penalties and converted tries by David Strettle and Schalk Brits. “I have been watching him and analyzing him all of his life, so he knows I will be an objective critic. But he played a very fine game out there and I’m very happy he was made man of the match,” Farrell senior said. “It was particularly good to see Owen kicking so well tactically, taking his time and making his decisions calmly. The best fly-halves play as if they are wearing dinner suits, that is when they are controlling things and looking settled.”
BASEBALL
Werth signs with Nationals
Jayson Werth, who helped Philadelphia win the 2008 World Series, agreed on Sunday to a seven-year Major League Baseball contract worth US$126 million with the Washington Nationals. The 31-year-old free agent outfielder batted .296 with 27 home runs, 85 runs batted in and a National League-best 46 doubles this year with the Phillies, who won the NL East division crown in all four of his seasons on the team. By contrast, the Nationals went 69-93 and have not managed a winning season since 2003 when they were based in Montreal. “He’s going to be a big piece of the puzzle,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. “We certainly have more holes to fill. We had more work to do, and we’re certainly aggressively going on from here and beyond.” Washington lost slugger Adam Dunn to the Chicago White Sox on Friday, but replaced his big bat in their lineup with Werth, who spent two seasons each with Toronto and the Los Angeles Dodgers before joining the Phillies.
SOCCER
Velez beat Godoy Cruz
Santiago Silva scored twice as Velez beat Godoy Cruz 4-0 on Sunday to stay in the race for the Argentina Apertura title with two rounds remaining. Silva scored in the 32nd minute from close range and again in the 52nd, chipping in from in front. Maxi Moralez scored in the 56th and Jonathan Cristaldo added the final goal seven minutes from the end. Velez moved to 37 points. League-leading Estudiantes had a 3-1 victory over Argentinos Juniors on Saturday to move to 39 points. Maxi Nunez and Gabriel Mercado scored second-half goals for Estudiantes. Only Velez or Estudiantes can win the title, which will be decided in the next week.
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
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just
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