SOCCER
Napoli cruise past Cesena
Defender Hugo Campagnaro, who survived a fatal car crash in his native Argentina in June, scored the decisive goal as Napoli won 3-1 at 10-man Cesena in their opening Serie A match of the season on Saturday. Fellow Argentine Ezequiel Lavezzi gave Napoli, third last season, a third-minute lead with an unusual goal when a long throw-in upfield found him unmarked in the area and he had time to turn the ball into the net. Roberto Guana leveled for Cesena, who had Romanian forward Adrian Mutu making his debut and coach Marco Giampaolo taking charge for the first time, in the 24th minute when he beat Paolo Cannavaro to Eder’s pass. After that Cesena held their own until Yohan Benalouane was sent off for a second yellow card in the 55th minute. Eleven minutes later, Campagnaro was on hand to tap in from close range at the far post after the Cesena defense failed to cut out a low ball across the face of goal.
GOLF
Two-way tie atop Dutch Open
James Kingston of South Africa and Garry Orr of Scotland both shot a four-under 66 on Saturday to share the lead after the third round of the Dutch Open. Kingston started with a double bogey on the first hole, but then made six birdies the rest of the way for a 10-under total of 200. David Lynn of England was a shot back in third after a 68. US Open champion Rory McIlroy also carded a 68 after birdies on four of the last eight holes to sit three shots back in eighth place. Lee Westwood was in a tie for 18th at four under after a 70. Paul McGinley of Ireland put himself in contention for a first title since 2005 with a 64 to equal the best round of the day. McGinley joined second-round leader Simon Dyson, Niclas Fasth and Alexandre Kaleka in a tie for fourth at eight-under.
BASKETBALL
Russia stay unbeaten
Russia stretched their unbeaten European basketball championship record to seven wins with an impressive 83-67 victory over Greece on Saturday, and will play Macedonia for top spot in Group F today. Macedonia earned a sixth successive win with a 68-59 defeat of Slovenia, while Finland rekindled their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals with an 87-73 win over eliminated Georgia. Russia and Macedonia, who had earlier booked their berths in the last eight, head the group with a 4-0 record and Greece are also assured of a spot in the knockout stage with two wins and two defeats in the second group stage.
FOOTBALL
Peterson gets big payday
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who owns the NFL single-game rushing record, has agreed to a long-term contract extension, the team said on Saturday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports said Peterson, who was in the final year of his contract, agreed to a seven-year extension that includes US$36 million in guaranteed money and could earn him as much as US$100 million. Peterson was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2007 draft, has been a Pro Bowl selection in each of his four seasons and set the single-game rushing record when he ran for 296 yards in 2007 against the San Diego Chargers, who Vikings open their season against.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and