OCEANIA NATIONS CUP
Totori scores equalizer
Benjamin Totori scored a 57th-minute equalizer for the Solomon Islands in a 1-1 draw with New Zealand yesterday as both teams clinched places in the semi-finals of the Oceania Nations Cup, the second round of regional qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. New Zealand, which represented Oceania at the 2010 World Cup, entered their last Group B match unbeaten and with their semi-finals place already secured. The Solomon Islands faced uncertainty at the start of the final day of pool play, but were able to relax when Fiji were held to a 1-1 draw by Papua New Guinea. Fiji needed to win to have any chance of displacing the host nation in the final four. The top four teams progressed to the third round of World Cup qualifying.
FRANCE V ESTONIA
Benzema gets brace
Karim Benzema scored twice and brilliantly set up Franck Ribery for his third goal in three games as France beat Estonia 4-0 on Tuesday to boost confidence ahead of next week’s Euro 2012 match against England. France have won their three Euro 2012 warm-up matches and are undefeated in 21 straight games. Although the defense still looks shaky, France are bristling with menace in attack, with the attacking trio of Ribery, Benzema and Samir Nasri in ominous form. Winger Jeremy Menez completed the scoring in injury time.
UKRAINE V TURKEY
Euro co-hosts lose again
Ukraine slumped to their second straight defeat ahead of Euro 2012 when the tournament’s co-hosts were beaten 2-0 by Turkey in a warmup game on Tuesday. Midfielder Caner Erkin gave Turkey the lead with a low shot past goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov after 30 minutes, and striker Mustafa Pektemek doubled the score in the 70th from a quick counterattack after the Ukraine offside trap failed. The defeat came four days after Ukraine’s 3-2 loss to Austria in another friendly. In both matches, Ukraine looked vulnerable in defense and powerless in attack. Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin rested key players Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andriy Voronin, while Andriy Shevchenko only appeared for the second half.
SWEDEN V SERBIA
Defense looks shaky
Sweden beat Serbia 2-1 in their final pre-Euro 2012 friendly on Tuesday, securing an encouraging victory which nonetheless raised questions about whether the team’s defense is up to scratch ahead of the Euro championship. Sweden started off the scoring in the 23rd minute after Serbia’s ’keeper Branimir Aleksic fumbled the ball on a Swedish corner and Ola Toivonen tapped it through the posts with his heel. However, Serbia equalized just four minutes later, after a tackle by midfielder Anders Svensson gave Serbia a free-kick that led to a corner, which Neven Subotic headed in between two Swedish defenders. Serbian ’keeper Damir Kahriman, who replaced Aleksic at the start of the second half, pulled down Toivonen and earned Sweden a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, which Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasted into the far-left corner to produce Sweden’s winning goal. However, despite the win, the hosts looked shaky and uncertain, nowhere near the smooth-playing and united team seen during training camp, raising concern as to whether coach Erik Hamren would be able to iron out the wrinkles before the Euros start. Also of concern was Sweden’s starting goalkeeper, Andreas Isaksson, who left the pitch in the 71st minute with a slight groin injury.
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
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care