PORTUGAL
Ronaldo on the mend
Star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is set to shrug off a weekend shoulder injury sustained playing for Real Madrid in time for Friday’s 2014 World Cup qualifier with Russia, the Portuguese team doctor said on Monday. “We think we can get him fit in time for the Russia match,” Dr Henrique Jones said. Ronaldo suffered a sprain during Real’s 2-2 draw with FC Barcelona, but still joined up with the national squad. The striker, who scored both of his club’s goals at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium on Sunday, landed heavily on his shoulder after trying to score with an overhead kick in the 64th minute. Paulo Bento’s squad met up on Monday in the central city of Obidos, ahead of their trip to Moscow before they face Northern Ireland on Tuesday next week in Porto. Real Madrid defender Pepe and Valencia fullback Joao Pereira are also looking to shrug off knocks ahead of the Russia game — a crucial showdown with both countries having won their opening two qualifiers.
SCOTLAND
Injury rules out Hanley
A groin injury has forced Blackburn Rovers defender Grant Hanley to withdraw from the Scotland squad for 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Belgium, while Norwich winger Robert Snodgrass is doubtful with an ankle problem. “Grant Hanley has a groin strain and he is going to miss out,” Scotland assistant manager Peter Houston said, adding: “Snoddy was on the bench on Saturday with Norwich and never got on with his ankle, and it is still giving him a bit of trouble. We are just going to monitor that.” Scotland manager Craig Levein has not called up a replacement for Hanley and will make a decision over Snodgrass in the coming days. Levein also has fitness decisions to make over midfielders Scott Brown (hip) and Darren Fletcher (bowel), who both missed the opening qualifying draws against Serbia and Macedonia.
HONDURAS
Sprain sidelines Espinoza
Midfielder Roger Espinoza suffered a right ankle sprain in Sporting Kansas City’s 1-1 Major League Soccer (MLS) draw at Columbus and will be sidelined for up to a month, the team said on Monday. An MRI scan and X-rays on Monday revealed the extent of the damage. Espinoza will miss his country’s CONCACAF (North American) regional 2014 World Cup qualifying matches on Friday against Panama and Canada next Tuesday as a result. Honduras are ahead of Canada on goal difference in their qualifying group with both nations on seven points, two behind group leaders Panama.
ITALY
Six receive Serie A bans
AC Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini and Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo were among six players handed one-game bans by Serie A league officials on Monday. Ambrosini played no part in the Milan derby, won 1-0 by Inter on Sunday, but was sanctioned for jumping off the subs’ bench and on to the technical area to express his anger at a refereeing decision in the 47th minute. Nagatomo picked up a one-game ban for his expulsion. The Japanese player had been cautioned for a foul in the first half and was red-carded for a handball only minutes after the restart. In total six players were banned for one match. The others were Parma pair Yohan Benalouane and Alessandro Lucarelli, Brazilian striker Ze Eduardo of Siena and Torino defender Matteo Darmian.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but