ENGLAND
Davids inspires Barnet win
Dutch legend Edgar Davids inspired Barnet to a 4-0 victory over Northampton Town on his debut for the English League Two club on Friday. Davids is more used to plying his trade on the sport’s grandest stages after an illustrious career with European giants like Juventus, Ajax, Barcelona and Inter Milan. Howeverm the 39-year-old midfielder has come out of retirement in the unlikely surroundings of Barnet, a tiny club based in the suburbs of north London who attract crowds of just over 1,000. Davids, a former Champions League winner who won 74 caps for Holland, had been working with Sunday league amateur footballers in England before accepting the offer to work alongside Mark Robson as joint Barnet Bees manager. His arrival at the club initially failed to spark a revival of fortunes for the Bees, as they lost 4-1 to Plymouth last weekend to remain rooted to the bottom of English soccer’s fourth tier. However, Davids was able to work his magic on the pitch at Underhill on Friday. Driven on by Davids, who played 90 minutes and earned a booking, Barnet secured their first league win of the season with four second half goals.
FRANCE
Lille salvage 1-1 draw
A last-gasp effort from Montenegrin defender Marko Basa handed LOSC Lille Metropole a 1-1 draw against Girondins de Bordeaux on Friday, the result maintaining the latter’s stalemate syndrome in drawing for the sixth time in nine matches this term. Polish international midfielder Ludovic Obraniak’s 18th-minute opener looked set to vault Bordeaux into provisional second place in the French table at the expense of last year’s struggling champions Lille. However, three minutes into stoppage time, home forward Henri Saivet committed a needless foul and from the resulting free-kick Basa headed home to rescue a point which keeps Lille in midtable and leaves Bordeaux four points off leaders Marseille in joint fourth spot. Bordeaux had set about their task with relish and had their reward when Brazilian defender Mariano Ferreira sped down the right and found Obraniak, who could hardly miss from six yards out. The southwesterners now have 15 points from their nine games, the same as Lyon but one behind title favorites Paris Saint Germain.
GERMANY
Fuerth tie with Hoffenheim
SpVgg Greuther Fuerth snatched a 3-3 draw against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with the last touch of the ball in the Bundesliga’s 15,000th match on Friday.Lasse Sobiech scored three minutes into injury time with a header from a corner, after Joselu’s second goal in the 89th minute looked to have given the home side all three points. “My lads showed great spirit to come back three times,” said Fuerth coach Mike Bueskens, who ran onto the pitch in celebration. Robert Firmino opened the scoring in the eighth minute for Hoffenheim, only for Zoltan Stieber to equalize in the 39th after Tim Wiese saved Edgar Prib’s initial effort. Kevin Volland held off three Fuerth players to set up Joselu’s first goal in the 67th, before Prib equalized with a fine strike from distance in the 84th. “It was a great game for the fans. Unfortnately we didn’t manage to close the deal,” said Hoffenheim coach Markus Babbel, who felt the draw was “like a defeat.” Wiese was making his return from injury, and has now conceded 18 goals in five competitive games since moving from Werder Bremen. Hoffenheim has yet to win with him in the side.
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
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
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