CRICKET
‘Little Master’ quits IPL
Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying it was the “right time” to stop playing the Twenty20 tournament. “This is my last IPL. This has been a fantastic season,” Tendulkar said in a TV interview after his team, the Mumbai Indians, won the final on Sunday. Tendulkar is the world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day internationals. “I think this is the right time to stop playing the IPL. I am 40. Got to accept it. This is the best point to say thank you very much to all the supporters and well-wishers,” he said. Dubbed the “Little Master,” Tendulkar has scored 15,837 runs in 198 Tests with 51 centuries, and 18,426 runs in 463 one-day internationals with 49 centuries.
SOCCER
Celtic clinch the double
Gary Hooper’s brace helped Celtic clinch the double as the Hoops swept to a 3-0 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Sunday. Hooper struck twice in the first half and Joe Ledley’s late goal completed a record-extending 36th Scottish Cup triumph for Celtic, and their first league and cup double since 2007. “I felt so nervous this morning and all the way during the game really, because of the weight of expectation riding on the game, but the players today were excellent. They controlled the game, and played with great maturity and scored three very special goals. To win the double as a player was great, but to win it as a manager is just fantastic,” Celtic manager Neil Lennon said.
SOCCER
America claim 11th title
Ten-man America beat Cruz Azul 4-2 on penalties to win a record-equaling 11th Mexican league title on Sunday, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat after two late goals forced extra-time. The Eagles trailed 1-0 from the first leg of the final and were quickly a man down at the Azteca after midfielder Jesus Molina was sent off in the 14th minute. They fell behind on the night, and 2-0 on aggregate, to a 20th-minute goal by Colombia striker Teofilo Gutierrez and looked set for defeat, before staging a miraculous late salvo from two corner-kicks. Colombian centerback Aquivaldo Mosquera headed America’s equalizer in the 89th minute from Argentine Rubens Sambueza’s corner. Then, in the third minute of stoppage-time, America goalkeeper Moises Munoz came up for another corner and his header was deflected into the net by defender Alejandro Castro.
SOCCER
Vitoria rally to clinch Cup
Vitoria SC came from behind to beat favorites SL Benfica 2-1 and clinch their first Portuguese Cup on Sunday at the end of a terrible season for the Lisbon club. Vitoria seized a memorable win thanks to a mix of hard work at the back and effectiveness up front, while defeat for Benfica meant they ended the season without a trophy. Late goals from Soudani and Ricardo prevented Benfica from finding some solace after losing the championship to Porto and the Europa League final to Chelsea in the space of just a few days.
SOCCER
IFK win shootout, lift Cup
IFK Gothenburg beat Djurgardens IF to claim the Swedish Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout after the final finished 1-1 after extra-time. Tobias Hysen poked home from close range to give Gothenburg the lead after just five minutes, before Djurgardens midfielder Daniel Amartey equalized with a header seven minutes into the second half.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Lewis Hamilton on Thursday said there was a “racial element” to International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Mohammed ben Sulayem’s recent comments regarding drivers swearing during Formula 1 races. In an interview with motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem said: “We have to differentiate between our sport — motorsport — and rap music” when referring to drivers having a responsibility to stop swearing on the radio. “We’re not rappers, you know,” Ben Sulayem said. Responding to those remarks ahead of tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix, seven-time champion Hamilton said: “With what he said, I don’t like how he has expressed it. Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical.” “If you