GERMANY
Mueller hat-trick lifts Bayern
A hat-trick by German international Thomas Mueller inspired holders Bayern Munich to a 5-0 win over fifth-tier BSV Schwarz-Weiss Rehden on Monday in their first-round German Cup clash. Mueller’s hat-trick — one a penalty — and goals by Swiss Brendan Shaqiri and Dutch veteran Arjen Robben saw them dispose of their hosts and move into Saturday’s second-round draw. It gave Bayern and their coach Pep Guardiola an ideal lead in to the opening match of the defense of their league title on Friday at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, who exited the Cup on Sunday beaten on penalties by third-tier SV Darmstadt 98. Guardiola, whose first competitive match in charge on July 27 saw his side beaten 4-2 by Borussia Dortmund, the side they beat in the Champions League final last season, allowed himself the luxury of not starting several first-choice regulars such as Franck Ribery and captain Philipp Lahm, while new signing from his former club Thiago Alcantara also had to be content with a place on the bench. Earlier on Monday, Schalke 04 had made hard work of beating another fifth-tier outfit Noettingen 2-0, with Dutch ace Klaas-Jan Huntelaar giving them a 30th-minute lead, but they had to wait until the fourth minute of extra-time to double their lead when new signing Leon Goretzka netted.
ENGLAND
Magpies sign French striker
Newcastle United have signed French striker Loic Remy on a season-long loan from Queens Park Rangers, strengthening their attack ahead of the Premier League season. Remy joined QPR in the January transfer window and scored six goals in 14 appearances, but could not prevent the London club from being relegated to the Championship. Remy said he wanted to keep playing in the Premier League to boost his chances of making the France squad for next year’s World Cup. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said Remy will be “a great addition to the squad, he gives us strength and pace up front and I’m sure he’ll bring plenty of goals.”
ENGLAND
Horse hospitalizes steward
A steward was taken to hospital with a shoulder injury on Monday after being trampled by a police horse following a pitch invasion at the end of a League Cup tie between Preston North End and Blackpool. The BBC said that after Preston beat Blackpool 1-0, the steward was trying to clear fans off the playing area at Deepdale when he was knocked down by a police horse and he was clipped again while lying on the ground by another horse.
ARGENTINA
Pope pays religiously
Pope Francis, a card-carrying fan of the San Lorenzo soccer club in his native Buenos Aires, is not letting his new global responsibilities distract him from paying his club dues on time, the team’s vice president, Marcelo Tinelli, said on Monday. “His payment is there, bang on time, every month. He pays his dues religiously,” Tinelli told Fox Sports in a televised interview. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires who took the name Francis when he was elected pope in March, was known for his modest lifestyle when he lived in Argentina. He often talked soccer with his fellow commuters while riding the bus to work as archbishop, celebrating San Lorenzo’s wins and lamenting their losses. Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro, founded in 1908 by a priest named Lorenzo Massa, is an “A” league team whose stadium is in Bajo Flores, one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
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