FRANCE
PSG salvage a point
Zlatan Ibrahimovic salvaged a 1-1 home draw for Paris Saint-Germain against RSC Anderlecht as the French champions were made to wait for a UEFA Champions League round-of-16 spot on Tuesday. Demy de Zeeuw opened the scoring for the Belgians in the 68th minute, only for Ibrahimovic to equalize two minutes later from inside the penalty area. Anderlecht were reduced to 10 men in the 82nd minute when Sacha Kljestan was shown a second yellow card, but the visitors, who lost 5-0 at home to PSG two weeks previously, held firm. The French side lead Group C with 10 points from four games, three ahead of Olympiakos. “I would not say we lacked the desire to play,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc told a press conference. “We were too average in all departments, we were not good technically, which had not happened to us in a along time. Anderlecht were rewarded for their efforts.”
GREECE
Roberto gains his revenge
An inspired Roberto gained sweet revenge on former club SL Benfica by helping Olympiakos earn three precious points in a 1-0 UEFA Champions League win on Tuesday. The Spanish goalkeeper, who left Benfica under a cloud in 2011 after just one season, was the difference between the Group C opponents, making a string of superb saves as the Greek champions held on for victory courtesy of Kostas Manolas’ first-half header. “Roberto was something greater than a saint tonight, maybe only the Pope is more saintly,” said delighted Olympiakos coach Michel, who ran across the pitch to congratulate his goalkeeper at the final whistle. “He had a difficult time at Benfica and sometimes football is unjust like that, then at the next minute you are vindicated, and I believe that is the case with Roberto. He proved his worth with his performance tonight, he really was a tower of strength. It has earned him an invitation to my house this week for dinner.”
UKRAINE
Bayer draw in Ukraine
Bayer 04 Leverkusen took a step toward qualification for the UEFA Champions league round-of-16 with a battling 0-0 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk in Group A on Tuesday. “The game turned more difficult than we could expect, Shakhtar are a completely different team when playing at home. Our ’keeper Bernd Leno had a few lethal saves earning us a point in this game,” Bayer coach Sami Hyypia told reporters. “Four points in two games with them is a good outcome for us. There is everything still open in our group.” “We are really upset about not winning this game,” Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said. “Our young players had five or six clear chances to score, but it was the night of their ’keeper Bernd Leno and we are applauding his outstanding reactions.”
DENMARK
Braaten downs Galatasaray
Daniel Braaten’s deft flick gave Copenhagen a 1-0 win over Galatasaray on Tuesday as the Danish champions stayed in the hunt for a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. Braaten got the hosts off to a flying start, applying a glancing touch to Rurik Gislason’s precise center to turn the ball home six minutes into the Group B match. Galatasaray clawed their way back into the game, hitting a post and having a goal disallowed for offside, but despite going close several times in a pulsating second half they could not fashion an equalizer. “It’s fantastic. It’s brilliant and indescribably beautiful,” Copenhagen defender Lars Jacobsen told TV station 3+.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
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
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two