SOCCER
Cagliari hurt Napoli title bid
SSC Napoli’s bid to claim their first Serie A in almost 25 years received a severe jolt when they drew 1-1 at Cagliari on Saturday. If Juventus won at lowly Atalanta BC yesterday, third-placed Napoli will be 10 points adrift of the leaders going into the winter break. Gonzalo Higuain equalized for Rafael Benitez’s men with a 19th-minute penalty after Nene had put 11th-placed Cagliari in front early on. Napoli were unlucky in the 72nd minute when a stunning volley from Jose Callejon was disallowed for the narrowest of offside decisions. Benitez’s team have 36 points from 17 games, two behind unbeaten AS Roma and seven adrift of Juve. Elsewhere in Serie A, goals from Nicolas Lopez and Thomas Heurtaux saw 10th-placed Udinese win their first in four matches by defeating AS Livorno 2-1 to move a point clear of AC Milan.
BOXING
Hall outscores Malinga
The UK’s Stuart Hall claimed the vacant IBF bantamweight title early yesterday after a points win over Vusi Malinga of South Africa. With his left eye swollen completely shut through the final four rounds, Hall took the fight unanimously 116-111, 117-110 (twice) on the three judges’ cards. “It feels unbelievable,” Hall said. “I knocked him down [in round three], but he came back at me. I couldn’t see anything out of my left eye for the final few rounds, but I kept my focus and I always knew I was in front.” The bout capped a remarkable story for the 33-year-old, who only took up boxing at the age of 28 after spending five years on a drink and drug-fueled binge in Ibiza, Spain. Hall was an unlikely world title contender, having lost a British title fight against former IBF champion Jamie McDonnell in September 2011 and defeated again at domestic level by Lee Haskins in July last year. Hall swarmed all over Malinga at the start of the second round to claim the early advantage and built on that early in the third when he dumped the South African onto the canvas. With Malinga looking wobbly and bleeding from the nose, Hall tried to finish the job, but was caught by a pair of lefts. Malinga had a little more success in the fourth and fifth, but Hall was so dominant it was hard to reconcile his performance with his unremarkable record.
CYCLING
Breyne ODs after dope test
Belgian rider Jonathan Breyne tried to commit suicide after testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, Belgian media reported on Saturday. Breyne, 22, was hospitalized in the city of Ghent after taking an overdose on Thursday, although he was allowed to return home after spending the night under observation, media reported. Breyne, who rode for the Crelan-Euphony team last season, tested positive during the Tour of Taihu Lake in China last month, where he won a stage. “I don’t understand. I have done nothing. I am broken, disgusted,” he told La Derniere Heure in tears on Wednesday, blaming the positive test on contaminated meat.
MEDIA
BBC’s David Coleman dies
Veteran sports broadcaster David Coleman, who covered 11 Olympics and six FIFA World Cups for the BBC, died after a short illness at the age of 87, the BBC said on Saturday. Coleman presented some of Britain’s leading sport programs and hosted the Question of Sport quiz show. He was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 1992 and retired from the BBC in 2000. “Generations grew up listening to his distinctive and knowledgeable commentary ... he set the standard for all today’s sports broadcasters,” BBC director-general Tony Hall said.
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