ENGLAND
Cole quits internationals
Chelsea leftback Ashley Cole announced on Sunday he was retiring from international soccer after being told he had been left out of England manager Roy Hodgson’s squad for the World Cup. “I got the call from Roy and agree England team should be about the young players,” the 33-year-old Cole told his Twitter followers. “We have a great manager and team, and I wish them only success. I will be supporting them like a true fan. Thanks to everyone for everything,” the 107-time capped Cole added ahead of Hodgson’s official squad announcement yesterday. Cole’s words indicated his failure to hold down a regular first-team spot at Chelsea this season, where he has been displaced by Spain’s Cesar Azpilicueta, had cost him his England career. His omission means that Everton’s Leighton Baines is set to be confirmed as England’s first-choice leftback, with Southampton teenager Luke Shaw providing cover for the 29-year-old.
ENGLAND
Rams grab playoff final spot
Derby County swept into the Championship playoff final as their 4-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in their semi-final second leg sealed a 6-2 aggregate victory on Sunday. Steve McClaren’s team had taken a significant step on the road to Wembley with their 2-1 win in the first leg at the Amex Stadium on Thursday last week and the Rams, bidding to return to the Premier League after a six-year absence, finished the job in ruthless fashion in front of their supporters at the iPro Stadium. Will Hughes opened the scoring in the first half, before strikes from Chris Martin, George Thorne and Jeff Hendrick after the interval capped an eye-catching display from hosts. In the final on May 24, Derby face either Queens Park Rangers or Wigan Athletic, who were due to play the second leg of their semi-final at Loftus Road in London yesterday after a goalless first leg. Kazenga LuaLua got one back for Brighton in the final moments, but they were left with a familiar feeling of frustration after losing in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.
GERMANY
SC Paderborn 07 promoted
Modest SC Paderborn 07 were promoted to the top tier of the German Bundesliga for the first time on Sunday, as SpVgg Greuther Fuerth were forced to settle for a playoff place. Paderborn, from North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, won 2-1 at home to VfR Aalen on the final day of the season to clinch second place behind champions Cologne, an excellent second half to the campaign seeing them finish two points clear of Fuerth. Fuerth beat SV 1916 Sandhausen 2-0, but now face a two-legged playoff against Hamburg SV. The first leg of their tie will be played on Thursday in Hamburg, with the return leg on Sunday.
RUSSIA
Anzhi drop to second tier
Anzhi Makhachkala were relegated from the Russian Premier League on Sunday, continuing the fall from grace of the one-time big-spenders who previously boasted the likes of Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o among their ranks. Anzhi’s 1-0 loss to Krasnodar saw the team from the volatile Dagestan region lose their top-flight status after a miserable season in which they picked up just three wins from 29 matches. “We needed to win today, but we could not. We had a lot of chances. We now have the task of trying to get back into the Premier League next season,” Anzhi coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev said. A year ago Anzhi were on the verge of a third-placed finish in the league and dreaming of European competition.
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
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