SOCCER
China names young squad
China coach Alain Perrin put his faith in the nation’s youngsters when he named his 23-man squad for next month’s Asian Cup campaign yesterday. The Frenchman’s only selection aged over 30 was captain and Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year last year Zheng Zie. The Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder is joined by six of his club teammates in the squad for the Jan. 9 to Jan. 31 tournament, where China have been drawn in Group B alongside Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and North Korea.
FORMULA ONE
Red Bull retain Buemi
Switzerland’s Sebastien Buemi is to start his fifth year as Red Bull’s reserve driver next season, the Formula One team said on Tuesday. Former Toro Rosso racer Buemi won the world endurance championship for Toyota this season, with Britain’s Anthony Davidson, and has also raced in the new Formula E electric series. “He’s been closely associated with the team for some years now, we value his skills very highly and we have a great working relationship with him,” team principal Christian Horner said in a statement confirming Buemi’s continuation.
SOCCER
Saints sign Elia on loan
Southampton have agreed to sign Werder Bremen’s winger Eljero Elia on loan until the end of the season. Ronald Koeman’s side are short of attacking options with Jay Rodriguez’s recovery from a cruciate ligament injury taking longer than expected and Senegal’s Sadio Mane due to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations next month. Elia, who has played 28 times for the Netherlands, is seen as the perfect man to bolster Koeman’s front three. The 27-year-old is to initially join Saints on loan when the transfer window opens next month, with the option of then making his switch from the Bundesliga outfit permanent at the end of the current campaign.
SOCCER
Ibrahimovic slams rating
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has dismissed his second-place finish on a list of Sweden’s all-time sporting greats behind tennis master Bjorn Borg. “Thank you, but to finish second is like finishing last,” he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper through his brand manager Mika Lepisto. The 33-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker was second in the list of 150 Swedish sportspeople, created by the newspaper as part of their 150th-anniversary celebrations. Asked where he would have put himself in the rankings, Ibra said: “On that list I would have been No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with due respect to the others.”
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care