Hatem Ben Arfa once again inspired OGC Nice as they beat Stade de Reims 2-0 on Friday to stay right in the running for Champions League qualification from Ligue 1.
Ben Arfa set up Valere Germain for an 11th-minute opener and then netted from the penalty spot as Nice moved provisionally above Olympique Lyonnais and into third spot on the table.
Their only defeat in their past seven matches was against Paris Saint-Germain as Claude Puel’s side moved provisionally a point above Lyon.
Photo: AFP
Ben Arfa’s delightful pass left on-loan AS Monaco forward Germain with a simple finish for the opening goal and his 12th of the campaign.
Ben Arfa then set off on a trademark mesmerizing dribble into the box early in the second half and won a penalty when he was caught by Anthony Weber.
The France international forward converted the spot-kick to take his tally for the season to 17 goals and condemn Reims to a fourth defeat in five matches that leaves them just two points above the relegation zone.
They will drop into the bottom three if Gazelec Ajaccio beat SC Bastia in a Corsican derby today, when second-placed Monaco travel to Stade Rennais.
Champions PSG are not in league action this weekend, instead taking on Lille OSC in the Coupe de la Ligue Final at the Stade de France.
Meanwhile, Ligue 2 leaders Dijon FCO were promoted to the top flight without playing after results elsewhere went their way.
With four games still to play, the Burgundy club are now guaranteed to return to Ligue 1, a level they last graced in 2011-2012.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB