SOCCER
Spanish league gets going
Lucas Perez earned and converted an 87th-minute penalty to complete a 2-1 comeback win for RC Deportivo de La Coruna over Sociedad Deportiva Eibar, while CA Osasuna also struck late to draw 1-1 at Malaga on the opening day of the Spanish league on Friday. Perez scored the decisive spot-kick after the Deportivo striker was fouled by David Junca in the area. Pedro Mosquera started the fight back for the hosts in the 68th when he canceled out Ivan Ramis’ header for Eibar shortly after the restart. Deportivo’s win came on the debut of coach Gaizka Garitano, who in a previous job had guided Eibar’s rise from the third division to reach the topflight in 2014. In Malaga, Osasuna made a positive start to their return to the first division after a two-year absence thanks to Fran Merida’s opportunistic goal with five minutes left.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Jones’ availability in doubt
Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones suffered a sprained left shoulder in a pre-season game against the New York Jets on Friday, putting his availability in doubt for the start of the regular season. Jets defensive back Calvin Pryor pushed Jones out of bounds before landing on him to force the rusher out of the game in the opening quarter. Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Jones has a slight separation, but does not think he has a long-term injury. “When I went down, on a [pain] scale from one to 10 it was about a seven,” Jones said. “As it settled down [the pain went down]. I still have some flexibility in it now so it’s not as bad as it was.” Jones is slated to be the top runner in Washington this season. The second-year player rushed for 490 yards last year while splitting time with running back Alfred Morris, who has since left to sign with the Dallas Cowboys.
LITTLE LEAGUE
S Korea defeat Curacao
Junho Jeong allowed just three hits and struck out 10 in four innings as South Korea beat Curacao 3-0 on Friday night to improve to 12-0 all-time in the Little League World Series (LLWS). South Korea, a team from Seoul, had the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning when Curacao starter Jurrangelo Cijntje switched from throwing left handed to using his right. He struck out the next two before hitting a batter to put South Korea in front 2-0. The bases were loaded for South Korea again in the second, but Curacao, from Willemstad, escaped with a strikeout and a catch in foul territory. Cijntje settled down and threw 90 pitches in 4-1/3 innings, while striking out six. In the sixth, Jungtaek Ru sliced a RBI single to left field. South Korea has won the LLWS championship in 1984, 1985 and 2014.
ICE HOCKEY
Rangers sign Jimmy Vesey
The New York Rangers won the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes on Friday, signing him to a two-year contract. Vesey, a 23-year-old former Harvard forward who won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey last season, was originally selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2012 draft. He opted not to sign with the Predators during his college career, and his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres in June. The Sabres failed to agree to terms with Vesey this summer, and he became an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. Vesey had 24 goals in 33 games last season. A native of North Reading, Massachusetts, he scored 32 goals as a junior and 80 in 128 games overall for the Crimson. His contract is worth the entry-level maximum, US$925,000 per season.
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
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
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