SERIE A
Romagnoli scores stunner
Alessio Romagnoli on Wednesday scored a spectacular goal as AC Milan beat Genoa 2-1 in Serie A action to move into the Champions League places. Romagnoli, a centerback, met a punched clearance from goalkeeper Andrei Radu with a lobbed volley from beyond the area. The winner made up for Romagnoli’s own-goal earlier, after Suso had given Milan an early lead. Milan moved level on points with fifth-placed SS Lazio, but ahead on goal-difference, ahead of the rest of the games in the round. It was the opportunity this season for Milan to take stock of their position after the Genoa game was postponed from August after 43 people died in the Morandi Bridge disaster. Suso opened the scoring with a blistering shot five minutes into the first half. The left-footed Spaniard has scored nine of his past 11 Serie A goals with shots from outside the area. After the break, Romagnoli’s deflection of a powerful shot from Christian Kouame ended up in his own goal.
COPA DEL REY
Real Madrid advance
Real Madrid on Wednesday began life without Julen Lopetegui with a comfortable win in the Copa del Rey, while Barcelona struggled to defeat a third-division opponent. Barcelona needed an injury-time goal to win 1-0 against Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, while Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over third-tier UD Melilla in their first-leg, round-of-32 match. Interim coach Santiago Solari was on the bench as Madrid won with goals from Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Alvaro Odriozola and Cristo Gonzalez in a match played in the Spanish enclave in Africa. It was Madrid’s first game since Lopetegui was sacked on Monday, a day after the team were crushed 5-1 by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, their fifth loss in seven matches in all competitions. “I’m happy because the team worked hard and showed character,” Solari said. “The players showed they are fully committed.” Benzema scored his sixth goal of the season from close range after a low pass by Odriozola in the 28th minute and Asensio added to the lead with a one-timer from near the penalty spot after a nice touch by youngster Vinicius Jr on the final play of a rainy first half. Vinicius Jr helped set up Odriozola’s 79th-minute goal, his first with the club. Odriozola then made the cross for the injury-time goal by Gonzalez, also his first with the main squad.
SOUTH KOREA
National team bans Jang
Defender Jang Hyun-soo has received a lifetime ban from playing for the national team and fined 30 million won (US$26,448) after he was found to have falsified records relating to his military service exemption. All able-bodied South Korean men must complete almost two years of military service, but athletes can earn exemptions by winning a medal at the Olympics or gold at the Asian Games. As part of the exemption conditions, athletes must undergo four weeks of basic military training and undertake more than 500 hours of community service over a three-year period. Jang, who has 58 caps and was part of the team who won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, admitted to submitting false records detailing how many hours of community service he performed. The Ministry of Sports also gave Jang an additional five days of compulsory service.
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