SOCCER
Portugal advance 3-1
On a night when Portugal unveiled its newest star, it was the same old Cristiano Ronaldo who came through for the national team again. Teenager Joao Felix, who has been called Ronaldo’s successor, made his international debut on Wednesday, but it was Ronaldo who scored the hat-trick that gave Portugal a 3-1 win over Switzerland and a spot in the final of the inaugural Nations League. “Clearly these were three very important goals, beautiful goals, but the most important is that we won and that the team have qualified for the final, which was our objective,” Ronaldo said.
SOCCER
FA criticizes unruly fans
The Football Association (FA) has labeled troublemaking fans at the Nations League in Portugal “an embarrassment” after they clashed with police on Wednesday night. Riot police charged England fans in the center of Porto after beer glasses were thrown in the special fanzone set up for the Nations League finals. “The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight. Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football,” it said in a statement. “They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way. We are liaising with the UK Football Policing Unit.” England supporters were staying in Porto ahead of yesterday’s match in nearby Guimaraes against the Netherlands and had gathered in the fanzone to watch Wednesday’s match between Portugal and Switzerland on outdoor big screens. The Guardian newspaper reported that hundreds of England fans were baton charged by riot police after they threw beer glasses. Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council soccer policing lead, said in a statement that the behavior was “incredibly disappointing” and “completely unacceptable.”
OLYMPICS
USOC seeks pregnancy rule
The US Olympic Committee (USOC) says it is working on reforms to prevent athletes from losing health insurance coverage when they become pregnant. Three US senators on Wednesday wrote to USOC chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland, asking her to provide details about the insurance program, saying the discontinuation of coverage when an athlete becomes pregnant is “unconscionable and may put at risk her health and that of her child.” The USOC provides funding for insurance to US governing bodies that run individual sports, and those bodies are responsible for determining which athletes receive coverage and under what conditions.
RUGBY UNION
Folau starts legal action
Sacked Wallabies star Israel Folau yesterday began legal action against Rugby Australia’s decision to dismiss him over social media posts, saying the move was to defend freedom of religion. “No Australian of any faith should be fired for practising their religion,” Folau said in a statement after filing his case with Australia’s employment watchdog, the Fair Workplace Commission. Folau had his contract terminated last month after a Rugby Australia tribunal found him guilty of a “high-level” breach of the governing body’s code of conduct for a post on Instagram that said “hell awaits” sinners.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
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