SOCCER
Lazio take Serie A lead
Juventus lost their grip on first place in Serie A to SS Lazio on Saturday and the eight-time defending champions have to wait more than a week — possibly even longer — to try and get it back because five games scheduled for this weekend — including Juventus’ match against third-place Inter — were postponed in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. The fixtures were due to be played without fans, but the decision to call them off was made on Saturday by the league as part of “urgent measures for the containment and management” of the disease. However, with the coronavirus outbreak worst in northern Italy, Lazio were permitted to play their match against Bologna in Rome and won 2-0 with its fans in attendance. Elsewhere, SSC Napoli beat Torino 2-1.
SOCCER
Valencia end winless streak
Valencia ended their five-game winless streak by beating Real Betis Balompie 2-1 in La Liga on Saturday in the first match since the club canceled its players’ media availability because of COVID-19. Valencia on Friday prevented players and coaches from speaking in news conferences before or after games, because a journalist who covers the club was found to have the virus. Players also could not talk to reporters in mixed zones after the matches. Elsewhere, Sociedad Deportiva Eibar won 3-0 over Levante UD, CD Leganes drew 1-1 with Deportivo Alaves, while Granada and RC Celta de Vigo drew 0-0.
SOCCER
PSG maintain 13-point lead
Kylian Mbappe scored two goals and created another as Paris Saint-Germain kept their 13-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 intact with a 4-0 win over Dijon FCO on Saturday. In other games, Montpellier HSC beat RC Strasbourg Alsace 3-0, Metz beat Amiens 1-0, Angers beat Stade Brestios 29 1-0, Stade Rennais defeated Toulouse 2-0 and AS Monaco drew 1-1 with Stade de Reims.
TENNIS
Djokovic wins in Dubai
Novak Djokovic was scarcely troubled as he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Dubai Championships for the fifth time. Djokovic dropped his serve once, but converted all three break points against the 21-year-old Greek to move 3-2 ahead in their career meetings. “I’m trying to embrace the moment and appreciate where I am,” Djokovic said. “This has been one of the best starts of all the seasons I had in my career. I feel great on the court. I’ve been playing great tennis on the hard courts. That is my most successful and preferred surface.”
GOLF
Kennedy wins NZ Open
Brad Kennedy carded a remarkable eight-under-par final-round 63 to come from behind to win the New Zealand Open by two strokes yesterday. Kennedy, who won the tournament in 2011, started the day two shots behind fellow Australian Lucas Herbert, but stormed to victory at the Millbrook Resort course in Queenstown, finishing on 21-under 264. “To do this again after nine years is just unbelievable,” Kennedy said. “I actually posted a number in my head last night, 21 was the number, and I didn’t think I’d reach it, but I just knew that this course was out there to be had.
Fenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Forest entered the second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead from the opener in Istanbul — where Vitor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge — and that proved enough to advance to the round-of-16 with a 4-2 aggregate score. The result was a boost for Forest, struggling at 17th place in the Premier League, in their return to Europe after three decades. They next face Real Betis Balompie or Kerem Akturkoglu gave Fenerbahce
The Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday emphatically got back to winning ways in the NBA, coasting to a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks as their recent star signing, James Harden, scored 20 points. The Cavs took the lead barely a minute into the game with an Evan Mobley three-pointer and never gave it up in a thoroughly comfortable night for the red-hot Ohio franchise. Former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Harden, who was brought in from the Los Angeles Clippers this month, has never won a championship, despite being one of the most decorated players in the league. That was a key
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
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