■ Soccer
Beckham fit for England
David Beckham expects to be fit for England's decisive Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey next week after coming through Real Madrid's 2-1 league victory over Espanyol on Sunday unscathed. "There'll be no problem playing for my country," said Beckham, who missed Real's Champions League win over Porto this week because of a foot injury. "There was no reaction to the injury, although it's true my foot does hurt a bit." Beckham had rated himself as doubtful for the Group 7 clash with Turkey next Saturday after suffering the injury in a 2-0 defeat by Valencia last weekend. He played all but the last few minutes against Espanyol, though, and was satisfied with his fitness, despite suffering a slight injury early on. England could still be without one of their key players for the Turkey game, after Liverpool striker Michael Owen suffered a shin injury in his side's 2-1 defeat by Arsenal on Saturday. Owen has been given only an even chance of recovering in time for the game, which will decide whether England or Turkey win Group Seven and qualify automatically for the European Championship in Portugal next year.
■ Golf
Alfredsson ends drought
Helen Alfredsson ended a lengthy drought Sunday as Pat Hurst double-bogeyed the 18th hole, giving the Swede the Longs Drugs Challenge title and her first win on the LPGA Tour in five years. Hurst took a one-shot lead to the final hole but four-putted from 80 feet. She missed a 2 1/2-footer for bogey that would have forced a playoff. "I don't know what happened," Hurst said. "I played it to go a little right because it feels like everything would feed right. It looked like everything was going to the right, and if you go up and look at it, it looks like it feeds that way. But it didn't."
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
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