■ Soccer
Australia thrash Taiwan
Australia all but secured their place in the next stage of qualifying for the Beijing Olympics with an 11-0 thrashing of Taiwan in the first leg of their play-off in Adelaide on Wednesday. It was just one goal short of the record win for an Australian Olympic team after the 12-0 result against Vanuatu in 1996. Melbourne Victory midfielder Kristian Sarkies scored four goals with Adelaide United striker Bruce Djite scoring once and setting up five others. The second leg of the play-off takes place in Taipei next Wednesday.
■ Soccer
Player knocked out in brawl
Chinese under-21 international Zheng Tao was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital following a brawl in a match against Queens Park Rangers at the English club's training ground on Wednesday, according to media reports. The violent fracas caused the referee to abandon the friendly in west London with QPR winning 2-1 in the second half. Xian Chanba defender Zheng was unconscious for five minutes after the fighting. "I've never seen anything like it in my life," a witness told the Web site of the Ealing Gazette. "There were punches, kung-fu kicks and all sorts. It was absolute mayhem."
■ Football
Kiel pleads guilty to felony
San Diego Chargers safety Terrence Kiel pleaded guilty on Wednesday to felony and misdemeanor drug charges for shipping codeine-based cough syrup to Texas, part of a plea bargain that could allow him to avoid jail time. Kiel was ordered to undergo counseling for gambling and do 100 hours of volunteer work. If he does that before his Aug. 7 sentencing and remains law-abiding, the felony conviction will be dismissed and he'll be placed on probation, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sontag said. Kiel still has a Feb. 20 court appearance after being cited for urinating in public last Dec. 18 in downtown San Diego.
■ Olympics
Mascots could be dangerous
Beijing police have issued a health warning over the cuddly Beijing 2008 Olympics mascots known as "Fuwa" after seizing nearly 30,000 counterfeit versions, including some made with toxic materials. The state-run Beijing News said yesterday that it was the largest haul of such fakes to date. However, the report did not specify how many of the 30,000 toys contained the toxic materials or what those ingredients were.
■ Cricket
ICC derides Hair lawsuit
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday there was no merit in Australian umpire Darrell Hair's claim of racial discrimination on the part of cricket's world governing body and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The sacked umpire had filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the ICC and the PCB on Wednesday. "The ICC does not believe there is merit in this claim and will vigorously defend the matter," the council said in a statement. Hair was sacked from the ICC's elite panel of umpires after Pakistan complained about his role in a ball-tampering row in the forfeited Oval test against England last August. "The ICC has noted reports that umpire Darrell Hair has instructed his lawyers to issue an application to the London Central Employment Tribunal alleging racial discrimination by the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board," the statement said.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DR Congo) human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga would be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter. The colorfully dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking toward the sky with his right arm raised and palm open. He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government. They took their
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