Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the winner as Inter Milan came from behind on Sunday to beat city rivals AC Milan 2-1.
Ibrahimovic received a pass from Julio Ricardo Cruz and angled a shot past Milan goalkeeper Dida in the 75th minute. The play developed after Milan defender Marek Jankulovski lost control of the ball.
Ronaldo had put Milan ahead in the 40th, scoring with a long, low shot from beyond the area. The Brazilian was making his first appearance against his former club since returning to Italy in January.
PHOTO: EPA
Cruz replaced Hernan Crespo in Inter's attack in the 54th and equalized seconds later. Dida got his hands on a cross from Ibrahimovic but he couldn't stop the ball completely and Cruz scored.
Ibrahimovic, who personally took the blame for Inter's elimination from the Champions League by Valencia on Tuesday, was given a yellow card for diving in the 30th. Replays indicated that Milan defender Daniele Bonera tripped Ibrahimovic, however, and Inter should have been awarded a penalty.
Inter lead Serie A with 73 points. Milan, which began the season with an eight-point penalty from the Italian match-fixing scandal, are sixth with 40 points.
PHOTO: EPA
AS Roma, who are second with 57 points, beat Udinese 3-1 at home on Sunday. Two goals by Francesco Totti helped Roma to a 3-0 lead before Asamoah Gyan pulled one back for the visitors.
Lazio beat Reggina 3-2 with an 80th-minute goal by Stephen Makinwa and moved into a tie for third with Palermo, with 46 points each.
Palermo, playing with 10 men, managed a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina after an equalizer in the 72nd by Edinson Cavani, who recently joined the Sicilian club from Uruguay's Danubio.
Adrian Mutu scored a controversial goal for Fiorentina in the 34th, taking the ball after Palermo midfielder Roberto Guana collapsed with cramp.
Elsewhere, it was: Atalanta 1, Parma 1; Chievo Verona 1, Messina 1; Siena 0, Ascoli 1 and Torino 1, Catania 0.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take