Japan beat Scotland 3-1 in Group F at the FIFA U-20 World Cup thanks in part to a costly error by the Scottish goalkeeper that led to a goal by Yasuhito Morishima.
Andrew McNeil came out to clear a long ball from Japanese defender Tomoaki Makino, but he kicked it right to Morishima. The striker quickly chased the ball down and tapped it into an empty net for a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
Japan added another in the 57th minute when midfielder Tsukasa Umesaki hit a beautiful strike along the ground from 25m out. McNeil got a hand on it, but was unable to stop the ball from finding the corner of the net.
PHOTO: AP
Morishima had a breakaway in the 75th minute, but McNeil came out and made a successful challenge. Four minutes later Jun Aoyama hit an ambitious strike from roughly 35m out which proved too much for McNeil.
Scotland's frustration showed in the second half. Jamie Adams was shown a yellow card in the 53rd minute for a trip from behind. Seconds later Calum Elliot ran over Atomu Tanaka and received Scotland's second caution.
Scotland managed a consolation goal in the 82nd minute, when substitute Ross Campbell scored on a rebound from inside the penalty area thanks to indifferent Japanese defending.
PHOTO: AP
Chile 3, Canada 0
In Toronto on Canada Day, Chile dominated the host country with a 20-3 edge in shots and 61 percent of the possession. Chile leads group A with three points.
Chile went ahead in the 25th minute when defender Marcus Haber slipped and failed to cut out a pass into the box. Nicolas Medina pounced and lashed a right-footed shot past Asmir Begovic.
It was 2-0 in the 54th minute after fullback Nana Attakora-Gyan was yellow-carded for hacking down a Chilean who was going past him on the left flank. The ensuing free kick went across goal and was headed back for captain Carlos Carmona to nod in.
Substitute Jaime Grondona made it 3-0 in the 81st minute, getting behind a befuddled defense to head in a cross from Mathias Vidangossy.
Spain 2, Uruguay 2
Spain needed a goal from Diego Capel in stoppage time just to get a disappointing, Group B draw in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Capel, who created havoc with his runs down the right flank, controlled a rebound and beat goalkeeper Mauro Goicoechea, who was off his line 30m away.
Spain, the European champions, came back from 2-0 down. Luis Suarez scored in the 56th minute and earlier set up Edinson Cavani just before half-time.
Zambia 1, Jordan 1
Also at Burnaby, Zambia wasted an early penalty scored by Fwayo Tembo and settled for a Group B draw with Jordan.
Tembo, who powered the Zambian attack with his accurate passes and runs down the flanks, was awarded the kick after Jordan defender Tariq Al Jumah was sent off in the eighth minute.
Zambia were in control, but Abdallah Salim scored against the run of play in the 41st minute to tie the game. Four minutes later, Rodgers Kola was shown a red by US referee Terry Vaughn for throwing a Jordan defender to the turf while trying to get position for a free kick.
Nigeria 1, Costa Rica 0
In Victoria, a goal by Brown Ideye lifted Nigeria to a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica and put them atop Group F with Japan.
Ideye, who plays for Nigerian club Ocean Boys, headed the ball past Costa Rican goalie Alfonso Quesada in the 75th minute.
The Flying Eagles may be without starting goalkeeper Moses Ocheje for the rest of the tournament. He was injured at the beginning of the second half, when he collided with teammate Suraj Sodiq when diving for a save. He had a bleeding nose and had to be taken off on a stretcher.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Kite-surfing fabrics, car tires and shortened shoelaces helped Kenyan Sabastian Sawe and Adidas crack the two-hour marathon barrier. When Sawe on Sunday shattered one of athletics’ most elusive barriers in storming to victory at the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, it did not come from just physiology and grit, but from design choices drawn from far beyond the course. Sawe debuted Adidas’ lightest-ever racing shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. “It starts with the mentality of the athlete, the coach, and the team behind the product, which is: What can we do better? What is the 1 percent