■ SOCCER
Silvestre out with injury
Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre will miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee, the club said on Sunday. Silvestre hurt a cruciate ligament in his knee in the 39th minute of United's 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday. He caught his studs in the turf and fell awkwardly, twisting his knee. He was carried off the field on a stretcher. Manchester United said on its Web site that Silvestre is unlikely to play again this season.
■ AUTO RACING
Raikkonen wins Belgian GP
Kimi Raikkonen dominated the race and Fernando Alonso dominated teammate Lewis Hamilton as Raikkonen won his third straight Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of Felipe Massa in a 1-2 finish for Ferrari. Two-time defending champion Alonso finished third and moved within two points of McLaren teammate Hamilton at the top of the standings, only days after the team was fined US$100 million for having secret data from its main rival, Ferrari. Alonso, starting third on the grid ahead of Hamilton, moved over to attack the Source hairpin, blocking Hamilton's way.
■ SOCCER
Heskey cracks bone in foot
Emile Heskey could miss England's next two European Championship qualifying matches after scans showed he had cracked a bone in his right foot. Heskey was hurt on Saturday in Wigan's 1-1 draw with Fulham in the Premier League. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan said on Sunday that Heskey would be sidelined for up to six weeks. Heskey was recalled to the England team for the first time in three years this month, starting in the Euro qualifiers against Israel on Sept. 8 and Russia on Wednesday. England won both matches 3-0. "It's been a fantastic week, but a disappointing end," Whelan said. "He has cracked a metatarsal in his foot. It's not a serious one, but it is still six weeks and I think he will definitely miss the first England game."
■ MOTORCYCLE RACING
Rossi wins Portuguese GP
Valentino Rossi beat Dani Pedrosa in a back-and-forth race on Sunday to win the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril. The seven-time world champion overtook Pedrosa after the two had exchanged the lead several times over the final five turns. "Dani was really strong. That was a big battle with him in the corners," Rossi said. "It's a very important win for me. I'm still in the championship mathematically." Rossi has 211 points, second to Casey Stoner's 287. Stoner finished third. "We had a little bit of a problem with the bike from the start," said Stoner, who can clinch his first world championship in Japan next weekend.
■ GOLF
Thai seeks merit crown
Thaworn Wiratchant's record ninth career victory at the inaugural Midea China Classic in Guangzhou has given him the impetus to challenge for his second Asian Tour order of merit crown. The Thai star, Asia's No. 1 in 2005, secured a play-off win on Sunday against young compatriot Chinarat Phadungsil and Scotsman Simon Yates to move up to 10th in the pecking order. With China's Liang Wen-chong leading the merit race with eight tournaments remaining, the 40-year-old Thaworn is not writing off his chances despite trailing the leader by more than US$278,000. "It is going to be a challenge but I will strive for the UBS Order of Merit title," said Thaworn, who has accumulated earnings of US$176,323 this season. The Asian Tour heads to Taipei this week for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
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