■ SOCCER
Uzbekistan thrash Taiwan
Maxim Shatskikh scored five goals to help Uzbekistan hammer a hapless Taiwan 9-0 in their opening 2010 World Cup qualifier in Tashkent yesterday. The Uzbek captain bagged his hat-trick inside 35 minutes and added a fourth in the 67th minute after Timur Kapadze (26) Viktor Karpenko (44) and Ulugbek Bakayev (55) had put the hosts six goals up. Shavkat Salomov increased the lead for the former Asian Cup champions on 69 minutes before Dynamo Kyiv striker Shatskikh netted his fifth 13 minutes from time. The former Soviet republic, 62nd in the FIFA rankings, have never qualified for the World Cup finals.
■ CAMEL RACING
Humped runners lift gloom
Fans starved of horse racing because of an outbreak of equine influenza received some relief when camels took to the track in Sydney. The strictly no-betting race meet took place on Friday night at Harold Park Paceway, which is among tracks where racing has been suspended during the disease outbreak. John Dumesny, the chief executive of Harold Park, said the camel meet gave a moral boost to track workers who have been hit hard by the disease outbreak. "They've had no work for six weeks, and it's given them a lift and the gloom has sort of gone," he said. Several thousand people attended Friday night's races, with the same six camels running in seven races. Jockeys were selected from volunteers from the crowd, and cheered on as the beasts loped around the track -- and were rewarded with a bucketful of grain after each race.
■ SOCCER
Germans draw minus striker
Playing without the Iranian-born striker who refused to compete in Israel, Germany were held to a 2-2 draw by the Israelis in an under-21 European Championship qualifier on Friday. Ashkan Dejagah, who was born in Iran but moved to Germany as a child, cited "political reasons" and his Iranian descent for pulling out of the match in Tel Aviv. The decision sparked a public outcry in Germany this week, with Jewish leaders calling for his exclusion from the national team. Media reports said Dejagah had been suspended indefinitely but the German soccer federation said that wasn't the case. "Our president [Theo Zwanziger] never said that he would be suspended," federation press officer Jens Grittner said. Zwanziger will soon meet with Dejagah to clarify the situation, he said.
■ BOXING
Violent fighter in trouble
Japanese boxer Daiki Kameda could face a ban for violent behavior during his defeat by Daisuke Naito in a world title fight. Naito retained his WBC flyweight belt on Thursday with a unanimous decision over the 18-year-old Kameda, who was docked three points after his patience snapped in the 12th round. Kameda was docked a point for punching Naito while both men wrestled on the canvas. He was then penalized a further two points for picking up Naito and slamming him down, triggering howls of derision from a Tokyo crowd squarely behind Naito. Daiki could now face suspension, along with his father and coach Shiro. Shiro Kameda, who was already walking a tightrope with the JBC over past misdemeanors, could now have his license suspended for abusing the match referee. To make matters worse for the controversial boxing family, television microphones picked up Daiki's brother,who was in his corner, telling his younger brother to elbow Naito in the eye.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at