■SUMO
Asashoryu leads tournament
Grand champion Asashoryu overpowered Bulgarian Kotooshu yesterday to stay in sole possession of the lead at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Mongolian Asashoryu got a grip of Kotooshu’s arm shortly after the faceoff and swatted the ozeki wrestler out to improve to a perfect 11-0 in the 15-day meet at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Kotooshu dropped to 8-3 and saw his hopes for the title all but dashed with four days remaining. In the day’s final bout, grand champion Hakuho remained just a win off the pace and kept his title hopes alive with a one-sided win over veteran ozeki Kaio (7-4). Mongolian Hakuho, who won the Kyushu tournament in November, got a hold of Kaio’s belt and calmly lifted the veteran ozeki out to improve to 10-1.
■SOCCER
Sven comes under fire
Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, already under fire due to his team’s poor performances, is facing further criticism over the number of foreign-born players in his squad. Eriksson, who takes on his native Sweden on Jan. 28, has included four naturalized players for the game, upsetting even members of his own squad. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was among those who said that Eriksson was denying native Mexicans the chance to play for their country. “It’s a very delicate situation, there are a lot of Mexicans waiting for a chance in the national team and this makes it more and more difficult for them,” he told reporters. “It’s obvious that the Mexican player should have better opportunities, so I think the matter of the naturalized players needs more analysis. I don’t think I’d like to see 11 naturalized players in the national team.” The squad for the Sweden match includes Brazilian-born Antonio Naelson and Leandro Augusto plus Argentines Lucas Ayala and Matias Vuoso.
■RUGBY UNION
Maverick Michalak left out
Maverick outside-half Frederic Michalak has failed to make the 30-strong France training squad for the Six Nations. Michalak’s wavering form for Toulouse has failed to impress coach Marc Lievremont. Misfiring Montpellier outside-half Francois Trinh-Duc also failed to make the squad, which will be cut to 23 next week ahead of the opening Six Nations game against Ireland in Dublin on Feb. 7. Lievremont has plumped for just one specialist No 10 in Lionel Beauxis, who ironically has been playing much of his club rugby for Stade Francais at full-back and missed all the November internationals because of a thigh injury. Toulouse veteran Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Bourgoin’s Morgan Parra offer options for both half-back slots, with Castres’ Sebastien Tillous-Borde the sole out-and-out scrum-half in the squad. There was also a call-up for Perpignan back row forward Damien Chouly, capped twice during France’s tour to New Zealand in June 2007.
■SOCCER
Rovers earn glamor tie
Doncaster Rovers captain Brian Stock scored a goal in each half on Tuesday as the second-tier strugglers saw off Cheltenham 3-0 to secure a glamor English FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Aston Villa this weekend. Stock was first to react in the 26th minute after Martin Woods’s free-kick hit the crossbar. And Doncaster were 2-0 up against their third-tier opponents before half-time. Sam Hird scored from close range after he pounced on a deflected shot. Stock made sure Doncaster would be up against Premier League high-flyers Villa when, shortly before the hour mark, he struck a half-volley from 25m.
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,
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
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
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
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