■ENGLAND
Boro held by the Blades
Relegated Middlesbrough and defeated play-off finalists Sheffield United fought out a drab 0-0 draw on Friday as the new English Championship season endured a low-key start. Boro, playing outside the Premier League for the first time in 11 years, struggled to find any rhythm in the first half at the Riverside Stadium, with the visitors seeing Danny Coyne save well from Keith Treacy. Middlesbrough’s best openings were half-chances, with Mark Yeates and Adam Johnson causing problems before the game fizzled out.
■ENGLAND
Villa sign defender Beye
English Premier League side Aston Villa signed Senegalese international defender Habib Beye from relegated Newcastle United on Friday on a three-year deal, the Premier League club said. The 31-year-old had appeared to be on the brink of joining Hull City on Thursday, before Villa boss Martin O’Neill made his move. Beye, who spent four years with Marseille before joining Newcastle in 2007, is Villa’s third major signing of the summer, following Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough and Fabian Delph, who was tempted away from Leeds United. “I think Villa is a great football club,” Beye told the club’s official Web site. “I was really happy when my agent told me Villa were interested. I just said: ‘Get it done.’”
■SCOTLAND
Livingston refuse to play
Crisis-hit Livingston have plunged the Scottish League into chaos by refusing to play yesterday’s third division match with East Stirling in protest at their demotion from the first division. The Scottish Football League (SFL) relegated Livingston on Wednesday for breaching the league’s insolvency rules, but the club decided on Friday to appeal the sanction. As a result, Livingston said they would not play a third division fixture until their case was heard. An appeal was expected to also see a postponement of the matches involving Airdrie United and Cowdenbeath, who had been promoted to the first and second divisions respectively as a result of Livingston’s relegation. Instead, the SFL announced on Friday morning that Ross County v Airdrie, Cowdenbeath v Arbroath and East Stirling v Livingston would all go ahead, but the results would be void if Livingston’s appeal proved successful.
■SPAIN
Valencia reject Mata offer
Cash-strapped Valencia have refused an offer of more than 20 million euros (US$28 million) from European champions Barcelona for their Spanish international winger Juan Mata, Spanish media reported on Friday. Valencia president Manuel Llorente told the 21-year-old player’s agent earlier on Friday that the club did not want to let him go and was in no position to offer him a higher salary, the online editions of sports daily Marca said.
■NETHERLANDS
Alkmaar record first win
Champions AZ Alkmaar beat Sparta Rotterdam 2-0 in the Dutch league on Friday after losing their opening fixture at Heracles Almelo. Belgium striker Moussa Dembele opened the scoring for Alkmaar after six minutes when he netted a pass from last year’s Dutch league top scorer Mounir El Hamdaoui. Alkmaar were still not at their best and missed several chances, but after 64 minutes captain Stijn Schaars set up El Hamdaoui to double their lead and seal the victory. In Friday’s other match, NEC Nijmegen also registered their first win of the season by beating Heerenveen 4-1.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
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