■ECUADOR
Liga storm into final
Claudio Bieler scored a hat-trick as Ecuadorean club Liga de Quito stormed into the final of the Copa Sudamericana with a resounding 7-0 win over River Plate of Uruguay on Thursday. Carlos Espinola, Miller Bolanos, Edison Mendez and Ulises De La Cruz also scored. Liga will play Brazilian club Fluminense in the two-legged final scheduled for Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. Liga’s 7-0 win at home against River overturned the 2-1 loss suffered by the Ecuadorean club in the first leg in Montevideo a week ago. Bieler opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 18th minute after Neicer Reasco was brought down in the box. Espinola headed Edison Mendez’s corner past the dive of River goalkeeper Luciano Dos Santos in the 28th minute to put Liga ahead on aggregate. River fell further behind in first-half stoppage-time when Bieler’s looping cross was headed back across goal by Walter Calderon for an unmarked Bolanos to smash into the roof of the net. Mendez scored Liga’s fourth with a clean strike from outside the box in the 57th minute and De La Cruz added a fifth in the 78th minute. Bieler completed his hat-trick with goals in the 84th and 89th minutes.
■FRANCE
Boli defends himself
Former France international defender Basile Boli, under investigation by prosecutors for embezzlement and handling stolen goods, said on Thursday that he had been “unfairly accused.” In a statement, the former Marseille centerback said he left the Brigade for the Repression of Economic Crime on Wednesday afternoon after being questioned over the activities of the Undertaking and Succeeding in Africa (ERA) foundation that he set up. “I only regret that the news of my being taken into custody was made public,” Boli said. “Believing myself to be unfairly accused, I try to think of my attachment and my devotion to the African continent. I am more than ever convinced of ERA’s mission — bringing France and Africa together with a view to the co-development of these two cultures. It’s why I will continue to bring my modest contribution to this mission that is so close to my heart.” A judicial source revealed that “the investigation” would “be pursued.”
■GERMANY
Senior figures pan van Gaal
Louis van Gaal’s future as Bayern Munich coach appeared shakier than ever after senior figures at the club criticized him before the game against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. In a joint interview published on Thursday in the Bild newspaper, Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer and general manager Uli Hoeness both gave the Dutch coach some blunt advice. “Louis van Gaal thinks he can take care of everything himself, but one single person can’t solve everything,” Hoeness said. “He has to learn to delegate responsibility,” Beckenbauer said. Van Gaal’s team are all but out of the Champions League and six points behind Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
■SPAIN
Ibrahimovic ruled out
Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out of action for around a week, the European champions announced on Thursday. The Swedish striker has aggravated the muscle injury in his left thigh which he suffered two weeks ago against Real Mallorca. He limped out of training on Wednesday and underwent medical checks on Thursday. Ibrahimovic will miss today’s league game away to Athletic Bilbao and probably also Tuesday’s crucial Champions League game at home to Italy’s Inter. He may also miss the Spanish clasico against Real Madrid on Nov. 29.
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
A baseball team from New Taipei City won the US Pony Palomino Division World Series yesterday in Laredo, Texas, defeating the US West representative team from Azusa, California, 2-1. Ku-Pao Home Economics and Commercial High School earned the right to represent Taiwan in the Pony Palomino (17 to 18 age group) World Series after winning this year's Wang Chen-chih Cup, a competition named after Taiwanese-Japanese baseball legend Wang Chen-chih (王貞治), also known as Sadaharu Oh. In the championship game against Azusa, Ku-Pao's starting pitcher Luo Yu-yan (羅于晏) was erratic early, giving up two hits in the bottom of the first inning, followed
Taiwanese pitcher Teng Kai-wei took the mound in New York on Saturday as the starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants in his MLB season debut against the New York Mets, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing five runs. The Taiwanese right-hander struggled early, giving up three runs in the bottom of the first inning, including a three-run homer to Mets slugger Pete Alonso — his 250th career home run. However, Teng was not fazed and soon found his footing, holding the Mets scoreless in the bottom of the second and third innings. Meanwhile, Mets starter Kodai Senga of Japan made a few errors
RSS