■FRANCE
Lorient win and go fourth
Striker Marama Vahirua and defender Franco Sebastian Sosa scored in the first half to give Lorient a 2-0 win at struggling Saint-Etienne on Sunday that moved them up to fourth in the French standings. Saint-Etienne lost their eighth game this season and stayed in 17th place, just above the relegation zone. Lorient have 24 points from 13 matches, two behind league leaders Auxerre. “We are dreaming of moving even higher, but it’s only a dream,” Vahirua said. “We’re happy with our position and we’re not getting carried away. We’re just showing the big teams that if they make a mistake, we can make life difficult for them.” Also on Sunday, Colombian striker Victor Hugo Montano scored twice as promoted Montpellier defeated Lille 2-0 to move up to fifth in the standings. Montpellier, who ended a three-match winless streak, also have 24 points, but they trail Lorient on goal difference. “The result is a bit unfair when you look at the way we controlled the game,” Toulouse coach Alain Casanova said.
■FRANCE
Win ‘undeserved,’ poll says
France’s controversial qualification for next year’s World Cup has hit a sour note with the French public, with more than eight out of 10 people disapproving, a poll televised on France 2 showed. France beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 on aggregate over two legs of a qualifying playoff last Wednesday when a blatant double handball by captain Thierry Henry proved decisive in the team going to the World Cup. In an online poll in which 1,003 people representative of the country’s demographics were asked on Friday and Saturday several questions about the qualification, eight out of 10 said the team’s qualification was “undeserved.” Even worse, 88 percent of those polled said that Henry “was wrong” to have controlled the ball with his hand, which led to France scoring the goal that tied the game in extra-time and gave them an aggregate victory. France coach Raymond Domenech, whose job has been in the balance several times in the past two years, was also given short shrift. Seventy-one percent of people “interested in soccer” said Domenech should be relieved of his duties.
■FRANCE
Nantes suffer humiliation
Nantes, one of France’s most highly decorated clubs, but who have recently fallen on hard times, suffered a French Cup humiliation at the hands of lowly amateur outfit Concarneau on Sunday. The second division side, eight-time former first division champions and three time French Cup winners, were knocked out of the competition, losing 3-0 to their modest rivals who ply their trade three leagues lower than the Canaries. Founded in 1943 and with a past players’ roll call that includes the likes of Marcel Desailly and Didier Deschamps, the knockout blow was one of the lowest points in Nantes’ history.
■UAE
Brazil retain their title
Brazil retained their beach soccer World Cup crown with a 10-5 victory over Switzerland in the final on Sunday. Brazil, who have now won their fourth consecutive world title, were a class apart. Buru, Betinho and Andre scored a brace each, while Sidney, Benjamin, Bueno and Daniel Souza were also on the score sheet. Dejan Stankovic, Mo Jaeggy, Michael Rodrigues, Stephan Meier and Angelo Schirinzi replied for the Swiss, who finished runners-up at this year’s European Championships. Portugal skipper Madjer led from the front in the third-place playoff, scoring seven times as his side demolished Uruguay 14-7.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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