SPAIN
Bilbao deny Alcorcon
Athletic Bilbao denied Alcorcon another King’s Cup shock when a powerful long-range strike from midfielder Carlos Gurpegi lifted them to a 1-0 win in the first leg of their round-of-32 tie on Thursday. Alcorcon, a satellite town on the outskirts of Madrid, hit the headlines last season while still in Segunda B (Spain’s third tier) when they humiliated La Liga giants Real Madrid 4-0 at the same stage of the competition. Real failed to turn the tie around at the Bernabeu and slumped to an astonishing 4-1 aggregate loss. There was to be no repeat for a team now in the second division as Gurpegi grabbed the only goal in the 54th minute when he fired a shot in off the underside of the crossbar from about 30m. In the remaining two matches on Thursday, La Liga strugglers Deportivo La Coruna came from behind to draw 1-1 at Osasuna, while promoted Real Sociedad squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to visiting Almeria.
AUSTRALIA
Jeffers becomes a Jet
Former England international striker Francis Jeffers has joined Australian A-League club Newcastle Jets for a 10-match stint as a guest, the club said yesterday. The former Everton and Arsenal star, 29, made one appearance for England against Australia in 2003 and has scored 34 goals in the English Premier League. He was also the all-time leading scorer for England under-21s with 13 goals, a record he shares with Alan Shearer. “I like what is happening with the club,” Jeffers said. “It is an exciting period here and hopefully I will be able to assist the Jets to climb up the ladder during my time here. I can’t wait to get going.” Jeffers, who was a free agent after being released by Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, is expected to make his first appearance for the Jets against Adelaide United in Newcastle on Nov. 13.
SPAIN
Garcia leaves hospital
Salamanca midfielder Miguel Garcia left hospital on Thursday, four days after suffering a heart attack during a Spanish second division game that left him legally dead for several seconds. “Thank you everyone for your concern. I feel perfect,” the smiling 31-year-old told reporters as he was discharged from hospital in the eastern city of Salamanca. Television footage taken during the 56th minute of the match against Real Betis showed Garcia struggling to maintain his balance after tying his shoe laces, before buckling on his knees and collapsing face-first on the pitch. Team doctor Jose Ignacio Garrido said the player was legally dead for 25 seconds, before he was revived on the pitch and rushed to hospital. While Garcia is expected to make a full recovery, doctors say his playing career is over.
ENGLAND
Gibbs ruled out for weeks
Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs was ruled out for several weeks on Thursday after suffering knee ligament damage in his side’s League Cup win against Newcastle United. Gibbs sustained a medial ligament injury after 18 minutes of the Gunners’ 4-0 victory at St James’ Park on Wednesday. The 21-year-old fullback was undergoing a scan yesterday to check the extent of the problem, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger doesn’t expect Gibbs to be available for the next few weeks. There was better news for Wenger over the fitness of forward Robin van Persie and midfielder Aaron Ramsey. Wenger expects both long-term injury victims to return to full training by the end of next week. “They should be back in the group at the end of next week,” he said.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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