RUSSIA
Zenit stay top after draw
Champions Zenit St Petersburg remained top of the Premier League on Sunday after a 2-2 draw at 10-man Spartak Moscow in a match overshadowed by violence, which saw a bus stoned and visiting fans attacked with bats. The match at the 60,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium, featuring fans known for their mutual hatred, had started amidst tension when a number of Zenit supporters were attacked by Spartak fans on their way to the ground. Spartak took the lead in the 21st minute when Zenit defender Alexander Anyukov diverted the ball into his own net as he tried to clear Demy de Zeeuw’s pass to Nigerian striker Emmanuel Emenike. Zenit leveled in the 38th minute through Portuguese midfielder Miguel Danny, who sent the ball home past Spartak goalkeeper Andrei Dykan with a close-range shot from Alexander Kerzhakov’s pass. Spartak’s Argentine fullback Nicolas Pareja was sent off three minutes before halftime for a dangerous foul. Kerzhakov made it 2-1 for Zenit just 30 seconds after the interval, scoring from Roman Shirokov’s cross from the right edge of the box. Spartak rescued a point when Brazilian striker Welliton scored from Aiden McGeady’s cross.
NETHERLANDS
Alkmaar cruise past VVV
AZ Alkmaar cruised to a 3-1 win at VVV Venlo to extend their lead on Sunday, as AFC Ajax and Twente dropped points. Swede Rasmus Elm put Alkmaar ahead after 32 minutes when he curled a free-kick around the wall and then set up Adam Maher on the hour to double the lead. Simon Poulsen sealed the win, before Robert Cullen scored a consolation goal for VVV in stoppage-time after Ahmed Musa missed a penalty. Alkmaar are top with 21 points after eight matches, four more than PSV Eindhoven, who moved into second following a 2-0 win at NEC Nijmegen with late goals from Zakaria Labyad and Tim Matavz. Twente slipped to third as Luuk de Jong salvaged a 2-2 draw with a last-minute header at home to winless bottom side Excelsior Rotterdam, who clinched their second point. Ola John put Twente ahead after 34 minutes, but Excelsior substitute Darren Maatsen turned the match around with goals in the 85th and 86th minutes.
ENGLAND
Ferdinand, Gerrard left out
England coach Fabio Capello has decided against gambling on the fitness of Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard after leaving the duo out of his squad for Friday’s crucial Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro. Capello’s side need a draw in Podgorica to book their place at next year’s finals in Ukraine and Poland, and the Italian was not willing to risk Gerrard or Ferdinand breaking down after the pair’s long battles against injury. Tottenham Hotspur forward Jermain Defoe and Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott have lost their places, with Fulham striker Bobby Zamora and goalkeeper Scott Carson recalled to the 24-man squad.
ENGLAND
Steve McClaren quits Forest
Former England coach Steve McClaren has resigned as Nottingham Forest manager after just 10 games in charge of the struggling Championship side, the former European champions confirmed on Sunday. McClaren walked out just hours after Forest fans called for him to quit following Birmingham City’s 3-1 win at the City Ground. McClaren, the former VfL Wolfsburg, Twente and Middlesbrough boss, was already under pressure following Forest’s woeful start to the season and he leaves with the team languishing just one point and one place above the relegation zone.
GOLF
Woods out of top 50
Tiger Woods will plummet to depths he has not reached in 15 years, as he is projected to drop two spots to 51st in the world rankings that were to be issued yesterday. The former world No. 1 has not triumphed anywhere since the 2009 Australian Masters and has been steadily losing ranking points because of his struggles on and off the course. In yesterday’s rankings, Woods was expected to be sandwiched by South African Louis Oosthuizen (50th) and fellow American Jonathan Byrd (52nd), the first time he has been out of the top 50 since he was 61st on Oct. 13, 1996. It has been just more than three years since Woods clinched the last of his 14 major titles and he has not competed on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the PGA Championship in August.
RUGBY UNION
Armitage suspended
England winger Delon Armitage will miss this weekend’s quarter-final with France after receiving a one match suspension from the World Cup tribunal yesterday. Armitage was cited for making a dangerous tackle in England’s 16-12 Pool B match against Scotland at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday. World cup Independent Judicial Officer Bruce Squire deemed Armitage’s offense to be at the lower end of offending, which has an entry point of two weeks. Squire took into consideration mitigating factors and the absence of aggravating factors in suspending Armitage for one match. Armitage’s suspension takes effect immediately and will include the match against France. “It’s a shame to lose Delon, as he has played well, but these things happen and we have some quality wings in Mark Cueto and Matt Banahan to choose from,” England team manager Martin Johnson said.
HORSE RACING
Filly Danedream takes Arc
Three-year-old filly Danedream raced away from the field in the last 250m to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s most prestigious flat race, by five lengths in Paris on Sunday. Danedream, a late addition to the 16-horse field, became the first Arc champion from Germany since Star Appeal in 1975. She covered the 2,400m Longchamp racecourse in 2 minutes, 24.49 seconds to break the race record set by Peintre Celebre in 1997. Shareta ended second, a neck ahead of Snow Fairy, with So You Think fourth. “The race was quite fast,” winning rider Andrasch Starke said. “Just before I got into the last bend, I was so confident. I had a really good position and she was traveling so well.”
RALLYING
Ogier wins Rally France
Sebastien Ogier held off a strong challenge from Daniel Sordo of Spain to win the Rally France on Sunday and make up ground in the title race. Mikko Hirvonen of Finland finished third to join defending champion Sebastien Loeb at the top of the standings. Ogier beat Sordo by 6.3 seconds to complete the 23 stages in 3 hours, 6 minutes, 20.4 seconds in his Citroen, and pull within three points of Loeb. “I’m really happy with the outcome of this race,” Ogier told the WRC Web site. “I did exactly what I had to do by looking at Dani and the split times. I took the lead but I did not take the risk.” Loeb retired on Friday after his Citroen had an engine failure and did not score any points in his native Alsace region. Petter Solberg of Norway initially took third place, but he was later disqualified after his car was found to be 4kg shy of the regulation minimum weight. Hirvonen earned three more points as a result.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Shahzad Khan was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
OBJECTIVE REACHED: ’Now for us, it’s about getting healthy, making sure everybody is ready to go, and we can ramp up,’ the Atlanta Hawks’ C.J. McCollum said after the game The Atlanta Hawks on Friday secured an NBA playoff berth with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Boston Celtics locked up the Eastern Conference second seed with a lopsided win of their own. C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who came into the contest at sixth in the East and still in danger of falling into the play-in tournament that would see the seventh-through 10th-placed teams battle for the last two playoff berths in each conference. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson scored 18 points apiece, and Dyson Daniels added a triple-double of 13
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