NETHERLANDS
AZ go six points clear
Adam Maher scored an 89th-minute goal to give AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 win over Heracles Almelo on Sunday, helping his side open up a six-point lead at the top of the Dutch league. Title-chasing Twente were held to a 2-2 draw by fellow challengers PSV Eindhoven on Saturday, while Ajax stayed fifth despite routing Roda JC 4-0. PSV and Twente are tied for second place with 22 points, six behind AZ Alkmaar. Ajax have 20. Also on Sunday, Groningen demolished Feyenoord 6-0 with Dusan Tadic scoring in the opening minute. Tim Sparv played in Maikel Kieftenbeld for the second in the 16th minute, before Tom Hiariej set up Petter Andersson for the third, two minutes later. Leandro Bacuna combined with Lorenzo Burnet to notch the fourth in the 57th minute and there was worse to come for Feyenoord, just a few days after Ronald Koeman’s side exited the Dutch Cup after losing at amateur club Go Ahead Eagles. Virgil van Dijk and Suk Hyun-jun each scored inside two minutes for Groningen to complete the humiliation. Earlier, Wilfried Bony’s 70th-minute goal gave Vitesse Arnhem a 1-0 win over De Graafschap, while Roberto Fernandez, Leroy George and Lasse Schone scored in NEC Nijmegen’s 3-1 victory over Utrecht.
PORTUGAL
Sporting close on leaders
Dutch striker Stijn Schaars created one goal and scored another to give Sporting a 2-0 win at Feirense on Sunday. Schaars was fouled in the area by Feirense defender Bruno Carvalho and fellow countryman Ricky van Wolfswinkel converted the resulting penalty for his team’s 64th-minute opener. Schaars then sealed the victory in the 77th minute with a shot from outside the box. Sporting’s sixth win of the season lifted them into third place on 20 points, ahead of Braga on goal-difference. Leaders Porto and Benfica are three points ahead. Also on Sunday, Leiria downed Setubal 2-0, Nacional edged Beira-Mar 2-1 and Guimaraes beat last-place Rio Ave 2-1.
NORWAY
Molde claim first title
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led Molde to the Norwegian league title for the first time in their 100-year history when they drew 2-2 with Stromsgodset and rivals Rosenborg were humiliated at home by Brann on Sunday. Solskjaer, the former Manchester United striker, lifted Molde to 55 points with two rounds left to play, seven more than Tromso and nine ahead of Rosenborg. On a dramatic day, Molde looked like securing the title with a victory over Stromsgodset until a last-minute equalizer from Anders Agnes Konradsen postponed the party at the Aker Stadium. Rosenborg kicked off against Brann knowing they needed a victory to keep their slim hopes alive, but they looked nothing like title contenders as they conceded three goals in the first 20 minutes on the way to a 6-3 defeat.
ITALY
Cassano taken to hospital
Italy forward Antonio Cassano was taken to hospital during the night after feeling ill on his return to Milan following his team’s 3-2 victory at AS Roma on Saturday evening. Cassano was taken in for checks, according to a statement by AC Milan, and he was still there on Sunday night. He apparently suffered difficulty speaking and moving, and he has been transferred to the neurological department of the hospital where he will undergo tests on his heart and brain. Cassano had wanted to return home when arriving back in Milan, but was convinced to go to hospital by team doctor Rodolfo Tavana. “The boy is not well and we’re looking into it,” Tavana said.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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