NETHERLANDS
AZ maintain their lead
AZ Alkmaar maintained their lead in the Dutch league with a 3-0 win over ADO The Hague on Sunday thanks to goals from Brett Holman, Adam Maher and Jozy Altidore. Holman gave AZ the lead in the 11th minute, before Maher and Altidore added goals in the second half to secure the victory. Also on Sunday, second-placed Twente routed De Grafschaap 4-0, while a hat-trick from Jeremain Lens inspired PSV Eindhoven to a 4-1 win over Heracles Almelo. In the most eventful match of the day, Zambia winger Jacob Mulenga created two goals and scored another as Utrecht beat Ajax 6-4. AZ have 31 points from 12 games. Twente and PSV have 25 each, while Ajax have 20. In Utrecht, Ajax took the lead twice in the first half, before the hosts scored four second-half goals in a wild shootout. Russia striker Dmitri Bulykin gave Ajax the lead after eight minutes, but Mulenga set up Ghana forward Nana Asare for an equalizer eight minutes later. Mulenga then played in Edouard Duplan, who scored from close range, before Ajax battled back to level through veteran defender Andre Ooijer’s header in the 32nd minute. Bulykin made it 3-2 for Ajax in the 41st minute, but Utrecht then took charge with goals from Daan Bovenberg, Mulenga and Asare to make it 5-3. Christian Eriksen gave Ajax renewed hope in the 72nd minute, but Anouar Kali netted in stoppage-time to wrap up the win. In other matches it was VVV Venlo 0, Excelsior Rotterdam 0; NAC Breda 1, Vitesse Arnhem 0; RKC Waalkwijk 1, Groningen 1; Roda JC 1, SC Heerenveen 2; and Feyenoord 0, NEC Nijmegen 1.
PORTUGAL
Benfica blow their chance
Benfica drew 1-1 at Braga on Sunday, missing a chance to move top of the Portuguese league standings. Braga went ahead in first-half stoppage-time through Lima’s spot-kick after Benfica defender Emerson had handled in the area. Spanish forward Rodrigo Moreno equalized in the 72nd minute, but Benfica failed to get the winner that would have lifted them two points ahead of defending champions Porto. Midfielder Matias Fernandez scored once in each half to lead Sporting to a 3-1 win over Leiria. Third-placed Sporting are one point behind Porto and Benfica. In other matches it was Beira Mar 2, Feirense 1; Rio Ave 2, Nacional 1; and Setubal 0, Gil Vicente 0.
UNITED STATES
Beckham’s LA make final
David Beckham set up a goal with one of his trademark crosses as the Los Angeles Galaxy advanced to the MLS Cup Final with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Sunday. The 36-year-old English midfielder is now due to play for his first MLS title in the final game of his five-year contract in Los Angeles. Beckham set up Mike Magee for a goal in the 58th minute. US striker Landon Donovan had earlier scored and Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane got the third for the Galaxy, who are set to face the Houston Dynamo for the championship on Nov. 20.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Cech banned from flying
The Czech Republic could suffer a potential blow ahead of their crucial Euro 2012 playoff against Montenegro on Friday after goalkeeper Petr Cech hinted he could be sidelined. Chelsea’s Cech suffered a broken nose in the 1-0 win away to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and he later announced a flying ban, imposed by doctors, means he would be unable to join up with his national squad as scheduled yesterday. If doctors give the go-ahead, the 29-year-old should be able to travel home tomorrow at the earliest.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
ANKLE PROBLEM: Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Lee Chia-hsin had a disappointing end to their tournament after an injury forced them out of their mixed doubles semi-final Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying on Friday was knocked out in the women’s singles quarter-finals at her last Taipei Open. The world No. 3 lost 21-18, 16-21, 22-24 to Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in a match that stretched 68 minutes at the Taipei Arena. Despite her higher ranking, Tai said she was not too sad about the loss, given her struggle with a lingering knee injury. “Wins and losses are just part of the game. Actually, I think I’m going to lose every single match considering my condition now,” said the five-time champion of the Super 300 event, who has announced plans
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