NETHERLANDS
PSV edge Feyenoord
Zakaria Labyad scored the winning goal in the 85th minute to help PSV Eindhoven beat Feyenoord 3-2 on Sunday and maintain their lead of the Dutch league. Ola Toivonen put PSV ahead in the 44th minute after combining with Dries Mertens. Belgium forward Mertens then drilled an unstoppable shot to increase PSV’s lead in the 66th minute, but Guyon Fernandez’s two goals inside seven minutes gave Feyenoord hope, before Labyad’s late winner. Luuk de Jong’s 44th-minute goal secured a 1-0 win for Steve McClaren’s Twente against Utrecht. PSV lead with 48 points, while AZ Alkmaar are second with 46 after drawing 3-3 with SC Heerenveen. Twente, who have a game in hand, are third with 45 points. Also on Sunday, Siem de Jong grabbed a pair of goals to lead Ajax to a 4-1 win over Excelsior Rotterdam as the Amsterdam side moved fifth in the standings. In other games on Sunday, it was RKC Waalwijk 1, Vitesse Arnhem 0; NAC Breda 4, ADO The Hague 0; VVV-Venlo 3, Heracles Almelo 1; Roda JC 0, De Graafschap 2; and NEC Nijmegen 4, Groningen 0.
PORTUGAL
Porto go top of the table
Porto moved atop the Portuguese league standings with a 2-0 home win over Feirense on Sunday. The defending champions’ 15th win of the season lifted them level with Benfica on points, with the two rivals set to meet on Friday. Defender Luciano left Feirense with 10 men in the 57th minute when he was shown a red card for fouling Marc Janko in the area. Hulk missed the resulting penalty, but centerback Maicon gave Porto the lead with a header in the 68th minute and substitute James Rodriguez sealed the win in the 72nd. Also on Sunday, it was Pacos Ferreira 0, Nacional 2; Beira Mar 2, Setubal 3; Olhanense 0, Gil Vicente 0; and Sporting 1, Rio Ave 0.
ITALY
Prandelli drops Balotelli
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli was dropped from the Italy squad for tomorrow’s friendly international against the US in Genoa for breaking coach Cesare Prandelli’s ethical code. Balotelli scored in City’s 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, but he had previously been suspended for four matches after a stamp on Tottenham Hotspur’s Scott Parker last month. “I don’t want players who commit reaction fouls and get sent off,” Prandelli had already warned on Saturday. “He seems a little agitated to me. When I say we have to reach the European Championship prepared, I mean I don’t want to see players who, at the first sign of difficulty, commit reaction fouls and get sent off, leaving their teammates to struggle with 10 men.” Balotelli has been replaced in the squad by AS Roma’s 20-year-old striker Fabio Borini.
ENGLAND
Rooney, Cleverley ruled out
Caretaker manager Stuart Pearce’s selection headache ahead of his first match in charge of England against the Netherlands deepened on Sunday when both Wayne Rooney and Manchester United teammate Tom Cleverley were ruled out. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed Rooney would not be available for tomorrow’s match due to a throat infection, while also ruling out young midfielder Cleverley. “They’ll be out,” he told Sky Sports News. “Wayne has still not recovered from his throat infection, so hopefully we’ll get him ready for next Sunday, when we have a big game at White Hart Lane.” Pearce had already lost striker Darren Bent, who injured an ankle in Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
GOLF
Huh wins first tournament
US rookie John Huh won his first PGA Tour title in only his fifth start by beating Australian Robert Allenby in a marathon playoff at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico on Sunday. Huh, who had never competed on the US circuit until this year, sealed victory at the eighth extra hole to deny the 40-year-old Allenby a first PGA Tour win since the 2001 Pennsylvania Classic. The two players had finished the regulation 72 holes level at 13-under 271, Huh closing with a flawless eight-under 63 and Allenby double-bogeying the last for a 65 on the El Camaleon course. “It’s amazing, I can’t believe it happened right now,” Huh, 21, told reporters. “It was my dream to play on the PGA Tour and now, finally winning a tournament. It’s awesome.” Huh came from seven shots off the lead going into the final round.
FIELD HOCKEY
India’s men make Olympics
Eight-time champions India secured their place in the men’s field hockey event at this year’s London Olympics after routing France 8-1 in the final of a qualifying tournament in New Delhi on Sunday. Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh continued his goal-scoring spree, slotting five more in the final as India, who won the last of their eight gold medals in 1980, returned to the Olympics after missing Beijing in 2008. South Africa qualified for the women’s event, having beaten hosts India 3-1 in Saturday’s final at the same Dhyan Chand National Stadium. India opened their account with Birender Lakra’s 17th minute strike, but France did well to restrict them to 3-1 at halftime. Singh, having scored from two penalty corners in the first half, returned to convert three more to enhance his reputation as a leading drag-flick expert and finish with 16 goals from six matches. Simon Martin-Brisac scored the lone goal for the French side while S.V. Sunil and V.R.Raghunath were India’s other goal-getters.
CRICKET
Suspicious man questioned
A Pakistani has been questioned by police over his suspected involvement in spot-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 tournament, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official said on Sunday. Karachi resident Sajid Khan arrived in Dhaka on Feb. 10 and BCB security chief Mesbahuddin Serniabat said they had been watching him since the BPL’s Chittagong phase from Feb. 18 to Wednesday last week. “His movement was very suspicious and we followed him from Chittagong,” Serniabat said. “We immediately took him to the visiting ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit official before handing him over to police.” Sajid made a call to Pakistan every time a six was struck while watching the game from a VIP area on top of a dressing room, Serniabat said. He also attempted to enter the players’ zone on several occasions. Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza alleged three weeks ago that he was approached by a former cricketer over spot-fixing.
CYCLING
Manx Missile wins classic
World champion Mark Cavendish produced a blazing sprint finish to win the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne spring classic in Belgium ahead of Yauheni Huratovich and Kenny van Hummel. Cavendish was perfectly led by his Sky teammates to the finishing straight and the Manx Missile proved again why he is in a class all his own when it comes to the final burst of speed. No one got close. Huratovich of Belarus was the runner up for the second straight year, edging Dutchman Van Hummel.
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
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
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. Ninad Malwade 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
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
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