SOCCER
Criscito dropped from squad
Cesare Prandelli said he dropped Domenico Criscito from his Euro 2012 squad due to the “inhuman” pressure the fullback would face if he went to Poland and Ukraine. Criscito was subjected to a search warrant by police at dawn on Monday as part of an investigation by the Cremona public prosecutor into match-fixing. Prandelli and the Italian Football Federation acted quickly by dismissing Criscito from the squad and the coach says it was for the player’s own good. “I’m not taking Criscito because we would have had to face pressure that no human being could have handled, he’s certainly not serene,” Prandelli said ahead of a pre-tournament friendly against Luxembourg in Parma, Italy. “The other reason is that he could have been called up by the public prosecutor at any time, even before a game.” However, the coach has not been so draconian with Juventus centerback Leonardo Bonucci, who remains with the national team, despite accusations levied against him. Former AS Bari midfielder Andrea Masiello, who has admitted to taking a bribe, has allegedly claimed Bonucci was one of his teammates involved in match-fixing.
SOCCER
Ukraine thrash Estonia
Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine thrashed Estonia 4-0 in a pre-tournament friendly in Kufstein, Austria, on Monday. Dynamo Kiev midfielders Andrei Yarmolenko and Oleg Gusev scored one each, while forwards Andriy Voronin and Artem Milevsky were also on target. Ukraine started without veteran star striker Andriy Shevchenko, but nevertheless dominated from the outset and in the ninth minute Yarmolenko fired home the first following a Sergei Nazarenko pass. Gusev made it 2-0 after 34 minutes when he converted a penalty after Estonia skipper Ragnar Klavan fouled Yarmolenko in the area. Voronin grabbed the third four minutes before the break, sending the ball into the net with a close-range header from Marko Devic’s cross. After the interval, Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin substituted Yarmolenko for Shevchenko, who outplayed two Estonian defenders and fed another halftime substitute, Milevsky, who rounded off the scoring in the 50th minute.
CYCLING
Duggan wins national title
Liquigas-Cannondale rider Timmy Duggan won the US road race national title in Greenville, South Carolina, on Monday, making a solo attack on the final circuit of the 181km race. Frank Pipp won the sprint for second ahead of Kiel Reijnen, both finishing 26 seconds back. “It’s one of the most satisfying days of my career,” said Duggan, who finished in 4 hours, 17 minutes, 40 seconds. “It’s incredible. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and it’s exactly how it happened.When the moment’s right, you go all out. You can’t look back.”
BASEBALL
Miami’s Oviedo suspended
Miami Marlins relief pitcher Juan Carlos Oviedo was suspended for eight weeks for engaging in age and identity fraud, the MLB said on Monday. The suspension is effective immediately and will be served through July 22, MLB said in a statement. The 30-year-old, formerly known as Leo Nunez, reported to the team’s complex in Florida on Monday after spending nearly eight months in the Dominican Republic dealing with legal issues relating to his identity. On Friday last week, Oviedo was given a visa to return to the US and he took a physical on Monday. Oviedo, who made his MLB debut in 2005 with the Kansas City Royals, has 92 saves with the Marlins from 2009 to last year.
Ademola Lookman on Thursday scored on his Atletico Madrid debut in a 5-0 rout of Real Betis Balompie that sent Diego Simeone’s team to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada also scored for Atletico as they advanced to the last four for the third straight season. Atletico are trying to reach their first Copa final since winning the competition in 2012-2013. Hancko opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute and Giuliano Simeone added to the lead in the 30th, before Lookman got his first goal for Atletico on a fast
France head coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday lauded his team’s attacking performance after their dazzling 36-14 victory over Ireland in their Six Nations opener. A brace of tries from Louis Bielley-Biarrey and one from mercurial flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert helped France storm into a 29-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas and allowing Ireland back into the match, before winger Theo Attissogbe put some gloss on the victory late on. “In an attacking sense, with the ball, the team played with great accuracy,” Galthie said. “It was one of the most accurate attacking performances in a long time, despite the weather
SUPERSTAR DELIVERS: Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to propel the Spurs to a 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday shook off the early exit of injured star Luka Doncic, rallying without him in the second half for a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Austin Reaves, again coming off the bench in his second game back from a 19-game injury absence, scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, drilling a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the game early in the final frame. “Losing Luka, you know nothing’s going to be easy after that because he does so much for us, but we bonded together,” said
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
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