JAPAN
Hiroshima stay top of league
Sanfrecce Hiroshima maintained their lead in the J-League standings on Saturday after earning a point in a 0-0 draw at Yokohama F Marinos. Hiroshima, chasing a first J-League title, are three points clear of Vegalta Sendai with six games remaining. Sendai beat Gamba Osaka 2-1 thanks to a late winner by Takayuki Nakahara. Third-place Urawa Reds saw their title hopes take a hit after a 2-1 defeat by last-place Consadole Sapporo. Urawa trail Hiroshima by six points. In other matches, Yoichiro Kakitani scored from the penalty spot with four minutes left as Cerezo Osaka beat Sagan Tosu 3-2. Dutra scored a hat-trick to lead Kashima Antlers to a 5-1 thrashing of FC Tokyo while Albirex Niigata and Vissel Kobe finished 0-0 as did Nagoya Grampus and Omiya Ardija. Jorge Wagner scored the lone goal as Kashiwa Reysol beat Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 and Shimizu S-Pulse also defeated Jubilo Iwata 1-0 thanks to Daisuke Muramatsu’s first-half goal.
SCOTLAND
Stirling stun Rangers
Rangers suffered their first league defeat of the season after being demoted to Scotland’s fourth tier, losing 1-0 to struggling Stirling Albion on Saturday. Rangers, 54-times Scottish champions, were forced to relaunch in the third division after collapsing under crippling debts. They are overwhelming favorites to win promotion, but have slipped to third in the table after an underwhelming start that has included three league draws to add to Saturday’s defeat. Stirling, who began the day bottom of the table, claimed victory thanks to a goal from Brian Allison after 10 minutes.
ENGLAND
Chelsea act on Cole tweet
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole will face disciplinary action from the club after his foul-mouthed Twitter rant against the English Football Association (FA), manager Roberto Di Matteo said on Saturday. Di Matteo told reporters after the 4-1 Premier League win over Norwich City that the England left-back would be punished by Chelsea. He is also likely to be disciplined by the FA. “We’ve got a social media policy at the club and there’s going to be a disciplinary process — action — against the tweet and that’s how I’ll leave it,” Di Matteo said. Cole called the FA a “bunch of t***s” on Friday after being accused of “evolving” his statement supporting Chelsea teammate John Terry’s defense against the charge he racially abused Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand during a match. Although Cole removed the tweet and “unreservedly apologized” within hours of posting it, the matter is clearly far from over.
ROMANIA
Danciulescu breaks record
Dinamo Bucharest striker Ionel Danciulescu broke the record for most appearances in the Romanian league when he played in his 491st match in the 2-2 draw at Gaz Metan Medias on Saturday. Danciulescu, who made his league debut exactly 19 years ago for Electroputere Craiova, also played for Dinamo’s bitter city rivals Steaua between 1998-2001. “Records? I don’t really care about them,” he told local media. “I just want to play well and help my team achieve good results.” Danciulescu, who turns 36 in December, broke the previous record of 490 appearances set by former Steaua Bucharest and Universitatea Craiova defender Costica Stefanescu between 1969-1988. The striker is also the second highest scorer in the league with 210 goals, 148 for Dinamo, behind Dudu Georgescu (252). Danciulescu has won eight caps for Romania.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
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