NETHERLANDS
Twente slip against Utrecht
Twente slipped three points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch league after being held to a 1-1 draw by Utrecht on Sunday. Vitesse remained third following a 4-1 derby win over NEC Nijmegen, who finished the match with eight men after Victor Palsson, Remy Amieux and Ryan Koolwijk were sent off. PSV have 33 points from 13 matches following their 6-1 thrashing of ADO Den Haag on Saturday, with Twente on 30 and Vitesse on 28. Midfielder Willem Janssen gave Twente a flying start when he headed home the opener after two minutes, only for Jacob Mulenga to equalize 15 minutes later. Vitesse came from behind to beat neighboring Nijmegen, who had Palsson sent off just before the break for a second bookable offense. He was followed by Amieux, who also received two yellow cards, in the 82nd minute, while a minute later Koolwijk was shown a straight red for a wild tackle. Melvin Platje put Nijmegen ahead in the third minute after Vitesse goalkeeper Piet Velthuizen failed to clear a back-pass, but Wilfried Bony equalized soon after with a well-placed header. Guram Kashia added another for Vitesse straight after the break, before Bony, with his 14th of the season, and Mike Havenaar sealed Vitesse’s second home win. Feyenoord also stayed in touch with the top as they cruised to a 3-0 home win over bottom side Willem II Tilburg, with Lex Immers opening the scoring, before a second-half brace from Graziano Pelle settled the match. Feyenoord are fifth with 24 points behind Ajax, who were 2-0 winners over VVV-Venlo on Saturday.
RUSSIA
CSKA extend winning streak
Three-time former champions and Russian Premier League leaders CSKA Moscow extended their winning run to six consecutive matches with a confident 3-0 win over Amkar Perm on Sunday. The Red Army side moved up to 39 points from 16 matches to stay five points ahead of second-placed Anzhi Makhachkala, who drew with Rostov. Defending champions Zenit St Petersburg, whose match at Dynamo Moscow on Saturday was abandoned in the 36th minute after home goalkeeper Anton Shunin was injured by a firecracker thrown by the visiting team’s fans, lie third on 33 points. CSKA dominated from the kickoff and went into a 25th-minute lead when Sweden international midfielder Rasmus Elm scored with a precise spot-kick after the guests fouled his compatriot Pontus Wernbloom in the area. After the break, the Muscovites were still in complete command and they created a set of scoring chances before Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa put the ball into an unguarded net after beating Amkar’s defense on a breakaway in the 73rd minute. CSKA’s Latvian midfielder Aleksandr Cauna rounded off the scoring in stoppage-time, firing home from Musa’s cross.
BRAZIL
Copa winners relegated
Former South American champions and eight-time Brazilian title winners Palmeiras were relegated for the second time in 10 years on Sunday. Palmeiras went down just four months after winning the Copa Brasil and they will play next year’s Copa Libertadores while in Brazil’s Serie B. “Have you been to the wake? That’s what’s happening here,” Palmeiras coach Gilson Kleina told reporters. The club’s relegation came after they drew 1-1 away to Flamengo, whose former Palmeiras striker Vagner Love equalized in the 89th minute of the match at Volta Redonda. Portuguesa, in 16th two places above Palmeiras, also drew 2-2 at home to Gremio, leaving Palmeiras seven points adrift with two matches remaining.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
Defender Steph Catley says her UEFA Women’s Champions League title win with Arsenal last week will act as motivation to secure continental glory with Australia when the country hosts the Women’s Asian Cup next year. Catley and compatriots Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were part of the Arsenal squad that defeated Barcelona in Lisbon on Sunday last week, before flying to Melbourne to feature in the Matildas’ 2-0 win over Argentina on Friday. The game was the first in a two-match series against the South Americans as the Australians continue preparations for the continental championship in March next year, when they would
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