ZIMBABWE
Ndlovu in critical condition
Former Coventry and Sheffield United striker Peter Ndlovu was in critical condition in a hospital in his native country after a car accident on Sunday that killed his older brother, Adam, and a female passenger. Peter Ndlovu, the national team’s former captain, most-capped player and record goalscorer, was taken to the hospital in his home city of Bulawayo after the crash near Victoria Falls. Adam Ndlovu, who was also a former international player, died after the accident along with the unidentified female. He was 42. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he was “deeply saddened at the passing on of a soccer legend, Adam Ndlovu” in what he called “a horror crash.”
GERMANY
Dortmund back in third
Defending champions Borussia Dortmund moved back up to third in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 3-1 win against strugglers TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, while neighbors Schalke 04 fired manager Huub Stevens. Dortmund remain 12 points behind leaders Bayern Munich. On Sunday night, Werder Bremen needed a late equalizer to draw 1-1 at home with Nuremberg after Timo Gebhart had put the visitors ahead in the 82nd minute. Earlier, Schalke announced they had parted company with Dutch manager Stevens after Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to SC Freiburg left the Royal Blues with two points from their past six league games. On Saturday, second-placed Leverkusen beat Hamburg 3-0 to trim Bayern’s lead at the top to nine points. Eintracht Frankfurt are fourth and level on 30 points with Dortmund after their 2-0 win over 10-man VfL Wolfsburg. Mainz moved up to sixth after coming from behind to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-1 as SpVgg Greuther Furth remain rooted to the bottom of the table after they drew 1-1 at Augsburg.
ITALY
Juve extend lead over Inter
Juventus extended their lead over title challengers Inter to seven points thanks to a 3-0 rout of Atalanta BC on Sunday as AC Milan continued their Serie A resurgence with a 4-1 defeat of Delfino Pescara 1936. Champions Juve held a four-point lead going into their 17th match of the campaign, but took full advantage of Inter’s 1-0 defeat away to SS Lazio on Saturday to pull clear of the pack. In Sunday’s late match, SSC Napoli spurned the chance to leapfrog Inter into second place after two late goals gave Bologna a shock 3-2 away win. Fiorentina’s 4-1 rout of Siena, complete with a brace from former Italy striker Luca Toni, saw them leapfrog Roma into fifth place. Roma had hoped to restore order on their away trip to AC Chievo Verona, but suffered a 1-0 defeat following a late goal by Chievo striker Sergio Pellissier. Meanwhile, Catania beat UC Sampdoria 3-1, while Genoa drew Torino 1-1 and Parma crushed Cagliari 4-1.
france
PSG edge Lyon, take top spot
A first-half injury-time goal from Blaise Matuidi gave Paris Saint-Germain a 1-0 victory in their top-of-the-table clash with Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes on Sunday as the capital club moved top on goal difference. PSG’s success saw them move ahead of both Lyon and Olympique de Marseille on goal difference. Lyon’s third defeat of the campaign was a further blow after they had dropped two home points in a midweek draw with rock-bottom AS Nancy-Lorraine. AS Saint-Etienne went down to a 2-0 home loss to Lorient, while Nancy, buoyed by having held Lyon, prevented Girondins de Bordeaux from moving into the top four by holding them to a 1-1 draw.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
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