SOCCER
PSG held by Ajaccio
Paris Saint-Germain gave Lucas Moura his Ligue 1 debut on Friday, but it was fellow Brazilian Thiago Motta who stole the headlines by being red-carded in a lackluster 0-0 draw at home against AC Ajaccio. The result gave the big-spending Paris club a one-point lead at the top of the table having played one game more than title rivals Lyon and Marseille. On a miserable night for PSG, coach Carlo Ancelotti saw midfielder Motta sent off just before halftime for a foul on Frederic Sammaratino. Things got worse 10 minutes after the interval when defender and captain Thiago Silva went off with an injured thigh. In Friday’s other Ligue 1 match AS Saint-Etienne and Toulouse drew 2-2.
SOCCER
Rayo beat Bilbao
Rayo Vallecano won 2-1 at Athletic Bilbao on Friday to move into sixth spot in La Liga, level on points with fourth-placed Malaga in the Champions League qualification slots. Lass Bangoura and Piti, with a penalty, put Rayo two up in the second half and they held on despite Bilbao pulling one back through Mikel San Jose near the end and a late red card for visiting defender Alejandro Galvez. Rayo, who are in administration and operate on La Liga’s smallest budget, climbed to 31 points, the same as Real Betis in fifth and Malaga, after a fourth straight win. Last season’s Europa League and Copa del Rey finalists Bilbao were 14th with 21 points after a third consecutive defeat.
SOCCER
Coach demands apology
Morocco coach Rachid Taoussi has demanded a written apology from Adel Taarabt, the Queens Park Rangers midfielder, who is accused of lacking respect and making unfounded accusations. In a statement on Friday, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation mentioned a report they had received from Taoussi denouncing “the unacceptable attitude of the player who showed a lack of respect to him [Taoussi] during an exchange of text messages.” According to local media, Taoussi last month wanted to meet up with Taarabt, at that stage in the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, in London. However, the Premier League player refused, telling him that “he didn’t want to join a squad in which there were lots of people who didn’t want to see him.” The 23-year-old was duly left off Morocco’s list of 23 players announced on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Brit beats disease to qualify
Scot Jamie Baker took another step on a remarkable comeback from a life-threatening blood disease yesterday by qualifying for the Australian Open. The British No. 2 beat American Donald Young 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to make the Grand Slam main draw, more than four years after contracting the potentially fatal idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The rare blood condition affects the immune system and there were fears he would not play again, but the 26-year-old has fought back and also overcome depression to keep his career moving in the right direction. Baker contracted the illness at a training camp in the US and spent three days in intensive care. He got through the crisis, but his ranking plummeted and he revealed that he battled depression for a long time after. “I suffered quite bad depression afterwards,” said Baker, who is now ranked 246. “But there was a distinct moment two years ago when I moved on. It was at a tournament in Thailand when it happened. I came off court and felt normal again. It felt like someone had lifted a concrete building off me.”
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
RSS