PORTUGAL
Mourinho to be honored
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is to get a street in Setubal named after him in honor of his sporting achievements, the town hall of his hometown said on Thursday. Mourinho, the 50-year-old self-styled “Special One,” is arguably the most successful ever Portuguese coach. He has won league titles in four different countries with Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid, and has led teams to two UEFA Champions League trophies. Setubal town hall said in a statement it had made the decision because of Mourinho’s “extraordinary role in international sport.” “He is, in all fairness, one of the coaches in the world with the most prestige and qualification,” it said. The exact street or avenue has not yet been chosen, but the town hall’s general assembly voted unanimously to approve the naming.
ENGLAND
City youth player jailed
A Manchester City youth player broke down in tears on Thursday as he was jailed for 16 months for killing a brother and sister while speeding in his Mercedes in Manchester. A Manchester court heard that 18-year-old Courtney Meppen-Walter was driving at nearly double the speed limit of 30mph (48kph) when he hit a car carrying Kulwant Singh, 32, and his 37-year-old sister, Ravel Kaur. Both siblings, who hailed from the Manchester area, were killed, while Ravel Kaur’s two sons, aged 16 and 17, were injured. Meppen-Walter, who was also the captain of the England under-18 side, will serve half his sentence in custody, but may be released early and obliged to wear an electronic tag. The judge also banned him from driving for three years and ordered the sale of the car, with the proceeds to go to the injured passengers.
ITALY
El Shaarawy inks new deal
AC Milan have tied Stephan El Shaarawy to an improved deal that will see the club’s top striker remain with the Rossoneri until 2018, the Serie A club announced on Thursday. “Stephan El Shaarawy and Milan have confirmed today that the young striker’s contract has been extended,” a statement issued by the club said. El Shaarawy has been one of the few standout performers this season for a team that lost its backbone during a turbulent summer transfer period for the seven-time Italian champions. The scorer of 16 league goals so far, the Italy international — who has an Egyptian father and an Italian mother — helped keep Milan afloat during their worst ever start to a season in Serie A. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have since battled their way back up the table in recent months and now sit in fourth place ahead of their match with third-placed SS Lazio today.
ENGLAND
Injured toe rules out Nolan
West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan is set to miss today’s trip to Stoke City with a toe injury, the Premier League club’s assistant manager said on Thursday. The prolific 30-year-old midfielder aggravated the problem, which has plagued him all season, in Monday’s 3-2 home league defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. “We’re still waiting for the results to come back, his toe is very, very sore,” assistant manager Neil McDonald told the club’s Web site. “He’s had problems in the past with it, all season really, and he got a really good kick on it, so I imagine he won’t be available for Saturday, and then we’ll see how the results come back and see where he’s at.” Nolan had to be substituted 10 minutes before halftime against Spurs after struggling on for almost half an hour following a foul by midfielder Mousa Dembele, who was booked.
GUNNING FOR A WIN: The victory sending Arsenal to the final for the first time in six years was cathartic for a team who had lost their previous four semi-finals Arsenal on Tuesday reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg. Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium. It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in last year’s UEFA Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 UEFA Europa League. In their first final for six years,
DEADLINE DAY: Rennes’ Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month, but was reportedly put off the move due to the Blues’ bloated squad Liverpool on Monday won the race to sign Stade Rennais defender Jeremy Jacquet on the quiet final day of the English Premier League transfer window, while Crystal Palace swooped for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen despite the collapse of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move to AC Milan. The Reds agreed a reported fee of up to ￡60 million (US$82 million) for the highly rated Jacquet. However, the 20-year-old will not join the Premier League champions until the summer despite Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements. Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month, but was reportedly put off
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
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
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