CONCACAF
Galaxy beat Cartagines
Robbie Keane scored twice in the second half to lift the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-0 victory on Tuesday over Costa Rican club CS Cartagines in their group opener in the CONCACAF Champions League. Keane gave the Galaxy the lead in the 66th minute, taking a pass from Landon Donovan and scoring from a tight angle on the left. Donovan gave the last pass again for Keane’s second goal three minutes into stoppage-time. The Galaxy next face off against El Salvador’s AD Isidro Metapan in a home game on Sept. 18. Cartagines play Isidro Metapan at home next week. The winners of the three-team group advance to next year’s eight-team knockout stage.
FRANCE
Three players leave Ligue 1
Ghana international midfielder Mohammed Rabiu has joined Russia’s Kuban Krasnodar from Evian Thonon Gaillard, the French club confirmed. Rabiu, 23, has signed a three-year deal with Kuban, who are due to face Feyenoord in the UEFA Europa League playoffs. In other Ligue 1 transfers, Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht have confirmed the signing of leftback Fabrice N’Sakala from ES Troyes AC on a three-year deal. Capped at under-21 level by France, N’Sakala had been sidelined by Troyes after stating his wish to leave following their relegation from Ligue 1. Cameroon international leftback Gaetan Bong has left Valenciennes to join Greek champions Olympiakos. Valenciennes president Jean-Raymond Legrand said Bong signed a three-year deal after Olympiakos paid a transfer fee of “just over 1 million euros [US$1.34 million].”
TURKEY
National team coach quits
National coach Abdullah Avci has left his post by mutual consent, the Turkish Football federation said in a statement on Tuesday, amid a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign. Turkey are struggling to reach the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil and stand fourth in Group D with seven points from six matches, adrift of leaders the Netherlands (18) and second-placed Hungary (11), who are currently in the playoff spot. The 50-year-old Avci, who took charge in November 2011, has been criticized by fans and the media for Turkey’s poor qualifying results, which include a home defeat by Romania. “Just like winning and losing, parting ways is also a part of football. I consider that quitting my post is the right decision,” Avci was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet Daily News Web site.
ENGLAND
Cissokho loaned to Reds
French leftback Aly Cissokho has joined Liverpool on a season-long loan from Valencia, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. The 25-year-old, who has been capped once by France, joined Valencia from Olympique Lyonnais last year and made 25 league appearances in his debut campaign for the Spanish club, scoring twice. He has also played for Porto. “I’ve always dreamt of one day signing for a really legendary club,” Cissokho told Liverpool’s Web site. “I’ve always said, along with a lot of other French players, that I really love the English league, and although I’ve been fortunate enough to have played at some big clubs, in the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to play in England.” Brendan Rodgers’ side began their league campaign with a 1-0 win at home to Stoke City at the weekend and visit Aston Villa in their next game on Saturday.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
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