BASKETBALL
France claim Euro title
France won their first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 in the European Championship final on Sunday, despite Tony Parker having an uncharacteristically quiet game. Lithuania shut down Parker, but could not handle his teammates, who provided the big shots when France needed them. France broke open a close game by finishing the third quarter with a 14-0 run that kept Lithuania scoreless for four minutes. France’s lead grew to 22 points with three minutes remaining in the third and Lithuania never came close to a comeback. Nicolas Batum had 17 points and Boris Diaw added 15, while Linas Kleiza led Lithuania with 20. Parker finished with 12 points, but his scoring and leadership during the run to the final earned him the tournament’s MVP award. Earlier on Sunday, Spain beat Croatia 92-66 to get the bronze medal.
BASEBALL
Bees kill buzz at AL game
A swarm of bees interrupted Sunday’s American League game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners before being blasted by a fire extinguisher and dispersed. The game, which the Mariners won 3-2, was halted twice because of the bees, including a 23-minute delay in the third inning. The bees mostly hovered in the outfield, but also affected the pitchers. Action was again stopped briefly in the fourth when outfielders had to swat them away. “I’ve never seen bees like that,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.
SOCCER
Riot ends Istanbul derby
The high-profile Istanbul derby between bitter rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas was abandoned on Sunday when fans invaded the pitch, throwing seats at tear gas-firing police. There were just two minutes left when supporters of Besiktas, who were losing 2-1 at the time, clashed with police, NTV television reported. Fighting began after Galatasaray midfielder Felipe Melo was red-carded in the second minute of injury-time. Fans chanted: “Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance,” referring to a well-known slogan of the protests over Taksim Gezi Park that rocked Turkey in June.
SAILING
Oracle make Cup comeback
A formidable Oracle Team USA are making an America’s Cup comeback against Emirates Team New Zealand that last week looked all but impossible. The team won Sunday’s two scheduled races on San Francisco Bay, refusing to give up the one final victory the Kiwis need to take the Cup. Oracle now need to win another four races against New Zealand, which have lost four in a row since their last victory on Wednesday last week. “We are going to get more out of the old girl,” Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill said. “We worked very, very hard last night and found some extra wheels.” New Zealand’s advantage over Oracle has fallen to 8-5 in the best-of-17 series. Last week, Oracle had just one point. Racing will continue until there is a winner.
GOLF
Quesne wins Italian Open
France’s Julien Quesne clinched his second European Tour title on Sunday when he won the Italian Open by one shot despite starting the final round four shots off the pace. The 33-year-old went through the back nine in 31, picking up birdies at the 10th, 11th and 15th holes. He then chipped in from short of the 17th green and putted from six feet for another birdie on the last to complete a closing 67. That gave him a 12-under-par total and a one-shot win over Ireland’s David Higgins and England’s
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
RSS