QATAR
Zidane headbutt on display
A statue immortalizing the headbutt delivered by French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane to Italy player Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final has gone on outdoor display in Qatar. Workers made the final touches on Friday after fixing the 5m monument, sculpted by Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed, on the Doha corniche. It was bought by the Qatar Museums Authority, as the Gulf state prepares to build a massive infrastructure to host the 2022 World Cup. The Coup de Tete sculpture was previously on display outside the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
FRANCE
Bastia rout weak Lorient
SC Bastia thrashed struggling Lorient 4-1 on Friday to maintain their unbeaten home record and climb provisionally up to ninth place in Ligue 1. Midfielder Ryad Boudebouz scored in the sixth minute and hit the crossbar with a curling shot midway through the first half as Bastia dominated. The home side did not have to wait long for the second goal as Wahbi Khazri scored from the penalty spot in the 23rd after he was fouled by defender Lamine Gassama. However, midfielder Mathieu Coutadeur pulled one back for the visitors 10 minutes later with a deflected shot and striker Kevin Monnet-Paquet went close to equalizing moments later. Former Juventus midfielder Milos Krasic made it 3-1 in the 59th after running onto Gianni Bruno’s clever backheel and clipping the ball over goalkeeper Fabien Audard despite a tight angle. Ivory Coast midfielder Romaric added the fourth near the end when he headed in Boudebouz’s cross from the left.
GERMANY
Hertha, Hannover draw
Hertha BSC substitute Ronny came on with 10 minutes remaining to rescue a 1-1 draw for his side at Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga on Friday. The Brazilian midfielder blasted an unstoppable free-kick from the edge of the area with his first touch of the game, sending the ball swerving into the top left corner in the 81st minute. “Unbelievable goal,” Hertha general manager Michael Preetz said. Hannover opened the scoring against the run of play through Christian Schulz in the 23rd, when Hajime Hosogai’s attempted clearance after a corner landed straight at his feet. Hertha pushed for an equalizer after the break, but failed to create any clear opportunities until Anis Ben-Hatira struck the post in the 58th. Adrian Ramos should have scored, but shot narrowly wide, before Ronny finally produced a deserved equalizer. Hertha then had goalkeeper Thomas Kraft to thank for saving Artur Sobiech’s point-blank effort in the last minute. Hannover striker Didier Ya Konan was taken to a hospital with a severe-looking ankle injury sustained in a tussle before halftime. “It was a bitter blow for us. For the players to see that at halftime didn’t do our prospects any good in the second half,” Hannover manager Mirko Slomka said.
SPAIN
Rami suspended for insults
Valencia say they have suspended France defender Adil Rami for one week without pay for insulting his coach and teammates in a recent radio interview. Rami told Cadena Ser on Sept. 24 that manager Miroslav Djukic “wasn’t up front” with him and also criticized members of the squad. Valencia said in a statement on Friday that Rami had “repented for his statements against his coach and teammates” and that the club had “taken this into account” when deciding to punish him. Rami has not played for Valencia since the interview.
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
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
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
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
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