SOCCER
China names young squad
China coach Alain Perrin put his faith in the nation’s youngsters when he named his 23-man squad for next month’s Asian Cup campaign yesterday. The Frenchman’s only selection aged over 30 was captain and Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year last year Zheng Zie. The Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder is joined by six of his club teammates in the squad for the Jan. 9 to Jan. 31 tournament, where China have been drawn in Group B alongside Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and North Korea.
FORMULA ONE
Red Bull retain Buemi
Switzerland’s Sebastien Buemi is to start his fifth year as Red Bull’s reserve driver next season, the Formula One team said on Tuesday. Former Toro Rosso racer Buemi won the world endurance championship for Toyota this season, with Britain’s Anthony Davidson, and has also raced in the new Formula E electric series. “He’s been closely associated with the team for some years now, we value his skills very highly and we have a great working relationship with him,” team principal Christian Horner said in a statement confirming Buemi’s continuation.
SOCCER
Saints sign Elia on loan
Southampton have agreed to sign Werder Bremen’s winger Eljero Elia on loan until the end of the season. Ronald Koeman’s side are short of attacking options with Jay Rodriguez’s recovery from a cruciate ligament injury taking longer than expected and Senegal’s Sadio Mane due to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations next month. Elia, who has played 28 times for the Netherlands, is seen as the perfect man to bolster Koeman’s front three. The 27-year-old is to initially join Saints on loan when the transfer window opens next month, with the option of then making his switch from the Bundesliga outfit permanent at the end of the current campaign.
SOCCER
Ibrahimovic slams rating
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has dismissed his second-place finish on a list of Sweden’s all-time sporting greats behind tennis master Bjorn Borg. “Thank you, but to finish second is like finishing last,” he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper through his brand manager Mika Lepisto. The 33-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker was second in the list of 150 Swedish sportspeople, created by the newspaper as part of their 150th-anniversary celebrations. Asked where he would have put himself in the rankings, Ibra said: “On that list I would have been No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with due respect to the others.”
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
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