NFL
Rams pick quarterback Goff
The Los Angeles Rams on Thursday selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. The No. 2 selection for the Philadelphia Eagles was Carson Wentz, making it the second straight year that two quarterbacks were the first two selections. Goff started every game during his three college seasons at California, setting records with 977 completions, 12,220 yards passing and 96 touchdown passes. The Rams, back in Los Angeles for next season after relocating from St Louis, traded with Tennessee to get the pick. Wentz led North Dakota State to their fifth consecutive FCS college championship in January. He passed for 1,651 yards and 17 touchdowns during his senior year that was shortened by a broken right wrist. Philadelphia acquired the No. 2 selection in a trade with Cleveland last Wednesday. It is the first opening-round quarterback for the Eagles since taking Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 pick in the 1999 draft.
TENNIS
Tomic out of Istanbul Open
Top-seeded Bernard Tomic was knocked out of the Istanbul Open, losing to unseeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday. As the top seed, Tomic also lost his opening match a week ago at the Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest. “I am playing well on these courts, which are slow,’’ Schwartzman said. “I tried to be focused today and I think I played a great match.” In the quarter-finals, he faces Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who defeated Illya Marchenko of Ukriane 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Third-seeded Ivo Karlovic hit 13 aces to advance past Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 7-6 (11), 7-6 (7), recording his 300th career victory, and is to play fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain, who defeated Hyeon Chung of South Korea 6-3, 6-4.
CYCLING
Quintana takes second stage
Colombia’s Nairo Quintana seized control of the Tour de Romandie by winning Thursday’s second stage in Morgins after defending champion Ilnur Zakarin was stripped of his victory. Quintana, who was jostling with fellow escapee Zakarin in a sprint finish, crossed the line in second behind the Russian, before the Katusha rider was downgraded by race officials for interfering with his rival. “Zakarin would have won anyway, but he boxed me in. I am not commenting on the decision of the judges,” Quintana said. “It is not easy to win here given the plateau. Being able to do so is a very good sign.” The pair finished 26 seconds ahead of a group headed by Portugal’s Rui Costa, with Rigoberto Uran and Thibaut Pinot also clocking the same time in the Swiss mountain village. Podium hopefuls Rafal Majka, Bauke Mollema and 2010 winner Simon Spilak all finished together as well, but American Tejay van Garderen lost over a minute.
TENNIS
Goffin advances in Munich
Belgium’s David Goffin on Thursday beat Victor Estrella of the Dominican Republic 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarter-finals of the Munich Open. Goffin next faces Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who secured his quarter-final berth after downing the Czech Republic’s Lukas Rosol 6-3, 6-4. In Thursday’s other matches, Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany defeated fellow German Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-2, Italy’s Fabio Fognini downed Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 7-5, and Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalik downed the Netherlands’ Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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