SOCCER
Roma win to stay second
Edin Dzeko struck his 19th Serie A goal and Francesco Totti came off the bench with an assist as AS Roma kept their scudetto hopes alive with a 4-1 win over Torino on Sunday. Roma’s 18th win of the campaign saw Luciano Spalletti’s men leapfrog SSC Napoli, 3-1 winners at AC Chievo Verona, and return to second spot, seven points behind leaders Juventus. “We were great tonight,” Spalletti told Premium Sport. “After our win at Villarreal we risked struggling to get into this game, but instead we showed our true qualities.” “We were never going to cause an upset by winning here tonight because Roma are better than us and are undefeated at home all season,” Torino coach Sinisa Mihajlovic told Sky Sport. Marek Hamsik moved to within three strikes of Diego Maradona’s Napoli record of 115 goals in his side’s 3-1 win, while 20-year-old Brazil international Gabriel “Gabigol” Barbosa came off the bench to hit his maiden Serie A goal for Inter and secure a 1-0 win at Bologna. “I’m really happy, for my first goal and for this important win,” Barbosa said. “I hope it’s the start of something special.”
CRICKET
Afridi quits internationals
Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi says he has quit international cricket and is focusing on playing in the Pakistan Super League for the next two years. “I have said goodbye to international cricket,” Afridi told reporters in Sharjah on Sunday after his 28-ball 54 nearly pulled off a victory for the Peshawar Zalmi against the Karachi Kings. “I am playing for my fans and will continue to play this league for another two years, but it’s goodbye from international cricket. Now my foundation is important for me. I have played with seriousness and in a professional way for my country.” The 36-year-old played 98 Twenty20 internationals, scoring 1,405 runs at a strike rate of 150.75, while taking 97 wickets.
TENNIS
Chang crashes out in Dubai
Taiwanese qualifier Chang Kai-chen crashed out of the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Sunday, falling to a 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Japan’s Naomi Osaka in 1 hour, 19 minutes, while Krystyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic came from a set down to upset 16th seed Roberta Vinci of Italy 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. The Czech world No. 58, who played under the watchful eye of her twin sister, second seed Karolina Pliskova, was facing defeat as Vinci served for the match at 6-3, 5-4, but Krystyna Pliskova won the next four games and then broke Vinci’s serve in the sixth game of the third set to secure the victory. “I was trying to fight the whole match, but sometimes you play bad games,” she said. “I tried to be more aggressive and she made some mistakes.”
GOLF
Johnson takes No. 1 ranking
Dustin Johnson of the US secured the world No. 1 ranking in style when he smoked the field for a five-stroke victory at the Genesis Open in southern California on Sunday. With the victory, Johnson jumped from third to first in the world rankings, supplanting Australian Jason Day, who finished tied for 64th. “I believe in myself. I think I’m a great player,” a delighted Johnson said after his runaway victory. “It was a long day, but played really great all day,” Johnson said after a marathon 36-hole day to make up for Friday’s near washout.
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
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