LA LIGA
Atletico close gap
Atletico Madrid’s fine form continued as Filipe Luis scored in a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad to close to within seven points of leaders Real Madrid on Tuesday. Atletico, moved three points clear of Sevilla in the battle for third. “Other than the opening 15 minutes when they dominated the ball, we imposed our tempo, pressed well high up the pitch and created chances,” Atletico manager Diego Simeone said. “It is a very important win.” Antoine Griezmann was involved in the only goal as Luis exchanged passes with him and Fernando Torres before slotting home. Athletic Bilbao were 2-0 victors over RCD Espanyol thanks to Aritz Aduriz’s first-half double, while Villarreal’s Adrian Lopez scored the only goal in their game against Real Betis Balompie.
COPPA ITALIA
Lazio reach the final
SS Lazio on Tuesday reached the final, despite losing 3-2 in the second leg to bitter city rivals AS Roma, advancing 4-2 on aggregate. A double from Mohamed Salah added to Stephan El Shaarawy’s goal two minutes before the break to give Roma victory on the night. However, Lazio scored in either half through midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and forward Ciro Immobile to book a third final in five years.
BUNDESLIGA
Bayern Munich run ended
Leaders Bayern Munich had their 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions ended by TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Tuesday as Andrej Kramaric’s winner sealed the hosts’ historic 1-0 victory. It was Bayern’s first loss since going down 3-2 against Russia’s Rostov in a Champions League group game in November last year. It was also only their second defeat in 27 Bundesliga games, having also stumbled against Borussia Dortmund, but they still hold a 13-point lead at the top of the table. “Of course, we shouldn’t have allowed that to happen,” Bayern captain for the night Arjen Robben said. “It was better in the second half, but the ball wouldn’t go in. Our lead [on the table] is still big, but that was an unnecessary defeat.” A poor clearance from Bayern defender Mats Hummels was snapped up by striker Kramaric, who slammed his shot past Sven Ulreich. In other games, Dortmund beat Hamburg SV 3-0, Schalke 04 lost 3-0 to Werder Bremen and Cologne beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0.
COUPE DE FRANCE
Monaco surge into semis
Valere Germain hit a brace as AS Monaco surged into the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over 10-man Lille OSC on Tuesday. They made light work of visiting Lille at a sparse Stade Louis II, despite fielding a weakened side. Striker Radamel Falcao and starlets Kylian Mbappe and Tiemoue Bakayoko were all named on the bench. Monaco took the lead in the 35th minute when striker and captain-for-the-night Germain rifled high into the roof of the net and five minutes later Lille were in deeper trouble when Carlens Arcus was sent off for hauling down Jorge as the Brazilian had a run at goal. Monaco made it 2-0 just before the break when Germain struck again, this time from close range. Lille pulled a consolation goal back through Anwar El Ghazi deep into stoppage-time. Monaco joined En Avant de Guingamp in the last four after they beat fourth-tier minnows Frejus Saint-Raphael 1-0.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
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