SOCCER
Brazil beat Russia 3-0
Brazil on Friday cruised to a 3-0 win over FIFA World Cup hosts Russia without an injured Neymar. In freezing temperatures at Moscow’s vast Luzhniki Stadium, the Brazilians worked hard to break down Russia’s deep defense before three goals in 13 minutes early in the second half. Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev parried Thiago Silva’s 53rd-minute shot into the path of Miranda, who scored from close range. Philippe Coutinho made it 2-0 from the penalty spot 9 minutes later, and Paulinho added Brazil’s third in the 66th with a header off Willian’s cross. Less than three months before the World Cup opens at Luzhniki, the defeat highlighted Russia’s vulnerability at the back. Injuries to two central defenders this year forced coach Stanislav Cherchesov to field a makeshift five-man back line, which was often able to do little more than stay deep and defend in numbers. Up front, the Russians missed the injured Alexander Kokorin — who is unlikely to return for the World Cup — but still managed to create chances against a sometimes-shaky Brazilian defense.
TABLE TENNIS
Ghosh denies rape
Indian table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh has been provisionally suspended by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) after an 18-year-old woman filed a rape allegation against him with the police. The 24-year-old, who represented India at the 2012 London Olympics and the Rio Olympics four years later was also named in the squad to compete at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Australia. Ghosh has denied the allegations. The TTFI said in a statement on Friday that it had placed Ghosh under provisional suspension, pending the final outcome of a police investigation and court verdict, if any. “I am in touch with my lawyer and will decide the course of action,” Ghosh told the Hindu newspaper.
BOXING
Alvarez fails second drug test
Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez was temporarily suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission following two positive tests for the banned fat-burning drug clenbuterol, the body’s executive director Bob Bennett said in a statement on Friday. Alvarez is to meet with the commission on April 10 for a final decision on his case, less than a month before his scheduled rematch against multiple middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas on May 5. The pair battled to a controversial draw in September last year. Alvarez has a 49-1-2 record, with his only loss coming against Floyd Mayweather in 2013, while Golovkin has won 37 of his 38 bouts, with the only blemish on his record the draw against the Mexican.
BIATHLON
Kuzmina wins sprint title
Anastasia Kuzmina won the biathlon World Cup sprint title in Tyumen, Russia, despite a 12th-place finish in Friday’s race that cut her lead in the overall standings. The Slovakian missed three shots as she finished more than 1 minute off the pace of race winner and overall title contender Darya Domracheva of Belarus. Domracheva took the win by 1.2 seconds from Kaisa Makarainen of Finland, while Tiril Eckhoff of Norway was third. That meant that Kuzmina won the sprint season title by 10 points from Domracheva, but that her overall lead was cut to 16 points over Makarainen with two races remaining. The US and Canadian teams were among a number of biathletes to boycott the final World Cup round because they consider Russia’s doping scandals make it an unsuitable host.
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
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,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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