BUNDESLIGA
Dortmund ‘autumn champs’
Borussia Dortmund are to begin the new year in pole position to win their first title since 2012 after beating second-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 on Friday. An outstanding goal from English teenager Jadon Sancho and a sliding finish from Dortmund captain Marco Reus ensured that Dortmund end the first half of the season top of the table as “autumn champions.” Reus said they showed some signs of tiredness following three league games in the past six days, including Tuesday’s shock 2-1 defeat at Fortuna Duesseldorf. “A few weeks break will do us good so that we can attack again in the new year,” Reus said. The win puts Dortmund nine points clear of ‘Gladbach, who are level on points with reigning champions Bayern Munich. Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre played an experimental back four with defensive midfielder Julian Weigl partnering Omer Toprak at centerback. “We deserved the win and now a few days of holiday,” Favre said. “Julian Weigl played really well, created a lot of movement and solved a few problems for us at the back.”
LA LIGA
Alaves tally another win
Deportivo Alaves on Friday won at Real Sociedad 1-0 to head into the winter break in fifth place. The small club beat their regional rivals thanks to an early goal by Jonathan Calleri. The Argentine striker headed in a cross from Borja Baston in the 11th minute. Alaves have proven to be the surprise of La Liga as the season reaches its midway point. Their success is largely based on a stingy defense that has kept them unbeaten in all eight of their home games. Their win at Sociedad broke a dip in form that kept them winless in four rounds. Soceidad’s fans booed their team after a fourth consecutive loss that left them in 16th place. “We have to improve in every aspect,” Sociedad midfielder David Zurutuza said. “We have trouble scoring, especially against teams like [Alaves], which defend in their half.” Sociedad gave a debut to 16-year-old Ander Barrenetxea as a late substitute.
SOCCER
Ronaldo trial set for Jan. 21
Cristiano Ronaldo is to be tried for tax fraud on Jan. 21, a Spanish court said. He is expected to plead guilty and receive a suspended two-year sentence, in agreement with a deal the Portugal forward struck with Spain’s state prosecutor and its tax authorities this year. The deal includes Ronaldo agreeing to also pay a fine of nearly 19 million euros (US$21.6 million). Last year, a state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011 to 2014 worth 14.7 million euros. Ronaldo was accused of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights.
BASEBALL
C.C. artery block removed
Left-hander C.C. Sabathia had a stent inserted after a blockage was found in an artery from his heart, and the New York Yankees anticipate the 38-year-old pitcher is to report to spring training on time. “C.C. was experiencing some chest pain which turned out to be a blockage in one artery to his heart,” Sabathia’s agent Kyle Thousand said on Friday in a statement. “A procedure was done to insert a stent to clear the blockage on Dec. 11. C.C. is doing great and will be reporting to spring training on time to get ready to play for his upcoming final season in 2019.” Sabathia is listed as 198cm and 136kg, and his weight has contributed to a chronic right knee problem that has required several operations.
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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