PREMIER LEAGUE
Liverpool’s march continues
Liverpool overcame another obstacle on the path to what looks an almost certain Premier League title as they chalked up a record-breaking 20th win in 21 matches with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. With closest rivals Leicester City suffering a shock 2-1 home defeat against Southampton, Roberto Firmino’s goal sent Juergen Klopp’s side 16 points clear at the top with a game in hand. Manchester United roared back to form with a 4-0 demolition of bottom club Norwich City, while Chelsea maintained their grip on fourth place with a 3-0 defeat of Burnley at Stamford Bridge. Everton won 1-0 at home against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal drew 1-1 against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers drew 1-1.
LIGUE 1
Lyon rally to beat Bordeaux
A fine finish from coveted striker Moussa Dembele and a deflected effort from Maxwell Cornet helped Olympique Lyonnais rally to beat Girondins de Bordeaux 2-1 in Ligue 1 action on Saturday. Dembele’s firm drive in the 53rd minute came after he was set up by Cornet, who equalized three minutes earlier for Lyon. Veteran forward Jimmy Briand put Bordeaux ahead in the 15th minute. The win moved Lyon up to sixth place and Dembele grabbed his 14th goal in 28 games. Elsewhere, Olympique de Marseille defeated Stade Rennais 1-0, Stade de Reims lost to Nimes Olympique 1-0, Montpellier HSC won 2-1 against Amiens SC, Metz bested RC Strasbourg Alsace 1-0, Toulouse went down 5-2 to Dynamo Brest and OGC Nice scraped a 1-1 draw against Angers SCO.
SERIE A
Ibrahimovic scores in win
Veteran star Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in his first AC Milan start since his return to the club in a 2-0 win over Cagliari on Saturday. The 38-year-old played the entire match, scoring on 64 minutes for his first Milan goal since leaving the club for Paris Saint-Germain eight years ago. “I’ll celebrate like a god at San Siro, not here,” said Ibrahimovic, whose previous scored in the Milan jersey was in May 2012. “I celebrate God every time I score, that way I feel alive!” Ibrahimovic, who did not want to be substituted, said: “I feel good, the coach just wanted to think about my age and see if I needed a rest, but there’s no problem. My brain is always the same and the body has to follow.” Inter’s position on top of Serie A is at risk after a 1-1 draw against Atalanta BC. Lautaro Martinez put Inter ahead after four minutes at the San Siro only for Robin Gosens to pull Atalanta level on 76 minutes. SS Lazio consolidated third position with the only goal in their game against SSC Napoli.
COP DEL REY
Valladolid win in shoot-out
Real Valladolid’s Andriy Lunin on Saturday saved two penalties in a shoot-out after their second-round clash against second-division side Marbella ended 1-1 in regulation time, sending the top-tier side through 5-2 on penalties. Other winners were RCD Mallorca, CA Osasuna, Real Zaragoza, Mirandes, Leganes, Real Betis, Ebro, UD Ibiza, Tenerife, Elche, Badajoz, Athletic Bilbao, second-division side Badalona — who beat top-flight Getafe 2-0 — Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, Recreativo de Huelva, Girona, UD Logrones, Granada and Villarreal.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
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