SOCCER
Ronaldo stretches streak
Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his goal-scoring streak to six consecutive league games as Juventus took top spot in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win over AS Roma, whose defeat was made worse by a cruciate ligament injury that rising star Nicolo Zaniolo sustained. Juventus moved two points ahead of Inter after going two goals up in just 10 minutes in Rome. “We were very good for 60 minutes. Then, if you play against Roma, it is almost inevitable to suffer in the end,” Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri said. Defender Merih Demiral found a way through after three minutes when he connected with a Paulo Dybala free-kick. Minutes later Argentine Dybala was hauled down in the box and Ronaldo stepped up to convert from the spot to make it nine goals in six league games. Zaniolo was stretchered off in tears eight minutes before the break after sustaining a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Zaniolo, who is considered one of Italy’s most exciting young talents and was a rare bright point for Roma in a torrid first half, was to undergo surgery yesterday. “I swear to you ... I’ll be stronger than before,” the 20-year-old wrote on Instagram. Earlier, Alejandro Berenguer struck the only goal as Torino beat Bologna to climb to seventh, while Hellas Verona won 2-1 over Genoa. Elsewhere, UC Sampdoria thrashed Brescia 5-1, ACF Fiorentina beat SPAL 1-0 and Udinese beat US Sassuolo 3-0.
SOCCER
City dominant over Villa
Manchester City delivered a supremely dominant team performance to beat Aston Villa 6-1 on Sunday and take second place in the Premier League. Sergio Aguero became the league’s all-time top-scoring foreign player on 177 goals and scorer of most hat-tricks by any player with 12 as the whole City team shone in yet another big win. “I’m so happy for the record, but I thank my teammates, because they helped me this year,” Aguero said. Aguero scored three goals and had an assist for Riyad Mahrez, who scored two in a game for the first time in 16 months. Gabriel Jesus scored off a cross from Kevin de Bruyne, whose 14 assists this season are six more than any other player in the Premier League. Anwar el-Ghazi scored from a penalty for Villa. Elsewhere, Watford beat AFF Bournemouth 3-0.
BADMINTON
Momota hurt in fatal crash
Badminton world No. 1 Kento Momota was injured in a pre-dawn fatal vehicle collision in Malaysia yesterday, just hours after he secured his first victory of the season at the Malaysia Masters. The Japanese shuttler and three others were thought to have been on their way to Kuala Lumpur International Airport when the hired van they were in rammed into the rear of a 30-tonne truck, according to statements from the police and a local fire department. The driver of the van was killed in the crash and his body had to be cut free from the wreckage. Police and the Malaysian Badminton Association (BAM) said that in addition to Momota, the three others involved in the incident were his physiotherapist, his assistant coach and a Badminton World Federation official. The association said in a statement that Momota sustained multiple lacerations to his face and a fractured nose.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
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