Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, the first Italian top-flight soccer player diagnosed with COVID-19, on Monday said that he was “doing well” and hoped his case “served to sensitize everyone” to the illness.
“I’m fine, I reassure everyone. I’ve always been quite well, I haven’t had any serious symptoms. I consider myself lucky,” Rugani told Juventus TV.
The 25-year-old Italy international was diagnosed on Wednesday last week, with the Turin club saying that he was asymptomatic.
Photo: AP
Since then a total of 11 Serie A players have being diagnosed with the illness.
“There was a huge media explosion right away. A lot of people wrote to me and I thank them,” said Rugani, who was self-isolating in a room at the team’s J-Hotel, beside the Italian champions’ training center. “I hope it served to raise awareness, especially those who had not understood the seriousness of this problem.”
“I’m going to get over it, we’re going to get by and I hope we’ll all come out even stronger,” he said. “The quarantine is tough, even more so because you are alone, so I can’t wait to embrace all my loved ones.”
In Spain, La Liga side Valencia said more than a third of their playing and backroom staff have tested positive for COVID-19, but that all the cases were asymptomatic.
The club had reported five cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, with Argentina’s Ezequiel Garay and France’s Eliaquim Mangala both confirming they were among those who had contracted the coronavirus.
“Several further tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus amongst Valencia coaching staff and players have come back positive,” the club said in a statement.
Valencia traveled to Milan, Italy, last month for a UEFA Champions League match against Atalanta BC played at a packed San Siro.
“Despite the strict measures adopted by the club after the Champions League game ... these latest results show the exposure inherent in such matches has caused a positive test rate of about 35 percent,” the statement said. “All cases are asymptomatic and those involved are currently isolated at home, receiving medical assessment and carrying out their scheduled training plan.”
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
A man fell from the 6.4m-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh during Wednesday night’s game between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man, who had fallen onto the warning track. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel before being removed from the field on a cart. The team issued a statement shortly
PAINFUL VICTORY: Ruud said that felt pain in his rib during the warmup and was put on painkillers so that he could finish the match against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo With the help of painkillers, Casper Ruud overcame a rib ailment to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets and reach the Madrid Open final on Friday. Ruud is to face Jack Draper, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semi-final to make his third final of the year. Ruud received treatment on his rib three games into the match and went on to win 6-4, 7-5 on the Caja Magica center court. The 15th-ranked Norwegian saved 15 of the 18 break points he faced against the 21st-ranked Argentine. Ruud said he felt something in his rib during the warmup, just before
RSS