PREMIER LEAGUE
Firmio scores three
Roberto Firmio scored a hat-trick, while Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah also netted as Liverpool crushed Watford 5-0 in the Premier League yesterday. The result sent Liverpool to the top of the table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games.
BUNDESLIGA
Hoffenheim beat Cologne
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Friday brought Cologne back to Earth, winning 5-0 in the Bundesliga. Cologne were sixth before kick-off, but their strong form came with a little weakness considering that they had conceded at least one goal in every game. Togo striker Ihlas Bebou led the way with the opening two goals, before midfielders Christoph Baumgartner and Dennis Geiger added two more and defender Stefan Posch finished the scoring.
LIGUE 1
Mbappe gives PSG win
Kylian Mbappe on Friday converted a late penalty to give Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 win over Angers in Ligue 1. PSG had to come from behind, with Danilo Pereira heading in the equalizer midway through the second half after Angelo Fulgini had given the away side the lead.
WORLD CUP
Poland seeks FIFA help
Poland’s soccer bosses are to ask FIFA to take action against people who made what they say are false accusations of racism against defender Kamil Glik after a heated mass scuffle during a game against England. Poland team officials had previously said that their players did not racially abuse England defender Kyle Walker during the fracas, which took place during a World Cup qualifying match in Warsaw in September.
WORLD CUP
Infantino backs Cup plan
FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday defended his plan to hold the World Cup every two years during a visit to Venezuela, saying that it would increase the chances for smaller nations to qualify. “Our job as FIFA is to constantly think about how we can improve football in the world, to make football truly global,” Infantino said during an event in Caracas. “The FIFA president is president of the 111 countries and all those countries have the right to dream, a dream like the Vinotinto [Venezuela’s national team] dream.”
FIFA
Afghanistan exits touted
World soccer’s governing body FIFA on Friday said that it had worked with the Qatari government to evacuate almost 100 players and their families from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Aug. 15.
? E-SPORTS
Gaming rights addressed
FIFA on Friday said that it would widen its gaming and e-sports portfolio to ensure that controlling rights do not lie in the hands of one party. The New York Times earlier this week that said video game publisher Electronic Arts is struggling to renew the contract that would let it use FIFA’s name for its top-selling soccer franchise. “The future of gaming and e-sports for football stakeholders must involve more than one party controlling and exploiting all rights,” FIFA said, adding that technology and mobile companies are now competing to be associated with FIFA, its platforms, and global tournaments.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
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