FORMULA ONE
Max parties until daybreak
After a grueling season and an agonizing wait to be confirmed as Formula One champion, Max Verstappen was in a hurry to finally get the party started. Leaving it proved harder. The sun was already rising over Abu Dhabi when Verstappen left the celebrations at about 7am. “All the emotions they come out,” the bleary-eyed Dutchman said on a video call on Monday. “So it was a lot of fun. Of course when I woke up it wasn’t so fun. I maybe regretted that final drink.”
SOCCER
AS Roma halt mini-slump
AS Roma on Monday put an end to their worrying recent run of form in Serie A by beating struggling Spezia 2-0. Goals from corners in each half from Chris Smalling and Roger Ibanez put coach Jose Mourinho’s side back on track following defeat at Bologna and a home hammering at the hands of champions Inter last weekend. Roma are up to sixth on 28 points, two points behind ACF Fiorentina, who hold the UEFA Europa League qualification spot, and level with Juventus in seventh after drawing at Venezia on Saturday. However, they are some way from their true objective of reaching the UEFA Champions League as they sit eight points behind fourth-placed Napoli, and, missing some key players, failed to convince at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. “I was pleased with the goals because we spent 25 minutes working on corners yesterday,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia. “I’m also pleased with the result but I didn’t like the way we played ... even when we were two goals ahead I didn’t feel like the match was over.”
OLYMPICS
Paris breaking with tradition
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024, is to take part on the River Seine, organizers announced on Monday, breaking the long-held Summer Games tradition of a stadium procession of athletes and officials. More than 160 boats filled with athletes and officials from more than 200 countries are to sail almost 6km between the Pont d’Austerlitz and Pont d’Iena bridges in central Paris, with the closing ceremony to be held at the Trocadero, an expanse of gardens and fountains which overlooks the Eiffel Tower. “Today is a stand-out moment,” said Tony Estanguet, a three-time Olympic canoe C1 gold medalist and president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee. “There are a lot of emotions, a lot of enthusiasm. The opening ceremony is by far the biggest of markers.” Paris 2024 organizers are expecting crowds of 600,000 people for what they call the largest-ever Olympic ceremony.
CRICKET
Pakistan beat T20 record
Pakistan became the first men’s team to win 18 international Twenty20 matches in a calendar year as they beat West Indies by 63 runs in the first game of their three-match series on Monday. Mohammad Rizwan (78) and Haider Ali (68) put on a dominant batting performance as Pakistan set the tourists a target of 201 in Karachi. The bowlers finished the job for the home team after Mohammad Wasim picked up four wickets and Shadab Khan took three as West Indies were skittled out for 137. Pakistan’s 18th T20 win was an improvement on their record of 17 victories in 2018.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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