SOCCER
Messi conjures up quintet
Lionel Messi on Sunday scored all of the goals in Argentina’s 5-0 friendly win over Estonia in Pamplona, Spain. Messi joins a select club comprising only Juan Andres Marvezy and Manuel Moreno to score five in a game for Argentina. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored from the penalty spot in the eighth minute, then added four more in the space of 30 minutes (at the 45th, 47th, 71st and 76th minutes). His quintet extended his record tally of goals for his country to 86.
GOLF
Minjee Lee wins US Open
Australian Minjee Lee on Sunday secured the biggest prize in women’s golf with an emphatic four-stroke victory at the US Women’s Open at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Lee shot 71 and finished at 13-under-par 271, collecting US$1.8 million from a record total purse of US$10 million. “It’s such a great honor. It’s been my dream since I was a little girl. It’s the one I’ve always wanted to win, so now I’ve done it and it just feels amazing,” said the 26-year-old from Perth.
CYCLING
Van Aert takes Stage 1
Team Jumbo-Visma rider Wout van Aert on Sunday won the opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphine after a hilly 192km run from La Vaulte Sur Rhone to Beauchastel. Wearing his Belgian champion tunic, Van Aert beat Britain’s Ethan Hayter of Team Ineos Grenadiers and the American Sean Quinn of Team EF Education-EasyPost in a bunch sprint to the line in bright sunshine after a showery day in the Ardeche region. The peloton managed to drop the sprint specialists, such as Dylan Groenewegen and Phil Bauhaus, 10km from home on this first of five hilly runs, with a time trial and three mountain stages also on the menu.
MOTORCYCLING
Espargaro pays for error
Fabio Quartararo on Sunday won the Catalonia MotoGP helped by an astonishing error by his closest pursuer, Aleix Espargaro. As the race reached its climax, Espargaro raised his arms, thinking he had finished second only to realize that there was a still a lap to go. “The only thing I can say is ‘sorry’ to my team,” Espargaro said contritely. “It is an inadmissible error at this level of competition. It is totally my fault. I completely forgot that here the last lap is listed as zero not one, hence I took my foot off the gas in the finishing straight,” he said. “If I am to beat Fabio in the title race I cannot make such errors,” he added. His misfortune allowed compatriot Jorge Martin to take second, with his Ducati Primac teammate Johann Zarco taking third.
BOXING
Haney crowned world champ
Devin Haney was crowned the undisputed lightweight world champion at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium on Sunday with a unanimous decision over George Kambosos to hand the Australian his first-ever defeat. Haney added Kambosos’ WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring belts to the WBC strap he already held as the American controlled the fight in front of 41,129 fans to become the first undisputed champion at the weight since the start of the four-belt era. “This is a dream come true,” said Haney, who took his record to 28-0. “I took the last round off because I knew I was comfortably ahead, but I fought a good, smart fight.”
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
CHANCE TO QUALIFY: Both teams now have three points from two games, and Taiwan sit ahead of Vietnam and behind Japan, who last night beat India 11-0 Taiwan yesterday defeated Vietnam 1-0 to move into second place in Group C at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with one match remaining. Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Taiwan midfielder Saki Matsunaga’s shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1981. It was a deserved victory for Taiwan, 2-0 losers to Japan on Wednesday, who created several chances to extend their lead. Vietnam, the 2022 quarter-finalist, beat India in their opener, but struggled to
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