BASKETBALL
Taiwan A team trounce Iran
Taiwan’s men’s national A team yesterday beat Iran 80-63, recording their fourth win in the William Jones Cup in Taipei. The home squad were leading comfortably at halftime with a score of 41-16, and despite making a comeback in the third quarter, Iran could not hold them off. Taiwan’s B team were edged 71-69 by the United Arab Emirates. In earlier games, the US, represented by the UC Irvine Anteaters, beat South Korea, represented by Anyang KGC, 88-74, while Qatar downed the Philippines, represented by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 93-86.
SOCCER
Chelsea sign Caicedo
Chelsea on Monday took their spending on players to a staggering US$1 billion in 15 months under their US owners by signing Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported ￡115 million (US$146 million). It is a record fee for a transfer in the UK, surpassing the ￡106.7 million that Chelsea paid for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the January window. “I didn’t have to think twice when Chelsea called me, I just knew I wanted to sign for the club,” Caicedo said. “It’s a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.” He has signed an initial eight-year deal, which continues Chelsea’s policy of handing out long contracts to spread “amortization” costs of transfer fees across the whole deal.
SOCCER
United edge Wolves
Manchester United survived an onslaught from Wolverhampton Wanderers and huge claims for a late penalty to start the English Premier League season with a 1-0 win thanks to Raphael Varane’s header on Monday. Wolves had seen manager Julen Lopetegui walk out less than a week before the new campaign, but dominated for long spells at Old Trafford. A combination of wasteful finishing and new United goalkeeper Andre Onana kept the visitors at bay until Varane headed in 14 minutes from time. However, the manner of the performance raises questions over whether United can pose a serious challenge for their first Premier League title in a decade. “There is no easy game in the Premier League and definitely not Wolves,” United manager Erik Ten Hag said. “We hope we’ll be better on the ball in the next game.”
BASKETBALL
Harden slams 76ers boss
NBA star James Harden has said he would never play for the Philadelphia 76ers again while Daryl Morey remains the team’s general manager. In scathing comments which come with the 76ers and Harden locked in a contract standoff, the former NBA Most Valuable Player said he could no longer be part of an organization that employed Morey. “Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at an event in China for sponsors Adidas. The 33-year-old 10-time All-Star reportedly told the team last month that he wanted to be traded away from the franchise after joining from the Brooklyn Nets in February last year. US media reported on Saturday that the 76ers had shut down discussions with Harden over a trade and were expecting him to report to a training camp next month. The Athletic Web site, citing sources close to Harden, said the player has no intention of taking part in pre-season training camp.
Badminton world No. 3 Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title yesterday after beating Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, while South Korea’s An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta. The 28-year-old Dane sank world No. 7 Chou at the Indonesian capital’s Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women’s singles final, South Korean ace and world No. 1 An fought back from one game down to beat China’s
‘STILL’: In front of a packed New Jersey arena attended by Donald Trump and Mike Tyson, UFC 316 delivered high drama as Merab Dvalishvili retained his title Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili scored a second-round submission win over Sean O’Malley to retain his bantamweight title at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 316 on Saturday, with Kayla Harrison also winning by submission in the co-main event, tapping out Juliana Pena to claim the women’s bantamweight crown. In front of a packed crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, which included US President Donald Trump and retired heavyweight great Mike Tyson, Dvalishvili, a 34-year-old from the country of Georgia, won the belt in a convincing, although not aesthetically pleasing, unanimous decision. Dvalishvili (19-4) sat on top of the cage and shouted
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Hulking Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan on Monday surged away from the pack to win the second stage of the Criterium de Dauphine in Issoire, France, to take the overall lead from Tadej Pogacar. The 1.93m, 87kg Milan had to battle to keep up on a hilly 204.6km run through central France from Premilhat. When the pack hit the home straight, he rocketed away from his rivals to collect a 10-second victory bonus and the yellow jersey. “That was really tough,” Milan said. “I was dropped at one point, and I was really on the limit, but I have to say
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