SOCCER
Croatian violence slammed
The Croatian Football Federation on Wednesday condemned violence that followed Dinamo Zagreb’s 1-0 win over Hadjuk Split in the Croatia Cup semi-finals. Spectators invaded the pitch after the final whistle and violence spilled out in and around the stadium. Local media said that 51 people were detained by police, while eight officers were injured in clashes with fans. The federation said in a statement that it condemned any form of violence in soccer. “We share the deep disappointment of the football community due to the unfortunate scenes that followed last night’s match, and we hope that each individual involved in the riots will be held accountable in accordance with the law,” it said.
Photo: AFP
TENNIS
Chan Hao-ching eliminated
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching on Thursday was eliminated at the Charleston Open, exiting in the women’s doubles quarter-finals. Makoto Ninomiya and Eri Hozumi of Japan def Chan and partner Veronika Kudermetova of Russia 6-4, 0-6, 10-5 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in South Carolina.
OLYMPICS
Diver falls at ceremony
French Olympic diver Alexis Jandard on Thursday said he was glad to have brought a smile to people’s faces after an embarrassing fall during the inauguration ceremony for an Olympic aquatics center that was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron. Jandard slipped on a board just as he was about to dive alongside two other divers, before awkwardly bouncing off the board and into the water. In an Instagram story, the 26-year-old posted a photograph of himself with scrapes on his back. “I’m fine. I didn’t hurt myself, unfortunately these things happen,” Jandard told RMC Sport. “It happened at a time when I wasn’t expecting it at all. I’ve broken boards before, but the board had never broken me before. Now it has. I would have preferred this ceremony to have gone well from start to finish. There was that little hitch. If it made people smile a little, so much the better,” he said. “We know our sport. We know what it entails. We know that these things can happen... It had to happen in front of the president and the whole of France. I think we chose the right moment.”
BOXING
Ali’s shorts under hammer
The shorts worn by Muhammad Ali in his legendary “Thrilla in Manila” boxing match are up for grabs at Sotheby’s in New York. Bids — including the latest for US$3.8 million — have been rolling in since late March for the Everlast-brand shorts, which are white with black stripes and are signed by Ali. The auction is open until Friday next week. Sotheby’s said that, as of Thursday, the minimum price agreed to by the seller of Ali’s shorts had not yet been reached. Sotheby’s estimates the shorts could eventually fetch US$4 million to US$6 million. The 1975 fight against Joe Frazier was held in the Philippines. It went to 14 rounds before Frazier’s coach threw in the towel. Ali died in 2016.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
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