SOCCER
Mexico win final
Raul Jimenez scored his second goal on a penalty-kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and Mexico beat Panama 2-1 on Sunday night to win the CONCACAF Nations League tournament for the first time. Jimenez, the 33-year-old Fulham striker, dominated the week at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with all four of Mexico’s goals in El Tri’s two matches. After he scored on a header in the eighth minute against Panama, he used a stutter-step approach before perfectly striking a penalty awarded when defender Jose Cordoba touched the ball with his inexplicably outstretched arm while chasing after it in the 90th minute. “It’s fantastic to come back after what I’ve been through,” Jimenez said. “I’m really happy. This is just a great example that you never have to lose faith, and continue. You know what you’re capable to do.” This remarkable tournament is only the latest chapter in the comeback story of Jimenez, who incurred a serious head injury while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 2020.
SOCCER
Juventus sack Motta
Thiago Motta was fired as coach of slumping Juventus on Sunday, with Igor Tudor named as a replacement for the rest of the season. “The club would like to thank Thiago Motta and all of his staff for their professionalism and for the work they have carried out in recent months with passion and dedication,” Juventus said in a statement. “The club wish them the best of luck for the future. Juventus FC also announce that the men’s first team will now be led by Igor Tudor, who will take charge of his first training session tomorrow,” the club added. Juventus conceded seven goals and scored none in their last two Serie A matches leaving them in fifth place and at risk of not qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
OLYMPICS
Brisbane plans scrapped
Australia yesterday said it is overhauling its multibillion-dollar plans for hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane after years of “chaos and crisis.” The new plan, reportedly including a new 60,000-seat stadium, rewrites much of a A$7 billion (US$4.4 billion) infrastructure scheme announced two years ago. “I do believe we’ve got a plan that can get the show back on the road,” Queensland State Premier David Crisafulli told reporters on the eve of the official unveiling of the new scheme. “It’s a plan to make sure that we do deliver generational infrastructure, and it’s a plan to make sure that we do host a great Games when the eyes of the world are on us,” the conservative state leader said. “Even the most partisan person, looking at where we are at the moment, would acknowledge that it’s been three years of chaos and crisis since we were awarded the Games.”
GOLF
Woods confirms relationship
Tiger Woods on Sunday took the unusual step of confirming his romance with US President Donald Trump’s former daughter-in-law in a brief post on social media. Golf superstar Woods — renowned for jealously guarding his private life over the years — confirmed in a post on X that he is dating Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side,” Woods wrote in a caption above two photos of himself relaxing with Vanessa Trump.
Inter’s defense of their Italian Serie A title was hit with a setback on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at home to AS Roma, while Scott McTominay netted a brace as SSC Napoli beat Torino 2-0 to go top of the table. No fixtures were played on Friday or Saturday because of the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of Serie A matches took place on Sunday and yesterday. Matias Soule’s first-half strike for Roma knocked Inter off top spot earlier in the day before new Napoli opened up a three-point buffer with victory in Sunday’s
FOCUS: ‘We came out here with a goal in mind ... to keep our foot on their throat and on their neck, and continue to play 48 minutes of basketball,’ Donovan Mitchell said The Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday thrashed the Miami Heat to cruise into the next round of the NBA playoffs as the Golden State Warriors battled past the Houston Rockets 109-106 to move to the brink of a series victory. After pounding Miami 124-87 in game three on Saturday, No.1 Eastern Conference seeds Cleveland once again piled on the misery for their outclassed opponents with a crushing 138-83 victory to complete a 4-0 series win. The 55-point drubbing was the largest series-clinching victory in NBA playoff history and sets up a series against either the Indiana Pacers or Milwaukee Bucks in
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Shuttler Lin Chun-yi yesterday kept Taiwan on the board as they faced their first major challenge of the group stage after marching into the last eight at the Sudirman Cup Finals in Xiamen, China. Taiwan were losing 3-1 to South Korea as of press time last night, with only the men’s doubles match remaining. Taiwan and four-time champions South Korea have already progressed to the quarter-finals, after Taiwan on Monday blanked the Czech Republic 5-0 without giving up a single game. Before last night’s tie, Taiwan were undefeated in Group B, with a 9-1 match record, ahead of South Korea, who, although also
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