COPPA ITALIA
Dallinga scores brace
A Thijs Dallinga double on Tuesday helped Bologna to a 3-0 win against Empoli in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final as the visitors remained on course to end their more than 50-year wait to lift the trophy. The relegation-threatened hosts were outclassed by UEFA Champions League-chasing Bologna, who took the lead in the 23rd minute when Jens Odgaard crossed from the left to find Riccardo Orsolini unmarked. The visitors doubled their advantage six minutes later with Dallinga tucking away a perfect through-ball from Dan Ndoye and six minutes after the interval the pair combined again with Dallinga sliding in to finish off Ndoye’s pass across goal.
Photo: Reuters
COUPE DE FRANCE
PSG avoid upset
Paris Saint-Germain avoided a huge upset on Tuesday when they rallied from two goals down to beat second-tier USL Dunkerque 4-2 and reach the Coupe de France final. It seemed a mismatch between unbeaten Ligue 1 leaders PSG and Dunkerque, who are fifth in Ligue 2, but PSG’s fourth goal only came deep into stoppage-time and on the counterattack with Dunkerque pushing hard for an equalizer. The final is scheduled for May 24, with the other semi-final — to be played after press time last night — between AS Cannes and Stade de Rennais.
Photo: AFP
BUNDESLIGA
Supporters buy stake
St Pauli supporters have raised more than 27 million euros (US$29.1 million) for a majority stake in the club’s stadium after taking part in German soccer’s first fan cooperative, the Hamburg-based club said on Tuesday. More than 21,000 people joined the fundraising cooperative after its near five-month subscription period ended at a minute to midnight the night before, the club said. St Pauli said there had been a “huge rush” of people buying shares to be part-owners of the Millerntor Stadium in the final hours. They each spent 850 euros for each share they bought, with 100 euros of that going on fees and contributions. Each purchase entered the buyer in a draw for prizes including a dinner with team captain Jackson Irvine, VIP packages, signed jerseys and more.
ARGENTINA
Maradona’s heart explained
Experts involved in Diego Maradona’s autopsy on Tuesday testified at the trial of seven health professionals accused of negligent homicide that the star had an abnormally large heart, suffered from cirrhosis and showed no traces of alcohol or drugs at the time of is death. Forensic expert Alejandro Ezequiel Vega told the court that Maradona’s heart was “enlarged” and weighed about 503g, when the average weight is between 250g and 300g. Maradona, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in 1986, died on Nov. 25, 2020. He was 60. Vega said that the examination of Maradona’s heart showed that the former star had “ischemia,” with “lack of blood flow and oxygen.” The autopsy concluded that Maradona died of acute pulmonary edema secondary to congestive heart failure.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
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