ENGLAND
Wax Mbappe unveiled
France superstar Kylian Mbappe on Friday received one of the greatest honors that England can bestow upon a sportsman from a rival nation — a lifelike waxwork at London’s Madame Tussauds museum. The statue shows the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner striking a familiar pose — arms crossed and wearing France’s white away jersey from last summer’s UEFA European Championships, along with the captain’s armband. “The entire ... outfit was donated by Mbappe himself,” Madame Tussauds said in a press release. The statue went on public display at the central London venue, with Mbappe take his place alongside waxwork clones of other greats such as Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo. “Let me introduce you to my twin,” Mbappe joked in a post on Instagram.
Photo: AFP
BUNDESLIGA
Bayern beat Augsburg
Bayern Munich on Friday came back from a goal down to beat hosts Augsburg 3-1 and move nine points clear at the top of the table. However, Jamal Musiala was taken off injured ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Bayern, who are to host Serie A pacesetters Inter in the first leg on Tuesday, are already without injured defenders Hiroki Ito, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano. They moved to 68 points with six games left in the German league, nine ahead of Bayer 04 Leverkusen ahead of their game yesterday.
LA LIGA
Espanyol ease pressure
Two goals in the first 15 minutes on Friday set relegation-threatened RCD Espanyol on their way to a vital 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. The result — only their second away win all season — extended a run in which Espanyol have lost only once in six league matches and lifted them one place into 15th and five points clear of the relegation zone.
ITALY
Mats Hummels to retire
Mats Hummels has announced the end of his soccer career. The AS Roma defender and 2014 FIFA World Cup winner on Friday said that he will retire from professional soccer at the end of the season. “I’m struggling with my emotions right now,” the 36-year-old Hummels said in a video on X. “Now comes the moment that no footballer can avoid. After 18 years and so many things that football has given me, I’m ending my career this summer.”
LIGA MX
Sergio Canales kicks door
Sergio Canales on Thursday injured his left leg from kicking and breaking a crystal door after an argument with his Monterrey coach Martin Demichelis, the club said on Friday. The disagreement and injury happened in the locker room after practice at the team’s training center, the club said. Canales was reportedly frustrated about the team’s poor performances and questioned Demichelis. The injury put in doubt Canales’ availability to face CD Guadalajara yesterday.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS