ICE HOCKEY
Switzerland to face US
Switzerland on Saturday secured a 7-0 victory to bring Denmark’s fairy-tale run to an end and reach the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship final against the US. Just 48 hours after the Danes made history by defeating powerhouse Canada, the Swiss ruthlessly ended their dreams with a precision performance. The US hammered Sweden 6-2 earlier on Saturday. “The Swiss are a great team. We were hoping for a tighter game. We got off to a really tough start. Now we just have to forget about this game. Tomorrow, we want to make history and win the bronze medal. We have to put a smile on our faces,” Dane captain Jesper Jensen Aabo said after the match.
SWIMMING
China’s new star is 12
Chinese 12-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi could be the brightest young star at this year’s World Aquatics Championships after producing a string of eye-popping performances last week. Yu rounded off a sensational China national swimming championships in Shenzhen by winning the women’s 400m individual medley by almost two seconds on Saturday. Yu crushed a quality field in a lifetime best 4 minutes, 35.53 seconds. That is comfortably inside the world qualifying standard, the fifth-fastest time of the year and would have been good enough for fourth place at the Paris Olympics. It came just a few days after her 200m butterfly gold in 2:06.83, also the fifth-fastest in the world this year and another time that would have garnered a fourth place in Paris. “My lungs were about to explode,” the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Yu as saying after that win.
SOCCER
Stuttgart eye Berlin nightlife
Coach Sebastian Hoeness said his Stuttgart side were set for a taste of Berlin’s notorious nightlife after Saturday’s German Cup win over Arminia Bielefeld. A brace from Enzo Millot and goals from Nick Woltemade and Deniz Undav took Stuttgart to a 4-2 win in the German capital, lifting their fourth German Cup and their first trophy since winning the league in 2006-2007. Hoeness told reporters he was “up for anything” to celebrate winning the first major trophy of his coaching career, including infamous fetish club Berghain. The legendary nightclub, known for techno music, leather parties and a complete ban on cameras, has a famously exclusive door policy. “Who knows? But let’s see if we can get in,” Hoeness said. “Will take the trophy with us, but it probably won’t make a difference for the bouncers.” Undav said his side “won’t be there long” at the club’s official banquet before painting the town. “If they’re lucky, they’ll see us for 10 minutes then we’re out.”
RUGBY UNION
Chiefs cautious after victory
Waikato Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan urged his rampant side to “stay grounded” after an 85-7 trouncing of Moana Pasifika put them top of the Super Rugby standings with one round to play. Scrumhalf Cortez Ratima and wing Leroy Carter scored hat-tricks in a dazzling 13-try display in Hamilton on Saturday, which vaulted the Chiefs into pole position for the playoffs. McMillan said “lots of magical tries” were scored, but he warned his players not to get carried away. “It’s hard to be critical, although I still can find a few ways,” he told Sky TV, highlighting a high turnover count. “On another night, that’s just not gonna be good enough.”
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
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