LEAGUES CUP
Messi has two assists
Lionel Messi on Wednesday had two assists, including one in the final seconds of the match, to help lift Inter Miami over Atlas 2-1 in their Leagues Cup opener. It was Messi’s first game since he and teammate Jordi Alba were suspended for one match by Major League Soccer for skipping the All-Star game. He connected with Marcelo Weigandt for the winning score in the final minute of stoppage-time. “It’s a competition that we always do well in,” Messi said in Spanish during a post-match interview with Apple TV. “I think we did a great job against a great team.” Messi also assisted on Telasco Segovia’s goal that opened the scoring. He received a through-ball from Sergio Busquets and sent it to Segovia for an easy finish in the 58th minute. Rivaldo Lozano scored the equalizer for the Guadalajara club in the 80th minute before Weigandt’s goal in the 96th minute that had to be confirmed by the video referee after he was originally ruled offside.
Photo: Sam Navarro / Imagn Images
PREMIER LEAGUE
Burnley offer VR experience
Newly promoted Burnley are offering their fans a virtual-reality (VR) viewing experience, meaning they can enjoy being at the club’s Turf Moor from their room. A partnership with VR experts Rezzil would mean a “first of its kind” immersive broadcast of Burnley’s pre-season friendly against Italian club SS Lazio on Saturday next week. Fans who acquire special headsets would be able to take a virtual seat inside the stadium, complete with match day commentary and in-stadium audio. “It reflects our forward-thinking approach to fan engagement and our commitment to global supporters,” Burnley chairman Alan Pace said. “Our mission is to provide the best experiences to fans, and by entering into the world of virtual reality, they can get closer to the game than ever before.” Manchester-based company Rezzil provides VR technology to help train athletes and provide analysis in sports. Last year it signed a four-year partnership deal with the Premier League aimed at revolutionizing fan engagement. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Burnley FC and the Premier League to bring fans a truly next-generation football experience,” Rezzil cofounder Andy Etches said.
SUPER LEAGUE
Dog bites Carles Perez
Aris Thessaloniki winger Carles Perez has been sidelined after sustaining a groin injury in a dog attack, Spanish media reported on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Spaniard was reported to be walking his own dog when he was bitten in the genitals by another dog during an attempt to separate the animals. The incident left him with a deep wound, requiring treatment in a hospital. Perez featured in the Greek side’s 2-1 loss to Araz-Nakhchivan in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. Local media reported that he would be unavailable for the return fixture in Thessaloniki.
Wilyer Abreu watched the ball leave the park and tossed his bat high in the air. His Venezuela teammates streamed out of the dugout in celebration. The comeback was on and the win over the reigning World Baseball Classic (WBC) champion Japan was within reach. Japan, their 11-game WBC winning streak on the line, held a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday’s thrilling quarter-final matchup when Abreu put his team ahead with the biggest swing of the game: a three-run shot off Hiromi Itoh that sent the loanDepot Park crowd into a passionate roar and helped seize Venezuela’s 8-5
A BREATHLESS BATTLE: France clinched the championship in a vicious back-and-forth match with England, denying Ireland the title by just a few points France won back-to-back Six Nations titles after beating England 48-46 on a last-second penalty-kick by Thomas Ramos in a thriller for the ages on Saturday. England scored their seventh try in the 77th minute and converted for 46-45. If the score held for a few more minutes, Ireland would have been crowned the champion. But France pressed yet again with 14 men, lost possession, regained it, and earned two simultaneous penalties after the fulltime siren. Captain Antoine Dupont debated with referee Nika Amashukeli where the penalty spots were. Ramos, who did not miss a goal-kick all night, finally lined up his seventh
Home runs are greeted with a celebratory shot of espresso and the donning of an Armani jacket. Victories are marked with bottles of red wine while the soaring voice of opera singer Andrea Bocelli echoes through the locker room. Welcome to baseball, Italian-style. Written off as 80-1 underdogs before the World Baseball Classic started, Italy’s fairytale tournament has carried them all the way to today’s (Taipei time) semi-finals in Miami against Venezuela. On Saturday, Italy — who scored a stunning upset of a star-studded US lineup during the pool phase — kept their unbeaten campaign alive with a nail-biting 8-6
Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s second-youngest race winner with a composed drive to victory for Mercedes in an eventful Chinese Grand Prix yesterday. The 19-year-old Italian was the youngest pole position starter and briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari at the start, but retook it soon after and was in control after that. “We did it! We did it!” Antonelli shouted to his team on the radio amid laughs and whoops. It was another 1-2 finish for Mercedes to start the season as Antonelli’s teammate George Russell came through a battle with both Ferraris to finish second. Lewis Hamilton was
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