SOCCER
Dembele and Doue injured
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele faces about six weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while winger Desire Doue would be out of action for about four weeks due to a calf problem, the European champions said. They sustained the injuries during France’s 2-0 victory over Ukraine in their FIFA World Cup qualifiers match in Poland on Friday. Doue was replaced by Dembele at halftime, only for the 28-year-old to later limp off in the 81st minute. Dembele, one of the favorites to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, was instrumental in PSG’s treble-winning campaign last season, which included their first UEFA Champions League title, Ligue 1, French Cup and French Super Cup triumphs. He bagged 35 goals and registered 16 assists in 53 appearances across all competitions for PSG last season.
Photo: AFP
RUGBY
Japan beat US 47-21
The US’ path to the 2027 Rugby World Cup now leads through a play-off match against Samoa at the weekend after they lost 47-21 to Japan on Saturday in the final pool match in the Pacific Nations Cup (PNC). Japan finished at the top and the US at the bottom of Pool B in the six-team tournament. Fiji beat Samoa 29-15 earlier on Saturday to finish atop Pool A. Fiji are to play Canada, and Japan are to face Tonga in semi-finals at the weekend in Denver, Colorado, while the US would play Samoa for fifth and sixth places. The top five teams qualify for the World Cup in Australia. Japan and Fiji had qualified prior to the PNC. The other semi-finalists and the winner of the playoff for fifth would also qualify, while the sixth-placed team would go into a regional playoff against a South American team. The US, ranked 18th, faced almost a mission impossible to beat Japan with a bonus point and by a wide margin to displace Canada from the semi-finals. Canada beat the US in the first round of the tournament.
SOCCER
Western United hibernated
Former A-League champions Western United apologized to players and staff after the club was placed into hibernation on Saturday but vowed to return following a season of enforced inactivity due to their ongoing financial issues. The Melbourne-based club, who won the league title for the first time in 2022, would not field teams in either the men’s or women’s leagues in the upcoming campaign due to financial difficulties that saw the club’s playing license revoked last month. An appeal against that decision, which was made after the club struggled to pay players and the Australian tax authorities, is expected to be heard this week. “Western United acknowledges today’s update from the Australian Professional Leagues confirming that the club’s participation agreement will be placed into hibernation for the 2025-26 A-Leagues season,” the statement said. “To our A-Leagues players, coaches and staff, we say simply and sincerely: we are sorry. The uncertainty you have faced is not what you deserved. We acknowledge this has been an incredibly difficult period,” it said. The move means the new season of the men’s league would start on Oct. 17 with 12 teams, while the women’s competition would feature 11 clubs. The decision allows players from both teams to find alternative employers before the registration period for the new campaign closes.
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
RIVALRY: Carlos Alcaraz lost his previous two matches against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year and Paris Olympics final last year Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday dazzled at the US Open to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic of Serbia danced his way through to book a New York showdown with the Spaniard that would mark the latest chapter in their generational rivalry. Former champion Alcaraz produced yet another entertaining display at Flushing Meadows to dismantle 20th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at a sunbathed Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing his place in the last four without dropping a set this year. “Sometimes I play a shot that I should not play in that moment, but it’s the way I love
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
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