SOCCER
Wolves resign Pereira
Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira has signed a new three-year contract at Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers. The club announced the deal on Thursday, showing its faith in Pereira, despite Wolves being last in the Premier League having lost all four of their games so far this season. Pereira joined Wolves in December last year, when the team were in next-to-last place in the league and secured survival in the lucrative top flight by April. “Now is a time for stability,” Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said. “Vitor needs time to work with the squad, to build a chemistry with new players, and we will do everything to support him and his staff.”
Photo: Reuters
SOCCER
Spain ranked No. 1
Euro champions Spain have climbed to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in 11 years, while Germany dropped out of the top 10, the world governing body said. France moved up to second in the latest rankings published on Thursday, with reigning World Cup champions Argentina slipping to third after their 1-0 loss to Ecuador. EUFA Nations League winners Portugal climbed one spot to fifth. Germany dropped outside the top 10 for the first time in almost a year after their defeat in Slovakia earlier this month. Slovakia were the biggest movers, surging 10 places to 42nd. The others in the top 10 are: England (fourth), Brazil (sixth), the Netherlands (seventh), Belgium (eighth), Croatia (ninth) and Italy (19th). Taiwan dropped one place in the latest rankings to 173rd out of 211.
TENNIS
Taiwan’s Chan advances
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Danish partner Clara Tauson yesterday advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles at the Korea Open in Seoul, defeating Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia and England’s Olivia Nicholls 6-7 (2/7), 6-1, 10-8. They face Caty McNally of the US and Australia’s Maya Joint in the semis today at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center. Later yesterday, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jaqueline Cristian of Romania were eliminated at the hardcourt event. Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic advanced at their expense, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
CRICKET
Cummins eyes Ashes
Australia skipper Pat Cummins yesterday said that he hoped to play in all five Ashes Tests against England, but added that he would need to see how his back injury holds up, local media reported. Pace spearhead Cummins has been ruled out of the October white-ball series against New Zealand and India with “lumbar bone stress.” The 32-year-old has not bowled since the Test tour of the West Indies in June and July, and no firm date has been set for his return. The first Ashes Test against England in Perth starts on Nov. 21.
‘DEVASTATED’: Argentina’s win was a reversal of their 28-24 defeat last week, with Australian forward Fraser McReight adding that ‘we did the same thing last week’ Argentina flyhalf Santiago Carreras punished an undisciplined Australia with 23 points off the tee as the Pumas held on grimly for a 28-26 win in Sydney yesterday to breathe new life into their Rugby Championship campaign. A try-fest beckoned in afternoon sunshine at Sydney Football Stadium, but Argentina needed only one through captain Julian Montoya, with Carreras doing the damage with seven penalties and a conversion in front of a sell-out crowd. A week after letting a 14-point lead slip in a 28-24 defeat to Australia in Townsville, Argentina saw most of a 21-point advantage erased in the final quarter as the
Captain Vijay Kumar led the way yesterday as the Hsinchu Titans claimed the Taiwan Premier League title at the Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山), beating PCCT by 27 runs. The weather was a topic again, but not the rain that played a role in previous matches in the often-delayed tournament. Kumar, who made 80 not out from 63 deliveries, and teammate Vishwajit Kumar (58 from 43) rescued the Titans from a precarious state at the end of the power play in the T20 match. The visitors were put in to bat and struggled to 26-3 as PCCT
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
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