PREMIER LEAGUE
Haaland declared fit
Erling Haaland has been declared fit for Manchester City’s game against AFC Bournemouth today. The Norway striker was hurt when colliding with the goalpost late on in City’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa last week and was not in the squad for the midweek game against Swansea City AFC. However, City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Haaland was ready to play against Bournemouth at the Etihad. Influential midfielder Rodri is also in contention to play following a hamstring injury. “I think he’ll be ready to help, I don’t know if from the beginning, but hopefully he can be with us,” Guardiola said about Rodri. “He’s been out a few times and we know how important he is for us.”
Photo: AFP
PREMIER LEAGUE
Holiday to have 1 game
The league on Friday said in a statement that this season would have just one match on Dec. 26, the Boxing Day holiday in the UK, breaking from the tradition of a full slate of festive fixtures that fans have long enjoyed. Manchester United are to host Newcastle United in the lone game, for the fewest top-flight fixtures in 43 years on Boxing Day, which falls on a Friday this year. The league cited mounting scheduling pressures linked to the expansion of European club competitions as the key reason for the change. “There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions — which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup,” it said. “With fewer weekends available, fixture planning has become increasingly constrained,” it added.
BUNDESLIGA
Dortmund beat Augsburg
Borussia Dortmund on Friday battled past strugglers Augsburg 1-0 courtesy of forward Serhou Guirassy’s first-half strike, to climb back into second place in the German top-flight league. It was Dortmund’s fourth win in a row across all competitions, lifting them to second place in the league, four points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who were to play later in the weekend. Augsburg, who have now lost six of their nine league games this season, are anchored in 15th place on seven points.
A-LEAGUE
Pearson sets youth record
Sydney defender Willa Pearson yesterday became the youngest player to appear in an A-League women’s or men’s match after making her debut in Sydney’s 2-2 draw with Melbourne City at Leichhardt Oval. At 14 years, 312 days, Pearson eclipsed the previous record set by the Western Sydney Wanderers’ Ischia Brooking, who debuted aged 14 years, 347 days in 2023, and also moved ahead of Matildas captain Sam Kerr, who debuted at the age of 15 in 2008. Kerr held the record for nearly 15 years after making her A-League Women debut for the Perth Glory aged 15 years, 45 days, until Talia Younis broke it in 2023 when she debuted for the Wanderers aged 14 years, 361 days. Pearson, born on Dec. 24, 2010, joined five-time champions Sydney earlier this year. Underscoring the generational span of the competition, her debut came opposite Melissa Barbieri, the league’s oldest player. “I’m knackered [tired] at the moment, but thank you to everybody who believed in me, who gave me the opportunity and I’m so thankful we got a point,” Pearson said.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
The Olympic flame for the Milan Cortina Winter Games landed in Rome on Thursday following a handover in Greece. The flame was carried in a small lantern aboard an ITA Airways flight between the Greek and Italian capitals. Tennis player Jasmine Paolini — an Olympic gold medalist — and local organizing committee president Giovanni Malago carried the flame off the plane. “I feel honored. It’s an incredible emotion,” Paolini said in brief remarks before the lantern was driven away toward the presidential palace. A 63-day torch relay covering 12,000km is to start in Rome today and wind its way through all 110 Italian provinces
The Kashima Antlers won a record-extending ninth Japanese title on the final day of the J. League season yesterday, holding their nerve to beat the Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1. Watched by Brazilian legend and former player Zico, the Antlers went into the game at their packed home stadium with a one-point lead over Kashiwa Reysol in the table. A goal in either half from Brazilian striker Leo Ceara put the Antlers in control, but Yokohama struck in the first of five minutes of second-half injury time to set up a nail-biting finale, with Reysol winning their game 1-0. The Antlers saw out the
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