LIGUE 1
Stade Rennais beat Metz
A first goal of the season for Valentin Rongier on Friday gave Stade Rennais a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Metz and moved them up to fourth in the French league. The fourth win in a row for Rennes took them above RC Strasbourg Alsace and Lille OSC ahead of the rest of the weekend’s matches.
Photo: Reuters
BUNDESLIGA
Raum rues late miss
RB Leipzig’s David Raum on Friday was left to rue a late shot that hit the woodwork as his side played out a goalless draw against Borussia Moenchengladbach that prevented them from making much of a dent in Bayern Munich’s lead at the top of the German league. The draw left second-placed Leipzig on 26 points, five behind Munich, ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games.
EUROPA LEAGUE
Eagles fine Edvardsen
Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles on Friday fined striker Victor Edvardsen for making fun of VfB Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller’s appearance during their Europa League clash on Thursday. Edvardsen made gestures toward his nose directed at Stiller, mocking the Germany international as Stuttgart thrashed Go Ahead Eagles 4-0. Sweden’s Edvardsen later apologized for his behavior. Go Ahead Eagles fined the 29-year-old Edvardsen 500 euros (US$579.75), which the team said would be donated to the club’s social branch. “I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my behaviour... Things were said and done between us that have no place on a football pitch,” Edvardsen said in a statement.
WORLD CUP
Iran boycotts draw
Iran is to boycott the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington next week because the US denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Friday. The agency quoted Iranian soccer federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying that officials faced visa obstacles that go beyond sports considerations. There was no immediate comment from the White House. Alavi said the federation had reached out to FIFA and hoped it could help resolve the issue. Soccer’s ruling body did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
BOLIVIA
Blooming and Oruro brawl
A Copa Bolivia quarter-final between Club Blooming and Real Oruro descended into chaos, with the referee dishing out a staggering 17 red cards, including 16 following a massive brawl that required police intervention with pepper spray. The fracas began with what Bolivian media firm El Potosi described as a scuffle involving some Blooming players, and Oruro’s Sebastian Zeballos and Julio Vila. The altercation quickly spiraled as punches and kicks broke out in a frenzy, with both clubs’ staff, including Oruro coach Marcelo Robledo, also getting involved. Oruro posted a picture on Instagram showing Robledo in hospital after Tuesday’s brawl, which resulted in four of their players receiving red cards. Blooming had seven players sent off. The other six red cards were given to the teams’ backroom staff, including the Oruro coach. Blooming advanced to the semi-finals after winning the tie 4-3 on aggregate. They face Club Bolivar in the semi-finals.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Kite-surfing fabrics, car tires and shortened shoelaces helped Kenyan Sabastian Sawe and Adidas crack the two-hour marathon barrier. When Sawe on Sunday shattered one of athletics’ most elusive barriers in storming to victory at the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, it did not come from just physiology and grit, but from design choices drawn from far beyond the course. Sawe debuted Adidas’ lightest-ever racing shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. “It starts with the mentality of the athlete, the coach, and the team behind the product, which is: What can we do better? What is the 1 percent
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