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.
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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