CONFERENCE LEAGUE
Palace miss easier route
Crystal Palace missed a chance to advance directly to the Conference League round-of-16 on Thursday, held to a 2-2 draw with Finnish club KuPS. Palace midfielder Justin Devenny headed home an equalizer in the 76th minute at Selhurst Park, just three minutes after the visitors were reduced to 10 men. Palace finished the league phase in 10th and KuPS were 21st, with the top eight receiving a bye to the round of 16 and teams ranked ninth to 24th to contest the knockout play-offs. The teams ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated. Undefeated Strasbourg (first) beat Breidablik (30th) 3-1. Rakow (second) won 1-0 against Omonoia (18th), AEK Athens (third) edged Universitatea Craiova (25th) 3-2, Sparta Prague (fourth) cruised to a 3-0 win over Aberdeen (35th) and Rayo Vallecano (fifth) dealt with Drita (20th) 3-0. Shakhtar (sixth) were held by Rijeka (16th) 0-0, while FSV Mainz 05 (seventh) beat Samsunspor (12th) 2-0 and AEK Larnaca (eighth) won 1-0 against Shkendija (22nd). Lausanne (ninth) beat ACF Fiorentina (15th) 1-0, Lech Poznan (11th) downed Sigma Olomouc 2-1 (24th), while NK Celje (13th) and Shelbourne (34th) played out a 0-0 draw as did AZ Alkmaar (14th) and Jagiellonia Bialystok (17th). HSK Zrinjski Mostar (23rd) and Rapid Wien (36th) drew 1-1, Dynamo Kyiv (27th) defeated Noah (19th) 2-0, Legia Warszawa (28th) trounced Lincoln Red Imps (26th) 4-1, Slovan Bratislava (29th) beat Hacken (32nd) 1-0 and Shamrock Rovers (31st) won 3-1 against Hamrun Spartans (33rd).
Photo: Reuters
COPA DEL REY
Top-division Getafe exit
Top-division Getafe on Thursday were eliminated in the round-of-32, losing 3-1 to second-tier team Burgos, while Athletic Bilbao needed extra-time to beat third-division Ourense 1-0. Getafe took the lead with Alex Sancris in the 32nd minute, but the hosts rallied with David Gonzalez converting a penalty in first-half stoppage time and Inigo Cordoba adding a pair of second-half goals. Elsewhere, Real Betis Balompie got past third-division Real Murcia 2-0.
SUPERCOPPA
Napoli reach final
Rasmus Hojlund on Thursday starred for SSC Napoli as they beat AC Milan 2-0 to reach the Supercoppa Italiana final. Hojlund set up one goal and scored the other to send Napoli into Monday’s final, with the other semi-final between Bologna and Inter to be played after press time last night.
COPA COLOMBIA
Mayor vows consequences
Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez said that there would be consequences for those who attended the final on Wednesday to “generate violence” after 59 people were injured, including seven police officers, in clashes between rival fans. Violence broke out after Atletico Nacional defeated Medellin rival Deportivo Independiente Medellin 1-0 in the second leg of the final at Estadio Atanasio Girardot to claim the title. Local police commander William Castano told news channel Teleantioquia that officers had seized weapons, flares and fireworks from fans during checks at the stadium. “It was necessary to apply the graduated use of force, to help prevent the occupation of the pitch by the fans, to control outbreaks of public order disturbances and to guarantee the safety of citizens attending the event,” Castano said.
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Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
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