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.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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