RUGBY UNION
Amatosero suspended
NSW Waratahs forward Miles Amatosero yesterday was slapped with a four-game ban for punching a teammate and leaving him with a facial fracture ahead of the Super Rugby season. The incident happened during a training session this month with the big lock unleashing on Angus Scott-Young. Local media said he threw three punches before teammates separated the pair, with Scott-Young reportedly left with multiple stitches and a fractured eye socket. “Rugby Australia and the NSW Waratahs confirm that Miles Amatosero has been suspended for four games following a formal review into a training ground incident earlier this month,” the Waratahs said in a statement. “Amatosero can reduce his suspension to two games upon successful completion of counselling and education programs.”
Photo: EPA
SOCCER
Levante edge Elche
Levante UD on Friday scored in the last minute of stoppage-time to beat Elche 3-2 in La Liga and notch a first home win that boosted their chances of avoiding a quick return to Spain’s second tier. Levante came into the match as the only club who had not won at home this season and that record did not look like ending after they went behind to an Alvaro Rodriguez goal after 11 minutes. However, Pablo Martinez leveled five minutes into the second half with a brilliantly executed flick. Adrian de la Fuente put Levante ahead midway through the second period only for Adam Boayar to equalize for Elche in stoppage-time with a stunning overhead-kick. Alan Matturro popped up in the 96th minute to head home from a corner-kick and spark delirious scenes at Ciutat de Valencia Stadium. “Our fans gave us that support, that belief,” Martinez said. “Thanks to them we were able to score the third goal and give them something to celebrate.” Elsewhere in Europe, Inter extended their lead at the top of Serie A with a 6-2 hammering of Pisa, Paris Saint-Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win over Auxerre and St Pauli and Hamburg drew 0-0 in the Bundesliga.
FOOTBALL
John Brodie dies
John Brodie, who won a Most Valuable Player award and was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers during a 17-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, has died. He was 90. According to the 49ers, Brodie’s family said he died on Friday. Brodie had a stroke on Oct. 24, 2000. “The 49ers family is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the franchise’s all-time great players, John Brodie,” 49ers cochairman John York said. “As a kid, my 49ers fandom began by watching John play quarterback on television. He displayed an incredible commitment toward his teammates and his support of the organization never wavered after his playing days. John became a dear friend of mine, and he will always be remembered as an important part of 49ers history. We express our deepest condolences to his wife, Sue, and the entire Brodie family.” Brodie played for the 49ers from 1957 to 1973 after breaking every major passing record at Stanford. His 17 seasons are still a 49ers franchise record and his 31,548 yards passing rank second to Joe Montana on San Francisco’s career passing list.
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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