■ENGLAND
Wenger backs Almunia
Arsene Wenger believes Manuel Almunia could be England’s goalkeeper at next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa. The keeper, born in Spain but who will soon be eligible for England under residency rules, was outstanding in the Gunners’ 1-0 Champions League semi-final defeat to Manchester United midweek and Wenger believes his faith in the often-criticized 31-year-old has been vindicated by a display that has ensured Arsenal still have a chance of some silverware this season. “I believe he is not only good enough, but he is the best,” Wenger said of the possibility of Almunia declaring his availability for England. “It is down to what you expect morally and mentally from a national team. I believe at some stage you have to observe just the rules and decide what you want. On the English side, for the national team, it is not so much a problem because if the guy decides to become English, he has had to observe and respect the rules like anybody else. It is more a moral problem maybe for Manuel Almunia, because does he consider he has a chance to play in the Spanish national team or not?”
■GERMANY
Hannover move up to 11th
Hannover 96 won 2-0 at VfL Bochum for their first Bundesliga win on the road this season and all but made sure of avoiding relegation on Friday. Arnold Bruggink and Hanno Balitsch scored in the first half. The win put Hannover in 11th place with 35 points, 10 points away from the relegation zone with four games remaining. Bochum stayed 14th with 28 points, three points above the relegation places. Jacek Krzynowek won the ball and charged down the flank to set up Bruggink with a perfect header in the 12th minute. Bruggink set up the second goal with a corner. With Bochum goalkeeper Daniel Fernandes mistiming his jump, Hanno Balitsch headed in from close range in the 32nd minute.
■MEXICO
Reynoso sorry for gestures
Chivas Guadalajara defender Hector Reynoso apologized on Friday for coughing and making other gestures in an opponent’s face, pretending he wanted to spread swine flu. The Mexican defender coughed several times in the face of Everton’s Sebastian Penco in a Copa Libertadores match on Wednesday. Chivas drew with the Chile club 1-1 to reach the knockout stages of Latin America’s most important club tournament. “I’ve cooled off now, but at the time I reacted and perhaps it wasn’t an appropriate thing that I was doing,” Reynoso said. “I offer my apology to the club and player.”
■ENGLAND
Grieving Defoe to return
England striker Jermain Defoe spoke on Friday about the pain he felt following the death of his half-brother Jade last week, then said he was ready to start playing for Tottenham Hotspur again. Jade died last Friday aged 26 after suffering serious head injuries when he was attacked in east London on April 20. Defoe, also 26, was left out of the Spurs squad for their Premier League match at Manchester United the next day, but was likely to be in the squad for yesterday’s game against West Bromwich Albion at White Hart Lane. He told Tottenham’s Web site: “My mum turned up at the training ground and, because I’m so close to my mum and my family, I knew instantly something was wrong. She didn’t have to say a word, I knew ... I went straight to the hospital. It wasn’t a nice experience, but it was one I’ll never forget. When things like that happen it puts everything else into perspective.”
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
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