■EGYPT
Brazil get off to a flyer
Brazil got off to a dream start at the under-20 World Cup on Sunday, with Alan Kardec scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Costa Rica. Also in Group E, the Czech Republic prevailed 2-1 over Australia in a game that saw two late penalties and the 89th-minute sending off of Australian defender Ryan McGowan. There was more late drama in Group F, where the United Arab Emirates scored twice in injury-time for a surprise 2-2 draw with South Africa, and Mario Martinez struck two brilliant goals as Honduras beat Hungary 3-0 in Alexandria. With Argentina absent from the youth tournament, four-time winners Brazil are the hot favorites and they quickly established dominance over the energetic Costa Ricans. Kardec headed home from a corner in the 24th minute and Giuliano followed up with an expert lob over Costa Rica goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado to make it 2-0. Kardec got his second in the 44th, pouncing on a loose ball in the goalmouth following a Giuliano free-kick. Alex Teixeira tapped home Brazil’s fourth in the 75th minute after Douglas slipped through the Costa Rica defense and struck the post with his shot. Substitute Boquita completed the rout in the 89th minute.
■NETHERLANDS
Ajax keep in touch with PSV
Ajax beat ADO The Hague 3-0 on Sunday to stay within a point of Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente. Demy de Zeeuw gave Ajax the lead by blasting a 20m shot in the 25th minute, before newcomer Marko Pantelic doubled the lead in the 71st minute, converting Luis Suarez’s pinpoint pass from 10m. After Suarez had missed a dozen chances for Ajax, substitute Siem de Jong netted the third from Dennis Rommedahl’s cross in the 89th minute. Andwele Slory scored on his 27th birthday and Leroy Fer added another in Feyenoord’s 2-0 win over NAC Breda, while Paulo Henrique and Viktor Elm scored to help SC Heerenveen beat Sparta Rotterdam by the same score. Danny Holla’s 26th-minute goal was all FC Groningen needed to see off Vitesse Arnhem 1-0 and secure their first home win of the season. Bas Dost and Everton scored first-half goals to give Heracles Almelo a 2-0 win at NEC Nijmegen.
■BRAZIL
Palmeiras go clear at top
On-loan defender Danilo justified the US$55,000 Palmeiras had to pay to field him against Atletico Paranaense, who hold his registration, by scoring the winner in their 2-1 victory in the Brazilian championship. Chilean full back Luis Figueroa had put Palmeiras ahead and Chico equalized, before Danilo scored the winner from a corner 20 minutes from time on Saturday to send Palmeiras five points clear in the standings. Palmeiras now have 50 points, while second placed Goias have 45 after their 2-1 win over Gremio and are ahead of Sao Paulo having scored more goals, with Internacional fourth on 44 points after a 0-0 draw at home to Flamengo. Corinthians striker Ronaldo scored one goal and could have had another in their 1-1 draw with local rivals Sao Paulo on Sunday. Substitute Washington equalized for the champions.
■ENGLAND
Whole squad put up for sale
Micky Adams, the manager of English fourth-tier side Port Vale, said on Sunday he was putting his entire squad up for sale following a 3-1 defeat to Notts County. Adams told the BBC: “I’ve told them that the whole squad will be transfer listed on Monday morning. It’s not a personal thing. I could make excuses for them and their performance on Saturday, but that would just be papering over the cracks. The fans deserve better and I want to give them better.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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