■SOCCER
Liga rout Fluminense
Edison Mendez’s quality hat-trick led Liga de Quito to a 5-1 rout of Fluminense in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final on Wednesday. The return leg is next Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, where Fluminense will be relieved after appearing to struggle to breathe at Quito’s 3,000m altitude. The final is a rematch of the last year’s final of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s club championship, when Liga beat Fluminense in a penalty shootout to become the first club from Ecuador to win a major tournament. In search of revenge, Fluminense made a remarkable start at the Casa Blanca Stadium. After barely 20 seconds, the ball was worked to Fred on the edge of the box and the former Lyon striker’s shot was barely parried away by goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez. Marquinho pounced on the rebound and blasted a powerful shot into the roof of the net. Liga regrouped fast and Mendez pulled the home side level in the 21st minute after receiving a quick free-kick on the right and arrowing a shot that stung the fingers of Fluminense goalkeeper Rafael. Mendez scored again in the 44th minute when his 30m free-kick rebounded off the wall and dropped invitingly into his path. The veteran midfielder launched an unstoppable drive off the underside of the crossbar to put Liga in front. In the 60th minute, Mendez arrived in the box to complete his hat-trick with a downward header from Norberto Araujo’s right-wing cross. Franklin Salas swapped passes with Mendez inside the box in the 77th minute and hit a first-time volley across Rafael for Liga’s fourth goal. De La Cruz sealed a miserable night for Fluminense with a 30m strike in the 88th minute.
■BASKETBALL
Iverson set to retire
With no apparent interest from NBA teams, Allen Iverson is set to retire, an online report says. Commentator Stephen Smith published a statement on his Web site on Wednesday attributed to Iverson. It said Iverson plans to retire, but also that “I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level.” The statement also said Iverson has tremendous love for the game and the desire to play, adding there is “a whole lot left in my tank.” “His legacy would be huge,” Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James said. “He’s one of the best when you talk about guys six foot [1.83m] and under in the game of basketball. He played injured and he played hard every single night. I don’t think it should end this way, but if it does, he’s left a lot of great things behind.”
■SOCCER
Romario in emotional return
Former Brazil striker Romario came out of retirement to play 22 minutes for his late father’s favorite team America-RJ and lift the Rio de Janeiro State second division title on Wednesday. The 43-year-old Romario, who retired last year and became America’s sporting director this year, came on as a substitute in the second half of America’s 2-0 win over Artsul. The former Barcelona striker was unable to improve on his career goals tally, which he has claimed to be more than 1,000, but he did a lap of honor with the trophy.
■CYCLING
McEwen planning comeback
Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen is planning to make his comeback to professional cycling at the Tour Down Under in January. A three-time winner of the Tour de France’s sprinters’ green jersey, McEwen was sidelined for most of this year after crashing heavily in Belgium in May. Lance Armstrong of the US and Australia’s road race world champion Cadel Evans will also be competing.
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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