■ENGLAND
Benjani loaned to Black Cats
Struggling Premier League side Sunderland added some much needed firepower to their out-of-form strike force on Tuesday with the loan signing of Zimbabwean international Benjani Mwaruwari from rivals Manchester City. The Black Cats got the benefit of the doubt from the Premier League over signing the 31-year-old, even though they failed to process the required paperwork before Monday’s 5pm transfer deadline. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce — whose side have been in free-fall after a winless run of 11 games — blamed technical problems for the delay. Benjani — scorer of 29 goals in 43 international appearances — is a free agent in the summer, but Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini had said he could move on if he wanted to.
■PARAGUAY
Libertad make group stage
Pablo Velazquez’s two second-half goals helped put Paraguayan club Libertad into the group stage of the Copa Libertadores with a 3-1 home win against Deportivo Tachira of Venezuela on Tuesday. Libertad advanced 3-2 on aggregate to be the first through the preliminary first round. Pedro Boada opened the scoring for Tachira following a corner in the 30th minute to leave Libertad needing three goals to progress. Rodolfo Gamarra tipped the ball past Tachira goalkeeper Manuel Sanhouse, flicked the ball over Jong Viafara’s challenge and volleyed the equalizer from a narrow angle in the 41st minute. Velazquez side-footed in following a scramble in the Tachira box with just over 20 minutes to play, and sealed Libertad’s passage in the 81st minute.
■PORTUGAL
Porto put five past Sporting
Holders Porto thrashed Sporting 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup on Tuesday. Porto took the lead on 18 minutes through a Rolando tap in, but Russian midfielder Marat Ismailov equalized four minutes later with a thunderous drive from outside the box. Colombian striker Radamel Falcao put Porto ahead again on 34 minutes from the edge of the area and added another in the 42nd minute with a flying header after a Ruben Micael cross. Varela scored the fourth just after halftime and Argentine Mariano Gonzalez made it five with a stunning long-distance strike in the 57th minute, before Liedson scored Sporting’s second in stoppage-time.
■ITALY
Berlusconi slams own club
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi lambasted his own club and chief executive Adriano Galliani on Tuesday for signing Inter winger Mancini on loan. The Brazilian, who has barely played for bitter city rivals Inter in the last two seasons after a dip in form, joined Milan on Monday on the last day of the transfer window. “I really don’t understand it,” the Italian prime minister told Jerusalem’s Italian community, sources at the meeting said. “He is another creative player when we need someone who can finish off moves. He’s not played for two years. I don’t agree with getting him and I’ve told Galliani.”
■ENGLAND
Pompey cash held back
The Premier League will keep more than £2 million (US$3.2 million) Portsmouth raised from selling players during the transfer window and hand it to clubs owed money by Pompey. Portsmouth sold defender Younes Kaboul to Tottenham Hotspur and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to Stoke City for a total of about £8 million. The southeast club is reported to be about £60 million in debt.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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