■BULGARIA
Skipper Berbatov retires
Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov retired from international soccer on Thursday saying he wants to focus on his family and protecting his health. “It was a difficult decision, but I made it,” Berbatov said in Sofia. The Manchester United striker has been captain of the national team for the last three years, but failed to lead the team to the World Cup in South Africa. “Everything has a beginning and an end, and that is today,” he said. The 29-year-old Berbatov made his international debut in 1999 and is Bulgaria’s all-time leading scorer with 48 goals in 77 appearances.
■SERBIA
Partizan seal league title
Partizan Belgrade sealed a record third successive league title with a match to spare after a 3-0 win at neighbors OFK gave them an unassailable seven-point lead over closest rivals Red Star Belgrade. Brazilian striker Cleo rounded the goalkeeper and stroked in an early opener and substitute Brana Ilic produced almost a blueprint copy in the 89th minute after a good solo run. Serbia midfielder Radosav Petrovic put the icing on the cake with a header in stoppage-time. Red Star, who needed OFK to avoid defeat to keep alive any hopes of taking the title race to the final day, slumped to a 3-1 home defeat by BSK Borca. Mladi Radnik Pozarevac were relegated after a 4-1 home defeat by fellow strugglers Cukaricki Belgrade, while Napredak Krusevac boosted their chances of avoiding the drop with a 2-1 win over Rad Belgrade.
■SWITZERLAND
Young Boys deposed
Young Boys Berne, who have led the Swiss Super League for almost the entire season, were knocked off the top with one match to play on Thursday after an extraordinary 5-1 defeat at FC Luzern. FC Basel overtook them on goal difference by beating Neuchatel Xamax 3-0, helped by two goals from Switzerland’s record international scorer Alexander Frei. Young Boys, runners-up in the last two seasons, will host Basel tomorrow in their final match, needing a win to clinch their first title since 1985-1986. Luzern’s win clinched a fourth-place finish, which gives them a place in the Europa League qualifiers along with third-placed Grasshoppers.
■AUSTRIA
Salzburg clinch the title
Red Bull Salzburg scored twice in three minutes to clinch the Austrian Bundesliga title for the second year running on Thursday with a 2-0 win at Sturm Graz on the last day of the season. German midfielder Simon Cziommer fired Salzburg ahead in the 14th minute and Roman Wallner scored direct from a free-kick two minutes later. It was Salzburg’s sixth Austrian title, three of them coming since the club was bought and rebranded by the Red Bull soft drinks company in 2005 amid protests by the fans. They finished with 76 points, one ahead of Austria Vienna and a further two in front of Rapid Vienna.
■GERMANY
Eigler gives Nuremberg edge
Christian Eigler scored with a late glancing header to give Nuremberg a 1-0 victory over Augsburg in the first leg of the playoff for a place in the Bundesliga on Thursday. Nuremberg need only a draw in Augsburg tomorrow to remain in the top division. Eigler scored in the 84th minute. Augsburg goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch saved a penalty in the 67th minute. Augsburg finished third in the second division to earn the right to play the 16th-placed finisher in the top tier, Nuremberg, for a place in the first division.
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
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
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
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