■PORTUGAL
Porto lift the Super Cup
Goals by defender Rolando and Colombian striker Radamel Falcao gave Porto a 2-0 win over champions Benfica in Aveiro on Saturday to lift the Portuguese Super Cup. Argentine midfielder Fernando Belluschi’s fourth-minute corner was deflected by Benfica’s Carlos Martins and flew straight to Rolando, who headed in unchallenged to give cup-winners Porto an early lead. It was Porto again who almost scored a second just before halftime. Benfica goalkeeper Roberto palmed away a cross by forward Hulk and the ball fell to Joao Moutinho, whose first-time shot was cleared off the line by Brazilian defender Luisao. Porto’s well-organized midfield dominated the start of the second half and the northern side doubled their lead on 67 minutes when impressive winger Silvestre Varela beat Luisao on the left flank and crossed for the incoming Falcao to fire in. Benfica rarely threatened and only came close to pulling one back five minutes from the final whistle, with Paraguay international Oscar Cardoso putting Javier Saviola through, but Helton made a fine save to deny the Argentine forward.
■GERMANY
Bayern too good for Schalke
Bayern Munich on Saturday added the Super Cup to their Bundesliga title and German Cup double with a 2-0 win over Schalke 04 in a display that suggested they will again be the overwhelming title favorites. Despite playing without the injured Arjen Robben, the besieged Franck Ribery and a resting Mark Van Bommel, Bayern were still too strong and triumphed with late goals from German World Cup stars Thomas Mueller and Mirsolav Klose. They had to be patient for the breakthrough and it was Mueller, who was handed a lucrative new contract on Friday, who found the target in the 75th minute. Klose added the second six minutes later as Bayern won a third Super Cup, a trophy which hadn’t been contested since 1996.
■GREECE
Fans attack their own coach
AEK president Stavros Adamidis has spoken of “sabotage from within” after coach Dusan Bajevic was attacked by fans following a pre-season friendly defeat on Saturday. Bajevic, 61, fell to the ground after being punched by fans who surrounded the Serbian coach as he attempted to leave the pitch following the 2-1 defeat to second-tier side Kallithea. “What happened is a disgrace for AEK,” Adamidis told NovaSport FM radio. “The administration is determined and we will keep the coach. What happened is unacceptable.” Bajevic, who is in a third spell with the club, has endured a rocky relationship with sections of the fans because of previous spells in charge of rivals Olympiakos. There are fears that this latest episode may lead to his resignation, but Adamidis said the coach would stay on. “I have spoken to him and he is very shocked, but rest assured we will not let him go,” Adamidis said.
■BRAZIL
Menezes calls up new boys
New Brazil coach Mano Menezes has called up 10 new players for tomorrow’s friendly against the US, the team’s first outing since their disappointing World Cup campaign. Included in the squad are players expected to lead the assault on the 2014 World Cup which is being staged in Brazil. Among the new players are Santos midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso and his teammate, Neymar, a striker tipped to be one of Brazil’s future superstars. Manchester United defender Rafael also gets a call, as does Lyon midfielder Ederson, who led the national under-17 team to the world title in 2003.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
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
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
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