Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield got their Copa Libertadores campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday with a 3-0 victory over Defensor Sporting of Uruguay in Group 7.
In an occasionally bad-tempered Group 4 clash, three red cards were flashed as Fluminense of Brazil beat Argentina’s Arsenal 1-0.
Velez playmaker David Ramirez scored the first goal of the competition when he rifled in a shot from the edge of the box past goalkeeper Yonatan Irrazabal in the 41st minute in Montevideo.
Photo: Reuters
New signing Mauro Obolo made it 2-0 in the 81st minute when he volleyed home from close range and defender Sebastian Dominguez completed the win with a goal many of the world’s top strikers would have been proud of, steering a free-kick from outside the box into the top corner with five minutes left.
Asked if it was his best ever goal, man-of-the-match Dominguez told Fox Sports: “Probably, I’ve scored so few.”
Arsenal could have used their former striker Obolo, who was transferred to Velez last month, as their finishing was poor in the Group 4 match in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil striker Fred netted the only goal after two minutes and Fluminense clung on with nine men at the end.
Fluminense’s Wagner and Nicolas Aguirre of Arsenal were sent off after some pushing among the players after a tackle in the 74th minute. Fluminense defender Leandro Euzebio was also shown the red card in the final minute after he struck Arsenal’s Damian Perez in the face with his heel after both went down in a tackle.
Mexico’s Guadalajara Chivas were held to a 1-1 home draw against Ecuadoran champions Deportivo Quito in Group 7.
Deportivo Quito took the lead against Chivas through Argentine Matias Alustiza, who struck a left foot shot into the bottom right corner of the goal from the edge of the penalty area in the eighth minute.
Chivas, in last position in the Mexican league with just one point from five games, had the majority of the possession against the Ecuadorean side and they were finally rewarded two minutes into stoppage-time when Omar Arellano beat the goalkeeper to a left wing cross and headed in.
Holders Santos make their Group 1 bow away to Bolivia’s The Strongest at high altitude in La Paz next week.
Boca Juniors return to the competition for the first time since they lost to Defensor Sporting in the round-of-16 in 2009 with a visit to Venezuelan newcomers Zamora in Group 4.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946