GERMANY
Hannover edge Frankfurt
Hannover 96 edged fellow strugglers Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 away with an attacking display that produced three goals in the first half an hour on Thursday to take a huge step toward staying in the top tier. Their second straight league win after four consecutive defeats lifted Hannover to 12th place with 35 points, behind Frankfurt on goal-difference, and put eight points between them and the relegation playoff spot with three games left. Hannover got off to a flying start with Leon Andreasen charging through the Frankfurt defense to head in the opener after two minutes following good work from Christian Pander, but Martin Lanig drew the hosts level in the 13th minute. However, Hannover attacked at every possible opportunity and struck twice more in nine minutes with Lars Stindl heading in a Pander free-kick in the 20th minute and Ivorian forward Didier Ya Konan slotting home to give them a two-goal cushion at halftime. Eintracht, who could have guaranteed their safety with a victory, started the second half poorly as Hannover’s Andreasen and substitute Szabolcs Huszti hit the woodwork. Alex Meier cut the deficit against the run of play when he headed in from close range, but that was Eintracht’s last effort, while Hannover missed more chances in the final minutes.
SPAIN
Neymar, Alba out injured
A nightmare eight days for Barcelona was compounded on Thursday when forward Neymar and defender Jordi Alba were ruled out for up to a month with foot and thigh-muscle injuries respectively. Brazil international Neymar has a bruise on his left foot which has caused a buildup of fluid, while Spain leftback Alba has a strain in his right thigh, Barca said on their Web site. The injuries were sustained during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final defeat to Real Madrid, with Neymar sidelined for about four weeks and Alba for three to four weeks, leaving them in a race to regain fitness before the end of the season. If they recover within the estimated time frame, they should return for Barca’s final La Liga match at home to La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid on May 18, the club added. The Catalan side’s 2-1 defeat by Real in the Copa del Rey showpiece followed their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico a week earlier and a shock 1-0 La Liga defeat at Granada last weekend.
CROATIA
Fans clash on busy highway
Police said at least 17 supporters of two rival Croatian clubs have been injured, two seriously, as they clashed on a busy highway. The supporters of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split fought each other with baseball bats and iron bars on Wednesday on the highway linking Zagreb with Split on the Adriatic coast. Police said they were traveling in vans in the opposite direction when the encounter occurred. The motive of the fight between the fans of the two biggest rivals in Croatia was not immediately clear, but such clashes have often happened in the past. Police said several participants were arrested and several vehicles they were traveling in were demolished.
BRAZIL
Beijing to host gala match
Brazil and Argentina will hold a South American Superclassico gala match on Oct. 11 at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, the countries’ respective federations said on Thursday. Brazil won the last two editions of the occasional friendly series in 2011, but there was no game last year, with Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari keen to give his players a free week in an already crammed schedule.
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS: In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons snapped their record 15-game playoff losing streak by beating the Knicks to level their series at 1-1 Kawhi Leonard on Monday scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. “It feels like he didn’t miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.” Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39 percent clip. “I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.” The fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series
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