SOCCER
Leverkusen’s run ended
Cologne on Friday ended local rival Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s 14-game unbeaten run with a 2-1 win in the Bundesliga. Davie Selke’s two goals put an end to an undefeated run across all competitions that had lasted more than two months and hauled Leverkusen into contention for European places. Elsewhere, Schalke 04 took a big step out of the relegation zone with a 3-2 win over FSV Mainz 05.
SOCCER
Messi apologizes to PSG
Lionel Messi on Friday apologized for going on an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia that led to Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain being suspended by his club Paris Saint-Germain. “I want to apologize obviously to my teammates and to the club,” Messi said in a video posted on Instagram. “I had organized this trip to Saudi Arabia having canceled it previously. This time I couldn’t cancel it. I am sorry for what I did and I wait to see what the club decides to do.”
SOCCER
Klopp to avoid bidding war
Liverpool will look to bring in new recruits in the close season transfer window, but would not be drawn into bidding wars on players they feel are overpriced, manager Juergen Klopp said. Asked what Liverpool’s approach would be if clubs demand inflated transfer fees for targets, Klopp said: “We cannot buy the player then.”
SOCCER
Kyrgyzstan stadium urged
FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday urged Kyrgyzstan to build a national stadium to host international games and address a lack of infrastructure. The former Soviet republic has no modern stadiums built to international standards that can host FIFA-level matches. “I spoke to the [Kyrgyz] president [Sadyr Japarov] about the national stadium of football,” Infantino said. “It is very important, symbolic, but crucial for the development, so, we will bring more international games to Kyrgyzstan, and you will shine on the Asian stage and on the global stage.”
MOTORSPORTS
New F1 deal sought
Liberty Media, the commercial rights holders of Formula One, on Friday said that the time was right to draw up a new Concorde Agreement with the FIA and the 10 teams with the sport riding a massive wave of popularity. Liberty Media CEO and president Greg Maffei said stakeholders should “strike while the iron is hot” and extend the current agreement that runs through 2025.
BASEBALL
Spectator hurt in fall
A spectator was taken to a trauma center on Friday after falling over a protective railing and into the Red Sox bullpen while reaching for a baseball in the first inning of Boston’s game against Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. The man was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital after he tumbled one level from a concourse into the Boston bullpen. The injury occurred when the man reached over the railing in an attempt to retrieve a ball thrown his way, the Phillies said in a statement. The Phillies said the fan was conscious and responsive upon leaving the ballpark. His injuries were not disclosed. Later in the game, a Phillies employee was cleaning blood off the concrete in the area where the fan fell.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
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