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.
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
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
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
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