SOCCER
Arsenal extend winning start
Arsenal on Monday shrugged off Takehiro Tomiyasu’s red card to extend their perfect start to the English Premier League season as Martin Odegaard sealed a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace. Odegaard’s second-half penalty at Selhurst Park put Arsenal on course for their second successive win, but mamager Mikel Arteta’s side had to dig deep to preserve the points after Japan defender Tomiyasu was controversially sent off for a second yellow card midway through the second half. Tomiyasu had been booked for taking too long over a throw-in before his dismissal for making minimal contact on Jordan Ayew. Arteta was delighted with the way Arsenal refused to surrender their lead as they moved up to third place, behind leaders Brighton & Hove Albion and second-placed Manchester City on goal difference. “Great win. I’m so happy. To play 30 minutes away from home with 10 men is extremely difficult,” Arteta said. Frustrated by Tomiyasu’s first booking for time-wasting, Arteta added: “This is the standard. I think it was eight seconds. We might have to play with a stop watch.”
SOCCER
Greenwood to leave Man U
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood have mutually agreed for the forward to leave Old Trafford after he faced allegations of abuse involving a young woman, the club announced on Monday. The 21-year-old forward has been suspended by the English Premier League giants since January last year over the allegations after images and videos were posted online. Prosecutors said in February they were dropping charges, including attempted rape and sexual assault, against Greenwood, after key witnesses withdrew and new evidence came to light. On Monday, the club said that after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct, it was releasing Greenwood so he could attempt to rebuild his career elsewhere. “The best decision for us all, is for me to continue my football career away from Old Trafford, where my presence will not be a distraction for the club,” said Greenwood, whose contract runs until June 2025.
BASKETBALL
Knicks sue Raptors
The New York Knicks on Monday sued rivals the Toronto Raptors, accusing the Raptors’ new coaching staff of hiring a “mole” who gave the team their scouting reports and other confidential material. The Knicks accused their former video, analytics and player-development assistant Ikechukwu Azotam, who left the team last week, of stealing thousands of proprietary files and forwarding them to the Raptors. Representatives for the Raptors did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Raptors hired Darko Rajakovic, previously an assistant coach with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, as their head coach in June. “As a first time NBA head coach, Defendant Rajakovic would be expected to bring his own organizational structure and coaching method,” said the Knicks’ lawsuit, which names Rajakovic, Azotam and several unidentified Raptors employees as defendants. “Apparently, given his non-traditional path to his head coaching job, Defendant Rajakovic did not have his own, so he chose to exploit the Knicks’ methods,” it said.
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
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
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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