SOCCER
Forest, Everton win
Nottingham Forest and Everton on Wednesday shrugged off the threat of a potential Premier League points deduction as they battled into the fourth round of the FA Cup. Forest survived a scare to beat third-tier Blackpool 3-2 after extra-time, while Everton were 1-0 winners against Crystal Palace in another of the night’s third-round replays. It was a welcome tonic for Forest and Everton, who on Monday were both referred to an independent commission by the Premier League after admitting to breaches of financial rules. The alleged breaches of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules relate to the 2022-2023 season and could carry a points penalty. With Everton and Forest embroiled in a relegation battle, that would plunge their top-flight status into severe doubt. Everton have already been deducted 10 points this season for exceeding the allowable loss thresholds at the end of the 2021-2022 campaign.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Girona make quarters
Girona on Wednesday defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time in five years. Cristhian Stuani scored a pair of goals four minutes apart in the first half for Girona, who are the surprise leaders of La Liga near the competition’s halfway point. They lead Real Madrid by a point having played an extra game. Girona did not get past the second round of the Copa last season. Stuani scored for the hosts in the 15th and 19th minutes, while Daley Blind added the third in the 26th minute. Rayo scored through Randy Nteka in the 36th minute. Meanwhile, CA Osasuna, who lost last year’s final to Real Madrid, were eliminated by Real Sociedad 2-0, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring in the 57th minute and Mikel Merino adding the second in stoppage-time. Osasuna had only one attempt on target and played with 10 men from the 56th minute after Alejandro Catena was sent off with a straight red card. RC Celta de Vigo won 3-1 against Valencia to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2017.
CRICKET
Australia take control
An inspired spell of bowling from Josh Hazlewood and a brilliant attacking century from Travis Head yesterday put Australia in complete control of the first Test against the West Indies in Adelaide. After Head smashed 119 to take Australia to 283 and a first-innings lead of 95, Hazlewood took four wickets for just two runs at the start of the West Indies second innings to deal a hammer blow to the visitors. At stumps on the second day, the West Indies were 73-6, still 22 runs from making Australia bat again. Joshua Da Silva was not out 17, with Justin Greaves dismissed off the last ball of the day’s play. Hazlewood removed the top four West Indies batsmen in a superb spell of seam bowling, dismissing Tagenarine Chanderpaul for a first-ball duck, captain Kraigg Brathwaite (1), Alick Athanaze (0) and Kavem Hodge (3).
‘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