Former soccer star Thierry Henry was in the stadium to see his investment in Como pay off when the Italian second-tier club won promotion to Serie A on Friday.
Como, coached by Henry’s former Arsenal teammate Cesc Fabregas, drew with Cosenza 1-1 to clinch second place in Serie B and end a 21-year absence from the top tier. Leaders Parma had already sealed promotion.
Henry, the France great who is to coach its men’s under-23 team at the Paris Olympics, bought a stake two years ago in Como, who play in a picturesque lakeside stadium about 50km north of Milan.
Photo: Reuters
Como could replace Frosinone in Serie A after the latter lost to Serie A champions Inter 5-0.
With two weeks of the season remaining, six teams are still hoping to avoid joining Salernitana in the second tier.
Frosinone is 16th on the 20-team table, two points above the relegation zone. They have two games left, while teams above and below them have three. The result ended Frosinone’s six-game unbeaten run.
Photo: Reuters
Davide Frattesi scored Inter’s first-half opener and Marko Arnautovic made it 2-0 after an hour. Canadian midfielder Tajon Buchanan got the third with his first goal for the club. Lautaro Martinez’s left-foot shot was his 24th goal of the league. Marcus Thuram completed the rout with a nice lob.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
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