SOCCER
Ten Hag rues lapse
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on Wednesday said that his side had failed to maintain their intensity in their 1-1 UEFA Europa League draw with Dutch side Twente and should have pushed to finish the visitors off before they had the chance to equalize. Christian Eriksen put United ahead in the first half at Old Trafford, but was at fault for Twente’s equalizer in the 68th minute, when a lapse of concentration allowed Sam Lammers to steal the ball and score. “We kept them alive, we were 1-0 up, controlling the game,” Ten Hag told reporters. “You have to be consistent and keep going in the second half, we dropped the level and gave the goal away.” In other games, Alkmaar beat IF Elfsborg 3-2, Bodo/Glimt downed Porto 3-2, Galatasaray beat PAOK 3-1, Midtjylland and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim drew 1-1, Dynamo Kyiv lost 3-0 against SS Lazio, Ludogorets were defeated 2-0 by Slavia Prague, OGC Nice and Real Sociedad drew 1-1 and RSC Anderlecht beat Ferencvaros TC 2-1.
Photo: EPA-EFE
TENNIS
Taiwan’s Wu advances
Tony Wu yesterday beat Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan in a walkover to advance to the quarter-finals at the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand. Yevseyev was trailing 6-4, 6-1 in the second set of their round-of-16 match when he called a halt. Wu is to play Dalibor Svrcina of the Czech Republic today for a place in the semis. In the men’s doubles, Taiwan’s Ray Ho and British partner Joshua Paris lost 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 in the quarter-finals to Australian duo Blake Bayldon and Thomas Fancutt.
OLYMPICS
Toyota ends sponsorship
Toyota Motor chairman Akio Toyoda yesterday said that the company would not renew its 10-year contract as a top sponsor for the Olympics and Paralympics following the Paris Games. The world’s biggest automaker, which had already suggested it would not renew the contract when it expired, would continue to financially support athletes, Toyoda said on the company-owned media channel.
RUGBY UNION
Beauden Barrett to start
New Zealand veteran Beauden Barrett yesterday was recalled to start at flyhalf in the second Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia in Wellington. Damian McKenzie, who has started all eight games in the No. 10 shirt for New Zealand this season, drops to the bench for tomorrow’s clash. Barrett, 33, is to make his 131st appearance for the All Blacks, who retained the Bledisloe Cup with a 31-28 win over Australia in Sydney last week. Coach Scott Robertson told reporters he had always planned to start with Barrett. McKenzie “has started every game until now and we’ve got to give guys opportunities,” he said Robertson backed McKenzie to have an impact off the bench. “He’s had a great season to date. There’s areas of his game he can get better, but he can come on and game-manage what we need to do to finish the match.”
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
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