Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis headlines a stellar cast in the Chinese city of Nanjing for a world indoor athletics championships delayed three times by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nanjing was picked to host the biennial event back in 2020, then in 2021 and then again in 2023. They were all moved due to coronavirus rules. In 2022 the event was instead held in Belgrade and in 2023 in Glasgow. It now has the green light and Nanjing’s Cube will play host to 576 athletes from 127 countries competing in 26 events over three days of action from March 21-23. That number includes 11 individual defending champions — notably world record holders Duplantis (pole vault), Devynne Charlton and Grant Holloway (60m hurdles) — and 20 medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Duplantis
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Mar
Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers this month after suffering a groin strain in Inter Miami’s victory over Atlanta at the weekend, his club confirmed on Monday. Messi was left out of Argentina’s squad for the world champions’ clash against Uruguay on Friday, which is followed by a showdown with Brazil on March 25. Inter Miami said in a statement that a scan had revealed Messi suffered a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” in the 2-1 win on Sunday. The statement gave no timetable for Messi’s return. “His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition,” Inter said. After missing three games for Inter earlier this month, the 37-year-old returned with a goal off the bench in a CONCACAF Champions Cup win. Argentina
Mar
Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 4-1 win over Lille on Saturday to extend their lead in France to 16 points ahead of their heavyweight Champions League clash with Liverpool. Bradley Barcola, Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue all struck in the first half at the Parc des Princes as PSG extended their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 this season to 24 matches. “It’s a perfect scenario ahead of a game like the one against Liverpool,” said PSG captain Marquinhos. “We’re in great shape and all the signs are good. We’re winning and we’re full of confidence. We must not stop and the staff are pushing us hard to give it our all.” Jonathan David grabbed a consolation after coming on as a substitute for Lille, who go to Borussia Dortmund
Feb
Jude Bellingham snatched a stoppage-time winner as Real Madrid twice came from behind to beat Manchester City 3-2 in the first leg of their blockbuster Champions League play-off tie Tuesday, while Paris Saint-Germain took command of an all-French clash with Brest. Erling Haaland’s double — his first goals in five appearances against Madrid — looked to have secured Pep Guardiola’s side a slender advantage, but instead the reigning European champions now go into next week’s return leg in Spain as strong favourites to reach the last 16. “It was a weird one. We played some of our best football of the season and ended up behind,” Bellingham told Amazon Prime. “I don’t care what form City are in they are still an unbelievable team. It’s always tricky to play against
Napoli missed the chance to extend their lead over Inter Milan at the top of Serie A to six points as Antonio Conte’s men were held to a 1-1 draw by Udinese on Sunday. Scott McTominay put the hosts ahead in the first half at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but Jurgen Ekkelenkamp equalised shortly afterwards and Napoli could not find a winner. Napoli were given the opportunity to stretch their advantage at the top of the table by Inter’s 3-0 loss at Fiorentina in midweek — a game which was originally stopped in December after home midfielder Edoardo Bove suffered a heart attack. Reigning champions Inter could cut the gap back to three points when they host Fiorentina on Monday. Atalanta are also still in the hunt for their
Feb
Liverpool overturned a first leg deficit to reach the League Cup final with a 4-0 win over Tottenham on Thursday, ramping up the pressure on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou. Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk were on target for the Reds, who will face Newcastle at Wembley on March 16 for the first silverware of the English season. Liverpool remain on course for a quadruple in a dream debut season for Arne Slot. They enjoy a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, have cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League and visit Championship strugglers Plymouth in the FA cup fourth round on Sunday. “To reach a final should always be special,” said Slot. “It was a very good performance from our
Jan
The new league phase of this season’s expanded Champions League is all set for a frantic conclusion on Wednesday, as 18 matches are played simultaneously across Europe and the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battle to avoid an early exit. AFP Sport rounds up what is at stake ahead of the final round of games in the league phase: Top 8 places up for grabs There is a real incentive for finishing in the top eight places of the giant, 36-team standings — those sides will skip the two-legged knockout round play-offs next month, getting some precious rest as they advance straight to the last 16 in March. Liverpool, with seven wins out of seven, and Barcelona are the only two teams to have already guaranteed a place
Jan
A vintage Novak Djokovic tamed Carlos Alcaraz in a late-night blockbuster to set up an Australian Open semi-final with Alexander Zverev as two-time women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka fought on. The 37-year-old Djokovic rolled back the years at the scene of his greatest achievements on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 triumph sealed close to 1:00 am. The Serb surged into the semi-finals and a date with world number two Zverev to edge closer to an 11th Melbourne crown and all-time record 25th Slam title. “I just wish that this match today was the final,” said Djokovic, who had to have his thigh heavily strapped and appeared to be labouring at the end of the first set. “Just one of the most epic matches I
Jan
Damian Penaud scored a tournament record six tries as Bordeaux-Begles hammered the Sharks, while Antoine Dupont shone as Toulouse thrashed Leicester in Champions Cup action on Sunday. Wales coach Warren Gatland will no doubt have been an interested, if slightly apprehensive, spectator as the two French teams — packed with the core of the France team — were ruthless in the two matches that came just 12 days before Les Bleus open their Six Nations campaign against the stuttering Welsh in Paris. Penaud’s hatful of tries in the 66-12 victory saw Bordeaux secure top spot in Pool 1 with 20 points from a maximum of 20, and home advantage in the next round in April. Dupont’s France back-up Maxime Lucu, Ugo Boniface, Yoram Moefana and Jacques Nguimbous all added tries
Jan
Florian Wirtz scored twice as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 on Saturday to stay four points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Bayern had gone seven clear with a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg earlier on in the day, throwing down the gauntlet but Leverkusen were dominant and controlled, notching their 11th straight win in all competitions. “We’re right in the middle of a title fight again — you can dream a little bit,” Wirtz told Sky Germany. With 32 minutes gone, Leverkusen enforcer Granit Xhaka won the ball in midfield and fed Wirtz, who beat a defender and slotted calmly home. When Leverkusen won a penalty for handball midway through the second half, the 21-year-old Wirtz stepped up and converted. Patrik Schick latched onto a Wirtz pass to score
Jan
Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era. The electric Kylian Mbappe sent Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half. Madrid were hoping to avenge their 4-0 defeat by Barcelona in October’s La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their arch-rivals in Jeddah. After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target. Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick but they could not capitalise further on their numerical advantage
Cape Town City goalkeeper Darren Keet could not contain his joy on Wednesday after a shock 1-0 home win over South African Premiership title hopefuls Orlando Pirates. Venezuelan Darwin Gonzalez scored the match-winner on 74 minutes, soon after Patrick Maswanganyi missed a penalty for the visitors in front of a 22,000 crowd. “On social media they were saying this was a warm-up match for Pirates before they play in the CAF Champions League at the weekend,” former South Africa international Keet told reporters. “Pirates supporters were so confident — they believed this match would be a walkover for them. It is a brilliant feeling to have beaten them.” Victory completed a double for Cape Town over the biggest crowd pullers in the country — Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs — within
Newcastle took a giant stride towards the League Cup final as goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon earned a 2-0 semi-final, first leg lead at Arsenal on Tuesday. The Magpies have never previously won the competition and have had to wait since 1969 to celebrate any major trophy. But in Isak they have the form striker in England right now and he rifled home the opener then helped tee up the second for Gordon. Arsenal have a mountain to climb when the sides meet for the second leg on February 5 if they are to progress to meet either Tottenham or Liverpool in the final. The importance of silverware to both clubs was reflected in the line-ups as Mikel Arteta and Eddie Howe named their strongest available teams. Arteta
Roma triumphed 2-0 against local rivals Lazio on Sunday to give Claudio Ranieri his biggest win since the veteran coach took charge of his boyhood club for the third time. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Alexis Saelemaekers netted the goals in eight first-half minutes which gave Roma the points in a fraught atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Ranieri’s team are up to 10th on 23 points, still 12 points behind Lazio who sit in the final Champions League spot but now with some breathing space from the relegation zone. Six points separate Roma from Lecce, who sit just inside the bottom three and drew 0-0 with Genoa earlier on Sunday, as Ranieri slowly gets the capital club going back in the right direction. Roma were in such disarray when the
Bruno Fernandes was sent off as Manchester United crashed to an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at lowly Wolves, while Erling Haaland missed a penalty as crisis-torn Manchester City failed to end their dismal run with a 1-1 draw against Everton on Thursday. United suffered a third successive loss in all competitions to leave new boss Ruben Amorim with five defeats in his 10 games since replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag. Fernandes was dismissed two minutes into the second half at Molineux for a second booking after fouling Nelson Semedo. United’s 10 men cracked in the 58th minute when Matheus Cunha’s corner went straight in as keeper Andre Onana flapped under pressure from Matt Doherty and Santiago Bueno. Hwang Hee-chan compounded Amorim’s misery when he tapped in with just seconds left.
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