Soler climbs to Vuelta 16th stage honors, O’Connor hangs on to lead

Soler climbs to Vuelta 16th stage honors, O’Connor hangs on to lead
Team UAE's Marc Soler celebrates on the podium after winning stage 16 of the Vuelta a España, a 181,5 km race between Luanco and Lagos de Covadonga, on Sept. 3, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 04 September 2024
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Soler climbs to Vuelta 16th stage honors, O’Connor hangs on to lead

Soler climbs to Vuelta 16th stage honors, O’Connor hangs on to lead
  • Spain’s Soler (UAE Team Emirates) got the measure of Filippo Zana and Briton Max Poole for the stage honors
  • Roglic has put himself in a strong position to claim a record-equalling fourth Vuelta which finishes with a time-trial in Madrid on Sunday

LAKES OF COVDONGA, Spain: Marc Soler emerged from the mountain gloom to claim Tuesday’s Vuelta a Espana 16th stage summit finish, with Ben O’Connor narrowly holding on to the leader’s red jersey.

After Monday’s rest day it was back to work with a vengeance for the peloton, the day’s ride culminating with a daunting 12.8km climb up Lagos de Covadonga at 1,100m altitude.

Spain’s Soler (UAE Team Emirates) got the measure of Filippo Zana and Briton Max Poole for the stage honors.

“This is very special. I haven’t won a lot with this team and so after three years, to win at the Vuelta is special,” said Soler, finally hitting the mark after three third-place finishes in the last week.

O’Connor held on to the red jersey — for at least another day.

But three-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic, 11th on the day, sliced almost one minute off his lead.

The Slovenian goes into Wednesday’s 17th stage now just five seconds adrift of the Australian who crossed the line 20th.

Roglic will inevitably be ruing the 20sec penalty he picked up on Sunday for using his team car’s slipstream to help join the pack after a change of bike.

While Soler, O’Connor and Roglic all had reason to celebrate in their own right, Tuesday’s stage proved disastrous for Wout van Aert.

The Belgian, leading the sprinters’ points classification after three stage wins in this year’s race, crashed heavily with around 50km to go.

Despite getting back on his bike he pulled up shortly after, nursing his knee sitting on the bonnet of his Visma team car.

Van Aert has endured a tough 2024, suffering multiple fractures after a bone-crunching high speed fall in March in the Tour of Flanders which forced him to miss the remaining Spring one-day classics.

Roglic, meanwhile, has put himself in a strong position to claim a record-equalling fourth Vuelta which finishes with a time-trial in Madrid on Sunday.

Wednesday’s 17th stage is a 143km ride from Arnuero to Santander with a chance for the sprinters or a breakaway to take the spotlight.


Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers

Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
Updated 06 October 2024
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Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers

Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
  • Pakistan, England will play first Test of three-match series on Monday at Multan 
  • England skipper Ben Stokes has been ruled out of first Test due to injury

MULTAN: The history of Tests between England and Pakistan is resplendent with memorable matches since the very first series in 1954.

Ahead of their three-match series starting on Monday in Multan, AFP Sports recalls five of the most exciting Tests between the two countries:

Pakistan had been playing Tests for less than two years when Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets to beat England by 24 runs in the final Test at The Oval — a shock the home media dubbed “England Fazalled” as it gave Pakistan a 1-1 series draw.

Chasing just 168, England were cruising at 109-2, but lost their last eight wickets for 34 as seam-bowler Fazal took 6-46 making Pakistan only the second country to win a Test on their maiden tour of England after Australia.

Fazal also bagged 6-53 in the first innings, figures that Wisden noted “would have been much better but for dropped catches.”

After two tame draws, Pakistan were chasing a modest 231-run target at Headingley to win a series in England for the first time.

England captain Ray Illingworth removed three of the top order with his off-spin as Pakistan were reduced to 65-4, but Sadiq Mohammad and Asif Iqbal put their side back on course with a fifth-wicket stand of 95.

All-rounder Iqbal was out for 33 but opener Sadiq was still there, batting serenely.

After Sadiq fell, caught and bowled by Basil D’Oliveira for 91 with 44 more still needed, England paceman Peter Lever ripped through the tail and the visitors were all out for 205 to lose by 25.

Pakistan squeezed home by two wickets in a pulsating second Test at Lord’s where pace spearheads Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis starred with ball and bat to create the legend of the “two Ws.”

The menacing Waqar had match figures of 5-91 and 2-40, while left-armer Wasim returned 2-49 and 4-66 as England collapsed from 108-3 in their second innings to 175 all out.

Chasing just 138 to win, Pakistan were in trouble at 95-8 when Waqar joined Wasim at the crease.
Wasim hit 45 and Waqar 20 as they put on an unbroken 46 for a famous victory.

England bowled out Pakistan for 158 on the final day leaving them 176 to win in only 44 overs, in fast fading light.

Pakistan skipper Moin Khan employed every time-wasting trick in the book to escape with a draw, appealing to the umpires that it was too gloomy for his fielders to see the ball near the end.

But the officials and Graham Thorpe were having none of it and kept going as dusk closed in.

From 65-3, Thorpe steadily accelerated as the light grew dimmer, putting on 91 with Graeme Hick off 21 overs to take England within 20 of only their second win on Pakistan soil, and on a ground where the hosts had been unbeaten for a staggering 34 Tests.

Nasser Hussain joined Thorpe at the crease and the pair gleefully reached the target less than three overs later in almost total darkness with Thorpe a triumphant 64 not out.

England were denied a Lord’s victory as Pakistan completed a 75-run win in a thrilling first Test largely due to slow bowler Yasir Shah’s 10 wickets in the match.

Pakistan’s bowling attack was too powerful for England with pace trio Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir, who was returning to Test cricket after serving a ban for spot-fixing, supporting leg-spinner Yasir.

Chasing 283 to win on the fourth day, Alastair Cook’s side collapsed from 195-6 with victory sealed by Amir on his first Test appearance since 2010 when he shattered last man Jake Ball’s stumps.

It sparked a joyous celebration which culminated in the entire Pakistan team doing military-style press-ups on the outfield. A brilliant series went on to be drawn 2-2.


Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes

Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
Updated 06 October 2024
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Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes

Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
  • “After seven games, we have 19 points, that’s the reality and the truth, and we’re really happy about that,” said Monaco coach Adi Huetter

PARIS: Monaco went top of the Ligue 1 table on Saturday with a 2-1 win away to Rennes, moving three points ahead of reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Goals from Thilo Kehrer and Folarin Balogun sent the principality side to 19 points. PSG, who are on 16 with a better goal difference, will have the chance to overtake them when they play Nice on Sunday.
“After seven games, we have 19 points, that’s the reality and the truth, and we’re really happy about that,” said Monaco coach Adi Huetter.
However, he added: “The championship is not a 100-meter sprint, it’s a 400-meter race, and we’ve started very well.”
Monaco’s match in the rain in Brittany was decided early in the first half. Kehrer opened the scoring before Ludovic Blas levelled and Balogun then tucked home the winner, all in the first 22 minutes.
Continuing his fine start to the season, Monaco youngster Eliesse Ben Seghir had a part in both of his side’s goals.
His sixth-minute corner met the head of Kehrer, who glanced it into the back of the net despite the efforts of a defender on the line.
Blas put Rennes back on terms five minutes later with a rocket of a left-foot strike from more than 35 yards that flew past Philipp Koehn.
But Balogun wrapped up the points for Huetter’s side when he clipped the ball past an advancing Steve Mandanda in the 22nd minute after a defense-splitting pass from Ben Seghir.
Earlier on Saturday, Lille moved up to fourth, coming from behind to win at home against lowly Toulouse.
Zakaria Aboukhlal gave the 16th-placed side a surprise lead six minutes before the interval when he squeezed a shot on the rebound over the line from a tight angle.
But former Manchester United playmaker Angel Gomes levelled for Lille on 57 minutes when he prodded home Osame Sahraoui’s lofted pass from close range.
Mitchel Bakker made it two wins in a week at home for Lille — after Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League — with a composed finish in the 72nd minute, rounding off a swift counter-attack.
A hat-trick from Zuriko Davitashvili propelled Saint-Etienne out of the relegation zone as they beat Auxerre 3-1 at home.
The Georgian opened the scoring first after a quarter of a hour with a thumping finish after carrying the ball 40 yards into the visitors’ penalty area.
He hit his second on 54 minutes after again cutting in from the left flank and taking aim with his right foot.
Theo Bair halved the deficit with 15 minutes remaining, before Davitashvili completed his triple with a dinked finish on 87 minutes.
On Sunday, Lyon host Nantes while Reims and Lens are also in action, before PSG travel to ninth-placed Nice.


Inter Miami dampens Toronto FC’s postseason hopes with 1-0 victory

Inter Miami dampens Toronto FC’s postseason hopes with 1-0 victory
Updated 06 October 2024
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Inter Miami dampens Toronto FC’s postseason hopes with 1-0 victory

Inter Miami dampens Toronto FC’s postseason hopes with 1-0 victory
  • Campana scored for the eighth time this season for Inter Miami (21-4-8), which has already wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield

TORONTO: Leo Campana took a pass from Luis Suárez and scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, 38-year-old goalkeeper Oscar Ustari had seven saves and a clean sheet in his first start in the league, and Inter Miami put a damper on Toronto FC’s playoff hopes with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.
Campana scored for the eighth time this season for Inter Miami (21-4-8), which has already wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield and the top seed in the postseason that comes with it. Suárez notched his seventh assist to go with 18 goals after subbing into the match in the 71st minute.
Toronto (11-19-4), which played without top scorer Federico Bernardeschi after he drew a red card in a match against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday, will have to way until the end of the day to find out whether it has been eliminated from the postseason. A win or draw by the Philadelphia Union or D.C. United would end Toronto’s slim playoff hopes. Both clubs also have a game in hand on Toronto, which has a bye Oct. 19 on Decision Day.
Sean Johnson finished with one save in goal for Toronto.
Lionel Messi, coming off a two-goal effort in Inter Miami’s win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday, entered in the 61st minute. He has 17 goals and 15 assists in 18 appearances this season.
Inter Miami is off until Oct. 19 when it will host the New England Revolution to close out the regular season. A victory would give the club 74 points, one more than the New England Revolution had in their record-setting 2021 season. Inter Miami is the fourth team in history to top 70 points.


Al-Hilal come from behind to beat Al-Ahli and stay top of Saudi Pro League

Al-Hilal come from behind to beat Al-Ahli and stay top of Saudi Pro League
Updated 57 min 43 sec ago
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Al-Hilal come from behind to beat Al-Ahli and stay top of Saudi Pro League

Al-Hilal come from behind to beat Al-Ahli and stay top of Saudi Pro League
  • Going into the game, Al-Hilal had won 38 and drawn three of their previous 41 league games

JEDDAH: Al-Hilal came back from a goal down to defeat Al-Ahli 2-1 on a dramatic Saturday evening in Jeddah to maintain their perfect record at the top of the Saudi Pro League.

Two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic at a packed King Abdullah Sport City made it six wins from six for last season’s champions and this season’s league leaders.

Going into the game, Al-Hilal had won 38 and drawn three of their previous 41 league games, a quite staggering statistic. No wonder then that in the week, coach Jorge Jesus had said that his team would be competitive in any of the big leagues in Europe. On this showing, few would disagree.

Yet, inspired perhaps by an electric atmosphere, Al-Ahli took the lead after 12 minutes. Firas Al-Buraikan in the centre circle chipped a simple pass over the top for the sprinting Gabri Veiga. The Spaniard, onside by a whisker, outpaced the chasing defenders into the right-side of the area, ran past Yassine Bounou and then fired into the empty net to the dismay of the blue-shirted fans behind the goal. They did not feel any better when the former Celta Vigo man held out his arms in the style of Jude Bellingham and then put his fingers to his lips

But the goal seemed to wake Al-Hilal. After 20 minutes Renan Lodi curled a delightful ball into the area. Mitrovic got there before Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, in goal for the injured Edouard Mendy, but Merih Demiral managed to get back to hook the ball clear off the line. Soon after, Mitrovic fired just wide from the edge of the area.

It looked like being third time lucky for the Serbian sharpshooter two minutes before the break. Joao Cancelo floated over the perfect cross from the right and there was no way that Mitrovic was going to waste such an invitation and he headed firmly into the net. But what would have been his eighth goal of the season was ruled out for offside.

After the break, the Blues continued to push for the equaliser and did not have to wait too long. It was Mitrovic again and it was an excellent Lodi cross again. The Brazilian found the former Fulham forward on the edge of the six-yard box and there was only going to be one outcome. It was the 69th successive game in which Al-Hilal have scored — a phenomenal record.

There was almost another on the hour as Al-Sanbi had to dive smartly to push away a Ruben Neves free-kick that was destined for the back of the net. And then, somehow, a few minutes later, Hilal were denied again. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s shot from inside the area was blocked on the line, then Al-Sanbi got down very well to keep out Salem Al-Dawsari’s attempt from the rebound.

Al-Hilal were turning the screw and got their big chance with 18 minutes remaining when Rayan Hamed brought down Malcom in the area. Mitrovic stepped up to take the spot kick but Al-Sanbi guessed right and made another fine diving save. Unfortunately for the home fans, and perhaps all those hoping to see Al-Hilal drop points, the keeper had come off his line to make the save and a retake was ordered. Mitrovic made no mistake at the second time of asking.

The hosts did their utmost to get an equaliser but were unable to do so — Riyad Mahrez came close with a shot that went just wide in the 95th minute — and have now lost three of their first six games. Al-Hilal moved three points clear of Al-Ittihad in second while Al-Nassr are third thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win over Al-Orubah.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring after 17 minutes, firing home from the spot after a handball in the area to record his fifth league goal of the season. The Portuguese megastar then turned provider 12 minutes later with a smart pass from the left into the feet of the incoming Sadio Mane who took one touch and then fired a low shot into the far corner.

Mane grabbed his second to seal the win, not that it was really in doubt, with a side-footed volley 19 minutes from time that was originally ruled out for offside before a VAR intervention.


Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare

Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
Updated 05 October 2024
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Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare

Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
  • Mikel Arteta’s side were rocked by Cameron Archer’s shock opener for the winless visitors early in the second half at the Emirates Stadium
  • Bukayo Saka wrapped up Arsenal’s fifth win in seven league games

LONDON: Arsenal staged a stirring fightback to keep their Premier League title challenge on course with a 3-1 victory against struggling Southampton on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side were rocked by Cameron Archer’s shock opener for the winless visitors early in the second half at the Emirates Stadium.
But Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli struck in quick succession to restore order, before Bukayo Saka wrapped up Arsenal’s fifth win in seven league games.
After finishing as runners-up to Manchester City for the last two years, the Gunners are again in contention for their first title since 2004.
Saka this week said he expects Arsenal to finally lift the Premier League trophy this season.
They sit in third place, one point behind leaders Liverpool, after extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.
Four days after their statement victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal faced a Southampton side who have managed only one point from seven games since their promotion.
Aaron Ramsdale, who appeared 78 times in the Premier League for the Gunners, made his Emirates return and nearly gifted Arsenal an early opener with a sloppy clearance, but Raheem Sterling squandered the chance.
Arsenal dominated the first half without testing Ramsdale until stoppage-time when he parried Thomas Partey’s strike.
In the 55th minute, Sterling was out-muscled by Mateus Fernandes in midfield and he played in Archer, who broke free of William Saliba to fire a deflected shot past David Raya.
Southampton’s lead lasted just three minutes as Saka dispossessed Flynn Downes before finding Havertz in space, who confidently drilled home for his fourth goal in his last four games.
On the hour mark, Arteta introduced Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in a pair of substitutions that turned the tide.
Saka’s fine cross found Martinelli unmarked in the 68th minute and the winger’s side-footed volley went in through Ramsdale’s legs.
Tyler Dibling’s deflected shot hit the foot of Raya’s post and Adam Armstrong’s effort cannoned onto the bar in a tense finale.
But as the Saints pushed for an equalizer, Trossard broke free.
Yukinari Sugawara’s interception only fell to Saka, who blasted past Ramsdale to keep Arsenal in pursuit of their title dream.