Sports

MILAN: Bologna cruised past Serie A’s bottom side Salernitana 3-0 on Monday to continue their charge towards a first-ever appearance in the Champions League. Stunning first-half strikes from Riccardo Orsolini and Alexis Saelemaekers and Charalampos Lykogiannis’ fine finish in stoppage time ensured that Bologna would stay in fourth place, five points above Roma who were held to a goalless draw …

OUDENAARDE (Belgium): Mathieu van der Poel rode through the Belgian rain and into history on Sunday as he joined the elite group who have won the Tour of Flanders three times. The 29-year-old Dutch rider finished just over a minute ahead of the chasing pack as he became the sixth rider in the 111-year history of the race to claim …

CHITTAGONG: Sri Lanka made a record 531 runs in their first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh on Sunday but Kamindu Mendis narrowly missed scoring a third century in consecutive Test innings. Sri Lanka’s total on the second day in Chittagong was the highest scored in Tests without any batsman reaching a century — improving on India’s 524-9 against …

MANCHESTER: Arsenal nullified reigning champions Manchester City’s attack in a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, allowing Liverpool to take top spot on a pivotal day in the Premier League’s three-way title race. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, in the hunt for their first league title in 20 years, are second in the table on 65 points with nine games …

CHITTAGONG: A top-order batting blitz took Sri Lanka to 314-4 and left the tourists firmly in command on the opening day of the second and final Test against Bangladesh on Saturday. Kusal Mendis top-scored with 93 in Chittagong, while openers Dimuth Karunaratne (86) and Nishan Madushka (57) also helped power the innings. “Of course we are happy,” Karunaratne said. “That’s …

LONDON: Son Heung-min’s late winner fired Tottenham Hotspur into the Premier League’s top four with a 2-1 win over Luton Town as Chelsea twice blew a lead against 10-man Burnley in a 2-2 draw on Saturday. An action-packed afternoon also saw Newcastle United come from 3-1 down to stun West Ham United 4-3 and Fulham hit back for a 3-3 …

BELGRADE: Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Beatrice Chebet of Kenya successfully defended their world cross country titles in Belgrade on Saturday. It’s just the fifth time in history that both the senior men’s and women’s champions have retained their titles at the championships — the first since Ethiopian duo Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba did in (2005/06). Kiplimo, 23, made it …

Batsman Babar Azam made a return to the captaincy of the men’s cricket team on Sunday after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that he would lead the Green Shirts in ODIs and T20s. In a post on social media platform X, the PCB said, “Babar Azam appointed as white-ball captain.” It said the decision was made following a “unanimous recommendation” from …

LAHORE: While Babar Azam is all but set to return as Pakistan captain, his imminent reappointment may hurt the national side’s dressing room. It has already been volatile since Babar stepped down from the post after Pakistan dismal show in the Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup last year, with Shaheen Shah Afridi replacing him as the Twenty20 captain and Shan Masood assuming the role …

MIAMI: Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes for a Sunshine Double came undone in spectacular fashion as the top-seeded Spaniard fell 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to Grigor Dimitrov, who will move on to face Alexander Zverev in the Miami Open semi-finals. Dimitrov, the Bulgarian 11th seed, won 77 per cent of his first-serve points compared to just 56pc for Alcaraz, turned aside four …