Sports

Atletico Madrid completed a good four days as they followed their Champions League quarter-final first-leg victory over Borussia Dortmund with a 3-1 La Liga victory over third-placed Girona, courtesy of Antoine Griezmann’s brace. Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Diego Simeone’s men moved to within four points of their opponents and pulled five clear of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao in the race …

LEVERKUSEN: Liverpool slu­m­ped to a shock 3-0 home defeat by Atalanta on Thursday as Gianluca Scamacca struck twice for the Italian side in their Europa League quarter-final first leg. On a chastening evening for former European champions in the continent’s second-tier club competition, AC Milan lost 1-0 at home to fellow Italian side AS Roma. Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leve­rkusen secured …

AUGUSTA: LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau used a sizzling burst of late birdies to muscle into a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler on Thursday as Spaniard Jon Rahm’s Masters title defence got off to a shaky start. After a storm delayed the start of the year’s first major by 2-1/2 hours, 2020 US Open champion DeChambeau thrived in the softened but …

JOHANNESBURG: Eight venues in South Africa have been confirmed for the 2027 World Cup, according to Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Pholetsi Moseki. In addition to the South African grounds, matches will also be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia, who will co-host the tournament. Moseki told the South African News24 website that the eight South African venues had been …

Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell and uncapped all-rounder Zak Foulkes have been added as late call-ups for New Zealand’s Twenty20 tour of Pakistan, the side announced on Friday. Blundell and Foulkes will respectively replace promising batter Finn Allen and veteran paceman Adam Milne, who were both injured on the eve of departure. Pakistan host New Zealand for five Twenty20 internationals starting in …

Brazil forward Raphinha scored twice to help Barcelona secure a 3-2 win at Paris St Germain (PSG) in a lively Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, earning the Spanish side their first win in the knockout stage in four years. PSG forward Kylian Mbappe was nowhere to be found in Parc des Princes as five-times European champions Barca managed …

UDINE: Inter Milan took another step towards the Serie A title as a last-gasp goal from Davide Frattesi secured a 2-1 come-from-behind win at struggling Udinese on Monday. Five minutes into added time, Lautaro Martinez unleashed a low shot that Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye managed to tip onto the post but Italy midfielder Frattesi pounced to slot home the rebound. …

PARIS: The Olympic rings for the Paris Games will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower, the president of the monument’s operating company (SETE) said. Jean-Francois Martins said work to set the rings on the tower would begin at the end of the month after the Olympic torch has left ancient Olympia in Greece. The rings will be on the Seine …

COMPIGNE: Defending champion Mathieu van der Poel goes into Sunday’s muddy, cobbled Paris-Roubaix bike race sceptical over new safety measures in a week when several of the sport’s biggest stars were hospitalised. Miles of mud and millions of cobbles have lent the race the name of ‘the Hell of the North’ and a reputation of the most gruelling one-day race …

LONDON: Manchester City pulled level with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League on Saturday after beating Crystal Palace 4-2 as Everton secured a vital 1-0 win against Burnley in their bid to avoid relegation. City’s Kevin De Bruyne netted twice and top-scorer Erling Haaland hit his 19th league goal of the season, with Rico Lewis also on the …