Sports

CADIZ: Real Madrid’s Rodrygo struck twice and Jude Bellingham was also on target as the visitors enjoyed a 3-0 win at lowly Cadiz in La Liga on Sunday to move provisionally top of the standings. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are now on 35 points, one clear of second-placed Girona who host Athletic Bilbao late on Monday. Atletico Madrid are third, having …

MANCHESTER: Newc­astle Uni­ted must overcome the might of Paris St-Germain and a mounting injury list if the Magpies’ first foray into the Champions League for 20 years is not to come to a premature end on Tuesday. In Tuesday’s other matches, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid can confirm a berth in the last 16 if they manage to win …

SYLHET: New Zealand’s captain Tim Southee said Monday he was looking forward to his side’s Test series against Bangladesh, saying he hoped the Kiwis spinners would outwit their “strong” opponents. “The guys have a great desire for Test cricket,” Southee said ahead of the opening match of the two-Test series in Bangladesh’s northeastern city Sylhet on Tuesday. “They say it …

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s sports minister was sacked on Monday hours after he accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of trying to assassinate him over his moves to clean up corruption at the cricket board. Officials said Roshan Ranasinghe was dismissed ahead of Monday’s weekly cabinet meeting after he told parliament that Wickre­mesinghe sho­uld be held responsible if he was killed. “I fear …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday overturned a fine imposed on wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan for displaying a Palestinian flag on his bat during a recent domestic T20 match. The imposition of the fine had sparked social media criticism, with the PCB facing backlash for what was perceived as an unjust action against the cricketer. Khan — who represented Karachi …

At least four police officers from Sindh’s Sakrand police station were arrested on Tuesday and two others were suspended after the provincial police chief took notice of cricketer Sohaib Maqsood’s allegations of bribery and extortion. The latest development was confirmed to Dawn.com by DIG Shaheed Benizarabad District Pervaiz Chandio. The incident near Sakrand came to public attention when the cricketer criticised the …

ABU DHABI: Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen wrapped up a year of unprecedented dominance with his record-extending 19th win in 22 races at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. The pole-to-flag victory, for the fourth year in a row under the Yas Marina floodlights, left the 26-year-old alone in third place in Formula One’s all-time list …

MADRID: Spanish champions Barcelona slipped up in a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday in La Liga, continuing a worrying run of underwhelming performances. Antoine Griezmann’s header earned Atl­etico Madrid a 1-0 win over Real Mal­lorca later Saturday to take the Roj­iblancos third, above Barcelona on goal difference, having played a game fewer. Unai Lopez drove Rayo ahead from …

BREMEN: Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 3-0 victory at Werder Bremen on Saturday to take over the lead in the Bundesliga with a club record-equalling eighth consecutive victory. The visitors needed a Werder own goal to go in front, with Olivier Deman turning in a Jonas Hofmann cross and wrongfooting his own keeper. There was nothing lucky about their second …

RAWALPINDI: The prospect of playing against Australia at the current World Test champions’ home is an exciting one for promising Pakistan opener Saim Ayub. The 21-year-old has been no less than sensational since the last 12 months or so, piling up runs across both the red and white-ball formats with his utter flamboyance in the domestic circuit. The performances earned …