Cristiano Ronaldo was hopping mad at losing out to Croatia star Luka Modric for the UEFA Player of the Year, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri revealed on Friday.

Real Madrid and Croatia midfield star Modric beat his former teammate Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to the prize which was awarded on Thursday in Monaco.

"Yesterday he (Ronaldo) was very angry, and it's only normal," said Allegri.

"He scored 15 goals in the Champions League and won the trophy with his teammates.

"The attitude of Ronaldo shows how much he continues to strive and work to be still the best. This is an advantage for us."

Allegri added that the choice of Modric was "a personal choice" of those who voted "and, as such, must be respected."

Ronaldo, 33, had the consolation of being awarded the prize for best striker chosen by journalists and Champions League and Europa League coaches from last season.

Modric's success, after he was named the best player at the World Cup, means that the 32-year-old should be among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or, a prize dominated by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi over the last decade.

Ronaldo, a five-time winner of the world player of the year award, signed for Italian champions Juventus this summer from Real Madrid for 100 million euros ($116.5 million).

The Portuguese superstar's agent Jorge Mendes slammed the decision as "simply ridiculous".

"He scored 15 goals, carrying Real Madrid to the Champions League win once again," Mendes told Portuguese daily Record.

"This is not the winner, he's (Modric) the best player in the world in his position," said Mendes.

Ronaldo had won the UEFA award three times in the previous four years.

Record-breaking Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder is set to play one last time for the national team next week, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning 15 years and more than 130 appearances.

Netherlands national coach Ronald Koeman announced a 25-man squad Friday to face Peru in a friendly in Amsterdam next week, to be played in honour of Sneijder, a former Ajax, Real Madrid and Galatasaray midfielder.

"This is the final time Wesley Sneijder will form part of the selection camp," the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) said in a statement.

"The record-breaking international ends his national football career officially on Thursday with 133 caps to his name," it said.

One of the great playmakers of his era, Sneijder, 34, remains a versatile and always energetic midfielder.

He surpassed former goalkeeping great Edwin van der Sar's Dutch national 130-match record in June 2017 on his 33rd birthday.

He also finds himself in a small group of players who have been capped more than 100 times by the Netherlands, including Frank de Boer, Rafael van der Vaart, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dirk Kuyt, Robin van Persie and Philip Cocu.

Known as the "Little Big Player", Sneijder made his debut for the national squad in 2003 against Portugal.

There were many highlights in his career, but Sneijder will be especially remembered for his header during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final against Brazil which the Dutch won 2-1.

It was Sneijder's first-ever international goal with his head.

The Oranje went on to lose 1-0 to Spain in the final.

He got some revenge four years later while making his 100th appearance, when the Netherlands demolished Spain 5-1 in Salvador in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup.

Sneijder, who won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, currently plays for Qatari club Al-Gharafa.

UEFA are set to wait until next season before introducing Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the Champions League, although they are still not ruling out having it in this season's final, president Aleksander Ceferin said on Friday.

Ceferin has so far resisted calls to bring VAR into Europe's elite club competition, despite the system largely proving successful at the World Cup.

It has also been introduced in Spain and France this season, with those leagues following on from the Bundesliga and Serie A, although the English Premier League has been more cautious.

"For me, VAR is not completely clear for now, but we also know that there is no way back anymore, technology will come sooner or later," Ceferin told journalists in Monaco, where the Champions League group-stage draw was held on Thursday.

"The plan for now is to use it from the next season, with the first match which is the Super Cup."

That match is due to be played in Istanbul on August 14, 2019, and the Champions League would then bring in VAR from the playoff round the same month.

"When we are ready we will use it, but it is not so easy because we have to choose the provider, it is not easy to organise a competition across the continent with all the referees, so we have some issues," said Ceferin.

There had been reports that VAR could come in from the latter stages of this season's competition, but UEFA's Slovenian president now says it is unlikely to be used even in the final in Madrid next June.

"I'm not ruling it out but for now it doesn't look like it will happen," he admitted.

Ceferin acknowledged that VAR "worked quite well" at the World Cup, but UEFA's biggest concern is how they can effectively run the system in a competition spanning an entire continent.

- 'Very complex' -

At the World Cup, FIFA used a centralised system based in Moscow, yet doing the same thing with matches being played in different countries is far more complex.

"It's really much more problematic than it looks. We really have a huge territory, we have different countries. We don't know yet how to do it," added Ceferin.

"The plan is to do it next season, but let's see what happens, I don't want to predict anything 100 percent."

Nevertheless, it seems that UEFA will wait a further year before the Europa League follows suit.

Giorgio Marchetti, the organisation's deputy general secretary, admitted that VAR was "obviously not impossible but very complex, and requires a lot of planning".

"The Europa League would follow exactly like GLT (goal-line technology), because of this complexity of the operations," he said, confirming that the idea would be to wait another season.

Meanwhile, reports in Germany on Thursday indicated that UEFA were considering bringing back a third continental club competition, two decades after the Cup Winners' Cup was scrapped.

Sport Bild said the idea was to start a 32-team tournament from 2021, reducing the number of participants in the Europa League from the current 48 down to 32 and further opening up continental competition to sides from smaller countries.

But Ceferin said: "They are just discussions, is it better to have 64 in the Europa League or 32 and 32? They are just discussions."

- Restoring competitive balance -

The 50-year-old, who succeeded Michel Platini as UEFA president in 2016, looks set to be re-elected early next year, with a vote taking place in Rome in February.

The increasing dominance in the Champions League of an elite few raises ever greater concerns about competitive balance, something Ceferin says is his "greatest challenge" going forward.

He is nevertheless optimistic that a breakaway, closed league for the super rich will not happen.

"I think, as much as I spoke to the big clubs, that it's clear to them that the competition only between the big clubs will not happen and would be very boring, and they understand that for the development of football they have to share some money," he said.

French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni ended his unlucky streak by holding on in the dash for the line to win the sixth stage of the Vuelta in San Javier on Thursday.

Compatriot Rudy Molard retained the overall lead, staying with the leading group of 50 as strong crosswinds split the peloton.

The Quickstep team of the so-far dominant sprinter Elia Viviani led entering the last kilometre but the Italian lost ground around the final roundabout.

Bouhani of Cofidis went for the line early and held on as other sprinters gave furious chase. Dutchman Danny Van Poppel of Lotto NL finished second with Viviani, who swerved across the road at high speed in the closing metres as he sought a gap between the riders ahead, was third.

Serena and Venus Williams will walk the slippery line between sisterly affection and athletic aggression for the 30th time on Friday, fighting for a place in the US Open last 16.

The superstar sisters' third-round clash is their earliest Grand Slam meeting in 20 years -- since Venus beat her younger sister in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open in their first career meeting.

"I never root against her, no matter what," Serena said.

"So I think that's the toughest part for me. When you always want someone to win, to have to beat them ... I know it's the same thing for her.

"When she beats me, she always roots for me as well. I think that's just the hardest part."

The possible all-Williams encounter had fans buzzing as soon as the draw was announced, but Venus could barely bring herself to discuss it after securing her passage with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Camila Giorgi.

Venus's seven Grand Slam titles include a victory over Serena in the 2001 US Open final. But Serena has gone on to beat her in seven of eight major finals since as she built a 17-12 record over her elder sister.

That included a triumph in the 2017 Australian Open final, where Serena was already pregnant with daughter Olympia.

Venus won the most recent meeting, a third-round clash at Indian Wells in March, but Serena has since gained steam in her post-pregnancy comeback, reaching the final at Wimbledon.

Seeded 17th -- nine spots above her world ranking -- Serena is trying to avoid her first year since 2011 without a major title.

If she can pull it off -- and the signs improved with the first-round exit of world number one Simona Halep atop her quarter of the draw -- Serena will match Australian Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.

It's not just heightened emotions that make facing Venus so hard, Serena said.

It's also the challenge of facing a player intimately acquainted with every aspect of her game.

"You have to almost become a different player," Serena said.

The very factors that make the match-up so daunting for the sisters are what make it so fascinating for fans.

"I'm sure they will hate it, both of them hate this," former world number one Victoria Azarenka said. "But I think it's going to be beautiful for tennis."

Defending champion New England has been made the biggest Super Bowl favorite since 2009 over the Philadelphia Eagles despite injuries to star quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Westgate sports book in Las Vegas opened the Patriots as a 5.5-point favorite while the Wynn Las Vegas had the Eagles a 6.5-point underdog and Caesars Palace gave New England a 6-point edge with William Hill liking the Patriots by 5.

Brady said Monday on his weekly WEEI radio appearance that he will have stitches removed this week from a cut on his right hand suffered last week in practice and be fine for Super Bowl 52 against the Eagles on February 4 at Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"As the game went on, it got better and better and better," Brady said of the throwing-hand injury in New England's 24-20 playoff win Sunday over Jacksonville. "It won't be a problem in a couple of weeks, which I'm really happy about."

The Patriots were optimistic Gronkowski, who exited after a helmet-to-helmet blow in the second quarter caused a concussion, would be finished with the NFL's concussion protocol and available for the Super Bowl, the Boston Herald reported Monday.

A record $138.5 million was wagered in Nevada sports betting on last year's Super Bowl, when New England overcame a 25-point deficit to win in over-time.

Not since the Pittsburgh Steelers were 7-point favorites over Arizona nine years ago has a club been so lopsided a favorite as the Patriots, who chase their sixth Super Bowl title to match Pittsburgh's record and their third crown in the past four seasons.

"Every year has been different and every team is different and every season is different," Brady said. "This team earned it. If people don't like that, it's their prerogative. They can do whatever they want. But to get this far with this team is incredible."

The Eagles, however, are accustomed to underdog status, to the point of players wearing dog masks to revel in the snubs, defying oddsmakers in playoff wins over Atlanta and Minnesota.

"We haven't been talked about all year," Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. "That's the story of the Eagles. If you go back and look, we're in the top five in a lot of categories. We keep finding ways to win and moving on. It's our motto. All we need is one more."

Brady detailed his injury, which happened when his right thumb was "bent back" after he collided with running back Rex Burkhead on a handoff attempt during a workout last Wednesday.

"It was just a crazy injury in practice," Brady said. "It didn't look good there for a little bit."

Brady said he "definitely wasn't sure" last Wednesday that he could play against Jacksonville, adding, "It turned out to be a lot of good luck that it wasn't more serious than it was. I think we're very lucky."

Source: AFP

Ice-cool Roger Federer roared into an Australian Open quarter-final with Tomas Berdych Monday as world number one Simona Halep and former champion Angelique Kerber stayed on course for a potential last-four clash.

The Swiss defending champion swatted aside one-time training partner Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena to make the last eight for an incredible 14th time.

The Swiss maestro, 36, has made the quarters every year since 2004, bar a hiccup in 2015.

He will now play fellow veteran Berdych, a semi-finalist in 2014 and 2015 at his most successful major, who demolished Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

"We have had some good ones over the years going back all the way to the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004," the 19-time Grand Slam champion said of the Czech.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to play against him. He seems in good shape."

Berdych, who is on his way back from back problems, lost to the five-time Australian champion in the third round last year and the odds are heavily stacked again him.

Of the 13 quarter-finals Federer has contested in Melbourne, he has won the lot.

"I have no choice to choose the opponent and may the better man win," said Berdych, seeded 19.

"I am going to get myself ready, it's all I can do, and prepare the best I can."

Romania's Halep eased through 6-3, 6-2 over unseeded Naomi Osaka of Japan in just 81 minutes, delighted to be off court early after an epic and gruelling three-setter in the previous round.

While the win was easy, she continues to nurse a troublesome ankle that she rolled early in the tournament.

"The injury is still there. I feel it but I'm trying not to think about it and give it everything," said Halep, who has never gone beyond the quarters before.

She will play either sixth seed Karolina Pliskova or fellow Czech Barbora Strycova, seeded 20, for a semi-final spot.

Germany's Kerber is the only Grand Slam champion left among the women, and she was given a big fright as she chases her second Melbourne Park crown after beating Serena Williams in 2016.

After crushing Maria Sharapova in the last round, she came up against gritty Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei who stunned the 21st seed by taking the first set on Rod Laver Arena.

At one point Kerber was serving to stay in the match, but she bounced back to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

"Credit to her, she played unbelievable. I was running everywhere," said Kerber, who had a poor 2017 after starting the year as world number one.

"I was just trying to focus in every point."

- Enjoying the job -

Hsieh, ranked 88, was always going to be a threat after knocking out world number three Garbine Muguruza and the dangerous Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the fourth round.

Wallabies star David Pocock's long-awaited return to Australia from a Rugby sabbatical has been pushed back after he went under the knife on Saturday to repair a damaged knee.

The 29-year-old will be on the sidelines for up to 12 weeks after having the surgery to fix damage to his meniscus, missing the start of the Super Rugby season with the ACT Brumbies. 

"There is always frustration and disappointment, but all you can do is control your reaction to it. Having a bit of time off [last year], I realise how fortunate I am," Pocock told the Canberra Times Sunday.

"I was looking forward to arriving back in Canberra with some match fitness and ready to go, but this is probably the better approach. I've managed it for ages, this is the smart decision."

Pocock took a 12-month sabbatical last year from international duties, which included a stint with Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights.

The injury had been niggling the Wallabies star who could return for the Brumbies in mid-March, pending consultation with his surgeon.

"It's the kind of thing that if you keep managing, at some point if it tears it will be a lot worse. You wouldn't want that to be halfway through the season."

One of the world's leading back-rows, Pocock stepped away from the game to freshen up for the upcoming two seasons with the Brumbies and the Wallabies, including 2019's World Cup.

Source: AFP

 North Korea's figure skaters Ryom Tai-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik are "friendly and kind and a little bit shy", South Korea's Kim Kyueun said Tuesday ahead of their hugely anticipated Olympic appearance.

The skater is competing with her partner Alex Kam in the pairs competition against the North Koreans at the Four Continents championships in Taipei this week, where the North Korean duo have been closely guarded from journalists.

Interest in them has skyrocketed since North Korea made a surprise announcement earlier this month that it was sending a team to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, even though the two sides are still technically at war.

South Korea's Kim told AFP she had spoken to the pair and admired their confident skating style.

"They are very friendly and kind and a little bit shy," she said, adding that she had chatted to the North's Ryom in the locker room at the tournament. The two young women are both 18.

She wished them the best ahead of the Games and said it would be a "very good experience" for them.

"I think usually it's very hard for North Korean people to come to South Korea, so I think it's very special that they are coming. We welcome the athletes," she said.

Ryom and Kim are among North Korea's top athletes and its only competitors to have officially qualified for a place at the February 9-25 Games.

While the majority of their compatriots are cloistered from the outside world, the pair have travelled globally to compete.

The Taipei competition starts Wednesday, but they have already been subject to intense media interest during practice sessions.

Tournament organisers have linked arms around them to protect them from being jostled by the press pack when walking from the arena to the hotel.

The pair have remained tight-lipped so far, with their team translator telling reporters they would not comment as they wanted to focus on the competition.

- Beatles soundtrack -

Currently ranked 36th in the world, Ryom and Kim are medal outsiders in Taipei but could have a chance after two higher-ranked Chinese pairs dropped out.

During practice Monday and Tuesday, they were dressed all in black and danced to songs including "Je suis qu'une chanson" by Canadian artist Ginette Reno.

They will perform to Jeff Beck's rendition of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life" for their short programme on Wednesday.

The pair skated to the same tracks when they secured their Olympic place last September at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany.

Seoul and the Games organisers have sought to promote Pyeongchang as a "Peace Olympics" to open the door for dialogue with the nuclear-armed North, which has traded threats with the US over the past year.

But President Moon Jae-In's peace efforts have met a backlash at home, with many accusing him of using athletes for political purposes and making too many concessions to his hostile neighbour.

Ryom and Kim are among 22 athletes the North will send.

None of the competitors was registered by North Korean authorities before an official deadline but the International Olympic Committee has said it will clear the team to perform in five disciplines: figure skating, short-track speed skating, cross-country skiing, Alpine skiing and ice hockey.

North Korea has taken part in seven of the last 12 Winter Olympics, most recently in Vancouver 2010.

But it boycotted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, so its presence in Pyeongchang is seen as a significant diplomatic advance.

Source: AFP

When Feng Shanshan was confirmed as the women's number one golfer she marked the historic achievement by ordering steak at Dallas airport and sending a photo of it to her parents.

The 28-year-old had every reason to celebrate even while swapping planes: she was the first Chinese -- male or female -- to top the golf world rankings.

Feng was already the first Chinese on the women's US-based LPGA Tour; the first Chinese of either gender to triumph at a major championship, in 2012; and in 2016 she won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.

Her latest feat, in November, underlined the growing heft of China in a sport that was banned under Mao Zedong because he considered it too bourgeois.

But Feng is not your typical Chinese -- hence the steak celebration and cow-print trousers she wears on the golf course -- and the image of her spending hours repetitively hitting golf balls would not quite be correct either.

"She is more into quality versus quantity, but also she is a person who has a high golfing IQ," said Feng's long-time swing coach Gary Gilchrist.

"What I mean by that, she understands that the key to this game is more about preparation and mental toughness than anything else," he told LPGA.com, calling Feng "a golfing mother to the Chinese" because of her trailblazing success.

Feng's ascension to the top came a decade after she turned professional and was sealed with back-to-back LPGA victories late last year, first in Japan and then on home soil on Hainan island.

- 'At least I'm alive' -

She may be tough but Feng also knows how to have fun -- those cow-print trousers and other colourful clothing -- and typically celebrates victory with a hearty meal, a spot of karaoke or a splurge at the shops, preferably on handbags.

She is frequently described as having the best sense of humour in women's golf, but she is less comfortable with one other tag often attached to her.

"I always tell the media that I don’t think I’m a pioneer, I think I’m a guinea pig," she said after climbing to the top ranking.

"Before me there was nobody (from China) on the LPGA and actually experiencing tour life.

"So I do think that I'm a guinea pig, but I'm kind of a successful guinea pig. At least I'm still alive!"

In her rookie year Feng thought that she would play 10 LPGA seasons and then retire, but 2018 will be her 11th and she says -- in fluent English -- that "I'll be here for a few more years".

Feng hails from the southern city of Guangzhou and names Gilchrist and her father Feng Xiong as major influences since taking up the game aged 10, when golf was still a mystery to most Chinese.

After bronze in 2016 she wants to win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to add to her nearly $10 million in LPGA career earnings and nine tour titles.

- Hunger to win -

Feng was the fifth women's number one of last year but veteran sports writer Spencer Robinson, who has closely followed her career, says that she has the self-belief to stay at the top in 2018.

"Shanshan just loves playing golf -- and winning," Robinson, also chief communications officer at the Asian Golf Industry Federation, said ahead of the first LPGA event of the year, in the Bahamas from January 25.

"Given the natural talent she possesses, as long as she maintains that attitude and desire, she’ll remain at the top of the game," said Robinson, who believes that Feng will add to her tally of major wins in the coming years.

Another major is Feng's stated goal for 2018.

"Nothing fazes her," added Robinson.

"Any time she has a bad break, Shanshan has this admirable ability to block it out -- and bounce back immediately."

Source: AFP

The Orlando Magic parlayed a big third quarter into a 103-95 upset of the Boston Celtics on Sunday, their third win in 20 games coming against the NBA's Eastern Conference leaders.

Elfrid Payton scored 22 points for the Magic, who had lost their last 14 games in Boston in a skid stretching back to February 2010.

"It feels good to get a win, especially after playing well," Payton said. "We felt we played well against the Cavaliers and didn't come out with the victory. So to get the win today feels good."

Orlando spoiled the return from injury of Boston point guard Kyrie Irving, whose 40 points couldn't prevent the Celtics from dropping a third straight game for the first time this season.

Irving had missed Thursday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a nagging shoulder injury.

Jaylen Brown scored 17 points and Marcus Morris finished with 12 to score in double figures for the fourth consecutive game for the Celtics.

"We haven't played consistently on both ends for a while now," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I felt like they were shooting layups for the most part tonight."

Evan Fournier scored 19 points and Aaron Gordon produced a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, who started the day in a three-way tie for the worst record in the league.

Orlando trailed 59-58 at halftime, but out-scored the Celtics 32-12 in the third quarter to take a 90-71 lead into the final frame.

The Magic's upset bid appeared to be coming unstuck as they made just one of their first 16 shot attempts of the fourth quarter.

The Celtics trimmed the deficit to seven points on Al Horford's hook shot with 1:13 remaining.

A free-throw from Payton and Fournier's floater in the final minute stretched Orlando's lead back to 10.

Elsewhere, Victor Oladipo delivered 19 points as the Indiana Pacers ended the San Antonio Spurs 14-game winning streak at home with a 94-86 victory.

Darren Collison tallied 15 points for the Pacers, who halted a three-game losing streak in San Antonio.

The Spurs lost at home for the third time this season and the first since November 10 against Milwaukee.

The Pacers became the first Eastern Conference team in three years to sweep a season series from the Spurs.

- 'Build on it' -

"We did a great job just getting stops and moving the ball," Oladipo said. "They're a tough team to play against. Well-coached team, great players over there, it was a tough-fought team win. We've just got to build on it."

Pau Gasol had 14 points to lead the Spurs who were minus Manu Ginobili, Rudy Gay and Kawhi Leonard because of injuries.

Tony Parker came off the bench to record 12 points and five assists. It marked just the 14th time in 1,165 games that Parker has come into the game off the bench.

In Los Angeles, Jordan Clarkson had 29 points and 10 assists, Julius Randle added 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 127-107.

Kyle Kuzma added 15 points for the Lakers, who have won their six of their last eight games and the last two without injured rookie Lonzo Ball.

Source: AFP

Australian captain Steve Smith has shot down
suggestions of ball-tampering after video of him using saliva from the corner
of his mouth during Sunday’s one-day loss to England raised eyebrows. 

Smith laughed off the reaction, after watching a replay of
the video, saying it was his standard technique for helping shine the white
ball with no assistance from any foreign substance. 

“It was all spit. People said something about lip balm.
If you look at my lips they are pretty dry. I certainly didn’t have any of that
on,” he told reporters on Sunday. 

“It is just the way I get the spit into the side of my
mouth and get some spit onto the ball. There was nothing in it.” 

England last month blasted ball-tampering allegations
against them as a “beat-up” after footage of England bowler James
Anderson working the ball with his thumbnail drew suspicions during their Ashes
test match in Melbourne. 

England coach Trevor Bayliss slammed the accusations after
former Australian Test players Shane Warne and Michael Slater suggested it was
not allowed. 

“It’s a beat-up. As soon as I saw the headlines I raced
into the umpires and that was their words: ‘Nothing to worry about, it was a
beat-up, absolutely fine’,” Bayliss said at the time. 

England sealed the five-match ODI series in Sydney Sunday
when a stunning century from Jos Buttler helped the visitors to a unbeatable
3-0 lead – a remarkable turnaround after Australia had trounced them 4-0 in the
Ashes Tests.

Source: AFP

Tomas Berdych will face a familiar tricky problem after powering past Fabio Fognini into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday for a seventh time.

The Czech, seeded 19 and a two-time semi-finalist in Melbourne, put away the 25th seeded Italian 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in 2hr 8min on Margaret Court Arena.

His reward will be yet another match against the great Roger Federer, his fifth in Melbourne and his 26th overall.

The Swiss 19-time Grand Slam champion holds all the aces with a one-sided 19-6 record and Berdych knows he faces another tough challenge if he is to progress in the year's opening Grand Slam.

"If there is any plan or any key to success then I would like to know that," he told reporters to the oft-asked question about his chances against Federer.

"I'm definitely going to go out there, try my best, try to play good tennis, and believe myself that I can do it.

"I did it in the past, and also, I did it in the slams, so I know how it is to beat him for the best-of-five sets.

"But obviously he's an extremely tough opponent. I will just to go out there and swing at some balls."

Berdych was in little trouble against the maverick Fognini, breaking the Italian's serve six times, hitting 37 winners and offset with 20 unforced errors.

"I won in three sets, and that's it. So if we're going to go play tomorrow again, it would be probably a different match," Berdych said.

"You just have to take it as it is. I was expecting a tough one and I was ready for it. I had a good game plan, and I was able to execute it all the way through the three sets, so I did it way better today."

Berdych went into Monday's match holding the record for the most number of Australian Open round of 16 appearances by a Czech man with 10 ahead of Ivan Lendl's eight.

He said he was feeling much better after back issues flared late last year.

"I'm enjoying it a lot. I'm glad to be back in the shape that I am right now, which is finally healthy and that makes the difference," he said.

"I can play freely and I can have joy from the tennis. I can enjoy the time being on court. Yeah, the results are coming with that."

He improved his record to 44-14 at the Australian Open, representing his most successful major tournament in terms of matches won and quarter-finals reached.

Berdych has reached the semi-finals twice in Melbourne, losing to Stan Wawrinka in 2014 and against Andy Murray the following year.

Source: AFP

Dozens of Russian athletes banned by the International Olympic Committee for life over doping began an appeal against their suspension on Monday at the world's top sports court.

The week-long hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) includes appeals from 39 Russians who competed at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi that were tarnished by a vast, Moscow-backed doping scheme, according to multiple independent investigations.

The mass hearing, less than three weeks before the start of 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, is an extraordinary session for CAS and forced the court to temporarily move from its small headquarters in Lausanne to a large conference centre in Geneva.

The first athletes to appear at the court were speed skaters Alexander Rumyantsev, Artem Kuznetzov and Olga Fatkulina, who arrived smiling with a Russian team hoody protecting her head from the rain.

"Now, I think everything will be fine," Fatkulina, a silver medallist in Sochi, told reporters.

CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb told reporters outside the ad hoc court that any athlete who travels to Geneva will be heard "one-by-one during the week".

"We don't yet know exactly if they will all show up," he said.

Another three Russian biathletes who have also appealed against their IOC ban will be heard at a later hearing.

Among the witnesses scheduled to testify is Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia's anti-doping lab (RUSADA).

He was the key whistleblower who exposed the cheating programme that IOC president Thomas Bach has described as an "unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympics".

But Rodchenkov will not testify in person. Instead, he will appear via video-link from the United States, where he fled after the sudden deaths of two senior ex-RUSADA executives.

Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren has also been announced as a witness.

McLaren authored the report on Russian cheating for the World Anti-Doping Agency that read in part like a Cold War spy novel, and laid out the workings of the programme -- from the use of secret state agents to pass urine samples out of testing labs through mouseholes.

But none of the testimony will be open to the public.

- 'Lack of proof'? -

The Russians are being represented by Swiss law firm Schellenberg Wittmer, which accused the IOC of punishing their clients "despite a lack of evidence and in violation of their fundamental rights".

In a statement, the firm noted that two winter sport federations -- bobsleigh/skeleton and luge -- had separately raised concerns about the credibility of the IOC bans and urged CAS judges to follow suit.

The IOC took its action after its own inquiry confirmed evidence revealed in two separate WADA investigations.

Many of the details about Russia's state-supported doping programme were first uncovered by a groundbreaking German investigation.

- Road to Pyeongchang -

The Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea start on February 9. Twenty-one of the 42 banned Russians say they want to compete.

CAS has said it will deliver a decision between January 29 and February 2.

But even if any of the Russians secure what would be a surprise victory on appeal, the road to Pyeongchang would still remain complicated.

The IOC has banned Russia from the 2018 Games.

Russians who want to compete are being forced to pass a unique set of anti-doping tests.

Those deemed clean will be allowed to appear in Pyeongchang under a neutral flag as an "Olympic Athlete from Russia".

On Friday, the IOC said the pool of Russians who could potentially be eligible for the 2018 Games had been reduced from 500 to 389.

None of the 42 banned Russians were on the list, making it nearly impossible for any of them to clear their names by the end of the month and then manoeuver their way towards Pyeongchang eligibility by February 9.

Russia's deputy prime minister responsible for sport Vitaly Mutko -- also suspended for life by the IOC over his role in the doping scandal -- said last week that he believed around 200 Russians would ultimately be cleared for Pyeongchang.

Source: AFP

 Harry Kane struck his 99th Premier League goal to earn Tottenham a 1-1 draw at St Mary's on Sunday after Davinson Sanchez's own goal had given Southampton an early lead.

The result moves Spurs closer to Liverpool in fourth place but it was not enough to lift Southampton out of the relegation zone.

Kane's goal was his ninth in his past five Premier League starts and he is now just a goal away from becoming the 27th member of the '100 Club'.

But with Mauricio Pochettino's side piling on the pressure in the closing stages against his former club, the Argentine will consider this a missed opportunity in Spurs' hunt for a Champions League place.

The form guide appeared to give Southampton little chance of victory but this was a spirited performance from the home side. Mauricio Pellegrino's team had not won since November and dropped into the relegation zone this weekend.

Fans are growing impatient that none of the £75 million (85 million euros, $104 million) Liverpool paid for Virgil Van Dijk has yet been invested, with just 10 days left of the transfer window.

Abdoulaye Doucoure's controversial last-minute equaliser for Watford denied Saints two precious points last weekend and pressure is growing on the Southampton manager, who has been the target of fans' frustrations in recent weeks.

Fortunes could hardly be more different for Spurs, managed by former Saints boss Pochettino.

He has never lost a game at St Mary's since leaving the south coast and his team came into this fixture unbeaten in their past five Premier League matches.

Flu struck both teams in the build-up, with Southampton missing Shane Long and Tottenham without Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen.

- Southampton pressing -

Southampton started brightly, pressing Tottenham in a style they themselves have become known for.

Manolo Gabbiadini, making only his second start in 14 games, almost connected with Dusan Tadic's low cross after James Ward-Prowse had found him with an excellent long-range pass.

Tadic again showed his threat down the left when another sweeping move saw Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg almost apply the finishing touch to the Serbian's excellent cross.

Southampton took a deserved lead in the 15th minute when Sanchez deflected past his goalkeeper Michel Vorm after being tempted by Ryan Bertrand's low cross from the left.

Spurs almost levelled two minutes later when Ben Davies's corner eventually dropped to Eric Dier and he shot low against the right post.

But Kane moved onto 99 in the Premier League as he headed in Davies's next corner, beating two Southampton defenders to the ball to score from close range just 197 seconds after Sanchez's own goal.

Both teams continued to press, making for an attractive game in appalling conditions.

Spurs were close to taking the lead with Davies again the provider, this time for Moussa Sissoko, who volleyed his cross just wide.

Jack Stephens should perhaps have put Southampton back in front but he headed over the bar after finding himself unmarked from Ward-Prowse's excellent free-kick.

The rain relented but the intensity of the game did not in the second half. Pochettino's side did not have things all their own way, with Southampton maintaining their high-pressure approach.

But Dele Alli saw more of the ball as the game wore on and shot low just beyond the left post after good work from Mousa Dembele.

Alli then went agonisingly close six minutes from time as Sissoko found him five yards out but Stephens managed to execute a last-ditch block.

Kane was then a whisker away from reaching the century milestone as he shot inches wide of the far post in the closing stages.

Source: AFP

Masters champion Sergio Garcia sealed an emphatic victory at the Singapore Open on Sunday and said he was "extremely happy" with a rousing start to his 2018 campaign.

The Spaniard carded a three-under-par 68 for a commanding five-shot win as the weather cleared after two days of rain-disrupted play in his first tournament of the year.

Garcia, 38, began the day with a birdie on the first hole and added two more in quick succession before the turn on holes seven and eight.

It was cruise control for the rest of the round as he carded nine straight pars to seal his win with a total 14-under-par 270 at the Singapore Golf Club's Serapong course.

The world number 10 and 2017 European Golfer of the Year had struggled with his putts on Saturday but was on fire as soon as play resumed early Sunday under a hot sun and clear blue skies.

"It's always great to start with a win, to do it here at this golf course against a good field in Asia on conditions that weren't easy," he said.

"Hopefully I can ride on this momentum. I'm extremely happy with how the week went. It was a tough day and a tough week, with the stopping and going," he added.

Garcia will defend his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title from Thursday.

Japan's Satoshi Kodaira, the six-time Japan Golf Tour winner, shared second place with Shaun Norris of South Africa with a total nine-under-par 275.

The Thai duo of Jazz Janewattananond and Danthai Boonma were tied in fourth spot after carding eight-under-par 276 overall.

Sean Crocker of the United States and Cameron Davis of Australia carded 69 and 70 respectively for a seven-under-par 277.

Leading scores after the final round of the SMBC Singapore Golf Open (par 71):

270 - Sergio Garcia (ESP) 66-70-66-68

275 - Satoshi Kodaira (JPN) 66-72-66-71, Shaun Norris (RSA) 69-67-69-70

276 - Jazz Janewattananond (THA) 71-68-66-71, Danthai BOONMA (THA) 70-68-65-73

277 - Sean Crocker (USA) 71-70-67-69, Cameron Davis (AUS) 68-70-69-70

278 - Miguel Tabuena (PHI) 71-69-68-70, Gavin Green (MAS) 71-67-69-71, Berry Henson (USA) 70-72-71-65, Lucas Herbert (AUS) 68-70-69-71

279 - Poom Saksansin (THA) 70-69-69-71, Yuki Inamori (JPN) 70-70-67-72, Andy Zhang (CHN) 72-66-71-70, Danny Masrin (INA) 71-66-67-75

Source: AFP

Inter Milan fell further behind in the Serie A title race on Sunday after a scrappy 1-1 home draw with Champions League-chasing Roma left them 11 points behind leaders Napoli.

Matias Vecino equalised with a late header for Inter after Stephan El Shaarawy had capitalised on awful defending to clip home goalkeeper Alisson's huge clearance in the 32nd minute to open the scoring.

Uruguayan Vecino met a whipped Marcelo Brozovic cross to beat an outstanding Alisson, who had made two superb second-half saves from Mauro Icardi, and keep Luciano Spalletti's side in the top four, level on 43 points with third-placed Lazio and three ahead of Roma.

However they are winless in six games in the league and no longer look like title contenders, while Roma, who stay fifth on 40 points, have fallen even further behind after picking up just ten points from a possible 24 since beating Lazio in mid-November.

Eusebio Di Francesco's side are now 12 points behind Napoli, who extended their lead at the top to four points when Dries Mertens ended a long goal drought to give his team a 1-0 victory at Atalanta.

Belgian international Mertens's 65th-minute strike ended a league dry spell that stretched back to October 29, getting behind the defence and flashing his 11th goal of the season past Atalanta goalkeeper Etrit Berisha.

"He (Mertens) had shown some signs of improvement even without scoring goals, so the drought was relative. It was obvious he'd get back to scoring goals eventually," said Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri.

Atalanta are down to eighth after the loss and AC Milan's 2-1 win at Cagliari, which came thanks to Franck Kessie scoring twice to drag his team back from a goal down in Sardinia.

Lazio took third thanks to a thumping 5-1 win over Chievo in Rome that saw rising star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic bag a fine brace either side of half-time to put Lazio two up, after Chievo's Manuel Pucciarelli had equalised Luis Alberto's 23rd-minute long-range opener for the hosts.

Substitute Nani laid on Bastos to fire home a deflected fourth with seven minutes left, before the former Manchester United winger added a fifth three minutes later with a fine hit from the edge of the area.

"The boys are enjoying themselves, when we manage to go ahead we often score a lot of goals and that is a great hallmark," said Inzaghi, whose exciting team are now Serie A's top scorers with 53 goals despite having the league's leading scorer Ciro Immobile limp off with a muscle injury after 35 minutes.

- Quagliarella's Indian summer -

Sampdoria are three points ahead of Atalanta in sixth after Fabio Quagliarella fired an excellent hat-trick to down Fiorentina 3-1 in Genoa.

The 34-year-old Italian is enjoying something of an Indian summer and scored in the 30th, 60th and 68th minutes to continue Sampdoria's fine home record that has seen them gather 24 of their 33 points at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

"I am in an environment that I like a lot, a team in which I have a lot of fun and everything else comes from that," said Quagliarella, who has scored 15 times in 20 league appearances.

Bottom club Benevento's mini-revival came to a crashing halt with a 3-0 beating at Bologna, thanks to goals from Mattia Destro, Sebastien De Maio and Blerim Dzemaili.

Benevento had won two games in a row -- there first ever Serie A successes -- going into the winter break but remain on seven points and are now 11 points from safety after Crotone's 3-0 win at second-bottom Verona, which lifted them out of the bottom three.

Elsewhere, Simone Berardi saved a point for Sassuolo with a 1-1 draw at home to Torino after Obi had given the away side a 26th-minute lead, and Udinese played out another 1-1 draw with SPAL, who drop back into the relegation zone despite Sergio Floccari saving a point after Samir's 11th-minute opener.

Source: AFP

A scintillating century from Jos Buttler brought England a 16-run win and a one-day international series victory against Australia in Sydney on Sunday.

The hosts, set 303 to win by England after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, were always struggling in their chase and eventually managed only 286 for six.

The result gave England an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, a remarkable turnaround after Australia had trounced them 4-0 in the Ashes Tests.

England ODI captain Eoin Morgan said Buttler had engineered of the best wins he'd been part of.

"Jos was probably the difference between the sides," he said. "On a two-paced wicket he paced it to perfection, played the anchor until about five or six overs out.

"This is one of the best wins from this group."

Australia's hopes largely rested with Steve Smith (45) and Mitchell Marsh (55), but both were dismissed at a crucial stage of the chase, with Smith falling to a contentious low-down catch by Buttler off the bowling of Mark Wood (2-46).

Marcus Stoinis made a late attempt to lift Australia with a punishing 56, but England managed to hold on despite losing pacemen Liam Plunkett to a leg injury early in the Australian innings.

Australian captain Smith said the game was lost in the last few overs of the England innings.

"I thought the way we bowled in the first 45 overs was good, but Jos played exceptionally well, Woakesy too, but we bowled poorly at the end, can't do that to a guy like Jos," he said.

"We were chasing probably 30 too many... batted well but not enough to get over the line."

Buttler, 27, was the only batsman from either team really to get to grips with a slightly slow pitch. His late surge enabled England to reach a total which had seemed out of their reach until the final few overs.

Several English batsmen failed to capitalise on promising starts, but Buttler notched his fifth one-day international century from the last ball of the innings as England helped themselves to 38 off the final two overs.

Buttler himself took 28 runs from the last 11 balls he faced. He faced 83 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes, in a dashing innings that gathered momentum in the last 10 overs.

Just as England appeared to be struggling against a full-strength Australian attack, Buttler found a willing ally in Chris Woakes late in the innings, the seamer making 53 from 36 balls in a match-winning partnership of 113 in 11.5 overs.

Australia recalled pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the match, the first time in the one-day series that the trio of Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who spearheaded the Ashes win, had been reunited.

The tactic appeared to be working until Buttler and Woakes came together and turned the match on its head. The English were aided by sloppy Australian fielding, with four missed catches and two botched run-out attempts.

The easiest of the catches to go to grass was a howler by Cameron White, who failed to get a hand to a skied chance from Moeen Ali when he was on one.

Marsh was the unlucky bowler, but had his revenge a few minutes later when he bowled Ali for six, continuing the all-rounder’s wretched tour.

Smith dropped Morgan (41) on 18 off spinner Adam Zampa, while Starc got his fingers to a tough caught-and-bowled chance.

Source: AFP

Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller claimed goal-scoring milestones as Bayern Munich went 16 points clear in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 4-2 victory over Werder Bremen.

Mueller has now scored 100 Bundesliga goals in his career while Lewandowski has hit 94 German top-flight goals, making him the highest scoring foreigner in the club's history, following braces for both in a polished second-half display by Bayern's forward pair.

"Mueller has gotten his goal instincts back and Robert Lewandowski has so much class that he capitalises on those situations," enthused Bayern coach Jupp Heynkes.

Bremen took a shock first-half lead when midfielder Jerome Gondorf scored his first goal for the club.

However, Bayern went into the break level after Mueller equalised, then Lewandowski struck with the first of his two second-half headers.

Bayern defender Niklas Suele turned the ball into his own net to make it 2-2 with 15 minutes left, but Lewandowski restored the lead shortly afterwards.

He scored with a towering header to claim his 17th league goal in 18 games this season.

It leaves him as the league's top-scorer, four clear of Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Mueller converted a superb chip over the Bremen defence by James Rodriguez to add gloss to the final scoreline.

Bayern have won 17 from 18 games since Heynckes returned in October for his fourth stint as head coach.

The hosts were troubled when Bremen took a deserved lead on 25 minutes to stun the Munich crowd in freezing temperatures.

Werder's Germany striker Max Kruse slid a pass through the defence and midfielder Gondorf slotted through the legs of Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.

- Schalke held at home -

The ball rolled into the net, despite the efforts of Bayern right-back Joshua Kimmich to clear off the line.

Bremen grew in confidence, but the hosts drew level with a superb equaliser by Mueller just before the break.

Jerome Boateng's pin-point long pass found Mueller's chest and the Germany star slammed the ball home to make it 1-1 four minutes before the break.

Bremen's brave display meant Bayern only took the lead for the first time with an hour gone.

Rodriguez, who has recaptured the form which saw him finish top-scorer at the 2014 World Cup, fired in a cross which Lewandowski headed home.

Suele was left red-faced when the ball clipped his shoulder and rolled past Ulreich on 74 minutes.

However, Lewandowski put Bayern back ahead by leaping to smash home Mueller's cross in the 77th minute.

Lewandowski has now scored 23 goals in 27 games in all competitions this season.

Schalke climbed from sixth to third despite leaking a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at home to Hanover 96.

Schalke's new signing Marko Pjaca turned his marker in the box and fired home to put Schalke ahead on 16 minutes.

The 22-year-old striker has been loaned to Schalke until the end of the season by Juventus in his bid to win a place for Croatia at June's World Cup.

Leon Goretzka was booed by Schalke fans in Gelsenkirchen, two days after it was announced Friday that the 22-year-old will join Bayern next season.

Hanover equalised four minutes from time when striker Niclas Fuellkrug slipped his marker and fired home his fifth goal in three games and deny Schalke second place.

There is little to separate the chasing pack behind Bayern with just a point between second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt in seventh place.

Source: AFP

Rafael Nadal battled through a huge test to make his 10th Australian Open quarter-final Sunday as Grigor Dimitrov ousted Nick Kyrgios to join him and Caroline Wozniacki kicked into full gear.

On an overcast and muggy day at Melbourne Park, the Spanish world number one was up against his most dangerous opponent yet in pocket-rocket Diego Schwartzman, one of the smallest men on tour.

The Argentine 24th seed endeared with his astonishingly powerful groundstrokes before Nadal prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 in almost four hours on Rod Laver Arena.

It kept alive his push for a 17th Grand Slam title and also ensured he will remain number one when the new rankings come out after the tournament.

"It was a great battle," said Nadal, who is chasing his second Melbourne title after beating Roger Federer in the 2009 final.

"Of course, I feel little bit tired, but I was able to keep fighting until the end."

He will play sixth seed Marin Cilic for a place in the semi-finals after the Croat beat Spanish 10th seed Pablo Correna Busta 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (7/3).

The win was Cilic's 100th at a Grand Slam.

"I have played great tennis from the first round against tough opponents and now I am really looking to the next match, it will be definitely be a big challenge," he said of the Nadal clash.

Ordinarily Nadal, as the top seed, would have top billing on Rod Laver in the evening, but not with local star Kyrgios in action.
The maturing Australian 22-year-old pushed world number three Dimitrov close in a hugely entertaining four setter before succumbing 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4).

Playing Nick is always tricky," said the Bulgarian, as he targets bettering the semi-finals he made last year.

"It was one of those matches you had to take any opportunity that you got."

His reward is a showdown with Briton Kyle Edmund, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final with a 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy's Andreas Seppi.

- Play aggressive -

World number two Wozniacki turned on the style in her match to take another step towards a maiden Grand Slam title.

The assured Wozniacki, a semi-finalist in 2011 who has never quite lived up to the hype in the majors, annihilated 19th-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3, 6-0 in her most impressive performance to date.

"She really mixes up the pace, I just tried to calm down, get my returns in and wait for the opportunities to attack," she said after crushing the Slovak, who made the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year.

"I think you can tell my confidence is pretty good at the moment."
Her easy passage sets up a last-eight clash with gritty Spaniard Suarez Navarro, who battled back from a set and 4-1 down to shatter the hopes of 32nd seed Anett Kontaviet.

The Estonian had been bubbling with confidence after despatching French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, but nerves got the better of her.

The Spaniard, who has made the quarter-finals in Melbourne twice before, most recently in 2016, credited her fightback with a conscious decision to be more aggressive.

"My team all the time they say (to) me, play aggressive, play aggressive. That's I think what I did," said Suarez Navarro, one of the few who still uses a one-handed backhand.

Looking ahead to Wozniacki, she added: "I know how she plays. I know how tough she is. It will be a really interesting match."

The 37th-ranked Elise Mertens also made the last eight, becoming the first Belgian since Kim Clijsters in 2012 to get so far in Australia.

She posted a straight-sets win over Croat Petra Martic and will now play either fourth seed Elina Svitolina or Czech qualifier Denisa Allertova.

Source: AFP

 Real Madrid moved back into the top four of La Liga by thumping lowly Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo ending a miserable run of league form with a late double.

But Barcelona still extended their lead to 11 points -- and 19 ahead of Real -- as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both hit a brace in a 5-0 romp at Real Betis.

Ronaldo had only scored four league goals before Sunday's clash with third-from-bottom Deportivo, but the Portuguese added Real's fifth and sixth with a smart volley and a diving header as they moved back above Villarreal and into the Champions League places.

Villarreal had temporarily taken fourth with a 2-1 win over Levante on Saturday after beating Real at the Bernabeu for the first time ever last week.

Gareth Bale and Nacho also bagged braces each side of half-time and Luka Modric curled home a 68th-minute beauty as Real came back from a shock early deficit, a 23rd-minute tap-in from Adrian, to romp to an emphatic victory and ease the pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane.

"We needed that. In any case, it's what we were missing in the sense that scoring seven goals at home this season, it's hugely staisfying, and a relief," said Zidane.

The win leaves Real five points behind Valencia in third, after Marcelino's side had two players sent off in a shock 2-1 loss at lowly Las Palmas on Saturday.

Real had come into Sunday's match in crisis following some dismal performances that culminated in last week's defeat to Villarreal, and the mess seemed to have grown deeper when Adrian tapped home Lucas Perez's low cross.

However, the home side reacted immediately and by half-time were 2-1 up thanks to Nacho's neat first-time strike and a superb curling effort from Bale.

The floodgates opened in the second half, with Bale adding his second from a towering header and Luka Modric expertly whipping home Real's fourth.

- Phone check -

Ronaldo met Casemiro's cross to make it five and then crashed home Lucas Vazquez's cross, taking a boot in the face from Fabian Schar in the process.

As Ronaldo was led off the pitch to have his bleeding head quickly patched up he asked to see the phone of one of Real's medical staff and, pointing the camera at himself, used it to check the damage to his face.

Nacho completed the rout in the dying minutes.

Second-placed Atletico Madrid's 1-1 draw with Girona on Saturday meant Barca extended their lead with victory, leaving coach Ernesto Valverde waxing lyrical about Messi.

"You have to enjoy what Messi does -- I've suffered against him as an opposing player and I know what it is," he said.

"What we saw tonight was spectacular. He's the best player ever."

After a goalless first period, Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring on 59 minutes, converting a sublime pass from Suarez.

Messi thumped home the second from outside the box on 64 minutes before he and Rakitic teamed up to present Suarez with a volley on 69 minutes to effectively seal the three points.

Betis were making mistakes at the back and when Zouhair Feddal clumsily gave the ball away on halfway to Suarez, the Uruguayan sent Messi scampering away.

Faced with two defenders, Messi dummied to shoot, drifted past both and calmly slotted home past goalkeeper Antonio Adan.

There was still time for Suarez to complete his brace with a crisp finish after Messi had driven at the heart of an over-matched defence.

The only downside for the league leaders was a hamstring injury to Thomas Vermaelen in the first half that precipitated French centre-back Samuel Umtiti's own return from a hamstring problem.

Earlier, Joseba Zaldua scored a last-minute equaliser as Leganes came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Alaves.

Source: AFP

South Africa's Daryl Impey will take a surprise lead into the final stage of the Tour Down Under after finishing second to Richie Porte on Saturday's iconic stage to Willunga Hill.

Porte claimed his fifth successive stage win at Willunga when he unleashed his trademark second kick one kilometre from the finish line at the top of the climb.

But Impey dug deep and finished eight seconds behind Porte to take the ochre leader's jersey on a count back from the Tasmanian, thanks to his three second placings this week.

"I'm stoked and I can't believe it," Impey said, admitting he didn't come to the Tour Down Under with the aim of winning the race.

Impey said once Porte attacked on Willunga Hill, he used the riders in front of him who had been dropped as a motivation to keep going.

"I knew they were all riding for the podium and I just rode my own race to the top," he said.

"It was always in the back of my mind that I had to do a big sprint to the end, and when I saw Jay (McCarthy) just in front of me I thought there goes the podium if I don't catch him.

"I didn't know where Richie was but when I came to the top I saw the time and I thought maybe there's a chance.

"I'm glad I pushed all the way to the line."

The 151.5-kilometre fifth stage from McLaren Vale to the top of Willunga Hill is a constant on the Tour Down Under and often determines the race winner.

The stage takes in three circuits through the McLaren Vale vineyards and along the Aldinga beachfront before two climbs up Willunga Hill.

- Impey the favourite -

A group of seven riders, including King of the Mountains leader Nicholas Dlamini cleared away at the front, at one stage opening a lead of five-and-a-half minutes.

The peloton were content to let them go until they began to reel them in approaching the first climb up Willunga.

Dlamini and Belgian Thomas De Gendt stayed clear until the King of the Mountains points, at which point the young South African sat up and waited for the peloton.

De Gendt tried to go on his own but his attack was always doomed and he too was caught with 10 kilometres to go.

All the leading contenders were in good positions at the bottom of the climb but the pace set by Porte's BMC Racing team soon began to tell.

World champion and race leader Peter Sagan was dropped with two kilometres to go and when Porte kicked 1.5 kilometres out only fellow Australian Jay McCarthy could go with him.

But when Porte kicked again McCarthy couldn't respond and he crossed the line on his own.

Impey, who is used by his Mitchelton-SCOTT team as the final lead-out rider for sprinter Caleb Ewan, should have too much speed for Porte on the Adelaide street circuit on Sunday and will be favourite to become the first international winner of the race since 2013.

Source: AFP

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and DeMar DeRozan had 21 as the Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in over two years with a 86-83 victory on Friday.

DeRozan also added six assists and seven rebounds for the Raptors who improved to 31-13 on the NBA season and 17-3 at the Air Canada Centre arena.

The Spurs, who own the best home record in the league at 19-2, had won four straight against the Raptors. The last time Toronto beat San Antonio was 97-94 on December 2015.

Centre Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in front of a sold out crowd of 19,800.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs who were missing several key players with injuries, including Manu Ginobili (right thigh contusion) and Kawhi Leonard (quadriceps).

Fred VanVleet, who bruised his knee in Monday's 117-111 loss in Philadelphia, did not play for the second game in a row for Toronto.

DeRozan said San Antonio is a tough team even without their stars.

"They're just a product of the San Antonio Spurs," said DeRozan. "What they're capable of every single night, with their starters or without their starters, they're a well-rounded group. Everybody understands their roles and they play extremely hard."

Elsewhere, Dillon Brooks scored a career-best 22 points, Ben McLemore had a season-high 21 and the Memphis Grizzlies won their third straight with a 106-88 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The game marked Zach Randolph's first game in Memphis since spending eight years as a key player in the franchise.

Randolph was greeted with a standing ovation when he was introduced with the starting lineups and the management showed a tribute video between the first and second quarters.

Randolph finished with four points and six rebounds for the Kings, who have lost seven straight.

De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 16 points and six assists.

Tyreke Evans added 14 points for Memphis.

In Detroit, Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre had 26 points apiece, and the Washington Wizards scored 45 in the third quarter before holding off the Detroit Pistons 122-112.

Andre Drummond had 14 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists for the Pistons, who have lost four straight.

Source: AFP

North Korea will send 22 athletes to next month's Winter Games in the South, the International Olympic Committee said Saturday, approving a landmark deal between two nations still officially at war.

South Korea had hoped that the Games which begin in Pyeongchang on February 9 could help ease the crisis on the peninsula that surged to new heights in recent months over the North's nuclear and missile and programme.

In a surprise New Year's announcement, the leader of Stalinist North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, indicated he was open to sending a delegation to Pyeongchang.

North and South then reached a deal on a set of momentous compromises, including having delegations from both countries march together at the opening ceremony and the formation of a unified women's hockey team.

But Seoul and Pyongyang still needed approval from the IOC, as the pact required the suspension of some basic Olympic rules.

IOC president Thomas Bach gave that approval Saturday, following closed-door talks with the leaders of the Olympic committees from both Koreas, Pyeongchang 2018 organisers, and senior government officials from the two countries.

"Let us not forget that such an agreement would have seemed impossible only a few weeks ago", Bach said, in an apparent reference to the feverish tension triggered last year by the North's repeated missile tests.

The final deal cleared 22 North Korean athletes to compete in three sports and a total of five disciplines.

Those include figure skating, short-track speed skating, cross-country skiing and Alpine skiing, as well as hockey.

In approving the joint hockey team, IOC brass overruled concerns raised by some hockey federations over fairness.

At the opening ceremony, the joint delegation "will be led into the Olympic stadium by the Korean unification flag" carried together by athlete from each country, the IOC said.

A special unity uniform will be created for the event.

As no North Korean athlete had technically qualified for Pyeongchang, Saturday's announcement required extending qualification deadlines in the sports concerned.

Bach acknowledged that "exceptional decisions" were required to get the deal done and thanked the skiing, skating and ice hockey governing bodies for their "enthusiastic participation".

- 'Milestone' -

"Today marks a milestone on a long journey," Bach said.

"The Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean peninsula, and inviting the world to join in a celebration of hope," he added.

North Korea has taken part in seven of the last 12 Winter Olympics, most recently in Vancouver 2010.

But the North boycotted the 1988 Games in Seoul, so its presence in Pyeongchang -- just 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the demilitarised zone that divides the Koreas -- has been seed as a significant, if not stunning, diplomatic coup.

North and South Korea remain technically at war since the Korean war ended with armistice, not a peace treaty, in 1953.

An IOC spokesperson confirmed that the North Korean athletes will stay in the Olympic village, quashing speculation that they may have chosen to sleep on a boat to avoid residing on Southern soil.

Regardless of where its athletes sleep, the North is unlikely to pose a significant threat in competition, as the country has only won two medals in the history of the Winter Games, in 1964 and 1992, both for speedskating.

- UN sanctions -

North Korea will also send 24 officials and 21 media representatives to Pyeongchang, all whom will receive IOC accreditation, Bach said.

Separately, the North has said it will send 550-member delegation to the Games, including cheerleaders, performers and other cultural envoys.

Seoul and the IOC will have to ensure that while accommodating the North and ensuring that the so-called "peace Olympics" pass off smoothly, they do not violate United Nations sanctions.

Security Council measures currently prohibit cash transfers to the North, while the UN has also drawn up a blacklist of officials tied to the Stalinist Pyongyang regime, individuals whose presence at the Games will create potential stumbling blocks.

Source: AFP

US Masters champion Sergio Garcia had his game interrupted for the second day running at the Singapore Open as a lightning storm halted play at the Sentosa Golf Course on Saturday.

The world number 10 had teed off on round three just after 2:30pm but was halted by rain. Play resumed about an hour later but was again called off in the early evening due to the lightning risk.

Sixty two golfers, including Garcia, will resume round three when play restarts on Sunday morning.

The fickle Southeast Asian weather has frequently disrupted play at the Singapore Open in recent years, with organisers looking at a possible Monday finish should the frequent storms continue.

Garcia only managed to complete his second round on Saturday morning but had a frustrating time missing several birdie putts on the back nine.

At seven-under after nine holes in round three, the Spaniard is now in a joint third spot group alongside playing partner Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.

Ishikawa, 26, thrilled with four birdies in 10 holes for a second round 66, briefly joining Thailand's Chapchai Nirat in the lead but fell back after beginning round three.

Chapchai, who lost his Asia Tour card last season and only made it onto this week's field because of his earnings, has appeared to bounce back in spectacular form.

At nine-under after nine holes, he has managed to hold on to the clubhouse lead for the second day running, sharing it with compatriot Danthai Boonma.

"I won't be overthinking about the tournament, just going to enjoy the experience here," Chapchai said.

Top scores after round 3 of the SMBC Singapore Golf Open (par 71) before play was suspended:

211 - Shunya Takeyasu (JPN), Yoshinori Fujimoto (JPN)

213 - Jesse Yap (am, SIN)

214 - Thanyakon Khronhpha (THA), Arjun Atwal (IND)

217 - Lee Seung-Taek (KOR)

Source: AFP

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic kept up their relentless march towards a semi-final meeting at the Australian Open Saturday as Maria Sharapova suffered a crushing defeat by Angelique Kerber.

The two greats of the game -- who have won 11 Australian Opens between them -- could meet in the last four if they maintain their winning ways.

Defending champion Federer was never troubled by France's Richard Gasquet, who has failed to take a set off him since 2011, as he steamed into the last 16 with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win.

"The second set was tight, the match was close and I had to focus to the very end," said the Swiss 19-time Grand Slam winner, who next plays little-known Hungarian Marton Fucsovics for a place in the quarter-finals.

He added: "So far, so good."

Djokovic was equally convincing in his 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 rout of Spanish 21st seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, although there was concern when he sought a medical timeout for treatment to his lower back.

"It was straight sets but I had to earn my points," insisted the Serb, who is on his way back after six months out with right elbow trouble.

"Obviously for me it's taking it one match at a time but I have to be more humble with my expectations as I haven't played in the last six months."

He next plays South Korea's Chung Hyeon, who shocked fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

With the temperatures a manageable 26 Celsius (79 Farenheit) at Melbourne Park after two days of oven-like conditions, Zverev was beaten in five sets.

He has been hailed as the leader of the tennis new guard but has now failed to go beyond the fourth round in 11 Grand Slams, admitting he has "some figuring out to do".

In a glamour evening tie, Sharapova was no match for Kerber, flopping 6-1, 6-3.

They pair are both 30, former world number ones and were the only two Australian Open winners left in the women's draw, but there was only one player in it.

"This court is special for me and I was trying to enjoy every point," Kerber said of Rod Laver Arena, where she beat Serena Williams in the 2016 final.

Kerber is in scintillating form, having won the lead-up Sydney International, and will face Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei for a place in the quarter-finals.

For Sharapova, who is looking to rediscover her best on her way back from a 15-month drugs ban, it is back to the drawing board.

"I think there are a lot of things that I need to get better at and improve on," she admitted.

- Took its toll-

World number one Simona Halep is lucky to be still in contention after surviving three match points in a titanic struggle against 76th-ranked American Lauren Davis.

She looked out for the count at one point but finally got over the line 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 in a gruelling 3hr 44min epic that took its toll.

"I'm almost dead," the tenacious Romanian said after the incredible battle, in which Davis lost a toenail and Halep served for the match four times.

The former quarter-finalist will now play Naomi Osaka after the Japanese star beat Australia's Ashleigh Barty.

Sixth seed Karolina Pliskova also had a tough test, beating fellow Czech Lucie Safarova 7-6 (8/6), 7-5.

In contrast, US Open finalist Madison Keys was in fine touch as she benefits from the guidance of former great Lindsay Davenport.

Flying under the radar, the 17th seed has surrendered just 16 games on her way to the fourth round after beating Romania's Ana Bogdan 6-3, 6-4.

She will next face French eighth seed Caroline Garcia, who was too strong for Belarussian Alaksandra Sasnovich.

Among the men through was Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem and veteran Tomas Berdych, along with American Tennys Sandgren, who had never won a Grand Slam match before this year's Australian Open.

Source: AFP

A collision between a mainland Chinese fishing boat and the American-Danish team's yacht during the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race left one man dead, police said Saturday, overshadowing a historic victory for the Hong Kong team as the city hosted the race for the first time.

Local group Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag triumphed despite some significant setbacks in the gruelling 5,800 nautical mile stage from Melbourne, Australia, closely followed by China's Dongfeng Race Team in second place.

But the finish was bittersweet for crew members as news rolled in about the accident involving American-Danish team Vestas 11th Hour Racing.

Hong Kong police told AFP that one man from the fishing boat had died after being airlifted to hospital while nine others were rescued from the sea.

In a statement organisers confirmed the death and said the incident happened about 30 miles from the finish, outside of Hong Kong waters at around 1:23 am Saturday.

"The Volvo Ocean Race is deeply saddened to inform that the collision between Vestas 11th Hour Racing, a team competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18, and a fishing vessel has resulted in a fatality of a crew member of the fishing vessel," it said.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the deceased.... All involved organisations are co-operating with the authorities and are fully supporting the ongoing investigation."

All Vestas crew members were safe, the statement said, but the boat was damaged in the collision which tore a hole in its side, and the incident forced the team to officially retire from the fourth leg.

The fishing boat sank following the accident.

The Dongfeng team's website said the Vestas was in second place and being chased by Dongfeng when the collision occurred.

French skipper Charles Caudrelier had offered help to his Vestas counterpart Mark Towill but was told none was required, it said.

"Our first thought is that this is terrible news. We are of course very sad to hear it and very concerned about the fishing boat and await further news on that," Caudrelier was quoted as saying minutes after finishing.

"It is always very dangerous when sailing in these fishing areas when there are so many boats and some have no lights."

- Tough passage -

The seven boats had embarked on the fourth leg in early January, heading north up the east coast of Australia with the navigational challenge of dodging numerous islands.

Scallywag, skippered by Australian David Witt, led the flotilla into their home port at around 0145 am local time, crossing the line in 17 days, 14 hours, 30 minutes and 42 seconds.

A tough passage and time spent recovering a man overboard had challenged the team but Witt said they stuck to a plan to claw their way into the lead.

"I was really impressed by the way we operated over the past couple of days," he was quoted as saying on the race website.

"We had a pretty big lead and then through no fault of our own, about two-thirds of it got taken away. But we stuck to our guns, did what we thought was right and it’s worked out."

Dongfeng arrived just hours later to clinch the runner-up spot, with Caudrelier noting it was great news for Asian sailing.

Dutch group Team AkzoNobel came in third place while Spain's MAPFRE finished fourth, followed by Team Brunel and Turn The Tide On The Plastic.

The 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race is the longest in the competition's 44-year history, stretching over eight months and 45,000 nautical miles around the globe ending in The Hague in the Netherlands in late June.

Source: AFP

Australia's Nick Kyrgios won an electric four-setter with his idol Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to advance to the round of 16 at the Australian Open on Friday.

Kyrgios, seeded 17, needed three tiebreakers to win a crunch match with the former finalist 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5) in 3hr 17min in a spectacular night match on Rod Laver Arena.

It pitches the mercurial Australian into a round of 16 showdown with Bulgaria's world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday.

Kyrgios, urged on by his home crowd, traded breathtaking shots with Tsonga, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2008 Australian final when Kyrgios was a doting 12-year-old fan.

"It was amazing. I've never won a match on this court before but playing Jo I was obviously very nervous," Kyrgios said on court.

"He was a guy I looked up to as a kid, still do, he's a great guy. I'm just so happy to get through.

"At 5-2 down in the fourth set breaker, I was getting ready for a fifth set mentally. I somehow just hung in and got a couple looks (at the serve).

"I knew my best chance was probably to get in a couple tiebreakers.

"He served extremely well throughout the whole match. I didn't really get a look at many second serves at all."

Tsonga praised Kyrgios, saying he had the game to do some damage.

"He has got it. Yeah, we will see how it goes for him. But anyway, he's already a good player," Tsonga said.

"I think he still needs time to improve. With his game already, he can do some damage. The most important in tennis I think is to believe in it."

The match had some drama just after the third set when an incensed Tsonga yelled at the chair umpire in French about a vociferous member of the crowd.

Tsonga was heard to say "bring him here, he needs to come down here".

He said it three times before the umpire warned the French star, telling him: "You have to stop, you have to stop. Nothing good can come from it. You have to stop."

Tsonga was then issued with a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Tsonga explained later: "The guy was telling me, 'You are under pressure now, you are under pressure now,' when I was bouncing my ball. That's it. I lost it and I went a little bit crazy."

Kyrgios won his first home ATP Tour title at the lead-up Brisbane International -- beating Dimitrov along the way -- and is looking to go further than a quarter-final appearance in Melbourne three years ago.

Source: AFP

 Roger Federer says it's time for his fellow professional players to rally and seek greater prize money from the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments.

The 19-time major winner says the current agreement is a good one, but it has run its course and time was right for players to get together and seek pay increases.

Novak Djokovic, as president of the ATP player council, said this week at the Australian Open in Melbourne that "everybody's trying to do their best" when asked about players getting a bigger slice of the Grand Slam cash pool.

Federer, who has amassed almost $112 million in career prizemoney, supported Djokovic's push for a bigger percentage of revenue for players.

"We had a good agreement, in my opinion, that made the Grand Slams happy, the players pretty happy. Seems like that has run its course," he said after his second round match late Thursday.

"The moment that happens, there's not the same increases any more, so players have to rally, get back together again, put in the effort.

"The Grand Slams know that. They will only react when we do so. We're ready to do it."

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has reportedly outlined plans to boost prize money at the opening Grand Slam of the year from $55 million to $100 million over the next five years.

The singles champion this year will get $4.0 million, but first round losers only receive $60,000.

Federer said going over the same process of having to ask for more was realise"a bit boring", but the revenue-sharing model was not quite where it was supposed to be.

"But, look, you can't go from here to right there in a day. We know that," he said.

"We just hope they (Slams organisers) realise and they do appreciate us maybe more all the time and not just in waves, you know what I mean?

"But it's all good. We have good contacts with the Slams. It's all good. But it's going to be a never-ending story."

Federer added that it was good that the players were talking to one another.

"When the players don't talk, nothing gets done. If the players talk to one another, it's interesting," he said.

"It's not something we can do every day. We don't have the players in the same room at all times. We can get together in locker rooms, have a quick huddle-up meeting all together.

"But to get organised all ourselves, it's not always easy because everybody has different schedules.

"We just got to make a conscious effort to get together and talk to one another. I think that's good, I'm all for that."

Source: AFP

Amanda Staveley hit back on Friday saying her bid to buy Premier League side Newcastle United remained live despite a source close to present owner Mike Ashley saying it was dead in the water.

Staveley, whose company PCP Capital Partners were instrumental in the deal that saw Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour buy Manchester City, told The Times she had been "hurt" by the remarks made by the source.

The source had told Sky Sports on Tuesday that dealing with Staveley had been "exhausting, frustrating and a complete waste of time".

Staveley, who has previously failed with a bid to buy Liverpool, rejected this out of hand.

She says her third offer of £250 million ($348 million) is very much a real bid.

The figure is below Ashley's asking price but the bid would also see her invest an additional £100 million in players over the first two transfer windows.

"I'm very much still interested in buying Newcastle," said the 44-year-old English businesswoman.

"And our bid remains on the table.

"I'm very concerned, I'm very surprised and I'm disappointed about what's been said this week.

"The suggestion that we were either wasting time or not serious is absurd. It's hurtful. Hugely hurtful."

Staveley is adamant manager Rafael Benitez is integral to the future plans should they succeed in wresting the club from Ashley's hands.

"Rafa is doing an incredible job," said Staveley.

"We want Rafa to be part of this project."

Staveley says she has brought together potential investors from around the globe -- believed to be from the Middle East, east Asia and the United States.

"This is something we've been working really hard on," she said.

"It's not something we've just thrown together. I'm putting a lot of my own capital into this and our investors, who come from around the world, include sovereign wealth funds."

Staveley says there is an emotional element to her interest in buying the club as well.

"They're such passionate fans and it's a great club," she said.

"I'm a northerner. My family home is an hour away from St James' Park. I just love football and Newcastle has a proper history and a real magic."

Sportswear magnate Ashley announced he wanted to sell the club last October after 10 years in charge, having paid £134.4 million to buy Newcastle in 2007.

The 53-year-old Londoner has proved a divisive figure during his tenure, which has seen Newcastle twice relegated from the Premier League and then immediately promoted back.

Source: AFP

 England turned in an impressive all-round team performance to beat Australia by four wickets in the second one-day international at the Gabba on Friday.

After restricting Australia to 270 for nine from their 50 overs, the English cruised past the total with 5.4 overs to spare.

"I thought our bowlers were exceptional," England captain Eoin Morgan said.

"On a really hot day they coped very well."

All of England's batsmen contributed to the run chase, which was always in control following a 117-run second wicket partnership between Jonny Bairstow (60) and Alex Hales (57).

Joss Buttler (42), Morgan (21) and Chris Woakes (39 not out) all made handy contributions, while Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out.

"We did enough to win," Morgan said, adding: "It's far from our best performance with the bat.

"I suppose that's exciting in a way. We're two-nil up in the series and we're still looking for a complete performance as a batting unit.

"Hopefully that comes in Sydney in Sunday."

The Australians went into the match without leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who proved expensive in the opening ODI in Melbourne on Sunday, opting for batsman Cameron White instead.

They also handed debuts to paceman Jhye Richardson and wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

However, the decision to go into the match without a recognised spinner proved costly on a pitch that helped the slow bowlers.

Finch, who blasted his 106 from 114 balls, helped Australia get away to a quick start alongside David Warner.

The burly opener looked like he was leading Australia to a score well past 300 but his dismissal, soon after that of Mitchell Marsh, ensured England were able to keep the Australian scoring under control.

Finch and Warner both dominated the English fast bowlers, who pitched too short on the Gabba wicket.

England captain Morgan turned to his spinners with immediate effect.

Moeen Ali had Warner caught at slip for 35, bringing Steve Smith to the crease.

The Australian captain struggled to 18 from 25 balls before part-time off-spinner Root trapped him lbw.

Root then enticed Travis Head into charging down the wicket, only to chip a return catch to the bowler to leave the Australians on 124 for three.

Marsh and Finch consolidated but the scoring rate slowed as they struggled to get Ali, Root and leg-spinner Adil Rashid away.

The Australians then lost three wickets for nine runs to allow the English to take control.

Debutant Carey made a quickfire 27 before he was brilliantly run out by Woakes, who used his football skills to kick the ball into the stumps as the batsman attempted a quick single.

Woakes then had Mitchell Starc caught in the deep before running out Andrew Tye on the last ball of the innings.

Smith conceded Australia were well beaten.

"We're not playing good enough one day cricket at the moment," he said.

"We were in a good position at 3-209 with 11 overs to go and we only scored 60 with seven wickets in hand," he added.

"That's not enough against a quality English batting line up."

Source: AFP

Only an hour's drive from the Winter Olympics venues in South Korea, a stained mattress lies in an abandoned ski resort, a possible harbinger of the gleaming new facilities' fate.

The Alps Ski Resort was one of the country's first winter sports destinations, attracting tens of thousands of skiers every year until it abruptly shut its doors in 2006.

Now South Korea has spent $800 million on the sporting facilities for next month's Winter Olympics, but the International Olympic Committee has expressed concern over the absence of future plans for several of them, saying the Games' legacy should be addressed "as a priority".

The remains of the former holiday destination in Heul-ri -- a tiny settlement of around 250 people in the country's far northeast, close to the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula -- are not a good sign.

Aged, fading buildings stand below unweeded slopes, where a few bright red chairlifts dangle lifelessly from the cables.

The villagers are bitter.

"It's completely in ruins," said Oh Geum-Sik, who used to run a ski rental shop next to the resort.

"All the businesses are practically dead."

At an altitude of 1,052 metres (3,451 feet), the resort boasted the heaviest natural snowfall in South Korea, with skiers coming to the village long before the facility opened in the 1980s, laboriously trudging up the slopes to enjoy a brief downhill thrill.

A handful of elite athletes grew up with its abundant snow, among them Jung Dong-Hyun, who will compete for South Korea in alpine skiing at the Winter Games in neighbouring Pyeongchang.

Villagers say that in the resort's heyday, cars lined the streets every weekend as skiers from as far as China and Southeast Asia packed its eight pistes, with around 30 percent of customers foreigners.

But its owner went bankrupt in the face of increased competition from more accessible rivals with newer facilities, according to an official at the Goseong County office.

Heul-ri was left in disarray.

- Bitter cold -

"The closure has cost me probably about 700 million won ($660,000)," said Koo Jae-Kwan, who moved to the village 16 years ago to open an inn and a ski rental shop.

Now a rusty clock tower looms over the disused resort, its hands permanently pointing to 6:50 in the bright midday light, and three guard dogs bark furiously at the sight of a rare visitor.

A grubby mattress greets visitors in the lobby and a faded banner promising that "Customer satisfaction begins now" droops loosely above a dried-up swimming pool.

On the wall of a hollow banquet hall hangs a painting of the bustling resort in its prime, and dead plants lie on the dirty floor, wrapped with holiday decorations from more than 10 Christmases ago.

South Korean winter sports destinations have to contend with short slopes, sometimes brutally cold temperatures, and intense competition from Japan, and an official at the Korea Ski Resort Business Association told AFP that most are struggling.

"There has been a drop in the number of visitors and a number of ski resorts have closed," he said.

Beijing banned group tours to the country last year in a row over the deployment of a US missile defence system, crippling its biggest market.

"What will happen after the Pyeongchang Olympics is worrisome," the official added.

"Right now, there are a lot of government-led efforts to create a ski boom ahead of the Olympics. But even now, that hasn't really helped with reviving the ski industry and that will all come to a stop after the Olympics."

- Bell peppers -

Attempts to reopen the Heul-ri resort with new funding have come to naught.

The latest plan from Korean investor Alps Seven Resort promised 80 billion won ($75 million) to renovate the existing slopes and condos, and build more accommodation plus a theme park, a government document showed.

But it failed to meet the deadline for payments and the scheme was scrapped.

Alps Seven Resort could not be reached for comment.

If it had gone ahead, the renovated facility would have opened for business last month, just in time for the Pyeongchang Games.

"Maybe one of the ski competitions could have taken place here," lamented Heul-ri village chief Shin Dong-Gil, adding the resort's 500 rooms could have been a welcome additional accommodation option for Olympic visitors.

Instead, sacks of concrete are piled in the buildings.

Oh now farms bell peppers for a living but still has his 250 sets of ski equipment, hoping that one day he might be able to rent them out again.

But like springtime snow, the villagers' expectations for the resort are steadily melting away.

"I don't think it will ever reopen," said Koo, who has also mothballed his kit -- and his guesthouse.

"It's that one percent of hope. That's the only thing I'm holding on to."

Source: AFP

Rafael Nadal stormed into the round of 16 at the Australian Open Friday with a vintage performance as Grigor Dimitrov and Caroline Wozniacki kept their Grand Slam hopes alive on a hot draining day.

But French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko's tournament is over, with the Latvian seventh seed crashing out in three sets to Estonian Annet Kontaveit.

Spanish world number one Nadal showed no mercy to 28th seed Damir Dzumhur on Margaret Court Arena, as he rediscovers his best form after ankle trouble.

The top seed raced through the match in just 1hr 50min, wasting as little energy as possible in the 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 rout.

"I was very, very focused," Nadal said. "I'm very happy with everything and to have another chance on Sunday."

That chance will be against 24th seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman for a place in the quarter-finals.

Third seed Dimitrov, who could meet Nadal in the semis, had plenty to prove after a huge second-round fright from a qualifier, who pushed him to five sets.

And the Bulgarian delivered in a testing 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian rising star Andrey Rublev as temperatures touched 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

"These are the most important matches for me, when things are not working for me and I find a way," he said. "I'm feeling good physically, the heat didn't scare me at all today, so that's a good sign."

He will next face Australian Nick Kyrgios who beat French veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four close and entertaining sets in a prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena.

"It was amazing. I've never won a match on this court before but playing Jo I was obviously very nervous," said the 17th seeded local hope.

Second seed Wozniacki has not impressed so far, but she put in a better performance to beat Dutch 30th seed Kiki Bertens 6-4, 6-3, finally getting over the line on her fourth match point.

It sets her up with a clash against 19th-seeded Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova.

Fourth seed Elina Svitolina also kept her title dreams alive by ending the hopes of young teenage pretender Marta Kostyuk.

At just 15, Kostyuk was the youngest Melbourne Park third-round contestant since Martina Hingis in 1996. But she still has a lot to learn with fellow Ukrainian Svitolina handing out a 6-2, 6-2 lesson.

"She's definitely got a bright future," said Svitolina.

She now plays another qualifier -- big-serving Czech Denisa Allertova who romped past Magda Linette 6-1, 6-4 -- for a place in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

In a tournament shorn of seeds, 81st-ranked Petra Martic also swept into the round of 16, celebrating her 27th birthday by holding off a gritty three-set challenge from Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum.

Her reward is a match against Belgium's Elise Mertens, who beat struggling Alize Cornet of France in two tough sets.

Cornet was among players wilting in the heat, with a doctor taking her blood pressure early in the second set as she succumbed to the baking weather.

- Outdoor event -

No matches have been called off or roofs closed at the opening Grand Slam of the year despite the soaring temperatures, with tournament organiser Craig Tiley defending the decision.

"These are professional athletes," he said.

"We are at the end of the day an outdoor event. We want it to stay an outdoor event as long as possible but at the same time ensuring that the health and wellbeing of players is taken care of."

Organisers only activate the extreme heat policy when the temperature exceeds 40 Celsius and the wet bulb globe temperature index hits 32.5 Celsius.

On Thursday, Novak Djokovic described the conditions as "brutal", complaining it was hard to breathe.

Kyle Edmund joined Nadal in the round of 16, overcoming the elements in a fighting five-set win over Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Italian Andreas Seppi, Spanish 10th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, and Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic also progressed.

Source: AFP

 Rafael Nadal continued his sensational run in the Australian Open, shedding just five games in romping to a straight sets win over Damir Dzumhur on Friday.

The Spanish world No.1 took just 1hr 50min to storm into the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 demolition of the 28th seeded Bosnian on Margaret Court Arena.

Nadal, a losing finalist to Roger Federer last year in Melbourne, has lost only 21 games in his three victories to reach the round of 16 after coming into the year's opening Grand Slam with queries over the state of a knee injury.

He will take on Argentina's 24th seed Diego Schwartzman in Sunday's fourth round.

"When you win 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in the third round, is always a great result," Nadal said.

"I needed hours of court, hours of practice, hours of playing sets with different players. That's what I did.

"I think I did a good preparation here. I feel I am playing well. That's all.

"Here I am. I am in the fourth round. That's because I am doing the right things. Let's see how far I can go."

The 16-time Grand Slam champion conceded just 18 unforced errors and only dropped his service once.

The win took the 31-year-old's Australian Open record to 54-11 as he chases his second Melbourne title after beating Federer in the 2009 final.

Nadal was ruthless against the Bosnian, breaking his serve seven times with blistering shot-making.

He breezed through the opening set with two breaks for the loss of just one game in 22 minutes.

He then broke Dzumhur in the opening game of the second and finished off the set with another break for a two sets lead.

Nadal continued to attack Dzumhur and broke him in the second and sixth games to wrap up his night.

Nadal said he would have to be at his best to get past Schwartzman, a quarter-finalist at last year's US Open.

"He's a great player. He had an amazing last year, and he's started again this year playing so well," Nadal said.

"He's won three matches here, playing at very high level. He's a very complete player. He's a player that if I don't play my best, probably I am not going to win. Tough one."

Nadal, who is gunning for a 17th major title, was hampered by a knee injury at the tail-end of the 2017 season.

It forced him to skip the lead-up Brisbane International this month, and he only had a one-match workout at the exhibition Kooyong Classic in Melbourne ahead of the Open.

Nadal needs to reach the quarter-finals to be certain of retaining his world number one ranking after the Australian Open, with Federer breathing down his neck.

Source: AFP

Novak Djokovic has called for more consideration of players' welfare amid growing demands from extra tournaments yet no sign of shorter seasons to help their recovery.

Djokovic, a 12-time Grand Slam champion who is also president of the ATP players' council, spoke after reaching the third round at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.

"Our sport has become an industry, like most of the other global sports. It's more business than a sport," he said.

"Of course, we're all blessed to have a great financial compensations, great lives. For sure, I'm very grateful for that.

"(But) at the same time what is most important for us is our health and what happens after our career, after you're 30, 35.

"There are many players that are struggling. They can't physically walk, run, jog, whatever. I mean, they're struggling some way or another."

Djokovic said there was little indication that players were going to have any form of discussion with the sport's chiefs for a shorter season.

"We're just adding events, official events, unofficial events. It feels, from a player's perspective, that you're kind of always in a rush," he said.

"You're always obliged to play the mandatory events. You obviously have always a big challenge to defend (rankings) points because it affects everything.

"You're always constantly, week after week, being part of that dynamic of our sport, which at times seems a bit too much."

Djokovic said there should be rational conversations about rules that are imposed and that concern players' well-being.

Defending champion Roger Federer cooly swept into the Australian Open third round Thursday as Novak Djokovic survived a gruelling fitness test under the brutal Melbourne sun.

But with temperatures touching an energy-sapping 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and ice-towels in use, third seed Garbine Muguruza and 2014 winner Stan Wawrinka both wilted and were knocked out.

Maria Sharapova, in contrast, laid down her title credentials with dominant win against 14th seed Anastasija Sevastova.

World number one Simona Halep was also convincing in her straight demolition of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.

Swiss 19-time Grand Slam champion Federer disposed of Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), avoiding the worse of the furnace-like conditions in his night match.

"I practice with him so I had the information I needed," he said, adding that the heat doesn't bother him.

"If you want to get to the top, you've got to play in all conditions."

It was never going to be easy for the German. While Federer had made at least the third round each year since his Melbourne Park debut in 2000, Struff had failed to go further than the second round at any Grand Slam.

Six-time Melbourne champion Djokovic had a much tougher time, coming through a four-setter against Gael Monfils in a thorough examination after being out for six months with an elbow injury.

He lost the first set before Monfils began struggling in the second and was heard at one point telling the umpire: "I'm tired and dizzy."

The Frenchman remarkably recovered to make a fight of it before a relieved Djokovic, seeded 14, came through 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

"It was tough conditions, brutal, especially the first 90 minutes," he said.

"I'm still not 100 percent, but building. I have a lot of faith and self-belief."

The heat took its toll on a host of players, including Wimbledon champion Muguruza, who suffered with heat-blistered feet.

She was knocked out by 88-ranked Hsieh Su-wei from Taiwan 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 but refused to make excuses.

"I maybe could have done things better, but at the end, she deserves to win," she said.

Wawrinka also failed to progress, clearly still struggling from a lengthy knee injury lay-off in his straight sets defeat by American Tennys Sandgren.

- 'Deserve to smile' -

Russian drawcard Sharapova was on Rod Laver Arena early and avoided the brunt of the weather as she showed why she should be again taken seriously in dismantling Sevastova 6-1, 7-6 (7/4).

It was the Latvian who ended her Grand Slam comeback in the last 16 of the US Open in 2017 as she returned from a drug ban. But not this time.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner and the 2008 Australian champion, was unstoppable in racing through the first set before a battle in the second.

"You know, it was a warm day. I did my job in two sets against someone that's been troubling in the past for me," she said afterwards.

"I think I deserve to smile out there after that victory."

Being unseeded means she has her work cut out to reach another final.

Next up is in-form 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, who beat Donna Vekic in two easy sets as she starts to rediscover her best again after a miserable last year.

Eighth seed Caroline Garcia also stayed in the title hunt, but she found it hard going against Czech teen Marketa Vondrousova, who pushed her to three gruelling sets.

"My feet are burning," she said. "But we know it's like this in Australia -- the next day it can be freezing."

Dangerous sixth seed Karolina Pliskova also went through, dropping just two games against Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Among men into the third round was fifth seed Dominic Thiem, who came from two sets down to beat American qualifier Denis Kudla, and fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson spearheads a stellar cast when the $3 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship tees off in the UAE on Thursday -- but his mind is firmly on the US Masters.

Johnson will battle returning former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, current No. 6 Justin Rose, and Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey and Matt Kuchar who are all within the top 15.

The reigning Europe No.1 Tommy Fleetwood is the defending champion.

Johnson, 33, is returning to Abu Dhabi Golf Club's National course having finished second to Fleetwood last year and just like in 2017, is in blistering form at the start of the year.

In the PGA Tour’s year-opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, the American nearly aced a 433-yard par-4 hole en route to winning the champions-only event by a whopping eight shots over Jon Rahm.

Last year, after his runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi, he had won three tournaments in February and March before a freak accident on the eve of the Masters ruled him out of the first major of the season.

Doing well in the Masters is certainly a goal this year for Johnson, but before that he wants to go one better than his 2017 result in Abu Dhabi.

"I felt like this golf course suits me pretty well and I like the setup of it. Last year was the first time being here, obviously playing four rounds in the tournament definitely helps," said Johnson.

"I kind of struggled for a little while last year after Augusta, but I finally felt from the FedEx Cup Playoffs through now, the game is starting to get back into the form it was this time last year where I had a really good run leading into Augusta.

"So it's definitely good. I've been working hard on the game, but the golf swing feels like it's finally getting back to where it was.

"I played well in Hawaii, but that was two weeks ago. This is a completely new week and everybody starts at even par, so I've got to start over again."

- 'Roll with it' -

Johnson said he was eager to get back to Augusta National and compete in the Masters after missing the event last year when he reportedly slipped on a wet staircase and hurt himself on the eve of the tournament.

"I was very disappointed I didn't get to play last year, but things happen," he said.

"So you've just got to roll with it. But it's a place where I always love going to play. I feel like I really like the golf course. The last two Masters I played in, I did very well, and so I’m definitely excited to go back."

England's Rose, who finished 2017 in superb fashion by winning the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and then the Turkish Airlines Open, was hoping to continue with that form early in 2018.

"I think I finished the season with ten straight top-10s, and that's not been done by me and probably not been done by many," said the reigning Olympic champion.

"So that was a really solid, consistent run of golf. And then to throw three wins in there and have a couple of other chances... that was a really, really strong run of golf, and I am looking forward to just keeping that momentum going as soon as possible."

Johnson is paired with McIlroy and Fleetwood for the opening two rounds, while Rose goes out with Olympic silver medalist Stenson and bronze winner Kuchar.

Rafael Nadal swept into the Australian Open third round to keep his Grand Slam title hunt on track Wednesday, as Caroline Wozniacki and Grigor Dimitrov pulled off great escapes to stay in contention.

The world number one Spaniard's march towards a 17th Grand Slam crown was never threatened by Argentina's Leonardo Mayer, who took him to a third set tiebreak before being swatted aside 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) on Rod Laver Arena.

"Playing this court is always a big motivation for me," said Nadal, who lost last year's final to Roger Federer.

"He was a dangerous opponent and I'm happy to be in the third round.

"For my team and my family, this is our favourite tournament of the year, so I hope to stay around a bit longer," he added.

Nadal, showing no signs of the troublesome knee that bothered him late last season and interrupted his Melbourne lead-up, next plays Bosnian 28th seed Damir Dzumhur.

Surprisingly, he was not the prime time men's night match on centre court, with that honour going to third seed Dimitrov, who survived a huge scare from unheralded qualifier Mackenzie McDonald.

The Bulgarian needed to call on all his experience to down the 186th-ranked American 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 8-6.

"I'm very happy with the win, not because the way I played, but because the way I fought," said Dimitrov. "It all came down to a few points here and there."

In contrast to Nadal's easy progress, world number two Wozniacki also struggled against little-known Croat Jana Fett.

The Dane saved two match points and rallied from 5-1 down in an epic third set to keep her dream of a first Grand Slam title alive.

She looked out for the count, and was struggling afterwards to work out how she survived 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 against a player ranked 119.

"That was crazy, I don't how I got back in the match," said Wozniacki, adding that "experience was crucial".

- 'I'm talented' -

Fourth seed Elina Svitolina also came from a set down to overcome spirited Czech Katerina Siniakova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The Ukrainian is now on a seven-match win streak and after picking up five WTA Tour titles last year, more than any other woman, is a serious Grand Slam contender.

Her next task is tackling 15-year-old sensation Marta Kostyuk, who became the youngest woman to reach the third round since Martina Hingis got to the quarter-finals in 1996.

Also Ukrainian, she beat local wildcard Olivia Rogowska 6-3, 7-5.

Her win streak at Melbourne Park is now 11 straight matches after claiming the Australian Open girls' title in 2017 and coming through qualifying this year.

"I heard a lot of times that I'm talented, and I know that," said the confident teen. "But I know that only talent will not help me to play good. So I'm working pretty hard."

Svitolina said she knew little about the youngster, and was preparing for a no-holds barred fight.

"She has nothing to lose, so that's why I know she goes just for everything. You know, a little bit like a headless chicken," she said.

French Open champion and seventh seed Jelena Ostapenko also progressed, but she too needed three sets to get past China's Duan Yingying.

On a hot Melbourne day, Croatia's sixth seed Marin Cilic advanced, with last year's Wimbledon finalist easily beating Joao Sousa.

US Open semi-finalist and 10th seed Pablo Carreno-Busta also went through after French veteran Gilles Simon retired injured when trailing 6-2, 3-0.

And fighting former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saw off rising Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov in a five-set thriller.

But Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a quarter-finalist last year, became the latest seed to slump out in the women's draw, which has been shorn of leading names over the first two rounds.

Venus Williams' conqueror Belinda Bencic also ran out of steam, having no answers against Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum, slumping out 6-1, 6-3.

Source: AFP

Former winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fought to the bitter end to overhaul rising Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov in a five-set thriller at the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The 15th seeded Tsonga looked dead and buried down 2-5 in the final set before 18-year-old Shapovalov faltered in only his second five-setter and the experienced Frenchman seized the initiative.

Tsonga, 32, stormed into the third round after a 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 win in 3hr 37min on Margaret Court Arena and will now face either Australian 17th seed Nick Kyrgios or Serbia's Viktor Troicki.

It ended his three-match losing run in five-setters, but lifted his career record to 16-10 and reversed his loss to Shapovalov in straight sets in the second round at last year's US Open.

"Since the start I was behind him. I had to fight a lot and make him finish the match. He never did, so it's good for me," Tsonga said.

"But the most important (thing) for me, it's to fight, give my best on court until the last point. That's what I did today.

"I think he deserved to win also today, but I was also courageous and I did my job at the end. I played well. I think I deserve it, too."

It extended Tsonga's record at his best-performed Australian Open Grand Slam to 36-10 after he was runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the 2008 final.

- Keep going -

Shapovalov said he would learn from the experience of losing after holding a winning position.

"There's always nerves in a tennis match. I wasn't thinking about it much," he said.

"I just didn't play a good game on my serve (for the match). Then he picked up his level.

"This was my longest match in the heat. Physically, I feel good. My body is getting a little bit tight on me now.

"Yeah, nothing too bad there. I mean, I'm just going to learn from it and keep going."

Shapovalov quickly jumped out of the blocks, breaking misfiring Tsonga in the fourth game on the way to taking the opening set in 34 minutes.

Tsonga picked up his game and levelled one-set all with a service break in the sixth game.

But the Canadian left-hander hit back, taking the third set with some sensational shot-making, including a running backhand winner on break point and then breaking again in the sixth game.

Tsonga stayed alive and took the match into a fifth set decider with a resolute tiebreaker.

Shapovalov began the final set strongly, breaking Tsonga in the second game and then holding off break points in the following game to lead 3-0.

But Tsonga would not yield and broke Shapovalov as he attempted to serve out the match with a cross court backhand.

Shapovalov began to falter and made mistakes as Tsonga stepped up the pressure and broke the young Canadian again in the 11th game to hit the front 6-5. He didn't need a second chance as he served out strongly for the match.

Source: AFP

Big-hitting Colin de Grandhomme blasted New Zealand to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the fourth one-day international in Hamilton on Tuesday.

De Grandhomme bludgeoned the Pakistan attack with an unbeaten 74 off 40 balls to reinvigorate New Zealand's run chase as the hosts were struggling to reach a 263-run target.

"Everything just seemed to be hitting the middle tonight," said de Grandhomme, whose innings included five sixes and seven fours.

The result puts New Zealand up 4-0 in the five-match series and sets a new record for the Black Caps of 11 consecutive international victories.

The streak includes convincing wins over the West Indies in all formats of the game and keeps alive the prospects of an ODI series whitewash against Pakistan in Wellington on Friday.

However, it was a much improved performance from Pakistan, who were skittled for just 74 in their previous outing.

They looked set for another heavy defeat after a horror start saw them at 11 for two but Mohammad Hafeez notched 81 to set a competitive target.

Others in the mis-firing Pakistani batting line-up also found form, with Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail and captain Sarfraz Ahmed all posting half centuries.

Teenage leg-spinner Shadab Khan then claimed three of New Zealand's top four batsmen to give Pakistan some hope before de Grandhomme's match-turning performance.

Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss, promoting hard-hitting allrounder Faheem Ashraf to open in the search for runs.

The gamble backfired when Faheem departed for one and Babar Azam soon followed after a dynamic spell from Black Caps paceman Tim Southee.

Pakistan's batsmen were able to steady the innings but only Hafeez managed to push on beyond 50, smashing 22 from the final over.

The other major talking point of the Pakistan innings was a head injury to Shoaib Malik, who ran into the path of fielder Colin Munro's throw while trying to scamper back to his crease.

The ball hit him flush on the head and officials later said he showed signs of delayed concussion and did not return after the innings break.

New Zealand set about the run chase with gusto as opener Colin Munro brought up his half century off 33 balls.

They appeared to be cruising to victory at 88 without loss before squandering four wickets for 11 runs.

Shadab made a double breakthrough to dislodge Munro (56) and Martin Guptill (31) in successive balls, then followed up by coaxing an edge off Tom Latham.

Rumman Raees contributed by ruining Ross Taylor's 200th ODI appearance when he trapped the veteran batsman lbw for one.

Tight bowling from the tourists denied Kane Williamson runs and the New Zealand captain was dismissed for 32 trying to break the shackles with a lusty swing that Rumman caught on the boundary.

With New Zealand looking shaky, de Grandhomme came to the crease and put the match beyond Pakistan, with support from Henry Nicholls, who scored an unbeaten 52.

Source: AFP

Flawless Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic stamped their mark on the Australian Open on Tuesday with focused former champion Maria Sharapova also successfully negotiating the first round after her drug ban.

Defending champion Federer, rated as favourite to win his 20th Grand Slam title, made his entrance on Rod Laver Arena with a sizzling 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 lesson for Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene.

The second seeded Swiss, who is coming off an extraordinary 2017, when he won a fifth Australian Open title and a record eighth at Wimbledon, was in total control.

"I was thinking a lot about what happened at the tournament last year because it was my favourite tournament of the whole season," said the 36-year-old, who beat Rafael Nadal in the 2017 final.

"I'm hoping for it to go well again."

Twelve-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic has been out of action for six months with an elbow injury, but he too looked the goods in his 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 demolition of American Donald Young.

Gunning for a seventh Australian Open title, he was glad to be back at the coal face, having missed the competitive edge.

"I wanted to start with the right intensity, which I have," he told the cheering crowd afterwards.

"I played perfect tennis in the first couple of sets and Donald came back in the third set."

Former Melbourne champion Stan Wawrinka also successfully returned from half a year on the sidelines after knee surgery, having only decided he was fit to play at the weekend.

With the temperatures heating up, he was pushed to four sets by Ricardas Berankis before prevailing 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2) in a tough workout he said was "proud" to come through.

World number one Simona Halep booked her place in round two, avoiding the first round exit that befell her in the past two years. But she made a meal of it against local hope Destanee Aiava.

Both the Romanian and her 17-year-old wildcard opponent needed on-court medical attention before the top seed ran out a battling 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 winner.

Third seeded Garbine Muguruza, with heavy strapping on her injured right thigh, made her tournament bow with a laboured 6-3, 6-3 win over French wildcard Jessika Ponchet.

- 'Really meaningful' -

Sharapova, still working her way back from a 15-month ban for taking the performance-enhancing substance meldonium in Australia in 2016, showed glimpses of the tennis that made her a five-time major winner.

The 2008 Melbourne Park champion, now ranked 48, beat Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-4 in her first Australian Open match in two years.

"I cherish these moments. I love it here," said the Russian, who returned from her drugs ban in April last year.

"It's been a couple of years and I wanted it to be really meaningful to me."

Fellow former world number one Angelique Kerber, who won the tournament in 2016, was also impressive in dismissing Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-0, 6-4.

"2017, I have said goodbye already, I am not looking back," she said after a forgettable last season that saw her relinquish the number one spot and slide down the rankings.

She is now on a 10-match win streak after a perfect early season.

Sixth seed Karolina Pliskova and eighth seed Caroline Garcia also progressed, in contrast to the other side of the draw that saw Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Coco Vandeweghe crash out on Monday.

American woes continued with Madison Brengle sent packing by British ninth seed Johanna Konta.

Young gun Alexander Zverev, seeded four, Belgian seventh seed David Goffin, and dark horse Tomas Berdych were among men to make the second round.

But Canada's Milos Raonic, who has made at least the last eight over the past three years in Melbourne, was bundled out by 86th-ranked Slovakian Lukas Lacko in four sets.

It was his earliest Grand Slam exit in seven years as he fights back from a wrist injury.

Source: AFP

Tunisia's national coach said Monday he will fear England's Raheem Sterling more than Harry Kane, when the two countries play against each other in the World Cup finals this year.

Nabil Maaloul was speaking in Doha, where the Tunisian national team are preparing for Russia with a 14-day winter training camp at the Aspire Zone.

Tunisia will meet England in their first game in World Cup Group G, which also contains Belgium and Panama.

Asked about his country's prospects in the opening match, and specific players, Maaloul pointed to the threat from the Manchester City star rather than the Tottenham forward and English captain.

"The most dangerous player for me is Sterling, I think he is one of the best players," Maaloul said.

"People say that Harry Kane is the biggest risk but I think Raheem Sterling is the one. He is the biggest threat as a player."

He added: "It's a young team, it's changed in recent years. The kind of English football has changed a lot after they hired coaches like Guardiola or Conte.

"It's a new kind of football, but we are going to be prepared."

Tunisia will be appearing in their fifth World Cup in Russia.

Their first was in Argentina in 1978 where, despite beating Mexico and drawing with West Germany, they failed to make it out of the group stage.

Indeed, Tunisia have yet to reach the knockout stages and Russia could prove tough with top seed Belgium ranked number five in the world and England at 15.

"We are going to be in a very difficult group," said Maaloul.

"We are going to play Belgium and England but we have started our preparations.

"For both teams we have preparations we are thinking about."

Tunisia, ranked 27, will play Belgium in their second group game

Rafael Nadal dispelled any injury worries to storm into the Australian Open second round Monday as Venus Williams led a slew of seeds out of the tournament in a dark day for American players.

The Spanish world number one was hampered by a knee injury at the tail-end of the 2017 season, and he entered the opening Grand Slam of the year without playing a warm-up event.

But he wore no strapping and appeared to move freely in a ruthless 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 demolition of the Dominican Republic's Victor Estrella Burgos in just 94 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

"I'm very happy to be back, it's a very important beginning for me. It's good news for me," he said, adding that he had experienced "no problems" with his often troublesome knee during the match.

"I want to enjoy every moment I'm here on this court."

Second seeded Caroline Wozniacki also comfortably progressed with a straight sets win over Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu as she searches for a maiden Grand Slam crown.

But there was no celebrating for fifth seed Williams, who was stunned by Swiss star Belinda Bencic, fresh from winning the Hopman Cup with Roger Federer.

Fellow American and US Open champion Sloane Stephens was also sent packing, along with big-hitter CoCo Vandeweghe, the 10th seed and a semi-finalist last year.

And the US misery was compounded on the men's side with eighth seed Jack Sock toppled by Japan's Yuichi Sugita and 16th-seed John Isner sent home by Australian Matthew Ebden.

Other seeded casualties included South Africa's 2017 US Open finalist Kevin Anderson, who was bundled out a in a five-set thriller by Britain's Kyle Edmund.

Third seed Grigor Dimitrov survived, as did volatile Australian Nick Kyrgios, who collected a code violation for swearing at the crowd.

- Learning curve -

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams, in her 77th major, struggled against a player who had never before beaten her to go down 6-3, 7-5 and deprive the tournament of one of its biggest names.

It is the first time since 1997 that there will be neither of the Williams sisters in the second round, with Serena not playing after giving birth to her first child.

"I don't think I played a bad match. She just played above and beyond," said the 37-year-old.

Bencic, 20, said featuring with Federer at the Hopman Cup had helped a lot, with the Swiss legend giving her advice and tips.

"I think all the week it was so great learning from him on the court or off the court," she said, adding she spoke to him briefly after her match and he "was very happy for me".

Vandeweghe slumped out to Hungary's Timea Babos 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 and revealed afterwards she had been bedridden with flu for four days.

With Stephens also departing, to China's Zhang Shuai, it was a calamitous day for the United States, in stark contrast to the last Grand Slam of 2017, when all three of them made the semis at the US Open.

It left the women's draw more unpredicable than ever, which was good news for French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, who saw off Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-4.

The sevnth seed raced through the first set on Rod Laver Arena against the veteran Italian who was bizarrely wearing a back brace on the outside of her shirt, before a tougher second set.

"I knew before the match that it's not going to be easy. She's very experienced player and she's very long time on tour," said the Latvian.

Fourth seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who won the lead-up Brisbane International after picking up five WTA Tour titles last year, was another to stay in the hunt.

Also into the next round was German 12th seed Julia Goerges, who won the lead-up Auckland Classic and is now on a 15-match unbeaten streak having ended 2017 with victories at Moscow and Zhuhai.

Twelve-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, seeded 14, starts on Tuesday, along Federer, former world number one Maria Sharapova and top seed Simona Halep

American auto racing legend Dan Gurney, who won in Indycar, Formula One, NASCAR and at Le Mans, died on Sunday at the age of 86, his family said.

"With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, January 14, 2018," Gurney’s wife, Evi, said in a statement.

"In deepest sorrow, with gratitude in our hearts for the love and joy you have given us during your time on this earth, we say 'Godspeed.'"

The family added that Gurney died of complications from pneumonia.

Gurney won seven IndyCar, five NASCAR and four Formula One races, competing in all three series through much of the 1960s.

In formula one he drove for Ferrari, BRM, Lotus, Brabham, Eagle and McLaren.

In 1967 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ford with AJ Foyt -- turning a spray of champagne on his fellow American in celebration in a now traditional victory gesture.

Gurney eventually branched out into manufacturing, his All American Racers using the Eagle name. He won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix driving one of his own cars.

"I was first inspired by him when I was in midgets dreaming of being like him," Mario Andretti, who like Gurney won in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR. "#DanGurneyHasFinishedTheRace".

Source: AFP

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been charged with affray after a fight outside a Bristol nightclub, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service has announced.
Stokes was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm following a disturbance outside a nightclub in the city on 25 September. He is scheduled to appear at Bristol magistrates court at a later date.
The confrontation left a man with a fractured eye socket and saw Stokes suspended from international cricket until "further notice" by the England and Wales Cricket Board, meaning he missed the Ashes series in Australia.

Source: arabnews

Italian women scored an unprecedented World Cup triple on Sunday in a shortened downhill raced on deteriorating snow in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria.

Sofia Goggia won in 1min 4sec with Federica Brignone second, 1.10sec back, and Nadia Fanchini at 1.45sec. The podium sweep followed Brignone's victory in the Super G the day before to give the Italian women a glorious weekend in Austria.

The surface had been much criticised, notably by the American Lindsey Vonn who slammed a "badly prepared" snow and a bumpy surface that turned races into a "rodeo."

Sunday's downhill was shortened, starting from the same place as the Super-G the day before, but despite the curtailed length there were huge time gaps between the finishers.

Goggia, the boldest on the day, finished more than a second ahead of Brignone for a third career World Cup victory. The first two came last year in the downhill and Super-G at Jeongseon on the piste that will be used in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

"I'm really happy with my descent," said the 25-year-old. "You never know how it's going to be. I just let the skis slide. I was tired of just finishing the races. Today I was the most daring. The Goggia style worked!"

"With the condensation freezing on the glasses, it was very difficult, very demanding," said Goggia, before paying tribute to teammate Nadia Fanchini, who has fought back from a series of injuries and whose older sister, Elena, announced on Friday that she was taking a break from skiing to have a tumour treated.

"After all that she overcame, it's beautiful, it's as beautiful as a victory, I told her, 'it's your victory!'"

Brignone, whose best event has been the giant slalom, was delighted with her success in the speed events over the weekend.

"I'm really surprised, very surprised," she said.

The sparkling form of the Italians could not be better timed as the women's World Cup moves across the Alps to Cortina d'Ampezza in the Dolomites next week for two downhills and a Super-G.

Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was fifth to take over first place in the downhill standings from the American Mikaela Shiffrin, who drops to fourth after taking the weekend off to train.

However, Shiffrin still has an unassailable lead in the overall classification.

Source: AFP

Stephane Peterhansel won Sunday's eighth stage of the Dakar Rally from Uyuni to Tupiza in Bolivia, a day after suspension failure dealt the Frenchman a crushing blow to his title hopes.

Peterhansel, bidding for a third successive triumph on four wheels, lost almost two hours to Spaniard Carlos Sainz on Saturday when he ground to a halt after hitting a stone while trying to pass another competitor.

But the 52-year-old shook off that setback to finish Sunday's 498-kilometre run in 5hr 15min 18sec, less than a minute ahead of compatriot and Peugeot teammate Cyril Despres.

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah was 2min 12sec behind in third in his Toyota, but 2010 champion Sainz still leads by over an hour despite trailing home in fifth place.

"I had trouble sleeping last night. The excitement of the day itself, the rush of adrenaline and the disappointment at the same time...you sort of go back over the moment where it goes bang," said Peterhansel, who is third overall.

"I felt drowsy this morning. Winning is always nice, but when you know you're more than an hour adrift and you gain just a few minutes, it's scant consolation."

Organisers have decided to cancel Monday's ninth stage from Tupiza to Salta in Argentina, which was set to feature a 242km timed section, due to poor weather.

"The stage is cancelled because there's a lot of water in the bivouac today, and tomorrow we're expecting some storms as well. These are not the best conditions to hold the stage," the rally's sporting director Marc Coma told AFP.

"We prefer not to take any risks," he added.

Last year's rally was also hit by weather problems after torrential rain, and then a huge mudslide, forced organisers to scrap two stages, while the opening stage of the 2016 event was cancelled after parts of the course were left flooded.

Frenchman Antoine Meo won Sunday's motorcycle special, but his compatriot Adrien van Beveren retained the overall lead.

Meo, riding a KTM, won for the second time in the race after taking stage in 5hr 24min 01sec.

American Ricky Brabec was second on a Honda 1min 08sec back and another KTM rider, Australian Toby Price was third.

Van Beveren, who rides a Yamaha, lost 8min 44sec but remains 22 seconds ahead of Argentine Kevin Benavides in the overall standings.

Source: AFP

Luis Suarez stole the show with a brace and an assist as Barcelona fought back from two goals down to win 4-2 at Real Sociedad on Sunday and restore their nine-point lead at the top of La Liga.

Suarez struck in the 50th and 71st minutes, his first a delightful chip from just inside the area, after laying on Paulinho six minutes before the break to start the comeback from first-half goals from Sociedad's Willian Jose and Juanmi.

A stunning Lionel Messi free-kick five minutes from time completed the comeback, which puts Ernesto Valverde's side on 51 points, well ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid, 1-0 winners at Eibar on Saturday.

"The goal we scored before the break really helped us," said Valverde. "It seemed the curse was still there when we were 2-0 down, and yet we pushed and we believed we could turn it around and take the lead, and finally the goals came."

The win also moves Barca a full 19 points in front of arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are languishing in fourth and closer on points to the relegation zone than leaders Barca after Saturday's 1-0 home defeat by Villarreal.

Real's embarrassment allowed third-placed Valencia to move eight points clear of Zinedine Zidane's side with a 2-1 win at third-from-bottom Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, which came thanks to goals from Goncalo Guedes and Rodrigo.

Barca came into Sunday's clash having not won at Sociedad since 2007 and with 34 minutes gone it looked like the hex was going to continue.

Jose gave the hosts a shock lead after just 11 minutes when he headed home Xabi Prieto's superb cross, and a shambolic looking Barca were deservedly two down 23 minutes later.

Juanmi burst through the away side's distracted backline to meet Sergio Canales' excellent through ball, and the Spaniard saw his shot deflected off Sergi Roberto and creep inside Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's near post.

Suarez burst into life as the first half came to a close and gave the Catalans hope with a fine low cross that Paulinho just had to guide home to pull a goal back.

The Uruguayan then scored a sensational equaliser in the 50th minute, striding towards Messi's pass and clipping a looping shot over Sociedad stopper Geronimo Rulli, before putting his side into the lead 21 minutes later.

Rulli's long clearance was fired back with a powerful shot by Thomas Vermaelen that found Suarez clean through on and ready to crash home Barca's third.

Messi's free-kick, a dipping curler that any goalkeeper would have struggled to save, was the icing on the cake for Barca and the Argentine, who overtook Gerd Muller to become the top scorer in the history of Europe's top five leagues with his 366th La Liga strike.

- Real respite -

Real coach Zidane was given some respite from the fierce criticism he received following Villarreal's first ever win at the Bernabeu, as Sevilla missed the chance to draw level on points in the race for Champions League qualification when they lost 1-0 at lowly Alaves on Sunday.

Manu Garcia's 52nd-minute strike pulled Alaves out of the relegation zone and left Sevilla sixth on 29 points, three behind fourth-placed Real.

The defeat for Sevilla extends Vincenzo Montella's losing start in La Liga, with the Italian guiding his new club to two straight league losses since replacing cancer-stricken Eduardo Berizzo, following last week's 5-3 home Seville derby loss to Betis.

Espanyol played out a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in Sunday's other game, with Inaki Williams equalising for the Basques six minutes after Gerard Moreno's 29th-minute opener.

Source: AFP

Leinster cruised into the European Champions Cup quarter-finals on Sunday with a 55-19 thrashing of Glasgow, but fellow Irish side Munster were made to wait for a last-eight spot after a narrow loss at Racing 92.

Hosts Leinster ran in eight tries in Dublin to make it five wins from five and secure top spot in Pool 3, with Ireland internationals Johnny Sexton and Jordi Murphy both crossing for first-half scores.

Former Australia forward Scott Fardy added two tries of his own, as the three-time winners opened up an unassailable nine-point lead over second-placed Exeter, who beat Montpellier 41-10 on Saturday.

"I thought the guys, their willingness and want to keep the ball alive was really good," said Leinster head coach Leo Cullen after his team ensured a home quarter-final.

"Maybe (we) got a little bit loose at times in the second half, but overall we're delighted to get the win and bonus point against a very good team."

Scrum-half Maxime Machenaud kicked two late penalties to snatch Racing a 34-30 victory over Munster at U Arena that kept their hopes alive.

Munster are a point ahead of Racing at the top of Pool 4, but the French capital club look well-placed to qualify as one of the best second-placed teams even if they fail to overhaul the Irish side next week.

Racing had jumped into a 10-point lead and still led by 11 after 46 minutes before Keith Earls and Chris Farrell scored two tries in six minutes.

Machenaud drew Racing level with a penalty but Ian Keatley replied with two for Munster.

Racing hooker Dimitri Szarzewski went over for the last try of the game and Machenaud converted to put the home team a point ahead.

Conor Murray kicked a penalty to regain Munster the lead with five minutes left, but the away side gave away two late penalties and France international Machenaud made no mistake.

By passing up the chance to score a fourth try, Racing surrendered a potential bonus point and allowed Munster to collect the one they needed to stay first in the pool.

"There are no regrets," insisted Racing fly-half Remi Tales.

"We chose to go for three to shut the door on a possible penalty. Now we have to go to Leicester and look for a victory. If we win, we will at least be among the best runners-up."

Castres ended an under-strength Leicester's European campaign with a 39-0 thumping, but need a shock win at Munster in their final game to have any chance of progressing.

"We're still top of our pool and we have a good opportunity now to make sure we get to a quarter-final, but I think we left it out there a little bit," said Munster No. 8 CJ Stander.

- Bastareaud's 'homophobic' insult -

Toulon cantered to a 36-0 win over winless Treviso to set up a winner-takes-all Pool 5 showdown against Scarlets in Llanelli next week, but centre Mathieu Bastareaud could find himself in hot water after appearing to utter a homophobic slur at Sebastian Negri.

Fly-half Anthony Belleau scored all 10 of Toulon's first-half points en route to 14 in total, while Bastareaud scored a try before his late outburst.

"I apologise for my reaction to insults from the Italian player. I reacted badly by responding to his provocation, I'm truly sorry for the people I might have hurt," Bastareaud wrote on his Twitter account.

The bonus point lifted three-time champions Toulon to the top of the table, but the group will be decided when Toulon visit Llanelli next week, after Scarlets won 35-17 at Bath on Friday.

Ospreys and defending champions Saracens played out a tense 15-15 draw on Saturday to leave Pool 2 wide open, after leaders Clermont had slumped to defeat at Northampton.

Source: AFP

 Liverpool condemned Manchester City to their first Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday while Alexis Sanchez neared the exit door as Arsenal slipped to a damaging defeat at struggling Bournemouth.

Jurgen Klopp sent out an attack-minded line-up and was rewarded with a scintillating 4-3 win at a jubilant Anfield, where the emotions were in sharp contrast to Arsene Wenger's misery after a 2-1 loss.

Liverpool's victory means Pep Guardiola's City, who were unbeaten in 30 league games between this and last season going into the match -- which included an 18-match winning streak -- can no longer match Arsenal's "Invincibles", who went the entire 2003-2004 unbeaten.

Guardiola said City were not composed enough when Liverpool got on top in the second half, even though they came close to staging a dramatic comeback to keep their run alive.

"After the second goal they scored two in a few minutes and it is hard to recover from that," he said. "In every press conference for the last few months you have said that the Premier League is done and I always said 'no, it is still to be done'.

"We will defend our position game by game."

The result means that City remain 15 points clear of second-placed Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table ahead of United's match at home to struggling Stoke on Monday.

Liverpool, who are unbeaten in the league since October, leapfrog Chelsea into third spot, level on 47 points with the Blues and United.

Klopp's side, in their first match since Philippe Coutinho left to join Barcelona, showed they still have enviable depth in attack, taking an early lead when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain marauded forward and thundered a shot past City stopper Ederson.

The home side held onto their lead until five minutes before half-time, when Leroy Sane gathered a raking cross-field ball from Kyle Walker and beat Loris Karius at his near post with a rasping left-foot shot that the Liverpool keeper should have saved.

Guardiola's team appeared to be in control after the break before Liverpool's goal glut.

Roberto Firmino dinked a clever shot in off the post and just two minutes later Sadio Mane, who had struck the woodwork himself seconds before, smashed a shot into the top corner to make it 3-1.

With City rocking, Mohamed Salah scored Liverpool's fourth with a left-footed shot from more than 35 yards out after Ederson had misplaced a clearance.

City scored late through Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan to get back into the game but they ran out of time.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was delighted with his team's display and said it was a wonderful advert for the Premier League.

"This was a historical game you will talk about in 20 years because it looks like City will not lose another one this year," he said.

"If you combine quality with attitude you see a game like this. I really loved it," he added. "You will find someone who wants to talk about defending, no clean sheet, but he can blow up my boots."

- Sanchez off? -

Earlier, Wenger left Chile international Sanchez out of his squad to travel to Bournemouth as transfer speculation swirls over a potential move to Manchester City or Manchester United.

"Alexis would have played," said Wenger, after Arsenal leaked two goals in four second-half minutes to slip to a damaging defeat that leaves them eight points off the top four and staring at a second consecutive season without Champions League football.

"Alexis would have played, but it's a difficult period for him. He's always been committed until now but he could have gone yesterday and he could go in the next 48 hours."

City remained favourites to sign the Chile international this month until United expressed their interest last week.

The Old Trafford club's willingness to meet Arsenal’s £35 million valuation of Sanchez, who can leave as a free agent at the end of the campaign, together with the possibility of offering one-time Arsenal target Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of any deal, has increased the chance of the forward joining Jose Mourinho's squad.

On Saturday, 10-man Leicester held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham put Everton to the sword, with Harry Kane scoring twice in a 4-0 rout.

Source: AFP