Bayern Munich have parted company with manager Niko Kovac. The decision follows Saturday’s 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, which was the German champions’ second in 10 Bundesliga games this season. Kovac leaves with Bayern fourth in the table, four points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez wins WBO light-heavyweight title….
Mexican great Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez further added to his legacy by taking the WBO light-heavyweight crown from Sergey Kovalev with a devastating 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Middleweight king Canelo, 29, had stepped up two weight divisions to face the 36-year-old Russian.
Bottom side Dijon stun PSG….
Paris St-Germain slumped to their third Ligue 1 defeat of the season as bottom side Dijon came from behind to stun the French champions. Kylian Mbappe registered his seventh goal in four games with a delightful chipped finish over Dijon goalkeeper Alfred Gomis after 19 minutes.
Jamaica women’s midfielder dies after stabbing incident….
Jamaica women’s international Tarania Clarke has died after a stabbing incident in the capital city Kingston. Police said the 20-year-old midfielder was pronounced dead in hospital. Officers said the student died after a dispute over a mobile phone at about 8.50pm local time on Thursday. A woman has been arrested.
Carabao Cup Quater Final fixtures….
Holders Manchester City have been drawn away at League One side Oxford United in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. League Two Colchester United, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, face a trip to five-time winners Manchester United.
Ada Hegerberg breaks Women’s Champions League goalscoring record….
Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg has won four European trophies, five league titles and the Ballon d’Or. Now she’s the highest scorer in Women’s Champions League history and she’s only 24. The Norwegian has surpassed the record held by German Anja Mittag (51) and now has 53 goals from 50 appearances in the Champions League.
Ancelotti sent off amidst referee buffonery….
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis says “buffoonery from the referee” led to coach Carlo Ancelotti and his assistant being sent off in the 2-2 Serie A draw with Atalanta. In a fiery end to the game, Josip Ilicic’s 86th-minute equaliser stood after a long VAR review, as Napoli appealed for a penalty. Ancelotti and his assistant were then shown red cards for protesting.
Vlatko Andonovski is new USA women’s soccer team coach….
Vlatko Andonovski has been named as the new head coach of the United States women’s football team. The 43-year-old has led National Women’s Soccer League side Reign FC in Seattle for the past two seasons. “I can’t imagine a more perfect match than this coach for this team at this moment in time,” said US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro.
Naomi Osaka out of WTA Finals with injury….
World number three Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the WTA Finals in Shenzhen because of a shoulder injury. Japan’s Osaka, 22, beat Petra Kvitova in three sets in her opening match on Sunday and was due to play world number one Ashleigh Barty on Tuesday. The Australian Open champion will be replaced in the Red Group by alternate Kiki Bertens, the world number 10.
Swimmer Atherton sets world record….
Minna Atherton became the first woman under 55 seconds in the 100m backstroke as London Roar won again in the International Swimming League. The 19-year-old Australian, who won the 200m and 50m backstrokes on Saturday, recorded a time 54.89 seconds to set the first World Record in ISL history.
Soccer player concedes penalty while warming up….
Holstein Kiel midfielder Michael Eberwein was warming up behind the goal during a German second division game against Bochum on Friday when he kicked a wayward shot back into play. However, VAR spotted Eberwein had touched the ball before it had crossed the line, prompting referee Timo Gerach to give a penalty and show him a yellow card.
Federer wins 10th Swiss Indoors….
Roger Federer captured his 10th Swiss Indoors crown with an emphatic 6-2 6-2 victory over Alex de Minaur. The 38-year-old Swiss maestro extended his winning run to 24 matches in the event and sealed his 103rd ATP title. He broke twice to take the first set in 34 minutes against the world number 28, playing his only sixth ATP final.
Yaya Toure helps Qingdao Huanghai to promotion….
Yaya Toure, 36, is still making new additions to his already illustrious footballing CV. The former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder has helped China League One side Qingdao Huanghai earn promotion to the Super League next season.
Josh Taylor unifies IBF and WBA super-lightweight titles….
Josh Taylor beat Regis Prograis on points to become the unified IBF and WBA super-lightweight champion and win the World Super Series in London. The Scot, 28, earned a riveting, see-sawing victory, with judges scoring it 114-114, 115-113, 117-112.
Leicester City equal Premier League biggest victory record (9:0)….
Leicester City equalled the 24-year-old record for the biggest ever Premier League victory as 10-man Southampton were dismantled at a rainswept St Mary’s. The victory sees Brendan Rodgers’ side climb into second place, leapfrogging Manchester City and moving five points behind leaders Liverpool.
Two Liverpool fans ended up in Ghent instead of Genk and missed their team’s CL game….
Two Liverpool fans missed their side’s Champions League win over Belgian side Genk on Wednesday – because they traveled to Ghent by mistake. Rob, from London, and Lee, from Leicester, spent around £200 each on train and match tickets only to mistakenly end up 95 miles from where the match was being played.
USA striker Alex Morgan expecting a baby girl….
United States striker Alex Morgan has announced she is pregnant. Morgan, 30, finished joint-top scorer at the 2019 Women’s World Cup and is viewed as one of the world’s most influential female players. Her first child is due in April 2020, three months before USA are scheduled to play at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Dries Mertens breaks Maradona’s record at Napoli….
Dries Mertens overtook Diego Maradona as Napoli’s second highest all-time goalscorer as they beat Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 in the Champions League. The 32-year-old’s double saw him go one ahead of the Argentine on 116 goals, five behind Marek Hamsik.
Messi breaks another Champions League record….
Lionel Messi became the first player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons as Barcelona claimed a narrow win at Slavia Prague. Captain Messi gave Barca an early lead with a first-time finish after an exchange of passes with Arthur.
Guardiola hails Sterling after Champions League hat-trick….
Pep Guardiola hailed Raheem Sterling as an extraordinary talent after his 11-minute second-half hat-trick helped Manchester City demolish Atalanta and maintain their 100% start in Champions League Group C. Sterling is City’s leading scorer with 12 goals in 13 games in all competitions this season and this latest ruthless display demonstrated again what a potent finisher he has become.
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