Gabon forward dies following fall from 11th floor of building - ESPN
Gabon forward Aaron Boupendza died following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, the Gabonese Football Federation (FEGAFOOT) said on Wednesday. He was 28.
Aaron Boupendza Sport News
Penyerang Gabon Ini Meninggal Dunia secara Tragis, Jatuh dari Lantai 11
Aaron Boupendza tutup usia dengan mengenaskan. Pesepakbola asal Gabon itu meninggal dunia usai terjatuh dari lantai 11 di China.
Arsenal defeat Real Madrid to reach Champions League semis
MADRID: Arsenal staved off Champions League holders Real Madrid’s superstars and rich history of unlikely comebacks to snatch a 2-1 victory on Wednesday and reach the semifinals with a superb 5-1 aggregate triumph. The Gunners’ 3-0 quarter-final first leg triumph last week gave them a vital cushion in the Spanish capital as they made the final four for the first time since 2009, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain. Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, sent Arsenal ahead and although Vinicius Junior levelled the 15-time winners were never close to making up the deficit. Gabriel Martinelli rubbed salt in their wounds with a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal, who have never lifted the Champions League trophy. Los Blancos, far more brittle than when they won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, were convinced they could turn the game around but created too little against Arsenal’s tight defense. The Premier League side held their nerve to reach the semifinals for only the third time in their history. Kylian Mbappe chested home in the opening stages but was clearly offside, with the forward gesturing to the crowd to turn up the volume to create the fabled aura which helps Madrid pull off near-impossible feats at the Santiago Bernabeu. David Alaba was booked for hacking down Saka as Madrid tried to add the grit they badly lacked in their first leg demolition in London, and the Arsenal winger also had a drive fielded well by Thibaut Courtois. Arsenal were awarded a penalty seemingly out of the blue when the VAR booth instructed French referee Francois Letexier to review an incident from an earlier corner. Raul Asencio pulled back Arsenal forward Mikel Merino in the area and Letexier pointed to the
Inter hold off Bayern to reach Champions League last four
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan reached the semifinals of the Champions League on Wednesday after drawing 2-2 with Bayern Munich to win a pulsating last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate. Italian champions Inter will face Barcelona in the semis after goals in the space of three minutes from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard canceled out a Harry Kane strike for Bayern which levelled the tie in the 52nd minute. Eric Dier’s looping header in the 75th minute earned Bayern a draw on the night in soaking and blustery Milan but that wasn’t enough for Vincent Kompany’s side to continue their bid to be crowned Kings of Europe for a seventh time. Simone Inzaghi’s side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams’ ability to play their best football, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion. Inter are still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as they are also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy’s top flight and face AC Milan in the semifinals of the domestic cup. And Wednesday’s win showed that Inter are more than capable or reaching the final of Europe’s elite club competition, as they did two years ago when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester City. Bayern had won all three of their previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leaders. Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of their showdown with Barca, who they beat in the semifinals on their way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro. The hosts
Starc stars as Delhi beat Rajasthan in IPL’s Super Over thriller
NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals edged out Rajasthan Royals in IPL’s first Super Over of the season after pace bowler Mitchell Starc defended nine off the last over to end the match tied on Wednesday. Left-arm quick Starc kept Rajasthan down to 188-4 in response to Delhi’s 188-5 and then returned to bowl another disciplined over at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground. Rajasthan managed just 11 runs from their Super Over after Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag hit a boundary each but both got run out on ball four and five and the innings ended with those two wickets. Needing 12 to win, KL Rahul started with a double and then hit a boundary before Tristan Stubbs finished off with a six on the fourth ball from Sandeep Sharma. Delhi, led by Axar Patel, got back to winning ways and returned to take top spot in the 10-team table with five victories and just one defeat on six matches. Rajasthan, who have been chasing the IPL title since their inaugural triumph in 2008 under late Australian hero Shane Warne, slumped to their fifth loss in seven matches. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana hit 51 each to set up Rajasthan’s chase of 189, but wickets at regular intervals kept Delhi in the hunt. Australia’s Starc dismissed Rana in the 18th over before Dhruv Jurel hit back in his 26 and the left-handed Hetmyer made 15 not out. Starc’s 20th over was on target as it was just singles and twos in the six balls and with two needed to win on the last delivery Jurel was run out while attempting a second run and the teams prepared for one-over eliminator. Earlier Rajasthan raced to 50 in five overs with Jaiswal on fire and skipper Sanju Samson switched gears but retired hurt after his 19-ball 31 as he felt some pain in his ribs. Left-handed Jaiswal
Jeddah governor inspects Formula 1 preparations
JEDDAH: Jeddah Gov. Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi conducted a field tour of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to inspect security preparations and arrangements for the STC Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The governor was accompanied by Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation and Saudi Motorsport Company. They toured the teams’ pitlane, paddock area, operations room, track and met team representatives, wishing them luck in the upcoming race, which begins on Friday. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit, known as the fastest street circuit in the calendar, is hosting the race for the fifth consecutive year from April 18-20.
Onana to return in goal for Man Utd against Lyon: Amorim
LONDON: Andre Onana will start in goal for Manchester United in their season-defining Europa League match against Lyon on Thursday, manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed. The Cameroon international made two costly errors in last week’s 2-2 draw in France in the first leg of their quarter-final and was dropped for Sunday’s 4-1 defeat against Newcastle. Back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir played at St. James’ Park but Onana will be back in goal at Old Trafford. “Onana, he will play tomorrow,” Amorim said at his pre-match press conference. The Portuguese coach said: “As a coach and former player first of all I try to do things that can help a player in this situation. “We speak about managing players physically but we also have to manage them also mentally. “We had one weekend where I felt it was better for Andre Onana not to play and a good thing for Altay (Bayindir) to play.” The United boss also confirmed that forward Joshua Zirkzee will miss the rest of the season. The Netherlands international, 23, limped off in the second half of Sunday’s defeat at Newcastle after suffering a hamstring injury. “Joshua is out for the season,” he said.
Gabon striker Boupendza dies after 11th floor fall
LIVERVILLE: Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza died on Wednesday at the age of 28 when he fell from the 11th floor of a building in China, according to the national football federation (Fegafoot). “The Gabonese international died following a fall from the 11th floor of his building in China where he was playing for Zhejiang FC,” the federation said in a statement on X. “Aged 28, Boupendza leaves us with the memory of a great striker who left his mark on the CAN (Africa Cup of Nations) in Cameroon.”