What's on the box: The best televised sport this weekend
There's a busy weekend of sport ahead with fixtures in the FA Cup and United Rugby Championship, along with All-Ireland senior club football semi-finals.
NBA Sport News
Pelé funeral: Fans line up to mourn Brazilian soccer great
SANTOS: Fans lined up early Monday outside the Vila Belmiro Stadium ahead of Pelé’s funeral in his hometown of Santos. The Brazilian soccer great died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 82.
Jokic triple double leads Denver over Boston in NBA showdown
Nikola Jokic delivered a triple double with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to spark hosts Denver over Boston 123-111 in a Sunday showdown of NBA conference leaders.
No Messi, no Neymar as PSG suffer first loss of season
LENS: Paris Saint-Germain, without World Cup winner Lionel Messi and Neymar, lost for the first time in any competition since March 20 last year when they were defeated 3-1 at Lens on Sunday. “Lens deserved their win,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier. Lois Openda scored one and set up another as Lens, who have only lost once in Ligue 1 this season, closed the gap on PSG at the top to four points after 17 rounds.
Mattias Ekstrom edges Loeb to take opening Dakar Rally prologue
YANBU, Saudi Arabia: Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom drove his Audi hybrid to victory in the 13km-long prologue of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Ekstrom edged out France’s nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb (BRX) by a second. “It’s always nice to start in a good way, but, of course, the day is long and the rally is even longer,” said Ekstrom.
Al-Wehda goalkeeper Monir El-Kajoui voted Saudi Pro League player of the week
RIYADH: Monir El-Kajoui has been voted the Roshn Saudi Pro League player of the week by statistical website Sofascore after an incredible performance in round 11 of the season.
Aston Villa punish Hugo Lloris mistake to shock Spurs
LONDON: Antonio Conte admitted Tottenham face a fight to finish in the Premier League’s top four after a costly mistake from Hugo Lloris condemned the north Londoners to a damaging 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday.Playing for the first time since France’s World Cup final defeat against Argentina, Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris weakly spilled Douglas Luiz’s shot early in the second half and Emiliano Buendia pounced to put Villa ahead.Lloris was left on the bench for Tottenham’s draw against Brentford on December 26 as he rested after France’s agonizing final loss in Qatar.The 36-year-old, who conceded three times against Argentina before France lost on penalties, might have wished he had been given longer to recover after his blunder against Villa.Brazilian midfielder Luiz added Villa’s second goal in the closing stages, leaving Conte’s side to endure jeers from frustrated fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Tottenham had hoped the first Premier League match of 2023 would serve to kick-start their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.Instead, they suffered a New Year’s Day hangover as mid-table Villa punished a lethargic display.Fifth placed Tottenham have failed to win both of their matches since the World Cup break, a dip in form which has allowed fourth placed Manchester United to climb two points above them.“We understand very well that the league will be really difficult for us,” Conte said.“I want to be honest, I want to be very clear. I have said this to the club, I have said my opinions.“The fans deserve the best.
Al-Nassr lead the way for Ronaldo’s arrival
RIYADH: 2022 came to an end with plenty of Saudi Professional League action and here are five things we learned at Arab News.