YOKOHAMA: Even before the kickoff, England stole a march on defending champions New Zealand. Respect for customary All Blacks practice? Not in this Rugby World Cup semifinal.
Reserve prop Joe Marler wasn’t the only England player standing on New Zealand’s side of halfway when the All Blacks performed their famous pre-match haka on Saturday, but he didn’t retreat to his own side even when a match official gestured to him about his breach of convention.
After shocking the two-time defending champions with a try to Manu Tuilagi in the second minute, England didn’t retreat one bit.
And four years after being unceremoniously dumped out in the group stage of the World Cup it was hosting, England reached their first final in 12 years with a 19-7 upset over New Zealand.
The All Blacks hadn’t lost a World Cup game since that tournament in 2007, had never lost to England at a World Cup, went into the game on a six-game winning streak in head-to-heads and having won 15 of the last 16.
All those streaks are off. England’s Australian coach Eddie Jones had spoken all week of how vulnerable the All Blacks were as the hot favorites, despite describing them as the best team in sport. Jones strikes again. He coached Australia to the 2003 final which ended in an extra-time loss to England — so far the Northern Hemisphere’s only Rugby World Cup crown.
Jones was a consultant on South Africa’s title win in 2007, sealed with a victory over England, guided Japan to a shocking win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup pool stage and has now got England to the final.
“They’ve had a week to prepare,” Jones said, recalling how England targeted this game when the tournament draw was made.
“We’ve been unconsciously preparing for this.”
“I’d like to pay the greatest compliment to New Zealand,” he added, “they won two World Cups in a row and they’ve been a great team, so we had to dig really deep to beat them.”
The New Zealanders rallied from 15-0 down to win the last meeting 16-15, but this time England didn’t give them a chance. And that included two tries disallowed by the Television Match Official.
“There’s no shame in getting beaten by them,” New Zealand coach Steve Hansen said. “There’s a lot of hurt.” What hurt Hansen more was the suggestion that the All Blacks didn’t turn up hungry to win. He invited a reporter to step outside the news conference room for questioning his team’s commitment.
England will next play the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between two-time champion South Africa and Wales. Four years ago, no northern teams reached the semis. This time, teams from the north have at least a 50-50 shot of winning it.
England upset All Blacks to reach World Cup final
England upset All Blacks to reach World Cup final
- Jones was a consultant on South Africa’s title win in 2007, sealed with a victory over England, guided Japan to a shocking win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup pool stage and has now got England to the final
Barca shred Valencia to restore La Liga shine
BARCELONA: Barcelona blew away a miserable Valencia 7-1 on Sunday to get back on track in La Liga with a ruthless victory.
Fermin Lopez struck twice for the Catalans in the first half, along with goals from Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres and Raphinha which gave Barcelona a commanding five-goal lead at the break.
Hugo Duro pulled one back early in the second half before Robert Lewandowski pounced for Barca, followed by a Cesar Tarrega own goal, with the third-placed hosts earning just their second win in their last nine league matches.
Hansi Flick’s side trail La Liga leaders Real Madrid by seven points and second-placed Atletico Madrid by three.
Flick shuffled his pack against Valencia in order to spark a response given the club’s poor domestic form.
The coach began with Lewandowski and Ronald Araujo on the bench, while Pedri was absent because of a stomach bug, leading to De Jong, Ferran Torres and the superb Lopez all starting.
It took just three minutes for De Jong to open the scoring, with teenage star Lamine Yamal crossing for him in the area virtually unmarked, and he fired home.
Barcelona soon had their second, with Torres tucking home from Alejandro Balde’s cross, in similar fashion to the first goal but from the opposite flank.
The hosts moved three goals ahead in the 14th minute when Lopez clipped a fine ball over the top for Raphinha to run onto.
The Brazilian winger rounded Giorgi Mamardashvili and rolled home for his 12th league goal of the season.
Valencia, without the suspended Cristhian Mosquera, were struggling badly in defense and Barcelona broke in seemingly at will.
Lopez collected a perfectly measured Pau Cubarsi long pass for the fourth and although it was initially ruled offside, the decision was corrected by VAR.
Valencia thought they had won a penalty when Wojciech Szczesny brought down Hugo Duro but play was eventually brought back for a foul on Jules Kounde after another video review.
Lopez rattled home the fifth on the volley before half-time when Raphinha’s effort hit the post and fell nicely for him with the goalkeeper stranded.
Hugo Duro pulled one back for Valencia early in the second half from Diego Lopez’s low cross and Flick responded by sending on La Liga’s top goalscorer Lewandowski.
The Polish forward finished clinically for his 17th league goal of the season after being sent through by Lopez for Barca’s sixth on the night.
Barcelona netted their seventh when Torres’s hammered cross was deflected into his own net by Tarrega.
Seven goals did not flatter Barcelona by any means and the thrashing is a setback for Carlos Corberan’s Valencia, 19th and four points from safety.
Earlier Athletic Bilbao, fourth, could only produce a 0-0 draw at home against Leganes, and now trail Barcelona by two points.
Relegation-battling Getafe earned an impressive 3-0 win at Real Sociedad to climb to 14th, while Rayo Vallecano came from behind to beat Girona 2-1.
Ronaldo on target again as Al-Nassr win to go 3rd in Saudi Pro League
- Late strike lifts Portuguese star’s goal tally to 14 — and saves goalkeeper’s blushes
RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo’s fine goalscoring form continued in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday as he helped Al-Nassr defeat Al-Fateh 3-1 to move back into third place.
A late strike made it three goals in two games for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as he moved clear at the top of the goalscoring standings with 14 for the season so far.
The deadlock was only broken four minutes before the break when Marwane Saadane put into his own net from close range after Angelo drove a low ball across the face of goal. Angelo was the provider of the second just before the hour, swinging over a free-kick for French defender Mohamed Simakan to head home his first goal for Al-Nassr.
At 2-0 the game seemed done and dusted, but with 18 minutes remaining, Al-Fateh, in last place in the standings, reduced the arrears thanks to Mourad Batna, who pounced after goalkeeper Bento spent too long on the ball inside his own area and was caught in possession.
Ronaldo spared Bento’s blushes with three minutes of normal time remaining, just as the visitors were threatening to take a surprising point.
It was so simple. Sadio Mane broke free down the left, passed to the far post, and there was the Portuguese star to sweep home with the minimum of fuss.
Ronaldo had the ball in the back of the net once more deep into injury time, smashing home spectacularly from the right side of the area, only for the strike to be ruled out for offside.
Al-Nassr now have 35 points from 17 games, eight behind Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, who have a game in hand.
Earlier in the day, Al-Ahli made it seven wins from the last eight in the league with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Riyadh.
Two goals from England striker Ivan Toney and one each from Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, and Ziyad Al-Johani made the difference as the Jeddah club stay in fifth, three points behind Al-Nassr.
Jannik Sinner beats Alexander Zverev in 3 sets for his second Australian Open title in a row
- Jannik Sinner is the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-1993
MELBOURNE: Jannik Sinner claimed his second consecutive Australian Open championship on Sunday, never facing a single break point and using his complete game to outplay and frustrate Alexander Zverev for a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the final.
Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, is the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-93.
Sinner rose to No. 1 last June, remaining there for every week since, and the gap between him and No. 2-ranked Zverev was pronounced as can be in Rod Laver Arena. This was the first Australian Open final between the men at No. 1 and No. 2 since 2019, when No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated No. 2 Rafael Nadal – also in straight sets.
Here’s how dominant Sinner has been since the start of last season: He has won three of the five major tournaments, including the US Open in September, and his record in that span is 80-6 with a total of nine tournament titles. His current unbeaten run covers 21 matches, dating to last year.
The only thing that’s clouded the past 12 months for Sinner, it seems, is a doping case in which he was cleared by a ruling that was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid twice last March but blamed it on an accidental exposure involving two members of his team who have since been fired. Sinner initially was exonerated in August; a hearing in the WADA appeal is scheduled for April.
While Sinner became the eighth man in the Open era (which began in 1968) to start his career 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, Zverev is the seventh to be 0-3, adding this loss to those at the 2020 US Open and the 2024 French Open.
Those earlier setbacks both came in five sets. This contest was not that close. Not at all.
There truly was only one moment that felt as if it contained a hint of tension. It was late in the second set, which Zverev was two points from owning when he led 5-4 and got to love-30 on Sinner’s serve. But a break point – and a set point – never arrived there.
Zverev not got closer, dropping the next four points, making it 5-all. Sinner then emerged with the ensuing tiebreaker. No surprise there: He went 4-0 in those set-deciders over the past two weeks and has grabbed 16 of his past 18.
A year ago, Sinner went through a lot more trouble to earn his first Slam, needing to get past Novak Djokovic – who quit one set into his semifinal against Zverev on Friday because of a torn hamstring – first, before erasing a two-set deficit in the final against 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
Beating Zverev allowed Sinner to become the first man since Nadal at the French Open in 2005 and 2006 to follow up his first Grand Slam title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later.
Usman Nurmagomedov retains Bellator lightweight world title after epic win over Paul Hughes
- Defending champion says he would welcome a rematch in Belfast
DUBAI: Usman Nurmagomedov beat Paul Hughes on Saturday night to retain his Bellator lightweight world title at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
The main event at the PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series produced a 25-minute battle between the prides of Dagestan and Northern Ireland, with Nurmagomedov staying unbeaten after receiving the nod from two of the three judges sitting outside the SmartCage (47-47, 48-46, 48-46). After the majority decision win, Nurmagomedov had nothing but respect for his opponent.
“This is for you guys, Paul Hughes, you are the man, brother you’re tough, I underestimated this guy,” Nurmagomedov said. “But I’m still undefeated, undisputed Bellator lightweight champion.”
Hughes also made it clear he would love a rematch in Belfast.
“It played out how I expected, I’m so gutted and disappointed I lost. I thought I won the fight, I probably left some in the tank, I need to leave everything behind next time. I really thought I was going to win,” Hughes said. “The PFL believed in me and I believe in the PFL. We have to do the rematch in Belfast, it has to be in Belfast, I think I’ve earned this.”
The PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series is the inaugural “Road to Dubai” event after the signing of a groundbreaking multi-year partnership between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Sports Council and the Professional Fighters League.
The first-of-its-kind partnership will allow MMA world champions and the sport’s biggest stars from the PFL to compete in title fights as Dubai becomes a marquee destination for the best of MMA.
All other Champions Series events will now be co-branded as “Road to Dubai” events, with each show building to the finale, set in the new fight capital. As part of the PFL’s commitment to developing the sport of MMA in Dubai, rising Emirati star fighters will now have a pathway to become future PFL champions.
In the heavyweight co-main event of the evening, former Bellator light heavyweight world champion Vadim Nemkov (19-2) made quick work of Tim Johnson (18-11), needing only 3:08 to submit the former Minnesota National Guardsman. Originally scheduled to face Corey Anderson in a rematch, Johnson took the bout on short notice and brought the fight to Nemkov, but a rear-naked choke brought the bout to an end. Nemkov now has 14 straight wins under his belt.
Dagestan’s Akhmed Magomedov (11-1) submitted Ireland’s Nathan Kelly (11-3) via rear-naked choke in Round 2 in a featherweight main card bout on Saturday. Magomedov, who had not fought in almost two years, quickly shook off any rust. With the win, Dagestan moved to 2-0 against Ireland with the main event remaining.
England’s Ibragim Ibragimov improved to 9-0 after a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) against Kenny Mokhonoana (5-2). Ibragimov’s third win under the PFL banner shows that he is not only one of the best rising prospects on the European MMA scene, but globally as well.
The opening main card bout of the PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series featured Russia’s Renat Khavalov (9-0) against Brazil’s Cleiver Fernandes (9-2) at bantamweight. With Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner, Khavalov cruised to a unanimous (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) decision in his PFL debut.
Preliminary card results
Ahmed Samy (12-4) beat Tarek Suleiman (13-9) via TKO at 5:00 in Round 1
Mirafzal Akhtamov (8-0-1) beat Mike Thompson (7-3) via technical submission (head and arm choke) at 2:50 of Round 2
Hadi Omar Al Hussaini (6-1-1) beat Ruel Panales (5-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
John Mitchell (10-2) beat Souhil Tairi (7-6-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Haider Khan (9-1) beat Mostafa Nada (9-4) via TKO at 3:18 of Round 1
Talal Alqallaf (3-0 AM.) beat Saeed Alhosani (4-3 AM.) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-27)
LIV Golf set for first-ever night event at 2025 season opener in Riyadh
- After three years of hosting the event in Jeddah, LIV Golf will debut at Riyadh Golf Club from Feb. 6-8
- Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, and many of golf’s biggest stars set to compete
RIYADH: Following three years of hosting events at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club near Jeddah, LIV Golf will make its debut this season at the Riyadh Golf Club from Feb. 6-8 in what will be its first-ever night event.
The event will feature a strong line-up of players including LIV Golf 2024 individual champion Jon Rahm (Legion XIII), LIV Golf Jeddah 2024 winner Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC), as well as international golfing stars such as World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers GC), five-time major winner Brooks Koepka (Smash GC), 2024 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC), and many more.
Ross Hallett, LIV Golf executive vice president and head of events, shared his excitement, saying, “LIV Golf Riyadh is going to be a can’t-miss event featuring world-class competition and entertainment for fans of all ages. Hosting the tournament at night is another example of our commitment to innovation and presenting new ways to enjoy the sport at its highest level.
“We encourage all fans to arrive early to enjoy the fan village, food festival, fun fair and on-course treasure hunt amongst the many family activities happening around the golf course as we deliver an unforgettable experience at Riyadh Golf Club starting on the 6th of February,” he added.
The 2025 season opener will also mark the debut of Lee Cheih-po, winner of the LIV Golf Promotions 2024 event at Riyadh Golf Club. The Chinese-Taipei star secured the sole spot to join the league’s prestigious 54-player field after a thrilling final day at the Riyadh Golf Club in December.
