IMOLA, Italy: Formula One world champion Max Verstappen took his first pole position of the season on Friday in a wet and crash-interrupted Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race at Imola.
Ferrari’s championship leader Charles Leclerc, thwarted by a late stoppage, will line up alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row for a 100km race that decides who starts first in Sunday’s main event.
Verstappen goes into the Formula One record books as the pole setter for the weekend, regardless of where he starts on Sunday. Last year the winner of the sprint was awarded pole instead.
“It was hectic but I am very happy to be here, it is an amazing track and it also really punishes you if you make a mistake, you can go into the wall,” said Verstappen, who has suffered two retirements in three races.
“I am really pleased with pole position but I know tomorrow and Sunday will be a bit different in terms of weather conditions.”
The winner of the sprint will take eight points instead of the three previously available.
Leclerc has a 34-point lead over Mercedes’ George Russell after winning twice, finishing second in the other and taking all three bonus points available for fastest laps.
“There’s everything to play for tomorrow and after tomorrow and we’ll give everything,” he said.
Each of Friday’s three qualifying phases had to be halted after incidents, with the red flags brought out five times in total and the entire session ending 40 minutes later than scheduled.
The pole contenders ultimately splashed around on intermediate tires and in plumes of spray.
The final stoppage, triggered by McLaren’s Lando Norris becoming stuck in the gravel, brought an end to the proceedings with 38 seconds remaining and the Briton qualifying a strong third.
“These conditions made a big difference for us today because if it was completely dry, we wouldn’t be in third place,” said Norris.
Kevin Magnussen was fourth for Haas, a position the delighted Dane said was ‘crazy’, ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez qualified seventh and Valtteri Bottas eighth for Alfa Romeo. Sebastian Vettel starts ninth for Aston Martin.
Verstappen’s best time of one minute and 27.999 seconds was 0.779 quicker than Leclerc’s quickest, although the final session was interrupted three times.
“Max managed to take the lap at a critical moment,” commented Red Bull boss Christian Horner. “Obviously now the challenge will be what will the weather do tomorrow.”
Carlos Sainz had already spun and smashed his Ferrari into the tire barrier in the second stint, bringing out red flags and sending the Spaniard back to the paddock on a scooter. He qualified 10th.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton had scraped into that phase by the skin of his teeth, the seven-times world champion only 15th and just 0.004 of a second quicker than AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on a drying track.
Russell also ran dangerously close to missing the early cut and both then failed to make the final top 10, the first time that had happened to the team since 2012.
“I think we underperformed as a team today,” said Hamilton.
Leclerc had been fastest in Q1, before the rain came, and ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. The Monegasque had also set the pace in practice.
Alex Albon failed to set a time after the right rear brake of his Williams caught fire with the tire then exploding, scattering flaming debris on the track and bringing out red flags.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon qualified 19th after a suspected gearbox problem.
Verstappen ends pole wait at wet and chaotic Imola
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Verstappen ends pole wait at wet and chaotic Imola
- Ferrari's championship leader Charles Leclerc, thwarted by a late stoppage, will line up alongside the Red Bull driver
- Verstappen goes into the Formula One record books as the pole setter for the weekend
Kosovo players walk off in Romania game after ‘Serbia’ chants
Bucharest: A Nations League game between Romania and Kosovo in Bucharest was suspended on Friday in injury time after fans in the crowd shouted “Serbia!.”
The Kosovo players left the pitch after the chants, leading to the game to be paused with the score 0-0.
Animosity between Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s.
Kosovo and Serbia do not play each other in UEFA and FIFA tournaments.
Football’s world governing body opened disciplinary proceedings against Serbia during the 2022 World Cup after the team hung a flag in their changing room depicting Kosovo as part of Serbia.
Kosovo joined FIFA and European confederation UEFA in 2016.
When Romania played in Pristina, they beat Kosovo 3-0.
Ronaldo shines as Portugal rout Poland to reach Nations League last-eight
PORTO, Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal staged a second-half supershow to crush Poland 5-1 and reach the Nations League quarter-finals on Friday.
Portugal join France, Germany, Italy and Spain in the last-eight while Poland’s hopes of going through from Group A1 were ended.
Having struggled to plant a shot on target in the first half, Portugal stepped on the accelerator after the break.
Rafael Leao broke the deadlock in Porto just before the hour mark after starting and finishing the move.
The AC Milan striker raced away and passed to Nuno Mendes whose cross from the left was headed powerfully past Marcin Bulka in the Portugal goal.
Thirteen minutes later, skipper Ronaldo got his name on the scoresheet, converting a penalty after Jakub Kiwior was penalized for a handball in the area.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes made it 3-0 in the 80th minute, scoring after a clever run by Vitinha.
Pedro Neto added the fourth three minutes later after Ronaldo’s fine pass which left the Polish defense stranded.
As Polish spirits sank, Ronaldo added his second and Portugal’s fifth in the 87th minute with a spectacular overhead kick before Dominik Marczuk tucked away a consolation goal for the visitors.
Poland had enjoyed the better chances before falling behind but their potency in front of goal was blunted by the absence of record goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski who was sidelined with a back injury.
Moments before Leao’s goal, Portuguese keeper Diogo Costa pulled off a fine save to deny Marczuk having also been alert to deny Nicola Zalewski in the first half.
Portugal’s best chance in the first 45 minutes had fallen to Ronaldo who fired a close-range effort over the bar from close range.
Japanese soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58
- Miura will turn 58 in February
- He intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka
TOKYO: Japanese soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura is several generations older than his teammates. His contemporaries retired decades ago. Lionel Messi is 37, and Cristiano Ronaldo is 39 — mere youngsters compared to Miura.
Miura will turn 58 in February, and the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported this week that he intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka. It will be his 40th season playing in professional soccer.
Miura is widely listed as the oldest active professional soccer player.
Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances and was a star with Japan’s national team in the 1990s.
He has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. He made his debut in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos, a side made famous by Brazilian star Pelé.
Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying
- Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round.
- Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have 6 points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with 3
JAKARTA: Japan defeated Indonesia 4-0 on Friday to move seven points clear at the top of Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Two goals in each half mean the Samurai Blue stays on course for an eighth successive World Cup appearance.
After a bright start from the home team, the 78,000 fans at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium were silenced after 35 minutes as Daichi Kamada broke down the left and sent a cross which defender Justin Hubner put into his own net from close range.
Takumi Minamino then scored from inside the area off Kaoru Mitoma’s pass to extend the lead five minutes before the break.
Hidemasa Motira took advantage of an errant pass from Indonesia’s goalkeeper to make it 3-0 early in the second half and Yukinari Sugawara rounded out the scoring in the 69th minute.
Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round. Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have six points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with three.
The top two from each of the three groups will be guaranteed a place at the World Cup, with the third- and fourth-place teams progressing to the next stage.
Pogba and Juventus end contract mutually before he returns from doping ban
- The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back
- “Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of Nov. 30, 2024,” the Bianconeri said
TURIN, Italy: Paul Pogba will no longer be a Juventus player from next month.
Juventus announced on Friday they came to “a mutual agreement” with Pogba to cancel his contract despite the France World Cup winner having a ban for doping slashed last month.
The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back after his four-year ban for doping was reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 31-year-old Pogba, who will be free to resume his career in March 2025, had said he was ready to give up money to play for Juventus again.
“Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of Nov. 30, 2024,” the Bianconeri said in a brief statement. “The club wish Paul the very best for his professional future.”
Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August last year and the Juventus midfielder was handed the maximum punishment by Italy’s anti-doping court.
But CAS judges cut Pogba’s ban as they acknowledged a lack of intent and said his positive test was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.
Pogba’s contract with Juventus was set to expire in June 2026.
“My time at Juventus has come to an end. It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the Bianconeri and to share so many special memories together,” Pogba said in a statement.
“I cherish the memories we made. They live on. Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion.”
Pogba was the most expensive soccer player in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of 105 million euros ($113 million) in 2016.
He starred in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 and returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. But injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his ban last year.
“I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club,” Pogba added.
