Sports

NBA free agency opened with Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard agreeing to contract extensions to stay where they are, and Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks among the teams looking for a dominant inside force of their own.

All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge of Portland and Marc Gasol of Memphis lead the list of big men that includes DeAndre Jordan of Clippers, Tyson Chandler of Dallas, and twins Brook Lopez of Nets and Robin Lopez of Portland.

Dwyane Wade has to decide if he wants to stay in Miami, Rajon Rondo will leave Dallas and Lakers are being linked to many of the marquee names as they try to bring what was long a perennial contender back to prominence, after two straight miserable seasons.

The market opened just after midnight eastern time on Wednesday — 9:01pm in Los Angeles — and the Lakers wasted no time talking to their top target, tweeting that General Manager Mitch Kupchak was walking into a meeting with Aldridge.

Gasol is expected to stay with Grizzlies, Aldridge is considered a candidate to leave and Jordan is somewhere in the middle. He will meet with Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers and Knicks, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because the centre’s agenda was not being revealed publicly.

Players can agree to deals at any time but can’t sign until July 9, after a moratorium period while next season’s salary cap is set; expected to be around $68 million is set.

That’s when Davis will know the exact value of the more than $140 million extension with New Orleans Pelicans he agreed to, which was confirmed to AP by a person with knowledge of the details. Davis tweeted: “NOLA, I am here to stay! Just getting started.”

Leonard agreed to the parameters of a five-year deal that could be worth $90 million with San Antonio Spurs, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to AP. The deal is the latest sign that Leonard is poised to become the new face of the franchise, inheriting that designation from Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Leonard averaged 16.5 points this season and won the Defensive Player of the Year award and will accompany Duncan, coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford to a meeting with Aldridge on Wednesday.

Cleveland will try to keep Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, the backup who played so well in helping them reach the NBA Finals, after Love was lost to a shoulder injury in the first round of the play-offs.

They also have to re-sign LeBron James, but that’s expected to be a formality once they’ve completed some other business. He opted for free agency mostly to maximise his earning potential, not because he’s looking to leave after returning home to Ohio as the major move of last year’s free agency period.

Rockets and Mavericks will be aggressive as always, with Houston looking to strengthen its Western Conference finals team and Dallas trying to assemble one that can get there.

Both teams attempted to pry Carmelo Anthony away from New York last year before he opted to remain with Knicks. This year Knicks, with salary cap space that wasn’t available last year, are going on the offensive.

But he needs a lot more help and Knicks have the ability to get it, with more than $25 million to spend. The priority is a big man, though they could use just about everything after a franchise-worst 17-65 season.

If they can’t get one of the centres, Detroit’s Greg Monroe and Indiana’s David West are quality power forwards on the market.

Miami is trying to keep their backcourt together and hope to agree to a deal with Goran Dragic that could pay him $90 million or more. But all eyes are on Wade, who has met twice with Heat leadership in recent days to discuss his future, though it remains far from certain that he comes back to Miami for a 13th season. He will likely wait before deciding anything and see what offers come from other clubs, a list that could include Lakers, Knicks and possibly Atlanta — Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union, often works there.

ADELAIDE, Australia — Australia and New Zealand will play the first day-night Test cricket match, when the southern hemisphere rivals meet in the last match of a three-game series in November.

Cricket Australia said in a statement Tuesday that the Test at the Adelaide Oval starting November 27 will be the first to be played under lights and with a pink ball that “will be used to ensure greater visibility for players and spectators.”

James Sutherland, CEO of CA, said the shift in playing times would make the Test more accessible to people at work and children at school, and that it was in response “to a time-poor society that can’t always attend or watch Test cricket during working hours”.

The start time is still under consideration, although CA says one possible scenario is having play from 2:30pm to 9:30pm local time.

In another break from tradition, the interval between the first and second session will be 20 minutes and be called tea instead of lunch. The second break in play would be 40 minutes and known as “dinner”.

The Adelaide Test is one of six at home for the Australians — three each against New Zealand and West Indies — from November 5 until January 7.

“We’re really confident with the work that has been done over the past few years, we have had two successive seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket where pink balls have been trialed,” Sutherland said. “We’re working really closely with New Zealand Cricket in giving them the right tour matches and preparation before the ultimate day-night Test.”

International Cricket Council CEO David Richardson called the Adelaide Test a “bold step”.

“It’s a recognition of the fact that cricket is obviously about the players, but it’s also about the fans”. Richardson said. “We want cricket to sustain itself, especially Test cricket.”

New Zealand players had expressed strong reservations over the practicality of day-night Test cricket, particularly the quality of the pink ball. However, the ball’s manufacturer has offered assurances that after years of development and testing, it will perform and wear as well as the red ball traditionally used in test matches.

New Zealand players’ opposition lessened when they learned the Australia and New Zealand boards had agreed to a schedule which will see the countries play 10 Tests and eight one-day series over the next seven years.

Matches between the Tasman neighbours have become rare in recent years and New Zealand last played a Test in Australia, beating the home side at Hobart, in 2011. The teams also met in the Cricket World Cup final in March won by Australia.

Australia’s summer season gets under way in Brisbane against New Zealand on November 5 with Perth’s WACA ground hosting the second Test from November 17.

The West Indies plays in Hobart from December 10 before the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne beginning December 26 and Sydney Test starting January 3.

Australia recently concluded a two-Test sweep of the West Indies in the Caribbean and is now preparing for the Ashes in England.

PRAGUE — European football is lifting some of the restrictions on club spending in an attempt to make more teams competitive and ensure clubs are more attractive for new investors.

UEFA on Monday agreed to relax some of its Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, allowing clubs a period of accelerated spending on players if they present an affordable business model and show they are not “gambling on success”.

The loosening of the rules comes after UEFA found that collective losses by clubs decreased by 70 per cent over the last three years, pointing to how European football grew despite the tough economic climate on the continent.

“We are just evolving from a period of austerity to one where we can offer more opportunities for sustainable growth and development,” UEFA President Michel Platini said.

FFP has been the flagship scheme of Platini’s presidency since being launched in 2009.

The rules have been criticised for protecting commercially successful elite clubs from challenges by ambitious opponents, with the biggest sanctions in 2014 imposed on Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City and Qatar-funded Paris Saint-Germain.

UEFA acknowledged that the regulations, which were designed to curb losses, put off some prospective buyers of clubs, who believed their ability to spend on strengthening the squad would have been too heavily restricted.

“This is what we were hearing: ‘Why should we invest if it’s forbidden. If I invest I am in breach [of FFP]... there are consequences,’” UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said after the executive committee approved the rule changes at a meeting in Prague. “We are sure that these new rules will encourage investors to invest in European football because European football is the best product in the world when it comes to club football.”

The softer regulations still won’t allow clubs to embark on reckless spending sprees, but they will be allowed a period of financial losses if they enter into a voluntary agreement that shows they will break even in the subsequent three-year period.

“[We want] to make sure the competitive balance of Europe is improved even more so clubs can maybe retain some players, even invest in new players in order to get some results and generate more revenue,” Infantino said. “You can invest something, and with investment, you can generate more revenue so we bring more clubs to compete at the top table.”

Infantino stressed that UEFA does not want club owners who “promised a lot of things and perhaps went bankrupt”.

Among other FFP changes:

— Spending on both youth and women’s football by clubs will not count toward losses

— Sponsors or anyone else, who contributes more than 30 per cent off a club’s revenue, will be investigated to see if they are linked to the ownership.

— Clubs will not be judged as harshly if they play in countries where TV and ticket revenue is significantly lower than the top leagues.

COLOMBO — Opener Dimuth Karunaratne smashed a half-century to help Sri Lanka complete a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the second cricket Test Monday to level the three-match series 1-1.

Needing 153 to win with rain looming on the final day, the Sri Lankan batsmen reached the victory target in 26.3 overs before lunch at the P.Sara Oval.

“The boys showed a lot of character after the defeat in Galle,” Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said after the match.

“We wanted to bat positively because we were not sure about the rain. So we gave the green signal to play positively.”

Karunaratne was out for 50, trapped lbw by legspinner Yasir Shah after adding 72 runs for the third wicket with Mathews, who remained unbeaten on 43.

Karunaratne faced 57 deliveries and hit four boundaries.

Kithruwan Vithanage was promoted up the batting order to hasten the chase and made a brisk 34 off 23 before, being caught in the deep by Mohammad Hafeez off left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar.

Kumar Sangakkara, playing his final innings against Pakistan, was out for a first-ball duck, caught at forward short-leg off Shah.

The left-hander will not play the third Test against Pakistan and will retire from international cricket after the second match of a three-match Test series against India in August.

Shah returned figures of 2-55 and claimed eight wickets in the match.

Seam bowler Dhammika Prasad on Sunday took four wickets for Sri Lanka to help dismiss Pakistan for 329 in its second innings, despite a fighting 117 from Azhar Ali.

Prasad was named player of the match for his eight wickets in the match.

Ali and opener Ahmed Shehzad brought Pakistan back into the match in the second innings after conceding a 177-run first-innings lead. Pakistan was dismissed for a paltry 138 in the first innings and Sri Lanka replied with 315.

Ali and Shehzad (69) added 120 for the second wicket, but the rest of the batting faltered against the Sri Lankan seamers.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was disappointed with the team’s performance after winning by 10 wickets in Galle.

“It’s a really big worry for us that we put up really big scores in the first Test but in the second Test we were dismissed from 70 for two to 138,” he said. “We really need to play the first innings well.”

The third and series-deciding match of the series will start Friday in Pallekele near the hill city of Kandy.

AMMAN — It is a situation facing many sports federations up and down the Kingdom. How to engage with the public to make their sport thrive in the modern era of non-sporting distractions?

For tennis, the challenge is probably greater than most and for too long the sport has been considered as elite and inaccessible, and it is one of those sports that constantly fights for a foothold in the modern day, according a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee News Media Office.

While the top end of the sport sees players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic bag millions of dollars in prize money and endorsements every year, the other end sees countries like Jordan struggling to find more courts and players to fill them.

But the Jordan Tennis Federation is fighting back. Despite, as Hazem Adas — its president says, having “the same number of courts in Jordan as you would find in one park in places like France, USA or Britain”, the federation has taken a long-term proactive approach to ensure the sport not only survives, but thrives. 

“It is not an easy task for the sport to grow and thrive here but we are implementing programmes to try our best,” he said. “It is important to look long term by bringing in the players from a young age and then seeing them through to adulthood with the right training and support.”

This approach has resulted in the launch of the “Mini-Tennis” programme which is targeting kids from the age of six. Currently 80 are taking part in Amman with another 35 in the northern city of Irbid.

“Each kid signs up for a minimum of three months to ensure they are committed and that we have the chance to teach them the basic skills initially,” said Adas.

“It is also a talent identification programme for us with the most promising kids put on to separate coaching programmes to accelerate their progress further.”

Created in 1980, the Jordan Tennis Federation has enjoyed limited regional success over the years with the recurring problem of losing players once they reach the age of 18. The issue is that these young adults are unable to commit to top-level tennis training and tournaments like they could as youngsters because work, college and/or marriage starts to consume their time. Adas said it is even a challenge to convince those players to remain in the game to coach or officiate. 

But the search goes on for the next star and currently the federation has high hopes for 12-year-old Abdullah Shilbai. 

“He is an excellent talent and has already done well on a regional level,” said Adas. “He recently played in a tournament in France where he lost narrowly to the Belgian top seed, so he is showing huge potential.”

Facilities are an issue for a sport that needs large areas for a game that mostly consists of two players at a time. The federation only has 24 courts at its disposal — 10 of those at private clubs like the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan and Orthodoxi Club.

“This is an issue not just for Jordan but for a lot of countries and that is why there is an onus on mini-tennis for attracting kids to the sport,” explained Adas. “We have plans in Sports City to extend our facility which means we will be able to welcome even more children.”

The federation agrees that while it is unlikely that Jordan will have a Wimbledon champion any time soon, hopefully more youngsters will embrace the sport to stay healthy and active, and that is more important than winning or losing.

VANCOUVER — Canada captain Christine Sinclair apologised to her coach following their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to England at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday but John Herdman said his skipper had nothing to be sorry about.

After conceding just one goal in four matches, Canada surrendered two in three minutes early in the opening half. They pulled one back before the break but were unable to unlock England’s defence in the second half.

Canada coach John Herdman said he could not have asked for any more from his side.

“I’m proud of my girls, they give you everything,” he told reporters. “It just wasn’t good enough tonight and the dream is over.”

Herdman, more muted than he has been so far at this World Cup, said Sinclair had apologised to him after the game.

“She can’t say sorry, she was just a legend again tonight,” he said of Canada’s all-time leading scorer. “She was outstanding, answered some of the critics, stood up in the big moment when she needed to.”

Sinclair, who scored Canada’s goal, said her team mates were struggling to come to terms with the loss.

“This stings. We’re all a little emotional and upset,” she told reporters. “Obviously it’s not how we wanted the tournament to end.

“Anytime you get knocked out of a tournament, you’re upset,” she added. “Especially when I don’t think we deserved to go out like that.”

Canada, which beat England 1-0 in a friendly in May ahead of the tournament, was visibly upset at the final whistle, with many openly crying as they trudged off the field.

Outside the stadium, Canadian fans refused to let the loss get them down, gathering in groups to sing the national anthem and chant “Canada! Canada!”

“This has been great for the sport and for the Canadian women players,” said Cameron Taylor, who attended the match with his wife and children. “We’ll just keep expecting more.”

There was some concern, however, that with the home team now out of the tournament, local interest in the upcoming semifinals and final could wane.

England will play defending champions Japan on July 1 — Canada Day — with the United States playing Germany a day earlier.

“It’s tough. I’m part of the local football community here and this definitely takes the air out of the excitement for sure,” said Neil Samaratunga, who had draped himself in a Canadian flag. “It was an unlucky finish and it’s heartbreaking.”

MONTREAL — Germany beat France in a penalty shoot-out after their thrilling Women’s World Cup quarter-final ended 1-1 after extra-time on Friday.

The Germans triumphed 5-4 in the shoot-out after Claire Levogez, chosen as the fifth kicker for France, saw her low shot saved by Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer.

Louisa Necib had put France ahead in the 64th minute but Germany equalised in the 84th when Celia Sasic converted a penalty after Amel Majri handled inside the box.

Germany will face the winners of Friday’s other quarter-final between the United States and China.

The clash between the top-ranked Germans and a French team placed third in the world was expected to be a memorable encounter and it more than lived up to the billing.

With the quality of the two teams it could easily have been the tournament final and the French will head home feeling they have missed out on a real chance to win their first World Cup.

“We are very disappointed because the objective was to be on the podium here. We weren’t able to take our opportunities,” said France coach Philippe Bergeroo.

They certainly looked like champions during a first half in which they dominated large sections of play, with some flowing attacking football that produced several good openings.

The best chance of the opening 45 minutes came almost straight from kick-off when Necib put wide from a glorious position at the back post.

Key switch

Germany coach Silvia Neid made a key switch at the break bringing in Dsenifer Marozsan for Anja Mittag and the move paid off significantly.

Marozsan brought the German attack to life, forcing a good save out of Sarah Bouhaddi shortly after Sasic had tested her with a low drive.

But it was the French who grabbed the lead when Necib pounced on a poor clearance and her shot deflected off German defender Annike Krahn and curled into the corner.

France looked to be on its way into the last four but with six minutes of normal time remaining, Leonie Majer drove a cross into the box which struck Majri on the upper-arm and Sasic confidently slotted home her sixth goal of the tournament.

Both teams tired in extra-time and there were few chances created until three minutes from the end of the second period when Gaetane Thiney was found unmarked at the back-post but she somehow put the ball wide from close range.

The Germans scored all five of their spot-kicks before goalkeeper Angerer got down well to keep out Lavogez’s weak attempt.

“I think the team showed its character by the way they turned the switch in the second half,” said Germany coach Neid. 

US goes on

Carli Lloyd scored the sole goal in the 51st minute to give the United States a 1-0 win over China on Friday and a place in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup.

“These are the moments I live for,” she said. “Having the freedom to attack and do what I do best enabled me to create some chances.”

The United States has reached the final four of all seven Women’s World Cups but has not won since beating China on penalties at home in 1999.

Seeking their third championship, the Americans have not allowed a goal in 423 minutes since the tournament opener against Australia.

The US plays top-ranked Germany, the 2003 and ‘07 champion, on Tuesday in Montreal.

EDMONTON, Alberta — The quarter-finals at the Women’s World Cup are set. Here is a look at the upcoming matches, and how the teams have fared so far in Canada:

US vs China: This is the first World Cup meeting between the two teams since the 1999 final, which the United States famously won on penalty kicks at the Rose Bowl.

The US women have scored just six goals during the tournament so far, but the defence has been solid. The team has gone 333 minutes without conceding a goal.

The second-ranked Americans finished atop Group D, the so-called Group of Death, defeating Australia and Nigeria and playing to a scoreless draw with Sweden. On Monday, the US defeated No. 28 Colombia to open the round of 16.

The Americans will be without midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe for the quarter-finals because of yellow card accumulation.

“No matter who they put in, I know they’re going to step up. Whoever it is has to, because we’re in the quarter-finals. This is the World Cup. Obviously you win or you go home, and China’s not a team to take lightly,” said US forward Abby Wambach.

China, ranked No. 16, has also displayed a stout defence during the tournament so far. The Chinese went 1-1-1 in Group A, finishing second to host Canada, scoring three goals and allowing three.

China advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon.

The match is scheduled for Friday night at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Stadium.

Germany vs France: This is widely considered the best match of the quarter-finals, with the top-ranked Germans facing the third-ranked French.

France got stunned in the group stage by falling 2-0 to Colombia, but nonetheless finished atop Group F before defeating No. 8 South Korea 3-0 in the Round of 16.

“We’re happy to be in the quarter-finals,” French coach Philippe Bergeroo said. “The Germans are the best team in the world according to the FIFA World Ranking, and so we’ll give them all the respect they deserve.”

Germany, under respected coach Silvia Neid, leads the field at the World Cup with 19 goals in the tournament, compared with just two allowed. Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic have five goals apiece.

Germany finished atop Group B before defeating No. 5 Sweden 4-1 in its opening knockout-round match.

By virtue of their results at the World Cup so far, both France and Germany have secured a spot in the 2012 Olympics. Germany didn’t make the 2012 London games and France fell to Canada in the bronze-medal match.

The game between the two teams is set for Friday in Montreal.

Canada vs England: It’s all going according to plan for host Canada. The team is through to the quarter-finals and gets England in front of what is sure to be an amped-up home-country crowd.

“Coming back into BC Place will mean we’ll get our home advantage, the 12th man will really kick in at this point and give us hopefully that sort of energy they did toward the end of the game to lift our team,” Canada coach John Herdman said.

Canada, ranked No. 8, turned heads by winning the bronze medal at the London Olympics. The team’s next step is to finish strong at its own World Cup.

While they haven’t had a lot of goals — just four through four games — the Canadians finished atop Group A before defeating Switzerland 1-0 to open the knockout round. Josee Belanger scored the lone goal.

England, ranked No. 6 by FIFA, scored it’s first-ever knockout-stage victory at the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Norway.

Norway took a 1-0 lead, but Steph Houghton and defender Lucy Bronze answered with goals for the Three Lionesses. The victory keeps England in contention for an Olympic bid next year in Brazil.

The two teams have met just once in the World Cup, a 3-2 England victory 20 years ago.

The match is set for Saturday in Vancouver.

Australia vs Japan: Tenth-ranked Australia pulled off the upset of the elimination stage so far with a 1-0 victory over Brazil and star Marta.

Kyah Simon came off the bench to score the lone goal in the victory, the Matilda’s first in the knockout stage of a World Cup.

“Obviously beating a team like Brazil gives you a massive amount of belief and it feels good to reach this stage of the tournament but we want to go further,” forward Samantha Kerr said.

Australia finished second in Group D, the so-called Group of Death, wrapping up with a 1-all draw with No. 5 Sweden.

Simon leads the team with three goals, while captain Lisa De Vanna has two.

They’ll face another tough opponent in defending champion Japan, which defeated the United States on penalty kicks four years ago in Germany for the team’s first World Cup title.

Japan has won all of its matches in Canada, the only team left in the field with a perfect winning record. The Japanese have conceded only two goals. One of those came Tuesday night when Japan defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the round of 16.

The match is scheduled for Saturday at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

VANCOUVER — Mizuho Sakaguchi scored what turned out to be the deciding goal in the 78th minute on a pretty left-footed shot from the top of the 16 metre box, and defending Women’s World Cup champion Japan held off a late attack to beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday night and reach the quarter-final.

Kirsten van de Ven scored for the Dutch in stoppage time when the ball went off goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori’s right arm. Three additional minutes were added to the clock. The goalie put her gloves to her face in disbelief and said something to herself.

Sakaguchi scored shortly after Japan nearly had an own goal. Sherida Spitse took a corner in the 76th minute and the ball deflected off Aya Sameshima toward her own net when Kaihori punched it away with her right fist.

Saori Ariyoshi found herself in perfect position when the Netherlands flubbed a clear and scored from the top of the box in the 10th minute for Japan’s initial goal.

Japan overpowered the young Dutch squad for much of the evening at BC Place by controlling possession in the midfield to create chances and the defence pushed far up the field. The Nadeshiko, who along with Brazil were the only teams to win all three group-stage games, advance to the quarter-final against Australia on Saturday at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

They stuck with their familiar World Cup trend, too. Five of Japan’s six goals have come in the 29th minute or earlier and all six have been scored by a different player.

Japan, with its hustle and fancy footwork on display for a crowd of 28,717, ran its game plan with precision to control all of the field against an overmatched Netherlands team making its World Cup debut.

On the early scoring play, Aya Miyama dribbled down the left sideline and crossed to Yuki Ogimi, whose header hit the crossbar and Dutch defender Merel van Dongen couldn’t clear the rebound. Ariyoshi then connected from about 14 metre out and put the ball in the lower corner past diving goalkeeper Loes Geurts.

Japan had another solid chance in the 22nd minute on a pretty give-and-go from Sameshima to Shinobu Ohno that Sameshima struck over the bar. Ohno also missed an open header moments before the first-half whistle.

Even when the Netherlands threatened early, it seemed a step slow.

“We had a great start until it came to be 1-0 and then after the 1-0 the Netherlands team was becoming a bit sloppy, with sloppy passing,” Dutch coach Roger Reijners said. “Our team did all we could to get something going and not leave with nothing at all. After 2-0 we were a little lucky and managed to make it 2-1.”

Manon Melis took a great ball in the seventh minute but couldn’t get a foot on it, whiffing as she knocked it out of bounds. In the 48th, minute 18-year-old forward Vivianne Miedema got the ball near the top left corner of the box and opted to dribble into traffic rather than take a quick shot. The Dutch missed making contact on two headers from the same ball high in the box in the 73rd minute.

Japan started three different goalkeepers in the group stage as part of coach Norio Sasaki’s liberal substitution plan to use his entire roster and have every player ready to contribute.

Sasaki went with Kaihori, the only one to give up a goal in the group stage in a late score by Cameroon in Vancouver. Kaihori made another save in the 86th minute Tuesday.

Japan’s Homare Sawa, playing her sixth and final World Cup, entered in the 80th minute after starting two of the team’s three matches in the group stage.

The Netherlands missed a chance to qualify for next summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics as one of Europe’s top three teams, but could still earn a berth into the 12-team Olympic field through a European play-off.

The white teddy bear wearing an oversized No. 7 jersey that Japan keeps close to honour injured teammate Kozue Ando held its spot on the bench. Ando broke her left ankle in the World Cup opener against Switzerland in Group C play when she got caught up with Swiss goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann and left in the 32nd minute.

Japan returned to BC Place for the third time in four matches at this World Cup, having also beaten Switzerland and Cameroon in Vancouver.

Other matches, on Friday, will be the US against China and Germany taking on France. 

On Saturday, host Canada goes up against England.

BAKU — It’s safe to say Azerbaijan isn’t on the radar of most football fans. The oil-rich former Soviet outpost knows, which is why it’s trying to spend its way to prominence.

Despite never coming close to qualifying for a World Cup or European Championship, Azerbaijan will be a co-host of Euro 2020.

The big draw for UEFA is the new 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium in the capital Baku, which opened this month at a time when tight budgets have made many European countries wary of funding grandiose new national stadiums.

In preparation for Euro 2020, Azerbaijan is keen to develop football by any means possible, pouring oil funds into its previously crumbling domestic league, hiring charismatic former Croatia winger Robert Prosinecki as national coach and hosting beach football at this month’s inaugural European Games in Baku.

The home team is hoping to build Azerbaijan’s football reputation not on grass, but on sand.

“In Azerbaijan, some people say football is in poor condition and so on. Of course, no, not at all,” Emin Kurdov, goalkeeper and captain of the Azeri beach football team, says through a translator.

“Football is developing. It’s a gradual development, as with beach football’s development, and we will try to prove it with our performance.”

The thought of helping the country become well known in time for Euro 2020 will drive Azerbaijan’s beach boys onwards, Kurdov says.

“It’s a happy fact that Azerbaijan is going to host such honourable matches,” he says. “At the same time, it’s a stimulus for all of us.”

However, two big obstacles stand in Azerbaijan’s way to football prominence.

Firstly, with 13 co-hosts for Euro 2020, none will qualify automatically, so it is far from guaranteed that the host nation will play at its Olympic Stadium in 2020. In qualifying for next year’s European Championship, Azerbaijan is already six points off the play-off places with only one win, against Malta.

The second obstacle is publicity. Beach football is a marginal event, and the world’s spotlight on the European Games has been dim. The Women’s World Cup in Canada has overshadowed the games in several major markets.

However, Baku’s beach football is being keenly watched by top officials in beach football, which suffered a setback when its attempts to make the program for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were rebuffed. The European Games is beach football’s debut at a major multi-sport event, at a 1,500-seat temporary venue under the baking Azerbaijani sun, which is expected to drive temperatures as high as 38OC.

Since bringing beach football under FIFA’s auspices a decade ago, “joining the Baku Europeans is the best news that we have been able to bring to the sport”, says Joan Cusco, FIFA official and vice president of promoter Beach Football Worldwide.

He says it could be a springboard for another attempt at Olympic recognition, possibly for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

In the meantime, beach football in Azerbaijan is a big deal.

“The inclusion of beach football into the European Games is another success that we are all proud of, and here we have to mention the efforts of the national team, which is a part of this competition,” captain Kurdov says. “I would say we made a record in history.”