Sports

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Paul Pogba is a doubt for Manchester United’s match against Arsenal, giving beleaguered manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a fresh headache as he juggles his scant attacking resources.

The France midfielder hurt his ankle again in the League Cup match with Rochdale in midweek on his return to the side after not playing since late August.

Pogba played the whole game as United edged past the League One team on penalties after a 1-1 draw but he did not take a penalty and did not attend a team bonding dinner at Juan Mata’s restaurant after the game.

Solskjaer revealed on Friday that his ankle knock was the reason he did not join his teammates.

“The situation is Paul finished the game, 90 minutes fantastically, but he got a knock to his ankle which is very swollen,” said Solskjaer.

“So it was better for him not to go there with the team and he’s in a race for Monday. He is a doubt, but that is the way it is.”

Forwards Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are also facing a battle to be fit for Monday’s game at Old Trafford, with Solskjaer short of attacking options.

Martial is still trying to recover from a thigh injury sustained last month while Rashford limped off with a groin problem in the 2-0 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.

If neither of those two makes it, Mason Greenwood will be in line to start his first Premier League game.

The 17-year-old has scored in each of United’s past two home games, against Astana in the Europa League and then against Rochdale, so his manager would have no qualms about throwing him in against the Gunners.

“Mason has proven that when he is in the box, he’s dangerous,” said the Norwegian. “What has pleased me about him is that he doesn’t turn down chances to finish.

“We have managed him as you can’t just throw him in the deep end all the time. But he has proved in those games he is ready for it.”

United are currently languishing in eighth spot in the Premier League with eight points from their six matches and only one league win in the past five.

It is not the start that United fans were hoping for, but Solskjaer said the team were making progress.

“I never said it was going to be easy this season,” he said. “There are going to be bumps in the road, highs and lows. But when we lose a game, we have to trust ourselves and what we are doing.

“We have to keep our eyes on the prize and the principles we believe in. It is a team that is evolving and improving. There are no issues with the attitude, the work rate, the desire.

“You can see the boys want to impress, and want to do well.”

ZHUHAI, China — Damir Dzumhur was an actor as a boy, and the story of how he was born in a war zone and later became an elite tennis player would make a great plot for a film.

The 27-year-old Bosnian recounted his story to AFP at the Zhuhai Championships in China, where he was into the quarter-finals and chasing a fourth ATP title.

It was spring 1992, and Bosnian Serb troops had enforced a deadly siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo which would drag on for 44 months.

Heavily pregnant Zaneta braved the shelling and sniper fire and negotiated barricades to reach hospital. On May 20, she gave birth to a boy, risking her life to give Dzumhur one.

“On May 21, my uncle came to pick us up from the hospital and on May 22, the hospital was evacuated and then bombed,” Dzumhur said.

“We were lucky that we had someone to pick us up, and we had somewhere to go for the first few months.

“I know that for my mother that was the toughest and the worst — but at the same time the best — time of her life.

“You have a baby, you just gave birth, but you are in the middle of a war with nowhere to go and you don’t have your husband with you.”

Many people had fled Sarajevo and Dzumhur’s father Nerfid, who was later to introduce him to tennis, did not meet his son until he was nearly one.

“After 11 months, he somehow got back into the city to see me so he was risking his life to see me also,” Dzumhur said.

Sarajevo’s 350,000 residents struggled to get basic necessities and at least 10,000 were killed by sniping and shelling by Serbs.

Dzumhur was too young to remember the full extent of the panic, chaos and death, but it was in the immediate aftermath that he began playing tennis as a small boy under the tutelage of his father.

It was a journey that would take him to 23rd in the world rankings last year, although his progress this season has been stilted by injuries.

He began practising at Sarajevo’s Zetra Olympic Hall, which had suffered extensive damage from bombing and been used as a morgue, as well as a place for refugees.

It is all a far cry from Florida or Barcelona, the sorts of places where many of the world’s top tennis players grew up learning the game on pristine courts.

“Zetra was still destroyed, windows were blown out and one part was all burnt,” said Dzumhur.

As part of its reconstruction, they built an ice hockey rink next to the tennis court.

“It was barely warm enough to feel the racquet in your hand,” he laughed.

As a young teenager, Dzumhur got a minor role in the award-winning film “Grbavica”, then soon after landed a leading part in a German movie filmed in Sarajevo.

“The first time I earned money in my life was from the movies,” he said, adding that he would consider returning to acting one day.

But that is for the future and the fiercely proud Bosnian said that the circumstances in which he was brought into the world drive him to make a success of his tennis career.

“Knowing where you come from and those days, those years, and knowing it was not easy to go through everything since I was young, it really makes you special inside,” he said.

“In the end, every sacrifice comes with a good end and happy end.”

PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain fell to a shock 2-0 loss to Reims at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday as headers from Hassane Kamara and Boulaye Dia gave the visitors a famous win.

The Ligue 1 champions, depleted by a spate of injuries, remain top of the table after seven games, but have already lost twice this season after defeat at Rennes last month.

It was PSG’s first home loss in the league since a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Rennes in May 2018, ending an unbeaten run of 22 matches at the Parc.

PSG only lead second-placed Angers on goal difference, after Rachid Alioui’s late double grabbed Stephane Moulin’s side a 2-0 win at Toulouse.

“I’m disappointed with our performance. The first 10, maybe 15, minutes went well but then every minute that passed was worse and worse,” said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel.

“We did not show what we are capable of doing — so defeat is deserved.”

Neymar, who had scored late winners in each of his previous two Ligue 1 games, started alongside Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Pablo Sarabia up front, with Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi all still injured.

But the Brazilian, who failed to force through a return to Barcelona in the close-season, was a peripheral figure and was guilty of gifting Reims possession on numerous occasions.

Tuchel was also forced to play a makeshift midfield featuring full-back Juan Bernat, with Marco Verratti suspended.

The hosts made a slow start, despite Neymar going close with a free-kick, and fell behind just before the half-hour mark.

Reims, who also beat PSG 3-1 on the final day of last season, launched a rare attack and Hassane Kamara rose to powerfully head home Zimbabwean Marshall Munetsi’s right-wing cross.

PSG’s injury woes intensified further shortly before half-time as Choupo-Moting hobbled off to be replaced by Angel Di Maria, who had originally been rested and named as a substitute.

Reims came agonisingly close to doubling their advantage in first-half injury-time, as centre-back Yunis Abdelhamid’s header bounced narrowly past the post.

PSG dominated possession for much of the second half without posing a serious threat, and Reims again came within centimetres of making it two as substitute Remi Oudin’s low, left-footed effort struck the base of the post.

And Dia entered the fray before planting another fine header past the despairing dive of home goalkeeper Keylor Navas, sealing a richy-deserved victory.

Earlier on Wednesday, Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen scored as Lille moved into third with a 2-0 victory over Strasbourg, while Lyon were held by Brest.

Last season’s runners-up Lille have now won all four of their home league games this term and sit two points adrift of PSG.

The 20-year-old Osimhen put Christophe Galtier’s Lille into a 43rd-minute lead at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy by lashing home after some slack Strasbourg defending to net his sixth goal in seven games this season.

The three points were secured 19 minutes into the second half as Osimhen turned provider for former Chelsea and Marseille forward Loic Remy to slide in his first goal of the campaign.

Elsewhere, Lyon saw their winless streak extended to six matches in all competitions with a 2-2 draw at promoted Brest.

Moussa Dembele moved joint-top of the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts on six strikes with Osimhen by giving Lyon a 28th-minute advantage, but Yoann Court equalised for Brest less than 60 seconds later.

Lyon, widely considered PSG’s likeliest title challengers ahead of this season, slipped to 11th, already six points off the pace.

LONDON — Less than four months on from losing the Champions League final, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham saw another chance at a trophy disappear on Tuesday evening in the more humble surroundings of Colchester United, as the fourth-tier side progressed to the last 16 of the League Cup on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Despite resting Harry Kane, Pochettino had every reason to believe a team that ended the game with Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min on the field should have enough firepower to break down a side that sits 10th in League Two, 70 places below Spurs in the English football ladder.

Now into his sixth season at Spurs, Pochettino is still yet to win a trophy in his managerial career and there are growing signs that the huge progress made under his stewardship has stalled.

Tottenham have now won just four of their past 17 games in all competitions and are already 10 points off Premier League leaders Liverpool just six games into the new campaign.

After the difficulties of playing at a temporary home in Wembley with a stretched squad for most of the past two years, this season was meant to signal a fresh start.

The club’s sparkling new stadium opened in April and Pochettino has been able to add to his squad for the first time in 18 months with the signings of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon.

However, all three have struggled with injuries and the Argentine believes there is a hangover from a summer of uncertainty over the futures of a host of first-team regulars.

‘Different agendas’

Eriksen spoke publicly of his desire to leave at the end of last season and the Dane, along with Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose have entered the final year of their contracts.

“When you have an unsettled squad always it’s difficult and you lose time and then you need time to recover the time you lose,” said Pochettino.

“That’s where we are. Maybe our performances are good but you need this extra, which is mental, a connection, it’s energy to be all together, not to have different agendas in the squad. 

“We need time again to build that togetherness that you need when you are competing at this level.”

Pochettino is not looking at a quick fix and is already eyeing up the next two transfer windows to refresh a group that appears to have grown stale.

“January is going to be a good opportunity to try and fix this type of situation and sort it,” said Pochettino. 

“Then the next transfer window, again. To keep the successful period in football you need to be different every single season, and act differently and find different solution.

“Maybe we need to do something different.”

Spurs can be grateful that traditional “top six” rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have also suffered early season struggles, which means they are just three points off the top four ahead of kind run of Premier League fixtures, starting with the visit of Southampton on Saturday.

But after four seasons of Champions League football, a top-four finish is no longer enough to satisfy Spurs’ ambitions.

“Starting my sixth season I need to lift a trophy,” said Pochettino before the season started.

But with Liverpool and Manchester City again running away in the Premier League title race, that leaves winning the FA Cup for the first time in 29 years or a return to the Champions League final as the only realistic options. 

LJUBLJANA — The 2021 UEFA Champions League final will be played in Saint Petersburg, European football’s governing body announced on Tuesday.

The venues for the next three finals were revealed at UEFA’s Executive Committee meeting in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, with Munich being awarded the 2022 showpiece and the 2023 final being given to Wembley.

In awarding the venues for the next three years, UEFA have had to take into account not just the likely demand for match tickets but also the importance of hotel rooms and transport infrastructure.

That means there are a limited number of cities around Europe capable of successfully staging a match of such magnitude.

“The chosen venues have proper mobility, hotels and everything else. Where we have a problem, and probably will have a problem anywhere, is that sometimes hotels take advantage of the fact the Champions League final is in a certain city,” admitted UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin.

“I am sure that if you check those three cities in half an hour you will see that hotel prices have already started to rise.

“This is a problem but it is hard for us to influence. That is why we want to go to such big cities with so many hotels that in the end you can choose.”

“Those venues are big cities, interesting cities, accessible for the fans and with very nice stadiums,” he added, although he said he “cannot do any promises for now” in terms of increasing ticket allocations for supporters.

Return to Russia

This season’s final will be played in Istanbul, before hosting is given to the 68,000-capacity Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg.

The venue, complete with a retractable roof, was built ahead of the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. It hosted seven matches at that tournament, including France’s semifinal win over Belgium and will also host four games at Euro 2020.

It will be the second Champions League final to be played in Russia after Manchester United beat Chelsea in Moscow to win the trophy in 2008.

The 70,000-seat Allianz Arena in Munich is also a host venue for Euro 2020 and staged the 2012 Champions League final when Bayern Munich lost on penalties to Chelsea.

The 2023 final will be the eighth to be held at Wembley, with the iconic 90,000-seat London venue also hosting the semifinals and final of next year’s European Championship.

Meanwhile, European football’s governing body also revealed that the 2021 Europa League final will be played in Seville, at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

The Spanish city was chosen ahead of Georgian capital Tbilisi as the game returns to western Europe — after being staged in Baku last season, next year’s final will go to the Polish city of Gdansk.

The 2021 UEFA Super Cup match — between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League — will be played in Belfast.

UEFA said VAR, which made its Champions League debut in the last 16 last season, will be introduced to the Europa League for the knockout rounds this term.

A third European club competition that is set to start in 2021 will be known as the UEFA Europa Conference League.

MILAN — Lionel Messi won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award as beaten rival Cristiano Ronaldo stayed away from the star-studded ceremony in Milan’s iconic La Scala Opera House on Monday.

Barcelona striker Messi’s victory was a surprise as he edged out Virgil Van Dijk, who won the UEFA player’s award last month after helping Liverpool to the Champions League last season.

Juventus forward Ronaldo had also been shortlisted for the award, but did not attend the ceremony as he was named in FIFA’s World 11 best team along with Messi.

Both Messi, 32, and Van Dijk, 28, are now in the running for the coveted Ballon d’Or which will be announced on December 2.

“I want to thank those who decided to give me this recognition,” said Messi.

“The most important thing for me is the collective awards, but today is also a very special night for me.”

It is the first time that Messi has won the FIFA Best Award which was created in 2016. Ronaldo won for 2016 and 2017, with Croatian Luka Modric beating both last year.

Messi was top scorer in the Champions League last season with 12 goals before Barcelona were dumped out by Liverpool in the semifinals.

The Argentine also won the European Golden Shoe after scoring 36 goals, the La Liga title with Barcelona and helped Argentina to bronze at 2019 Copa America.

Van Dijk had been bidding to become a rare defender to win a FIFA player award, since Italian Fabio Cannavaro won the World Player of the Year, and he Ballon d’Or in 2006.

The Netherlands captain also missed out on completing a treble for Liverpool with manager Jurgen Klopp winning the men’s coach of the year award and Alisson Becker the goalkeeper prize.

Rapinoe ‘lost for words’

Megan Rapinoe beat fellow World Cup winner Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze to the women’s prize, with her USA coach Jill Ellis lifting the women’s coaching award.

Rapinoe, 34, was joint top scorer with six goals at the women’s World Cup and won the Golden Boot, also gaining the Golden Ball for the best player and becoming the face of the tournament for her outspoken views on US President Donald Trump and campaigning for LGBT rights.

“I’m a little bit at a loss for words, if you can believe it, it rarely happens to me,” said Rapinoe who went on to make a plea against racism and for women’s rights.

“We have such an incredible opportunity being professional football players.

“We have incredible platforms, the unique opportunity to use this to actually change the world for the better.”

Klopp won the men’s coaching award ahead of two other Premier League coaches — Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, who the German beat in June’s Champions League final, and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.

“It is great, nobody expected this 20, 10, five, four years ago that I would be standing here,” said the 52-year-old German who joined Liverpool in 2015.

“I have to say thank you to my outstanding club Liverpool FC. Those who don’t love it don’t have a heart.

“As a coach you can only be as good as your team. I’m really proud of being coach of such an incredible bunch of players.”

Two-time women’s World Cup-winning coach Ellis, beat Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman, runner-up in France 2019, and England’s Phil Neville for the award.

“The World Cup really was a showcase, the world fell even more in love with the game,” said 53-year-old Ellis, who will step down from the team in October.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa won the fair play award after he ordered his team to allow Aston Villa to score an equaliser during their 1-1 draw in their Championship match in April.

Bielsa’s side had gone ahead controversially when a player was injured before the Argentine intervened.

Romanian-born Hungarian forward Daniel Zsori won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal, beating strikes from Messi and Juan Fernando Quintero.

The 18-year-old forward, on his debut, scored a spectacular overhead kick to win the game for his side Debrecen against Ferencvaros in stoppage time.

GENEVA — Alexander Zverev sealed a dramatic Laver Cup victory for Europe over Team World in Geneva on Sunday, as the German beat Milos Raonic in the deciding singles match.

The holders trailed 11-7 midway through the final day but Zverev, after Roger Federer had edged past John Isner, downed Raonic 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 to deny John McEnroe’s visitors their maiden triumph in the third edition of the event.

Instead, Bjorn Borg’s Europe made it three wins from three since the inaugural staging in 2017.

“Team World came once again very close, but we won the right points and had maybe a little bit of luck,” said captain Borg.

“I’m very proud of my team, they did a hell of a job. I’m a very happy captain.”

After Rafael Nadal withdrew from Sunday’s play with a hand injury, Isner and Jack Sock beat Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening doubles encounter, before Taylor Fritz saw off Dominic Thiem to leave Team World one win from the trophy.

But Federer claimed a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Isner to set up a winner-takes-all clash between Zverev and Raonic.

World No, 6 Zverev took the first set courtesy of a break in game seven, with big-serving Canadian Raonic hitting back to force a super tie-break, saving four break points to serve out the second set.

But Zverev, selected by Borg ahead of Tsitsipas and Fabio Fognini for the first-ever Laver Cup decider, raced to victory as Raonic’s serve deserted him.

The 22-year-old, who also clinched Europe’s win last year by beating Kevin Anderson, fired a brilliant cross-court forehand past Raonic on his first match point.

“I’ve never played in something like that, it was unbelievable,” said Zverev.

“It’s very special, especially playing in front of those guys and them trusting me to play the last singles game. This event is something I hope to play in every single year of my career.”

Europe will defend their title in 2020 at TD Garden in Boston from September 25-27.

Federer keeps 

Europe alive

Federer had to win a tense tie-break over World No. 20 Isner to take three points in the penultimate match, smashing an ace on the final point to raise the roof in Geneva, after the American had somehow shot wide on the previous point with the court at his mercy.

“I’m thrilled that I was able to give something back to the team,” said Federer.

“Obviously to see Rafa on the sidelines after having to pull out with an injury, it’s great camaraderie I feel.”

Team World had started the day 7-5 behind.

Fritz had earlier put Team World to within touching distance of a shock success with a 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 10-5 win over Thiem.

The American, himself a replacement for the injured Nick Kyrgios, followed up Isner and Sock’s 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 defeat of Federer and Tsitsipas with a surprise tie-break triumph over World No. 5 Thiem.

“That was such a big match for Team World to win, we really needed that,” said Fritz.

“This has to be one of the biggest wins of my career. It means so much more when you’re playing for other people as well.”

This year is the first time the tournament has been played since being added to the ATP Tour.

Europe won the 2018 edition 13-8 in Chicago.

AMMAN — Jordan have sent their top swimmers to India for the Asian Swimming Championships for age categories, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The delegation includes Ihab Abu Nimrh, Chef De Mission, and coach, Yahyia Al Salti, along with the swimmers Amro Al Wer, Mohammad Jaber, Seif Al Hattbeh, Ziad Al Sal’ous, Hamzeh Al Basha, Talita Baqleh, Lara Aklok, Yasmeen Al Bdour and Lydia Al Safadi.

All will be looking for personal bests and Jordanian records to show the continued progress being made in the sport in Jordan.

AMMAN — Jordan missed the chance to qualify to the U-16 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Championship when it finished second in Group A qualifiers which were hosted in the capital as Tajikistan advance from the group.

The Kingdom had a relatively easy draw and scored easy wins over lowly Sri Lanka and Nepal in the opening two matches, but then was held 1-1 with Kuwait before losing 5-2 to Tajikistan as the latter qualified from Group A qualifiers.

Playing in two zones, 47 teams competed in 11 groups with the top team from each group and top four second placed teams advancing to the championship. 

They are Tajikistan, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, China, Australia and North Korea, Japan and South Korea. Uzbekistan, Oman, Yemen, Indonesia advanced from the best second placed teams.

Held once every two years, the competition serves as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. Last year, Jordan bowed out of the Round 1 of the 2018 AFC U-16 Men’s Championship. 

The U-16 women’s squad was also eliminated from Round 1, Group A qualifiers for the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship

Meanwhile, the U-23 Olympic team hosts Syria on Tuesday in the first of two friendlies as the team prepare for the 4th AFC U-23 Championship which acts as a qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Jordan topped Group E qualifiers to advance to the AFC Championship which will be played January 8-26 in Thailand.

The team returned from a training camp in Qatar where it faced the host losing 3-2 in the first match before winning the second 5-1. 

In 2018, the U-23 men’s team was knocked out of Round 1 of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship. In 2016, they reached the quarter-finals and in 2014 they finished third. 

Earlier this year, the men’s national team was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the Asian Cup 2019 as Qatar won the title for the first time. 

The U-19 national team this week lost to Uzbekistan as it prepares for Group E qualifiers kicking off November 1 alongside host Bahrain, Bangladesh and Bhutan. 

Their qualifiers include 46 teams in 11 groups. The top team from each group and top four second placed teams will advance to the championship. 

During summer, the squad held a training camp in Turkey, and played Algeria twice in August before finishing third at the West Asian Championship in Palestine. 

The men’s U-19 national team was eliminated from Round 1 of the last AFC U-19 Championship as the semifinalists advanced to the FIFA U-19 World Cup. The women’s team was eliminated from Round 1 qualifiers for the AFC U-19 Championship. 

Jordan was hoping to advance in the Asian event after it failed to qualify to the championships in 2014 and 2016. It was the fifth time for Jordan at the championship with the best showing when they finished fourth in 2006 and advanced to the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. They exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012.