Sports

Megan Rapinoe scored two penalties as defending champions the United States beat Spain on Monday to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final against host France at the women’s World Cup, with Sweden joining them in the last eight.

On another day in the limelight for VAR, Sweden’s goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl made a brilliant second-half penalty save as her country edged out Canada 1-0 in Paris, meaning it advances to a similarly enticing tie against Germany.

The showdown between the holders and the hosts had seemed inevitable from the moment the draw was made back in December, but after France laboured to beat Brazil in extra time on Sunday, the USA did not find the going easy against Spain in Reims.

Rapinoe’s first penalty gave Jill Ellis’s team an early lead after Tobin Heath was brought down in the box by Maria Leon.

However, Jennifer Hermoso pounced to equalise moments later after Becky Sauerbrunn had been caught in possession, and Spain held their own after that against the World Cup favourites.

They were undone, though, by another penalty awarded for what looked a very slight touch on Rose Lavelle from Virginia Torrecilla.

The penalty was confirmed after a VAR check and Rapinoe smashed the ball into the same corner with 15 minutes left to give the USA the tightest of wins and line up the French.

“I hope it’s wild and crazy and the fans are crazy and that there’s tonnes of media around it and it’s just a big spectacle,” Rapinoe said of Friday’s match.

“I think it’s going to be incredible for the women’s game. You have two heavy hitters meeting in the knockout rounds and this is everything you want.”

It is not what Spain wanted, and the penalty that decided the game left a bitter taste in their mouths.

“I didn’t touch her... they blew for that penalty because it was the United States,” a distraught Torrecilla said.

‘Pure joy’ 

In Paris, more than 38,000 fans saw Sweden edge out fifth-ranked Canada 1-0 at the Parc des Princes thanks to a solitary second-half goal scored by Stina Blackstenius, superbly set up by Kosovare Asllani.

Sweden then held on for the victory thanks to Lindahl, who dived to her right to keep out Janine Beckie’s 69th-minute penalty awarded after a VAR review showed Asllani had stopped a Desiree Scott shot with her arm.

“I was so happy, just pure joy, and my teammates felt the same way,” said Lindahl, when asked to describe her emotions after saving the spot-kick.

That was the 22nd penalty awarded at this World Cup, equalling the total tally from the 2015 tournament and underlining the influence of Video Assistant Referees, although VAR later intervened to overturn a spot-kick awarded to Sweden.

Heatwave grips France

Sweden will face Germany on Saturday in a repeat of the gold medal match at the 2016 Olympics, which the Germans won 2-1.

“I had the best preparation today that you could have for a match like that. I listened to four albums by Neil Young, who is Canada’s top performer,” said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson.

Asked what music he would listen to before facing Germany, Gerhardsson went for some industrial metal.

“It will be Rammstein. They released a new album and it will be heavy going on Saturday so that will work just fine.”

On Tuesday the last two quarter-final places will be decided as Italy takes on China in Montpellier before European champions The Netherlands meets 2011 World Cup winners Japan in Rennes.

The temperature could be a particular concern in the first of those matches as a heatwave grips much of France. In Paris on Monday night, the temperature remained close to 30ºC after the match kicked off at 9pm local time, and it is set to get hotter in the coming days.

FIFA said that “cooling breaks” may be needed during games to protect players from the effects of the heat.

SANTA MONICA, California — Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss finally broke her silence about the state of the organisation, while walking the red carpet before the NBA Awards in Santa Monica.

In her first interview since Magic Johnson stepped down as the team president, Buss said his decision caught her off guard, but that their relationship will “be fine”. She also expressed support for embattled General Manager Rob Pelinka.

“I’ve always had confidence in Rob, whatever the speculation is out there,” Buss said. “We don’t need outside media to validate the things that we do. I’m very happy and I think we’re on the right path.”

Members of the media were not the only ones criticising Pelinka.

Johnson resigned on April 9, the date of the Lakers’ final game this past season. When he did it, Johnson alluded to “backstabbing and whispering” as part of why he was no longer happy doing the job. Johnson later conducted interviews on the same day the Lakers introduced new head coach Frank Vogel, and he identified Pelinka as the source of the backstabbing and whispering.

Pelinka has said Johnson’s accusations weren’t true. In Johnson’s absence, he was elevated to being the Lakers’ lead basketball executive.

“I have 100 per cent confidence in him in running his basketball operations,” Buss said. “He’s brought us a great new head coach in Frank Vogel, whose teams have had a lot of success in the play-offs and who have played consistently ranking high in defence, which means not only does he emphasise defence but the players buy into his defensive schemes.”

Johnson resigned without telling Buss or anyone else in the organisation. It was a move that rattled LeBron James and Buss alike.

“As surprising as it was, it kind of reminded me of back in 1981 when he asked to be traded after winning a championship with the Lakers because he wasn’t happy with the way the offense had changed,” Buss said. “That led us to getting Pat Riley as our head coach. He’s got good instincts. He’s gotta stay true to who he is and do what’s right for him. I wish I would’ve had a little bit more notice but I think we’re gonna be just fine.”

Johnson also said that he would be interested in buying the Lakers, a comment that caused some to wonder if he was questioning Buss’ stewardship.

“There’s probably like at least, I’ve had probably 20 to 30 people actually call and want to buy the team in the last five years but there’s probably, oh, a billion people who would like to own the Lakers, too,” Buss said. “That’s nothing new. It was no surprise. Who wouldn’t want to own the Lakers?”

Since Johnson’s departure, many have speculated about the rise in power of Kurt and Linda Rambis. Linda Rambis has been Buss’ confidante and co-worker for four decades. Kurt Rambis has had an on-again-off-again history with the organisation and was hired last summer as an adviser. He was a major part of the Lakers’ coaching search.

“They’ve been part of the Lakers, surrounding me,” Buss said. “Linda Rambis and I have worked the exact same way for the last 30 years. Nothing’s changed but for whatever reason there’s things people want to hear about. They’re part of our team and they do a fantastic job.”

There was one subject on which Buss could not comment due to NBA rules. The Lakers’ pending trade for Anthony Davis. League rules stipulate that teams cannot comment on it until it becomes official.

“I can’t say names,” Buss said. “… I think that there’s a lot of changes that have happened with the Lakers but all with the goal of getting back into the play-offs.”

LE CASTELLET, France — A triumphant Lewis Hamilton told his and F1’s critics on Sunday day not to blame the drivers for “boring” processional races, but instead to turn their focus on the rule makers.

The defending five-time world champion produced a flawless demonstration of racing to triumph from pole position for the second year in succession at Sunday’s  French Grand Prix.

In a largely uneventful race on a sweltering afternoon at the Le Castellet circuit, he led his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas home as they extended the Silver Arrows winning run to 10 races.

It was hardly entertaining stuff for the fans at the track or the global television audience and Hamilton warned that the sport needed to consider making “serious changes”.

Speaking after his 79th career victory, he told reporters they should consider who should be blamed before drawing any conclusions.

“Don’t point fingers at the drivers because we don’t write the rules,” said Hamilton.

“We have nothing to do with the money and all that kind of stuff.”

“You should put the pressure on the people at the head who should be doing their job. I think they are trying to, but for many, many years they have made bad decisions.”

Hamilton’s relentless success in a dominant Mercedes team has been celebrated in some quarters as an era of greatness, but others — including the British driver — have said they want to see more on-track battles and closer competition.

As a keen follower of other racing series, including Indycars in the United States, Hamilton has often said Formula One needs to change its technical rule-book to encourage much closer racing.

He explained that he and Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg last week attended a meeting with Formula One Management and the sport’s ruling body, the International Motoring Federation.

At this meeting, he said they discussed the plans for an overhaul of the rules for 2021 and the introduction of cars that can tolerate the close proximity of other cars in races, without aerodynamic problems.

He said he welcomed the fact that the sport’s ruling bodies were open to hearing the views of the drivers.

“I had nothing to gain by going there, but if there is anything I can do to help, I will,” he added.

“They’ve been making all these decisions and never had a driver’s input once. So, if that can be decisive and help the fans to get better racing, then I would be proud.”

He would not be drawn to say he had confidence that the initiative would result in the necessary dramatic changes to transform the racing and eliminate dull processions.

But, he said: “I have faith that it’s going to be better and I really hope so. It was encouraging that they allow us to be there and they’re really welcoming.”

“I hope they will continue to have us there — a couple of us drivers each time.”

He added that he remained optimistic.

“I think they’ve extended their decision on making the rules and I think they need to because they are nowhere near where it should be.

“They’ve got to make some serious changes to the decision they have already made for how 2021 should be.”

“But I am encouraged that Ross [Brawn, F1 director] and his team are working, for the first time, on a real aero package that hopefully will have an impact.”

LE CASTELLET, France — Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead and continued his relentless run of success when he scorched to an emphatic victory ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas at the French Grand Prix on Sunday.

The defending five-time champion repeated his pole-to-flag triumph of 2018 with a flawless drive to his fourth win in succession, sixth this season and 79th of his career.

His victory extended Mercedes’ unbeaten start to the 2019 season to eight races and their overall winning streak to 10, the Silver Arrows leaving their main rivals trailing in their wake again.

After eight of this season’s 21 races, Hamilton leads the championship with 187 points ahead of Bottas on 151.

“It’s definitely been a really good weekend,” said the Briton. “It’s such a challenge out there and I live that, really trying to find the edge.”

“I couldn’t do it without this incredible team and we are creating history -– and I am so proud to be part of it,” Hamilton reflected.

In sweltering conditions, he extended his title race lead over Bottas to 36 points –- with Charles Leclerc finishing a strong third following a determined drive in his Ferrari.

Bottas, who resisted a late charge from Leclerc, said: “Ultimately, Lewis was quicker today and I couldn’t match his pace.”

Leclerc said: “I gave it everything, but the Mercedes are just too quick.”

Resurgent McLaren

Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull ahead of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel in the second Ferrari and the resurgent McLaren of Carlos Sainz.

Vettel, who started seventh after a troubled qualifying, took a late pit stop for fresh tyres and snatched fastest lap and a track record by 0.024 seconds from Hamilton in the final seconds.

Daniel Ricciardo was seventh for Renault ahead of Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo and Nico Hulkenberg in the second Renault with Lando Norris finishing 10th despite hydraulics problems in the second McLaren.

The race began with a track temperature of ºC and an air temperature of 30, sizzling conditions that ensured a difficult afternoon for tyre-wear.

Hamilton made a smooth start with Bottas and Leclerc following him on the opening lap, the Englishman soon opening up a gap of more than a second, by the end of lap one, and 1.5 by lap three.

On lap six, Vettel finally passed Norris for sixth. The British rookie responded at Signes, but Vettel resisted while Hamilton, at the front, reeled off another fastest lap.

Vettel continued his progress, passing Sainz into the chicane on lap seven for fifth, 18 seconds adrift of the leader, but back in the main scrap bethind him.

By lap 12, Hamilton was 2.5 seconds clear of Bottas, but the Finn responded with a fastest lap of his own.

Ricciardo was the first man to pit after 15 laps, sparking a sequence of reactions that saw his direct rivals respond, all switching to “hard” compound tyres.

After the leading cars had pitted Hamilton had pulled clear by 12 seconds reeling off fastest laps.

If the outcome looked inevitable, it seemed so to Leclerc as well. When Ferrari asked him if he could push more, he replied: “I could, but it not good for the tyres. So, no…”

Like the spectators, he may have been aware that since Le Castellet rejoined the calendar, Mercedes have topped every session and won both races.

LE CASTELLET, France — Lewis Hamilton seized pole position for the French Grand Prix in track record time as Mercedes, chasing their 10th successive win, swept the front row of the grid in dominant fashion on Saturday.

The Formula One world championship leader was 0.286 seconds quicker than team mate Valtteri Bottas.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third with team mate Sebastian Vettel a distant seventh on a distinctly off day for the German.

The pole, in a time of one minute 28.319 seconds, was a record-extending 86th of Hamilton’s career and his third of the season.

“I’m happy that I got the potential out of the car, the team did a fantastic job,” said five-times world champion Hamilton, last year’s winner from pole at Le Castellet’s Paul Ricard circuit.

“We’ve just been chipping away at improving the set-up of the car,” added the Briton, who is 29 points clear of Bottas after seven races — all won by the pair. Hamilton also triumphed in the last two of 2018.

Bottas was fastest in the second phase of qualifying but could not match Hamilton’s sizzling pace when it mattered in the final shoot-out.

“The wind changed direction and there was a couple of corners my line didn’t work and I had to work it out but Lewis had a better lap,” said the Finn.

Mercedes have looked to be in a class of their own all weekend, with Hamilton or Bottas fastest in every practice session with Leclerc, rather than Vettel, consistently the best of the rest.

Vettel struggled, backing out of his first hot lap and then failing to string together all the sectors smoothly on his second attempt.

“I don’t know what happened, I lost so much momentum there was no point to finish that lap,” said the German, who starts behind the Renault-powered McLarens of British rookie Lando Norris (fifth) and Spaniard Carlos Sainz (sixth).

“Some laps it felt good and others it didn’t. I didn’t get the best out of the car but it was difficult for me, but some laps I didn’t have he grip I had before.”

Vettel’s time of 1:29.799 was eighth tenths of a second slower than Leclerc’s best.

Leclerc, who starts with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen alongside, asked the team over the radio to get Vettel to speed up but the Monegasque said his lap had not been compromised.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo starts eighth for Renault and Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly lines up ninth for his home race with Italian Antonio Giovinazzi 10th for Alfa Romeo.

BELO HORIZONTE — A Lionel Messi penalty salvaged a 1-1 draw for Argentina against Paraguay on Wednesday as the two-time world champion once again struggled at the Copa America.

Messi swept in a 57th-minute spot-kick at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao Stadium to cancel out a first-half opener from Paraguay’s Richard Sanchez.

Argentina also had goalkeeper Franco Armani to thank for a second half penalty save that prevented Paraguay from taking a 2-1 lead in the Group B battle.

The draw left Argentina with one point from two games and on the bottom of the table with one game remaining.

However with the two best third placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals, Argentina can still reach the last eight with a decisive win over Qatar in its final group game.

The South American giants will need to raise their game however to advance any further after another disjointed performance which followed their opening defeat to Colombia on Saturday.

A lacklustre opening saw both sides struggle to generate any sort of attacking momentum, with neither side managing to get a shot on goal until Paraguay striker Derlis Gonzalez’s effort was deflected behind for a corner in the 29th minute.

From the ensuing setpiece, centre-half Junior Alonso scooped a half-chance wide as Argentina escaped.

That flurry of activity spurred Argentina fleetingly at the other end, with Lautaro Martinez winning a free-kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the area after a foul by Paraguay skipper Gustavo Gomez.

Messi, however, was unable to conjure anything from the free-kick, floating his effort up and over the wall but without the pace to trouble goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez, who gathered comfortably.

In the 37th minute, however, Paraguay’s more organised performance got its reward.

A swift counter-attack saw the ball transferred to Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron near halfway.

The livewire forward turned on the after-burners to roast Roberto Pereya down the left wing before crossing for Sanchez who drove a low finish into the bottom corner of the Argentina net.

A rattled Argentina was given a huge let-off moments later when Armani came racing out of his area to shut down Gonzalez.

A wild kick brought down the Paraguayan player but Armani somehow escaped a red card and was only cautioned.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni went for broke at half-time, bolstering his attack with the introduction of Sergio Aguero and the move paid instant dividends.

Aguero deftly lost his marker on 51 minutes and pulled back for Martinez, whose shot cannoned off the woodwork. Messi pounced on the rebound but Fernandez blocked with a diving save.

The chance appeared to have gone begging but VAR had spotted that Martinez’s shot had in fact struck Ivan Piris’s arm before hitting the bar and Brazilian referee Wilson Sampaio pointed to the spot.

Messi stepped up to sweep in the spot-kick and Argentina was level.

Yet, there was more drama in the 62nd minute when Paraguay’s Gonzalez burst into the box and was clumsily hacked down by Nicolas Otamendi for a clear penalty.

Armani, who was fortunate to be on the pitch, dived the right way and parried Gonzalez’s spot-kick wide.

MADRID — Maria Sharapova made a winning return from injury on Tuesday by beating Viktoria Kuzmova 7-6 (10/8), 6-0 to reach the second round of the Mallorca Open.

The five-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the end of January after taking time out to recover from a shoulder injury, but edged a tight opening set against Kuzmova before strolling through the second.

Victory on the grass will come as a timely boost to morale for Sharapova, with the start of Wimbledon now less than two weeks away.

“It’s my first win in about three or four months,” Sharapova said afterwards.

“It’s great to be here in Mallorca. What a great place to train and have a warm-up tournament. It’s been amazing for all of us here, and it’s just been nice to experience it for the first time.”

Angelique Kerber now awaits Sharapova in round two after the top-seeded German defeated Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

Kerber has struggled for form herself this year but is likely to offer a sterner test than Kuzmova, the Slovak ranked 46th in the world and who is still only 21.

Sharapova’s own ranking has dipped to 86 during her absence, meaning the Russian needed a wildcard to enter the draw in Mallorca, her fourth tournament this year.

A tense first-set tie-break required Sharapova to save two set points before clinching the frame and Kuzmova never recovered, a limp second set ending with a half-volley dropped into the net.

Earlier, another former major champion crashed out as France’s Caroline Garcia came from behind to beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Garcia maintained momentum with an impressive victory over the Belarusian, fresh from winning her first title of the year and seventh of her career at the Nottingham Open on Sunday.

The World No. 28 will now face Spain’s Paula Badosa Gibert for a place in the third round. 

AMMAN — The national Ju-Jitsu team has arrived in Kazakhstan where they will compete in the Grand Prix event in Nur-Sultan, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. The evernt stated on Wednesday and will run through June 23.

The team is led by: Zaid Abu Al Saud, chef de mission; Mohamed Samer Khair, assistant coach; Lana Al-Khader, therapist; and players Anas Shamout (-56kg), Fraih Al Harahsha (-62kg), Abdul Karim Al Rasheed (-69kg), Hamzah Othman (-77kg), Haidar Al Rasheed (-85kg), Zaid Jarandouqa (-94kg) and Yasmin Al Khatib (-45kg).

The team hopes to achieve outstanding results to further boost Jordan’s global reputation as a leading nation for the sport. It also provides timely preparation for the Asian Championships taking place from July 14-22, and the World Championships being held in the UAE from November 15-24.

PARIS  —  With Paris Saint-Germain reportedly ready to listen to offers for Neymar while Paul Pogba has publicly declared that he wants a “new challenge” away from Manchester United, the summer transfer window in Europe could see considerable upheaval at several of the continent’s biggest clubs.

PSG’s ongoing quest for Champions League success has seen them bring back former sporting director Leonardo, and one of the Brazilian’s first jobs could be trying to find a buyer for his compatriot, two years after PSG signed Neymar for a world record fee of 222 million euros.

On Monday, sports daily L’Equipe reported that PSG “would not stand in the way of him departing” and added that Neymar “also sees his future away from Paris”.

Agent Pini Zahavi, involved in the deal that brought the Brazilian to the French capital from Barcelona, is said to be actively trying to do a deal to take the player back to Spain.

Neymar’s two years at the Parc des Princes have been marred by injury and contoversy, and he is currently again sidelined by an ankle problem while also dealing with rape allegations.

PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi appeared to target Neymar when he indicated that the club’s highly-paid stars would have to shape-up or ship-out in an interview with France Football magazine.

“They are not here to please themselves and if they do not agree, the doors are open. I do not want to have celebrity behaviour anymore,” he said.

Perhaps Khelaifi was also talking about Kylian Mbappe, PSG’s other superstar forward who last month dropped a bombshell when he hinted he might be open to a new challenge elsewhere as he picked up the Ligue 1 player of the year award.

Real Madrid fans even chanted Mbappe’s name at the unveiling of Eden Hazard last week, following the Belgian’s 100 million euros move from Chelsea.

But with Real already having splashed around 300 million euros in the market, can they really afford a move for Neymar or Mbappe too? Meanwhile, coach Zinedine Zidane is believed to be most keen on completing a move for his compatriot Pogba.

Ideally, United want to keep one of their few world class talents, even if Pogba’s performances have often fallen well short of expectations since his then world record £89 million signing three years ago.

However, the Red Devils must now decide whether it is worth the risk to keep the Frenchman against his will or cash in to fund a rebuild.

United cannot offer Pogba Champions League football next season, and much is likely to depend on what offers come their way. Madrid and Juventus have been linked, but neither are likely to come close to the reported £150 million asking price.

Raiola back in the game

Potential suitors may also be warned off by the cost of dealing with Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola.

Pogba’s statement to reporters of his intention to seek pastures new on a promotional tour in Tokyo on Sunday came just days after Raiola saw a three-month ban from brokering deals lifted by Fifa.

Raiola creamed off a reported £41 million from the deal that brought Pogba back to Manchester in 2016.

With a season of Europa League football on the horizon and a huge rebuild needed at Old Trafford just to compete with Premier League champions Manchester City and Champions League winners Liverpool, Pogba clearly believes he can do better elsewhere.

“United should not be in a position where any player, let alone an underperforming one, feels that he can call the shots. That, though, is where the past six years appear to have left them,” wrote The Times.

After also being burned in big money deals for Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku, United seem keen to avoid getting in an arms race to replace Pogba should he go, even if the opportunity presents itself in what is expected to be a frantic summer of transfer activity.

Antoine Griezmann has announced his intention to leave Atletico Madrid but already seems set for Barcelona.

United have also played down interest in bringing Gareth Bale back to the Premier League from Madrid and seem set to be outbid by PSG to land another Raiola client in Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt.

Solskjaer has instead prioritised young and hungry recruits for United, and Welsh winger Daniel James, 21, has already been snapped up from Swansea City.