The Japan Times - Sports (English)

Lopez runs show as Barca beat Shakhtar to keep perfect record

Barcelona continued their perfect start in the Champions League and warmed up for the Clasico at the weekend with a2-1win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

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Maxwell suffered 'dark thoughts' over World Cup after broken leg

Australia's Glenn Maxwell revealed he had endured "dark thoughts" over his World Cup dream after breaking his leg in a freak accident.

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Argentina veteran Cubelli returns for Rugby World Cup third place play-off

Experienced scrum-half Tomas Cubelli is one of three changes made by Argentina head coach Michael Cheika for Friday's Rugby World Cup third place play-off with England to the side that began the semi-final with New Zealand.

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European dreams fuel football fever in small Kosovo town

The Europa Conference League may not be the highest level of European football but there is a small town in Kosovo where it has taken on the enormity of the World Cup.

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Maxwell, Warner star as Australia hand Dutch record World Cup rout

Glenn Maxwell's fastest World Cup century off 40 balls and 104 by David Warner led Australia to a record World Cup 309-run rout of the Netherlands on Wednesday for their third straight victory at the tournament.

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Everton face 12-point penalty for financial breaches: report

Everton face a 12-point deduction after an investigation into alleged breaches of financial rules by the Premier League club, according to a report on Wednesday.

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UK police officers guilty of misconduct over Black athletes' stop and search

Two UK police officers committed gross misconduct during a stop and search of British sprinter Bianca Williams in London, a disciplinary hearing found Wednesday.

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Close encounters a rare kind at Cricket World Cup

Afghanistan have beaten both reigning champions England and former title winners Pakistan at the ongoing World Cup in India, with the Netherlands defeating an otherwise impressive South Africa.

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Liverpool's Robertson has shoulder surgery

Liverpool defender Andy Roberson has undergone surgery on the shoulder injury he suffered while playing for Scotland.

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Sri Lanka 'fight fire with fire' as Mathews eyes new England shock

Former captain Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka will "fight fire with fire" against England as the veteran all-rounder plots his second successive World Cup upset over the defending champions.

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Rovanpera targets title in debut Central European Rally

Kalle Rovanpera embarks on this weekend's Central European Rally with his second successive world title tantalisingly within his grasp.

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Maxwell 'wasn't expecting' to hit record 40-ball World Cup century

Glenn Maxwell admitted he "wasn't expecting" to hit a record 40-ball Cricket World Cup century on Wednesday.

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Maxwell's fastest World Cup ton fires Australia to 399-8 against Dutch

Glenn Maxwell hit the fastest World Cup century in 40 balls to power Australia to a mammoth 399-8 against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

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Never write off All Blacks, warns Bok veteran Le Roux

Springbok full-back Willie Le Roux insisted that South Africa would not under-estimate the All Blacks when the two teams meet in what promises to be a titanic encounter in Saturday's Rugby World Cup final.

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England hand veterans final hurrah for Rugby World Cup third place play off

Centre Manu Tuilagi and scrum-half Ben Youngs will start Friday's Rugby World Cup third place play-off in what could be their final England appearances.

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Warner hits sixth World Cup ton, equals Tendulkar mark

Australia's David Warner hit his sixth World Cup century to pull level with batting great Sachin Tendulkar and put his team on course for a huge total against the Netherlands in a World Cup clash on Wednesday.

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'Dazzling' finish to new-look Tour de France route

High altitude, an Italian debut in Florence and a finale on the French Riviera are on the itinerary of the 3,492km route for the 2024 Tour de France unveiled on Wednesday.

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Wales veteran Halfpenny retires from Test rugby with 'heavy heart'

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny announced his retirement from Test Rugby on Wednesday, saying it was a difficult decision to step away.

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'Everything is must-win now' for faltering England, says Moeen

Moeen Ali said Wednesday that "everything is a must-win now" as faltering defending champions England face a Cricket World Cup day of reckoning.

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Warner, Smith hit fifties as Australia start strong against Dutch

David Warner and Steve Smith hit half-centuries to give Australia a solid start against the Netherlands in a World Cup clash on Wednesday.

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Head still sidelined as Australia bat against Netherlands

Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first against the Netherlands in a World Cup clash on Wednesday with opener Travis Head failing to make the starting line-up.

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'Monster' Inoue targets second undisputed crown against Tapales

Japan's Naoya Inoue announced Wednesday that he will attempt to become an undisputed world champion in a second weight division by fighting Marlon Tapales in December when all four super-bantamweight belts will be at stake.

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Arizona Diamondbacks stun Phillies to reach World Series

The Arizona Diamondbacks upset the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 to reach the World Series for the first time in 22 years on Tuesday.

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No 'gambles' from Martin as Bagnaia takes MotoGP lead to Thailand

Jorge Martin has pledged no more "gambles", beginning with the Thailand MotoGP this weekend, after two ruinous races saw the Spaniard fall behind Francesco Bagnaia in the championship fight.

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Ronaldo stunners edge AFC Champions League seven-goal thriller

Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years to score two stunning goals and propel his Al Nassr side to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Al Duhail of Qatar in the AFC Champions League.

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Liverpool clash with Toulouse takes Comolli back to Anfield

Liverpool's home meeting with Toulouse on Thursday might not be their biggest European game of recent seasons, but the match offers a chance for a figure who was once highly influential on Merseyside to return to Anfield.

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Cake-loving Nche hopes for sweet taste of success in Rugby World Cup final

South Africa's Ox Nche smiled as he reeled off the desserts he had tasted during the Rugby World Cup in France following Saturday's semi-final win over England.

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Family values taught All Blacks coach Foster to keep the faith

Ian Foster grew up with faith "an important part of our family" and the New Zealand head coach has had to draw on deep reserves of that with his job at one point in doubt.

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Arteta 'worried' after Jesus injury mars superb display

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said he was "worried" about Gabriel Jesus after the Brazilian forward was taken off with a hamstring injury in the 2-1 Champions League win over Sevilla on Tuesday.

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Brooksby banned for 18 months over whereabouts failures

US tennis player Jenson Brooksby has been banned for 18 months after missing three drug tests in a 12-month window, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Man Utd claim vital Champions League win, Bellingham strikes again

Andre Onana's last-gasp penalty save secured a vital Champions League win for Manchester United against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday, while Jude Bellingham scored again for Real Madrid in their victory over Braga.

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Kvaratskhelia helps 'ice cold' Napoli secure narrow victory at Union Berlin

Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskheli helped an "ice-cold" Napoli secure a narrow Champions League victory at Union Berlin on Tuesday, laying on the game's only goal for Giacomo Raspadori in a 1-0 away victory.

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