MILAN: AC Milan earned its first point of the Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw at home against Porto on Wednesday, although the result leaves the Italian club with only a slim chance of progressing to the next round.
Luis Díaz netted an early opener for Porto and Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tătărușanu kept his side in the match with a string of fine saves before an own goal from visiting defender Chancel Mbemba salvaged a draw for the Rossoneri.
Milan remained bottom of Group B, eight points below leader Liverpool, which plays Atlético Madrid later. Porto moved to second, four points below Liverpool and one above Atlético.
The Rossoneri play Atlético next in the competition before the final group game against Liverpool.
“In the second half we certainly played well, with intensity,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli said. “We struggled in the first half: we could have done better, you have to be in these matches for the whole 90 minutes.
“Not having won it complicates matters, we’ve still got two matches to play, of a really high level, against really great opponents. We will try, also because we want to win a first match in the Champions League.”
Milan is joint top of Serie A despite an injury crisis but it has been a different story on its return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season as the Rossoneri lost all three of their opening games.
Against Porto, Milan trailed after barely five minutes as Marko Grujić managed to wrestle the ball off of Ismaël Bennacer and drive into the area before rolling across for the unmarked Luis Díaz, who had plenty of time to take a touch and shoot past Tătăruşanu.
Grujić wasn’t even meant to be starting but was a late replacement for fellow midfielder Mateus Uribe, who had pulled up in the warmup.
He was a driving force up front and at the back for Porto and Tătăruşanu had to pull off four saves to deny him from doubling his side’s lead.
Milan almost scored an equalizer out of nowhere in the 33rd minute, with its first real chance, but Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa did well to fingertip Olivier Giroud’s long-range effort away from goal.
Porto went even closer to doubling its lead 10 minutes into the second half but Evanilson’s header came off the bar.
Instead it was Milan which got the second of the match, against the run of play, in the 61st minute. Bennacer’s free kick hit the wall before rolling through for Giroud, who fired toward goal as he fell. Diogo Costa managed to parry but it came to Pierre Kalulu, whose desperate, angled attempt was turned into his own net by Mbemba.
Zlatan Ibrahimović, who had come on as a substitute, thought he had scored a late winner but it was ruled out for offside in the buildup.
Milan draws 1-1 against Porto to keep faint CL hopes alive
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Milan draws 1-1 against Porto to keep faint CL hopes alive
- Luis Díaz netted an early opener for Porto
- The Rossoneri play Atlético next in the competition before the final group game against Liverpool
Celtics overpower Cavs, Mavs edge closer after beating Thunder
- The Eastern Conference No.1 seeds will face either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks for a place in the NBA Finals
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic led from the front with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists
LOS ANGELES: The Boston Celtics overpowered the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 to reach a third straight Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday as Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City moved to the brink of elimination after crashing 104-92 at home to Dallas.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum’s 25 points helped the Celtics subdue an injury-hit Cavs lineup to complete a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven series.
The Eastern Conference No.1 seeds will face either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks for a place in the NBA Finals.
But while Boston continued their progress, Oklahoma City’s playoff campaign is hanging by a thread after their damaging defeat to Dallas.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic led from the front with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Mavs lead the series 3-2 and can clinch a place in the Western Conference finals with victory in game six back in Dallas on Saturday.
“We just got one more to win out of two games, and that’s it,” Doncic said. “It’s 3-2, but that’s nothing. We’ve got to finish it and go with the same mentality.”
Doncic had been furious after the Mavs surrendered the initiative in a game-four loss in Texas on Sunday, but said a more relaxed approach had been the key to Wednesday’s commanding effort.
“Sometimes I forget that I love to play basketball, it’s the thing I do,” Doncic said. “My mental focus was just to go out there with a smile on my face and play basketball.”
Doncic was given offensive support from Derrick Jones Jr. with 19 points while three other players made double figures.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scorers with 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Earlier, Cleveland’s hopes of clawing their way back into their series with Boston were rocked before the game after confirmation that three of their top six players — Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert — were out with injury.
But Cleveland shrugged off that setback to produce a battling performance that saw them get within three points of the Celtics midway through the fourth quarter.
Evan Mobley was superb for Cleveland, pouring in a game-high 33 points while Marcus Morris Sr. added 25 off the bench.
Yet just when Celtics fans at the TD Garden were nervously wondering if a shock defeat was on the cards, Boston stitched together a decisive 13-2 run — crowned by a three-pointer from Tatum — that left them ahead by 14 points at 101-87.
Tatum, who also added 10 rebounds and nine assists, said Boston had prepared for a dogfight despite Cleveland’s injury-stricken lineup.
“Anybody who’s played in this league understands what happens when somebody’s best players are out,” Tatum said. “The rest of the guys have more freedom, they play with a different level of confidence and they play different.
“Our mindset coming into this game was, ‘However long it takes, that’s how long it takes’. We didn’t expect to win the game in the first or second quarter. We grinded it out.”
Tatum said Boston were now determined to snap their dismal recent record in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston have lost in the Eastern Conference finals in four of five appearances since the 2016-2017 season.
“Each year presents different challenges,” Tatum said. “Myself and the rest of the crew have been to the conference finals something like four or five times.
“We’re battle-tested. We know what it takes. We just have to put the individual things aside and try and get over that hump.”
Tatum was one of six Boston players to finish in double figures on Wednesday, with Al Horford adding 22 points and Derrick White 18.
Jrue Holiday finished with 13 points while Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard had 11 apiece.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla paid tribute to the contribution of Horford, who steadied the Celtics down the stretch to close out the win.
“Tonight you saw his gift, his gift is just passion, inspiration, toughness, competitive nature,” Mazzulla said.
Celtics overpower Cavs, Mavs edge closer after beating Thunder
- The Eastern Conference No.1 seeds will face either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks for a place in the NBA Finals
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic led from the front with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists
LOS ANGELES: The Boston Celtics overpowered the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 to reach a third straight Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday as Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City moved to the brink of elimination after crashing 104-92 at home to Dallas.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum’s 25 points helped the Celtics subdue an injury-hit Cavs lineup to complete a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven series.
The Eastern Conference No.1 seeds will face either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks for a place in the NBA Finals.
But while Boston continued their progress, Oklahoma City’s playoff campaign is hanging by a thread after their damaging defeat to Dallas.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic led from the front with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Mavs lead the series 3-2 and can clinch a place in the Western Conference finals with victory in game six back in Dallas on Saturday.
“We just got one more to win out of two games, and that’s it,” Doncic said. “It’s 3-2, but that’s nothing. We’ve got to finish it and go with the same mentality.”
Doncic had been furious after the Mavs surrendered the initiative in a game-four loss in Texas on Sunday, but said a more relaxed approach had been the key to Wednesday’s commanding effort.
“Sometimes I forget that I love to play basketball, it’s the thing I do,” Doncic said. “My mental focus was just to go out there with a smile on my face and play basketball.”
Doncic was given offensive support from Derrick Jones Jr. with 19 points while three other players made double figures.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scorers with 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Earlier, Cleveland’s hopes of clawing their way back into their series with Boston were rocked before the game after confirmation that three of their top six players — Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert — were out with injury.
But Cleveland shrugged off that setback to produce a battling performance that saw them get within three points of the Celtics midway through the fourth quarter.
Evan Mobley was superb for Cleveland, pouring in a game-high 33 points while Marcus Morris Sr. added 25 off the bench.
Yet just when Celtics fans at the TD Garden were nervously wondering if a shock defeat was on the cards, Boston stitched together a decisive 13-2 run — crowned by a three-pointer from Tatum — that left them ahead by 14 points at 101-87.
Tatum, who also added 10 rebounds and nine assists, said Boston had prepared for a dogfight despite Cleveland’s injury-stricken lineup.
“Anybody who’s played in this league understands what happens when somebody’s best players are out,” Tatum said. “The rest of the guys have more freedom, they play with a different level of confidence and they play different.
“Our mindset coming into this game was, ‘However long it takes, that’s how long it takes’. We didn’t expect to win the game in the first or second quarter. We grinded it out.”
Tatum said Boston were now determined to snap their dismal recent record in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston have lost in the Eastern Conference finals in four of five appearances since the 2016-2017 season.
“Each year presents different challenges,” Tatum said. “Myself and the rest of the crew have been to the conference finals something like four or five times.
“We’re battle-tested. We know what it takes. We just have to put the individual things aside and try and get over that hump.”
Tatum was one of six Boston players to finish in double figures on Wednesday, with Al Horford adding 22 points and Derrick White 18.
Jrue Holiday finished with 13 points while Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard had 11 apiece.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla paid tribute to the contribution of Horford, who steadied the Celtics down the stretch to close out the win.
“Tonight you saw his gift, his gift is just passion, inspiration, toughness, competitive nature,” Mazzulla said.
Zverev beats injury scare to reach Rome Open semis as Collins sets up Sabalenka clash
- Zverev is the highest-ranked man left in the event after Daniil Medvedev’s elimination on Tuesday
- Tabilo will play his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal at the age of 26, after seeing off unseeded Zhang Zhizhen of China 6-3, 6-4
ROME: Alexander Zverev reached his 18th Masters semifinal in Rome on Wednesday but only after a worrying fall which sparked memories of the horror injury he suffered at the French Open two years ago.
The world No. 5 from Germany defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 to set up a last-four duel with Alejandro Tabilo, the Chilean journeyman who had stunned Novak Djokovic earlier in the tournament.
Zverev’s moment of concern came in just the third game on center court at the Foro Italico when he fell on the clay and landed on his front.
The 2017 champion cut his left wrist and a finger in the tumble and required treatment from the tournament physio before he continued the match.
Zverev, 27, suffered a serious ankle injury at the 2022 French Open after falling on the clay of Roland Garros during his semifinal against Rafael Nadal and missed the rest of the season.
On Wednesday, however, he was able to dust himself down to defeat Fritz in 90 minutes, firing 20 winners with six aces and not facing a single break point.
“Taylor has been one of the best players on clay this year. To have a win like that is great for me, especially after the fall,” Zverev said.
“I still have a little bit of pain, so once the adrenaline settles I’m going to check out tomorrow what it is. But definitely happy with the win.”
Zverev is the highest-ranked man left in the event after Daniil Medvedev’s elimination on Tuesday.
As well as Djokovic’s exit, Italian world No. 2 Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both dropped out injured before the tournament.
Holger Rune, who lost last year’s final to Medvedev, Madrid champion Andrey Rublev — ranked sixth in the world — and beaten finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime have also been eliminated.
Chile’s Tabilo will play his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal at the age of 26, after seeing off unseeded Zhang Zhizhen of China 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes.
“I just can’t believe it right now, still trying to soak this in... Definitely an unforgettable two weeks for me,” said a delighted Tabilo, the 29th seed who knocked out top-ranked Djokovic on Sunday.
“It’s definitely the best tennis of my life right now, trying to keep a poker face there because inside I’m just so nervous, every time trying to close out the match gets a little bit tighter.”
Tabilo, in fact, had far less trouble on Wednesday than he did in his battle with Karen Khachanov in the previous round, not facing a single break point on his way to the biggest match of his career at the last major tournament before the French Open.
Women’s second seed Aryna Sabalenka needed just an hour and 13 minutes to see off Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 on her way to the semis, improving her record against her Latvian opponent to three wins and no defeats.
Sabalenka will next take on Miami Open winner Danielle Collins who eased past Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3.
“With this amazing atmosphere and with this amazing support... that’s why I’m super motivated here and that’s why I always say that this is the dream tournament for me to win,” said Sabalenka.
The 26-year-old could get a rematch of the Madrid final which she lost in dramatic fashion to world number one Iga Swiatek earlier this month.
Sabalenka, who has won the two most recent Australian Opens, was in a different class to Ostapenko, a former French Open winner, who could do nothing in the face of some punishing hitting.
Rome is the first time since the 2013 French Open that the top three women have reached the last four of a WTA event of 250 level or higher, with Swiatek and world number three Coco Gauff in the other semifinal on Thursday.
The 30-year-old Collins, ranked 15 in the world, announced in January that this would be her final season on the tour before retiring.
She now has 19 wins in her last 20 matches, dating back to the start of Miami where she captured her first WTA 1000 title.
Her only loss since came against Sabalenka in three sets in the fourth round of the Madrid Open.
Ten Hag addresses Man United fans after winning last home game of season. Chelsea beat Brighton
- Ten Hag: As you know, it wasn’t an easy season, but one thing remained constant — and that was the backing of you for the team. But this season is not over yet
- Christopher Nkunku inflated a blue balloon and held it between his lips to celebrate his second-half goal that ultimately proved the difference for Chelsea at Amex Stadium
LONDON: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag had just seen his team win their last match at Old Trafford this season when he strode onto the field and took the microphone to address the club’s fans.
There might have been a smattering of boos but there was largely a backdrop of cheers as the under-pressure Dutch coach delivered a speech that felt like an audition to continue in the job next season.
“As you know,” he said after the 3-2 win over Newcastle in the Premier League, “it wasn’t an easy season, but one thing remained constant — and that was the backing of you for the team.
“But this season is not over yet.”
Indeed, United still have to go to Brighton in Sunday’s final round of Premier League games. Then, the following weekend, it’s another FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Two huge games. Two opportunities to qualify for Europe. Two final chances for Ten Hag to stake his claim to stay on as manager of England’s grandest club as it undergoes a shakeup.
United remained in eighth place in the league — hugely disappointing for a club of its stature — but moved level on points with Newcastle in seventh and three behind sixth-place Chelsea, who beat Brighton 2-1 away in Wednesday’s other game.
With Tottenham likely to finish in fifth place, Chelsea, Newcastle and Man United look to be fighting for the final two European qualifying positions. The teams finishing in sixth and seventh place should qualify for the Europa League and Europa Conference League, respectively.
Man United could also get in the Europa League by winning the cup final against City on May 25.
Chelsea’s win at Brighton was their fourth straight in the league. That hasn’t happened since October 2022.
NKUNKU CELEBRATION
Christopher Nkunku inflated a blue balloon and held it between his lips to celebrate his second-half goal that ultimately proved the difference for Chelsea at Amex Stadium.
The France striker’s 64th-minute strike added to Cole Palmer’s 22nd goal of the campaign in the 34th minute.
Second-half Chelsea substitute Reece James was shown a straight red card in the 88th — following a VAR review — after he kicked out at Joao Pedro while on the ground.
Danny Welbeck grabbed Brighton’s consolation goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
HOJLUND STRIKES
A strike by substitute Rasmus Hojlund in the 84th minute proved to be the clinching goal for Man United in a match between direct rivals for Europe.
Kobbie Mainoo put United ahead in the 31st after a pass was slipped through the Newcastle defense by Amad Diallo, who regained the lead for the home side with a fierce left-footed shot through a crowd of players after a 57th-minute corner wasn’t fully cleared.
Anthony Gordon had scored Newcastle’s equalizer in the 49th and Lewis Hall ensured a nervy finish to the game for Man United by making it 3-2 in stoppage time.
FAREWELLS
French players Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane waved goodbye to Man United’s supporters after the game against Newcastle.
They are leaving the club at the end of the season because their contracts are expiring.
Iraqi car bomb survivor eyes gold in Paris Paralympics
- Najlah was just three years old when a 2008 sticky bomb ripped into her father’s car — an ex-military — in the city of Baquba northeast of Baghdad
- In 2021, she went to Tokyo for the Paralympic Games, and in 2023, she won a gold medal in the 2022 Asian Para Games in China
BAQUBA, Iraq: When car bomb survivor Najlah Imad first took up table tennis, her relatives warned against it. But a decade later, the Iraqi teenager who lost three limbs is gunning for gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
“Table tennis was a turning point. Since I started playing, my life has changed,” the 19-year-old athlete told AFP.
Najlah was just three years old when a 2008 sticky bomb ripped into her father’s car — an ex-military — in the city of Baquba northeast of Baghdad.
In a split second, like tens of thousands of Iraqis, Najlah became a victim of bombs that have ripped through the conflict-scarred country for decades.
She lost most of her right leg, her left leg at the knee, and her right forearm.
Remarkably, she now recounts the life-altering incident with a sense of calm.
“Table tennis has improved my mental health,” she said from a dilapidated sports center in Baquba.
Najlah’s face lights up when she speaks of her sports journey. But her smile disappears when she stands on her prosthetics in front of the blue table, focused and ready to speedily hit the ball with utmost precision.
The young athlete, with black hair cut to the neck, discovered her love for the game at the age of 10 when a trainer visited her house looking to form a local Paralympic team.
Her family was initially hesitant and cautioned her, predicting that she would be exhausted and “wouldn’t achieve anything.”
But the warnings did not stop her.
“When I first started, I saw other people with disabilities playing sports despite losing limbs,” she said.
She admired their positive energy. “They were always smiling, which encouraged me.”
After six months of intensive training, Najlah played her first match in a local Baghdad tournament.
“I won,” exclaimed Najlah. “I was the surprise of the competition.”
A first triumph fueled her passion, and she became a fierce competitor. Over the years, Najlah has participated in 30 international tournaments, winning medals and trophies, which she proudly displays on a shelf in her modest home.
In 2021, she went to Tokyo for the Paralympic Games, and in 2023, she won a gold medal in the 2022 Asian Para Games in China.
A rising star, Iraq’s Paralympic committee provides Najlah with a modest monthly stipend and travel expenses to competitions when the budget allows it.
Najlah trains twice a week in Baquba and another two days in Baghdad with her father by her side. She also travels abroad to practice ahead of international competitions taking advantage of better sports facilities.
In March, she traveled to Qatar to prepare for the Paris Paralympics in August.
“I always aim for gold,” Najlah said.
Despite her success, she still trains at Baquba’s modestly equipped sports center where walls are adorned with posters of international table tennis players.
Eight players share four secondhand ping-pong tables in a squalid hall with broken windows in a country where decades of conflicts, neglect and endemic corruption have left the infrastructure in despair.
The center sourced the tables from a junkyard. “We had to repair them to use them,” lamented trainer Hossam Al-Bayati, who joined the national Paralympic coaches team in 2016.
Najlah “will represent Iraq” in the Paralympics, but the tables she trains on are flimsy,” said Bayati. “This is wrong.”
During a recent training session at the Baquba center, Najlah wrapped her right arm at the elbow with a black cloth to help pad her crutch as she carefully attached her prosthesis. Once standing, she gripped her racket with her left hand and smoothly struck a ball into play.
Initially concerned about his daughter’s choice, Najlah’s father was against her playing the sport. However, after witnessing her first triumph, he quickly realized the importance of standing by her and endorsing her passion.
“She resisted and she challenged herself and the world,” the proud father Imad Lafta said.
Najlah’s dedication and hard work have paid off.
“Whenever she walks through the streets, people recognize her and congratulate us. Some girls even ask to take photos with her,” the father said.
Despite her busy training schedule, Najlah remains an avid reader and is supposed to graduate from high school this year.
As Najlah sets her eyes on the gold medal in Paris, her father is confident she will excel.
“When she promises something, she delivers,” he said.
