Italian bid edges Swedish rival in 2026 Olympic host study · the first time in franchise history. The Raptors started Thurs-day’s pivotal game slowly and trailed 49-46 at the half,

SPORT17SATURDAY 25 MAY 2019

There is an extra motivation and incentive to win Roland Garros because of the

opportunity to hold all four Slams, something I did three years ago in my

career, and that gives me obviously enough reason to believe I can do it again.

Novak Djokovic on his attempts to hold all four majors for the second time.

England vs Australia

in Southampton

12:30 PM

India vs New Zealand

in London

12:30 PM

ICC WORLD CUP WARM-UP MATCHES

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Italian bid edges Swedish rival in 2026 Olympic host studyAP GENEVA

The Italian bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo looked stronger than the Stockholm-Are project in an IOC analysis of the candidates published yesterday.

Polling by the International Olympic Committee, which typ-ically looks to get a warm welcome from host nations, showed “83% support in Italy” and “55% in favor in Sweden.”

The evaluation report said the Swedish bid team “considers

such figures to be high in the Swedish context.”

The 144-page document was produced for IOC members, with about 90 of them set to pick the winner on June 24 in Lausanne.

To have 55% public support was “huge” for Sweden, where the people’s mentality was to be questioning, bid chief executive Richard Brisius said.

Italian public authorities have provided more financial guarantees than in Sweden to underwrite billions of dollars in operating and security costs. Regional authorities in

Lombardy and Veneto - “two of the wealthiest regions of Italy” - are the “driving forces behind the candidature,” the report said.

The Swedish bid lacked “binding venue funding guar-antees” for the athletes village in Stockholm and the two new sports arenas planned, for speed-skating and a venue to be shared by cross-country skiing and biathlon.

The IOC evaluation team suggested using existing ski venues in Falun and Ostersund.

The Italian bid has private funding in Milan for the only new

arena, for hockey, and an ath-letes village being built as “much-needed housing” for uni-versity students. Both projects are planned to be built regardless of the hosting vote result.

The IOC report also said Stockholm is “not an official Host City,” with authorities in the ski resort Are signing key Olympic contracts.

Brisius said this option was picked “in collaboration with the IOC” during talks last year to create a Stockholm city gov-ernment coalition.

With a strong emphasis on

cutting costs by using existing venues, the Olympic report is positive about Stockholm-Are using a bobsled course in Sigulda, Latvia.

Italy also was highlighted for its “passionate fans, knowl-edgeable volunteers and skilled event organizers (which) would all combine to deliver an out-standing winter sports experience.”

IOC experts did suggest cutting Bormio as one of the two Alpine ski venues to ease pos-sible logistics issues.

For the second straight

Winter Games vote, the IOC has been left with only two candidates.

Beijing won narrowly over Almaty, Kazakhstan, to get the 2022 Olympics after several con-tenders withdrew lacking public support for a project widely seen as too expensive.

Two European candidates for 2026 remain after contenders including Graz, Austria; Calgary, Canada; Sapporo, Japan; and Sion, Switzerland, all dropped out. The IOC also eliminated the Turkish bid of Erzurum from the contest.

Raptors on brink of NBA Finals after win over BucksAFP LOS ANGELES

Kawhi Leonard scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as Toronto beat Milwaukee 105-99, leaving the Raptors one win away from advancing to the finals for the first time in franchise history.

The Raptors started Thurs-day’s pivotal game slowly and trailed 49-46 at the half, then kept it tight with the top-seeded Bucks before seizing command late in the fourth quarter to take a 3-2 series lead.

Leonard, who was favouring a sore left leg in game four, played 40 minutes Thursday, after putting in 52 minutes in tomor-row’s double-overtime win by the Raptors.

A win at home Saturday would set up a finals match with NBA defending champions Golden State Warriors.

“We weathered a storm early and we are just excited to get the win tonight,” Leonard said.

Leonard reached the 30-point mark for the 11th time in the playoffs, drained five three-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out nine assists.

It was the first time this season the Bucks have lost three straight games and it puts them on the brink of elimination from the postseason.

Fred VanVleet came off the bench to score 21 points, Pascal Siakam finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Kyle Lowry tallied 17 points for the Raptors, who became the first team to win on the road in the best-of-seven series. VanVleet nailed seven baskets from beyond the arc.

“This was a super-hard win tonight,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered 24 points, Eric Bledsoe scored 20 and Malcolm Brogdon

finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, who at one point in the first quarter led by 14 points, and were up by 12 in the third quarter before carrying a three-point edge into the fourth.

Earlier in the day Antetok-ounmpo was named a unanimous first team All-NBA player.

“It’s first to four. We’ve got to go to Toronto, get a game. I think the group will be ready,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

A dunk by Siakam gave the Raptors an eight-point lead with 6:20 to play. The Bucks pulled to within four on Brook Lopez’s driving layup with 5:31 left.

After Marc Gasol hit a shot from beyond the arc to make Toronto’s lead seven, Milwaukee cut the deficit to two on Antetok-ounmpo’s three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining.

Lopez tied the game with a three-pointer with 2:44 to play,

but the Raptors regained a three-point lead seconds later when VanVleet sank another three pointer.

Khris Middleton’s layup pulled the Bucks to within two with 59 seconds remaining.

Toronto led by three when Gasol made one of two foul shots with 34 seconds left. After a Mil-waukee turnover, Siakam’s dunk increased the lead to five and Toronto held on from there.

Finau leads Spiethby one at Colonial AFP TEXAS

Tony Finau set the first round pace at the Charles Schawb Chal-lenge on Thursday, reaping the rewards from a change of putting grip to card a blistering six-under-par 64 and claim the lead at Colonial Country Club in Texas.

The world number 15 took a one-shot lead after posting seven birdies and one bogey as he chases only his second PGA Tour victory.

Finau, who managed a fifth place finish in the Masters last month but struggled in the PGA Championship, finishing tied in 64th, started slowly before making back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth holes.

His opening birdie on the third came after he rolled in a 19-foot putt, and he backed it up on the par-three fourth by sticking his tee shot to within three feet for a simple tap-in.

A bogey on the fifth threatened to check Finau’s momentum, but he responded with back-to-back birdies on the 7th and 8th holes to reach the turn at three under.

A hat-trick of birdies on the 11th, 12th and 13th saw Finau vault up the leaderboard.

Once again, the 29-year-old relied on a red-hot putter to pick up shots, draining putts of 24 feet and 26 feet to bag his final two birdies of the day. Finau, who also saved a par by making a 30-foot putt during his round, later revealed he had changed his putting grip after a disappointing showing in the PGA last week.

“I haven’t been putting great I feel like, and standing over the ball the most important thing is, ‘Do you feel like you’re going to make the putt or not?,’” Finau said.

“Outside of everything else, ‘Do you believe you can make the putt?’ So for me, I needed to switch something.”

Jordan Spieth and Roger Sloan meanwhile were a shot back from Finau after both posting five-under-par 65s.

Spieth, coming off a share of third place at the PGA Cham-pionship last week, had a wild round comprised of eight birdies, a double bogey and a bogey. The 25-year-old Texan managed to finish with a flourish however, with a birdie on his final hole of the day.

Spieth believes his recent form indicates a protracted slump may be over.

“I know what I have needed to work on and I knew it was going to take a lot of time,” Spieth said.

Spieth and Sloan are two ahead of nine players tied on three under.

US PGA CHARLES SCHWAB SCORES

64 - Tony Finau (USA)65 - Roger Sloan (CAN), Jordan Spieth (USA)67 - Jonas Blixt (SWE), Ronald Henry (USA), Chesson Hadley (USA), Scott Brown (USA), Jason Dufner (USA), Jimmy Walker (USA), Peter Uihlein (USA), Trey Mullinax (USA), Nick Watney (USA)68 - Mackenzie Hughes (CAN), Anirban Lahiri (IND), Abraham Ancer (MEX), Rory Sabbatini (SVK), Ryan Palmer (USA), Kevin Tway (USA), Josh Teater (USA), Cheng Tsung Pan (TPE)69 - Emiliano Grillo (ARG), Nick Taylor (CAN), Benjamin Silverman (CAN), Corey Conners (CAN), An Byeong-Hun (KOR), Danny Lee (NZL), Tyrone Van Aswegen (RSA), Kevin Streelman (USA), Andrew Putnam (USA), Bill Haas (USA), Scott Langley (USA), Sam Burns (USA), Jim Furyk (USA), Brian Gay (USA), Nate Lashley (USA), Paul Casey (ENG), Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG)

Tony Finau plays his shot from the 11th tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Texas, on Thursday.

Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors attempts a shot while being guarded by Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Play-offs at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

Malaysia exit Sudirman Cup after freak injuryAFP NANNING, CHINA

Malaysian badminton player Teo Ee Yi was bloodied and shaken after his doubles partner accidentally smashed him in the face with his shin during their Sudirman Cup quarter-final defeat to Japan yesterday.

The 26-year-old lay prone on the court floor for nearly 10 minutes with a gashed chin, blood pouring down his neck, with the men’s doubles clash against top seeds Japan locked at 19-19 in the deciding game.

Teo suffered the injury after he and playing partner Ong Yew Sin both dived in an attempt to retrieve the same shot, and Ong’s trailing left leg caught Teo in the face.

Although Teo eventually climbed off the floor to continue with a large bandage on his chin, the Malaysian duo appeared to have lost their edge.

They saved a second match point against Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda, but could not ulti-mately prevent going down to a dra-matic defeat spread over 95 thrilling minutes.

The painful defeat put Japan 1-0 up in the tie in the Chinese city of Nanning and on the way to a semi-finals meeting with Indonesia.

Men’s world number one Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara tri-umphed in their singles matches to give Japan an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Indonesia booked their place in the last four with a narrow 3-2 win over Taiwan.

Japan’s Takeshi Kamura (left) and Keigo Sonoda hit a return against Malaysia’s One Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi during their men’s doubles quarter-final match at the 2019 Sudirman Cup World Badminton Championships in Nanning, China, yesterday.

18 SATURDAY 25 MAY 2019SPORT

South African captain Faf du Plessis plays a shot off a delivery from Sri Lanka’s Suranga Lakmal during their ICC World Cup warm-up match in Cardiff, yesterday. Du Plessis scored 88 as South Africa eased to an 87-run victory in the game. South Africa were sent in to bat in the training match, which did not hold official One-Day International status, and posted 338 for seven, before bowling their opponents out for 251 in 42.3 overs. CENTRE: Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi bats during the warm-up match against Pakistan in Bristol, yesterday. RIGHT: Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi bats during the match. The left-handed batsman hit an unbeaten 74 as the World Cup underdogs stunned former champions Pakistan to win by three wickets with two balls to spare in a thrilling warm-up match. Chasing a modest 263 for victory, Afghanistan’s opening batsmen Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai got them off to a blistering start before Shahidi took charge to help them cross the finish line in the final over.Pakistan batsman Babar Azam, who shone in their 4-0 series defeat by England this month, continued his excellent form with the bat ahead of the World Cup scoring 112 off 108 balls.

World Cup warm-up games: SA down SL; Afghanistan stun Pakistan

SA unveil England tour scheduleAFP JOHANNESBURG

South Africa yesterday announced the dates for a tour by England which will include four Tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals.

The Test series will start in Cen-turion on December 26, followed by South Africa’s traditional New Year Test at Newlands in Cape Town, starting on January 3.

The remaining Test matches will be in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg.

England will play two warm-up matches before the Tests, a two-day game against an Invitation XI and a three-day match against South Africa A. Both fixtures will be in Benoni.

Cricket South Africa chief exec-utive Thabang Moroe said the series would have special significance, “as this will be our first home series in the ICC World Test championship following our away series in India in October.”

South Africa will also host Aus-tralia for three Twenty20 interna-tionals and three one-day interna-tionals, starting five days after Eng-land’s final fixture on February 16.

England tour December

17-18 Invitation XI, Benoni

20-22 South Africa A, Benoni

26-30 First Test, Centurion

January

3-7 Second Test, Cape Town

16-20 Third Test, Port Elizabeth

24-28 Fourth Test, Johannesburg

31 SA Invitation XI, Paarl

February

1 Invitation XI, Paarl

4 First one-day international, Cape

Town

7 Second one-day international,

Durban

9 Third one-day international,

Johannesburg

12 First Twenty20 international,

East London

14 Second Twenty20 international,

Durban

16 Third Twenty20 international,

Centurion

Australia tour February

21 First Twenty20 international,

Johannesburg

23 Second Twenty20 international,

Port Elizabeth

26 Third Twenty20 international,

Cape Town

29 First one-day international, Paarl

March

4 Second one-day international,

Bloemfontein

7 Third one-day international,

Potchefstroom

SA’S 2019/20 HOME FIXTURES

Dynamic West Indies a dangerous Cup wildcard

LONDON REUTERS

The once mighty West Indies struggled to qualify for the Cricket World Cup last year but their fortunes are on the upswing and they will arrive in England a dangerous and unpredictable outfit that nobody will be keen to play.

The winners of the first two World Cups back in the 1970s, West Indies have not made the final since 1983 as the well-documented decline in Caribbean cricketing for-tunes played out.

Throughout their struggles at test level in recent decades, however, they have remained a dynamic 20-over outfit, winning the 2012 and 2016 World Twenty20 tournaments.

The recent return of some of their best players following the resolution of a long-running pay dispute with West Indies board has

provided a big boost and they certainly do not lack batting firepower.

Chris Gayle and Andre Russell are particularly important returnees, both potential match-winners coming off magnificent Indian Premier League campaigns where they lit up the subcon-tinent with breathtaking performances.

Crowd-pleasing opening batsman Gayle, still going strong at the age of 39, showed he had lost none of

his power as he slogged no fewer than 34 sixes for Punjab. He will be vice-captain of the Jason Holder-led team at his fifth World Cup -- his one-day international swansong -- and enters the event by far the most experi-enced player in the squad with 10,151 runs in 289 ODIs.

“As a senior player, it is my responsibility to support the captain and everyone else in the team,” he said.

“This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies.”

All-rounder Russell was even more destructive with the bat in IPL, smashing 52 sixes and scoring at a strike rate of more than 200 for Kolkata, both best in the league. Russell is also likely to spearhead a genuinely fast bowling attack at the World Cup that also includes

dangerous 22-year-old paceman Oshane Thomas and battle-hardened 31-year-old Shannon Gabriel.

Interim West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer expects another high-scoring World Cup and thinks the bowling will be the difference between the top teams and the also-rans.

“The team that bowls the best and fields the best will win the World Cup,” Reifer said recently.

“We expect the World Cup to be very high scoring. The pitches are (expected to be) very good for batting.”

West Indies open their campaign against Pakistan at Trent Bridge on May 31.

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Chris Gayle and Andre Russell are particularly important returnees, both potential match-winners coming off magnificent Indian Premier League campaigns where they lit up the subcontinent with breathtaking performances.

Chris Gayle

Sports and politics to mix again in India-Pakistan match-upREUTERS NEW DELHI

The old adage that sports and politics do not mix will ring hollow again when former champions India and Pakistan clash in a geopolitically charged World Cup match months after being on the verge of war.

Tensions run high in any sporting contest featuring the nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought two of their three wars since independence over Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part.

Several former India players urged Virat Kohli’s men to boycott the June 16 match in Old Trafford, Manchester, against their arch-rivals while others saw more merit in playing and extending India’s 6-0 unbeaten record against Pakistan in World Cups.

“India-Pakistan matches have always been billed as the

final before the final, because people have attached political factors to the game,” said cricket historian Boria Majumdar.

Sports and politics always mingle, he said, recalling the black armband protest at the

2003 World Cup by Zimbabwe duo Andy Flower and Henry Olonga against Robert Mugabe’s political regime.

“The moment you are singing the national anthem on the sports field you are invoking a strong sense of

nationalism. And what else is it but a political statement,” says Majumdar.

Also in 2003, England refused to tour Harare for a World Cup match, citing security fears after then Prime Minister Tony Blair called on them to pull out in protest against Mugabe’s regime.

Kohli and his team-mates wore army camouflage-style caps in a one-day match against Australia in March to show solidarity with the Indian paramilitary police killed in the Kashmir attack.

The Indian board subse-quently made an unsuccessful attempt at isolating Pakistan in world cricket and raised security concerns for its players in England.

“The pressure will be immense on both teams,” Majumdar said.

“The hype is massive, tickets have been sold out, and the broadcasters will project it as the final before the final.

“Every player in his heart of hearts knows this is a very different game, an opportunity to become a national hero.”

India captain Virat Kohli (right) and Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, hold the trophy as they pose for a photgraph at the Oval in London in this June 17, 2017 file photo, on the eve of their ICC Champions Trophy final.

Arch-rivals are scheduled to square off on June 16 at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Afghanistan’s Shahzad hurts leg in Pakistan warm-upAP BRISTOL

Afghanistan’s three-wicket win over Pakistan in a Cricket World Cup warm-up game yesterday might have come at a cost.

Opening batsman and wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad retired hurt on 23 with an apparent injury to his left leg. He limped off at the County Ground in Bristol at the start of his team’s successful run chase after Pakistan was dismissed for 262 in 47.5 overs.

Afghanistan reached the victory target with two balls to spare, Hashmatullah Shahidi hitting the winning runs to push the team to 263-7.

The latest loss for Pakistan added to a 4-0 series defeat to England. Its last warmup fixture before the World Cup is against Bangladesh on Sunday. Afghan-istan takes on England in its final warm-up game on Monday.

In the other warmup match yesterday, South Africa scored 338-7. The Sri Lankans were all out for 251 in 42.3 overs in their reply.

19SATURDAY 25 MAY 2019 SPORT

Lippi back as China coachAFP SHANGHAI

Marcello Lippi was back as coach of China yesterday, four months after the World Cup winner quit and following a failed stint by fellow Italian Fabio Cannavaro.

The 71-year-old’s return was broadly welcomed by fans and local media, who are des-perate to see China reach the World Cup for only a second time.

Lippi, who opted not to renew his contract after China were dumped out of the Asian Cup quarter-finals 3-0 by Iran in late January, is tasked with guiding the team to Qatar 2022.

China’s only previous World Cup appearance came in 2002, when they exited without a point or scoring a goal.

“Since Lippi coached the national team, they have shown a positive and tenacious fighting spirit,” the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said.

“We believe that in the days to come, under the leadership of Lippi and his coaching team, the national men’s side will make a full impact on their World Cup dreams.”

China sit a lowly 74th in the FIFA rankings, a rung above Cape Verde -- whose popu-lation is 550,000, compared with China’s 1.4 billion.

But under football-fan President Xi Jinping, China have ambitions to host and even win a World Cup.

The reappointment of Lippi, who took Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, follows four months of confusion and spec-ulation.The former Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli boss was succeeded by his World Cup-winning captain Cannavaro in March. The 45-year-old former legendary defender combined

the job with being coach of Chinese Super League (CSL) title-contenders Guangzhou Evergrande.However, China lost to lower-ranked Thailand and Uzbekistan in Cannavaro’s opening two matches and he quit, saying that he could not do two jobs at once.

Re-enter his mentor Lippi, who was a three-time CSL champion with Guangzhou and among the best-paid coaches in football during his first spell in charge of the national side.

Lippi -- fondly known in China as “Silver Fox” on account of his hair -- was reportedly on between $23m and $27m a year, evidence of the country’s determination to get success at any cost. He will earn similarly well in his second spell, with Evergrande sub-siding his wages, Chinese media said.

Surely in his last job in football, Lippi marginally improved China last time, winning 13 of his 32 games and losing 11. He failed to take China to Russia 2018 following his appointment in October 2016, although qualification was already in doubt fol-lowing a poor run under Gao Hongbo.

China coach Marcello Lippi during the AFC Asian Cup quarter-final match against Iran at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, in this file picture.

Qatar 2022 qualification goal

Lippi, who opted not to renew his contract after China were dumped out of the Asian Cup quarter-finals 3-0 by Iran in late January, is tasked with guiding the team to Qatar 2022.

China’s only previous World Cup appearance came in 2002, when they exited without a point or scoring a goal.

Neymar to arrive early in Brazil for Copa AmericaAFP TERESÓPOLIS, BRAZIL

Star striker Neymar will join Brazil’s Copa America squad for training today, three days ahead of schedule, an official said yesterday.

“He will arrive tomorrow between 11:00 am and noon,” (1400 GMT and 1500 GMT) Brazil football federation press officer Vinicius Rodrigues told reporters at the Granja Comary complex in Teresopolis near Rio de Janeiro.

Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, had been expected to arrive on May 28, six days after Brazil began preparations for the tournament. No explanation was provided for the change.

Reporters were tipped off to Neymar’s early arrival after he failed to show up to a PSG training session open to the media.

His team-mates Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, who are also part of the Brazilian squad, were there.

When asked if Neymar had been released from training, coach Thomas Tuchel said “not by me.” Neymar had been sidelined for PSG’s last two games of the domestic season and the French Champions Trophy after being handed a three-match suspension for lashing out at a spectator following PSG’s shock defeat by Rennes in the French Cup final earlier this month.

His early arrival was welcomed by his Copa America team-mates.

“Neymar is our best player, it’s good that he is here, he brings us his experience,” said Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.

‘Japanese Messi’ Kubo named in Copa America squadAFP TOKYO

Teenage sensation Takefusa Kubo won his first senior Japan call-up yesterday when he was named in coach Hajime Moriyasu’s squad for next month’s Copa America in Brazil.

The FC Tokyo mid-fielder, who was invited to Barcelona’s youth academy as a pint-sized nine-year-old where he earned the nickname the “Japanese Messi”, is one of no fewer than 17 uncapped players as Japan look to build for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Kubo, 17, will also be available for Japan’s home warm-up games against

Trinidad and Tobago on June 5 and El Salvador on June 9, Japanese officials said.

“Teams like the hosts Brazil will definitely be serious about winning,” Kubo told local media.

“But even though we are playing as guests we will have to match the desire of our opponents when we get on the pitch.”

Moriyasu left big-name players such as Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki out of his Asian Cup squad earlier this year when the Blue Samurai were beaten 3-1 in the final by Qatar in Abu Dhabi.

“We are looking to bring in a new generation of players,” Moriyasu said

yesterday. “It is important for them to get exposure of the game at this level.” Japan face Chile, Uruguay and Ecuador in Group C at the Copa America, which kicks off on June 14.

“Many of the players are in the under-23 Olympic age range,” added Moriyasu. “This is a good opportunity for them to gain some valuable experience.” Leicester forward Okazaki and Strasbourg goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima were, however, retained by Moriyasu.

Qatar, who host the 2022 World Cup, will also take part, taking on Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay in Group B.

Japan squadGoalkeepers -- Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg), Ryosuke Kojima (Oita Trinita), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)Defenders -- Naomichi Ueda (Cercle Brugge), Ko Itakura (Groningen), Tomoki Iwata (Oita Trinita), Yugo Tatsuta (Shimizu S-Pulse), Teruki Hara (Sagan Tosu), Daiki Sugioka (Shonan Bellmare), Daiki Suga (Consadole Sapporo), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Sint-Truiden) Midfielders -- Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe), Shoya Nakajima (Al-Duhail), Yuta Nakayama (PEC Zwolle), Koji Miyoshi (Yokohama F Marinos), Tatsuya Ito (Hamburger SV), Taishi Matsumoto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Kota Watanabe (Tokyo Verdy), Hiroki Abe (Kashima Antlers), Takefusa Kubo (FC Tokyo) Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City), Daizen Maeda (Matsumoto Yamaga), Ayase Ueda (Hosei University)

Villa meet Derby in play-off battle for £170m prizeREUTERS LONDON

Aston Villa face Derby County in the Championship play-off final on Monday with both clubs desperate for a return to the Premier League in a game billed as the richest in world football with at least £170m on the line.

Villa have been out of the top flight for three seasons while Derby have been stuck in the second tier of English football since rele-gation in 2008.

A 10-match winning streak during the run-in propelled Dean Smith’s Villa side into the play-offs where they got past West Mid-lands rivals West Bromwich Albion.

“The key thing is momentum,” said former Brentford manager Smith, who took over from Steve Bruce at Villa Park in October.

“I feel we have a lot of that going into it (the final), given our run towards the end of the season and our two dominant play-off games, We can take it into the final.”

Derby produced a brilliant performance with a 4-2 win over Leeds United in their play-off second leg at Elland Road earning them a place at Wembley.

Derby manager Frank Lampard, the former Chelsea and England midfielder who is in his first season as a manager, believes his team are well suited for the high-pressure encounter.

“The ‘cup’ football feeling has been good for us. We’ve had to get results for a while now, going back to probably the QPR game (a 2-0 home win on April 22). We’ll need big game mentality on Monday,” he said.

Lampard is up against his former club and international team mate John Terry, who is Smith’s assistant at Villa.

The two clubs have proud histories. Seven-times English cham-pions Villa were European Cup winners in 1982, while Derby were twice English champions in the 1970s.

Champions Norwich City and runners-up Sheffield United have already secured promotion to the top flight and the rewards for Villa and Derby of joining them are eye-watering.

According to analysis from Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, promotion will bring an increase in revenue of at least 170 million pounds, rising to a minimum of £ 300m if the playoff winners avoid relegation in their first season.

The £170m includes £ 95m revenue from playing in the Premier League in 2019/20, mostly from broadcast and commercial revenue, and a total of 75 million in parachute payments in 2020/21 and 2021/22 if they go straight down.

However, the £ 1 70m rises to at least £300m if they survive their first season in the top flight.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin heads the ball during a training session at Celeste Sports Complex in Canelones, 27km from Montevideo on Thursday, ahead of the Brazil’s Copa America 2019 football tournament. RIGHT: Brazilian footballer Richarlison takes part in a training session of the national team at Granja Comary Sport Complex in Teresopolis, Brazil, on Thursday.

Minute’s silence and red cap tribute for Lauda in MonacoAFP MONACO

Formula One has confirmed that a minute’s silence featuring his red cap will be held ahead of tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix in tribute to Niki Lauda who died earlier this week.

In an announcement con-firmed on its official website the organisation said the pre-race arrangements in memory of the three-time world champion and non-executive vice chairman of

the all-conquering Mercedes team.

“Niki Lauda’s trademark red cap was famous in the paddock, so it’s fitting that the garment will play a key part as the entire F1 community celebrates the legendary Austrian champion’s life ahead of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix,” it said.

During the silence on the grid, all 20 drivers “along with dignitaries and a number of Lauda’s contemporaries and peers will each hold a red cap,”

the statement added. Lauda, 70, passed away on Monday night after a long fight with health problems.

Several teams have con-firmed they will carry tributes to Lauda on their cars during the weekend with champions Mer-cedes turning their Halo cockpit protection device red.

The 20 race drivers standing at the front of the grid will be joined by the regular dignitaries and also by figures “who played a special role in

Lauda’s career - his contem-poraries and his peers”, who will be holding red caps similar to the one Lauda was famous for wearing.

“Formula 1, the FIA, the Automobile Club de Monaco and all ten teams want to invite all fans attending the race in the Monaco grandstands to pay their own tribute to the driver who won here in the Principality in 1975 and 1976, during the in-lap of this the 90th edition of the race,” the announcement from

F1 added. “They can either wear a red cap, display a message on a banner, or simply applaud, while those watching from the yachts in the harbour can sound their klaxons -- anything appro-priate to honour the memory of one of the sport’s true heroes.”

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff paid tribute to Lauda and his determination, pointing out that his friend and fellow-Aus-trian would be concerned only in the performance of their team this weekend.

“Niki, watching us, would be interested to see how this weekend goes on track here and nothing else,” he said.

“ O n e o f h i s m o s t immense character traits was that he never stopped fighting.

“His accident definitely is a date that is important in his life, but Niki would have seen it dif-ferently. He lived his life every single day he was able to live in the present, not looking into the past.

SPORTSaturday 25 May 2019

PAGE | 18 PAGE | 19Dynamic

West Indies a dangerous Cup

wildcard

Neymar to arrive earlyin Brazil for Copa America

U-20 World Cup: Nigeria win Group D opener against QatarTHE PENINSULA TYCHY, POLAND

Qatar’s 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start as Nigeria beat the West Asians 4-0 in their opening Group D match at the Tychy Stadium in Poland yesterday.

The Flying Eagles, runners-up to a Joao Pinto-propelled Portugal in 1989 and a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in 2005, soared 2-0 up inside 25 minutes – and both goals were indebted to their left-back.

Ikouwem Utin duped his marker and unleashed a swerving shot, which Shehab Mamdouh could only push into the path of Maxwell Effiom, whose first-time volley broke the deadlock in the 12th minute.

The Nigeria No 3 then somehow sprung four challenges down the left and cut the ball back to present Okechukwa Offia with a com-fortable finish from close range in the 24th minute.

Qatar did have their chances. Zulkifilu Rabiu catapulted himself across the Tychy turf to make an outstanding block from Yusuf

Abdurisag, and Nigeria goalkeeper Olawale Oremade was alert to break up a three-on-one break from which Qatar should have made more.

They were further punished, Manchester City midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru making it 3-0 in the 68th minute before Aliu Salawu-deen’s swivel and shot in the 74th completed the win.

The teams return to action on Monday, when Qatar face Ukraine and Nigeria encounter USA.

Korea Republic and reigning AFC U-19 Championship champions Saudi Arabia open their respective campaigns today.

Korea Republic will face two-time winners Portugal in Group F while Saudi Arabia will face 2013 champions France in Group E.

Japan, meanwhile, fought back from a goal down to hold South American cham-pions Ecuador 1-1 in their Group B tie on Thursday.

Up next for Japan will be Mexico tomorrow, while Ecuador will play Group B leaders Italy on the same day. The Italians edged Mexico 2-1 on Thursday.

AFP LONDON

England captain Eoin Morgan suffered a “small fracture” to his left index finger yesterday, but is expected to be fit in time for the hosts’ World Cup opener against South Africa next week.

Morgan was practising with his team-mates at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton ahead of Satur-day’s unofficial World Cup warm-up against Australia when he took a blow during catching drills.

It was a major scare for England just six days before the World Cup favourites start their bid to win the competition for the first time, but there was relatively good news for Morgan after an X-ray showed the damage wasn’t as bad as feared.

“England captain Eoin Morgan has sustained a small flake fracture to his left index finger,” an ECB statement said.

“He will not take part in the match (against Australia), but is expected to make a full recovery and be available for England’s opening ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match against South Africa at The Oval on Thursday May 30.”

Morgan, 32, was one of 14 players preparing at Hamp-shire’s ground, with Joe Root absent on personal business. He has played 222 one-day interna-tionals and averages 39.64 after hitting 12 centuries and 45 half-centuries.

England have climbed to the top of the ODI rankings under leadership of Morgan, who is also a key member of their powerful batting line-up.

England spinner Liam Dawson did not witness the incident but said the feeling from his team-mates was the Dublin-born left-hander’s injury was not serious.

“I was batting on the other side, so I didn’t know what went on. When I came back to the dressing room a couple of the lads were talking,” Dawson said.

“I just heard he got hit on the finger. I don’t think it’s too bad.”

England captain Morgan to miss warm-up after breaking finger

Qatar’s Khaled Mohammed (second left) and Nigeria’s Jamil Muhammad vie for the ball possession during their Group D match of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, played at the Tychy Stadium in Poland yesterday. PICTURE: @QFA/Twitter

Djokovic ready to fireGrand Slam landmark beckons for World No.1 at Roland Garros

REUTERS PARIS

World number one Novak Djokovic

believes he is peaking at the perfect

moment to win four successive Grand

Slam titles for the second time in his

career by capturing the French Open.

The Serb became the first man since

Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand

Slams simultaneously when he won the

French Open for the first time in 2016.

Now he stands on the cusp of doing

it again, less than a year after many pre-

dicted his best days were behind him after

his struggle to recover from elbow

surgery.

After a dip in form following his Aus-

tralian Open triumph this

year, the

15-times

G r a n d

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winner has impressed on the European

claycourts, winning the Madrid title and

reaching the final in Rome where he was

beaten by French Open holder Rafael

Nadal.

He arrived at Roland Garros in peak

condition and high on confidence.

“This is the tournament I was pre-

paring for, so to say, for last couple of

months I wanted to peak in this tour-

nament and this is where I want to play

my best tennis,” Djokovic told reporters

yesterday.

“I’m sure I’m not the only one, but

there’s extra motivation and incentive to

win Roland Garros because of the oppor-

tunity to hold all four slams, something I

did three years ago, and that gives me

enough reason to believe I can do it

again.”

Last year in Paris Djokovic showed

glimpses of his best form before falling

to Italian Marco Cecchinato in the quarter-

finals -- then angrily walking into a press

conference saying he was considering

skipping Wimbledon.

Instead he regrouped and took the

title a few weeks later on

the London

lawns, before winning the US Open and

this year’s Melbourne title to reach 15

Grand Slam titles -- five behind the mark

of Roger Federer.

The 32-year-old said he had tweaked

his strategy in recent months to peak at

the Grand Slams.

“Because at this stage of my career,

those are the ones that matter the most

for me,” Djokovic added.

“Those are the tournaments where I

want to play my best. So we try to obvi-

ously set up a training schedule that

would allow me to reach the top of my

potential physically, emotionally, mentally

for the Grand Slam.”

Djokovic said Nadal was the favourite

to claim a record-extending 12th title in

Paris.

“I think it wouldn’t be fair to pick

anybody else but him as the main

favourite, because he has won this tour-

nament so many times,” he added.

“He’s lost, what, two times in his

career on Parisian clay? So lots of respect

for him. We had a good match in Rome.

He was a better player. Was just too

strong.”

Djokovic faces a tricky opener against

Poland’s 43rd-ranked Hubert Hurkacz with

a possible second-round against

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Zverev gears up for French Open by reaching Geneva finalAGENCIES GENEVA

World number five Alexander Zverev warmed up for the French Open by reaching only his second final of the season at the ATP event in Geneva with victory over Federico Delbonis yesterday.

The 22-year-old German came through a close match 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in two hours and 40 minutes to set up a final against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.

Zverev, who has never got past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, will open his Roland Garros campaign against Australian John Millman next week.

He let a 5-1 lead slip in the opening set in Switzerland, but fought back to take it in the 12th game.

Argentinian world number 84 Delbonis again pulled back a break of serve in the second set to win a tie-break and level the semi-final, but Zverev broke twice in the decider and sealed victory on his first match point.

Meanwhile, after a tantrum in Italy last week, the 36th-ranked Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the French Open yesterday.

The ATP said the Australian player cited illness as the reason.

Kyrgios was defaulted at the Italian Open after a raging outburst. Trailing against Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud in round two, he slammed his racket into the clay and kicked a water bottle. Then he picked up a chair and flung it onto the court.

He was fined and lost ATP points but escaped a suspension.

Kyrgios was due to start his Roland Garros campaign against Cameron Norrie of Britain.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after winning a point against Rafael Nadal of Spain during

their ATP Masters tournament final match at the Foro Italico in Rome in this May 19 file photo.