Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Soccer – Sevilla win derby against Betis and keep pressure on Real Madrid
Second-placed Sevilla beat bitter rivals Real Betis 2-1 on Sunday to close the gap on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to six points. Julen Lopetegui’s team dominated the derby from the beginning and Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a penalty after goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had tripped striker Youssef En Nesyri in a one-on-one challenge inside the area.
Soccer-Last-gasp Ruiz strike sends Napoli top of Serie A
A dramatic, last-gasp goal from Fabian Ruiz earned Napoli a 2-1 win at Lazio on Sunday, a victory that sent Luciano Spalletti’s team top of Serie A. Lazio dominated for long spells in the first half and should have taken the lead early on but Luis Alberto fired wide from a good position.
Soccer-Soucek seals vital win for West Ham over Wolves
Tomas Soucek’s second-half goal earned West Ham United a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday to revive their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League. It was no more than West Ham deserved as they created better chances against a Wolves side who have also moved into the mix for European qualification.
Soccer-Touzghar nets late equalizer for Troyes to deny Marseille victory
Substitute Yoann Touzghar scored an 89th-minute equalizer as struggling Troyes held second-placed Olympique de Marseille to a 1-1 draw in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Dimitri Payet netted a first-half penalty for the visitors after Mama Balde fouled Matteo Guendouzi.
Tennis-Svitolina to donate prize money to help Ukraine’s military, relief efforts – Reuters News
Feb 28 (Reuters) – Elina Svitolina said she will donate her prize money from WTA tournaments to Ukraine’s military and to help with humanitarian efforts following Russia’s invasion of her country last week. World number 15 told Eurosport her family and friends in Ukraine were defending the country and that she wanted to help.
Soccer-Dortmund suffer blow in title race with scrappy draw at Augsburg
Borussia Dortmund slipped up with a 1-1 draw at Augsburg on Sunday to drop eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich and suffer a setback in the Bundesliga title race. The Ruhr valley club took the lead with a Thorgan Hazard solo effort in the 35th minute but eased off, with Augsburg snatching a 78th-minute equalizer through Noah Sarenren Bazee.
Soccer-Liverpool hold nerve to beat Chelsea on penalties in League Cup final
Liverpool held their nerve to win an astonishing penalty shoot-out 11-10 and edge out Chelsea in the English League Cup final on Sunday after a rip-roaring contest had somehow ended 0-0 after extra time at Wembley. Both sides could claim to have been deserving winners in a classic free-flowing encounter full of goalscoring chances, remarkable saves, and four disallowed goals.
Shane Lowry: Honda Classic ‘stolen from me’ by downpour
Shane Lowry said the worst break he has experienced in golf cost him the Honda Classic title on Sunday. Lowry was tied for the lead at 9-under par when he reached the 18th tee box. Up ahead, Sepp Straka had just blasted a 334-yard drive on the par-5 finishing hole.
Soccer-FIFA bans matches in Russia, no flag or anthem for team
No international soccer matches will be played in Russia and the country’s flag and anthem will be banned from any of their matches abroad, governing body FIFA said on Sunday as it announced a number of sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. FIFA said the national team would not compete as Russia but as the Football Union of Russia (RFU) and any games would be held with no fans on “neutral territory”.
Soccer-Aubameyang scores again as Barcelona beat Athletic 4-0
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored for the third game in a row and helped a much improved Barcelona to earn a comfortable 4-0 home win against Athletic Bilbao in LaLiga on Sunday. The former Arsenal striker opened the scoring in the 37th minute, netting a rebound from a Gerard Pique header off the bar.
(With inputs from agencies.)