Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Soccer-England can win World Cup but must be ‘close to perfect’: Southgate
England manager Gareth Southgate said they can win the World Cup in Qatar but will have to be “close to perfect” to do so. England were semi-finalists at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and reached the final of the European Championship last year, where they lost to Italy.
Cricket-Australia eye seventh World Cup in ‘Ashes’ final
Australia will be strong favorites to win the Women’s World Cup for a seventh time in Christchurch on Sunday but reigning champions England have hit their stride at the business end of the tournament and will not give up the trophy easily. While the top-ranked Australians have romped through the tournament with eight straight wins, four-time champions England have been in crisis management since losing their first three contests.
Cricket-Labuschagne says learned from Babar’s Lahore masterclass
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne did not allow the disappointment of defeat to interfere with his appreciation of Babar Azam’s sublime century, saying he learned from the Pakistan captain’s masterclass in the second one-dayer on Thursday. Babar orchestrated Pakistan’s record chase of 349 with a masterly 114 of 83 balls, denying Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
NHL roundup: Pens’ Evgeni Malkin beats Wild in OT
Evgeni Malkin scored the winning goal and Rickard Rakell tallied twice to lead the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday in Saint Paul, Minn. Jake Guentzel also scored and goaltender Casey DeSmith made 28 saves for the Penguins, who blew a two-goal lead.
NBA roundup: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s record night leads Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 44 points, hit the tying 3-pointer with 18.7 seconds left in regulation and sank the tiebreaking free throws with three seconds left in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the Brooklyn Nets 120-119 on Thursday night in New York. Antetokounmpo made 14 of 21 shots and his lone 3-pointer of the game moved him past Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar atop Milwaukee’s all-time scoring list. He also added 14 rebounds and six assists to help Milwaukee win for the 12th time in 15 games.
VW to give green light for Audi, Porsche to enter F1 – sources
Audi and Porsche owner Volkswagen is likely to give the green light for the two brands to make their entry into motor racing’s Formula One at a meeting next week, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. “We will hopefully be able to communicate our intention to enter into Formula One then,” one of the sources said, with the second adding there was a “good chance” of a positive decision.
Tennis-Hurkacz stops Medvedev regaining world No. 1 spot in Miami
Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz kept his title defense going at the Miami Open by beating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7) 6-3 in their quarter-final on Thursday as the Russian fell one win short of reclaiming the world number one ranking. Hurkacz won the first three games and then fended off two break points in the seventh as Medvedev, who appeared unwell at times in the heat, struggled on his first serve and suffered four double faults in the first set.
Tennis-Swiatek sets up Miami Open final against Osaka
Second seed Iga Swiatek will face Naomi Osaka for the Miami Open title after the Pole defeated American Jessica Pegula in Thursday’s semi-finals. After Japan’s Osaka battled past Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-3 6-4 earlier in the day, Swiatek, who will become world number one on Monday, claimed her 16th straight win with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Pegula to reach a third straight WTA 1000 final.
Soccer-Premier League clubs to reintroduce five substitutes rule from next season
Premier League clubs have voted in favor of reintroducing the use of five substitutes per game from the start of the 2022-23 season, the organization said on Thursday. The substitutions can be made on three occasions during a game, not including halftime, and clubs can name nine substitutes in total on their team sheet, the league said in a statement.
Soccer-Nightmare over for U.S. with World Cup ticket in hand
A heavy burden was lifted from the shoulders of the United States men’s team as they booked their ticket to the Qatar World Cup this week, exorcising the demons of their failed attempt four years ago. The Stars and Stripes clawed their way onto the game’s biggest stage despite losing 2-0 away to Costa Rica on Wednesday, securing one of CONCACAF’s three guaranteed spots for the tournament, which begins in November.
(With inputs from agencies.)