World Sports News in Brief

Sevilla top La Liga after scrappy win over Valladolid

Sevilla scrambled to the top of La Liga with a scrappy 1-0 win at home to Real Valladolid on Sunday, moving one point clear of champions Barcelona at the summit.

Sevilla (in white) are unbeaten in their last seven league and cup games. (Photo: EPA)
Sevilla (in white) are unbeaten in their last seven league and cup games. (Photo: EPA)

* Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry won the US$7 million World Cup of Golf by three strokes in Melbourne on Sunday to secure Belgium's first title triumph in the team event.

* Aaron Rai held off a hard-charging Matthew Fitzpatrick to claim the Hong Kong Open by a solitary shot and secure his first ever European Tour win in pouring rain at Fanling Golf Course on Sunday.

* Pirelli has signed a new four-year deal to remain Formula One's sole tyre supplier until the end of the 2023 season, the sport announced in a statement on Sunday.

* Kimi Raikkonen retired from his last Formula One race with Ferrari on Sunday (Nov 25), his car losing power and coasting to a halt on the main straight after just seven laps of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

* Ireland confirmed Mick McCarthy's return as manager on Sunday and that he would give way to Dundalk boss Stephen Kenny after the 2020 European Championship in a double appointment attempting to address short- and long-term concerns.

* Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton signed off on the Formula One season in style and a cloud of tyre smoke on Sunday after a pole-to-flag victory in Abu Dhabi, his 11th win of the campaign. Ferrari's overall runner-up Sebastian Vettel finished second, and also set the fastest lap, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third in a race that also saw a rare sprinkling of desert rain.

* Fernando Alonso said goodbye to Formula One on Sunday (Nov 25) amid a fanfare of crowd-pleasing donut spins, generous tributes and a handful of post-race penalties from the FIA.

* World Rugby's awards night in Monaco turned green on Sunday as Ireland's Johnny Sexton and Joe Schmidt led a treble of player, coach and team of the year triumphs.

* Red Bull and engine suppliers Renault went their separate ways on Sunday as one of Formula One's most successful partnerships reached the end of the road in Abu Dhabi.

* Zurich, the home city of football's governing body FIFA, is finally set to get a purpose-built football stadium after voters gave the green light to the project in a local referendum on Sunday.

* Unai Emery claimed Arsenal's 2-1 win at Bournemouth was a big moment in their season after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang extended the Gunners' unbeaten run to 17 matches.

Reuters, CNA