World Sports News in Brief

Real Madrid's Vinicius strikes late to salvage draw with Sociedad

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr came off the bench to snatch a 1-1 draw at home to Real Sociedad on Monday (Mar 1) although the Spanish champions still lost momentum in the title race ahead of next week's showdown at leaders Atletico Madrid.

Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Real Madrid v Real Sociedad - Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid, Spain - March 1, 2021 Real Madrid's Raphael Varane in action with Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak and Nacho Monreal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Real Madrid v Real Sociedad - Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid, Spain - March 1, 2021 Real Madrid's Raphael Varane in action with Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak and Nacho Monreal. (Reuters)

* Richarlison’s early goal for Everton secured a 1-0 Premier League win over ailing Southampton on Monday to compound the woes for the visitors who have taken one point from the last 27 available.

* Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League round-of-16 first and second- leg matches against Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb have been reversed due to a clash with north London rivals Arsenal, European soccer's governing body UEFA said on Monday.

* UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is the "right time" for the United Kingdom and Ireland to launch a bid to host the 2030 football World Cup, while he added that the country would also be willing to host extra Euro 2020 matches this year if required.

* Roger Federer will not compete at this month's Miami Open as the Swiss maestro continues to work his way back to fitness after two knee operations in the past 12 months, the Miami Herald reported on Monday (Mar 1).

* Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as ATP world number one on Monday, holding the top spot for the 310th week. Djokovic's ninth Australian Open title last month guaranteed that he would surpass Federer's record on March 8.

* World No 1 Ash Barty has withdrawn from next week's Dubai Tennis Championships to continue her recovery from a left leg injury, the Australian said on Monday (Mar 1). The 24-year-old, who also pulled out of this week's Qatar Open in Doha for the same reason, struggled with a left thigh strain throughout last month's Australian Open, where she was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

* Andy Murray fought back from a set down to defeat home hope Robin Haase and claim his first top-level win of the year at the ATP tournament in Rotterdam on Monday (Mar 1). The three-time Grand Slam champion battled back to win 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 and book a last-16 meeting with either American qualifier Marcos Giron or Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev.

* Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka provided what was perhaps the best tennis on the opening day of the Qatar Open on Monday (Mar 1), with Azarenka prevailing 6-2 6-3.

* Crotone have sacked head coach Giovanni Stroppa after a six-match losing run left the Calabrians rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table. Stroppa led the club to the top flight for the second time in their history after they finished as runners-up in Serie B last season, but he struggled this term and departs with three wins from 24 games.

* Julien Stephan has resigned as Stade Rennais manager after a nine-year association with the club, the French top-flight side said in a statement on Monday. Rennes are ninth in the Ligue 1 standings with 38 points from 26 games so far.

* AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up an adductor injury during their 2-1 victory over AS Roma, local media have reported.

Reuters, CNA