Category: 6. Sports

LIMASSOL (Cyprus) – The action continues for teams in Group C and D as the Final Phase already beckons for some.

With Gameday 3 on the horizon in Limassol and Katowice, there are a handful of teams looking to continue their perfect run with the Round of 16 already in sight. For others, this marks a chance to get things going with the first win.

Who is going to prevail and who will have to salvage things in the last two games?

Key Storylines

• Giannis, Greece take on Georgia with eyes set on 3-0;

• France, Poland look to extend perfect run;

• Fontecchio and Nurkic go head-to-head.

Group C: Giannis back for Greece

With two nice wins in the books, Greece now take on Georgia with their eyes set on the knockout stages. Be sure to tune in and find out if Georgia’s passion can take down Giannis Antetokounmpo who is returning after sitting out the Cyprus game. Reigning champs Spain, who bounced back on Saturday, want to build on that as they take on the hosts Cyprus. Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina will finish things off with their battle for 2-1 and a Simone Fontecchio vs Jusuf Nurkic matchup.

Did you know?

• Georgia knocked down only three three-pointers in their last game after making eight or more three-pointers in eight of their nine previous games at the FIBA EuroBasket.

• Spain have dished out 20 or more assists in six straight games at the EuroBasket with the longest streak of that kind being seven games.

• Saliou Niang is the only Italia’s player to go into the double digits in the scoring column in each of their first two games at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

_{All information has been provided by Opta.}

Group B: France look towards Riga

After surviving the encounter with Luka Doncic, France now look upon the clear pathway to the top of the group. Next stop is Israel, a team at 1-1 who just missed out on making it two from two. Earlier, Slovenia take on Belgium in a must-win game now that they found themselves at 0-2 as hosts Poland will end the day with a bout against heartbroken Iceland, aiming to record their third win and book the stay in Riga.

Did you know?

• Luka Doncic has scored 30+ points in five EuroBasket games since the start of the 2022 event, more than any other player in that span.

• This is the first time that France have started a FIBA EuroBasket tournament by scoring 90+ points in each of their first two games (92 vs Belgium & 103 vs Slovenia).

• Mateusz Ponitka has had three double-doubles at the FIBA EuroBasket, the second-most for any Polish player
  over the last 30 years. Only Marcin Gortat has more with five.

_{All information has been provided by Opta.}

FIBA

MILAN:

Andre-Frank Anguissa was the hero for Napoli on Saturday with the last-gasp winner which gave the Serie A champions a 1-0 success over Cagliari, while Roma saw off promoted Pisa by the same score.

Cameroon midfielder Anguissa struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time just as it looked like Antonio Conte’s team would fail to break down dogged Cagliari.

Just moments before, Scott McTominay had wasted a golden opportunity to snatch the points at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona where the hosts had few clear chances on goal.

“It was a hard match because they defended really well but we didn’t leave anything out there, we pushed and in the end we won,” said Anguissa to DAZN.

A year ago almost to the day Anguissa netted  a winner in added time against Parma, but he scoffed at suggestions Saturday’s strike was an good omen for Napoli’s bid to successfully defend the Scudetto for the first time.

“The most important thing is winning, we played as a team and that’s how it should be,” Anguissa said.

The closest Napoli came to breaking the deadlock before stoppage time came in the 57th minute when Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile pulled off a one-handed save to stop Leonardo Spinazzola’s low drive fizzing in at the near post.

Stars Kevin De Bruyne and McTominay were subdued, while Lorenzo Lucca was again ineffective as a replacement for injured Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku.

Napoli are set to sign Rasmus Hojland from Manchester United with the Denmark striker landing in Italy on Saturday ahead of an initial loan move with obligation to buy.

Roma continued their positive start to life under Gian Piero Gasperini with their narrow win in Tuscany, Matias Soule deciding a tough contest nine minutes after half-time.

Soule stroked home Evan Ferguson’s lay-off to give Roma a perfect six points, level with Napoli — who lead on goal difference — and Cremonese.

The Argentine had the ball in the net for a second time shortly after opening the scoring, but he was denied a brace from the raucous Arena Garibaldi when he was spotted handling the ball before shooting past Adrian Semper.

“Every day that I’m here with the faith that is shown in me I feel better, but I can still give more,” said Soule, who shone alongside countryman Paulo Dybala.

“I’m always with him, so we have a connection off the field as well. When he’s on the pitch he gives us something more.”

Riccardo Orsolino celebrated his selection by new Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso by guiding home the only goal of Bologna’s 1-0 win over Como.

Winger Orsolini met Santiago Castro’s low cross just before the hour to give Bologna their first win of the season, suggesting he is set to carry on with the fine form which helped Vincenzo Italiano’s team win the Italian Cup last season.

The 28-year-old struggled for playing time with Italy under former coach Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked in June following a troubled start to the Azzurri’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

“I need to get to know the coach (Gattuso) but I’m there for him and the rest of the lads. I’m always ready,” said Orsolini.

Atalanta are without a win under Ivan Juric after Patrick Cutrone gave Parma a 1-1 draw.

Cutrone’s 85th-minute strike cancelled out a fine finish six minutes earlier from Mario Pasalic who was playing 300th match for Atalanta and was a key figure in the team which won the Europa League under Gasperini last year.

Polish businessman Piotr Szczerek has been identified as the man who took an autographed hat intended for a young fan during the US Open.

The incident occurred after Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s victory over ninth seed Karen Khachanov. While signing autographs courtside, Majchrzak attempted to hand his signed hat to a boy named Brock, but it was swiftly taken by Szczerek.

The CEO of paving company Drogbruk was seen placing the hat into his wife’s bag as the boy protested. The moment, caught on live broadcast, spread quickly online and drew strong criticism from viewers. Szczerek has since deactivated his social media accounts.

Majchrzak later addressed the matter, confirming Szczerek’s identity and describing it as a misunderstanding. “Obviously it was some kind of confusion,” he explained, adding that Szczerek is a sponsor of his tennis federation. The player added, “I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super tired and super excited for the win. I just missed it.”

Online reaction was swift, with users on Polish job search site Gowork.pl branding Szczerek a “common thief” and a “shameful jerk.” Critics wrote that “you can’t buy class” and said they would avoid doing business with his company.

Majchrzak later used social media to contact Brock’s family, meeting them in person to present a new signed hat and other keepsakes.

Photo: Instagram

Szczerek, who co-founded Drogbruk with his wife in 1999, is also an amateur tennis player. He has yet to comment publicly.

The Dutch multi-distance phenomenon Sifan Hassan has set a race record to claim victory in the first running of the Sydney Marathon as a World Majors Series event.

Hassan clocked a women’s winning time of two hours 18 minutes and 22 seconds as Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge fell short of the podium in the men’s category on Sunday.

Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros produced the fastest marathon run in Australia to win the men’s event in 2:06:06.

The 28-year-old prevailed by 10 seconds over his young countryman Addisu Gobena, with Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana third.

Kiros shaved 12 seconds off last year’s record set by Kenya’s Brimin Kipkorir, who is provisionally suspended after recording a positive test for a prohibited substance two months after his win in Australia.

Hassan blitzed the previous record of 2:21:40 – set by Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa – as she won by 34 seconds from Kenyan runner Brigid Kosgei with Edesa third in 2:22:05.

“The last five kilometres, I’m dead,” Hassan said. “It’s the first major marathon in Australia, in Sydney, and I’m the first one to win, so it’s big history for me.

“I felt so good in the first 5Ks and I think I pushed too hard. I pushed really hard the last 10Ks. I was like, ‘That’s not really smart. I’m going to pay the price’ but I feel I got away with it. I’m so grateful.”

Kipchoge, 40, finished ninth in 2:08:31 after dropping out of the leading pack around the 31km mark.

“I’m happy to go across the finish line. I have nothing to prove,” Kipchoge said. “My mission is to bring all the people together. Let us surpass 55,000 [from 35,000], actually, next year to run here.

“It’s a beautiful course. It’s a course whereby there is no other in this world.”

The Canberra local Leanne Pompeani led the local charge in the women’s race, crossing the finish line in seventh with a time of 2:24:47.

Pompeani was followed by Olympians Jess Stenson and Lisa Weightman in eighth and ninth, respectively.

The Melburnian Haftu Strintzos posted the best result for Australia’s men in 14th in 2:11:27, ahead of 16th-fastest Thomas Do Canto.

The former national record holder Brett Robinson was 17th in 2:15:00.

Swiss star Marcel Hug smashed the record of 1:36:38 set by the Australian legend Kurt Fearnley in 2011 to win the men’s wheelchair marathon.

The seven-time Paralympic gold medallist and marathon world record holder outpaced the field as he clocked 1:27:15 and won by more than six minutes from last year’s Paralympic marathon bronze medallist Tomoki Suzuki.

USA’s six-time Paralympic medallist Susannah Scaroni was just as dominant in the women’s category to win in 1:45:52.

Her time easily bettered the Australian star Madison De Rozario’s record time of 1:54:10 set last year.

De Rozario, who claimed back-to-back Sydney Marathon wins from 2023, did not compete on Sunday.

De Klerk’s inclusion in the squad increases the size of the group currently preparing for the first Test in Auckland to 36 players, after Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi remained behind in South Africa earlier this week to attend to family matters.

The Springboks will face their archrivals, the All Blacks, at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday 6 September, before travelling to Wellington for their second match on the tour at the Sky Stadium on Saturday 13 September.

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