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Leverkusen extends unbeaten run under Alonso to 13 games

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen is reaping the benefit of Xabi Alonso’s coaching.Leverkusen showed its resilient side on Sunday with a 2-0 win over direct rival Leipzig, which dropped out of the Bundesliga’s top four and the qualification places for the Champions League.Goals from Adam Hlozek and a late penalty from Nadiem Amiri secured Leverkusen’s win and stretched its unbeaten run to 13 games across all competitions.It’s been a remarkable turnaround.Leverkusen was second from bottom in the Bundesliga with just five points from the opening eight rounds when former Spain star Alonso was appointed coach in place of the fired Gerardo Seoane.Leipzig played well for long periods but found no answer to the home team’s resolute defending or ability to surge forward thanks to the speed of its attackers.Hlozek scored five minutes before the break when Robert Andrich played a perfectly weighted through ball for Moussa Diaby to race onto on the right. Diaby whipped in a cross behind Lei...

Lukaku and Leão decisive for Inter and Milan before CL derby

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

ROME (AP) — Inter Milan has been waiting all season for this version of Romelu Lukaku.The Belgium striker scored twice and set up the third goal in a 3-0 win at Empoli on Sunday to end Inter’s five-match winless run in Serie A.The goals were Lukaku’s first from open play in the Italian league since the opening round of the season in August, having struggled with a hamstring injury during the first half of the season.The return to form couldn’t have come at a better time for Lukaku, with the second leg of the Italian Cup semifinals coming up against Juventus on Wednesday, followed by the Champions League semifinals against city rival AC Milan next month.“I’m getting my confidence back,” Lukaku said. “I’ve always got (to) give my all for this (club), because they gave me a big opportunity to become the player that I am today.”Inter remained sixth, two points behind Milan, which beat visiting Lecce 2-0 with a brace from Rafael Leão.Later, runaway leader Napoli was visiting ...

Man United beats Brighton on penalties, faces City in final

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Manchester United advanced to the FA Cup final on Sunday by beating Brighton 7-6 on penalty kicks at Wembley.Defender Victor Lindelof struck the winning spot kick after the semifinal match ended 0-0 through extra time. Solly March had fired over the bar for Brighton after both teams had converted their previous six penalties, leaving Lindelof to set up a final showdown with Manchester City in June. Victory saw United immediately bounce back after being dumped out of the Europa League by Sevilla on Thursday and sets up an enticing all-Manchester final. It also gives Erik ten Hag the chance to win his second trophy in his first season at the club after lifting the League Cup in February. But it was a cruel way for Brighton to lose after creating the best chances in regulation time, forcing David de Gea to make three saves to keep the game goalless after 90 minutes. The United goalkeeper pushed away an early free kick from Alexis Mac Allister and then pulled off another f...

Miami’s Oladipo tears patellar tendon, latest injury setback

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The reactions from Victor Oladipo’s Miami Heat teammates told the story as he sat on the court, holding onto his left knee as fans watched in stunned silence. Kyle Lowry yelled a profanity. Max Strus covered his face with a towel. Jimmy Butler held his head in his hands, staring at the floor.They feared he was hurt badly. They were right.The Heat announced Sunday that Oladipo tore his left patellar tendon, a diagnosis that came after an MRI earlier in the day. The injury ends Oladipo’s season and calls his availability for the start of next season — and likely beyond — into serious doubt. He will need a third major surgery in just over four years, the previous two coming after a quadriceps injury over his right knee.No timetable will likely be known until after the surgery.“Yes, there are injuries. That is a part of this game. We understand that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Sunday before the team learned of the diagnosis. “But the human side of it, when you se...

Leafs’ Lafferty fined for cross-checking Lightning’s Colton

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs forward Sam Lafferty was fined for cross-checking in Saturday’s win over Tampa Bay, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.Lafferty was fined $3,108.11, which is the maximum allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement.In Saturday’s second period, Lafferty cross-checked Lightning forward Ross Colton up high in front of Toronto’s goal. Lafferty received a minor penalty for roughing. The Maple Leafs are already without forward Michael Bunting, who was suspended three games for an illegal check to the head on Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak in Game 1 of the series. Toronto holds a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series, with the two sides returning to action on Monday night.___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

ANÁLISIS | Taylor Swift envía un poderoso mensaje a las mujeres en el “Eras Tour”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

(CNN) — La primera sensación de incomodidad que sentí en el concierto de Taylor Swift en Las Vegas me llegó después de que se desvaneciera el contagioso ritmo de “Cruel Summer”, la canción favorita de los fans y la segunda de su gran actuación.Swift paseó por el escenario con un body de lentejuelas y botas a juego. Como ella misma dice, sus ojos de gata eran lo suficientemente afilados como para matar a un hombre.Dio las gracias a los miles de seguidores que la aclamaban por su ensordecedor apoyo y, cuando los rugidos se apagaron, hizo una pausa y gritó la frase que me dejó anonadada y envió un poderoso mensaje a las decenas de miles de mujeres asistentes sobre cómo abrazar el éxito.“Me hacen sentir como si fuera la primera mujer en encabezar el Estadio Allegiant”.Bajó la mirada hacia sus bíceps y levantó los brazos en señal de victoria.Los seguidores de Taylor Swift llevan a Ticketmaster ante la justicia por el caos en la venta de boletos para “T...

Police: NH woman arrested for DUI after driving wrong way down I-93

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

A New Hampshire woman is facing criminal charges after police say they had to use tire deflation devices to stop her from driving the wrong way down I-93 early Sunday morning.Kayiba K. Christelle, 22, was driving northbound in the southbound lanes around 2 a.m. and went from I-93 Hooksett into Bow, where troopers popped her tires, though she continued until mile marker 36.2, state police said.Christelle has been charged with reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, disobeying a police officer, reckless operation and driving while intoxicated. She was released on bail and will appear in Merrimack Superior Court on May 18.

Knicks take control of playoff series after Jalen Brunson’s dominance and Julius Randle’s benching

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

The best player in this series, and especially on Sunday afternoon, wasn’t Donovan Mitchell.Not even close.The star has been Jalen Brunson, the point guard who carried the Knicks to a pivotal 102-93 victory, giving Tom Thibodeau’s squad a 3-1 series lead.Brunson scored 29 points while totally outplaying Mitchell, who missed 13 of his 18 attempts in a miserable showing.RJ Barrett added 26 points, drawing chants from another supercharged MSG crowd, as Julius Randle was benched for the entire fourth quarter.Randle had been a disaster in the third quarter, showing little effort on defense as the Knicks squandered an earlier 15-point advantage. Thibodeau made the bold move of sitting down his All-Star, who finished with just seven points in 27 minutes on 3-of-10 shooting.In his place, Obi Toppin played all but 40 seconds of the final period as the Knicks ran away down the stretch.In Friday’s Game 3, the Knicks held the Cavs to 79 points, the smallest total for any team ...

Helicopter rescue prompted at Three Sisters Falls

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

JULIAN, Calif. -- A helicopter rescue was prompted in North County after a woman was injured while hiking to Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest, Cal Fir confirmed.The hiker, a 61-year-old woman, was reported to have suffered an ankle injury during the 4.1-mile out-and-back trail near Julian. 1 injured in South Bay structure fire According to AllTrails, the trek is considered to be a moderately challenging route.Cal Fire Capitan Brent Pascua says the woman will be taken to the trail head by helicopter and will then be evaluated my medics. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Diplomats flee Sudan fighting as citizens struggle to escape

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:24:50 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Foreign governments evacuated diplomats, staff and others from Sudan on Sunday as rival generals battled for a ninth day with no sign of a truce that had been declared for a major Muslim holiday.While world powers like the U.S. and Britain airlifted their diplomats from the capital of Khartoum, Sudanese desperately sought to flee the chaos. Many risked dangerous roads to cross the northern border into Egypt.“My family — my mother, my siblings and my nephews — are on the road from Sudan to Cairo through Aswan,” prominent Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abual-Ala wrote on Facebook.Fighting raged in Omdurman, a city across the Nile from Khartoum, residents said, despite a hoped-for cease-fire to coincide with the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.“We did not see such a truce,” Amin al-Tayed said from his home near state TV headquarters in Omdurman, adding that heavy gunfire and thundering explosions rocked the city.Over 420 people, including 264 civili...