Sport news

All sport in Italy has been suspended until at least 3 April because of corona virus, the country's prime minister Giuseppe Conte has announced.

This includes Serie A but not Italian clubs or national teams participating in international competitions.

Serie A - Italy's top flight - had already said all games would be played behind closed doors until 3 April.

Conte extended a series of strict quarantine measures, including a ban on public gatherings, to all of Italy.

Earlier, Italy's Olympic committee (CONI) recommended the move to suspend all sport at all levels after hosting a special meeting of sporting federations on Monday.

Italy has been the European country worst hit by coronavirus so far, with over 9,000 confirmed cases and more than 450 deaths.

"This situation has no precedent in history," a CONI statement said.

The announcement from CONI came just after Sassuolo v Brescia kicked off in Serie A. The game carried on and Sassuolo won 3-0

It was also confirmed on Monday that Serie A side Roma's Europa League tie at Sevilla on Thursday will be played behind closed doors.

• Timeline of how corona virus has affected sport
• The latest news about the corona virus outbreak

In rugby union, England's men's and women's Six Nations matches against Italy, which were scheduled to take place on 14 March and 15 March respectively, were postponed last week.

At the weekend, Italy's sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora accused Serie A of being "irresponsible" for ignoring his calls for football to be suspended because of the outbreak.

He said it made "no sense" for football to continue when, at that stage, up to 16 million people had been placed in quarantine in northern Italy in a bid to contain the spread of the virus - but the weekend's games all took place behind closed doors.

Parma's fixture against SPAL on Sunday kicked off 75 minutes late as they awaited a decision on whether the match would go ahead after Spadafora's comments.

There have been reports on Monday that the French sports ministry had decided matches in Ligue 1 - the country's top-flight football competition - should be played behind closed doors or in front of no more than 1,000 spectators as a measure to limit the spread of the virus.

Paris St-Germain's Champions League last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday will be played without fans because of corona virus.

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Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has been passed fit to face Cyprus in Belgium’s final Qualifier for the 2018 World Cup.

Lukaku, whose United side face Liverpool on Saturday, had been a doubt for Tuesday’s dead rubber in Group H after an ankle injury ruled him out of the 4-3 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday.

However, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed the 24-year-old has recovered from the injury and is now “100 per cent fit”.

Belgium have already secured their place in Russia next summer after finishing top in Group H and Martinez may opt to rest his first-choice striker against Cyprus.The reason that he wasn’t in the squad in the previous game was because he wasn’t 100 per cent,” said Martinez.

“Now he is 100 per cent but we need to take into consideration that he has been with the group for only one [training] session.

“He’s been working on an individual basis, really good work, but we need to keep that in mind.”

United boss Jose Mourinho will be hoping Lukaku avoids any further injuries ahead of this weekend’s crucial trip to Anfield.

The Red Devils are already without injured midfielder Paul Pogba as well as Lukaku’s international team-mate Marouane Fellaini, who suffered ligament damage during the win in Bosnia.

Ben Stokes will not travel to Australia with the rest of the England squad for the Ashes, the ECB have confirmed.

All-rounder Stokes, who is currently under police investigation having been arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm last month, has been suspended indefinitely alongside teammate Alex Hales and both aren't being considered for selection in any format of the game until further notice.

The ECB are yet to make a final decision on Stokes' involvement in this winter's tour Down Under but, if he does feature, the 26-year-old will travel later.Middlesex seamer Steven Finn has been added to the squad and will travel with the rest of the side for the five-match Test series later this month.

Both Stokes and Hales have, however, been retained on central contracts with director of England Cricket Andrew Strauss confirming the news on Friday.

“With the Ashes just around the corner, it’s important to give the players, the coaching staff and supporters some clarity around a complex situation," he said. “This decision will help us in the weeks ahead and give every player and the whole England set-up the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia.

“Steven is a high-quality cricketer, with considerable experience of both international cricket and Australian conditions. The selectors believe he will add to the range of options and the squad will be further supported by the arrival of the Lions in Australia in November.”“We have spoken to Ben and assured him that our decision in no way prejudges the outcome of the ongoing police investigation or Cricket Discipline Commission process, as can be seen by the award of central contracts.

“On these, I would like to congratulate all of those who have received England contracts for 2017/18, ahead of a busy year of international cricket.”

In a separate matter, the ECB has also fined and issued a written warning to Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett following a disciplinary investigation into behaviour during the recent one-day series against West Indies.

Christian Pulisic ran riot in Orlando to fire the United States to within touching distance of Russia 2018 with a 4-0 win over Panama.

The brilliant 19-year-old scored one and made another to cap a sensational 19-minute burst at the start of this crucial World Cup qualifier to see off a shellshocked Panama team and help the US take a firm step towards next year’s finals.

Pulisic opened the scoring on eight minutes and beautifully set up strike partner Jozy Altidore to make it two and compound a nightmare start for Panama, who now look destined to settle for a play-off match against either Syria or Australia to land a World Cup place for the first time in their history.

Honduras, whose match in Costa Rica was put back a day because of adverse weather, also remain in the mix.

For the Americans, however, a win against bottom of the hexagonal table Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday will seal their ticket for an eighth consecutive finals and even a point should do it.

“It was a good win for our team,” US manager Bruce Arena said. “We have had a great year despite what people think. We have come a long way.

“The game in Trinidad won’t be easy but we are in a good position now. It will be challenging. We faced challenging conditions in Honduras and Panama so we will be ready. Trinidad are out but will be a handful.”

The pressure was all on the US, who had earned just one point from their last two matches — a dispiriting home defeat to Costa Rica followed by an edgy 1-1 draw in Honduras.

And with Panama arriving in Orlando a point ahead of the US and eyeing an historic trip to the finals, the tension was palpable.

The last four matches between the two had all ended in draws, a result which would have suited Hernan Dario Gomez’s side, who close out qualifying next week against a Costa Rican side who should have joined Mexico in qualifying by then.

Arena needed his side to heap early pressure onto a Panama side who have been notoriously difficult to break down, conceding just five goals in their prior matches of the six-nation final round of qualifying.

Pulisic, who has now been involved in 11 of his side’s 16 goals in this entire qualifying run – had the kind of youthful, skillful exuberance needed to unlock the most miserly of backlines.

Bobby Wood, who was given the start ahead of veteran Clint Dempsey, led the line with Altidore.

And it was the former Sunderland striker who went close early on when his close range shot was charged down before Wood shot inches wide soon after.

Panama looked understandably nervous but Gabriel Torres’ first sight of goal on six minutes should have tested Tim Howard instead of flying harmlessly wide.

His wastefulness was to prove key as Pulisic produced some brilliance to settle US nerves.

Strike partner Altidore flicked the ball on and after the Dortmund star escaped the challenge of Roman Torres, he calmly rounded Jaime Penedo and slid home from a tight angle.

“At some point people are going to stop talking about his age and start talking about what a good player he is,” teammate Michael Bradley said of Pulisic.

Utterly dominant

Pulisic’s contribution on 19 minutes was equally impressive.

Picking up the ball on the left wing, Pulisic delivered a superb cross which was gleefully tapped in by Altidore.

The US were utterly dominant and on 43 minutes the game was put to bed. Wood was tripped in the area by substitute Armando Cooper and Altidore stepped up and cheekily chipped the ball down the middle.

“We wanted to press them early and get behind their backline,” Arena said. “Christian’s first goal was a terrific finish and I was pleased for both Jozy and Bobby Wood. Our top three attackers all had a good night.”

Pulisic left the field to rapturous applause on 56 minutes and the house was brought down yet again on 63 minutes as Wood capped an industrious performance with a well taken strike.

“It was a bad night,” Gomez said. “They were totally superior, excellent. It could have been worse – it could have been 10-0.”

Arsene Wenger is one of four Premier League bosses nominated for the September Manager of the Month award.

The Arsenal boss, who was the subject of protests throughout last season, steered the Gunners to two wins and one draw last month.

Manchester City, who sit top of the Premier League, were the only team to win all four of their September matches in the English top flight, earning Pep Guardiola a place among the contendersJose Mourinho led Manchester United to three wins and a draw in the same period, with his side behind their local rivals only on goal difference.

Mauricio Pochettino completes the quartet of nominees for the award, having collected 10 points from a possible 12 in September, leaving Spurs just behind the Manchester clubs at the top of the table.

Premier League clubs were unable to come to a resolution over how overseas television money is distributed following Wednesday's meeting, while Facebook could be in line as the next official broadcaster of the English top-flight's matches.
All 20 teams met in London midweek to discuss TV rights, with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham reportedly determined to receive a greater share of income.
A new deal would see a percentage of the global revenue divided based on league position but no vote was taken due to a lack of support.
A Premier League spokesman told Omnisport: "Premier League clubs today met and discussed the future development of the League.
"Clubs unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting to allow further discussion."
Meanwhile, Facebook's head of sports Dan Reed refused to rule out a bid for the Premier League broadcast rights.
The Premier League's next deals are set to be auctioned next year and the social media giant could challenge the likes of Sky Sports and BT for the next three-year set of domestic and international rights.
Reed said: "The Premier League is a very important partner of ours and we work with them very closely.
"But it would be premature to speculate how we might approach that opportunity -- it's still very early days and there is no template for this.''
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Victor Osimhen on target in Wolfsburg’s win over Utrecht

The 18-year-old forward got on the scoresheet as the Wolves defeated Erik ten Hag’s men at the Volkswagen Arena

Victor Osimhen was on target for Wolfsburg in their 2-0 win over Utrecht in a club friendly game on Wednesday.

The Nigeria international striker opened the scoring for the hosts in the 56th minute. A cross in from the left found the striker in the box, and he planted a header past the goalie.

Fourteen minutes later, Kaylen Hinds made it two. Another cross was played in from the right which eluded everyone but Hinds who fired in at the back post.

Osimhen will be looking to make his first appearance in the German top flight of the season when Martin Schmidt’s side visit the BayArena to take on Bayer Leverkusen on October 15.

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UFC 216: If Demetrious Johnson doesn't care about title defense record, we shouldn't either

Athletes get into sports to make the most money possible for their families, win championships and set records. The latter two help define them in their place in history of their chosen profession. They want to go down among the immortals.
On Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC 216, Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1) has a chance to make history for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history when he finally looks to defend the flyweight championship for the 11th time against Ray Borg. Johnson currently shares the record with Anderson Silva. Johnson and Borg were originally set to battle at last month's UFC 215. It didn't come to pass though as two days before the fight, Borg got pulled from the fight due to an illness.
Even one month after the bout was originally scheduled, UFC 216 still should be a historic occasion. It isn't though.
Being a UFC champion, you are facing the best competition in every fight. Your opponent is going to bring their A-game. They want you have and everything that comes with the honor of being a champion in the premiere MMA organization in the world.
Johnson gets paid well for stepping inside the Octagon and is perhaps the greatest champion in the history of the sport, but he couldn't seem to care less about such a historic mark in the company's history.
“For me obviously as an athlete and as a competitor who has been doing it for a very long time, it’s just another fight,” Johnson said on the UFC 215 conference call last month. “Obviously, if I’m successful defending my belt for the 11th time, it’s going to be the grandmother of them all.”
Of the 10 current UFC champions, they have a combined 13 consecutive title defenses. Five of those are by women's strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She isn't even halfway to the mark.
Add the fact that Johnson has won six fight-night bonuses for either Knockout of the Night, Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night and Performance of the Night, a record of this magnitude should have Johnson on every sports and late-night talk show. This should be the talk of the sports world.
Look at Cal Ripken Jr. when he broke the Major League Baseball record of 2,130 consecutive games played set by Lou Gehrig.  He knew what the record meant. During his run to the record, in every interview, you could feel Ripken's emotion, how he truly cared about breaking a 56-year record people thought would never be broken.
Yet, it isn't because Johnson gives answers like, "It’s just another fight". If he doesn't care about breaking Silva's record like Ripken did when he broke Gehrig's record, other media outlets aren't going to give it the attention it rightfully deserves.
So when the dust settles following UFC 215 — and if Johnson does what many expect him to do against Borg — it will be exactly what Johnson has said in the lead-up to Saturday's event.
If Demetrious Johnson didn't give you a reason to care about making such a historical achievement, you shouldn't either.

Europa League: See full match results here (28/9

Various stadiums across Europe, yesterday played host to soccer fans and teams across the region as Europa League games took center stage.
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the tournament dispatching Belarusian side, Bate by 4 goals to two despite fielding a weakened team.
Astana (1) vs Slavia Praha (1)
Lazio (2) vs Zulte Waregem (0)
Zenit (3) vs Real Sociedad (1)
Östersund (1) vs Hertha (0)
Red Bull (1) vs Marseille (0)
FC Köln (0) vs Red Star Belgrade (1)
Rosenborg (3) vs FK Vardar (1)
Konyaspor (2) vs Vitória SC (1)
Athletic Bilbao (0) vs Zorya (1)
BATE (2) vs Arsenal (4)
Lugano (1) vs Steaua Bucuresti (2)
Plzeň (3) vs H. Beer-Sheva (1)
OGC Nice (3) vs Vitesse (0)
Sheriff (0) vs København (0)
Braga (2) vs İstanbul Başakşehir (1)
Lokomotiv Moscow (3) vs Zlín (0)
Lyon (1) vs Atalanta (1)
Skënderbeu (1) vs Young Boys (1)
Everton (2) vs Apollon Limassol (2)
Partizan (2) vs Dynamo Kyiv (3)
AEK (2) vs Austria Wien (2)
Milan (3) vs Rijeka (2)
M. Tel-Aviv (0) vs Villarreal (0)
Ludogorets (2) vs Hoffenheim (1)

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 Sergio Aguero: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola 'no problem' with Dutch trip

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he had "no problem" with Sergio Aguero being in Amsterdam as he confirmed the striker suffered a broken rib in a car accident on Thursday.

The Argentine was in a taxi on his way to the airport after watching singer Maluma when the accident happened.
Guardiola added: "He had a day off. He's OK - the most important thing."
Aguero, 29, tweeted: "It was a very heavy slam but seatbelts prevented it from being worse."

• Aguero injured in Amsterdam car accident

The Spanish manager said he did not know how long Aguero would be sidelined for, and added that he only discovered his striker was in the Netherlands early on Friday.

He said: "I think days off are to be happy. I want the players to be happy. Always I am a manager who doesn't like to train every day.
"I think the players have to rest mentally and physically. They can enjoy their lives. I want my players to have fun. If they decide to go there, they decide to go there. It is OK for me."

Aguero told Argentine radio station Metro: "I've broken a rib. Now I'm resting but it's really painful."
He later wrote on Twitter: "Thank you with all my heart for the supportive messages, they really do help me in recovering.
"The taxi I was riding made a wrong turn and crashed against a pole."

Aguero's former club Independiente sent the player their best wishes on Twitter, saying: "Strength and speedy recovery @aguerosergiokun! All @Independiente is with you at this difficult time."

The striker has scored seven goals in eight matches for City this season, helping Pep Guardiola's side reach the top of the Premier League and win their first two Champions League group matches.

The international break follows City's match against Chelsea. Aguero was named in Argentina's squad for their final two World Cup qualifiers against Peru (5 October) and Ecuador (10 October).
Argentina are fifth in the South American section standings, which only guarantees a play-off place.