Sports news of the day: what you need to know

Last – Late goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah earned Liverpool a 2-0 win at Inter Milan in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg.

Liverpool were struggling to create plenty of chances, with manager Juergen Klopp ringing in the second-half changes, and one of those substitutes proved an asset – Firmino tucking in from a corner to get out of the way. deadlock in the 75th minute.

With their resistance broken, errors began to seep in for Inter and Salah pounced when they failed to clear a long ball into the box to put the game to bed with seven minutes left.

Even though the away goals rule is no longer in effect, victory puts the 2019 Champions League winners in a dominant position ahead of the return leg on March 8 at Anfield.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich midfielder Kingsley Coman struck in the 90th minute to snatch a 1-1 draw at Salzburg.

The Austrians, who were playing in the last 16 of the competition for the first time, took the lead midway through the first half thanks to a goal from Chukwubuike Adamu’s counterattack.

-Reuters

India beat Windies

India overcame a mid-inning blip to beat West Indies by six wickets in the inaugural Twenty20 International to extend the tourists’ winless streak.

Chasing 158 for the win, the hosts, who swept a previous day’s streak 3-0, got off to a good start before West Indies made a brief comeback in the contest.

Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer turned the game in the hosts’ favor with 48 runs from 4.2 overs to help India go home with seven balls to spare at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard returned from a knee injury but they went a modest 157-7 after being batted.

Kolkata also hosts the next two matches on Friday and Sunday.

-Reuters

Forcibly kick an unvaccinated player

Western Force released lock Sitaleki Timani, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, by mutual consent due to state government vaccine regulations.

The Perth-based club say Timani remains unvaccinated due to his medical issues and has been unable to qualify for a medical exemption to play in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season which begins tomorrow.

Timani, who made his trial debut for Australia in 2011, said it was a difficult decision.

“With the help of the Force I am still seeing specialists but unfortunately with the season about to start I understand the position it puts both the Western Force and Rugby Australia in,” the player said. 35 years old.

“It’s not how I wanted to end my time in Australian rugby, but I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to put the Force shirt back on and wish them all the best for the coming season.”

-Reuters

Bengals keep coach

The Cincinnati Bengals have extended head coach Zac Taylor’s contract through the 2026 National Football League season after leading the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.

Taylor engineered one of the most incredible turnovers in NFL history since being hired by the Bengals in 2019 and this week the team was on course to win its first Super Bowl championship until a late rally. of the Los Angeles Rams.

Taylor went 6-25-1 in his first two seasons as NFL head coach in which the Bengals finished last in the AFC North but, with help from quarterback Joe Burrow , has built one of the best young offenses in the NFL.

-Reuters

Phoenix wins again

The Phoenix jumped into the top six of the A-League with their fourth victory in five matches.

Wellington’s unbeaten streak was extended with a 3-0 rout of Brisbane Roar to level the points with fourth-placed Sydney FC.

England defender Scott Wootton scored his first goal for the club to give Wellington a deserved half-time lead, before a sublime strike from fellow new signing Gael Sandoval doubled their advantage and Reno Piscopo completed the score midway through the second half.

The Phoenix have now claimed 10 of a possible 12 points in February.

Coach Ufuk Talay was impressed.

“This is our fourth game in 11 days. [and] the boys supported him very well,” Talay said.

“I think it was a dominant display with and without the ball tonight and we scored some really good goals.”

After being at the bottom of the ladder a week and a half ago, the Nix are now just three points from first place.

“There’s still a long way to go, there’s still a lot of games to play, but it’s the goal to make the top six and play football in the final.”

Talay named the same XI that started the previous two games against Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United as the Phoenix looked to continue their unbeaten streak.

Wellington Phoenix return to Leichhardt Oval on Saturday when they take on Sydney FC in their fifth game in 14 days.

Reuters

Rahm named player of the year 2021

World No. 1 Jon Rahm has been voted Player of the Year 2021 by the DP World Tour professionals, winning the Seve Ballesteros award named after his fellow Spaniard.

Rahm won the award for the second time in three years following a season in which he secured his first major at the US Open, becoming Spain‘s first champion and only the fourth Spaniard to win a major.

The 27-year-old also finished Europe’s top points scorer at the 2021 Ryder Cup, with 3.5 points from his five matches, and spent a total of 27 weeks as world number one.

The Player of the Year award is named after the late five-time Major Champion Ballesteros and, for the first time this year, integrates the former Golfer of the Year award into a single, player-voted award.

“Winning anything with Seve’s name on it is a huge honor for me, as is having it voted for by DP World Tour players,” Rahm said.

“It’s very unique to be recognized by your peers like this. It’s a real honor to be able to win this award for the second time and I hope I can continue to make the DP World Tour proud.”

Reuters

Aubameyang ready to play Napoli, says Barca boss Xavi

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is 100 per cent ready to play his Europa League knockout tie against Italy’s Napoli, manager Xavi Hernandez has said.

The Gabon international moved to Barcelona on a free transfer last month after terminating his contract with English Premier League club Arsenal.

“He’s good and he’s training very well. He’s 100% ready. He’s a player who can make a difference, he works well in spaces and makes good runs in the box,” Xavi told reporters. journalists before the home game against Napoli.

“He has performed very well in recent years. I am very happy with him, he is working positively in our group and he is very professional.”

The Spaniard has also dismissed speculation that he won’t use Ousmane Dembele in home games, after the France international was greeted with a chorus of boos upon his return to the squad in a Champions League win. La Liga against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou.

“Dembele’s game won’t depend on whether we are home or away,” Xavi said.

“He will play according to what we are looking for and of course he will be an important player until the end of the season, he has helped us a lot.”

Barcelona withdrew from the Champions League after finishing third in their group behind Bayern Munich and Benfica, and Xavi said the club’s ambition was to return straight to Europe’s top competition.

Reuters

Bengals extend coach Taylor’s contract after Super Bowl run

The Cincinnati Bengals announced Wednesday that they have extended head coach Zac Taylor’s contract through the 2026 National Football League season after leading the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years. .

Taylor engineered one of the most incredible turnarounds in NFL history since being hired by the Bengals in 2019 and on Sunday the team was in a position to win its first Super Bowl championship until a late rally. Los Angeles Rams.

“I know the effort and passion Zac brings to the building and our team, and I’m thrilled with his approach,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement.

“And I think the city of Cincinnati sees him as the players and I do. He brought excitement to the city and deserves recognition and recognition for that.”

Taylor went 6-25-1 in his first two seasons as NFL head coach in which the Bengals finished last in the AFC North but, with help from quarterback Joe Burrow , has built one of the best young offenses in the NFL.

In Taylor’s third season, Cincinnati went 10-7 in the regular season to win the AFC North Division title before making a surprising run to the Super Bowl.

In the NFL Championship Game, the Bengals held the lead until the fourth quarter until the hometown Rams scored the touchdown with 85 seconds left, then relied on their dominant defense to close the 23-20 victory.

Reuters