North Korea beat South in Asian Games women’s football

INCHEON, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea beat hosts and arch-rivals South Korea 2-1 with an injury-time goal yesterday to set up a priceless chance for revenge against Japan in the Asian Games women’s football final.

Substitute Ho Un-Byol seized on a defensive error to fire in the winning goal just seconds from the end. North Korean tears of joy were matched by the South’s cries of desperation.

Japan, who beat the North in the 2010 Games final, hammered Vietnam 3-0 in their semi-final through goals from Mizuho Sakaguchi and Kana Osafune, and a header from Yuika Sugasawa in the 74th minute.

A bizarrely divided Korean crowd cheered on the two sides as they met for the first time in an Asian Games semi-final.

“Imported” athletes cause discontent at Asian Games

INCHEON, South Korea (AFP) — Discontent grew over African-born athletes at the Asian Games yesterday as two-time world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal led another assault on the track and field medals.

Ethiopian-born Jamal tore down the home straight to win the women’s 1,500 metres, just before Moroccan-origin Mohamad Al-Garni and Rashid Ramzi finished one-two in the men’s race.

Qatar’s home-grown high-jumper Mutaz Aissa Barsham did not challenge Javier Sotomayer’s 21-year world record, but he still took gold with his brother Muamer third.

A day after Nigeria-born Femi Ogunode beat Chinese and Japanese runners to claim a new Asian 100m record, athletes and a senior official spoke out about imported talent.

“I think it’s unfair because they are taller and have a longer stride,” men’s 100 metre silver medallist Su Bingtian told AFP. “They are more powerful and athletic. Physically we are at a disadvantage.”

Japan’s Kei Takase, who was third in the 100m, said Asians could be “left behind” as the bar set by African runners at Asia’s Olympics gets “higher and higher”.

And Olympic Council of Asia honorary vice president Wei Jizhongo said countries should “work together to decrease” the number of imported medal-winners.

Banned cricketer Ashraful receives lifeline

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Former Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful received a lifeline yesterday after a special appeal panel reduced his lengthy ban by three years allowing him to return to competitive cricket as early as August 2016.

The 30-year-old cricketer was originally slapped with an eight-year ban from all forms of cricket in June this year after he was found guilty of match fixing by a tribunal set up by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

But a disciplinary appeal panel “set aside” the sanction and reduced the ban to five years including two-year suspended sentence provided the star batsman participates in the “anti-corruption education and training programme to be organised by the BCB and the ICC (International Cricket Council).”

Afridi wants dignified farewells for senior cricketers

LAHORE, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi said yesterday the team’s senior cricketers should be given dignified farewells, after veteran batsman Younis Khan was unceremoniously axed from the one-day squad.

An incensed Younis lashed out at selectors last week for not including him in their plans for next month’s series against Australia, a decision he learnt about only when the squad was announced in the media.

The 36-year-old Test star, who has a history of making outspoken announcements, offered to step aside from all cricket for five months.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a show cause notice asking Younis to explain his outburst. But 34-year-old Afridi, who has already retired from Tests, backed his colleague.

“I request the PCB chairman to talk to Younis and make a plan for the future,” he told reporters. “I think all the seniors should be given a respectful way to retire.”

Former Pakistan greats like Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad and Mohammed Yousuf were forced into humiliating exits despite years of service.

Faldo says Mickelson threw captain Watson under the bus

LONDON, England (AFP) — Nick Faldo accused Phil Mickelson of “throwing the captain under the bus” with his outspoken criticism of United States skipper Tom Watson following the team’s Ryder Cup defeat by Europe.

No sooner had the US been well-beaten by 16 1/2 points to 11 1/2 at Scotland’s Gleneagles course on Sunday, than senior US team member Mickelson contrasted Watson’s approach unfavourably with that of Paul Azinger, who was the last victorious American captain back in 2008.

But English golf great Faldo, the losing skipper in 2008, said Mickelson was wrong in being so openly critical of eight-times major winner Watson, at the age of 65, the oldest captain in Ryder Cup history, immediately after this latest loss.

“For him to sit there and throw the captain under the bus, that was a tough one,” Faldo told BBC Radio Five yesterday.

“At least my (European) lot waited a couple of years.

“That should have been a private conversation. There’s obviously a bit of aggro (aggravation) in the American team room,” added Faldo, a six-time major-winner.

Watson, responding to the ongoing fall-out, said yesterday: “The issue between Phil and myself is basically a difference of opinion. So that’s the controversy.”

Williams and Cilic power through at China Open

BEIJING, China (AFP) — US Open champions Serena Williams and Marin Cilic powered through their openers at the $5.4 million China Open yesterday, with the women’s number one crushing her opponent after being 0-5 down.

Spaniard Silvia Soler-Espinosa looked to be cruising to a memorable victory against the power-hitting American in Beijing as she raced to a five-game advantage within twenty minutes.

But Williams’ response was ruthless, taking seven consecutive games to clinch the set with an incredible show of force.

A startled Soler-Espinosa took two games in the following set, but the number one seed in Beijing closed in on victory within 73 minutes with a 7-5, 6-2 scoreline.

In the men’s competition, fourth seed Cilic did not drop a serve in his defeat of Chinese wildcard Yan Bai, but was brought to break point on his first two service games.

The Croatian, playing his first game since his convincing 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori in New York, took 81 minutes to dispose of his opponent 6-3, 6-4.

The 26-year-old, who was a runner-up in Beijing in 2009 and 2011, is chasing points as he pushes to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in November.

The current world number nine is currently in fifth position in the race for the London tournament and must remain in the top eight if he is to make the season finale for the first time.

Only five berths are available as the world’s top three players — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — have already confirmed their places for London.

Ferrer falls to Granollers in Japan Open

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Marcel Granollers knocked fellow Spaniard and former champion David Ferrer out of the Japan Open in a first-round upset on yesterday 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The win over the tournament’s second seed was the first for Granollers in six meetings with his compatriot, ranked fifth in the world.

The early loss is a blow to Ferrer’s chances as he fights to qualify for one of five remaining spots at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in November in London.

Isinbayeva eyes pole vault gold in Rio 2016

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva has said she has her sights set firmly on bagging a third Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The 32-year-old, who gave birth to daughter Eva in Monaco in June, won golds at Athens in 2004 and Beijing four years later in a sport she has dominated.

“My coach Yevgeny Trofimov has already scheduled my working plan ahead of the start of the Games in Rio,” Isinbayeva told the Russian athletics federation.

“I want to win my third Olympic gold medal very much and I’ll do everything I can to achieve it.”

Isinbayeva has set 28 world records during her career.

She took a year out following her failure at the Indoor World Championships in Doha in 2010.

Isinbayeva returned to competition in February 2011, promptly winning a fourth world indoor title in Istanbul before taking bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and then going on to claim a third world outdoor gold in Moscow in 2013.

Pacquiao “not affected” by Mayweather’s taunts

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines (AFP) — Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao yesterday brushed off Floyd Mayweather’s latest taunts, saying he pitied his American rival as he urged him to read the Bible.

Pacquiao is training for a match in Macau in November against unbeaten American Chris Algieri.

Despite calls by boxing fans for the two biggest names in the sport finally to meet, Mayweather has refused to commit to a match, but has not refrained from baiting Pacquiao.

In his latest jibe, Mayweather — undefeated in 47 fights — recently posted several pictures on his social media account, showing Pacquiao knocked down in his past fights. Mayweather, 37, added that “Miss Pac Man is broke for a pay day”.

The deeply religious Pacquiao, who has 56 wins and five losses, said: “I’m not affected by it. I pity him and I pray that someday he would change his ways.”

“He (Mayweather) should fear God,” Pacquiao said, advising him to heed the biblical passage reading “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

The 35-year-old Pacquiao has held world titles in eight separate weight divisions.