14 Thursday, August 20, 2020 Sports Winning La Liga best ‘Return of a legend’: Ronald Koeman day of my professional officially named new Barcelona coach life, says Zidane AFP Aix-en-Provence (France) AFP axed, paying the price for the Madrid Bayern trouncing and internal Zinedine Zidane said on conflict that took place during Wednesday that leading Real Crisis-hit Barcelona hailed a league season that saw them Madrid to the La Liga title in a the “return of a legend” as the surrender the La Liga title to stop-start season at the mercy Spanish giants on Wednes- Real Madrid. of coronavirus was “the best day officially named Ronald Ex-France international day of my professional life”. Koeman as their new coach Abidal was replaced Wednes- The 48-year-old French through until 2022. day by Ramon Planes. football icon insisted it will re- “FC Barcelona and Ron- Koeman will leave his role main a memorable day even in ald Koeman have reached an as coach of the Netherlands to a career which includes winning agreement for the Dutchman his assistant Dwight Lodeweg- the 1998 World Cup as a player. to take over as first team coach es, while the national federa- The only setback in the until 30 June 2022,” the club tion searches for a full-time season was a Champions said in a statement. replacement. League last 16 exit at the hands The Oranje take on Po- of Manchester City. land on September 4 and Italy “We set the goal (of win- As a player, Ronald three days later, in Amster- ning La Liga) very high,” Zi- Koeman had arrived in dam as part of the UEFA Na- dane told AFP. French former football player and Barcelona in 1989, at the tions League. “After the (coronavirus) now Real Madrid’s head coach time the second most “It was an honour to be the confinement, knowing that Zinedine Zidane gives a child ad- expensive signing in the national coach of the Neth- perhaps we were not going to vise on how to shoot a ball during club’s history behind leg- erlands,” said Koeman, who start playing again, because the presentation of a sports and endary Diego Maradona. would have been in charge for that’s what was going on, fi- educational program called “Zi- the 2020 European champi- nally to have taken La Liga, for dane Five Club” (ZFC), at his futsal Barcelona’s new Dutch coach Ronald Koeman poses during his official presentation at the Camp Nou onships, now postponed by a me it was my happiest day. facility, in Aix-en-Provence, southern Former Barca star Koeman, stadium in Barcelona on Wednesday. (AFP) year because of the coronavi- “Even if we always want France, on Wedesday. (AFP) who has been in charge of the rus pandemic. to say that the Champions Netherlands since 2018, will his arrival as a player, Koeman Barca history, scoring the win- ning four consecutive La Liga “For the past two-and-a- League, yes, it’s great, it’s my story with the France team, replace Quique Setien, who was arrives once again as coach at ning goal to claim the Catalan titles between 1991-94. half years I have done every- magnificent, I don’t want to it was beautiful until my last sacked after the Catalans were the club that he helped win club’s first ever success in Eu- thing I can to achieve success- compare. game. With ups and downs, humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Mu- their very first European Cup rope’s top club competition. Mixed coaching bag es with the Oranje. “When we won this com- but my story was beautiful. nich in the Champions League back in 1992,” Barcelona said As a player, Koeman arrived Koeman’s coaching career, how- “I look back with pride on plicated, this very difficult La “If one day it has to con- quarter-finals on Friday. in a statement headlined “Re- in Barcelona in 1989, at the ever, has been mixed and he ar- what we have achieved togeth- Liga, it was really the best day tinue, it will happen naturally. The 57-year-old, who be- turn of a Barca legend”. time the second most expensive rives with the Catalans in crisis. er in that period. The Dutch of my professional life.” What will happen will happen.” comes the fifth Dutchman to “Koeman, the hero of Wem- signing in the club’s history be- Setien was fired on Monday national team has a bright fu- Zidane added that he Zidane won 108 caps as a coach Barcelona after Rinus bley, is back,” the club added, a hind Diego Maradona. after the embarrassment against ture, I am convinced of that.” would never rule out at some player with the French team, Michels, Johan Cruyff, Louis day after president Josep Maria In his six seasons as a Bayern which meant Barca fin- Koeman said that “every- stage taking charge of the playing in the 1998 World Cup Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard, Bartomeu revealed the Dutch- Barca player Koeman made ish the season trophy-less for one knows Barcelona is my French national team. winning side. will hold a press conference man would take over. 264 official appearances, scor- the first time since 2007. dream club”. “It feels very spe- However, it’s not some- However, his international later Wednesday at 1600 GMT. That night back in 1992, ing 88 goals as he shone in Earlier on Tuesday sport- cial to me to be able to become thing that is on his immediate career ended in disgrace when “More than 30 years after Koeman secured his place in Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’, win- ing director Eric Abidal was a manager there.” horizon which is not surprising he was red carded in the 2006 given that present incumbent final against Italy. Didier Deschamps has already Zidane, playing his cards won the 2018 World Cup from close to his chest at his football the coaching hot seat. school at Aix-en-Provence, ad- “I said it a dozen years ago: mitted that he had no grand Badminton star Momota Noah Lyles takes dash if I am a coach, why not one plan for the future. day train the France team?” “I don’t have a career plan. Zidane told AFP. I enjoy training today just as I sparks stampede with double at Hungary meet “It is not new. Even Didier did when I was a player. When Deschamps knows it because it doesn’t work out, or some- it was he who announced it. thing has to be done, I’ll do it coaching offer Worldathletics.org “We all have a story and differently.” Szekesfehervar (Hungary) AFP Tokyo Noah Lyles closed his abbre- viated 2020 season with an It’s an irresistible prospect for impressive double dash victory Change of guard as ex-Tour budding badminton players to highlight the tenth edition of – a chance to be coached by the Gyulai Memorial, a World champs Froome, Thomas Japanese world number one Athletics Continental Tour Gold Kento Momota, who has trig- meeting in Szekesfehervar, gered thousands of responses Hungary, on Wednesday. left out of Ineos team by offering his services. In the 100m, it was no con- “Would anyone like to test by the midway point, as AFP tories in the past eight Tours play badminton with me?” Japan’s world No. 1 badminton Lyles, racing with a black glove London were thanks to a British rider. Momota wrote on his Twitter player Kento Momota. on his right hand, found his Froome will not get the account on Tuesday. rhythm en route to a 10.05 win. Four-time Tour de France chance to bring down the cur- “I also want to teach peo- might be too good at it!” Sixty-five minutes later, he re- champion Chris Froome and tain on his hugely-successful ple badminton. I want people Former Japan internation- turned to the track for the 200m File photo of Noah Lyles of the US competing in the men’s 200metre 2018 winner Geraint Thom- spell with Ineos (formerly to know how fun this is,” add- al footballer Hiroshi Kiyotake which he took with an equally event during the Diamond League Athletics Meeting at The Louis II as’s absence from the formida- Team Sky) with a tilt for a fifth ed the badminton star, who also put up his hand, prompt- graceful run, clocking 20.13. Stadium in Monaco on August 14, 2020. (AFP) ble Team Ineos line-up for this Tour yellow jersey as he “needs was injured in a car crash in ing Momota to offer a trade: “I was just out here to have year’s race ushers in a new era more time”, according to team February in Malaysia. “Let’s do this in private. Teach fun,” Lyles said, explaining that in the African-American com- got to work, chipping away at with the accent on youth. principal Dave Brailsford. Momota, a top gold med- me how to juggle a football.” he decided to double back after munity are struggling in Amer- the lead over hurdles eight and Defending champion Egan Froome has been trying to al hope for Japan at the now- And even Momota’s na- a training session last night left ica,” he said. “I have a platform nine, running nearly even by Bernal of Colombia and high- get back to peak condition af- postponed Tokyo Olympics, tional badminton teammate him energetic and feeling good. and I intend to use it.” the tenth before taking down ly-rated Russian Pavel Sivakov ter he was involved in a high- spent months recuperating Kanta Tsuneyama weighed After his victory at the Monaco Italy’s Eseosa Desalu was the world champion on the are both 23 whilst last year’s speed crash at last year’s Crite- after the crash, which killed in asking for a shot. Diamond League meeting last second in the 200m in 20.35, lean by 0.01 in 13.21. Giro d’Italia champion Rich- rium du Dauphine which came the driver of his vehicle and Details are not yet decid- week, Lyles said, “this was just a season’s best. Adam Gemili, In the women’s sprint hur- ard Carapaz of Ecuador is 27. close to ending his career. left him with eye injuries. ed, but Momota said he would icing on the cake. who was second in the 100m dles, Nadine Visser won her Both 35-year-old Froome However, Froome, who His coaching offer – for wait until September before “I don’t get to run two races in 10,28, was third over the fifth race in as many starts this and Thomas, 34, have been broke his neck, femur, elbow, just two lucky students – at- deciding which students to very often so it was a lot of fun. half lap in 20.56. year, clocking 12.68 to equal her set targets of achieving a team hip and ribs in the crash, con- tracted a flood of applicants, take. The badminton star said Physically I feel healthy, which With the season’s four world lead set in Turku’s Conti- Grand Tour cleansweep with the ceded he is not in the shape ranging from parents apply- in June he had fully recovered is the most important. Now it’s fastest men in the field, the nental Tour Gold stop last week. former in the Vuelta a Espana required for the gruelling race ing for their children to fel- from the injuries he sustained time to go home and get ready showdown in the 110m hur- She held off a strong chal- (Oct 20 to Nov 8) and the latter which gets underway in Nice low sports stars. in the crash, and was back on for next year.” dles was to be of the evening’s lenge by Hungary’s Luca Ko- the Giro (Oct 3-25). on August 29. Olympic swimmer Daiya track for the Olympics. As he did in Monaco, key attractions, and it lived up zak who closed hard to clock Their absence means there Ineos team for Tour de France: Seto, who won a bronze in the Tokyo 2020 had been Lyles raised his black-gloved to expectations. 12.71 to break the national will be no serious British con- Andrey Amador (CRC), Egan Rio Games for individual med- scheduled to open in July, but fist into the air during his in- Grant Holloway got out record in her country’s biggest tender for the yellow jersey Bernal (COL), Richard Carapaz ley, tweeted: “Wanna do this!” was postponed for a year over troduction before the 100m. well, building a clear lead by international invitational. for the first time since Bradley (ECU), Jonathan Castroviejo But Momota replied: “I the coronavirus and is not set He said he’s going to keep hurdle four and building on it Further back, European Wiggins won La Grande Boucle (ESP), Michal Kwiatkowski (POL), don’t want you because you to begin on July 23, 2021. wearing it. over barriers five, six and sev- champion Elvira Herman was in 2012. Luke Rowe (GBR), Pavel Sivakov “The glove is a sign that we en. But then Orlando Ortega third in 12.96. Six of the team’s seven vic- (RUS), Dylan van Baarle (NED). ‘Dame Time!’: Blazers’ Lillard won’t let up against Lakers AFP/DPA “Blow the Whistle” by rapper just to secure their post-season teammates. What he’s been and rode a career-best playoff Miami Too Short as he positioned berth. Lillard was the man who able to do is amazing. He’s the game from Nikola Vucevic to a himself on defense having saw them through. He aver- top guy I’ve played with.” 122-110 upset of the top-seed- Portland guard Damian knotted the score at 87-87. aged 37.6 points and 9.6 assists The Lakers, back in the ed Bucks on Tuesday. Lillard is going long in the Then came a pull-up jump- in eight seeding games, getting playoffs for the first time in Vucevic hit 15 of 24 shots Trail Blazers’ quest for a deep er from 36 feet – near the half- a unanimous nod as Most Valu- seven years, will be eager to _ 5 of 8 from the 3-point line NBA playoff run. court logo – over Lakers star able Player of the restart. turn the tables in game two. _ and finished with a playoff Lillard has emerged as the Anthony Davis two minutes In addition to prolific For all the accolades he has career-high 35 points to lead star of the NBA restart in the later that gave Portland a lead scoring – 51 points against received in the restart, Lillard Orlando. He also pulled down quarantine bubble in Orlando, they wouldn’t relinquish. the Philadelphia 76ers and 61 wasn’t celebrating yet. 13 rebounds. Florida, and now that his ex- “Obviously it’s a big time against the Dallas Mavericks “The job is far away from The last Magic player to ploits have helped the Blaz- shot,” Lakers star James said. -- Lillard has been adept at being done,” he said, “but I’m score at least 30 points in ers to a first-round matchup “It was a breakdown defen- enabling teammates. proud of our effort.” a playoff game was Dwight against the mighty Los Angeles sively. He makes big shots and “I’ve never played with Earlier, Orlando Magic Howard, who had 33 against Lakers, he is not about to let up. takes big shots. Commend someone who lifted his team coach Steve Clifford talked at the Hawks on April 19, 2011. Lillard scored 34 points -- him for that.” on the court with his play and length about the importance Terrence Ross attempted including a pair of long-range Tuesday’s opener in the as a leader,” said Carmelo An- of playing ahead against the just three 3-pointers but fin- three-pointers in the fourth best-of-seven Western Confer- thony, whose three-pointer Milwaukee Bucks in their first- ished 7 of 13 from the field LeBron James (in yellow) of the Los Angeles Lakers drives the ball quarter – as the eighth-seed- ence first-round series could off an assist by Lillard with round playoff series. His team and scored 18 points. Markelle against Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first ed Trail Blazers beat LeBron have been seen as offering less than three minutes to followed his advice all the way Fultz and Gary Clark each had quarter in Game One of the Western Conference First Round 2020 James and the Lakers 100-93. some breathing room to the play helped seal the Lakers’ to a Game 1 victory. 15 points, while D.J. Augustin NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports After draining a 30-foot Blazers – who faced a string of fate on Tuesday. After taking a 12-10 lead, recorded 11 points and a play- Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Tuesday. (Getty Images/AFP) jump shot, Lillard danced to must-win games in the bubble “He genuinely cares for his the Magic never trailed again off career-high 11 assists.