ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 5, 2021 16

Australia’s Ben O’Connor celebrates as he crosses the fi nish line to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 144.9 kilom- eters (90 miles) with start in Cluses and fi nish in Tignes, France. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com

Roglic drops out Pogacar keeps control of Tour Bucks head to NBA Finals TIGNES, France, July 4, (AP): Defending champion Tadej Pogacar kept control of the Tour de France on a rain- soaked second day in the Alps as a crash-fi lled opening week took its toll on rivals on Sun- day. for ‘first’ time since 1974 Both last year’s runner-up Primoz Roglic and former race leader Mathieu van der Poel Hawks fall dropped out of the race before the grueling 144.9-kilometer (90-mile) route from Cluses to ATLANTA, July 4, (AP): Tignes on Sunday. The Milwaukee Bucks Australian rider Ben O’Connor won the ninth were an instant success in stage after launching a solo the NBA, winning a cham- break with 17 kilometers to pionship in just their third go. Sergio Higuita was un- season and reaching the fi- able to follow the 25-year- old as O’Connor powered up nals again three years later. the Col du Pré for the finish Nearly a half-century later, they at Tignes. It’s his first tour finally have a shot at another title. win. Khris Middleton scored 32 points, O’Connor fi nished more including a run of 16 straight in a than fi ve decisive third quarter that carried the minutes Bucks to a 118-107 victory over the ahead of upstart Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of Mattia the Eastern Conference fi nals Saturday Cattaneo night. Milwaukee won the series 4-2, ad- in second. vancing to the NBA Finals for the fi rst Pogacar time since 1974. Game 1 against the responded West champions Suns is Tuesday night to a late in Phoenix. attack by The Bucks didn’t even need Giannis Richard Antetokounmpo to lock up their spot. Pogacar Carapaz The two-time MVP missed his second to defend straight game with a knee injury, but his overall lead by fi nishing Middleton & Co. had his back. sixth, just over six minutes be- Jrue Holiday added 27 points and hind O’Connor. four other players scored in double UAE Team Emirates rider fi gures. Pogacar has a lead of 2:01 over O’Connor ahead of the BASKETBALL fi rst rest day on Monday. Van der Poel held the yel- low jersey for six days but Antetokounmpo cheered them on relinquished it to Pogacar on from the bench. “One of the biggest things we did Saturday. the last two games was play for him,” “We decided with the team said Pat Connaughton, who had 13 that it’s in my best interests points and eight rebounds. “We do The Milwaukee Bucks celebrate with the conference trophy after defeating the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals in the NBA to quit the race and focus have a true team.” Trae Young re- basketball playoffs in Atlanta. (AP) on the Olympics now,” the turned to the Hawks lineup after miss- Dutch rider said after pull- ing two games with a bone bruise in ing out. his right foot, but the young star never Kane scores twice got anything going. After both teams struggled to fi nd the range in the fi rst CYCLING half, the Bucks suddenly couldn’t miss in the third quarter. England overwhelm Ukraine, reach semis Roglic crashed badly dur- Especially Middleton. Atlanta actually had a chance for its ing Monday’s third stage in ROME, July 4, (AP): England are go- Luke Shaw set up a header from the western Brittany region fi rst lead of the game when Young’s behind-the-back pass gave Kevin ing back home - with something to Maguire. Four minutes later, Kane and had been struggling play for. got his second by heading in another since. Huerter an open look from 3-point range. Harry Kane scored twice and Eng- cross from Shaw on a play that in- The Jumbo-Visma team land overwhelmed Ukraine 4-0 to cluded a backheel pass from Sterling said the Slovenian rider would The shot rimmed out, and Middleton quickly ripped off the next 13 points reach the European Championship as England dazzled. focus on new goals. to suddenly push Milwaukee’s edge to semifi nals. After failing to score in the group “We took the decision all to- It was the only match of Euro 2020 stage, Kane now has three goals in gether with the team, it doesn’t that England had to play away from two matches after also scoring in the make sense to continue,” Ro- 2-0 win over Germany in the last 16. glic said. Wembley Stadium and it was the Roglic performed well in team’s most dominant performance Friday’s time trial, but suf- of the tournament. SOCCER fered in the 151-kilometer Harry Maguire and Jordan Hen- (94-mile) route from Oyonnax derson also scored as England kept a clean sheet for the fi fth straight match Kane won the Golden Boot with to Le Grand-Bornand on Sat- six goals the 2018 World Cup, when urday, when Pogacar seized of the competition. It marked the fi rst time that Eng- England also reached the semifi nals. control of the race. He exited to a standing ovation at the Roglic was already al- land scored four goals in the knock- out stage of a major tournament since Stadio Olimpico when he came off most 40 minutes behind his midway through the second half. compatriot before Sunday’s beating West Germany 4-2 in the England’s Harry Maguire, (center top), scores his side’s second goal during 1966 World Cup fi nal. Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchen- stage. the Euro 2020 soccer championship quarterfinal match between Ukraine ko, a former standout forward, appre- Roglic said he surprised England now goes back to London and England at the Olympic stadium in Rome at the Olympic stadium in to face Denmark on Wednesday. The Rome, Italy. (AP) ciated how Kane took advantage of himself in the time trial but all of his opportunities. doubts returned in the fi rst Danes beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in that won the World Cup on home soil. Henderson’s goal - his fi rst for mountain stage Saturday when 60-45. Baku. Kane scored on England’s fi rst op- England after a decade with the na- he was in a lot of pain. Young broke up the one-man on- Italy will face Spain in the other portunity in the fourth minute, using slaught with a driving basket, but tional team - also came with a header “It’s just too much for my semifi nal match on Tuesday, with the one touch to redirect a through ball from as Ukraine’s defenders had no an- body at the moment and yeah, Middleton responded with a 3-pointer that gave him 16 straight Milwaukee fi nal next weekend also to be played Raheem Sterling for his second goal in swers to England’s aerial prowess. I cannot race,” the 31-year-old Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lo- at Wembley. as many matches. The ball went in off Ukraine, which were coming off a said. pez (11) scores as Atlanta Hawks points. forward John Collins (20) defends Middleton fi nished the quarter with The last time England made it to the shoulder of goalkeeper Georgiy 2-1 extra-time win over Sweden, had “I’m disappointed. I didn’t the last four of the European Cham- Bushchan inside the near post. relied on occasional counterattacks in plan it to be the way it is, but during the second half of Game 6 23 points, nearly outscoring the Hawks of the Eastern Conference finals in all by himself. Atlanta had 29 points pionship was in 1996. But the bigger England also scored early in the the fi rst half and produced a series of in the end, I have to accept the NBA basketball playoffs in At- in the period as Milwaukee headed to goal at this point is to duplicate the second half after Kane was fouled chances just before the break. Other- it.” lanta. (AP) the fi nal quarter with a commanding success of the 1966 England team about 10 seconds. A free kick from wise, England was in control. Colombia edge Uruguay on penalties for semifinals spot Argentina keep Messi dream of winning first major int’l title alive RIO DE JANEIRO, July 4, (AP): Lionel In the dying moments of the match the tournament. Ospina made saves from Uruguay’s Duván Zapata, Davinson San- all scored in the shootout, with vet- Messi scored his 76th international goal Messi scored Argentina’s third from a “Now we have to rest and think of Jose Maria Gimenez and Matias Viña . chez, Yerry Mina and Miguel Borja eran strikers Edinson Cavani and Luis and is now only one shy of Pele for the free kick from the edge of the box. It Colombia. They defend well, they Suárez converting their spot kicks. South American record as Argentina beat was his fourth goal in the tournament. have quick counters,” the striker said. Saturday’s victory ended a long trau- Ecuador 3-0 on Saturday to progress to Heavily favored Argentina wasted Asked about his performance, he was ma for in penalty shootouts for Colombia the semifi nals of the Copa America. several opportunities at 1-0 to cruise to brief: “Individual after painful exits in the 2015 and 2019 Messi scored from a late freekick and a comfortable victory. Ecuador then hit Two penalty shootout saves by goal- Copa America editions against Argen- earlier laid on two assists as Argentina the post in the second half before Mar- keeper David Ospina put Colombia in tina and Chile, respectively. Colombia eventually subdued Ecuador and kept the tinez doubled Argentina’s lead. But the semifi nals of Copa America after a were also knocked out on penalties in the superstar’s dream of winning his fi rst ma- Messi became more infl uential after 71 0-0 draw with Uruguay in regular time round-of-sixteen clash against England jor international title alive. minutes when Ángel di Maria stepped and kept alive their hopes of a fi rst in the 2018 World Cup. Argentina’s rivals at the Mané Garrin- in replacing Giovani lo Celso. Copa title since 2001. Uruguay’s Cavani said his team had cha Stadium on Tuesday will be Colom- Ecuador also lost defender Piero Hin- improved despite the elimination. bia, which earlier overcame Uruguay on capié to a red card near the end of the SOCCER Colombia put more pressure on penalties. The other semifi nal will feature match after a foul on Di Maria that gave Uruguay from the start despite the ab- defending champions Brazil and Peru. Argentina the free kick scored by Messi. sences of suspended winger Juan Guill- Rodrigo de Paul opened the scoring It was his 76th goal in his 149th match The 4-2 shootout win at the Mané ermo Cuadrado and injured midfi elder at the Olimpico Stadium in Goiania in for Argentina, one short of Pelé’s record Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia also Matheus Uribe. Uruguay’s Muslera the 39th minute, tapping into an empty as top goal scorer of a South American broke Colombia’s bad luck in recent made the save of the match in the 71st goal before Lautaro Martinez added national team. It was also his 58th career penalty shootouts and placed 32-year- minute in a header by Zapata. Veteran the second in the 84th with a blast from goal on a free kick for club and country, old Ospina as the team’s player with strikers Suárez and Cavani did not get close range. Messi, in his fi rst match moving one ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. most international caps, with 112, Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez controls the ball during a Copa America quar- any clear opportunities as Uruguay’s since his contract with Barcelona ex- Messi said being in the semifi nals overtaking retired captain Carlos terfinal soccer match against Ecuador at the Olimpico stadium in Goiania, slow build up play through midfi eld ap- pired, assisted both of them. was one of Argentina’s objectives for Valderrama. Brazil. (AP) peared to suit Colombia’s defense.

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