I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Federer and Zverev Mexico Barbosa fires Flamengo to last gasp City match breaks world attendance record Copa Libertadores triumph Roger Federer may not be playing at the new look Davis Cup in Spain but the 38-year-old was still pulling in the crowds when he met Alexander Zverev in an exhibition match in Mexico City Flamengo came back from the dead to break of the Brazilian championship. on Saturday. the hearts of holders River Plate and win the Pressing high and aggressive in the tackle, According to organisers, 42,517 spectators packed into the Copa Libertadores in Lima on Saturday with River dominated the opening 45 minutes, specially-erected arena in the Plaza de Toros to watch Federer beat a thrilling late brace from Gabriel Barbosa time and again getting in behind Flamengo’s the German 6-3,4-6,6-2. that decided the final 2-1 at the death. 34-year-old full-backs Rafinha and Felipe Luis. “You are an incredible audience, your support has given me Barbosa scored in the 89th minute and Borre put River in front when he rifled goosebumps, I do not have enough words to thank you,” said Federer. again in injury time to see his side bounce in a shot on the turn from the middle of the The attendance has not been ratified by the International Tennis back from Rafael Santos Borre’s 15th-minute penalty area after Flamengo failed to clear Federation so it does not stand as an official record. opener for River after a game largely domi- a cross. In July 2010, 35,681 spectators gathered at the King Baudouin nated by the Argentine side. Uruguyan international Nicolas De la Cruz stadium in Brussels to watch an exhibition match between Kim After turning the game on its head in a could have doubled their lead five minutes Clijsters and Serena Williams. frantic finale, Barbosa then got sent off along later after being picked out at the near post The biggest court for an official match is the Arthur Ashe at with River’s Ezequiel Palacios. by Matias Suarez. Palacios went close with Flushing Meadows in New York, home of the US Open, which can River had never looked like relinquishing a long-range strike soon after. seat around 23,000. their lead against the surprisingly sluggish Before Barbosa’s double, the closest Fla- The Mexico match was the fourth of a highly lucrative five-stop Brazilians after Borre had put them ahead. mengo had come to an equalizer was in the Latin American tour for Federer who is set to earn $10 million (9 But then came Barbosa’s late show. With 67th minute when Henrique cut back from million euros) -- three times as much as he has earned this season, barely a sniff all game from a robust River the byline and Barbosa’s shot was somehow according to Swiss daily Le Temps. defense, the Flamengo striker popped up at blocked on the line by flying defenders, before After a controversial first step on Tuesday in Chile, a country the far post in the last minute to tap home being saved in the end by a grateful Armani. where sport has come to a grinding halt for a month because of the after good work on the left by the tireless It was the first final in the competition’s social crisis that has left 23 dead and more than 2,000 injured, the Bruno Henrique. 60-year history to be decided in a one-off roadshow moved to Buenos Aires on Wednesday. Two minutes into injury time he latched match. (Source: AFP) onto a long ball out of defense, moving into can competition’s top scorer, with nine goals. minute, and we could not leave without Thousands of the Rio de Janeiro club’s the box before firing crisply past River keeper Flamengo’s first Copa Libertadores victory being champions, the team deserves it so fans followed the match on a giant screen at Franco Armani and sending Flamengo’s fans in 38 years means they will go to the Club much,” he said. the Maracana stadium, which erupted with Dutch great Van Basten left delirious. World Cup in December. The Brazilian side improved after the firecrackers at the final whistle. Palacios, River’s best player, was then sent “At Flamengo we have a saying: ‘to the interval but only really got going late in the The South American showpiece was red-faced after Nazi quip off for kicking out at Henrique, quickly joined end’. We never stop believing, because the second half, having shown nothing of the originally set for Santiago, but the venue was match only ends when the referee blows his Former Dutch football great apologized Satur- by Inter loanee Barbosa, who had sar- attacking verve and fluid passing instilled switched to Lima because of the last month’s whistle,” said Henrique. day after he was heard using a Nazi greeting to ridicule a Dutch castically applauded the referee. by new Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus that deadly social protests in Chile. “We believed, we fought until the last television journalist’s German during an interview. The striker left the field as the South Ameri- had swept them to the final and to the cusp (Source: AFP) Van Basten, 55, who is regarded as one of the game’s best ever strikers, made the comment on Fox Sports pay-to-view channel after an interview ahead of the Eredivisie clash between Ajax and Zidane has made Real Mourinho relishes ‘natural habitat’ Heracles. His words could be heard in the studio moments after TV pre- a force once again in Spurs win senter Hans Kraay’s interview in German with Heracles’ German manager Frank Wormuth. “Not too pretty, sieg heil, pfannkuchen (pancake),” Van Basten said, using the Nazi German greeting during World War II. His words unleased a Twitter storm and during half-time in the match the former Ajax and Ac Milan forward made his excuses for what he termed an “ill-placed joke”. “It was not my intention at all to shock people. I only wanted to ‘explain’ Hans’ German,” a contrite Van Basten said. But Van Basten’s misplaced comment left many fuming, not only because of what he said but also about its timing. Football clubs in the Netherlands are taking active measures to fight racism following an incident last weekend when racist chants caused a second division match to be halted. The referee briefly suspended Sunday’s game between Excelsior Rotterdam and Den Bosch and Excelsior winger Ahmad Mendes Moreira walked off the pitch.Van basten Moreira said he heard monkey noises and songs about “Black Pete”, a traditional Dutch Christmas-time character that appears in blackface and attracts accusations of racist stereotyping, Dutch has done it again. Just The Frenchman has also defied calls to Jose Mourinho has said he was happy minutes with him in training and outside media reported. like in 2016, he has taken a struggling side play Isco, Vinicius, James Rodriguez and to return to his “natural habitat” on the the pitch. And we were saying that the Fox Sports also apologized for Van Basten’s comments, the daily and turned them into a competitive force. Gareth Bale instead of Brazilian forward touchline to watch his new Tottenham side best Dele Alli has to be back. Algemeen Dagblad reported. It has cost far more this time round in and has been rewarded with key win 3-2 at West Ham United on Saturday. “I think Dele was like the team, bril- (Source: Eurosport) terms of transfer fees in comparison to his goal contributions and an invaluable work Mourinho was appointed Spurs head liant for 60-65 minutes and then he paid first stint in charge at the Estadio Santiago rate on the pitch. coach on Wednesday hours after the club also the price of the tiredness so he went Everton boss fighting to save Bernabeu some three years ago, but the That is the beauty of Zidane, as he sees sacked Mauricio Pochettino. a little bit down. I think it was the old results are undeniable. through labels, transfer fees, reputation Spurs secured their first away win Dele Alli, the Dele Alli of a couple of job after Norwich defeat Zidane has shown that he is more than and age and selects players according to in the Premier League since January years ago who impressed not just for a coach. how they fit into his matchday tactics. with goals from Son Heung-Min, Lucas England but all. He did everything I Everton manager Marco Silva is fighting to save his job after He might not have the best tactical Los Blancos’ back line has also been Moura and Harry Kane. asked him to do.” Saturday›s 2-0 home defeat by Norwich City. nous, but his communication skills and shored up in recent months, conceding Mourinho, who had been out of work Spurs ended a series of five Premier The loss increased concerns behind the scenes at Goodison penchant for bold decision-making have only 10 goals in 13 LaLiga Santander since being sacked by Manchester United League matches without a win and Mour- Park and it is understood major shareholder Farhad Moshiri held been instrumental thus far in Real Madrid’s games, thanks in no small part to a resur- in December, expressed his delight at inho said he was pleased with his play- talks with fellow directors, including chairman Bill Kenwright evolution. gent , who has gone on to returning to the bench. ers’ response to the managerial change. and director of football Marcel Brands, after the game to discuss During the Frenchman’s first spell as break his predecessor Keylor Navas’ record “The most difficult moments in the “It was very important -- 11 months the growing crisis. head coach, it was the inclusion of Brazilian for minutes without conceding following a 11 months were when I didn’t have a without music in the away dressing room, The 42-year-old Portuguese, who has been Everton manager midfield destroyer that proved difficult first season in the Spanish capital. preseason and was looking at other clubs without a smile or happiness,” he said. “I since June 2018, also met with Moshiri and Brands. to be the catalyst that led to Los Blancos Another Belgian, , has and managers doing it,” Mourinho told am very happy for them and with them. Moshiri and Brands are both keen to maintain stability and winning three straight Champions Leagues also linked up nicely upfront with Karim a news conference. If someone only saw the result they’d support Silva, despite a furious reaction from Everton supporters and now, in 2019, the versatility of players Benzema under Zidane and it seems that “Sometimes I was at football games have thought it was very difficult for towards the end of the loss, with many joining in chants of «you›re such as Fede Valverde and Rodrygo has Real Madrid are finally starting to recover and I was thinking what am I doing here, us. But it was probably closer to a 4-0 getting sacked in the morning» from the travelling contingent. revitalised the team. from the loss of in attack. in the box or the studio. Today I was were than 3-1. It remains to be seen, however, whether their patience and Zidane’s decision to choose Valverde All that remains for Real Madrid’s head I belong, my natural habitat.” “I think my players paid the price of a support extends to Silva being in charge for next weekend›s over established stars such as Luka Modric coach now is to find a way to get the best Mourinho also praised Dele Alli’s very difficult week. International break, visit to second-placed Leicester City, which is then followed by and has been vindicated time out of the bit part players. performance after he assisted the first change of manager, new guy, different a visit to Premier League leaders Liverpool in the Merseyside and time again, with strong performances If Zidane can continue to build harmony goal and produced a great piece of skill training sessions.” derby at Anfield. by the Uruguayan youngster going some within his squad, then it seems that there in the buildup for the second. Spurs host Olympiakos in the Champi- Former Everton manager David Moyes and Mark Hughes way to gloss over Real Madrid’s repeated is no reason why his side can’t go on to “[Alli’s] too good to not be one of the ons League on Tuesday where Mourinho have been mentioned inside the club as potential interim solu- failure to land Manchester United and repeat the successes of his first tenure in best players in the world and not play- will be presented to the home support tions - but Moshiri and Brands› preferred option has always France midfield star in recent the dugout. ing with the national team,” he added. for the first time. been to give Silva time. transfer windows. (Source: ) “I’m happy with him, I spent a few (Source: Soccernet) The toxic atmosphere inside Goodison Park on Saturday, with Everton fans turning on the manager, has now placed huge pres- sure on Silva, Moshiri and Brands. Everton lie in 15th place despite heavy investment from Moshiri Wilder KOs Ortiz to retain WBC heavyweight title and have now lost to all three newly-promoted clubs, including Unbeaten Deontay Wilder landed a devastating right hand Ortiz tried to get up but he clearly could not continue. ‘It was a war’ home defeats by Sheffield United and Norwich City. to knock out Luis Ortiz in the seventh round and retain The fight was officially stopped at 2:51 of the seventh. “This is boxing. I told everyone it wasn’t going to go 12 (Source: Reuters) his World Boxing Council heavyweight title. Unification goal rounds,” said Ortiz. The 34-year-old Wilder remains on course to achieve It was a repeat of their 2018 fight where Wilder had Ortiz won most of the early rounds. He was the aggres- Dutch clubs stop play for his goal of unifying all four heavyweight belts despite being battled adversity to deliver a 10th-round stoppage. sor from the opening bell as he tagged Wilder with a left largely outfoxed by Ortiz before the explosive one-punch finish Wilder’s win now sets up another money-spinning re- hook to the face in the opening round. anti-racism protests at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas late Saturday night. match with Tyson Fury scheduled for February. Ortiz also suffered a cut to his right temple area in the “When I see the right shot, it is baby good night,” Wilder If he comes through that a unification showdown against opening round due to an accidental clash of heads. But Ajax and visitors Heracles did not kick the ball in the first minute of said. the winner of next month’s rematch between Anthony there was little blood flow and his corner did a good job their Dutch Eredivisie meeting on Saturday, as players protested Unbeaten in 43 fights, Wilder showed why he is widely Joshua and Andy Ruiz in Saudi Arabia for the other three of containing it as the rounds continued. against racism. regarded as the most destructive puncher in the resurgent major heavyweight belts could follow. Both fighters were waiting for an opening in the second The Dutch league leaders kicked off, but both sets of players then heavyweight division. The fights with Fury, and Ruiz or Joshua, would gener- round and by the third Ortiz was building up points because remained stationary and applauded for the next 60 seconds, with The “Bronze Bomber” recorded his 10th straight title ate millions for Wilder. he was the busier of the two. match officials and supporters joining in. defense to equal Muhammad Ali who achieved the feat The last two years in heavyweight boxing have provided Ortiz landed a big overhand shot in the fourth which Clubs across the country’s top two divisions agreed to the measure between 1974 and 1978. Only four heavyweights in the plenty of rousing match-ups and renewed enthusiasm in excited the crowd and pumped up Wilder, who pounded after Excelsior player Ahmad Mendes Moreira was subjected to history of boxing have made more than 10 consecutive contrast to the previous 15 years or so which were domi- his chest and yelled bring it on. racist abuse by Den Bosch supporters during last Sunday’s Eerste title defenses. nated by the Klitschko brothers. Ortiz’s plan to was to fight inside and pay attention to Divisie -- Dutch second flight -- match. Wilder waited patiently for his big moment and when “I am looking for a unification bout,” Wilder said. “I defense while Wilder was constantly looking for the knockout Excelsior got the protests underway on Friday night at the start it came, with just nine seconds left in the round, it was want one champion, one face, one name that goes by De- shot and hoping Ortiz would eventually tire himself out. of their game against Volendam. stunning. ontay Wilder. That transpired in the seventh as Ortiz walked straight Following the incident, Netherlands internationals Memphis Depay He followed a pawing jab with a crushing straight right “The heavyweight division is too small to have so many into a punch that appeared to come out of nowhere, send- and Georginio Wijnaldum expressed their shock at the situation. that sent Ortiz’s head snapping back and his body crashing belts lingering around. It should be just be one champion ing the Cuban into dreamland. Liverpool Wijnaldum appeared to send an anti-racism into the ropes before landing on the canvas. and I think I am the perfect man for that job.” “I don’t care about losing rounds because it is a 12-round message when celebrating with international teammate Frenkie de “That was a punch intended to hurt for sure,” said the The 40-year-old Ortiz, who was coming off three straight fight,” said Wilder. “I wanted to time my punches and do Jong when he scored for Netherlands against Estonia. American. “I got him at the right angle, my feet were planted victories, was trying to become the first Cuban to win the the right thing. (Source: ESPN) perfectly and I felt the torque.” world heavyweight title. (Source: CNN)