Villarreal, Granada, Celta Vigo cruise to wins in Copa del Rey
Madrid, Dec 1: Villarreal and Granada cruised past sixth-division teams in the opening round of the Copa del Rey. Villarreal trounced Victoria CF 8-0 and Granada routed Club Deportivo Laguna 7-0 to advance to the second round. Celta Vigo got past fourth-division club Ebro 5-0. This season’s edition of the Copa includes teams from all six divisions of Spanish football with the lower-tiered clubs hosting the one-match series in the first round. Other first-division teams that advanced Tuesday included Getafe and Alavés. Second-division teams Huesca, Valladolid and Sporting Gijón also reached the second round. (AP)
England women’s football team rally to record 20-0 win
Doncaster, Dec 1: The England women’s team posted the biggest win in its history, routing Latvia 20-0 in a World Cup qualifier. There were 10 different scorers and four had hat tricks – including Ellen White, who became the team’s all-time leading scorer and now has 48 goals for her country. England beat Latvia 10-0 in Riga in late October. England’s previous biggest win was 13-0 against Hungary in 2005. Other lopsided victories Tuesday included Ireland beating Georgia 11-0 and identical 8-0 scores for Spain over Scotland and Austria over Luxembourg. (AP)
Reyna returns to training with Dortmund
DORTMUND, Dec 1: American midfielder Gio Reyna resumed training with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, nearly three months after injuring his right hamstring. Dortmund tweeted a photo of the 19-year-old at practice. Reyna, a son of former American captain Claudio Reyna, was hurt while playing for the United States in its opening World Cup qualifier at El Salvador on Sept. 2. He has missed 10 Bundesliga matches, five Champions League games and one German Cup match in addition to seven U.S. World Cup qualifiers. (AP)
Ex-Liverpool, Arsenal footballer Ray Kennedy passes away
LIVERPOOL, Dec 1: Ray Kennedy, a former England midfielder who won league titles with Liverpool and Arsenal, has died. He was 70. Kennedy’s death was announced by both clubs on Tuesday. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984. Kennedy won the league and FA Cup double with Arsenal in 1971. He joined Liverpool three years later and won five league titles and three European Cups. A highlight of his Liverpool career came when he scored a decisive away goal against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the 1981 European Cup semifinals. Kennedy also played 17 times for England. (AP)
Venezuela hire José Pekerman to coach national team
Caracas, Dec 1: José Pekerman, who has coached teams in three World Cups, was hired to take over the Venezuelan national team. The 72-year-old Argentine signed a five-year contract, the country’s football federation said, with the goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Venezuela is the only team from the South American confederation that has never reached the World Cup. It is out of the running for next year’s tournament in Qatar with just 7 points and four qualifiers to play. Pekerman guided Colombia to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup and to the round of 16 in the 2018 tournament. (AP)
China to host 2023 World Athletics Relays from May 13
Monaco, Dec 1: The sixth edition of the World Athletics Relays 2023 will be held in Guangzhou, China from May 13 to 14, the international governing body announced here on Tuesday. It will be the second time that the World Relays will be hosted in Asia and the first time in China. The event was previously held in the Bahamas, Japan and Poland. The event in Guangzhou will serve as a qualifying event for the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest. (UNI)