Barca will miss Messi with broken arm
Lionel Messi broke his right forearm yesterday and will be sidelined for about three weeks, a major setback for him and Barcelona right before some important games.
Messi will miss playing Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, and the clasico against Real Madrid next weekend. He’ll miss three others, including the return game against Inter.
Messi was hurt in the first half of Barcelona’s 4-2 win against Sevilla at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain. He was trying to reclaim the ball when he ran into the back of Sevilla midfielder Franco Vazquez and fell in the 17th minute. Trying to cushion his landing, Messi’s right elbow bent badly.
He was in visible pain and was treated by team doctors. They wrapped his elbow with bandages and the playmaker tried to continue, but he eventually left the field. Messi was taken to a clinic and the club said tests showed a “fracture of the radial bone.”
The playmaker scored the team’s second goal with a shot from outside the area in the 12th. He’s the team’s leading scorer with seven goals in the league after nine matches . . . .
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to net 400 goals across Europe’s top five leagues. It wasn’t enough to maintain Juventus’ perfect start to the season. Ronaldo, who has been accused of rape in a civil lawsuit in the United States, scored in the 1-1 draw against Genoa. It was his fifth Serie A goal in nine matches. Ronaldo has 311 goals in La Liga for Real Madrid, and 84 in the English Premier League for Manchester United.
Haas leads Champions playoff
Jay Haas shot a 7-under-par 65 — missing his age by a stroke — to take a 2-shot lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ playoff-opening Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Richmond, Va. Trying to become the oldest winner in tour history, the 64-year-old Haas birdied the par-5 16th and 18th holes to get to 11-under 133 on The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course . . . .
Carlota Ciganda of Spain shot a 5-under 67 to share the lead with Sei Young Kim after the third round of the LPGA Shanghai . ...
Brooks Koepka has improved his chances of taking over as No. 1 golfer in the world, shooting a bogey-free 5-under 67 for a 4-stroke lead after three rounds of the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges in Jeju Island, South Korea.
Koepka had a three-round total of 13-under 203. Ian Poulter, who shot 68, was tied for second place with secondround leader Scott Piercy, who had a 72.
Nemechek wins 1st in Xfinity
John Hunter Nemechek drove away from championship contender Daniel Hemric late in the race to earn his first Xfinity Series victory in a race that gave the playoffs a big shakeup in Kansas City, Kan.
An opening-lap crash involving four playoff drivers ultimately knocked Christopher Bell, Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric from the race. Cole Custer lost his power steering and was forced to make a series of repairs, leaving him several laps down and never in contention . . . .
Lewis Hamilton secured the pole position for the U.S. Grand Prix, where the Mercedes driver could clinch a fifth career Formula One championship in Austin, Texas. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel must beat Hamilton or stay close to him today if he hopes to push the championship to next week in Mexico City.
Misc.: American Chen gets title
Nathan Chen ran away with the Skate America men’s title in Everett, Wash.
The 19-year-old Chen earned a standing ovation from the crowd after his free skate, which earned 189.99 points on the day and 280.57 total for the event. United States teammate Vincent Zhou, who finished in fifth place but had the secondhighest score of the day with 149.37.
Russia’s Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov won the pairs title . . . .
Top-seeded Kyle Edmund defeated 2016 champion Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4 to reach the European Open final in Antwerp, Belgium . . . .
Ernests Gulbis reached his first ATP final since 2014 by beating top-seeded John Isner 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the Stockholm Open.