VAN DIJK INJURY CAUSES CONCERN FOR LIVERPOOL

Virgil van Dijk has been a commanding — even transcendent — presence at the heart of Liverpool’s defense throughout the team’s rise to the top of English and European soccer in recent years.

In a major concern for the Premier League champions, they might have to learn how to cope without their warrior at the back for quite some time.

Early in what proved to be a painful Merseyside derby for Liverpool, Van Dijk was the subject of a reckless lunge by Jordan Pickford that saw the Everton goalkeeper clatter into the extended right leg of the Netherlands defender.

Van Dijk roared in agony and, tellingly, stayed down. And that was when Jurgen Klopp knew it was serious.

“Virgil played I don’t know how many games in a row, he plays with pain, but he couldn’t play on and that’s not good,” Klopp said after the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

Indeed, Van Dijk — English soccer’s player of the year from 2018-19 who had played every minute of Liverpool’s previous 74 league games, dating back to September 2018 — immediately came off after lengthy treatment and hobbled gingerly around the field to the locker room.

There was no official word from Liverpool on the potential length of his absence, but Van Dijk reportedly left hospital on crutches in the evening. Broadcaster bein Sports said it has received information that the player has damaged his anterior cruciate ligament.

More international soccer

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made a winning return after being sidelined with the coronavirus as AC Milan beat Inter Milan 2-1 in an entertaining derby match. Ibrahimovic only resumed training this week after recovering from the virus but the 39-yearold Swede scored twice early on. Romelu Lukaku netted for Inter in the 29th minute.

Barcelona lost 1-0 at Getafe in the Spanish league for its first defeat this season under new coach Ronald Koeman. Luis Suarez scored an early goal to help Atletico Madrid win 2-0 at Celta Vigo and end the team’s scoring drought.

MLS

Djordje Mihailovic scored on the final play of the game to help the Chicago Fire (58-5) tie visiting Sporting Kansas City (96-3) 2-2.

Bojan Krkic scored and assisted on Maximiliano Urruti’s go-ahead goal in the 80th minute in Montreal’s 2-1 victory over Inter Miami (5-11-3) at Harrison, N.J. Krkic opened the scoring for Montreal (7-10-2) in the sixth minute.

Tennis

Alexander Zverev moved one win from a third title in his native Germany and will play Felix Auger-aliassime in the final of the Cologne (Germany) Indoors tournament.

Top-seeded Zverev defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the semifinals.

The 20-year-old Auger-aliassime also beat a Spanish opponent, second-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

Andrey Rublev and Borna Coric overcame Canadian opposition to reach the final of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia. Third-seeded Rublev rallied to beat second-seeded Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Coric also recovered in the semifinals to beat Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Also

Marta Bassino led Federica Brignone for an Italian 1-2 finish in the season-opening women’s World Cup giant slalom at Soelden, Austria. Bassino held on to her first-run lead to beat her teammate and defending overall World Cup champion by 0.14 seconds.

First Grand Tour. First lengthy time trial. And first overall. Portuguese rider

Joao Almeida just keeps checking off new personal bests, the latest by increasing his grip on the pink jersey in the hilly 14th-stage time trial of the Giro d’italia.

Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya broke her own world record in the women’s-only half marathon, clocking 1 hour, 5 minutes and 16 seconds, at the World Athletics half marathon championships in Gdynia, Poland.