Sports news in brief
Barcelona held by Napoli
Antoine Griezmann’s second-half equaliser cancelled out a fine opener from Napoli midfielder Dries Mertens to give Barcelona the upper hand in their Champions League last-16 tie.
Belgian Mertens had made the most of the Italians’ solid start to curl home an effort after 30 minutes.
However, after the midfielder was forced off with injury following a heavy challenge from Sergio Busquets, Barcelona drew level when Griezmann lashed the ball in from close range.
Neither side was able to conjure a winner, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen making two smart saves as the first leg finished 1-1 at San Paolo.
United commit to squad rebuild
Ed Woodward has committed to continuing the rebuild of the Manchester United squad, overseen by
manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, following the release of the club’s latest financial results.
United have endured a difficult season on-the-pitch but remain in contention to return to the Champions League next season, with Solskjaer’s side currently fifth in the Premier League. The club’s revenues have fallen by approximately £40m over the last six months, when compared to the same period last year, due to last season’s failure to qualify for Europe’s top club competition.
However, back-to-back league victories, the arrival of major signing Bruno Fernandes in January and Manchester City’s Uefa ban have boosted United’s hopes of a Champions League return.
Woodward believes the “foundations” of United’s rebuild are now in place and said the club will continue to implent their transfer plans with Solskjaer at the helm. “We are pushing for a strong finish in the Premier League, the Europa League and the FA Cup as we enter the final third of the season,” United’s executive vice-chairman said in a statement.
Coronavirus threatens Six Nations
The final weekend of the Six Nations could be heavily impacted by the deadly outbreak of coronavirus with England’s potentially championship-deciding trip to Italy at threat of being moved or postponed.
Seven people have died and more than 220 have been infected in Italy as coronavirus continues to sweep across the continent, having initially spread from China where it has left more than 2,500 dead from 77,000 confirmed cases.
Sport events have been heavily impacted by the outbreak, with the Chinese Grand Prix and Chinese Super League both postponed until further notice and several other major competitions either move, delayed or cancelled. The crisis has now struck Italy’s northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, with sport in the area put on lockdown as a result.
A Six Nations spokesman confirmed: “Six Nations is monitoring this situation closely and is in contact with the FIR (Italian rugby federation) and all other unions, as well as relevant local authorities and health organisations.”
Murray comeback mooted
Organisers of the Fever-Tree Championships are hoping Andy Murray will be fit enough to make his singles return at Queen’s Club.
The former world number one is sidelined again through injury, this time pelvic bruising that has kept him out of action since November, with no indication yet when he will be able to make his comeback.
Providing he can find a solution to the problem, which has restricted him to work in the gym, it is looking increasingly likely Murray may not compete – at the top level anyway – until the grass-court season. Time is fast running out for him to play on hard courts while clay, which he has not played on since his hip problems emerged in 2017, is the most demanding surface physically.
That could mean a return at Queen’s Club, where he played for the first time following hip surgery in 2018 and again in 2019 after his second operation, although only in doubles.