Sport news in brief
Konta suffers heart scare in Kentucky
Third seed Johanna Konta needed medical help just 10 minutes into her return to action on her way to defeat by Marie Bouzkova at the Lexington Open in Kentucky. Having held serve in the first game, the British world number 15 halted proceedings two points into the second. Hunched over her racket, Konta appeared to be breathing heavily and her face was flushed, probably as a consequence of the extreme humidity as well as returning to competitive action after five months. After having her blood pressure and pulse checked and consulting the doctor, Konta was able to return to the court. The 29-year-old has suffered similar issues in the past, notably at the 2016 US Open and at the Fed Cup last year. She recovered to win both matches.
Shakhtar down Basel to set up semi-final with Inter
Shakhtar Donetsk booked a clash with Inter Milan in the Europa League semi-finals after goals from Brazilians Junior Moraes, Taison, Alan Patrick and Dodo gave them a 4-1 win over Basel in a one-sided lasteight clash. Shakhtar, who won Europe's second-tier competition in 2009, missed a string of chances to win by an even bigger margin as they dominated throughout the match with crisp one-touch passing and superior close control.
Moraes headed the Ukrainian side into a second-minute lead after a howler by Basel's Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Nikolic, who was beaten to the ball by the striker after he rushed off his line to meet a Marlos corner. Nikolic made amends with several good saves in the first half but was powerless in the 22nd minute when Taison capped a lightning Shakhtar break with a deflected shot after good work by Marlos and a clever dummy by Patrick. Marcos Antonio rattled the woodwork with a long-range effort in the 40th minute before Patrick made it 3-0 with a 75th-minute penalty after Yannick Marchand fouled Taison in the area. Right back Dodo put the icing on the cake for Shakhtar in the 89th minute with an unstoppable shot before Basel substitute Ricky van Wolfswinkel netted a stoppage time consolation for the Swiss from close range.
Celtic games postponed after Bolingoli quarantine breach
Celtic’s upcoming games have been postponed but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon let Scottish football off with a “yellow card” after Hoops defender Boli Bolingoli played following a secret trip to Spain. The Scottish Government had earlier admitted it was considering a suspension of football after it emerged Bolingoli failed to quarantine for 14 days as required and then came off the bench during the 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Kilmarnock on Sunday. With talks continuing between the government and the football authorities yesterday afternoon, Sturgeon said: “As a minimum, you should not be expecting to see Aberdeen and Celtic play over the course of the coming week and we’ll see what the other conclusions are.”
Celtic have condemned what they acknowledged was inexplicable and “stupid” behaviour from their player but now face an anxious wait to discover the fate of their Champions League first-round qualifier against KR Reykjavik on 19 August.
Fantasy football winner disqualified for breaking rules
The Fantasy Premier League has named a new winner for the 2019/20 season after the original was disqualified for a breach of the game’s terms and conditions. Josh Bull, a researcher in mathematical oncology at Oxford University, has replaced Bulgarian fantasy football manager Aleksandar Antonov two weeks after the end of the season. The exact reason behind Mr Antonov’s disqualification has not been revealed by FPL.
“The team formerly occupying the No 1 position has been removed from FPL due to a breach of our terms,” it said in a statement. On his Twitter account TooGoodFPL, Mr Antonov said he “did not try to cheat in a game I play for fun”. “(Josh Bull), congrats on the win. Not the way you wanted to win it, not the way I wanted to lose it,” he added.
Broad fined for inappropriate language in England win
Stuart Broad has been fined and handed one demerit point for breaching the ICC’s code of conduct during England’s three-wicket Test victory over Pakistan. The incident took place in the 46th over of Pakistan’s second innings with the altercation occurring with Yasir Shah after dismissing the spinner. Broad breached Article 2.5 by “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive
reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.” The infraction will cost Broad 15 per cent of his match fee.