San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
BOLD APPROACH PROVES COSTLY
Arsenal’s bold approach of playing the ball out from the back since the arrival of
Mikel Arteta in December 2019 has drawn plenty of praise and led to a number of wonderfully constructed goals.
It comes with obvious risks, however, and that was highlighted in the equalizer the team conceded in a 1-1 draw at Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday that left Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for European competitions even more unlikely.
Arsenal midfielder
Granit Xhaka received a short pass from goalkeeper
Bernd Leno, took a slightly heavy touch onto his weaker right foot, then attempted a dangerous pass across the face of goal around Burnley striker Chris Wood.
The ball ended up striking Wood on his hip and careering into the net, the unwitting scorer looking slightly sheepish as he celebrated his goal.
In other EPL matches, a header from Daniel Amartey at an 87th-minute corner completed Leicester’s comeback in a 2-1 win at Brighton.
Southampton is facing a few more weeks without
Danny Ings after the England striker was forced off with another injury early against last-place Sheffield United. It didn’t stop Southampton from winning 2-0, though, for a first victory in 10 games to halt its fall into a relegation fight.
Mixed martial arts
Aljamain Sterling won the UFC bantamweight title when Petr Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee strike in the fourth round in the first of three championship fights at UFC 259 in Las Vegas.
Two-division champion Amanda Nunes also defended her featherweight belt with ease, beating Megan Anderson by submission 2:03 into the first round at the Apex gym on the UFC’S corporate campus.
UFC 259 was headlined by middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s attempt to become the fifth fighter to hold two belts simultaneously when he fights light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz. Results were unvailable at press time.
Local colleges
The San Diego State men’s soccer team (0-2-1, 02-1 Pac-12) lost 3-2 in extra time at No. 8 Washington (41-0, 2-1-0). SDSU was 59 seconds away from leaving Seattle with a win, but saw the Huskies tie it up in the 90th minute and then win on a penalty kick 100 seconds into extra time.
The SDSU women’s volleyball team (3-7, 3-7 Mountain West) lost a three-set decision (25-19, 25-14, 25-18) at Wyoming (7-3, 7-3).
Playing its first game in nearly two weeks, the UC San Diego softball team (1-3) dropped a doubleheader to visiting Utah State (8-9) by scores of 5-1 and 5-2 (8 innings).
Tennis
Andrey Rublev will face qualifier Marton Fucsovics for the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament title after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the semifinals at Rotterdam, Netherlands. Fucsovics reached his first final in more than two years with a 6-4, 6-1 upset of
Borna Coric, who is ranked 33 places higher than Fucsovics.
Danish teenager Clara Tauson continued her remarkable form at the Lyon Open, beating seventhseeded Paula Badosa of Spain 7-5, 6-1 to set up a first career final against fellow qualifier Viktorija Golubic in France. Golubic caused another upset by beating second-seeded Fiona Ferro 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (4) in the sixth career semifinal for the Swiss.
Petra Kvitova won her first title since 2019 as she swept past Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-1 to win the Qatar Open final in Doha.
Roger Federer will face the winner of the match between Jeremy Chardy and
Dan Evans in the Qatar Open next week in his first competition in more than a year.
Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin denied her Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova a home victory at Jasna, Slovakia, winning the first World Cup slalom following the world championships.
Vincent Kriechmayr ended his two-year-long victory drought in men’s World Cup downhills by winning at Saalbach-hinterglemm, Austria, three weeks after he took the world title in the discipline.
Also
Andrew Agozzino scored 1:12 into overtime to lift the San Diego Gulls to a 3-2 win over San Jose in AHL play in Irvine.
Claressa Shields won a unanimous decision over Marie-eve Dicaire in their 154-pound unification bout late Friday night in Flint, Mich. Shields (11-0) won 10090 on all three cards.