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Vela’s stoppage-time PK goal lifts LAFC over Earthquakes 2-1

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carlos Vela scored on a penalty kick in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time and Los Angeles FC rallied for a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.The victory leaves defending-champion LAFC (7-1-4) atop the Western Conference standings after the Seattle Sounders lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0.LAFC jumped out to a lead in the third minute of the match on goal by Stipe Biuk. José Cifuentes and Ryan Hollingshead had assists on Biuk’s second goal this season.San Jose (5-5-3) pulled even seven minutes into the second half on an unassisted goal by defender Miguel Trauco. It was the first career goal for Trauco, who has made 12 appearances over the past two seasons.LAFC finished with advantages of 15-14 in shots and 6-3 in shots on goal.John McCarthy saved two shots for LAFC. JT Marcinkowski had five saves for San Jose.The Earthquakes entered play with six wins in the last eight match-ups with LAFC. San Jose handed LAFC its only...

Haney retains lightweight titles with unanimous decision over Lomachenko

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney retained his titles by winning a controversial unanimous decision over former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden.Lomachenko dominated the latter rounds and outpunched Haney, 124-110.But much to the dismay of the 14,436 fans in attendance, all three judges had Haney winning. Tim Cheatham and David Sutherland scored the fight 115-113, while Dave Moretti had it 116-112“Lomachenko is a future Hall of Famer,” Haney said. “It was a blessing. He was my toughest opponent. He was very crafty. He turns it up in the championship rounds. (This fight) put me in the history books forever.”Haney improved to 30-0. Lomachenko, 35, dropped to 17-3.Now Haney has a decision to make, as he will be a free agent when he wakes up Sunday morning, as his three-fight deal with Top Rank and Lou DiBella is now expired.The 24-year-old has plenty of options, as he could stay at 135 pounds for one final f...

Valdez’s 3-run homer, Sale’s 7 strong innings carry Red Sox over Padres 4-2

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Emmanuel Valdez hit a three-run homer and Chris Sale allowed just three hits — two of them home runs — in seven innings for the Boston Red Sox, who beat San Diego 4-2 Saturday night to send the Padres plummeting to their fourth straight loss and 11th in 13 games. The 34-year-old Sale (4-2) had his fourth strong start and helped the Red Sox win their fourth straight game. The lefty allowed homers to Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. but otherwise shut down a superstar-studded offense with baseball’s third-highest payroll that continues to look lost at the plate.Sale got all the backing he needed when Valdez drove a pitch from Joe Musgrove (1-2) several rows into the right field seats with one out in the second, his third. Sale allowed Soto’s shot to right-center leading off the second, his eighth, and Tatis’ 440-foot shot into the second deck in left leading off the sixth, his seventh.Sale struck out eight and walked one. He has gone six-plus innings...

Vite, own-goal lead Whitecaps to 2-0 victory over Sounders

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Pedro Vite scored just before halftime and the Vancouver Whitecaps used an own-goal by Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei in the second half to post a 2-0 victory over the Sounders on Saturday night.Vite’s second netter of the season was unassisted, coming in the 44th minute to give Vancouver (4-4-6) a 1-0 lead.Frei’s own-goal came in the 58th minute and completed the scoring.The Whitecaps beat Seattle (7-5-2) for a second straight time at home after ending a 15-match winless streak with a 2-1 victory last September.Yohei Takaoka made one save to earn the clean sheet for the Whitecaps. Frei had four saves for the Sounders.Vancouver had advantages of 17-8 in shots and 5-1 in shots on goal.The Sounders entered the match with three wins in its last six away from home after posting just three victories in its previous 28 road matches.It marks the first time that the Whitecaps have beaten the Sounders and the Portland Timbers at home in the same...

Dominant 7-inning start by Chris Sale paved way to Red Sox series win in San Diego

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Before Saturday night, Chris Sale had faced the San Diego Padres once in his career.Back when he was a 25-year-old Chicago White Sox hurler, he’d pitched a 1-run complete game against them on June 1, 2014.Almost exactly nine years later, the now-34-year-old dominated them again. Coming off the first and only 8-inning start by a Red Sox pitcher this season (and his longest since August 8, 2019), Sale went seven innings, struck out eight, and held the Padres to a pair of solo home runs.Through four, Soto’s 409-ft blast was the only hit (and run) Sale gave up. The southpaw punished the slugger for it, too, getting him to strike out swinging on a 97.6 mph four-seamer to end the fourth.A Chris Sale 98-mph K for your viewing pleasure. pic.twitter.com/2dg4M6HrN3— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 21, 2023Following the Soto homer, Sale sat down the next nine batters before beginning the fifth with a leadoff walk to Nelson Cruz. After issuing a one-out walk, the Padres had ...

Extremist Israel Cabinet minister visits sensitive Jerusalem holy site

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An extremist Israeli Cabinet minister visited a sensitive Jerusalem holy site on Sunday at a time of heightened tensions with the Palestinians.The visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, his second known visit since becoming a member of Israel’s most right-leaning government ever, was likely to draw condemnations from the Palestinians and elsewhere in the Muslim world.“I am happy to come up to the Temple Mount, the most important place for the Israeli people,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement following the visit. He praised the police presence at the site, saying it “proves who is in charge in Jerusalem.”The visit comes days after Israelis marked Jerusalem Day, which celebrates Israel’s capturing of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Flag-waving nationalists marched through the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City, some singing racist anti-Arab chants, while hundreds of Jews visited the sensitive hilltop shrine.The hilltop site is the ...

Trudeau asserts continued support for Ukraine as G7 leaders’ summit concludes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ukraine would not be standing today if allies were not there to support it when Russian troops invaded early last year — and countries pushing for a ceasefire must recognize Russia is squarely to blame.Trudeau told reporters after attending the G7 leaders’ summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that the Canadian military will continue to provide support training to Ukraine’s forces and may also endeavour to train Ukrainian pilots. His comments come after the United States announced it will allow allies to send American-made fighter jets to support Ukraine’s war effort. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the G7 leaders on Saturday after they slapped fresh sanctions on Russia, and met with Trudeau Sunday morning. Trudeau says Russia’s reckless nuclear rhetoric, along with threats from North Korea and uncertainty around Iran, have brought home the need to remember the dangers of nuclear proliferation. He als...

Ukrainian president meets with world leaders at G7 as Russia claims a key victory in the war

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers at the Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima on Sunday, hoping to add to the momentum for his country’s war effort even as Russia claimed a symbolic victory on the battlefield. The Ukrainian leader’s in-person appearance during the final day of the summit underscored the centrality of the war for the bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from many of the other priorities, ranging from security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering. Zelenskyy was holding two major rounds of meetings Sunday, one with G7 leaders only and a second with the group and a host of invited guests including India, South Korea and Brazil. He also held one-on-one talks with several of the leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden.Biden on Sunday announced a new military aid package for Ukraine during ...

Byron Buxton leaves early with tightness around knee as Twins oust Angels

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There was plenty for the Twins to like on Saturday, a game they established control in early.There was some early offense and aggressive baserunning, putting the Twins up by three before Louie Varland even stepped foot on the mound. There was yet another solid start from the rookie, who pitched five-plus innings, giving up a pair of runs. There was a nice effort from Jovani Moran, who bailed Varland out of a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth inning, and a trio of other relievers, who kept the Angels scoreless.And also, this: Byron Buxton left Saturday night’s game with tightness around his right knee, the same one that was surgically repaired last year.Buxton had a busy night on the basepaths in the Twins’ 6-2 win on Saturday, helping contribute to the Twins’ big first inning by beating out what would have been a double play and going from first to third twice.“He’s been all over the place lately. He’s been playing extraordinarily hard, taking extra bases beating out...

Zelenskyy: ‘Bakhmut is only in our hearts’ after Ukraine loses control of destroyed city to Russia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:06:31 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Bakhmut was “only in our hearts,” hours after Russia’s defense ministry reported that forces of the Wagner private army, with the support of Russian troops, had seized the city in eastern Ukraine. Speaking alongside President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelenskyy said he believed the city had fallen, but added: “You have to understand that there is nothing,” saying of the Russians, “They destroyed everything.”“For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,” he said. “There is nothing in this place.”The Russian ministry statement on the Telegram channel came about eight hours after a similar claim by Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. Ukrainian authorities at that time said fighting for Bakhmut was continuing.The eight-month battle for the city in eastern Ukraine is...