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Kämna wins again after mental problems
3:06 PM: The German Lennard Kämna has won the third stage of the Tour of the Alps. The Bora-Hansgrohe rider was part of a leading group that had formed halfway through the stage from Lana to Villabassa. Kämna was left alone in the increasing final kilometers.
Costa Rican Andrey Amador came in second, Spaniard Jonathan Lastra third. The leader’s jersey remained in the hands of Spaniard Pello Bilbao of Bahrain-Victorious. The stage race ends Friday.
Kämna won another stage in the Tour de France in 2020, but was barely able to race in 2021 due to mental problems.
Bilbao is 6 seconds ahead of Team DSM’s Frenchman Romain Bardet in the standings. His Dutch teammate Thymen Arensman is eighth and leads the youth classification.
Standard Liège fires trainer Elsner
2:36 pm: The Belgian football club Standard Liège has sacked Slovenian trainer Luka Elsner. His assistant Serge Costa also has to leave the club, which finished in a disappointing 14th place this season in the regular competition and therefore missed the play-offs.
“Our club would like to thank Luka for his efforts in recent months and his professionalism under all circumstances,” Standard said. “Our club will now start the search for a new coach with a view to next season.” Pending a new head coach, the training sessions will be led by assistant William Still for the time being.
The 39-year-old Elsner had only been employed by ‘Les Rouches’ since October. He broke his contract with Kortrijk for this. Standard officially came into American hands on Tuesday after a takeover by investment company 777 Partners.
New Zealand and Costa Rica play World Cup play-off on June 14
10:57 am New Zealand and Costa Rica will face each other in the play-off for the FIFA World Cup on June 14 in Doha, Qatar. The New Zealand Football Association reported this on Wednesday.
New Zealand hopes to qualify for the global title fight for the first time since 2010. In qualifying in Oceania, the country was clear. Costa Rica finished fourth in North and Central America and the Caribbean qualifying, behind Canada, Mexico and the United States. Costa Rica last participated in the World Cup in 2014 and then lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
The winner of New Zealand against Costa Rica will be placed in Group E at the World Cup, along with former world champions Germany and Spain. Japan is also in Group E.
The World Cup in Qatar is from November 21 to December 18.
Sick Matthews misses Walloon Arrow
10:00 am Michael Matthews cannot participate in the Walloon Arrow on Wednesday. The 31-year-old Australian cyclist of Team BikeExchange-Jayco is ill and has a fever.
In addition to Matthews, Andreas Kron also had to unsubscribe on the morning of the Ardennes Classic. The Dane, who cycles for Lotto Soudal, is also ill. Lotto Soudal therefore participates with only six riders, including Tim Wellens as leader.
In the Dutch team Jumbo-Visma, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard and the Belgian Tiesj Benoot are the leaders. The formation also consists of the Dutch riders Jos van Emden, Gijs Leemreize, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Robert Gesink and the German Michel Hessmann.
The riders will cover 202.1 kilometers on Wednesday between Blegny and the Wall of Huy.
Soccer players Brazil and Argentina practice in Melbourne
08:59 o’clock The football superpowers Brazil and Argentina will play a friendly match in Melbourne on June 11. The venue is the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the two countries met in 2017 before 95,000 spectators. Then the Argentines won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Gabriel Mercado.
“We have been told that it is an important preparation match for the two countries in the run-up to the World Cup in Qatar. We therefore expect that they will come up with strong teams,” said Martin Pakula, the Minister of Tourism in the state of Victoria.
The World Cup in Qatar starts on November 21.
Pelicans surprise favorite Suns in NBA play-offs
07:56 o’clock The Phoenix Suns basketball players have suffered a sensitive defeat in the NBA playoffs. The best team in the regular season, which is also first in the Western Conference, lost 125-114 to New Orleans Pelicans. The best-of-seven score between the two teams was thus 1-1.
The Suns also lost their star player Devin Booker, who was out in the second half of the game with a hamstring injury. Booker was just on a roll with 31 points in the first half. The seriousness of the injury is not yet clear, but the Suns fear his absence in the coming games.
Brandon Ingram was the top goalscorer for the Pelicans with 39 points. CJ McCollum made 23 points.
The Miami Heat, which is ranked number one in the Eastern Conference, also won the second game against the Atlanta Hawks: 115-105. Jimmy Butler topped the Heat with 45 points. He struck in the closing minutes with a dunk, a 3-pointer and a lay-up. “The coach told me to be a ‘killer’ and score as many points as possible and I did that,” said Butler.