The China Mail - Sports (English)

Hoge risks Masters curse, edges LIV's Bubba in Par-3 Contest win

Tom Hoge overtook LIV Golf's Bubba Watson with an ace-birdie finish to win Wednesday's Masters Par-3 Contest, risking an Augusta National curse on the eve of the 87th Masters.

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Holders Nantes down Lyon to reach French Cup final

Nantes reached a second straight French Cup final as Ludovic Blas' brilliant goal gave the holders a 1-0 last-four victory over Lyon on Wednesday.

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Benzema hits hat-trick as Madrid smash Barca to reach Copa final

Karim Benzema struck a hat-trick as Real Madrid hammered Barcelona 4-0 at Camp Nou to reach the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday, progressing 4-1 on aggregate.

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Rashford fires Man Utd into top four, Newcastle hit West Ham for five

Marcus Rashford sent Manchester United back into the Premier League top four with the winner as the Red Devils beat Brentford 1-0 on Wednesday, while Newcastle won 5-1 at West Ham to stay third.

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Werner sinks Dortmund to send Leipzig to German Cup semis

Holders RB Leipzig kept their hopes of a second straight German Cup title alive, winning 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday.

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Barca fans chant Messi's name amid PSG exit talk

Several thousand Barcelona fans at Camp Nou chanted Lionel Messi's name in the 10th minute of the Copa del Rey semi-final Clasico on Wednesday.

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Lyle says he won't let emotions get better of him in Masters farewell

Scotland's Sandy Lyle insists he won't get emotional when he takes his final bow at the scene of his greatest triumph when he plays his final Masters at Augusta National starting on Thursday.

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Lampard to return as interim Chelsea boss - reports

Frank Lampard is set to return for a second spell in charge of Chelsea on an interim basis until the end of the season, according to reports on Wednesday.

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Augusta backs distance limits but no Masters ball coming

Augusta National isn't planning to make its own reduced-distance golf ball, but chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday the Masters host club supports planned changes by the R&A and US Golf Association.

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Dhawan's Punjab survive scare to win IPL thriller

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 86 and four wickets from Nathan Ellis helped Punjab Kings to their second straight IPL victory with a tense five-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.

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Liverpool fans file legal claim against UEFA for Champions League final chaos

Lawyers acting on behalf of Liverpool supporters caught up in the chaos at last season's Champions League final in Paris formally filed 887 claims against UEFA.

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Dhawan-led Punjab survive scare to win IPL thriller

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 86 and four wickets by Nathan Ellis helped Punjab Kings to their second straight IPL victory with a tense five-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.

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Masters chief says LIV's Norman would have been a distraction

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman was not invited to the Masters because he would have distracted from the tournament, making clear his body stands firmly with the PGA Tour in golf's divide.

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Masters crowds ready to roar for Tiger in twilight rounds

Expect huge crowds of spectators and dramatic roars from their cheers on Thursday as Tiger Woods begins what could be among his final rounds at the Masters.

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UEFA holds off on banning Belarus despite EU pressure

UEFA held off taking any decision to ban Belarus from its competitions due to its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at its meeting in Lisbon this week despite pressure from EU lawmakers.

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Re-elected UEFA president Ceferin goes on offensive against Super League rebels

Aleksander Ceferin railed against the rebel clubs backing a breakaway European Super League, likening the project to "Little Red Riding Hood", as he was re-elected unopposed for a third term as UEFA president on Wednesday.

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Forest owner backs Cooper but warns results must improve

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said Steve Cooper will remain in charge of the struggling Premier League club but warned results must "improve immediately".

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Fencing in turmoil after Poles cancel World Cup event over Russia

The rebellion against the decision by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to reintegrate Russians and Belarusians into the Olympic sport grew on Wednesday with the cancellation of the women's World Cup event in Poznan, Poland.

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LIV's Mickelson has quiet dinner in low-key Masters return

Crow and humble pie were not on the menu for the Champions dinner at the 87th Masters, but LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson's silence at the esteemed gathering spoke volumes.

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Mushfiqur ton, bowling attack gives Bangladesh edge in Ireland Test

Bangladeshi left-arm spin duo Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam made quick work of Ireland's top order on Wednesday to leave the tourists flailing at 27-4 on day two of their one-off Test in Dhaka.

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Fencing in turmoil after Poles cancel World Cup event

The rebellion against the decision by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to reintegrate Russians and Belarusians into the Olympic sport grew on Wednesday with the cancellation of the women's World Cup event in Poznan.

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Mushfiqur ton puts Bangladesh in control of Ireland Test

Mushfiqur Rahim's 126 runs salvaged early wobbles from Bangladesh to put them in control of their one-off Test against Ireland on Wednesday, the hosts reaching 369 all out in the final session of day two.

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Aleksander Ceferin re-elected UEFA president until 2027

Aleksander Ceferin was re-elected unopposed for a third term as president of UEFA at a meeting of European football's governing body in Lisbon on Wednesday.

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Racism experienced 'in every area of elite rugby' in England: survey

Racism has been experienced by players at all levels of elite rugby in England, according to a survey published by the Rugby Football Union.

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Serie A condemns racism after Juventus fans abuse Lukaku

Serie A condemned on Wednesday "all instances of racism" in Italian football after Romelu Lukaku was abused during Inter Milan's cup semi-final clash at Juventus.

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Former Springboks coach McIntosh dies aged 84

Former Springboks coach Ian McIntosh died aged 84 on Wednesday in a hospital near Durban from cancer, his family told AFP.

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Embiid scores 52 as Sixers hold off Celtics, Bucks on brink

Joel Embiid enhanced his MVP credentials with a 52-point masterclass as the Philadelphia 76ers held off a furious late rally from the Boston Celtics to win a hard-fought battle of the Eastern Conference heavyweights on Tuesday.

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Embiid 52 as Sixers hold off Celtics, Bucks on brink

Joel Embiid enhanced his MVP credentials with a 52-point masterclass as the Philadelphia 76ers held off a furious late rally from the Boston Celtics to win a hard-fought battle of the Eastern Conference heavyweights on Tuesday.

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Masters brings golf's divided best back together to do battle

The world's greatest golfers face each other on Thursday for the first time since the bitter LIV Golf-PGA Tour split divided the sport and appropriately it is the timeless tranquility of Augusta National that provides the arena.

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Osasuna stun Athletic in extra-time to reach Copa final

Pablo Ibanez's superb volley helped Osasuna stun Athletic Bilbao in extra-time to reach the Copa del Rey final with a 1-1 draw on Tuesday, progressing 2-1 on aggregate.

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Freiburg knock Bayern out of German Cup after late penalty

Bayern Munich crashed out of the German Cup on Tuesday after Lucas Hoeler scored an injury-time penalty to earn Freiburg a 2-1 win and a place in the semi-finals.

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Same ol' Scheffler unchanged by Masters win, world No. 1 spot

A year after winning the Masters for his first major title, top-ranked Scottie Scheffler's life remains pretty much unchanged.

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