Ghana: Ghana got the perfect boost ahead of an historic clash with England at Wembley when they crushed Congo 3-0 yesterday in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Serbia-based strikers Prince Tagoe and Dominic Adiyiah scored in the first half for the 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists and on-loan Sunderland midfielder Sully Muntari added a third goal just before full-time.
Lennon: Celtic manager Neil Lennon was sent from the dugout during his side’s charity match against Athletic Bilbao in Spain late on Saturday. The fiery Lennon clashed with the referee after 35 minutes of the match at San Mames, which was staged to raise funds for local youth teams in Bilbao and ended in a goalless draw. The Hoops boss is currently serving a lengthy touchline ban in domestic competition.
Behrami: Fiorentina could be without Valon Behrami for more than a month after he picked up a knee injury while playing for Switzerland in a 0-0 draw with Bulgaria. He suffered a sprain to his knee, the Serie A club confirmed.
Mexico: Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez scored two goals late Saturday to lead Mexico to a 3-1 victory over Paraguay in a friendly international. Andres Guardado also scored and Alfredo Talavera was solid on his debut in goal for Mexico, who delivered a strong performance in their first match since last year’s disappointing exit in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Gibbs: England U-21s were hit by further withdrawals from the squad for tonight’s friendly against Iceland. Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs and Blackburn goalkeeper Frankie Fielding were sent back to their clubs after picking up injuries ahead of the game at Preston’s Deepdale Stadium.
Neymar: Brazil star Neymar was at the centre of a racism row after the teenager claimed a banana was thrown at him during Sunday’s 2-0 friendly win over Scotland in London yesterday. “This atmosphere of racism is totally sad,” Neymar said. “They were jeering me a lot. We leave our country to play here and something like this happens. It’s sad. I would rather not even talk about it, to keep the subject from escalating.”
Boxing: Yuriorkis Gamboa knocked down Jorge Solis five times in four rounds late Saturday, retaining his World Boxing Association featherweight title with a fourth-round technical knockout. Gamboa remained unbeaten, improving to 20-0 with 16 knockouts, while Mexico’s Solis fell to 40-3-2 with 29 wins inside the distance. Cuban-born Gamboa sent Solis to the canvas twice in the second round, once in round three and twice in round four before referee David Fields called a halt at 1:31 of the fourth.
Rallying: Frenchman Sebastien Ogier defended his Rally of Portugal crown yesterday after successfully holding off the challenge of reigning world champion and compatriot Sebastien Loeb. Ogier, driving a Citroen DS3, clocked 4hr 10min 53.4sec over the three-day rally with 17 special stages to finish 31.8sec ahead of Loeb.
Basket, NBA: Atlanta Hawks secured an NBA play-off berth on Saturday, taking charge early with a run of 19 straight points en route to a 98-87 victory over New Jersey. Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta as they thwarted a comeback attempt by the Nets. Josh Smith added 22 points for the Hawks, who are in the play-offs for the fourth straight season.
Cycling: Spain’s Alberto Contador won the Tour of Catalonia yesterday after the seventh and final stage. Frenchman Samuel Dumoulin won the stage, a 124.5km ride from Parets del Valles to Barcelona, for his second win of the race. For 28-year-old Contador it was his second overall success in three races this season, having won the Tour of Murcia.
Golf: Australian Andre Stolz, who came out of retirement just two years ago, recorded an emotional triumph in the $1 million Indonesia PGA Championship in Jakarta, yesterday, pipping home favourite Rory Hie. The 40-year-old fired a final round four-under-par 68 for a winning total of 14-under-par 274 at Imperial Klub Golf.