Mbappe Misses Penalty, Comes off Injured in PSG Win

PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Mbappe Misses Penalty, Comes off Injured in PSG Win

PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a chance during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 win at Montpellier on Wednesday but their evening was overshadowed by an injury to Kylian Mbappe, who had earlier missed a penalty.

The France superstar had an eighth-minute spot-kick saved by Montpellier's Benjamin Lecomte and then remarkably saw his second attempt turned onto the post by the goalkeeper after the referee ordered a retake, AFP said.

Mbappe then limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury midway through the first half, raising the alarm for PSG with the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich now less than two weeks away.

Speaking after the game, coach Christophe Galtier suggested the injury was down to a knock rather than a muscle problem.

"He took a knock to the back of the knee or the back of the thigh, so we'll see," said Galtier.

"I'm not too worried," he added. "It's a bruise or a contusion, we don't know yet.

"With the run of matches we don't want to take risks with a very busy fixture list, but it doesn't appear that serious."

PSG host Bayern in Paris on February 14, with the second leg in Germany on March 8. They are desperate to avoid a repeat of last season when they were knocked out at the same stage of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

After winning just one of their last four league games, Wednesday's awkward trip for PSG saw them also lose Sergio Ramos to injury and have two goals disallowed before Fabian Ruiz put them ahead 10 minutes into the second half.

- Messi on target -
Ruiz then set up Lionel Messi to make it 2-0 with a deft finish in the 72nd minute, the Argentine scoring his 14th club goal of the season.

Sixteen-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery made sure of the win in stoppage time after Arnaud Nordin -- a friend of Mbappe's from their time together at France's national training academy -- had pulled one back.

PSG, who were without the rested Neymar, extended their lead at the top of the table from three to five points after Lens lost 1-0 at home to Nice.

"It was a good performance in general," Galtier said.

"There was an incredible scenario in the first half with the retaken penalty, we hit the post, had goals disallowed and two injuries because Sergio Ramos was involved in a collision and on falling he hurt his adductor, but apparently it is nothing serious."

The win for PSG came after a frustrating end to the January transfer window on Tuesday as they failed to process the paperwork to complete the loan signing of Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea after the Moroccan winger had passed a medical.

Gaetan Laborde scored the only goal of the game for Nice as Lens dropped points at home for the first time this season after winning all 10 previous matches there.

Marseille climbed above Lens into second place thanks to a 2-0 victory at Nantes earlier, secured by an own goal from Joao Victor and then a late strike by Azzedine Ounahi, the Moroccan World Cup star making his debut after signing in the January window.

Monaco in fourth beat Auxerre 3-2, while fifth-placed Rennes eased to a 3-0 win against struggling Strasbourg.

On-loan Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun followed up his last-gasp equalizer against PSG at the weekend by netting a hat-trick as Reims came from two goals down to beat Lorient 4-2 and extend their unbeaten run to 15 games.

Bottom side Angers suffered a new French top-flight record 13th consecutive defeat as they conceded in stoppage time to lose 2-1 at home to Ajaccio.

That result leaves them 11 points from safety.



Jannik Sinner Tested Positive for a Steroid Twice but Will Not be Suspended

Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
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Jannik Sinner Tested Positive for a Steroid Twice but Will Not be Suspended

Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but will not be suspended because the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.
The ITIA announced the case's resolution on Tuesday and said Sinner will lose the $325,000 in prize money and 400 rankings points he earned at the tournament in Indian Wells, California, where his first positive drug test happened.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me," Sinner said in a statement posted on social media. "I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA's anti-doping (program) and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Sinner won the Cincinnati Open on Monday and will be among the favorites at the US Open, which starts in New York next week. Sinner made his debut at No. 1 in the ATP rankings in June and is considered among the top stars of the new generation in men’s tennis, along with Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner, an Italian who turned 23 on Friday, won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title. He reached the semifinals at the French Open in June and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in July, before sitting out the Paris Olympics, saying he had tonsilitis.
During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use.
Sinner tested positive again eight days later in an out-of-competition sample.
He was provisionally suspended because of those test results, but he successfully appealed and was allowed to keep competing on tour.
According to The Associated Press, Sinner said his test results happened because his fitness trainer purchased an over-the-counter spray in Italy that contained Clostebol and gave it to Sinner's physiotherapist to treat a cut on the physiotherapist's finger. The physiotherapist then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves.
The ITIA said it accepted Sinner’s explanation and determined the violation was not intentional. An independent panel held a hearing on Aug. 15 and “determined a finding of No Fault or Negligence applied in the case, resulting in no period of ineligibility,” according to the ITIA.
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said “Sinner and his representatives fully cooperated” with her group's “thorough investigation.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency and Italy's anti-doping body both are allowed to appeal the decision.
Because of the in-competition test result, Sinner must forfeit the ranking points and prize money he earned by reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells.
“We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part. We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing,” the ATP Tour said in a statement. “This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team, and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport.”