Sporting Sack Pereira, Borges Appointed as Replacement

Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese coach Joao Pereira is pictured during the Portuguese League football match between Gil Vicente FC and Sporting CP at the at the Cidade de Barcelos stadium in Barcelos, on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese coach Joao Pereira is pictured during the Portuguese League football match between Gil Vicente FC and Sporting CP at the at the Cidade de Barcelos stadium in Barcelos, on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Sporting Sack Pereira, Borges Appointed as Replacement

Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese coach Joao Pereira is pictured during the Portuguese League football match between Gil Vicente FC and Sporting CP at the at the Cidade de Barcelos stadium in Barcelos, on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese coach Joao Pereira is pictured during the Portuguese League football match between Gil Vicente FC and Sporting CP at the at the Cidade de Barcelos stadium in Barcelos, on December 22, 2024. (AFP)

Sporting have appointed Rui Borges as head coach, the Portuguese champions announced on Thursday, following the sacking of Joao Pereira.

Sporting said Borges has signed a contract until June 2026, with an option to further extend it by a year.

Pereira, who took over after Ruben Amorim's departure to Manchester United in November, was in charge for eight matches, of which Sporting won just three.

Under the former Portugal and Sporting defender, the Lisbon club suffered successive Champions League defeats and fell to second in the Primeira Liga standings behind cross-town rivals Benfica.

Pereira's replacement Borges takes charge of the club after stepping down from his role at fellow Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes.

Sporting paid Vitoria a settlement of 4.1 million euros ($4.26 million) for the 43-year-old's services.

Borges, who has coached a string of Portuguese clubs, took charge of Vitoria in May. He guided them to the knockout stages of the Conference League, where they finished the group stage as one of only two unbeaten clubs alongside England's Chelsea.

Sporting next host Benfica in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday.



Rybakina Takes Kazakhstan Past Spain in United Cup Debut

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain during the United Cup day one match between Kazakhstan and Spain at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, 27 December 2024. (EPA)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain during the United Cup day one match between Kazakhstan and Spain at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, 27 December 2024. (EPA)
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Rybakina Takes Kazakhstan Past Spain in United Cup Debut

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain during the United Cup day one match between Kazakhstan and Spain at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, 27 December 2024. (EPA)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain during the United Cup day one match between Kazakhstan and Spain at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, 27 December 2024. (EPA)

Elena Rybakina guided Kazakhstan to a 2-1 victory against Spain in her United Cup debut at the RAC Arena in Perth on Friday.

The world number six defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2 6-3 in the singles and then combined with Alexander Shevchenko to clinch the deciding mixed doubles.

Kazakhstan can qualify for the quarter-finals of the 18-nation mixed teams event by beating Greece in their second Group C match on Monday.

Former world number 10 Pablo Carreno Busta swept aside Shevchenko 6-2 6-1 in little over an hour to put Spain ahead before Rybakina, playing her first match since hiring Goran Ivanisevic as coach for the season, pulled Kazakhstan level.

The 25-year-old raced to a 4-0 lead before Bouzas Maneiro could put up some sort of resistance to win the next two games. Rybakina soon asserted herself again and broke her opponent at love to take the opening set.

The Kazakh fired a series of backhand winners for a similar 4-2 lead in the second set and Bouzas Maneiro held three break points at 5-3 before Rybakina's power game prevailed.

"The first match is always difficult," former Wimbledon champion Rybakina said.

"It's not easy to get used that quick but I'm pretty happy with the way I played today."

She was soon back on court alongside Shevchenko to score a 7-6(4) 6-7(2) 10-7 win against Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers and Carreno Busta.

"If 'Lena' wasn't carrying me to this match we would lose ... Thanks to her," Shevchenko said.

Group E action begins in the second session with Brazil facing a China side depleted by the withdrawal of Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, who opted to rest ahead of the Australian Open.