Japan Qualify for BJK Cup Finals with Win Over Canada

Japan's Moyuka Uchijima levelled the tie when she breezed through the second match against Canadian Marina Stakusic, winning 6-3, 6-3 - AFP
Japan's Moyuka Uchijima levelled the tie when she breezed through the second match against Canadian Marina Stakusic, winning 6-3, 6-3 - AFP
TT

Japan Qualify for BJK Cup Finals with Win Over Canada

Japan's Moyuka Uchijima levelled the tie when she breezed through the second match against Canadian Marina Stakusic, winning 6-3, 6-3 - AFP
Japan's Moyuka Uchijima levelled the tie when she breezed through the second match against Canadian Marina Stakusic, winning 6-3, 6-3 - AFP

Japan became the seventh team to book their place at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals when they came from behind to beat Canada 2-1 in Tokyo on Sunday.

Victory in the doubles put them top of Group A and means they will be heading to Shenzhen in September to join hosts China, defending champions Italy and fellow qualifying group winners Ukraine, Spain, Great Britain and Kazakhstan.

The one remaining place will go to either Slovakia or USA, who meet in Bratislava later on Sunday, AFP reported.

Canada and Japan had both blanked Romania 3-0 in their opening matches, setting up the head-to-head finale which was played out in front of a noisy Tokyo crowd.

The Canadians made the better start with Victoria Mboko edging Ena Shibahara over three sets, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5.

Moyuka Uchijima then levelled the tie when she breezed through the second match against Marina Stakusic, winning 6-3, 6-3.

That left everything on the doubles where Japan could call on the experienced Shuko Aoyama, now 37, and Eri Hozumi against Rebecca Marino and Kayla Cross.

The Japanese took the first set 6-3 but the Canadians hit back strongly to lead 5-1 in the second, at which point they wobbled, losing four games in a row.

They held their nerve to break again and take the set 7-5 but were immediately in trouble in the decider when Marino was broken.

As pressure mounted and errors crept into the Canadians' game, the Japanese pair turned the screw to see out a 6-2 final set which qualified them for the China showpiece.

The BJK Cup qualifiers featured six groups of three nations with the winners booking a ticket to the eight-team final tournament.



Real Coach Alonso Looking for Team to Bounce Back Against Man City 

Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso gestures to players during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 7, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso gestures to players during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 7, 2025. (AFP)
TT

Real Coach Alonso Looking for Team to Bounce Back Against Man City 

Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso gestures to players during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 7, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso gestures to players during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 7, 2025. (AFP)

Real Madrid go into Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Manchester City reeling from a surprise home setback at the weekend and a lengthy injury list, but coach Xabi Alonso says they need to bounce back quickly.

Real lost their 100% home record in the Spanish league on Sunday in a shock 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo, and fell four points behind leaders Barcelona, but have little time to reflect on the setback before their Champions League assignment.

“We need to turn the page as quickly as possible,” Alonso said as Monday’s Spanish sports press speculated on the state of his relationship with his players.

“There's a long way to go in La Liga. And we have the Champions League match against City to react and get rid of this bad taste in our mouths.”

With Real winning only one of their last five LaLiga fixtures, Alonso has come under scrutiny for his relationship with players, system of playing and tactical decisions, while injuries have suddenly piled up again.

“We're struggling with injuries. It was hard for us to react,” added Alonso, whose side finished Sunday’s game with two red cards.

“It hurts, we're angry, and we understand why people are angry."

Defender Eder Militao hobbled off the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu pitch in the first half on Sunday and joins David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy on the injury list. Jude Bellingham also suffered a cut above the eye but is expected to feature against Manchester City.

“The situation is tight due to injuries. We have to make adjustments for each match, and we'll see how things go for Wednesday,” added the coach, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti at the start of the season.

Sports newspaper AS said Alonso was unable to motivate his team while Marca claimed he would not be able to fix things.

But the coach offered a different outlook: “We're all united and know that we can turn things around. There's still a long way to go, and you can have a bad game at home. We know what the demands are at this club. Defeats hurt a lot, but we have to look ahead.”


Tearful Norris Takes F1 Title as Verstappen Wins Abu Dhabi Race

 McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP)
TT

Tearful Norris Takes F1 Title as Verstappen Wins Abu Dhabi Race

 McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP)

McLaren's Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen's four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

Red Bull's Verstappen, who ended the campaign with more wins (eight) than any driver, triumphed in the season-ender with McLaren's Oscar Piastri second and 12.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag.

Norris, Britain's 11th Formula One world champion, took his points tally to 423 with Verstappen on 421 and Piastri third with 410.

McLaren, who secured the constructors' championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.

"I've not cried in a while. I didn't think I would cry but I did," said an emotional Norris in a post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet.

"It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit.

"I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It's been a pleasure to race against both of them. It's been an honor, I've learned a lot from both," he added.

Norris's mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated the new champion in a show of sportsmanship.

The victory denied Verstappen the achievement of five titles in a row, something only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed so far.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday's race for Ferrari with George Russell fifth for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso sixth for Aston Martin.

Esteban Ocon was seventh for Haas, ahead of Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton -- who failed to stand on the podium all year in a career low for the 40-year-old who joined the Italian team this year from Mercedes.

Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in the German's 250th race and Lance Stroll 10th for Aston Martin.


Chelsea’s Maresca Says Delap Shoulder Injury Looks Bad

Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Chelsea - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - December 3, 2025 Chelsea's Liam Delap on the pitch before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Chelsea - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - December 3, 2025 Chelsea's Liam Delap on the pitch before the match. (Reuters)
TT

Chelsea’s Maresca Says Delap Shoulder Injury Looks Bad

Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Chelsea - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - December 3, 2025 Chelsea's Liam Delap on the pitch before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Chelsea - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - December 3, 2025 Chelsea's Liam Delap on the pitch before the match. (Reuters)

Chelsea forward Liam Delap may face another spell on the sidelines with a shoulder injury after being forced off in the first half of Saturday’s 0-0 Premier League draw at Bournemouth, manager Enzo Maresca said.

Delap, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town in June, had also picked up a hamstring injury early on in the season and returned to the side only last month.

"He has been unlucky. We are also a bit unlucky because we need that kind of a No. 9," Maresca told reporters after the match.

"Unfortunately, he has already been out for two months and he has to be out again. We don't know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder."

Chelsea, who played to their first goalless draw since a home clash with Crystal Palace in August, were left in fourth place in the league table with 25 points from their 15 games.

"I think it was a game where we lacked and we missed a little bit of quality in the last third," Maresca said.

"For me, there were many mistakes. We missed some passes in the last third, some moments that we could shoot and didn’t."

Chelsea will next face Atalanta in a Champions League clash on Tuesday before hosting Everton on Saturday.