Month: January 2017

With Alexis Sanchez’s cross floating into the penalty area behind him, Olivier Giroud only had one choice: A back-heeled overhead flick. “I was a bit lucky but it was the only thing I could do,” Giroud said. “The ball was behind me and I tried to hit it with a back heel.” The ball hit […]

The post Giroud’s work of art sparks Arsenal appeared first on The Japan Times.

Aoyama Gakuin University won the first leg of the two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay Monday, taking the outward half of the race for the third straight year. Five runners from Aoyama Gakuin, aiming for its third consecutive overall title, clocked a combined 5 hours, 33 minutes, 45 seconds over 107.5 km from Tokyo’s Otemachi […]

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Ryoichi Taguchi showed up before the media at his Watanabe Gym on Monday with his WBA light flyweight belt draped over shoulder. He described it as “the only positive thing” that happened in his latest fight, against Carlos Canizales on New Year’s Eve. “I barely managed to keep my belt and that was good,” said […]

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After a dramatic climax to the season that saw Kashima Antlers defy the odds to win a record eighth championship title, and then some, the J. League first division returns to an orthodox one-stage format in 2017, with a massive sponsorship windfall providing an extra incentive for teams battling out the title race. The J. […]

The post Antlers looking for more success with stakes raised in 2017 appeared first on The Japan Times.

The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are both headed to the postseason. One of those teams looks like a threat to make a serious run. Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, and the Packers calmly dispatched Detroit 31-24 on Sunday night to win the NFC North title. Green Bay finished the regular season with […]

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Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched his final game of 2016 in the maroon and yellow of the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican winter league. Matsuzaka threw seven innings in that Dec. 29 start, giving up three hits and allowing his only run in the seventh inning. Overall, he made four appearances during his time in […]

The post New year brings new hopes for some in Japanese baseball appeared first on The Japan Times.

Auston Matthews put on a show for the streaking Toronto Maple Leafs in his first outdoor game. Matthews scored in regulation and overtime, leading the Maple Leafs to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday in the Centennial Classic. In a game delayed 30 minutes at the start because of sun on […]

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Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer finally has his first win over Gregg Popovich, his longtime former boss in San Antonio. It took career and season-high point totals from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Paul Millsap, respectively, to make it happen. Hardaway matched his career high with 29 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining in […]

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