Digest

SOCCER

Hulk hits winner as SIPG stuns Jeonbuk

Hulk

Brazil star Hulk converted a late secondhalf penalty as Shanghai SIPG defeated twotime champion Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 in their Asian Champions League clash on Sunday.

It was the Chinese side's second straight win in the competition having scored an identical victory over Sydney FC in Group H, while Jeonbuk suffered its second loss in three matches.

In an earlier match on Sunday, Chinese giant Guangzhou Evergrande and South Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings scrapped their way to a goalless draw in Group G, the first stalemate witnessed in the biosecure bubble in Doha in four days of action.

The result left Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro fuming, with the Italian remarking of his team's performance: "This is not our style."

Ageless Ibra keeps Milan in pole position

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains unstoppable and AC Milan remains unbeaten atop Serie A.

The 39-year-old Ibrahimovi scored twice to raise his total to 10 goals in six games as Milan won 3-1 at Napoli on Sunday.

"He seems even stronger now than he was 10 to 12 years ago," said Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso, who played alongside Ibrahimovic when Milan last won the Italian league in 2011.

However, there was concern for Ibrahimovic when he exited toward the end clutching his hamstring. The Swedish superstar has already missed two games this season after contracting COVID-19.

"It looks like a muscular problem but we'll have to wait a few days to understand the extent of it," said Milan assistant coach Daniele Bonera, who was standing in for head coach Stefano Pioli, who was absent due to his coronavirus diagnosis.

Milan has a four-point advantage over defending champion Juventus, which is fourth. Juve won 2-0 at Cagliari on Saturday thanks to a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.

BASKETBALL

Celtics reward Tatum for breakout season

Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics and star forward Jayson Tatum have agreed to a five-year, $195-million max extension, ESPN reported Sunday.

The deal could approach $200 million with All-NBA escalators, per the report. The extension takes effect for the 2021-22 season, as the 22-year-old has a year remaining on his rookie contract.

The Celtics selected Tatum No 3 overall in the 2017 draft out of Duke. He broke out in a big way this past season, averaging a career-high 23.4 points per game in the pandemic-shortened season to become the face of the Celtics. The mark eclipsed his 2018-19 average by nearly eight points.

Tatum averaged 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals as he was named to his first All-Star team and to the All-NBA third team. He led Boston with 189 3-pointers.

He scored 39 points while guarding Kawhi Leonard in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb 23, then scored 41 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers shortly afterward. "The kid is special," Lakers star LeBron James said after that game. "Obviously, that's a reason he's a first-time All-Star."

Jazz, Mitchell agree to lucrative extension

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell agreed to a five-year extension with the Utah Jazz worth a guaranteed $163 million, ESPN reported on Sunday.

The value could increase to $195 million by meeting certain incentives, the player's agents told the network.

Mitchell, 24, made his first All-Star team and averaged career highs with 24.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 69 starts in 2019-20. He made 173 3-pointers at a career-best 36.6 percent clip and shot 86.3 percent from the free-throw line, also a personal best.

He went to another level during Utah's seven-game loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, averaging 36.3 points per game with two 50-point contests.

Through three seasons, Mitchell is averaging 22.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals.

SKIING

Vlhova doubles up as Shiffrin struggles

Petra Vlhova

Petra Vlhova held off a challenge from Michelle Gisin Sunday to clinch her second World Cup slalom win in two days, while Mikaela Shiffrin placed fifth.

Vlhova and Gisin shared the lead after the opening run in Levi, Finland, but Slovakia's reigning World Cup champion in the discipline beat her Swiss opponent by 0.31 seconds in the final leg. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was third.

In her second race after a 10-month break, and a day after finishing runner-up behind Vlhova, Shiffrin missed a slalom podium for the first time in nearly three years.

Xinhua - Agencies