Digest

SOCCER

Guo'an reaches Asia's last eight for first time

Beijing Guo'an reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League for the first time after a second-half A Lan strike earned the Chinese side a 1-0 win over FC Tokyo on Sunday.

After cruising through the group phase unbeaten, Bruno Genesio's Guo'an wrote a new chapter in its history, having never previously progressed beyond the last-16 stage in three appearances.

But at the Education City Stadium in Doha on Sunday it not only snapped that jinx but also took its unbeaten streak in this year's tournament to seven matches.

Tokyo, too, had never made it past this stage in two previous appearances but faltered against Chinese opposition yet again－it was beaten to the quarterfinal spot by Guangzhou Evergrande in 2012 and Shanghai SIPG in 2016.

"Today's game was very tight, the level shown by both teams was similar," head coach Genesio said. "But I think we deserved the victory because we dominated the game and got a lot of possession.

"We were efficient in both defense and attack, so I congratulate my players."

Liverpool joins Spurs at summit as fans return

Liverpool turned on the style for its returning fans on Sunday, beating Wolves 4-0 to join Tottenham at the top of the English Premier League after another episode of the Son Heung-min and Harry Kane show.

Jurgen Klopp's men had not had the chance to play in front of their supporters since they ended their 30-year wait to be crowned English champions but made up for lost time.

You'll Never Walk Alone rang out around Anfield as 2,000 home fans－the maximum allowed under local coronavirus rules－witnessed strikes from Mo Salah, Gini Wijnaldum, Joel Matip and a Nelson Semedo own goal.

Earlier, Son and Kane hit first-half goals as Jose Mourinho's Spurs beat faltering Arsenal 2-0 in the north London derby, while Leicester City, which ended the day in fourth spot, beat rock-bottom Sheffield United 2-1 thanks to a last-gasp Jamie Vardy strike.

BASKETBALL

Royal Fighters on a roll with fourth straight win

The Beijing Royal Fighters beat the Tianjin Pioneers 111-95 on Sunday evening for their fourth straight win in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers overcame the Qingdao Eagles 113-101.

Americans Joseph Young and Andrew Harrison notched 19 points apiece to lead five Royal Fighters in double-digit scoring, with Yu Changdong adding 16 points and 14 rebounds. Stephon Marbury's Royal Fighters improved to an 8-7 win-loss record.

Bouncing back from Friday's shock loss to the Guangzhou Loong Lions, Xinjiang defeated Qingdao on the back of a great team effort and a balanced offense.

Six Xinjiang players reached double figures, with Donatas Motiejunas leading the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Liu Lipeng and Zhou Qi added 22 and 15 points respectively while Zeng Lingxu contributed 10 points and nine assists.

MOTOR SPORTS

Perez ends long wait for Formula 1 glory

Sergio Perez stayed calm amid the chaos at a remarkable Sakhir Grand Prix to clinch his first Formula 1 win in his 190th race on Sunday.

The Racing Point driver finished 10.5 seconds ahead of Renault's Esteban Ocon and 11.9 clear of teammate Lance Stroll. "I'm speechless," the 30-year-old Perez said. "I hope I'm not dreaming."

The Mexican does not even have an F1 seat next year after being replaced by Sebastian Vettel. "I want to keep going," Perez said. "If I'm not on the grid next year I will be in 2022."

George Russell looked like capping his debut with a win, but after roaring back to second spot after poor pitting tactics by Mercedes, the Briton saw his hopes evaporate after sustaining a punctured with eight laps remaining. The 22-year-old was a replacement for world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was ruled out due to his coronavirus diagnosis.

SKI JUMP

Kot dreams of bowing out with Beijing medal

Polish ski jumping star Maciej Kot said in an interview on Sunday that he could retire after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where he is targeting a podium finish.

Poland is expected to dominate the Olympic ski jump competition, but the 29-year-old Kot has long been in the shadow of Kamil Stoch and Dawid Kubacki. Kot is still hopeful that the 2022 Games will be the greatest moment of his career.

"I have my sports goal and it's the Olympics in 2022. Every day I give 100 percent to fight for the medal, I have strength and motivation. I know that it may be my last Olympic competition," Kot was quoted as saying by Polish publication Przeglad Sportowy.

"It is difficult for me to say today what will happen after the Olympics. The perspective of another four years in professional sports is quite distant. In my case, it depends on whether I will continue to enjoy it. You won't want to do what can't satisfy you, you have to look for new challenges."

Xinhua - Agencies