Digest

SOCCER

Ronaldo announces death of baby son

Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez announced on Monday that their newborn baby son has died.

Ronaldo revealed in a social media post last October that the couple were expecting twins. On Monday, a statement jointly signed by Ronaldo and Rodriguez and posted on the Manchester United forward's Twitter account read: "It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel.

"Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness. We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time."

The couple also have a 4-year-old daughter together, while Ronaldo has three other children.

Guangzhou, Shandong thrashed in AFC CL

Guangzhou FC and Shandong Taishan FC both suffered resounding defeats in their second matches of the AFC Champions League group stage on Monday, losing to Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Red Diamonds respectively.

Both Chinese teams, who also lost their opening fixtures, fielded second-string XIs as they prepare for the new Chinese Super League season to kick off.

Kawasaki made 10 changes to its lineup from an opening 1-1 draw with Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea, but the J-League champion still romped to an 8-0 victory in Group I.

In Group F, Shandong held Urawa Red Diamonds scoreless until the 26th minute when Takahiro Akimoto broke the deadlock, before the Japanese side ran out a 5-0 winner.

Barca stunned by Cadiz amid supporter protest

Barcelona's slim hopes for the Spanish league title all but ended after losing 1-0 to Cadiz at home on Monday in a match marked by protesting fans.

The fans were upset that an estimated 30,000 Eintracht Frankfurt supporters－far above the German team's official ticket allocation－took over Camp Nou in a Europa League loss last week.

Barca's first ever home loss to relegation-threatened Cadiz left it 15 points behind La Liga leader Real Madrid with six rounds left. The Catalan club, sitting in second place, has a game in hand.

Barcelona hadn't lost consecutive games at home since 2003, according to Spanish media.

"It was a bad week for us but we have to move on and try to change this dynamic as soon as we can," Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said.

BASKETBALL

Smart named NBA's defensive player of year

Boston's Marcus Smart is the first guard in over a quarter-century to win the NBA defensive player of the year award.

NBA officials announced the award on Monday. The last guard to win this honor was Seattle's Gary Payton in 1995-96.

Smart helped the Celtics lead the NBA in defensive rating and scoring defense (104.6) while holding opponents to a league-low field-goal percentage (.434) and 3-point percentage (.339). The 28-year-old ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68) and tied for sixth in total steals (119).

Smart received 257 total points and earned 37 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges finished second with 202 points and 22 first-place votes.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who had won the award in 2018,2019 and 2021, finished third with 136 points and 12 first-place votes.

Duke's Williams entering NBA draft

Big man Mark Williams is the first of Duke's multiple NBA prospects to say he's leaving to enter the draft.

The 7-foot-1(2.16-meter) sophomore announced his decision in a social media video Monday evening.

"Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine, just like how (attending) Duke was when I was growing up," Williams said. "Duke has prepared me to take this next step and I'm excited to announce I will be declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft."

Williams was an elite rim protector last season. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native started all 39 games, averaging 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, and ranked 12th nationally with 2.82 blocks per game.

"The NBA team that drafts Mark is obviously getting a talented player, but an equally impressive young man off the court that will represent their organization with class," said now-retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in a statement.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Browns, Ward agree to $100m extension

Denzel Ward got locked down. Now there's a switch.

Cleveland's two-time Pro Bowl cornerback agreed Monday to a five-year, $100.5 million contract extension with the Browns, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Ward's deal includes $71.25 million guaranteed, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the 24-year-old has not yet signed the contract. The Browns begin their offseason program Tuesday.

"Loss of words, I'm blessed," Ward tweeted while thanking the Browns "for continuing to believe in the homegrown kid and allowing me to represent this organization and city of Cleveland where I'm from.

"Still work to be done Cleveland but I'm here to stay and work toward what we all set out to do when playing this game!#win!"

With a yearly average of $20.1 million, Ward will be the NFL's highest-paid cornerback, surpassing the $20 million per year for Jalen Ramsey of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

Xinhua - Agencies