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sports Diahuebs 25 augustus 2022

Rangers, Copenhagen advance to Champions League group stage

(AP) — Rangers returned Scottish league winner, in the
to the Champions League lucrative Champions League
group stage following a that is worth tens of millions
12-year absence that in- of euros (dollars) to each.
cluded a humiliating fi- Copenhagen also advanced
nancial crisis by winning Wednesday by holding Turk-
1-0 at PSV Eindhoven on ish champion Trabzonspor to
Wednesday to advance a 0-0 draw after winning the
through the playoffs home leg 2-1 last week.
round.
Extra time was being played
Rangers will take its place in between Dinamo Zagreb
Thursday's group-stage draw and Norwegian club Bodø/
thanks to Croatia forward Glimt, with the teams tied
Antonio Čolak's 60th-minute 2-2 on aggregate after 90
goal in the second leg to seal minutes in Croatia.
a 3-2 win on aggregate score.
Dinamo led 2-1 in the sec-
A decade ago, Rangers was ond leg after Glimt won 1-0
liquidated as a club and re- in Norway last week. UEFA
started in the fourth tier of abolished the away-goals rule
Scottish football. last year, which would have
Now it joins city rival Celtic, sent the Norwegian cham-
which got direct entry as the pion through.

Marc Soler gives Spain 1st Grand Tour stage win in 2 years

ascent to win the fifth stage was in the group of riders Molard leads the general
of the Spanish Vuelta on who crossed the line four classification by two seconds
Wednesday and give Spain seconds behind Soler and ahead of Fred Wright, the
its first stage win at a Grand took the overall leader's red British rider from team Bah-
Tour race in two years. No jersey from three-time de- rain Victorious. Germany's
Spanish rider had won since fending champion Primoz Nikias Arndt, of Team DSM,
Ion Izagirre took the sixth Roglic, who had won Tues- was more than a minute back
stage of the 2020 Vuelta. day's stage. in third place.
"In the end I was able to make "I was stressed until the end,"
it happen and I'm very hap- said Molard, a Frenchman Roglic, trying to become the
py," said Soler, of UAE Team from team Groupama-FDJ. first rider to win four straight
Emirates. "It's not easy. There "It means a lot to me. Last Vuelta titles, fell to fifth place,
are many Spanish riders in year, I left the race with a se- more than four minutes off
many teams but we often rious accident. I didn't know the lead. His Jumbo-Visma
have to work. It's not easy but if I would be able to return had its riders wearing the red
we can also win." to my best level. And a year jersey in each of the first four
(AP) — With the finish He threw his hand to his later I lead a Grand Tour. I stages.
line in sight, Marc Sol- helmet in apparent disbelief, Soler's other win at the Vuelta really struggled this winter, I
er looked back over his then started celebrating a big came on the second stage in couldn't do any sport for sev- The three-week race, which
shoulder and realized win for him and his country. 2020. eral weeks. You always have began with three stages in the
his challengers wouldn't to believe." Netherlands, will finish in
catch him. Soler broke free on the final Frenchman Rudy Molard Madrid.

Belarus' Azarenka dropped from Ukraine exhibition at US Open

(AP) — Two-time major champi- player leader and we appreciate her $25 and $50 tickets going to an inter- at least $2 million to benefit Ukraine
on and former No. 1 Victoria Az- willingness to participate. Given the national nonprofit organization. by the end of the U.S. Open, which
arenka was dropped Wednesday sensitivities to Ukrainian players, and starts Monday.
from a pre-U.S. Open exhibition the ongoing conflict, we believe this It is part of the USTA's effort to raise
event raising money for humani- is the right course of action for us."
tarian assistance in Ukraine.
Azarenka and all players representing
Azarenka is from Belarus, which Russia or Belarus were banned from
helped Russia launch its invasion entering Wimbledon — which was
of Ukraine in February. At least held in June and July — because of
one Ukrainian tennis player, Marta the invasion of Ukraine. The USTA
Kostyuk, questioned having a Be- announced in June that it would al-
larusian player participate in the U.S. low those athletes to compete in the
Tennis Association's "Tennis Plays U.S. Open.
for Peace Exhibition," scheduled for Azarenka won the Australian Open in
Wednesday night in Louis Armstrong 2012 and 2013, and was the runner-
Stadium at Flushing Meadows. up at the U.S. Open in 2012, 2013
and 2020.
The USTA issued a statement
Wednesday, saying: "In the last 24 Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, Carlos Al-
hours, after careful consideration and carez, Iga Swiatek and Leylah Fernan-
dialogue with all parties involved, dez were among the other players set
Victoria Azarenka will not be partici- to participate in Wednesday's event,
pating ... this evening. Vika is a strong with 100% of proceeds from sales of