Today’s Sports News: What You Need To Know – RNZ

Latest – Paris St Germain forward Lionel Messi and three other players have tested positive for COVID-19.

Argentina international Messi joined PSG from boyhood club Barcelona in August and the 34-year-old has scored six goals in 16 games in all competitions for the Parisian side.

Defender Juan Bernat, back-up goalkeeper Sergio Rico and midfielder Nathan Bitumazala were the other players who returned positive tests.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team are top of the Ligue 1 standings on 46 points after 19 matches, 13 points above second-placed Nice. They are due to travel to third-tier club Vannes tomorrow for a French Cup round-of-32 match.

Pochettino said he was unsure if Messi, who is currently in Argentina, would feature in their next league game, at Olympique Lyonnais on Jan. 9.

France reported 219,126 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period over the weekend, the fourth day in a row that the country has recorded more than 200,000 cases.

France has joined the United States, India, Brazil, Britain and Russia in having had more than 10 million cases.

PSG also said that Brazil forward Neymar, who is out with an ankle injury, was about three weeks away from returning to training.

-Reuters

Silverwood has Covid

England cricket head coach Chris Silverwood has tested positive for COVID-19 while isolating in Melbourne.

Silverwood was already due to miss the fourth Ashes test beginning in Sydney on Tuesday, having entered isolation last Thursday after a family member tested positive for the virus.

Assistant coach Graham Thorpe will lead England in Silverwood’s absence. Australia have already retained the Ashes, leading the five-test series 3-0 with two matches to play.

England’s support staff have been depleted due to COVID-19 cases, with pace bowling coach Jon Lewis, spin mentor Jeetan Patel and fitness coach Darren Veness all in isolation in Melbourne.

Australia batsman Travis Head will miss also the Sydney test after testing positive for COVID-19.

-Reuters

Real upset in La Liga

An early goal from Turkish striker Enes Unal shocked LaLiga leaders Real Madrid as they lost 1-0 at Getafe and ended an unbeaten run that had lasted 15 matches in all competitions.

With 46 points from 20 games, Real Madrid are still top but are not as comfortable as before. Sevilla are second with 38 points and two games in hand, and will visit second-from-bottom Cadiz on Monday.

Getafe, led by former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores, extended their unbeaten streak in LaLiga to six matches and are 16th in the standings, three points above the relegation zone.

Unal scored with a low, powerful strike in the ninth minute after pressuring Real defender Eder Militao into giving up the ball inside the box.

-Reuters

Medvedev beaten in Sydney

Russian Daniil Medvedev’s 2022 season opened with a stunning defeat at the hands of Frenchman Ugo Humbert at the ATP Cup in Sydney, while Italy’s Matteo Berrettini suffered a straight-sets loss to Australian Alex de Minaur.

World number two Medvedev had been expected to seal the Group B tie for Russia after Roman Safiullin beat Arthur Rinderknech in the opening singles, but Humbert’s 6-7(5) 7-5 7-6(2) victory kept France alive at 1-1 going into the doubles.

Medvedev, however, changed his shirt and returned to the Ken Rosewall arena alongside Safiullin to clinch the tie for the defending champions with a 6-4 6-4 win over Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

In Group B, world number seven Berrettini was beaten on his return from injury as Italy slumped to a 2-1 loss to Australia, who were without James Duckworth after he was forced to pull out with a hip problem.

Dan Evans proved to be the unlikely hero for Britain in Group C when he won two matches, including the crucial doubles rubber with Jamie Murray, to guide them to a 2-1 victory over Germany.

Earlier, Canadian Denis Shapovalov was a late withdrawal from his singles match against American John Isner at the $10-million men’s team tournament.

The world number 14 had been forced to isolate in his hotel room after a positive COVID-19 test upon arrival in Sydney.

The US won 3-0.

-Reuters

Rangnick wants Cavani to stay at Old Trafford

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick “desperately” wants to keep striker Edinson Cavani at Old Trafford until the end of the season despite reported interest from other clubs in the January transfer window.

The 34-year-old Uruguay international, whose contract expires at the end of June, has been linked with a move to Barcelona or Juventus.

“We have had quite a few conversations over the last couple of weeks… I told him from the very first day he is a highly important player, he is probably the only one who can play as a striker back to goal and face to goal,” Rangnick said.

“His professionalism and his work ethic is just amazing. I told him that I desperately want him to stay and stay until the end of the season, and he knows that.”

Cavani, who joined United on a free transfer from Paris St Germain in 2020, has scored twice in 10 games in all competitions this season.

Rangnick added that forward Anthony Martial had not been picked in recent weeks because of the Frenchman’s desire to leave the club this month.

United are seventh in the league standings with 31 points from 18 games, six points ahead of Wolves in ninth.

-Reuters