BEB Weekend Sports: News!

Barca lose to Cadiz for the first time since 1991

Cadiz beat Barcelona for the first time in La Liga since 1991 as former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo scored a famous winner.

It was a first home win in the top flight against any opposition for promoted Cadiz since 2006 and takes them four points above Barcelona.

Alvaro Gimenez put Cadiz in front before an own goal from Pedro Alcala brought Barca, who are seventh, level.

Negredo took advantage of shambolic defending to score the winner.

The 35-year-old, who had only been on the pitch for 44 seconds, closed down Marc-Andre ter Stegen before rounding the sliding Frenkie de Jong to tap into an empty net.

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman - who played in 1991 when Cadiz last beat Barca - appeared to have turned a corner after a poor start.

They had won six of their past seven games in all competitions but now sit 12 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid after 10 games. They are already six points off the Champions League places.

Barca have conceded several sloppy goals already this season and trailed when Ter Stegen stopped Oscar Mingueza from scoring an own goal but Gimenez finished from on the line.

They benefitted from an own goal by Alcala to level before Clement Lenglet failed to control Jordi Alba's throw-in to give former Real Madrid striker Negredo the chance to score the winner.

Napoli rename stadium after Maradona

Napoli have renamed their stadium after late club legend Diego Maradona. Former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager Maradona, who died aged 60 in November, led the Italian side to two Serie A titles, in 1987 and 1990.

The Stadio San Paolo will now be known as the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, after the Napoli city council approved the resolution.

Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis proposed renaming the stadium in an open letter after Maradona's death.

The mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, also backed the idea.

Maradona spent seven years at Napoli after joining from Barcelona in 1984, also winning the 1987 Coppa Italia and 1989 Uefa Cup with the Italian club.

Fans gathered at the stadium to pay tribute to him after his death on 25 November and Napoli honoured him before their Europa League match against HNK Rijeka, each player wearing a shirt with 'Maradona 10' on the back.

"The resolution was signed by the entire city council," said the council in a statement.

It added that Maradona was "the greatest footballer of all time" who "with his immense talent and magic honoured the Napoli team shirt for seven years" and "receiving in exchange from the whole city an eternal and unconditional love".

Maradona made 188 appearances for Napoli, more than he made for any other club in his career, and scored 81 goals.

Schumacher wins Formula 2 championship

Mick Schumacher will graduate to Formula 1 with Haas next year as Formula 2 champion despite a difficult final race of the season in Bahrain.

The German finished 18th and won the title by 14 points from Britain's Callum Ilott, who was 10th in the race.

Schumacher, the 21-year-old son of F1 legend Michael, said he was "a bit overwhelmed". 

"I don't really understand I am champion yet," the Prema driver said. 

"It's going to take a few days maybe."

He said "owed" the title to his team, adding: 

"It would sound a lot better if we did a good race today. 

"Nevertheless, we are champion today and people will forget this race and remember the good times this year.

Schumacher, a Ferrari young driver, was racing close to the front in the early stages of the race but damaged his tyres and had to pit to replace them. He returned to the track to set the fastest lap.

The race was won by India's Jehan Daruvala, from Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, who clinched third in the championship behind Schumacher and Ilott.

Tsunoda is also expected to move up to F1 next year with Red Bull's Alpha Tauri team, although this has not yet been confirmed.

Russia's Nikita Mazepin, who is joining Schumacher at Haas in 2021, finished the race ninth and was fifth in the championship.

LA Lakers resign Davis and James

Anthony Davis and LeBron James have signed new deals with NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers.

Davis has agreed a reported five-year deal worth $190m (£141m).

His agent told ESPN the 27-year-old has the option to terminate it before the fifth year.

Four-time NBA champion James, 35, has signed a two-year extension worth a reported $85m (£63m) which will run until the end of the 2022-23 season - his 20th in the competition.

James will become a free agent in the same year his 16-year-old son Bronny is scheduled to enter the NBA when he graduates from high school.

His career earnings will approach $435m (£324m) by the end of his Lakers deal.

Davis and James helped the Lakers to their first NBA title in a decade in October.

James, who joined the Lakers in 2018, was named the finals' most valuable player and became the first player to win the title with three different teams, having twice won it with Miami Heat and once with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"LeBron James is a transcendent basketball player and human being," said Lakers general manager general manager Rob Pelinka. "This contract extension paves the way for LeBron to further solidify his legacy as an all-time Lakers great."

While he said Davis' deal was a "blessed moment for Lakers Nation."

The Lakers will play the Los Angeles Clippers in their opening game of the new NBA season on 22 December.

James says the Lakers "absolutely can" retain their title, telling the Road Trippin' podcast: 

"We can. I mean, it's that simple."

from Bola Esho's Blog