SOCCER

U.S. women win tourney as World Cup approaches

The United States not only avenged last month’s stinging loss to France with its 10th Algarve Cup title but addressed concerns about its readiness for the Women’s World Cup that starts in June.

Hope Solo stopped a late penalty kick to preserve her 81st international shutout and lead the U.S. over France 2-0 at Faro, Portugal on Wednesday.

Julie Johnston and Christen Press scored for the second-ranked U.S., which rebounded from a 0-0 draw against Iceland on Monday. Solo made her 160th start in goal, passing Briana Scurry for the American record.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Thiago Silva scored on a looping header over goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 114th minute at London, lifting Paris Saint-Germain over Chelsea and into the quarterfinals.

• Shakhtar Donetsk lost a defender to the fastest red card in league history – third minute – and Bayern Munich cruised into the quarterfinals with a 7-0 victory, matching its biggest home win.

BIATHLON

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Clare Egan of Cape Elizabeth finished 51st of 101 competitors in the women’s 15-kilometer race at the meet in Kontiolahti, Finland.

Egan, 27, hit her first 10 targets but missed two in each of her final two shooting stages. She was timed in 47 minutes, 17.9 seconds. The winner, Ekaterina Yurlova of Russia, finished in 41:33.2 with no misses.

Egan was the third finisher of four Americans. Susan Dunklee of Barton, Vermont, was 12th.

The women’s relay is scheduled for Friday. Competitors will be Egan, Dunklee, Annelies Cook and Hannah Dreissigacker.

SKIING

EX-COACH CHARGED: Former Team Canada junior ski coach Bertrand Charest was charged with sexual assault and breach of trust involving children between the ages of 14 and 16.

Charest was arraigned on 47 charges dating from 1991-98.

GOLF

DRUG TESTING: John Daly remains angry over what he claims to be an anti-doping policy on the PGA Tour that is not random.

Daly said he’s doesn’t mind getting tested for drugs and that he has never failed a test. But he was irritated because he said he gets tested every year at the Valspar Championship and he has to keep from using the bathroom on the back nine.

OLYMPICS

BRAZILIAN POLLUTION: Rio de Janeiro’s government turned to a high-technology Dutch institute to help it try to better collect floating garbage in Guanabara Bay, the sailing venue for the 2016 Olympic Games, as officials face severe criticism over the polluted waters.

While officials hope the effort will help them avoid embarrassing incidents during the games, like boats crashing into floating debris, it does not combat the more pressing problem of extreme sewage pollution in the waters.

SAILING

VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Dirk de Ridder will sail the fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race with Team Brunel, his first major competition since serving an 18-month suspension stemming from one of the biggest scandals in America’s Cup history – altering a boat.

De Ridder will replace Laurent Pages, who broke two ribs during the stopover in Auckland, New Zealand. The team said Pages was injured when he tripped and fell.

HORSE RACING

TURCOTTE MOVED: Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte was moved to a hospital closer to his home in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, a day after his legs were broken when his van hit an icy patch and flipped.

Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973, was paralyzed from the waist down after a spill in 1978.

– From staff and news services

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