Sports News Roundup: Ronaldo hands team mate winning penalty as gesture of respect; China, South Korea bag titles at All England Open and more

Brighton's suspended boss Roberto de Zerbi had a bird's eye view from the stands as his Seagulls dominated the game, with Brighton constantly pouring forward against a team 76 positions below them in the English football pyramid. Soccer-Saka double against Palace sends Arsenal eight points clear Arsenal will head into the international break eight points clear in the Premier League title race after Bukayo Saka scored twice in a 4-1 home defeat of Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Runaway league leaders Napoli crush Torino 4-0 away

Serie A leaders Napoli thrashed Torino 4-0 away with a double from Victor Oshimen and goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Tanguy Ndombele on Sunday to move closer to the title. The Naples side have a 21-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan, who host Juventus later on Sunday.

Soccer-Union Berlin power past Frankfurt 2-0 to tighten hold on third spot

Union Berlin powered past Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 with second-half goals from captain Rani Khedira and substitute Kevin Behrens on Sunday to tighten their hold on third place in the Bundesliga and leave their opponents outside the top four. Khedira benefited from a lucky bounce in the box and drilled in for the lead in the 53rd minute after Eintracht, fresh from their midweek Champions League round-of-16 exit to Napoli, had dominated the first half and wasted a string of good chances.

Badminton-China, South Korea bag titles at All England Open

Li Shi Feng defeated fellow Chinese shuttler Shi Yu Qi to win the men's singles title at the All England Open badminton championships on Sunday, while South Korea's An Se Young smashed her way to the women's title. The all-Chinese men's final ended 26-24 21-5, beginning neck-and-neck in the first game and ending in a decisive victory for 23-year-old Li in the second.

Soccer-Five-star Brighton crush Grimsby's FA Cup dream to move into semis

Brighton & Hove Albion ended fourth-tier Grimsby Town's dream run in the FA Cup with a 5-0 win on Sunday as 18-year-old Evan Ferguson's double guided the Premier League club into the semi-finals. Brighton's suspended boss Roberto de Zerbi had a bird's eye view from the stands as his Seagulls dominated the game, with Brighton constantly pouring forward against a team 76 positions below them in the English football pyramid.

Soccer-Saka double against Palace sends Arsenal eight points clear

Arsenal will head into the international break eight points clear in the Premier League title race after Bukayo Saka scored twice in a 4-1 home defeat of Crystal Palace on Sunday. With chasers Manchester City otherwise engaged this weekend in the FA Cup, Arsenal took full advantage with Gabriel Martinelli opening the scoring and Granit Xhaka also on target.

Soccer-Groningen defender Willems struck by own fan in league match

Groningen defender Jetro Willems shrugged off a blow to the head from one of his own team's supporters as crowd troubled marred his side's 2-0 Eredivisie loss to Heerenveen on Sunday. Williams received the blow from the fan as he tried to quell tensions in the stands after another supporter had attempted to enter the field of play, seemingly to berate his own players.

Rugby-France still on track for home World Cup despite losing Six Nations title

France surrendered their Six Nations title on Saturday but over the last four years they have rediscovered their brilliance and less than six months before hosting the World Cup Les Bleus know they have a credible shot at claiming the crown. Since Fabien Galthie became head coach in 2020, France have won 80% of their tests and went on a 14-game winning streak that ended against this year's Grand Slam victors Ireland to strike the right note of caution before the Sept. 8-Oct. 28 finals.

Cricket-Starc scythes down India as Australia win second ODI to level series

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc ripped through India's lineup with five wickets to lay the platform for a crushing 10-wicket win in the second one-day international in Visakhapatnam on Sunday that levelled their three-match series at 1-1. Chasing 118 to win after Starc claimed 5-53 for his ninth five-wicket haul in ODIs in a fiery spell earlier in the day, Australia romped home in only 11 overs to set up a thrilling finale in Chennai on Wednesday.

Soccer-Ronaldo hands team mate winning penalty as gesture of respect

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning long-range free kick but handed the task of converting the winning penalty to a team mate as a gesture of respect, as Al-Nassr came from behind to beat Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. The Portuguese forward, who has now scored nine goals in his first season in Saudi Arabia, handed the ball to Brazilian Anderson Talisca, who had just returned from injury.

Soccer-Doyle's late strike fires Sheffield United into FA Cup semis

Sheffield United came from behind twice to edge Blackburn Rovers 3-2 in an entertaining FA Cup quarter-final after Tommy Doyle's superb 91st minute strike on Sunday booked a Wembley trip. With the score at 2-2 in added time, Doyle fired a shot from 25 metres that arrowed into the top corner with keeper Aynsley Pears unable to palm it away despite getting a hand to it.

(With inputs from agencies.)