Sports News Roundup: Games-China's Xi opens Hangzhou Asian Games, ceremony dazzles; Soccer-Lewandowski and Cancelo strike as Barca snatch 3-2 win over Celta and more

Goals by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put the champions in cruise control within 15 minutes but Rodri's red card one minute into the second period after he grappled with Morgan Gibbs-White meant City had to work hard to seal the victory. Soccer-Rapinoe retires from soccer with no regrets on activism Megan Rapinoe will bid farewell to international football with no regrets about her time on and off the pitch, she told a news conference on Saturday ahead of her last game on Sunday, highlighting her support of social causes throughout her career.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Games-China's Xi opens Hangzhou Asian Games, ceremony dazzles

China's President Xi Jinping opened the COVID-delayed 19th Asian Games in the Eastern city of Hangzhou during a spectacular and at times raucous ceremony on Saturday, which organisers hope will lift the mood in a nation struggling with an economic slump. Spectators in the city's 80,000 capacity stadium let out a huge roar as Xi was introduced and walked in to sit with visiting dignitaries including International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Syria President Bashar al-Assad.

Soccer-Lewandowski and Cancelo strike as Barca snatch 3-2 win over Celta

Robert Lewandowski scored a quickfire double before Joao Cancelo sealed a last-gasp 3-2 win for Barcelona over Celta Vigo in a LaLiga clash at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday. The win provisionally moves Barcelona to the top of the league standings with 16 points from six games, one point ahead of Real Madrid who face local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Celta are 17th.

Soccer-Palmeiras' facial recognition on match tickets helps police arrest criminals

Facial recognition technology used on match tickets by top flight soccer club Palmeiras has helped the Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) arrest 28 criminals in four games at the Allianz Parque stadium, the government body said on Friday. The facial biometrics system, implemented this year by the Brazilian club through the 'Muralha Paulista' programme, aims to ensure that the person who has purchased a ticket from Palmeiras is the same as the fan entering the stadium.

Soccer-Man City make it perfect six, Man Utd and Everton get morale-boosting wins

Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the season with a sixth successive Premier League win but it was not as serene as it might have been in a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest as they played the second half with 10 men. Goals by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put the champions in cruise control within 15 minutes but Rodri's red card one minute into the second period after he grappled with Morgan Gibbs-White meant City had to work hard to seal the victory.

Soccer-Rapinoe retires from soccer with no regrets on activism

Megan Rapinoe will bid farewell to international football with no regrets about her time on and off the pitch, she told a news conference on Saturday ahead of her last game on Sunday, highlighting her support of social causes throughout her career. The striker, who earned recognition not only for being a two-time world champion but also for her activism, gained fame for her advocacy of LGBT+ rights, solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick and famously confronting former U.S. President Donald Trump.

ATP roundup: Alexander Zverev advances at Chengdu Open

World No. 10 Alexander Zverev of Germany defeated unseeded Pavel Kotov of Russia 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1 on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, China. The top seed in the tournament, Zverev survived a marathon match of two hours and 26 minutes by winning on return points at a 36-percent rate (37 of 102) to 25 percent (20 of 80) for Kotov.

Triathlon-Coninx pulls off breathtaking win to become world champion

Frenchman Dorian Coninx claimed his first world title on Saturday after a colossal effort in a breathtaking sprint finish to win the World Triathlon Championship finals in Pontevedra, Spain. Coninx overtook Germany's Tim Hellwig and compatriot Pierre Le Corre in an exciting final-lap sprint that saw the three athletes separated by seconds.

Boxing-Zhang knocks out Joyce in round three of heavyweight rematch

Chinese heavyweight Zhilei 'Big Bang' Zhang knocked out Britain's Joe Joyce in the third round of their rematch at London's Wembley Arena on Saturday. The 40-year-old Zhang sent his 38-year-old opponent sprawling to the canvas with a huge right hook to his jaw. Joyce got back to his feet and received oxygen after the referee waved off the fight.

Tennis-Sakkari beats Dolehide to win Guadalajara title

Maria Sakkari of Greece ended American Caroline Dolehide's fairytale run in the Guadalajara Open final on Saturday to win her first WTA 1000 crown and end a four-year title drought. Second seed Sakkari powered past Dolehide, who is ranked 111th in the world, for a 7-5 6-3 victory to capture her second career title, ending the week without dropping a set.

Games-Hosts China claim first gold of Asian Games

Asian Games hosts China claimed the first gold of the continental sporting showpiece on Sunday when Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping won the lightweight women's doubles sculls title in the rowing. On an overcast morning at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre, the Chinese duo dominated, clocking a time of seven minutes and 6.78 seconds to finish nearly 10 seconds clear of Uzbek runners-up Luizakhon Islomova and Malika Tagmatova.