Latest sports news headlines, results and fixtures: Sunday 21 June

The first full weekend of Premier League action is in full swing and other sports are starting up again giving us plenty of news headlines, results and fixtures to cover.

Latest sports news headlines

Football

The two clubs who most strongly opposed the resumption of the Rio football championship in Brazil, Fluminense and Botafogo, will be allowed to sit the competition out, mayor Marcelo Crivella has announced.

Three games into the resumed Liga season, Real Betis announced on Sunday they had replaced coach Joan Francesc Ferrer, known as “Rubi”, with the club’s sports director Alexis Trujillo.

Liverpool can close to within one win of a first league title in 30 years when the English champions-elect return to action for the first time in three months against local rivals Everton on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid boosted their Champions League push on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Valladolid which moved them into third place in La Liga.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini on Saturday urged Mario Balotelli to “wake up” before he throws his career away.

Balotelli’s ill-fated stint at hometown club Brescia appears to be coming to an end, with reports his contract will be terminated after repeated absences from training.

Cricket

Australia’s Steve Smith has hailed Indian superstar and on-field rival Virat Kohli as a ‘terrific guy’ and a strong leader who plays hard on the field. While international sporting events were halted, cricketers have been keeping in touch with each other through messages, phone and video calls.

Interim Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley says he intends to repair broken relationships and ensure everyone is “pointing in the right direction” again after accepting the top job at the troubled organisation. The Englishman assumed the hot seat last week after Kevin Roberts resigned barely halfway through his tenure over simmering anger at his handling of the ongoing health crisis.

The Sports Ministry has cast doubt over cricket’s planned return, forcing CSA to reschedule its training tournament event.

The PSL admitted this weekend that is was powerless to stop any franchise owner from selling their top-flight status.

Gridiron

Running back Jim Kiick, a key figure in the Miami Dolphins dynasty of the 1970s who helped the team complete the only perfect NFL season in 1972, has died at the age of 73.

Horse racing

Tiz the Law richly lived up to his favourite’s billing, sweeping to victory in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday to launch a topsy-turvy Triple Crown year. Trained by 82-year-old Barclay Tagg and ridden by Manny Franco, Tiz the Law became the first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont since Forester in 1882.

Golf

Britain’s Tyrrell Hatton closed with a 24-foot birdie putt Saturday to finish among four co-leaders after the third round of the US PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament.

Motorsport

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is launching his own diversity body to attract more black youngsters into motor racing, insisting the “time for token gestures is over”.

Latest sports results

Rugby

Super Rugby champions Canterbury Crusaders returned to action with their trademark efficiency Sunday when they put away the Wellington Hurricanes 39-25 in New Zealand’s domestic version of the competition. 

Golf

Leading scores after Saturday’s third round of the US PGA Tour RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (USA unless noted, par-71):

198 – Tyrrell Hatton 71-64-63, Abraham Ancer (MEX) 69-64-65, Ryan Palmer 65-67-66, Webb Simpson 65-65-68

199 – Carlos Ortiz (MEX) 69-67-63, Daniel Berger 67-69-63, Joel Dahmen 68-68-63

200 – Joaquin Niemann (CHI) 69-68-63, Chris Stroud 68-69-63, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 70-65-65, Michael Thompson 65-69-66, Erik van Rooyen (RSA) 66-68-66, Ian Poulter (ENG) 64-69-67, Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 66-66-68, Corey Conners (CAN) 68-63-69

201 – Brice Garnett 65-71-65, Andrew Landry 68-67-66, Alex Noren (SWE) 69-66-66, Dustin Johnson 68-66-67, Brooks Koepka 67-66-68, Bryson DeChambeau 67-64-70

202 – Matt Wallace (ENG) 68-68-66, JT Poston 67-69-66, Tony Finau 66-68-68, Sam Ryder 69-65-68, Tyler Duncan 71-63-68, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 70-63-69

203 – Doc Redman 72-66-65, Scott Stallings 70-68-65, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 72-65-66, Justin Rose (ENG) 70-67-66, Lucas Glover 69-68-66, Matt Kuchar 70-66-67, Sebastian Munoz (COL) 65-69-69, Mackenzie Hughes (CAN) 66-68-69

Football

Spanish La Liga results on Saturday:

Espanyol 1 (D. Lopez 28) Levante 3 (Mayoral 14, Bardhi 67, Pedrosa 87-og)

Athletic Bilbao 1 (Martinez Berridi 7) Real Betis 0

Getafe 1 (Etebo 30) Eibar 1 (Charles 45+6)

Atletico Madrid 1 (Vitolo 81) Real Valladolid 0

Italian Serie A results on Saturday:

Torino 1 (Nkoulou 15) Parma 1 (Kucka 31)

Hellas Verona 2 (Di Carmine 14, 26) Cagliari 1 (Simeone 43)

English Premier League results on Saturday:

Brighton 2 (Dunk 75, Maupay 90+5) Arsenal 1 (Pepe 68)

Watford 1 (Dawson 90+3) Leicester 1 (Chilwell 90)

West Ham 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 73, Neto 84)

Bournemouth 0 Crystal Palace 2 (Milivojevic 12, Ayew 23)

UFC

Blaydes vs Volkov fight card, results:

Curtis Blaydes def. Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-46)

Josh Emmett def. Shane Burgos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

Raquel Pennington def. Marion Reneau via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Belal Muhammad def. Lyman Good via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Jim Miller def. Roosevelt Roberts via first-round submission (arm bar)

Bobby Green def. Clay Guida via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Tecia Torres def. Brianna Van Buren via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Marc-Andre Barriault def. Oskar Piechota via second-round TKO (punches)

Gillian Robertson def. Cortney Casey via third-round submission (rear naked choke)

Justin Jaynes def. Frank Camacho via first-round TKO (punches)

Lauren Murphy def. Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Austin Hubbard def. Max Rohskopf via second-round TKO (doctor stoppage)

Latest sports fixtures

English Premier League

Newcastle vs Sheffield United 15:00, Aston Villa vs Chelsea 17:15, Everton vs Liverpool 20:00.

English Championship

Cardiff vs Leeds 13:00

Italian Serie A

Atalanta vs Sassuolo 19:30, Inter Milan vs Sampdoria 21:45.

Spanish La Liga

Celta Vigo vs Alaves 14:00, Valencia vs Osasuna 19:30, Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid 22:00.

Golf

Final day of the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.

Tennis

Second day of Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour tournament in Zadar on Croatia’s Adriatic coast.