Petra Kvitova said she was “shaken” and “fortunate to be alive” after a knife attack in her apartment, on this day in 2016.
The two-time Wimbledon champion was confronted by an intruder posing as a utilities man seeking to read a meter, holding a knife to her throat and injuring her racket-holding hand in the attack.
“I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive,” the Czech player wrote on social media.
“The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.”
At a press conference three days later, Kvitova revealed she had undergone surgery lasting nearly four hours after tendons in all four of her fingers and thumb were damaged as well as two nerves.
Having initially targeted a return for Wimbledon, Kvitova made her return to competitive action ahead of schedule at the French Open in 2017 and reached a grand slam final at the Australian Open two years later.
Although she fell to defeat against Naomi Osaka in the 2019 final, Kvitova put the loss into perspective post-match.
She said: “To my team, thank you for everything. But mostly thank you for sticking with me even though we didn’t know if I would be able to hold the racket again. For supporting me and staying positive for me, which I really needed.”
In 2019, Czech man Radim Zondra was charged and sentenced to eight years in prison, with the sentence increasing to 11 years on appeal.
Kvitova is currently ranked 14th in the world and won the Miami Open in April earlier this year.
Ja Morant scored 34 points in his season debut, including a spinning dribble in the lane to set up a game-winning floater as time expired, to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 115-113 victory Tuesday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Morant didn’t look rusty in his return, shooting 12 of 24 from the field with eight assists and six rebounds to help Memphis snap a five-game losing streak.
His point total was the most in NBA history by a player coming back from an absence of at least 25 games.
The Grizzlies went 6-19 during Morant’s suspension for his social media antics with guns.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and Desmond Bane added 21 for Memphis.
Brandon Ingram poured in 34 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 22 and 4 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had a four-game winning streak stopped.
Zion Williamson was limited by foul trouble and was limited to 13 points.
Lillard has 40 to power Bucks past Spurs
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 40 points to reach 20,000 and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their fifth straight win, 132-119 over the San Antonio Spurs.
Lillard increased his career point total to 20,034 to become the 51st player in NBA history – and eighth active player – to accumulate 20,000 points. He is the 17th-fastest player to reach that milestone.
Antetokounmpo had a career-high 16 assists, 14 rebounds and a season-low 11 points for his second triple-double this season and 37th of his career.
Milwaukee is 5-0 on its season-long, six-game homestand that concludes Thursday against Orlando. The Bucks have won 14 straight games at Fiserv Forum for their longest home winning streak since a 20-game run from April 19, 1990-Jan. 8, 1991.
The Spurs played without rookie Victor Wembanyama (sore right ankle) and lost for the 20th time in 21 games.
Warriors outlast Celtics in overtime
Stephen Curry scored 33 points, including seven straight in overtime, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Celtics, 132-126 to end Boston’s five-game winning streak.
Klay Thompson had 24 points, Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as the Warriors won their third in a row.
Derrick White scored 30 points and Jaylen Brown had 26 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which dropped its third straight road game.
Al Horford’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in overtime drew the Celtics within 127-126, but Curry drilled a 3 with the shot clock winding down with 12 seconds to play and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds.
Owen Tippett scored with 1:35 remaining in overtime to lead the surging Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Ryan Poeling, who entered with two goals in 25 games this season, had the other two goals and Samuel Ersson stopped 24 shots as the Flyers improved to 7-0-2 in their last nine games.
Philadelphia already has 39 points in 31 games this season after it had 75 all last season and missed the playoffs.
Michael McLeod and Jesper Bratt tallied for New Jersey, which has points in nine of its last 12 games (8-3-1).
Rangers snap Maple Leafs’ point streak
Mika Zibanejad scored two goals and Igor Shesterkin turned aside 31 shots as the New York Rangers ended the Toronto Maple Leafs’ nine-game point streak, 5-2.
Braden Schneider, Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin also had goals to help the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers win their third straight.
Auston Matthews scored two more goals for Toronto, giving him 11 in his last seven games and a league-high 25.
The Leafs had been 6-0-3 in their last nine games.
Marchenko has hat trick as Blue Jackets roll
Kirill Marchenko had a natural hat trick and the Columbus Blue Jackets rolled to a 9-4 rout of the reeling Buffalo Sabres.
Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets, who had the second-highest scoring game in franchise history.
Columbus set the record in a 10-0 win over Montreal on Nov. 4, 2016.
Casey Mittelstadt had three assists as the Sabres dropped to 3-7-1 in their past 11 games. The nine goals were the most allowed by Buffalo since a 10-4 loss to Dallas in March.
Devon Levi was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who stopped 11 of 16 shots the rest of the way.
Nottingham Forest look set to turn to former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as they move on from Steve Cooper.
Cooper was sacked on Tuesday after a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games, which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone.
Forest have said an announcement on their next manager will be made in “due course”, but the PA news agency understands Nuno is the preferred candidate to take over at the City Ground and has met with club officials ahead of a possible appointment.
The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears set for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs.
Cooper, 44, has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bottom of the Championship to Premier League survival last season.
It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term but, with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek businessman has lost patience.
Marinakis said: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his superb contribution to our football club. His achievement in guiding Forest back to the Premier League will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history.
“We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us, as well as the incredible connection he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham.
“Steve will always remain a friend of the club and will forever be welcome at the City Ground. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Forest host Bournemouth in a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday before festive fixtures against Newcastle and Manchester United.
Phil Salt was taken aback at being overlooked in the Indian Premier League auction but used the snub as motivation to inspire England to a T20 series-levelling victory over the West Indies.
While England team-mates Chris Woakes and Harry Brook saw their bank balances given a healthy top-up after going under the hammer in Dubai on Tuesday, there were no takers for Salt among IPL franchises.
Salt made a couple of fifties in his debut season earlier this year, striking at 163.91 in nine matches for Delhi Capitals, so he was aggrieved to wake up in the Caribbean and find he had attracted no bids.
View this post on Instagram
But three days on from a match-winning century in Grenada, Salt thumped an England T20 record 119 off 57 balls in Trinidad as the tourists set up a winner-takes-all showdown at the same venue on Thursday.
“It was a confusing morning,” Salt said after England’s 75-run thumping win in the fourth T20. “I expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I’ve had.
“I was a bit confused but it can happen. It’s part of a lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There’s no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL.
“There’s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I’m over the moon for them.
“We’re very lucky with what we do. There have been a few things recently that have maybe put it in perspective. I’m just here enjoying my cricket and cracking on.”
As for whether he channelled his frustration at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba to underpin England’s highest ever T20 total of 267 for three, Salt admitted his IPL omission may have played its part.
“It was probably a little bit of it, subconsciously,” he said, before reiterating: “I’m very aware of how lucky I am to be here playing cricket.”
The foundations for England’s gargantuan total were laid by a second successive century partnership between Salt and Jos Buttler, who contributed 55 to a 117-run stand in 9.5 overs before holing out.
Liam Livingstone thumped the last of England’s 20 sixes – equalling their record in T20s – with half of them coming from Salt, who is the first man from the country to make more than one ton in the format.
Salt opens the batting for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast and for Manchester Originals in The Hundred alongside England captain Buttler, who apparently keeps his junior partner in check.
“When we’re in the middle, it’s more getting me back in my box,” Salt said. “It’s either ‘you’re doing really well’ or ‘drop it down a gear’.
“We’ve had some good conversations away from the game, we’ve enjoyed spending time around each other as a group so we’re going nicely.”
The Windies were left with not much choice but to hit the ground running from ball one and while they themselves collected 14 sixes of their own, they were all out for 192 in 15.3 overs.
Reece Topley claimed three for 37 while there were a couple of wickets apiece for Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed and one each for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid as England levelled the series at 2-2.
“The boys have really pulled together and shown what a good team we are,” Salt added. “To win back-to-back games and force the decider in a couple of days’ time, I’m chuffed.”
Borja Mayoral scored an injury-time penalty as Getafe claimed a dramatic 3-3 draw at 10-man Atletico Madrid.
The home side saw Stefan Savic dismissed after 37 minutes before taking the lead on the stroke of half-time through Antoine Griezmann’s close-range finish.
Mayoral pulled one back for the visitors eight minutes into the second half – after Mason Greenwood’s shot was saved – but Alvaro Morata put Atletico back in the lead.
Griezmann then scored his second of the night from the penalty spot – drawing level with Atletico’s record scorer Luis Aragones on 173 strikes – to hand his side a two-goal advantage.
The hosts looked to be on course to take all three points, but Oscar Rodriguez handed Getafe a lifeline when he netted with three minutes of normal time remaining before Mayoral salvaged a remarkable point from the spot in the third minute of injury time.
Former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores began his tenure as Sevilla manager with a 3-0 win at Granada.
Flores became Sevilla’s third manager of the season on Monday and goals from Adria Pedrosa, Lucas Ocampos and Sergio Ramos handed him a comfortable win.
In the night’s other La Liga fixture, Sergi Canos scored the only goal of the game as Valenica recorded a 1-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.
In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund could manage only a 1-1 draw with Mainz leaving them 12 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Julian Brandt netted a fine free-kick to hand the hosts the lead after 29 minutes, but Sepp van den Berg headed home shortly before the interval to deny Edin Terzic’s side three points.
The result leaves Dortmund without a win in their last six appearances in all competitions.
RB Leipzig missed an opportunity to draw level with second-placed Bayern Munich following a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen.
Lois Openda opened the scoring for the visitors just after half-time, but Justin Njinmah’s superb equaliser left rescued a point for Bremen.
Elsewhere, Tim Skarke scored twice as Darmstadt came from behind on three occasions to secure a 3-3 draw at Hoffenheim.
Everton manager Sean Dyche insists he is more concerned with the mentality shown by players in choosing to take a penalty in a shoot-out than he is by the style employed.
The Toffees exited the Carabao Cup on spot-kicks for the fourth time in six years after Amadou Onana’s weak, placed effort to put them through with their fifth and final regulation effort was saved by Fulham’s Bernd Leno.
Idrissa Gana Gueye hit the post in sudden death and Tosin Adarabioyo scored to send the Cottagers into their first League Cup semi-final 7-6 in the shoot-out, after Toffees substitute Beto’s 82nd-minute equaliser had cancelled out Michael Keane’s first-half own goal.
“Everyone has a style of penalty which they think can score. His record has been very strong in all the rounds and when we’ve practised them. That’s his style,” said Dyche of Onana’s disappointing effort.
“If you are brave enough to get up there and take one then you have to be brave enough for the consequences.
“The first question is always who doesn’t want to take one. Simple as that because you need to want to take one. I’m pleased to say the whole group said they would take one.
“It is the moment of truth: the ball’s there, you have to put it in the net.”
Fulham offered little in the way of attacking threat – their only shot on target did not arrive until the 68th minute – but head coach Marco Silva was pleased with the way his side responded to conceding a late equaliser.
“We are all delighted, no doubts about it,” said the former Everton manager, who ended his old club’s four-match winning run.
“It was a huge moment from Bernd when he kept us in the game with the fifth penalty from Onana.
“I am really delighted because it is not easy to keep the composure and quality in the penalty shoot-out.
“We achieved something the club never did in the past. We want more but we are really delighted for this evening and the moment we are living.
“We are going to play the semi-finals with the dream to play at Wembley.”
Phil Salt produced another epic century hours after his Indian Premier League snub as England racked up their highest-ever T20 score to send their series against the West Indies to a decider.
Overlooked at Tuesday’s IPL auction in Dubai and three days on from his match-winning 109 not out in Grenada, Salt’s form transferred to Trinidad as he amassed a buccaneering 119 off just 57 balls.
The innings underpinned England’s gargantuan 267 for three, which was 26 more than their previous T20 best against New Zealand in Napier in November 2019, and proved enough to secure a thumping 75-run win.
Having been set a daunting target, which if achieved would have been a world record chase, the Windies went out all guns blazing but were all out for 192 in 15.3 overs.
Reece Topley finished with three for 37, Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed each took a couple of wickets while there was one each for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid.
Salt set a new benchmark for the highest T20 score by an Englishman while he is the first male from his country with two three-figure scores in the format.
From the moment he danced down the track to his third ball and dispatched a sweetly-timed drive off T20 debutant Matthew Forde for the first of his 10 sixes, Salt barely looked back.
England captain Jos Buttler registered his second successive half-century, thumping three sixes before holing out going for a fourth after contributing 55 to an opening stand worth 117 in 9.5 overs.
The wicket did not bring a halt to the onslaught as the Windies may have hoped as the first three balls of the next over from Sherfane Rutherford were hit over the leg-side rope by a free-flowing Salt.
Will Jacks chipped in 24 off eight balls as Salt inched towards a 48-ball ton.
He and Livingstone quickly got back to piling on runs in a boundary-laden 73-run union off 29 deliveries.
Livingstone briefly threatened six sixes in an over after the wayward Forde, who conceded 54 in 18 deliveries, saw his first three balls travel the distance before he finally got one in the blockhole.
England equalled their record for the most sixes in a T20 with 20 before Salt departed in the penultimate over.
He got himself in a tangle against Andre Russell and saw the ball sail between his legs before castling him, although Livingstone finished on 54 not out off 21 balls after taking three fours off Jason Holder.
Both Holder and Gudakesh Motie conceded 55 while Akeal Hosein was the only member of the Windies side who bowled more than one over and kept their economy rate under 10.
The Windies have enviable firepower of their own but Moeen gave England the best possible start in the second innings.
His first ball took Brandon King’s top edge and looped to Reece Topley, who took a fine leaping catch at short third.
Boundaries were not hard to come by in the chase as the Windies collected 14 sixes of their own and all of England’s bowlers came in for punishment, but they kept making breakthroughs in the batting.
Pooran (39) and Rutherford (36) threatened briefly while Russell clattered 51 off 25 balls before he was last batter out, attempting to take down Topley but caught by Brook running in from long-off.
Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea are a “healthy group” after watching them edge beyond Newcastle on penalties at Stamford Bridge to book a place in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Newcastle looked to have done enough to progress after holding Chelsea at arm’s length for much of the game following Callum’s Wilson’s first-half strike.
Then at the death, Mykhailo Mudryk appeared inside the box to nick the ball away from Kieran Trippier, clipping a finish inside the far post to rescue Pochettino’s side.
Chelsea were on target with all four spot-kicks as Trippier again was culpable for Newcastle, failing to hit the target before Matt Ritchie saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
Earlier, Wilson had given Newcastle a deserved lead, taking advantage of a calamitous mix-up between Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile and racing clear to score on the counter.
“To concede the way we conceded, when we didn’t deserve to, it can affect any team,” said the manager.
“But we reacted really well, dominated the game against a good team like Newcastle, kept pushing in the second half, made some changes and tried to provide the team some impact.
“The most important (thing) in football is to believe to the end. We kept believing. We know penalties are a lottery, but of course talent and quality (matter). Our objective before the game was to go through and now we’re in the semi-final.
“When you see the whole squad, players that weren’t involved or were injured, they wanted to share their happiness in the middle of the pitch. We’re a healthy group of players, but they need time. We create the platform for them to improve every day. We’re going to build a very good team that can compete.”
Pochettino gave a long-awaited debut from the bench to summer signing Christopher Nkunku after injury with 20 minutes to go, in place of the willing but largely ineffective Nicolas Jackson.
The manager reiterated the need not to lump too much expectation too soon on the 26-year-old’s shoulders after a lengthy spell out.
“We’re talking about players that are young, or who have arrived and suffered an injury, like Christopher,” he said. “They need game time to start to perform and to get their best form. Everyone can judge.
“The expectation is to see the best of Nkunku, but we need time for him to perform the way we expect. It’s one thing to be available, it’s another to perform in the way we expect.”
Pochettino confirmed Enzo Fernandez had been withdrawn in the first half suffering from stomach sickness while Levi Colwill, taken off at the break, was tired but not injured.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe reflected on a missed opportunity for his team to reach the Carabao Cup last four for the second straight season.
“A tough ending to the game,” he said. “It was a really good away performance until the last moments. I didn’t see a goal coming at that stage.
“It’s just one of those things that can happen in a football match. We covered space well, limited them to half-chances. There are a lot of positives to take but we don’t feel that right now.”
Blackpool boss Neil Critchley hailed his side’s determination after a 3-0 win against struggling Forest Green Rovers set up a third-round FA Cup clash with Nottingham Forest.
The Seasiders were without several players in the rescheduled fixture, with Kylian Kouassi and Shayne Lavery among those sidelined through injury.
Thanks to goals from Owen Dale in the first half and Jordan Gabriel and Marvin Ekpiteta in the second, Blackpool cruised to victory at Bloomfield Road.
Critchley hoped for better injury fortune over the festive period as his side prepare to face Bristol Rovers.
He said: “We had to work hard for it until the last 15 minutes. I always felt we were the dominant team, we were comfortable.
“But whilst it’s 1-0, you’re always mindful of them getting a breakaway or set-piece or something.
“Until we got the second goal, although we were pretty dominant, you’re never quite sure that you’re going to win the game.
“Hopefully we have a clean bill of health and we can move on to Bristol Rovers on Saturday now.
“You look across the team, some players haven’t played for a bit so it’s not going to be easy. There was an element of risk doing that – a calculated one but the players equipped themselves well and we’re into the next round.”
The Seasiders dominated for much of the game against their League Two opponents, as David Horseman’s second-half triple substitution did little to trouble Blackpool’s defence.
Horseman admitted goalkeeper Luke Daniels’ 18th-minute error made it an “uphill battle” after Dale pounced on a loose ball to tap home for the first.
He insisted 3-0 was a flattering scoreline for Blackpool and rued soft goals that led to their second-round exit.
He said: “They were bigger, quicker and stronger all over the pitch and won every duel.
“We were OK and organised. Luke hasn’t had many saves to make, but to give the first goal away makes it an uphill challenge.
“The second one is a 60-yard ball diagonal from the wide man that splits two players and goes through and at the end it’s a free header. We gave away three really soft goals.
“It’s a marker we need to do much better.
“The goals were really bad individual errors. We knew when we made the changes and bring the boys on, we give the second goal away.
“The three goals were really, really bad. The 3-0 I think flatters them, they deserved to win but it flatters them. It leaves a really bad taste.”
Boss Michael Carrick has urged Middlesbrough to seize their chance after reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Jonny Howson, Morgan Rogers and Matt Crooks eased them into the last four with a 3-0 win at Port Vale.
The Championship side reached a major domestic semi-final for the first time in 17 years, since losing to West Ham in the last four of the FA Cup in 2006.
An injury-hit Boro made light work of their League One hosts to avoid an upset and are the only EFL team left in the last four.
Carrick said: “Sometimes in your career there are times and you have to make the most of the opportunity when it comes your way.
“When the door opens you have to run through it and the boys certainly sprinted through it.
“We’re not stupid. We know whoever’s left in the draw probably wants to play us and see it as a chance to get to Wembley.
“It’s a hell of an opportunity. It’s about us and what we can achieve. You’re in a semi-final and it’s motivation and inspiration itself.
“It was a fantastic attitude and mentality. We’re decimated in terms of numbers in the squad but it’s part of the journey and we’re enjoying it.
“We’re in the semi-final and who would have thought it, it’s a great thing to look forward to. Who knows what will happen next, we’ll see who we get.”
Howson opened the scoring after 11 minutes when his 25-yard strike clipped Jason Lowe and looped in over Connor Ripley.
Vale, who demonstrated plenty of endeavour, tried to recover but fell further behind after 23 minutes when Sam Silvera crossed for Rogers to find the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Gavin Massey lifted Vale’s best chance over from close range and Crooks wrapped up the victory eight minutes into the second half, bullying his way through and finding the bottom corner.
The hosts lost Oliver Arblaster to a serious leg injury and boss Andy Crosby admitted they were second best.
He said: “We are trying to play in a way in our own league, with control and counter pressing but as soon as there was space on the transition you could see the difference between the players.
“They executed the finishes well, maybe got a bit of luck with the first which took a deflection over Connor but they deserved to win the game and hopefully they can progress in the semi-final.
“Ollie has a really bad gash around his knee, it’s gone right through to the bone and he’s gone to hospital. He has been so good for us and he’s our number one concern.”
Michael van Gerwen began his bid for a third World Championship title by easing into the third round.
The Dutchman has not won the biggest tournament in darts since 2019 and is ready to end that drought, opening his campaign with a 3-0 win over Keane Barry.
The highlight was an impressive 167 checkout, finishing with an average of 98.17 at Alexandra Palace.
Van Gerwen knows there is room for improvement but is happy to be in the next round.
“I’m a little disappointed with my scoring, the most important thing is I won my first game,” he said during his on-stage interview.
“You don’t want to let yourself down, you have to fight for every leg, and when things like the 167 work it gives you a great boost.
“It’s the first round of the World Championship no one wants to lose, there is pressure on me, like there is all the top boys. The most important thing is I’m back after Christmas.”
Matt Campbell is flying home for Christmas after sending 13th seed James Wade crashing out.
The world number 57 beat the four-time semi-finalist 3-2 to record the biggest win of his career and win back-to-back matches at Ally Pally for the first time in his career.
He will now return home to Canada before returning for the post-Christmas last 32.
“The flight back is going to suck,” he said. “I have been doing it for two years flying back and forth, I’ve got to the Worlds twice.
“I think I need to fly home and see my family more than anything. If I stay awake when I fly back there is no jetlag, right?”
Wade, who became the first seeded player to exit the tournament, did not shake Campbell’s hand after the match but the Canadian had no hard feelings.
“I woudldn’t be happy either,” he said. “I guarantee if I see him now he would come down and be like nothing happened. But in that moment, we work all hard all year for this, I don’t blame him for being disappointed.”
Keegan Brown will not want to hear the name Boris Krcmar again after enduring a chastening afternoon.
Brown was left confused when MC John McDonald mistakenly called out his opponent’s name when he was due to walk onto the stage before the first-round match.
Things got even worse once play began as the Croatian cruised to a 3-1 win.
Brown took the first set but things went downhill from there, with Krcmar coming back to reach the second round for the second successive year, with Dirk van Duijvenbode waiting for him in the next round.
Leading women’s player Mikuru Suzuki is still waiting for her first win at the Alexandra Palace after she was beaten 3-0 by German Ricardo Pietreczko.
Suzuki follows Fallon Sherrock out of the tournament.
There were also wins for Steve Beaton, Jeffrey de Graaf, Tomoya Goto and Mike De Decker.
Serie A champions Napoli were dumped out of the Coppa Italia following a shock 4-0 defeat to Frosinone at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli had been the favourites to reach the quarter-final stage, but second-half strikes from Enzo Barrenechea, Giuseppe Caso, a Walid Cheddira penalty and Abdou Harroui saw Frosinone record a famous victory.
Walter Mazzarri’s side have endured a turbulent defence of the Serie A championship they secured after a 33-year wait, falling 14 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan with just 16 matches played.
But after ending a three-game losing run to secure their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League place with a 2-0 win against Braga, and then recording a 2-1 victory against Cagliari in the league, Napoli will have expected to take a third win on the bounce against a Frosinone side who were making their debut in the round of 16.
Mazzari made nine changes to the side which beat Cagliari last weekend, while Frosinone boss Eusebio Di Francesco retained only three players from the side that lost at Lecce.
Giovanni Simeone appeared to have given Napoli the lead nine minutes before the interval only to see his goal disallowed by VAR after Jesper Lindstrom was adjudged to have handled the ball in the build-up.
After the interval, Napoli continued to probe for the opener – with Mario Rui’s free-kick striking the woodwork – but the Italian champions were suddenly on the back foot when Barrenechea headed home a corner shortly after the hour mark.
Frosinone then doubled their lead when Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s misplaced pass was intercepted by Caso, who made no mistake in slotting past Napoli goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini with 70 minutes gone.
The home supporters were left stunned as the six-time winners were suddenly facing up to another early exit from the Coppa Italia after their defeat at this stage of the competition by Cremonese last season.
And it would only get worse for Mazzarri’s men when Matias Soule was fouled by Di Lorenzo in the area with Cheddira, on loan from Napoli, scoring Frosinone’s third of the night from the penalty spot before Harroui netted a fourth deep into stoppage time.
It sealed Frosinone’s first ever win against Napoli, and a quarter-final against either Juventus or Salernitana.
Mary Earps rounded off a “wild” 2023 by winning the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year prize on Tuesday night.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper was a key part of the Lionesses side which reached the Women’s World Cup final in the summer and won FIFA’s Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper at the tournament.
Manchester United goalkeeper Earps saved a penalty from Spain’s Jenni Hermoso in the final, but the Lionesses were unable to add to their 2022 European crown as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat in Sydney.
Her international career appeared at a crossroads in 2021 and she acknowledged during the BBC show she felt she had “lost purpose” after losing her place in the England team.
Sarina Wiegman recalled her in the first England squad she named in September of that year after Earps had been out in the cold since November 2019.
Earps claimed the BBC award ahead of England cricketer Stuart Broad, who retired at the end of the fifth Ashes Test in the summer, and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson. For Earps, it was the culmination of a scarcely believable last 12 months.
“(Winning the award) feels pretty great on the back of a couple of big years – 2023 has been wild in ways I never expected, I am really grateful,” she said.
“I always committed to myself that anything I would have after that period of time (out of the England team) would be a bonus and it just hasn’t stopped yet. I’m just trying to make the most of everything, because when it stops you miss it.
“I wouldn’t be here without my team-mates at the Lionesses and United; we’ve achieved some incredible things over the last few years. Whilst individual accolades are great they only come on the back of team success. So it’s their trophy as much as mine.”
Earps was one of Wiegman’s vital lieutenants as the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022, and she secured her place in the public’s affection as she danced on the table in celebration during a press conference after the final victory over Germany at Wembley.
Last season Earps kept 14 clean sheets as Manchester United finished second in the Women’s Super League. She also drew praise after she spoke out about sportswear manufacturer Nike’s failure to offer an England goalkeeper’s replica jersey for sale before the World Cup.
Earps’ success on Tuesday night made her the third successive female winner of the award, after US Open champion Emma Raducanu in 2021 and Earps’ England team-mate Beth Mead last year.
Wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, jockey Frankie Dettori and golf star Rory McIlroy were the three other sports luminaries who made it on to the shortlist for the prestigious prize.
The BBC declined to comment on why there were no new words from McIlroy in the VT introducing his nomination or any link-up for a live in-show interview.
Broad announced he was retiring from cricket during the fifth Ashes Test in the summer and bowed out in spectacular fashion. The 37-year-old hit a six off his final ball and took the final wicket as England won the match to level the series, although Australia retained the urn.
Johnson-Thompson claimed the world heptathlon title for the second time in Budapest in the summer after a calf injury wrecked her hopes of Olympic glory in Tokyo in 2021.
Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign was recognised as they won the Team of the Year prize. Star striker Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals as the Blues dominated at home and in Europe, won the World Sport Star of the Year award and City manager Pep Guardiola was named coach of the year.
Sir Kenny Dalglish, who played and managed with great distinction at Liverpool, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Tuesday night’s ceremony in Salford.
Dalglish, who won nine titles with Celtic before moving to Merseyside in 1977, scored 172 goals in 515 appearances for the Reds. He enjoyed great success as a player, including scoring the winner in the 1978 European Cup final.
In 1985 he took over from Joe Fagan as manager of the club, initially while continuing to play, winning three further league titles. He then went on to win the Premier League title with Blackburn in 1995.
Fatima Whitbread, the 1987 world javelin champion, won the Helen Rollason Award.
Whitbread was abandoned as a baby and spent the first 14 years of her life in children’s homes before being adopted by javelin coach Margaret Whitbread. Since retiring, Whitbread has worked with various charities assisting and guiding children who had a similar experience to her.
Sixteen-year-old snowboarder Mia Brookes won the Young Sports Personality prize, while Desmond Smith, a grassroots sports coach from Sheffield, won the Unsung Hero award.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
