Football, Premier League: Mesut Özil has received the next low blow at Arsenal FC. The former German national soccer player was not considered by team manager Mikel Arteta for the English club’s Premier League squad, so a league appearance this year is excluded.
Rio world champion Özil, 32, who last played for the Gunners on March 7th, was recently not nominated for the Europa League. For the time being he is only allowed to play in the U23. Only in January, when Arteta recomposes its squad for the league and the European Cup, Özil could rise again. This also applies to the former Dortmund-based Sokratis, who was also eliminated from both competitions. Özil’s contract expires at the end of the season after eight years in London.
Radsport, Lap: Defending champion Primoz Roglic won the first mountain stage at the start of the Vuelta for professional cyclists and immediately won the red jersey of the overall leader. The 30-year-old Slovene pulled away on the final ascent to Arrate about 700 meters from the finish and sprinted away from his opponents from the leading group. Ineos captain Richard Carapaz from Ecuador came second behind Roglic, while Irishman Daniel Martin completed the podium. Former Tour de France winner Chris Froome suffered a heavy defeat. The 35-year-old was left behind on the penultimate climb when his Ineos team-mates were still making pace at the top.
Actually, the Vuelta kick-off should have taken place in September in the Netherlands. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, both the start location and the start date have been changed. Now 18 stages and almost 2900 kilometers are planned before the peloton is due to enter the capital Madrid on November 8th.
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