MX23RW : Friday, April 26 03:29:51| >> :600:129444317:129444317:

Aussie events take centre stage - What sporting action took place on Thursday?

There were matches in the AFL and NRL.

Some sporting action is still taking place around the world despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some events which were able to go ahead on Thursday.

Aussie Rules

The Australian Football League kicked off the start of the new season at the MCG behind closed doors, with last season's champions Richmond getting their title defence off to a winning start with a 16.9 (105) to 12.9 (81) victory over Carlton.

Richmond let a promising lead slip as Carlton kicked six goals either side of the three-quarter break to give themselves an outside chance, but defending champions were able to hold on for their 10th successive win over the Blues.

Rugby League

Jason Taumalolo put in a match-winning performance as the North Queensland Cowboys stormed to a 24-16 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in front of an empty stadium.

Despite an official attendance of just 241 including club staff, Taumalolo made a record 345 metres during the match, including a try and a line-break in the second half.

Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey in Belarus was one of the sports which did not close it's doors
Ice Hockey in Belarus was one of the sports which did not close it's doors (Gareth Copley/PA)

In Belarus, Yunost Minsk beat Molodechno 6-0 in the fifth leg of their Extraleague play-off semi-final, taking the series 4-1.

Football

Belarus' top division was one of the only remaining football matches
Belarus' top division was one of the only remaining football matches (Dave Howarth/PA)

Also in Belarus, in the Vysshaya Liga, Energetik-BGU scored two first-half goals on their way to beating BATE 3-1.

Djasur Yakhshibaev scored twice in the space of eight minutes, only for BATE to pull one back through Maksim Skavysh. But Dusan Bakic was able to restore the home side's lead as they took maximum points.

Gabriel Ramos scored the only goal of the game in added time as Zhodino beat Shakhtyor Soligorsk.

Basketball

A basketball league in Mexico was able to continue, although behind closed doors
A basketball league in Mexico was able to continue, although behind closed doors (Simon Cooper/PA)

In Mexico, Rayos de Hermosillo narrowly beat Manta Rays 106-102 in front of an empty stadium in the CIBACOPA.

ID:393507: cacheID:393507:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7947:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin pictured on December 4, 2019
Read Next:
Coronavirus latest: Sport-by-sport look at the impact of the outbreak
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
11.30am
Altmaier
Fils
11.30am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
11.30am
Alexandrova
Krueger
11.30am
Bucsa
Kasatkina
11.30am
Dolehide
Kalinina
11.30am
Jimenez Kasintseva
Paolini
11.30am
Linette
Sabalenka
1pm
Baez
Van Assche
1pm
Hurkacz
Draper
1pm
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
1pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
1pm
Kostyuk
Sherif
2pm
Zheng
Putintseva
2.30pm
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
2.30pm
Darderi
Fritz
2.30pm
Boulter
Montgomery
3pm
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
3.30pm
Vondrousova
Rogers
4pm
Griekspoor
Daniel
4pm
Munar
Struff
5pm
Navone
Rune
7pm
Coric
Zverev
8.30pm
Collins
Danilovic
11.30am
Shang
Davidovich Fokina
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!