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Relegation-threatened Lecce halts losing streak with draw against Fiorentina

LECCE, Italy (AP) — English winger Jack Harrison scored his first Serie A goal for Fiorentina though a late equalizer from Tiago Gabriel gave Lecce a 1-1 draw and a vital point on Monday in its bid to avoid relegation.

With half an hour on the clock, the on-loan forward from Leeds curled a superb left-foot shot into the far corner. It was his first goal in 18 appearances and looked like giving Fiorentina a third consecutive league triumph.

Lecce had not scored for 357 minutes coming into the home fixture and its bad luck looked set to continue when Walid Cheddira and Lassana Coulibaly both had goal-bound attempts hacked clear by the Fiorentina defense.

However, Tiago Gabriel’s glancing header from an Antonino Gallo corner after 71 minutes ensured a share of the points.

Avoiding a fifth consecutive defeat, third-to-last Lecce climbed to 28 points, the same as the team above it, Cremonese. The bottom three go down.

Fiorentina was eight points above them in 15th. The draw was Fiorentina’s sixth straight league match without defeat.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The arrival of AJ Dybantsa gives Wizards hope

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Washington Wizards could be closer to contending for an NBA title with the arrival of AJ Dybantsa. The team drafted the 6-foot-9 forward with the first pick of the 2026 NBA draft after finishing as one of the worst teams in the league in the past three years. They got the No. 1 overall pick after winning the draft lottery in May for the first time since 2010 -- when they drafted John Wall. The Wizards hope, with the arrival of Dybantsa, that they can start winning games and competing for the playoffs with a chance to win their first championship since 1978. In the past three seasons, they finished with a combined record of 50-196. “We’re definitely getting a difference maker on the basketball court. There’s no doubt about that,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “What I would want our fans to know night one is that he is a worker. He is a passionate person who loves basketball and will continue to work and get better.”
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