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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

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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