SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 15

Bottas scorches to PSG brush aside Nice pole in Russian GP

Pole position winner Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas (white cap) and second positioned Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton gesture after the qualifying session for the Formula One Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi

Sochi, Russia enough. “It was important to get as altteri Bottas upstaged his close as possible and it should Vchampionship-leading have been closer, but not Mercedes team-mate Lewis enough to be a threat.” Hamilton with a dazzling lap in yesterdasy’s qualifying ses- Raikonnen fourth sion to seize pole position for Vettel’s Sauber-bound Ferra- the Russian Grand Prix. ri team-mate Kimi Raikko - The Finn, who has struggled nen wound up fourth ahead to keep pace with the defend- of Kevin Magnussen of Haas, ing four-time champion for job-hunting Frenchman Este- much of the season, relished ban Ocon of Force India and the confines of one of his fa- Ferrari-bound Charles Le- vourite tracks as he clocked a cLerc of Sauber. record lap in one minute and Sergio Perez, in the second 31.387 seconds. Force India, was eighth ahead His late fastest lap lifted him of Romain Grosjean in the sec- ahead of Hamilton, who abort- ond Haas and Marcus Ericsson Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar (C) celebrates after scoring a goal ed his final lap after running in the second Sauber. wide at Turn Seven, and put The two Red Bulls did not a grin back on his face as the qualify for the top-10 shootout, Mercedes pair delivered an- knowing they face engine pen- AFP | Nice, France coach left Mar- a fightback were quickly punc- other front row lockout. alties that will mean they start co Verratti and Edinson Cavani tured. It was his second pole this Sunday’s race from the back of aris Saint-Germain on the bench and also experi- A minute after the restart, Di year and the sixth of his career. the grid along with both Toro cruised to a 3-0 victory at mented again with a back three. With 24 points, Maria released Mbappe who “Alright guys, good job that,” Rosso cars and Fernando Alon- PNice on Saturday to equal His team still dominated PSG, chasing a raced through the visiting de- said Bottas, as he controlled so’s McLaren. the record of victories from the Nice goalkeeper Walter Be- fence and evaded Benitez and his feelings after the session. To the dismay of home start of a French top division nitez turned away early efforts sixth French title one defender. When his shot “I’m really happy, but fans in the crowd at the So - season. from Adrien Rabiot and Kylian in seven seasons, struck another Nice player, the it’s only the first step this chi Autodrom, Russia’s only Neymar, who ended the game Mbappe. Then Angel di Maria are sure to end the ball fell to Nkunku who popped weekend. It’s a massively representative, Serge Sirot- with a bloodied mouth, scored hit a post. weekend at least it into the goal. long run to Turn One from kin, spun heavily and brushed twice as PSG opened the sea- In the 22nd minute, Chris- eight points clear Nice finished the game with the start.” the barriers in the closing son with eight straight wins, a topher Nkunku surged down of their closest 10 men. Wylan Cyprien, a first- Bottas claimed his maiden minutes in his Williams at feat that had only been achieved the right and slid the ball to half substitute, earned a second Formula One victory in Russia Turn Nine. once, by Lille in 1936. Mbappe, who completely challengers yellow for whacking Neymar last year and showed a clear This wrecked his hopes and With 24 points, PSG, chasing a missed his shot. The ball was in the face with an elbow while affinity with the track as Se- left him exiting along with sixth French title in seven sea- retrieved by Moussa Diaby who leaping for a header. Cyprien bastian Vettel of Ferrari, who Brendon Hartley of Toro Ros- sons, are sure to end the week- rolled it to Neymar and the Bra- went off, Neymar continued, trails Hamilton by 40 points in so, retirement-bound two-time end at least eight points clear of zilian curled his shot into the holding a bandage to his bleed- the title race, took third. champion Fernando Alonso their closest challengers. net from 22 metres. only for VAR to show a marginal ing mouth. “I messed up in the last and his McLaren team-mate PSG have lost this season, in PSG wasted several chances offside. In the dying seconds, Mbappe sector,” said a downcast Vet- Stoffel Vandoorne, who sand- the Champions League, and before half-time and in the 44th Nice coach Patrick Vieira again burst clear and squared tel. “It was at Turn 15 and I wiched Sirotkin in 18th, and with Red Star Belgrade visiting minute Mbappe set up Neymar, threw on Mario Balotelli for the ball to Neymar who tapped think there were one and half last man Lance Stroll in the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, who netted from close range the second half, but any hopes of in his second. or two tenths lost, but not second Williams.

My goal was better than Salah’s, says Ronaldo

Milan, Italy career I managed to maintain the same levels of performance,” Ronaldo said. ristiano Ronaldo believes the over- Salah deserved to win “Awards are awards... I already have a Chead bicycle kick he scored for lot. I play to win and not to win awards.” Real Madrid against his current club the Puskas award, it was Five days after the awards ceremony Juventus last season was better than a good goal. But let’s be in London -- which he did not attend Mohamed Salah’s which won the FIFA honest, let’s not lie to -- five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ron- goal of the year award. ourselves, my goal was the aldo hailed his former Real teammate, “Salah deserved to win the Puskas best saying: “Congratulations to everyone, award, it was a good goal. But let’s be to Modric, best player of the year ac- RONALDO TOLD HIS 142 MILLION INSTAGRAM honest, let’s not lie to ourselves, my FOLLOWERS cording to FIFA.” goal was the best,” Ronaldo told his 142 Ronaldo scored his acrobatic goal in million Instagram followers. the Champions League quarter-finals The 33-year-old Portuguese star lost against Juventus before joining the out to former Real Madrid teammate giants just months later. Luka Modric for the FIFA best player The reigning seven-time Italian award and to Liverpool’s Salah for the champions take on Napoli in a top- Puskas Award for the best goal. of-the-table clash Saturday. Juven- Salah won the award for his curling tus lead Napoli by three points after strike against Everton in the Premier six games. League in December. “It will be a good game, we want to “I’m not disappointed, life is like that, win against a great team, it’s an impor- sometimes you win and others lose, tant day,” added Ronaldo. what interests me is that in 15 years of Juventus’ Portuguese forward reacts during the Italian Serie A football match between Juventus and Bologna