SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2013

Spanish League Preview Defoe fires Spurs into Lethal Bale, Ronaldo pairing begins to click Europa knockout phase

MADRID: Real Madrid winger is looking to build on by far his best week since arriving in the Spanish Fiorentina hit back after scissors-kick goal capital when Carlo Ancelotti’s side host Real Sociedad this weekend. The Welshman opened his Champions League PARIS: broke Tottenham’s European goal-scoring club Swansea blew a victory chance against Kuban account for the club he joined for a reported 91 million record on Thursday as he steered his side into the knockout phase Krasnodar for the second time when they conceded a last-gasp euros ($122.8 million, £76.4 million) in September with a of the Europa League with a tough 2-1 victory over ’s equalizer but need only avoid defeat when they play St Gallen in wonderful strike in Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Juventus on Sheriff . Spurs join Valencia, Salzburg, Esbjerg, Fiorentina their final game or beat Valencia at home in their next to ensure Wednesday that all but secured the Spanish side’s place in and Dninpro in the last-32 who all booked their places with two their passage to the knock-out stages. the last 16. matches still remaining in the group phase. Despite playing the last quarter of an hour with 10-men follow- Bale also scored twice and provided four assists in Real’s Defoe’s clinical 67th minute penalty, which not only makes him ing defender Xandao’s red card at the Kuban Stadium, the Russians previous two games against Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano as the competition’s top scorer with five goals from four matches, also netted two minutes into injury time through Ibrahima Balde to he, and Karim Benzema begin to forge a gave him 23 European goals, one more than former England inter- earn a 1-1 draw. Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony had given the deadly combination up front. Ronaldo was also on target in national . Chivers, who scored 13 goals in 24 match- Welsh visitors an early lead but just as Djibril Cisse’s penalty at the Turin to take his tally for Madrid to an incredible 222 goals es for England, helped the side win the same competition in 1972 had cost them a win last month, so too this time in just 215 games and he believes Bale is beginning to find when it was known as the UEFA Cup. “Some things are written, I Senegal forward Balde’s clever lofted finish broke Swans’ hearts. his feet. “He is very important for us and I think he is going couldn’t get a lot of space in the first-half but I just tried to stay Fiorentina, who lost the 1990 final against Serie A rivals to help us a lot. patient and top of the list now, I’m delighted,” said England striker Juventus, continued their progress by making it four wins out of Things are going well for him at the minute,” Ronaldo Defoe. four with two goals in the last four minutes from Ryder Matos and said. Ronaldo has already found the net 21 times in 16 “I saw Martin (Chivers) at half-time, he’s a legend and he just Borja Valero which gave them a 2-1 win at Romanians Pandurii games this season but insists his personal statistics will told me to get it so it’s special for me.” Valencia, who won the tour- Targu-Jiu. Fiorentina fell behind to a spectacular scissors-kick goal mean nothing if Madrid end up empty-handed again come nament in 2004 and were twice beaten Champions League final- from Pandurii’s Eric Pereira before hitting back in the last five min- the end of the campaign. And with Los Blancos already ists, are also into the next round after a Sergio Canales’ goal five utes to win 2-1 on Thursday and lead a charge of teams into the trailing Barcelona by six points at the top of La Liga, he minutes from time gave them a 3-2 victory at Swiss side St Gallen. Europa League knockout stages.—Agencies knows there is little room for error against their Basque visi- tors today. “Personally, I am very happy, I am in a very good moment in my career. All my teammates and the fans are supporting me. “I try to do my best every year and I need to demonstrate that I am a great player and give my best. “Records don’t excite me. What excites me is that I want to win things, I want a future that is better than the present.” Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema are expected to start once more up front, and Sergio Ramos is Ancelotti’s only major absentee as he is suspended so Dani Carvajal or Alvaro Arbeloa will return at right-back. Real can provisionally close to within three points of Barca and two of Atletico Madrid with a win as neither of the top two are in action until Sunday. The Catalans travel to struggling Real Betis boosted by the return to scoring form of Lionel Messi, who found the net twice in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over AC Milan to book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Messi has gone four games in La Liga without scoring for the first time in over two years, but he believes it has just taken him some time to recover from two muscular injuries he suffered earlier in the campaign. “I’m calm about my recuperation from injury. I’m getting my rhythm back bit by bit and I think it really helps to have 90 minutes, then another 90, back to back so I can gradually re-estab- lish the tempo and the form I had before the injury,” he told Uefa.com. “It just helps physically. This time there have been two injuries really close together and that kind of impact you do notice. But I’m definitely getting past it and I’m happy with my form.”Gerard Pique is the only major doubt for Gerardo Martino’s side as he continues to strug- gle with a groin problem so Carles Puyol could partner LONDON: FC Sheriff Tiraspol’s Croatian goalkeeper Vjekoslav Tomic (below) makes a save as Tottenham Hotspur’s English in defense.—AP striker Jermain Defoe (2nd left) avoids a collision during a UEFA Europa League Group K football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheriff Tiraspol at in London. _ AFP

Italian League Preview Roma see chance for gap as Juventus host Napoli

MILAN: Leaders Roma host Serie A new boys Sassuolo today in while, are away at Chievo in a clash they need to win if the cur- end and the sides meet only days after largely positive results a bid to get back to winning ways, but with one eye under- rent management are to avoid an enforced reshuffle. in the Champions League. Juventus relaunched their knockout standably on what happens a day later when Juventus host A week after their perfect start was ended by Torino, Roma phase bid thanks to a 2-2 draw at home to Real Madrid which, Napoli. Roma dropped their first points of the season last week midfielder Miralem Pjanic has called for a win against Sassuolo although leaving them bottom of Group B, keeps them within when a 1-1 draw away to Torino stopped the Giallorossi’s new that would offer some breathing space during next week’s touching distance of Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen. Rafael record for consecutive wins at the start of the new season at 10. break for international friendlies. “We’ve got Sassuolo up next Benitez’s Napoli will take plenty of confidence to Turin in the Napoli and Juventus are now three points adrift in second before the break and we want to stay top. We will fight all the wake of a 3-2 win over Marseille which boosted their last 16 and third respectively, although one, or both, could fall victim way for a place in the top three,” said the Bosnian. A draw hopes. Juve will be without midfielder Stephan Lichsteiner and after their clash in Turin late tomorrow. Inter Milan, six points between Juventus and Napoli a day later, would also not go striker Mirko Vucinic, who are both still injured, meaning Carlos further adrift in fourth, would welcome any slip-ups ahead of amiss. “It would be a good result for us, but let’s see what hap- Tevez and Fernando Llorente could start up front after their sol- hosting Livorno at the San Siro, where new club owner Erick pens,” added Pjanic. “First we have to make sure of our own id display against Real. Giorgio Chiellini will return to coach Thohir could make his first appearance in front of the club’s three points, but obviously we want to pull further ahead.” Antonio Conte’s back three, having missed the Real clash due fans, according to recent reports. City rivals AC Milan, mean- Napoli’s visit to Juventus Stadium is the highlight this week- to suspension.—AFP