THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 SPORTS Griffiths grabs hat-trick; Celtic humble Hamilton GLASGOW: Leigh Griffiths scored a hat- ished some poor defending to complete goals in ten minutes, you are giving your- ner of the net. picked out Griffiths at the back post to trick as Celtic handed Hamilton a humili- his hat-trick a minute later. Eamonn self no chance,” Canning said. “We didn’t Hamilton barely had time to regroup tap the ball in from a couple of yards out. ating 8-1 defeat to extend their lead at Brophy grabbed a 73rd minute consola- have enough leadership on the park before the Hoops added a third 90 sec- Scott Allan then teed up Forrest to the top of the Scottish Premiership. The tion for Hamilton before Callum tonight and to lose in the manner that onds later. Lustig’s cut-back found Rogic drill a low angled shot beyond McGovern game, a rearranged fixture from McGregor made it 8-1 in the 89th minute we did is unacceptable.” lurking in the box and the Socceroo as the half-time substitutes combined for December, was over as a contest as early to move the Scottish champions six Griffiths had already had a shot star’s effort took a deflection off Celtic’s sixth in the 53rd minute. Some as the tenth minute as an explosive start points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the blocked on the line in the first minute Hamilton’s Michael Devlin on its way kamikaze defending from Hamilton saw Celtic grab three quick goals. Mikel table. “It was a fantastic night and a very before Lustig headed home a fourth into the net. Gary Mackay-Steven made allowed Griffiths to complete his hat-trick Lustig nodded home the first, Nir Bitton good performance. We scored a lot of minute opener. Stuart Armstrong swung the most of a rare start as he set up straight from the restart. The striker grabbed the second with a sizzling strike goals and could have scored more,” Celtic a free-kick in from the left and the stand- Griffiths to make it 4-0 in the 22nd charged down Devlin’s attempted clear- before Australian international Tom manager Ronny Deila said. “I am very in skipper glanced his header past minute. The winger waltzed through the ance before chipping McGovern to make Rogic’s deflected strike made it 3-0. pleased with the performance and the Michael McGovern from close range. Hamilton defense before laying the ball it 7-0.Hamilton grabbed a consolation Top scorer Griffiths got his 25th of the boys.” Celtic continued to press forward and off to Griffiths who took a touch before goal in the 73rd minute as Brophy scam- season in the 22nd minute with a strike their second came in the ninth minute firing the ball under McGovern from a pered into the box to get on the end of from a tight angle before tapping in his ‘Unacceptable’ with a sensational strike from Bitton. The tight angle. There was to be no let up for Greg Docherty’s through ball before slot- second ahead of the break. The goals Hamilton manager Martin Canning Israeli midfielder collected a pass from Hamilton as top-scorer Griffiths added ting his shot through the legs of Craig continued to flow in the second half as said the manner of the defeat was bitter- Callum McGregor before rifling an another in the 34th minute. Rogic col- Gordon. McGregor grabbed a late eighth substitute James Forrest made it 6-0 in ly disappointing. “When you lose goals in unstoppable 20 yard shot past lected the ball out on the right and, with for Celtic with a rasping drive on a night the 53rd minute before Griffiths pun- that manner and you concede three McGovern into the top right-hand cor- the Hamilton defense in chaos, he Hamilton will want to forget. — AFP ITALIAN CUP Anti-gay slurs mar Inter-Napoli game NAPLES: Inter Milan won at Napoli 2-0 to ing for diving in the penalty area. “I was reach the Italian Cup semifinals but anti- annoyed at the decision on Mertens, I gay slurs by Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri at didn’t have anything against Mancini,” Sarri Inter counterpart Roberto Mancini over- said. “I apologized to him ... I think that shadowed the match on Tuesday. Mancini tomorrow he will accept my apology. and Sarri were sent off in stoppage time “I don’t even remember what I said. following a touchline argument. “Sarri is a Maybe I offended him, but it should end racist. Men like him cannot be in football,” there. Am I homophobic? That seems over Mancini told Rai Sport. “I got up to ask the the top. I said something out of rage ... I fourth official why there were five minutes was not discriminating against anyone. of added time. He then began to rant at However, if I did use words that could have me, shouting ‘faggot’ and ‘poof’ at me. He’s offended the gay community, I clearly apol- 60 years old, he should be ashamed. ogize.” Inter, third in the league, will face “I am not interested in talking about the the winner of Wednesday’s match between game. This cancels out everything. ... I went Lazio and Juventus. Stevan Jovetic struck to find him in the locker room and he apol- 16 minutes from time with a delightful ogized, but I replied that he has only to be chipped effort from 25 yards out. It was ashamed. In England, someone like him only Inter’s second shot on target. Adem wouldn’t even be allowed on a training Ljajic then sealed the result in stoppage pitch.” Mancini did not attend the post- time, running from the halfway line onto match news conference. Sarri said he “lost Jovetic’s through ball and slotting into the clarity of thought” after the dismissal of bottom left corner from the edge of the Napoli winger Dries Mertens, with two min- area. Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic utes remaining, following a second book- pulled off several fine saves.— AP PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentinean forward Angel Di Maria (left) vies with Toulouse’s Serbian defender Uros Spajic (right) during the French Cup football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Toulouse (TFC) on January 19, 2015.— AFP FRENCH CUP ROUNDUP Ibrahimovic keeps PSG on treble track PARIS: A late and controversial penalty convert- ed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed a 2-1 come from behind win as Paris Saint-Germain edged past NAPLES: Napoli miedfielder Mirko Valdifiori (left) and Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo Toulouse in the French Cup on Tuesday. Francois vie for the ball during their Italian Cup soccer match between Napoli and Inter Milan, Moubandje had given Toulouse an 11th minute at the San Paolo stadium in Naples, Italy on Tuesday, Jan 19, 2016.—AP lead over a PSG missing several injured stars, but a David Luiz header from a corner on 54minutes and Ibrahimovic’s 21st goal of the season two minutes from time kept Paris on course to Controversial Courbis defend their domestic treble. But the big Swede’s penalty was highly con- takes reigns at Rennes troversial as Leyvin Kurzawa threw himself the- atrically to the ground in the box under minimal RENNES: French outfit Rennes, sixth in Countess, and the two were banned from contact. However, Ibrahimovic was emphatic Ligue 1, sacked their coach Philippe all casinos in France in 1990 after a major with his spot-kick and Toulouse’s hopes were Montanier on Wednesday and replaced win at the tables was followed by a fraud dashed. “If that happened at the other end, it him with the controversial journeyman trial. Courbis was also shot in the gang- wouldn’t have been whistled,” moaned Toulouse Rolland Courbis. The sacking comes a day land slaying of Corsican underworld char- coach Dominique Arribage. “It’s difficult, when after Rennes were knocked out of the acter Dominique Rutily in 1996 in a car you referee Paris, to make the right decisions. I French Cup by second tier Bourg-en- park at Hyeres, the killers were never don’t blame the referee.” PSG also won 1-0 at Bresse and a week after 62-year-old found. A transfer scandal at Marseille also Toulouse thanks to an Ibrahimovic strike on Courbis joined Rennes as an advisor to caught up with him and he was sen- Saturday to take a 21-point lead in Ligue 1 over the club president Rene Ruello. While the tenced to 21 months in jail, before early second-placed Monaco. And Toulouse must club were sixth in Ligue 1 they had failed released in February 2010 after five travel to Paris for yet another meeting with PSG to win any of their previous ten home months, albeit wearing an electronic in the League Cup semi-finals next week. games. Courbis, who coined the ‘Zizou’ bracelet. So famous is he in France that PSG are now set to embark on a run of eight nickname for Zinedine Zidane while he had his own puppet in the long run- matches in little over three weeks before hosting coaching at Bordeaux, has also handled ning Canal Plus satyrical tv show ‘Les Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse, Ajaccio Guingnols’, which was similar to Britain’s League last-16 tie on February 16. “In the 88th and Toulon in the French top flight. ‘Spitting Images’. Montanier is the sixth minute I was a bit afraid we’d have to play extra- The larger-than-life Courbis once head coach to stand down in France this time,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc said after the enjoyed a jet-set lifestyle with an Italian season.