MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2016 SPORTS Ten-man Mainz stay on course for Champions League BERLIN: Ten-man Mainz failed to back lived up to its billing as the clash of the Champions League clash at home to up their mid-week shock win at teams which have dominated the Gent on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, but German league this season at Borussia Moenchengladach. stay on course for a Champions League Dortmund’s sold-out Signal Iduna Park. The win moved Wolfsburg up to sev- place, after drawing 0-0 with Darmstadt The game’s best chance came on 64 enth ahead of the visit of Gent on yesterday. minutes when Arturo Vidal’s shot for Tuesday, with the Germans leading 3-2 Having become the only team to win Bayern was palmed onto the bar by from the last 16, first leg tie. at Bayern’s Allianz Arena stadium on Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki. Having shocked Leverkusen 4-1 on Wednesday by pulling off a stunning 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen came back from 3-0 Wednesday when Claudio Pizarro scored win in Munich, fifth-placed Mainz were down to avoid a fourth straight league a hat-trick, Werder Bremen pulled fur- frustrated by Darmstadt, who are just defeat in a 3-3 draw at Augsburg. ther away from the relegation zone with above the relegation places. Augsburg’s South Korea striker Koo Ja- a 4-1 thrashing of bottom side Hanover Hosts Mainz were reduced to ten men Cheol scored his first hat-trick in 96. The 37-year-old Pizarro claimed his at the Coface Arena when Italian defend- Germany’s top flight to put the hosts 3- fourth goal in two games, and then pro- er Giulio Donati was shown a straight 0 up mid-way through the second-half. vided an assist as Czech international red card on 57 minutes for kicking out at But Leverkusen, who play Villarreal in Gebre Selassie added Bremen’s third on Darmstadt striker Sandro Wagner. the last 16, first-leg, of the Europa 56 minutes to leave Werder three points The result leaves Mainz just one point League on Thursday, fought back as from the relegation spots. from one of Germany’s four Champions Karim Bellarabi netted, then Augsburg’s Stuttgart are up to mid-table after League places, with Martin Schmidt’s Paul Verhaegh scored an own goal on their 5-1 thrashing of second-from-bot- team having one of the best seasons in 80 minutes. tom Hoffenheim, who stay four points the club’s history. In the dying stages, Augsburg from safety, as defender Georg On Saturday, Bayern stayed five defender Jeffrey Gouweleeuw’s handball Niedermeier netted twice. points clear of nearest Bundesliga rivals allowed Hakan Calhanoglu to convert a Schalke are fourth after their 3-1 win Borussia Dortmund after a goalless draw 92nd-minute penalty as Gouweleeuw MAINZ: Mainz’ Colombian forward Jhon Andres Cordoba (L) and Darmstadt’s for- at Cologne thanks to goals from Klaas- between Germany’s top two sides. was sent off. Earlier on Saturday, ward Sandro Wagner vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga Jan Huntelaar, Max Meyer and Argentina Despite the lack of goals, the game Wolfsburg warmed up for their football match of FSV Mainz 05 v SV Darmstadt 98 in Mainz, yesterday. —AFP striker Franco di Santo. — AFP Marseille held by Toulouse, Rennes thrash Nantes 4-1 PARIS: Marseille’s hopes of qualifying for The best chance of the first half fell to Europe look all but over after they were held to Mauricio Isla, but the Chilean was denied by the an entertaining 1-1 draw by struggling Toulouse right boot of Lafont at point-blank range. at the Velodrome yesterday, while Rennes thrashed Nantes 4-1. SUCKER PUNCH Marseille missed a host of good chances, and But Michel’s side were punished for their ran clear to slot Toulouse profligacy in front of goal when Ben Yedder raced ahead in the 55th minute. Relegation-threat- through to give Toulouse an unlikely lead. The ened Toulouse were supposed to be playing home defence were caught sleeping and the 25- their first game under new coach Pascal Dupraz, year-old forward took advantage with a cool fin- but he was absent after suffering a heart scare at ish for his tenth league goal of the season. training on Saturday and spending the night in Toulouse were hanging on desperately as they hospital under observation. And the away looked to end a 10-match run without a win, and defence imploded, as they have done all season, for just a fourth league clean sheet of the season. as Somalia put through his own net with 16 But they shot themselves in the foot as Lafont minutes to play. spilled the ball straight to Fletcher, whose deflect- Coach Michel has come under increased ed effort was miskicked into his own net by pressure in recent weeks, but Marseille would Somalia. Yann Bodiger almost restored Toulouse’s have expected to end a club record 11-match advantage, but Steve Mandanda produced an streak without a home win in the league against excellent flying save from the substitute’s rising relegation-threatened Toulouse. But instead drive. Suddenly Marseille were struggling, but they were held and stay seven points off the top they were indebted to their keeper again as three, and with Lyon playing later yesterday that Mandanda brilliantly kept out Oscar Trejo with a gap could quickly become eight. Toulouse one-handed stop. Martin Braithwaite also had a remain second-from-bottom in the table and glorious opportunity to win the game for nine points from safety. “This was a very hard Toulouse, but the Dane blazed over when he game for us, it was unbelievable that it was still should have scored. Meanwhile, Rennes ended 0-0 at half-time,” bemoaned Spanish coach Nantes’ 13-match unbeaten run in the league in Michel. “It’s been happening all year, nothing emphatic style, as young striker Ousmane this season will go our way. Once again our best Dembele scored a hat-trick at Roazhon Park. opponent was the goalkeeper. The 18-year-old opened the scoring within “I think the strikers are missing so many the first minute as he reacted quickest after a opportunities because they have lost confi- set-piece was not fully cleared. Supersub Kamil dence. In our last two games we have created 11 Grosicki was given a rare start by Rolland EIBAR: FC Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic, center, duels for the ball with SD Eibar’s David Junca during the Spanish soccer match between SD and 15 chances, but have scored only two goals. Courbis and the Pole doubled the lead inside Eibar and Barcelona, at Ipurua stadium, in Eibar, northern Spain, yesterday. — AP “We needed to win, one point was useless.” The the first quarter of an hour, before Dembele’s hosts desperately needed all three points to free-kick evaded everyone in the middle to put keep alive their hopes of qualifying for next sea- the result beyond doubt. Dembele completed son’s Champions League, and they started his treble before half-time, and although Messi double keeps brightly with plenty of early crosses being sent Adryan’s strike and a second yellow card for in the direction of Steven Fletcher. The Scot set Giovanni Sio gave Nantes a glimmer of hope, up a decent chance for Remy Cabella, but his Rennes held on with ease. powerful strike was beaten clear by Toulouse The hosts move level on points with third- goalkeeper Alban Lafont. The 17-year-old had placed Nice, while the Canaries stay four points Barca record rolling to be alert again soon after, getting down quick- off the Champions League spots, but with a ly to keep out a low effort from Michy Batshuayi. game in hand. — AFP MADRID: A -inspired Barcelona boss . Busquets and flew inches past the far post. tightened their grip on the La Liga title race with “I am very happy to see the team evolve and Yet, just when Eibar looked the most likely to a comprehensive 4-0 win at Eibar yesterday to improve without ever losing their ambition.” score, Messi killed the game as a contest as he open up an 11-point lead at the top. The European champions were without the intercepted the ball in midfield and drove Munir El Haddadi tapped home the opener suspended , who made the most of his towards the Eibar goal before firing into the far from Luis Suarez’s cross before Messi doubled free weekend to return to his native Brazil. corner for his 20th league goal of the season. Barca’s advantage with a brilliant individual effort However, El Haddadi made the most of his The second half was far shorter on goalmouth just before half-time. rare chance to start with a simple finish at the action, but there was time for Messi to put Barca’s Messi doubled his tally from the penalty spot back post eight minutes in after Messi’s brilliant recent troubles from the penalty spot behind before Suarez lashed home the fourth six min- pass had played in Suarez behind the Eibar him when Ivan Ramis blocked the Argentine’s utes from time. Barca’s 11th consecutive league defence. Suarez was surpassed by Ronaldo in the cross with his hand. win also stretches their record unbeaten run to fight to be La Liga’s top scorer and the Messi took responsibility after Suarez had 36 games. Atletico Madrid can close the gap at Uruguayan look determined to hit back early on, missed from the spot against Rayo Vallecano in the top to eight points when they visit Gary but fluffed his lines with just Abel Riesgo to beat midweek and coolly dispatched the penalty for Neville’s Valencia later yesterday. two minutes later. El Haddadi should have teed his 35th goal of the season. Real Madrid remain 12 points adrift of Barca in up Suarez for a tap-in from another Messi And Suarez finally got the goal he craved to third despite ’s four-goal show through ball midway through the half, but the move back to within one of Ronaldo in the scor- in a 7-1 demolition of Celta Vigo on Saturday. “It youngster overhit his pass and the ball slipped ing charts with a brilliant nutmeg of Capa before is evident we are well-positioned in the league, just wide. Eibar then enjoyed a concerted period smashing the ball into the far corner. That goal but there are plenty of points to play for and of pressure and were desperately unlucky not to also took Suarez, Messi and Neymar’s combined meetings with direct rivals to come,” said Barca level when Borja Baston’s cross hit Sergio tally for the season to 100. — AFP Juventus restores 3-point lead with win at Atalanta

MARSEILLE: Toulouse’s French-Tunisian forward Wissam Ben Yedder (L) vies with MILAN: Juventus restored its three-point advan- Marseille’s French defender Benjamin Mendy (R) during the French L1 football match tage at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win at Atalanta between Marseille and Toulouse yesterday at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, yesterday. southern France. — AFP Andrea Barzagli and Mario Lemina scored for Juventus while Gianluigi Buffon had a ninth succes- Hiddink confident over Costa sive clean sheet. The goalkeeper has not been beat- en in Serie A in 836 minutes, the third-longest fitness for PSG crucial clash stretch in league history. Napoli beat Chievo Verona 3-1 on Saturday. “The LONDON: Guus Hiddink dismissed con- er teams are knocking on that door. lads are doing well, we have won 17 of the last 18 cerns over ’s fitness by “I am very respectful of the likes of matches but the second and third teams are still insisting the Spain striker will be avail- West Ham who got a good result today close,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. able for Chelsea’s crucial Champions (at Everton). On the other hand we “The title will be decided on the last day. “We did League clash with Paris Saint Germain know where we came from in well in the first 50 minutes, then there was a drop on Wednesday. December, one point off the relegation and in that regard we have to improve in managing Costa missed Saturday’s 1-1 Premier zone, and amazingly we got safe in a rel- the lead.” Below them the battle for third place and League draw against Stoke as he rested atively short time. final Champions League spot is heating up. Fifth- to avoid aggravating a tendon injury, “We got into mid-table which nor- place Inter Milan hosts Palermo later and is current- but Blues interim manager Hiddink is mally for Chelsea standards is not ly eight points behind Roma, which beat Fiorentina confident his star forward will return for enough. But if we can go into a very on Friday to move three points clear of its oppo- the last 16, second leg against PSG. beautiful March and April that would be nent. AC Milan could have leapfrogged Inter, tem- With the French champions holding a nice in the Champions League and FA porarily at least, but lost 2-0 at 10-man Sassuolo. Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was sent off for dissent after 2-1 lead, Hiddink can’t afford to be with- Cup.” Bertrand Traore, the exciting 20- BERGAMO: Juventus’ Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic (R) heads the ball as Atalanta’s Italian out the in-form Costa, especially as year-old from Burkina Faso, started in the second goal. “I am very angry with us and the referees but I midfielder Luca Cigarini tries to take the ball during the Italian Serie A football match between Chelsea laboured without him in a attack in the absence of Costa, and justi- Atalanta and Juventus yesterday at the Azzuri Stadium in Bergamo. — AFP match that prompted the Dutchman to fied his manager’s faith with his second don’t speak about referees,” Mihajlovic said. “We dismiss their top four hopes as “impossi- Premier League goal, a spectacular left- dominated in the first half-hour but as often hap- points from safety after drawing 0-0 at Bologna. by Mario Mandzukic for the unmarked Barzagli to ble” and set his sights on success in footed shot from 20 yards six minutes pens, we struggle to score goals. We can’t create Genoa also boosted its chances of escaping the volley in from six yards. Europe and the FA Cup. before the break. chances and then concede on our opponents’ first drop with a 1-0 win over Empoli. Torino missed a It was his second goal for Juventus, almost four “Diego had a problem on the tendon, But Stoke pushed Chelsea all the chance. “I protested because he didn’t blow for a penalty for the second time in three matches as it years after his first, which also came against that’s why I was cautious not to worsen way and were rewarded five minutes foul,” he said. “ I was angry also with my players who drew 1-1 against Lazio in the lunchtime kickoff. Atalanta. Lemina sealed the win four minutes from the situation, but I think he will be OK from the end when Mame Diouf head- stopped, which they shouldn’t have done.” Juventus was looking to bounce back from a time, skipping past two Atalanta players before on Wednesday,” Hiddink said. ed into an empty net after Thibaut At the other end of the table, Frosinone beat fel- surprise 3-0 defeat to Inter midweek in the Italian unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the “I think the top four is difficult, Courtois failed to claim Xherdan low struggler Udinese 2-0 to give it hope of avoid- Cup - although it qualified for the final on penalties. area. Buffon’s record chase came under threat right almost impossible especially when oth- Shaqiri’s cross. —AFP ing relegation. It is one point below Palermo, which It took the lead in the 24th minute through an at the end but he got down smartly to turn Andrea occupies the last safe spot in Serie A. Carpi is five unlikely goalscorer as a corner was knocked down Masiello’s effort around the post. —AP