SPORTS MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2014 Barcelona held by battling Levante

MADRID: Lionel Messi’s first league start of 2014 couldn’t inspire Barcelona to a victory as the Catalans were held to a 1-1 draw away to Levante yesterday. Loukas Vyntra got the hosts off to the best possible start as he headed low past Victor Valdes from Andreas Ivanschitz’s cross after 10 minutes. Gerard Pique quickly levelled from another corner, but despite intense pressure from the visitors after the break they couldn’t find a way through. The point leaves moves Barca one point clear of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, but Atletico can go top should they beat Sevilla later yesterday. Levante had been 6-0 down at half-time on their way to a 7-0 thrashing at the Camp Nou on ITALY: Fiorentina’s Alessandro Matri celebrates after scoring during the soc- the opening day of the season. cer match between Catania and Fiorentina at the Angelo Massimino stadium. — AP However, Los Granotes made a far more posi- tive start this time around as Vyntra headed Fiorentina win, Napoli held home Andreas Ivanschitz’s cross as Barca con- ceded from a corner for the sixth time in La Liga : Alessandro Matri marked his debut November, told Sky Sport Italia. this season. for Fiorentina with a brace in a 3-0 win over Bianchi broke the deadlock with a glanc- The lead only lasted nine minutes as the visi- Catania while Napoli were held and Inter ing header from Alessandro Diamanti’s cross tors levelled in similar circumstances as Pique slumped to defeat as torrential rain played which beat Napoli ‘keeper Rafael on 37 min- climbed highest to head home Xavi’s corner. havoc in Italy’s Serie A yesterday. utes. Thereafter, though, Barca struggled to create VALENCIA: Barcelona’s Gerard Pique (right) duels for the ball with Levante’s Vyntra from Czech Matri, AC Milan’s most expensive signing Argentinian striker Gonzalo Higuain came opportunities against Levante’s back five in the Republic during their La Liga soccer match. — AP last summer, pledged to hit 10 goals for La close to levelling after the restart when he first period with Xavi’s drive from the edge of the Viola when he signed for the Florence club in dived to head Jose Callejon’s cross from six box that drifted wide their best effort from open midweek having struggled to make an yards out only for his effort to flash wide. play. Gerardo Martino’s men were more precise Spanish League results/standings impact with the Rossoneri. Higuain made no mistake from the penal- in their build-up play after the break and Alexis And the former Juventus flop took a big ty spot, though, blasting the ball under Sanchez managed to get in behind the Levante MADRID: Spanish La Liga results yesterday: step towards fulfilling that promise with a Gianluca Curci’s crossbar on 62 minutes after backline five minutes after the restart, but he Getafe 2 (Marica 28, Pedro Leon 52) Real Sociedad 2 (Agirretxe 4, 16); Villarreal 2 (Uche 3, Bruno first-half brace after Chilean Matias Fernandez Blerim Dzemaili had crumbled under a clum- delayed when faced with Levante keeper Keylor 87-pen) Almeria 0; Levante 1 (Vyntra 10) Barcelona 1 (Pique 19) had opened the scoring for the visitors. sy challenge from Panagiotis Kone. A superb Navas and was eventually snuffed out. “I haven’t had an experience like this for a Curci diving save then kept out Dries Mertens’ Fabregas was next to try his luck with a pow- Playing later (all times GMT) Benzema 45+1, Di Maria 61, erful shot from distance that was parried away long time and to be honest, I really needed it,” free kick and, now with the momentum, Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (2000) Morata 90) by Navas. And Navas had to be at his best five said Matri, who had scored only one goal this Napoli finally pulled in front when Callejon Elche 2 (Albacar 19-pen, Marquez 79) Rayo minutes later as he denied Messi after he had season in 15 appearances with Milan. “I want- pounced on a lost ball in midfield to surge Played Monday Vallecano 0; Granada 0 Osasuna 0 been played in by a neat one-two with Fabregas ed to play a leading role again and after such ahead and beat Curci with an angled drive. Athletic Bilbao v Valladolid (2100) Espanyol 1 (Sergio Garcia 88) Celta Vigo 0 before Juanfran blocked Xavi’s follow-up effort a tough period you lose your sense of bal- Napoli looked set for the three points after on the line. ance.” Fiorentina’s 12th win of the campaign Bologna were reduced to 10 men when Kone Played Saturday Friday Juanfran again put his body on the line to reinforced fourth place in the table and was cautioned for a second time after tug- Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 5 (Ronaldo 10, Bale 25, Malaga 0 Valencia 0 turn another goalbound effort from Messi Vincenzo Montella’s men are now 15 points ging Higuain’s shirt. behind moments later. However, Levante were behind leaders Juventus, 4-2 winners over But Rafael Benitez’s men were made to Barcelona 20 16 3 1 54 13 51 Levante 20 6 6 8 19 28 24 maintaining a threat on the counter-attack and Real Madrid 20 16 2 2 58 21 50 Getafe 20 7 3 10 22 33 24 Sampdoria on Saturday, and seven behind pay for slack defending at the death, their Valdes had to get down to hold Ivanschitz’s second-placed Roma. defence failing to pick up Bianchi at the back Atletico Madrid 19 16 2 1 47 11 50 Osasuna 20 6 4 10 17 29 22 header from Ruben Garcia’s cross. Villarreal 20 11 4 5 39 21 37 Malaga 20 5 6 9 19 24 21 More importantly, Fiorentina are only post before the striker smashed the ball into Ivanschitz forced Valdes into another flying three points behind Napoli, who occupy the the net. Inter’s woes continued, meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao 19 11 3 5 32 24 36 Elche 20 5 6 9 19 28 21 save 15 minutes from time as Barca left them- Real Sociedad 20 9 6 5 38 30 33 Celta Vigo 20 5 4 11 23 32 19 third and last qualifying spot for the with a 1-0 away defeat in rainy Genoa which selves exposed by pouring forward in search of a Champions League. left Walter Mazzarri’s men in sixth on 32 Sevilla 19 8 6 5 36 30 30 Almeria 20 5 4 11 21 40 19 winner. However, they came desperately close to Espanyol 20 7 4 9 23 25 25 Valladolid 19 3 7 9 21 33 16 Napoli had been looking for a win at points, the same as fifth-placed Verona ahead a winner five minutes from time when Cristian Bologna to stay in touch with the top two, of their trip to Milan later yesterday. Inter had Valencia 20 7 3 10 26 31 24 Rayo Vallecano20 5 1 14 19 47 16 Tello’s curling effort was brilliantly turned behind Granada 20 7 3 10 19 25 24 Real Betis 20 2 5 13 16 43 11 especially after Roma’s 3-0 defeat of Livorno plenty of chances to snatch the win and by Navas. — AFP on Saturday. But after Rolando Bianchi Mazzarri could only lament his side failing to opened the scoring just after the half hour beat Mattia Perin in the Genoa goal. “We had the former Manchester City and Lazio striker plenty of chances to score at the end and levelled on 90 minutes for the hosts to snatch Mattia Perin was impressive. We gave it every- French footballers face a share of the points in a 2-2 draw. thing and it’s hard to play more attacking Napoli remain third but are now 12 points football than we did,” said Mazzarri. Elsewhere behind Juventus-a gap Slovakian midfielder Alessandro Lucarelli hit an injury-time winner Marek Hamsik believes rules out a challenge for Parma in precious 2-1 win away to strug- under-age prostitute trial for the ‘scudetto’. “The gap is quite big now... I gling Chievo while Ciro Immobile and Matteo think it’s too much,” Hamsik, who made his Brighi struck in either half for Torino in a 2-0 PARIS: French footballers Franck Ribery and anything,” said her lawyer, Daniel Vaconsin. the scandal and has since established herself as first start since being sidelined with injury in win away to Sassuolo. — AFP Karim Benzema go on trial today charged with The two players are accused of having paid a designer of luxury lingerie, thanks partly to having sex with an underage prostitute who lat- for sex with Dehar when she was 16, in being befriended and championed by Lagerfeld, er gained fame as a lingerie model and designer. Benzema’s case, and 17, in Ribery’s. Although the who has described her as a quintessential Bayern Munich winger Ribery, 30, and Real age of consent is 15 in France, paying for sex French courtesan. Madrid striker Benzema, 26, are facing up to with anyone under 18 is a crime. The trial is Dehar has testified that she had paid-for sex three years in prison and fines of up to 45,000 going ahead after France’s highest court, the with both players but has said she lied to them euros ($55,000) each on charges they paid for Cour de Cassation, ruled that only those aware about her age. Dehar’s alleged encounters with sex with Zahia Dehar while she was under 18. that a prostitute was under-age can be found the two French internationals came to light after Neither of the two men are expected to guilty of breaking the law. she was arrested in connection with a police attend the start of the trial in Paris, Ribery’s Ribery’s brother-in-law is also charged with investigation into the now defunct Zaman Cafe, lawyer Carlo Alberto Brusa said. Ex-call girl soliciting a minor for sex and five other accused a nightclub close to the Champs Elysees that Dehar, who rose to fame under the tutelage of face maximum prison terms of 10 years for attracted an eclectic mix of reality TV stars, crimi- fashion impresario Karl Lagerfeld after the aggravated pimping in the case. nals and dozens of prostitutes. Brothers Elie and charges emerged, is also not expected to attend. Ribery has admitted having sex with Dehar Georges Farhat, who ran the club, are among the Brusa said he was confident of an acquittal, after she was flown to Munich in 2009 as a “pre- accused. after prosecutors recommended the charges be sent” for his 26th birthday, but insists he could News of the investigation into Ribery and dropped for lack of evidence the men were not have known she was not 18 at the time. Benzema broke just before France’s disastrous aware she was a minor. Benzema, who is accused of paying for sex 2010 World Cup campaign, which featured “We are going in confident and we are going with Dehar in a Paris hotel when she was 16, unprecedented bickering within the squad that to fight,” he said. Dehar has also withdrawn as a denies that any encounter took place. culminated in a brief strike by the players and civil plaintiff in the case. “She is not asking for Dehar, now 21, became a celebrity following ended in a first round exit. — AFP Monaco keep pressure on PSG

LONDON: This is a May 6, 1954, file photo of Roger Bannister (left) who ended the PARIS: Monaco completed a routine 2-0 win at mid-table Toulouse yesterday to keep pace with Ligue 1 leaders Paris quest for the four-minute mile, with a time of 3:59.4 at Oxford, England is congratu- Saint-Germain. lated by pacemaker Christopher Chataway. Chataway, a former 5,000-meter world Goals from Layvin Kurzawa and Lucas Ocampos record-holder who turned to a career in British politics, has died. He was 82. —AP brought the Principality team to within two points of PSG ahead of the champions’ clash with sixth-placed Nantes at British athletics the Parc des Princes later on Sunday. The win also gave Monaco an eight-point advantage over fourth-placed Saint-Etienne, further cementing great Chataway dies Claudio Ranieri’s team’s quest to earn a Champions League berth for next season. LONDON: British athletics great Chris He was twice elected a Conservative “It’s mission accomplished, even though we struggled a Chataway, best known for being one of the Party MP-losing his seat in 1966 after serv- lot during the opening 30 minutes,” said the Italian coach, pacemakers for Roger Bannister’s landmark ing as a junior Education Minister but formerly of Chelsea, Juventus and . four-minute mile run in 1954, died at the returning to Parliament in 1970 where he “It’s an important win but we need to back it up. We age of 82 yesterday from cancer. was appointed by Minister of Posts and hadn’t played well in our last two matches and it’s good for Chataway, who was knighted by Queen Telecommunications by then Prime Minister the group’s confidence to rediscover winning ways. “Now Elizabeth II for his services to the aviation Edward Heath. we can say that we’re back on track but I repeat, we need industry, had a stellar year in 1954 when he In that role he was responsible for guid- to back it up.” also broke the 5,000 metres world record. ing the Bill introducing commercial radio Ranieri made a change to his starting line-up, bringing For that achievement and for his role in successfully through Parliament thus end- in French under-20 world champion Geoffroy Kondogbia Bannister’s remarkable effort it was he and ing the BBC’s monopoly. to replace struggling Portugal international Moutinho, not Bannister who was named the first-ever He retired from politics aged just 43 although the youngster did little to further his long-term BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1954. when the Conservatives lost power in 1974. prospects of holding down a regular starting position. Bannister paid a warm tribute to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Monaco were far from convincing, particularly in the Chataway, who also won the the current Conservative Party leader, first half, but still turned around at the break a goal to the Commonwealth Games three miles title in praised Chataway’s varied life by saying: good through Kurzawa on 36 minutes. 1954, saying he was “one of my best friends”. “Chris was a rare politician in that he And it was Kondogbia, in a rare moment of quality, who “He was gallant to the end,” Bannister enjoyed such extensive, wide-ranging and provided the low cross from the left for Kurzawa to score. told BBC Sport. “Our friendship dated back successful careers both before and after he Until that point, Toulouse had been by far the better team, over more than half a century. “We laughed, served in Parliament.” although they proved impotent in front of goal. ran and commiserated together. People will Cameron added: We have lost a great There was a disappointing performance from always remember him for the great runner Briton, a true Conservative and a man of Colombian record-signing Radamel Falcao, who missed he was but it shouldn’t be forgotten that he many talents.” Meanwhile Chataway’s son two glorious chances and has not scored in the league had an extremely distinguished career off Mark saluted the resolve shown by his since November 8. the track.”My family and I will miss him sore- father in later life. He was replaced by Ocampos with 21 minutes left and it ly and our thoughts go out to his family and “We were struck by his amazing qualities was the Argentine who sealed the win with a goal two many friends who were so fond of him.” of humility and strength, especially in these minutes from the end. After retiring from athletics in 1956 he last few years,” the 53-year-old said. “He ran And it was a strike of rare beauty that looked out of forged a successful career first as a broad- with a couple of my brothers in the Great place in an otherwise drag affair as Ocampos scored with cast journalist for firstly ITN and then the North Run about three years ago, doing it an acrobatic bicycle kick that flummoxed goalkeeper Ali FRANCE: Toulouseís Colombian midfielder Abel Aguila (left) vies with Monaco’s French BBC and subsequently in politics. in a very respectable time.” —AFP Ahamada. — AFP forward Emmanuel Riviere (right) during the French League football match. — AFP