WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017 SPORTS

Kobayashi on the spot to peg back Guangzhou

GUANGZHOU: cap- And Kobayashi must have thought it Felipe Scolari who believed that the the top of AFC Champions League ner of Jamie Young’s goal. tain Yu Kobayashi coolly chipped home was destined not to be his night when contact had occurred outside the box. Group E with a comfortable 3-0 home The Brisbane goalkeeper was then a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage he finally beat Zeng with a 71st-minute Kobayashi’s last-gasp leveller leaves win over Brisbane Roar. South Korean cruelly credited with an own goal in the time to secure a richly deserved AFC snap-shot across goal after a sweet turn, Group G wide open with Kawasaki clos- side Ulsan Hyundai’s lacklustre 0-0 draw 76th minute despite Naomichi Ueda Champions League draw against only to see the ball cannon back off the ing to two points behind Guangzhou with Muangthong United allowed the seemingly kicking the ball from the Guangzhou Evergrande yesterday. foot of the post. and Suwon Bluewings, who both have reigning J-League champions to keeper’s grasp during a near-post The Japanese side laid siege to the But deep into injury time Frontale’s five points after the South Korean side leapfrog the undefeated Thai side in the scramble following a corner. two-time Asian champions goalmouth persistence paid off when Evergrande’s beat Hong Kong minnow Eastern 1-0. Group E standings with six points from Iranian referee Alireza Faghani waved after the prolific Brazilian striker Alan Yu Hanchao made a hash of a clearance Suwon left it late against the Hong three matches, with Brisbane rock bot- away the protests of the Brisbane play- put the home side ahead in the 26th near the edge of his penalty area result- Kong side who are in their first tom having only managed a draw and ers who claimed Young had been fouled minute with his third goal in three ing in the ball striking first his left and Champions League campaign. Brazilian two defeats. by Ueda. Three minutes later Young was Champions League outings. then his right arm. Johnathan popping up with the headed The Japan side dominated and broke powerless to stop Kashima sealing the Frontale were denied time and again Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al winner from Yeom Ki-Hun’s cross 12 the deadlock when right-back Yukitoshi three points when Yasushi Endo cut after half-time by a series of saves using Jassim had no choice but to point to the minutes from time at the Mongkok Ito’s cross in the 43rd minute was met inside from the right and fired home an hands, feet and body by goalkeeper spot, despite the protests of the Stadium. Another Japanese side, by Yuma Suzuki, who powered home a unstoppable left-footed finish into the Zeng Cheng. Evergrande players and coach Luiz , took pole position at volley on the turn into the bottom cor- far corner. —AFP Brazil club signs goalie convicted in murder

VARGINHA: A Brazilian football club her body had been fed in pieces to dogs. brushed aside a storm of criticism yester- He has never admitted to taking day to sign a goalkeeper convicted in the direct part in the grisly murder and sub- murder of his girlfriend, whose body was sequent disposal of the body, but he was fed to the dogs. convicted all the same. Bruno Fernandes, 32, was brought In 2013, he was sentenced to 22 years before reporters at a hastily arranged behind bars. Bruno was released from press conference in the southeastern city prison last month after a ruling by the of Varginha, where he pulled on Boa Supreme Court, which freed him pend- Esporte club’s black and red shirt, before ing an appeal. going to a medical checkup. Bruno, as he The club pointed out that Bruno had is commonly known, said he would now been ruled as having done time for his “concentrate on (his) work.” crimes and said he should be allowed to “The important thing for me is to get rebuild his life. “Today we are presenting started,” he was quoted as saying by the Bruno so that Bruno can restart his career UOL news website. However, the talent- as a football player, which is what he ed goalie-who used to play for top knows how to do,” club president Rone Brazilian club Flamengo and had been Moraes da Costa told journalists. touted as a recruit for Italian giants AC “It’s also to give an opportunity to a Milan-faces a bitter welcome. human being who made a mistake in the Sponsors have fled second division past and who has been freed by the Boa Esporte, including chief backer Gois courts, to give him a chance to continue and Silva, which withdrew Monday. Its his life.” logo was still emblazoned on the shirt At his press conference, Bruno said: initially worn by Bruno yesterday. “Sincerely, I’m not worried by what peo- The reaction on social media has been ple say,” according to UOL. A street fierce. “Well done Boa Esporte! You’re protest was planned for later in the day now the most hated club in the world!!” in Varginha. — AFP was a typical comment on the club’s Facebook page. The club website was hacked by protesters. Bruno had been incarcerated since Matches on TV LONDON: Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba (R) vies with Chelsea’s Brazilian defender David Luiz during the English FA Cup quarter final football match between Chelsea and ManchesterUnited at Stamford Bridge in London on Monday.— AFP 2010 for his role in the kidnapping, (Local Timings) imprisonment and killing of model Eliza Samudio, who sued him for child support UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SOCCER after he got her pregnant. AS Monaco v Man City 22:45 Samudio’s body has never been found beIN SPORTS and Bruno admitted in court that he had Atletico v Bayer 04 22:45 conspired with friends to kill her and that beIN SPORTS Chelsea beat United, sets up Fast-rising Mbappe FA Cup semifinal with Spurs

LONDON: Chelsea prevailed over Jose ance with his fleet-footed runs even when it was him. There seemed little to dispute the yellow puts Europe on alert Mourinho’s forceful, spoiling tactics to end 11 vs. 11. It was Hazard who was the first to test card shown to Phil Jones for pushing Hazard. Manchester United’s FA Cup defense and set up goalkeeper David De Gea after breaking away But on the touchline, tensions were erupting PARIS: At just a tender 18 years of age, BIDDING WAR AWAITS a semifinal derby with Tottenham. from Chris Smalling around the halfway and between Conte and Mourinho. Conte was Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe is already turning But Mbappe, who broke Henry’s long- On another gloomy return to Stamford beating two more United players before his angered when Hazard was fouled again by heads around Europe after tormenting standing record as Monaco’s youngest Bridge for Mourinho, United’s aggressive 16th-minute strike. From the resulting corner it Herrera right in front of referee Michael Oliver, defences throughout France and scoring goalscorer, would be well-served to careful- attempts to neutralize Eden Hazard backfired took De Gea low at full stretch to keep out and the trip saw the midfielder banished. against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in ly take stock of his options in the summer when Ander Herrera was booked twice for foul- Cahill’s close-range effort. Mourinho was furious that Cahill escaped any the Champions League. when Europe’s leading clubs will undoubt- ing the winger and dismissed 35 minutes into Hazard was becoming a target for persistent form of punishment for a foul on Marcus With 16 goals in 30 appearances for the edly seek to wrest him away from the Stade Monday’s quarterfinal. fouling. Herrera, though, seemed to be harshly Rashford, who overcame illness to fill the void French league leaders this season, includ- Louis II. Anthony Martial, another former “We were complaining,” Chelsea defender penalized for the first time after Hazard ran into left by Ibrahimovic’s suspension.—AP ing nine in his past eight games, the Monaco starlet, celebrated his big-money Gary Cahill said after the 1-0 victory. “We felt teenage prodigy is drawing plenty of com- arrival at Manchester United in style with a Eden was getting harassed.” parisons to former France star Thierry debut goal against Liverpool but has strug- Chelsea’s trip to Wembley Stadium was Torres returns as Atletico Henry. “We didn’t expect such a rapid and gled to fully impose himself at Old Trafford secured six minutes into the second half when sudden explosion,” Alessandro Grandesso, a following a bright start. N’Golo Kante switched from midfield enforcer to eye quarters once more Paris-based journalist with Gazzetta dello On the contrary, Grandesso believes match-winner. Paul Pogba failed to close down Sport, told AFP. The Italian sports daily there is also a danger attached to staying at France teammate Kante, who found the space to recently ranked Mbappe fifth in a list of Monaco should the team be dismantled MADRID: Fernando Torres is expected to finals. However, despite that apparent show of score from 20 yards (meters) and keep the return just two weeks after losing conscious- Atletico’s confidence that they already have Europe’s 30 most promising talents. next season. Premier League leaders on course for a domestic And while playing down a potential “He must properly understand what the ness in a sickening head clash as Atletico one foot in the quarters, midfielder Koke double. It’s rare for Kante to be in the scoring Madrid look to seal their place in the warned against complacency. move to Italy, Grandesso highlighted the club wants to do. If it’s to stay in a team spotlight, although his only other goal since resemblance between Henry and his heir that starts over from scratch, I don’t really Champions League quarter-finals yesterday. “We have a great result from the first leg, joining Chelsea last year came on United’s last Atletico are strong favourites to reach the last but we can’t be complacent. We need to give apparent, both of whom broke into the see the appeal,” he said. visit to west London. Even with 10 men, professional ranks with Monaco. But rather than signing for one of eight for a fourth straight year as Torres was on our all again on Wednesday,” said the Spanish Mourinho avoided the humiliation of October’s target in a 4-2 first leg win against Beyer international. Leverkusen travel to Spain under “It’s true that he is gaining visibility and Europe’s heavyweights, Grandesso sug- 4-0 league loss but only through an ultra-defen- benefitting from the comparison with gested joining a club slightly below the top Leverkusen in Germany three weeks ago to new management as Tayfun Korkut replaced sive display that saw United’s possession drop to give the Spanish side a commanding lead. the sacked Roger Schmidt after the Germans Thierry Henry, thanks to his quite similar rung in England or Germany, using it as a a season-low of 28 percent. style,” Grandesso explained. stepping stone where he would be guaran- Torres returned to full training for the first first leg defeat was followed up by a 6-2 And also, according to Chelsea, by targeting time on Monday since losing consciousness in thrashing at Borussia Dortmund. Atletico have The connection with the 1998 World teed playing time. Hazard. “For Hazard, (for) 20, 25 minutes it was Cup winner is particularly prevalent in There are also surplus rumours of a a challenge with Deportivo la Coruna’s Alex only lost one of 20 Champions League games impossible to play football, because he received Bergantinos that provoked consternation at home under Simeone. However, Leverkusen England, where Henry flourished as part of move to the Bundesliga, with Bayern only kicks,” Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said. Arsenal’s great ‘Invincibles’ side. Few men Munich unsurprisingly top of the list, but so among those on the field and watching are hoping for a comeback of Barcelona pro- “A tactic to play and go to kick an opponent? It’s around the world. portions after the Spanish champions fought are as qualified as Arsene Wenger, who far there is little evidence to substantiate not football for me. ... Sometimes when you play launched a bid for Mbappe last summer, to such claims. Dortmund are in the picture However, thankfully the 32-year-old was back from a 4-0 first leg defeat to beat Paris against players with great talent, you try to released from hospital less than 24 hours later Saint-Germain 6-1 last week. discuss the likeness of the two players. too, their nurturing of another France intimidate those players.” “He reminds me of a young Thierry youngster, Ousmane Dembele, mapping having suffered no serious injuries. “We imag- “We know it’s going to be difficult and it’s Chelsea’s fans sought to intimidate through ine that for yesterday he will be available,” said hardly possible, but we will give it our all and Henry with the same clever look about out a possible future path were Mbappe to chants, and they pained Mourinho, the most him,” Wenger said last week. “They have land in the Ruhr valley. Atletico boss Diego Simeone. Whether Torres try to make the impossible possible,” said cen- successful manager in the London club’s history starts depends on Kevin Gameiro’s fitness as tre-back Omer Toprak. the same qualities of intelligence in his But he remains under contract with before being fired for a second time in 2015. movement and cat-like finishing.” Monaco until June 2019 and Mbappe’s the French international missed Saturday’s 1-0 Leverkusen, though, will be depleted by “You’re not special anymore,” sang Chelsea win at Granada with an abdominal injury. injury and suspension themselves. Benjamin The Arsenal manager added: “I immediate focus is helping the attractive fans, between expletive-filled chants directed at approached him last year because I really principality outfit overturn a 5-3 deficit Atletico will definitely be without captain Henrichs and influential midfielder Hakan the self-styled “Special One” who they branded Gabi and left-back Filipe Luis as they picked up Calhanoglu are banned, whilst Toprak, believe that he has an exceptional future against Manchester City in Wednesday’s “Judas.” Mourinho responded with typical brava- ahead of him.” last 16 second leg. —AFP yellow cards towards the end of the first leg to Jonathan Tah, Stefan Kiessling and captain do, directing three fingers at the fans who once ensure they will be free to play in the quarter- Lars Bender are out injured.— AFP adored him to signal the trio of Premier League titles he won across two spells in charge at Chelsea. He waited until after the quarterfinal to deliver another riposte to fans with short memo- ries. “They can call me what they want,” Mourinho said. “Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them I am the No. 1 ... Judas is No. 1.” But maybe not No. 1 come May. Mourinho is left with only one route to silverware - the Europa League - in his first season in charge of Manchester United. Chelsea is No. 1 in the Premier League with a 10-point lead, while United has sunk to sixth. If Chelsea can beat London rival Tottenham, it will play either Manchester City or Arsenal in the FA Cup final in May to complete Conte’s first season in charge. The revival of a club in discord after Mourinho’s December 2015 exit is in large part due to the revival of a player reviled toward the MAJADAHONDA: Atletico Madrid players take part in a training session at the Cerro del end of the Portuguese coach’s tenure. MONACO: Monaco’s French forward Kylian Mbappe Lottin controls the ball during a Espino Stadium in Majadahonda yesterday, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Hazard was a constant danger again against training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match Monaco round of 16 second leg football match Atletico de Madrid vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen. — AFP against Manchester City yesterday at the “Louis II Stadium” in Monaco. — AFP United, barreling through an ineffective resist-