THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 SPORTS Juve relaunch last-16 bid TURIN: Juventus relaunched their Champions home.” An injury to defender Angelo League last-16 bid with a nervous 3-2 win Ogbonna forced Allegri to reshuffle, replacing over Olympiakos in Turin on Tuesday when his tried and trusted 3-5-2 with a 4-3-1-2 for- visiting goalkeeper Roberto saved a last- mation that saw Alvaro Morata join Tevez up minute penalty from Chilean Arturo Vidal. front. With Olympiakos seemingly bent on Andrea Pirlo, on his 100th Champions defending in numbers and striking on the League appearance, broke the deadlock with counter, Juve easily dominated the opening a trademark free-kick on 21 minutes but the half but wasted a number of chances early hosts were stunned three minutes later when on. They finally broke the deadlock when central defender Alberto Botia beat Gianluigi Pirlo stepped up to curl a superb free-kick Buffon with a glancing header from a corner. high inside Roberto’s post on 21 minutes Juve needed a win, preferably with a two- after Pogba had fallen on the edge of the area goal cushion, to boost their qualification under a challenge from Luka Milivojevic. chances ahead of an away trip to Swedish Juventus Stadium, however, was silenced champions Malmo and their final fixture at three minutes later when Botia was left home to Atletico Madrid. But despite replying unmarked at a corner and got down low to to Delvin N’Dinga’s glancing header on the head past Buffon. hour with two goals in the space of a minute, Juventus should have restored their lead Vidal spurned the chance to secure a 4-2 win just before the interval but Claudio Marchisio when Roberto saved his penalty with the final could only glance at Asamoah’s probing kick of the game after Carlos Tevez had been delivery from the left as Morata and Vidal felled in the box. lurked in front of goal. Juventus are now level on points with Fernando Llorente replaced Morata just Olympiakos but second on a better head-to- before the hour but disaster struck for the head record, with both trailing leaders hosts three minutes later when they failed to Atletico by three points. deal with Alejandro Dominguez’s probing “It’s a shame we missed the penalty, it free-kick from the left. would have rounded off a good night for us,” The ball was headed out but fired back Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri told towards the six-yard box by Olympiakos skip- reporters. “Tonight the crucial thing was to per Giannis Maniatis where N’Dinga beat get the win, so we have to be positive. We still Buffon with a glancing header. have two games to secure our qualification.” Four minutes later, Juve were back on lev- Pogba, who hit Juve’s winner with his first el terms, Llorente’s header ricocheting off Champions League goal on his 100th appear- Roberto then his post before bobbling over ance for the Italian giants, said: “Today’s game the line for an own-goal. was crucial for us. We had to win and we did, Juventus restored their lead in more con- now it’s all up to us. vincing fashion just a minute later. Pogba col- “Sometimes we get a bit complacent. You lected Llorente’s ball from the left and, after can’t mess about in the Champions League, failing in his attempt to send Tevez through, not even a little bit.” Olympiakos coach Michel he fired in a shot that beat Roberto down low. was quick to praise his players, especially Juve survived a scare when Omar Roberto, after a penalty save which could Elabdellaoui squirmed past Asamoah and GERMANY: Dortmund players (yellow jersey) and Galatasaray players vie for the ball during the Champions League Group D soccer match. — AP prove costly to Juve in the event of a tight forced Buffon into a save at full stretch late qualifying duel. on, but the hosts had the momentum and “Roberto showed his class saving the Tevez wasted the follow-up after Llorente’s Dortmund rout Galatasaray penalty from Vidal. It could make the differ- close-range header was expertly blocked by ence for us in the end,” Michel said. Botia. Roberto got down low to push away DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund brushed off The game was held up twice in the second the Germany winger’s run and put in a brilliant “But I’m proud of all the players. We’re not Tevez’s angled drive two minutes and then their nightmare Bundesliga form to maintain half by crowd trouble as Galatasaray fans threw through ball. Reus needed no second invitation a major European team but we showed that won a penalty in injury time, only for Roberto their perfect Champions League record and book fireworks onto the pitch, then set off a flare in the to get behind the Galatasaray defence and strike we are capable of also playing well away from to block Vidal’s strike. — AFP their place in the knockout phase with Tuesday’s stands in the closing few minutes. on 39 minutes. Dortmund doubled their lead 4-1 rout of Galatasaray. “Everything was done in terms of security, but when midfielder Sebastian Kehl rose highest to a Dortmund are second from bottom of the they still get this stuff through. It’s remarkable. I corner and headed down for Greek centre-back German top flight following the worst start to a hope it calms down,” fumed Klopp. Sokratis, the 26-year-old scoring his first season in the club’s history and have lost their Goals either side of half-time from Marco Reus Champions League goal with a half-volley from last five matches in a row, but are one of the first and Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos inside the six-yard box on 56 minutes. teams into the last 16 in Europe’s elite club com- put 2013 Champions League finalists Dortmund Balta put Galatasaray back in the match with a petition. Borussia remain top of Group D with on their way to the knockout phase. Galatasaray’s thumping header at the near post after a Wesley four wins from four and posted another convinc- Berlin-born defender Hakan Balta pulled one Sneijder corner on 70 minutes. ing victory against Cesare Prandelli’s Galatasaray back for the visitors midway through the second But Reus made way for Immobile and the having won 4-0 in Istanbul a fortnight ago. half before the hosts scored twice more to put Italian quickly claimed his third Champions Arsenal’s 3-3 draw at home to Anderlecht the result beyond doubt. Italy striker Ciro League goal in three games. Galatasaray’s brief leaves Dortmund five points clear of the Gunners Immobile netted Dortmund’s third just three period of pressure came to nothing as Immobile atop the table and odds-on to finish as group minutes and 26 seconds after coming off the finished off a flowing move by Henrikh winners. “That was very disciplined, the team had bench to calm the hosts’ nerves after a period of Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. things under control from the first minute,” said sustained Galatasaray pressure. The Italian got the ball in the net despite Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp. Immobile then compounded Galatasaray’s being fouled by Galatasaray goalkeeper “We defended well and, when our tactical misery when his cross was deflected into the Fernando Muslera on 74 minutes. Aubameyang measures didn’t quite work, we compensated back of the Turkish giants’ net by defender Semih then squandered two chances to add to the goal with passion and scored some great goals.” Kaya. Dortmund have shown two distinctly dif- tally before Immobile struck again. Kaya could Bizarrely, Dortmund have now picked up ferent faces this season as another impressive only watch in horror as Immobile’s pass clipped nearly double the points, 12, in their four display in Europe again bore little resemblance to his boot and spun into the net with five minutes Champions League matches than the seven they their woeful league form. Reus put Dortmund left. The result leaves Galatasaray bottom of the have from their 10 Bundesliga matches. ahead when right-back Lukasz Piszczek spotted table with one point. — AFP Son shines as double seals Leverkusen win at Zenit SAINT PETERSBURG: Bayer Leverkusen cemented their place at the top of their Champions League group with a 2-1 win at Saint Petersburg on Tuesday thanks to Son Heung-Min’s superb second-half goals. The South Korean striker got the second-half break- through Bayer needed after an unconvincing first 45 minutes when he shot into the top ITALY: Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci (right) and Olympiakos’ Alejandro Damian right-hand corner on 68 minutes. Dominguez fight for the ball during a Champions League, Group A soccer match. —AP The 22-year-old then added his second five minutes later at Zenit’s Petrovsky Stadium when he held off the Russian defence after Basel thrash Ludogorets striker Stefan Kiessling had won back posses- sion. BASEL: FC Basel’s seventeen-year-old Breel At 17 years and 263 days, he became the The Korean star showed plenty of poise in Embolo scored a delightful goal to set the sixth youngest player to score in the front of goal before coolly slotting his shot past Swiss champions up for a 4-0 win over Champions League. The second goal seven goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin. Zenit scored a late Ludogorets Razgrad on Tuesday that put them minutes later was almost a replica as Frei lifted consolation goal when substitute Jose Rondon second in Champions League Group B.