ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 16

Green Bay Packers quar- terback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws a pass while being chased by Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald (99) during the fi rst half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Jan. 16, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Packers reach NFC title game Bills advance to AFC championship with win over Ravens ORCHARD PARK, New York, Jan gest in NFL history and punctuated a year quarterback was gratifi ed to see ond consecutive year. caliber career. Field since hosting for the 2007 sea- 17, (AP): In what was supposed to be stellar defensive outing in which Buf- Buffalo’s defense make a difference in Baltimore clinched its third playoff Rodgers threw two touchdown son, when they fell to the New York a showdown between Buffalo’s Josh falo (15-3) limited the NFL’s top run- a game the pass-happy attack was kept berth in three years by winning its fi - passes and also ran for a score as the Giants 23-20 in overtime. Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, ning offense to 150 yards on 32 carries. mostly in check. nal fi ve regular-season games. The top-seeded Green Bay Packers defeat- Green Bay won the Super Bowl for Taron Johnson literally stole the show. Jackson, last season’s NFL MVP, The Bills advanced to the AFC winning streak came after a 1-4 skid ed the Los Angeles Rams 32-18 in an the 2010 season as the NFC’s No. 6 seed, If not for the wall separating the fi eld was sacked three times and did not championship game for the fi rst time capped by a 19-14 loss at Pittsburgh NFC divisional playoff game. and has lost at Seattle, Atlanta and San from the stands in the back of the east end return after sustaining a concussion since 1994 on their way to making on Dec. 2 in a game rescheduled three Green Bay’s potent offense over- Francisco in its last three conference zone, the Bills cornerback might still be following the fi nal play of the third - and losing - their four consecutive times due to COVID-19 issues. powered the Rams’ vaunted defense championship game appearances. running after returning an interception quarter, and two plays after Johnson Super Bowl appearance. Buffalo also for much of the day. The Packers Saturday’s game showed what a 101 yards for a touchdown that propelled scored. He fi nished 14 of 24 for 162 extended a season in which it has bro- didn’t allow any sacks despite playing home-fi eld advantage can mean, even Buffalo to its fi rst AFC championship yards passing, while being limited to ken numerous droughts by claiming its FOOTBALL without injured All-Pro left tackle Da- with far less than capacity on hand due game appearance in 27 years. 42 yards rushing on nine carries. fi rst AFC East division title in 25 years vid Bakhtiari, while Green Bay sacked to the pandemic. The Packers played Johnson’s pick-6 of Jackson’s pass Allen, an MVP candidate this year, and, with last week’s victory over In- Jackson’s injury left Tyler Huntley Jared Goff four times. in front of 8,456 fans - a crowd that with 41 seconds remaining in the third fi nished 23 of 37 for 206 yards and a dianapolis, winning its fi rst postseason to fi nish the game after being promot- The Packers reached the NFC cham- included paying spectators for the fi rst quarter helped secure a 17-3 win over touchdown. game since the same year. ed off the practice squad. pionship game for the fourth time in time all season - but that small crowd the Ravens in a divisional-round play- In a season in which the Bills relied The fi fth-seeded Ravens (12-6) had Aaron Rodgers made sure he’d play the last seven seasons as they chase made plenty of noise as the Packers off game Saturday night. mostly on their dynamic Allen-led of- their season come to an end after lead- an NFC championship game at home their fi rst Super Bowl berth in a de- built an early lead with snow fl urries Johnson’s return matched the lon- fense to outscore opponents, the third- ing the NFL in yards rushing for a sec- for the fi rst time in his Hall of Fame- cade. It will be their fi rst at Lambeau falling for much of the fi rst half. Man Utd hold Liverpool to stay top Leicester jump to 2nd as Spurs down Sheffield Utd

LIVERPOOL, England, Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in England because of a new variant, Jan 17, (AP): Manches- the Premier League has warned clubs ter United stayed top of that punishments will be handed out the Premier League after for fl outing the rules when it comes to celebrations. Some have questioned drawing 0-0 on Sunday whether football should continue to be with Liverpool and extend- played in the circumstances. ing the champion’s winless Harvey Barnes netted the second goal in the fi fth and fi nal minute of sec- run to four matches. ond-half stoppage time at King Power Liverpool haven’t gone as long Stadium, running in behind South- without a win since 2017, but Jür- ampton’s defense to slot home a fi nish gen Klopp’s team still maintained at the end of a their unbeaten record at Anfield counterattack. Leicester since the same year thanks to Alis- again looks like son Becker’s late saves from Bru- challenging for no Fernandes and Paul Pogba. the Champions “We had two great chances and two League qualifi - great saves,” United captain Harry Ma- cation spots like guire said. “It was cagey but it was two last year when good teams matching up. We found it the team fell difficult in the first half to get a rhythm short in the fi nal to the game, the press was high.” weeks after look- ing like a lock in Mount the top four. SOCCER “It’s nice to be second in the table,” Maddison said, “but last year we pe- Thiago Alcantara’s long-range ef- tered off in the new year so the next fort was well saved by United goal- few months will be tough.” keeper David De Gea in the 78th min- ute as Liverpool failed to score for a Chelsea 1, Fulham 0 third successive match. Four months into the season and Liverpool, which had a makeshift Chelsea manager Frank Lampard ap- defense due to injuries, stayed three pears no closer to knowing his best points behind United, which are chas- lineup following a $300 million off- season spending spree that delivered ing their first title since 2013. him a squad bursting with quality. Spurs 3, Sheffield Utd 1 One player he knows he cannot do Tanguy Ndombele’s audacious without is Mason Mount. hooked shot completed Tottenham’s The England international looked 3-1 victory at Sheffi eld United , giv- to be the man with the most to lose ing Jose Mourinho’s side a fi rst away Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson fights for the ball with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, (right), during the English Premier League soccer match coming out of a summer when Kai success in the Premier League in two between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, on Jan 17. (AP) Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Timo months. Werner arrived at Stamford Bridge at Played in by a Steven Bergwijn the last-place team. league campaign. The striker received to follow new pandemic protocols urg- away before applauding himself re- great expense to add competition to the chipped pass, Ndombele used the Tottenham needed only fi ve minutes the ball from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, ing players to stop hugging and kiss- peatedly. attacking midfi eld and forward spots. outside of his boot to lob goalkeeper to go ahead. Bergwijn saw his strike then turned and drilled a low shot into ing. “If little things like that are what we But there was Mount, starting for Aaron Ramsdale and the ball landed in tipped over by Ramsdale and Serge the corner from the edge of the area. After running onto Youri Tiele- need to keep football going, then so Chelsea for the 12th straight English the far corner. Aurier headed in from Son Heung- Leicester 2 , Southampton 0 mans’ pass and smashing home a ris- be it,” Maddison said. “We have been Premier League game - he has played It restored Tottenham’s two-goal min’s resulting corner. Leicester climbed to second place ing shot into the roof of the net in the told to stop gatherings of people and I 90 minutes in all of them - and grab- cushion in the 62nd minute after Da- After Son hit the post, Tottenham by beating Southampton 2-0, with 37th minute, Maddison turned to face tried to make it light-hearted. bing a badly needed winner for Lam- vid McGoldrick glanced home John eventually got their second in the 40th James Maddison marking his opening his approaching teammates and - with “Footballers, we get a lot of stick pard against Fulham at Craven Cot- Fleck’s cross three minutes earlier for through Harry Kane’s 12th goal of the goal with a humorous solo celebration a broad smile on his face - waved them and it’s nice to put a lighter note on it.” tage. Australia reach stumps at 21 without loss, overall lead of 54 Former IOC vice-president says Thakur, Sundar revive India’s hopes UN could rule on Tokyo Games BRISBANE, Australia, Jan 17, (AP): Test rookies Shardul And he recalled some advice India coach Ravi Shastri. Thakur and Washington Sundar combined for a rearguard “I remember Ravi Shastri telling me ‘if you perform in SYDNEY, Jan 17, (AP): Kevan Gos- Gosper, still an honorary IOC mem- Ticket” program. century stand that frustrated Australia’s bowling attack and this country you will be rewarded and people are going to per, a former International Olympic ber, made the suggestion to Australia’s The IOC and local organizers have lifted India from a precarious position Sunday into almost love you for your performances’,” Thakur said. “Keeping Committee vice president, is suggest- national broadcaster, the Australian said the Olympics cannot be postponed fi rst-innings parity in the series-deciding match. those things in my mind, I just kept playing. I was just hop- ing the United Nations might be the Broadcasting Corp. again. They will be canceled this time The partnership formed with India in serious trouble at ing for a turnaround, and it happened.” place to decide the fate of the post- “If you were looking for a third if they can’t be held. 186-6 in reply to Australia’s 369, and with no more recog- Hazlewood praised Thakur and Sundar for the way they poned Tokyo Olympic. party that recognizes that this has gone “We’ve done this before in the IOC, nized batters in the pavilion, and added 123 runs - an Indian took on the game and admitted the Australians “just let a The Olympics are to open on July 23 beyond being an issue just related to we’ve gone to the United Nations to record for the seventh wicket at the Gabba. few moments slip.” but face mounting opposition at home sport, or just related to national inter- give us assistance,” Gosper said. “Be- Thakur, in his second Test, got off the mark with a six “Credit to those two guys, batted beautifully,” he said, but as COVID-19 cases surge in Tokyo, est, by virtue of the global COVID cause we are talking about something and raised his maiden Test half century with another six off Australia “probably let pressure off at certain times across across Japan and across the globe. (pandemic) and its impact then their that potentially is going to involve rep- Nathan Lyon and topped India’s scoring with a 115-ball 67. the day. There were a few half-chances there we could have Tokyo and other parts of Japan are could be a case to go the United Na- resentatives from 205 countries.” Sundar posted 62 from 144 deliveries in his debut test in- grabbed, may have made a difference.” under emergency orders with about tions and seek their involvement in ar- nings. In between the boundaries, the lower middle-order Hazlewood was the pick of the Australian bowlers and Gosper did not indicate he had con- 4,200 deaths in the country attributed bitrating whether the games go ahead tacted the United Nations, and it’s not batters dodged, ducked and were hit by short balls peppered was rewarded for his tight line with a ninth fi ve-wicket haul to COVID-19. or not,” Gosper told the ABC’s “The at them by the Australian fast bowlers. in a Test innings. clear the body would enter into what is The pair had been elevated to the an intense political issue in Japan. starting lineup for the fourth Test and Japan has invested a reported $25 took three wickets each over the fi rst CRICKET billion to organize the Olympics, and two days after a string of injuries to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has re- India’s bowling stocks culminated in India resumed Sunday at 66-2 ready for an extended day peated that the games will take place. pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and after rain washed out play late on day two, and added 99 leading spinner Ravichandran Ashwin runs for the loss of Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Ajinkya OLYMPICS being ruled out of the match in Bris- Rahane in the morning session. bane. Hazlewood made the fi rst breakthrough of the day by re- When Australian paceman Josh moving Pujara for 25 off 94 balls, teasing the 90-Test vet- National pride is also at stake, with Hazlewood (5-57) completed a fi ve- eran forward to a good length ball which found the edge and China set to hold the Beijing Winter wicket haul by clean bowling a wildly- Hazlewood carried through to wicketkeeper Tim Paine. Olympics in 2022, six month after the swinging Mohammed Siraj for 13, India were all out for 336 Rahane mixed some elegant strokes with some expansive Summer Games in Tokyo are to close. late on day three - just a 33-run fi rst-innings defi cit. shots outside off stump and his luck fi nally ran out on 37 when The IOC has seen its income fl ow Australia reached stumps at 21 without loss, an overall he edged a Mitchell Starc delivery to Matt Wade at third slip. stalled by the postponement. The Swit- lead of 54. David Warner was unbeaten on 20. Hazlewood struck early in the middle session, too. He dis- zerland-based sports body gets 73% of The series is level at 1-1 with two days remaining and it missed Mayank Agarwal (38) and, six overs later, he had Rishabh its income from TV rights, and another appears that India are on track to at least force a draw that Pant (23) spectacularly caught at gully by Cameron Green. 18% from sponsors. would ensure they retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The Australians haven’t lost a Test match at the Gabba Tokyo organizers say they have Thakur acknowledged the situation was diffi cult when he since 1988 but have been held to draws. To win the series, many “countermeasures” to fi ght CO- went into bat, facing up to the crowd, the Australian pace bowl- they need to score runs quickly on Monday with the aim of VID-19 and hold the Olympics, but ers, a batting partner he’d rarely played with and India in a tough setting a big target and then bowling India out in the fourth India’s Shardul Thakur bats during play on day three of the fourth cricket they have offered no concrete plans. position. But he said he was confi dent he and Sundar had the innings. That’s something they weren’t able to do in the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane, Australia, Jan They have promised more details in temperament for Test cricket and were capable of digging in. Test in Sydney despite being in a strong position. 17. (AP) the northern hemisphere spring.

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