SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2015

Russian leaders CSKA aim to end losing streak

MOSCOW: Russian knockout stage. “It’s a very disappoint- Champions League matches,” Zenit their back-to-back Russian titles in leaders CSKA Moscow have to bounce ing defeat as we had the initiative and Brazilian star Hulk said. “It’s a new mile- 2008-09, said that the serious personnel back from three straight defeats to get created scoring chances,” Slutsky said. stone in the club’s history. But now we problems prevented his team from their season back on track. After two “We need to concentrate on two need to focus on the Russian league showing their best football. “In the last straight domestic defeats and a 2-0 loss Premier League matches remaining matches. “We’ve lost too many points matches we lacked mobility and had no to Wolfsburg of Germany in the before the winter break. I hope we will this season but we still have chances to reserves for boosting our performance Champions League this week, the Red win both of them to maintain our lead.” retain the title as the leaders dropped because of injuries. Hopefully the Army side face bottom-placed Anzhi Reigning champions Zenit St points in their recent games.” things will sort themselves out for our Makhachkala on Sunday with their title Petersburg, who beat Valencia 2-0 to Second-placed Rostov, held to a 1-1 next match,” Berdyev said. Moscow lead over Rostov cut to five points from ensure they top Champions League draw by lowly Ufa in their previous club Lokomotiv, who sit third one point nine at the start of the month. CSKA Group H, turn their focus back to league encounter, will have to pass a behind Rostov, tackle city rivals manager Leonid Slutsky was upset with domestic action when they meet Terek tough test when they visit FC Krasnodar Dynamo also on Monday after a 4-2 a defeat that dashed CSKA’s chances of Grozny on Sunday. “We were very hap- on Monday. Rostov head coach Kurban defeat in Europa League clash with qualifying for the Champions League py to record five wins in as many Berdyev, who guided Rubin Kazan to Sporting Lisbon. —AFP

3 Olympics places up for grabs in Senegal JOHANNESBURG: Senegal host an eight-nation Olympics football qualifying tournament during the next 15 days with the top three finishers securing places at the 2016 Rio Games. South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia are in Group A with the Senegalese and Group B comprises Algeria, Egypt, Mali and 1996 gold medalists Nigeria. Owen Da Gama of South Africa could have been speaking for all eight coaches when he spoke about the opening game against Senegal at Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor in Dakar. “This match will define our destiny. Our aim is to start well because an opening-round loss will place us under pressure in the remaining two group games,” he said. Group matches are scheduled for the 60,000-seat national stadium in Dakar and the 5,000-capacity Stade Caroline Faye in M’Bour, 70 kilometers south of the capital city. Dakar stages LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s Joe Allen (centre) fights for the ball against Bordeaux’s Enzo Crivelli during the both semi-finals, the third place play-off to decide the last Europa League Group B soccer match between Liverpool and Bordeaux at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool on qualifier for Rio, and the final of a competition which doubles Thursday Nov 26, 2015. —AP as the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. AFP Sport looks, in alphabetical order, at the eight contenders, all of whom have qualified at least once for the Olympics. Liverpool, Spurs, Bilbao into ALGERIA: It is 35 years since the North Africans made their lone Olympics appearance and the odds are against them reaching Rio with Egypt and Nigeria the likeliest top two Europa last-32; Celtic crash Group B finishers. Winger Zineddine Ferhat from CAF Champions League runners-up USM Alger is a 2015 Africa- LONDON: The value of an in-form strik- games to ensure the English Premier Late drama based Footballer of the Year finalist and Abdelhakim er was underlined as Tottenham League club can relax going into their There was late drama in Germany Amokrane scored the goals that got Algeria to Senegal. Hotspur, Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao final group outing. The England striker where Schalke needed to beat APOEL EGYPT: Have competed at 11 Olympics football tourna- needed goals from pivotal front men to had suffered a drought when he went Nicosia to guarantee qualifying but ments and there is no reason why they cannot add to that grab vital wins that booked places in eight games without a club goal at the had to wait until the 86th minute for African record total under 2012 CAF Champions League-win- the Europa League last 32 on Thursday. start of the season, but questions about Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to snatch ning coach Hossam El Badry. Impressive qualifiers at the Harry Kane’s late strike gave Spurs a 1-0 whether the 22-year-old could continue a 1-0 win. Having ended a seven- expense of Uganda, the star of the squad is consistent-scoring win at Qarabag, Liverpool needed last term’s prolific scoring run have match winless run in all competitions, midfielder Mahmoud Abdel Moneim, better known as Christian Benteke to dig them out of a been long-since silenced. After Schalke stayed top of Group K, ahead ‘Kahraba’, from famed Cairo club Zamalek. spot of bother in a 2-1 win over Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min and Dele of Sparta Prague who also reached the MALI: Apart from Senegal, they should be the team most Girondins Bordeaux and Bilbao had Alli earlier hit the woodwork, the pow- knockout phase with a 1-0 win over at home in the hot, humid, windy tropical conditions likely in Aritz Aduriz to thank for a 3-2 comeback erful Kane thumped home a header Asteras Tripolis. Atlantic venues Dakar and M’Bour. France-based Adama victory in Augsburg. Those three sides from a corner to move them to 10 Basel progressed as Group I win- Niane topped the elimination competition scoring charts with were among 11 teams, who celebrated points at the top of Group J. Liverpool ners after they came back from 2-0 ‘Kahraba’ and fellow striker Adama Traore was voted best reaching the knockout stages of the were also in need of frontline inspira- down against Fiorentina, managed by player of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. competition. tion after they fell behind at home to the Swiss side’s former boss Paulo NIGERIA: Boast the best record of African qualifiers for the FK Krasnodar, Lazio, St Etienne, Bordeaux when keeper Simon Mignolet Sousa, to draw 2-2. The Italians, who Olympics, winning the gold medal at Atlanta in 1996 and the Basel, Schalke 04, Sparta Prague, was penalised for holding on to the ball took a stranglehold with a double silver medal in Beijing seven years ago. The class of 2015 has Villarreal and Braga will all be in the hat too long and Henri Saivet thumped from Federico Bernardeschi, had to outstanding strikers in Liverpool signing Taiwo Awoniyi and when the draw is made for next round home from an indirect free kick after 33 play for more than an hour with 10 local Victor Osimhen, scorer of a record 10 goals at the 2015 having booked spots with one group minutes. men after Facundo Roncaglia was FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. game to spare on the marathon route Benteke was hauled down in the shown a first-half red card. SENEGAL: Home support and familiarity with the probable to May’s final. Last season’s surprise area to earn Liverpool a penalty, which Sousa’s Fiorentina now need at sauna-like conditions should assist a side that prepared by the finalists Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, howev- James Milner converted after 38 min- least a draw in the final match against winning another under-23 competition, the African Games, in er, were brought firmly down to earth utes, and the Belgian striker then got on Belenenses to make it out of the group Congo Brazzaville. The team is full of tall, strong, skilful and with an early exit. Dnipro made a sur- the scoresheet with a superb turn and stage. Villarreal came into their game innovative footballers, with striker Ibrahima Sory Keita keen to prise run to the final last term but their finish in first-half stoppage time. at home to Rapid Vienna having build on outstanding African Games form. European adventure ended early this Aduriz’s contribution for Bilbao was already qualified earlier on Thursday SOUTH AFRICA: Da Gama welcomed a heat wave during time when a 3-1 defeat at Lazio meant even more dramatic. The group stage’s after Viktoria Plzen lost 1-0 at Dinamo training in Johannesburg as it gave his squad a taste of the they could not finish in the top two in most prolific marksman scored twice in Minsk. The Spaniards celebrated with a conditions they are set to encounter in Senegal. Centre-back Group G. There was also disappoint- the final seven minutes to secure a 1-0 win to end the Austrian side’s 100 Rivaldo Coetzee is a senior national team regular and much is ment for former European champions comeback win in Augsburg that kept percent Group E record with Bruno expected from captain and midfielder Keagan Dolly, an early- Celtic as they lost 2-1 at home to Ajax the Spaniards top of Group L and Soriano’s late goal. Borussia Dortmund, season star in the 2015-2016 South African Premiership. Amsterdam to end their hopes of reach- moved them safely into the next round. who lost 1-0 at FK Krasnodar, Molde, TUNISIA: Coach and 1996 Olympian Maher Kanzari has ing the next round. Bilbao have flourished with Aduriz scor- beaten 2-0 by Fenerbahce, Napoli, 1-0 tempted his squad by telling them “the Games are even bet- ing six goals in five group games, while winners at Club Bruges, and Rapid ter than the World Cup”. He has chosen eight players from Kane strikes Augsburg and Partizan Belgrade meet Vienna had already secured their Esperance and four each from other top-flight clubs Club Tottenham’s Kane struck in the 78th on the final matchday to decide who places in the knockout stage on the Africain and CA Bizertin to bolster cohesiveness. —AFP minute for his ninth goal in his last six joins the Spaniards in the last 32. previous matchday. —Reuters