FOOTBALL | Page 4 CYCLING | Page 5 Mbappe has Tour de France it all — even at formally £166mn he could block Froome be a bargain from riding Monday, July 2, 2018 FOOTBALL Shawwal 18, 1439 AH Mexico show GULF TIMES no fear as they target end to fi ft h-game hex SPORT Page 3 REPORT ESP (3) 1-1 (4) RUS Akinfeev stars as Russia stun Spain on penalties Goalkeeper saves eff orts from Koke and Aspas during shootout to send former world champs out of the World Cup Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev saves the penalty shootout shot by Iago Aspas (not in picture) to hand the hosts a victory over Spain during their FIFA World Cup round of 16 match at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, yesterday. (AFP) AFP Moscow Iniesta retires from international football DPA ussia captain Igor Akinfeev saved Moscow two penalties in a dramatic shootout as the World Cup hosts dumped title contenders Spain out in the last 16 ndres Iniesta confirmed Rfollowing a 1-1 draw. his retirement from Veteran Russia centre-back Sergei Igna- Ainternational football shevich gifted Spain the opening goal on 12 yesterday. minutes in Moscow when he unwittingly “It’s true that this is my last turned into his own net after grappling with game,” Iniesta said, speaking Sergio Ramos. after Spain’s elimination from Russia hit back just before the interval as the World Cup at the hands of Artem Dzyuba nervelessly converted a pen- Russia. “A wonderful period has alty awarded for a handball by Gerard Pique. come to an end.” Spain controlled the game as expected but Iniesta had been a second half struggled to create genuine chances, with substitute as Spain crashed out Akinfeev sharp on the few occasions they did to Russia despite the former before saving from Koke and Iago Aspas to Barcelona player scoring his seal a 4-3 win on penalties. Russia’s players celebrate their victory over Spain in their round of 16 match yesterday. (AFP) penalty in the shoot-out that “We are having a fantastic World Cup,” said decided the match. Akinfeev. “Not just our fans, but the fans of appearances in the group stage, whipped in Akinfeev snuff ed out an opening for Diego Iniesta won the World Cup in 2010 other countries got a sense of this atmosphere dangerously to the far post where the ball Costa on the stroke of half-time as the Spain scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 and understood that Russians really know how looped in off an unsighted Ignashevich as he striker tried to latch onto a through ball. victory over The Netherlands in to play football and want to play football.” tussled with Ramos. The Russia goalkeeper was again involved South Africa. The 34-year-old also Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov, who Spain dominated the fi rst 30 minutes, early in the second half, fl ying to his left to won the European Championship Spain’s Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos console had received a phone call from President pressing Russia heavily as the hosts struggled pluck a spinning Jordi Alba eff ort from the air. in 2008 and 2012. each other after yesterday’s loss. (Reuters) Vladimir Putin a few hours before the game, to advance beyond the halfway line in humid Cherchesov introduced Cheryshev for Al- said, “Players will not do things just because conditions. exander Samedov on the hour, a move greeted the coach says so. They have to feel it and Aleksandr Golovin carved out their fi rst by a deafening roar from the home support. a clever dummy only for Akinfeev to claw his tonight they did it. To be a strong team is chance of note, starting a move with a jink- Iniesta replaced David Silva, while Costa shot away before the rebound from Koke was Penalty shootout one thing, but you have to be the best on the ing run before bending just wide of David de was withdrawn for Aspas, and the two sub- blocked. 1-1 (after extra time) pitch. Tonight, we were that team at the right Gea’s left-hand post. stitutes went close to winning it late in regu- Russia endured a tense wait when Kuipers Spain Score Russia place at the right time.” Isco produced a series of regal touches lation time. was in communication with the video assist- 3 A. Iniesta 1-0 Fernando Hierro made the bold decision to with Spain’s King Felipe VI among those in A low 20-yard drive heading towards was ant referee following a late tug on Pique in drop Andres Iniesta for Koke in central mid- the crowd at the Luzhniki Stadium, but Rus- palmed away by at Akinfeev at full stretch, the box, before Akinfeev’s shootout heroics 1-1 F. Smolov 3 fi eld, with Marco Asensio handed his fi rst sia equalised shortly before half-time. with the angled follow-up from Aspas also clinched an unforgettable triumph. 3 G. Pique 2-1 start of the competition. pushed to safety. “There is a lot of pain in the delegation, the 2-2 S. Ignashevich 3 Cherchesov left out leading scorer Denis PIQUE PENALISED Aspas nearly picked out Carvajal with a players, the coaching staff ,”, Hierro told re- Cheryshev, opting for three central defenders A deep corner was met by Dzyuba, whose cut-back seconds into the start of extra time, porters. “We had great hopes for this World 2 Koke 2-2 in a conservative 5-3-2 formation. header struck the outstretched arm of Pique, which saw Aleksandr Erokhin come on as Cup and it was not to be. There are 15 players 2-3 A. Golovin 3 It was Nacho, in for Dani Carvajal at right- with referee Bjorn Kuipers contemplating his Russia’s fourth sub — the fi rst time the rule who have given everything, I have absolutely 3 S. Ramos 3-3 back, who won the free-kick that led to Spain decision before pointing to the spot. has been applied at the World Cup. no complaint. This is football. We had more 3-4 D. Cheryshev taking the lead as he was caught by Yury Dzyuba calmly sent De Gea the wrong with Spain followed suit as Rodrigo replaced possession, got to their area much more. We 3 Zhirkov to the right of the penalty area. his penalty to join Cheryshev on a team- Asensio, and the former went closest to end- understand that in these moments you have 2 I. Aspas 3-4 Asensio, who made two brief substitute leading three goals. ing the impasse, sprinting towards goal after to be eff ective.” Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo will be nearly 38 by the time the next World Cup comes around in Qatar in 2022 2 Gulf Times Monday, July 2, 2018 MATCH REPORT CRO (3) 1-1 (2) DEN Croatia advance to quarters aft er penalty shootout win Croatia could have wrapped up the result five minutes from the end of extra time but Modric had his penalty saved by Denmark goalkeeper Schmeichel Croatia’s Ivan Rakitic (left) wheels away in celebration after scoring the winning penalty as Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel walks away dejected during the Round of 16 match at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, yesterday. (Reuters) Reuters Denmark’s eff orts to set up a quarter- Jorgensen took all of 57 seconds to net from close range. Nizhny Novgorod fi nal meeting with Russia on Saturday. breach the Croatia defence at the end The anticipated infl uence of Chris- It was Modric’s sublime pass that of a long throw-in by Jonas Knudsen, tian Eriksen for the Danes and Croatia’s put Ante Rebic through on goal, before stabbing at the ball with his left foot as Modric held out hopes of more mouth- roatia came back after conced- being brought down by Mathias Jor- he took it off team mate Thomas Dela- watering action but their craft was ing in the opening minute to gensen, and off ered Croatia a chance to ney. Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Suba- only evident in patches. Eriksen did earn a World Cup quarter-fi nal win just before the lottery of the shoot- sic got a hand to Jorgensen’s toe-poke shave the top of the woodwork just be- berth after edging Denmark out. But Schmeichel made a smart save but eff ectively defl ected the ball across fore halftime with a speculative eff ort C3-2 in a penalty shootout after the two to keep the 1-1 stalemate intact through his own line. There was an element of while, at the other end, Ivan Rakitic sides drew 1-1 in the round of 16 match two hours of at times pedestrian foot- comedy to the fourth-minute equal- forced a smart save from Schmeichel. on last night. ball. Two chaotic goals in the open- iser for Mario Mandzukic as Denmark’s After the interval, the chances were They could have wrapped up the re- ing four minutes made for a rollicking early advantage quickly disappeared. even more sparse although Croatia did sult fi ve minutes from the end of extra start at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. A kick across the Danish defence was up the tempo towards the end of regu- time but Luka Modric had his penalty However, it proved a false dawn as the fi rmly hit away by Henrik Dalsgaard lation time only to run into a resolute saved by Kasper Schmeichel. However, spectacle faded with both sides choos- but straight into the face of team mate Denmark defence.