11 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019 sports

Messi denies Barcelona rifts after Inter victory AFP | Barcelona Salah double saves Liverpool ionel Messi insisted on Mohamed Salah earns jittery Liverpool 4-3 win after incredible Salzburg comeback LWednesday there are no problems between him and Antoine Griezmann or between the players and Suarez at the double Barcelona’s board. • Messi returned from inju- as Barcelona break ry to make his second start down impressive Inter of the season against Inter KNOW WHAT Milan in the Champions Willian grabs Chelsea League as Barca came from winner• as Lampard hails behind to win 2-1. Speaking after the match, impact of young stars Liverpool has won its Messi was asked about his last 12 home matches relationship with Griez- Ziyech stunner helps in all competitions, mann, who had said on Ajax• ease past Valencia its best winning run Tuesday it was “difficult” at Anfield since an 18- to establish a connection AFP | Paris game streak between with the Argentine while he April and November had been injured. “Obviously we have no hampions League holders 1985 problem,” Messi said. Liverpool came out on “There is a good relation- Ctop of a 4-3 thriller with ino and 19-year-old substitute ship with everyone, the Salzburg on Wednesday after Haaland left the home crowd dressing room is united. throwing away a three-goal lead stunned. We needed this victory at Anfield before Mohamed Sa- However, Salah spoiled their and hopefully now we can lah’s winner, while Luis Suarez evening with his sixth goal of Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah and Red Bull Salzburg’s Rasmus Nissen Kristensen, right, battle for the ball kick on and continue in this fired Barcelona to a comeback the season in all competitions, way.” victory over Inter Milan. putting Liverpool level with clusion from the start, suddenly The 20 year-old -- on loan ishing Daniel Parejo for smash- There have also been sug- Salah won the Group E match Salzburg on three points, one warmed up and skipped past from Real Madrid -- burst onto ing a penalty high over the bar. gestions of a rift between for Liverpool with his second behind Napoli after their disap- two challenges before laying Julian Brandt’s pass in the 35th Donny van de Beek sealed the Barcelona’s players and the of the night in the 69th minute, pointing goalless draw at Genk. on Suarez, whose perfect first minute and charged towards the points for last season’s semi-fi- board, with Gerard Pique denying Salzburg a point after “They made it a game for us touch allowed him to sink In- goal, skipping past Petr Sevcik nalists when he finished a beau- implying last weekend that teenage sensation Erling Braut but we are happy to get the three ter and draw Barca level on and goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar tiful passing move in the 67th articles critical of the team Haaland had stunned the Reds points. That’s the most impor- four points with group leaders before rifling home the opener, minute, putting Erik ten Hag’s had come from higher up when he completed an incredi- tant thing,” added Salah. Borussia Dortmund. and repeated the feat in the 89th side three points clear of Va - the club, however Mes- ble fightback with his 18th goal “Those are a big three points,” minute with a neat left-foot fin- lencia and Chelsea, who won a si denied the re- of the season. Suarez sinks brave Inter said Suarez, who has recovered ish that made sure of the win. tough encounter at Lille thanks lationship had “When we were winning Suarez saved Barcelona’s from a frustrating start to the to Willian’s 78th-minute vol- soured. three, we needed to score a blushes at the Camp Nou after season with three goals in his Flamboyant Ajax shine again leyed winner. fourth, fifth and sixth. It’s a lit- Lautaro Martinez had scored last two games. Ajax took control of Group Tammy Abraham had given tle bit bad because the human early for Inter, who then failed “When you’re the number H with a big 3-0 success at Va- Frank Lampard’s side a deserved Lionel mind says ‘OK we are going to to capitalise on their first-half nine, you always try to help lencia that put them top with a 22nd-minute lead with his first Messi win this’,” Salah told BT Sport. dominance in the Group F clash the team with goals and assists. perfect six points and showed ever Champions League goal The hosts looked to be cruis- and lost 2-1. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but again that they could yet repeat before more slack set-piece de- ing in the 36th minute when Barca moved up a gear in the I always work hard. Don’t give last season’s heroics. fending allowed Victor Osimhen Egyptian Salah had added to second half and were deserv- up in difficult times.” Hakim Ziyech opened the to level not long after, but the goals by Sadio Mane and Andy edly level when Suarez crashed Dortmund came out on top at scoring for the Dutch champi- Ligue 1 outfit are bottom with- Robertson, but Hee-Chan home a superb shot just before Slavia Prague thanks to a pair of ons with an incredible dipping out a point after two defeats. Hwang’s brilliant strike shortly the hour mark, and the Uru - counter-attacking strikes from strike on just eight minutes, and Zenit St Petersburg top Group before the break gave Salzburg guayan was at his sharpest to Achraf Hakimi, whose clinical Quincy Promes doubled their G after seeing off Benfica 3-1 in hope. win the match with six minutes finishing led Lucien Favre’s side lead 11 minutes before half- Russia, level on four points with Two goals in four second-half remaining. to a 2-0 win in the Czech Re - time with his second in as many Lyon after their 2-0 win at RB minutes from Takumi Minam- Lionel Messi, a surprise in- public. Champions League games, pun- Leipzig. India declare on 502-7 after Ben Stokes wins players’ award AFP | London

Agarwal double century en Stokes has been voted AFP | Visakhapatnam the Professional Cricket- Bers’ Association players’ ndia declared their first in- player of the year after starring Inings on 502 for seven bol- in England’s maiden World Cup stered by a double century from win and repeating his heroics Mayank Agarwal on the second during the Ashes series. day of the opening Test against Somerset’s Tom Banton South Africa yesterday. picked up the PCA young play- Agarwal made 215 to put er of the year award, while South Africa’s bowling attack England bowler Sophie Eccle- on the ropes in Visakhapatnam. stone collected the women’s The 28-year-old put on a prize. record 317-run opening stand Highlights of the English with Rohit Sharma to set the cricket season for Stokes in- tone for India’s dominance at cluded an unbeaten 84 in the England’s Ben Stokes celebrates after scoring a century the start of the three-match se- World Cup final and a sensa- ries. Agarwal smashed six sixes tional 135 not out to win the think that will come until I re- Root paid tribute to his “awe- and 23 fours in a 371-ball knock Mayank Agarwal plays a shot third Test against Australia at tire really because it all comes some” team-mate, who is the in just his fifth Test. Headingley. so thick and fast. Test vice-captain. He fell to part-time spinner Sharma fell for 176, stumped and bowled as his maiden Test All-rounder Stokes, 28, was “This will definitely be a “He’s a massive driving force Dean Elgar in the afternoon off Keshav Maharaj before wicket. England’s top run-scorer in the summer that I will be able to of this team, one of the senior session and departed with lunch, and India then lost two Agarwal kept up the attack Ashes, which ended in a 2-2 look back on forever.” players across the board,” Root handshakes from the South cheap wickets. Cheteshwar Pu- until his departure to pile pres- draw. He added: “Winning the said. African players. jara went for six and skipper sure on the South African bowl- Speaking at the PCA awards World Cup was an amazing Young player of the year Ban- Ravindra Jadeja, 30 not Virat Kohli for 20. ers in an extended afternoon ceremony in London on feeling to be a part of -- seven ton has been included in Eng- out, and wicketkeeper-bats- Paceman Vernon Philander session to make up for time lost Wednesday, Stokes told the weeks of hard toil to then walk land’s Twenty20 squad for the man Wriddhiman Saha, 21, bowled Pujara on the first de- to a thunderstorm on Wednes- Press Association: “In terms away with the World Cup was winter tour to New Zealand played useful cameos before livery of the second session. day. Maharaj took three wickets of reflection, I think there will brilliant, and then a great Ashes after amassing more than 1,000 India declared in the final Debutant spinner Senuran from his 55 overs of left-arm come a time where I will be series to be part of.” runs across the two domestic session. Muthusamy got Kohli caught spin. able to take it all in but I don’t England Test skipper Joe limited-overs competitions.