SPORT Wednesday 20 June 2018 PAGEE | 1919 PAGEPAG | 24 Big guns tippedped to JapanJapan create history bounce back afteafterr wwithith win over failing to eexcelxcel 10-10-manm Colombia Russia on a roll as Egypt bite the dust AFP goals in his debut season for Liverpool and former SAINT PETERSBURG: Chelsea left-back Yuri The return of Mohamed Zhirkov wasn’t afraid to Salah from injury couldn’t test his fitness with a prevent World Cup hosts series of robust Russia virtually sealing challenges. their place in the last 16 by But Zhirkov’s best beating Egypt 3-1 piece of defending was a yesterday. last-ditch tackle that pre- An own goal by Egypt vented Salah a simple tap captain Ahmed Fathy in at the back post. opened the floodgates on It took 40 minutes for a sodden night in Saint the Premier League’s Petersburg before goals Golden Boot winner to from Denis Cheryshev have an attempt on goal and Artem Dzyuba fur- as the ball fell kindly on thered Russian hopes the edge of the area, but they can defy pre-tour- even on his favoured left nament expectations foot his effort curled with a deep run into the beyond Igor Akinfeev’s far latter stages. post. Salah did net Egypt’s Shorn of Salah at his first goal at a World Cup best and facing the hosts, since 1990 from the Egypt had an uphill task penalty spot after he had as it was without gifting been hauled down 17 Russia the initiative as minutes from time, but it they did in calamitous was too little, too late for fashion at the start of the the Pharaohs. second-half. Russia will be guar- There appeared little anteed a place in the last danger when Roman 16 and Egypt eliminated Zobnin’s off-target shot unless Saudi Arabia beat dribbled towards goal, but Uruguay today. under pressure from Salah was making his Dzyuba, Fathy threw an first appearance since outstretched right leg injuring his left shoulder towards the ball and when falling heavily after turned it into his own net. being dragged to the Having got the bit of ground by Real Madrid luck they needed, Russia captain Sergio Ramos in showed they have the the Champions League quality to trouble more final just over three weeks fancied nations with a ago. brilliantly worked second His presence in the that was swept home by starting line-up after Cheryshev for his third Russia’s midfielder Denis Cheryshev (bottom, right) shoots to score their second goal sitting out Friday’s 1-0 goal of the World Cup against Egypt during the 2018 World Cup Group A match played at the Saint Petersburg defeat to Uruguay pro- from Mario Fernandes’s Stadium in Saint Petersburg yesterday. voked a feverish cross. excitement from the thou- Three minutes later it sands of Egyptian fans that was 3-0 as the towering Russia virtually seal their YESTERDAY'S RESULTS poured into the 6ft 4in (1.96 metre) place in the last 16 by beating 65,000-capacity Saint Dzyuba demonstrated Egypt 3-1. GROUP H Petersburg stadium to quick feet to free himself COLOMBIA 1-2 JAPAN almost even up the inside the area before Salah scores the only goal for numbers in the stands slotting low past a helpless Egypt after making his first GROUP H POLAND 1-2 SENEGAL with the hosts. Mohamed El-Shenawy. appearance since injury lay-off. However, Russia had The Video Assistant Russia take a huge step GROUP A enjoyed a far more pos- Referee (VAR) system RUSSIA 3-1 EGYPT itive start in thrashing proved its worth to give towards the knockout phase Saudi Arabia 5-0 to snap Egypt a glimmer of hope of a World Cup for the first TODAY'S FIXTURES a seven-game run without when referee Enrique time in 32 years. a win heading into the Caceres had initially GROUP B tournament and their awarded a foul outside the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow greater confidence box rather than a penalty PORTUGAL VS MOROCCO showed early on. when Salah was pulled by 3.00pm Aleksandr Golovin and Zhirkov. Cheryshev were at the Salah smashed the GROUP A heart of most of Russia’s 10th penalty of the tour- Rostov Arena, Rostov-On-Don best moves against the nament into the roof of the RUSSIA EGYPT Egypt’s URUGUAY VS SAUDI ARABIA Saudis and both came net, but it was little con- Mohamed Salah 6.00pm close to breaking the solation as Russia took a looks dejected deadlock with long-range huge step towards the 3 1 after losing GROUP B strikes. knockout phase of a A. FATHI - 47' OG M SALAH - 73' PEN to Russia 3-1 Kazan Arena, Kazan IRAN VS SPAIN Salah looked far from World Cup for the first CHERYSHEV - 59' yesterday. 9.00pm the player who scored 44 time in 32 years. DZYUBA - 62' 18 SPORT WEDNESDAY 20 JUNE 2018 Neymar limps out of training, Senegal’s players celebrate after victory over Poland in setting alarm Moscow, yesterday. bells ringing AFP SOCHI: Neymar hobbled out of a training session yesterday, setting alarm bells ringing in the Brazil camp as they prepare for their second World Cup group game against Costa Rica on Friday. “Neymar came out of training today (yesterday) with a painful right ankle,” said Vinicius Rodrigues, a spokesman for the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). He put the knock down to the number of fouls Neymar received in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don in Brazil’s opening Group E outing. The 26-year-old could be seen grimacing as he held his right ankle after feeling pain as he took part in a light session for those who had started that game. Neymar had not taken part in training on Monday, as the side returned to their base in Sochi on Russia’s Black Sea coast. Rodrigues confirmed the problem concerned the Paris Saint-Germain star’s ankle and not the foot he fractured in February, an injury that required surgery and forced him to miss the rest of the Senegal pip Poland for club campaign. “As soon as he felt the pain he went to the physio. He will stay there for today and tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, and will train as first African win at Cup normal tomorrow,” added Rodrigues. AFP Neymar only made his give Poland hope, but they comeback from the foot oper- were unable to make up the ation as a substitute in Bra- MOSCOW: Senegal recorded deficit despite four minutes of zil’s 2-0 friendly win over the first African win at the 2018 injury time. Croatia on June 3. World Cup when they beat On Sunday, Senegal play He scored in that game, Poland 2-1 yesterday thanks to Japan, who beat Colombia 2-1 and then made his first start a deflected Thiago Cionek own earlier in the day, while Poland since the injury, also scoring, goal and a terrible error by will face the South in a 3-0 win over Austria in Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Americans. Vienna just before Tite’s Szczesny. Earlier, Mane was pro- squad flew to Russia. West Bromwich Albion moted to captain Senegal in the Brazil are due to travel midfielder Grzegorz Kry- match. today to Saint Petersburg, chowiak got Poland back in the Senegal coach Aliou Cisse where they will play Friday’s game with an 86th-minute benched his regular captain game. header but Senegal hung on at Cheikhou Kouyate of West Moscow’s Spartak Stadium. Ham, giving his star player In a match billed as a Mane added responsibility as straight fight between super- the West Africans open their strikers Robert Lewandowski World Cup campaign. and Sadio Mane, neither scored Veteran Poland defender but Liverpool striker Mane set Senegal’s Moussa Wague Kamil Glik failed to recover Neymar could be up Idrissa Gueye for the shot (left) and Salif Sane (right) from a shoulder injury for the seen grimacing as that took a wicked deflection in action against Poland’s match and was also named on he held his right off Cionek, leaving Szczesny Kamil Grosicki, yesterday. the bench by coach Adam totally wrong-footed in the Nawalka, who reverted to a ankle after feeling Polish goal for Senegal’s opener four-man defence in his pain as he took part on 37 minutes. After a tight first half hour, down the Polish striker as he but Khadim Ndiaye -- the only absence. in a light training The west Africans doubled it was the always-threatening charged towards goal. He African-based player in Sen- As expected, Bayern their lead on the 60-minute Niang who was at the heart of escaped with a yellow card. egal’s squad -- pushed it away. Munich sharpshooter Lewand- session yesterday. mark when the experienced Senegal’s opening goal. Lewandowski curled the Krychowiak connected owski led the forward line and Juventus goalkeeper had a The Torino winger won the free kick over the Senegal wall with Kamil Grosicki’s cross to captained Polish team. moment to forget. ball on the halfway line and fed Krychowiak put Poland in Mane who rolled it sideways to trouble with a woeful bouncing Everton striker Gueye, whose back pass, but Szczesny opted shot skewed off Cionek’s leg rashly to charge out of his and into the net. penalty area. The speedy Senegal, the 2002 quarter- Mbaye Niang got in front of his finalists, could have pressed defender, nicked the ball away home their advantage two from Szczesny and rolled it into minutes later but Salif Sane the empty net.