46 Friday Sports Friday, March 6, 2020 PSG crush 10-man Lyon to reach French Cup final Mbappe’s treble fires PSG into final

LYON: Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as Paris Lyon defenders before floating over a cross to Saint-Germain cruised into the final of the fellow forward Edinson Cavani, who controlled French Cup with a thumping 5-1 win at Lyon the ball only for Marcal to then handle before on Wednesday. The World Cup winner took the Uruguay striker could let his shot go. his goal tally in all competitions to 30 during Neymar slotted home the subsequent spot- a win that was eased by Fernando Marcal kick after confirmation of the handball by VAR, being sent off just before Neymar put the while Marcal had to leave the field after being French champions ahead in the 64th minute handed his second red card. “I prefer to say from the penalty spot. nothing about the penalty,” said Lyon boss The defeat Lyon ends a five-match unbeaten Rudi Garcia, who side face PSG in the League run that included an impressive 1-0 win over Ju- Cup final next month. “When you are 10 ventus in the Champions League and the week- against 11 playing such a strong team it’s no end’s triumph over local rivals Saint-Etienne. “It longer a contest.” was a solid, serious display full of concentra- Mbappe made sure of the Parisian’s visit to tion,” said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel. “After the the Stade de France next month with a superb Dortmund match (lost 2-1 in Germany), Mbappe solo effort with 20 minutes left, embarrassing has responded brilliantly. He uses his speed so Bruno Guimaraes and Marcelo before calmly intelligently ... he is in good form.” slotting past Anthony Lopes. Pablo Sarabia Mbappe equalized for the away side with a added a fourth with a stinging low strike 11 simple tap-in just three minutes after Martin minutes later, and Mbappe completed his hat- Terrier had given the raucous home fans hope trick in stoppage time, tapping home Neymar’s RHONE: Paris Saint-Germain’s Spanish midfielder Pablo Sarabia (center) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Ger- with a neat 11th-minute opener. The 21-year-old cross after good work on the left from the main’s French forward Kylian Mbappe (left) and Paris Saint-Germain’s Italian midfielder Marco Verratti after was also key to PSG taking the lead in the 64th world’s most expensive footballer. Saint-Eti- scoring a goal during the French Cup semi-final football match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and Paris minute from the penalty spot. Collecting the ball enne and Rennes met in the second semi-final Saint-Germain (PSG) on March 4, 2020. —AFP out on the left wing, he casually saw off two yesterday.—AFP

April 18 final in Seville could be an all- Real Sociedad into Basque affair with Athletic Bilbao defend- ing a 1-0 lead against fellow La Liga persons participating.”Until now, Serie A has first Copa del Rey Italy orders all sports mid-table side Granada in their semi-final preferred to call off games in the affected re- second leg on Thursday. gions rather than play them in empty stadiums final in 32 years events to be played and 10 matches have been postponed as well Mirandes were attempting to become as this week’s two Coppa Italia semi-final ties. the first second division club to reach the without fans However, after a meeting of club and Serie A MADRID: Real Sociedad ended the Copa final since 1980. Real Sociedad, who were representatives earlier on Wednesday, Inter del Rey hopes of second division Mirandes Copa del Rey winners in 1909 and 1987 ROME: Italy has ordered all major sporting Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta said on Wednesday with a 1-0 win which and knocked out Real Madrid 4-3 in this events throughout the country, including top- that playing without fans could be the only moved them into the final for the first time season’s quarter-finals, will be playing in flight Serie A soccer games, to be played way of finishing the Serie A season. in 32 years. Sociedad had already won the without fans for one month in a bid to curb “Playing behind closed doors could be their first final since 1988 when they lost 1- first leg 2-1 and cemented their spot in the Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak. The the only way to complete the championship 0 to Barcelona. With 23 titles, Athletic Bil- move, announced in a government decree, in the light of the emergency and the restric- decider when striker Mikel Oyarzabal bao are second on the all-time list of Cup will also affect the Six Nations rugby inter- tions that the government is rightly adopt- scored a 41st-minute penalty after a hand- winners behind Barcelona who have tri- national between Italy and England, due to be ing,” he said as he left the meeting. “The aim ball in the area by a Mirandes player. The umphed 30 times.—AFP played in Rome on March 14, and the Cham- is to finish the championship as normally as pions League soccer match between Juven- possible, without creating a competitive im- tus and Olympique Lyonnais on March 17. balance, but as you can see the scenario is Euclides Acevedo told reporters. All schools and universities were closed constantly changing.” Marotta suggested on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of that the six matches which had been post- Ronaldinho Paraguayan police raided the hotel in the coronavirus in Italy where there have poned last week - including the heavyweight Asuncion where the 2005 Ballon d’Or been more than 3,000 cases and the death Juventus v Inter clash - could be rescheduled accused of using winner was staying during a trip pro- toll has reached 107. The ban on the public for the coming weekend. mote a book and found the false docu- watching sports events, which had already Six Nations organisers have postponed fake passport ments, the minister said. “We are also been in force in three regions in the north but the match between Ireland and Italy in has now been extended nationwide, will last Dublin on March 7 but said on Monday that investigating the responsibility of the until April 3 at the earliest. all other games would go ahead, including to enter Paraguay authorities who allowed them to enter The decree said that “sports events and Italy’s game against England in Rome, which the country with falsified documents,” competitions of any order and discipline, car- was not affected by the original ban in the ASUNCION: Former Brazilian football Acevedo said. ried out in any place, both public and private, northern regions. The organizers and the star Ronaldinho and his brother have Ronaldinho and his brother had their are suspended” but could go ahead if there Italian rugby federation could not immedi- been detained in Paraguay after al- Brazilian passports withdrawn in No- were no spectators. It added that “sports as- ately be reached for comment. UEFA has legedly using fake passports to enter the vember 2018 after failing to pay a $2.3 sociations and clubs, through their own med- said it is in constant contact with local au- South American country, authorities said ical staff, are required to carry out thorities and decisions over whether games million fine for environmental damage appropriate checks to limit the risk of spread- should be played behind closed doors, or Wednesday. “Ronaldinho will be heard at incurred during the building of prop- ing (the coronavirus) among athletes, techni- postponed, would be taken at the last eight in the morning on Thursday at the erty in Rio Grande do Sul, in southern cians, managers and all accompanying minute. —Reuters prosecutor’s office,” Interior Minister Brazil. —AFP