14 Sunday, July 7, 2019 Sports Marquez takes seventh ‘Invincible’ Brazil banking straight pole in Germany AFP SACHSENRING, GERMANY on defence against Peru MARC Marquez continued his recent dominance of the Sach- Chile 3-0 in the last four. senring by taking pole for Sun- The hosts, yet to concede a goal in the “It’ll be a great final, a really day’s German MotoGP. tournament, face Peru in the final difficult match. We can’t think It is the seventh straight it’s already won, we have to play year that the Spaniard will start whom they thrashed 5-0 earlier it,” said Casemiro. the race as pole-sitter. The last “They’ve eliminated great six years, the Honda rider went AFP the break, while Brazil captain teams –Uruguay and Chile – on to win the race. RIO DE JANEIRO Dani Alves and midfielder Ar- we have to respect them.” “I am very happy but the thur both got away with bla- It’s only the second time Yamaha and Suzuki riders are Marc Marquez after taking pole BRAZIL will be looking to tant off-the-ball fouls inside the Peru have reached the Copa fi- going really strong,” said Mar- at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of maintain their defensive invin- area on Manchester City pair nal in its 103-year history. quez. Germany in Hohenstein-Ernstthal cibility against Peru in Sunday’s Aguero and Nicolas Otamendi They beat Colombia in a The 26-year-old, who leads on Saturday. (EPA-EFE) Copa America final, midfielder respectively. play-off in Caracas in 1975 after the championship standings by Casemiro says. Brazil have identified the each side had won at home in a 44 points, set a new lap record His mechanics – and the The hosts have yet to con- main threat to their defensive two-legged title decider. of 1min 20.195sec, edging out team doctor – appeared to have cede a goal in the tournament, invincibility on Sunday at Rio And their first title in 1939 the French youngster Fabio fixed the problem as he finished including when they thrashed de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana on home soil came at the end of Quartararo who will start from just 0.205sec behind Marquez. Peru 5-0 in a group- stadium: Peru forward a single five-team tournament second on his Yamaha. Quartararo was being stage match earlier in Paolo Guerrero. He’s a played in a round-robin format. Quartararo, who began pressed all the way by Maverick the competition. player well known to “We’ve got to approach from pole before finishing sec- Vinales, who won in Assen last And keeping their Brazilian fans having it calmly. It’s true that we’ve ond in last week’s Dutch GP in week. The Spaniard was just goal intact will be key spent the last seven achieved something very im- Assen, had a scare in morning 0.006sec slower and completes to lifting a ninth Copa years playing in the portant after many years,” said practice when his Yamaha de- the front row on his Yamaha. crown, according to country. forward Raul Ruidiaz. veloped steering problems, the Alex Rins went off the track the Real Madrid man. The 35-year-old “We’re aware and calm that vibrations causing serious pain early on but came back to take “Ending the com- scored the winning there’s one more step to glory. in his right shoulder. fourth on his Suzuki. petition without con- goal for Corinthians in We need to play with our feet on ceding a goal is one of our aims,” the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup the ground and give everything said Casemiro. “And if we don’t final against Chelsea. on the pitch to make it happen.” concede a goal, it’s not just Currently playing for In- Brazil, in stark comparison, Quick read thanks to the guys at the back, ternacional in Porto Alegre, he have won the Copa eight times those up front help us a lot and previously helped Corinthians and finished runners-up on a Unsung hero Teunissen grabs chance, and that makes the difference.” win the Sao Paulo state cham- further 11 occasions, a record yellow jersey at Tour de France The woodwork also made pionship in 2013 and Flamengo bettered only by Uruguay and a difference in Brazil’s 2-0 to do likewise in the Rio state Brazil’s players during a training session at the Granja Comary sport Argentina. From 1997 to 2007, WHEN Dutchman Mike Teunissen woke up on Saturday morning the semi-final victory over arch ri- championship four years later. complex in Teresopolis, Brazil on the eve of Copa America final. (AFP) Brazil won four out of five edi- last thing he imagined was that a few hours later he would be present- vals Argentina, as did referee “He’s a player who deserves tions of the Copa, missing out ed with the Tour de France yellow jersey by the greatest rider in the his- Roddy Zambrano’s refusal to special attention for everything tional team.” tacularly from that set-back, only in 2001 when the Selecao tory of cycling. That is exactly what happened, however, as the 26-year- consult VAR twice when Lionel he’s done in the past,” said One of those was two weeks though, first ousting Uruguay turned up in Colombia without old grabbed the chance of a lifetime with both hands to claim a slender Messi and his team-mates were center-back Marquinhos. ago at the Corinthians Arena in on penalties in the quarter- leading lights such as Ronaldo, victory on the opening stage of the race and become the first Dutch- claiming a penalty. “I know him well, I played Sao Paulo when Guerrero was final, in a match in which they Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Rob- man to wear yellow since 1989. To make it doubly sweet, it happened Sergio Aguero headed with him for a bit at Corinthi- kept quiet while Peru when into were clearly second best, and erto Carlos – four crucial play- in Brussels, the home city of five-times Tour champion Eddy Merckx who against the bar in the first half ans and I’ve played against a defensive meltdown. then in a stunning performance ers in their World Cup success presented him with the maillot jaune on the 100th anniversary of the and Messi rattled the post after him several times for the na- They’ve bounced back spec- to beat the outgoing champions the next year. introduction of the unmistakable sporting garment. (REUTERS) Nigeria beat holders Cameroon in AFCON thriller Sweden down England to finish third at World Cup REUTERS finishers in the group, meet one ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT of the tournament’s form teams without the Liverpool attacker, NIGERIA ousted holders and who is returning to Anfield after bitter rivals Cameroon from suffering calf and thigh injuries the Africa Cup of Nations (AF- during the group phase. CON) as they scored twice in “Naby is our star player. He three minutes to come from won the Champions League, so behind and win a thrilling last- when you have one of the best 16 match 3-2 on Saturday. players on the continent, who Odion Ighalo gave Nigeria plays in a big club but who is a 19th-minute lead but Came- not able to help us, it’s a big loss, roon hit back with two goals in it’s not easy,” said the 31-year- quick succession before half- old Traore, who plays in the time from Stephane Bahoken Bundesliga with Borussia Moe- and Clinton Njie. nchengladbach. Ighalo levelled again for Ni- “We would all have liked geria in the 63rd minute amid Nigeria’s forward Alex Iwobi (centre) celebrates his goal with team- that he is with us, not only for suspicions of offside before Alex mates at the Alexandria Stadium on Saturday. Nigeria won the 2019 his quality in the game but also Sweden ended their women’s World Cup campaign on a high beating England 2-1 in Saturday’s third- Iwobi snatched the winner for Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match against Cameroon 3-2. (AFP) for the confidence he brings to place play-off in Nice. Sofia Jakobsson’s first-half strike proved to be the winner. England were looking the jubilant Super Eagles three the group by knowing that we to claim the bronze medals for a second successive World Cup, but it was Peter Gerhardsson’s side who minutes later. in their previous two games, minute when Ahmed Musa have a very great player with us finished third for a third time. Kosovare Asllani gave Sweden an 11th-minute lead before Jakobsson It was a scrappy opening struck twice in three minutes. chested the ball into the path of who can make the difference.” curled in an excellent second mid-way through the first half, and although Fran Kirby quickly pulled one with misplaced passes by both Christian Bassogog wrig- Ighalo to volley home. But Traore said there was back, England could not find an equaliser. It was a second defeat in under a week for Phil Neville’s sides until Nigeria went ahead gled past his marker on the right Three minutes later, Ighalo a positive to be drawn from Lionesses, after suffering their third straight major tournament semi-final loss when beaten 2-1 by in the 19th minute with an un- and sent a perfect cross into the turned provider as he set up Keita’s absence reigning champions the United States on Tuesday.