Monaco Finish Season in Style Roma, Napoli Keep Serie a Title Hopes Alive
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Page 30•SPORTS ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL, Monday May 22, 2017 Monaco finish season in style Roma, Napoli keep Serie A title hopes alive ARIS - French Bordeaux. Castro slammed home a powerful intensity and offensive flair this champions Monaco Bordeaux finished sixth and volley from inside the box. season, and turned on the style finished the Ligue will play in the Europa League El Shaarawy is enjoying a during a fine attacking display to 1 season in style provided PSG beat Angers in next strong end to the campaign, and outclass Fiorentina. with a record 12th Saturday’s French Cup final. he scored in his third consecutive Kalidou Koulibaly opened the consecutive win as And two goals each from Stephan Serie A game when he latched scoring in the eighth minute when they beat Stade Rennais 3-2 away El Shaarawy and Mohamed Salah onto a hopeful ball from Federico he tapped home from close range, Pon Saturday. kept Roma’s Serie A title hopes Fazio in the 28th minute, rounded before Lorenzo Insigne doubled Monaco, who prevailed with alive on Saturday as they twice Stefano Sorrentino and finished the hosts’ lead with a cool finish goals by Fabinho, Jemerson and came from behind to win 5-3 at calmly. after being played in by Dries Jorge, finished with 95 points, Chievo Verona, while Napoli also Roberto Inglese restored the Mertens. eight ahead of Paris St Germain stayed in the running with a 4-1 hosts’ lead nine minutes later Mertens, making up for an NAPOLI striker Dries Mertens (left) celebrates one of his two goals with team-mate Marek after the capital side were held 1-1 home win over Fiorentina. when he met Valter Birsa’s cross earlier horror miss, added a third Hamsik. AFP/GETTY IMAGES by Caen at the Parc des Princes. Roma’s win takes them to 84 to head past Wojciech Szczesny, just before the hour mark when Olympique de Marseille secured points with third-placed Napoli on but the impressive Salah cut inside hapless visiting stopper Ciprian a Europa League spot by finishing 83, but stuttering leaders Juventus, to send a curling 20-metre effort Tatarusanu failed to clear his fifth with a 1-0 home win against on 85, will clinch the title if past Sorrentino. lines after a corner. Josip Ilicic Bastia that relegated the Corsican they defeat 18th-placed Crotone El Shaarawy added his second responded for the visitors three club to Ligue 2. in their penultimate match on with a low shot after being picked minutes later. Guinea join Ghana in semi-finals They were joined on their way Sunday. out by Kevin Strootman, before Any hope of a Fiorentina down by Nancy despite their 3-1 Roma showed some nerves Salah made sure of victory with comeback ended when Mertens, LIBREVILLE - Guinea joined A point for both Mali and Pantheres keeper was not lucky home victory against St Etienne, despite last Sunday’s 3-1 victory another delightful effort following creating space after an audacious Ghana in the semi-finals of Tanzania would be enough for as Cameroon’s striker, Stephane and Lorient will need a play- over the league leaders. Chievo, a fine exchange with Edin Dzeko. piece of skill to evade Gonzalo the Under 17 Africa Cup of them to progress to the semi- Zobo, lobbied the ball over his off against Ligue 2 third-placed playing with the relaxed control Dzeko added a fifth from 25 Rodriguez, tapped home his Troyes to keep their place in of a side who have nothing more metres before Inglese’s second second after Marek Hamsik’s shot Nations in Gabon after a 0-0 draw finals and earn a place at the head after blocking away his the elite league after Saturday’s at stake this season, took the lead reduced the arrears for Chievo. was parried into his path. between both sides in their final World Cup. markers. 1-1 draw against Girondins de in the 15th minute when Lucas Napoli have matched Roma for REUTERS match of Group A in Libreville. Cameroon on Saturday Thereafter, it was end-to-end The point was enough for finished their campaign on a action but with little effect for the Guinea to finish as group runners- winning note over hosts Gabon remaining part of the first stanza up and secure a place at the World courtesy of a first-half winner much angst of the home fans. Cup in India in October. by captain Stephane Zobo at the Immediately after the restart, Neymar left out of Brazil squad In the other Group A game, State de Port Gentil. Gabon nearly got an equaliser but SAO PAULO - Neymar and from a muscle strain, were left out recalled after two months out Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Cameroon beat hosts Gabon 1-0 But the victory was not enough Kevin Junior saw his pile driver several other top Brazilian players of Tite’s reformed squad. injured at Manchester City. Rafinha (Bayern Munich) in Port Gentil courtesy of a goal to secure Cameroon passage into from the edge of the Cameroon’s have been left out of the national Regulars Marquinhos, Miranda, Brazil will play Argentina on Midfielders: from Stephane Thierry Zobo. the semi-final as well as a ticket box slightly over the bar and squad for friendlies next month Marcelo and Dani Alves were also June 9 at the Melbourne Cricket Fernandinho (Manchester City), The result was not enough for to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in few minutes later, Ilagou did a against Argentina and Australia. spared the trip Down Under. Ground and face the host nation Giuliano (Zenit), Lucas Lima Cameroon to progress, ending the India after Guinea held Ghana Yeoman’s job to block away a Brazil coach Tite said the In their place, Monaco centre at the same venue four days later. (Santos), Paulinho (Guangzhou tournament in third place in the to a goalless draw in the other point-blank shot from Zobo yet decision will give some of them back Jemerson and Corinthians Goalkeepers: Diego Alves Evergrande), Philippe Coutinho standings, ahead of Gabon who Group A fixture in Libreville. again. a long summer break for the first midfielder Rodriguinho were (Valencia), Weverton (Atletico- (Liverpool), Renato Augusto had already been eliminated. Both teams showed little While Cameroon and Gabon time since 2010. called up for the first time. Shaktar PR), Ederson (Benfica) (Beijing Guoan), Rodriguinho On Sunday, the final Group B intent until the 15th minute crashed out of the tournament The Barcelona striker has striker Taison, who has played Defenders: David Luiz (Corinthians), Willian (Chelsea) games would take place. when Innocent Nah navigated after coming third and fourth played a major tournament every just six minutes of international (Chelsea), Gil (Shandong Forwards: Diego Souza Group leaders and defending his way into the Gabonese area respectively, Guinea placed summer since the Copa America football, was another surprise Luneng), Jemerson (AS Monaco), (Atletico-PR), Douglas Costa champions Mali face Angola in and delivered a blinder that was second with five points and in 2011. inclusion. Rodrigo Caio (Sao Paulo), (Bayern Munich), Gabriel Jesus Libreville, whilst Tanzania - who remarkably parried away by joined Ghana for the available Neymar along with Liverpool’s David Luiz will return in Thiago Silva (PSG), Alex Sandro (Manchester City), Taison are level on points with Mali - Brunel Ilagou. semi-final spots in Group A. Roberto Firmino, who is suffering defence and Gabriel Jesus was (Juventus), Fagner (Corinthians), (Shakhtar Donetsk). REUTERS face Niger. Four minutes later, the agile BBC Kroenke committed despite £1bn bid LONDON - Arsenal majority shareholder the club will be decided at a board meeting Stan Kroenke is committed to the club in after Arsenal meet Chelsea in the FA Cup the long term, sources have told the BBC. final on 27 May. Kroenke has shown no interest in a £1bn Metal magnate Usmanov owns 30 bid by Uzbek-born Russian Usmanov to percent of Arsenal’s shares but is not part take full control of the Gunners. of the board or decision-making at the club. It is understood the American’s ambition Usmanov said in April that Kroenke must is to win the Premier League and make “bear huge responsibility” for the club’s Arsenal a force in Europe. failures on the pitch. Gunners’ legend Ian Wright says the club The Gunners’ London rivals Chelsea won needs the spending power of a billionaire the Premier League this season - the fifth such as Usmanov, adding that “something time they have done so under the ownership has to change”. of billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has “He has put in the bid and it is great spent heavily since taking control in 2003. news,” former striker Wright told BBC “Abramovich is a winner,” added Wright, Radio 5 live. who scored 185 goals in 288 appearances “Something has to change, whether it is for Arsenal. the manager Arsene Wenger or whether it “Stan Kroenke sees it as another asset. is the board upstairs.” If you look at all his other franchises, they Arsenal needed other teams to slip up are doing the same. They are mediocre, in Sunday’s final round of matches to with poor attendances and aren’t achieving avoid missing out on Champions League anything as a team. That is where Arsenal qualification for the first time in 21 years. are at the moment. Wenger, who has been manager since “We need an owner like Abramovich, 1996, has been the target of protests from who wants to win. I would swap Arsenal’s some of the club’s fans.