MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 SPORTS Lemina refuses Gabon’s call Oman name Asian Schumacher faces ‘long fight’ PARIS: Marseille midfielder Mario Lemina has rejected his country of birth Gabon’s call after Cup squad PARIS: Michael Schumacher faces a “long fight” for recovery as the first anniversary being named yesterday in their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. “I’m not going to the CAN,” of his skiing accident approaches, the former Formula One driver’s manager said Lemina announced on his Twitter page. “Everything that’s being said at the moment is only OMAN: Goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi will lead Oman’s 23-man yesterday. Her comments cast doubts over a newspaper report that said he was rumours, I’m sorry but there’s been no agreement between Gabon and me,” added Lemina squad at next month’s Asian Cup as they bid to advance making cognitive progress. “We need a long time. It’s going to be a long time and a who was born in Gabon but who has represented France at youth level. Lemina was part of the to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first hard fight,” Sabine Kehm told Reuters by telephone. “He is making progress appro- French side that became Under-20 world champions. “For the moment my wish to to play for time. Coach Paul Le Guen and the squad will reach their priate to the severity of the situation,” she added, reiterating a statement she made a the France team,” he told French radio station RMC last month. “But at the same time I haven’t Canberra base late yesterday and play warm-ups against said no to Gabon. It depends on a lot of things...on my family, but for the time being I’m giving month ago. Qatar and China before starting their campaign for con- Schumacher suffered severe head injuries in a ski accident in Meribel in the everything to France.” tinental glory in Group A against South Korea on Jan. 10. Gabon squad French Alps on Dec. 29 2013. He emerged from an induced coma in June, and left Goalkeepers: Didier Ovono (Ostende/BEL), Anthony Mfa Mezui (Metz/FRA), The ‘Red Warriors’, who were unbeaten through qual- hospital in September. In an interview with Le Parisien yesterday, Philippe Streiff, StÈphane Bitseki (CF Mounana). Defenders : Lloyd Palun (Nice/FRA), Yrondu ifying, will have a tough task to make it to the knockout another former F1 driver, said Schumacher “had yet to recover the Musavu King (Caen/FRA), Benjamin ZÈ Ondo (ES SÈtif/ALG), Bruno Ecuele stage with Australia and Kuwait the other members of power of speech” but was “nevertheless starting to recognise those Manga (Cardiff/ENG), Henri Junior Ndong (Auxerre/FRA), Aaron Appindangoye the group. close to him”. Streiff, described by the newspaper as a long-time (CF Mounana), Johan Obiang (Chateauroux/FRA), Junior Randal Oto’o Zue Squad: Goalkeepers: Ali Al Habsi, Mazin Al Kasbi, friend, said he had gleaned the information from contact with the (Sporting Braga/POR). Mohannad Al Zaabi. Defenders: Abdul Salam Amir, German-born driver’s wife, Corinne, and with his surgeon, Gerard Midfielders: AndrÈ Biyogo Poko (Bordeaux/FRA), Didier Ibrahim Ndong (CS Mohammed Mussallami, Saad Suhail, Jaber Owaisi, Saillant, whom he knows as a result of his own racing accident in Sfaxien/TUN), Samson Mbingui (MC Alger/ALG), Mario Lemina (Marseille/FRA), Ahmed Saleem, Nasr Al Shimli, Ali Al Busaidi. LÈvy Madinda (Celta Vigo/ESP), Kanga Guelor (FC Rostov/RUS), Alexander 1989. He said Schumacher, who will be 46 on Jan. 3, had “very limit- Midfielders: Ahmed Mubarak, Eid Al Farsi, Ali Saleem, ed” movement but was working on sitting upright, and that “long N’Doumbou (Marseille/FRA) Raeed Ibrahim, Ali Al Jabri, Hassan Mudhafar, Mohsin Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund/GER), term... he could hope one day to walk with crutches.” Kehm said Malick Evouna (WAC Casablanca/MAR), FrÈdÈric Bulot (Charlton Johar. Forwards: Imad Al Hosni, Abdulaziz Muqbali, Streiff was not a close friend of Schumacher and that his claims to Athletic/ENG), Romaric RogombÈ (AC Leopards/RDC), Johan Saeed Al Razaiqi, Mohammed Al Siyabi, Yakoob have had contact with the two people named were “factually Lengoualama (Difaa/MAR). — AFP Abdulkarim, Qasim Saeed.—Reuters wrong”. — Reuters Rangers spoil Devils debut NEW YORK: Derek Stepan scored a pair of spe- cial-teams goals and completed a hat trick into an empty net, Henrik Lundqvist made 19 saves in his 600th NHL contest, and the New York Rangers won their eighth consecutive game, 3- 1, spoiling the debut of the New Jersey Devils’ revamped coaching staff on Saturday night. Stepan netted an unassisted short-handed goal in the first period, and a power-play tally in the second for the Rangers (19-10-4), who have won 12 of 14 and earned at least one point in 22 of 29 (18-7-4). Stepan’s empty-netter with 54.6 seconds left clinched the victory and his third NHL hat trick. Lundqvist, second to Mike Richter (666) in goalie games played with the Rangers, has a franchise record 325 wins. He tied his personal best winning streak of seven games and became the ninth NHL goalie to play 600 games with one team. BLUE JACKETS 6, BRUINS 2 Kevin Connauton had a goal and two assists and the Blue Jackets scored four times in the second period for a win against the Bruins. Scott Hartnell, in his first game back after miss- ing five games with a broken finger, scored the Blue Jackets’ first two goals for a 2-1 lead early in the second. Nick Foligno and Connauton made it 4-1 before Craig Cunningham scored for the Bruins (18-15-3). Matt Calvert regained the three-goal lead with 51 seconds left in the second. Jeremy Morin added a goal for Columbus in the third. Patrice Bergeron scored in the first period for the Bruins, 20 seconds after Hartnell had given the Blue Jackets (15-16-3) a 1-0 advantage. Columbus backup goalie Curtis McElhinney made 26 saves. NEW YORK: New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) watches a puck shot by New York Rangers’ Derek Stepan for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game. — AP SABRES 4, ISLANDERS 3 twice, and Nick Leddy added a goal for the LIGHTNING 2, HURRICANES 1 PREDATORS 4, FLYERS 1 Michalek also scored for Arizona, which has Tyler Ennis scored in a shootout in the Islanders. Poulin was recalled from Bridgeport Ben Bishop made 25 saves in his return from Colin Wilson scored two goals to lead the won consecutive games for the first time since Sabres’ victory over the Islanders. The Sabres of the American Hockey League on Tuesday an injury and the Lightning beat the Predators to a win over the Flyers. Filip Forsberg beating Vancouver and Edmonton on Nov. 14 overcame a 3-0 deficit, with Nicolas after Jaroslav Halak sustained a lower-body Hurricanes. Bishop, who had missed the previ- and Mike Fisher also scored for Nashville, win- and 16. Andersen stopped 28 shots and Rene Deslauriers, Zemgus Girgensons and Chris injury. The Sabres snapped a four-game losing ous four games due to a lower body injury, lost ners of four of their last five. Bourque scored for Ducks, who are 17-0-6 in Stewart scoring in the third period to spoil streak in sending New York to its second con- his bid for his second shutout this season and Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux had the one-goal games this season. Kevin Poulin’s shutout bid. John Tavares scored secutive loss. 10th overall with 5:56 to play on Andrej lone goal for the Flyers, who had their three- Sekera’s goal. The goalie is 5-0 with two game winning streak snapped. Forsberg scored FLAMES 4, OILERS 1 shutouts against Carolina. the game’s first goal at 9:41 of the opening peri- Rookie Johnny Gaudreau continued his tor- Tampa Bay got goals from Nikita Kucherov od. With Nashville on a power play, Forsberg’s rid scoring Saturday night with two goals to Sara, Ganong win and Alex Killorn. Bishop made a post to post wrist shot beat Philadelphia goaltender Ray lead Calgary over Edmonton. Gaudreau’s goals pad save on John-Michael Liles’ in-close shot Emery on the glove side. Nashville is 12-1-1 came 16 seconds apart early in the first period skiing races with 7 minutes left in the first. when scoring first this season. Giroux tied the as the Flames blew the game open with three Cam Ward stopped 36 shots for the game at 6:50 of the second with a wrist shot goals in less than two minutes. Coming off a SANTA CATERINA: Sweden’s Sara Hector Second-placed Fenninger finished 0.09 Hurricanes, who are 2-8-1 in their last 11 from the right circle with the Flyers on a 2-on-1 natural hat trick in Tuesday’s comeback victory and American Travis Ganong treated them- seconds behind while Shiffrin’s podium games. Carolina, with just 71 goals in 35 games break. Fisher and Wilson scored power-play over Los Angeles, the 21-year-old has six goals selves to belated Christmas presents with placing, 0.18 adrift, was a morale-booster this season, has dropped nine of its last 10 goals 38 seconds apart late in the second. in his last three games and eight in his last 10. their first World Cup wins in a women’s after a disappointing start to the season.