TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014 SPORTS Las Palmas eyeing King’s Cup upset

MADRID: Riding high in Spain’s second division, Las and came close to folding just under 10 years ago in 17 matches this term. are almost certain to face city rivals Atletico, who Palmas are looking to transfer some of that form when they were playing in the third tier. After Saturday’s 4-2 win at Recreativo Huelva, have a 3-0 advantage over third-tier Hospitalet into what could be one of the few upsets in the last After emerging from insolvency proceedings Herrera played down the significance of the Cup ahead of their second leg at the Calderon on 32 of the King’s Cup this week. and cleaning up their finances under a new presi- game and urged his players, who include former Thursday. The Canary Islands club, who are three points dent, they were promoted back to the second divi- Spain midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron, simply to The victors in a Real-Atletico clash are likely to clear at the top of the Liga Adelante, beat top-flight sion in 2005-06 and this term are well placed to enjoy the experience. “It’s the kind of game you just meet record winners Barcelona in the quarter-finals. Celta Vigo 2-1 at home in the first leg, giving them- secure a berth in the top flight for the first time have to savour and I am not worried about the Barca won their first leg at Huesca 4-0 and host the selves a good chance of securing a last-16 clash since 2002. result,” Herrera said at a news conference. third-tier side for the return on Tuesday. against Athletic Bilbao or third-tier Alcoyano when , a former Celta coach who was an “But yes we do want to put on a good show,” New Real Sociedad coach David Moyes will want they play at Celta today. assistant to Rafa Benitez at Liverpool, has been in added the 61-year-old, who also had a stint in to avoid an embarrassing upset when his side host Like many Spanish clubs, Las Palmas have suf- charge at Las Palmas since July and has won plau- charge at Real Zaragoza. Holders Real Madrid and third-tier Real Oviedo tomorrow after a 0-0 draw in fered severe financial problems in recent decades dits for an attacking style that has yielded 31 goals Sevilla are already through to the last 16 and Real the first leg. — Reuters

MARRAKECH: Real Madrid players listen to their coach during a training session at the Club World Cup soccer tournament in Rabat. Real Madrid will play against Cruz Azul during their semi final game in Marrakech today. — AP Racing clinch eighth crown America win Mexican League : Racing Club won the ning side, told reporters. Argentine league title when they beat “This is what I came back home for,” Godoy Cruz 1-0 in their final match of the added the 35-year-old.Racing coach CITY: Four players were sent off in a levelling the aggregate score. very happy for this group of players,” Mohamed championship in Avellaneda on Sunday. said: “I’m overjoyed because red hot Mexican championship final as America After Aguilar had headed America into the told Televisa. “I was brought here to be champi- Midfielder Ricky Centurion headed we had tough times (early in the tourna- beat UANL Tigres 3-0 in the second leg at the lead on the hour, Tigres’ Colombian substitute ons and make history and it’s done.” the only goal four minutes after halftime ment) but this team were very brave to Azteca to win a record 12th league title 3-1 on Hernan Dario Burbano was shown a red card for On Saturday, he had said: “I’m saying good- to ensure Racing could not be caught by pull through.” aggregate on Sunday. It was the perfect way for bringing down goalbound midfielder Miguel bye because my dignity comes before every- River Plate in the championship race. River led the title race most of the way the Eagles’ Argentine coach Antonio Mohamed Layun less than two minutes after coming on. thing else. When there’s talk of another coach, I Racing last won the title 13 years ago. while on a club record unbeaten streak of to bow out after confirming on Saturday he was Three minutes later the visitors were down to get my things and head home. “But this is foot- They finished two points ahead of outgo- 31 matches in all competitions but fal- leaving the club after news leaked midweek nine men when Argentine midfielder Damian ball, the (directors) are within their rights to hire ing champions River. Both teams qualify tered in the run-in as they prioritised the they were lining up Uruguayan Gustavo Alvarez was sent off for hitting an opponent. another coach, I just didn’t like the timing or the for next year’s Libertadores Cup, the , which they won last Matosas his successor. Argentine goalkeeper Guzman, who had ear- manner,” added the Argentine, who joined a South American club championship, Wednesday. also qualified Ecuador’s , Paraguayan cen- lier complained that America fans were direct- year ago when left America to along with Argentine holders San for the Libertadores Cup as Argentina’s tral defender Pablo Aguilar and Mexico striker ing lasers at him, was the third Tigres player take charge of Mexico’s World Cup team. Lorenzo and Copa Argentina champions best-placed team in the Copa Oribe Peralta scored the goals that dashed sent off in the 72nd minute for a second yellow America have won one more title than arch- Huracan. Sudamericana, the region’s equivalent of Tigres’ dreams of a fourth title after winning the card for a foul after play had been halted for off- rivals Guadalajara. It was Mohamed’s second “I can’t believe it, this crowns our the Europa League. River won their berth first leg 1-0 at home in Nuevo Leon on Thursday. side. Mexican title as coach after leading Tijuana to dreams,” former Argentina striker Diego as last season’s Argentine league champi- America controlled the match from the start Peralta scored America’s third goal in the the Apertura two years ago. He is being suc- Milito, a member of the 2001 title-win- ons. — Reuters and Arroyo gave them the lead in the in the 78th minute but their substitute Luis Mendoza ceeded by Matosas, who steered Leon to the 36th minute with a superb shot from a tight was shown a straight red card for making fun of Apeertura and Clausura championships last sea- Bayern chase angle that beat goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman, Tigres players. “We were the best team so I’m son. — Reuters more records

BERLIN: Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich are in thrashed 4-0 at home by Bayern on Saturday. “another league” according to their rivals with “They have so much quality so their win more Bundesliga records set to tumble in this was fully deserved.” Arjen Robben, who scored week’s final two rounds of matches for 2014. twice in the romp at third-placed Augsburg to Bayern host strugglers Freiburg today leave him with eight goals in 11 league enjoying a nine-point gap at the top of the games, said the champions are relishing the table, then travel to face mid-table Mainz on forthcoming winter break to recharge their Friday in their final match before the German batteries. “We now have to survive the last league breaks for the winter. Freiburg are win- two games and then we’ll finally get a break,” less in their last four league games and have said the Dutch winger. Long-term injuries to never won in Munich after 13 defeats and two captain Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, Javi draws having been thrashed 4-0 on their last Martinez, Thiago Alcantara and Holger visit to Munich’s Allianz Arena in February. Badstuber have barely bothered Guardiola’s “Now we must continue calmly into the next star-studded squad. Germany captain Bastian two games to try and take the points up for Schweinsteiger played 72 minutes of the grabs,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Augsburg win and is reaching full fitness after Rummenigge. a knee injury. Having conceded just three goals in 15 Tomorrow, second-placed Wolfsburg travel league games this season, Guardiola’s team to face Borussia Dortmund with last season’s are on course to break the record they hold of runners-up having dropped back into the rel- seven goals conceded for the first half of a egation places again after Saturday’s 1-0 season set by Stuttgart in 2003/04 and defeat at Hertha Berlin. matched by the Bayern side of 2012/13. Despite qualifying for the Champions Having conceded just one away goal so far, League’s last 16 as group winners, Dortmund they are also on course to equal their own started December bottom of the league and league record for the first half of the season, are now 16th with the league’s worst record of also set in 2012/13, at Mainz on Friday. nine defeats in 15 matches so far. Coach This comes less than two years after Bayern Jurgen Klopp says the 2013 Champions broke or equalled 25 records when they won League finalists are an “awesome team with the treble of German league, cup and awesome problems”. MEXICO: Michael Arroyo of America shoots to score a goal against Tigre during their Mexican Apertura tournament final football atchm at the Champions League titles in 2013 — the first Klopp is without both attacking midfield- Azteca stadium. — AFP German team to achieve the feat. ers Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who tore his right “Bayern Munich are in a different league, I thigh in Berlin, and Germany winger Marco think we can all agree on that,” said Augsburg Reus who has been ruled out until 2015 with McCoist steps down coach Markus Weinzierl after his side were torn ankle ligaments. —AFP as Rangers manager

LONDON: Ally McCoist has quit as manager of interests of the company, and expect to be in a Alloa Athletic in the semi-finals. The Ibrox club still troubled Scottish giants Rangers and entered a 12- position to make a further announcement before face cash problems after reporting an £8.3 million month notice period, the Championship club the end of the week.” operating loss last month and need to raise the announced yesterday. The former Scotland international’s salary will same amount by the end of this financial year. McCoist, a former Rangers striker who had been revert back to £750,000 ($1.2 million, 950,000 A severance package for McCoist would report- in charge for two years, stepped down after media euros) per year after the 52-year-old took a 50 per- edly cost Rangers around £800,000 under the reports said he was set to resign amid growing cent wage cut earlier this year. terms of his contract.His last game in charge was a pressure from fans of the fallen Glasgow side. Rangers, who have won the Scottish league title 2-0 defeat by Queen of the South on Friday, which But despite the announcement, McCoist report- a record 54 times, currently play in the country’s was Rangers’ fourth loss of the campaign. ed for training as usual at the club’s Murray Park second tier. They were relegated from the top- McCoist was reluctant to discuss his future after training facility on Monday and was seen guiding flight Scottish Premiership, which they have tradi- the game, saying: “I have absolutely no comment his players through drills. tionally dominated with Celtic, to the fourth tier in on rumors.” But when asked if he would still be in “The company announces that Alastair (sic) 2012 as punishment for major financial problems. charge next season, he replied: “Absolutely. I’m the McCoist, manager of the first-team squad, has McCoist, who took over in 2011, was praised for Rangers manager and that will hopefully be the resigned,” Rangers said in a statement to the staying at Rangers after their demotion, but his case for the foreseeable future. London Stock Exchange. “His service contract dat- role had come under scrutiny after a poor start to “I told the (players) I was the Rangers manager FRANCE: A picture taken yesterday shows pictures of (left to right) Portugal’s ed 28 December 2010, which was subsequently the current campaign. Rangers are lagging nine and I would continue to be the Rangers manager.” Cristiano Ronaldo, Germany’s Manuel Neuer and Argentina’s Lionel Messi reflecting amended, has a 12-month notice period. points behind Championship leaders Hearts and McCoist won nine league titles during his time as a themselves in the Ballon d’Or 2014 trophy displayed at the Mellerio jewelry work- “The directors will hold discussions with Mr were knocked out of the lower-league Scottish player at Rangers and is the club’s all-time leading shops in Paris. — AFP McCoist to seek an amicable solution in the best Challenge Cup earlier this month after losing 3-2 to scorer with 355 goals. — AFP