Friday 47 Sports Friday, February 14, 2020 Six-goal PSG into French Cup semi finals as Lyon knock out Marseille

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the (against Amiens) or Tuesday (against Borussia semi-finals of the French Cup on Wednesday Dortmund). I can feel he’s there,” said Tuchel. after thumping Dijon 6-1 in a match that saw the On the match, he added: “I’m happy because French champions benefit again from comical we deserved the victory. It’s a huge perform- own goals. PSG were ahead just 47 seconds ance.” Mbappe put PSG ahead a minute before after kick off thanks to Wesley Lautoa shanking the break, punishing Jhonder Cadiz’s miss when Mitchel Bakker’s low cross into his own net to clean through seconds before by clinically slot- the bemusement of his teammates. ting home a similar chance. It was the second own goal in a week to be Thiago Silva added a third four minutes after scored for PSG, who also saw Lyon’s Fernando the break with a header from a corner before Marcal slam a stunning effort past his own goal- ended Dijon’s resistance by push- keeper at the weekend. However the hosts were ing home his 11th of the season on the rebound. level in the 13th minute thanks to a impressive Senou Coulibaly watched on in horror with five low curling effort from Mounir Chouiar, which minutes left when Mbappe’s cross looped off his squeezed past Kaylor Navas. thigh over helpless stopper Runar Alex Runars- While the away side were far from full son, before Sarabia tapped home his second in strength, with Angel Di Maria and stoppage time from another Mbappe centre. on the bench and not even in the squad, Later, Lyon coach Rudi Garcia knocked his ’s team did include Kylian former side Marseille out as Houssem Aouar Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, who was making scored an 81st minute winner. The winning goal his first start in over a month after nearly moving came 10 minutes after Lyon’s Moussa Dembele to Atletico Madrid in January. had a penalty — awarded when Hiroki Sakai The Uruguayan was left waiting his 200th handled a shot from Karl Toko Ekambi — saved goal for the club in the 21st minute when he by Yohan Pele in the Marseille goal. DIJON: Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward Kylian Mbappe (L) scores a goal during the French Cup quarter final turned home Thomas Meunier’s cross, only for It was the third time this season that Dembele football match between Dijon (DFCO) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Gaston-Gerard stadium in Dijon.—AFP the strike to be ruled out for handball by the Bel- had missed from the spot for Lyon. On Thursday, gian after a VAR check. “It’s not that bad be- fourth division side Epinal — last 16 conquerers cup run going when they host Saint-Etienne. tier outfit Belfort failed following their 3-0 defeat cause he can score his 200th goal on Saturday of Lille — will look to continue their stunning They will try to succeed where fellow fourth- to holder Rennes on Tuesday. — AFP

Tottenham sense chance to UEFA teams up with Disney in a put squeeze on Chelsea bid to boost girls’ participation LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur have the oppor- race to secure Champions League football with tunity to crank up the pressure on Chelsea in the a top-four finish. MANCHESTER: UEFA has teamed up with that globally 84% of girls under the age of 17 battle for fourth place in the Premier League this It has not been pretty, with Tottenham scram- Disney to launch a pan-European project are not meeting the World Health Organization weekend as they emerge from their mini mid- bling points in unconvincing fashion, although a aimed at increasing the number of girls playing minimum activity guidelines. season break. smash-and-grab 2-0 home victory over Man- football. The biggest-ever attempt to boost When girls reach the age of 15-24, they are Jose Mourinho’s side travel to relegation bat- chester City in their last league game showed girls’ involvement in the game will start this half as likely to participate in sport as boys the tlers Aston Villa on Sunday on the back of con- much about the galvanising effect Mourinho has spring in seven European countries before same age, according to studies by the Euro- secutive league wins, knowing another one will had. Tottenham, who remain without injured being introduced across the continent, Euro- pean Commission for Education, Sport, Youth move them one point behind their stuttering striker Harry Kane, have lost only once in all pean soccer’s governing body said yesterday. and Culture. Kessler says that sessions at Play- London rivals who host Manchester United on competitions in the last 12 years against Villa, a The new ‘Playmakers’ project is aimed at makers events will be very different from tra- Monday. Another slimline Premier League pro- 1-0 home defeat in 2015. girls aged five to eight years old, who are not ditional training sessions. gramme also has Arsenal hosting Newcastle While another win will move them within currently playing football, and is focused “There will still be football cones and a ball United, with the London club hoping to snap a touching distance of Chelsea into fifth place, around play and games involving popular Dis- but these sessions will allow girls to play out run of four successive draws that have left them Mourinho knows the battle for fourth spot is not ney characters and storylines. scenes of their favourite Disney movies, they meandering in mid-table. just with his old club, with several other sides The first stage of the project will be based will be empowered to take on the character and Liverpool’s procession towards a first title for vying for the spot, none more so than Sheffield around the Incredibles 2 film and characters. roles of their favourite Disney heroes. 30 years looks likely to continue at bottom club United who moved fifth by beating Bournemouth UEFA had already committed to an ambitious “It is broken down into 10 sessions and the Norwich City on Saturday, when the only other last week. target of doubling the number of women and girl will learn basic football skills by completing game is Southampton’s home clash against “Wolves and Sheffield United are fighting for girls playing the sport by 2024 and the different tasks,” she added. The Playmakers Burnley. A victory for either side at St Mary’s will the top four, (the managers) they can say no, and youngest age group is seen as key to that project will launch in Scotland, Norway, Bel- go a long way to banishing any lingering relega- I understand if they say no but the reality is that change. Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s Head of gium, Poland, Austria, Romania, and Serbia this tion worries. With Manchester City enjoying a they are,” Mourinho said. Women’s Football, told Reuters that the aim of spring, before a full pan-European roll-out. week off, Leicester City can move second if they “Not just because of the position that they the programme was to “create an environment Disney is not one of UEFA’s commercial part- win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. are in the table, but because of the power and for all girls to flourish and develop, whether that ners and has joined up with the organisation When Mourinho arrived at Tottenham in No- quality.” If Saturday’s match represents a chance be fundamental movement skills, football basics specifically for the Playmakers project. “It is a vember in the wake of ’s for Tottenham, who have 20 points fewer than at or life skills and values. completely new agreement we have signed and surprise sacking, the north London club were in the same stage last season, to advance their top- “We truly believe that this unique pro- a very important one,” said Kessler. 14th place after 12 games, 12 points behind four claims, Villa know a win would give them gramme can be the spark for a more active “If you decided to create a programme Chelsea. some precious breathing space in the relegation generation of football-loving girls.” While more based on play-based learning then you want to Seven wins and four defeats in their 13 league scrap. They are one place and one point above teenage girls and women are playing football, have the best characters and stories in the games since the celebrated Portuguese arrived the bottom three. The Villa Park clash will see girls tend to start later than boys, choosing world and I think Disney has inspired genera- is hardly a spectacular turnaround but with Mourinho come up against his former Chelsea other sports or activities. tions and we are really happy to be able to use Chelsea stalling and other teams falling away it skipper John Terry, who is cutting his teeth in UEFA examined research which showed some of this magic.” — Reuters has been enough to push Tottenham back in the coaching as Dean Smith’s assistant.—Reuters