ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021 SPORTS 14 Pinturault wins giant slalom Goggia races to dominating win in World Cup downhill ADELBODEN, Switzerla- nd, Jan 9, (AP): Alexis Pinturault won a World Cup giant slalom for a sec- ond straight day on the sto- ried Adelboden hill on Saturday, topping his superb performance from Friday. Pinturault defied fast-fading light in the second run to post a huge winning margin of 1.26 sec- onds over Filip Zubcic, the runner- up on back-to-back days. First-run leader Loic Meillard could not give Switzerland its first win since 2008 in its classic giant slalom. A big error early in his run left him 1.65 back in third place. Pinturault’s third straight giant sla- lom victory was a 33rd career win in World Cup races, matching American great Bode Miller in ninth place on the men’s all-time list. Pinturault seized the lead in the sea- son-long giant slalom standings from home favorite Marco Odermatt, who placed fourth, 1.67 back. SKIIING The Frenchman also extended his lead in the World Cup overall points race ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the defending champion. Kilde’s results - fifth place, after fourth on Friday – were impressive for the speed race specialist. Pinturault’s wire-to-wire win Friday had also been by more than a second, though he noted the light was more challenging Saturday. At Adelboden, the slope darkens quickly after the sunshine slips behind the mountains around 2 pm when the leaders start their second run. Earlier Saturday, American racer France’s Alexis Pinturault speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men’s World Cup Giant slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan 9, 2021. (AP) Tommy Ford was airlifted by helicop- ter to the hospital after crashing hard near the finish line. The United States team said Ford US striker Hoppe scores 3 to end Schalke’s winless run was conscious and talking to medical staff who treated him on the course. The Adelboden giant slalom typi- cally draws a noisy crowd of 25,000. Bayern squander 2-goal lead to lose to Gladbach There were no paying spectators Saturday during the coronavirus pan- BERLIN, Jan 9, (AP): Bayern Kimmich to set up Hofmann again just “We twice lost the ball where we laying the ball off for Neuhaus, who demic though racers were cheered on Munich’s defensive frailties finally before halftime. The goal was initially shouldn’t lose the ball and we didn’t let fly inside the top-right corner. by people watching from neighboring took their toll as Borussia flagged offside, but a VAR review react to it properly,” Goretzka said. “Unfortunately, they punished these slopes and chalets. Mönchengladbach came from two showed Hofmann was behind Niklas Süle was again at fault when two or three bad passes that we had in In St Anton, olympic champion goals down to beat the Bundesliga Süle when Stindl played him through. Gladbach got its third goal in the 49th, the buildup,” Thomas Müller said. Sofia Goggia’s high-risk skiing was leader 3-2 on Friday. Hofmann had plenty of time to pick his when his wayward pass was inter- “But in the end it’s pointless to talk rewarded with a dominating win in a Jonas Hofmann scored twice and about the goals conceded. We didn’t World Cup downhill on Saturday. spot and he stayed cool before slotting cepted by Hofmann, who played a make enough of our pressure in the Florian Neuhaus provided the bow as the ball inside the left post. one-two with Breel Embolo before Goggia was fast and nearly flawless Gladbach dealt Bayern just its second second half.” in the sunshine on the rarely raced defeat in 15 games. American forward Matthew Hoppe Karl Schranz course to be 0.96 sec- “Gladbach were very efficient. scored a hat-trick in Schalke’s first onds faster than Tamara Tippler of First placed Italy’s Sofia Goggia They brutally punished three mistakes victory for almost a year, helping his Austria. celebrates at the end of an alpine that we made,” coach Hansi Flick club avoid matching Tasmania “I didn’t expect I could have won ski, women’s World Cup downhill in said. Bayern conceded first in each of Berlin’s old Bundesliga record for here today with this gap,” said Goggia, St Anton, Austria, Saturday, Jan 9, its previous eight league games but consecutive winless games. whose ninth career World Cup win 2021. (AP) recovered to lose none. was her sixth in the marquee discipline Flick was determined for his team SOCCER of downhill. World Cup standings led by Petra to make a good start and Bayern was Breezy Johnson landed her third Vlhova, whose 12th place was her best given an opening early on when straight third-place finish in downhills Schalke’s 4-0 win over visiting downhill result this season. Neuhaus was penalized through VAR this season, 1.04 back, after the Johnson’s latest third place extend- Hoffenheim ended the Gelsenkirchen- American clocked the fastest speed of for handball in the penalty area. based club’s 30-game wait since its ed the United States team’s standout Robert Lewandowski duly convert- more than 122 kph (76 mph). record at St. Anton. last league win on Jan 17, 2019. “I watched Sofia’s run and I think ed the penalty in the 20th minute, The two previous World Cup down- Tasmania had gone 31 straight that it was incredible,” Johnson said. consequently also ending Bayern’s games without a win during the 1965- “She skied with a lot of courage.” hills raced at the Austrian resort in the habit of conceding the first goal. 66 season. Goggia has finished ahead of past 20 years were won by Lindsey Leon Goretzka then won the ball in The 19-year-old Hoppe hadn’t Johnson in each downhill so far, and Vonn in 2007 and Alice Mckennis in midfield, played a one-two with Leroy scored before for Schalke, but he the Italian now has two wins and a 2013. Sané, and doubled Bayern’s lead in opened his account with a brilliant second place to lead the season-long Mikaela Shiffrin did not race the 26th. chip over Oliver Baumann in the 42nd standings. Saturday as she focuses on her special- But the defending champions’ minute, then rounded the Hoffenheim Switzerland’s Corinne Suter, the ist events of slalom and giant slalom issues hadn’t gone away, as Hofmann goalkeeper in the 57th, and completed only downhill racer to beat Goggia this this season. The American, a three- showed when he beat the visitors’ Bayern’s Douglas Costa, left, fights for the ball with Moenchengladbach’s a game to remember with his third season, tied for sixth Saturday with time overall champion, should return offside trap to score after a brilliant Denis Zakaria, right, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between goal in the 63rd. All three were set up two-time world champion Ilka Stuhec. Tuesday in the night slalom at Flachau, through ball from Lars Stindl. Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayern Munich at the Borussia Park in by Amine Harit, who rounded off the Goggia rose to third in the overall Austria. Stindl won the ball from Joshua Moenchengladbach, Germany, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. (AP ) scoring in the 80th..