SPORTS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2014 Wolves roar back at Hertha to go fifth

BERLIN: VfL Wolfsburg underlined their creden- tials for a place in Europe next season with a 2-1 win at Hertha Berlin yesterday to move up to fifth in the . Hertha, who could have replaced Wolves in the top six with a home win at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, drop to eighth despite taking the lead through a first-half strike from Norway’s Per Skjelbred. But Wolves roared back with a second-half header from defender Robin Knoche, then mid- MADRID: Real’s Jese Rodriguez scores his goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match fielder Daniel Caligiuri came off the bench to between Real Madrid and Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium. — AP claim the 78th-minute winner. Earlier, Nuremberg stayed clear of the bottom three with a 1-0 win at Augsburg in the Bavaria Ronaldo-less Real join derby. Swiss striker Josip Drmic claimed his fifth goal in four matches to hit the second-half win- three-way tie at top ner. On Saturday, Bayern Munich warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League last 16, first-leg MADRID: Real Madrid made light of the Despite being involved in the build-up clash at Arsenal by trouncing Freiburg 4-0 to absence of the suspended Cristiano to the goal, Bale didn’t enjoy his best after- stretch their Bundesliga lead to 16 points. Ronaldo with a 3-0 win away at Getafe to noon as he slotted a wonderful chance Bayern coach Pep Guardiola-whose side move level with Barcelona and Atletico wide after great work from Benzema and extended their record unbeaten league run to Madrid at the top of La Liga. was shown a yellow card in the first-half. 46 matches-rested several stars ahead of the It took the visitors just five minutes to Carlo Ancelotti’s men were well in con- clash with the Gunners in London, but still start- make the breakthrough as Jese Rodriguez trol, though, and made the game safe with ed with 10 internationals. Brazil centre-back curled home his fifth goal in six games a flowing counter-attack that ended with Dante, Swiss winger Xerdan Shaqiri, with two from Gareth Bale’s pass. Di Maria’s cross being swept home by goals, and Peru striker Claudio Pizarro all got on Karim Benzema doubled Madrid’s Benzema. Getafe started the second period the scoresheet. The game ended on a sour note advantage as he finished off Angel di the stronger as Madrid constantly gave the for Shaqiri, though, as he had to go off with a Maria’s fine cross before the break and Luka ball away cheaply, however the hosts torn hamstring and misses the Arsenal game. Robin Knoche Modric rounded off the scoring with an couldn’t take advantage of a number of Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Obraniak netted his first Bundesliga goal since effort from outside the box midway half chances and were punished when LEVERKUSEN CRASH Aubameyang, who headed the winner at joining from Bordeaux in January when he through the second-half. Modric added to Real’s lead 24 minutes Meanwhile, second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, Frankfurt, was back to terrorise Eintracht with equalised two minutes from time to secure a 1-1 All three sides at the top are now tied on from time. The Croatian midfielder has who host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions two goals in the opening 20 minutes. draw at home to Borussia Moenchegladbach. 60 points with 14 games still to play. been his side’s most consistent performer League on Tuesday, crashed to another home Poland striker Robert Lewandowski netted a Hoffenheim enjoyed a 4-1 romp at home to Ronaldo’s three-match suspension after since the start of the year, but hadn’t defeat when they lost 2-1 to Schalke 04. penalty, while Serbia’s Milos Jojic, a January sign- VfB Stuttgart, while on Friday Mainz inched clos- being sent-off against Athletic Bilbao earli- scored in La Liga this season until his low Having suffered a shock 1-0 extra-time defeat ing from Partizan Belgrade, then needed just 17 er to a Europa League place next season with a er this month has allowed Jese to get a strike from 25 yards sneaked past Miguel at home to second-division Kaiserslautern on seconds to score his first Bundesliga goal on his 2-0 win over Hanover 96 to stay just outside the continued run in the side and the Spaniard Angel Moya. Defeat leaves Getafe still fight- Wednesday in the German Cup quarter-finals, Dortmund debut. Poland international Ludovic top six on goal difference. — AFP continued to make his case for a place in ing for their lives as they remain without a Leverkusen stumbled to their fifth defeat in their Vicente del Bosque’s World Cup squad with league win since November and just four last seven games. a precise finish into the far corner. points above the relegation zone.— AFP Fourth-placed Schalke took the lead when 19-year-old midfielder Leon Goretzka scored on German Bundesliga results/standings 28 minutes before Royal Blues centre-back Felipe Santana netted a second-half own goal to Augsburg 0 Nuremberg 1 (Drmic 65). Moenchengladbach 1 (Raffael 6) Hoffenheim 4 Spanish League results/standings restore parity. But Netherlands striker Klaas-Jan Played Saturday (Schipplock 12, 66, Volland 49, Roberto Huntelaar headed Schalke’s winner from a free- Firmino 90+2-pen) VfB Stuttgart 1 (Ruediger Granada 1 (Piti 31) Real Betis 0; Getafe 0 Played Saturday kick on 74 minutes to punish Leverkusen and 4 (Aubameyang 10, 21, 78); Eintracht Braunschweig 4 (Kumbela 51, 61, Real Madrid 3 (Jese 5, Benzema 27, Atletico Madrid 3 (Raul Garcia 3, Diego leave the Royal Blues fourth in the table. Lewandowski 47-pen, Jojic 68) Eintracht 85, Hochscheidt 90+3) Hamburg 2 (Lasogga Modric 66). Costa 4, Godin 74) Valladolid 0 Levante 1 Ex-Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk was Frankfurt 0; Bayern Munich 4 (Dante 19, 23, Ilicevic 76); Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Felipe Playing later (Barral 62) Almeria 0; Barcelona 6 dismissed as Hamburg coach after his side Shaqiri 34, 42, Pizarro 88) Freiburg 0; Werder Santana 66-og) Schalke 04 2 (Goretzka 28, Athletic Bilbao v Espanyol, Sevilla v (Adriano 2, Messi 36, 68, Sanchez 52, crashed to their eighth straight defeat with a 4-2 Bremen 1 (Obraniak 88) Borussia Huntelaar 74). Valencia. Pedro 56, Neymar 88) Rayo Vallecano 0; loss at bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig. German Bundesliga table after yesterday’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals Playing today Villarreal 0 Celta Vigo 2 (Orellana 83, Routed 5-0 by Bayern in the German Cup on against, points): Malaga v Real Sociedad Nolito 90). Wednesday, Hamburg have now lost a club record seven successive league games. Bayern Munich 21 19 2 0 57 9 59 Hoffenheim 21 6 7 8 44 44 25 Spanish league table after yesterday’s two early matches (played, won, drawn, lost, Braunschweig’s Democratic Republic of Leverkusen 21 14 1 6 38 22 43 Hanover 96 21 7 3 11 29 37 24 goals for, goals against, points): Congo-born Dominick Kumbela did the damage Dortmund 21 13 3 5 51 24 42 Eintracht 21 5 6 10 24 38 21 Barcelona 24 19 3 2 69 17 60 Celta Vigo 24 8 5 11 31 35 29 as he came off the bench to score a second-half Schalke 04 21 12 4 5 41 30 40 Werder Bremen 21 5 6 10 25 46 21 Real Madrid 24 19 3 2 68 24 60 Granada 24 8 3 13 21 30 27 hat-trick after some woeful goalkeeping from M’gladbach 21 10 4 7 37 26 34 Nuremberg 21 3 11 7 25 36 20 Atletico 24 19 3 2 59 16 60 Elche 24 6 8 10 22 34 26 Hamburg’s Rene Adler. Wolfsburg 20 10 3 7 33 24 33 Stuttgart 21 5 4 12 34 45 19 Bilbao 23 13 5 5 42 28 44 Osasuna 24 7 5 12 21 37 26 Having already won 1-0 at Mainz 05 21 10 3 8 31 35 33 Freiburg 21 4 6 11 20 40 18 Villarreal 24 12 4 8 44 29 40 Getafe 24 7 4 13 22 39 25 in the German Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, Hertha Berlin 20 9 4 7 31 24 31 Hamburg 21 4 4 13 35 51 16 Sociedad 23 10 7 6 42 34 37 Almeria 24 7 4 13 24 42 25 Borussia Dortmund enjoyed a 4-0 romp against Augsburg 21 9 4 8 30 30 31 Braunschweig 21 4 3 14 15 39 15 Levante 24 8 8 8 23 30 32 Malaga 23 6 6 11 23 33 24 Armin Veh’s side in the league to stay third. Sevilla 23 8 7 8 42 41 31 Valladolid 24 4 9 11 26 42 21 Valencia 23 9 4 10 36 35 31 Vallecano 24 6 2 16 25 58 20 Espanyol 23 8 5 10 26 29 29 Real Betis 24 3 5 16 20 53 14 Lille slip, Lyon march on

PARIS: Lille’s bid for Champions League quali- rooted to the foot of the table, nine points go there and back and then go to Lille next Arsenal’s Giroud fication from Ligue 1 faltered again yesterday from safety. Sunday.” as they only just scraped a 2-2 draw away to “We have played 11 games in five weeks. Elsewhere, PSG remain five points clear of struggling Evian. That’s a lot even if we still played with energy Monaco at the top after both clubs won this says sorry for affair Rene Girard’s side looked like genuine title towards the end,” said Garde, whose side have weekend. Ezequiel Lavezzi and Zlatan challengers at the season’s halfway stage, but a gruelling week ahead with a trip to Ukraine Ibrahimovic were among the goals as PSG LONDON: Arsenal’s French striker Olivier they have now taken just five points from six to face Chornormorets Odessa in the Europa eased to a 3-0 win against Valenciennes on Giroud issued an apology yesterday after a games in 2014 to lose touch on top two Paris League on Thursday before travelling to take Friday to warm up for their Champions British tabloid newspaper alleged that he Saint-Germain and Monaco and allow the on Lille next weekend. League last 16, first leg tie away to Bayer had an extra-marital affair. sides behind them to close in. “We’re all looking forward to that tie and Leverkusen in Germany tomorrow. The Sun yesterday claimed that Giroud spent a night in a hotel with lingerie model Lille fell behind at the Parc des Sports in giving a good image of French football, but Monaco, meanwhile, had a brace from Celia Kay prior to Arsenal’s 2-0 home win Annecy when Kevin Berigaud headed home this game was our 42nd match of the season. James Rodriguez to thank for a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League from Modou Sougou’s cross a quarter of an “Odessa is a long way away and we need to away to Bastia in Corsica on Saturday. — AFP earlier this month. hour in. The article was accompanied by a pho- They soon drew level when 18-year-old tograph, reportedly taken by Kay, which Divock Origi cut in from the left wing and apparently showed Giroud in his under- curled a shot from the edge of the box into pants in a hotel room. the far corner of the net for his second goal in “I apologise to my wife, family and as many league games. friends and my manager, team-mates and Evian were back in front just after the hour Arsenal fans,” Giroud wrote on his Twitter mark, as Lille’s Pape Souare was penalised for account. handball inside the area and Cedric “I now have to fight for my family and Mongongu stepped up to score from 12 for my club and obtain their forgiveness. yards. Nothing else matters at the moment.” However, Lille rescued a draw - and denied Giroud, 27, is Arsenal’s first-choice centre- Evian a first win in nine league games - thanks forward and is also a key player for the Arsenal’s French striker Olivier Giroud. to a Ryan Mendes cross from the right-hand France national side. address the matter behind closed doors. side that dropped into the net at the back He was named on the substitutes bench post deep in stoppage time. The point does at for Arsenal’s 2-1 win at home to Liverpool “He has made a statement and for the rest, least edge Evian three points clear of the rele- in the FA Cup yesterday and came on as an we’ll deal with it internally,” he told journal- 88th-minute substitute for Yaya Sanogo. ists at the Emirates Stadium. “I don’t think gation zone, while Lille are guaranteed to Speaking after the game, Arsenal manager there’s much more to add to that because I hold on to third spot, although Saint-Etienne Arsene Wenger said that the club would want to respect his privacy as well.”— AFP can close to within a point of them by beating Marseille later yesterday. Earlier, Lyon boosted their own European Late penalty gives hopes as they climbed provisionally into fifth with a 3-1 win at home against bottom side Ajaccio. Algerians victory Remi Garde’s side were looking to bounce back from their shock French Cup exit at the JOHANNESBURG: Algerians CS Constantine Henaini and Abdelhakim Sameur gave the hands of second-tier Lens on Thursday, and scored off a stoppage-time penalty to snatch Algerians a 3-0 lead before Nigerien goals from Gueida Fofana, Jimmy Briand and a CAF Confederation Cup first round place Boureima Katakore was red carded. Al-Ahly Bafetimbi Gomis saw them move to within this weekend. The goal gave the North Tripoli, boasting five of the Libya side that five points of Lille. Africans a 4-1 second-leg triumph over surprisingly won the African Nations Lyon took the lead two minutes before the Nigeriens ASN Nigelec, who built a two-goal Championship in Cape Town this month, lost interval when Alexandre Lacazette found home advantage in the preliminary qualifier. 1-0 to CO Bamako in Mali and were eliminat- Fofana, who took a couple of touches to set Constantine advanced 4-3 on aggregate ed. After a 1-1 first-leg stalemate in Tunis- himself up before curling a shot over Ochoa and now face Liberians Red Lions in the sec- Tripoli is considered unsafe for CAF fixtures- from 25 yards. ond-tier African club competition. the return game was settled by a Yacouba They then increased their lead midway It was a heart-breaking result for state Doumbia goal on 55 minutes. through the second period as Henri Bedimo electricity company club Nigelec, who must He nodded in a Waly Diabate cross as broke into the box and cut the ball back for have believed they were going to cause an Bamako got on top following a hesitant first- Briand to head home. upset when Talato netted on 93 minutes. half showing with Ahly looking the likelier Kenyan international Dennis Oliech got a Although trailing 3-1 on the night, the visi- team to score. The next opponents for Bamako goal back for Ajaccio but Lyon wrapped up tors were ahead on the away-goal rule and will be 1998 African champions ASEC Mimosas, Niger looked set for rare international club an Ivorian club who have fared poorly at inter- the points when Gomis curled a delightful fin- football celebrations. But Constantine won a national level in recent seasons.Giant ish past Ochoa into the far corner of the net penalty almost immediately and Yassin Senegalese striker Mame Niang raised his goal for his 10th of the campaign. Bezzaz converted for one of the most dramat- tally to three from two outings as SuperSport OL have won five of their six Ligue 1 games ic successes in the 11-year Confederation United of South Africa overcame Gaborone in 2014 and now look like genuine contenders FRANCE: Evian’s Ivoirian midfielder Djakaridja Kone (back right) vies with Lille’s Senegalese Cup. An own goal plus strikes from Samir United 1-0 in Botswana.—AFP for a top-three finish, while Ajaccio remain defender Pape Souare (left) during the French L1 football match. — AFP