SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016 SPORTS

CSKA overcome Rubin to win Russian title

KAZAN: CSKA Moscow fought off a chal- with a spectacular double save in the this season but is under pressure to go barely survived relegation last season and ing great Lev Yashin. Mordovia Saransk, lenge from surprise title contender FC final minutes. full time with ahead of the 2018 has maintained a shock title challenge which lost 3-0 to Lokomotiv Moscow, was Rostov to win the “All those five seconds, (my heart) was World Cup. despite severe financial problems. Coach also relegated. That leaves just six of the for the sixth time yesterday. Roared on by stopped,” CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky said It is CSKA’s third title in four seasons, Kurban Berdyev and Iranian star striker 11 host cities for the 2018 World Cup with thousands of traveling fans, CSKA held on of the double save. “Everything’s great.” all under Slutsky’s leadership, earning a Sardar Azmoun are among several per- a top-flight club. Second-tier sides to an early lead to win 1-0 at Rubin , Both teams could have scored more, with place in the Champions League group sonnel already being linked with transfers Gazovik Orenburg and Arsenal Tula won knowing that if Rubin had equalized Rubin’s Mijo Caktas rattling the bar in the stage next season. Runner-up Rostov, elsewhere in the summer. promotion to the Premier League for next Rostov would have taken the title on the first half, and CSKA’s Zoran Tosic hitting which beat Terek Grozny 2-0, goes into Zenit beat Dynamo Moscow 3-0, with season. In playoffs for relegation and pro- head-to-head record. Alan Dzagoev the post shortly before the break. the Champions League qualifying rounds, former Dynamo star Alexander Kokorin motion, Premier League teams Anzhi scored the vital goal for CSKA with a Winning the title could be the last act at while reigning champion Zenit heads for among the scorers. It was the first relega- Makhachkala and Kuban Krasnodar face fierce shot in the 19th minute, and goal- CSKA for Slutsky, who has been splitting the Europa League in third. That ends a tion in Soviet or Russian football history second-tier clubs Tom Tomsk and Volgar keeper Igor Akinfeev preserved the lead his time with the Russian national team remarkable season for Rostov, which for Dynamo, the club of Soviet goalkeep- Astrakhan.—AP England’s Kane and Vardy hope for Turkey chance

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane hopes to get an opportunity to partner Jamie Vardy when England tackle Turkey today in the first of their three Euro 2016 warm-up matches. Kane’s 25 Premier League goals earned him the Golden Boot, with Vardy finish- ing the campaign one goal behind after inspir- ing Leicester City to their fairytale title triumph. The pair have started just one England game together-last October’s 3-0 win in Lithuania-but with Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford on FA Brendan Rodgers Cup final duty with Manchester United this weekend and Daniel Sturridge expected to be rested after playing for Liverpool in the Europa Liverpool ex-boss Rodgers League final, they may be aligned together again at the Etihad Stadium. named as Celtic’s manager “Jamie has had a fantastic season and scored a lot of goals, so if we are playing together it will LONDON: Celtic have named former of our supporters- we believe, in appoint- be very exciting,” Kane told reporters at Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers as their ing Brendan, that we have done this,” England’s St George’s Park training centre this new manager on a 12-month rolling con- Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said. week. “We are different sorts of players. He has tract, the Scottish Premiership champions “We have appointed a special manager got a lot of pace and can run in behind-that will said on Friday. Northern Irishman Rodgers, and we are sure he can bring some spe- probably allow me to drop off and get into who has also managed at Swansea City, cial times to Celtic.” Rodgers was sacked space. “If the manager puts us together we will Reading and Watford, was sacked by by Liverpool after an underwhelming be ready to go and try to score as many goals as Liverpool in October and replaces Ronny start to the season, with his record in the we can.” England manager Roy Hodgson is Deila at the Scottish club. “I am absolutely transfer market coming under scrutiny expected to approach Euro 2016 with a two- delighted to be named Celtic manager,” and his team struggling in the Premier man strike-force operating in front of a midfield Rodgers, 43, said in a statement on Celtic’s League. diamond, although he has also utilized a 4-3-3 Jamie Vardy website (www.celticfc.net). “This is gen- Having been named Liverpool boss in system on occasion. With Rooney, England’s uinely a huge honour for me. I have fol- 2012, Rodgers took the club to the brink captain and record goal-scorer, now operating social media, but everything is all good. get-together with a knock.Turkey are gearing lowed Celtic all my life and to be given this of the Premier League title two years later, in a midfield role for United, there could be an “Winning the Golden Boot is always nice. It’s up for their first major tournament since reach- fantastic opportunity and to be part of playing an exhilarating brand of football, opportunity for Kane and Vardy to form an something I’m very proud of, but nothing has ing the semi-finals at Euro 2008, having failed to such a truly great football club is a dream spearheaded by striker Luis Suarez. A late enduring partnership up front. The two went really been said about that. “He won the Premier qualify for Euro 2012 and the last two World come true.” One of the most pressing tasks slump that season, however, allowed head-to-head in the Premier League title race League, so there isn’t much I can really say!” Cups. Fatih Terim’s side face Croatia, the Czech facing Rodgers will be steering the club Manchester City to pip them to top spot and Vardy, 29, bared his claws on social media in With his United and Liverpool players absent, Republic and defending champions Spain in into the group stage of the Champions and from that point on things went response to a photograph posted on Instagram Hodgson had only 19 members of his 26-man Group D at Euro 2016, after scraping through League, starting with a second qualifying downhill for Rodgers. Liverpool sold by 22-year-old Kane. Kane’s image showed four squad at his disposal for training on Thursday qualifying as the best of the nine third-place round tie. Suarez to Barcelona and brought in sever- lions on the prowl-apparently a reference to his ahead of the match at the home of Manchester teams. Today’s game could feature an interna- He will also face the renewal of the ‘Old al players with the proceeds, with many team’s pursuit of Leicester-and when Spurs’ 2-2 City, which is followed by games against tional debut for quicksilver 18-year-old FC Firm’ rivalry with their Glasgow neigh- failing to make an impact as the club draw at Chelsea gifted the Foxes the title, Vardy Australia and Portugal. Nordsjaelland winger Emre Mor, who was born bours Rangers, who will return to the top slumped to sixth in the table. A humiliat- retaliated with a picture of Mufasa, head of the But Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson and raised in Denmark, but switched alle- flight next season after four years in the ing 6-1 defeat at Stoke City in Liverpool’s pride in the Disney animated film ‘The Lion took part after being an unused substitute in his giances to Turkey-the land of his parents-earli- lower divisions following the club’s liqui- final game of the 2014-15 season left King’, sliding to his death. club’s 3-1 loss to Sevilla in Basel on Wednesday, er this year. “I think he is a player out of the dation in 2012. “We wanted to bring one Rodgers on borrowed time and he was which followed a month-long absence with a ordinary,” said Terim. “I decided to give him a of the biggest and best names to the club dismissed after eight league games of the Mor to come knee injury. Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill also chance and Turkey can gain a very interesting to match our own aspirations and those following campaign.—Reuters But Kane said: “We had a bit of banter over trained, having missed the first session of the player.”— AFP

DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F finishes 2nd in Round 2 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 SERIES

KUWAIT: The No 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD At the start of the race, the No 39DENSO Lexus RC F driven by Heikki Kovalainen and KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F car was well Kohei Hirate ended Round 2 of the 2016 behind the initial race leaders but was still AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 series by finishing competing hard to move up the grid. On second to get yet another podium finish for Lap 72, a left-side tire burst threw pieces of Lexus in the SUPER GT500 class. The No 37 a competitor race car across the track. To KeePer TOM’S Lexus RC F driven by James clear the track of the broken parts, the Rossiter and Ryo Hirakawa finished third to Safety Car was brought in and, as a result, make it two podium finishes for Lexus. The the gaps between the lead machines nar- No 36 au TOM’S Lexus RC F and No. 6 rowed rapidly. The Safety Car left the track WAKO’S 4CR Lexus RC F, which claimed on lap 78 and the race resumed, and as fourth and fifth position respectively, made soon as it did, several cars that were serious- it a successful outing for Lexus with four ly low on fuel immediately made their rou- positions in the Top 5. The race took place tine stops, including the No 39 DENSO recently at the Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F (KoheiHirate) Prefecture, Japan. and the No 37 KeePer TOM’S Lexus RC F According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief (Ryo Hirakawa). Thereafter, the Lexus RC F Representative, Middle East and North No 39 car and Lexus RC F No 37 car then Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor managed to maintain their fast lap times Corporation, “The Lexus RCF-powered and avoid any mishaps to finish the race. teams have yet again proven their prowess Finishing the race in second place was the with their superb performance on the track No 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F during the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 which had continued to run at a strong series. The demanding environments of pace throughout the race. For Kovalainen, competitive racing are a great testing this was his first podium finish in his second ground for evaluating our vehicles, which in year of SUPER GT competition. Finishing turn helps us enhance our efforts to make third after a tough charge from a ninth posi- ever better cars of the race track as well for tion grid start was the No 37 KeePer TOM’S the benefit of our customers. We also appre- Lexus RC F. Round 3 of the 2016 champi- ciate the support of our fans who have onship now takes place in Autopolis, backed our racing initiatives over the years.” Japan,on May 21-22, 2016.