22 Monday, October 2, 2017 SPORTS Hamsik closes in on Maradona record , Italy arek Hamsik moved closer to Diego Maradona’s Mscoring record as Napoli stayed top of Serie A with a 3-0 win Arsenal see over Cagliari yesterday as Inter Milan pulled ahead of Juventus with a 2-1 win at Benevento. The pressure will now be on Juventus who travel to Atalanta later on Sunday with the champions looking to match Napoli’s unblemished seven off Brighton wins in as many games. Skipper Hamsik opened the Napoli’s Slovakian Marek Hamsik (L) kicks the ball scoring for Napoli after just four minutes at the Stadio San we enjoyed the fans. October above everyone else.” Paolo with his first goal of the will be decisive,” said Slovak For Cagliari it was a fifth loss season and 114th for the club, international Hamsik. in seven games as they stay 14th just one short of Maradona’s Napoli coach Maurizio with just six points. all-time record. Dries Mertens Sarri conceded he was relieved Marcelo Brozovic scored a contributed to the opener and after coming through the early quick-fire first half brace as Inter then added a second from the afternoon match in a week moved provisionally second on spot on 40 minutes before when they earned their first 19 points after a tight win at Kalidou Koulibaly sealed the Champions League points with tailenders Benevento. perfect seventh victory two a 3-1 win over Feyenoord. Brozovic headed home an minutes after the break. But he dismissed premature Antonio Candreva cross after “Scoring is always great, talk of challenging for the title. 19 minutes with his second, a I’m near Maradona’s record, “Its been six years that I’ve free kick, coming three minutes now we know it will come, heard talk that we can bother later. Marco D’Alessandro got but what matters is the team’s Juventus but in the end they’re one back just before the break performance. Seven wins from the ones who win,” said Sarri. and missed a chance for an seven means a lot, and today “That means they are a level equaliser. (AFP) Arsenal’s Nigerian striker Alex Iwobi (R) scores past Brighton’s Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan (L), the team’s second goal

London striker on the pitch. Chris as Alexandre Lacazette Bayern surrender two-goal lead rsene Wenger celebrated Hughton’s side stay 14th. lashed a half-volley against Berlin then we aren’t the strongest recent weeks, playing a role his 21st anniversary as Just as encouraging for the post. ayern Munich again team in Germany any more,” in undermining Ancelotti’s AArsenal manager with a 2-0 Arsenal as the result was also It prompted a relentless surrendered a two-goal admitted the Frenchman. authority. win over Brighton and a the performance of Sanchez, spell of early pressure and Blead in a 2-2 draw at Hertha Bayern threw away a two- Bayern made a bright brilliant team goal scored by whose brilliant piece of skill just after a quarter of an Berlin yesterday in their first goal lead for the second league start when Hummels headed Alex Iwobi. for Iwobi’s goal was just hour, Brighton cracked. match since ’s game in a row after being held Munich ahead on 10 minutes. Goals like Iwobi’s have one of many indicators the Lacazette was fouled by shock sacking, slipping to five 2-2 at home to Wolfsburg ten The game burst into life become synonymous with Chilean may be close to Izquierdo on the right side points behind leaders Borussia days ago. early in the second-half as Arsenal since Wenger took hitting top form again. of the box and then kept . Ancelotti was dismissed Lewandowski fired home on 49 the reins on Oct. 1, 1996, Wenger made nine the resulting cross alive by With Willy Sagnol in after 15 months in the wake of minutes after robbing Hertha and this was another gem, changes from the side heading the ball back in temporary charge after Bayern’s 3-0 drubbing at Paris defender Niklas Stark. (AFP) finished off after a delicate that beat BATE Borisov off the line. As Brighton’s Ancelotti’s dismissal on Saint-Germain in the back-heel from Alexis on Thursday but Laurent defenders claimed for a goal Thursday, Bayern went 2-0 up Champions League. Sanchez. Koscielny and Mesut kick, and at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium Hoffenheim’s Nacho Monreal had Ozil were not among the Hector Bellerin were lashing with goals from Mats Hummels 30-year-old boss Julian earlier put the Gunners in returners, the pair struggling off shots before Monreal and . Nagelsmann and front at Emirates Stadium with Achilles and knee finally found space to poke But Berlin roared back with ex-Dortmund coach English Premier League: as Wenger’s men made it injuries respectively. in his first league goal since two goals inside five minutes are seven matches unbeaten in Jack Wilshere’s excellent March 2013. from Ondrej Duda and amongst the favourites to Everton 0 Burnley 1 all competitions and moved display in midweek, Forced to attack, Salomon Kalou to share the take over permanently. Newcastle 1 Liverpool 1 up to fifth in the Premier meanwhile, was only enough Brighton were far better spoils. Sagnol responded French : League table. to earn him a spot on the from then on and could “That’s a bit annoying for to Ancelotti’s sacking Since capping a turbulent bench. even have gone in level at us,” said Sagnol, whose team by starting forwards Troyes 2 Saint-Etienne 1 August with a dreadful 4-0 Brighton began with half-time. nonetheless moved up to Thomas Mueller, Franck Angers 3 Lyon 3 defeat at Liverpool, Arsenal Isaiah Brown up front to An impressively second. Ribery, German : have since won six and replace the suspended Tomer choreographed free kick “We have to play with more and Lewandowski. drawn at Chelsea, whom Hemed while club-record between Pascal Gross, concentration and discipline. The quartet had all Freiburg 3 Hoffenheim 2 they now sit level with on signing Jose Izquierdo made Dale Stephens and Solly “When we don’t concentrate, criticised the club in Cologne 1 RB Leipzig 2 13 points. his first Premier League start March ended with the latter Italian Serie A: This was not Arsenal at on the left flank. crashing a long-range drive Napoli 3 Cagliari 0 their electric best but they The visitors’ plan looked against Petr Cech’s post and SPAL 1 Crotone 1 never had to be against a to be to absorb and frustrate Davy Propper curled over Torino 2 Verona 2 Brighton team lacking but Arsenal could have been from close range just before Chievo 2 Fiorentina 1 impetus without a single ahead within three minutes the interval. (espn.in) Benevento 1 Inter 2 Lazio 6 Sassuolo 1 Tearful Pique haunted by ‘worst experience’ Russian Premier League: CSKA Moscow 0 Ufa 0 Barcelona, Spain authorities, Barca decided to had in my life. “We have had Lokomotiv Moscow 3 Dynamo Moscow 0 erard Pique broke down play behind closed doors in seven years of demonstrations Anzhi Makhachkala 2 Zenit St Petersburg 2 in tears describing protest at the violent scenes. without violence and what GBarcelona’s 3-0 win over Las “The board tried to cancel happened today has been seen Palmas in an empty stadium the game but it wasn’t possible. around the world.” Spanish La Liga: as the “worst professional They came down to speak to Pique has been an outspoken Real Sociedad 4 Real Betis 4 experience” of his life on a the players and we opted to supporter of Catalonia’s right Barcelona 3 Las Palmas 0 chaotic yesterday in Catalonia. play,” Pique told reporters. to self-determination in the face Valencia 3 Athletic Bilbao 2 After Barcelona’s attempt to “It was very difficult to play of the Spanish government’s Bayern Munich’s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski (R) and Berlin’s Villarreal 3 Eibar 0 have their game abandoned was the game. It was the worst crackdown on preparations for German defender Niklas Stark vie for the ball Real Madrid 2 Espanyol 0 dismissed by Spanish league professional experience I have the referendum. (AFP)