WORLD CUP | Page 3 FORMULA 1 | Page 8 England Hamilton looking for trusty takes pole lieutenants for at rain-hit captain Kane French GP Sunday, June 24, 2018 FOOTBALL Shawwal 10, 1439 AH Hazard, Lukaku on target twice GULF TIMES as Belgium romp past Tunisia SPORT Page 2 GERMANY 2 SWEDEN 1 Germany revived as Kroos hits late winner Germany and Sweden are both even on three points in Group F behind Mexico with six points DPA Sochi, Russia magical free kick goal by Toni Kroos in stoppage time completed 10-man Ger- many’s spirited fightback Ato keep the world champions in the running to defend their World Cup title with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in Sochi yesterday. Ola Toivonen shocked Germany with the opening goal in the 32nd minute before Germany equalised in the 48th minute through Marco Reus. Germany went a man down in the 82nd minute as centre back Jerome Boateng was booked a second time. But Kroos still came up with the game-winner five minutes into stop- page time. “What can I say? We didn’t use the chances we had when we controlled the game... But in the end we de- served to win,” Kroos said. Germany and Sweden are both even on three points in Group F be- hind Mexico with six points and ahead of South Korea with zero points. That means the decision will come on Wednesday when Sweden face Mexico in Yekaterinburg and Germany play South Korea in Kazan. Germany threatened to become the fifth holders in the last six World Cups to be bounced in the group stage of the following World Cup — after France in 2002, Brazil in 2006, Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014. Ger- many coach Joachim Loew responded to the team’s opening loss to Mexico Sweden’s Robin Olsen fails to stop a by making four changes to his start- shot from Germany’s Tony Kroos ing line-up. (celebrating below) during their Jonas Hector recovered from flu to World Cup match in Sochi yesterday. replace Marvin Plattenhardt at left- back and Antonio Ruediger played for Sweden nearly took the lead in the Berg nearly doubled the lead two the injured Mats Hummels. 12th minute as Ruediger lost an easy minutes into first half stoppage time In addition, midfielders Mesut ball and it was immediately sent for- but Neuer was just barely able to fend Ozil and Sami Khedira were dropped ward to Marcus Berg, who had a long away his header. Germany came up for Marco Reus and Sebastian Rudy, run of trying to fend off Jerome Boat- with the answer they needed right respectively. eng before watching Germany keeper after the break, equalising 1-1 in the It was the first time that Ozil was Manuel Neuer do a good job stopping 48th minute. not in the starting line-up of a Euro his attempt. Werner’s pass from the left side or World Cup match since his first Iklay Guendogan came on for Rudy was deflected by half-time substitute cap in 2009 — a streak of 26 match- in the 31st minute after the Bayern Mario Gomez to Reus, who struck es. Sweden coach Janne Andersson Munich midfielder was hit in the face home with his knee. Olsen was forced swapped just one player with Man- by Toivonen’s boot. Germany com- to make a fine save against Hector in A German fan at the match. chester United’s Victor Lindelof mitted another poor error in the 32nd the 56th and Werner’s shot went just coming back from illness to replace minute — this time the four-time over the bar in the 80th. hammered a long blast off the left Pontus Jansson. Champions League winner Kroos, Germany were forced to play the post two minutes into stoppage time. Germany attacked straight away whose lazy pass was snatched up and final eight minutes a man down as Kroos made up for his earlier mis- and threatened Robin Olsen’s goal in immediately passed forward with Boateng was booked a second time. take with the game winner five min- just the second minute though Julian Viktor Claesson finding Toivonen, Gomez tried all he could in the 88th utes into stoppage time with a free Draxler and Timo Werner were both who chested down the ball and then minute but Olsen made another kick goal from the left side, curling in unable to strike from close range. looped it over Neuer for a 1-0 lead. spectacular save. And Julian Brandt a strike just inside the far right post. Serbia coach calls for referee ‘to be tried in The Hague’ AFP an independent nation if they had won the Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was a UN “shameful provocation”. The player said in a Kaliningrad match. Despite opening the scoring through body that prosecuted the perpetrators of post-match interview his celebration was “just Aleksandar Mitrovic in the fifth minute, Serbia war crimes committed during the wars in the emotion” but added he was not allowed to talk lost 2-1 after Xhaka and Shaqiri netted for former Yugoslavia. about politics. erbia’s coach has reacted to his team’s Switzerland. It closed last year and the Mechanism for The Serbian football association reportedly World Cup defeat to Switzerland by call- They now face the daunting task of getting a International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) has complained to world football’s governing ing for the referee to be put on trial in a result against Brazil in their final game. taken over from it. body FIFA about the Kosovo flag that adorned Swar crimes tribunal in The Hague. Serbia were furious when German referee Krstajic also posted photographs from the one of Shaqiri’s boots. The match in Kaliningrad on Friday was played Felix Brych failed to award a penalty in the match on his Instagram account, accompa- “We sought that he change the boots. It in a highly charged atmosphere underpinned 66th minute after Mitrovic was wrestled to the nied by the comment: “Unfortunately, it seems was a provocation, we were playing against by Balkan politics. ground in the penalty area by Swiss defenders that only the Serbs are condemned to a selec- Switzerland, not Kosovo,” team off icial Jovan Switzerland’s goalscorers in their 2-1 win, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schaer. tive justice, once (it was) the damned Hague Surbatovic told Serbian state-run broadcaster Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, trace their “We were robbed,” Mladen Krstajic told Ser- and today in football the VAR...” RTS. roots to Kosovo, a former province of Serbia bian reporters yesterday, when asked about He was referring to the video assistant referee Kosovo declared independence in 2008, that declared independence in 2008 in a Brych’s decision. (VAR) that is being used at the World Cup to less then a decade after the 1998-1999 war move bitterly opposed by Belgrade. which has an ethnic Albanian majority, identify “I wouldn’t give him either a yellow or red check controversial incidents. Brych chose not between ethnic Albanian guerillas and Serb They celebrated their goals by making a dou- with the flag. card, I would send him to The Hague. Then to refer his decision on the penalty to review forces, but Belgrade — backed by its tradi- ble eagle gesture with their hands to repre- Serbia would have qualified for the knockout they could put him on trial, like they did to us.” by VAR. tional ally Russia — still refuses to recognise sent the Albanian flag. Many people in Kosovo, rounds of a World Cup for the first time as The Hague-based International Criminal The Serbian press called Shaqiri’s celebration the move. Tunisia have not won a World Cup game in 40 years, since beating Mexico 3-1 in the 1978 edition 2 Gulf Times Sunday, June 24, 2018 REPORT BEL 5-2 TUN REPORT KOR 1-2 MEX Rampant Hazard, Lukaku Mexico see off strike twice each South Korea to close on last 16 Reuters ble, of course we should en- Rostov-on-Don, Russia joy this but tomorrow we start in Belgian triumph working again.” exico built on the ROUSING CHANTS momentum from As the game kicked off Mexico ‘We had to suff er in spells but when we were in full flow, we look really sharp’ their stunning victo- fans sang “We are the home ry over world cham- team” and with green shirts Mpions Germany by overpowering dotted all over the stadium and Reuters Moscow South Korea 2-1 yesterday to take rousing chants of “Ole!” bellow- a giant step towards the World ing around the arena every time Cup last 16. their side passed the ball, it was wo goals each for Rome- Carlos Vela put them ahead hard to disagree. lu Lukaku and Eden from the penalty spot in the 26th Conditioned by the dry heat Hazard helped Belgium minute at Rostov Arena, which that has been a feature of every to a 5-2 win over Tunisia had been taken over by Mexico’s game at the Rostov Arena, Mex- Tyesterday that showcased their sea of fanatical supporters. ico did not quite have the same attacking verve and star quality All-time top scorer Javier Her- thrust and energy as against and put them fi rmly on course nandez sealed victory in the sec- Germany although they still for the World Cup knockout ond half, fi nishing off an unstop- controlled most of the play and phase. pable move from breakout player looked far more dangerous.