WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016 SPORTS Hong Kong minnows drawn with giants Guangzhou KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong trailblazer Samsung Bluewings of South Korea and a China, according to the group-stage draw Group A: Al Ahli FC (UAE), PFC Lokomotiv Muangthong United (THA), Playoff winner, Chan Yuen-ting, the first woman coach to win yet-to-be determined Japanese club. announced at AFC headquarters in Kuala (UZB), Al Taawoun (KSA), Playoff winner Playoff winner. a top-flight men’s football title, faces a brutal In her debut season, Chan, 28, led Eastern Lumpur. UAE powerhouse Al Ain, last year’s Group B: Esteghlal Khouzestan FC (IRN), Al Group F: FC Seoul (KOR), Japan 2nd Club AFC Champions League initiation after her Sports Club to Hong Kong’s Premier League title runners-up, will begin their campaign from Jazira (UAE), Lekhwiya SC (QAT), Playoff (JPN), Western Sydney Wanderers (AUS), Eastern SC were bracketed yesterday with in April for the first time in 21 years. That earned Group C alongside formidable foes Al Ahli FC of Playoff winner winner Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande. Chan her a Guinness World Record as the first woman Saudi Arabia, Iran’s Zobahan FC, and the winner Group G: Guangzhou Evergrande FC (CHN), will face off in Group G against World Cup- coach to win a men’s championship title in a top of a play-off between Qatar’s El Jaish SC and FC Group C: Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA), Zobahan FC Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR), still- winning Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari national football league. In a tough Group H, Bunyodkor from Uzbekistan, the AFC said. The (IRN), Al Ain FC (UAE), Playoff winner undetermined Japan Club, Eastern SC (HKG) and his Guangzhou side, who will be gunning defending Champions League winners Jeonbuk group stage runs from February to May, fol- Group D: Al Rayyan SC (QAT), Al Hilal SFC Group H: Adelaide United (AUS), Jiangsu FC for their third Champions League title in five Hyundai Motors were drawn with A-League lowed by the knockout phase, with the final set (KSA), Persepolis FC (IRN), Playoff winner (CHN), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (KOR), years. They are joined in the group by Suwon champions Adelaide United and Jiangsu FC of for November of next year. Group E: Kashima Antlers (JPN), Playoff winner. — AFP Atletico Madrid hitting low point under coach Simeone MADRID: Atletico Madrid is not used to to secure a Champions League spot. struggling like this, not under coach Diego “Obviously we have to improve if we want Simeone. After its third loss in five Spanish to fight for the spots atop the standings,” league games on Monday, Atletico Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez said. dropped to sixth place-its worst position at The letdown comes as a surprise as this point in the season since Simeone took Atletico entered the season with high charge in 2011. expectations. Thanks to a significant The 3-0 loss at Villarreal left Atletico 12 increase in income from television rights, points behind leader Real Madrid after 15 Simeone was able to add important pieces matches. It also trails Barcelona, Sevilla, to the squad and fans expected Atletico to Villarreal and Real Sociedad. “There have move even closer to the perennial power- been some mistakes,” said Simeone, who houses of Barcelona and Madrid. won the title with Atletico in 2014. But Simeone started experimenting “We accept the criticism. When a team with different formations and the team loses two games in a row, things need to struggled with inconsistency. The squad’s improve.” Atletico also lost 1-0 at Bayern offense got a boost but the usually stout Munich in the Champions League, a result defense lost some of its strength. Atletico that snapped the team’s perfect record in conceded 11 goals in its last seven league the European competition. It was held to a games, and 14 in 15 games, only four goals disappointing 0-0 draw at home against less than the 18 it conceded in all 38 games Espanyol in its previous Spanish league in the league last season. game. One of its recent losses in the league “We have to improve and stop allowing was a demoralizing 3-0 setback against so many goals,” Fernandez said. To make Madrid at home in the city derby. things worse for Simeone, he may be with- “The team is trying its best to get in out goalkeeper Jan Oblak for a long period position to win,” Simeone said. “But in these because he dislocated his left shoulder in last few games we are not having any luck, the game against Villarreal, having to be especially with the scoring chances, and substituted in the 40th minute at El that leads to losses. We have to keep work- Madrigal Stadium. Defensive midfielder ing, because it’s the only way we can Tiago Mendes also left the game before improve.” Atletico has not been worse than halftime because of a discomfort in his third in the league since a fifth-place finish right knee. in 2011-12. The club was only 10th after 15 Atletico’s next game is Saturday against matches that season, but it improved sig- 10th-place Las Palmas at the Vicente nificantly after Simeone took over in Calderon Stadium. “There is still a lot of TURIN: In this Dec. 11, 2016 file photo, Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain celebrates at the end of a Serie A soccer match between Torino and Juventus, December 2011. Atletico was third at the league ahead of us,” Atletico defender in Turin, Italy. — AP end of the following season and won the Stefan Savic said. “It’s not all lost. Last year league in 2013-14 to end a drought of Barcelona was 12 points in front and we nearly two decades. got to within two at one stage. We are Higuain hits back at his Atletico was third again the last two sea- going through a difficult moment but we sons, and now it has some work to do just will rebound.” —AP ‘fat’ critics in style MILAN: Gonzalo Higuain hit back at his ‘fat’ crit- ters for telling a television reporter that Rudiger, KALINIC COMES HOME AT LAST ics in style, racism isn’t a problem for Roma and “two years ago, was selling socks and belts in Nikola Kalinic wowed Fiorentina’s fan last sea- Palermo are still stuck in the mire. Nikola Kalinic Stuttgart and now he thinks he’s a phenome- son with 12 league goals, including a stunning finally found his scoring boots in Florence but non.” Rudiger, who is black, is a Germany interna- hat-trick in a memorable 4-1 win at Inter Milan grumpy Brazilian sensation Gabiol can’t even get tional and Dutch teammate Kevin Strootman that stunned the San Siro. This season, the Croatia a game at Inter. was the latest member of the Roma family to international has stood out for scoring all his goals respond to Lulic’s comments with irony. “Antonio away from home-until Monday, when he HIGUAIN ANSWERS FAT APP wasn’t sad, just surprised,” Strootman told the redressed the balance in style thanks to a stunning CRITICS FOR JUVE Gazzetta dello Sport. “If Lulic thinks like this, I first-half brace in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo that Gonzalo Higuain has been criticised through- feel sorry for him. If Rudiger really was selling moved Fiorentina up to seventh place. Kalinic, out his career for missing goal chances and fail- socks and belts two years ago and now he’s play- who failed to make an impact at Blackburn Rovers ing to keep his weight down. It reached a peak ing like this for Roma, winning the derby, all I when he moved to the Premier League club in earlier this year when digruntled Argentina fans can is he must be a a good worker.” Roma won 2009, moved to Fiorentina in 2015 after helping created a smart phone app mocking his appear- last week’s derby 2-0 and beat AC Milan 1-0 on Ukrainian giants Dnipro to the 2015 Europa ance, and his tendency to fluff the odd shot. But Monday to close to within four points of leaders League final. The 28-year-old Croatia international Higuain is a hard man to keep down. Despite a Juventus. had hit all six of his goals previous to Monday’s latest wave of criticism due to a barren spell at brace away from the Artemio Franchi stadium. Juventus, the Argentina striker was on fire for NEW COACH, SAME PALERMO the Italian champions twice when it mattered Eugenio Corini is Palermo’s third coach this GABIGOL SET FOR QUICK most in the past week. ‘Pipita’ hit a 52nd minute season but after two losses in two games he RETURN TO BRAZIL? opener in a 2-0 Champions League win over would be forgiven for reading the smallprint on Bought for 29m euros from FC Santos, Gabriel MUMBAI: Mumbai FC’s defender Gerson Vieira (C) attempts to head a ball during the Dinamo Zagreb that secured top spot in Group his six-month contract. Club president Maurizio ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa was hailed as the next big Indian Super League (ISL) second leg semi-final football match between Mumbai City H. In a Turin derby that may well have gone in Zamparini brought the 46-year-old Italian on thing when he arrived at Inter Milan from the FC and Athletico de Kolkata at The Mumbai Football Arena Stadium in Mumbai yes- Torino’s favour, Higuain responded to Andrea board hoping he can stave off relegation for a former club of Barcelona star Neymar Jr.