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Federer dominant, China football Murray struggles development plan at Monte Carlo envisions 50m players WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016 16 18 Taylor forced to retire because of heart problem Page 17 MADRID: Wolfsburg’s goalkeeper Diego Benaglio dives in vain as Real Madrid scores during the Champions League 2nd leg quarterfinal soccer match between Real Madrid and VfL Wolfsburg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, yesterday. — AP Ronaldo hat-trick fires Real into semis MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Real Madrid to a level as Ronaldo struck twice in 86 seconds. Dani replaced by Max Kruse just after the half hour mark. goal line, but Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai record sixth successive Champions League semi-final Carvajal replaced the much-criticised Danilo in Yet, the Germans still managed to grow into the game adjudged the ball hadn’t crossed the line. with a hat-trick as the Spanish giants overturned a 2-0 Madrid’s only change from the first leg at right-back as the opening 45 minutes wore on. Wolfsburg continued to pose the threat of an away first leg deficit to beat Wolfsburg 3-0 yesterday. and the Spanish international’s deflected cross fell Luis Gustavo’s fierce long-range effort forced Keylor goal as Vieirinha fired wide before Dante’s downward Ronaldo struck twice in just over a minute to bring perfectly for Ronaldo to tap home the opener at the Navas into a decent save before Bruno Henrique header was held by Navas. Madrid level in the tie inside 17 minutes. Yet, the 10- back post. squandered a huge chance to net the vital away goal However, Ronaldo finally struck the decisive blow time winners were forced to wait until 13 minutes The two nearly combined for the second straight as he hesitated in getting his shot off and Marcelo got when his free-kick from 25 yards skidded off the wet from time to find the winner when Ronaldo’s dipping from the restart as another dangerous Carvajal effort back to block the ball behind. turf and beyond the despairing dive of Benaglio to free-kick escaped the clutches of Diego Benaglio to was just cut out before Ronaldo could head home. Madrid started on the front foot again at the start of seal his 37th hat-trick for Madrid. find the bottom corner. However, there was no stopping the three-time the second-half as Ronaldo saw a free-kick deflected The Swiss ‘keeper then kept Wolfsburg in the tie Madrid hadn’t overturned a first leg deficit in the World Player of the Year from the resulting corner as wide before Benaglio was forced into a save to prevent with brilliant saves from Karim Benzema and Jese Champions League in eight attempts stretching back his downward header found the bottom corner for his Joshua Guilavogui turning a cross into his own net. Rodriguez to set up a grandstand finish. But Madrid’s 14 years to when coach Zinedine Zidane played for 15th Champions League goal of the season. The hosts were convinced they had gone ahead for experience told in the dying stages as they comfort- Los Blancos in a quarter-final win over Bayern Munich. Wolfsburg’s disastrous start was compounded when the first time in the tie when Sergio Ramos’s header able saw the game out to match Barcelona’s record run However, they roared back into the tie and were star midfielder Julian Draxler limped off injured to be came off the inside of the post and rolled along the of six semi-finals between 2008 and 2013. — AFP Mihajlovic sacked as AC Milan coach MILAN: AC Milan have announced the sacking of coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, replacing the Serbian with youth team boss Cristian Brocchi until the end of the season. A statement from the struggling Serie A giants yesterday read: “Sinisa Mihajlovic has been relieved of his role as AC Milan coach. “The club would like to thank Mihajlovic for the dedication and hard work carried out this season. “Cristian Brocchi will now be in charge of the first team until the end of the season. AC Milan would like to welcome Mr Brocchi and wish him all the best.” Speaking after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Juventus, Serbian Mihajlovic acknowledged he could be fired. “This MANCHESTER: Paris Saint-Germain’s Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R) vies with Manchester City’s French defender Eliaquim Mangala year at Milan I’ve felt removed, not during the UEFA Champions league quarter-final second leg football match between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain at theEtihad because of the pressure from what’s stadium in Manchester yesterday. — AFP been written,” he said. “I believe in myself but in trying to find the right solutions I feel we’ve tried everything. “Like every other De Bruyne downs PSG as coach in the world, I’m judged on the work done and results obtained. “If in the seven remaining matches, also the Man City reach last four Italian Cup, or even before, if we mess up it’s right for the coach to be the first to pay for it. MANCHESTER: Manchester City reached the The burst of sky-blue tickertape that greeted holding the back of his left thigh. “It’s always been that way. I’ve Champions League semi-finals for the first time the teams as they entered the pitch illustrated With Blaise Matuidi suspended and Marco always said, there are two categories after Kevin De Bruyne’s fine 76th-minute goal the importance of the occasion to both clubs, Verratti injured, it left PSG without their entire of coach, those that have been sacked earned them a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain while PSG’s shape at kick-off confirmed pre- first-choice midfield and Blanc promptly and those that will be sacked.” yesterday. A week on from their 2-2 draw in the match reports that they would be set out in an rejigged, sending on Lucas Moura and reverting Mihajlovic, 47, lasted only eight French capital, City saw Sergio Aguero squander untested 3-4-1-2 system. to his trusted 4-3-3. Although City, gamely, con- months in the job after replacing for- a first-half penalty after he had been felled by With Angel di Maria operating in a free role, tinued to push in search of a goal that would mer club and Italy striker Filippo Sinisa Mihajlovic PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, but De Bruyne’s PSG had plenty of options in midfield and they have given them an outright lead, PSG began to Inzaghi but failed to resurrect the flail- League, something Milan now have late strike settled the Etihad Stadium nerves and made an assured start, City goalkeeper Joe Hart knock on the door at the other end. ing giants’ past glories. no realistic chance of doing. Since last completed a 3-2 aggregate success. forced to make a finger-tip save from a zinging Hart had to parry another stinging Milan currently lie sixth following Fifteen points off the pace in the Premier Ibrahimovic free-kick. But as City began to winning the league in 2011, they fin- Ibrahimovic free-kick and then clubbed the ball Saturday’s home defeat to the reign- ished second a year later, third in 2013 League and widely considered the tie’s under- probe, so they exposed fissures in PSG’s new- over his crossbar after Thiago Silva’s header from ing champions and leaders, who they dogs, City advance with hope intact that manag- look defence and after Aguero had twice shot but then eighth and tenth in the two a Lucas corner spat up off the turf towards him. will face again in next month’s Italian er Manuel Pellegrini may yet bow out with a wide, a loose pass from auxiliary right-sided subsequent campaigns. The introduction of Javier Pastore for the Champions League winner’s medal around his centre-back Serge Aurier allowed Fernandinho Cup final. They sit a point above According to Italian media, the neck before handing over to Pep Guardiola. to set Aguero clear. hapless Aurier, on the hour, left PSG with their Sassuolo in the race for the final decision to fire Mihajlovic came dur- But it was a bitterly disappointing evening for full attacking armada on show, but it was De European qualification position with ing a conversation between club PSG coach Laurent Blanc, who lost Thiago Motta BLANC REJIGS Bruyne who stole the headlines, brilliantly shap- six games to play but are 15 points owner Silvio Berlusconi and CEO to injury and has now seen his team eliminated Sliding out, Trapp felled the Argentina striker ing a right-foot shot into the bottom-right cor- behind Roma in the final Champions Adriano Galliani on Monday night. in the quarter-finals four seasons in a row. with his feet, but the presence of two covering ner from outside the box to crush PSG’s spirit. League spot. Mihajlovic, who was hired for his The French champions’ ambitious Qatari own- defenders meant that he was only booked and City’s fans had to endure a couple more fighting spirit, has been linked with a ers must once again content themselves with the from the penalty, Aguero placed the ball a foot nervous moments, with Hart rushing out CLUB IN DECLINE move to Lazio. Under his tutelage, pursuit of another domestic quadruple, while wide of the right-hand post. It was a let-off for superbly to save from Edinson Cavani and Mihajlovic was given a clear man- Milan won just 13 of 32 Serie A Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose contract expires at the the visitors, but after another careless Aurier Ibrahimovic seeing a goal ruled out for offside, date when he arrived at the start of matches, losing nine times and draw- end of the season, may never grace the continen- pass had allowed Jesus Navas to curl wide, they before the final whistle rubber-stamped their the season: qualify for the Champions ing the other 10.