Quickfire Strikes Put Marseille in Sight of Champions League
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27 Sports Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Quickfire strikes put Marseille in sight of Champions League PARIS: Marseille hit back from a goal down to score French League 1 table twice in two minutes for a 2-1 win at Lille on Sunday which kept Andre Villas-Boas’ side comfortably on French League 1 table after Sunday’s matches (played, won, course for the Champions League. The victory gave sec- ond-placed Marseille an 11-point lead over Rennes in drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): third spot in French Ligue 1 where champions Paris Saint- Paris SG 25 20 2 3 67 21 62 Germain still lead the way with a 10-point cushion. Lille stay fourth but are 12 points behind Marseille in Marseille 25 15 7 3 35 22 52 the race for the two automatic qualifying places for next Rennes 25 12 5 8 29 23 41 season’s Champions League. “We didn’t do much in the first half, but in the second we had a lot of intensity and Lille 25 12 4 9 30 27 40 showed aggressiveness,” said Villas-Boas. “We had 70 minutes of defense and 20 minutes of attack.” He added: Monaco 25 11 5 9 41 40 38 “We talked at half-time about what we would do if we Montpellier 25 10 7 8 32 28 37 got a goal. We played a decent match.” Nigerian international Victor Osimhen gave Lille a Strasbourg 25 11 4 10 32 29 37 51st-minute lead pouncing onto Jonathan Bamba’s pass to Reims 25 9 9 7 23 19 36 beat Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda for his 13th goal of the season, the same number as PSG’s Brazilian Nice 25 10 6 9 36 34 36 superstar Neymar. But Marseille were level in the 67th minute when Reinildo turned a header from Valere Bordeaux 25 9 8 8 35 28 35 Germain into his own goal before Argentine striker Dario Lyon 25 9 7 9 38 26 34 Benedetto grabbed the winner two minutes later. A below-par Marseille could even afford the luxury of Nantes 25 10 4 11 25 27 34 a missed penalty just on the hour when Lille keeper Mike LILLE: Lille’s Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen (left) vies with Marseille’ French defender Jordan Amavi during the Maignan saved from Valentin Rongier. Victory was the French L1 football match between Lille LOSC and Olympique de Marseille at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium on Brest 25 8 9 8 32 33 33 perfect way for Marseille to bounce back from February 16, 2020. — AFP Angers 25 8 6 11 24 33 30 Wednesday’s French Cup exit at the hands of Lyon. Lyon’s poor league form continued with a 1-1 home draw Cornet’s brilliant swinging cross. With three minutes left Kenny Lala curled a shot off Metz 25 6 10 9 24 32 28 against Strasbourg at a blustery Groupama Stadium that Strasbourg, who sit seventh, three points away from the post. Then Strasbourg somehow failed to grab the Saint-Etienne 25 8 4 13 27 41 28 leaves them languishing in mid-table. the European places, were level just before the break. winner in stoppage time. Dimitri Lienard’s free kick from Rudi Garcia’s side are 11th on 34 points after a fourth Kevin Zohi latched onto Majeed Arsis’s through ball and the touchline slapped the base of the post and sprung out NÓmes 25 7 6 12 25 37 27 match without a win, one in which the away side struck slotted home as the Lyon defense and the linesman had to Alexander Djiku, who from centimeters out knocked the post twice late on. “There wasn’t enough going for- their arms aloft for offside. The goal was initially ruled the ball wide of the other upright as his teammates Dijon 25 6 8 11 24 31 26 ward,” said Garcia. “We didn’t create enough goal-scor- out but a VAR check showed that Zohi was onside before looked on in horror. Third-placed Rennes suffered a Amiens 25 4 9 12 29 47 21 ing opportunities and we didn’t shoot enough at goal. We he fed his finish in off the post. The hosts struggled to shock 1-0 home defeat to Reims. Brest moved seven didn’t do enough as the home side.” Burkino Faso inter- break down Strasbourg in the second half. The visitors points clear of the relegation zone after a 3-2 win against Toulouse 25 3 4 18 21 51 13 national Bertrand Traore gave the hosts the lead in the came within inches of snatching the win in the dying Saint-Etienne that plunges the 10-time French champions 21st minute when he stooped to head home Maxwel moments. to within just two points of the drop. — AFP ‘Nothing to lose’ Lazio Haaland goes topple Inter to go 2nd head-to-head with behind Juventus PSG star Mbappe MILAN: Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi gave warning his side are DORTMUND: At just 21, Kylian Mbappe is already a ready to fight for their first Serie A title since 2000 after moving World Cup winner while at only 19, Erling Braut into second in Serie A on Sunday, just one point off leaders Haaland has emerged as a fast-rising star this season. Juventus after a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Inter Milan. As Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi approach the Juventus reclaimed pole position thanks to Paulo Dybala and Juan end of their careers, could Mbappe and Haaland be the Cuadrado’s goals as the Turin giants rediscovered their winning next duo to dominate football? Here, AFP Sport looks form 2-0 at home against Brescia. at the star forwards who meet when Haaland’s Borussia Inter Milan dropped from top spot to third - three points Dortmund host Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain in the behind the eight-time reigning champions - after falling to just their Champions League last 16, first leg, on Tuesday. second defeat of the season. “We need to stay humble and focused but I’m sure we will succeed. We have nothing to lose,” said Erling Braut Haaland Inzaghi. “We know that Juventus and Inter are two great teams and Haaland had barely arrived last month in Dortmund we will do everything to fight to the end, knowing that it will be when the records started tumbling. He justified the 20 very difficult.” million euros ($22 million) Dortmund paid Salzburg by In a fiery clash in the Stadio Olimpico defender Ashley Young becoming the first player to score a hat-trick as a sub- broke through just before the break with his first Serie A goal for stitute on his Bundesliga debut. Having scored 28 goals Inter Milan after his move from Manchester United. The 34-year- ROME: Inter Milan’s Italian head coach Antonio Conte (Rear) reacts during the Italian Serie A football match Lazio in 22 games for Salzburg, including eight in this sea- old got his foot to tap-in off a rebound after Thomas Straskosha Rome vs Inter Milan on February 16, 2020 at the Olympic stadium in Rome.—AFP son’s Champions League group stage, Haaland picked had cleared from former Lazio player Antonio Candreva. A Stefan up in Germany where he left off in Austria. de Vrij foul on Ciro Immobile allowed the Serie A top scorer to slot in his 26th goal in 24 games this season, five minutes after the He made his debut coming off the bench with his Italian Serie A table new team 3-1 down at Augsburg in mid January. He break. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic snatched the winner after 69 min- scored three goals in just 20 minutes to seal a 5-3 vic- utes amid confusion in front of goal. “We gifted Lazio two goals,” tory. The teenager was praised by Dortmund sporting said Inter coach Antonio Conte as the northerners fell to their sec- Italian Serie A table after Sunday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): director Michael Zorc, yet calmly replied: “You signed ond defeat after Juventus in October. Lazio extended their unbeat- Juventus 24 18 3 3 46 23 57 Cagliari 24 8 8 8 38 36 32 me to score goals.” Another two followed in a 5-1 rout en run to 19 games as they target their second Scudetto, with a Lazio 24 17 5 2 55 21 56 Sassuolo 24 8 5 11 38 39 29 of Cologne, then Haaland grabbed two more goals return to Champions League football on the cards for next season. Inter Milan 24 16 6 2 49 22 54 Fiorentina 24 7 7 10 31 35 28 when Union Berlin were crushed 5-0. He claimed his Atalanta 24 13 6 5 63 32 45 Torino 23 8 3 12 27 42 27 eighth goal in four games in Dortmund’s German Cup Ronaldo rested Roma 24 11 6 7 43 32 39 Udinese 24 7 5 12 20 36 26 defeat at Werder Bremen. In Turin, Argentine forward Dybala curled in a perfect free kick Hellas Verona 24 9 8 7 28 24 35 Lecce 24 6 7 11 32 45 25 Haaland netted again in Friday’s 4-0 thumping of six minutes before the break, shortly after Brescia’s Florian Aye was Parma 24 10 5 9 32 30 35 Sampdoria 24 6 5 13 26 43 23 Eintracht Frankfurt to extend his record to nine goals in sent off for two yellow cards in quick succession.