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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014 SPORTS Totti makes history as Roma thwart Man City MANCHESTER: Francesco Totti became Joe Hart’s crossbar from Totti’s feathered the oldest goal-scorer in Champions pass. League history as Roma held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining SILVA SPURNS LATE CHANCE Group E encounter yesterday. Roma continued to press, unsettling The Roma talisman, who turned 38 on City with their pace in wide areas, and Saturday, struck mid-way through the after Hart was called into action by first half to earn Rudi Garcia’s Serie A Gervinho and then Radja Nainggolan, the high-fliers a point after Sergio Aguero visitors equalised in the 23rd minute. had put City ahead with a fourth-minute Totti’s milestone finish from penalty. Nainggolan’s pass was delightful-a Totti’s goal broke a record previously stabbed effort with the outside of his right held by former Manchester United mid- foot that sailed inside the right-hand post- fielder Ryan Giggs and saw him end a but Vincent Kompany had lost track of him run of nine matches without scoring in in the build-up and Hart slipped as he club games on English soil. came out to meet him. It was the first time in seven games City had a penalty shout turned down that Roma had not won this season, but after Jesus Navas’s cross appeared to strike they left the Etihad Stadium the more Kostas Manolas on the hand, but it took a satisfied team following a result that left near-post stop from Hart to prevent them two points below group leaders Gervinho from firing Roma ahead before Bayern Munich. the break. City coach Manuel Pellegrini City, beaten 1-0 by Bayern in their first stiffened his midfield by introducing game, could not make their dominance James Milner for Navas at half-time, but of possession count and may need maxi- Roma continued to threaten. mum points from their forthcoming dou- Totti and Miralem Pjanic both shot nar- ble-header with CSKA Moscow if they are rowly wide from outside the area, while to avoid a third group-stage exit in four Hart had to spread himself to smother an years. effort from Pjanic after City failed to clear A hamstring injury to Morgan De Alessandro Florenzi’s cross. LISBON: Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (right) and Sporting’s Cedric Soares challenge for the ball during a Champions League, Group G soccer match. —AP Sanctis obliged Roma to hand a competi- After Pellegrini sent on Frank Lampard, tion debut to 23-year-old Polish goal- City rallied, with Milner dragging a shot keeper Lukasz Skorupski and his first wide after a driving run and Fernandinho duty was to pick the ball out of the net. charging into the box, only to be crowded Chelsea see off Sporting City old boy Maicon blatantly hauled out by Seydou Keita and Mapou Yanga- Aguero back by the shoulder as he Mbiwa. The chances continued to come at looked to latch onto David Silva’s both ends, with Pjanic blazing over and LISBON: Jose Mourinho enjoyed a happy return was met by a Serbia’s Nemanja Matic and his who was preferred to Willian on the wing but chipped pass and the Argentine got up Skorupski saving a dipping Lampard to his native city of Lisbon yesterday as Chelsea looping header drifted over the head of then substituted by the Brazilian at half-time, to send Skorupski the wrong way from effort. City penned Roma back in the clos- defeated Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in Champions Sporting captain Rui Patricio and into the back should have opened the scoring on 22 minutes the spot. It was an unfortunate return to ing stages, but they could not find a way League Group G action at the Estadio Jose of the net. when he only had to steer a Costa square ball the Etihad for Maicon, a City player from through, with Silva touching fractionally Alvalade. It was Matic’s second career Champions into the gaping goal but somehow screwed his shot wide. 2012 to 2013, but he almost atoned with- wide from Pablo Zabaleta’s cross in stop- The victory takes Chelsea top of the group on League goal in a country he knows well having four points after Schalke 04 and MK Maribor played for Sporting’s city rivals Benfica for three Sporting came out after the break with more in a minute by slamming a shot against page time. —AFP drew 1-1 in Germany to leave them on two seasons before rejoining Chelsea in 2013. venom and came closest to their first goal of the points apiece and Sporting bottom with one He was Cup-tied for Chelsea’s Champions match on 55 minutes when former Manchester point. League campaign last season having played for United winger Nani spurned a close range The defeat for Sporting ended their 16 match Benfica before Mourinho brought him to chance with just Chelsea ‘keeper Thibault unbeaten record at home in European competi- Stamford Bridge during the winter transfer win- Courtois to beat. tion. dow. It was no more than the Londoner’s Algerian Islam Slimani also threatened with a The 51-year-old Mourinho endured a frustrat- deserved but they should have been out of sight header from point blank range but Courtois was ing evening as his side dominated proceedings by that stage. Mourinho, who enjoyed an early again well positioned to make the save. but wasted a hatful of chances before hanging spell in his career as an assistant coach to Bobby Egyptian international Mohamed Salah had a on against a resurgent second half Sporting side Robson at Sporting between 1992 and 1993, chance to put the result beyond doubt in injury who came close on several occasions to sal- gradually lost his composed demeanour as the time when Chelsea again breached the Sporting vaging a point. match grew into a nailbiting affair. Diego Costa back four but the excellent Patricio blocked Chelsea got the breakthrough their first half broke the offside trap as early as the second again in a man-of-the-match performance for dominance deserved, and the only goal of the minute and was clean through on goal from 30 the home side. Chelsea’s next match is at home match from a set-piece on 34 minutes. A far yards but his low shot was deflected behind by against Maribor while Sporting travel to Schalke post cross from the left flank by Eden Hazard Patricio. World Cup winner Andre Schuerrle, on October 21. —AFP Maribor stun Schalke to draw 1-1 GERMANY: Schalke 04 had to come from a goal down to rescue a 1-1 draw against underdogs Maribor yesterday having failed to replicate their improving Bundesliga form in the Champions League. Damjan Bohar gave the visiting Slovenians a surprise lead against the run of play in the 37th minute with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar levelling 11 minutes after the restart before Schalke missed several good chances to win the game in the second half. The Ruhr valley club, who had recovered their league form with two wins in succession, looked slow at the back and were repeatedly caught napping despite dominating possession. The result leaves the Germans on two points in Group G, following their opening draw at Chelsea, with Maribor also on two, following their 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon. Schalke were eager to confirm their improv- ing form and, with Julian Draxler back from a league suspension, showed their intentions from the start, Dutchman Huntelaar racing into the box but firing against the keeper. Despite the hosts’ domination, it was LONDON: Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany (right) jumps over Roma’s Francesco Maribor’s Dare Vrsic who almost scored when he Totti during a Champions League Group E soccer match. —AP tried his luck with an audacious 50-metre lob with Schalke keeper Ralf Faehrmann out of posi- tion, but his effort landed on top of the net. GERMANY: Schalke’s Christian Fuchs duels for the ball with Maribor’s Dare Vrsic during the Kevin-Prince Boateng should have done bet- Champions League Group G soccer match. —AP ter when he headed a deep Christian Fuchs cross Ajax pay the penalty as wide at the far post as Schalke kept the sent through down the left wing after some as the hosts breathed a collective sigh of relief. Slovenians on the back foot but lacked a clinical quick passing. The goal sparked Schalke into life, and they Apoel hold out for draw finish. Schalke shook off the setback early in the sec- spent most of the second half in the Maribor They were also vulnerable at the back when ond half when Huntelaar made the most of a box, Boateng and Draxler repeatedly going NICOSIA: Ajax Amsterdam and APOEL session, were left most annoyed after Maribor decided to counter-attack, and in the bad backpass from Viler to thread the ball past close, but the Germans failed to add to their played out an exciting 1-1 draw in the squandering the lead. 37th minute Bohar slotted in after Mitja Viler was two defenders and keeper Jasmin Handanovic score.—Reuters Champions League yesterday but both Andersen opened the scoring for the sides were left regretting missing the Dutch champions when the ball fell to him opportunity to seize all three points. after Lasse Schone’s tame effort was beaten Al Hilal in Asian Champions League final Gustavo Manduca’s penalty just after away by keeper Uker Pardo.