ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 SPORTS 14 Skriniar boosts team’s chances of winning fi rst Italian league title Inter down Atalanta to go six points clear of Serie A MILAN, March 9, (AP): Inter Milan moved six points clear at the top of Se- rie A after a 1-0 win at home against high-scoring Atalanta. Defender Milan Škriniar scored early in the second half and boosted In- ter’s chances of winning its fi rst Italian league title in more than a decade. Inter’s seventh successive win saw it restore its healthy advantage over second-placed AC Milan. It is also 10 points clear of third-placed Juventus, which has played a match less. “Our rivals had won and closed the gap so it was inevitable that we felt a certain pressure, which will keep on increasing,” Inter coach Antonio Conte said. “Moreover, we were facing an Atal- anta side which takes points off all the big teams. We’ve taken home a really important win against a team which could have disrupted our title bid but which is now 13 points behind us.” SOCCER It was the fi rst time Atalanta failed to score away from home in Serie A since 2019, and Gian Piero Gasperini’s side remained fi fth, a point behind Roma. “We had a good match, we’re satis- fi ed but angry because of the result,” Gasperini said. “For the game that we had we feel we deserved more than a defeat. “But we were playing against Inter, which is fi rst in the standings and on course for the title: it’s their year. We’ll come out of this match stronger, with more belief.” Atalanta scored 11 goals in its past three matches and came closest to tak- ing the lead at the end of a tense fi rst half as fi rst Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanović pulled off a fantastic save to deny Duván Zapata then Marcelo Brozović had to clear from practically on the line from the ensuing corner. Inter broke the deadlock nine min- utes after the break when Atalanta failed to properly clear a corner and Škriniar fi red the loose ball into the bottom left corner. Inter held on for its seventh clean Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata, (right), fi ghts for the ball with Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Atalanta at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, sheet in its past nine league matches. It on March 8. (AP) has conceded only two goals in that run. Klinsmann wishes Hertha well Chelsea retain fourth in EPL Löw to quit as Germany coach after European Championship BERLIN, March 9, (AP): Joachim Löw will step down as Germany coach with home win over Everton after this year’s European Champion- ship. The German soccer federation said Top 4-chasing West Ham blank Leeds 2-0 Tuesday that Löw asked to terminate his contract, which was to run through the 2022 World Cup, after this year’s LONDON, March 9, (AP): tournament. Kai Havertz is fi nally mak- Loew, who coached Germany to its ing an impact at Chelsea fourth World Cup title in 2014, said in a statement that he was taking the step and helping the pursuit of “full of pride and huge gratitude, but Champions League qualifi - still with unwaveringly great motiva- cation. tion as far as the upcoming European The Germany playmaker Championship is concerned.” Havertz has struggled to convince Meanwhile, former United States coach Jürgen Klinsmann is enjoying In this June 14, 2018 fi le photo, since joining from Bayer Lev- the tranquility of Californian life after coach of German national soccer erkusen in the offseason for up to his brief but tumultuous time in charge team Joachim Loew carries two 70 million pounds (then $92 mil- of Hertha Berlin, and looking forward balls during a training session at the lion). to a brighter future for American soc- 2018 soccer World Cup in Vatutinki Havertz struggled under previous cer. near Moscow, Russia. (AP) Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, Klinsmann left Hertha in chaos in suffering lasting effects from a coro- February 2020 when he quit the Ger- European qualifi cation on the back of navirus infection and battling for man club abruptly after 10 weeks as investments totaling 374 million euros regular fi rst-team action. coach. ($450 million) from Windhorst. “Now looking back, it’s sad to see But Havertz helped Chelsea to beat the club where they are,” Klinsmann Everton 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and SOCCER said. “I just hope for the club that was unlucky not to have a goal to his they figure out a way to get away name after starring in the false nine A subsequent report he wrote for the from the danger of really getting rel- position. egated.” Havertz was unlucky not to be Hertha backer Lars Windhorst, who initially brought him in as an adviser, Hertha has a new managing director credited with Chelsea’s fi rst goal, in former Sky Germany CEO Carsten with Ben Godfrey’s defl ection even- caused a furor after being leaked to the Bild tabloid, which published incendi- Schmidt, and there is talk of Fredi Bo- tually confi rmed as an own goal. The bic joining as sporting director from lively forward later saw a neat fi nish ary extracts. Klinsmann wrote that Hertha’s Eintracht Frankfurt. Bobic is leaving ruled out for handball before winning Frankfurt after fi ve successful years at a penalty that Jorginho converted. management should be replaced im- mediately, and he blasted the players the end of this season. for not being willing to suffer for the “I think (it) will be fantastic for the SOCCER club. club because Fredi is a proven person- “Everything that was written in the ality in the business there,” Klinsmann paper was true. It was just my sum- said. “I wish the club would fi nd the “I’m very happy with his per- mary for the investor. And now unfor- right people.” formance, no doubt about his qual- tunately a year after that happened, it Klinsmann coached the US from ity his talent and also not about his proves to be right for a lot of other peo- 2011-16 and has enjoyed watching his character,” Chelsea manager Thomas ple in Germany,” Klinsmann said in a ideas take hold with American players Tuchel said. “He needs to adapt to video call with journalists last week. such as Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), the Premier League, he needs to be at Klinsmann remains proud of his Weston McKennie (Juventus), Tyler a club where you play to win every work at Hertha, and pointed out that he Adams (Leipzig) and Sergiño Dest game, where the highest standards left the team in a better position then (Barcelona) playing for Europe’s top are normal. That’s a normal process – six points above the relegation zone sides. “Champions League teams! You also for him to adapt to this mental- Chelsea’s Timo Werner, (left), jumps for a header with Everton’s Lucas Digne during the English Premier League – than it is in now. ity.” “I moved on and they moved back know, this is awesome. This is some- Chelsea’s mean-spirited defense soccer match between Chelsea and Everton at the Stamford Bridge Stadium in London, on March 8. (AP) in the same direction, unfortunately,” thing that everybody should be proud under Tuchel continues to set new Chelsea boasts nine clean sheets in life at the club. was saved by Leeds goalkeeper Ilan Klinsmann said. of. Everybody involved in the devel- While he has been enjoying relative opment of those players,” Klinsmann standards in west London. The Ger- Tuchel’s 11 matches in charge, and It leaves Chelsea two points ahead Meslier but he netted from the re- man has now become the fi rst man- of fi fth-placed West Ham, which beat bound. peace at home in Huntington Beach, said. He foresees the sport’s popularity ager to secure fi ve clean sheets in his only Maurizio Sarri with 12 games Hertha has remained in turmoil. growing even more as the US prepares Leeds 2-0 in the other game. “Once that fi rst goal came, we set- to host the World Cup in 2026. fi rst fi ve home league games. has enjoyed a longer unbeaten start to A year ago, West Ham was out of tled down and now we’re starting to General manager Michael Preetz – against whom Klinsmann clashed dur- “It’s pretty cool,” said Klinsmann, the relegation zone only on goal dif- learn to win ugly,” West Ham captain who predicted the American team also ference. Now the east London club is Declan Rice said. ing his time as coach – has since been fi red by the club, ending his 25-year making a “big, big splash” splash at chasing European qualifi cation. West Ham extended its lead when association with the club, and Pál Dár- the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under West Ham took the lead in the 21st Craig Dawson arrived at the far post dai has returned as coach in a bid to coach Gregg Berhalter. minute with virtually its fi rst attack. to head in Aaron Cresswell’s corner save it from relegation. Klinsmann was a prolifi c striker for Jesse Lingard played a neat one- in the 28th. Hertha’s win over Augsburg on Sat- Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Tottenham and two with Said Benrahma and skipped “We didn’t play the best, but we’re urday was its fi rst in 10 games and it Bayern Munich among other clubs.