SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2017 SPORTS

Slick Manchester City cruise into FA Cup semi-finals

MIDDLESBROUGH: Manchester City currently languishing in the relegation Zabaleta and any one of three players Leadbitter. Leadbitter, whose inevitable forced him off to be replaced by the for- cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals with a zone after failing to win any of their last 10 could have put the ball beyond the goal- booking eventually came at the end of the mer City forward Alvaro Negredo. 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough yesterday as Premier League games, all City’s world- keeper Brad Guzan, with Silva applying the half, was employed more impressively Pep Guardiola showed he is taking the class players were involved, despite the finishing touch. when Middlesbrough finally troubled City ELECTRIFYING competition seriously. fact they face Monaco in a decisive It was a goal destined to further erode midway through the half. The midfielder’s Negredo spent the rest of the opening Goals from David Silva and Sergio Champions League last 16 second leg on the fragile confidence of a Middlesbrough corner was met by Rudy Gestede, whose half watching from a distance as his cur- Aguero were scant reward for City as they Wednesday. City’s extra class soon sur- team that struggled to find an immediate header was parried by goalkeeper Claudio rent team came under constant pressure, easily out-classed Middlesbrough, who faced as three of Guardiola’s big guns com- response apart from two dreadful tackles, Bravo before Zabaleta completed the notably from Leroy Sane, who failed to must have feared such an outcome when bined to open the scoring in the third one that earned a caution for Antonio clearance on the line. Another header from take advantage of a cross from Raheem they witnessed the team named by minute. Yaya Toure’s angled pass was Barragan and another that should have Gestede drifted over the bar a minute later Sterling before almost creating a goal at Guardiola. Ominously for Middlesbrough, headed back across goal by Pablo brought the same punishment for Grant in his final contribution before an injury the end of an electrifying run.—AFP Niasse double is Hull’s Silva lining

from Everton, was fed by Abel Hernandez and he slotted home. Niasse looked a dif- Hull City 2 ferent player from the one who failed abysmally at Everton and doubled his tally with a superb effort 12 minutes from time. There was just enough time for Swansea Swansea 1 defender Alfie Mawson to grab a consola- tion goal. — AFP

KINGSTON UPON HULL: Oumar Niasse proved an inspired substitution by Marco Silva as his second-half double boosted Matches on TV Hull’s hopes of retaining their Premier (Local Timings) League status with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Swansea yesterday. English Premier League Niasse, on loan from Everton, struck in Southampton v Manchester United 6:30 the 69th and 78th minutes to give Hull beIN SPORTS their third win over Swansea this season- Liverpool v Burnley 19:00 their other win coming in the FA Cup-and beIN SPORTS saw them rise to third from bottom just a Spanish League point off Crystal Palace, although the latter have a game in hand. Real Sociedad v Bilbao 4:00 beIN SPORTS Swansea-who have lost seven of their Deportivo v Barcelona 18:15 last 11 games-remain firmly embroiled in beIN SPORTS the battle for survival just three points clear Vigo v Villarreal 20:30 of Hull. Chances were few and far between beIN SPORTS in a tight opening half hour with just one Real Madrid v Real Betis 22:45 MUNICH: Bayern’s Thomas Mueller, right, tries to score in front of Frankfurt goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky during the German Bundesliga soccer piece of creative wizardry by Swansea’s beIN SPORTS match between FC Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena stadium in Munich, Germany, yesterday. — AP playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson teeing up Italian Calcio League Wayne Routledge, whose shot was on tar- SOCCER get but well saved by Eldin Jakupovic. Sassuolo Calcio v Bologna 14:30 The visitors dominated the match even beIN SPORTS Inter Milano v Atalanta 17:00 though they created little in the way of beIN SPORTS 4 HD scoring opportunities-Fernando Llorente Napoli v Crotone 17:00 being well-marshalled by the Hull defence- beIN SPORTS 9 HD Bayern go 10 points but their rhythm was disrupted when Chievo Verona v Empoli 17:00 Angel Rangel had to go off injured to be beIN SPORTS replaced by Jordi Amat. Pescara v Udinese Calcio 17:00 Even worse for the Swans was the sight beIN SPORTS of Llorente trudging off injured just before Fiorentina v Cagliari 17:00 clear as rivals crash the break after coming off worse in a colli- beIN SPORTS sion with Tom Huddlestone. Citta di Palermo v Roma 22:45 beIN SPORTS 4 HD Huddlestone scuffed a great chance to BERLIN: Robert Lewandowski scored twice for Heimes, who founded a charity for children give the hosts the lead shortly after the German League Bayern Munich to extend its Bundesliga lead with cancer, was a motivating factor in FREIBURG 1, HOFFENHEIM 1 restart, Lukasz Fabianski getting down well Schalke v Augsburg 17:30 yesterday with a 3-0 win over an Eintracht Darmstadt’s promotion in 2015. Swedish mid- Three minutes after Maximilian Philipp put to save. Routledge had Swansea manager beIN SPORTS Frankfurt side hit by injuries and illness. Bayern, fielder Robin Quaison pulled one back and Freiburg ahead with a penalty, Andrej Kramaric Paul Clement wringing his hands in despair Hamburger v Monchengladbach 19:30 which stretched its unbeaten run to 18 games Darmstadt suffered a further blow on the hour equalized on the hour-mark. as shortly afterwards he skied over the bar beIN SPORTS across all competitions, capitalized on second- when Mario Vrancic was sent off with his second Hoffenheim stayed fourth in the last qualifi- from close range with Jakupovic out of placed Leipzig’s 1-0 defeat at home to Wolfsburg yellow. But Stefan Bell was sent off late for Mainz cation place for the Champions League, two position. Silva then made the crucial call to French League to stretch its lead to 10 points with 10 games and the league’s bottom side held on for just its points ahead of Hertha. Ingolstadt was hosting remove Alfred N’Diaye and send on Niasse Saint Etienne v Metz 17:00 remaining. Frankfurt made the better start and fourth win of the season. Cologne for the late game. — AP largely because the former was close to beIN SPORTS Bayern needed defender Mats Hummels to Olympique Lyonnais v Toulouse 19:00 getting sent off after bringing down make a goal saving tackle to deny Branimir beIN SPORTS Hrgota early on. Good work from Thomas Sigurdsson. Lorient v Paris Saint 23:00 King treble gives Bournemouth Within minutes the change had paid beIN SPORTS Mueller on the right allowed Lewandowski to dividends as the Senegalese striker, on loan score a tap-in with Bayern’s first big chance in the 38th. Mueller, who scored 32 goals in all vital 3-2 win over West Ham competitions for Bayern last season, has only one league goal so far but this was his 10th ninth minute. After West Ham’s Sofiane Everton ease past West assist. Playing on the other side of the pitch, Feghouli fouled Charlie Daniels in the area it David Alaba sprinted clear to set up Douglas Bournemouth 3 was King who stepped up to take the penalty Brom to close on top four Costa for Bayern’s second minutes later. but his effort went wide of the post. Frankfurt had three big chances in the first Forty eight seconds later the London side Sunday, have 52. “Our target is to play next half but couldn’t make them count. Arjen went ahead when Feghouli found Michail season in Europe. We know maybe seventh Robben then crossed for Lewandowski’s second West Ham 2 Antonio who turned smartly to shoot past position will bring it,” Everton manager goal 10 minutes after the break, taking the Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Everton 3 Ronald Koeman said. “It was an outstand- Poland striker’s league tally to 21 goals this sea- King levelled in the 31st minute with a clini- ing team performance. “In the second half, son. Frankfurt’s troubles were compounded BOURNEMOUTH: Joshua King scored a hat- cal finish before Bournemouth were awarded we controlled it. Our defensive organisa- when captain Makoto Hasebe, the league’s most trick and missed one of two penalties another penalty when Marc Pugh went down tion from set plays was outstanding.” capped Japanese player with 236 appearances, Bournemouth squandered as they edged a in the area, only for Benik Afobe to have his West Brom 0 Mirallas struck in the 39th minute when was taken to hospital for stitches to a cut on his five-goal thriller 3-2 against West Ham United kick saved by Darren Randolph. he was on hand to fire home a rebound shin. Marco Russ came on in his place for his to move six points away from Premier League Bournemouth started the second half as after Ross Barkley’s shot was saved. second appearance since returning from treat- relegation danger yesterday. they did the first and King converted from EVERTON: Everton closed to within five Frenchman stroked in Everton’s second just ment for testicular cancer. Bournemouth’s failure from the spot looked close-range after Afobe’s knockdown, though points of the top-four with a convincing before halftime after a fine pass by Lukaku. Bayern defender Jerome Boateng came on to have cost them two points when West Ham there was an anxious wait while the referee defeat of a lacklustre West Bromwich The visitors hardly threatened the for the final 25 minutes to make his return from substitute Andre Ayew pulled the visitors level consulted his assistants to determine if Afobe Albion at Goodison Park yesterday. Everton goal and the hosts scored again nearly four months out due to injury. at 2-2 eight minutes from time but King used his hand in the build-up. Goals shortly before halftime from Kevin near the end when Lukaku headed in capped an action-packed afternoon by lashing West Ham sent on Ghana forward Ayew Mirallas and Morgan Schneiderlin-his first Barkley’s cross. West Brom remain eighth, LEIPZIG 0, WOLFSBURG 1 home a 90th-minute winner. and his astute finish seemed to have earned a for the club-put Everton in control and seven points behind Everton. Mario Gomez’ remarkable run of scoring in A timely first league win in 2017 put draw until King capped a tremendous display West Brom’s response was negligible. West Brom manager Pulis said his side every game under coach Andries Jonker contin- Bournemouth, who are 14th, on 30 points to to fire home after Jack Wilshere’s effort was Romelu Lukaku headed Everton’s third late had matched their opponents before ued at Leipzig, where the Germany striker scored 18th-placed Hull’s 24. saved. “In the end, definitely we deserved to on to take his league tally for the season to falling behind. “Conceding the two goals in the ninth minute. Gomez, who played under “It sums up the Premier League really-the get something out of the game but they 19, level with Harry Kane at the top of the before halftime killed us. Before that we Jonker in his five games as interim coach at ups and downs are extreme but I think we played well and played with great aggression,” Premier League scoring charts. were in the game,” he said. “Our players Bayern, has 11 goals in seven games with the played well,” Bournemouth manager Eddie West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said. Everton, whose only defeat in 10 league have worked really hard. You’d think it was Dutchman in charge. Daniel Didavi should have Howe said. “It’s a demanding league but I am “They missed two penalties too so we were games was last week’s 3-2 reverse at a stroll in the park if you hadn’t watched made it 2-0 in the second half only to hit the proud of my players-they never give in and lucky we were only down by one goal. We had Tottenham Hotspur, remain in seventh spot the game, but it was anything but. Everton post, then the Leipzig keeper at the second showed that again today.” situations to go two up but didn’t take them with 47 points from 28 games. Fourth- are the best team outside the top six. attempt, before Gomez hit the post again from Bournemouth’s penalty woes began in the so we are disappointed.” — Reuters placed Liverpool, who host Burnley on They’ve got real quality.”— Reuters the rebound. HERTHA BERLIN 2, BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1 Hertha held on to halt third-placed Dortmund’s four-game winning run in all com- petitions and consolidated fifth place with a typ- ically gritty performance. Captain Vedad Ibisevic crossed for Salomon Kalou to score early, and Dortmund was grateful to Raphael Guerreiro for clearing off the line from Kalou afterward as the home side maintained its good start. Kalou missed another good chance before the break. Seconds after Lewandowski matched his 21-goal tally in Munich, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalized, first playing the ball to Guerreiro with his heel, then running to accept Shinji Kagawa’s through ball to score his league-leading 22nd of the season. It was his eighth goal in four games in all competitions. But Marvin Plattenhardt scored what proved to be the winner with a bril- liant free kick inside the top corner with 20 min- utes remaining.

DARMSTADT 2, MAINZ 1 The hosts played in special shirts with the logo, “You must fight, now more than ever,” in honor of Darmstadt fan Jonathan Heimes, who died of cancer in March last year. BOURNEMOUTH: Bournemouth’s Norwegian striker Joshua King controls the ball during Darmstadt raced into an early lead through LIVERPOOL: Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, center, battles for the ball with West the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and West Ham United captain Aytac Sulu’s header from a corner and Bromwich Albion’s Allan Nyom, left, and Gareth McAuley during the English Premier at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England yesterday. —AFP League soccer match at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, yesterday. — AP Sidney Sam’s cooly taken penalty.