Established 1961 15 Sports Sunday, April 22, 2018 Roma warm up for Liverpool with 3-0 win over SPAL SPAL fell to their first defeat in nine games MILAN: Roma warmed up for next week’s Champions Roma’s top scorer Edin Dzeko stayed on the bench League clash with Liverpool by easing past SPAL 3-0 alongside captain Daniele De Rossi with the visitors yesterday to keep their push for elite European football missing three chances in the first half-Stephan El next season on track. Eusebio Di Francesco’s side have Shaarawy misfiring twice and Lorenzo Pellegrini also 67 points from 34 games-three ahead of city rivals missing a third opportunity. Lazio who can pull level again when they host But Pellegrini contributed to the opener, crossing a Sampdoria today. “The performance was excellent,” low ball into the area as Vicari turned into his own net said coach Eusebio Di Francesco. “The team’s attitude when trying to anticipate Kevin Strootman in a scram- three days before such an important match with ble in front of goal. Nainggolan missed a chance for a Liverpool is an important second with the Belgian step in the right direction, I’m sending the ball into the side really happy with this per- netting just before the break. formance today, I got impor- tant answers. “This is a side SCHICK BREAKTHROUGH that has great goals in its But seven minutes into the head, a team that looks at the Performance second half Nainggolan sent present and not the future, a diagonal half-volley into and it’s a moment of great was excellent the bottom corner, with satisfaction for me.” He Pellegrini setting up Schick added: “The only downside to head in the third on the was that in the first half we hour mark. It was the first could have scored more. goal for Czech forward “Of course against Schick since he joined Roma Liverpool this precision and solidity we must have from on loan from Sampdoria last August. the beginning.” A Francesco Vicari own goal gave the “Finally, I’ve been waiting for too long,” said Schick Romans a first-half lead in Ferrara with Radja whose season had been hampered by injuries. “It was MILAN: Roma’s Czech forward Patrik Schick (L) heads the ball and scores a goal during the Italian Serie A football Nainggolan and Patrik Schick adding two more in an tough today and very hot, so it was important to get the match betweel SPAL and AS Roma at the Paolo Mazza Stadium in Ferrara yesterday. — AFP eight-minute spell in the second half. win. “Now there’s Liverpool, we must prepare for that SPAL fell to their first defeat in nine games leaving game and have the same attitude we did against their top-flight survival increasingly in doubt as they Barcelona.” “Liverpool are a side of great quality. The first leg is head-to-head today in a clash which could decide the sit just one point above the relegation zone. Di Roma’s Champions League rivals Liverpool mean- away from home and that can be an advantage, but also Serie A title. Francesco rotated his side ahead of Tuesday’s while were held 2-2 in Premier League action yester- makes it very difficult to prepare tactically. Napoli have reduced the deficit to four points on Champions League semi-final at Anfield with day. “They’re not very solid in defence, but Liverpool “I know the starting eleven, it’s all planned, but I Juventus with five games to play. But history does not Argentinian left-back Jonathan Silva getting his first are the kind of team where if they score six and con- won’t tell you. I can say that Edin Dzeko will play.” favour Maurizio Sarri’s side who have always lost in the start since his January signing. cede three, they’re happy,” said Di Francesco. Champions Juventus and second-placed Napoli go Allianz Stadium. — AFP Bayern tune up for Real Zaha denied penalty with victory shouts as Watford, at Hanover Palace share point WATFORD: Watford and Crystal Palace continued to BERLIN: Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich inch towards Premier League safety after a scrappy goal- warmed up for Real Madrid with a 3-0 win at Hanover less draw at Vicarage Road yesterday that means the 96 yesterday as Thomas Mueller and Robert home side have taken just two points from a possible 21. Lewandowski both scored after coming off the bench. Wilfried Zaha always looked the most likely to break the Mueller struck within 12 minutes of his half-time intro- deadlock, with Watford struggling to control his trickery duction before Lewandowski doubled the lead and by whatever means possible. The Palace winger repeated- Sebastian Rudy added a third after coach Jupp ly drew challenges from an increasingly desperate Heynckes started a weakened team. defence and twice had penalty appeals turned down, one With one eye on Wednesday’s blockbuster of which led to a booking for simulation. Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Real, Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure was so incensed by Heynckes left out several regulars while handing 18- his behaviour that he was also yellow carded for push- year-old centre-back Lars Lukas Mai his Bundesliga ing Zaha after one appeal. With his name already in the debut. Arjen Robben captained the side with Thiago referee’s notebook, Doucoure could easily have been Alcantara, James Rodriguez and Jerome Boateng the dismissed. Although neither side really deserved to win, only other outfield players in Saturday’s line-up likely Palace hit the post twice and Watford once. The home to start against Real. side started with a greater sense of purpose and almost Both sides had their chances in a goalless first half HANOVER: Bayern Munich’s forward Sandro Wagner (R) and Hanover’s Croatian defender Josip Elez (L) vie for went in front when Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey had before Bayern pulled away after Mueller replaced the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Hannover 96 vs Bayern Munich in to be at his sharpest to prevent an own goal from Joel Robben, the Germany international striking on 57 min- Hanover, yesterday. — AFP Ward. The second half, though, largely belonged to the utes when his first-time shot from a Juan Bernat cross visitors as Zaha became increasingly influential and deflected off Salif Sane and past goalkeeper Philipp Luka Milivojevic was unlucky not to break the deadlock Tschauner. Uth, Serge Gnabry and Pavel Kaderabek all scored as fered a cup hangover, after beating Schalke in in the second half. In the end, there were no goals but Bayern’s top scorer Lewandowski added a second Leipzig’s defence buckled in the opening 45 minutes. Wednesday’s semi-final, and remain seventh. Club cap- plenty of bookings with referee Chris Kavanagh issuing just six minutes after coming on himself. Rudy swung in Naby Keita pulled a goal back before the hour mark, tain Christian Gentner and Berkay Ozcan scored eight cards. a corner and the Polish forward headed home to score but Uth scored his second goal with a header before Stuttgart’s goals in their 2-0 victory over Werder Watford defender Adrian Mariappa said: “It was a for the 38th time this season in all competitions. midfielder Lukas Rupp hit Hoffenheim’s fifth. England Bremen. tough game. We take the point and the clean sheet. Defensive midfielder Rudy capped the win a minute Under-21 international Ademola Lookman, on loan from Ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lewis Holtby They’ve got a lot of good players and it’s down to us to from time to leave Bayern 23 points clear of second- Everton, set up Dayot Upamecano to score Leipzig’s boosted Hamburg’s hopes of avoiding relegation with keep them quiet. “It’s a massive clean sheet for us. placed Schalke, who are at bottom side Cologne today. second on 88 minutes. The result leaves Hoffenheim their 1-0 win at home to Freiburg. Holtby jinked Everyone from top to bottom put in a real shift today. Ten-man RB Leipzig crashed to a 5-2 home defeat by fifth, just two points from the Champions League through the Freiburg defence and tapped home just We’re fully focused on the rest of the games and it’s a Hoffenheim in a key clash for the Champions League places, while six-placed Leipzig are four adrift. Mid- after the break to leave second-from-bottom Hamburg good opportunity to pick up some points.” The win leaves places next season. Swedish international Emil table Hertha Berlin romped to a 3-0 win at German Cup five points from safety with three games left. Hamburg Palace six points clear of relegation with Watford three Forsberg was sent off for a foul on Florian Grillitsch just finalists Eintracht Frankfurt as Davie Selke, Mathew are the only current Bundesliga to have played in every points and places above them in 12th. — Reuters after the break with Hoffenheim already 3-0 up. Mark Leckie and Alexander Esswein scored. Frankfurt suf- season since its foundation in 1963. — AFP retired from his Australian Open quarter-final against Nadal sees off Marin Cilic in January with a hip injury, has shown no Matches on TV signs of rust. (Local Timings) Following a 6-0, 6-2 last-eight demolition of Dimitrov to Dominic Thiem, Nadal has lost only 16 games in four matches this week. ENGLAND FA CUP Chelsea v Southampton 17:00 cruise into Monte Dimitrov immediately put Nadal’s serve under pres- beIN SPORTS HD 1 sure with two perfectly-judged lobs forcing deuce, but the top seed came through an eight-minute opener.