De Villiers sparkles Catch me if as South Africa you can edge India MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 201517 18 The soccer man everyone wants in Europe Page 19 YEREVAN: Albania’s Armando Sadiku (left) vies for the ball with Armenia’s Karlen Mkrtchyan (right) during the Euro 2016 Group I qualifying football match. — AFP Albania, Romania clinch Euro berths PARIS: Albania qualified for their first Portugal, already through as group win- fying spot in Group F after easing past the belatedly recorded their first victory with major international tournament yesterday ners, registered their seventh successive Faroe Islands in Torshavn. Constantin Panagiotis Kone’s 86th-minute strike lead- Euro 2016 qualifying tables as they beat Armenia 3-0 to book their qualifying victory as they overcame nine- Budescu scored twice with Alexandru ing them past Hungary 4-3. place at Euro 2016 alongside Romania, man Serbia 2-1 in Belgrade. Maxim also on target to ensure Romania The Hungarians, who last qualified for PARIS: Euro 2016 qualifyin tables after yesterday’s earlymatches: who won 3-0 in the Faroe Islands. Defeat at The visitors were without the rested went through as group runners-up behind the finals in 1972, remain in contention to Group A home to Serbia on Thursday had left Cristiano Ronaldo but took a fifth-minute European Championship debutants qualify as the best third placed team, how- Iceland 9 6 2 1 17 5 20 — qualified Albania needing three points in Yerevan to lead through stand-in skipper Nani as the Northern Ireland, who rounded out their ever, but need Spain to avoid defeat to Czech Rep 9 6 1 2 16 12 19 — qualified Turkey 9 4 3 2 13 9 15 edge ahead of Denmark to claim second ex-Manchester United winger converted qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw in Ukraine in Kiev on Monday. Netherlands 9 4 1 4 15 11 13 place in Group I and they made the most of the rebound after Danny’s shot was saved Finland. Later, world champions Germany will Latvia 9 0 5 4 6 18 5 their second chance. Kamo Hovhannisyan by Vladimir Stojkovic. Craig Cathcart’s 31st-minute goal in bid to wrap up a qualifying spot when they Kazakhstan 9 0 2 7 6 18 2 turned into his own net to give Albania a Serbia replied through Zoran Tosic on Helsinki put Michael O’Neill’s side in front host Group D opponents Georgia in Group B ninth-minute lead before Berat Xhimshiti 65 minutes but Joao Moutinho’s terrific but Paulus Arajuuri’s late equaliser earned Leipzig. Belgium 9 6 2 1 21 4 20 — qualified made it 2-0 midway through the first half. curling strike handed Portugal all three Finland a share of the spoils. Joachim Loew’s men will book their Wales 9 5 3 1 9 4 18 — qualified Bosnia-Herz 9 4 2 3 14 10 14 Substitute Armando Sadiku then added points as the hosts saw both Aleksandar A point was still enough for Northern tickets to France by avoiding defeat, while Israel 9 4 1 4 15 11 13 a third 14 minutes from time as Gianni De Mitrovic and Nemanja Matic sent off Ireland to finish top of the group, though, Poland and the Republic of Ireland meet in Cyprus 9 4 0 5 14 14 12 Biasi’s side secured their spot at next sum- late on. becoming the first ever fifth seed to do so. Warsaw with both countries still chasing an Andorra 9 0 0 9 4 34 0 mer’s tournament in France. Romania nailed down the second quali- Greece, the 2004 European champions, automatic qualification berth. — AFP Group C Spain 9 8 0 1 22 3 24 — qualified Slovakia 9 6 1 2 13 6 19 Ukraine 9 6 1 2 14 3 19 Kenyan duo clinch Chicago Marathon Belarus 9 3 1 5 8 14 10 Luxembourg 9 1 1 7 4 23 4 Macedonia 9 1 0 8 6 18 3 CHICAGO: Dickson Chumba captured the Chicago tance running powerhouses dominated both elite pipe dream. This has definitely been a hard last 11 Marathon men’s title yesterday, leading the second fields. months.” Kiplagat finished third here in 2014 but was Group D Germany 9 6 1 2 22 8 19 straight Kenyan podium sweep by finishing ahead of Chumba’s time was five minutes slower than Eliud awarded second place after Jeptoo was stripped of her Poland 9 5 3 1 31 9 18 Sammy Kitwara and Sammy Ndungu. Kipchoge’s winning time last year at 2:04.11. The world title because of doping. R of Ireland 9 5 3 1 18 5 18 Chumba crossed the finish line in 2hr 09min 25sec record stands at 2:02.57. Kiplagat still had enough energy after completing Scotland 9 3 3 3 16 12 12 Georgia 9 3 0 6 9 14 9 to beat Kitwara (2:09.50) in a race that featured slower Chumba said he hopes to return in 2016 to defend the 26.2 mile course to celebrate her victory with a Gibraltar 9 0 0 9 2 50 0 times than usual after organizers decided not to his title. “Maybe next year to win,” he said. “I need to run thumbs up followed by three quick leaps for joy in the include pace-setters. maybe a faster time.” The decision to drop the pace-set- finish area. Group E England 9 9 0 0 28 3 27 — qualified Ndungu (2:10.06) claimed the bronze, outsprinting ters made for a slower race but was done to try and “The course for me was very nice,” she said. “It was a Switzerland 9 6 0 3 23 8 18 — qualified Ethiopia’s Girmay Birhanu Gebru (2:10.07) down the combat doping in the sport. flat course, sometimes it’s windy, but that is part of Slovenia 9 4 1 4 16 11 13 stretch for the final podium position. Rita Jeptoo, a three-time women’s winner of the competition.” Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese finished sec- Estonia 9 3 1 5 4 8 10 Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat won the women’s title in a Boston Marathon and two-time winner in Chicago, is ond in 2:23.43 while Birhane Dibaba of Ethiopia placed Lithuania 9 3 1 5 7 15 10 San Marino 9 0 1 8 1 34 1 time of 2:23.33 as athletes from the East African dis- the biggest name in Kenyan athletics to be swept up in third in 2:24.24. — AFP the doping scandal that has cast a shadow over the dis- Group F tance running community. N Ireland 10 6 3 1 16 8 21 — qualified Romania 10 5 5 0 11 2 20 — qualified Chumba took command of the race in the 23rd mile, Hungary 10 4 4 2 11 9 16 pulling away from Kitwara and Abera Kuma to post a Finland 10 3 3 4 9 10 12 25 second victory. It was also the third sweep of the Faroes 10 2 0 8 6 17 6 podium by the Kenyans in the last five years. Greece 10 1 3 6 7 14 6 Despite a slower time on Sunday, Chumba, who fin- Group G ished third in Chicago last year in 2:04.32, improved his Austria 9 8 1 0 19 5 25 — qualified podium position by two spots. Russia 9 5 2 2 19 5 17 Sweden 9 4 3 2 13 9 15 He has been one of the most consistent runners Montenegro 9 3 2 4 10 11 11 over the last year, winning the Tokyo Marathon in 2014 Liechtenstein 9 1 2 6 2 23 5 and finishing third there earlier this year. Moldova 9 0 2 7 4 14 2 In his last unpaced major marathon in 2013 he fin- Group H ished seventh (2:14.08) in Boston. Pre-race favourite Italy 9 6 3 0 1 6 21 — qualified Kitwara had been hoping to finally reach the top of the Norway 9 6 1 2 12 8 19 Croatia 9 5 3 1 19 5 17 podium after finishing fourth in 2012, third in 2013 and Bulgaria 9 2 2 5 7 12 8 second in 2014. Luke Puskedra was the top American Azerbaijan 9 1 3 5 7 16 6 finisher in fifth place with a personal best 2:10.24. Malta 9 0 2 7 3 15 2 Puskedra was ready to give up the sport after a disap- • Croatia have had one point deducted pointing time of 2:28.54 in his marathon debut in New Group I York City last year. He beat his personal best time, Portugal 8 7 0 1 11 5 21 — qualified which he set in June, by more than five minutes yester- Albania 8 4 2 2 10 5 14 — qualified Denmark 8 3 3 2 8 5 12 day. Serbia 8 2 1 5 8 13 4 “I ran this on short notice,” Puskedra said. “I put a lot Armenia 8 0 2 6 5 14 2 of pressure on running my first marathon in New York • Serbia have had three points deducted last year. It didn’t go how I wanted it. Note: Top two in each group as well as best third-placed CHICAGO: Florence Kiplagat, of Kenya, wins the “I felt bad for my wife because financially she was team qualify for finals automatically. Eight other third-placed women’s 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon picking up everything.