Established 1961 Sport WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018 Tokyo 2020 Summer Games Sharapova stunned by Record-breaking Heynckes 12warned by Olympic bosses 13 Garcia in Stuttgart 15 chasing another treble Salah shines as Liverpool beat Roma Roma punished by the man they sold to Liverpool LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino (4R) heads the ball past Roma’s Czech striker Patrik Schick (3L) to score their fifth goal during the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Liverpool and Roma at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, north west England yesterday. — AFP LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah came back to haunt Oxlade Chamberlain was stretchered off with a nasty- for what now seems a bargain 42 million euros (£37 mil- period. But he showed why he is considered one of the former club Roma in spectacular style with two goals looking knee injury, which could threaten his World Cup lion, $52 million) last year. game’s more unselfish superstars by squaring for a and two assists as Liverpool stormed towards the dreams with England. Nine minutes of the first half remained when Salah relieved Mane to convert from close range. Champions League final with a 5-2 semi-final, first-leg Moments later, the visitors were inches away from the picked the ball up just inside the Roma area and was given Salah wreaked more havoc five minutes later when he win at Anfield yesterday. opener when Aleksandar Kolarov’s long-range strike far too much time by Juan Jesus to cut inside onto his sped past the helpless Jesus and pulled the ball across Roberto Firmino also scored twice and Sadio Mane slipped through the grasp of Loris Karius and came back favoured left foot and curl the ball with unerring accuracy goal for Firmino to tap home. Firmino then rose highest netted Liverpool’s other goal to make up for missing a off the crossbar. However, Liverpool soon settled and into the top corner. head home James Milner’s corner to take Liverpool’s fear- series of gilt-edged chances as the scoreline did anything should have put the tie beyond doubt before half-time. The chances continued to come for the hosts, but some front three’s combined tally for the season to 88. but flatter the hosts. Mane blazed over when clean through on goal and unfortunately for Jurgen Klopp not all of them fell the way Roma’s night seemed to be summed up when midfield- Roma produced one of the finest comebacks in then skewed wide when teed up by Firmino. Salah’s first of Salah as Dejan Lovren headed a glorious opportunity er Kevin Strootman and coach Eusebio Di Francesco Champions League history by overturning a 4-1 first-leg sight of goal then brought a smart save from Alisson against the bar before Alisson got down to parry became engaged in a blazing row after the fifth goal went deficit against Barcelona in the quarter-finals. They will before Mane’s frustrating night continued as he was Georginio Wijnaldum’s powerful strike. in. However, Klopp’s decision to withdraw Salah 15 min- need to do the same in the return leg on May 2, but the flagged offside when he did put the ball in the net from Brazilian number one Alisson has been in stunning form utes from time backfired as the tie swung back Roma’s visitors were at least given a lifeline when Edin Dzeko Andrew Robertson’s low cross. but even he was powerless as Salah struck again in first- way in the final stages. and Diego Perotti grabbed two vital away goals in the half stoppage time with a trademark dinked finish over the Firstly, with nine minutes left, Dzeko slotted home his final 10 minutes. UNSELFISH SUPERSTAR advancing ‘keeper. 21st goal of the season as Lovren got caught underneath Liverpool will rue their missed chances and poor late Roma have now lost their last four Champions Chasing a first ever Champions League hat-trick, Salah the ball. Moments later, Anfield was stunned when Milner defending, but remain well on course for a first final in 11 League away games-shipping 13 goals in the process- would have been forgiven for going for goal as he bore was punished for handball inside the area and Perotti years. The hosts’ early rhythm was disrupted when Alex- and were punished by the man they sold to Liverpool down on Alisson once more 11 minutes into the second coolly slotted home the resulting penalty. — AFP gious job like leading Italy. The Azzurri the financial part. We are loyal to the rules. Ancelotti bench is always an objective for any coach. “If there will be an official meeting? Yes, but I still do not know when. We need peo- offered job MAY 20 DEADLINE ple to make themselves available, we can’t “But of course there are other factors get close to contracted coaches.” Ancelotti, of Italy coach which affect the decision - the desire to who has also managed Chelsea, Real work every day for example. “No-one is in Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus, Roma and Paris pole, we want to respect the date of May 20 Saint-Germain, has three Champions MILAN: Italian football federation (FIGC) because the national team will play on May League titles to his name as a coach. He has chiefs yesterday confirmed talks had taken 28 (friendly against Saudi Arabia).” also won the league in Italy, France, place with Carlo Ancelotti concerning the Italy have been without a permanent Germany and England. vacant Italy coaching job but insisted there coach since Gian Piero Ventura was sacked The FIGC budget for a new coach and was no front-runner yet. after the four-time champions failed to his staff is five million euros ($6.1 million) Ancelotti, who was sacked by Bayern qualify for the World Cup for the first time per year, which would be a big drop from Munich last September, met with FIGC in 60 years after losing to Sweden in a two- the reported 12 million euros plus bonuses commissioner Roberto Fabbricini and sub- legged playoff in November. that Ancelotti earned at Bayern Munich. Costacurta-who was coached by commissioner Alessandro Costacurta in a Ancelotti joined Bayern in 2016 and won Rome hotel on Monday. It was reported the Ancelotti at AC Milan in the 1980s-was the Bundesliga title in his first season but 58-year-old has been offered a two-year appointed to find a successor to Ventura was sacked following a 3-0 defeat to Paris contract, with the only sticking point finan- and insisted the deadline remained May 20. Saint-Germain in the Champions League. cial terms which would be less lucrative than Among the other names being touted are his previous deal with the German champi- Zenit St Petersburg coach Roberto Mancini, Costacurta was reported to have offered ons. But Fabbricini insisted the meeting was Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and former Ancelotti, who has also been linked with not an official one. “Ancelotti has a fairly Leicester coach Claudio Ranieri, now in former club Chelsea and the soon-to-be- serious family problem, and that’s why he charge of French club Nantes. vacant manager’s job at Arsenal, a free hand was in Rome,” Fabbricini told Italian radio. “Carlo was in Rome for personal rea- in choosing his staff. “Costacurta, having a strong friendship sons, the chosen hotel was the one where I Ancelotti’s son Davide, who was his with Ancelotti, met him and I also took part always stay myself and we found ourselves assistant at Bayern, could play a role as well in that meeting. “We talked about a future there at the same time,” Costacurta told Sky as former stars such as Andrea Pirlo, scenario though, but we still have a coach Sport Italia. “We didn’t talk about the Italy Gianluigi Buffon and Paolo Maldini. Italy’s (Luigi Di Biagio) under contract. “I don’t bench, we only joked about the opportunity, under-21 coach Di Biagio has been filling think a coach can a priori rule out a presti- we could not talk about the programme and the position on an interim basis. — AFP Carlo Ancelotti .