MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015 SPORTS Wolfsburg seal CL berth

BERLIN: Dutch striker Bas Dost scored Paraguay striker Raul Bobadilla followed on twice as VfL Wolfsburg secured a from Barcelona’s Lionel Messi by inflicting Champions League berth following a six- more misery on the Bundesliga champions. year absence with a 3-1 win over relega- Bayern host Barca facing an uphill task tion-threatened Paderborn yesterday. having been routed 3-0 in Spain, when Dost’s double leaves him with 19 goals Messi scored twice, which followed defeats in all competitions as Wolfsburg went back to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup up to second with just two games left. semi-final and a league defeat at Bayer Wolves picked up their first win in four Leverkusen. league games when Swiss defender Timm Bayern played nearly 80 minutes with Klose headed home on 16 minutes before ten men after reserve goalkeeper Pepe Dost netted nine minutes later by meeting Reina was shown a straight red card with Ivan Perisic’s cross at the near post. just 13 minutes gone. The 25-year-old showed his predatory Dutch defender Paul Verhaegh hit the skills by pouncing on a parried save eight post with the resulting spot-kick. But minutes from time to slot home his second. Augsburg grabbed the winner when Paderborn pulled a goal back when Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg, midfielder Lukas Rupp hit the top right- on loan from Bayern, put in a cross which hand corner with a speculative shot on the Bobadilla deftly back-heeled on 71 min- edge of the area just before the whistle. utes. The defeat keeps Paderborn 17th, but Borussia Moenchengladbach are virtual- with all still to play for as just two points ly sure of joining Wolfsburg and Bayern separate the bottom five teams of directly in the Champions League next sea- Hamburg, Freiburg, Hanover 96, Paderborn son after their 3-0 win over fourth-placed and bottom side VfB Stuttgart with two Bayer Leverkusen. games left. Schalke dropped to sixth after Germany striker Max Kruse, who will their 2-0 defeat at Cologne means Robert play for Wolfsburg next season, Patrick di Matteo’s side has won just one of their Herrmann and Guinea forward Ibrahima last eight league games and in danger of Traore scored Gladbach’s goals. dropping out of the European places for Borussia Dortmund enjoyed a 2-0 win at next season. home to Hertha Berlin as goals by defend- Schalke are just two points ahead of ers Neven Subotic and Erik Durm lifted neighbours Dortmund, who are making a Dortmund to seventh. late bid for a Europa League spot after Hanover remain third from bottom after starting February last in the table. their 1-1 draw at home to Werder Bremen Goals by midfielders Marcel Risse and while Stuttgart stayed at the foot of the : Parma’s Zouhair Feddal (right) jumps for the ball with Napoli’s Duvan Zapata, during their soccer match at Parma’s Tardini Yannick Gerdhardt confirmed Cologne’s table despite their 2-0 win over Mainz. stadium. —AP survival in the top flight. Mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed a On Saturday, ten-man Bayern Munich 3-1 win over Hoffenheim while Hamburg suffered a morale-sapping fourth straight stayed above the relegation places with a defeat by losing 1-0 to Augsburg ahead of 1-1 draw at home to Freiburg on Friday Napoli tripped up by Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final, thanks to Gojko Kacar’s 90th-minute return leg against Barcelona. Augsburg’s equaliser. —AFP Parma in Europe race

ROME: Napoli missed the chance to put Roma broke to him on the edge of the box. after the match director Dario Baccin admitted and Lazio under pressure in the race for the Despite a fine goal from Levan Mch’edlidze that star player Paulo Dybala was set to be sold, Champions League following a disappointing 2- with 13 minutes left and serious pressure from with local media reporting that they have come 2 at rock-bottom and bankrupt Parma in Serie A the home side, Fiorentina went home with three to an agreement with champions Juventus. yesterday. points that maintains their place in the Europa “We are in the conclusive phase of the sale. Rafael Benitez’s side would have only been League spots. Cesena were relegated from the Over the next few days the president will inform two points behind second-placed Roma, who Italian top flight with three games to spare on you of everything,” said Palermo director Dario fell weakly 2-0 at AC Milan on Saturday night, after throwing away a two-goal half-time lead to Baccin. had they won at already-relegated Parma as lose 3-2 at home to Sassuolo. ’s 19th league goal of an astonishing expected. Cesena needed to beat Sassuolo and hope season for the veteran Verona striker wasn’t Instead they stay four points behind Rudi Atalanta failed to win at Palermo in order to sur- enough for his side to win their local derby with Garcia’s side and three behind Lazio, who have vive for another week, but goals from Simone Chievo in Sunday’s early game, an exciting 2-2 the chance to overtake Roma with a win against Zaza, Saphir Taider and Simone Missirioli can- draw. The 37-year-old is now only one goal Inter Milan in Rome later on Sunday. celled out two fine individual strikes from behind the league’s top scorer Carlos Tevez with Benitez started with star striker Gonzalo Gregoire Defrel and Franco Brienza. three games to go. Higuain on the bench in view of their Europe Atalanta won a thrilling match in Sicily 3-2 to Finishing top of charts would be a great way League semi-final second leg with Dnipro in all but secure Serie A safety despite having to for the World Cup-winner to end his career, even Ukraine, and until the Argentine was brought on play almost the whole second half with 10 men if he is refusing to talk about his future. “I’m look- in the 57th minute they looked blunt going for- after goalkeeper Vlada Avramov was sent off for ing to finish top of the scoring charts,” Toni said. ward. stupidly kicking Franco Vazquez. “I don’t know about my future, first I’ll try to Raffaele Palladino’s ninth minute strike gave Palermo have nothing left to play for and overtake Tevez, then we’ll see.” —AFP Parma a shock lead after Napoli keeper Mariano Andujar flapped at a corner. Cristobal Jorquera’s first Serie A goal in over Italian League results/standings three years, a long-range rocket of a shot from a free-kick, restored that lead only five minutes Chievo 2 (Paloschi 9, Pellissier 40-og) Verona 2 (Gomez Taleb 20, Toni 26); Palermo 2 (Vazquez 43, Rigoni 68) after Manolo Gabbiadini’s 28th-minute equaliser. Atalanta 3 (Baselli 6, Andelkovic 17-og, Gomez 51); Udinese 1 (Di Natale 87-pen) Sampdoria 4 (Soriano 26, 63, Dries Mertens levelled the scores for the away GERMANY: Wolfburg’s Josuha Guilavogui from France (left) and Paderborn’s Marvin Acquah 80, Duncan 90); Cesena 2 (Defrel 15, Brienza 29) Sassuolo 3 (Zaza 48, Taider 51, Missiroli 69); Empoli 2 side in the 72nd minute with a well-placed low (Saponara 28, Mchedlidze 77) Fiorentina 3 (Ilicic 4, 68, Salah 58); Parma 2 (Palladino 9, Jorquera 33) Napoli 2 Bakalorz (down) challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga shot, but it wasn’t enough for Napoli, who are (Gabbiadini 28, Mertens 72). soccer match. —AP only five points ahead of Fiorentina in fifth, 3-2 winners of a thrilling Tuscan derby at Empoli Playing later German League result/standings thanks to a classy double from Josip Ilicic and a Lazio v Inter Milan trademark individual goal from Mohamed Salah. Playing today Sampdoria are six points behind Napoli in Genoa v Torino Paderborn 1 (Rupp 90+1) VfL Wolfsburg 3 (Klose 16, Dost 25, 82); Cologne 2 (Risse 34, Gerhardt 89) sixth place after hammering Udinese 4-1 with a Schalke 04 0 brace from Roberto Soriano and two more from Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterdy’s late match beyween Lazio and Inter Milan (played, won, drawn, lost, goals Played Saturday Afriyie Acquah and Alfred Duncan. for, goals against, points): Bayern Munich 0 Augsburg 1 (Bobadilla 71); Borussia Dortmund 2 (Subotic 9, Durm 47) Hertha Berlin 0; It was the first win in seven games for Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side. Ilicic gave Vincenzo Montella’s Juventus 35 24 8 3 65 20 80 Udinese 35 10 11 14 39 49 41 Bor. Moenchengladbach 3 (Kruse 50, Herrmann 81, Traore 88) Bayer Leverkusen 0; Hanover 96 1 (Stindl —champions Verona 35 10 11 14 43 60 41 21) Werder Bremen 1 (Junuzovic 78); Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (Oczipka 18, Seferovic 27, Chandler 34) Fiorentina’s side the lead with a brilliant curling Roma 35 17 13 5 49 27 64 Sassuolo 35 9 13 13 42 54 40 Hoffenheim 1 (Volland 51); VfB Stuttgart 2 (Didavi 66, Kostic 79) Mainz 05 0. effort in the fourth minute, only for Riccardo Lazio 34 19 6 9 64 32 63 Atalanta 35 7 15 13 35 49 36 Saponara to equalise for Empoli just before the Napoli 35 17 9 9 64 45 60 Cagliari 35 6 10 19 43 64 28 German Bundesliga table after yesterday evening’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals half hour. Fiorentina 35 15 10 10 52 44 55 Cesena 35 4 12 19 34 64 24 against, points): The home side came out fighting in the sec- Sampdoria 35 13 15 7 45 38 54 — relegated Bayern Munich 32 24 4 4 77 16 76 Hertha Berlin 32 9 7 16 35 50 34 ond half but got hit with a sucker punch from Genoa 34 13 11 10 49 40 50 Parma 35 6 6 23 29 68 17 — champions Hamburg 32 8 8 16 22 48 32 Mohamed Salah in the 57th minute, who bam- Inter Milan 34 12 13 9 50 39 49 — relegated Wolfsburg 32 19 8 5 68 35 65 Freiburg 32 6 13 13 33 44 31 boozled defenders Vincent Laurini and Daniele Torino 34 12 12 10 40 37 48 Note: Parma deducted three points and four points for M’hengladbach 32 18 9 5 50 23 63 Hanover 96 32 7 10 15 36 54 31 Rugani with a mazy dribble before calmy shoot- AC Milan 35 11 13 11 48 46 46 financial irregularities and non-payment of salaries. Palermo 35 10 13 12 48 51 43 Top two qualify automatically for the Champions League, Leverkusen 32 16 10 6 59 35 58 Paderborn 07 32 7 10 15 30 62 31 ing low past Luigi Sepe. Augsburg 32 14 4 14 39 40 46 VfB Stuttgart 32 7 9 16 38 58 30 Chievo 35 10 12 13 27 35 42 third goes into the play-offs. Fourth and fifth carry Europa Schalke 04 32 12 9 11 41 38 45 Note: Top three qualify automatically for the Ilicic stretched the Fiorentina lead 10 minutes Empoli 35 8 17 10 41 45 41 League places. The bottom three sides are relegated. Dortmund 32 12 7 13 43 38 43 Champions League, fourth goes into the play-offs. later with another left-footed curler after ball Werder Bremen 32 11 10 11 48 60 43 Fifth and sixth carry Europa League places. Hoffenheim 32 11 8 13 47 52 41 The bottom two sides are automatically relegated, Cologne 32 9 12 11 32 36 39 while the side finishing 16th faces a two-legged Frankfurt 32 10 9 13 54 61 39 play off against the third-placed side in the second Mainz 05 32 8 13 11 43 45 37 division. Saint-Etienne thrash Nice 5-0

PARIS: Saint-Etienne moved closer to Champions League football with a 5-0 drubbing Pep to City rumors fly of Nice in Ligue 1 yesterday as Montpellier won 1-0 at Lens to keep their European hopes alive. Goals from Loic Perrin, Jeremy Clement, after Bayern lose again Mevlut Erding, Max-Alain Gradel and Kevin Monnet-Paquet allowed hosts Saint-Etienne BERLIN: Fresh claims linking Pep Guardiola ating with Guardiola to bring the 44-year- leapfrog Marseille into fourth place. to Manchester City are circulating after old to the Etihad Stadium to replace Saint-Etienne find themselves three points Bayern Munich warmed up for their Manuel Pellegrini as head coach. ahead of Marseille but just two behind Monaco, Champions League semi-final second leg Broadcaster beIN Sports tweeted on who occupy the third and final spot for against Barcelona by slumping to a fourth Saturday that Guardiola has made a verbal Champions League football next season. straight defeat. agreement to manage City next season. Marseille have to win later Sunday at home The Bundesliga champions were beaten “Guardiola was contacted two months against Monaco to retain any hope of qualifying 1-0 at home by Augsburg on Saturday, ago by Manchester City and rejected. for next season’s Champions League at the hardly the best preparation for tomorrow’s Contacted again two weeks ago: didn’t Principality side’s expense. clash with Barcelona, when they must accept nor reject, still talking,” beIN sports Earlier Montpellier’s Anthony Mounier scored somehow overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit. reporter Tancredi Palmeri added on Twitter. his side’s winning goal, his eighth of the season, The emphatic defeat at the Camp Nou last Guardiola has reportedly been offered 22 in stoppage time after latching onto a pass from week followed an exit from the German million euros ($32.75 million) a year to help Ellyes Skhiri. Before that, Montpellier had been Cup semi-finals on penalties to Borussia City usurp Chelsea at the top of the English unable to break down already-relegated Lens, Dortmund and a league loss at Bayer league and give them the success in the who were reduced to 10 men after Loick Leverkusen and the current run is the worst Champions League that their owners so Landre’s 64th-minute sending-off. of Guardiola’s coaching career. crave. Montpellier remain seventh in the table with The morale-sapping Augsburg reverse “From my information they are in the two games left but are only three points adrift of means Bayern have suffered four defeats in advanced stages of discussions and it is Bordeaux in sixth, which will be good enough to a row for the first time in 24 years and have very possible that he will already start there qualify for next season’s Europa League as long now failed to score in three consecutive next season,” said former Bayern, City and as Paris Saint-Germain beat second-tier Auxerre matches for the first time in 15 years. The Germany midfielder, and Sky expert, in the French Cup final later this month. Bavarian giants have wobbled since clinch- Dietmar Hamann. PSG’s 6-0 hammering of Guingamp on Friday ing their 25th German championship, but Reports in England, meanwhile, say that coupled with nearest rivals Lyon’s 3-0 capitula- Guardiola, who has so far won 19 titles as a City, whose CEO Ferran Soriano and direc- tion at Caen on Saturday means the capital club coach at Barcelona and Bayern, has said he tor of football Txiki Begiristain both used to are now on the brink of winning a third succes- will fulfil the final year on his Munich con- work at Barcelona, have dismissed sugges- sive Ligue 1 title. Paris are six points clear of Lyon tract which expires in June 2016. tions there is any agreement with with two games left so need just a point away to However, there have been new claims Guardiola to come to the club in the near 2012 champions Montpellier next weekend to FRANCE: St Etienne’s Ivorian midfielder Ismael Diomande (left) vies with Niceís French forward that Premier League giants City are negoti- future. —AFP take the crown. —AFP Alexy Bosetti (right) during the French League football match. —AFP