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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 SPORTS Roma close gap on Juve with win over Verona MILAN: Captain Francesco Totti scored late from the spot to cap a crucial 3-1 win for Roma away to Verona which closed the gap on leaders Juventus to six points yesterday. Elsewhere, Giampaolo Pazzini scored a late winner for AC Milan in a precious 2-1 win away to Cagliari, while city rivals Inter were held to a scoreless draw at home by basement side Catania. Livorno boosted their relegation battle with a 3-1 home win over Sassuolo, while at the other end of the table Torino and Parma both moved up one place to sixth and seventh with 1-0 wins over Atalanta and Udinese respectively. Juventus had to settle for a share of the points in a 1-1 draw away to Lazio on Saturday when goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was sent off and left the champions with 10 men for much of their encounter at the Olympic Stadium. Napoli, in third, were also held 1-1 by visitors Chievo and are 12 points adrift of Juventus. Totti was quick to underline Roma’s scudetto ambitions when he told Sky Sport Italia: “After Juve’s slip-up yesterday we put pressure on our- selves to take the three points. “I think we’ve fired a warning shot with regard to the champi- onship fight. We’re on a par with Juve.” ITALY: Hellas Verona’s Brazilian goalkeeper De Andrade Bittencourt Pinheiro Rafael saves a Roma landed a blow on Juventus with a 1-0 ball during the Serie A football match against AS Roma. —AFP win over the champions in the quarter-finals of belief in the struggling Serie A giants with two tricky volley from a corner. the Italian Cup in midweek-a morale boost after late goals to hand the Dutchman his second win Now ninth with a five-point deficit to fifth- they lost 3-0 to the same opponents earlier this in as many league games. placed Inter, Milan’s bid for a place in Europe has month in their Serie A clash. Roma were by far Having been sent crashing out of the Italian been given a huge boost and Pazzini, who has the more creative side against Verona and after Cup quarter-finals by Udinese in midweek, Milan lingered on the injury sidelines for much of the spurning several chances made the break- were staring at a costly league defeat after strug- past nine months, could not hide his joy. through in first-half injury time when Gervinho gling to level Marco Sau’s 28th minute opener. “After so much time it’s great to score such an powered down the left and pulled back for However Mario Balotelli launched the fight- important goal,” the striker told Sky Sport Italia. Adem Ljajic to tap home from close range. back with a superb goal from a free kick on 87 “Our team can do so much better. Seedorf helps Verona levelled minutes after the restart minutes and two minutes later Pazzini, who us remain calm and shows faith in us so it’s up to when Emil Hallfredsson finished off the good replaced Robinho on the hour, fired home a us to repay that on the pitch.”—AFP work of Juan Iturbe to beat Morgan De Sanctis with a powerful drive. But Roma pulled in front on the hour thanks Italian Serie A results/standings to a superb Gervinho strike from just inside the GERMANY: Basel’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah runs with the ball In a file area and the game turned permanently in the Verona 1 (Hallfredsson 49) AS Roma 3 (Ljajic 45+1, Gervinho 60, Totti 82); Cagliari 1 (Sau 28) AC Milan 2 picture taken on December 11, 2013. —AFP visitors’ favour when late substitute Totti fired (Balotelli 87, Pazzini 89); Inter Milan 0 Catania 0; Livorno 3 (Greco 4, Paulinho 11, Benassi 26) Sassuolo 1 home from the spot to secure Roma’s third con- (Berardi 28-pen); Parma 1 (Amauri 35) Udinese 0; Sampdoria 1 (Gabbiadini 61) Bologna 1 (Diamanti 90-pen); secutive win since the away defeat to Juve earli- Egypt’s Salah sign for Chelsea Torino 1 (Cerci 60-pen) Atalanta 0. er this month. Roma coach Rudi Garcia said that Juventus LONDON: Chelsea have completed the the transfer fee was around £11 million Playing later were not assured of the title by any means. signing of 21-year-old Egyptian winger ($18 million, 13.2 million euros). Fiorentina v Genoa Mohamed Salah from Swiss side Basel, Salah has played against Chelsea four “Juventus are not unbeatable, but they’re a very strong side.” He added: “The title won’t depend the Premier League club announced yes- times over the last year, scoring three Played Saturday on only us. All we can do is our best.” terday. times, including in Basel’s two Napoli 1 (Albiol 88) Chievo 1 (Sardo 18); Lazio 1 (Candreva 27-pen) Juventus 1 (Llorente 60). Salah has signed a five-and-a-half- Champions League group-phase victo- Juve coach Antonio Conte admitted on Saturday he was not used to the word ‘defeat’, year contract with the reigning Europa ries against the London club earlier this Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterday’s late game (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): League champions and will wear the season. but praised his 10-man side for the fightback which saw Fernando Llorente level Antonio Juventus 21 18 2 1 51 15 56 Genoa 20 7 5 8 20 24 26 number 15 shirt at Stamford Bridge. “I’m Speaking on Friday, Mourinho AS Roma 21 15 5 1 45 11 50 Atalanta 21 7 3 11 21 30 24 very happy to sign for Chelsea, such a big expressed admiration for the Egypt inter- Candreva’s 27th-minute penalty on the hour mark after Buffon had hauled down striker Napoli 21 13 5 3 44 23 44 Sampdoria 21 5 7 9 25 32 22 club in the world,” he told the Chelsea national, who reportedly rejected over- Miroslav Klose. Fiorentina 20 12 4 4 37 20 40 Cagliari 21 4 9 8 20 31 21 website. tures from Liverpool in order to move to “Our winning attitude remained intact even Inter Milan 21 8 9 4 38 24 33 Udinese 21 6 2 13 20 32 20 “I hope I can make the Chelsea sup- west London. “I like the fact that he can with the setback of our keeper’s sending off,” Torino 21 8 8 5 34 27 32 Chievo 21 4 6 11 16 27 18 porters happy and have a good career at play the same way our attacking players said Conte. Parma 21 8 8 5 32 27 32 Bologna 21 3 9 9 20 36 18 the club for many years to come.” Chelsea do, which is players with adaptability, to “I was happy with the team’s reaction, it’s in Verona 21 10 2 9 35 34 32 Sassuolo 21 4 5 12 22 46 17 said on Thursday that they had reached play right, left, or behind the striker,” times like these that their character as men, and AC Milan 21 7 7 7 34 31 28 Livorno 21 4 4 13 19 37 16 an agreement to sign Salah, subject to Mourinho said. not just as players, comes to the fore.” Lazio 21 7 7 7 27 29 28 Catania 21 3 5 13 13 37 14 the completion of a medical examination “He’s young, he’s fast, he’s creative, Milan, meanwhile, repaid Clarence Seedorf’s and the agreement of personal terms. he’s enthusiastic. When we analysed him, Manager Jose Mourinho revealed that he looks the kind of humble personality the transfer had been completed during on the pitch, ready to work for the team a television interview prior to his side’s 1- and to work and to adapt himself to a Huntelaar strikes on Schalke return 0 win at home to Stoke City in the FA Cup new life.” Confirmation of Salah’s arrival fourth round yesterday. comes less than 24 hours after Spanish BERLIN: Striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar ence over Moenchengladbach with a Chelsea have not disclosed how much attacking midfielder Juan Mata complet- marked his return after five months 2-2 draw at home to Augsburg as they have paid Basel to secure Salah’s ed his move from Chelsea to Manchester out with a knee injury with the open- Lars’s twin brother Sven Bender net- services, but British media reports claim United for a fee of £37.1 million. —AFP ing goal in Schalke 04’s impressive 3- ted for both sides. 0 win at Hamburg yesterday. The Dortmund midfielder gave Holland’s ‘Hunter’ had been out the hosts the lead at the since August, but needed just 34 Westfalenstadion after just six min- Glasgow giants march on minutes to out-jump the Hamburg utes, then turned the ball into his defence and head home, setting the own net on 56 minutes for EDINBURGH: The relentless Celtic half,” he said. “We had some good Royal Blues on the way to a win that Augsburg’s equaliser. march on retaining the title continued chances and some good opportunities lifts them to fifth in the table. Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin yesterday as the Glasgow giants sealed and Forster has made some good Schalke made sure of the three looked to have spared Bender and their 11th victory in a row with three saves.