Madrid Misery After Villarreal Win
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Established 1961 Sport SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2018 Pacers rally past Cavaliers Kerber issues Australian Open Boult destroys Pakistan, 12as Warriors extend streak 13 warning with Sydney triumph 14 New Zealand take series Madrid misery after Villarreal win Villarreal’s first ever victory at the Santiago Bernabeu MADRID: Villarreal’s Spanish defender Alvaro Gonzalez heads the ball during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid and Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid yesterday. — AFP MADRID: Struggling Real Madrid risk falling further after Real’s second straight home league defeat. spell, nothing more.” So often Real’s saviour, Ronaldo Fornals clipped home his 87th-minute winner just behind in La Liga after a cheeky late chip from Pablo Villarreal meanwhile move up to fifth on 31 points thanks had a bad day at the office, with his worst miss coming after it looked like Enes Unal had fluffed his team’s Fornals saw Villarreal escape with a 1-0 win yesterday, to midfielder Fornals’ stunning goal, which puts Javier just before half-time, when the five-time Ballon d’Or chance to snatch the three points after a blistering their first ever victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. Calleja’s side just a point behind off-form Madrid. winner managed to shoot straight at Sergio Asenjo after counter-attack following a Real Madrid corner. Fornals struck with three minutes left to leave Real fired off nearly 30 shots but their accuracy was being laid on by Isco in front of a practically open goal Turk Unal shot straight at Keylor Navas when put Zinedine Zidane’s wasteful side fourth and a whopping 16 wayward, with Cristiano Ronaldo among the worst cul- just yards out.The Portuguese was livid with the referee, through by Denis Cheryshev, but with Navas still recov- points behind runaway league leaders Barcelona, a prits in front of goal. “We did everything we could and as he thought that he was tripped by Daniele Bonera just ering from making the save Fornals lifted the ball over deficit which will turn into 19 should Barca win at Real there is no explanation for why the ball didn’t go in,” before he shot. Real carried on where they left off in the the flailing Madrid stopper. “You’re always happy when Sociedad today. added Zidane, who signed a new contract to keep him at second period, but after failing to break down the res- you get three points at such a difficult ground,” said “We didn’t deserve to lose. We had the better chances Real until 2020 earlier this week. olute visitors, Fornals stepped up to make history and Calleja afterwards. “We knew we could make history but the ball did not want to go in,” said under-fire Zidane “I can’t criticise my players for anything. This is a bad pile the pressure on Zidane. today, we believed.” —AFP Thauvin on target as competitions. The hosts almost doubled the advantage two Sako hands lively minutes later after Wilfried Zaha pounced on a sloppy back- pass and hooked past Pope, but Burnley defender Ben Mee Marseille sink Rennes scampered superbly to beat James McArthur to the loose ball Palace victory and clear. PARIS: Florian Thauvin scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season but also missed a penalty as WASTEFUL BENTEKE Marseille cruised to a 3-0 victory at Rennes yesterday over Burnley Palace’s unmarked Christian Benteke then headed over from that kept them firmly in the Champions League race. a corner, and Burnley almost punished his profligacy when Sam LONDON: Crystal Palace continued their rise up the The former Newcastle winger saw a first-half spot- Vokes headed wide and Ashley Barnes half-volleyed over in kick saved by Rennes goalkeeper Tomas Koubek but Premier League table by beating Burnley 1-0 with a first- quick succession on a brief foray forward for the visitors. But half goal from Bakary Sako at Selhurst Park yesterday. redeemed himself by setting up Valere Germain for the Palace were soon back on the front foot and spurned two more opening goal on 35 minutes. Thauvin’s ninth assist of Sako’s angled left-foot drive in the 21st minute was enough chances before the interval, Benteke flicking Patrick van to take Palace to 12th on 25 points, five above the relega- the season drew him level alongside Neymar, with Aanholt’s scuffed left-foot shot straight at Pope and Sako vol- Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain away to Claudio tion zone after they made the worst start to a top-flight leying narrowly wide from a Timothy Fosu-Mensah cross. English league campaign with no points or goals after sev- Burnley started the second half far better and could have Ranieri’s fifth-place Nantes today. en matches. “It was a massive three points,” said Palace equalised through headers from Vokes and then Barnes, but Hiroki Sakai produced a brilliant goal-line block to manager Roy Hodgson. “We knew it would be very, very both strikers steered their efforts wide. Sako also wasted a deny Ismaila Sarr an equaliser, and minutes later tough. In the first half we created chances to make life fine headed chance and Zaha had a close-range shot blocked Germain teed up Morgan Sanson to rifle in Marseille’s more comfortable for us in the second half.” as both teams traded attacks and a second goal began to look second just before half-time. Burnley have gone six league matches without a win but increasingly inevitable. Thauvin completed the scoring at Roazhon Park remain seventh in the standings on 34 points from 23 games. Benteke looked certain to score when he rose to meet eight minutes from the end when he nodded in a cross “Second half, we were at least decent and I thought we Sako’s left-wing cross in the 69th but again he proved why from Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo. Marseille deserved to scratch a draw,” said Burnley manager Sean he only has one goal to his name this season by floating his avenged a 3-1 defeat by Rennes at the Velodrome in Dyche. “The margins were tight when we were winning header wide. Burnley piled forward in the last five minutes September-one of just three losses for Rudi Garcia’s games and the margins are tight now. Second half, we really and almost snatched an equaliser in the 87th when Vokes team this season-to move level on 41 points with sec- took it on today.” only just failed to connect with James Tarkowski’s low ond-place Monaco and Lyon. RENNES: Olympique de Marseille’s French forward Palace were the superior side throughout the first half and cross. Benteke hit the side-netting on a counter-attack as Dimitri Payet (L) vies with Rennes’ French forward deservedly took the lead when Sako side-stepped Phil Monaco, who trail PSG by nine points, visit another chance went begging for the Belgium striker, buy Montpellier later while Lyon will also go in search of a Thomas Brandon during the French L1 football Bardsley in the left channel and drilled a powerful shot past Palace saw out added time to seal their second successive match Rennes vs Marseille yesterday at the keeper Nick Pope for his seventh goal of the season in all fifth straight league win when they host second-from- league win. — Reuters bottom Angers today. — AFP Roazhon park stadium in Rennes. — AFP.