MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 SPORTS

Louis van Gaal confirms interest in Ronaldo return

LONDON: Manchester United manager some people think our positional game Louis van Gaal confirmed yesterday that is boring but I think it is a way to disor- he would be interested in bringing ganise the opponent’s organisation. Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, “I was very satisfied about our defen- six years after the superstar left for Real sive organisation. We didn’t give more Madrid. than three chances away, one in the first Van Gaal, quoted by several British half and two in the second. “Memphis Sunday newspapers, said: “We are look- and Jesse Lingard played a very good ing at all players, not just Ronaldo. But game. We could have finished the game these players are mostly ungettable. much earlier. I have to say after the “With Ronaldo, let’s wait and hope. There penalty, I thought we gave it away but is no trainer in the world that doesn’t like then you see the spirit of the game. him. He plays on the wings and he is fast, “We created three chances in a row. It and scores goals.” was an injection, the equaliser. I am very Ronaldo cost Real Madrid a then proud I am the manager of that team.” world record fee of £80 million when he Van Gaal will now assess a depleted team left England in 2009 but he turns 31 in ahead of Wednesday’s home Champions February and was off the boil in League clash with PSV Eindhoven. Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona where Having been without a host of players he cut a frustrated figure. including forwards Wayne Rooney (ill- The Portuguese international is a ness), Anthony Martial (foot) and James three-time World Player of the Year and is Wilson (knee), United also lost Ander Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer. Herrera and Phil Jones at Vicarage Road. In Spain, he has won one league title as “We are in a lousy period because well as the 2014 Champions League. there are a lot of injuries,” said Van Gaal. During his time under Alex Ferguson “We had already injuries. Antonio at Old Trafford, he helped United win Valencia has been operated on. Luke three Premier League titles as well as the Shaw, you know. Jones and Herrera are 2008 Champions League. Meanwhile, not available for Wednesday. “The first Van Gaal conceded United are far from impression is they are not heavy injuries pretty to watch after they ground out a but we have to play Wednesday. 2-1 victory at Watford on Saturday thanks “Jones has a twisted ankle and Herrera to Troy Deeney’s late own goal. maybe a hamstring injury. Rooney is ill Van Gaal’s side have been criticised for and illness is a matter of days, not weeks. their conservative style of play under the “I do expect that he shall play Dutchman this season, but their latest Wednesday. He is at home. Tomorrow defensive display paid dividends at (Sunday) he comes and then I can say BERLIN: Hertha Berlin’s Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou (L) and Hoffenheim’s midfielder Nadiem Amiri vie for the ball during the rmanGe first divi- Vicarage Road. They had taken an 11th more. “Martial has a foot problem. It is sion Bundesliga football match Hertha BSC Berlin vs TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin yesterday. —AFP minute lead through Memphis Depay not so heavy but we have to wait and and, although Deeney’s 87th minute see. “Every position is double occupied. It penalty ended a run without conceding is only now that the striker position is not of 10 hours, United snatched the points occupied because Rooney, Martial and Hertha beat Hoffenheim at the death when Deeney turned Wilson are injured.” Watford manager Bastian Schweinsteiger’s effort into his Quique Flores was left to rue the own own net in stoppage-time. goal that cost his side a point. to reclaim fourth place “It was very harsh,” he said. “To lose Defensive the points is very tough. It was a pity for “I have changed the system,” Van Gaal Troy because he was only in that position BERLIN: Hertha Berlin held onto fourth spot in Martinez, then Thomas Mueller struck for ing Gladbach to seven wins and a draw in his said. “Our positional game was not so because he is so committed all over the the Bundesliga yesterday as an own-goal during Bayern. Germany striker Max Kruse netted twice eight league games. Ex-Manchester United star good and that was disappointing. I know pitch.” —AFP a freak blizzard in Germany’s capital sealed their in Wolfsburg’s 6-0 rout of Werder Bremen, who Javier Hernandez scored his first brace for Bayer 1-0 win over bottom side Hoffenheim. There gifted the opener when defender Alejandro Leverkusen in their 3-1 win at Eintracht was a minute’s silence out of respect for the vic- Galvez slid the ball into his own net on 11 min- Frankfurt. Christmas came early for Hernandez tims of the Paris terror attacks, but snow began utes. in Frankfurt when Eintracht centre-back David Marseillaise rings out to fall just after kick-off at Berlin’s Olympic Kruse put third-placed Wolfsburg 2-0 up at Abraham allowed a cross to roll between his legs Stadium and the referee soon had to call for an the break by heading home a free-kick then and the striker stabbed home on 11 minutes. orange ball. Hertha profited most from the win- Portugal international Vierinha netted on 56 The Mexico striker doubled his tally on 39 in Corsica as Caen held ter weather when Hoffenheim defender Eugen minutes. The floodgates opened when France minutes, but it finished 2-1 at the break when Polanski got a slight touch on the ball, which he midfielder Josuha Guilavogui, on for the injured Serbian midfielder Slobodan Medojevic headed BASTIA: ‘La Marseillaise’ rang out in Mediterranean island, Brandao opened headed into his own net on 30 minutes when Brazil star Luiz Gustavo, stabbed home his shot, home on the stroke of half-time before Hakan Bastia yesterday ahead of the much- for the hosts after five minutes following trying to clear a free-kick. Kruse then set up Netherlands striker Bas Dost Calhanoglu scored Leverkusen’s third goal on 72 anticipated Corsican Ligue 1 derby won good work by midfielder Julian Palmieri. The pitch was cleared of snow during the on 78 minutes. minutes. 2-1 by Gazelec-Ajaccio as Caen missed But 14 minutes later Cameroon inter- break and the result masked a poor result for He completed the scoring three minutes from Augsburg climbed off the bottom of the table the chance to go second behind Paris national striker Jacques Zoua got the vis- Berlin, who managed just a single shot all game, time by converting a cross and the result leaves with an emphatic 4-0 win at VfB Stuttgart as Saint-Germain following a goalless draw itors on level terms, slotting home a while the defeat leaves Hoffenheim at the foot Wolfsburg five points behind Dortmund. woeful defending by the hosts allowed the visi- of the table. tors to take an early 2-0 lead with both goals by against Angers. penalty awarded when Bastia goalkeeper On Saturday, Javi Martinez scored his first Gladbach extend run midfielder Alexander Esswein. Defender Jan- Tightened security checks were in Jean-Louis Leca fouled Khalid Boutaib in goal since August 2013 for Bayern Munich as Borussia Moenchengladbach are fifth as Ingwer Callsen-Bracker grabbed a third before place throughout France, just over a the box. their 3-1 win at Schalke 04 opened an eight- Andre Schubert celebrated his first match in former South Korea captain Koo Ja-Cheol scored week after terrorist attacks in Paris and Boutaib missed a golden chance to point lead in the table. charge as head coach with a 2-1 win at home to Augsburg’s fourth when he hit the top right- the Stade de France left 130 people dead put the visitors ahead with half an hour After second-placed Borussia Dortmund’s Hanover 96 thanks to goals by forwards hand corner from 10 metres out on 54 minutes. and more than 350 injured. to go but alone on front of goal it was shock 3-1 defeat at Hamburg on Friday, Pep Ibrahima Traore and Raffael. The Rhine derby finished goalless as Mainz And despite threats by Corsican Leca who won the duel. Ten minutes lat- Guardiola’s Bayern took their chance to extend Having taken over in September with drew at Cologne as the hosts abandoned plans nationalists to boo the French national er Boutaib made no mistake volleying in their lead. David Alaba’s early goal was can- Borussia bottom of the table, the 42-year-old has to play in a special-edition carnival-themed shirt anthem ‘La Marseillaise’ was sang with following a pinpoint David Ducourtioux celled out by Schalke’s Max Meyer before been promoted from a caretaker role after steer- out of respect for those who died in Paris. — AFP gusto at the Armand Cesari Stadium in headed cross. Bastia in tribute to the victims of the The win away lifts Ajaccio out of the Paris attacks. relegation zone with neighbours Bastia The club’s leading supporters group taking their place. In Normandy, Caen Wenger rocked by Bastia 1905 announced prior to the were down to ten men after half and game that they would not enter the sta- hour after Alaeddine Yahia was given a Arsenal nightmare dium until after the national anthem. straight red card for a dangerous tackle. WEST BROMWICH: Arsene Wenger described Arsenal’s 2- Only one solitary whistle could be A win would have seen Caen move 1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion as the “perfect night- heard in the stands during the rendition, second behind PSG, who stretched their mare” after midfielders Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta before the Corsican chant “Diu vi salvi lead to 13 points on Saturday with a 2-1 added to his injury problems. Regina” was sung and followed by the win at Lorient. “It’s a good point given Arteta’s own goal, coupled with a late penalty miss by release of 130 white balloons, and a blue the game,” said Caen coach Patrice Santi Cazorla, ended the Gunners’ six-match unbeaten one for a club official who died the day Garande. Premier League run and dented their title challenge. And before the attacks. “Until the sending off we’d gotten off Gunners boss Wenger, already without Alex Oxlade- “The silence as the players walked out to a bright start and things were looking Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey and Danny gave me the chills,” said Ajaccio coach good for the match.” Caen are now third, Welbeck, suffered further setbacks as he lost Coquelin to a Thierry Laurey. “I would say that the best equal on 25 points with Lyon, who lost 3- knee problem and Arteta to a recurrence of a calf injury. Both players will be assessed and are doubts for response has been given,” added Bastia 0 to Nice on Friday, and are ahead on Tuesday’s Champions League home match against Dinamo coach Ghislain Printant. In a match which goal difference. Angers are sitting fifth. Zagreb, which Arsenal must win to stand any chance of had been postponed from Saturday Marseille travel to Saint-Etienne later staying in the competition. because of strong winds in the as Rennes host Bordeaux. —AFP “It was a very bad afternoon for us. We had 70 per cent possession, we scored an own goal, we missed a penalty, we gave away a goal from a set piece. That’s perfect to make the afternoon a nightmare,” Wenger said. “We missed open goal chances too. I believe that West Brom fought with 100 per cent commitment as well. You have to give them credit for that. “We landed a huge blow when we scored. We just had to make sure that they didn’t come back with an easy goal. VILLAREAL: Villarreal’s forward Roberto Soldado (L) vies with Eibar’s Argentinian “We lost a bit of focus at 1-0. After 35 minutes, we were defender Mauro Dos Santos during the Spanish league football match Villarreal CF 1-0 up. After 45 minutes, we were 2-1 down. Our defending vs SD Eibar at El Madrigal stadium in Villareal yesterday. — AFP on that level was very, very poor. “On top of that, we have two more injuries. One is a recurrence of a calf problem for Arteta, one is a knee problem for Coquelin. I don’t know Villarreal draws late to how severe that is. We’ll know tomorrow.” Wenger refused to blame Cazorla for his missed penalty, which came amid claim fourth in Spain confusion, as it initially appeared as though referee Mark Clattenburg had ordered a retake for encroachment. BARCELONA: Villarreal scored late to sal- ment, Daniele Bonera, had to be substitut- As it turned out, Clattenburg had penalised the mid- vage a 1-1 draw at home with Eibar that ed in the 63rd, leaving the hosts with 10 fielder for taking two touches as he slipped; with the rules lifted it into fourth place in the Spanish men as their three changes had already not allowing a penalty taker to touch the ball again until league yesterday. been made. Eibar, which remained in sixth another player has done so. At the other end of the standings, place, was left a man down in the 77th Deyverson scored twice in Levante’s 3-0 when Sergio “Keko” Gontan earned a sec- Highly focused win at Sporting Gijon to move the team off ond booking for a handball. Arsenal were consigned to defeat despite an early goal the bottom of table. Villarreal moved above Celta Vigo and from Olivier Giroud who, like France team-mate Laurent In a match that both Villarreal and Eibar into Spain’s last Champions League spot, Koscielny, played eight days after being caught up in the finished with 10 men, left back Jaume but its players lamented not getting the horrific Paris attacks. Costa received Denis Suarez’s through-ball win. “It’s a pity because we were convinced Giroud and Koscielny were playing for France in a and poked home Villarreal’s equalizer off of the importance of taking all three friendly against Germany at the Stade de France, which the post with five minutes left. Sergi Enrich points,” Costa said. was targeted by three attackers who blew themselves up gave Eibar the lead in the 27th minute, fol- Deyverson opened the scoring for outside the stadium, with the explosions heard during the lowing a tribute before kickoff to the vic- Levante in the 18th and added another just match. Wenger said that he had no doubts about fielding tims of the Paris terrorist attacks. The before halftime after Zouhair Feddal had either player, citing their professionalism. “They were high- French anthem was played, while a large doubled the lead in the 27th. Goalkeeper ly focused and had a desire to play,” Wenger said. “We pro- monitor displayed the message “We Are All Ruben Martinez also saved a penalty to duced enough to win the game. I don’t know about the France” in Spanish at El Madrigal Stadium. keep a clean sheet. It was Levante’s first win influence of what happened (in Paris) on the game. Eibar had a great chance to double its in three matches under new coach Joan “For my part, I would not explain our defeat by that. I advantage in the 43rd, but goalkeeper Ferrer. Later Sunday, Atletico Madrid seeks think it’s sad. We are all down. But when you’re on the Alphonse Areola saved Dani Garcia’s penal- a win at Real Betis to move ahead of pitch, you’re on the pitch.” West Brom manager Tony Pulis, CAEN: Caen’s French forward Andy Delort (R) vies for the ball with Angers’ French ty kick following a foul by Costa in the area. crosstown rival Real Madrid and take over whose side drew level through James Morrison before defender Yoann Andreu during the French L1 football match between Caen (SM Villarreal was hit by two injuries in second place after leader Barcelona routed Caen) and Angers (SCO Angers), yesterday, at the Michel d’Ornano stadium, in Caen, Arteta’s own goal, acknowledged that his players had gained victory despite not being at their best.—AFP defense. Eric Bailly was carried off with his Madrid 4-0 on Saturday. Athletic Bilbao also northwestern France. — AFP neck in a brace in the 33rd. His replace- visits Granada. — AP