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Home , Frank de Boer, Robin Gosens, Super Cup (India)

14 Sports Wednesday, June 9, 2021 join Japan in next phase of World Cup qualifying

DOHA: Syria joined Japan in the third round of World half brace with Mehdi Taremi completing the rout with Cup qualifying from Asia after a first-half double by a late strike. The UAE kept their chances alive in Mardak Mardikian helped them beat Guam 3-0 and Group G with a convincing 3-1 victory over confirm their top position in Group A on Monday. in Dubai. The Emiratis, however, trail leaders Syria’s seventh win in as many matches ensured who saw off 4-0 to take their tally to 14. they would be among the 12 teams competing in the Meanwhile, continued their dominance next phase of qualifying for four confirmed spots from with a 5-1 rout of , while Uzbekistan stayed in Asia in next year’s tournament in . A fifth team contention after trouncing 5-0. Harry from the continent could make the cut via an intercon- Souttar, Jamie MacLaren, Trent Sainsbury all struck in tinental play-off. the first session before Mitchell Duke added a brace Mardikian took advantage of a poor headed clear- after resumption in City. Australia have 18 ance by Alexander Lee to slam the ball past Guam points in Group B with an all-win record in six match- goalkeeper Dallas Jaye in the sixth minute to put the es, while , who beat 3-0, are second on Syrians ahead at the Sharjah Stadium. The 29-year-old 13. Kuwait sits in third place with 10 points while striker doubled his side’s lead just three minutes later Nepal is last with six points. with a spectacular flying volley from a Khaled Kerdagli cross that found the top corner of Jaye’s net. Minamino levels Honda Mahmoud al-Mawas, who scored a hat-trick Earlier in the day, Japan conceded their first goal of against the on Friday, then made it 3-0 late in World Cup qualifying but still recovered to beat the match as it was mission accomplished for Nabil Tajikistan 4-1. Japan, who were already assured of first Maloul’s men. Also in Group A, China beat the place in Group F, took the lead against second-place 2-0 for their fourth win in six matches but Tajikistan through a sixth-minute goal from Kyogo with 13 points they trail Syria by eight and can only Furuhashi. hope to make the grade as one of the four best sec- But Ehsoni Panjshanbe headed in an equalizer three ond-placed teams. minutes later, the Japanese defence breached for the KUWAIT: Australia’s Riley McGree shoots against Taiwan in Group B competitions of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers In Group C, thrashed 4-1 to go top first time in seven qualifiers. Takumi Minamino put in Kuwait on Monday. with 14 points from six matches, while hammered Japan back in front, extending his scoring streak to a 3-0 to climb to second, two behind the lead- seventh straight World Cup qualifier. forward Minamino — who spent last season on loan at “I’m happy to draw level with such a great player,” ers. Mohannad Ali, Bashar Rasan and Ali Adnan struck First international goals for Kento Hashimoto and Southampton — tied a national record set by Japan said Minamino. Tajikistan retained second place after in the first half for Iraq and Safaa Hadi finished off pro- Hayao Kawabe then made the game safe for Japan, hero Keisuke Honda. Kyrgyzstan lost 1-0 to earlier in the day. ceedings with a goal in second-half stoppage time. who have scored 41 goals in Group F with only one He finished off a pass from former school-mate Elsewhere, beat 2-0 and World Cup Iran were served well by Sardar Azmoun’s second- conceded. With his seven-game scoring run, Liverpool Furuhashi, who was making his first start for Japan. hosts Qatar edged out 1-0. — AFP

ing up front. Manchester City’s Gundogan partnered half and fired home between Ozols legs with 50 min- Mueller on the Real Madrid’s in a solid midfield pairing. utes gone. The Germans wasted little time. The Germans were caught napping when News in brief Havertz ghosted through the Latvia defense to set Saveljevs’s superb shot flew past the diving Neuer, mark as Germany up the opener as left-back Robin Gosens claimed his before Sane made amends for his earlier miss by tap- Chhetri passes Messi first international goal, then 86 seconds later ping home’s Mueller’s pass. The win was a timely thrash Latvia Gundogan crashed in the second. Germany were 3-0 confidence booster on the eve of the Euro 2020 NEW DELHI: Indian football star up inside 27 minutes when Mueller hit the net for his finals, but Germany can expect much harder games has surpassed Lionel Messi in international goals, 39th goal in 102 caps for Germany. against France and reigning European champions after scoring both goals in his country’s 2-0 win DUSSELDORF: Thomas Mueller scored his first It was 5-0 at the break as Latvia goalkeeper Portugal in Group F. “We’ve kept things free until the over Bangladesh in Doha. Chhetri moved past international goal for three years on Monday as Robert Ozols fumbled the ball into his own net, then middle of July - anything can happen,” joked Mueller, Argentine Messi’s 72 goals when he opened the Germany crushed minnows Latvia 7-1 in their final volleyed into the top corner just before with the Euro 2020 final scheduled for London’s scoring in the 79th minute on Monday, in a quali- warm-up friendly before the Euro 2020 finals. Latvia, half-time. Werner replaced Havertz for the second Wembley Stadium on July 11. — AFP fying match for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and ranked 138th in the world, rarely got out of their half 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The 36-year-old striker as Germany tuned up for their opening game of the added a second in injury time, taking his total to European Championship against world champions 74 goals for India, who are already out of the race France in eight days’ time in Munich. to qualify for the World Cup but can make it to the After a two-year exile from international football, Asian Cup in China. Portugal striker Cristiano 2014 World Cup winner Mueller got on the score- Ronaldo tops the international list among active sheet while stars Ilkay Gundogan players, with 103 goals. With 73 strikes, Ali and also found the net in the rout. “The Mabkhout of the is also result wasn’t the most important thing, it was more above Messi — a six-time Ballon d’Or winner about the way we wanted to play football and imple- widely regarded as the greatest player of the ment things,” said Mueller, who claimed his first modern era. — AFP Germany goal since March 2018. “It felt good, it was a convincing win, but we know that France will be a different proposition, that’s clear.” Germany captain was applauded Van de Beek out onto the pitch by his team-mates before kick-off as he became the first goalkeeper to make 100 appear- THE HAGUE: Manchester United ances for the national team. The 35-year-old veteran has been ruled out of the had one of the quietest nights of his career in Netherlands’ challenge for Euro 2020 because of Duesseldorf. He was largely untested until Latvia injury, the national team announced yesterday. midfielder Aleksejs Saveljevs caught the German “Van de Beek has to let the European defence napping with a consolation goal 15 minutes Championship pass by. The midfielder is struggling from time. Germany head Joachim Loew made with an injury. As a result, he is not available in time four changes from the side held to a frustrating 1-1 for Euro 2020,” the team tweeted. Netherland draw with Denmark. coach Frank de Boer will not name a replacement Chelsea’s Champions League winner Antonio DUSSELDORF: Germany’s forward Thomas Mueller (front) celebrates scoring the 3-0 goal during the friendly for the 19-times capped Van De Beek. The 24- Ruediger came into the defence with his club team- football match between Germany and Latvia in Duesseldorf, western Germany, on Monday, in preparation for the year-old started just four Premier League matches mate , who played the first half, impress- UEFA European Championships. — AFP for United following his £35 million ($49.5 million) move from Ajax in September. De Boer’s side start their European Championship campaign by host- If that were the case, they would be exempt from ing Ukraine in on Sunday. They will British sides given the rule that travellers from the United Kingdom and Stuttgart’s also face Austria and North Macedonia at the Northern must currently observe a 10-day iso- Arena in Group C. — AFP lation period due to the virus strain of concern first Germany quarantine identified in India. “The people accredited for the Wamangituka European football Championship are exempt from the exemption for quarantine obligation, even after arriving from an area played under Spain add Kepa impacted by a variant” Berlin said in a statement. “This exemption concerns all the people who have fake identity MADRID: Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga Euro 2020 been accredited by the organizing committee for the has been added to Spain’s standby list for Euro preparation, participation, the holding and the follow- 2020 after captain Sergio Busquets tested positive up of international sporting events,” it added. The BERLIN: Stuttgart’s Congolese attacker Silas BERLIN: Germany’s government announced yes- for COVID-19 last week, the Spanish Football exemption does not include fans, who will be obliged Wamangituka has been playing under a false identi- terday it will allow , and to Federation said yesterday. Kepa was drafted to follow German government self-isolation rules. ty, the Bundesliga club announced yesterday. enter the country without quarantine to play at Euro alongside striker Rodrigo Moreno, Euro 2020 starts on Friday as Italy host in Wamangituka’s real name is Silas Katompa 2020 despite a recent rise in cases linked to the Pablo Fornals of West Ham and Carlos Soler of Rome with the Bavarian city hosting three group Mvumpa and was born on 6 October 1998 in Delta variant of COVID-19 in Britain. The three Valencia, Villarreal’s Raul Albiol as well as Celta games as well as the last-eight match. Around Kinshasa, and not a year later as claimed in his doc- teams could potentially reach the quarter-final held Vigo’s Brais Mendez, who were brought in on 14,000 fans will be allowed into the uments. “Striker Silas Wamangituka recently made it in Munich on July 2. Monday. On Sunday, Busquets left the team’s pre- for the fixtures. — AFP known to the club that he had been the victim of Euro 2020 training camp while the rest of the manipulation by his former player agent and that squad tested negative. The squad will be given Wamangituka is not his real name,” they said. coronavirus vaccines today, Spain’s Minister for “With the support of Stuttgart and a new agent, Education, Culture and Sport Manuel Rodriguez Silas has been working intensively on clearing up Uribes said later. Spain’s first Euro 2020 match is the situation and finally received the corresponding against Sweden on June 14 and Enrique has until official documentation from Democratic Republic of Saturday to make changes to his squad ahead of Congo a few days ago,” they added. their opening fixture in . — AFP Wamangituka, who scored 13 goals in 27 games last season to help Stuttgart to a mid-table finish, had a trial with Belgian side Anderlecht in 2017 and he claimed he was pressured to move to Paris by New Juve women’s coach his former representative. He joined second-tier Paris FC and then moved to Stuttgart 2019. “Over MILAN: Australian Joe Montemurro has been the past few years, I was constantly living in fear appointed head coach of the Juventus women’s and was also very worried for my family in Congo,” team, the Italian club announced yesterday. The he said. 51-year-old, who left the Arsenal women’s team “It was a tough step for me to take to make my last month, will take over the Italian champions on story public and I would never have had the July 1. Montemurro joined the Gunners in courage to do so if Stuttgart, my team and Stuttgart November 2017 having previously coached had not become like a second home and a safe Melbourne City Women, winning the place to me,” he added. in 2018, and the Women’s Super League title for Stuttgart said they were in contact with the the first time in seven years in 2019. Arsenal fin- German league and the country’s national associa- ished third in the league the past two seasons. tion to clear up the situation. “Thanks to his con- Montemurro, whose family are of Italian descent, siderable efforts to clear up the situation, Silas replaces Rita Guarino who had coached the Turin- now has a valid Congolese passport with his cor- based outfit since they were formed in 2017. rect personal details,” they said. “It is in the inter- Guarino won seven trophies with Juve — four ests of both Silas and Stuttgart to ensure that the titles, the 2019 Coppa Italia and two BAKU: Wales national team players take part in a training session yesterday at Tofiq Behramov stadium in Baku, situation is handled correctly from hereon in,” they Italian Super Cup triumphs. — AFP four days ahead of the team’s Euro 2020 football tournament opening match. — AFP added. — AFP