SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015 SPORTS Guangzhou Evergrande reclaim Asian crown GUANGZHOU: A moment of magic from injured himself and had to be replaced by Brazil’s Elkeson earned China’s Guangzhou Li Shuai after he leapt to punch a cross Evergrande their second AFC Champions clear and landed awkwardly on the ankle of League title in three years yesterday after a team-mate Huang Bowen. Zheng Long tense second leg of their final against Al Ahli. went close with a near-post header after a The striker’s instinctive turn and toe-poke on well-worked move from the right, but over- 54 minutes finally unlocked the Emirati all the expensively assembled Chinese team’s defense to earn a 1-0 win for Luiz domestic champions failed to impose Felipe Scolari’s side after the first leg in Dubai themselves in the first half. However, ended goalless. The victory was wildly cele- Evergrande finally broke through after 144 brated at a packed Tianhe stadium as the goalless minutes against Al Ahli when 2013 champions regained the Asian title and Elkeson, receiving the ball with his back to earned a spot at next month’s Club World goal, flicked it past a defender and Cup in Japan. It was also a personal victory stretched to slot it home. for Scolari, who led Brazil to a humiliating 7-1 Al Ahli’s hopes faded further when a defeat to Germany in last year’s World Cup furious Khamis earned his straight red card semi-finals but who has kept Evergrande for an apparent stamp on Zheng Long, and unbeaten since his arrival in June. had to be restrained by three officials who Al Ahli proved worthy opponents but wrestled him away from the pitch. But their challenge was fatally holed when Evergrande still needed heroics from South defender Salmin Khamis saw red for a Korean defender Kim Young-Gwon who stamp on 66 minutes, and was so incensed made a superb last-ditch challenge on he had to be restrained pitchside. Lima when the Brazilian was one-on-one Evergrande nearly got a dream start when with substitute ‘keeper Li. Man-of-the- Elkeson fed fellow Brazilian Ricardo Goulart match Elkeson nearly made it 2-0 for in the box, but his close-range shot was Evergrande in the fourth minute of injury well saved at the near post by Ahmed time but he sliced his shot clear when it Ashoori. Al Ahli nearly stunned Evergrande looked easier to score. As captain Zheng on the break but Jose Lima’s shot from the Zhi lifted the trophy to the strains of “We edge of the area, with passes available, was Are The Champions”, gold tickertape flut- straight down the throat of goalkeeper tered down and the players sprayed cham- Zeng Cheng. pagne and bounced Scolari up and down GUANGZHOU: Members of the Guangzhou Evergrande team celebrate after winning the championship game of the AFC Champions League in Evergrande suffered a blow when Zeng in celebration.—AFP Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong Province yesterday. Guangzhou Evergrande beat UAE Al Ahli, 1-0. —AP Nice hammer Lyon as Ligue 1 resumes after Paris attacks PARIS: Nice beat second-placed Lyon 3-0 as Ligue 1 resumed on Friday as scheduled, a week on from the Paris terror attacks that left 130 peo- ple dead and more than 350 injured. Valere Germain and Vincent Koziello struck either side of a Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa own goal on an emo- tional evening at the Allianz Riviera as tributes were paid to the victims of last week’s attacks in the French capital. “I told my players they had the chance to give happiness to those who were watching us. Everyone was up to the mark tonight, the Nice fans and the two teams,” said Nice coach Claude Puel. Lyon counterpart Hubert Fournier had no qualms about the defeat, adding HAMBURG: Hamburg players celebrate after winning the German first division it was “deserved” while also praising the “digni- Bundesliga soccer match between Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund in fied and respectful” behavior of the Nice support- Hamburg on Friday, Nov 20, 2015. — AP ers. A moving rendition of the French national anthem, ‘La Marseillaise’, was played before kick- Tuchel slams Dortmund’s off and was followed by a minute’s silence, during which fans held aloft candles. A Nice supporters group had urged fans to come dressed in black to ‘dramatic’ drop in form honor victims of last Friday’s attacks, while players wore black armbands as a traditional mark of BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund coach respect. Sports Minister Thierry Braillard, along Thomas Tuchel admits his side showed a with French football officials, had taken the deci- ‘dramatic’ drop in performance in a sion on Tuesday to allow Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 shock 3-1 defeat at Hamburg on Friday Matches on TV matches to go ahead under heavy security, but that dented their Bundesliga title (Local Timings) without away fans. League president Frederic chances. Goals from Pierre-Michel Thiriez said security forces across the country Lasogga, Lewis Holtby and a Mats ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE were too stretched to allow fans to travel. Mathieu Valbuena was named in the Lyon Hummel own-goal put hosts Hamburg Tottenham v West Ham 19:00 3-0 up before Gabon striker Pierre- team just hours after giving evidence in the sex Emerick Aubameyang netted a late con- beIN SPORTS tape blackmail affair in which his France col- league Karim Benzema has been charged. solation for Dortmund, his 15th goal in Valbuena, who was seen leaving a Versailles 13 league games. SPANISH LEAGUE court, on the outskirts on Paris, at around The win saw Hamburg move up to Valencia v Las Palmas 0:00 12:45pm local time (1145 GMT) then travelled to eighth, but defeat leaves second-placed the Cote d’Azur, almost 1,000 kilometers away, on Dortmund facing the prospect of finish- beIN SPORTS 7 HD a private jet laid on by the club. Lyon should ing the weekend eight points behind Coruna v Vigo 0:05 have taken an early lead when Claudio Beauvue leaders Bayern Munich if they beat was left unmarked 10 yards out, only for the strik- beIN SPORTS 9 HD Schalke. The start of Friday’s game was er to blaze over the crossbar. The visitors, unbeat- delayed for safety reasons, adding to the Gijon v Levante 14:00 en on their last five trips to Nice, went even clos- tension just three days after a bomb beIN SPORTS er on the quarter hour as last year’s leading scor- er Alexandre Lacazette fired against the base of scare caused Germany’s friendly with the Villarreal v Eibar 18:00 Netherlands in Hanover to be post- the post. poned and a week after the Paris terror beIN SPORTS Having initially rode their luck early Nice made the breakthrough 20 minutes in as Valere attacks. Tuchel slammed his side for a Granada v Bilbao 20:15 Germain gathered Jean-Michael Seri’s pass and poor first-half display which left them 2- NICE: Nice’s Hatem Ben Arfa (right) challenges for the ball with Lyon’s Da Silva Rafael during beIN SPORTS glided into the box before lifting a superb dinked 0 down at the break. their French League One soccer match on Friday, Nov 20, 2015 in Nice stadium. — AP Betis v Atletico 22:30 finish over Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes for “Especially in the first half, the differ- his sixth goal of the season. The hosts stretched own net. Twenty-year-old Vincent Koziello Lyon. Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain ence between our usual standards, how beIN SPORTS their lead three minutes after half-time when rounded off the victory on 71 minutes with a traveled to Lorient yesterday with a chance to we perform as a team, and reality was Lyon defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa inexplica- thumping finish into the roof of the net as Nice further increase their healthy 10-point cushion dramatic,” fumed Tuchel. “We deserved ITALIAN LEAGUE bly diverted Jeremy Pied’s low cross into his climbed to third in the table, just a point behind at the top.—AFP to be punished for it. “I have no explana- tion for it, but it was obvious from the Hellas Verona v Napoli 14:30 first minute that we lacked the necessary beIN SPORTS body language and attitude. “It wasn’t Atalanta v Torino 17:00 FIFA ethics investigators call for the performance we imagined and we also didn’t see it coming. “It was far too beIN SPORTS little to achieve a good result in the Lazio v Palermo 17:00 sanctions against Blatter, Platini Bundesliga. “There was no indication beIN SPORTS beforehand. We were very diligent and Genoa v Sassuolo 17:00 BERNE: FIFA ethics investigators chamber will not publish details of ment from FIFA to Platini. The pay- investigation of Blatter as both men worked hard in the international break. called yesterday for sanctions against the concluded reports and the ment was made in 2011 for work are Swiss. “As the two proceedings are “Even during the final training session beIN SPORTS president Sepp Blatter and European requested sanctions against the two Platini had completed nine years ear- closely related and to avoid any today (Friday) or during the team meet- Fiorentina v Empoli 17:00 soccer boss Michel Platini, dealing a officials.” lier, the Swiss attorney-general’s office appearance of a conflict of interests, fresh blow to Platini’s bid to succeed Blatter has been FIFA president has said, adding Platini was consid- Dr Borbely also withdrew from the ing, there was no hint of such a perform- beIN SPORTS ance.