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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2013 SPORTS Bayern equal record with Hoffenheim win BERLIN: Bayern Munich equalled the record for the longest unbeaten run in the history of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win at Hoffenheim yesterday. The hard fought result was enough to extend their remark- able record of not having lost a top-flight game in more than a year. In doing so, they have equalled the all-time Bundesliga record of 36 matches unbeaten set by Hamburg between January 1982 and January 1983. Bayern manager Pep Guardiola said: “It was a difficult win to get, but that’s always been the case for Bayern on this pitch. “It wasn’t without a doubt our best performance but we’ve won so I’m satisfied.” Bayern can go on and own the record outright by avoiding defeat against neigh- bors Augsburg next weekend. FRANCE: Rennes’ Portuguese forward Nelson Oliveira (right) vies with Marseille’s Guardiola’s side trailed at the Togolese midfielder Jacques-Alaixys Romao during the French League football Rhein-Neckar Arena in Sinsheim match. —AFP when teenage defender Niklas Suele converted in the 34th minute after Manuel Neuer made GERMANY: Bayern’s Thomas Mueller (left) scores his side’s second goal during a German First Division Marseille stop the a hash of dealing with a corner. Bundesliga soccer match against Hoffenheim. —AP However, the visitors were lev- el inside five minutes when area. Despite having Dante and son’s Champions League runners- points, three behind Dortmund. rot at Rennes Franck Ribery’s free-kick took a Javi Martinez back in their start- up coming from behind with Moenchengladbach are fourth huge deflection off Mario ing line-up, Bayern were not at Robert Lewandowski scoring a with 19 points, after a 2-0 win at PARIS: Marseille’s worrying losing five- weekend action. Rennes are two points Mandzukic to trump Koen their very best but the win hat-trick to take his personal tally Hamburg, the goals in either half match run finally came to an end at behind in seventh. Casteels in the home goal. means that they end the week- for the season to nine league coming from striker Max Kruse. Rennes yesterday in a 1-1 draw marked The Ligue 1 summit is occupied by Then Thomas Mueller secured end a point in front of Borussia goals. Down at the foot of the table by a saved penalty from Marseille cap- defending champions Paris Saint the win with quarter of an hour Dortmund at the league summit. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen SC Freiburg were toasting their tain Steve Mandanda. Germain, who moved three points clear remaining when he tucked the Dortmund tore apart Stuttgart were beaten 1-0 at struggling first success of the season, a 3-0 Rennes’s Portuguese striker Nelson of Monaco with a 4-0 rout of Lorient on ball in after a flurry of shots and with a 6-1 win at the Signal- Eintracht Braunschweig, a result win at fellow relegation strug- Oliveira put the hosts in front from 20 Friday. rebounds in the Hoffenheim Iduna Park on Friday, last sea- that leaves them third, aon 25 glers Nuremberg. —AFP metres on nine minutes, only for his The result at a rain-drenched Parc effort to be cancelled out by Jordan des Princes extended PSG’s unbeaten Ayew after quarter of an hour. league run to 23 games. The goals Preview With a lack of concentration in the came from Lucas, Jeremy Menez and Rennes defence Ayew struck right-foot- an Edinson Cavani double. EPL braced for ed from near the penalty spot for the “We scored goals, created lots of Ghana striker’s first goal in 10 months chances and kept the ball despite the Welsh derby of Ligue 1 action. difficult weather conditions,” said man- In the 73rd minute Rennes were ager Laurent Blanc. “Our philosophy for CARDIFF: The English top flight will experience the fire awarded a penalty after Kassim the game is the same whatever team and fury of a Welsh derby for the first time today when Abdallah fouled Foued Kadir. Oliveira we put out. There are players who have Cardiff City host Swansea City in the Premier League. stepped up to take the spot kick but little playing time but they always Cardiff’s promotion from the Championship in May means that there are now two teams from Wales doing his effort was denied by Marseille demonstrate their qualities.” battle among the English elite and passions are keeper Mandanda, much to the delight Yesterday’s late kick-offs include expected to run high at the Cardiff City Stadium. of the travelling fans. seven time former champions Lyon, Swansea are becoming an established Premier This stalemate, after three losses in without a win in five matches, hosting League force, finishing 11th and ninth since being pro- the league and two in the Champions Guingamp, while today Monaco can moted in 2011 and winning last season’s League Cup, league, lifted Marseille up to fifth, on draw level on points with PSG with a but they will be overtaken by Cardiff if they lose today. 18 points, ahead of the rest of the win at Lille. —AFP Located 42 miles apart on the south Wales coast, the two teams are fierce rivals and their head-to-head encounters tend to be tempestuous affairs. Preview Old wounds were reopened this week when it was Charlie Mulgrew revealed that referee Mike Dean will officiate the game, four years after he was struck on the forehead Villas-Boas warns Spurs to by a coin thrown from the stands during the same fix- Dundee denied famous ture. Cardiff manager Malky Mackay said he had no avoid more Everton woe concerns about Dean’s appointment, describing him win as Celtic snatch point as a “very good referee”, but he admits that the game LIVERPOOL: Andre Villas-Boas has side to remain in the hunt, Villas-Boas has a singular context. warned Tottenham cannot afford fur- claims the table has yet to take shape. GLASGOW: Celtic needed a stoppage only the second time this season while “It’s not just another game and I would be lying if I ther setbacks if they want to feature in “From eighth to first place it is very, time goal from Charlie Mulgrew to earn a Izaguirre shrugged off an injury to take said that,” he said. “I know the passion of our fans and the Premier League title race. very tight and we will see teams going 1-1 draw with Dundee United at his place at left-back. what the atmosphere in our stadium is like, but I don’t Spurs have already suffered two up and down,” added Villas-Boas. “It Parkhead in their Premiership clash yes- United had John Souttar to thank for think it is going to touch the sides of what we will feel defeats this season and head to has broken a little from seventh place terday that preserved their unbeaten keeping them on level terms as he head- on Sunday. It will be an incredible atmosphere when Everton today looking to avoid a up to first now. But Manchester United start to their title defence. ed an Anthony Stokes volley off the line the players walk out. “I think it is something all our fans repeat of last season’s loss at Goodison have played all of the most difficult fix- Dundee United looked to be heading after the Irish striker had shown great have looked forward to since we were promoted and it Park. tures and can look at the calendar with for their first win at Celtic Park since technique at the edge of the box. does hold that extra special edge.” And, having seen his team narrowly a little more positivity than others.” December 1992 thanks to a first half The visitors could have gone ahead a Mackay has endured a difficult few weeks, having fail to claim a place in the Champions Meanwhile, Everton midfielder Leon strike from Stuart Armstrong. minute later when John Rankin’s deep seen his trusted head of recruitment Iain Moody dis- League last season, Tottenham manag- Osman admits Tottenham deserve However, Mulgrew popped up two delivery into the Celtic box found Brian missed and replaced by a 23-year-old Kazakh, Alisher er Villas-Boas knows his team cannot credit for the way they have per- minutes into stoppage time to head Graham whose header produced a point- Apsalyamov, with no known experience in profession- afford to throw points away again this formed without Gareth Bale following Emilio Izaguirre’s cross past Radoslaw blank save from Fraser Forster. al football. Reports in the British media claim time around. “We’ve spoken about (last his departure to Real Madrid just Cierzniak to leave his side five points Balde should have done better when Apsalyamov has been asked to step down while the year’s) result as the deciding factor for before the transfer deadline. Spurs clear of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Darnell Fisher, making only his second government investigates his visa situation, but us not making it into the Champions made a string of signings to replace who reduced the gap with a 2-1 win over appearance for Celtic, sent in a decent Swansea manager Michael Laudrup has downplayed League because everything changed the Wales forward and Osman has Kilmarnock. delivery from the right but the the significance of the off-pitch upheaval. quite dramatically,” Villas-Boas said. “It been impressed with how quickly the Celtic manager Neil Lennon will be Portuguese striker headed over.