THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014 SPORTS Russia blank Armenia in friendly

KRASNODAR: Alexander Kokorin and Dmitry Kombarov AGRENTINA 0 ROMANIA 0 scored in the first half to lead Russia to a 2-0 victory over In Bucharest, Argentina didn’t do their tag as World Cup Armenia in a warm-up match ahead of the World Cup contenders much good yesterday as they labored to a 0-0 yesterday. draw against Romania in a friendly which also saw Lionel Kokorin opened the scoring with a low shot off Messi struggle with illness. Alexander Samedov’s cross from the right in the 21st Argentina-who are grouped with Iran, debutants Bosnia- minute. Kombarov doubled the lead by converting a Herzegovina and African champions Nigeria in Brazil-were penalty after Artak Yedigaryan fouled Samedov in the hindered by a clearly under the weather Messi, who played box in the 43rd. the whole of the match despite being physically sick seven Russia dominated from the start and came close to minutes in. scoring several times, only for Roman Berezovsky to Argentinian coach Alex Sabella started with pretty much deny Yuri Zhirkov’s attempt in the sixth minute and his first choice side with Messi in the playmaking role while block Kokorin’s low backheel shot four minutes later. At Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain were the strike force and the other end, Henrik Mkhitaryan tested Russia keeper other regulars such as Angel di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Igor Akinfeev with a low bouncing shot from outside the Pablo Zabaleta also featured. box midway through the first half. With Messi not at his best little of note was created in a Russia coach Fabio Capello substituted four starters first-half which saw few chances for either side. However, at the interval and made two more substitutions later Romanian Alexandre Maxim should have done on. Russia never looked as convincing as it did in the better when he was found unmarked in the 33rd minute but first half, and Akinfeev had to make a series of saves. he aimed his downward header straight at Monaco ‘keeper “The match was played at high speed and should have Sergio Romero who kept it out with his legs. helped our players to feel the rhythm of real football The Romanian midfielder thought he had atoned for that after a winter break,” Capello said. “All our players were miss when he fired home into the far corner five minutes later in different physical conditions, but generally I’m satis- but the linesman ruled that the ball had gone out when it was fied with the team’s presentation.” crossed into the box. Russia will next host Slovakia in a warm-up on May 21 The visitors had their best chance of the first-half a minute and faces South Korea in its World Cup Group H opener later as a piece of individual magic from Aguero saw him slip on June 17. past two defenders and into the box only to miss the target.

EGYPT 2 BOSNIA 0 UKRAINE 2 UNITED STATES 0 In Innsbruck, Bosnia coach Safet Susic suffered a bad In Cyprus, Casting aside trouble at home, Ukraine comfort- start to his World Cup build-up after second-half goals KRASNODAR: Russia’s Denis Glushakov (right) competes for a ball with Armenia’s Karlen Mkrtchyan ably beat the United States 2-0 yesterday in a friendly held in by Gedo and Mohamed Salah gave Egypt a 2-0 win in a during an international friendly soccer match. —AP Cyprus against the backdrop of turmoil at home and tensions fast-paced friendly yesterday. with Russia. The Bosnians, in World Cup Group F alongside opened the scoring after 12 minutes Argentina, Nigeria and Iran, were outplayed by crisp when drifted a beautiful ball over the one-touch passing from the Egyptians with Chelsea defence for Denys Harmash to beat the offside trap. winger Salah tormenting his markers all evening. US keeper Tim Howard saved the one-on-one but the Roared on by 10,000 fans in Innsbruck, the Bosnians rebound came back to Harmash who calmly squared it to could only muster two half-chances in the opening peri- Yarmolenko who had the simple task of slotting it into the od after Ahmed Fathi had volleyed just wide of the far open goal. post at the other end. Ukraine remained on the front foot and correctly had a Wing-back Senad Lulic fired over the bar for Bosnia in goal disallowed seven minutes later when centre-back the 30th minute before striker Vedad Ibisevic had a shot Oleksandr Kucher squared the ball to Yarmolenko who again blocked by a defender. The African side took the lead had the simple task of passing it into the net. shortly after the interval as Gedo raced clear of his mark- Ukraine’s pressing was effective and the US struggled to ers and steered a low shot past advancing keeper Asmir get near ’s goal with Clint Dempsey’s blocked Begovic into the far corner. A small band of Egyptian shot being the closest Juergen Klinsmann’s men came in the fans in the Tivoli stadium were in raptures shortly after first 20 minutes. the hour when Salah sprung the offside trap and capped Second-half substitute Marko Devic made a quick impact, a triangular passing blitz with a calm finish. doubling Ukraine’s lead at the second attempt after Howard Egypt looked the more likely side to score in the clos- had saved the Rubin Kazan forward’s first effort when put ing stages, when only desperate defending stopped through on goal. Salah from breaking through again as Bosnia threw men The game, scheduled to played in Kharkiv, was moved to forward. the Mediterranean island due to the unstable political situa- tion in Ukraine. —Agencies COLOMBIA 1 TUNISIA 1 In Barcelona, Colombia drew 1-1 with Tunisia in a pre-World Cup friendly yesterday as the South Americans’ lack of a cutting edge in the absence of star Hazard shuns striker was exposed. With Los Cafeteros’ World Cup opener against ‘Special’ advice Greece just over three months away, coach Jose Pekerman gave a number of his fringe players the LONDON: Eden Hazard is disputing Chelsea manager Jose chance to shine as Christian Zapata, Fredy Guarin, Mourinho’s assertion that the attacking midfielder is due a Jackson Martinez all started on the bench. ANKARA: Turkey’s Alper Potuk (right) vies with Sweden’s Jimmy Durmaz during their International rest, the 23-year-old insisting that he plays consistently better Falcao’s Monaco teammate James Rodriguez opened friendly soccer match. —AP when fed a steady diet of action. the scoring from the penalty spot after Tunisian keeper “I don’t need rest, as I’ve said before, I’m at my best if I can Farouk Ben Mustapha had felled Victor Ibarbo after 20 play a lot of matches. But I must be aware that I don’t let minutes. myself burn out,” the Belgian international told the country’s Tunisia responded well, though, and were level 15 daily Het Laatste Nieuws in an interview published yesterday. minutes later when Wahbi Khazri drilled home Yassin “I’m in a good rhythm, I’m getting a lot of game time. I did Mikari’s cross. Colombia, who will also face Ivory Coast feel a little down in the first half against Fulham but it went and Japan in the group stages of the World Cup, had much better in the second half,” he said of Saturday’s 3-1 win the lion’s share of possession after the break. in the London derby which saw Chelsea move four points However, without Falcao, who is struggling to make clear at the top of the . the World Cup after suffering knee ligament damage in Before the match, Mourinho had told reporters he was January, and Martinez they didn’t have the killer touch hoping Hazard would not play in the midweek international, to turn their domination of the ball into goals. a World Cup warm-up against the Ivory Coast in Brussels later Mustapha made amends for conceding the penalty on Wednesday. “He needs a rest,” the Chelsea manager said when he saved bravely from Fiorentina’s Juan last Friday. “It’d be perfect if his national coach did not play Cuadrado. Colombia were forced to see out the final 10 him. “He can not have a rest in the club. In the national team minutes with 10 men when Luis Perea saw a second he doesn’t have to play friendly matches. “He needs a rest yellow card for chopping down Fakhreddine Ben and they could give him a rest. It’s important for us and I pre- Youssef as he broke clear on goal. fer him on the pitch even if he’s tired because I know he can produce things.” Hazard would not start for Belgium against TURKEY 2 SWEDEN 1 the Ivorians but was expecting to come on from the bench, In Ankara, Turkey beat Sweden 2-1 with headers he said. “I spoke to the coach (Marc Wilmots) about it and we from Mevlut Erdinc and substitute Olcan Adin in a will see how long I will play. He understands the situation, friendly yesterday. he’s not stupid. He knows I’m playing a lot.” Erdinc powered his header into the low right corner Hazard told the Belgian daily he was in the best form of of the net after just two minutes when Gokhan Gonul his career. “That shows in the statistics and in the succession lobbed the ball in from just outside the penalty area. of matches in which I’ve played well. In my last season at Lille, Sweden piled on the pressure at the end of the I also had a good run, similar to now. I hope it will continue first half, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the attacks. and that I will profit with both Belgium as well as Chelsea.” The visitors equalized in the 54th minute when Ola Hazard said his relationship with Mourinho was also Toivonen, who replaced Ibrahimovic at halftime, stole going well. “I find we have a normal relationship. If there the ball from a careless Semih Kaya and slotted are things to be said, he says them. If you are playing well, home. Turkey went ahead again four minutes later he says so. But if you are not, you also get to hear about it,” when Caner Erkin crossed the ball from the left and he added. “I prefer it if people say things to my face. He Adin, who replaced Burak Yilmaz, headed in from might be called the ‘Special One’ but to me he is the SPAIN: Colombia’s Victor Ibarbo (left) duels for the ball against Tunisia’s goalkeeper Ben Mustapha dur- ‘Normal One’.” —Reuters close range. Neither team has qualified for the World ing an international friendly soccer match. —AP Cup in Brazil. Science sees future beyond Paralympics

PARIS: Imagine a future with no sporting sciences are thinking about spinal cord BREAKTHROUGH brain to muscles, instead using electrodes World Health Organisation (WHO). What events for paralysed people. A future in injury repair, and working on it. There is One promising but controversial inno- to jolt the relatively autonomous nerve are the chances of a cure? which there is no need, as all the would- tremendous hope,” she told AFP. vation involves replacing or reinvigorating networks of the lower spine directly. “It’s obvious there isn’t going to be a be competitors will have been cured. Paralysis, full or partial, happens when dead or damaged central nervous system Some experiments have shown paral- single magic bullet,” said Howley. “The way This scenario, laughable just a few a message from the brain gets lost on its cells using embryonic stem cells. ysed people stand on their own two feet we have to think about fixing spinal cord decades ago, is no longer far-fetched, way to the muscles, blocked by illness or “We are hopeful of a breakthrough,” and regain limited movement, though injury is picking the low-hanging fruit first, experts say. Bit by bit, important damage to the spinal highway. said Martin McGlynn, president of apparently no feeling. as we continue to work towards fixing the progress is being made in understanding As recently as 20 years ago, Newark-based StemCells Inc, which is Some individuals regained varying more difficult, long-term problems.” and tackling aspects of paralysis. researchers focused not on a cure, but implanting stem cells directly into the degrees of bladder control and sexual Experts believe the answer will be a Some believe the time is fast simply on making the person comfort- spines of paralysed trial patients. function-”a patient population for whom combination of treatments. Doctors would approaching when the major secondary able. “There was a belief that you are “(...) [T]his therapy has the potential to it was always believed that nothing could likely administer a “neuroprotectant” drug problems from paralysis-bowel, bladder born with a certain number of neurons provide a long-lasting benefit with the be done”, Howley noted. as soon as possible after injury to reduce and sexual dysfunction, breathing com- and when they die, they die, the dogma potential to also significantly reduce the Among the most thrilling work, the death of precious nerve cells, said plications, declining muscle tone and was that you cannot repair” the damage, overall health care burden.” Though prom- though expensive and invasive, is in Bacon. bone density-will be treatable, probably said Mark Bacon, research director at ising, observers like Howley point out that brain-computer interfaces-using elec- This could be followed by a drug to through a combination of drugs, cell Spinal Research, a UK charity. stem cell research, like most other thera- trodes to read the intent of the brain to encourage the rerouting of broken nerve replacement, physical training and elec- That thinking has been swept away, pies, is in its infancy. make a movement and relaying that mes- connections. Next could be cell replace- tronic aids. although the available options remain “We need to better understand which sage to muscles to enact it. ment therapy to reverse whatever dam- And tentative but encouraging signs unchanged: the only licensed treatment are the best cells to be transplanted and “The brain-machine interface is a age could not be stopped. are emerging in the quest for the ulti- is physical rehabilitation, which is useful which kind of stem cell should be optimal- promising field, but we are taking the Finally, the patient may be helped with mate goal: restoring function to paral- but limited. ly used; how well do the transplanted cells first, faltering steps,” said Nathanael electrical stimulation to restore some ysed limbs. In the lab, though, extraordinary actually integrate into the central nervous Jarrasse, a robot specialist at the French automatic functions and computer-brain “This is an enormously complicated, experiments are taking place. These system and become functioning; and how National Centre for Scientific Research interfaces to wield a still useless limb. but we do believe solvable, problem,” include cell replacement and regenera- to contend with the scar at the lesion site,” (CNRS). “We are at the beginning of the jour- said Susan Howley, vice-president of tion, spinal scar-tissue removal, electric she said. ney in the same way cancer was 20 or 30 research at the New Jersey-based muscle stimulation and brain-computer The last three years have also seen TRAGIC PROBLEM years ago, where we have the prospects of Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation connections. Some are in clinical trials- exciting developments in electrical spinal As many as 500,000 people per year treatments that will improve the outcome, for paralysis. “Some of the best and the long process of vetting a new drug or stimulation. suffer spinal cord injuries-one of the main and with time we will refine those,” said brightest people at work in the neuro- medical technique for safety and efficacy. The work bypasses attempts to link the causes of paralysis, according to the Bacon. —AFP