WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016 SPORTS Real should treat Rodriguez better, says Asprilla

BARCELONA: Real Madrid are not Cup qualifier last week, opening the “He is a very young boy with an appearances in his first season in Spain believes Benitez had a problem with showing forward James Rodriguez the scoring and laying on a pass for Carlos awful lot of talent but James hasn’t under Ancelotti, but the 24-year-old Colombian players. respect he deserves, according to for- Bacca to get the second. been given the support he needs by his has made only 13 league starts this “I sincerely believe that Benitez mer Colombia striker Faustino Asprilla. “James doesn’t try harder for club. When he had that support from campaign due to a combination of a must have something against Rodriguez has had an underwhelming Colombia than Real Madrid, but here in (Carlo) Ancelotti he showed his true thigh injury and falling out of favour Colombians, because it’s the only way second season in the Spanish capital Colombia he is given the true impor- value. with coaches Rafael Benitez and his to explain his attitude towards my following his 80 million euros ($89.7 tance that a player of his character “This season he hasn’t been able to successor Zinedine Zidane. The compatriots,” he added. “James had million)move to Madrid from Monaco needs to perform,” Asprilla, the former prove anything because they haven’t Frenchman has left him out of the just had an exceptional campaign in in 2014. Rodriguez put his domestic Newcastle United and Parma forward, given him the special treatment every starting line-up for Real’s last four his first year with the club, then this woes aside to inspire Colombia to a was quoted as saying by Spanish news- player needs from their club.” matches. Asprilla, his country’s third all- man turns up and puts him on the last-gasp 3-2 win at Bolivia in a World paper Marca. Rodriguez scored 17 times in 43 time leading scorer with 20 goals, also bench.” — Reuters McIlroy skips ‘hassle’ of US Masters Par 3 contest LONDON: Grand Slam-chasing Rory rounds on Monday, Tuesday and McIlroy will not play the traditional Par 3 Wednesday. contest on the eve of next week’s US “Compared to a year ago and all the Masters because it is “just too much has- hype of winning the Grand Slam, I sle”. already feel a little more mellow and a lot The Northern Irishman described the more chilled,” he was quoted as saying relaxed nine-hole event as “a bit of a dis- on Sky Sports. traction” as he tries to land a fifth major McIlroy reached the semi-finals of the and a first at Augusta to complete the set WGC-Dell Match Play in Texas on Sunday, of all four of golf’s main titles. but last won in November 2015 and has The 26-year-old last skipped the Par 3 been overshadowed this year by a num- contest in 2011, the year he led the ber of his rivals at the top of the rankings. Masters by four shots going into the last Australian Jason Day, who beat day before collapsing to a final-round 80 defending champion McIlroy in Austin to to finish 15th. go back to world number one, won the “The year I had my best chance at Match Play the week after clinching the Augusta, 2011, I didn’t play the Par 3 con- Arnold Palmer Invitational. test so maybe the decision not to play it His compatriot Adam Scott, who this year can work in my favour,” the clinched the Masters in 2013, has won world number three said. twice in 2016 while double Masters win- The Par 3 event, played over Augusta ner Bubba Watson and defending cham- National’s short course around Ike’s pion Spieth have also triumphed this Pond, often features celebrities or play- season. ers’ children as caddies. “There’s a lot more going on around McIlroy had One Direction singer Niall others competing in the Masters this Horan as his guest caddie last year and year already than the spotlight I found his then fiancee Caroline Wozniacki did myself in a year ago,” added McIlroy, who the job in 2014. won the US Open in 2011, the British McIlroy went to Augusta last year Open in 2014 and the US PGA in 2012 amid a frenzy of hype surrounding his and 2014. first chance to complete the grand slam Only five players-Gene Sarazen, Ben WASHINGTON: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Washington Capitals shoots on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during and he finished a career-best fourth, six Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and the second period at Verizon Center on Monday in Washington. —AFP shots behind champion Jordan Spieth. Tiger Woods-have won all four of golf’s This year he has opted not to visit modern majors since the US Masters was Augusta for a scouting mission ahead of introduced in 1934. The Masters takes the tournament and will arrive on place at Augusta National, Georgia, from Capitals clinch Presidents’ Sunday evening ready for practice April 7-10. —Reuters Trophy by beating Blue Jackets

Kagawa double helps WASHINGTON: Fourth-liner Tom Wilson atoned the first, helping Colorado chase Pekka Rinne at Atlantic Division. Both teams have six games left for two penalties by scoring the winning goal 11:40 after giving up three goals on 10 shots in the regular season. Detroit is tied with early in the third period as the Washington faced. Shawn Matthias’s goal in the third wound Philadelphia for the second wild card in the Japan smash Syria 5-0 Capitals clinched the Presidents’ Trophy by beat- up the game-winner. The Avalanche played Eastern Conference, but the Flyers have one ing the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 Monday without centers Matt Duchene and Nathan more game to earn at least a point. Philadelphia : Japan thrashed Syria 5-0 to “We played a spectacular match,” night. The Capitals needed only a point to clinch MacKinnon because of knee injuries. But beat Winnipeg 3-2 in overtime on Monday night. finish top of their World Cup qualifying Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic told the NHL’s best record this season and wrapped Colorado managed to stay close to Minnesota in Detroit’s Jimmy Howard gave up goals to group yesterday but they needed a flurry reporters. “It will give us confidence and up home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley the race for the second wild card in the Western Zemgus Girgenson and Sam Reinhart in a 61- of late goals to give the scoreline a flat- great strength to take into the final Cup playoffs with seven games left. Justin Conference, pulling within three points of the second span late in the game. tering complexion. A freak own goal round of qualifiers.” Williams and T.J. Oshie also scored and Nicklas idle Wild with six games left. Nashville had from Hamdi Al Masri after 17 minutes put Honda told Japan’s NHK Television: “It Backstrom added an empty-netter for recorded at least a point in 10 straight home FLAMES 5, COYOTES 2 Japan in front before was a goal to go through qualifying with Washington, which has an NHL-leading 113 games. It needed a regulation win to clinch its Sam Bennett scored twice, Sean Monahan scored twice and Syria crumbled in the no goals against so that was satisfying. points. Goaltender Braden Holtby made 21 saves second straight playoff berth. had a goal and two assists and Calgary avoid a second half as the home side topped “But there are still some things we need to earn his 46th win, two shy of Martin Brodeur’s season sweep by Arizona. T.J. Brodie and Joe Group E in the second round of qualify- to work on. We got caught on the count- single-season record. Cam Atkinson scored for RED WINGS 3, SABRES 2 Colborne also scored for Calgary, and Micheal ing for the 2018 World Cup and 2019 er several times and stronger opponents the Blue Jackets, who lost for the ninth time in Dylan Larkin, Riley Sheahan and Luke Ferland had two assists. The Flames went 2 for 3 Asian Cup. will make us pay so we need to be wary their past 13 games. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Glendening scored and Detroit held on for a vic- on the power play while stopping a three-game Japan finished with 22 points from of that. 35 of the 38 shots he faced. tory against Buffalo. Detroit desperately needed losing streak. Calgary had lost all four previous the two points to boost its chances of extending meetings this season to Arizona. Anthony their eight games-four more than Syria, “We don’t want to be satisfied with SHARKS 5, KINGS 2 the franchise’s postseason streak to 25. The Red Duclair scored twice for the Coyotes, who had who will also advance to the next round this. All the players need to step up and Joe Thornton scored a tiebreaking, power- Wings pulled within a point of Boston for the won three in a row. Louis Domingue stopped 16 as one of the four best-performing group improve in order for us to keep winning.” play goal early in the third period to help send third and final guaranteed spot from the shots.— AP runners-up. , who provided the San Jose back to the playoffs with a victory over The Blue Samurai scored 27 goals and spark as Japan crushed Afghanistan 5-0 Los Angeles. Justin Braun added two goals, Joe conceded none from their eight home last Thursday, was handed the captain’s Pavelski and Melker Karlsson also scored and the NHL Results/Standings and away games with Syria, Singapore, armband on his 100th international Sharks will return to the postseason after their Afghanistan and Cambodia. appearance. But the Leicester City striker run of 10 straight trips was snapped last season. Philadelphia 3, Winnipeg 2 (OT); Washington 4, Columbus 1; Detroit 3, Buffalo 2; Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 0; Colorado 4, But they struggled to stamp their failed to add to his tally of 48 internation- Martin Jones made 30 saves. Vincent Lecavalier Nashville 3; Anaheim 2, Edmonton 1; Calgary 5, Arizona 2; San Jose 5, Los Angeles 2. authority on a Syria team missing four al goals, missing an open goal in the ear- scored twice for the first-place Kings, who had Western Conference Tampa Bay 44 27 5 214 182 93 key players, axed by coach Fajr Ibrahim ly salvos and volleying spectacularly off- their lead in the Pacific Division cut to one point Central Division Boston 40 28 8 222 207 88 for breaking a team curfew after last target just before the interval. over second-place Anaheim. The Ducks are four W L OTL GF GA PTS Detroit 38 27 11 195 208 87 week’s 6-0 win over Cambodia. Ibrahim’s decision to drop rebel quar- points ahead of the third-place Sharks and have Dallas 45 22 9 247 218 99 Ottawa 34 33 9 217 234 77 And Japan survived a scare when tet Ahmad Al Saleh, Alaa Al Shebli, Fahd a game in hand over both of their California St. Louis 45 22 9 203 185 99 Montreal 34 36 6 201 221 74 Mahmoud Al Mawas smashed a long- Al Youssef and Sanharib Melki was a rivals. Jonathan Quick made 26 saves, including Chicago 44 25 7 212 188 95 Buffalo 31 35 10 181 205 72 range drive against the post, moments tough one, given Syria’s struggles amid a brilliant one to rob Logan Couture in the clos- Nashville 39 24 13 213 194 91 Minnesota 37 28 11 206 189 85 Toronto 27 37 11 181 220 65 before Kagawa’s volley on 66 minutes their country’s violent conflict, which has ing moments of the second period. But he had little chance to stop Thornton’s go-ahead goal in Colorado 39 33 4 204 215 82 Metropolitan Division effectively put the game beyond Syria’s claimed an estimated 250,000 lives, Winnipeg 31 38 7 194 223 69 the third. Washington 54 16 5 236 175 113 reach. including several footballers. Pacific Division NY Rangers 43 24 9 219 199 95 headed Japan’s third But his players produced a coura- Los Angeles 45 26 5 208 180 95 LIGHTNING 3, MAPLE LEAFS 0 Pittsburgh 42 25 8 214 186 92 with four minutes left but there was still geous display nonetheless and Japan Anaheim 42 23 10 196 178 94 Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist, Ben time for Kagawa to stab home his second goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa needed San Jose 42 28 6 224 198 90 NY Islanders 40 25 9 208 192 89 Bishop made 34 saves and Tampa Bay beat Arizona 34 35 7 199 226 75 and for substitute Genki Haraguchi to to produce a string of top saves to pre- Philadelphia 37 25 13 196 199 87 Toronto to move into a tie for first place in the Calgary 32 38 6 210 240 70 Carolina 33 28 15 186 206 81 grab a stoppage-time fifth. serve his clean sheet.—AFP Vancouver 27 35 13 171 217 67 Atlantic Division. The Lightning’s other goals New Jersey 36 32 8 171 193 80 Edmonton 30 42 7 194 234 67 came from Mike Blunden and Ondrej Palat. Columbus 30 38 8 195 237 68 Steven Stamkos and Erik Condra each had two Eastern Conference Atlantic Division Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the assists. Bishop got his first career shutout against Florida 42 24 9 216 184 93 standings and are not included in the loss the Leafs. It was his sixth shutout of the season and 18th of his career. The Lightning and Florida Panthers are tied with 93 points. Florida faces Toronto on Tuesday night. Leafs goalie Garret Sparks made 15 saves.

DUCKS 2, OILERS 1 Corey Perry scored his 31st goal of the season and John Gibson made 27 saves to help Anaheim beat Edmonton. Brandon Pirri also scored for the playoff-bound Ducks, who are try- ing to catch the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division. Nail Yakupov scored in the third period for the Oilers, who have lost two straight. Cam Talbot made 23 saves.

FLYERS 3, JETS 2, OT Claude Giroux scored at 4:46 of overtime, and Philadelphia beat Winnipeg for a crucial win for playoff positioning. Giroux also had an assist and Wayne Simmonds and Mark Streit scored in reg- ulation for the Flyers, who began play tied with Detroit for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers blew a two-goal lead and appeared to be headed for a shootout before Giroux’s clutch play. Philadelphia is just 2-8 in the tiebreaker this season and 32-70 since its inception.

AVALANCHE 4, PREDATORS 3 Blake Comeau had a goal and an assist, and TOKYO: Japan’s Shinji Okazaki, center, leaps to control the ball against Syria’s Omar TEHRAN: Iran’s Saeid Ezatolahi (C) dribbles the ball as Oman’s Ahmed Mubarak (R) defends Colorado used a fast start to edge Nashville. Midani (12) and Ahammad Kalasi (5) during their World Cup qualifying match in during their World Cup Asia qualifying football match between Iran and Oman at the Azadi Gabriel Landeskog and Jack Skille also scored in Saitama, north of Tokyo, yesterday. Japan defeated Syria. — AP stadium in Tehran, yesterday.— AFP