TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 SPORTS Gerrard, Galaxy end scoring drought

CARSON: Coach Bruce Arena scoffed at anyone leave it at that. It’s all a bunch of (nonsense). Our said. “I think the goal is important for the team. Real Salt Lake. Dos Santos ended the Galaxy’s 290- who thought he should be concerned while his LA team is going to score goals.” The Galaxy (14-9-8) We’re at the business end of the season, and it’s all minute scoring drought just 11 minutes in, convert- Galaxy played a full month without scoring a goal in scored just enough to move past Vancouver and the about three points. It’s not about individuals and ing a cross from Gyasi Zardes during a slick MLS play. One after another, his three biggest stars New York Red Bulls with 50 points in the Supporters’ tallies and who gets what.” sequence of possession started by Robbie Rogers’ showed how right he was. Giovani Dos Santos, Shield race. The Whitecaps, Red Bulls and FC Dallas Michael Barrios and Atiba Harris scored for FC adroit header by the sideline. Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard scored as the all have games in hand on the defending MLS Cup Dallas (14-10-5), which began the night even with Keane then scored from the top of the penalty Galaxy climbed atop the overall league standings champions, but that’s another target for Arena’s the Galaxy with 47 points. Dallas has lost two area with ample room to shoot after an exceptional with a 3-2 victory over FC Dallas on Sunday night. scorn. “There’s one team that has 50 points, and straight, but has two games in hand on the Galaxy. touch by Dos Santos. The Irish captain and his Dos Santos and Keane scored in the first half before that’s us,” Arena said. “We’ve got 50 in the bank, and “I’d prefer to have the points on the board,” Keane Mexican teammate then celebrated by doing the Gerrard got his first goal since his MLS debut in the somebody is going to have to (catch up).” said. “I’d take the points on the board all day long nae nae. Barrios scored a strange goal all by himself 57th minute. The Galaxy were thrilled to get a close-range over the games in hand. You have to win the games later in the half, popping a header just over leaping The Galaxy ended their perplexing three-game score in the 57th minute from Gerrard, who had in hand.” The victory ended a strange five-week goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. Keane hit the cross- scoreless stretch when all three of their designated played eight games without a goal since his MLS stretch without an MLS goal for the Galaxy, who bar twice in the second half, but Gerrard cleaned players scored in the same match for the first time. debut July 17. went 0-2-1 and wasted the chance to take a sizable up a corner kick in the box. Harris scored rather “There’s been nothing wrong with us,” said Arena, The former England captain and Liverpool star is lead in the regular-season race. After a high-profile easily in the 86th minute, but the Galaxy hung on whose team hadn’t scored an MLS goal since Aug. playing a defensive role in the Galaxy’s midfield. “I 5-1 victory over New York City FC last month, the in front of their sixth straight MLS sellout crowd at 23. “I know you guys all look at the scoreline, and didn’t have a problem with my confidence,” Gerrard Galaxy were shut out by San Jose, Montreal and StubHub Center. — AP Thanks to butcher - Kalinic revives ‘Batigol’ memories MILAN: Fiorentina fans were yesterday giv- brought in to replace Vincenzo Montella en the chance to hark back to the club’s when the coach was sacked last season and golden period in Serie A-and it may be part- whose ideas are said to have breathed new ly down to a butcher with a premonition. life into the Viola dressing room. But for La The last time ‘La Viola’ sat top of Italy’s top Gazzetta dello Sport, a local butcher’s pre- flight was in February 1999 when prolific monition may have played a role, too. In a Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta, known webclip on the Italian sports daily’s website, affectionately as ‘Batigol’, was banging the an unnamed butcher runs out from behind goals in almost at will for the Florence- his counter at a local market to approach based club. On Sunday, Fiorentina con- Kalinic when he sees him strolling past with firmed their early-season promise by end- a fellow teammate last week. When he rec- ing a 16-year wait to return to the top ognizes Kalinic, he calls out: “You’re the new thanks to a stunning 4-1 win over Inter number nine, you’re the new Batistuta eh ?” Milan that was inspired by a hat-trick from Batistuta, who retired in 2005, still has leg- Croatia international striker Nikola Kalinic. endary status throughout Italian football and Paulo Sousa’s men sit top of the table on 15 has even bigger respect among Fiorentina’s points from six games, ahead of Inter on fans. He was signed for the club on the back goal difference, with champions Juventus of his performances at the 1991 Copa stuck in 15th place, 10 points adrift. America and, despite never winning a scudet- Fiorentina’s positive start has been wide- to with Fiorentina, went on to enjoy the best ly attributed to Sousa, a former Benfica, years of his career at the Stadio Artemio Juventus and Inter midfielder who was Franchi. Batistuta was Serie A’s top scorer in the 1994-95 season with 26 goals, and he went on to break a 30-year-old record held by Ezio Pascutti by scoring in all of the first 11 Matches on TV matches of the season. In 1996 Fiorentina won the Italian Cup and Supercup, but even- (Local Timings) tually the Argentinean’s ambition tempted him to move to a bigger club. UEFA Champions League Having gone close with Fiorentina in Barcelona v Bayer 04 21:45 1999, the last time they had topped the beIN SPORTS 1 HD league only to finish third, Batistuta signed Bate Borisov v AS Roma 21:45 for Roma in time for the 2000-2001 season. It beIN SPORTS 6 HD was a wise move, as Roma went on to claim only their second title and their first since LEICESTER: Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny (left) and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy collide during their English Premier League soccer match at the Maccabi v Dynamo Kyiv 21:45 King Power Stadium, Leicester, England on Saturday, Sept 26, 2015. — AP beIN SPORTS 9 HD 1983. Kalinic, who left Blackburn Rovers in Lyonnais v Valencia 21:45 2011 after Sam Allardyce was sacked as man- beIN SPORTS 5 HD ager, scored 37 goals in 87 appearances for FC Porto v Chelsea 21:45 his former club Dnipro in Ukraine before Sanchez ‘key’ to Arsenal beIN SPORTS 3 HD signing a four-year deal with Fiorentina this Bayern Munich v Dinamo 21:45 season. He has a long way to go if he is to beIN SPORTS 4 HD emulate ‘Batigol’, and for the moment the 27- Zenit v KAA Gent 21:45 year-old Croatian is keeping a lid on his Euro hopes, says Walcott beIN SPORTS 7 HD ambitions. “This win doesn’t put us in a posi- tion to start thinking we will win the league,” Arsenal v Olympiacos 21:45 LONDON: Theo Walcott says Alexis Sanchez’s “He is back to his level. He won a big competi- lone central striker. Walcott impressed in that beIN SPORTS 2 HD he said. “For now, we’ll be taking it one day at a time.” — AFP ability to reproduce the form that terrorized tion with Chile-the Copa America-and to adjust position at Leicester and, with 12 goals in his last Leicester holds the key to Arsenal’s success in again to a competitive level when you come 13 Arsenal starts, he believes it was one of his the Champions League. Sanchez netted a bril- back takes some time,” Wenger said. “We could best displays since a serious knee injury last year. liant hat-trick to inspire Arsenal’s 5-2 thrashing see in training already a different player in the “It will be up there since the knee injury and, of Leicester on Saturday. The Chile winger hadn’t last week or two.” before that, the Tottenham game,” he said. “I scored for the Gunners since their FA Cup final have always said I want to play up front. The win over Aston Villa in May and his early season Emphatic manager has had faith in me and I just want to form had been patchy as he struggled to recover Walcott was also on the scoresheet with the repay him.” from the draining experience of leading his Gunners’ first goal as they came from behind at Wenger’s side certainly won’t be able to use country to the Copa America title in the close- the King Power Stadium to end Leicester’s unfamiliarity as an excuse if they slip up against season. But Walcott believes the former unbeaten run in emphatic fashion. Wenger’s side Olympiakos as they have faced the Greeks in the Barcelona star’s scintillating display at Leicester are now just three points behind Premier League group stages in three of the past six Champions proved he is back in the groove just in time for a leaders Manchester United, who they host next League campaigns. Arsenal are unbeaten in crucial Champions League clash with Greek side Sunday. But before that summit meeting, the eight home games against Olympiakos, winning Olympiakos today. north Londoners must focus on Europe as they six and drawing two. Marco Silva’s men started “I am sure he is going to flourish now with look to revive their Champions League campaign their European campaign with a lackluster 3-0 many, many more important goals. It has been a when Olympiakos visit the Emirates Stadium. home defeat against Bayern Munich. And long time coming, he knows that himself. But he The Gunners slumped to a 2-1 defeat in their Wenger remains confident of progress to the is very pleased,” Walcott said. “He is a top-quality opening Group F fixture at Dinamo Zagreb, knockout stages as long as they win all three of player and even when he is not scoring goals he where Olivier Giroud was sent off in the first half. their matches at the Emirates. “Mathematically works so hard for us. He tracks back and does a That loss leaves little margin for error against the we can qualify without any problem if we can lot for the team.” Gunners boss Arsene Wenger Greeks, so the pressure will be on Walcott if produce our performances that we want at agrees Sanchez is back to his world-class best. Wenger once again deploys him as Arsenal’s home,” he said. — AFP FIFA’s ethics committee at the centre of Blatter-Platini storm

LAUSANNE: A criminal case in Switzerland may not be what forces Sepp Blatter from FIFA’s presidency. FIFA’s own ethics committee-which includes an inves- tigative arm and a branch responsible for judgment- could prompt Blatter’s suspension regardless of whether the Swiss attorney general ultimately files charges against him. The increasingly powerful com- mittee could also derail UEFA President Michel Platini’s hopes of succeeding Blatter, making the panel a cru- LIVERPOOL: Aston Villa’s Rudy Gestede (left) and Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel battle for cial body to watch amid the multiple and expanding the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield, Liverpool, crises shaking world football. England on Saturday, Sept 26, 2015. — AP How does it work? FIFA’s ethics committee changed significantly in Liverpool’s players back 2012, when it gained the right to open inquiries with- out approval from the secretary general. “This was a Rodgers after Villa win fundamental modification that strongly reinforced it’s independence,” said a former high-level FIFA official, LONDON: Brendan Rodgers still has the sup- goal and pulled the strings in midfield along- who requested anonymity. Committee spokesman Andreas Bantel would not comment on specifics relat- port of the Liverpool dressing room and criti- side Lucas during a much-improved perform- ed to Blatter or Platini over the weekend, but said the cism of the manager has united the squad, ance in which Daniel Sturridge scored for the panel initiates a probe “if there is an initial suspicion,” midfielders James Milner and Lucas said after first time since March, also lashed out at the underscoring that this applied to all FIFA officials, their 3-2 win over Aston Villa eased some recent criticism of his team’s form and backed regardless of rank. The criteria of “initial suspicion” has pressure on their beleaguered boss. Rodgers Rogers to turn things around. almost certainly been reached with respect to Blatter, lashed out at his critics after Saturday’s game, “A lot of things that have been said are dis- after Swiss prosecutors on Friday said he was being claiming there was a conspiracy to oust from appointing and frustrating really,” the investigated over the 2005 sale of World Cup televi- ZURICH: File photo shows FIFA President Sepp Blatter (left) shaking hands with UEFA President his job and condemning the “hysteria” over England international said, quoted by the sion rights to the Caribbean Football Union, then run Michel Platini after being re-elected following a vote to decide on the FIFA presidency in Zurich. his future after a poor run resulted in man- Liverpool Echo. “I’ve been really impressed by his former ally Jack Warner, a deal which had UEFA chief Michel Platini revealed in a letter sent yesterday to 54 European UEFA federations, agers such as Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen with the manager. Preparation here is second allegedly been “unfavorable for FIFA”. that a payment made to him from Blatter had been “fully declared” to authorities. — AFP Klopp being tipped to replace him by sec- to none. “There’s people giving criticism from Platini has been questioned by Swiss investigators Who is in charge? the committee unilateral authority on the cases it tions of the media. outside the club but I think Manchester City in connection with a murky $2 million payment he American prosecutor Michael Garcia led the inves- takes and its scope of inquiry. Borbely’s investigative “There is a group of people that don’t have lost more games than us this season. received from Blatter in 2011, allegedly made for work tigative branch until last year, when it looked into bid- unit has six other members. The panel responsible for want me here,” the Northern Irishman told “You have to stick together,” the 29-year-old the Frenchman carried out for FIFA between 1999 and ding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to judgment is led by the German judge Hans-Joachim reporters after the Villa win, which sent his added. Milner’s midfield partner Lucas dedi- 2002. An inquiry by the ethics committee would not Russia and Qatar respectively. Garcia resigned in furious Eckert and has seven other members. Under current side up to seventh in the Premier League cated the win to his manager. “We wanted to automatically trigger Blatter’s suspension, but, with protest, after what he described as the whitewashing of rules, the investigative branch can withhold the table and five points behind leaders win for the manager,” the Brazilian said. “We the long-serving president having already committed his findings. He was replaced by Cornel Borbely, a 36- names of individuals facing inquiry. Among the most Manchester United. “I am talking about peo- know what has been said about him and we to leaving in February, the pressure for him to stand year-old former prosecutor in Zurich, who specializes in prominent sanctions leveled by the ethics committee ple outside of here. I think it is pretty clear. think we showed we are a group of players aside could rise to unprecedented levels. Platini had economic crimes. “I am the only one who decides when in recent years was the lifetime suspension of Chuck been the favorite to succeed Blatter, but former FIFA Sometimes we haven’t lost games and the behind him and trying to make everything to open, conduct and close an investigation,” Borbely Blazer, a former FIFA executive committee member insiders have said that being the subject of an open hysteria around it is pretty clear. There is right. “We know the pressure is on him but we said in March. “I am totally independent of every FIFA whose cooperation with the FBI has been central to ethics probe could make it impossible for him to win member. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have taken this job.” the US indictments against nine ex-FIFA officials and maybe something else going on from wanted to play the way he wants us to play, the presidency. behind.” Milner, who scored Liverpool’s first and I think we did that.” — Reuters The modifications made in 2012 technically give five sports marketing executives. — AFP