TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2017 SPORTS Balde and Bakambu maintain hot form

JOHANNESBURG: Senegalese Keita Balde matches from the Ghanaian star. The 26-year-old played the whole match top European clubs are interested in his and Congolese Cedric Bakambu main- to boot, illustrating that he has stamina as signature. He hit a brace in a 3-1 win over tained outstanding recent form in Italy ERIC BAILLY (Manchester United) well as skill. city rivals Roma to help cement fourth and Spain by bagging braces at the week- Has been outstanding for the hard- spot for Simone Inzaghi’s men. To boot, end. Balde struck twice for Lazio in a 3-1 pressed United defense and for an hour IDRISSA GUEYE (Everton) Balde’s brace came in what was billed as derby triumph over bitter rivals Roma he held the back four together as The Senegalese international, like most Francesco Totti’s final derby game weeks while Bakambu netted his goals as Swansea pressed hard with some delight- of his Everton team-mates, didn’t really turn before he is supposed to retire from the Villarreal won 3-1 against Sporting Gijon. ful passing moves. United manager Jose up for what should have been a testing game. Lazio remain fourth, seven points Another happy African in Spain was Mourinho had pleaded with central examination of Chelsea’s title credentials. behind third-place Napoli and 17 adrift of Ghanaian Thomas Partey, who scored his defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones to However, with Europa League qualification leaders Juventus. secured, his apathetic performance reflect- ed a lot of the play from the home side. MOHAMED SALAH (Roma) Salah was a constant threat through- SPAIN out a derby dominated by rivals Lazio but, CEDRIC BAKAMBU (Villarreal) like many of his teammates, was far from Democratic Republic of Congo striker his best. Salah saw an early, angled drive Bakambu continued his stunning form by turned round the post by Lazio ‘keeper netting twice as Villarreal maintained their Thomas Strakosha. push for a Europa League place with a 3-1 win over Sporting Gijon. Bakambu slotted SULLEY MUNTARI (Pescara) home from close range twice after half- A visit to Cagliari could change time to take his tally for the season to 10 Muntari’s Serie A destiny after the Pescara with six of the goals coming in his last five midfielder dramatically walked off the games. pitch after complaints to the referee of alleged racist abuse were met with a yel- ROME: Lazio’s forward from Senegal KEVIN-PRINCE BOATENG (Las Palmas), low card in the 90th minute. The former Balde Diao Keita (left) celebrates with THOMAS PARTEY (Atletico Madrid) AC Milan and Inter midfielder also angrily teammate Lazio’s midfielder from Boateng had an afternoon to forget as confronted Cagliari fans, shouting at Serbia Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after he was sent off while Atletico romped to a them: “This is my colour.” Muntari could scoring during the Italian Serie A foot- VILLARREAL: Villarreal’s Congolese forward Cedric Bakambu celebrates a goal 5-0 win at Las Palmas. The Ghanaian was now face disciplinary measures after ball match Roma vs Lazio at the Olympic during the Spanish league football match Villarreal CF vs Real Sporting de Gijon shown two harsh yellow cards for leading deciding, voluntarily, to leave the field sec- Stadium on April 30, 2017. —AFP at La Ceramica stadium. — AFP with his elbow in aerial challenges either onds before full-time-a decision that side of half-time. Partey took full advan- earned him a second yellow card, and and left him on 28 league goals - one more first goal of the season for Atletico Madrid come back early from their injuries as tage of Atletico’s extra man, though, as then a red, in the 96th minute of a game than Aubameyang with three games left. in a 5-0 thrashing of Las Palmas. Bailly could not be rested. However, the Ghanaian international came off the that his team lost 1-0. before they can return the worst case sce- bench to side-foot home his first goal of FRANCE ENGLAND nario happened for the club and the play- the season after a neat one-two with GERMANY OPA NGUETTE (Metz) JORDAN AYEW (Swansea) er as the Ivorian star had to leave the fray Angel Correa for the visitors’ fourth. PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG The 22-year-old France-born attacking Produced an eye-catching display for limping. (Borussia Dortmund) midfielder, who only made his Senegal the “Swans” as he was always lively in ITALY The Gabon hot-shot drew a blank in international debut in March, hit the win- attack and constantly putting together VICTOR MOSES (Chelsea) KEITA BALDE (Lazio) Dortmund’s goalless draw at home to ner in Metz’s 2-1 win at home to Nancy, neat passing movements and proving a Another sparkling energetic display by A week after underlining his value to Cologne and fell behind Bayern Munich’s which boosted his team’s hopes of beat- handful for the United defenders, forcing the Nigerian, whose ability to shine at the Lazio with a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Robert Lewandowski in the race to be the ing relegation. His 53rd-minute goal came David de Gea into a fine save. Swansea top level at Chelsea-after years of spend- Palermo, Senegal striker Balde picked an Bundesliga’s top-scorer. Lewandowski net- in fortunate circumstances as he got a manager Paul Clement will be looking for ing time on loan at smaller clubs-has been even bigger stage-the Rome derby-to ted twice in a 6-0 win at Wolfsburg, which final deflection off Simon Falette’s fierce more of the same in their final three one of Antonio Conte’s big achievements. remind his employers why a number of confirmed Bayern as 2016/17 champions drive.— AFP Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers on the brink of relegation Former giants Forest, Rovers in third-tier peril LONDON: Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers, both once leading clubs, enter the final round of the season on the brink of relegation to the third tier in England. Forest’s 2-0 defeat by Queens Park Rangers at the weekend, allied to wins for Blackburn (1-0) against Aston Villa and Birmingham (2-0) against Huddersfield, left the Midlands club one place above the Championship drop zone and ahead of Rovers on goal difference alone. Now Forest, who are at Juergen Klopp home to Ipswich on Sunday, must at least match Rovers’ result at Brentford if they are to stay in the second-tier Championship. “It’s an honest Liverpool’s Klopp not group of players we’ve got,” said Forest manager Mark Warburton, himself controversially sacked by Scottish giants Rangers earlier this season. sweating over top 4 “They have a responsibility to themselves, their families, the supporters and the club-we all LONDON: Liverpool have no reasons to Liverpool’s results along with those of do.” It is all a far cry from Forest’s glory days of fear losing their place in the Premier their rivals will impact final standings, the late 1970s when, under inspirational manag- League top four as their rivals are bound Klopp is not thinking too far ahead. “One er Brian Clough, the club were promoted from to slip up in their remaining games, man- of the first things I learned in football is the old Second Division and twice won the ager Juergen Klopp said ahead of his side’s that it makes sense only to think about the European Cup all within three years. Forest went trip to Watford. Liverpool are third in the next game,” Klopp told the club’s website. up in 1977 and, remarkably, took the old First table, level on points with fourth-placed (www.liverpoolfc.com) Division title the very next season in a league Manchester City and one point ahead of “It has absolutely no influence on the featuring perhaps the best of all the Liverpool fifth-placed Manchester United with four games after that, and you have no idea teams that between them won five European games left to play. Liverpool and City do who you can use in the game after this. Cups and 18 domestic Championships. not face teams from the top six during the You have another four, five, six days to Yet what happened next was just as extraor- run-in but United are yet to play sixth- prepare for this game and think about this dinary, with Forest winning back-to-back placed Arsenal and second-placed game. They are important, we know.” European Cups in 1979 and 1980 as the team Tottenham Hotspur and Klopp is confident Klopp said that Liverpool must win at least built by Clough and assistant Peter Taylor, featur- his side can maintain their position. three of their remaining four games to ing a mix of world-class players such as England “It is easy mathematics to know what guarantee a top four finish and qualify for goalkeeper Peter Shilton and previously under- points the other teams can get, but they next season’s Champions League. “If we achieving journeymen including winger John play against each other and all that stuff. win one, it will be unlikely. If we win two, Robertson, stunned the football world. Clough, No team, of the teams we fight for top it’s not really likely... But if we start win- later beset by alcoholism, arguably stayed too four, can win all the games,” Klopp told ning three, it can work. If we win four, I long and his 18 years at the City Ground ended British media. “They play in a few would say it’s more likely it will happen,” with Forest’s relegation from the inaugural moments against each other. Why should Klopp added. “We know all this. But the Premier League in 1993. we think about it too much? I do not feel only way to do this is to win the next one, There was a brief return before, in 2004, the fear - not one second so far.” While and that’s what we should try.”— Reuters club became the first former European champi- ons to descend into their domestic third tier. Forest returned to the Championship and had Mourinho blasts jammed-packed become established in the division by the time United’s schedule as ‘not human’ the Kuwait-based Al-Hasawi family bought the club in 2012. They were eyeing promotion MANCHESTER: Jose Mourinho described Swansea have played 19 games fewer- when, after a 4-2 win over Leeds United that Manchester United’s jammed-packed exactly half an entire league season. “We December, manager Sean O’Driscoll was sensa- schedule as “not human” after a growing lost players and we lost points, so yes tionally sacked, with Forest citing the need for a injury list threatened to wreck hopes of a today was a bad day,” said Mourinho, boss with Premier League experience. That man was Alex McLeish, yet just 40 days after taking place in next season’s Champions League. whose side ended the weekend just out- BLACKBURN: A fan in fancy dress is pictured outside Ewood Park stadium in Blackburn, charge he had left, with the Scot the first of six A 1-1 draw with Swansea on Sunday was a side the Champions League places in fifth England. — AP sixth stalemate in eight games at Old spot, a point and a position below ‘permanent’ Forest managers in the past four Trafford and harmed hopes of finishing in Manchester City. years. Rovers as a third-tier club. “We go to the last nected with Blackburn must hope his side live the top four. day-that’s what we were looking to do,” said up to the club’s motto of “Arte Et Labore”-by skill To make matters worse for United, Luke ‘TIRED AND EXHAUSTED’ FOWL PLAY Rovers manager Tony Mowbray. Now all con- and by labor-at Brentford.—AFP Shaw and Eric Bailly also suffered game- “We did not look tired and exhausted, Controversial foreign owners have also been ending injuries, leaving Mourinho with a we are tired and exhausted,” he insisted. a feature of Blackburn’s recent struggles. One of major personnel crisis ahead of Thursday’s “You cannot isolate the performance out of English football’s leading clubs in the 19th cen- Europa League first leg semi-final visit to the context. This is the ninth match of April, tury, Blackburn had long since ceased to be a Underdogs Aizawl crowned Celta Vigo. The pair joined fellow defenders it is not human. We have a squad of 22 that major force when lifelong fan Jack Walker, who Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, who have is reduced to 13 or 14 players. The players had made a fortune in the steel industry, bought I-League champions been out since late-March, on the injury list are very tired.” Paul Pogba and Marouane them in the 1990-91 season and promptly sank and their absence means United will travel Fellaini will return against Vigo, from injury millions of his own money into a club he had NEW DELHI: Aizawl FC have clinched the I- champions Bengaluru FC was the main rea- to Spain without a recognised centre-back. and suspension respectively, and Mourinho loved since boyhood. League title to become the first club from the son for their re-entry. “I don’t know about the injuries,” said will have to explore emergency defensive After a couple of near misses, Rovers won the India’s north-east region to win the country Aizawl had the odds stacked against them gloomy United manager Mourinho. “I think options which could include veteran mid- 1994-95 Premier League in dramatic fashion top flight after a Leicester City-like fairytale this season with West Bengal giants Mohun Luke Shaw’s must be a big injury, because fielder Michael Carrick and untried young- when, with England striker Alan Shearer up season. Aizawl’s championship win, which Bagan pushing them all the way but eventu- to leave the pitch after 10 minutes I am ster Axel Tuanzebe. —AFP front, they pipped Manchester United to the title was sealed with a 1-1 draw against Shillong ally coming up one point short despite a 2-1 expecting a very big injury,” added the despite losing to Liverpool, manager Kenny Lajong on Sunday, has drawn comparisons in win against Chennai FC in their last match. Portuguese boss, who has publicly criti- Dalglish’s former club, in their last game. Rovers India with Leicester’s escape from relegation “Aizawl FC’s triumph unfurls a new chapter in cized the left back several times this sea- never hit those heights again, suffering relega- in 2014-15 to winning the English Premier Indian Football history,” AIFF president Praful son. “I prefer not to speak about Phil Jones tion in 1999 but returning in 2001, the season League last year. Patel said in a statement. “This victory will and Chris Smalling. I don’t think they will after Walker died.In 2010 they were bought by Coached by Khalid Jamil, the Kuwait-born encourage the youth of the country and cre- play, that is my personal opinion. I prefer to the Indian poultry firm Venky’s, who sacked former India player, Aizawl were given a life- ate a self-belief that on the football pitch you speak about Juan Mata giving everything experienced manager Sam Allardyce. line to be reinstated into the top-flight com- can pull it off with teamwork,” Patel added. to be available. I am grateful for that.” Relegation followed in 2012, with Steve Kean, petition this season by the All India Football However, Aizawl may still not find themselves Sunday’s draw saw United set a new Allardyce’s successor, dismissed the following Federation (AIFF) despite being relegated in defending their title next season with the club record of 25 consecutive games with- season as Rovers, like Forest, embarked upon a 2015-16. The Mizoram-based club’s superb AIFF planning to restructure their system with out defeat in the same top-flight season. managerial merry-go-round. Venky’s, who’ve showing in the domestic Federation Cup the India Super League (ISL) likely to become But it was also the team’s 57th game of an spent millions on player wages, are highly where they twice beat last year’s I-League the top-tier competition.—AFP exhausting campaign. In comparison, Jose Mourinho unlikely to get their money back if they try to sell