SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 SPORTS Matter of time before Pogba Lizard adds to Formula Hertha eye perfect shows his quality: Mourinho One’s track menagerie record at Schalke LONDON: Jose Mourinho has offered another vote of confidence in Paul Pogba, adamant that SINGAPORE: Formula One acquired an exotic addition to its list BERLIN: High-flying Hertha Berlin aim to maintain their 100 percent record with three wins from Manchester United’s misfiring summer signing should not be judged on his world-record transfer fee. of wildlife hazards yesterday after a large monitor lizard wan- three Bundesliga matches when they host under-pressure Schalke 04 today. Defending champi- United’s manager says it is just a matter of time before the French midfielder demonstrates his natu- dered onto the Singapore Grand Prix circuit during final practice. ons Bayern Munich and Hertha were the only teams to win both of their opening two games in ral quality at Old Trafford following an underwhelming spell since his landmark 89 million pounds “There’s a giant lizard on the track,” exclaimed Red Bull driver Max Germany’s top flight while Schalke arrive at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium having lost both of theirs. ($115.71 million) move from Juventus in August. Pogba started well with a dynamic display in Verstappen. “You came face to face with Godzilla,” the 18-year- “We’re in a good mood and Schalke are under pressure. We will see from the first minute how that United’s 2-0 Premier League home win over Southampton last month, prompting Mourinho to say “I old’s engineer told him over the pit-to-car radio after the startled will effect the game,” said Hertha’s coach Pal Dardai. “We’ll put Schalke under pressure. Act rather couldn’t be happier with him” after the game. Yet the 23-year-old, who helped France to the Euro Dutchman alerted the team to the reptile’s presence. The inci- than react - that’s the plan.” Hertha beat newly-promoted Freiburg 2016 final in July, was anonymous in United’s defeat by Manchester City last week and gave another dent triggered a Twitter flurry and plenty of amusement. “New 2-1 at home, then won 2-0 at Ingolstadt to take a maximum six underwhelming performance in the 1-0 loss at Feyenoord in the Europa League on friend in FP3,” commented McLaren driver Fernando Alonso on points from their two games. Schalke, under new coach Markus Thursday. “The world-record player is always a question, but I want Paul to forget Instagram to accompany a picture of the animal on the asphalt. Weinzierl, lost their season’s opener 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt that and to play his football,” Mourinho said before taking United to Watford for Drivers are used to groundhogs and foxes making track incur- then leaked late goals in a 2-0 defeat to Bayern after putting in Sunday’s Premier League match. “(Having had) no pre-season, he had a very good sions at Canada’s Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal while stray a battling display. Schalke produced an impressive perform- impact in the first game and it’s normal that, after that, he has a little decrease. dogs proved a danger when the sport raced at India’s Buddh cir- ance in holding Bayern until Robert Lewandowski broke the “But I’m full of trust in him because I know the player he is; I know he’s a very good cuit near New Delhi. Deer have appeared on track in Austria in the deadlock in the 81st-minute. The Royal Blues’ 1-0 victory at guy with a lot of ambition, so the form will come naturally. As the team past, snakes in Malaysia and a cat ran out in front of cars in French side Nice on Thursday in their opening Europa League improves, form improves.” Mourinho also believes the world transfer Azerbaijan’s debut race this year in Baku. There have also been a group stage match hints that their fortunes are on the rise. record tag is misleading. “You make a relation between what you number of human incursions, including one at last year’s “We’re flying to Berlin with a win under our belt which is valu- pay and the club revenue, and realise that other clubs paying 20, Singapore race when a lone intruder ambled across the floodlit able for self-confidence,” said sports director Christian Heidel. 30, 40 (million pounds) is a much bigger thing than what Man track midway through the race and then strolled by the metal Schalke will have Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar back from the United did,” Mourinho told reporters. —Reuters fences as cars came past. —Reuters concussion he suffered against Bayern. —AFP Rosberg flies, Hamilton skids SINGAPORE: Nico Rosberg led the way in Meanwhile Hamilton, who leads an eventful final practice session yesterday Rosberg by just two points in the world for the Singapore Grand Prix as Lewis championship standings, twice locked up Hamilton again struggled and a giant his ultrasoft tyres in clouds of smoke at monitor lizard startled Max Verstappen. turn seven and skidded down the escape Rosberg’s quickest lap of 1 minute road. 44.352 seconds will give Mercedes hope Hamilton’s best time came on the slow- that they have exorcised the demons of a er supersoft tyres, but was only good year ago when they could only qualify fifth enough for eighth place, 1.454 sec slower and sixth fastest. than Rosberg and trailing behind the Force But they did not have it all their own India of Nico Hulkenberg and the Toro way as teammate Hamilton’s woes contin- Rosso of Daniil Kvyat. ued for the second day running and Red It means Hamilton, who had a hydraulic Bull and Ferrari closed in. problem which curtailed his Friday run- Red Bull’s Verstappen was second ning, has yet to complete a flying lap on fastest, just 0.059 sec behind Rosberg, hav- the quickest ultrasoft tyres before the cru- ing regained his composure after a large cial qualifying session later. Six of the eight reptile ran across the track in front of him. Singapore Grands Prix since the race’s “There’s a giant lizard on the track!” shout- inception have been won by the man on ed Verstappen over team radio as a moni- pole position. tor lizard in excess of a metre long mean- It promises to be a three-team fight dered across the Marina Bay street circuit. between Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari for Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was third, half a grid honours-so important when the tight second adrift of Rosberg, with Red Bull’s characteristics of the city centre circuit Daniel Ricciardo only a 10th of a second make overtaking notoriously difficult. behind the Finnish driver, despite being But Red Bull team principal Christian baulked by a back marker on his fastest Horner played down his team’s chances of run. taking pole position on a track which suits Last year’s winner, Sebastian Vettel, was their car’s high mechanical grip. PERTH: Players clash during the Rugby Championship match between Australia and Argentina in Perth yesterday. —AFP unhappy with his Ferrari’s set-up, at one “I doubt it,” he told the BBC. “Lewis point telling his team he could not control locked his front and flat-spotted so we did- the rear of the car and felt “like a passen- n’t see his true pace and Rosberg looks like Australia beat Argentina ger” as he slumped to fifth place, three- he has 0.1-0.2secs in there but we will see quarters of a second off Rosberg’s pace. what happens.” —AFP to seal title for All Blacks PERTH: Australia beat Argentina 36-20 in Dane Haylett-Petty, who plays for Perth’s The Sanchez conversion made it 21-13 and the Rugby Championship yesterday in a Western Force, then received a superb Quade gave the visitors renewed hope, although bruising encounter which ensured the All Cooper pass in the eighth minute and he veteran Juan Leguizamon was forced from Blacks wrapped up the title with two games charged to the line for the Wallabies’ second try. the field after appearing to be knocked out in to spare. A stunning opening salvo with a tackle by Kerevi during the try-scoring play. three tries in the first 12 minutes set the GENIA BRILLIANCE Pumas captain Agustin Creevy then hosts on their way and Will Genia grabbed A piece of individual brilliance by scrum- limped off moments later, and was soon fol- two tries as the Wallabies won their second half Genia then added Australia’s third try in lowed to the sidelines by Wallabies skipper game in a row. the 12th minute against a shell-shocked Stephen Moore as the cost of a hard-hitting It gave New Zealand their fourth southern Argentina. contest started to count. hemisphere title in five years after the world Genia crunched Nicolas Sanchez in a tack- The match was evenly poised, but in the champions routed South Africa 41-13 earlier le and the ball spilled free, allowing the 52nd minute Wallabies substitute Sean yesterday for their fourth straight bonus- Australian, who had kept the feet while his McMahon made a charging run, fending off point win. opponent went to ground, to kick it forward. several opponents and leading to Genia’s sec- Before the Wallabies’ 23-17 win over South He then collected the ball on the bounce ond try and a 26-13 lead.