MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014 SPORTS Atletico top Spanish League Costa hurt in goalpost collision MADRID: Atletico Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga with 2-0 win at Getafe yesterday, but victory came at a price as Diego Costa was stretchered off after colliding with the goalpost as he scored his side’s sec- ond goal. Uruguayan defender Diego Godin took advantage of a goalkeeping error from Jordi Codina to head home the opener from Koke’s corner five minutes before half-time. Costa then saw a second-half penalty saved by Codina after Angel Lafita saw a red card for pulling down Miranda, but the Spanish international redeemed himself by slotting home Adrian Lopez’s low cross six ITALY: Inter Milan’s Brazilian midfielder Anderson Hernanes (right) fights for the ball with minutes from time. Sampdoria’s defender Paolo Castellini during the Italian Serie A football match. — AFP Costa was immediately stretchered off, but Atletico confirmed he has just suffered a flesh Fiorentina and Inter wound meaning he should be fit to face Elche in Los Rojiblancos’ next outing on Friday. Diego Simeone’s men now lead city rivals tighten Europa grip Real Madrid by three points with five games remaining, whilst reigning champions MILAN: Fiorentina dominated 10-man it 3-1 after tapping home from close range. Barcelona are a further point behind in third. Verona in an eight-goal thriller while Inter Despite their exertions in knocking Barca Milan stunned 10-man Sampdoria 4-0 in ICARDI LEFT LAUGHING out of the Champions League on Wednesday Genoa as both sides tightened their grip on Midfielder Marco Donadel saw red for to progress to the semi-finals for the first time Serie A’s two Europa League places yesterday. hauling down Cuadrado but Verona in 40 years, Simeone made just two changes Elsewhere Napoli resisted a fightback reduced arrears five minutes later through from the side that started in midweek. from 10-man Lazio to prevail 4-2 thanks to a Luca Toni spot-kick, the veteran striker’s Top scorer Costa returned up front after a an injury-time goal from Gonzalo Higuain 17th goal of the campaign. hamstring injury in place of Adrian, whilst which gave the Argentine striker a hat- Fiorentina restored their two-goal cush- Mario Suarez also replaced Tiago in midfield. trick. Ciro Immobile, meanwhile, launched ion when Alessandro Matri beat Rafael The visitors were first to threaten when Costa the fightback for Torino after Alberto from the penalty spot and Aquilani put the just failed to reach David Villa’s dangerous Gilardino’s 85th minute opener for Genoa match beyond all reach when he tapped cross to the back post. with an injury-time leveller that took the home from close range four minutes from However, both sides struggled to create striker top of the league scoring charts with time. Iturbe, however, ran half the length chances from open play thereafter with the 19 goals. Fellow striker Alessio Cerci added of the pitch to beat Neto with a stunning Torino’s second less than a minute later to strike to score a late consolation for Verona. majority of opportunities coming from set- seal a late win which kept the ‘Granate’, like La Viola coach Montella could not have pieces. several other teams, in the hunt for a place been happier, telling Sky Sport Italia: “We Godin came close on 27 minutes when his in next season’s Europa League. Leaders had a great game, above all in terms of tac- header from Koke’s corner was beaten away Juventus are not in action until today when tics. “Despite conceding more goals than I by Codina. However, the keeper undid his they travel to Udinese looking to restore would have liked we were always in the good work five minutes before half-time when he got nowhere near the ball as he their eight-point lead on second-placed game.” Inter’s visit to Sampdoria was highly SPAIN: Atletico Madrid’s midfielder Raul Garcia (right) vies with Getafe’s midfielder Pedro Roma, whose 3-1 win at home to Atalanta anticipated after a midweek tit-for-tat spat came off his line to collect a Koke corner and Mosquera during the Spanish League football match. — AFP on Saturday reduced their arrears to five between Maxi Lopez and Inter’s Mauro left Godin with the simple task of heading the points. Icardi, who lives with the Samp striker’s for- ball into an unguarded net for his sixth goal of Napoli remain third but thanks to mer girlfriend Wanda Nara and the former the season. Spanish League results/standings Roma’s win Rafael Benitez’s men are no couple’s two children. It was Getafe who threatened from a cor- closer to the second automatic qualifying Lopez had slammed his fellow ner early in the second-half as Juan Rodriguez Real Betis 0 Sevilla 2 (Gameiro 30-pen, 81); Valencia 2 (Piatti 22, Parejo 61) Elche 1 (Coro 28); spot for the Champions League. Argentinian for posting pictures of his chil- forced Thibaut Courtois into a fine save low to Getafe 0 Atletico Madrid 2 (Godin 40, Diego Costa 84). The Azzurri are 12 points adrift of the dren, whom he fathered with Nara, in the his left. Giallorossi and still nine points ahead of public domain. Playing later Playing today Courtois then made a more comfortable Espanyol v Rayo Vallecano Athletic Bilbao v Malaga fourth-placed Fiorentina in the first Europa But after Lopez snubbed Icardi at the save to deny Adrian Colunga before Atletico spot. pre-match handshake, Icardi was left were given a golden chance to seal the three Spanish League table before yesterday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals Higuain, who had not scored since laughing with a brace of goals in a 4-0 rout points 25 minutes from time when Lafita March 17 and had recently been substitut- which saw Inter ‘keeper Samir Handanovic against, points): hauled down Miranda as the Brazilian defend- ed several times by an unhappy Benitez, stop Lopez’s first-half spot-kick and Samp Atletico 33 26 4 3 72 22 82 Granada 33 11 4 18 30 46 37 told Mediaset: “I’m happy for me and for midfielder Eder red-carded for a second er attempted to get on the end of another corner from Koke. Real Madrid 33 25 4 4 94 32 79 Vallecano 32 11 3 18 37 68 36 Napoli, especially after our defeat to Parma bookable offence. Barcelona 33 25 3 5 92 27 78 Elche 33 8 11 14 27 44 35 Lafita was shown a straight red card for (last week). “Luck was on our side but we Samp’s woes were confounded by the Bilbao 32 17 8 7 55 35 59 Osasuna 33 9 7 17 28 53 34 managed to overturn the score and for that fact Lopez had asked Eder if he could take denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, but Sevilla 33 16 8 9 61 47 56 Valladolid 33 6 14 13 32 50 32 I’m happy.” the penalty. “I normally take the penalties, Costa missed his third penalty this season Villarreal 33 15 7 11 52 38 52 Getafe 33 8 7 18 29 51 31 With all three Champions League spots but Lopez asked me so I left it to him,” the when Codina dived to his left to save his spot- Sociedad 33 14 9 10 56 50 51 Almeria 33 8 6 19 34 64 30 virtually tied up with five games remaining, Brazilian striker told Rai 2. “There are issues kick and recovered well to also block Raul Valencia 33 12 8 13 46 46 44 Real Betis 33 5 7 21 28 66 22 the battle is raging in Serie A for places in between Maxi and Icardi, but I wish he’d Garcia’s follow-up effort. Levante 33 10 10 13 30 41 40 Notes: Top four teams qualify for next season’s Europe’s second-tier club competition. scored the penalty.” Costa did eventually double Atletico’s Espanyol 32 11 7 14 35 40 40 Champions League; fifth to seventh place Fiorentina suffered a blow on the quar- Elsewhere Alberto Paloschi celebrated a advantage when he bravely slid in to turn Malaga 32 10 8 14 35 40 38 teams qualify for Europa League; bottom ter hour when Jacopo Sala sent a flying hat-trick for Chievo in a 4-2 over relegation- Adrian’s cross home for his 34th goal of the Celta Vigo 33 10 7 16 36 49 37 three teams relegated to Segunda Division header past Neto after the ‘keeper had threatened Livorno, who are third from season before colliding with the post. — AFP pushed Juan Iturbe’s angled drive into the bottom but three points behind Bologna. path of the midfielder. Earlier yesterday Nicolo Cherubin But that only served to awaken Vincenzo opened the scoring for Bologna on the Montella’s men. Juan Cuadrado levelled on cusp of half-time but Parma earned a share Leverkusen back into CL spots the half hour and after Alberto Aquilani of the spoils thanks to Raffaele Palladino’s gave Fiorentina the lead Borja Valero made 79th minute strike. — AFP BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen forced their way back into the Champions League places with yesterday’s 2-1 win at home to Hertha Berlin in their first Bundesliga Italian League results/standings match since sacking Sami Hyypia. Bologna 1 (Cherubin 44) Parma 1 (Palladino 79); Verona 3 (Sala 14, Toni 73-pen, Iturbe The former Liverpool captain, who took charge as head coach in August, was sacked after his side’s 90+1) Fiorentina 5 (Cuadrado 31, Aquilani 44, 86, Valero 63, Matri 83-pen); Livorno 2 defeat at Hamburg saw them slip out of the top four - (Siligardi 6, Paulinho 33-pen) Chievo 4 (Paloschi 9, 45+2, 56-pen, Thereau 23); Napoli 4 the Champions League places - and was replaced by (Mertens 41, Higuain 49-pen, 67, 90+4) Lazio 2 (Lulic 21, Onzai 82); Sampdoria 0 Inter his former assistant, Sascha Lewandowski.