Established 1961 Sport SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 Record-setter Nadal roars Aussie cyclist back from brink Liverpool splutter without 13back, Italy hold France 14 for emotional Games glory 15 Salah in Everton stalemate AUGSBURG: The team of FC Bayern Munich celebrate after the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Augsburg vs FC Bayern Munich in Augsburg, southern Germany, yesterday. — AFP Bayern Munich win sixth straight title Bavarian giants are German league champions for 28th time in their history BERLIN: Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga Lewandowski, plus Thomas Mueller, Thiago Alcantara, backheeled the ball which James FIRED HOME SEVEN the second half. champions for the sixth consecutive season yesterday Mats Hummels and Javi Martinez all started on the MINUTES BEFORE THE BREAK. With five games left, Cologne are six points behind as James Rodriguez helped turn the game in their 4-1 bench. Sevilla would have encouraged by the comedy Mainz, who are 16th, which carries a relegation play-off comeback victory at Augsburg. The result mean Bayern of errors in Bayern’s defence that led to Augsburg’s CAMEO for Ribery berth against the third-best team in the second tier at are German league champions for the 28th time in their goal. Jerome Boateng lingered over a back pass and The Colombian then ensured the title was heading to the end of the season. history, and it was the sixth year in a row they have Colombian forward Sergio Cordova robbed him of pos- Munich for their third. He hooked the ball back into Wolfsburg, who are just above the bottom three, won the Bundesliga since their treble-winning season in session, sending Boateng tumbling to the turf, clutching play at the far post for Robben to drill his shot inside won 2-0 at Freiburg in a match featuring two sides just 2013. Augsburg took a shock lead through an own goal his hamstring. the near post on 62 minutes. above the bottom three and fighting to stay up. With by Niklas Suele, but the Bavarians roared back as Cordova’s shot was blocked by Bayern goalkeeper Ribery celebrated his 35th birthday with a cameo just two minutes gone at the Schwarzwald Stadion, Corentin Tolisso, James-who then assisted Arjen Sven Ulreich, but the ball ricocheted into Suele’s face appearance for the final eight minutes before Wagner Wolves striker Daniel Didavi held off his marker and Robben-and Sandro Wagner all scored. and into Bayern’s goal to stun the visitors on 18 min- headed home Bayern’s late fourth. The Bavarian giants fired past despairing Freiburg goalkeeper Alexander The result leaves Bayern 20 points clear with five utes. However, Munich were 2-1 up by the time half- will formally lift the Bundesliga shield after the final day Schwolow. He added a second with seven minutes league games left and underlined their absolute domi- time came when Joshua Kimmich’s cross picked out on May 12. remaining. nance of the Bundesliga. Tolisso unmarked in the area to header Bayern level on Elsewhere, second-from-bottom Cologne suffered a Thorgan Hazard came off the bench to score twice With one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League 32 minutes. Bayern then laid on a top-class goal to take blow to their survival hopes as they were held to a 1-1 as Borussia Moenchengladbach climbed to eighth with quarter-final second leg against Sevilla, in which the lead at Augsburg’s WWK Arena. draw by Mainz. An early goal by Cologne’s Germany a 2-1 win at home to Hertha Berlin. Salomon Kalou gave Munich hold a slender 2-1 lead, coach Jupp Heynckes Kimmich was again involved, firing a pass across defender Jonas Hector was cancelled out as Pablo De Hertha an early lead, but Hazard come off the bench to gambled by resting his stars. Top scorer Robert goal after combining with Robben for Juan Bernat, who Blasis headed an equaliser for Mainz five minutes into score on 75 minutes, then net a late penalty. — AFP so much criticism, Pogba showed why he was The Belgian outmuscled Smalling to power Pogba leads the world’s most expensive player when United home Leroy Sane’s corner on 25 minutes. Five splashed out £89 million to bring him back to minutes later City doubled their lead in a style the club from Juventus in 2016 by hauling United that has characterised their season as Gundogan thrilling Man back into a game that looked lost at half-time. brilliantly turned onto Sterling’s pass before Guardiola kept his pre-match promise to pri- slotting into the far corner. oritise Tuesday’s Champions League quarter- City should have been out of sight by half- Utd comeback final second leg against Liverpool with City time as Guardiola screamed in frustration after needing to overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit. Sterling fired two glorious chances well over the MANCHESTER: Paul Pogba spoiled Kevin de Bruyne, a leading candidate for bar. Unlike in many big games this season, Manchester City’s anticipated Premier League player of the year awards, was left on the bench Mourinho played Pogba in his favoured role on title party by scoring twice in two minutes as alongside Gabriel Jesus and City’s all-time top the left of a midfield three. Manchester United came from 2-0 down to win goalscorer Sergio Aguero. Guardiola and Like the rest of his teammates, Pogba was a thrilling derby 3-2 yesterday. Mourinho have a long-running rivalry dating overrun in the first 45 minutes, but came alive to Chris Smalling completed the comeback that back to their time in charge of Barcelona and slot home from Ander Herrera’s cushioned pass looked so improbable when City were well on Real Madrid respectively. with his chest to get United back into the game course to round off a resounding march towards And the game quickly settled into the usual eight minutes after the break. the title by racing into a 2-0 first-half lead. Goals pattern when the two face off with City domi- That goal was the first Mourinho’s men had from captain Vincent Kompany and Ilkay nating possession and United happy to get plen- scored away from home against top-five oppo- Gundogan put the hosts in a commanding posi- ty of men behind the ball. Yet, for all City’s pos- sition in the Premier League all season. And tion, who were left to rue huge missed chances session, just like when City won 2-1 at Old they soon had two in two minutes when Alexis from Raheem Sterling to extend their lead. Trafford in December, it was from a set-piece Sanchez picked out Pogba’s late run into the City manager Pep Guardiola added more that United were undone. box and his header beat Ederson low to his spice to an already hotly-anticipated clash when City’s Abu-Dhabi owners have splashed an right-hand side. City’s Champions League estimated 878 million euros over the past hopes were likely ended by conceding three he claimed on Friday he had been offered the MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku (R) faces off decade to assemble a squad that has tilted the times in 19 minutes at Anfield in midweek. And chance to buy Pogba two months ago by the against Manchester City’s Belgian defender Vincent Kompany (C) and Manchester player’s agent Mino Raiola. balance of power in Manchester from red to United took just 16 minutes to complete an City’s Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho (L) during the English Premier League football Pogba has endured a desperately disappoint- blue. Kompany was one the Emiratis’ first pur- incredible turnaround when Smalling capi- ing season having often been dropped by Jose chases, and he was a fitting scorer on what talised on some slack City marking to turn match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Mourinho for United’s biggest games. But after seemed destined to be a historic day. home Sanchez’s free-kick. — AFP Manchester, yesterday. — AFP.