Established 1961 15 Sports Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Neymar off as Cavani rescues PSG with late goal in 2-2 draw Marseille fifth in the standings, eight points behind PSG PARIS: After Neymar was sent off, Edinson Cavani ficult match. We were a bit too casual in stepped up for league leader Paris Saint-Germain with how we started the game,” PSG forward Kylian an injury-time free kick to salvage a 2-2 draw Sunday Mbappe said. “Maybe we didn’t treat it as importantly at rival Marseille. Cavani won the foul after being as we should have done.” Marseille certainly did. knocked over by forward Bouna Sarr, and curled the Backed by 60,000 fans, the home side scored in the ball in off the underside of the crossbar with goalkeep- 16th minute. Holding midfielder Luiz Gustavo was given er Steve Mandanda slightly slow to cover. too much room, and the former Bayern Munich mid- “It’s an important fielder hit a swerving goal,” Cavani said of his 30-meter shot into the ninth goal of the season. bottom left corner. After “It was difficult to play Cavani then missed, here in a tough atmos- Neymar took a pass phere.” Cavani took the Fans clashed from midfielder Adrien free kick because Rabiot just inside the Neymar, the world’s most with riot police penalty area and drilled expensive player when a low shot in off the right he joined from Barcelona before the game post in the 33rd. There for 222 million euros were no PSG fans pres- ($260 million), picked up ent because of security a second yellow card in concerns. Marseille fans the 87th minute. clashed with riot police “After the sending off before the game. it was hard, but the character of the team got us through,” PSG coach Unai Emery said. “I don’t think it SURPRISE was fair on Neymar. He gets provoked in every game. “ Nice is the surprise team of the French league once Neymar will be suspended for Friday’s home match again, this time for the wrong reasons. Having finished against Nice. third last season, losing only four games, Nice slumped The Brazil striker reacted angrily to a challenge from to its sixth defeat of the campaign with a 2-1 home loss behind from Lucas Ocampos, and sent the Argentine to Strasbourg. winger tumbling to the ground at Stade Velodrome in Cape Verde striker Nuno Da Costa scored in each retribution. That happened soon after winger Florian half for Strasbourg. Midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou MARSEILLE: Marseille’s Argentinian forward Lucas Ocampos (down)falls after an altercation with Paris Saint-Germain’s Thauvin acrobatically volleyed home in the 78th from pulled a goal back in the 54th - converting Nice’s Brazilian forward Neymar (up) during the French L1 football match between Marseille (OM) and Paris Saint-Germain substitute Clinton Njie’s pass to give Marseille a 2-1 penalty kick in the absence of striker Mario Balotelli - (PSG).— AFP lead. Despite conceding late on, it was a confidence after defender Ernest Seka was sent off for fouling boost for Marseille after being routed 5-1 at home by winger Allan Saint-Maximin. But Strasbourg held on for forward earned the penalty in the 70th, running onto a ing and Depay made it 2-0 with a neat finish four min- PSG last season. “We thought we’d done enough to a win that moved the promoted side out of the relega- pass from striker Mariano Diaz, drawing a defender and utes into the second half. Depay netted his second mid- win,” Mandanda said. “But we should be happy and tion zone. The defeat pushed Nice down to 14th place. ending with a shot that defender Christophe Herelle way through the second half, curling the ball into the proud of our performance.” saved with his arm. Herelle was red carded and Depay - right corner following a run from Diaz. Marseille is fifth in the standings, eight points behind DEPAY’S DAY the designated penalty taker - then argued with Diaz, “People expect a lot from me,” said Depay, who has PSG and four behind second-place Monaco. PSG was Memphis Depay sealed his hat trick with a Panenka- who wanted to take it. five league goals this season. “I have to find my way in heavy favorite, but Marseille twice took the lead. style penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way as Winger Bertrand Traore turned in a cross from the team.” Diaz completed the scoring near the end, “Edinson got us out of a difficult situation. It was a dif- Lyon cruised to a 5-0 win at Troyes. The Netherlands Brazilian left back Marcal in the 21st to open the scor- helping Lyon move up to fourth spot. —AFP charge of Southampton, splashed the money on the likes of Icelandic interna- tional Gylfi Sigurdsson in the summer. Koeman comes Sigurdsson is yet to display the sort of form that got Koeman to convince the Regal Ronaldo unstuck at board to pay out a club record £45mil- lion to prise him away from Swansea. Others such as Dutchman Davy tipped for Best Everton Klaassen-who cost £23.6million from Ajax-have also disappointed with LONDON: Ronald Koeman became the Koeman taking him off at half-time of FIFA award third Premier League managerial casu- their Europa League defeat by Lyon last alty of the season yesterday when he Thursday. However, despite also per- LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning exploits was sacked by Everton. The 54-year- suading former golden boy Wayne with Real Madrid make him the strong favourite to old Dutchman-who guided Everton to Rooney to return from Manchester win the 2017 Best FIFA Men’s Player Award at yes- seventh in his first season in charge last United he crucially failed to replace terday’s ceremony in London. The Portuguese term-paid the price for a desperate record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku with superstar, who won last year’s inaugural award, start to the campaign despite having Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud declining the fired Madrid to glory in La Liga and scored 12 spent £140million ($185mn) in the close chance to join them. goals as they won the Champions League for the season. The early favourite to replace third time in four seasons. Sunday’s 5-2 humbling at home to Koeman is former Everton manager He is nominated alongside his eternal rival Lionel Arsenal which saw them drop into the David Moyes who has tasted little suc- Messi and Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate bottom three sealed his fate and despite cess since he departed the Merseyside Neymar, now of Paris Saint-Germain. “In the end, taking training on Monday he received a club in 2013. Others in the frame include Ronaldo is ahead of the others,” Roma icon visit from club chairman Bill Kenwright. David Unsworth who has impressed as Francesco Totti told the FIFA website ahead of the “Everton Football Club can confirm that Everton’s Under-23 coach-though he ceremony at the London Palladium. “He had an amazing season and also accomplished all of his Ronald Koeman has left the Club,” read may be more of a short term option goals with the most prestigious of teams.” while they look for a permanent replace- the Everton statement. Should Ronaldo prevail, it will pave the way for “Chairman Bill Kenwright, the Board ment-Burnley’s Sean Dyche as well as him to match Messi’s record of five Ballons d’Or of Directors and Major Shareholder former Real Madrid and Chelsea handler when France Football magazine announce the win- Farhad Moshiri would all like to express Carlo Ancelotti. ner of that award early next year. Ronaldo, 32, won their gratitude to Ronald for the service Koeman joins compatriot Frank de the inaugural Best FIFA Men’s Player Award last he has given to the Club over the past 16 Boer-sacked by Crystal Palace after just year after a six-year merger between the FIFA months and for guiding the Club to sev- four Premier League games-and Craig honour and the Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo previously enth place in last season’s Premier Shakespeare dismissed by Leicester last LIVERPOOL: File photo shows, Everton’s manager Ronald Koeman talks to refer- won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, the League.” Koeman, who arrived at week as top level managers to have ee Bas Nijhuis after a Group E Europa League soccer match between Everton precursor to the Best FIFA award, in 2008. Goodison Park after a successful spell in departed this season. —AFP F.C. and Olympique Lyon at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, England. — AP Messi, 30, scored 54 goals last season as Barcelona won the Copa del Rey. The Argentina great has made a superb start to the current cam- Dortmund, both strongly linked with the paign, scoring 15 goals for Barcelona and earning post. Guangzhou have appointed a series his country a place at next year’s World Cup with a of big-name foreign coaches in recent magical hat-trick against Ecuador. —AFP Scolari set for years with the former Brazil, Portugal and Chelsea boss Scolari taking over Guangzhou from Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro in June 2015. Cannavaro had replaced exit after another Italian World Cup winner in Matches on TV Marcello Lippi, who is now in charge of (Local Timings) China’s improving national side. Scolari GUANGZHOU: Guangzhou Evergrande was banned from the bench on Sunday ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP players and staff tossed an emotional after he was hit with a suspension for his Luiz Felipe Scolari in the air and hailed conduct in a previous match.