TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 SPORTS Roma take aim at Bayern’s defence ROME: If anyone can breach Bayern Munich’s apparently impregnable defence, then it is AS Roma and their talismanic forward Francesco Totti. Last year’s Serie A runners-up, who host Bayern at the Stadio Olimpico in a Champions League Group E match on Tuesday, have hit the target in each of their nine games this season, scoring a total of 20 goals with Totti providing three of those plus four assists. Just past his 38th birthday and in his 23rd season at his only professional club, Totti has been a fundamental part of Roma’s resur- gence under French coach Rudi Garcia. Operating in a hole just behind the for- wards, the captain still pulls the strings when he plays, repeatedly creating openings for the likes of Gervinho and Mattia Destro in one of the strongest Roma sides for years. Garcia had initially planned to rest Totti for Saturday’s match against strugglers Chievo but changed his mind at the last minute. Totti responded by converting a penalty and crashing a shot against the post in the 3-0 MUNICH: Bayern’s Arjen Robben from the Netherlands stretches during a training session pri- ITALY: Napoli’s Juan Zuniga (left) challenges for the ball with Inter Milan’s Pires Dodo during win. “I couldn’t have started this match with- the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Napoli at the San Siro stadium. —AP or to the Champions League Group E soccer match against AS Roma. Bayern Munich will face out the captain,” said Garcia. “It was an impor- Roma today. — AP tant game and we need to get back on the winning trail.” Borussia Dortmund in the season-opening League. It is the sort of match that Garcia has Inter fights back to Totti, who became the oldest player even German Supercup clash, they have kept eight been looking forward to ever since he took to score in the Champions League in the 1-1 successive clean sheets and have not conced- over at the start of last season. “Today, we will draw away to Manchester City last month, ed a goal since the 1-1 draw against Schalke be the outsiders, facing one of the best teams draw against Napoli scored the winning goal when Roma hit back on Aug. 30, a total of 748 minutes. With a goal in the world,” said Garcia, whose last con- difference of 19, and having scored 10 goals frontation with Bayern, when he was coach of MILAN: Inter Milan came back twice to res- Honda doubled Milan’s lead shortly from 2-0 behind to win 3-2 when Roma last faced Bayern, almost exactly four years ago. in their last two games, they top the Lille, ending in a 6-1 drubbing two years ago. cue a 2-2 draw at home to Napoli in Serie A afterwards when he drove home Stephan Bundesliga by four points and are already “Bayern are very strong and I really can’t wait on Sunday, while AC Milan climbed into El Shaarawy’s cross-field pass. The Japan Bayern coach Pep Guardiola will be well aware of the dangers as he played alongside threatening to run away with the domestic to play this game, as the Stadio Olimpico fourth after securing a 3-1 victory at Hellas international bagged his second of the title once again. atmosphere will be fantastic. “I was one of Verona thanks to a brace from Keisuke game 11 minutes into the second half Totti, and Daniele De Rossi during a brief Roma, while not as dominant, have been those who knew Pep Guardiola hadn’t cho- Honda. when he latched on to a long through ball spell at Roma during his playing career in The match at San Siro sparked into life from Adil Rami before drilling it into the 2002/03. The Bavarians will provide the almost as impressive, winning six out of sev- sen an easy challenge at Bayern Munich,” he late on when Jose Callejon capitalized on bottom left corner. stiffest of tests for Roma. Unbeaten in 11 en Serie A games and taking four points from added. “He has done and will continue to do an error by Nemanja Vidic to break the Nico Lopez scored a consolation for games in all competitions since losing to their opening two matches in the Champions very well there.”— Reuters deadlock but substitute Fredy Guarin lev- Verona three minutes from time but eled almost immediately. defender Rafa Marquez was sent off in Callejon thought he had scored the win- stoppage time for a second yellow card to ner in the final minute but Hernanes equal- compound the home side’s misery. ized moments later. “The lads make me proud to train them,” The result should relieve a bit of the Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi said. “I didn’t pressure on coach Walter Mazzari - who left think we’d be 3-0 up at such a difficult Napoli for Inter - after back-to-back defeats. ground.” Like Verona and Milan, both “The coach is very tired and very angry, Fiorentina and Lazio went into the match he will speak on Wednesday about the on the same points. match. He apologizes, but today it’s like Filip Djordjevic gave Lazio a deserved that,” Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio lead in the 35th minute, with his fifth goal said. “We were really playing at the top in in three matches after Antonio Candreva the first half, there was only one team on latched onto Lucas Biglia’s through ball and the pitch and I think it’s undebatable that put in a low cross for Djordjevic to smash in we deserved more than one goal.” at the near post. Sampdoria remained third despite Fiorentina dominated the second half squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at and Alberto Aquilani almost equalized with Cagliari, while Lazio won 2-0 at Fiorentina a bicycle kick that crashed off the upright. and Palermo beat fellow promoted side Lazio sealed a third successive win in Cesena 2-1. stoppage time after a counterattack as Also, Torino beat Udinese 1-0 and Candreva squared the ball for Senad Lulic Atalanta defeated Parma by the same to tap into an empty net. scoreline. There was little sign of the crazy In Cagliari, Sampdoria broke the dead- finale to come at San Siro, although both lock in the 28th when Manolo Gabbiadini sides hit the post through Hernanes and volleyed in from close range a chipped free Lorenzo Insigne. Callejon scored his first in kick from Angelo Palombo. the 79th minute, pouncing on the ball after Sampdoria seemed to be heading for a Vidic had headed on a throw-in and smash- comfortable win when Pedro Obiang went ing it past Samir Handanovic. on a run and drove home to double his Guarin had been on the pitch for barely side’s lead shortly before halftime. a minute when he leveled, tapping in at the Gabbiadini should have sealed the post after Mauro Icardi nodded on a corner. result minutes after the restart but he hit Mazzarri was sent to the stands for step- the post from close range and Samp was ping out of his technical area and matters left to rue that miss as just before the hour grew worse for Inter when Callejon mark Fabrizio Cacciatore was sent off for a volleyed into the far right corner in the final foul on Victor Ibarbo which resulted in a minute but Hernanes ensured the home second booking and a penalty. side snatched a point in stoppage time. Danilo Avelar fired home from the spot Neighbors Milan fared better as Honda before setting up Marco Sau for the LONDON: Liverpool team celebrates in this file photo. — AP scored in either half to take his tally to six equalizer in the 77th. Palermo recorded for the season and match Carlos Tevez as its first win of the season thanks to a stop- top goal scorer. page-time header from debutant Real seek first win over Liverpool Verona gifted Milan the lead in the 21st Giancarlo Gonzalez. Cesena played the when an attempted clearance went wrong final 11 minutes with 10 men after LONDON: Two of Europe’s greatest clubs with to remember that behind the goals there is played behind closed doors on UEFA’s orders and Rafa Marques sliced Ignazio Abate’s Manuel Coppola received two yellow 15 European Cup successes between them sacrifice, fight and concentration. You don’t because of the continuing troublesome behav- cross into his own net. cards in quick succession. — AP renew their rivalry at Anfield tomorrow with score without sacrifice and concentration. The iour of CSKA’s fans. When the two clubs met in Liverpool looking to preserve their unlikely 100 best players realise that,” Ancelotti said. the group stage last year, CSKA’s fans racially percent record against Real Madrid in Europe’s abused City’s Yaya Toure and had one of their River extend winning streak elite competition. DON’T LOOK BACK stands closed, but following continued trouble While that match evokes past and present Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano believes that this will be their second successive European ARGENTINA: River Plate continue to set teams as an incentive to play better glory, Barcelona play Ajax Amsterdam in Tuesday’s visit of Ajax will not only help get game without fans after their opening 1-0 a high standard in the Argentine cham- rather than a worry.