Established 1961 15 Tuesday, December 8, 2020 Sports Milan maintain five-point Serie A lead at Sampdoria Napoli see off Crotone to move third in Serie A ROME: AC Milan kept hold of their five-point lead Napoli cruise into third at the top of Serie A on Sunday after a hard-fought Napoli are six points back in third, level with 2-1 win at Sampdoria, while Napoli moved third champions Juventus, after goals from Lorenzo after strolling to victory over bottom side Crotone. Insigne, Hirving Lozano, Diego Demme and Franck Kessie’s penalty on the stroke of half-time Andrea Petagna earned the away side a 4-0 win at and Samu Castillejo’s 77th-minute strike were just Crotone. Insigne opened the scoring with a trade- enough for the seven-time European champions to mark curling strike after cutting in from the left move up to 26 points and keep second-placed local with half an hour gone, and the task became sim- rivals Inter Milan at arm’s length. pler for the away side five minutes after the break Coach Stefano Pioli hailed a dogged display from when Jacopo Petriccione was sent off for a late, a team missing injured talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, high challenge on Demme. defender Simon Kjaer and midfielder Ismael Italy international Insigne then laid on Lozano Bennacer. “This is a team that makes the most of for the second with a superb long pass that left the every situation, even the most negative, to show Mexican with a simple finish, and Demme made what they can do,” Pioli said to Sky Sport Italia. “I sure of the result with a drilled low strike 14 min- keep being surprised by the maturity of the play- utes from the end following a lay-off from substi- ers... They never get downhearted by bad results or tute Mertens. Belgium forward Mertens then sup- let good ones go to their heads.” plied the pass that allowed Petagna to hammer Ivory Coast midfielder Kessie coolly struck home home the fourth in stoppage time. Sixth-placed his spot-kick after Jakub Jankto unluckily handled Roma meanwhile are now eight points off the lead while challenging for the ball with Theo Hernandez. after their goalless home draw with Sassuolo as Sandro Tonali hit the post for Milan just after the both teams had goals ruled out by VAR and the break but the away side were on the back foot for hosts played the second half with 10 men. much of the second half until substitute Castillejo doubled their lead with his first touch, set up by a Roma frustrated fine pull-back from Ante Rebic. Pedro was sent off for a second bookable GENOA: AC Milan’s Spanish midfielder Brahim Diaz (right) controls the ball during the Italian Rebic would then surely have removed all doubt offence five minutes before the break. His coach Serie A football match Sampdoria vs AC Milan at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa on with 11 minutes left had Davide Calabria not ruined Paulo Fonseca followed him to the stands at the December 6, 2020. —AFP a fine team moved by duffing his pass to the waiting end of the first half after Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s goal Croatian, who is yet to score this season. That left was ruled out for a foul by Edin Dzeko following a Pioli’s team to sweat out the final minutes after Albin VAR check. The hosts dominated after the break Sassuolo thought they had snatched the points were very well organized defensively and didn’t Ekdal’s powerful header just escaped Gianluigi despite being outnumbered and were unlucky to with 15 minutes left when Lukas Haraslin allow Sassuolo many opportunities,” Fonseca Donnarumma’s clutches, and their lead at the top of not take the lead when Leonardo Spinazzola’s whipped a long-range shot past Antonio Mirante, told Sky Sport Italia. Atalanta’s match at Udinese the table would have been cut to three had Swede cross was guided onto the post by Sassuolo only for the goal to be ruled out for the tightest was postponed after heavy rain made the pitch Ekdal not put another aerial effort wide with the last defender Gian Marco Ferrari, under pressure from of offsides by VAR. “I’m very proud of my team. unplayable. Fiorentina host fellow strugglers attack of the game. Dzeko. We played very well even when down to 10. We Genoa on Monday night. —AFP Unbeaten Leverkusen swat aside Schalke to climb 2nd in Bundesliga Messi, Ronaldo set to BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen remained vied for the ball with Aleksandar hot on the heels of Bundesliga leaders Dragovic. Nassim Boujellab found the renew stellar rivalry in Bayern Munich after Julian net for Schalke on 32 minutes, but his Baumgartlinger and Patrik Schick fired celebrations were immediately cut Champions League their team to a 3-0 win over Schalke short by the linesman’s flag. on Sunday, plunging the bottom club Goalkeeper Michael Langer kept a MADRID: Lionel Messi’s rivalry with Cristiano deeper into crisis. Leverkusen, dominant Leverkusen at bay until the Ronaldo has enthralled football for the better unbeaten in the league this season, 67th minute, when Baumgartlinger part of a decade, and the pair will duel for poten- moved to within a point of champions headed in a Leon Bailey corner to tially the final time when Barcelona host Juventus Bayern by taking second place from double the lead. Schalke’s night only in the Champions League today. The two titans RB Leipzig. Schalke stayed rock bot- got worse as Steven Skrzybski’s penal- of the modern game, who split ownership of the tom with their historic winless streak ty was saved by Lukas Hradecky Ballon d’Or between 2008-2017, were the talis- now at an eye-watering 26 games. before Schick smashed in Leverkusen’s mans of Spanish giants Barcelona and Real The struggling giants have not won third 12 minutes from time. Madrid until Ronaldo left the Spanish capital for GELSENKIRCHEN: Schalke’s German defender Bastian Oczipka (left) and Juventus in 2018. since January, and are now just five Leverkusen’s German midfielder Lars Bender vie for the ball during the matches away from equalling the Wamangituka brace After the Portuguese forward arrived from German first division Bundesliga football match FC Schalke 04 v Bayer Manchester United in 2009, El Clasico became unwanted record set by Tasmania Earlier on Sunday, Congolese Leverkusen on December 6, 2020. —AFP Berlin in 1966. Tasmania’s record of 31 winger Silas Wamangituka scored synonymous with his rivalry with Barcelona cap- games without a win has long been twice to give Stuttgart a 2-1 away win tain Messi. Since Ronaldo’s departure, the fixture considered unassailable. Promoted to over Werder Bremen. After scoring about it,” Bremen’s Davie Selke told after Manchester United loanee Tahith has lost some of its glamour, leaving the football the top flight for political reasons, the from the spot in the first half, Sky. It was a first win in six games for Chong fouled Wataru Endo in the box. world eager for the pair to be pitted against each club picked up just two wins and eight Wamangituka prompted a furious promoted side Stuttgart, who have The Congolese winger sealed the vic- other again. Those hopes were frustrated earlier points in a famously disastrous sea- reaction from the Bremen players and nonetheless started strongly upon tory in stoppage time after pouncing in the group phase, with Ronaldo missing son. Yet Schalke, who were playing in was booked for unsportsmanlike con- their return to the Bundesliga under on a mistake by goalkeeper Jiri Barcelona’s 2-0 win in Turin after testing positive the Champions League just two sea- duct when he provocatively walked American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. Pavlenka. Selke nodded in a consola- for COVID-19. Messi scored with a penalty. They sons ago, continued to close in on the the ball into the open goal to seal the Matarazzo’s side now sit eighth in the tion goal before the final whistle, but it are poised to meet again this week. miserable mark after their seventh win in stoppage time. table, having picked up 14 points from was too little, too late for the home Both sides have already qualified for the last defeat of the season on Sunday. “The way he finished was obvious- their first 10 games. side. Bremen have not won since the 16 from Group G but Juventus can overtake Leverkusen took the lead from a ly disrespectful. He had a very good Wamangituka gave Stuttgart the first week of October, and have now Barcelona if they win at Camp Nou by three corner after just ten minutes, Malick game and he should just tap the ball lead just after the half-hour mark, dropped to 12th after a promising goals or more, or by any two-goal margin other Thiaw heading into his own net as he in, and not make a song and dance smashing the ball in from 12 yards start to the season. —AFP than 2-0. Ronaldo and Messi are in the latter phases of their careers, at 35 and 33 respectively, but both retain their elite status. Messi has six Germain followed by a 5-0 hammer- They have won all five of their London Stadium that took the team, Ballons d’Or to his name and is the current hold- Comeback kings ing of RB Leipzig at home. Premier League away games, taking at least temporarily, into the top four er, while Ronaldo finished third in the 2019 But a shock defeat away to their total of consecutive league wins of the Premier League.
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