MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 SPORTS Carvajal agrees to Coutinho committed to Liverpool Stuttgart captain suffers extend Madrid stay after failed Barcelona move multiple facial injuries MADRID: Real Madrid have agreed a deal with Dani MADRID: Liverpool playmaker Phillipe Coutinho has said he has no BERLIN: VfB Stuttgart captain Christian Gentner has suffered various Carvajal to extend the defender’s contract by two years agreement to join Barcelona next season and is committed to help- facial injuries after his collision with VfL Wolfsburg goalkeep- to 2022, the club said yesterday. The right back has ing the Merseyside club achieve their ambitions. The 25-year-old er Koen Casteels in Saturday’s Bundesliga game, his club established himself as a key player for Madrid after they Brazil international was Barcelona’s key transfer target but Liverpool said. Casteels leapt high to try and catch the ball in the bought him back from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013. “Real rejected multiple bids from the La Liga side, saying the player was penalty area and his knee caught Gentner in the face in Madrid and Dani Carvajal have agreed an extension to not for sale. On Saturday, Coutinho made his first start of the the process. “Extensive examinations revealed that the player’s contract, binding him to the club until the Premier League season but failed help his side avoid a 1-1 draw Christian Gentner had suffered breaks to the lower and 30th of June 2022,” said Madrid in a statement. against Burnley. He discussed his “complicated month” for the first lateral (parts of his) eye-socket, his nose and his upper- Carvajal, who has lifted three Champions time in an interview with ESPN Brazil. “What happened was a job jaw,” said Stuttgart in a statement. “The 31-year-old will League trophies and one La Liga title since offer and, in life, sometimes you get interested; sometimes you undergo surgery over the next few days and is expect- returning, amongst other silverware, is don’t and, in my case, everyone knows that I got interested, my fam- ed to make a complete recovery.” Stuttgart’s sport- the third player to sign a new deal with ily too,” said Coutinho. “It’s an honour to receive an offer like that, ing director Michael Reschke described it as a Madrid this week, after Marcelo and but it’s also an honour to be here (at Liverpool). “I earned my place “cruel blow” for Gentner. “The most important Isco. — Reuters during the last four, five years and I’ve never had a problem with news though is that he will make a full recov- anyone here.—Reuters ery,” he added.—Reuters BOXING Golovkin and Alvarez fight to a brutal draw, rematch to come LAS VEGAS: Canelo Alvarez and had a bad night in a big fight.” It was a Gennady Golovkin argued afterward battle from the opening bell, as Golovkin about who won their middleweight tried to walk Alvarez down only to get hit showdown. No one could argue it wasn’t by sharp counter punches. a great fight. Golovkin retained his mid- Both fighters raised their hands in tri- dleweight titles Saturday night, fighting umph at the final bell and jumped into to a 12-round draw with Alvarez in a bru- the arms of corner men. Then they wait- tal battle that ended with both fighters ed as the scorecards were added up to holding their hands aloft in victory. It see who would leave the ring with the was a fight neither deserved to lose and, belts. “It’s not my fault,” Golovkin said. “I when the scores were tallied, neither did. put pressure on every round.” Golovkin The middleweight bout years in the predicted before the fight that the late making lived up to its hype as the two rounds would resemble a street fight, fighters traded huge punches and went and in a way they did. Both fighters were after each other for 12 rounds. Neither willing to trade, and both had no prob- was down or seriously hurt, but both lems landing hard shots to the head. landed big punches to the head that had Ringside punching stats credited the crowd screaming in excitement. Golovkin landing 217 of 703 punches Alvarez rallied late to win the last while Alvarez landed 169 of 505. three rounds on each scorecard and pull Golovkin had chased Alvarez for nearly out the draw, though both fighters two years, trying to get the signature claimed victory. “I won 7-8 rounds easily,” fight that would pay him millions and Alvarez said. “I was superior inside the make him a pay-per-view draw on his ring.” “Today people give me draw. I focus own. Alvarez, the redhead known as on boxing,” Golovkin said. “Look my belts, Canelo, finally agreed to the match after I’m still champion. I’ve not lost.” Golovkin looked vulnerable earlier this Golovkin was the aggressor through- year against Daniel Jacobs in a decision out and landed punches that had put win that stopped his knockout streak at other fighters to the canvas. But he 23 fights. couldn’t knock Alvarez down, and the But Alvarez said Golovkin didn’t have Mexican boxer more than stood his anything he wasn’t expecting, and that own in exchanges with Triple G. The his power wasn’t what it was made out two were still brawling as the final sec- to be. Golovkin, who moved to Los onds ticked down. Angeles from Kazakhstan to pursue star- SINGAPORE: Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix in Singapore yesterday. — AFP Alvarez was leading after the first dom in the ring, said he would welcome three rounds, then Golovkin dominated a second fight MOTOR RACING the middle rounds. After a pep talk from “Of course I want a rematch,” he said. “I his corner, Alvarez came out more want a fight. A true fight. I have my belts. aggressive in the 10th round to pull out I want a championship fight.” Alvarez said the draw. Two scorecards were close, he was more than willing to do it again. Hamilton wins Singapore GP with Golovkin ahead 115-113 on one and “Obviously yes, if the people want it,” a 114-114 draw on the other. But veteran Alvarez said. “He didn’t win, it was a draw. judge Adalaide Byrd inexplicably had I always said I was going to be a step Alvarez winning 118-110, giving him all ahead of him.” as title rival Vettel crashes but two rounds. The Associated Press After the decision was announced, scored it 114-114. both fighters hugged and Triple G whis- SINGAPORE: Lewis Hamilton profited from the down, while Raikkonen expressed his frustration. healthy nine seconds after the change. Golovkin, who has never lost in 38 pered something in Alvarez’s ear. They chaos to win the Singapore Grand Prix and “Just ridiculous,” the Finnish driver said. The safety car came out for a third time, after fights, retained his middleweight titles. then exchanged thumbs-up signs and a extend his championship lead yesterday, while Alonso bravely continued but retired on lap 9. Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber ground to a halt on lap But Alvarez showed that he could not handshake, knowing they had done their title rival Sebastian Vettel lost huge ground after The safety car came out again shortly after, as 39. “Why another safety car?” a clearly annoyed only take the punches of the fighter from jobs well. crashing out on the first lap. Red Bull’s Daniel Daniil Kvyat ploughed his Toro Rosso into the Hamilton said. When the safety car comes out, Kazakhstan but land telling punches of “We knew this was going to be a war,” Ricciardo prevented a Mercedes 1-2 by finishing barriers. By the time the race re-started again on not only does it cut the leader’s momentum it his own. said Golovkin trainer Abel Sanchez. ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who placed third. lap 15, Ricciardo had changed tires, but not enables others to bunch up and close the gap. A frenzied crowd of 22,358 at the T- “There were no surprises.” Vettel can have little complaint as he seemed Hamilton. After being 12 seconds behind, Ricciardo was Mobile Arena roared throughout the The draw was the first mark on to cause the first-turn mayhem, despite starting He had to decide when to pit with the 5-kilo- suddenly right behind Hamilton again when the fight as the two middleweights put on Golovkin’s record, which now stands at from pole position. The crash caused a domino meter (3.1-mile) track drying slowly. It was an race re-started. the kind of show that boxing purists had 37-0-1. Alvarez is now 49-1-2, his only effect, taking out his Ferrari teammate Kimi important call, because he needed enough of a But Hamilton did enough to win by 4.5 sec- anticipated. They brawled, used sharp loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Golovkin Raikkonen, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and margin over Ricciardo in order to come back out onds. Nico Hulkenberg retired late on with a jabs and counter punched at times, with entered the ring first, one of the conces- McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. ahead of him. mechanical problem. But his Renault teammate neither one willing to give the other sions he had to make to get the fight Having started from fifth, on one of the With the track still greasy, Ricciardo pitted Jolyon Palmer finished sixth to score his first much ground.