TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 SPORTS Costa out of Chelsea’s Female ref to make Riner to continue Champions League squad German league debut until 2020 Olympics LONDON: Exiled striker Diego Costa was not included in Chelsea’s 25-man BERLIN: Germany’s Bibiana Steinhaus is set to make Bundesliga PARIS: French judoka Teddy Riner said yesterday that he will go for a squad for the Champions League group phase yesterday. Costa, 28, has history on Sunday by becoming the first woman to referee in third straight heavyweight Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, after been frozen out by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and spent the transfer one of Europe’s top leagues, according to reports. Top German winning his record ninth world title in Budapest last week. window angling for a return to former club Atletico Madrid that nev- daily newspapers Bild and Die Welt claim the 38-year-old The 28-year-old is unbeaten since September 2010 and er materialised. Atletico, who were drawn in Champions League Steinhaus will officiate when Hertha Berlin host Werder Bremen has won 134 successive fights, but was pushed to a Group C alongside Chelsea, are banned from signing new play- in Germany’s top flight in the capital on Sunday. The German golden point in both the semi-finals and the final in ers until January. By not including Costa in their squad, Chelsea Football Association (DFB) has refused to confirm the reports Hungary. “I know that the road to Tokyo 2020 will have ensured he will not become cup-tied, meaning he could and, as is customary, will only announce the referee appoint- be long, there’s a long way to go for that gold play in the competition for another team in the second part of ments for the following weekend in the Bundesliga on Thursday. medal,” Riner said. “It will be difficult but not impos- the season. Despite being named in Chelsea’s Premier League Steinhaus, who is on the official list of Bundesliga referees for sible. I want a challenge, challenges are what I con- squad, Costa has not played in any of their league games to the 2017/18 season, has sat out the first two rounds of matches tinue for.” The Guadeloupean now has eight individ- date, his place taken by £58 million ($75.1 million, 63.1 mil- this season. Her debut on Sunday at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium is ual world championship golds and one team victory lion euros) record signing Alvaro Morata. Chelsea will set to make Steinhaus the first female referee in the German, since 2007, while he was also part of the France out- also face Roma and Azerbaijani newcomers Qarabag English, Spanish, French or Italian leagues, having already been fit that took bronze in the mixed team event on in their group. — AFP an assistant referee in the Bundesliga. —AFP Sunday. —AFP Ricciardo gains reputation for his overtaking skills MONZA: Daniel Ricciardo is starting to race, Ricciardo blasted past Raikkonen at make a habit of charging through the the end of the main straightaway when the Formula One field with dazzling overtak- Finn broke earlier entering the first chicane. ing. The Red Bull driver claimed his fifth “I’ll give him the credit and say he raced career win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in clean and fair, but I would have done it on June after starting 10th and went all the anyone to be honest,” Ricciardo said. way from the back to fifth in the British “Especially when you are coming up GP in July. through the field and you have that The Australian did it again at Sunday’s momentum, it doesn’t matter who you Italian GP, slaloming through the field to come up against.” finish just off the podium in fourth after Sitting fourth, Ricciardo took aim at another grid penalty imposed a 16th-place Sebastian Vettel in the other Ferrari. start. “Two of my favorite races this year Ricciardo was gaining more than a second have been starting from the back - on Vettel each trip around the “Temple of Silverstone and this one,” Ricciardo said. “I Speed” - and set the race’s quickest lap in had some real pace in the end.” the process - but ultimately ran out of time. The moves in Monza added some much- “I could see Seb and the thought of a needed excitement to a race that Lewis podium was tempting me, so I was obvi- Hamilton dominated from start to finish. “I ously trying to catch him right up to the think he’s one of the best overtakers out end,” Ricciardo said. “But I think then he was there. His judgment of being able to brake able to turn it up a bit and I was using every late enough for the apex is quite phenome- part of my tires. nal,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Still, the result meant Ricciardo extend- Horner, adding that Ricciardo’s driving ed his lead over Raikkonen in their battle reminded him of 1992 Formula One cham- for fourth place in the drivers’ standings. pion Nigel Mansell. Ricciardo gained two more points than A bit too much wheel spin at the start Raikkonen and is now six points ahead with meant Ricciardo remained 16th but as soon seven races remaining. as he got a bit of open road to work with, “The boys did the quickest pit stop and I he started passing one car after another. also got the fastest lap so that’s very cool,” After an expert pass of Force India driver added Ricciardo, who is among the fan Sergio Perez at the second chicane put favorites in Monza because of his Italian Ricciardo firmly in the top 10, he became roots. “You can almost call it a perfect day. MONZA: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, at the Monza racetrack, Italy, the last of the front-runners to visit the pits. We couldn’t have done much more from Sunday. —AP A perfectly executed stop prepared where we started. “Of course I wanted to be Ricciardo for an assault on Ferrari driver up there on the podium as it looked unreal, MOTOR RACING Kimi Raikkonen. On Lap 41 of the 53-lap but I believe it will come next year.” —AP Rossi wins IndyCar Hamilton says heart has race at Watkins Glen led his surge to top WATKINS GLEN: Alexander Rossi overcame a mate Simon Pagenaud was his third in four mechanical malfunction on pit road to notch races and seemed to stamp him as the man MONZA: Lewis Hamilton attributes his surge to expect a Ferrari fight-back in Singapore, the first comfortable,” added Hamilton, who is scheduled a big victory. IndyCar points leader Josef to beat. the top of the Formula One drivers world cham- of three upcoming races in Asia. “To be leading to take part in a tyres-testing day at Le Castellet Newgarden wasn’t so lucky. Rossi used a Then his lead in the standings vanished in pionship to an increased level of “heart and pas- the championship - whilst it is only a couple of in the south of France on Thursday. “But I want to stroke of good fortune to win the IndyCar a flash at Watkins Glen. After taking his only sion” since winning the British Grand Prix in July. points - I am grateful, but by no means do I feel stay here...” —AFP Grand Prix at The Glen on Sunday from the lead of the day, Newgarden pitted with 15 The 32-year-old Briton, whose victory in pole, leading just over half of the 60-lap race laps to go around the 11-turn, 3.37-mile natu- Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix lifted him three and easily holding off four-time series cham- ral terrain road course. But he slammed the points clear of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, has pion Scott Dixon over the closing laps at guard rail exiting the pits when his front tires won three of the last four races to become Hamlin sweeps Darlington, Watkins Glen International for his second locked up and he veered left into the blue leader for the first time this year. As Ferrari career victory. His first one came last year in steel barrier. He was hit from behind by retreated from their home race to lick their rallies to Southern 500 win the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Sebastien Bourdais, breaking part of the rear wounds after being outclassed by a Mercedes “Today I was finally able to prove what I’ve of the No. 2 Chevy. That brought out a cau- master-class that saw Valtteri Bottas finish sec- DARLINGTON: Denny Hamlin had strong moti- second time Hamlin has swept events at been talking about the past month, two tion and Newgarden had to pit again, his ond, Hamilton admitted he felt he now has the vation to chase down Martin Truex Jr. after badly Darlington, winning both the Xfinity and Cup months, in terms of the step forward Andretti crew frantically working on the car as he fell momentum. “To come through these last races- missing pit road at Darlington Raceway - embar- races together in 2010 and this year. Hamlin Autosports has taken,” said Rossi, who has five two laps down. “It was going to come down they’ve been real solid races-I think I’ve felt more rassment. Hamlin turned a strong lead into a 20- passed Joey Logano coming off the final turn to straight top-six finishes.