TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 SPORTS Disappointing exit for Nations Cup hosts Gabon LIBREVILLE: Hosts Gabon made a dis- goal difference after a 2-0 victory over five minutes at Stade L’Amitie in Senegal, already guaranteed top ance on the Nations Cup stage. appointing exit from the African Nations Guinea Bissau in Franceville on Sunday Libreville. The hosts started furiously and place, play Algeria in Franceville in a It is the first time that four-times win- Cup on Sunday, foiled by the woodwork with a fortuitous own goal from finished with a late flourish that saw quarter-final on Saturday while Tunisia ners Cameroon have progressed to the in the final minute as they missed out on Rudinilson Silva and a second-half strike Denis Bouanga strike the upright deep need just one point from their match quarter-finals since 2010. Their success the win over Cameroon which would from Bertrand Traore, the Chelsea striker in stoppage time and the rebound from with Zimbabwe in Libreville to set up a comes despite eight players turning have allowed them to grab a dramatic on loan at Ajax Amsterdam. Didier Ndong saved by Cameroon’s 21- weekend meeting with Burkina Faso. down a call-up last month, leaving place in the quarter-finals. Cameroon also finished on five points year-old goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who Burkina Faso went ahead early coach Hugo Broos with what he called a Instead Burkina Faso and Cameroon after the goalless draw with Gabon, burst into tears at the end of the game against Guinea Bissau as centre back B-team for the tournament. advance from Group A, leaving Gabon whose three games were all drawn. “It is as his team mates enveloped him in cel- Rudinilson put the ball in his own net in “It is a young team that wants to play with the ignominy of becoming the first very sad for all of us but each player ebrations. Cameroon now play Senegal the 11th minute and Traore scored on for the country, not just come because home nation to be eliminated in the first gave 100 percent,” said Gabon captain in the quarter-finals but Burkina Faso’s the counter early in the second. But they have been called up by the coach. round since Tunisia in 1994. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who opponents will be decided when the Guinea Bissau again proved competitive Now anything is possible,” he said after Burkina Faso topped the group on missed a glorious chance in the opening standings in Group B are settled. as they concluded their maiden appear- Sunday’s game. — Reuters Dzeko to the rescue as Roma stay in title hunt MILAN: Edin Dzeko’s second-half strike “We believe in our chances, there are kept Serie A title challengers Roma in the still a lot of games to play.” hunt with a 1-0 win at home to Cagliari that Atalanta are still punching above their cut the gap on leaders Juventus to one weight, although it took Alejandro Gomez’s point on Sunday. 55th-minute spot kick to secure the points Fresh life was breathed into the race for from a 1-0 win over Sampdoria that saw the the scudetto last week, especially for Roma Bergamo side move up to sixth, just a point and Napoli, when Juventus suffered a 2-1 behind Inter. defeat at Fiorentina. Roma welcomed Cagliari with the But the Turin giants, aiming for a record chance equal a club record of 13 consecu- sixth consecutive title, fired a warning to tive home victories, last achieved in 1930. their chasers with a classy, first-half per- A wasteful first half at the Stadio formance in a 2-0 home win over Lazio that Olimpico saw Diego Perotti, Dzeko (twice) saw Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain and Bruno Peres all spurn solid chances. strike shortly after the quarter hour. But the increasingly frustrated home Defender Andrea Barzagli started on the support were back on song on 55 minutes, bench, midfielder Claudio Marchisio was Dzeko muscling his way past Nicola Murru sidelined and although wingback Dani to meet Antonio Rudiger’s pacey delivery Alves returned from injury, the former to volley in off the underside of the cross- Barcelona star was only fit enough for a bar from eight yards. place on the bench. It took the Bosnian’s league goals tally to Lazio had lost their last eight meetings 14, just one behind Icardi and level with with Juve, home and away in all competi- Higuain and Torino striker Andrea Belotti. tions, and despite their good intentions the Roma coach Luciano Spalletti piled the visitors were soon playing catch-up. pressure on Dzeko to take more of his On Juve’s first real chance, Mario chances a fortnight ago, calling the Bosnian Mandzukic nodded the ball into the path of “too soft” in front of goal. Dybala for the Argentinian to hit a volley Asked if he was still too soft, Dzeko said: with the outside of his boot past Federico “Yes, you all saw that today didn’t you!” He Marchetti and into the far bottom corner. added: “Joking aside, it wasn’t easy (against Lazio were stunned again barely 10 min- Cagliari). We had a few chances, I missed utes later, although the visitors’ defence one in the opening half and then I made up EIBAR: FC Barcelona’s Neymar Jr., tries to control the ball beside goalkeeper Yoel Rodriguez during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between allowed Higuain to run in unchecked to for it in the second. I was more clinical. “It FC Barcelona and Eibar, at Ipurua stadium in Eibar, northern Spain, Sunday. FC Barcelona won the match 4-0. — AP meet Juan Cuadrado’s delivery from the was an important win for us, but we have right flank on 17 minutes. to keep it going.” It was Higuain’s 14th goal in 19 appear- Cagliari finished the match with 10 men, ances and left the Argentine only one substitute Joao Pedro given his marching behind league leader Mauro Icardi of Inter orders for a blatant kick on Kevin Messi, Suarez help Milan, who, along with Atalanta, capitalised Strootman. —AFP on AC Milan’s 2-1 San Siro to Napoli on Saturday to push the Rossoneri down to seventh at 11 points adrift. Back in Champions League action at Matches on TV Barca to down Eibar Porto next month, coach Massimiliano Allegri said: “I asked the lads for a big team (Local Timings) performance because that’s what we need Spain Copa del Rey BARCELONA: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Europe, and they pulled through.” scored their 15th league goals of the season as A 65th minute winner from Portugal Deportivo Alaves v Alcorcon 21:15 Barcelona stayed on the heels of La Liga leaders midfielder Joao Mario rescued Inter’s blush- BeIN SPORTS Real Madrid by winning 4-0 at Eibar on Sunday Players rally around es in a 1-0 win at Palermo that moved although the win was marred by an injury to key Stefano Pioli’s Champions League chasers Italian Cup midfielder Sergio Busquets. up to fifth place at just nine points off the Napoli v Fiorentina 22:45 Substitute Denis Suarez scored his first goal for skull-fracture Mason pace. Palermo’s third defeat on the trot BeIN SPORTS Barca, firing the visitors into the lead from the dropped the crisis-hit Sicilians to second LONDON: Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason Following the collision between Cahill and from bottom, 11 points from safety. African Nations Cup 2017 edge of the area in the 31st minute after replacing Busquets, who had been carried off on a stretcher has been talking in hospital about the incident Mason, medical staff from both clubs sprinted “That was a crucial win for us, we’d Morocco v Ivory Coast 22:00 with strained ankle ligaments following a crunch- which left him with a fractured skull, the out to attend to the two players, with referee worked really hard in training this week for BeIN SPORTS Premier League club said yesterday. Neil Swarbrick halting play for close to 10 min- this,” said Mario, who believes the 2010 Togo v Congo 22:00 ing tackle by Eibar’s Gonzalo Escalante. Messi stretched Barca’s lead by finishing off a brilliant The 25-year-old Mason suffered the injury utes as they each received on-field treatment. Champions League winners can realistically BeIN SPORTS when he accidentally clashed heads with Central Defender Cahill returned to his feet target a top three finish. move with Luis Suarez in the 50th minute and the Uruguayan joined his close friend and strike part- Chelsea’s Gary Cahill in the 14th minute of and scored Chelsea’s second goal, a header, in ner on 15 league goals by robbing an Eibar Hull’s eventual 2-0 loss away to the Premier the 2-0 victory but Mason left the field on a defender and finishing inside the near post in the League leaders at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. stretcher while receiving oxygen treatment. 68th. Neymar added an extra shine to the victory Mason was subsequently taken to the near- Several hours after the final whistle, a Hull by netting in the 91st minute, scoring his first goal by St Mary’s Hospital in west London and statement confirmed that Mason had sus- for Barca from open play since October. underwent surgery. He was visited by Hull tained a skull fracture. “We leave here with one piece of bad news captain Michael Dawson and several club offi- Clubs and players from across England and cials yesterday.