04-06-2018

SPORTS
MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2018
9
The Arsenal defender insists that the Barcelona and Argentina superstar is the best player in the
world, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Photo: AP
Mustafi lauds ‘unpredictable’
genius of Messi
Sports Desk:
Shkodran Mustafi says that Lionel Messi is the toughest
opponent he has ever faced, such is his unpredictable
genius, reports Goal.com.
Messi has been in astonishing form yet again this season,
scoring 45 goals and providing 18 assists in just 54
appearances in all competitions.
He has yet to truly shine with Argentina on the grandest
stage of them all, however, and will hope to inspire his
team-mates to glory in Russia this summer.
Indeed, the Arsenal centre-back believes that Messi can
pass any defence he comes up against, rating the 30-yearold
as his best opponent. "Lionel Messi was my hardest
opponent," he told Bild.
"I played him three times with Valencia. You cannot
predict him, he is small and very quick, changes his
direction quite often. "When he runs towards three
Sports Desk:
Neymar will make his first
appearance for over three months on
Sunday (June 3) as Brazil boss Tite
confirmed the Paris Saint-Germain
striker will play in the second half of
his country's friendly against Croatia,
reports AP.
Neymar suffered a fractured foot
while playing for PSG against
Marseille in Ligue 1 on February 25.
The 26-year-old had surgery in
Brazil amid fears he wouldn't be fit
for the World Cup. But Neymar
recovered well enough to be included
in the Selecao squad for the
tournament, which gets underway in
Russia on June 14.
Facing a race to be fit for Brazil's
World Cup opener against
Switzerland on June 17, Neymar will
get a chance to use Sunday's clash at
Anfield to show he is ready to lead the
five-time world champions in Russia.
"Neymar? He'll start on the bench
opponents you can nearly be sure that he breaks through."
Mustafi has also played against Cristiano Ronaldo, who
will also be gunning for glory in Russia with Portugal.
And the 26-year-old has weighed into the eternal debate
comparing the two, insisting Messi has the edge.
"Ronaldo is more of a striker in the box," he added.
"Messi can also play good passes and make his team
mates stronger. For me, he is the best player in the
world."
Mustafi has also lauded the quality of the Premier
League, and the unpredictability of the division,
compared with Spain and Germany; Arsenal finished
sixth, 12 points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
"The Premier League is very exciting," he said.
"Every year, a different team can win the league and
there is at least one top game every weekend. In Spain,
there are only three teams. In Germany, Bayern play there
own league. Besides that, everyone can beat everyone"
Loew fumes as ‘sloppy’ Germany
crash on Neuer’s return
Sports Desk:
Joachim Loew slammed "sloppy"
Germany as the world champions
crashed to a 2-1 defeat by Austria on
Manuel Neuer's comeback to leave them
winless in their last five games, reports
BSS.
"If we play like that in Russia, then we
have no chance," fumed Germany head
coach Loew in Klagenfurt on Saturday.
Less than a fortnight before the World
Cup kicks off in Russia, Germany have
now suffered back-to-back defeats after
also sliding to a 1-0 loss to Brazil in Berlin
in March.
The good news from a German
perspective is that Bayern Munich
goalkeeper Neuer looks set to go to the
World Cup, having proved his fitness
despite eight months on the sidelines due
to injury.
However, when the Germany defence
buckled in the second half, Neuer was
powerless to stop Martin Hinteregger and
Alessandro Schoepf scoring after Mesut
Ozil had given the Germans an early lead.
"That was a good comeback from Manuel
Neuer after so long out," said Loew. "He
made one or two outstanding saves, but
the defeat annoys me. "We didn't put into
practice what we had planned.
"After the break, we fell into a pattern
which I didn't like at all and we were far
too sloppy in our game going forward."
However, Loew was keeping calm with
one eye on the World Cup.
"There is a lot of work to do, but we
won't drive ourselves crazy," he said.
"In two weeks, the team will be very
differently prepared and I won't be having
sleepless nights." Loew left out World Cup
winners Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos,
Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, but
the Germans only controlled the raindelayed
game for the first half an hour.
Loew declined to comment when a poll
by national broadcaster ZDF showed the
majority of German fans would rather see
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter
Stegen than Neuer play at the World Cup.
Neymar to return from
injury against Croatia
because he's still recovering, and will
come on at half-time because we're
preparing as a team," Tite told
reporters at a press conference on
Saturday.
"I don't know yet who'll come off for
him, he has to be our star player but
the others have to shine as well."
Neymar scored 28 goals in 30
appearances in all competitions for
PSG in an impressive first season in
France following his blockbuster
move from Barcelona.
Rubi
appointed
Espanyol
coach
Sports Desk: La Liga's
Espanyol have appointed
Joan Francesc Ferrer,
known as Rubi, as head
coach for two seasons, the
Barcelona outfit said on
Sunday, reports BSS.
Fresh from leading
Huesca to promotion to La
Liga Rubi also has previous
coaching experience at both
Espanyol and Barcelona.
The club was taken over by
Chinese investors after
coming 8th in the 2016-2017
season and finished 11th in
their latest campaign,
sacking their coach Quique
Sanchez Flores in April.
Cahill, Arzani
in Australia's
final World
Cup squad
Sports Desk:
Tim Cahill will play in his
fourth World Cup and
teenager Daniel Arzani
made the final cut as
Australia's coach Bert van
Marwijk finalised his 23-
man squad Sunday, reports
BSS.
The 38-year-old Cahill is
his country's most prolific
international scorer with
50 goals and has scored at
his three previous World
Cups.
Cahill got the nod for the
tournament, which kicks
off in Russia on June 14,
despite
limited
appearances for Millwall in
England's second-tier
Championship since
returning to south London
in January.
Iran-born 19-year-old
Arzani and Dimi Petratos
were included but James
Troisi, Josh Brillante,
Nikita Rukavytsya and
Fran Karacic were left out
of the squad.
Striker Jamie Maclaren
was retained in the 23 after
coming in as injury cover
for Tomi Juric, who was
also selected.
Dutchman van Marwijk
released his squad
following Friday's 4-0
friendly win over the Czech
Republic in Austria.
"I have been very pleased
with the effort and
application of all of the
players during our time in
Turkey, and in Austria,"
van Marwijk said in a
statement.
"Every step of the
selection process has been
difficult because the
players have all given
everything to make the
final selection."
He believed the squad
would make their country
proud at the tournament "if
we continue to work
collectively and intensively
over the next two weeks
and into the competition".
Iran-born 19-year-old
Arzani and Dimi Petratos
were included but James
Troisi, Josh Brillante,
Nikita Rukavytsya and
Fran Karacic were left out
of the squad.
Australia have another
friendly against Hungary in
Budapest on Saturday
ahead of their World Cup
games against France,
Denmark and Peru.
Trio head home from ISS with
football slated for World Cup
Sports Desk:
Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov was on his way back to Earth on Sunday along with an
official match football that could be used later this month in the opening game of the World
Cup in Moscow, reports BSS.
Shkaplerov, Scott Tingle of the United States and Norishige Kanai of Japan undocked from
the International Space Station in their Soyuz MS-07 capsule and began making their descent
at 0916 GMT according to the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
They are set to land in Kazakhstan around 1240 GMT after having spent 168 days in space.
Roscosmos posted on Thursday a video of Shkaplerov and fellow cosmonaut Oleg
Artemyev practicing in the ISS with an Adidas Telstar 18 football. Russian news agency TASS
reported that the ball is planned to be used during the opening game of the 2018 FIFA World
Cup in Moscow on June 14, although FIFA has not confirmed that information. Shkaplerov,
Tingle and Kanai spent more than five months in space working on a variety of scientific
experiments. First-time flyer Tingle also completed a spacewalk to replace the hand on the
station's robotic arm.
Losing start for Tigresses
Sports Desk:
Bangladesh's women's team got off to a
losing start in the Women's Asia Cup T20
when they on Sunday suffered a six-wicket
defeat to Sri Lanka at Royal Selangor Club at
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, reports BSS.
Sri Lanka opted to bowl first and left-arm
pacer Udeshika Prabodhani justified the
decision almost instantaneously, having
Shamima Sultana lbw off the second ball of
the match.
Only three batters reached double figures
as Bangladesh were bowled out for 63. They
lost their last five wickets for just 11 runs, as
they failed to build any effective partnership
in the face of devastating Sri Lankan bowing
attack.
Left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari was
the most successful bowlers as she claimed
three wickets for 17 runs.
In reply, Sri Lanka hardly had to sweat as
they chased down the target in 14.3 overs,
losing four wickets with openers Nipuni
Hansika top scoring 23 and Yasoda Mendis
making 20 runs.
Khadija Tul Kubra was the pick of
Bangladesh bowlers as she claimed three
wickets conceding 13 runs.
Sugandika Kumari of Sri Lanka was
named the player.
The eve-cricket team will play their next
match against Pakistan on June 4 at the
Kinrara Oval. They will face India at the
same venue on June 6. The women's team
will face Thailand on June 7 while host
Malaysia on June 9 at the Kinrara Oval.
The top two teams will progress to the final
scheduled to be held at the Kinrara Oval on
June 10.
Kagiso Rabada, the world's number one Test bowler, was named South
Africa's Cricketer of the Year.
Photo: AP
Rabada wins South Africa’s
top player prize
Sports Desk:
Kagiso Rabada, the world's number one Test
bowler, was named South Africa's Cricketer
of the Year, reports AP.
The award came at the end of a 12-month
period during which Rabada, 23, was a
consistent match-winner-and subject of
disciplinary hearings. Rabada took 72
wickets at an average of 19.52 in 12 Tests
going back to a series in England last July.
Johannesburg: Kagiso Rabada, the world's
number one Test bowler, was named South
Africa's Cricketer of the Year.
The award came at the end of a 12-month
period during which Rabada, 23, was a
consistent match-winner-and subject of
disciplinary hearings.
Rabada took 72 wickets at an average of
19.52 in 12 Tests going back to a series in
England last July. He missed one Test in
England because he was banned after
reaching a demerit points threshold-and
would have missed the last two Tests against
Australia earlier this year if he had not
appealed successfully against a verdict that
would have brought a two-match ban for
reaching a second threshold.
Rabada went on to be man of the series
when South Africa beat Australia in a
controversial four-match series.
The ban came after a collision with
Australian captain Steve Smith. Match
referee Jeff Crowe found him guilty of a level
two offence and he was docked three demerit
points, which triggered an automatic ban.
But it was downgraded to a level one
offence with one demerit point.
Rabada remains in danger of missing more
matches, though, because he has
accumulated seven points, one short of a
ban. With points remaining on his record for
two years, he will not start shedding points
until February 2019.
It was Rabada's second Cricketer of the
Year award. He also won in 2016. He joined
Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya
Ntini and AB de Villiers as two-time winners.
Rabada collected a total of six awards,
including Test cricketer of the year, one-day
international player of the year and players'
player of the year.
Brazil's star striker Neymar (right) shares a light moment with midfielder Philippe Coutinho during
a training session ahead of their international friendly match against Croatia.
Photo: AP
Broad defends his right to
reply to Vaughan blast
Sports Desk:
Stuart Broad's war of words with
Michael Vaughan continued Sunday as
he insisted he had the right to hit back at
criticism from the former England
captain, reports BSS.
Vaughan made waves before the
ongoing second Test against Pakistan at
Headingley by suggesting that either
Broad or James Anderson, England's
two all-time leading Test wicket-takers,
be dropped to "ruffle some feathers"
after the hosts' nine-wicket defeat at
Lord's. But after each of the veteran
new-ball duo took three wickets apiece
in Pakistan's first-innings 174 at
Headingley in a match England must
win to end the series all square at 1-1,
Broad revealed he had phoned Vaughan
to discuss what he thought were
"targeted" and "unfair" remarks.
Vaughan, commentating on BBC
Radio's Test Match Special, then in turn
responded on Saturday by reminding
Broad his comments "may come back to
bite him" and that England had not yet
won at Headingley. Broad has now had
a further say in his column for Britain's
Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Significantly, however, he chose to refer
to Vaughan, his first England captain,
not by the former Yorkshire batsman's
name but merely as "a pundit". "It's fair
to say it's been an interesting week for
me and the team - on and off the field,"
Broad wrote.
"I spoke to the press after play on
Friday night and was asked about the
views of a pundit who had criticised me.
"Fair enough, everyone is entitled to
their opinion, but surely that also means
players have the right to respond to
comments made about them?"," he
added.