25-12-2020

FRIDAY, DeCeMBeR 25, 2020
9
Benzema netted two identical headers to secure Real Madrid a place in the Champions League last
16 with a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Benzema takes Real
Madrid into Champions
League last 16
SportS DeSk:
karim Benzema netted
two identical headers to
secure real Madrid a place
in the Champions League
last 16 with a 2-0 win over
Borussia
Moenchengladbach on
Wednesday, easing the
pressure on coach Zinedine
Zidane, reports BSS.
record 13-time
champions Madrid started
the night in third place, at
risk of failing to qualify
from the group stage for
the first time in their
history and dropping into
the europa League, but
delivered an assured
performance at the Alfredo
di Stefano stadium.
Madrid finished as group
winners on 10 points,
ahead of runners-up
Gladbach on eight despite
the defeat, as Shakhtar
Donetsk and Inter Milan
drew 0-0 in the other
Group B clash.
president Florentino
perez was spotted in the
tunnel before the game and
his presence seemed to
focus Madrid minds, as
they put on their best
performance of the season
in their most important
game so far.
"It was a good game for
us," Benzema told
Movistar. "each match is a
final and I think that if we
always play how we did
today, no team can hurt us.
"this was a very difficult
game, we started it well
and with the desire to show
that we are the best."
Makeshift right-back
Lucas Vazquez curled in a
cross and Benzema
produced a fine header to
break the deadlock after
just nine minutes.
Madrid kept an iron grip
on the game until
Gladbach forward
Alassane plea broke free
but dinked wide of thibaut
Courtois' goal.
Benzema doubled the
lead with a clone of his first
strike, nodding home from
rodrygo's cross from the
right in the 32nd minute.
Madrid came close to
adding a third from the
same avenue, with Vazquez
crossing for the evergreen
Luka Modric, but Yann
Sommer tipped his effort
onto the post.
the Croatian midfielder,
35, lashed home shortly
afterwards but the strike
was ruled out for an offside
call against raphael
Varane in the build-up.
Madrid continued to
dominate after the break,
looking back to their best
ahead of the weekend
derby clash in La Liga with
Atletico Madrid.
Sommer made a brilliant
save to claw out a header
from Madrid captain
Sergio ramos on his return
from injury, with Benzema
crashing the rebound
against the crossbar.
Vazquez drilled an effort
against the near post as
Zidane's rampant side
coasted to victory, allowing
the coach some breathing
room after a troubled start
to the season.
two defeats by Shakhtar
Donetsk had left Madrid in
a tight spot in the
Champions League and
their situation was
compounded by
disappointing losses
against Cadiz, Valencia and
Alaves in La Liga.
"the objective was to
finish first and we did it," a
proud Zidane told
Movistar. "We played a
spectacular game today. I
think it was our most
complete of the season,
from minute one to the end
we did very well."
Gladbach created little of
note and found it
impossible to escape
Madrid's relentless press,
showing few similarities to
the side which almost
shocked the Spanish
champions in the 2-2 draw
they shared in october.
"It's really amazing, we
played our worst game of
the whole group stage
today, but we are still
through, and deservedly
so," Gladbach captain Lars
Stindl told DAZN.
the visiting players
gathered around an
electronic tablet at the end
of the game to watch the
final moments of Inter's
draw with Shakhtar, before
they could celebrate
reaching the Champions
League last 16 for the first
time.
"It was a strange feeling
because we couldn't really
be happy after our game.
We just had to hope, and
the emotion flooded out at
the end," Gladbach
midfielder Christoph
kramer added on Sky. "We
deserved to go through,
even if we had no chance
against real Madrid."
NZ captain Williamson
to face Windies despite
imminent childbirth
SportS DeSk:
New Zealand captain and
batting mainstay kane
Williamson confirmed
thursday he will play in the
second test against the West
Indies in Wellington despite
the imminent arrival of his
first child, reports BSS.
Williamson had the Black
Caps sweating on his
availability for the start of the
match Friday after leaving the
squad to take a 500-kilometre
trip home to tauranga to be
with his wife.
He had previously said the
baby was due "mid-to-late
December". Cricket does not
allow for substitutions if he
had to leave during the test.
New Zealand coach Gary
Stead said Williamson, who
had been given until the end
of the day to make a decision,
had confirmed mid-afternoon
he was "confident" of taking
his place in the side.
Williamson, ranked the
second-best batsman in the
world behind Australian Steve
Smith and equal with India's
Virat kohli, provided the
backbone of New Zealand's
comprehensive innings
victory in the first test with an
epic career-best 251.
Stead said there had been
no pressure on Williamson to
play as New Zealand look to
extend their 14-test home
unbeaten streak.
"We want to support kane
and Sarah in the decision they
come to, and whatever way he
chooses to go we will support
him in that," Stead said
shortly before Williamson
confirmed he would play.
"they're the two sitting
there with the decision in
front of them."
Stead said the only issue still
to be resolved following
Williamson's decision was
whether to replace allrounder
Daryl Mitchell with
spinner Mitchell Santner in
an otherwise unchanged side.
New Zealand captain and batting mainstay Kane Williamson confirmed Thursday he will play in the
second Test against the West Indies in Wellington.
Photo: AP
South Africa
cricket team to
tour pakistan
SportS DeSk:
South Africa will make their
first tour of pakistan in 14
years when they play two test
matches and three twenty20
internationals in the Asian
country in January and
February 2021, reports BSS.
Cricket South Africa
announced on Wednesday
that the decision had been
made following a visit to
pakistan by a security
delegation recently.
the South Africans will
arrive in karachi on January
16 and undergo a period of
quarantine before the first
test in the same city from
January 26 to 30.
the second test will be in
rawalpindi from February 4
to 8, followed by three t20
internationals in Lahore on
February 11, 13 and 14.
the test series will be part
of the International Cricket
Council's test championship.
South Africa has not toured
pakistan since 2007 when
they won a two-test series 1-
0.
the proteas will be the
fourth international team to
visit pakistan since an attack
on the Sri Lankan team in
Lahore in 2009 put a decadelong
halt to tours of the
country.
Smith revved up for test
clashes after missing last
India series
SportS DeSk:
Steve Smith admitted
thursday he was pumped to
play his first test in almost a
year, revealing how hard it
was to miss India's last series
in Australia when he was
banned for ball-tampering,
reports BSS.
the two sides meet in a
day-night test in Adelaide
from December 17, the first
of four clashes over a
blockbuster summer.
It will be Smith's first redball
international since the
final test against New
Zealand at the Sydney
Cricket Ground in January
before coronavirus caused
havoc.
"Very excited, I love test
cricket, it's my favourite
form of the game no doubt.
It challenges you in so many
different ways," Smith,
bubbling with enthusiasm,
said on a Zoom call from
Adelaide.
"So excited to get back out
and play some long-form
cricket. It's been close to a
year since our last game.
Can't wait - all the boys are
really keen to get out there
and play as well."
Making it extra special for
Smith is that he missed
India's historic first test
series win in Australia in
2018-19 when he was
serving his 12-month
suspension.
Smith skippered the team
until he was banned for a
year in 2018 over a brazen
attempt under his watch to
alter the ball with sandpaper
in Cape town.
"I watched bits and
pieces," he said of the tour.
"It was difficult sitting on the
sidelines and not being able
to go out there and make a
difference.
"that was the toughest
thing for me, knowing that I
probably could make a
difference if I was out there.
So that was hard. But it's an
exciting series coming up."
Both teams face selection
problems. India's opening
batsman rohit Sharma and
pace bowler Ishant Sharma
are both injured.
Australia will be missing
opener David Warner for the
opening test after he injured
a groin in the recent whiteball
series but young
prospect Will pucovski, who
was heavily tipped to replace
him, suffered concussion
Steve Smith admitted Thursday he was pumped to play his first Test in almost a year.
'Homesick' Chinese
teams stuck in Qatar
after Champions
League exit
SportS DeSk:
Guangzhou evergrande
players say they are homesick
and desperate to return to
China after being stuck in
Qatar following their
elimination from the AFC
Champions League, reports
BSS.
Fabio Cannavaro's side are
among three Chinese Super
League teams still in Qatar
despite being knocked out of
the competition, with reports
saying they are awaiting
approval for a charter flight.
the others are Shanghai
clubs Shenhua and SIpG, with
the former already stewing for
a week since their continental
title bid ended.
this year's delayed
Champions League is taking
place behind closed doors in a
secure "bubble" in Qatar
because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Beforehand, global
footballers union FIFpro
accused the Asian Football
Confederation of failing to
consult players about moving
the tournament to the nation
hosting the 2022 World Cup.
With their season over and
Cannavaro seemingly on the
brink of the sack,
evergrande's players have
broken rank.
Midfielder Yan Dinghao
wrote on the twitter-like
Weibo that he was on "the
edge of collapse, really
homesick".
against India A this week.
Various scenarios have
been touted should pucovski
fail to recover, from
elevating Marnus
Labuschagne or Matthew
Wade to open, to recalling
Marcus Harris or even
Usman khawaja.
Smith said it wouldn't
trouble him if Labuschange
opened and he was moved
up to bat at three from four.
"that doesn't bother me
too much, I've batted a fair
bit at number three. three
or four, any lower than four
and I wouldn't be overly
happy, but anywhere out
there I'm fine," he said.
Smith, who has played 73
tests, scoring more than
13,000 runs, including 26
centuries, admitted
Warner's absence would be
felt.
"I think our depth is
obviously going to be tested
with Davey out and a few
potentially new players
coming in, so it's test for us
against a good Indian
outfit," he said.
"Whoever is out there and
in the team, hopefully we all
do our job and have a
successful summer."
Photo: AP
Italy’s 1982 World Cup hero
paolo rossi dead at 64
SportS DeSk:
paolo rossi, a hero of Italian
football who fired the Azzurri
to victory in the 1982 World
Cup, has died aged 64,
prompting an outpouring of
grief and tributes, report BSS.
rossi's wife Federica
Cappelletti announced the
death with a post on
Instagram alongside a photo
of the couple, accompanied by
the comment "Forever,"
followed by a heart.
"there will never be anyone
like you, unique, special, after
you the absolute nothing….,"
Cappelletti also wrote on
Facebook.
the cause of his death was
not revealed but Italian media
reported that rossi had been
suffering from "an uncurable
disease".
tributes were paid to
'pablito', the star who was
banned for three years for his
part in a betting scandal, but
returned to win the World
Cup in Spain and the Ballon
D'or the same year.
Despite breaking in the
early hours, Italian media
splashed with the news, while
social media lit up with
tributes and "paolo rossi" was
Italy's number one trending
search item.
"Football and Italy mourns
paolo rossi," headlined the
Gazzetta dello Sport, as La
Stampa called him the "hero
of Spain '82".
the news of his passing
comes two weeks after the
death of Argentina football
legend Diego Maradona,
winner of the 1986 World
Cup.
rossi won the hearts of
Italian fans during the
summer of 1982, when his
goals dragged enzo Bearzot's
Azzurri to a third world title.
Italy started the tournament
with three uninspiring draws
before they came to life and
marched to the title.
But Italy's sporting icon
almost missed out on the
tournament.
He was caught up in a
bribery scandal and banned
for three years in 1980, but
after continually protesting
his innocence was cleared to
play after two.
A slight and sprightly
winger who converted to
centre-forward, rossi had an
uncanny ability to be in the
right place at the right time.
He exploded onto the stage
of the 1982 tournament with a
hat-trick in the 3-2 defeat of
Brazil.
In the semi-finals he scored
both goals as Italy beat poland
2-0, and he hit the opener in
the 3-1 win over West
Germany in the final.
rossi finished top scorer in
the tournament with six goals.
He was also a member of
the Italy side that finished
fourth in Argentina in 1978.
Along with Christian Vieri
and roberto Baggio, he holds
the Italian record for nine
goals scored in the World
Cup.
He scored 20 goals in 48
appearances for Italy and was
voted european Footballer of
the Year in 1982.
Born in prato in tuscany,
rossi made his professional
debut at Juventus in 1973, but
his initial two-year spell at the
turin club was blighted by
knee injuries.
His first club successes were
with Vicenza where he was the
top scorer in Serie B with 21
goals in the 1976-1977 season,
and helped the club into the
top flight.
the following season
Vicenza challenged Juventus
for the league title and rossi
finished the season as top
Serie A scorer with 24 goals.
He spent another season
with Vicenza but following
relegation he left for a loan
spell at perugia, becoming
embroiled in the 1980 matchfixing
scandal known in Italy
as totonero.
As a result, rossi missed out
on the 1980 european
Championship, where Italy
finished fourth on home soil.
After his suspension rossi
returned to Juventus, and the
1983-1984 season was his
most successful at club level.
He formed a formidable
partnership with Michel
platini and Zbigniew Boniek
and accumulated trophies -
two Serie A, the Italian Cup,
Cup of Cups, and european
Supercup.
In 1985, Juventus won the
european Cup amid the
tragedy of the Heysel Stadium
final, where 39 fans were
killed, which was to be rossi's
last match with the
'Bianconeri'.
He went to rivals AC Milan
for an unsuccessful season
which wsa overshadowed by
injury, as was his final season
at Hellas Verona.