16-09-2021

ThURSDAY, SePTeMBeR 16, 2021
9
Manchester United slumped to a shock 2-1 loss at Young Boys despite a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo
in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.
Photo: AP
Man Utd dealt shock Champions League
loss as Lukaku boosts Chelsea
Sports Desk
Manchester United slumped to a shock
2-1 loss at Young Boys despite a goal
from Cristiano Ronaldo in their
Champions League opener on Tuesday,
while Chelsea kicked off their title
defence by beating Zenit, reports BSS.
Robert Lewandowski struck twice
for Bayern Munich as the German
heavyweights inflicted a 3-0 defeat on
Barcelona at Camp Nou in their first
European game since the departure of
Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo, the leading scorer in
Champions League history, bagged his
135th goal in the competition after 13
minutes in Bern, but Swiss champions
Young Boys hit back after the sendingoff
of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The United defender saw red for a
dangerous tackle on Christopher
Martins before half-time. Nicolas
Moumi Ngamaleu equalised in the
second half before Jordan Siebatcheu
snatched the winner with the final kick.
"It's the first game in the group.
We've got many games to bounce back
and we must do," said United captain
Harry Maguire. "We'll try and pick up
Malinga retires
from T20Is to end
playing career
Sports Desk
The 38-year old had earlier
retired from Tests in 2011
and ODIs in 2019, and
franchise cricket in January
this year
Veteran Sri Lankan fast
bowler Lasith Malinga has
announced his retirement
from T20I cricket, thus
bringing an end to his long
and illustrious playing
career.
The 38-year old had
earlier retired from Tests in
2011 and ODIs in 2019, and
franchise cricket in January
this year, and has now called
it quits in the shortest
format after being
overlooked for the Sri Lanka
squad for the upcoming T20
World Cup.
Malinga, who has not
played competitive cricket
since March last year,
announced his T20I
retirement on his YouTube
channel Tuesday, having
won the 2014 T20 World
Cup and ending with 107
wickets, currently the
highest in T20Is.
"Today is a very special
day for me. I want to thank
each and everyone who
supported me throughout
my T20 journey. Today I
decide I want to give 100%
rest for my T20 bowling
shoes. I want to thank the Sri
Lankan cricket board and
team members. And
Mumbai Indians cricket
team, especially the team
owners and officials," said
Malinga.
I would also like to thank]
the team members and staff
at Melbourne Stars, Kent,
Rangpur Riders, Guyana
Warriors, Maratha Arabians
and Montreal Tigers. When
I played with you all, I got
many experiences through
my cricketing journey.
three points in our next game and build
momentum from there."
United host Villarreal in two weeks.
The Spaniards, who beat Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer's men in last season's Europa
League final, drew 2-2 at home to
Atalanta in the other Group F match.
Remo Freuler gave Atalanta the lead
but Villarreal responded with goals
from Manu Trigueros and Arnaut
Danjuma. Robin Gosens popped up
with a late equaliser.
Romelu Lukaku broke the deadlock
for Chelsea after 69 minutes at
Stamford Bridge to earn the holders a
1-0 victory over Zenit, whose
Krestovsky Stadium in Saint
Petersburg is the venue for next May's
final. Lukaku headed in Cesar
Azpilicueta's cross to give Thomas
Tuchel's team a winning start in Group
H. "The guys who are there to score
regularly for their teams are so
important because one goal changes
the whole momentum of the match,"
Tuchel said of Lukaku.
Juventus top the section after the
opening round following their 3-0 win
away to Malmo of Sweden.
Alex Sandro headed Juve ahead and
Paulo Dybala converted a penalty
before Alvaro Morata notched a third
for a side that has picked up just one
point from three games in Serie A.
Bayern stretched their record
unbeaten away run in the Champions
League to 19 games by sweeping aside
Barca in the first meeting between the
clubs since the Germans triumphed 8-
2 in a one-off quarter-final last year.
Thomas Mueller put Bayern on top
on 34 minutes and Lewandowski
netted twice in the second half to send
Julian Nagelsmann's side top of Group
E. "We came to win this game and we
knew that we had to show respect to
Barcelona," said Lewandowski.
"When you play at the Camp Nou
against them they are always
dangerous. But we had this game under
control and we showed we were here
for the three points."
Dynamo Kiev had to settle for a 0-0
draw at home to Benfica after Ukraine
international Mykola Shaparenko's
injury-time effort was ruled out for
offside.
Pakistan take fresh guard
for first home N.Zealand
series in 18 years
Sports Desk
Pakistan's new backroom team are seeking
an immediate impact when their one-day
international team face a largely secondstring
New Zealand in a home series for the
first time since 2003 this week, reports BSS.
International cricket in Pakistan was
suspended in the aftermath of terror attacks
on the Sri Lanka side in 2009 and heavy
security surrounds the first of three one-day
internationals in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Former captain Ramiz Raja has vowed to
transform the sixth-ranked ODI team after
being appointed chairman of the Pakistan
Cricket Board on Monday after a shake-up in
the team's backroom staff.
His elevation came just a week after head
coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach
Waqar Younis stepped down for personal
reasons. Former off-spinner Saqlain
Mushtaq replaced Misbah while former allrounder
Abdul Razzaq was appointed his
assistant. Raja also announced that
Australian great Matthew Hayden and South
African Vernon Philander have been
recruited as batting and bowling coaching
consultants ahead of the Twenty20 World
Cup next month. Top-ranked New Zealand
are without many of their top players -- who
are instead heading to the UAE for the
Indian Premier League -- including captain
and leading batsman Kane Williamson, and
pace bowling trio Trent Boult, Tim Southee
and Kyle Jamieson.
But Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is not
taking his opponents lightly, despite the raft
of missing star names. "It would have been
nicer had their best team come," said Babar,
who scored a brilliant hundred in the last
ODI between the two teams in the 2019
International cricket in Pakistan was suspended in the aftermath of
terror attacks on the Sri Lanka side in 2009.
Photo: AP
World Cup at Edgbaston."But whatever the
composition of their team we will play to our
best and win the series." New Zealand have
won 12 of their last 15 ODIs against Pakistan,
but their inexperienced side has just suffered
a 3-2 Twenty20 series defeat in Bangladesh
under stand-in skipper Tom Latham.
Conditions in Pakistan will be a new
challenge for New Zealand, who last toured
Pakistan 18 years ago.
Defending champs Ulsan
oust Frontale on penalties
to reach ACL last eight
Sports Desk
Holders Ulsan Hyundai
booked their place in the
Asian Champions League
quarter-finals with a 3-2
penalty shoot-out win over
Kawasaki Frontale on
Tuesday, following a tense
0-0 draw, reports BSS.
Substitute Yoon Bit-garam
dispatched the decisive spotkick
for the South Koreans,
after goalkeeper Cho Hyunwoo
had saved at full stretch
from Frontale's Akihiro
Ienaga.
Ulsan were joined in the
last eight by Nagoya
Grampus, who beat Daegu
FC 4- 2 thanks to a hat-trick
from Polish striker Jakub
Swierczok.
Ulsan's Round of 16 match
against J-League champions
Frontale pitted the first
round's top scorers against
its meanest defence.
Frontale finished the
group stage with 27 goals
from six matches, while
Ulsan conceded only one.
There was little between
the two teams in a tight first
half, with Oh Se- hun forcing
a save from Kawasaki
goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong
with the best opportunity.
Clear-cut chances were
few and far between, and it
was no surprise when the
match went to penalties.
Frontale's Tatsuya
Hasegawa and Joao
Schmidt and Ulsan's Won
Du-jae and Lee Dong-jun all
missed their kicks, before
Cho dived to his left to deny
Ienaga.
Substitute Yoon then
buried his penalty past Jung
to start the celebrations.
"We knew it would be a
tough match so we were
prepared for it go to
penalties," said Cho.
Bournemouth move level
with West Brom at top
of the Championship
Sports Desk
Bournemouth moved into a
share of theblead at the top
of the Championship with a
2-1 win over QPR on
Tuesday as West Brom were
held 0-0 at home by Derby,
reports BSS.
Bournemouth and QPR
were two of three teams in
the division still yet tovlose
prior to the encounter at the
Vitality Stadium, but the
visitors made a poor start on
the south coast.
Jaidon Anthony robbed Tob
Dickie and fired home after
12 minutes to open the
scoring. It was 2-0 before
the break when Anthony
picked out Dominic Solanke
inside the area and the
former Liverpool forward
found the net. Sam
McCallum pulled one back
after the interval for QPR
but they could not find an
equaliser as they fell to sixth.
"In the first half we were
clinical but they put us
under immense pressure in
the second half and we had
to show another side to us,"
said Bournemouth boss
Scott Parker.
"We have seen tonight that
every game in this league is
different and that
sometimes you have to grind
it out." West Brom also
remain unbeaten and at the
summit but with an identical
record to Bournemouth
after they were held to a
goalless draw by Wayne
Rooney's Derby.
The Baggies had plenty of
chances but could not find a
way past Kelle Roos and
may lose top spot if Fulham
win at Birmingham on
Wednesday.
Huddersfield leapfrogged
QPR to sit fourth in the table
after an excellent 3-0 win at
Blackpool.
Josh Koroma got the ball
rolling for the Terriers with a
stunner early into the
second half and Matty
Pearson and Jonathan Hogg
joined him on the
scoresheet.
Blackpool have dropped
into the bottom three after
Reading beat Peterborough
3-1 score to move out of the
relegation zone.
Lewandowski at the double as
Bayern outplay Barca again
Sports Desk
Bayern Munich gave Barcelona a brutal
demonstration of how far their opponents
have fallen by strolling to a 3-0 win in the
Champions League on Tuesday, with Robert
Lewandowski scoring twice in a rout at
Camp Nou, reports BSS.
Without Lionel Messi for a first European
campaign since 2003, Barca were
outplayed by Bayern, who might have
scored more but in the end settled for three
thanks to Thomas Mueller's deflected opener
and Lewandowski's double.
When Lewandowski made it two before
the hour, the possibility of another
humiliation in the mould of last year's 8-2
defeat by the same opponents in Lisbon felt
very real.
Instead, Bayern delivered perhaps an
even louder message about the gulf in class
by easing off in the latter stages, as Barca's
fans expressed their anger, dismay and
finally a sense of resignation.
"It is what it is," said Gerard Pique. "We are
what we are, that's the reality."
"We could have been better," said Bayern
coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Barcelona failed to muster a single shot
on target, made fewer passes - once almost
unheard of at Camp Nou - and have now
conceded 10 goals in their last three
European homes.
Sergi Roberto was on the end of the
loudest whistles from the home supporters
and it was impossible not to wonder if the
criticism came in part from disappointment
at his lack of progress down the right flank,
where Messi once created so much.
"They (the whistles) hurt me a lot because
I know him, he's a spectacular person," said
Pique. "And people need to remember he's
not a winger."
Ronald Koeman's own position has come
under scrutiny in recent weeks and his 5-3-2
formation, that defies Barcelona's attacking
traditions, will not have strengthened his
hand.
Yet the bottom line here was the lack of
quality in the Barcelona line-up - coming
after their turbulent summer of sales - which
was inferior to Bayern's in every department.
"We obviously wanted to compete better
but it's what we have," said Koeman. "I can't
fault the effort of the players."
Mueller has seven goals in six
appearances now against the Catalans while
Lewandowski has scored in 18 consecutive
matches.
Nagelsmann's strong start in charge
continues with a sixth consecutive victory -
but Bayern will face tougher Champions
League opposition than this, perhaps even in
Group E, where Benfica and Dynamo Kiev
began with a draw.
In true underdog fashion, Barca flew into
Bayern early on, eager to impress themselves
physically on an opponent they perhaps
knew would be technically superior.
Bayern Munich gave Barcelona a brutal demonstration of how far their
opponents have fallen by strolling to a 3-0 win in the Champions League on
Tuesday.
Photo: AP
Gosens rescues Atalanta with
late point at 10-man Villarreal
Sports Desk
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said he
was "satisfied" after Germany's Robin
Gosens claimed a late equaliser in Tuesday's
2-2 draw at 10-man Villarreal in the
Champions League, reports BSS.
Gosens' effort in the final 10 minutes kept
the Italians above Manchester United in
Group F after the English club lost to Young
Boys earlier in the day, in the first game of
this season's competition.
French midfielder Francis Coquelin was
shown a red card in the closing moments for
Villarreal, last season's Europa League
winners, after pulling Teun Koopmeiners'
shirt. "I am satisfied, we played against a
great team. We played really well for the first
30 minutes We were strong enough to keep
the ball possession because if you lose the
ball too many times against them, they can
punish you," Gasperini told Sky Italia.
"We hoped to win it when we went one
man up, then, in the end, Juan Musso saved
us," he added.
Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo praised
his side's reaction to Coquelin's dismissal
before Gerard Moreno had an injury-time
header blocked on the line. "We are leaving
with a bittersweet taste because we wanted
victory," Parejo told Movistar.
"I think the team gave everything. With
one less player the team believed in victory
until the end, but it could not be."
Villarreal coach Unai Emery started
Argentina pair Geronimo Rulli and Juan
Foyth after last weekend's La Liga trip to
Alaves was postponed following the
extended international window for South
American World Cup qualifiers.
Gasperini made four changes from
Saturday's Serie A loss to Fiorentina as Juan
Musso, making his competition debut aged
27, was picked ahead of Marco Sportiello in
goal. Atalanta, making just their third
appearance in the Champions League, were
rewarded for their early control of the game
as Switzerland midfielder Remo Freuler
opened the scoring after just six minutes.
Colombia forward Duvan Zapata held the
ball up well in the box and his lay-off was
slightly deflected by Etienne Capoue before
Freuler hit home. The Italians' dominance of
the game at Estadio de la Ceramica,
witnessing its first Champions League group
game since December 2011, stopped seven
minutes before the break.
Don't boycott men's cricket, former
Afghan women's chief pleads
Sports Desk
International cricketers should support
Afghanistan's men's team, not punish them
by boycotting matches if the Taliban bars
women from playing, the former director of
the women's side said, reports BSS. Tuba
Sangar, who fled the country for Canada
shortly after the fall of the country to the
hardline Islamist group, warned that sports
sanctions would damage the game at the
grassroots -- including for women and girls
."It's not a good idea to boycott the male
team. They did a lot for Afghanistan -- they
introduced Afghanistan to the world in a
positive way," Sangar told AFP on Tuesday.
"If we don't have a male team any more,
there would be no hope for cricket overall,"
said the 28-year-old, who was the director of
women's cricket at the Afghanistan Cricket
Board from 2014-2020. Australia's cricket
chiefs threatened to cancel a historic maiden
Test between the two countries -- set to take
place in November -- after a senior Taliban
official went on television to say it was "not
necessary" for women to play.
During their first stint in power, before
being ousted in 2001, the Taliban banned
most forms of entertainment -- including
many sports -- and stadiums were used as
public execution venues.
Women were completely banned from
playing sport. But the sport has become
immensely popular over the past few
decades, largely as a result of cricket- mad
Pakistan across the border.
This time round, the hardline Islamists
have shown they do not mind men playing
cricket, pulling together a match in the
capital Kabul shortly after foreign forces
withdrew.