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Thursday, February 15, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
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Chelsea target top-four finish, says Hazard
Tottenham’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring their first goal
REUTERS/Massimo Pinca
Unstoppable Kane matches Gerrard’s magnificent seven
TURIN - Harry Kane continued his singlehanded assault on the record books when he scored Tottenham Hotspur’s opening goal in their comeback 2-2 draw at Juventus in the Champions League last 16, first leg on Tuesday. Kane’s 35th minute effort was his seventh goal in the competition this season -- matching Steven Gerrard whose seven for Liverpool in the 2008-09 campaign had stood as a record for an English player.
Not only that but Kane’s nine-goal haul from his first nine games is more than any other player in the history of Europe’s blue-riband club competition -- one more than the quartet of Ronaldinho, Simone Inzaghi, Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. Kane has scored nine goals in his last eight games in all competitions and has 33 for the season -- more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. The 24-year-old, who this month reached 100 Premier League goals in only 141 appearances, could have added to his tally on Tuesday but for two great saves by Juve’s veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon in the first half. With the twice Premier League Golden Boot win-
ner in this sort of form, however, Tottenham will feel they can topple Juventus in the second leg at Wembley next month -- indeed they will be favourites to do so. Kane, who bagged Tottenham’s winner against rivals Arsenal last weekend, paid tribute to the way his team mates recovered from conceding twice in the first nine minutes on Tuesday -- Gonzalo Higuain striking twice for the hosts. “We could have capitulated, away from home in the Champions League. It showed character,” he said. “It was an excellent performance after that and we take two away goals to Wembley. A great result.” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said his side had been sloppy in the opening 10 minutes but felt they should have been celebrating a victory after recovering to enjoy 62 percent of the possession against a side starting with seven of the players who began last year’s final against Real Madrid in Cardiff. His opposite number Massimiliano Allegri said his side had been taken aback by Tottenham’s riposte. “We started very well but then we struggled to keep the ball because Tottenham were playing so well,” he said. “After going 2-0 up, we did not decide to defend deep, Tottenham forced us to. After their second goal, however, we were the more dangerous side.” (rtr)
Chelsea must strive to finish in the Premier League’s top four and secure Champions League football for next season, playmaker Eden Hazard has said as the London outfit got back to winning ways with a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Monday. The champions have failed to replicate last season’s dominance, winning just three of their last 11 matches across all competitions to sit fourth in the league, 19 points behind leaders Manchester City, and eliminated from the League Cup. Hazard scored a brace to lead Chelsea to a much-needed win over West Brom after consecutive league defeats by Bournemouth and Watford, and the Belgian is keen for the club to maintain their momentum throughout the rest of the campaign. “It was a good response to the two losses... We have great players and we need to finish in the top four at the end of the season, that’s our target,” Hazard told the club’s website. (www.chelseafc.com) “We have 11 games to play between now and then and we have to give everything to achieve that.” The Champions League and FA Cup are Chelsea’s only chances of winning a trophy this season as their gap to City appears to be insurmountable. Hazard, 27, called for his team mates to be united as Chelsea push towards achieving consistent results with the hopes of winning at least one trophy this season. “We are all together,” Hazard said. “We have to work and win
Newly free Saudi Prince Alwaleed gives to soccer club
games. When you play for Chelsea you have to put this in your mind and give everything on the pitch. “We need to be in the top four, for the Champions League next season, and it would be good if we can take the FA Cup. We are also in the Champions League, it’s not easy to win the Champions League but we will go for everything. “We have three months to play until the end of the season and we have to give everything to reach our targets... the target has to be to win trophies.” Chelsea host Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday before the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Barcelona on Tuesday.
retire
Ryan Mason’s retirement after he failed to recover from a serious head injury sufficiently enough to return to the pitch had “devastated” Gary Cahill, the Chelsea defender has said. Mason announced his retirement from soccer on Tuesday after he suffered a fractured skull following a head clash with Cahill while contesting a corner during Hull City’s defeat to Chelsea in January 2017. “Devastated to hear today’s news from Ryan,” Cahill said on his official Twitter account. “Competing for a corner is something we’ve done thousands of times and to see those consequences for a top professional like Ryan is heartbreaking. “Sending all my love to him and his family, and wishing him the best for the future.” (rtr)
REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
Chelsea’s Eden Hazard celebrates scoring their first goal
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Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan in action with Basel’s Taulant Xhaka
Ruthless City finish off Basel in 23 minutes
BASEL - Manchester City effectively killed off their Champions League tie against FC Basel after 23 minutes on Tuesday, flattening the Swiss champions with three quickfire goals on their way to a 4-0 away win. Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero scored within nine minutes of each other in the last 16 first leg tie to almost certainly extend Basel’s wait for a first quarter-final appearance in the competition. Gundogan curled in the fourth from the edge of the area in the 53rd minute as the runaway English Premier League leaders clocked up another emphatic win in their remarkable season. Basel did their best to make a game of it and created several openings but looked vulnerable every time City attacked. City, who have lost in three of their previous four appearances at this stage of the competition, enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession with 69 percent, although that was still unremarkable by their standards. “It’s an amazing result,” said City coach Pep Guardiola. “The tie is 180 minutes but we are almost there. We defended quite well, we were clinical. It’s not easy to keep the level but we did it.” Despite the scoreline, City had 12 shots to Basel’s
11 and the Swiss could have taken an early lead. Dimitri Oberlin got clear of City’s defence and tried to poke the ball past Ederson as the Brazilian rushed out of his area but got no power on the ball allowing Kyle Walker to clear easily. Oberlin also had a penalty appeal turned down as he went over under a challenge from Nicolas Otamendi. Reality struck for Basel in the 14th minute when Gundogan beat Fabian Frei to Kevin de Bruyne’s corner and headed in. Four minutes later, Leo Lacroix failed to cut out Raheem Sterling’s cross and the unmarked Silva lobbed his shot over Tomas Vaclik’s attempted save, then Aguero scored the third from outside the area -- City’s fourth shot on target of the game. Ederson made his first real save in the 49th minute, palming away Mohamed Elyounoussi’s long-range shot, but shortly afterwards, Aguero set up Gundogan who took one touch and placed a looping shot into the far corner. A brilliant Vaclik save denied Gundogan a hat-trick late on but, even so, the second leg looks little more than a formality for Guardiola’s side. (rtr)
RIYADH - Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, freed two weeks ago from detention in a luxury hotel during a corruption sweep, said on Tuesday he was answering a government call to support local soccer clubs by donating half a million dollars. Prince Alwaleed, one of the country’s top international investors, says he spent his nearly three months of detention in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton hotel, along with dozens of senior officials and businessmen, part of a crackdown on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In an interview conducted hours before his release, he told Reuters he maintained his innocence and expected to keep full control of his firm. But when asked, he did not rule out making a donation to the government in return for his freedom.
A senior Saudi official later told Reuters he was freed after reaching a financial settlement with the attorney general, but neither party provided details. Most detainees have been released, after settlements that the attorney general said secured more than $100 billion from members of the elite. Prince Alwaleed tweeted a photo of himself on Tuesday watching a soccer game with his family and said: “Answering my brother Turki al-Sheikh’s invitation to support Saudi clubs ... I present 2 million Saudi riyals ($533,333) to support Al Hilal FC.” Al-Sheikh heads the government’s General Sports Authority and is seen as close to the crown prince. Prince Alwaleed’s fortune was previously estimated by Forbes magazine at $17 billion. (rtr)