Barca close in as confusion Liverpool freefall...

S PORTSSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2017

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Brazilian midfielder Rafinha (R) vies with Athletic Bilbao’s defender Yeray Alvarez during the Spanish league footballmatch FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club Bilbao at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona yesterday. — AFP

MADRID: Lionel Messi struck another trademarkfree-kick as Barcelona moved to within a onepoint of La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 3-0win over Athletic Bilbao yesterday. Madrid havetwo games in hand, the first of which was sup-posed to take place today at Celta Vigo.

However, wind damage to Celta’s Balaidosstadium has left the ground unsafe to hold thegame, according to the mayor of Vigo. Neitherthe club nor La Liga would say whether thematch will go ahead.

Barca took their chance to apply pressure atthe Camp Nou, but needed some wasteful fin-ishing by Athletic in a much tighter game thanthe scoreline suggests.

Luis Enrique again made a raft of changeswith the second leg of Barca’s Copa del Reysemi-final against Atletico Madrid loomingTuesday. Luis Suarez was left on the bench toallow Paco Alcacer a rare start and he netted hisfirst La Liga goal since joining from Valencia for30 million euros ($32 million) in August, whilstMessi came off 25 minutes from time. “Today alot of players who haven’t had a lot of minutestook part and showed what they can do,” said

Enrique. “We were able to give a rest to somebecause, without that, it is impossible to com-pete at 100 percent with all the games we havecoming up. “Thirdly, we’ve won three marvel-lous points.”

Athletic should have been in front beforeAlcacer’s 18th-minute opener as Raul Garcia’slow effort was turned onto the post by Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Inaki Williams headedwide when unmarked from 12 yards out.Alcacer has endured a torrid time since joiningBarca but settled the hosts when he turnedhome Neymar’s cut-back inside Gorka Iraizoz’snear post. However, Barca got another breakmoments later when Gerard Pique was lucky toonly see a yellow card for hauling down Garciaon the edge of the box.

PIQUE INJURED Athletic’s day was summed up with Barca’s

second, five minutes before half-time. After scor-ing in both legs of the Copa del Rey last 16 clashbetween the sides from free-kicks last month,Messi again outdid Iraizoz from the narrowest ofangles. This time, though, the goalkeeper was

more at fault than brilliance from the Argentineas Messi registered his 31st goal in 30 games thisseason. Only injuries to Pique and Rafinhablighted Barca’s day. Pique limped off at half-time as a precautionary measure with a groinstrain, whilst the Brazilian suffered a knock inclashing with Ter Stegen. Messi took a rare breakas he was replaced by Sergi Roberto. Yet, eventhat change worked in Barca’s favour as AleixVidal was pushed into a more advanced rolefrom right-back and rounded off the win by fir-ing into the far corner 23 minutes from time forthe Catalans’ 100th goal in all competitions thisseason.

In Vigo confusion reigned as to whetherBalaidos will be safe enough to host theEuropean champions today. “Firemen, the townhall and Celta’s security staff looked at the condi-tions and (the game) can’t go ahead,” mayorAbel Caballero told La SER radio. “The game willbe played at another time, in better conditions,because we can’t guarantee the safety of thepeople that go there.” However, Celta said theywere still waiting for confirmation that the gamewas postponed. —AFP

Barca close in as confusion

reigns over Real fixture

Sunderland crush Palace

to boost survival hopes

SELHURST PARK: Sunderland produced aremarkable display to crush fellow PremierLeague strugglers Crystal Palace 4-0 atSelhurst Park yesterday. Sunderland, withjust once away league win all season,

opened the scoring in the ninth minutethrough defender Lamine Kone beforeDidier Ndong added the first of threegoals in five frantic minutes.

Jermain Defoe ended the contestbefore the break with a smart quickfiredouble - his 13th and 14th league goals ofthe season - as Sunderland ran riot againsta team managed by their former boss SamAllardyce.

Sunderland remained bottom of thetable but climbed level on points with19th-placed Palace who have won justonce in 10 league games. —Reuters

Crystal Palace 0

Sunderland 4

Niang sees Watford home

against 10-man Burnley

WATFORD: Watford’s new loan signingM’Baye Niang scored his first goal for theclub in their 2-1 Premier League win over10-man Burnley at Vicarage Road yesterday.The visitors put in a battling performancedespite having Jeff Hendrick sent off for atwo-footed challenge on Jose Holebas after

six minutes and falling behind soon afterwhen Troy Deeney headed home Niang’scross. The Frenchman turned scorer on thestrike of halftime, heading in from Holebasas Watford took control although they hadto negotiate a nervous last 10 minutes afterSebastian Prodl handled on the line to giveBurnley a penalty, which Ashley Barnesconverted.

The win, on the back of last week’s 2-1success at Arsenal, was the first time Watfordhave posted two successive victories sinceSeptember. For Burnley, record signingRobbie Brady made his debut as a second-half substitute, along with another Januaryarrival, Ashley Westwood. — Reuters

Watford 2

Burnley 1

HULL CITY: Liverpool’s calamitous freefallin 2017 continued with a shocking 2-0defeat at Hull City which may have put afatal dent in their Premier League titlehopes yesterday.

Alfred N’Diaye, Hull’s new loan signingfrom Villarreal, proved Hull’s hero, scoringjust before halftime thanks to anotherquestionable piece of goalkeeping fromSimon Mignolet, who flapped at a cross

and allowed the Senegal international totap in. Liverpool began to completely dom-inate after the break but Philippe Coutinhowas among those guilty of a shocking missfrom close range as a clearly frustratedJuergen Klopp pondered a dismal run thathas seen the Reds win just once in 10matches, and even then only against lowlyPlymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.

For Hull, looking rejuvenated and wellorganised under new manager Marco Silva,the win was sealed by a breakaway goal fromanother Senegalese forward, Everton loaneeOumar Niasse-a victory that drags themfrom penultimate spot into 18th place. Itmeant Liverpool remained winless in theiropening five top-flight matches of a calendaryear for the first time since 1954, when theydid not win any of their first 10. — Reuters

Hull City 2

Liverpool 0

Aubameyang strike helps

Bayern extend leadBERLIN: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his17th Bundesliga goal of the season yesterday asBorussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over flu-hit RBLeipzig left Bayern Munich four points clear atthe top. Aubameyang remains two goals aheadof Bayern hot-shot Robert Lewandowski in therace to be the German league’s top scorer thanks

to his superb first-half winner.The Gabon strikerheaded home after teenage French wingerOusmane Dembele ghosted past two RBdefenders down the right wing and crossed forAubameyang to head home unmarked on 35minutes.

Leipzig made Dortmund work for the win asGermany winger Marco Reus squandered two ofDortmund’s four clear second-half chances. “Wewon the game, that’s what counts,” a relievedReus told Sky.

“We put up a good fight, it was a very aggres-sive game and the win is okay.” There was dramain added time as Leipzig sub Federico PalaciosMartinez, making his Bundesliga debut, put theball in Dortmund’s net, but was flagged for amarginal offside.

Leipzig struggled without top-scorer TimoWerner, midfielder Diego Demme and strikerMarcel Sabitzer, who all have flu, while playmak-er Emil Forsberg was suspended.

The result lifted Dortmund from seventh tothird, eight points behind Leipzig, who are fouradrift of Bayern after Carlo Ancelotti’s Bavarianshad earlier drawn 1-1 with Schalke in Munich.

Lewandowski’s deft chip gave Bayern an earlylead at the Allianz Arena before Schalke defend-er Naldo drilled home a free-kick on 13 minutesto level. Captain Philipp Lahm made his 500thappearance for Bayern, who had to work fortheir point.

“It was a tough game because Schalke playedwell,” said Ancelotti. “We started well, but werenot so compact and our lines between the mid-

field and defence were too far apart from oneanother. “We could only increase the pressureslightly at the end, but it was not enough.”

Bayern made a bright start by taking the leadafter nine minutes. Arturo Vidal threaded a passto Lewandowski and the Poland striker lifted hisshot over Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Faehrmann.

BAYERN LABOUR But Schalke kept their composure and

equalised four minutes later when Naldo ham-mered a free-kick past Bayern goalkeeperManuel Neuer. It completed the scoring, butboth sides squandered clear first-half chances asSchalke striker Guido Burgstaller hit the crossbar,just like Lewandowski did at the other end.

This was a tight, bruising encounter asSchalke fought hard for the point which leftthem 11th.

“Our plan would have worked out 100 per-cent if we’d won, but we can be very happy andcan live with the point,” said a delighted Schalkecoach, Markus Weinzierl.

Hoffenheim, the last team in a top Europeanleague to lose their unbeaten record last week-end, are fourth after their 4-0 hammering ofMainz at home. Midfield playmaker SebastianRudy’s long pass was chested down by strikerMark Uth, who drilled home his shot with fiveminutes gone to put Hoffenheim 1-0 up.

Midfielder Marco Terrazzino headed their sec-ond nine minutes from time with replacementstriker Adam Szalai then scoring two goals offthe bench against his old club.—AFP

MUNICH: Schalke’s German defender Benedikt Hoewedes, Schalke’s French midfielderBenjamin Stambouli and Bayern Munich’s Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa vie for the ballduring the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and FCSchalke 04 in Munich, southern Germany, yesterday. — AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Man City v Swansea City 16:30beIN SPORTS 2 HDLeicester City v Man United 19:00beIN SPORTS 2 HD

SPANISH LEAGUE

Sevilla v Villarreal 14:00beIN SPORTS 3 HDSporting Gijon v Deportivo 18:15beIN SPORTS 3 HDReal Sociedad v Osasuna 20:30beIN SPORTS 3 HDCelta de Vigo v Real Madrid 22:45beIN SPORTS

ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUE

AC Milan v Sampdoria 14:30beIN SPORTS 4 HDAtalanta v Cagliari 17:00beIN SPORTS 8 HDChievo Verona v Udinese 17:00beIN SPORTS 12 HDGenoa CFC v US Sassuolo 17:00beIN SPORTS 4 HDEmpoli v Torino FC 17:00beIN SPORTS 4 HDPescara v SS Lazio 17:00beIN SPORTS 7 HDCitta v Crotone 20:00beIN SPORTS 4 HDJuventus v Internazionale 22:45beIN SPORTS 4 HD

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Augsburg v Werder Bremen 17:30beIN SPORTSEintracht v Darmstadt 19:30beIN SPORTS

FRENCH LEAGUE

Toulouse v Angers 17:00beIN SPORTSNantes v Lorraine 19:00beIN SPORTSSaint Etienne v Lyonnais 23:00beIN SPORTS

AFRICAN NATIONS CUP

Egypt v Cameroon 22:00BeIN SPORTS

Liverpool freefall continues

with shock 2-0 defeat at Hull

THE HAWTHORNS: Midfielder JamesMorrison scored the only goal of the gameearly in the first half to earn West BromwichAlbion a 1-0 win over Stoke City at the

Hawthorns yesterday. Morrison latched onto Nacer Chadli’s pass to beat Stoke goal-keeper Lee Grant at his far post in the sixthminute. Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross had adeflected header clip the outside of thepost and Joe Allen missed a gloriouschance to level matters before halftime.

Stoke kept knocking on the door in thesecond half and Erik Pieters headed PhilBardsley’s cross wide with the goal gapingbut West Brom hung on to stay eighth inthe table, three places above their oppo-nents.—Reuters

West Bromwich 1

Stoke City 0

Morrison’s strike

lifts West Brom

KINGSTON: Hull City’s Polish midfielder Kamil Grosicki (L) vies with Liverpool’sEnglish midfielder Adam Lallana during the English Premier League football matchbetween Hull City and Liverpool at the KCOM Stadium in Kingston upon Hull, northeast England yesterday. — AP

THE HAWTHORNS: Stoke City’s Peter Crouch, center, battles for the ball with WestBromwich Albion’s Craig Dawson, left, during the English Premier League soccermatch at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, England, yesterday. —AP