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WORLD SPORT
Gulf Daily News Wednesday, 28th January 2015
Email: [email protected]
Chelsea in final
LONDON: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic powered
home a header in extra time to send his side to the League
Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in a rip-roaring
second leg last night.
The Serbian defender rose unmarked and craned his neck to
muscle a header past Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet four
minutes into extra time to secure a 2-1 aggregate win for Chelsea.
Both sides had good chances in normal time and were grateful to
their keepers for keeping the scores level in a blood-and-thunder
encounter at Stamford Bridge with plenty of controversy.
Chelsea will face either Tottenham Hotspur or Sheffield United,
who play the second leg of their last-four clash tonight, in the final.
Australia topple
UAE for final slot
n Chelsea’s Ivanovic, top, heads the ball and scores against Liverpool
NEWCASTLE,
Australia: Australia
stunned United Arab Emirates with two
goals in the first 14 minutes to reach a
second successive Asian Cup final with
a 2-0 victory at a rain-soaked Newcastle
Stadium on Tuesday.
The Socceroos lost to Japan in the final
four years ago and will now take on another
East Asian power in South Korea in Sydney
on Saturday looking to seal a first continental title at their third attempt.
Defenders led the way for the goal-happy hosts with Trent Sainsbury heading them in front after three minutes and Jason Davidson
doubling the lead 11 minutes later.
“We knew the start was going to be really important,” coach
Ange Postecoglou told reporters.
“Our intention was, we wanted to start really strong. Even if we
didn’t score if we could put some pressure on without conceding,
that was our best chance.”
The UAE stunned champiASIAN CUP
ons Japan in a penalty shootout
Australia
2 UAE
0
to reach the semi-finals for the
(Sainsbury 3, Davidson 14)
first time since 1996 but another
upset never looked on the cards
Playing on Friday:
(3rd Place Play-off)
after Australia’s early salvo.
IRAQ V UAE
Attacking midfielder Omar
(Starting at noon, Bahrain time)
Abdulrahman did nothing to
On Saturday:
detract from his burgeoning
(Final)
reputation with some delightful
AUSTRALIA V SOUTH KOREA
touches and striker Ahmed Khalil
(Starting at noon, Bahrain time)
hit the woodwork in the first half
but they were unable to create the majority of the crowd of
enough clear-cut chances.
21,079.
The wet pitch probably did
Winger Robbie Kruse had
not help but Australia, with his cross blocked after a burst
Matthew Spiranovic restored to down the right in the opening
the back four after suspension, couple of minutes but when
also defended well enough to the corner came swinging into
contain Abdulrahman and his the box, Sainsbury rose unchalteam mates.
lenged to head the ball into the
It was at the other end of net off the turf.
the pitch that the Socceroos
The UAE had their best
made the most important ear- chance in the 10th minute when
ly impression to the delight of Abdelaziz Sanqour broke down
n Australia’s Davidson,
centre, celebrates with
teammates after scoring
against the UAE
ner Sunil Narine has withdrawn from the West Indies
World Cup squad while he
continues to work on his controversial
bowling action, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said yesterday.
Narine was reported for a suspect action twice during the Champions League
Twenty20 tournament in September and
was unable to play in the final for his
team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Although not banned from international competition he was withdrawn
from the West Indies squad for their
tour of India and is not with the team
currently playing in South Africa.
He was named as part of the 15man World Cup squad however and
has been playing in regional cricket.
Algeria and
Ghana enter
last eight
MONGOMO, Equatorial Guinea: Andre Ayew
scored seven minutes
from time to hand
Ghana a dramatic come-frombehind 2-1 victory over South
Africa at Estadio Mongomo last
night and a place in the African
Nations Cup quarter-finals.
In another Group C match,
Algeria clinched a place in the
last eight with a 2-0 win over
Senegal that eliminated their
opponents.
Ghana finished with two
wins and secured top place in
Group C and play in Malabo in
Sunday’s quarter-finals.
Ayew capped a storming second half showing with a headed
goal after John Boye had equalised in the 73rd minute.
A stunning volley from
Mandla Masango after 17 minutes had South Africa 1-0 ahead
at halftime.
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP
GROUP C
Ghana
2 South Africa 1
(Boye 73, A Ayew 83) (Masango 17)
Algeria
2 Senegal
0
(Mahrez 11, Bentaleb 82)
the right flank and crossed for
striker Khalil to hit the ball first
time against the base of the
post.
Australia were straight back
on the attack, though, and after
another surge down the right
the ball was heading towards
Tim Cahill in front of goal.
Cahill was dragged back as
he was attempting a shot and
Mathew Leckie then had an effort blocked but the ball fell to
Davidson, who calmly drilled it
low and hard into the goal.
The Australians were in
no mood to sit back and protect their lead but the UAE
kept their shape and gradually
worked their way back into the
contest.
Khalil let fly with a longrange effort that flew past Mat
Ryan and wide of the post in
the 51st minute and Abdulrahman continued to probe for
weaknesses in the Australian
defence. Massimo Luongo,
Australia’s find of the tournament, had another impressive
game in midfield and his curling effort came close to the target after 72 minutes.
The Socceroos continued
to press forward and Leckie
forced a save out of Majed Naser in the 75th minute, although
the referee failed to see it and
awarded a goal kick.\
Windies lose Narine Watson fitness in doubt
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua: Off-spin-
n Ghana’s Ayew celebrates
his goal against South Africa
“Narine has undergone intense
remedial work on his bowling action
and preliminary tests have shown
him bowling all his deliveries under
the 15 degrees flexion allowance,” the
WICB said in a statement.
“However, he requires more time
to be able to confidently bowl for
a sustained period in international
cricket with his new action.”
Narine indicated he needed more
games and practice to get fully adjusted to his new action.
“Going in to the World Cup is a
little too much too soon and, after
consulting the WICB, for both West
Indies and my sake we have decided
to delay my return to international
cricket until I am 100 per cent confident in all that I do,” Narine said.
SYDNEY:
All-rounder Shane
Watson said yesterday he was
unsure if he would be fit for Australia’s one-day international final against England or India but has no
intention of missing the upcoming World
Cup.
Watson, 33, was sidelined for Friday’s
win over England and the washed out
game against India in Sydney on Monday with a tight hamstring but said his
recovery was “travelling really well”.
“(It’s) nothing too serious, but more so
a precaution just to make sure it settles
down over this week and be ready to go
again by Sunday in Perth,” he said.
“If not then, the practice matches leading into the World Cup.”
Australia and New Zealand are hosting the World Cup which begins Febru-
ary 14 and the former are scheduled to
play warm-up games against India and
the United Arab Emirates.
It is still not known whether Michael
Clarke will return to the team for the
World Cup with his fitness under a cloud
as he recovers from hamstring surgery
undergone last month after he injured
himself in the first Test against India.
Clarke has been given until Australia’s
second game of the World Cup against
Bangladesh on February 21 to prove his
fitness, and has been named in the squad
for the tournament.
However, his inclusion could push
Australia’s ODI captain George Bailey
out of the tournament after he leads the
team in the first match, something the
Tasmanian admitted in a weekend interview.
*Ghana
*Algeria
Senegal
South Africa
P
3
3
3
3
W
2
2
1
0
D
0
0
1
1
L GF GA PT
1 4 3 6
1 5 2 6
1 3 4 4
2 3 6 1
TODAY’S FIXTURES
GROUP D
(Starting 9pm Bahrain time)
At Malabo
Cameroon v Ivory Coast
At Mongomo
Guinea v Mali
A superb late Nabil Bentaleb strike wrapped up Algeria’s
victory after an early Riyad
Mahrez goal set them on their
way, leaving Senegal, who
needed a draw to advance,
heartbroken.
Algeria finished as runners-up level on six points with
group winners Ghana who secured a 2-1 victory over South
Africa in the other group game
with a late goal in Mongomo.
Algeria went ahead when
winger Mahrez slotted beneath
the advancing Bouna Coundoul
after 11 minutes and doubled
their lead in the 81st when the
ball fell to Bentaleb who lashed
it into the corner of the goal
sending Senegal home.
On Sunday, Ghana will
play the Group D runners-up
in Mongomo while Algeria
face the Group D winners in
Malabo.