Russia rock the World Cup · 2018-07-01 · for a youth “It’s go Lionel Messi answering his critics in resounding style after a disap-pointing campaign in Brazi l four years ago

AFP

MOSCOW: Russia captain Igor Akinfeev saved two penalties in a dramatic shootout as the World Cup hosts dumped title contenders Spain out in the last 16 following a 1-1 draw.

Veteran Russia centre-back Sergei Ignashevich gifted Spain the opening goal on 12 minutes in Moscow when he unwittingly turned into his own net after grappling with Sergio Ramos.

Russia hit back just before the interval as Artem Dzyuba nervelessly converted a penalty awarded for a handball by Gerard Pique.

Spain controlled the game as expected but struggled to create genuine chances, with Akinfeev sharp on the few occasions they did before saving from Koke and Iago Aspas to seal a 4-3 win on penalties.

“We are having a fantastic World Cup,” said Akinfeev.

“Not just our fans, but the fans of other countries got a sense of this atmosphere and understood that Rus-sians really know how to play football and want to play football.” Russia will meet either Croatia or Denmark for a place in the semi-finals, as Spain’s rotten run against hosts nation at major tournaments continued.

Fernando Hierro made the bold decision to drop Andres Iniesta for Koke in central midfield, with Marco

Asensio handed his first start of the competition.

Russia boss Stanislav Cherchesov left out leading scorer Denis Cheryshev, opting for three central defenders in a conservative 5-3-2 formation.

It was Nacho, in for Dani Carvajal at right-back, who won the free-kick that led to Spain taking the lead as he was caught by Yury Zhirkov to the right of the penalty area.

Asensio, who made two brief sub-stitute appearances in the group stage, whipped in dangerously to the far post where the ball looped in off an unsighted Ignashevich as he tussled with Ramos.

Spain dominated the first 30 minutes, pressing Russia heavily as the hosts struggled to advance beyond the halfway line in humid conditions.

Aleksandr Golovin carved out their first chance of note, starting a move with a jinking run before bending just wide of David de Gea’s left-hand post.

Isco produced a series of regal touches with Spain’s King Felipe VI among those in the crowd at the Luzhniki Stadium, but Russia equalised shortly before half-time.

A deep corner was met by Dzyuba, whose header struck the outstretched arm of Pique, with referee Bjorn Kuipers contemplating his decision before pointing to the spot.

Dzyuba calmly sent De Gea the wrong with his penalty to join Cheryshev on a team-leading three goals. Akinfeev snuffed out an opening for Diego Costa on the stroke of half-time as the Spain striker tried to latch onto a through ball.

The Russia goalkeeper was again involved early in the second half, flying to his left to pluck a spinning Jordi Alba effort from the air.

Cherchesov introduced

Cheryshev for Alexander Samedov on the hour, a move greeted by a deafening roar from the home support.

Iniesta replaced David Silva, while Costa was withdrawn for Aspas, and the two substitutes went close to winning it late in regulation time.

A low 20-yard drive heading towards was palmed away by at Akinfeev at full stretch, with the angled follow-up from Aspas also pushed to safety.

Aspas nearly picked out Carvajal with a cut-back seconds into the start of extra time, which saw Aleksandr Erokhin come on as Russia’s fourth sub -- the first time the rule has been applied at the World Cup.

Spain followed suit as Rodrigo replaced Asensio, and the former went closest to ending the impasse, sprinting towards goal after a clever dummy only for Akinfeev to claw his shot away before the rebound from Koke was blocked.

SPORTMonday 2 July 2018

PAGE | 18 PAGE | 19It’s Belgium time to shine at World Cup,

says Hazard

Sweden doing fine in Russia without Ibra

ROUND OF 16

BRAZIL VS MEXICO5.00PM

BELGIUM VS JAPAN9.00PM

ROUND OF 16

SPAIN 3-4 RUSSIA

CROATIA 3-2 DENMARK

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

TODAY'S FIXTURES

RUSSIA SPAIN

4 3IGNASHEVICH - 12 -OG DZYUBA - 41-P

Russia’s Igor Akinfeev saves a penalty from Spain’s Iago Aspas during the penalty shootout in the round of 16 match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, yesterday.

Spain’s midfielder Koke reacts after missing a penalty kick during the penalty shoot-out at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow yesterday.

Hosts stun Spain to reach quarters

Russia rock the World Cup

| 18 PAGme to

Cup, zard

Swedfine iwitho

18 MONDAY 2 JULY 2018SPORT

Messi, Ronaldo World Cup exits signal changing of the guardAFP

MOSCOW: Step aside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo... there is a new group of kids on the block ready to seize the limelight and form the next generation of global megastars.

French teenager Kylian Mbappe announced himself in dramatic fashion on Saturday, overshadowing Messi as France beat Argentina 4-3 in the World Cup last 16.

That took his goal tally for the tournament to three -- two behind England talisman Harry Kane and one behind Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.

Messi and Ronaldo, captain of the Portugal side beaten 2-1 by Uruguay, also on Saturday, had been on a quarter-final collision course but the closest they will now come to each other in Russia is the airport d e p a r t u r e lounge.

While they have set goal records tum-bling both in Europe and Spain year after year, amazingly neither has ever been able to find the net in a World Cup knockout match in a combined 14 games.

For all Messi’s brilliance at club level with Bar-celona, it appears the 2014 final defeat to Germany is the closest he will ever come to winning the World Cup.

R e a l M a d r i d f o r w a r d Ronaldo, a European

champion with Portugal two years ago, will be 37 by the time the next global showpiece rolls around -- meaning it is unlikely he will improve on a run to the semi-finals in 2006.

With the exits of the pair, both five-time world players of the year, confirmed on the same day, the stage is clear for a handful of young, hungry pre-tenders to seize the spotlight.

Leading the charge is the 19-year-old Mbappe, who achieved a feat no player had accomplished in 60 years, becoming the first teenager to

score twice in a World Cup match since a 17-year-old Pele in 1958.

“I ’m very happy, and

i t ’ s

flattering t o b e

compared to a great

player like Pele,” said

Mbappe, born a few months after

France won the 1998 World Cup.

“But he’s in another category. Still,

it’s great to join the list of players that have achieved such feats.”

The Paris Saint-Germain

striker, who as a child had posters of

Ronaldo plastered across his bedroom wall, has three

goals in three starts in Russia.He finds himself trailing

England striker Kane in the race for the Golden Boot, but his terrorising of the Argentina defence under-

lined his growing menace. He’s not so much as arriving as

arrived.After four straight

seasons with 20 or more goals in the Premier League, Kane is now demonstrating his ability on the biggest stage of all, leading England’s attack and captaining the side.

He struck twice in an opening win over Tunisia before bagging a hat-trick in his next outing and is the key figure for a youthful England side.

“It’s going well, there’s still

a long way to go, the most important thing is winning games,” said the 24-year-old Tottenham star.

Colombia midfielder Carlos Sanchez described Kane as an “emblematic player” ahead of their meeting with England in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku is also enjoying a breakout World Cup campaign, answering his critics in resounding style after a disap-pointing campaign in Brazil four years ago.

The 25-year-old scored twice in suc-cessive matches in Group G, the first player from any nation to do so at the tournament since Diego Maradona in 1986.

He is Belgium’s record scorer with 40 goals in 71 appearances and will be central to their hopes as Roberto Martinez attempts to finally get the best out of a golden generation.

M e a n w h i l e , Ronaldo declined to comment on his international future on Sat-urday after bowing out of the World Cup following Por-

tugal’s 2-1 defeat by Uruguay.The Real Madrid star exited

his fourth World Cup in disap-pointment after two goals from Edinson Cavani saw the Uru-guayans advance to the last eight.

However Ronaldo, who will be 37 by the time of the next World Cup, would not be drawn on whether he planned to extend his international career.

“Now is not the time to

talk about the future o f players a n d

coaches,” Ronaldo said.The 33-year-old did

however say that European champions Portugal could look forward to the future with confidence.

“We have a fantastic group, young and with a lot of ambition and for that reason I think the team will remain strong,” he said.

Ronaldo finished his World Cup campaign with four goals, one adrift of England’s Harry Kane who leads the standings with five.

Earlier, Portugal coach Fernando Santos said he hoped Ronaldo would remain part of the international set-up.

“Cristiano still has a lot to give to football and I hope he will stay to help the young players grow and develop,” he said.

“We have a team with many young players and of course we

all want him there with us.”

behind England talisman Harry Kane and one behind Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.

Messi and Ronaldo, captain of the Portugal sidebeaten 2-1 by Uruguay, also on Saturday, had been on a quarter-final collision course but the closest they will nowcome to each other in Russiais the airport d e p a r t u r elounge.

While they have set goal records tum-bling both inEurope and Spain year after year,amazingly neither hasever been able to find the net in a World Cup knockout match in acombined 14 games.

For all Messi’sbrilliance at club level with Bar-celona, it appears the 2014 final defeat to Germany is theclosest he will ever come to winning theWorld Cup.

R e a l M a d r i df o r w a r d Ronaldo, a European

becoming the first teenager to score twice in a World Cup match since a 17-year-old Pele in 1958.

“I ’m veryhappy, and

i t ’ s

flattering t o b e

compared to a great

player likePele,” said

Mbappe, born a few months after

France won the 1998 World Cup.

“But he’s in another category. Still,

it’s great to join the list of players that have achieved such feats.”

The ParisSaint-Germain

striker, who as achild had posters of

Ronaldo plastered across his bedroom wall, has three

goals in thHe fin

England race for his teArgen

linemenmuc

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seasons win the Premnow demoon the bileading Encaptaining

He stopening before bagnext outingfor a youth

“It’s go

Lionel Messi

answering his critics in resounding style after a disap-pointing campaign in Brazilfour years ago.

The 25-year-old scored twice in suc-cessive matches in Group G, the first player from any nation to do so at the tournament since Diego Maradona in 1986.

He is Belgium’s record scorer with 40 goals in 71 appearances and will becentral to their hopes asRoberto Martinez attempts to finally get the best out of a golden generation.

M e a n w h i l e , Ronaldo declined to comment on his international future on Sat-urday afterbowing out of the World Cup following Por-

“Now is not the time to

talk about the future o f playersa n d

Cup campaign with four goalsone adrift of England’s HarryKane who leads the standingwith five.

Earlier, Portugal coachFernando Santos said he hopedRonaldo would remain part othe international set-up.

“Cristiano still has a lot togive to football and I hope hwill stay to help the youngplayers grow and develop,” hsaid.

“We have a team with manyoung players and of course w

all want him there with us.

Cristiano Ronaldo

French teenager Kylian Mbappe announced himself in dramatic fashion on Saturday, overshadowing Messi as France beat Argentina 4-3 in the World Cup last 16.

French teenager Kylian Mbappe (left) and England talisman Harry Kane are enjoying an outstanding World Cup.

Rodriguez uncertain for England last-16 clashAFP

KAZAN: Colombia striker James Rodriguez has “minor bruising” in a calf muscle but no decision has been taken on whether he will play against England in the World Cup last-16, the team said late on Saturday.

James, who was top scorer at the 2014 World Cup with six goals, limped off in the first half of Colombia’s last group game against Senegal on Thursday.

An MRI scan showed he has “minor bruising without any tear in the muscle fibres”, the Colombian football fed-eration said.

Colombia face England at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium on Tuesday.

It’s Belgium’s time to shine, says HazardAFP

ROSTOV-ON-DON: Eden Hazard says Belgium have a new level of maturity as they prepare to take on Japan, eyeing a World Cup quarter-final spot against Brazil or Mexico.

A so-called “golden gener-ation” of Belgian stars are running out of time to win a major title but Hazard said they have a chance to make their rich talents count in Russia.

“This is our time to shine, definitely. We have top players and we play as a group, espe-cially after the win over England,” said the Chelsea star.

“It’s in our hands, we need to give everything and see what happens.

“I am also a lot stronger than four years ago in Brazil. That was the first major tournament for many of us, knockout matches have a lot to do with experience and can be complicated.

“We have the same level of

maturity across the team, which will make a difference this time.”

With Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Lionel Messi’s Argentina -- both in the same half of the draw -- out of the tournament, Hazard wants Belgium to reach the final for the

first time in their history.However, he refused to look

past Japan towards a potential quarter-final against Mexico or Brazil.

“We are just focused on this game. Messi and Ronaldo are out, but there are still a lot of

players like me who also want to go to the final too, so let’s see,” said Hazard.

Coach Roberto Martinez is set to start with a full-strength side after resting nine players, including Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne,

in the 1-0 win over England that saw Belgium win their group.

“The squad is in a very good place, mentally and physically,” said Martinez.

“The ones who played against England are desperate to contribute again and those who were rested want to get out on the pitch.”

However, Martinez warned that Japan, who scraped into the last 16 because they had a better disciplinary record than Senegal, could hurt his team.

“They have incredible energy, get up the pitch fast and are organised,” said Martinez.

“They are a generation with a good age and have a lot of experience, with players like (Shinji) Kagawa and (Keisuke) Honda. They know what needs to be done to win.

“We will have to pay attention because they are used to causing teams problems in both boxes.”

Belgium’s Eden Hazard during the press conference in Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don, yesterday.

19MONDAY 2 JULY 2018 SPORT

Sweden doing fine in Russia without IbraAP

ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Sweden is doing just fine at the World Cup without Zlatan Ibrahimovic (pictured).

Even the man himself thinks so.“Listen, whoever plays against

Sweden will have a hard time. That’s for sure and I think everybody knows it,” Ibrahimovic said in a video posted by his current club, LA Galaxy.

If coach Janne Andersson’s team is to go any further in Russia, it will be at the expense of No. 6-ranked Swit-zerland, as two of Europe’s less deco-rated soccer nations meet tomorrow in St. Petersburg in the round of 16.

Both sides have been waiting a long time for a trip to the World Cup quarterfinals.

The last time Switzerland went that deep into the tournament was in 1954. Sweden hasn’t won a round-of-16 match since finishing third in the United States in 1994.

Switzerland has worked hard to get this far, putting in a gritty defensive per-formance to hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw in its opening match and coming from a goal down to beat Serbia 2-1 in a match overshadowed by politically charged goal celebrations from Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka that referenced their Kosovo Albanian roots.

A 2-2 draw against Costa Rica sealed Switzerland’s place in the knockout stage, but it also cost the team the heart of its defense.

Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner and fellow defender Fabian Schaer are sus-pended after both got yellow cards for the second time in the tournament against Costa Rica.

Sweden is without Sebastian Larsson after he also was booked twice

in group stage play.Sweden started its campaign in

Russia with a narrow victory over South Korea. Then it surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose to Germany thanks to Toni Kroos’ winner deep in stoppage time, which provided what proved to be a temporary stay of World Cup execution for the defending champions.

In its final group match, Sweden moved up a gear to beat Mexico 3-0 and finish atop its group.

Sweden has adapted well to life after Ibrahimovic, who retired from international soccer after a disap-pointing 2016 European Championship that saw Sweden finish last in its group.

In his absence, Sweden notched a win over France in its World Cup qual-ification group and beat Italy in a two-leg playoff to reach Russia with. An emphasis on strong team play has replaced its prior reliance on the larger-than-life striker.

“I took over the world,” Ibrahimovic said. “Now Sweden is taking over the world.”

Looking at previous encounters is not going to help a great deal in picking a winner in St. Petersburg. The teams have met 28 times, with Switzerland holding the narrowest of advantages - 11 wins compared to Sweden’s 10. There have been seven draws. But the teams have not played one another since a 1-1 friendly draw in March 2002.

brahimovic retired as Sweden’s all-time top scorer, with 62 goals in 116 games. He still knows his way to the net at the club level.

He was on target again Saturday, scoring twice as LA Galaxy was held to a 3-3 draw in MLS’ California Clasico against the San Jose Earthquakes.

But he is still keeping a close eye on his country’s performance in Russia.

“I said before the World Cup they’ll go far and they’ll probably win it,” Ibra-himovic said. “So I’m very happy, proud to be Swedish.”

Regardless of the result against Sweden, the World Cup is already unforgettable for Switzerland forward Breel Embolo.

The 21-year-old flew home this week to be with his partner Naomi as she gave birth to their daughter, Naylia, and then jetted back to rejoin his team.

The Swiss football federation called his quick trip home “the most beautiful 24 hours of his life.”

With Lichtsteiner and Schaer sus-pended, Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic is expected to call up Michael Lang and Johan Djourou as replacements.

Starting in a World Cup knockout match would complete a big week for Lang, who has just announced his transfer from Swiss club FC Basel to Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German Bundesliga.

England aim not to think beyond the Colombia clash

AP

MOSCOW: A mostly meaningless final group game could end up defining England’s World Cup.

With two very different paths through the draw on offer and qualification in the bag, England coach Gareth Southgate rested players for the match against Belgium. England lost 1-0 in a game where both teams only occasionally showed attacking intent, and that loss set up a second-round game against Colombia, but an easier path after that. Belgium got a Japanese team widely considered weaker, but a potential quar-terfinal against Brazil. Southgate has told his team not to think beyond the Colombia clash, reminding players that England hasn’t won a knockout game since beating Ecuador at the World Cup in 2006. The last-16 loss to Iceland at the 2016 European Championship helped give Southgate the support he needed to accelerate a rebuild of the England team and focus on younger players.

For Colombia the focus is on James Rodriguez, who went off injured during Colombia’s 1-0 win over Senegal on Thursday and missed training on Friday and Saturday.

A scan showed he has a swelling in his right calf - though the Colombian football federation says the muscle is not torn. Coach Jose Pekerman has said he is “very concerned.”

“We have to be ready for whoever plays,” England midfielder Dele Alli said on Saturday.

“(Rodriguez) holds a threat and we’re aware of that, but they’ve got a great squad.”

If Colombia has to play without Rodriguez, that would mean an extra burden on players like winger Juan Cuadrado, who plays for Juventus, and midfielder Juan Quintero of River Plate. There’s also an understanding that depth could win Colombia the game.

“As this World Cup shows, matches are won by details,” midfielder Carlos Sanchez said on Saturday.

“There are teams that have world-class stars, but in the end they do not make the difference alone. It is the team which makes the difference.”

England forward Harry Kane was the top

scorer in the group stage with five goals, all against the weaker opposition of Tunisia and Panama.

He’s made no secret of the fact he’d like to be the World Cup’s top scorer. Standing in Kane’s way is his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Dav-inson Sanchez, likely to start at center-back for Colombia.

“Davinson’s a great player, a great guy as well,” Alli said. “It’s hard not to support him but, as players, there are no friendships on the pitch. We have to do our job and hope Harry will come out on top.”

Colombia is focused on trying to stop England at set pieces, since four of Kane’s five goals so far, and six of England’s eight in total, came from dead-ball situations. Southgate has been looking to other sports like basketball and American football for insights into how players can deceive the opposition during a free kick or corner.

Whenever England plays a knockout game, the conversation back home inevitably turns to the team’s dismal record in penalty shootouts.

England has been eliminated on penalties at three World Cups - the most of any team - and three European Championships and has only ever won one competitive shootout, back in 1996 against Spain.

Southgate, who himself missed the deciding penalty in the 1996 European Championship sem-ifinals, has embraced psychology as a key part of England’s preparation. As well as incorpo-rating elements of play into even the duller parts of training, like a warm-down - he had players racing inflatable unicorns in the pool - the coach has used psychological testing to determine who might be best suited to take penalties.

“We’re confident and looking to change things,” Alli said. “If I’m on the pitch, I want to take one. I’ll ask to try and take one.”

Whoever wins, England or Colombia, will consider they have a great shot of making the semifinals.

Either Sweden or Switzerland will be the quarterfinal opponent for the winner, which would give Colombian fans confidence of a first-ever semifinal appearance, while England would be bidding to reach its first semifinal since 1990.

England’s Jesse Lingard during a press conference in Saint Petersburg, Russia, yesterday.

Colombia’s midfielder

James Rodriguez walks

after arriving at Kazan

International Airport

yesterday.

England would find Sweden tough at World Cup: ErikssonAFP

LONDON: Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has tipped Gareth Southgate’s team to beat Colombia in the World Cup last 16 but said his native Sweden would be tough opponents if they meet in the quarter-finals.

Eriksson -- who coached England to two successive World Cup quarter-finals, in 2002 and 2006 -- said he was impressed with the job Southgate is doing with his young team in Russia.

England face Colombia tomorrow in Moscow after finishing second in their group behind Belgium, while the Swedes play Switzerland in Saint Petersburg earlier the same day.

Eriksson believes Sweden, who topped Group F after beating Mexico in their final match, may not be playing

scintillating football but says they are tough to score against.“When you come down to the last-16, it is always difficult, and it should be difficult,” Eriksson told the BBC yesterday.

“I think England will beat Colombia, then I hope they will meet Sweden.

“I know that everyone wants to avoid Brazil, and maybe rightly, but I think it is easier to score against Brazil than against Sweden.

“Sweden are not playing the best football in the world, but to score against them is very difficult.” Eriksson said not too much should be read into England’s 1-0 defeat to Belgium in a group match that saw both managers make multiple changes. “It was the second team of England and the second team of Belgium. It is different when you change five, six and seven players,” he said.

Sweden’s forward Marcus Berg (left) and Mexico’s defender Hector Moreno vie for the ball during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F match at the Ekaterinburg Arena in Ekaterinburg on Wednesday.

20 MONDAY 2 JULY 2018SPORT 21MONDAY 2 JULY 2018 SPORT

Last-16: Giants Brazil have no room for complacency against buoyant MexicoREUTERS

SAMARA: There are not many teams in world football who boast an even moderately successful record against five-time World Cup winners Brazil but in recent years Mexico have proved they have what it takes to upstage the yellow-shirted powerhouse.

Whereas seven of the teams in the knockout stages of the tournament have failed to record a single victory over Brazil since 2000 - admittedly Spain, Denmark and Belgium have only played the South American giants once each - Mexico have won six of their 14 match-ups with Brazil in the same time period.

Only France, who have beaten Bra-zil three times in six meetings, have a better record of the remaining teams in the last 16.

More impressively, Mexico have won six of their last nine competitive fixtures against Brazil, losing just twice, and will go into their last 16 clash in Samara today full of confidence.

A Mexican side also overcame Bra-zil to win the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London and Mexico held the hosts to a goalless draw in the World Cup group stages four years ago.

However, on various occasions in the past these successes over their illus-trious rivals from the south have proven false dawns for Mexico and often a cat-alyst for Brazil.

Mexico’s 1-0 win at the 2001 Copa America is a case in point. It was a dis-astrous tournament for Brazil, who were knocked out by Honduras at the begin-ning of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s reign. However, that team went on to win the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea just 12 months later.

Likewise, at the 2007 Copa Amer-ica Mexico handed Dunga his first defeat

as Brazil coach. Brazil went on to win the tournament, whilst Mexico lost in the semis.

Mexico may have produced some fine performances down the years but when it comes to the crunch games they

often fail to deliver, as evidenced by their abysmal recent record in the World Cup knockout stages.

Their defeat to the Netherlands in the last 16 in 2014 was the sixth succes-sive time El Tricolor have been knocked out in the second round.

Mexico last reached the quarter-finals when they hosted the tournament in 1986 and despite featuring at 15 World Cups they have only appeared in the last eight twice, both times as hosts.

If they are to get over the hump and progress to the quarter-finals for the first time in over 30 years, they will have to overcome a Brazil side using the same defensive organisation and pace on the counter-attack that did for Germany in the group stages.

However, Brazil are not Germany and possess far more creativity and flu-idity going forward, which could cause problems for a Mexican team still reel-ing from a 3-0 loss to Sweden that almost ended their tournament.

It promises to be an action-packed tie in Samara with both sides suscepti-ble to pace defensively while possessing plenty of speed in attack themselves.

If Mexico can harness the spirit of recent results against Brazil they could record the most impressive victory yet over their illustrious opponents and change recent Mexican World Cup history.

Meanwhile, Danilo is available to play for Brazil against Mexico after missing the team’s last two matches in Russia with a right hip injury.

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar announced late on Saturday that the right back who plays for Manchester City could play in the round-of-16 match on Monday at Samara Stadium.

Marcelo, who left early in the group stage finale against Serbia because of back spasms, is still uncertain for the match against Mexico. Filipe Luis replaced him against Serbia.

Marcelo, a defender who plays for Real Madrid, posted later to Twitter:

“Thank you all for the messages!!! Thank God it was not serious!!! Soon I will be back!!! “

Lasmar said Marcelo would be eval-uated again after Sunday’s training, adding that “we’re optimistic that he’ll

be able to be ready for the game.” Winger Douglas Costa, who plays

for Juventus, continues to recover from a right thigh injury he sustained in the group stage and will not play against Mexico.

Brazil’s forward Neymar (left) and defender Marcelo (second left) take part in a training session at the Samara Arena in Samara, yesterday.

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In

a

ny

W

orld

C

up

, it is th

e e

xp

lo

its

of th

e g

oa

l-sc

ore

rs w

ho

p

ro

vid

e m

ost

of th

e m

em

orie

s fo

r th

e h

ig

hlig

hts

re

els.

Bu

t it is a

fa

ct th

at th

e tro

ph

y is

usu

ally

w

on

b

y th

e te

am

w

ith

th

e b

est

de

fe

nc

e. G

erm

an

y c

on

ce

de

d ju

st fo

ur

in

se

ve

n g

am

es in

2

014

, a

nd

S

pa

in

le

t

in

ju

st tw

o in

2

010

, th

e sa

me

ta

lly

a

s

Ita

ly

’s v

ic

to

rio

us sq

ua

d in

2

00

6.

So

w

hile

N

ey

ma

r w

ill c

on

tin

ue

to

ho

g th

e lim

elig

ht, th

e g

oo

d n

ew

s fo

r

co

ac

h T

ite

is th

at th

ere

is p

le

nty

m

ore

to

h

is sid

e th

an

th

e P

aris S

ain

t-G

er-

ma

in

fo

rw

ard

a

s th

ey

p

re

pa

re

to

ta

ke

on

M

ex

ic

o to

da

y.

“In

fo

otb

all th

ere

is a

lw

ay

s o

ne

pla

ye

r w

ho

g

ets sp

ok

en

a

bo

ut m

ore

.

Bu

t y

ou

n

ee

d to

h

av

e a

v

ery

g

oo

d

te

am

,” sa

id

C

ase

miro

, th

e fo

rm

id

ab

le

Re

al M

ad

rid

d

efe

nsiv

e m

id

fie

ld

er, th

is

we

ek

.“It is in

ev

ita

ble

th

at p

eo

ple

w

ill sa

y

th

e p

la

ye

r w

e h

av

e w

ho

is a

bo

ve

a

ve

r-

ag

e is N

ey

ma

r, b

ut w

e c

an

no

t fo

rg

et

th

at w

e h

av

e o

th

er g

re

at p

la

ye

rs.”

Th

e fla

mb

oy

an

ce

o

f th

e B

ra

zil

te

am

s w

hic

h lit u

p th

e 19

82

a

nd

19

86

Wo

rld

C

up

s, w

he

n th

e lik

es o

f Z

ic

o a

nd

So

cra

te

s d

elig

hte

d fa

ns b

ut u

ltim

ate

ly

fa

ile

d to

d

eliv

er, h

as lo

ng

sin

ce

b

ee

n

re

pla

ce

d b

y p

ra

gm

atism

.

Th

e W

orld

C

up

-w

in

nin

g B

ra

zil

te

am

s o

f 19

94

a

nd

2

00

2 h

ad

p

le

nty

o

f

atta

ck

in

g ta

le

nt, b

ut o

we

d th

eir su

c-

ce

ss a

s m

uc

h to

d

efe

nsiv

e ste

el.

In

2

00

2,

on

ly

E

ng

la

nd

sc

ore

d

ag

ain

st B

ra

zil in

th

e k

no

ck

ou

t sta

ge

s,

a so

lid

b

ac

k lin

e p

ro

vid

in

g th

e fo

un

-

da

tio

n fo

r R

on

ald

o to

g

et th

e g

oa

ls th

at

wo

n h

is c

ou

ntry

a

fifth

W

orld

C

up

. T

his

Bra

zil te

am

is c

on

stru

cte

d o

n sim

ila

rly

fo

rm

id

ab

le

d

efe

nsiv

e g

ro

un

d, w

ith

ju

st

eig

ht g

oa

ls c

on

ce

de

d in

2

8 m

atc

he

s

afte

r th

e 2

-0

w

in

o

ve

r S

erb

ia

o

n

We

dn

esd

ay

.

“W

e h

av

e a

v

ery

b

ala

nc

ed

sq

ua

d,

in

te

llig

en

t, a

nd

c

om

po

se

d w

he

n w

e

ha

ve

to

b

e,” sa

id

c

en

tre

-b

ac

k T

hia

go

Silv

a, w

ho

h

ea

de

d in

B

ra

zil’s se

co

nd

go

al a

ga

in

st th

e S

erb

ia

ns.

Sta

r

Ne

ym

ar,

an

d

es

pe

cia

lly

Ph

ilip

pe

C

ou

tin

ho

a

t th

e m

om

en

t,

pro

vid

e th

e sp

ark

, b

ut a

ro

un

d th

em

th

ere

a

re

e

no

ug

h stre

etw

ise

p

la

ye

rs

to

e

nsu

re

th

is B

ra

zil sh

ou

ld

n

ot su

f-

fe

r a

c

olla

pse

e

ve

n c

lo

se

to

th

e sc

ale

of th

e 7

-1 a

ga

in

st G

erm

an

y fo

ur y

ea

rs

ag

o.“In

d

efe

nsiv

e p

ositio

ns, it is n

ot ju

st

fo

ur o

f u

s p

lu

s o

ne

h

old

in

g m

id

fie

ld

er,”

sa

id

C

ase

miro

.

“B

ra

zil’s d

efe

nsiv

e stre

ng

th

sta

rts

fro

m G

ab

rie

l (Je

su

s), th

en

w

ith

N

ey

-

ma

r a

nd

W

illia

n. A

ll 11 p

la

ye

rs d

efe

nd

an

d a

ll 11 a

tta

ck

.”

Th

e a

bility

o

f P

au

lin

ho

, o

ne

o

f th

e

fe

w su

rv

iv

ors o

f th

e 2

014

sq

ua

d, to

po

we

r fo

rw

ard

fro

m d

ee

p a

nd

sc

ore

go

als lik

e th

at a

ga

in

st S

erb

ia

is p

er-

ha

ps n

ot so

me

th

in

g o

ne

a

sso

cia

te

s

with

a

ty

pic

al B

arc

elo

na

a

nd

B

ra

zil

mid

fie

ld

er.

An

d b

eh

in

d it a

ll, th

ere

is a

stre

ng

th

in

d

ep

th

in

th

e g

oa

lk

ee

pin

g d

ep

art-

me

nt th

at h

as n

ot a

lw

ay

s b

ee

n a

ch

ara

cte

ristic

o

f B

ra

zil te

am

s.

In

2

014

a

v

ete

ra

n Ju

lio

C

esa

r, th

en

pla

yin

g fo

r T

oro

nto

F

C, w

as th

e first

ch

oic

e in

g

oa

l.

Th

is tim

e a

ro

un

d th

e e

xc

elle

nt

Ed

erso

n, a

sta

r in

P

ep

G

ua

rd

io

la

’s M

an

-

ch

este

r C

ity

te

am

, c

an

no

t g

et in

th

e

sid

e b

ec

au

se

o

f th

e p

re

se

nc

e o

f A

lis-

so

n B

ec

ke

r.

“G

ua

rd

io

la

h

as a

n a

ce

in

h

is te

am

,

bu

t h

e h

as A

lisso

n in

h

is w

ay

, a

nd

a

t

th

e m

om

en

t h

e is th

e P

ele

o

f g

oa

lk

ee

p-

ers,”

sa

id

C

la

ud

io

T

affa

re

l,

th

e

cu

sto

dia

n in

th

e 19

94

W

orld

C

up

-w

in

-

nin

g

te

am

a

nd

n

ow

B

ra

zil’s

go

alk

ee

pin

g c

oa

ch

, e

arlie

r th

is y

ea

r.

Brazil’s fo

rw

ard

Neym

ar takes

part in

a train

in

g

sessio

n o

n th

e

eve o

f th

e R

ussia

20

18

W

orld

Cu

p ro

un

d o

f 16

match

ag

ain

st

Mexico

, yesterd

ay.

IN

SET: B

razil’s

defen

der Th

iag

o

Silva att

en

ds a

press co

nferen

ce

at th

e Sam

ara

Aren

a Stad

iu

m,

yesterd

ay.

Me

xic

o sh

ow

n

o fe

ar

as th

ey

ta

rg

et e

nd

to

fifth

-g

am

e h

ex

AFP

SA

IN

T P

ET

ER

SB

UR

G: M

ex

ic

o d

o

no

t h

av

e h

isto

ry

o

n th

eir sid

e in

th

eir b

id

to

d

um

p B

ra

zil o

ut o

f th

e

Wo

rld

C

up

b

ut th

e 2

018

v

ersio

n o

f

El T

ri h

av

e a

lre

ad

y d

em

on

stra

te

d a

ca

pa

bility

to

su

rp

rise

in

R

ussia

.

Fo

r a

se

ve

nth

stra

ig

ht W

orld

Cu

p M

ex

ic

o h

av

e m

ad

e it to

th

e la

st

16

, b

ut, a

go

nisin

gly

, th

ey

h

av

e fa

ile

d

to

g

o a

ny

fu

rth

er o

n th

e six

p

re

vi-

ou

s o

cc

asio

ns, tu

rn

in

g th

e d

esire

ju

st to

m

ak

e th

e “q

uin

to

p

artid

o”

(fifth

m

atc

h) a

n o

bse

ssio

n.

“T

he

re

’s n

o g

re

ate

r m

em

ory

th

an

m

ak

in

g h

isto

ry

w

ith

a

fifth

ma

tc

h,” sa

id

M

ex

ic

o c

ap

ta

in

A

nd

re

s

Gu

ard

ad

o.

“W

e’re

d

iffe

re

nt

pla

ye

rs

in

te

rm

s o

f th

e m

en

ta

l a

sp

ec

t, b

ut w

e

kn

ow

w

e’ll b

e ju

dg

ed

b

y w

he

th

er

we

g

et th

ro

ug

h o

r n

ot.

“W

ha

t g

re

ate

r m

otiv

atio

n c

ou

ld

yo

u n

ee

d w

he

n w

e fa

ce

o

ff a

ga

in

st

th

e fiv

e-tim

e c

ha

mp

io

ns?

It’s th

e

pe

rfe

ct sc

en

e. It’s th

e b

ig

ge

st g

am

e

of o

ur liv

es.”

Me

xic

o’s la

st-

16

m

isfo

rtu

ne

s

ha

ve

o

fte

n c

om

e d

ow

n to

th

e fin

est

of m

arg

in

s. D

efe

at o

n p

en

altie

s to

su

rp

rise

p

ac

ka

ge

B

ulg

aria

in

19

94

sta

rte

d a

n in

au

sp

ic

io

us ru

n. T

he

y

ble

w a

le

ad

a

ga

in

st G

erm

an

y fo

ur y

ea

rs la

te

r a

nd

a

ga

in

st A

rg

en

tin

a in

20

06

.

Co

nc

ed

in

g tw

ic

e to

th

e N

eth

-

erla

nd

s in

th

e fin

al m

in

ute

s fo

ur

ye

ars a

go

h

urt m

ore

th

an

m

ost

de

fe

ats, w

ith

a

c

on

tro

ve

rsia

l p

en

-

alty

a

wa

rd

ed

fo

r a

th

ea

tric

al A

rje

n

Ro

bb

en

tu

mb

le

d

ee

p in

to

sto

pp

ag

e

tim

e se

nd

in

g th

e D

utc

h in

to

th

e la

st

eig

ht.

VA

R (th

e v

id

eo

a

ssista

nt re

fe

-

re

e) sh

ou

ld

p

re

ve

nt a

re

pe

at o

f th

at

in

ju

stic

e, b

ut G

ua

rd

ad

o h

as w

arn

ed

Ita

lia

n re

fe

re

e G

ia

nlu

ca

R

oc

ch

i n

ot

to

b

e fo

ole

d b

y a

ny

p

la

ya

ctin

g fro

m

th

e w

orld

’s m

ost e

xp

en

siv

e p

la

ye

r,

Ne

ym

ar.

“W

e a

ll k

no

w w

ho

N

ey

ma

r is,

bu

t it isn

’t u

p to

m

e o

r m

y te

am

to

ju

dg

e h

im

, b

ut th

e re

fe

re

es a

nd

FIF

A,” h

e sa

id

.

“W

e k

no

w h

e lik

es to

e

xa

gg

er-

ate

fo

uls, th

ro

w h

im

se

lf o

n th

e

gro

un

d a

lo

t, b

ut th

at’s h

is sty

le

o

f

pla

y a

nd

th

e p

erso

n w

ho

n

ee

ds to

sto

p th

at is th

e re

fe

re

e, n

ot u

s.”

A B

ra

zil sid

e fin

din

g th

eir strid

e

in

R

ussia

a

fte

r a

slo

w sta

rt a

re

a

rg

u-

ab

ly

th

e to

ug

he

st c

ha

lle

ng

e M

ex

ic

o

co

uld

h

av

e a

sk

ed

fo

r a

s th

ey

w

ere

pu

nish

ed

fo

r fa

ilin

g to

b

ac

k u

p v

ic

-

to

rie

s o

ve

r G

erm

an

y a

nd

S

ou

th

Ko

re

a w

ith

d

efe

at to

S

we

de

n to

fin

-

ish

se

co

nd

in

G

ro

up

F

.

In

-fo

rm

B

elg

iu

m w

ar

y

as

a

mb

itio

us

Ja

pa

n c

ha

se

Wo

rld

C

up

h

is

to

ry

AFP

RO

ST

OV

-O

N-

DO

N: D

rie

s M

erte

ns h

as

wa

rn

ed

B

elg

iu

m

ag

ain

st

th

e

pe

rils

of

co

mp

la

ce

nc

y a

s th

ey

p

re

pa

re

to

fa

ce

Ja

pa

n

he

re

to

da

y w

ith

o

ne

e

ye

o

n a

p

ossib

le

q

ua

r-

te

r-fin

al sh

ow

do

wn

w

ith

B

ra

zil.

Th

e B

elg

ia

ns h

av

e e

me

rg

ed

a

s d

ark

ho

rse

s a

t th

is W

orld

C

up

, w

ith

th

eir “G

old

en

Ge

ne

ra

tio

n” o

f p

la

ye

rs tip

pe

d to

m

ou

nt a

de

ep

ru

n in

to

th

e k

no

ck

ou

t ro

un

ds.

Ro

be

rto

M

artin

ez

’s sid

e d

efe

ate

d E

ng

-

la

nd

1-0

in

th

eir la

st o

utin

g to

to

p G

ro

up

G

,

ea

rn

in

g w

ha

t o

n p

ap

er sh

ou

ld

b

e a

stra

ig

ht-

fo

rw

ard

la

st 16

a

ssig

nm

en

t a

ga

in

st Ja

pa

n.

Bu

t M

erte

ns sa

ys th

e R

ed

D

ev

ils a

re

wa

ry

o

f a

p

ossib

le

re

pe

at o

f th

eir E

uro

2

016

qu

arte

r-fin

al, w

he

n th

ey

c

ra

sh

ed

to

a

3

-1

de

fe

at to

W

ale

s d

esp

ite

b

ein

g fa

vo

ure

d to

pro

gre

ss. “I re

me

mb

er th

e W

ale

s g

am

e,”

Me

rte

ns sa

id

.

“E

ve

ry

on

e th

ou

gh

t w

e w

ere

g

oin

g to

g

o

th

ro

ug

h, n

o p

ro

ble

m. A

nd

th

en

su

dd

en

ly

,

we

’re

o

ut o

f th

e to

urn

am

en

t.

“W

e’re

n

ot g

oin

g to

u

nd

er-

estim

ate

Ja

pa

n b

ec

au

se

th

ey

h

av

e a

stro

ng

te

am

. If

th

ey

h

av

e g

ot th

is fa

r, it m

ea

ns th

ey

’re

a

go

od

sid

e.”

Afte

r m

ak

in

g n

in

e c

ha

ng

es fo

r la

st

Th

ursd

ay

’s w

in

o

ve

r E

ng

la

nd

, M

artin

ez

is

ex

pe

cte

d to

re

ve

rt to

th

e lin

e-u

p w

hic

h

im

pre

sse

d in

o

ne

-sid

ed

w

in

s o

ve

r P

an

am

a

an

d T

un

isia

.

With

n

in

e g

oa

ls so

fa

r in

R

ussia

, B

el-

giu

m a

re

th

e W

orld

C

up

’s to

p-sc

orin

g te

am

.

Strik

er R

om

elu

L

uk

ak

u h

as c

la

im

ed

fo

ur

with

tw

o a

ga

in

st b

oth

T

un

isia

a

nd

P

an

am

a

in

th

e g

ro

up

sta

ge

s. T

he

M

an

ch

este

r U

nite

d

sta

r is se

t to

fa

ce

Ja

pa

n a

fte

r m

issin

g th

e

win

o

ve

r E

ng

la

nd

w

ith

a

n a

nk

le

k

no

ck

.

Ma

rtin

ez

h

as a

ll h

is p

la

ye

rs fit a

s B

el-

giu

m

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Switzerland’s Roger Federer is seen during practice at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain, yesterday.

Nadal does not ‘have time’ to reminisce about the 2008 final REUTERS

LONDON: Ten years older, 10 years more battle-weary and injury-hardened and with a decade’s worth of extra silverware, Rafael Nadal returns to the scene of his most epic triumph against Roger Federer still believing he can reawaken his Wimbledon best.

Yet amid all the fond reminiscing about the anniversary of the 2008 final, with Nadal’s five-set victory still seen as the sport’s finest match, Spain’s world No.1 was in no mood to stroll down memory lane at the All England Club yesterday.

Certainly not when he has a third Wimbledon to win.

“Today, I see that (match as) like a long time ago,” Nadal told reporters, adding with a smile: “But the good thing is I still here. I am happy for that.”

And happy that, after being crowned French Open champion for the 11th time at Roland Garros, he still feels he has a genuine shout at lifting the title again for the first time in eight years.

“I’m feeling good...Expectations are always high. I am not here to play the tournament; I am here to try to have a good result,” the 32-year-old said, adamant that he can put behind him a string of more recent disappointments in London SW19.

Since his last appearance in the final in 2011, Nadal has made a series of unexpected early exits at the hands of unheralded players like Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Dustin Brown and he also missed the 2016 Championships with injury.

Last year, he lost to Gilles Muller, succumbing 15-13 in the fifth set and again failing to make the

quarter-finals. History has shown, though, that he if does get to the last-eight here -- as he’s done five times -- he always goes on to the final.

No final, of course, could top the 2008 classic which was celebrated at Wimbledon on Friday with a special screening of a new docu-mentary ‘Strokes of Genius’ that focuses on that particular duel and the evolution of the rivalry between this year’s top two seeds.

“I am not thinking every day about that final. I am just focused on what I am doing today -- but of course in that moment, that final was a very important step forward for me in my career,” reflected Nadal.

“I always have been very clear that it probably was one of the most emotional matches that I played in my career.

“To win here was one of my dreams. After losing two finals (both

to Federer), that final created a big impact in my career.”

After winning his 17th Grand Slam title on the Paris clay, Nadal, as last year, spurned the chance of a grasscourt tournament warm-up, pulling out of Queen’s for the second straight year and opting to fine-tune his game in exhibition matches.

He sounded content enough with his build-up, though.

“It was not positive for me to not play Queen’s,” he said. “I was sad not to have the chance to be there. On the other hand, I didn’t go there because I’d played a lot on clay. So I was very happy.

“But that’s how it works. I am not 20 any more. After a long clay-court season, the body needed a rest, a slow adaptation to the grass. That’s what I did,” added the No. 2 seed, who faces Israel’s Dudi Sela in the first round tomorrow.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal during training ahead of Wimbledon Championships that start today. Nadal won Wimbledon titles in 2008 and 2010.

Serena says treatment by USADA ‘shocking’REUTERS

LONDON: Serena Williams described her treatment by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as shocking yesterday as she reacted to news that she had not been home for an out-of-competition test.

The seven-times Wimbledon champion was out when an anti-doping official arrived at her house at 8.30am on June 14 -- 12 hours outside the allotted daily window she had previously agreed on her athlete wherea-bouts form.

There is no suggestion Wil-liams did anything wrong and it was not registered as a ‘missed test’ but the American was clearly perplexed by the situation as she held her pre-Wimbledon news conference yesterday.

It also came to light that the 23-times Grand Slam champion had already been tested five times by USADA this year while other American players have had been tested once or not at all.

Explaining the events of June 14, which were detailed in a report in website Deadspin, Williams said: “Every day, every player gives a time for testing. My time was actually 12 hours later. For some reason they showed up in the morning, which they are allowed to do. And if I’m not there, then they just leave.

“For whatever reason they didn’t leave. I was like, I’m totally not in the area because my hour is actually a long time from now. I’m completely so far away.

“It really doesn’t make sense. For me it’s a little frustrating. How can I have a missed test when it’s nowhere near the time I should be there?

“It’s really disappointing, shocking. I was like, that’s just weird. I’m still trying to figure out why and how that happened.”

USADA confirmed this week that Williams had passed all five tests. Williams said she had asked USADA for an explanation as to why she was being tested so regularly.

“I did have a conversation before I knew the information about all the other players,” she said. “I had a conversation with the lead guy with USADA.

“How is it I’m getting tested five times in June? It’s only June, I’ve been tested five times.

“I despise having people in our sport that aren’t being honest. I’m totally okay with testing and I encourage it. What I want to know is everyone is getting tested, that we are really working to keep this sport clean.

“It’s all about equality. If that’s testing everyone five times, let’s do it. It’s just about being equal and not centring one person out. Just due to the numbers, it looks like I’m being pushed out.”

The 36-year-old Williams, who missed last year’s Wim-bledon because of pregnancy, is seeded 25th for the champion-ships despite her world ranking of 181.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” she said of her seeding, having not been seeded at the French Open, her first Grand Slam back after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September.

“I came in here expecting that maybe I wouldn’t get a seed. I do know Wimbledon tends to kind of beat to their own drum. That’s kind of one thing that’s been able to set them apart.

“I thought it was very noble and honest and cool. Maybe not honest, but cool!”

She admitted it was emotional to be at a Grand Slam with her husband and daughter for the first time.

“Was it 20 years ago? Wow, 20 years ago I can’t say I thought I’ll be here 20 years later,” she said.

“I can’t say I remember my first match. I’m definitely going to try to YouTube that!”

Murray is battling to be fitAFP

LONDON: Andy Murray is fighting to be fit for Wimbledon, but the former champion admits he could still be forced to pull out.

Murray is scheduled to play in his first round tie against France’s Benoit Paire today.

But the former world number one, who was crowned Wimbledon champion in 2013 and 2016, is making slow progress in his return from hip surgery in January.

Murray has played just three matches since last year’s Wimbledon, winning one of his three matches on grass at Queen’s and Eastbourne over the last two weeks.

The 31-year-old is encouraged by his improving per-formances and has been practicing at Wimbledon for the last few days.

But he is still experiencing some discomfort on court and is far from the form that made him a three-time major winner.

Asked if he could withdraw from Wimbledon, Murray

told BBC Radio Five yesterday: “Yes, it is still possible. I am taking it literally each day. Some days I feel better than others.

“I have played three matches, which was great, the last couple of weeks against some top players and did well.

“Some days I wake up and don’t feel quite as good as others. It is a bit of stiffness, a bit of soreness, which is kind of normal based on the intensity I am practising at, compared to where I was even three or four weeks ago.

“I only started hitting balls two weeks before Queen’s, which is not particularly a long time, and quite soon into that you are competing at the highest level.

“You need to be very patient and literally take it day by day just now, and see where you are at,” Murray said yesterday.

“I need to kind of see how I feel every day, but in terms of winning this event, I have no belief or thoughts that that is going to happen, really.”

Slam king Federer eyes record-extending 9th titleMen to watch at Wimbledon, where play begins today:

ROGER FEDERERSeeded: 1

Ranked: 2

Age: 36

Country: Switzerland

2018 Match Record: 25-3

2018 Singles Titles: 3

Career Singles Titles: 98

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 20 - Wimbledon (‘03, ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘09,

‘12, ‘17), U.S. Open (‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08), Australian Open (‘04, ‘06,

‘07, ‘10, ‘17, ‘18), French Open (‘09)

Last 5 Wimbledons: ‘17-Won Championship, ‘16-Lost in Semifinals,

‘15-Runner-Up, ‘14-RU, ‘13-2nd

Aces: After skipping clay-court season for second year in a row, won

title on grass at Stuttgart, then reached final at Halle before losing to

Borna Coric, possible fourth-round opponent at Wimbledon.

Topspin: Even as 37th birthday (Aug. 8) nears, tough to count out

Federer at a tournament he’s won more times than any other man.

RAFAEL NADALSeeded: 2

Ranked: 1

Age: 32

Country: Spain




Grand Slam Singles Titles: 17 - Wimbledon (‘08, ‘10), U.S. Open (‘10, ‘13,

‘17), French Open (‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘17, ‘18), Austral-

ian Open (‘09)

Last 5 Wimbledons: ‘17-4th, ‘16-Did Not Play, ‘15-2nd, ‘14-4th, ‘13-1st

Aces: Has not competed since winning record-extending 11th French

Open title on June 10.... Four of past five Wimbledon losses came

against opponents ranked 100th or worse.

Topspin: Since reaching the final in five consecutive Wimbledon appear-

ances from 2006-11, hasn’t been past the fourth round.

MARIN CILICSeeded: 3

Ranked: 5

Age: 29

Country: Croatia




Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 - U.S. Open (‘14)

Last 5 Wimbledons: ‘17-RU, ‘16-QF, ‘15-QF, ‘14-QF, ‘13-2nd

Aces: Runner-up to Federer at two of the past four majors.... Won

Queen’s Club grass-court tuneup last week, beating Novak Djokovic

in the final.

Topspin: When his serve and forehand are clicking, he’s as big a

threat as anyone to make a deep run.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTROSeeded: 5

Ranked: 4

Age: 29

Country: Argentina




Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 - U.S. Open (‘09)

Last 5 Wimbledons: ‘17-2nd, ‘16-3rd, ‘15-DNP, ‘14-DNP, ‘13-SF

Aces: Back at career-best No. 4 in rankings after semifinal run at

Roland Garros.

Topspin: Biggest forehand in the game could carry him far at All

England Club.

JOHN ISNERSeeded: 9

Ranked: 10

Age: 33

Country: United States




Grand Slam Singles Titles: 0 - Best: QF, U.S. Open (‘11)

Last 5 Wimbledons: ‘17-2nd, ‘16-3rd, ‘15-3rd, ‘14-3rd, ‘13-2nd

Aces: Ranks 2nd in 2018 in aces and percentage of service games won.

Topspin: Never has put together a second-week run at the place where

in 2010 he won the longest tennis match in history.

NOVAK DJOKOVICSeeded: 12

Ranked: 17

Age: 31

Country: Serbia




Grand Slam Singles Titles: 12 - Wimbledon (‘11, ‘14, ‘15), U.S. Open

(‘11, ‘15), Australian Open (‘08, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘15, ‘16), French Open

(‘16)

Last 5 Wimbledons: ‘17-QF, ‘16-3rd, ‘15-W, ‘14-W, ‘13-RU

Aces: Reached 1st tour final in nearly a year last week, and it was

on grass. Good sign as he tries to come back from right elbow

troubles.

Topspin: Has won 12 of past 15 matches after going 6-6 to start

2018.

23MONDAY 2 JULY 2018 SPORT

QNB Stars League: Regular season starts on August 4THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) has announced the dates of the first phase of the 2018-19 QNB Stars League season.

The first phase of the QNB Stars League will kick off on August 4 and ends in November this year.

The QNB Stars League is starting ahead of schedule this year due to Qatar national team’s busy international calendar.

Qatar national team will feature in the 2019 Asian Cup to be held in the UAE from 5 January – 1 February.

Also, top QNB Stars League teams Al Duhail and Al Sadd are featuring in the quarterfinals stages of the 2018 AFC Cham-pions League.

The AFC Champions League matches involving Al Duhail and Al Sadd matches will be played on August 27 and 28, September 18 and 19. If Al Duhail and Al Sadd advance in the AFC Cham-pions League, their QNB Stars League matches will be rescheduled for dates that are suitable to the two sides.

The QSL met with all stake-holders - team managements, officials of the Qatar Football Association (QFA), representa-tives of the AFC Champions League, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Stadium Security Department and the QFA’s Ref-erees Committee - before final-izing the dates of the new football season.

The QSL also confirmed Al

Sadd Stadium (Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium) and the Khalifa International Stadium will host the first four rounds of the QNB

Stars League. This has been done to host the matches in venues with state-of-the-art cooling technology.

The kick-off times have been scheduled for 45 minutes before sunset. The matches from round 5 and beyond will be played at the regular football venues across the country on home and away basis.

It has been confirmed that Qatar SC will not be able to use its host venue - Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium - which will be closed for maintenance work in October.

Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium will be the temporary ‘home venue’ for Qatar SC during this period.

FIRST-ROUND MATCHES

August 4, 2018

5:35pm Al Gharafa vs Qatar SC at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

5:35pm Al Arabi vs Al Khor at Khalifa Stadium

7:45pm Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal at Khalifa Stadium

August 5, 2018

5:35pm Al Kharaitiyat vs Al Sadd at Khalifa Stadium

7:45pm Al Ahli vs Al Rayyan at Khalifa Stadium

7:45pm Al Shahaniya vs Al Duhail at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Al Duhail players celebrate winning the QNB Stars League title in this April 2018 file photo. Al Duhail will play Al Shahaniya in their first match of the 2018-19 QNB Stars League season on August 5, 2018, it was announced yesterday.

Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, central Austria, yesterday.

Verstappen wins as Mercedes fails to finish in Austria

AP

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix yesterday as both Mercedes cars failed to finish.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel came second and third, with the German taking back the lead in the championship from Lewis Hamilton.

On a bleak day for Mercedes, both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas retired from the race with mechanical issues. It was the first time that no Mercedes reached the finish since the Spanish GP two years ago, when Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed into each other.

Hamilton was in front from the start but lost his lead following a tactical mistake by his team, which did not pit him under a virtual safety car while most other teams took the opportunity to switch to soft tires.

Having dropped to fourth, Hamilton then had to park his car on the 64th lap, seven short of the finish.

After nine of 21 races, he trails Vettel by one point heading into the British GP next week.

It was Verstappen’s first win of the season and fourth overall.Red Bull even seemed to be heading for a one-two finish on their

“home” circuit with Daniel Ricciardo in second, but the Australian had to make a second pit stop after losing grip from his tires, before quit-ting the race on lap 55 with a gear box issue.

Hamilton was quickest from the start to take an immediate lead as Bottas, who started from pole position, struggled to hold off a chal-lenge from Raikkonen. The Ferrari driver was briefly in second but was soon overtaken by Bottas again and Verstappen.

Bottas had to quit after 14 laps with a hydraulic defect to his gear box. His exit brought out the virtual safety car, slowing down the pace and disallowing overtaking.

While both Red Bulls and Ferraris went to their boxes to have their tires changed, Mercedes surprisingly let Hamilton driving on. When the defending champion made his stop 10 laps later, he dropped to fourth.

Mercedes’ chief strategist, James Vowles, immediately apologised to Hamilton over the board radio for the mistake.

With track temperatures significantly higher than during prac-tice and qualifying in previous days, tire management became tricky.

Things went from bad to worse for Hamilton, still in fourth at that time, when he lost the power in his engine seven laps from the end.

Mercedes had won all four previous races since the Austrian GP was reinstated to the F1 calendar following a 10-year absence in 2014, with Hamilton and Bottas the only drivers in yesterday’s field to have won the race before.

Having started the season with back-to-back wins and adding another victory in Montreal, Vettel recovered well from suffering a second serious setback in as many weeks on Saturday. After bumping into Bottas after the start of the French GP last week - and restarting his race from the back of the pack - the mishap this time happened in qualifying, with Vettel picking up a three-place grid penalty for imped-ing Renault’s Carlos Sainz.

Fernando Alonso’s disappointing season suffered another setback even before the race. Set to line up from 13th position, he had to start from the pit lane after McLaren made changes to the car earlier yes-terday, including an adapted front wing and a new energy recovering system. At just over 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles), the track is the shortest on the F1 calendar. It features just nine turns and four long straights, with inclines of up to 12 percent.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen steers his car during the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, central Austria, yesterday.

1 Max Verstappen, Red Bull TAG 71 1:21’56.024

2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari Ferrari 71 1:21’57.528

3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari Ferrari 71 1:21’59.205

4 Romain Grosjean, Haas Ferrari 70 1 lap

5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas Ferrari 70 1 lap

6 Esteban Ocon, Force India Mercedes 70 1 lap

7 Sergio Perez, Force India Mercedes 70 1 lap

8 Fernando Alonso, McLaren Renault 70 1 lap

9 Charles Leclerc, Sauber Ferrari 70 1 lap

10 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber Ferrari 70 1 lap

** Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Retired

Laps Led

1 - 25 Lewis Hamilton

26 - 71 Max Verstappen

Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in tri-series openerAP

HARARE: Top-ranked Pakistan got off to a flying start in the Twenty20 tri-series with a thumping 74-run win over depleted Zimbabwe yesterday.

Zimbabwe, going into the series without five top players because of a pay dispute with the country’s cricket board, was bowled out for 108 in 17.5 overs after Pakistan had made a strong 182-4.

Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman (61) scored his second Twenty20 international century before Asif Ali blazed four sixes in his robust unbeaten 41 off 21 balls that advanced Pakistan’s total.

Zimbabwe’s batt ing crumbled against Pakistan’s experienced spinners as Mohammad Hafeez (2-3), Mohammad Nawaz (2-11) and Shadab Khan (1-29) shared five wickets between them.

Tarisai Musakanda top scored with 43.

Pakistan players celebrate a wicket in action during the first T20 cricket match against hosts Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club yesterday. Australia are the third side in the tournament. Pakistan won by 74 runs.

India’s pacer Bumrah and Sundar ruled out of England T20I seriesREUTERS

NEW DELHI: Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batsman Washington Sundar have been ruled out of the three-match Twenty20 international series against England that starts on Tuesday due to injury, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said.

Bumrah sustained a fractured thumb on his left hand during India’s opening T20 match against Ireland last Wednesday and missed the following match. He will be replaced by Deepak Chahar for the England series.

Chahar impressed for India A in the tri-series against West Indies A and England Lions and was also effective for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings, with the 25-year-old collecting 10 wickets in 12 matches.

Bumrah is expected to be fit for the three-match one-day international series against England starting on July 12.

The BCCI said that Sundar, who last played for India in their T20 win over Bangladesh in March, sustained a right ankle injury in training before the first Ireland match and is expected to miss both the upcoming limited-overs series.

All-rounder Krunal Pandya has been named as Sundar’s replacement in the T20 squad, while Axar Patel will take the 18-year-old’s place in the ODI team.

India tour of England (T20s)July 03: England vs India, 1st

T20I, at Old Trafford, Manchester

July 06: England vs India, 2nd T20I, at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

July 08: England vs India, 3rd T20I, at County Ground, Bristol

AUSTRALIA AND PAKISTAN IN ZIMBABWE T20I TRI-SERIES

All matches at Harare Sports Club, Harare

July 01, Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, 1st Match, Pakistan won by 74 runs

July 02, Pakistan vs Australia, 2nd Match

July 03, Australia vs Zimbabwe, 3rd Match

July 04, Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, 4th Match

July 05, Pakistan vs Australia, 5th Match

July 06, Australia vs Zimbabwe, 6th Match

July 08, TBC vs TBC, Final

PakistanM Hafeez c Masakadza b Jarvis .............................. 7

F Zaman B Chisoro .................................................61

H Talat c Moor b Chibhabha .................................10

S Ahmed c Musakanda b Chisoro .........................16

S Malik (not out) .....................................................37

A Ali (not out) ..........................................................41

Extras (LB1, W9) ...................................................10

Total (4 wkts) ........................................ 182Did not bat: F Ashraf, S Khan, M Nawaz, H Ali, U

Khan

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-44, 3-78, 4-120

Bowling: Nyumbu 3-0-32-0; Jarvis 2-0-9-1; Muz-

arabani 4-0-46-0; Chibhabha 3-0-29-1 (1w); Chiso-

ro 4-0-28-1 (1w); Mire 3-0-29-0 (2w); Burl 1-0-8-0

ZimbabweS Mire c Ali b Nawaz 27

C Chibhabha lbw b Nawaz ..................................... 0

H Masakadza c Ahmed b Ali ...................................7

T Musakanda c S Khan b U Khan ......................... 43

P Moor b Khan ..........................................................2

E Chigumbura b Ali ................................................14

R Burl c Malik b Hafeez .......................................... 9

T Chisoro c Ahmed b Khan ...................................... 1

B Muzarabani b Hafeez .......................................... 0

J Nyumbu (not out) ................................................... 1

K Jarvis absent hurt

Extras (LB1, W3) .................................................... 4

Total (all out)..........................................108Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-22, 3-57, 4-64, 5-88, 6-102,

7-105, 8-107, 9-108.

Bowling: Nawaz 4-0-11-2; Khan 3-0-11-2; Ashraf

3-0-23-0 (1w); Ali 2-0-19-2 (2w); Khan 4-0-29-1;

Talat 1-0-11-0; Hafeez 0.5-0-3-2

SCOREBOARD

TOP-10 RESULTS AT THE AUSTRIAN GP

SPORT 24MONDAY 2 JULY 2018

Iniesta calls time on Spain after Cup exitREUTERS

MOSCOW: Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta called time on his remarkable international career after his team’s surprise World Cup exit at the hands of hosts Russia yesterday.

The 34-year-old, who scored the winning goal at the 2010 World Cup final, won 133 caps in an international career spanning 12 years, during which he also won European champi-onship titles in 2008 and 2012.

Iniesta admitted it was not the end he had wanted after he was left out of the starting line-up for the round-of-16 game.

“It’s reality that today has been my last match for the

national team,” he told reporters.

“Sometimes, the end does not happen the way you dreamed it would, and is instead marked by the circumstances.

“It’s bad, it’s tough,” he said. “It’s a difficult moment, one

we have been through on various occasions -- we weren’t capable of going that little bit extra.

“The critics don’t matter so much; we are angry because we weren’t capable of taking another step and we didn’t rise to the occasion, despite trying everything. On a personal level, it wasn’t my dream farewell but these things happen in life.” Iniesta said he had no com-plaints about being left on the

bench by coach Fernando Hierro, before being brought on during the second half.

“I don’t feel hard done by. The coach takes decisions whether you agree with them or not. The coach understood that it was better that way.” Hierro, meanwhile, praised Ini-esta’s reaction.

“I want to extend my sincere thanks to an exemplary profes-sional,” he said. “He is one of the best players in Spanish football history -- I can’t say anything else.

“I give Andres a 10 for his behaviour and for under-standing the situation. He went out as if it were his first game as a professional, helping his team mates.” Hierro dodges questions

on future after defeatAFP

MOSCOW: Spain coach Fernando Hierro said it was not the right time to contemplate his future after his team crashed out to World Cup hosts Russia on penalties in the last 16.

Koke and Iago Aspas saw their spot-kicks saved by Igor Akinfeev as Russia prevailed 4-3 in a shootout following a 1-1 draw in Moscow.

Hierro was drafted in as coach on the eve of the tour-nament when Julen Lopetegui was sacked after it was announced he would take over the Real Madrid job next season.

“That doesn’t not worry me, I don’t think it’s something for

right now,” said Hierro when asked about his future in the role.

“Now we need to share this difficult moment. We all wanted to great things at this tournament.

“We’re talking about a gen-eration of extraordinary players and we haven’t been performing at the level we expect in the World Cup.”

Hierro rejected any sug-gestion the team would have fared better had the Spanish federation not decided to axe Lopetegui after arriving in Russia.

“We had opportunities to win this match but we ended up in a penalty shootout which is

basically a lottery, and we weren’t lucky,” he said.

“I don’t think you can talk about the team breaking down or there being any sort of col-lapse,” the former Real Madrid captain said.

“In football there’s a fine line between winning and losing.” Spain have not lost over 90 minutes since they were knocked out by Italy in the last 16 at the European Champi-onship in France.

However, they won just one of four games in Russia after Hierro took over the reins.

“We’re going home after 24 matches without losing,” Hierro said. “This is sad but we have to accept it.”

Spain coach Fernando Hierro reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Russia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow yesterday.

Russia’s midfielder Aleksandr Golovin (left) vies with Spain’s midfielder Andres Iniesta during the 2018 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow yesterday.

Croatia edge Denmark in dramatic penalty shootout to reach last-eightREUTERS

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA: Croatia came back after conceding in the opening minute to earn a World Cup quarter-final berth after edging Denmark 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the two sides drew 1-1 in the round of 16 match yesterday.

They could have wrapped up the result five minutes from the end of extra time but Luka Modric had his penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

However, the Croatia captain returned to bravely take one of the post-match kicks as goal-keeper Danijel Subasic save three of Denmark’s efforts to set up a quarter-final meeting with Russia on Saturday.

It was Modric’s sublime pass that put Ante Rebic through on goal, before being brought down by Mathias Jorgensen, and offered Croatia a chance to win just before the lottery of the shootout.

But Schmeichel made a

smart save to keep the 1-1 stalemate intact through two hours of at times pedestrian football.

Two chaotic goals in the opening four minutes made for a rollicking start at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. However, it proved a false dawn as the spec-tacle faded with both sides choosing caution as their priority given the rare chance to reach the last eight at a World Cup.

Jorgensen took all of 57 seconds to breach the Croatia defence at the end of a long throw-in by Jonas Knudsen, stabbing at the ball with his left foot as he took it off team mate Thomas Delaney.

Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic got a hand to Jorgensen’s toe-poke but effectively deflected the ball across his own line.

There was an element of comedy to the fourth-minute equaliser for Mario Mandzukic as Denmark’s early advantage quickly disappeared.

A kick across the Danish defence was firmly hit away by Henrik Dalsgaard but straight into the face of team mate Andreas Christensen, creating a pinball effect that saw the ball fall for Mandzukic, who then expertly turned it into the net from close range.

The anticipated influence of Christian Eriksen for the Danes and Croatia’s Modric

held out hopes of more mouth-watering action but their craft was only evident in patches.

Eriksen did shave the top of the woodwork just before

halftime with a speculative effort while, at the other end, Ivan Rakitic forced a smart save from Schmeichel.

After the interval, the

chances were even more sparse although Croatia did up the tempo towards the end of regu-lation time only to run into a res-olute Denmark defence.

In extra time, Knudsen’s long throws proved the most dan-gerous attacking weapon but eventually it was penalties that delivered a winner.

Croatia’s goalkeeper Danijel Subasic stops a shot during the penalty shootout during the 2018 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Denmark at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, yesterday.

DENMARK CROATIA

2 3JORGENSEN - 1' MANDZUKIC- 4'

CROATIA WIN 3-2 ON PENALTIES

Documents

Russia rock the World Cup · 2018-07-01 · for a youth “It’s go Lionel Messi answering his critics in resounding style after a disap-pointing campaign in Brazi l four years ago