Liverpool close on Champions League progress as Salah seals Girona win

Liverpool close on Champions League progress as Salah seals Girona win
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the opening goal during their Champions League match against Girona at the Estadi Montilivi in Girona, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP)
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Liverpool close on Champions League progress as Salah seals Girona win

Liverpool close on Champions League progress as Salah seals Girona win
  • Liverpool have made a stunning start in the competition under coach Arne Slot, winning all six of their matches
  • Salah sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal

GIRONA, Spain: Champions League group phase leaders Liverpool virtually sealed a place in the last 16 with a tight 1-0 victory at Girona on Tuesday after Mohamed Salah struck from the penalty spot.
Liverpool have made a stunning start in the competition under coach Arne Slot, winning all six of their matches to move provisionally five points clear of second-placed Inter Milan.
The English giants, six-time winners of the competition, were given a tough night by Champions League debutants Girona, who fell to a fifth defeat and are on the verge of elimination.
Teams finishing in the top eight will avoid an extra round of play-off matches.
“If you ask me about all six games, I’m really pleased with all the results... (but) I’m far from pleased about the performance tonight,” Slot told reporters.
“(We had) hardly any control at all over the game, maybe the second half was a bit better but then I’m trying to be positive.”
Slot started fit-again goalkeeper Alisson Becker after a two-month injury lay-off and the Brazilian showed no sign of rust on a busy night.
After their Merseyside derby clash at Everton was called off because of a storm at the weekend, Slot was able to pick a fresh side, going with arguably his strongest available team to try and assure a top eight finish as soon as possible.
Newcomers Girona, who lost several key players in the summer and are still rebuilding, opted for Arnaut Danjuma in attack with support from spritely duo Bryan Gil and Yaser Asprilla.
Liverpool pinned the hosts back in the first 10 minutes and Girona stopper Paulo Gazzaniga pushed away a Joe Gomez header.
After that Michel Sanchez’s Girona found their footing on a chilly night at their sold-out Montilivi stadium, reduced to under 10,000 capacity due to UEFA regulations, and they began to put Alisson to the test.
The goalkeeper saved from Alejandro Frances and then denied former Tottenham winger Gil, who slipped as he ran through on Liverpool’s goal.
Alisson also beat away a Miguel Gutierrez drive as the qualities of the side which pushed Real Madrid close for the Spanish title last season shone through.
“Maybe the players wanted to see how fit he really was, so they gave him so much work,” joked Slot.
“Alisson has been so important for this club for so many years, and showed today he is one of the best, the best in my opinion, goalkeeper in the world.”
Darwin Nunez spurned Liverpool’s first big chance after Salah slipped him in, with Gazzaniga keeping out the Uruguayan striker’s low poke.
Alisson was tested again early in the second half by former Bournemouth forward Danjuma.
The Dutchman then gave Liverpool’s defense the slip with a clever dribble but fired over, as Slot’s words ahead of the game were proven true — Girona were better than the standings suggested.
Despite their valiant efforts, the Liverpool juggernaut is proving hard to stop and the Premier League leaders took the lead with a controversial penalty won by Luis Diaz.
The Colombian winger went down under a challenge from Donny van de Beek and after a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot, much to the home side’s frustration.
Salah sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal, pulling the Egyptian level with Filippo Inzaghi as the 10th highest goalscorer of all-time in the competition.
The winger is out of contract at the end of the season but his 16 goals across all competitions have been essential in Liverpool’s superb first half of the season.
Slot replaced the wasteful Nunez with Cody Gakpo as he tried to kill the game off, but Girona were deflated after conceding and unable to make further inroads as their Champions League dream draws toward a close.
“I almost feel sorry for them because they deserve so much more in this Champions League campaign than the three points they have,” admitted Slot.
Girona coach Sanchez thanked the Liverpool coach for the praise of his team and said despite the defeat he was proud of his team.
“I’m very proud of the players’ performance,” said Sanchez.
“It was a very worthy game from us, the commitment from the team was top level.”


Fiorentina’s Bove has defibrillator installed after collapse: media

Fiorentina’s Bove has defibrillator installed after collapse: media
Updated 51 min 14 sec ago
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Fiorentina’s Bove has defibrillator installed after collapse: media

Fiorentina’s Bove has defibrillator installed after collapse: media
  • Fiorentina later said that “the operation which Edoardo Bove underwent was successful“
  • If confirmed, the installation of a defibrillator would mean Bove’s football career in Italy is at risk due to stringent health regulations

MILAN: Edoardo Bove has had a defibrillator fitted after the Fiorentina midfielder’s on-pitch cardiac arrest earlier this month, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
Sky Sport and Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that the operation was carried out on Tuesday morning at the Careggi hospital in Florence, where Bove has been since collapsing during Fiorentina’s Serie A fixture with Inter Milan on December 1.
The match was stopped and then called off while Bove was rushed to the intensive care unit, where serious damage to the 22-year-old’s central nervous and cardio-respiratory systems was quickly ruled out.
Bove has been awake and undergoing tests in hospital for just over a week and is reportedly set to be discharged in the coming days after his operation.
Fiorentina later said that “the operation which Edoardo Bove underwent was successful,” without specifying the exact procedure.
“Edoardo contacted the club a few minutes ago and said that he is fine and will continue his post-operation recovery program before being discharged from hospital in the next few days,” said Fiorentina.
If confirmed, the installation of a defibrillator would mean Bove’s football career in Italy is at risk due to stringent health regulations which govern sport in the country.
Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter Milan in 2021 in the wake of his cardiac arrest and collapse while playing for Denmark at that year’s European Championship.
Eriksen was banned from playing in Italian football after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, fitted but now plays for Manchester United and still represents his country.


Montpellier suspend Haouas after latest brush with the law

Montpellier suspend Haouas after latest brush with the law
Updated 10 December 2024
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Montpellier suspend Haouas after latest brush with the law

Montpellier suspend Haouas after latest brush with the law
  • Caudullo said he and the club’s director of rugby Bernard Laporte met with the player on Monday
  • Haouas was arrested on Sunday and then taken into police custody in Montpellier for drunk driving

MARSEILLE: International prop Mohamed Haouas, who will be tried on February 4 for drunk driving, has been suspended indefinitely, his club Montpellier announced on Tuesday.
“He disappointed us with his behavior. For me, it was important to sanction him. There is a precautionary suspension. We will see how it goes afterwards,” said manager Joan Caudullo.
Caudullo said he and the club’s director of rugby Bernard Laporte met with the player on Monday.
Haouas was arrested on Sunday and then taken into police custody in Montpellier for drunk driving. His case will be heard on February 4, 2025.
The 30-year-old has 16 international caps.
He started for the first time this season for Montpellier last week against Newport in the Challenge Cup. He will miss the game against another Welsh team this weekend.
“He will not play this match. He will not train until further notice. He will also be financially sanctioned. We cannot allow this type of behavior to happen in our club, and we have other fish to fry,” said Caudullo.
Haouas started his career at Montpellier but left in 2023 for Biarritz after a series of brushes with the law.
In May 2023 he was handed a one-year suspended sentence for hitting his wife. The following month, he was found guilty in a case that stemmed from a fight in a Montpellier bakery in 2014. He has appealed the verdict. He also received a suspended sentenced in February 2022, for burglaries of tobacco shops in Montpellier in 2014.
He was taken back by Montpellier after his year in the Basque country but owner Moed Al trad made clear his stay at the club was conditional on “exemplary behavior.”
Haouas had started discussions to extend his contract but his future is now in Al trad’s hands.
“He will tell us what to do,” said Caudullo. “He is the one who brought him back to the club and gave him this second chance. It is important to have his opinion.”
Montpellier, who won their first French title in 2022, escaped relegation in June in a playoff and are ninth in the Top 14 this season.


NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard ‘hadn’t written a speech’ after becoming youngest-ever Formula E podium finisher in Brazil

NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard ‘hadn’t written a speech’ after becoming youngest-ever Formula E podium finisher in Brazil
Updated 10 December 2024
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NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard ‘hadn’t written a speech’ after becoming youngest-ever Formula E podium finisher in Brazil

NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard ‘hadn’t written a speech’ after becoming youngest-ever Formula E podium finisher in Brazil
  • Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing also made history by winning from 22nd on the grid
  • Round 4 of the season will take place at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Feb. 14-15 after 6 successful seasons in Diriyah

SAO PAULO: NEOM McLaren driver Taylor Barnard, aged only 20 years and 189 days, has joked that he did not have a speech ready after becoming Formula E’s youngest-ever podium finisher, surpassing Daniel Abt’s record set in 2015.

The 2024-25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicked off at the weekend, with Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing taking first place, Antonio Felix Da Costa of Tag Heuer Porsche in second and Barnard third.

Thanks to Barnard and his teammate Sam Bird, who finished fourth in the action-packed race in Brazil, NEOM McLaren are leading the Teams’ table, having stormed through the field after starting from 17th and 16th, respectively.

“I hadn’t written a podium speech,” Barnard said. “Especially after the start of that race, I took off my front wing and had to change it, come into the pits and I had a Drive-Through Penalty, unfortunately. I don’t know what to say.”

“The team did an absolutely amazing job with the second Attack Mode strategy, it made it easy for me and Sam to pass and get up to the front and we both did a great job. He protected me at the end so thanks to him for the great teamwork. I didn’t expect to be standing here.”

Evans also made history by becoming the first driver to win from the back of the grid, after starting from 22nd in the debut race for the GEN3 Evo car. The introduction of a powered-up “Attack Mode,” now with a four-wheel drive boost, added a new layer of strategy, enabling Evans to charge through the field late in the race. With this stunning performance, Evans now leads the Drivers’ standings.

Sao Paulo delivered 111 overtakes, five leaders and dramatic moments including a safety car and two Red Flags; one followed a crash involving reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein, whose Porsche ended upside down after hitting the wall. Thankfully, Wehrlein was unharmed.

His Porsche teammate Da Costa came second in the race, Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara secured fifth place, followed by both Nissan Formula E Team drivers Norman Nato and Nyck de Vries in sixth and seventh, respectively. Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing), Dan Ticktum (CUPRA KIRO) and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) completed the top 10.

Formula E heads to Mexico City for round two of Season 11 on Jan. 11 next year.

Jeddah will be the new home of Formula E in Saudi Arabia, hosting the thrilling race at the iconic Jeddah Corniche Circuit — known as the fastest street circuit in the world — on Feb. 14-15.

It follows six successful seasons racing in Diriyah, and marks a new chapter in Formula E’s history since its inaugural race in Saudi Arabia in Season 5.


Dortmund celebrate red-hot Gittens’ ‘arrival’ as Barca loom

Dortmund celebrate red-hot Gittens’ ‘arrival’ as Barca loom
Updated 10 December 2024
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Dortmund celebrate red-hot Gittens’ ‘arrival’ as Barca loom

Dortmund celebrate red-hot Gittens’ ‘arrival’ as Barca loom
  • Still just 20, Gittens’ recent performances have established the Englishman as Dortmund’s most important attacking outlet
  • With his trademark dance in from the left flank, dribbling past defenders, Gittens unleashed a rocket which bounced in off the crossbar to score for the fourth straight game

BERLIN: Asked to sum up yet another star turn from winger Jamie Gittens on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin said simply “he has arrived.”
Still just 20, Gittens’ recent performances have established the Englishman as Dortmund’s most important attacking outlet.
With his trademark dance in from the left flank, dribbling past defenders, Gittens unleashed a rocket which bounced in off the crossbar to score for the fourth straight game.
In Wednesday’s home clash against a free-scoring Barcelona side who are top of the La Liga table, Gittens will be crucial as Dortmund hope to take a step closer to locking up a top-eight spot.
Gittens walked the same path as former Borussia teammate Jadon Sancho when he moved from the Manchester City academy to Dortmund.
Just four years younger than Sancho, who is now at Chelsea having returned to Dortmund for a six-month loan last season, Gittens’ progress was disrupted by a series of shoulder injuries.
This season, Gittens has played in all Dortmund’s 20 games in all competitions. He has nine goals — including four in the Champions League — and four assists.
Gittens has developed a habit of scoring incredible goals at crucial moments in what has been a challenging season for last year’s Champions League finalists.
German tabloid Bild on Sunday called him a “giant” and said “Dortmund finally have a star face again.”
According to Bild’s analysis, sixth-placed Dortmund would be in the bottom half of the table without Gittens’ contributions.
Germany’s Sport1 network on Monday had a discussion asking if “Dortmund are too dependent?” on the starlet this season.
On Saturday, Gittens was quick to deflect praise of his red-hot form.
“My teammates are always making me go harder in training,” Gittens told the Bundesliga website, adding his improvement was due to “being more confident on the pitch.”
Several current superstars, including Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele and Sancho, have emerged from the Dortmund finishing school in recent years.
Plenty are tempted to ask if Gittens is on the same path — and whether a move away is inevitable.
German media speculated on Sunday Gittens will be Dortmund’s next big-money sale.
But while Haaland, Bellingham, Dembele and Sancho always had their eyes set on a short stay, Gittens — who gives interviews in German — has repeatedly said he is comfortable in Dortmund.
After a spectacular solo goal in a 1-1 draw with rivals Bayern Munich in November, Sancho texted Gittens.
“He wrote to me. He said ‘keep it up — it’s your time to show everyone what you can do’,” Gittens said of Sancho, calling the Chelsea winger “a top player and a top friend.”
Dortmund coach Sahin, under pressure after a patchy start to the season, refused to take credit for Gittens’ development.
“The credit doesn’t belong to me, but to Jamie and (former Dortmund assistant coach) Sven Bender.”
“He’s made a huge step. His heart is in the right place and I wish him only the best.”
Like last season, when they finished fifth in the Bundesliga but reached the Champions League final, Dortmund have struggled in Germany but impressed in Europe this year.
Dortmund are fourth on the Champions League table, level on points with third-placed Barcelona.
Despite flying high in the new format, either side could fall outside the top eight with a loss, such is the traffic jam of teams below them.
Barcelona are atop the Liga table in Hansi Flick’s first season. They have, however, begun to show defensive vulnerabilities similar to those which brought Flick’s time at Bayern to an end.
If Dortmund are to challenge the five-time Champions League winners, the lightning-quick Gittens will need to play a leading role.


Even reserves are ‘world-class players’ — Azam Khan on the intensity of the DP World ILT20

Even reserves are ‘world-class players’ — Azam Khan on the intensity of the DP World ILT20
Updated 10 December 2024
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Even reserves are ‘world-class players’ — Azam Khan on the intensity of the DP World ILT20

Even reserves are ‘world-class players’ — Azam Khan on the intensity of the DP World ILT20
  • The Desert Vipers batsman is focused on victory for his team and helping the next generation of UAE cricketers

DUBAI: Renowned hard-hitting Desert Vipers’ batter Azam Khan is upbeat about the DP World ILT20 Season 3 after playing a pivotal role in his team’s previous campaign, which saw them narrowly miss out on a playoff berth.

The right-handed Pakistan international said: “I’m really excited for the next season. I had a great season last year, which brings the same excitement to go out and play for the Desert Vipers again. There will be new challenges, but we’ll focus on executing on the ground and winning for the team.”

DP World ILT20 Season 2 saw the power-hitter register the fastest half-century in the competition’s history. Khan reached the milestone in just 18 balls, studded with five fours and four sixes, to power the Vipers to victory against the Gulf Giants.

Looking back on the achievement and shedding light on his approach to the game, Khan added: “I’ve always said that cricket is a game that won’t just give you success, but it’ll also bring failures in your career. For me, it’s about going out there and dominating the other side. That’s what I always try to do whenever I go out there.”

Khan’s reputation as one of the most aggressive batters in the game today has made him a fan favorite; in season two, the crowd chanted his name during his stints.

“It’s a great adrenaline rush for me whenever I go out to bat and hear the crowd roaring,” said the 25-year-old. “It’s an amazing feeling for any player, any batter. I’ll try to make sure I bring the same excitement for the fans this year as well.”

Khan also highlighted the growing competitiveness of the DP World ILT20.

“I’ve been talking to many players about the competition, and with nine international players in one team, I think it makes it very tough for the players to perform. Even the guys sitting on the bench are world-class players, so it gets difficult for the guys,” he said.

Khan believes the unique structure serves as a catalyst for the development of UAE cricketers and the grassroots program.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the UAE youngsters, especially as they can share the dressing room with the legends and greats of the game,” he said. “It’s very good for their future, and they can learn from them, try to execute the feedback they get, and use it in their daily life to work on it.

“I know some of them personally, and it feels very nice when all these young guys come to you and ask for opinions. It feels nice that they want suggestions from me, and I’m always there for them.”

With the Desert Vipers set to begin their campaign on Jan. 12 against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders — in an away game in the UAE capital — Khan is urging the fans to lend their support.

“Just come out and support us and we’ll try to win the tournament this year. I can’t promise that, but I’ll make sure that whenever I go in the ground, I’ll give my 100 percent,” he said.

The third season of the DP World ILT20 will run from Jan. 11 to Feb. 9 next year.