Sports Suplement 4th issue

DT
VOL1, ISSUE 4 | Saturday, February 18, 2017
Sports Tribune
2
Saturday, February 18, 2017
DT
Week in Review
Picture of the week
This week
February 14
Voges ends
Test career
Australia's Adam Voges has retired
from international cricket, signing
off with a Test batting average
second only to the great Don
Bradman.
Voges became the oldest player
to score a century on his Test debut
when he made an unbeaten 130
against West Indies two years ago,
aged 35.
The right-handed batsman
scored 1,485 runs at an average
of 61.87, ranking him second on
the all time list behind Bradman's
incredible 99.94.
Voges lost his place in the
Test team after the second of
two defeats to South Africa in
November and was treated for
concussion after being hit by a
bouncer when batting for Western
Australia in a Sheffield Shield match
the same month.
Voges, 37, will lead the Prime
Minister's XI against Sri Lanka in
Canberra on Wednesday.
noisy neighbour!
India and Bangladesh fans with faces painted in the colours of their flags
during day three of the only Test between India and Bangladesh AP
The Round of 16 leg of the 2016-
17 Uefa Champions League has
already begun and in the upcoming
week, there are some important
clashes on the horizon.
On Tuesday, German outfit
Bayer Leverkusen take on Spanish
side Atletico Madrid while Premier
League Manchester City face
Principality team Monaco.
A day later, former European
champion Porto lock horns with
Italian giant Juventus while sparks
are expected to fly in the clash
between Spanish side Sevilla and
English champion Leicester City.
Meanwhile, a second string
Australia side will encounter Sri
Lanka in the second and third
T20Is on Sunday and Wednesday.
On the other hand, the fullstrength
Aussies, currently in
India, will battle against the world’s
number one side in five-dayers
in the first of four Test matches,
starting Thursday. South Africa
are also in action as they face New
Zealand in the first, second and
third ODIs on Sunday, Wednesday
and Saturday respectively.
Ind v Ban, lone Test
Taste
February 13
Root becomes
England Test
captain
Joe Root said he felt "privileged,
humbled and very excited" to be
named England Test cricket captain
on Monday, replacing Alastair Cook
who resigned last week after four
and a half years in charge.
Colin Graves, chairman of
the England and Wales Cricket
Board, said in a statement that the
Yorkshire batsman had been the
FEBRUARY 14, 15
Barcelona stunned, Bayern crush Gunners
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted
his side's Champions League hopes are
all but over for this season after they
were outclassed 4-0 by a brilliant Paris
Saint-Germain in their last 16 first leg
on Tuesday.
Angel di Maria scored twice for the
French champions on his 29th birthday
at the Parc des Princes, while Julian
Draxler and Edinson Cavani - on his
30th birthday - were also on target in a
stunning home performance.
Benfica made Borussia Dortmund
pay for missing a host of chances, as
the Portuguese side snatched a 1-0
win on Tuesday thanks to forward
Kostas Mitroglou's 13th goal in his last
13 games.
Bayern Munich crushed Arsenal
5-1 on Wednesday, scoring three goals
in a dazzling 10-minute spell in the
second half to extend their record
to 16 consecutive home wins in the
competition.
Thiago Alcantara struck twice and
Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski
and substitute Thomas Mueller were
also on target as the Bavarians inflicted
Arsenal's first defeat of the season in
Europe's premier club competition.
Casemiro's stunning volley crowned
a superb display from Real Madrid, who
fought back to beat Napoli 3-1 at the
Bernabeu on Wednesday. The Brazilian
thundered a spectacular shot into the
net early in the second half to complete
Real's comeback, adding to efforts
either side of halftime from Karim
Benzema and Toni Kroos.
3
of Test
Cook to bat on despite
quitting captaincy
What is American
5 Football?
Eng golden Generation
7 - Then and Now
perfect choice.
"I'm delighted that he has
accepted the role and will now help
to take the team to the next level,"
he added.
Durham's 25-year-old allrounder
Ben Stokes was named
vice-captain, the role previously
held by Root.
Root, 26, has scored 4,594 Test
runs since his debut in 2012 and will
become England's 80th skipper
with his first game in charge against
South Africa at Lord's on July 6.
February 11
Bolt seals Nitro Series win
Usain Bolt fired his team of
international “All Stars” to victory in
the inaugural Nitro Athletics Series in
Melbourne on Saturday.
Running the second leg of the
relay, the eight-times Olympic gold
medal-winner took the baton from
fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell
before Jeneba Tarmoh and Natasha
Morrison powered to the finish in
front of a sell-out crowd at Lakeside
Stadium.
Having run in only the relays in
the opening two instalments of the
three-night series, Bolt also took his
first individual run of the year, burning
away from a modest field for an easy
win in the 150m sprint ahead of New
Zealander Joseph Millar.
FEBRUARY 16
Wenger’s Arsenal future to be
decided at season end
Arsene Wenger’s future as Arsenal
manager will be decided at the end
of the season, the BBC reported on
Thursday without citing sources.
There was currently no prospect of
Wenger leaving before the summer, it
said, hours after Arsenal were thrashed
5-1 away to Bayern Munich in the
Champions League.
Wenger is out of contract at the end
of the season and has yet to accept
fresh terms on offer. The decision on
his future was expected to be taken
mutually by the manager and the club,
the report added.

Feature 3 4
Saturday, February 18, 2017
DT
DT
Saturday, February 18, 2017
India v Bangladesh
Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates after scoring a century on the fourth day of their solo Test match against India at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium
in Hyderabad on Sunday
AFP
Bangladesh, Hyderabad recall
memories of the past
• Minhaz Uddin Khan from
Hyderabad
The fine bonding between Bangladesh
cricket and Hyderabad Cricket
Association grew even stronger
through the hosting of the one-off
Test match between host India and
the Tigers.
Hyderabad, a city rich in heritage
and where the people love to
talk about cricket, is elated at being
able to host an international match
for the first time in four years.
The jubilation doubled as Bangladesh
are currently embarking on
their maiden tour of India.
It all started when Bangladesh
were toddlers in world cricket.
During that time, it was tough for
the Tigers to make an international
tour due to their inexperience.
Hyderabad though was an exception
as it both hosted and visited
Bangladesh. Hyderabad Blues,
also known as Deccan Blues, probably
made their first visit to Dhaka
in 1978 on their way back from Australia.
The occasion was a threeday
game but the visitors had clear
intentions of taking it seriously
as they were scheduled to play in
front of some 35,000 spectators.
Hosting a team which consisted
of veteran India Test cricketers and
some young ones as well was a big
deal for Bangladesh as it happened
long before any Test nation had
toured the country.
This was probably the time
when the India cricketers had developed
relations with Bangladesh
cricket. Later, the Dhaka clubs
brought in cricketers from India for
domestic competitions.
From Hyderabad, there were
two notable names – Ramakrishnan
Sridhar for Kalabagan Cricket Club
and the late Raman Lamba for Abahani
Limited. Lamba's time with the
Sky Blues in 1991 was his first visit
to the country after 1989-90 when
he toured for Hyderabad Blues.
Lamba became a regular face
for the next few seasons but it was
his tragic death, after being hit on
the head while fielding at short leg
during an Abahani-Mohammedan
Sporting Club clash that made him
immortal in Bangladesh cricket.
As far as the Tigers cricketers
visiting Hyderabad is concerned,
there were many occasions when
India and Bangladesh cricketers stand for their national anthems prior to the first day of the only Test match in Hyderabad on February 9
a team from Bangladesh, including
domestic or age-level sides,
would get invited to participate in
the Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup and other
tournaments hosted by the HCA
at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Ground,
Gymkhana Ground and Osmania
College Ground.
This paved the way for former
Bangladesh cricketers like Aminul
Islam, Akram Khan, Athar Ali Khan
and many others to acquire further
experience.
To mark the ongoing Test and
relationship between Hyderabad
and Bangladesh, the cricket association
of Hyderabad has published a
souvenir. It was not a surprise at all
to see the Hyderabad-Bangladesh
friendship getting highlighted in
the souvenir. •
AFP
Ind-ban
India 1st inn (overnight 356-3) R
Rahul b Taskin 2 4
Vijay b Taijul 108 160
Pujara c Mushfiq b Miraz 83 177
Kohli lbw b Taijul 204 246
Rahane c Miraz b Taijul 82 133
Saha not out 106 155
Ashwin c Soumya b Miraz 34 45
Jadeja not out 60 78
Extras (lb5, w1, nb2) 8
Total (6 wickets; 166 overs) 687
Fall of wickets
1-2, 2-180, 3-234, 4-456, 5-495, 6-569
Bowling
Taskin 25-2-127-1 (1nd, 1w), Rabbi 19-1-100-
0 (1nb), Soumya 1-0-4-0, Miraz 42-0-165-
2, Shakib 24-4-104-0, Taijul 47-6-156-3,
Sabbir 3-0-10-0, Mahmudullah 5-0-16-0
Did not bat
Bhuvneshwar, Yadav, Ishant
Bangladesh 1st innings R B
Tamim run out (Yadav/Bhuvi) 24 53
Soumya c Saha b Yadav 15 31
Mominul lbw b Yadav 12 36
Mahmudullah lbw b Ishant 28 57
Shakib c Yadav b Ashwin 82 103
Mushfiq c Saha b Ashwin 127 262
Sabbir lbw b Jadeja 16 35
Miraz b Bhuvneshwar 51 107
Taijul c Saha b Yadav 10 38
Taskin c Rahane b Jadeja 8 35
Rabbi not out 0 10
Extras (lb15) 15
Total (all out, 127.5 overs) 388
Fall of wickets
1-38, 2-44, 3-64, 4-109, 5-216, 6-235,
7-322, 8-339, 9-378, 10-388
Bowling
Bhuvneshwar 21-7-52-1, Ishant 20-5-69-1,
Ashwin 28.5-7-98-2, Yadav 25-6-84-3,
Jadeja 33-8-70-2
India 2nd innings R B
Vijay c Mushfiq b Taskin 7 14
Rahul c Mushfiq b Taskin 10 17
Pujara not out 54 58
Kohli c Mahmudullah b Shakib 38 40
Rahane b Shakib 28 35
Jadeja not out 16 10
Extras (lb5, w1) 6
Total (4 wickets dec; 29 overs) 159
Fall of wicket
1-12, 2-23, 3-90, 4-128
Bowling
Taijul 6-1-29-0, Taskin 7-0-43-2, Shakib
9-0-50-2, Miraz 7-0-32-0
Did not bat
Saha, Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar, Yadav, Ishant-
Bangladesh 2nd innings R B
Tamim c Kohli b Ashwin 3 11
Soumya c Rahane b Jadeja 42 66
Mominul c Rahane b Ashwin 27 63
Mahmudullah c Bhuvi b Ishant 64 149
Shakib c Pujara b Jadeja 22 50
Mushfiq c Jadeja b Ashwin 23 44
Sabbir lbw b Ishant 22 61
Miraz c Saha b Jadeja 23 61
Rabbi not out 3 70
Taijul c Rahul b Jadeja 6 24
Taskin lbw b Ashwin 1 7
Extras (b 4, lb 7, nb 3) 14
Total (all out; 100.3 overs) 250
Fall of wickets
1-11, 2-71, 3-75, 4-106, 5-162, 6-213, 7-225,
8-242, 9-249, 10-250
Bowling
Kumar 8-4-15-0, Ashwin 30.3-10-73-4,
Sharma 13-3-40-2 (3nb), Yadav 12-2-33-0,
Jadeja 37-15-78-4
Toss: India
Result: India win by 208 runs
MoM: Virat Kohli
B
BANGLADESH'S HIGHS AND LOWS
Bangladesh completed their historic one-off Test match against India at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad last week. The Tigers lost
by 208 runs against the world’s number one ranked Test side. In the process, India stretched their unbeaten home run to 18 Tests while the series
win over the Tigers was their sixth consecutive home series victory. In that aspect, Bangladesh did not perform all that bad as India had to fight
hard to bowl out Bangladesh in the second session of the fifth and final day. With that said, Bangladesh boast a very good batting line up comprising
Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and the world’s second best all-rounder, Shakib al Hasan. So it is high time that
Bangladesh perform more consistently in the longer format of the game, rather than just showing glimpses of brilliance. Ali Shahriyar Bappa of
Dhaka Tribune Sport assessed the Tigers’ Hyderabad Test in details. Here are some positives for the Tigers to take forward in their upcoming
tour of Sri Lanka, and a few improvements to work upon.
Highs
t Shakib played a crucial 82-run
innings off just 103 balls in the
first innings. Bangladesh were
batting on 109 runs for four
wickets, replying to the opposition's
huge total of 687 in the
first innings, when Shakib went
out to bat. From that point,
Shakib counter-attacked and
scored some quick runs, not letting
the Indian bowlers to settle
down.
t Mushfiq produced a brilliant captain's
knock of 127 off 262 balls in
the first essay. This was the wicketkeeper-batsman's
fifth Test
century. And it came at a time
when his team needed it most.
Interestingly, Mushfiq’s five centuries
have been scored in five
different venues – Chittagong,
Galle, St. Vincent, Wellington
and finally, in Hyderabad.
t Youngster Mehedi Hasan Miraz
Bangladesh’s
Mehedi Hasan
Miraz (L) makes
an attempt to
run out India’s
Murali Vijay
during the first
day of the one-off
Test match at
Rajiv Gandhi
International
Stadium in
Hyderabad on
February 9
AFP
Bangladesh’s
captain and
wicket-keeper
Mushfiqur Rahim
unsuccessfully
stumps India’s
Wriddhiman Saha
on the second
day of the only
Test match at
Rajiv Gandhi
International
Stadium in
Hyderabad on
February 10
AFP
started his international career
with a bang, taking 19 wickets
against England during October-November
last year. He was
considered an all-rounder in his
U-19 days. He shone with the
bat in the 2016 U-19 World Cup
where he scored 242 runs and
was adjudged man of the series.
But his Test batting stats was
horrible prior to the Hyderabad
Test. He fared well though,
scoring 51 and 23 against the
Indians. In his last eight Test
innings prior to the Hyderabad
Test, Miraz scored made only
20 runs. So batsman Miraz cane
take some confidence from the
India five-dayer.
t A Test half-century from
Mahmudullah after 10 innings
came as a relief for the team
management as the right hander
is one of the main pillars
of the middle order. Opening
batsman Soumya Sarkar also
scored some runs, which is
another positive for the side.
The left-hander was struggling
badly in every format last year.
Some runs from Soumya’s bat
will definitely relieve the Bangladesh
think tank ahead of a
busy schedule this year.
Lows
t Fielding was poor in both the
innings, especially in first essay.
Miraz committed a childish
error while attempting to run
out Murali Vijay. Vijay eventually
scored a hundred. Mushfiq
missed a regulation stumping
chance of Wriddhiman Saha.
Later, Saha too blasted a ton.
These two costly errors saw
Bangladesh suffer a lot as India
posted a humongous 687. Besides
that, Bangladesh dropped
some catches. Their body language
while fielding was not up
to the mark.
t Lapse of Concentration from
the batsmen was an area of
concern for the Tigers. In the
first innings, Shakib batted
brilliantly until he tried to clear
the boundary line against Ravichandran
Ashwin in a crucial
period of the game, only to
get out. In the second innings,
Mushfiq did the same as he
also attacked Ashwin and gave
his wicket away. The batsmen
should fix this sooner, rather
than later.
t More often than not, the Bangladesh
batsmen got out after
getting well set in the second
innings. Soumya played
66 balls, Mominul 63, Shakib
50, Mushfiq 44, Sabbir 61 and
Miraz 61. This stat showed that
all these batsmen were well set
before getting out. All of them
were dismissed in the range of
20-40 runs. In Test cricket, the
batsmen have to capitalise the
opportunity after getting set,
and convert them into big hundreds.
So one or two of them
should have carried their innings.
t Mushfiq’s captaincy and wicket-keeping
often raise questions.
In the Hyderabad Test
too, he came under the line of
fire. In some parts of India’s
first innings, Mushfiq set defensive
fields, allowing India
to score more freely. Shakib
bowled only 24 overs whereas
pace duo Taskin Ahmed and
Kamrul Islam Rabbi bowled 25
and 19 respectively. Bearing in
mind that Shakib is the main
strike bowler of the side, Mushfiq
should have used him more.
t And the missed stumping
chance of Saha was eye catching
to say the least. It seems
Mushfiq is taking too much
pressure upon himself by performing
three roles simultaneously
– captain, batsman and
wicket-keeper.
India’s KL Rahul
(L) and Murali
Vaijay try to
catch the ball
off the wicket
of Bangladesh’s
Taijul Islam on the
fifth day of the
solo Test match
at Rajiv Gandhi
International
Stadium on
Monday
AFP

India v Bangladesh 5
DT
Saturday, February 18, 2017
6
Saturday, February 18, 2017
DT
Cricket
Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan plays a shot on the fourth day of their solo Test match against India at Rajiv
Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday
AFP
TOP 3 BANGLADESH RUN-SCORERS
Mushfiqur Rahim
127 & 23 – 150 runs from 306 balls
Shakib al Hasan
82 & 22 – 104 runs from 153 balls
Mahmudullah
28 & 64 – 92 runs from 206 balls
TOP 3 BANGLADESH WICKET-TAKERS
Taskin Ahmed
1/127 & 2/43 – 3 wickets for 170 runs
Taijul Islam
3/156 & 0/29 – 3 wickets for 185 runs
Shakib al Hasan
0/104 & 2/50 – 2 wickets for 154 runs
Day 5
Consecutive Tests without a defeat for
19 India, which is the fifth-best streak in
Test history. West Indies went 27 Tests without
defeat from 1982 to 1984.
Consecutive series wins for India, their
6 best streak in Tests, going past the previous
record of five series wins in 2008-10 under
Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Since August 2015
India have won away series against Sri Lanka
and West Indies, and have beaten South Africa,
New Zealand, England and Bangladesh at
home. India have a chance to extend this streak
when they meet Australia in a couple of weeks.
Test wins for Virat Kohli as captain in
15 23 matches, the joint second-highest
number of wins after 23 games. Steve Waugh
tops the list with 17 wins while Kohli joins Ricky
Ponting and Michael Vaughan with 15.
Number of innings between Mahmudullah's
last Test fifty and his 64 in
10
Bangladesh's second innings. He made 67
against South Africa in Chittagong in 2015. In
nine of his last 10 innings he has failed to convert
his starts and has been dismissed between
10 and 40.
Day 4
Number of Tests in which Ashwin has
45 completed 250 wickets - the quickest
by any bowler. He bettered Dennis Lillee's
record of 48 Tests by three matches. Among
India bowlers, the fastest was Kumble - 55
Tests.
Bowler to have reached the 250 wicket
1 mark faster that Ashwin in terms of time.
Graeme Swann got 250 wickets in four years
and 345 days while Ashwin took five years and
95 days to reach this mark.
Day 3
Instances of Bangladesh batting for more
2 than 100 overs in a Test innings against
India, in nine matches. The first came in their
maiden Test, in Dhaka in 2000, in which they
scored 400 runs in 153.3 overs. Their total of
322 for six, at close of play, is currently their
third-highest against India.
Bangladesh players who have scored
4 3000 runs or more in Tests. Mushfiqur
Rahim became the latest to get there, with a
boundary off the penultimate delivery of the
day. Tamim Iqbal is their leading run-scorer
with 3470 runs.
Shakib al Hasan's previous best
34 against India, in eight innings, before
his maiden fifty in Hyderabad. He now has
at least a fifty against all teams except South
Africa.
Runs added by Shakib and
466 Mushfiq in their two partnerships
this year. They shared a record 359-run
stand in Wellington and a 107-run partnership
in this match.
Runs scored by Mehedi Hasan Miraz
20 in his first eight Test innings, with a
highest of 10. He brought up his maiden fifty
in this innings and has also added an unbeaten
87 runs for the seventh wicket with captain
Mushfiq. This was his sixth fifty in 23 first-class
innings.
Day 2
Number of consecutive series in which
4 Kohli has scored a double-century. This
is the longest such sequence, going past Don
Bradman and Rahul Dravid who had done it in
three successive series. Kohli's streak began on
In numbers
India's tour to West Indies last year.
India batsmen who have scored more
3 200-plus scores than Kohli's four. Virender
Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar lead with
six two-hundred-plus scores each and Dravid
made five. Sunil Gavaskar also made four. No
other player has scored more than two twohundred-plus
scores for India.
India became the first team to score 600-
1 plus in three consecutive innings. They
made 631 in Mumbai and 759 in Chennai, in the
last two Tests against England before putting
up 687 in this match, their fifth-highest total.
Test runs scored by Kohli
1168 this season, the most by any
batsman at home in one season. The previous
highest was Sehwag's 1105 in 2004-05.
Sehwag had scored those runs in 17 innings;
Kohli bettered him in his 15th innings. Sehwag
averaged 69.06 in that season; after the first
innings in Hyderabad, Kohli averages 89.84
this home season.
Number of double-century partnerships
3 between Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane - the
most by any pair since 2013, when they started
batting together. All their stands have been for
the fourth-wicket. They equalled Tendulkar and
Sourav Ganguly's record for 200-plus partnerships
for the fourth-wicket for India.
Day 1
Cheteshwar Pujara's average
89.16 this first-class season. Only
twice has he averaged more in a home season
- 98 in 2013-14 and 93.23 in 2012-13. He began
the ongoing season with scores of 166, 31 and
256 not out in the Duleep Trophy, and has a
maximum of four more Tests, against Australia,
before the season ends.
Century stands between Murali Vijay and
5 Pujara in this home season - the most by
any Indian pair in a season and joint-second
most by any pair in a season. Only Matthew
Hayden and Ponting (seven century partnerships
in 2005-06) shared more. Pujara and Vijay
have converted each of their five fifty-plus
stands into century partnerships.
Vijay's average in the first
79.61 Tests (or only Test) of a series
since the England tour of 2014. He has scored
four centuries and six fifties in 13 innings of the
series starters. Among all batsmen who have
played five or more series, only Adam Voges
(120.14) and Mohammad Hafeez (80.12) average
more than Vijay in the first or only match
of a series. This was Vijay's ninth century, joint
third-most for an Indian opener after Gavaskar
and Sehwag.
Percentage of Kohli's runs
43.24 that came in boundaries,
the lowest among the four India players who
hit a boundary on the first day. But he had the
best strike rate, 78.72, among all of them. He
also had the lowest percentage of dots among
all the batsmen, 56.74.
Centuries for Kohli at the No 4 position.
12 Only Tendulkar has scored more
hundreds from that position, 44, for India.
Gundappa Viswanath also made 12 centuries at
No 4. Kohli now has centuries against all teams
that he has played. He is yet to play Pakistan
and Zimbabwe.
Centuries for Kohli as captain, now the
9 joint second-most by any India captain.
Only Gavaskar (11) has more hundreds than
Kohli while Mohammad Azharuddin also has
nine centuries as captain. But Kohli's average of
67.33 is far higher than any other India captain.
Tour Diary: SS bat factory in Delhi
Tweets
Aakash Chopra
Retired cricketer
February 11
Expected Bangladesh
to be competitive.....and
that’s
how they played.
Might still lose the
game but won’t sink without a fight.
Harsha Bhogle
Commentator
February 13
India has become a
juggernaut at home
and in spite of facing
resistance from a plucky Bangladesh,
produce another predictable win.
Quote of the Week
I want to score more for the team. But I
know that’s not going to happen every time.
And just for that, I am not going to change
my style of play. I know if I change I won’t be
Shakib. That’s my way of thinking.
- Shakib al Hasan on his mode of dismissal in the first
innings of the Hyderabad Test
Hero
Mushfiqur Rahim
Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim
is the hero of the week, after his 127 in
the first innings of the Hyderabad Test.
Mushfiq has been criticised recently for his
defensive field placings and wicket-keeping
lapses but he more than made up for
some of his mistakes by scoring his fifth
Test ton.

Football
Stunned Barcelona turn focus back on La Liga
• Reuters
Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta is putting
on a brave face ahead of Sunday’s
home game against strugglers Leganes
in La Liga following his club’s devastating
Champions League defeat at Paris Saint
Germain.
Looking to at least pull level with
leaders Real Madrid in the Spanish title
race, defending champions Barca must
get over the shock of a 4-0 defeat in the
first leg of their last-16 game in France.
Barca are in the King’s Cup final
against Deportivo Alaves, the side they
hammered 6-0 in La Liga last week, and
they are just a point adrift of Real, who
host Espanyol on Saturday.
However, Real have two games in
hand and they are also in a better frame
of mind after a 3-1 win over Napoli in the
opening leg of their Champions League
tie in Madrid on Wednesday.
Every point in La Liga will be valuable
for Barcelona, who will be without suspended
midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Barca crashed in spectacular fashion
at PSG, a result that has put them in
danger of being knocked out of the
Champions League at the last-16 stage
for the first time since 2007.
Tuesday’s defeat was the biggest
humiliation of Barcelona boss Luis
Enrique’s coaching career.
Leganes, winless since Nov. 21, are
just one place, and two points, clear of
the relegation zone.
European champions Real go up
against an Espanyol side who won three
in a row before Sunday’s home defeat to
Real Sociedad.
French forward Karim Benzema has
an extra bounce in his step after ending
his month-long goal drought when he
ignited Real’s comeback against Napoli
with his fifth goal of the competition this
season.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane could
include Gareth Bale in the squad after
the Welsh forward recovered from an
ankle injury sustained in November.
Points table
Team P W D L GD Pts
Real Madrid 20 15 4 1 36 49
Barcelona 22 14 6 2 43 48
Sevilla 22 14 4 4 16 46
Atletico 22 12 6 4 21 42
Real Sociedad 22 13 2 7 5 41
7
Saturday, February 18, 2017
KEY FIXTURES
Gijon v Atletico
6:00pm, Saturday
Sony Six
Real Madrid v Espanyol
9:15pm, Saturday
Sony Six
Sevilla v Eibar
1:45am, Sunday
Sony Six
Barcelona v Leganes
1:45am, Monday
Sony ESPN
TOP goal SCORERS
18 Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
17 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
14 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
11 Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo)
DT
Tuchel has his back to
the wall at Dortmund
• Reuters
Thomas Tuchel takes Borussia
Dortmund into Saturday’s crunch Bundesliga
match against VfL Wolfsburg
knowing a win is essential to turn the
tide after a string of bad results, which
has left the coach under mounting
pressure. Dortmund should have been
title contenders, like last season - their
first under Tuchel - but instead they
are dogged by inconsistency, having
won just two of their last seven league
games, putting next season’s Champions
League qualification in doubt.
Their problems were compounded
when they lost 1-0 at Benfica in the
Champions League round of 16 first leg
on Tuesday, piling further misery on the
team and 43-year-old Tuchel.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a
night to forget after having a penalty
saved and missing a hatful of chances.
KEY FIXTURES
Berlin v Bayern
8:30pm, Saturday
Star Sports Select HD 2
Dortmund v Wolfsburg
8:30pm, Saturday
Points table
Team P W D L GD Pts
Munich 20 15 4 1 33 49
RB Leipzig 20 13 3 4 16 42
Frankfurt 20 10 5 5 7 35
Dortmund 20 9 7 4 17 34
Hoffenheim 20 8 10 2 15 34
TOP goal SCORER
17 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
(Borussia Dortmund)
Roma continue pursuit, Inter face Bologna
• Agencies
Ivan Perisic returns for their trip to a
Bologna side who are in dismal form,
but Inter Milan have already failed to
beat them in 90 minutes twice this
season.
The Rossoblu are under pressure
after a wretched recent run has left
them floundering in 14th place. Roberto
Donadoni’s men have taken just one
point from the last four outings in Serie
A. Furthermore, they have suffered
two humiliating defeats on home turf
during this spell, going down 7-1 to
Napoli and conspiring to lose 1-0 to a
nine-man Milan side.
They looked to be on the way to
bouncing back last Sunday against
Sampdoria at Marassi, leading 1-0 until
the 82nd minute only to concede an
extremely harsh penalty. It was duly
converted by Luis Muriel and Sampdoria
added another two goals in a
whirlwind finish, inflicting yet another
sleepless night on coach Donadoni.
In other important fixtures,
Empoli face Lazio, who are battling for
an European berth, on Sunday while
Sassuolo are away to Udinese.
Pescara and Genoa do battle on
POINTS TABLE
Team P W D L GD Pts
Juventus 24 20 0 4 33 60
Roma 24 17 2 5 29 53
Napoli 24 15 6 3 31 51
Inter Milan 24 14 3 7 15 45
Atalanta 24 14 3 7 13 44
TOP goal SCORERS
18 Edin Dzeko (AS Roma) Gonzalo
Higuain (Juventus)
17 Andrea Belotti (Torino)
16 Dries Mertens (Napoli)
15 Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
12 Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
the same day while Genoa-based
Sampdoria take on Sardinian side
Cagliari. Roma, meanwhile, are up
against a Torino side who are brimming
with confidence. On Monday night, AC
Milan lock horns with Fiorentina.
KEY FIXTURES
Bologna v Inter
5:30pm, Sunday
Sony ESPN
Chievo v Napoli
8:00pm, Sunday
Roma v Torino
11:00pm, Sunday
Sony ESPN
PREMIER LEAGUE
Table-topper Chelsea suffered a minor
jolt in their pursuit of the title when they
were held 1-1 at Turf Moor by an impressive
Bunrley side. Second placed Manchester
City later cut their deficit with
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sadio Mane
(Liverpool)
The Senegalese
international
might have endured a heartbreaking
exit at the Africa Cup of Nations but
he came back strong with the Reds,
registering a brace in a 2-0 home
win over rival Tottenham Hotspur.
the Blues to eight points after beating
Bournemouth 2-0 at Dean Court.
North London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur and Arsenal, third and fourth
respectively, both have 50 points with
the former losing 2-0 against fifth
placed Liverpool at Anfield and the latter
winning 2-0 at home to Hull City.
Manchester United complete the top
six following their 2-0 win at home to
Watford.
LA LIGA
Real Madrid continued their march at
the summit of the La Liga points table as
they beat Osasuna 3-1 away from home.
Barcelona kept alive their title hopes after
thrashing Alaves 6-0.
League Round-Ups
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luis Suarez
(Barcelona)
The in-form Uruguayan
striker
netted a brilliant brace as Barcelona
thumped Basque outfit Alaves 6-0.
Sevilla returned to winning ways
after their indifferent form in recent
times when they edged Las Palmas 1-0.
Atletico Madrid also maintained their
push for an European berth when they
defeated Celta Vigo 3-2.
BUNDESLIGA
Bayern Munich continued their quest
for a record-extending fifth league title
when they beat Ingolstadt 2-0. Second
placed Red Bull Leipzig were unable to
keep up the pressure on the Bavarian
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Arturo Vidal
(Bayern Munich)
It looked like
Ingolstadt were on
the verge of sealing a memorable point
against neighbour Bayern Munich when
midfield machine Arturo Vidal intervened.
The Chilean scored in the dying
stages to guide Bayern to a crucial win.
giant as they lost 3-0 to relegation candidate
Hamburg. Eintracht Frankfurt
are still third, despite losing 3-0 away
to Bayer Leverkusen, while Borussia
Dortmund complete the top four.
Thomas Tuchel’s Dortmund lost 2-1 to
Darmstadt.
Ligue 1
Principality side Monaco are three
points ahead of holder Paris Saint Germain,
following the former’s 5-0 thrashing
over Metz.
PSG are still second, despite their
3-0 win over Bordeaux, while surprise
package Nice missed ground on Monaco
after being held to a 2-2 draw by
Rennes.