LONDON: Spanish forward Pedro Rodriguez scored twice as red-hot leaders Chelsea crushed Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday to register a club-record 12th consecutive Premier League victory.
Pedro struck either side of Eden Hazard’s 50th English league goal at Stamford Bridge as Antonio Conte’s side opened up a provisional nine-point lead at the summit in the Boxing Day action.
Olivier Giroud prevented Arsenal losing more ground, his 86th-minute header snatching a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion to lift Arsene Wenger’s side above Manchester City into third place.
But with second-place Liverpool not in action until Tuesday, when Stoke City visit Anfield.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one goal and set up two others as Manchester United closed to within three points of the Champions League places by beating Sunderland 3-1, while champions Leicester City lost again.
Chelsea’s victory over Bournemouth left them one win short of Arsenal’s 2002 record of 13 successive victories within the same top-flight season.
With Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante suspended, Conte paired Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic in midfield, with Hazard starting up front, flanked by Willian and Pedro.
Pedro broke the deadlock in the 24th minute, curling a left-foot shot into the top corner from Fabregas’s pass following a neatly worked corner.
Hazard made it 2-0 four minutes into the second half, rolling a penalty into the bottom-right corner after he had drawn a foul from Simon Francis, with Pedro adding a deflected shot in stoppage time.
Beaten 2-1 by Everton and then City on their two previous outings, Arsenal narrowly avoided going three league games without winning for the first time since January 2012.
Alexis Sanchez’s shot against the post looked to be the closest Arsenal would come until Giroud marked his return to the starting XI by looping a header over Ben Foster with four minutes to play.
Manchester United enjoyed a far less complicated afternoon, sinking Sunderland to record a fourth successive league win for the first time under manager Jose Mourinho.
Daley Blind opened the scoring in the 39th minute, striding onto Ibrahimovic’s lay-off and steering a shot into the bottom-right corner.
Ibrahimovic got on the scoresheet nine minutes from time, slotting past Jordan Pickford to chalk up his 17th goal of the season, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed victory with a clever back-heel.
United drew level on points with fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur, who visit Southampton on Wednesday.
Fabio Borini replied for the visitors, but it was a return to forget for Sunderland manager David Moyes, sacked by United in April 2004.
Sam Allardyce was denied victory in his first game as Crystal Palace manager after Troy Deeney’s 100th Watford goal earned his side a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road.
Ex-England manager Allardyce saw Yohan Cabaye put Palace ahead, but Christian Benteke had a penalty saved by Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes before Deeney equalized from the spot in the 71st minute.
Champions Leicester’s woes continued as they were condemned to a ninth defeat of the campaign by Everton, who won 2-0 at the King Power Stadium courtesy of Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku.
Leicester, who were without the suspended Jamie Vardy, have won just one of their last nine league games and sit three points above the relegation zone in 16th place.
West Ham United eased their relegation fears by winning 4-1 at second-bottom Swansea City through goals from Andre Ayew, Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll.
Andre Gray’s late effort gave Burnley a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, the striker’s shot squirming beneath visiting goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Chelsea makes it 12; Giroud rescues Arsenal
Chelsea makes it 12; Giroud rescues Arsenal
Celtic secures third straight league title in Scotland and stays on course for a trophy double
A 5-0 win at Kilmarnock gave Celtic an unassailable six-point lead over fierce Glasgow rival Rangers.
It’s the first silverware of Brendan Rodgers’ second spell in charge and moved Celtic onto 54 league titles — one behind Rangers’ record total in Scotland.
Celtic could also secure a league-and-cup double because it plays Rangers on the Scottish Cup final on May 25.
Celtic had fallen behind in the title race in February despite being seven points clear of Rangers after Rodgers’ first seven league matches back in charge.
But the team got back into first place midway through April and Wednesday’s triumph at Rugby Park made it 22 points from the last eight games.
“It was so good and it was a joy to watch. To make us champions, I’m so proud,” said Rodgers, who won a treble of trophies in each of his first two seasons in charge in his first spell from 2016-19.
“I would have probably been dreaming of that moment over the time I was away and hoping it would happen again. It’s a really good feeling.”
Late in the game, the Celtic supporters reprised their song about Rodgers “coming home to lead the green and white” — a staple during his first spell in charge but a chant he had not heard for some time following the mixed reaction to his return.
The misgivings from Celtic fans arose because of the way he left for Leicester in February 2019 — just when the team was on course to win the Scottish title.
Rodgers got emotional when asked about that moment.
“It felt really good,” he said. “I thought they had forgotten my name! But it was about the team and the support staff.
“There was so much stuff in the first six months, it felt a little bit awkward, I have got to be honest. And awkward for everyone. I think it was a bit surreal. And there was a lot of challenges from a management perspective, a lot of tedious stuff that took place. I have never had that before in my career.”
Curran stars for Punjab as Rajasthan lose four in row
- Chasing a tricky 145 on a sluggish pitch, Punjab depended on Curran’s unbeaten 63 to achieve their target
- Impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma smashed 17 and the winning run to hand Rajasthan their fourth successive defeat
GUWAHATI, India: Skipper Sam Curran starred with bat and ball as Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets for a consolation win in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Chasing a tricky 145 on a sluggish pitch, Punjab depended on Curran’s unbeaten 63 to achieve their target with seven balls to spare in Rajasthan’s adopted home ground in Guwahati.
Left-handed Curran put on a key 63-run stand with Jitesh Sharma, who made 22, and despite losing his partner in the 16th over steered the team home to lift them from the bottom of the 10-team table.
Impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma smashed 17 and the winning run to hand Rajasthan their fourth successive defeat in this edition of the T20 tournament.
“To be very honest, we have to sit back and accept that we are going through some failures,” Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson said.
“You have to find out what’s not working well as a team. When you are getting to the business end, we need someone to raise their finger up and say I am going to win the game for the team. We have the players who can do that.”
The loss for Rajasthan hurt their chances of a top-two finish in the league stage a day after they confirmed their play-off spot.
Rajasthan, who stay in second place with one game in hand, and table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders are the only two teams to have booked their play-off berth.
The top four teams make the play-offs, but the first and second-placed sides have the advantage of two chances to qualify for the final on May 26 in Chennai.
Punjab, who had already bowed out of the play-off race, kept the opposition down to 144-9 despite a 34-ball 48 by Riyan Parag.
Left-arm quick Curran bowled Yashasvi Jaiswal, for four, in the first over and then Samson departed for 18 off Nathan Ellis after a slow start.
Parag found Ravichandran Ashwin, who hit 28 off 19 balls, for company and the two attempted to push the scoring in their partnership of 50.
The rest of the batting faltered against a disciplined attack as Curran, fellow quick Harshal Patel and spinner Rahul Chahal took two wickets each.
Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh was ‘amazing,’ says Atletico Madrid chief
- Andoni Moreno spoke to Arab News about Saudi Arabia hosting Supercopa de Espana, promoting the club’s brand in the region and Atletico’s famed academy
MADRID: In the bowels of Estadio Civitas Metropolitano, home of La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, adorning the wall of one of the club’s many conference rooms, is a poster of a player that many present-day followers of the club would struggle to name.
The Moroccan Larbi Benbarek — who represented his country of birth as well as France internationally — was not just one of the first players from an Arab or African background to became a successful professional in Europe, but arguably one of the most important figures during a golden period for the Madrid club.
From 1948 to 1953, the “Black Pearl” was one of Atletico’s finest players and, alongside legendary coach Helenio Herrera, played a pivotal role in landing consecutive La Liga titles in 1949-50 and 1950-51.
Andoni Moreno, the club’s commercial director, smiles as he points to Benbarek’s black-and-white photo, and says that these days the club’s links to the Middle East are far more widespread — from taking part in the Spanish Super Cup in the Saudi capital and a partnership with Riyadh Air, to Atletico jerseys being worn around the Kingdom and academy prospects from Morocco following in Benbarek’s footsteps.
“It (Spanish Super Cup) was amazing. I mean, when you see a full stadium following a national title, it was impressive to see the environment, the atmosphere, it was like a real derby, but in Saudi, so it was a great experience,” Moreno said. “And I think we had a great show, real competition match between Real Madrid and Atletico. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but we were very close and the show for the fans, I think, was amazing, on site, on TV.”
Atletico lost 5-3 to Real Madrid in the first semifinal at Al-Awwal Park Stadium, before the recently crowned La Liga champions went on to lift the Super Cup with a 4-1 win over Barcelona.
“We were close but we couldn’t win, but I think the most important thing was that the experience for the fans was fantastic, was real. And I think it is one of the best ways to keep growing internationally, increasing our fan base,” Moreno said.
La Liga is working closely with clubs to push its brand name in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, but just as importantly, to ensure that individual clubs are establishing their own identities across the region as well.
“We started to see Atletico jerseys in Saudi, and it was something that was almost impossible 10 years ago,” Moreno said. “So now you see the potential of the brand, with great activations on site, plenty of fans there, we had jerseys on site in Nike stores.
“We work very close with (La Liga), it’s part of the expansion plan. These kinds of activations, on site, watch parties, playing games, having your stars there. We did many activations with our main partner, which is Riyadh Air, so we visit the office, we visit touristic places, with legends like David Villa. This is part of ambitious strategy to develop our brand and to become bigger in the region.”
Such developments have been accelerated in no small part by the remarkable success Atletico has enjoyed under Diego Simeone, at a time when Real Madrid and Barcelona continue to be arguably the world’s two most popular clubs.
“The last decade or 12 years, I would say, it’s been incredible how the club has been able to keep growing, competing against these two big clubs in the same league, and also in a European international competitions,” Moreno said. “And it’s not easy, because we must be much more efficient. That’s the key, on the pitch and off the pitch, because the size in terms of followers, in terms of incomes, is more than double, but we have found the balance. Obviously the sport side is crucial, it’s the key, keep performing at that level, always qualify for Champions League (by being) third, even second or first, in La Liga.”
While Simeone’s team has many international stars, Moreno says an important factor in the team’s recent success is the club’s academy and intelligent scouting.
“One of our key pillars is the academy,” he said. “If you see our (first team) squad, we have currently four players from our academy. And then if you see some of the main clubs in Europe, there are many players coming from the Atletico Academy. This is one very important pillar. Of course, we go to the market, we see international players, and we have some stars. But this balance, this efficiency is very important for us. If you see our current squad, most of our players have been with us for a long period. So we try to keep them in order to have the sustainability on the pitch. Also our manager (has had) the longest period for a manager in Europe, I would say. It’s part of the success of the club.”
These days, there may not be a Benbarek — yet — at the club, but Atletico’s scouting department has maintained a link with players from North Africa, as it does with the rest of the world, over the years.
“We have done it for a long time,” Moreno said. “We have brought players from all countries to our academy. Thomas Partey, who’s playing in Arsenal, the Hernandez brothers (Lucas and Theo), they come from France, so we have had historically players from other countries. And now that we are getting more global, it’s important to have scouts everywhere, trying to find talent at the proper age.
“Our structure in the academy is huge, it’s one of the biggest academies in the world. We have more than 70 teams here in Madrid, so we have to manage a lot of boys and girls. We try to bring talent from everywhere,” Moreno said.
The 20-year-old Moroccan Abde Raihani recently made his debut for the first team, replacing Stefan Savic in the 2-0 loss to Deportivo Alaves. Another Moroccan, Salim El Jebari, 20, is also on the club’s books.
“(On April 21) we had a new player from the academy (Raihani) with an Arab connection, family. The Arab world is getting more and more powerful within the football industry. So obviously, it’s one of the key regions, markets, for players.”
Off the pitch, Atletico Madrid are also keen to strengthen their brand interests in the region, and in particular Saudi Arabia.
“We are trying to find the best global companies in each sector,” Moreno said. “Obviously, Riyadh Air, within the airline sector, for the coming future is going to be one of the key players, and we are very proud and happy to be their first sports partner. But of course we are very interested to keep growing in the region through companies, because for us it’s very important to have really relevant companies in different industries, because they are our speakers globally and in the region.”
Despite the recent defeat in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid have secured qualification for the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup next year, Mundial de Clubes FIFA 25, thanks to their record in the Europe’s top competition over the past four years. Moreno called being the only La Liga club, alongside Real Madrid, at the tournament in the US, a “milestone” and highlighted that Atletico could well face Arab teams there, including Saudi’s Al-Hilal, Egypt’s Al-Ahly, Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca and Tunisia’s Esperance.
Atletico will also have a stake in the 2030 FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
“Our stadium is going to be one of the main stadiums in the World Cup,” Moreno said. “We have a very big project around the stadium for not only football, but sport and entertainment; it is going to be probably one of the best destinations for international fans. They want to come to Madrid, enjoy the city, enjoy all their activities apart from football, and also watch a World Cup match. For us it is very important, this World Cup, for the team (Spain) but also for the venue.”
Heavyweight boxers Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk face off in Riyadh on Saturday
- The winner will carry the four championship belts in a unification bout for most important global organizations in boxing
- Fury and Usyk both seek to write their name in the history books alongside global icons
RIYADH: British heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and Ukrainian contender Oleksandr Usyk are scheduled to face off for the undisputed heavyweight world title on Saturday at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
The winner will carry the four championship belts in a unification bout for the most important global organizations in boxing — the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO), according to a media statement released on Wednesday.
The four belts feature images of boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Fury and Usyk will both be seeking to write their name in the history books alongside these global icons, the statement added.
Saturday’s long-awaited-match will be the pinnacle of modern boxing as it is the first time that the four belts will be unified in a single fight. It evokes the prestigious legacy of the greats who have previously shaped the sport’s championship titles.
WBC was established in 1963, and Muhammad Ali was one of its most famous champions, holding the title three times during his career.
IBF was founded in 1983; Larry Holmes dominated the heavyweight division for seven years across different periods of his career.
WBO was established in 1988, and although it is the newest of the belts, it has been held by several prominent champions, including Chris Byrd and Herbie Hide, among others.
However, the oldest of the four belts that Fury and Usyk will compete for is the WBA title, which was established more than 100 years ago.
The title was held for 12 years by Joe Louis, the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, and who is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
Saudi Arabia has become a hub for premier world boxing contests over the past few years, with authorities investing heavily to bring the biggest bouts to local and international audiences.
Previous bouts in the country have garnered the attention of fans globally and marked the Kingdom as a new home of international boxing.
Kroos criticizes match officials for offside call in Bayern-Madrid semifinal
- “It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany player said in a podcast he runs with his brother Felix.
- “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s”
BERLIN: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos criticized match officials for their controversial offside call which benefited his team against Bayern Munich during the Champions League semifinals.
Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt thought he’d equalized to send last week’s game to extra time when he fired the ball into Madrid’s net in the 13th minute of stoppage time.
But referee Szymon Marciniak had already blown his whistle after his assistant quickly raised his flag for a possible offside infringement.
Too quickly, Kroos said Wednesday.
“It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany player said in a podcast he runs with his brother Felix. “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s.”
Bayern were trailing 2-1 and needed a goal to force extra time to keep alive their hopes of reaching the final. UEFA tells match officials not to stop play immediately for tight offside calls. And TV replays showed it was a very close call.
“If he raises the flag now, the referee assumes that his linesman sees it exactly that way and trusts him that it was probably three meters offside,” said Kroos, who said he understood Bayern’s frustrations.
“The anger is justified because you just have to play the situation to the end, 100 percent.”
Kroos said he was unsure if Madrid defenders would have stopped de Ligt’s shot had there not been an intervention from the referee.
“I don’t know if there was a collective switching off because you could hear the whistle very early,” Kroos said. “You could tell the tension dropped among everyone who wanted to defend this goal.”
Madrid won the second leg 2-1 to reach the final in London on June 1.
Borussia Dortmund will try to stop the Spanish giant from claiming its 15th European title.
