NAPLES, Italy: Sergio Aguero became Manchester City’s all-time record scorer and was described as “a legend” by coach Pep Guardiola whose side booked their place in the Champions League last 16 with a 4-2 win at Napoli.
The 29-year-old Argentine beat the old mark of 177 set by Eric Brook in the 1930s when he hit City’s third goal in Naples, then promised to give his shirt to his eight-year-old son Benjamin — the grandson of Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Maradona.
“This shirt is for my son, he texted me to say: “As soon as you score, bring me the shirt’,” said Aguero.
“I am bringing the shirt back to my son. My family called from Argentina, they were watching me.”
Aguero’s son was born from his marriage to Giannina Maradona, the daughter of Diego.
And Aguero achieved his new landmark at the San Paolo Stadium where Maradona made himself a Neapolitan icon between 1984 and 1991, winning two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup.
“What he (Aguero) has achieved has made him a legend, he’s gone down in history, so I would tell him to enjoy,” said Guardiola.
Aguero paid tribute to his team-mates for his record 178 goals.
“I’m very happy for this moment and happy because the team help support me and the fans.
“I’ll enjoy this moment because it only happens once.
“Napoli are a good team and away always in the Champions League is difficult.”
The Premier League leaders had needed just a point to seal their berth in the knockout rounds for the fifth consecutive year, with two games to go.
But City’s fourth victory out of four in Group F confirmed their progress with 12 points.
Napoli are third, six points behind Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk who beat Dutch outfit Feyenoord 3-1, and are close to elimination from the elite European competition.
The new benchmark is just another for the man from Buenos Aires who joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for £38 million, scoring two goals and assisting one on his debut against Swansea.
He currently has the best goals-to-minutes ratio in Premier League history — scoring 107 in 154 Premier League matches at a rate of a goal every 106 minutes.
City fought back despite a dominant early display from the Serie A leaders before they were damaged after defender Faouzi Ghoulam went off with a knee injury.
“They completely destroyed us in the first 20 minutes especially Ghoulam and I wish him well,” said Guardiola. “We suffered a lot but our players showed personality.
“The point is how in the bad moments the team react and they did really well. The level of football for a spectator was just amazing all I could say was ‘wow’.”
Lorenzo Insigne had opened for Napoli after 21 minutes with defender Nicolas Otamendi pulling City level on 35 minutes.
City’s John Stones edged the visitors ahead three minutes after the break. But to the delight of the home crowd Jorginho converted a penalty to make it 2-2 after 62 minutes.
Aguero then fired in the third seven minutes later after Leroy Sane broke forward. The ball eventually fell to the Argentine who scored his record-breaking goal before Raheem Sterling put the icing on the cake in injury time.
While many believe the emphatic triumph was a warning for the rest of Europe, Aguero said the win meant little for the rest of the season.
“Napoli is a good team,” he said. “Playing away in the Champions League is difficult.
“I am very happy to win and qualify. We must keep going in the same way, every game, playing the same way.
“(Tonight) it shows nothing. It is a long season.
“Now, we are good. We must continue the same way.”
Aguero’s son, Maradona’s grandson, proud owner of record shirt
Aguero’s son, Maradona’s grandson, proud owner of record shirt
Djokovic reaches Australian Open semis as Musetti retires
- Serb continues his quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and standalone 25th Grand Slam crown
- Task gets tougher for Djokovic with a clash against either defending champion Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and standalone 25th Grand Slam crown, but only after a cruel twist of fate for Lorenzo Musetti, who quit their quarter-final with an injury on Wednesday while leading.
While the stars seemed to align for the 38-year-old Serb in his hunt for more glory at the majors, Iga Swiatek’s bid to seal a career Grand Slam — capturing all four of the sport’s biggest titles — went up in smoke following a defeat by Elena Rybakina.
There were several swings in momentum for Jessica Pegula, who deservedly reached the Melbourne Park semifinals for the first time after dashing fellow American Amanda Anisimova’s hopes of reaching three straight major finals.
The drama in the day session was reserved for the afternoon match where Djokovic arrived fresh for battle with Musetti after getting a walkover on Sunday from Czech youngster Jakub Mensik, which scuttled their fourth-round meeting.
The Serb made a fast start but it was all one-way traffic as the artistic Musetti showed his full range of strokes and bagged the opening two sets, before the Italian pulled up holding the upper part of his right leg at the start of the third.
Musetti looked to soldier on after receiving treatment, but lasted only one more game and he threw in the towel leading 6-4 6-3 1-3 as stunned fans at the Rod Laver Arena let out a gasp and Djokovic quietly heaved a sigh of relief.
“I don’t know what to say, except that I feel really sorry for him and he was a far better player,” Djokovic said.
“I was on my way home. These things happen in sport and it’s happened to me a few times, but being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up and being in full control, I mean it’s so unfortunate.”
Musetti said he was pained by having to retire after taking a big lead against the experienced Djokovic, adding the trouble in his leg first began in the second set.
“I felt there was something strange,” he added.
“I continued to play, because I was playing really well, but I was feeling that the pain was increasing, and the problem was not going away.
“In the end, when I took the medical timeout ... and started to play again, I felt it even more and it was getting higher and higher, the level of the pain.”
Tough test
Though he eclipsed Roger Federer with his 103rd match win at Melbourne Park, the task will only get tougher for Djokovic with a clash against either defending champion Jannik Sinner or young American Ben Shelton in the last-four.
As one fifth seed crashed, another gained flight as Elena Rybakina booked her place in the semifinals with a dominant 7-5 6-1 win over six-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek.
Swiatek was left to rue the defeat and the lack of privacy in difficult moments off the court where players cannot escape cameras, a day after Coco Gauff’s racket-smashing meltdown in response to her crushing defeat by Elina Svitolina.
“The question is, are we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo, where they are observed even when they poop?” she said.
“That was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have privacy. It would be nice also to have your own process and not always be observed.”
All eyes were on sixth seed Pegula later as she stayed on course for her maiden Grand Slam trophy by going past Anisimova 6-2 7-6(1), sparkling despite some testing moments toward the end of the clash.
“I’m really happy with my performance,” Pegula said.
“From start to finish there was a lot of momentum swings, but I thought I came out playing really well, came out serving really well, and was able to just hold on there in the second and get that break back and take it in two.
“I showed good mental resilience there at the end not to get frustrated.”
