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Tuesday November 28, 2017

(SD-Agencies)

AFTER being denied a legitimate goal, Lionel Messi made sure nobody would keep Barcelona from mounting a comeback against Valencia.

Messi was deprived of a goal after a mistake by offi cials in the fi rst half of the high-profi le game between the Spanish league lead-ers on Sunday. But the Barcelona star made a perfect pass for Jordi Alba’s 82nd-minute equalizer to keep the Catalan club four points ahead of Valencia at the top of the Spanish league.

Rodrigo had put the hosts ahead from close range in the 60th in front of a raucous crowd at the Mestalla Stadium.

Messi was sure he had opened the scoring in the 30th when Valencia goalkeeper Neto was unable to control the playmaker’s shot and let the ball slip between his legs, but the linesman did not see it cross the goal line.

“It was a clear mistake, I could see from midfi eld that it was a goal,” Alba said. “We saw it on television during halftime. It was not a foul or something like that, which can be a matter of interpretation. They have to see this.”

La Liga has been loudly criti-cized for not having video review assistance. It is expected to have a system in place next season.

Barcelona reached 35 points from 13 matches, eight points ahead of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, which both won on Saturday.

Valencia had won nine straight

MANCHESTER City restored its eight-point lead in the Premier League after Raheem Sterling’s late goal clinched a 2-1 win at Huddersfi eld Town, while Alexis Sanchez gave Arsenal victory at Burnley on Sunday.

City has swept aside all comers this season, but the players found themselves in the unusual posi-tion of trailing at half-time after Nicolas Otamendi’s own goal at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s side equal-ized through a Sergio Aguero penalty in the second half before Sterling’s lucky 84th-minute winner sealed their 11th succes-sive league victory.

City’s gritty success reopened its advantage over second-placed Manchester United, which had temporarily closed the gap with a 1-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

“The Premier League is so tough, now winter has come. We knew they were so aggressive so strong, but we are so happy for the way we won,” Guardiola said.

“It is impossible to win every game easily. The guys competed amazingly.”

The leaders had controlled the fi rst half yet found them-selves behind in stoppage-time when a Tom Ince corner hit Otamendi on the shoulder

RUSSIA’S ban from international track and fi eld was extended Sunday by the IAAF as key Rus-sian sports and political fi gures continue to deny operating any doping system.

Track’s world governing body unanimously accepted a recommendation from its Russia taskforce not to reinstate Russia. That is a blow to Russia’s chances of competing under its own fl ag at March’s world indoor championships in the British city of Birmingham.

“It is our responsibility to create that landscape where there is trust,” IAAF president Sebastian Coe said.

The current IAAF position of allowing some Russians to com-pete as so-called neutral athletes after reviews of their drug-test-ing history allows “separation where possible of the clean athletes from a tainted system,” Coe added.

While the IAAF has been cau-tiously optimistic about reforms to the Russian track federation, a key obstacle is the refusal of Russia’s sports and political leadership to admit any kind of doping program existed.

(SD-Agencies)

VALTTERI BOTTAS survived several laps of high-speed pres-sure from his Mercedes team-mate and world champion Lewis Hamilton to claim a memorable victory in Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 28-year-old Finn, who started from pole position, led from the lights to the fl ag apart from a spell following his fi rst pit stop when the four-time cham-pion Briton was in control.

It was Bottas’ third career vic-tory, all of them recorded since he joined Mercedes to partner the 32-year-old Hamilton in January following the unex-pected exit of 2016 champion German Nico Rosberg.

“This is a really important win for me after having a pretty dif-fi cult start to the second half of the year,” said Bottas.

“We Finns don’t show much emotion but it doesn’t mean we don’t have any. I am so happy. There has been so much support. I can’t show it too much but I feel good.”

Hamilton came home four seconds behind Bottas, having eased off in the closing laps.

The Briton scored points in every race of the season, under-lining his dominance this year.

Four-time former champion Sebastian Vettel fi nished a lonely third for Ferrari, as the two Mer-cedes men delivered celebratory ‘doughnuts’ for the crowd.

It was Vettel’s 99th career podium and his 13th of the season.

Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Nico Hulkenberg for Renault, whose sixth-place fi nish assured Renault of sixth in the construc-tors’ championship ahead of Toro Rosso.

Sergio Perez came home seventh ahead of his Force India teammate Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso of McLaren Honda and Felipe Massa, in his last F1 race before retirement, for Williams. Australian Daniel Ricciardo failed to fi nish his Red Bull for the third time in four out-ings. (SD-Agencies)

Barca draws after goalline controversy

in all competitions, with its last setback a 1-1 draw at city rival Levante in September.

It was an even match at the packed Mestalla, with Barcelona playing better in the fi rst half and the hosts threatening the most in the second.

“After the goal we had oppor-tunities to put the game away, but in the end I think it was a fair result,” Rodrigo said.

Valencia went ahead after Jose Gaya made a run through the left side of the area and sent a low

cross toward the center of the area for Rodrigo. He beat goal-keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to the ball and tapped it into the goal despite being closely marked by a defender.

Alba equalized with a left-footed shot into the far corner after Messi’s well-placed pass over the Valencia defenders.

Fifth-place Sevilla came back from two goals down to defeat sixth-place Villarreal 3-2 for its third win in its last four league games.

The hosts went ahead with goals by Cedric Bakambu in the fi rst half and Carlos Bacca early in the second, but Sevilla rallied with two quick goals by Clement Lenglet and Franco Vazquez, and Ever Banega netted the winner by convert-ing a 78th-minute penalty kick.

Villarreal defender Victor Ruiz was sent off after receiv-ing a second yellow card for the foul that prompted the penalty. (SD-Agencies)

Valencia midfi elder Manuel Guedes (L) vies with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (C) during their match in Valencia on Sunday.SD-Agencies

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas celebrates with the trophy after winning the race in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday. SD-Agencies

Bottas holds off Hamilton in Abu Dhabi GP

IAAF leaves Russia ban in place

Sterling sends City eight points clear

and fl ashed into the net.Guardiola’s men gave an

impressive response to that shock setback as they equalized two minutes after the interval.

Sterling was fouled by Scott Malone and Aguero drilled in the spot-kick for his 11th goal of the season.

City pressed for a winner, with Leroy Sane hitting the bar and Fernandinho booked for diving in the penalty area after a chal-lenge from Rajiv van La Parra.

They fi nally got the victory their dominance deserved late on, but the goal was fortunate in the extreme.

Huddersfi eld goalkeeper Jonas Lossl blocked City’s

Gabriel Jesus inside the penalty area.

But the rebound hit Sterling and bounced over the line for his 12th goal of the season — and his second winner this week after his decisive strike against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

At Turf Moor, Arsene Wenger’s side looked set for a frustrating draw as they entered stoppage-time, but they snatched the points when James Tarkowski was ruled to have pushed Aaron Ramsey. Sanchez held his nerve to slot home the dramatic late penalty and moments later Arsenal was celebrating a 1-0 win that lifted the side into fourth place in the Premier League. (SD-Agencies)

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling (C) celebrates scoring their second goal against Huddersfi eld Town with teammates in Huddersfi eld on Sunday. SD-Agencies