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Monday September 18, 2017

PAULINHO scored his fi rst Barcelona goal six minutes from time as the Catalan giants came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Getafe on Saturday and open up a seven-point lead over Real Madrid.

Barca was dealt a double blow before half-time as record signing Ousmane Dembele limped off with a hamstring injury before Gaku Shibasaki’s sensational volley put Getafe in front.

However, Barca responded thanks to their substitutes as both Denis Suarez and Paulinho came from the bench to turn the game around.

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde made just one change from the side that swept aside Italian champions Juventus 3-0 Tues-day with Sergi Roberto replacing Nelson Semedo at right-back.

Yet, rather than building on the momentum of four straight wins, Barca looked sluggish as Getafe enjoyed the better of the early stages.

The hosts should have gone in front when Gerard Pique nearly turned Shibasaki’s cross into his own net and Jorge Molina somehow only fi red into the side-netting at the far post.

Samuel Umtiti headed Barca’s best chance of the half straight at Vicente Guaita from Andres Iniesta’s cross.

However, the visitors’ fl ow was further disrupted when Dembele limped off with a reported ham-

SERGIO AGUERO scored a hat trick as Manchester City thrashed host Watford 6-0 in the English Premier League on Saturday

Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling put plenty of gloss on the scoreline after another scintillat-ing display from Pep Guardiola’s men.

With the win City moves on to 13 points for the season, while Watford remains on eight points.

Man City dominated play early on with Watford struggling to get any real foothold in the game.

Kevin De Bruyne clipped in a great ball to Raheem Sterling but the winger couldn’t sort his

feet out as a good chance came and went.

Despite all of Man City’s pos-session, Watford went close as Jose Holebas’ free kick found Richarlison but his header was off target and soon City was ahead.

Kevin de Bruyne’s fi ne free kick found Aguero who nodded home the opener and four min-utes later David Silva crossed for Aguero to tap home his and City’s second.

City made it 3-0 before the break as Aguero turned into the provider to slot the ball into the path of his Brazilian forward partner Jesus. Although he looked in an offside position, the goal stood as Watford was

simply battered by City’s star men.

Watford improved in the second half, presumably after a half time rollicking from Marco Silva, but City looked increas-ingly dangerous on the break as Aguero put a shot wide.

Free-scoring John Stones almost grabbed another headed goal but Heurelho Gomes tipped his effort over but soon after his center back partner put City 4-0 up.

Silva had a shot tipped over by Gomes and from the result-ing corner he sent in a cross for Otamendi to nod home.

There was time for Aguero to complete his hat trick, his 10th for Man City, as he jinxed past

SALAH EDDINE BOUNASR of Morocco became the fi rst Moroc-can man to win the 37-year-old Beijing Marathon yesterday, while Melesech Tsegaye Beyene extended Ethiopians’ winning streak in the women’s race to four years.

Bounasr, 26, winner of the Guangzhou Marathon last year, timed two hours 11 minutes and 18 seconds to win the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Girmay Birhanu Gebru of Ethiopia, the 2014 winner, trailed in 2:11.26, while Stephen Kwelio Chemlany of Kenya fi n-ished third in 2:11:50.

“It is a little bit hot today. I tried my best in the race but still could not break 2:09 (the minimum requirement for the full prize money),” said Bou-nasr, who was not considered as a favorite before the race as there were 11 sub-2:10 runners in the fi eld. “I came here for the win and I am glad to accomplish the goal.”

In the women’s race, Beyene, 23, claimed the title in 2:27:44. Kenya’s Rebecca Kangogo Chesir, runner-up at the Vienna Marathon this year, took second in 2:30:31.

Some 30,000 runners took part in the 37th edition of the Beijing Marathon. (Xinhua)

TWO-TIME Grand Slam champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (3) to give France a 2-1 lead over Serbia in the Davis Cup semifi nals Saturday.

Apart from a scare in the third set when the Serb pair won four games in a row, Mahut and Herbert were in control on the indoor clay court and put France one win away from its 18th Davis Cup fi nal.

“We are super happy and very

proud,” said Herbert, who won both Wimbledon and the U.S Open with Mahut. “It’s never easy to serve for the match, I felt weaker at the worst time.”

In the other semifi nal, Australia took command of their Davis Cup match against Belgium as doubles pair John Peers and Jordan Thompson cruised to a straight sets win in Brussels. Peers and Thompson beat home pair Ruben Bemelmans and Arthur de Greef 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 to give Australia a 2-1 lead. (SD-Agencies)

Paulinho rescues Barca at Getafe

string injury that could see him sidelined for the coming weeks.

Barca had barely got 11 players back on the fi eld as Gerard Deu-lofeu replaced the Frenchman, before they fell behind.

Roberto’s headed clearance fell invitingly for Shibasaki to thunder an unstoppable dip-ping volley beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Barca nearly responded before half-time as only a stun-ning fi nger-tip save from Guaita

turned Lionel Messi’s dipping free-kick behind.

Valverde was forced into another change at the start of the second period as Denis Suarez replaced Iniesta.

And it was the substitute who inspired Barca’s revival as he col-lected Roberto’s cut-back from the right wing before bending the ball high past Guaita into the top corner.

With Messi well-marshalled and Luis Suarez way off form

for most of the second period, Getafe players had chances to grab a winner themselves.

Ter Stegen was called into action twice in quick succession to save from Alvaro Jimenez and Mauro Arambarri.

However, the hosts were hit with a sucker punch when Pau-linho burst onto Messi’s through ball and smashed across the despairing Guaita into the far corner.

(SD-Agencies)

Morocco’s Salah Eddine Bounasr crosses the fi nish line at the Beijing Marathon yesterday. Xinhua

Bounasr wins Beijing Marathon

Aguero nets 3 as Man City thrashes Watford 6-0

four defenders before putting in a shot off the far post.

In the fi nal minute of the game, Sterling made it 6-0 after

winning a penalty and convert-ing the spot kick to compound Watford’s misery.

(SD-Agencies)

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero (R) celebrates scoring his team’s fi rst goal against Watford on Saturday. SD-Agencies

Barcelona’s Paulinho (2nd R) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal against Getafe at Coliseum Alfonso Perez in Getafe on Saturday. SD-Agencies

Davis Cup: France, Australia in prime position for semifi nal wins

France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut (R) celebrate a point during their doubles match against Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic in Lille, France, on Saturday. SD-Agencies