17/06/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 17, 2025

30

Merciless Bavarians Bayern demolish Auckland City in a footballing mismatch to kick off CWC campaign B AYERN MUNICH began their Club World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion with a ruthless 10

His other former clubs include AC Milan, for whom he made 468 appearances as a player, Napoli, Valencia and Marseille. Italy are next in action in Group I of qualifying with games against Estonia and Israel in September. Spalletti was sacked after the Norway defeat, and Monday’s win over Moldova was his last match in charge. Italy missed out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia after losing a playoff to Sweden and then also failed to qualify for the 2022 finals in Qatar, suffering a shock exit from the playoffs at the hands of North Macedonia. – AFP Auckland compete in the Northern League of their national system. They’ve been allocated the only Oceania spot granted for the tournament, having won the OFC Champions League for the last four seasons. They next play Benfica in Orlando on Saturday, before a final group game with Boca Juniors in Nashville four days later. By then, Vicelich and his players might just be longing to get back to work. – Express Newspapers give us, he knows what we can give to him to improve and to become a better player,” explained Maresca. “He was keen to join us because he knows the way we play, the season that we were together … he scored 24 goals. “We like Liam, Liam likes us, so it was an easy conversation.” The coach said he had not promised Delap he would be starting ahead of Nicolas Jackson. “I never say to a player you (will) be a first choice, the message is always the same, you arrive, you work hard, you work more than the other number nine (and you can be),”he added. – AFP AC manager takes unpaid leave to coach part-timers THE phrase“don’t give up the day job”may be cruelly plaguing Auckland City’s interim coach Ivan Vicelich and his players yesterday. The semi-pro New Zealand team were ruthlessly swept aside 10-0 by Bayern Munich in their Fifa Club World Cup opener in Cincinnati. In what can only be described as a one sided contest, the German champions were 6-0 up by halftime. The rout continued in the second half. The only consolation to Vicelich and his team was that they managed to shut out England captain Harry Kane. However, to rub salt into their wounds, the former All Whites international has taken a financial hit to travel to America. In his pre-match press conference, he admitted his employer hadn’t given him any special dispensation to take his side to the tournament, saying: “I’ve always got to do a combination of annual leave and leave without pay. “I’ll be suffering a bit with the rent and bills and stuff like that. But to play against Bayern and Benfica and Boca Juniors (their group opponents), it’s 100 per cent worth it.” Club keeper Conor Tracey, who works in a warehouse for a pharmaceutical company in New Zealand, was also realistic with his pre match words. He said: “The challenge is to compete as well as we can against them. We’re no fools. We know what we’re up against.”

Concacaf Gold Cup opener, courtesy of a stoppage-time penalty, by Manfred Ugalde, that sealed crucial three points in Group A game yesterday in San Diego. With the match tied 3-3 heading into the final moments, Suriname’s Dion Malone committed a foul handing Costa Rica a spot kick in the 13th minute of the stoppage time. Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing moments, but it was Ugalde’s penalty in the dying stages that sealed Costa Rica’s dramatic 4-3 victory. Saudi Arabia top Haiti in Gold Cup SALEH AL-SHEHRI’S penalty kick in the 21st minute held up as the winner as Saudi Arabia shut out Haiti 1-0 in Concacaf Gold Cup Group A play yesterday in San Diego. Al-Shehri drew a foul in the penalty area on Frantzdy Pierrot in the 18th minute, then converted a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner to lift Saudi Arabia in the opener for both teams. Haiti had an opportunity to pull even in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time, but Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi (four saves) denied Dany Jean in the center of the goal on a right footed shot from outside the box. the next rounds.” Substitute Musiala curled a trademark finish into the far corner in the 67th minute, before calmly converting a penalty he earned six minutes later and pouncing on a defensive blunder to score his third in the 84th. Mueller also completed his double by sealing the rout in the 89th minute, as Bayern recorded the biggest win in the history of men’s Club World Cups. Despite the heavy defeat, Auckland coach Ivan Vicelich – who noted before the match that several of his players had to take time off from their day jobs – said he was proud of his team’s effort. “To be proud of the players is what we’re after. It’s a dream coming from an amateur level to play in this environment,” he said. “You can’t hide on the field. (I’m) really proud, a lot of players put in a good amount and worked really hard.” The 13-time OFC Champions League winners Auckland will face Benfica on Saturday, while Bayern meet Argentine giants Boca Juniors on the same day in Group C action. “The next game against Boca Juniors will be the highlight of the group stage,” Kompany added. “A traditional club from Europe against a traditional club from South America. Even if I weren’t Bayern coach, I’d have attended this game. It will be special.” – Reuters

USA end losing streak THE United States ended their four-match losing run with a resounding 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in their opening game of the Concacaf Gold Cup yesterday in San Jose. Mauricio Pochettino and his team, which is missing several Europe-based regulars, had faced plenty of criticism after recent friendly defeats to Turkey and Switzerland. In desperate need of a change in mood around the team, a year out from the World Cup they will co host with Canada and Mexico, Pochettino fielded an attacking line-up. Against a Trinidad team, coached by former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, it proved to be just the kind of stress-free comfortable win that the Argentine coach was seeking. Trinidad were showing why they have fallen down the Fifa rankings, slipping to 100th and fourth in the Caribbean, below Curacao, lacking any kind of solidity. The USA, looking for an eighth Gold Cup title, face Saudi Arabia and Haiti in their remaining two games in Group D. Costa Rica sink Suriname COSTA RICA snatched a dramatic 4-3 victory over Suriname in their 0 demolition of Auckland City on Sunday, as Jamal Musiala marked his return from injury with a brilliant second half hattrick in a commanding team display. Kingsley Coman opened the scoring in the sixth minute, heading home at the far post after a Joshua Kimmich corner. The Bundesliga champions then took full control with a three-goal burst in as many minutes, as Sacha Boey smashed in a low shot from a Coman pass in the 18th minute for his first goal for Bayern, Michael Olise added a third with a simple tap-in moments later and Coman netted his second in the 21st minute. Thomas Muller then made it 5-0 just before the break, volleying in from close range after an Olise assist, and the French winger grabbed his second with a superb curling effort from outside the box. With a dominant lead at halftime, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany made several changes, including handing a senior debut to 17-year-old Lennart Karl. “I wanted to give Karl his opportunity, he showed lots of quality, it was great for him and great for Bayern,” Kompany told reporters. “We have a strong basis from last season and we can still give young players an opportunity to succeed, he may play an important role in SIDENETTING

Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanisic (left) in action with Auckland City’s David Yoo. – REUTERSPIC

Gattuso named new Italy coach GENNARO GATTUSO was named Italy’s new coach yesterday and will be tasked with helping the Azzurri qualify for the 2026 World Cup after replacing Luciano Spalletti. for him. His

motivation, his professionalism and his experience will be essential. “(He is) Aware of the importance of the objective we want to achieve. I thank him for the total dedication with which he has accepted this challenge.” Four-time champions Italy have failed to qualify for the past two World Cups and started their bid to reach next year’s tournament in North America with a 3-0 loss to Norway last week. Gattuso is an experienced coach and was last in charge of Croatian club Hajduk Split, helping them qualify for next season’s Uefa Conference League. Maresca would not confirm if the 22-year-old forward will start at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta but said Delap was not showing any nerves after taking the Blues’ No. 9 shirt. “Liam knows quite well how important is the number nine for this club … I see him quite relaxed, easy, he’s doing well, since he arrived he’s working well,” said Maresca. The Italian coached Delap in Manchester City’s under-21 team previously and said the link between them would be mutually beneficial. “We know each other already from years ago, so I know what Liam can

The 47-year-old was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side and won 73 caps for the national team as a player. The Italian football federation (FIGC) said Gattuso would be presented to the media on Thursday. “Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football,” said FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. “The blue shirt is like a second skin CHELSEA coach Enzo Maresca said yesterday he is confident new signing Liam Delap will become England’s No. 9 after Harry Kane. Bayern Munich striker Kane, 31, has led the line for England for most of the last decade, but Delap is showing great potential, which led Chelsea to snap him up for £30 million (RM173m) from relegated Ipswich Town earlier this month. “I don’t have any doubt that he can be in the future England’s number nine,” said Chelsea’s coach on the eve of their Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC, when asked if Delap could succeed Kane.

‘No doubt Delap will be England No. 9’