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                                                                                                       sports Dialuna 15 november 2021

                         Own-goal gives Croatia a World Cup spot at Russia's expense


            (AP)  —  Three  years  on  defender  Fedor  Kudriashov
            from  playing  in  a  World  directed the ball into his own  Croatia's   finishing   was
            Cup final, Croatia needed  net as he tried to control it.   patchy, with shots frequently
            a  late  own-goal  to  reach  "It was a difficult match from  off  target,  though  Russian
            the  2022  tournament  in  the  beginning  because  of  goalkeeper  Matvey  Safonov
            a  1-0  win  over  Russia  on  the  rain.  We  never  gave  up,  was sharp when called upon
            Sunday.                      we were patient and I think  to  push  away  a  curling  shot
                                         we  won  deservedly.  We  are  from  Marcelo  Brozovic  in
            Croatia bombarded the Rus-   the best team in this group,"  the first half.
            sian  goal  throughout  the  Luka Modric said.
            game — with little success —                              Russia  would  have  quali-
            in search of the win the 2018  Under heavy rain in front of  fied  with  a  draw,  and  had
            runners-up needed to secure  a vocal home crowd, Croatia  little ambition other than to  fender Vyacheslav Karavaev.   playoffs  will  sort  12  teams
            the automatic qualifying spot  started  out  hoping  to  play  a  survive the 90 minutes. The                       into four-team brackets play-
            in  Group  H  and  consign  slick  passing  game  focused  Russians didn't record a shot  The loss was the first for new  ing for three World Cup plac-
            Russia to the playoffs.      on  Modric,  its  talismanic  of  any  kind  until  the  74th,  Russia  coach  Valery  Karpin  es.
                                         midfielder.  By  halftime,  the  and Croatian goalkeeper Ivo  in  his  first  seven  games  in
            When     the   breakthrough  increasingly    waterlogged  Grbic didn't have to make a  charge. He told Russian me-  Third-place Slovakia eased to
            came  in  the  81st  minute  it  pitch  made  that  impossible  save. Even after Kudriashov's  dia he took the blame for the  a 6-0 win over Malta with a
            was  from  an  unexpected  and  turned  the  game  into  a  own-goal changed the game,  defeat but plans to stay on for  hat trick from attacking mid-
            source. Croatia's Borna Sosa  succession of crosses, specu-  the  closest  Russia  came  to  the playoffs in March, when  fielder Ondrej Duda. Slove-
            hit a cross too deep, evading  lative  long  shots  and  wild  scoring was a long-range ef-  Russia is likely to be one of  nia beat Cyprus 2-1.
            his  teammates,  but  Russian  sliding tackles.           fort  over  the  bar  from  de-  the  six  seeded  teams.  The

                              Rossi retires with 10th-place finish in last MotoGP race



                                                                      10th-place  finish  at  the  Vale," said fellow Italian Bag-  ing  the  last  time  the  Italian
                                                                      final MotoGP race of the  naia, who wore a helmet with  veteran crossed the line.
                                                                      season  in  Spain  on  Sun-  Rossi's No. 46 on it. "I want
                                                                      day.                         to  dedicate  this  race  to  Vale  Rossi  had  announced  he
                                                                                                   and  thank  him  for  what  he  would retire earlier this sea-
                                                                      Race-winner Francesco Bag-   has done for us."            son.
                                                                      naia and the other riders fol-                            He won nine world titles in
                                                                      lowed Rossi after the race un-  Several  video  messages  for  total, with his seven triumphs
                                                                      til the veteran Italian stopped  Rossi  were  shown  on  the  in the top motorcycling series
                                                                      in front of the grandstands to  television  broadcast,  includ-  coming  in  the  2001-05  and
                                                                      salute his fans.             ing  those  from  actors  Tom  2008-09 seasons.
                                                                                                   Cruise  and  Keanu  Reeves  Sunday  was  his  372nd  race
                                                                      Members  from  other  teams  as well as athletes Roger Fe-  in the main series, where he
                                                                      awaited him on the pitlane to  derer,  Rafael  Nadal,  Lewis  won  89  times  and  had  199
                                                                      honor the 42-year-old Italian  Hamilton,  Gianluigi  Buffon  podium finishes.
                                                                      after  he  completed  his  fare-  and Andrea Pirlo.
                                                                      well lap on the track.                                    Fabio  Quartararo  of  France
            (AP) — Honored by fans,  Rossi put an end to his ac-                                   Former Brazil striker Ronal-  had  earlier  clinched  this
            opponents,  other  athletes  claimed  career  of  more  "It's  the  only  thing  possible  do waved the checkered flag  year's MotoGP title.
            and  celebrities,  Valentino  than  two  decades  with  a  today,  to  give  a  present  to  at the end of the race, mark-

                           Skier Hirschbühl leads Austrian 1-2 at WCup parallel race


            (AP)  —  Austrian  skier  first  run  to  win  by  .18,  and  could beat Raschner, he was                           time  in  his  first  qualifying
            Christian      Hirschbühl  Raschner  beat  Atle  Lie  Mc-  always the fastest. But it's part  Parallel world champion Ma-  run  on  the  red  course  but
            edged teammate Dominik  Grath,  who  failed  to  finish  of  the  game.  I  won  and  I'm  thieu Faivre missed the race  skied through a gate near the
            Raschner in the final of a  his second run.               overwhelmed."                because  of  a  sprained  left  end of his second run on the
            men's World Cup parallel                                                               ankle.                       blue course.
            event Sunday for his first  McGrath  won  the  duel  for  In a parallel event, two com-  Defending  overall  World  His  French  teammate  Clé-
            career victory.              third place against Kristoffer-  petitors  race  side-by-side  on  Cup  champion  Alexis  Pin-  ment  Noël,  Filip  Zubcic,
                                         sen by .15.                  identical, shortened giant sla-  turault  failed  to  qualify  for  Stefan Luitz and Luca De Al-
            Watched  on  by  3,000  spec-                             lom courses, with run times  the main event.              iprandini also failed to make
            tators  in  his  native  state  of  While  Raschner  won  the  just  over  22  seconds.  They                       it out of the qualifying com-
            Vorarlberg,  Hirschbühl  was  qualification  event  in  the  both  have  one  run  on  each  Pinturault  posted  the  fastest  petition.
            .5  of  a  second  behind  after  morning  hours,  Hirschbühl  course,  and  the  shortest  ag-
            the first run but won by .07  posted  only  the  15th-fastest  gregate  time  determines  the
            on  aggregate  after  the  deci-  time, just enough to advance  winner.
            sive leg.                    to the floodlit main event in
            "It's a relief and a dream come  the afternoon.           Marco  Odermatt,  who  won
            true," said Hirschbühl, whose  He  vastly  improved  in  the  the season-opening GS three
            previous best World Cup re-  actual  race,  defeating  Zan  weeks  ago,  and  2020  over-
            sult  was  fourth  place  at  the  Kranjec  and  Trevor  Philp  all  champion  Aleksander
            slalom  in  Wengen,  Switzer-  before  eliminating  Kristof-  Aamodt  Kilde  were  among
            land, in January 2017.       fersen.                      the  most  notable  absentees.
                                                                      They sat out the race as they
            Both  Austrians  defeated  a  "It's  crazy,"  Hirschbühl  said.  were  preparing  for  the  start
            Norwegian  opponent  in  the  "After those two runs I never  of  the  speed  season,  with
            semifinal:  Hirschbühl  upset  thought  I  could  qualify.  But  two  downhills  and  a  super-
            Henrik  Kristoffersen,  com-  I did and now I did a pretty  G coming up in Lake Louise,
            ing  from  behind  after  the  good event. I never thought I  Alberta, on Nov. 26-28.
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