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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.