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SPORTSThursday 3 December 2015
Benzema wants to win Euro 2016 with Valbuena SOCCER BRIEFS
SAMUEL PETREQUIN and convince Valbuena cerpts of the striker’s first derstanding,” Barcelona beats
AP Sports Writer to deal directly with the examination in front of the Benzema said he just want- Villanovense 6-1
PARIS (AP) — Speaking blackmailers. investigating judge. ed to “help” Valbuena by in Copa del Rey
publicly for the first time Benzema, who denies any “This is absolutely unac- letting him know about the
since becoming embroiled BARCELONA, Spain (AP)
in a blackmail scan- France’s Mathieu Valbuena, left, and Karim Benzema, right, chat during a training session — A hat trick and an assist
dal, Karim Benzema said in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Speaking publicly for the first time since becoming embroiled in a by Sandro Ramirez helped
Wednesday he wants to blackmail scandal, Karim Benzema said Wednesday Dec.2, 2015 he wants to play again for Barcelona to a 6-1 win
play again for France and France and win the 2016 European Championship with teammate Mathieu Valbuena. against third-tier Villano-
win the 2016 European vense in their first round,
Championship with team- (AP Photo/David Vincent) second leg match in the
mate Mathieu Valbuena. Copa del Rey on Wednes-
Benzema, one of France’s wrongdoing, has also been ceptable, this case has sex tape and putting him in day. After drawing the first
key players, is facing placed under judicial su- been turned upside down,” touch with his “best friend” leg 0-0, Dani Alves put Bar-
charges of conspiracy to pervision, meaning he can- Jakubowicz told RTL radio. Zenati, who is suspected of celona ahead after four
blackmail relating to an not meet with Valbuena “Mathieu Valbuena, who having played a central minutes with a long shot
extortion scam over a sex during the investigation. If is a victim and an honest role in the scheme and has that goalkeeper Jose Fuen-
tape featuring Valbuena. the case continues to drag man, has been influenced also been handed prelimi- tes only got his fingertips
He is suspected of hav- on until the Euro starts on in his declarations. But how nary charges. to. Fuentes then cleared
ing played an active role June 10, France coach Di- could it have been differ- “I am really disappointed the ball straight to Ramirez
in pressuring Valbuena dier Deschamps won’t be ent?” with the magnitude of this who fired it back over the
to deal directly with the able to call both players in Le Monde published state- story, because blackmail ‘keeper’s head in the 21st.
blackmailers. his squad for the continen- ments given by Benzema and stuff like that, frankly Villanovense pulled one
“Hopefully it will end well, tal tournament. to the judge investigating it’s very serious,” Benzema back with a shot by Juan-
we will all be OK ... and we Meanwhile, Benzema’s the case after he spent a was quoted as saying. fran Guarnido eight min-
will all return to the France lawyer Alain Jakubowicz night in custody at Ver- Benzema also told the utes later. Ramirez scored
team to win that Euro,” said that he will file a law sailles police station last judge he thought that Ze- again in the 31st and Munir
Benzema said in an inter- suit for breach of confi- month. Benzema denied nati would intervene for El Haddadi headed in Jer-
view with TV channel TF1 to dentiality of a judicial in- his implication in the plot free in favor of Valbuena emy Mathieu’s cross in the
be aired later Wednesday. vestigation after Le Monde and told the judge he was and make sure the tape 51st. Ramirez got his third
French Prime Minister newspaper published ex- a victim of “a big misun- would be destroyed.q in the 69th and delivered
Manuel Valls joined in the a perfect back-pass for El
criticism of Benzema on Haddadi to score again in
Tuesday, saying he “has the 76th.q
no place” on the national
team, days after Valbuena Liverpool routs
said he felt betrayed by his Southampton 6-1
France teammate.
“I’m not playing for the in quarterfinals
cameras, I’m not playing a
game,” insisted Benzema SOUTHAMPTON, England
in excerpts released by TF1. (AP) — Liverpool recovered
“I’m here to be sincere.” from conceding inside the
Benzema’s involvement in first minute to thrash South-
the plot has not yet been ampton 6-1 away in the
fully determined but inves- League Cup quarterfinals
tigators believe he was on Wednesday as Juergen
approached by a child- Klopp’s impressive start as
hood friend, Karim Zenati, manager continued. Di-
to act as an intermediary vock Origi scored a hat
trick — his first goals for Liv-
Caen fails to close gap on PSG after 1-1 tie at Monaco erpool — after fellow striker
Daniel Sturridge marked his
JEROME PUGMIRE ping rare points in Tues- from Marvin Martin, he let ation,” said former Lyon latest return from injury with
AP Sports Writer day’s 0-0 draw at Angers. the ball drop and hit an forward Benzia, who was goals in the 25th and 29th
PARIS (AP) — Second- A win would have moved arching half-volley from modest about his goal. minutes to spark the come-
place Caen failed to nar- Monaco to within one the right of the penalty “Marvin picked me out; back. Jordon Ibe also net-
row the gap on runaway point of Caen, and the area into the opposite cor- I just re-adjusted my bal- ted as Liverpool reached
league leader Paris Saint- Principality side looked well ner. The strike was some- ance and managed to a record 16th League Cup
Germain after drawing 1-1 set when striker Guido Car- what similar to Marco van score.” semifinal, joining Manches-
at Monaco on Wednes- rillo grabbed his first league Basten’s stunning goal for Bordeaux coach Willy Sa- ter City, Everton and Stoke
day. Caen had to thank goal of the season in the the Netherlands against gnol was vague when in the last four. Sadio Mane
striker Ronny Rodelin for 56th. But Monaco remains England at the 1988 Euro- questioned over his future put Southampton in front
earning a point when he in sixth place, level on pean Championship. following Bordeaux’s 1-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium. Liv-
bundled the ball in for an points with seventh-place It was also a much-needed defeat at Bastia, which fol- erpool has won seven of
86th-minute equalizer. Saint-Etienne, which lost win for Lille, which remains lowed last weekend’s 4-1 its last eight games under
The Normandy side re- 1-0 away to struggling Lille. in the relegation zone — home defeat to Caen. Klopp, who took charge
mains 13 points behind Striker Yassine Benzia one point behind 17th- “The club’s in a difficult po- in October, and looks a
PSG, which appears to scored a spectacular win- place Bordeaux. sition,” the former France team unrecognizable from
be coasting to a fourth- ner for Lille. “We’re relieved to win, and Bayern Munich right the one that struggled un-
straight title despite drop- Latching onto a long pass especially given our situ- back said.q der predecessor Brendan
Rodgers.q
