Wednesday August 21, 2019 23SPORTS
u Solskjaer refuses to blame Pogba after penalty miss
Man United held at Wolves
US women soccer players’ equal pay lawsuit to go to trial in May next year
A dejected Paul Pogba of Manchester
United reacts on the fi nal whistle of
the Premier League match against
Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday in
Wolverhampton, England. Photo: VCGManchester United were held
1-1 at Wolverhampton Wander-
ers and missed out on taking
top spot in the Premier League
on Monday as a sumptuous
Ruben Neves strike canceled
out Anthony Martial’s fi rst-half
goal and Paul Pogba missed a
late penalty.
After a 4-0 home win over
Chelsea on the opening day,
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team
dominated the early exchanges
and led after 27 minutes when
Marcus Rashford slipped the
ball in for Martial to score his
50th goal for the club in all
competitions.
But Wolves, who beat the vis-
itors in the league and FA Cup
at Molineux last season, were
transformed in the second half,
rejuvenated by substitute Ad-
ama Traore on the wing.
In the 55th minute, a clever
corner routine left Portuguese
midfi elder Neves free outside
the area from where he hit a
delightful curling strike over
keeper David de Gea that went
in off the underside of the bar,
ramping up the raucous atmo-
sphere.
The goal was confi rmed after
a VAR review into whether Joao
Moutinho was off side when he
received the ball back following
a the short corner routine.
“It was fantastic,” Wolves
coach Nuno Espirito Santo said
of Neves’ strike. “In the fi rst
half we struggled so much, but
it all changed in the second...
I am proud of all the perfor-
mance.”
Pogba then missed a penalty
awarded in the 67th minute
after he tumbled in the area
under Wolves captain Conor
Coady’s feet.
The Frenchman’s spot kick,
superbly saved by Rui Patricio,was his fourth missed penalty
in the Premier League since
the start of last season, raising
questions as to why United’s
other designated penalty taker
Rashford did not step up in-
stead.
“The two of them are confi -
dent penalty takers,” Solskjaer
said as he defended Pogba.
“When there are two names
there, it’s the one who’s most
confi dent. Paul’s scored so
many before, so absolutely no
problem at all.”
The result left United on
four points from two games,
while Wolves are still looking
for their fi rst win of the season,
having picked up two points
from two draws.
Goalscorer, Neves, how-
ever, was jubilant with another
strong performance from the
Midlands team against a lead-
ing side.“I’m really happy for the
goal and the result as we drew
against a big team,” he said.
After regaining their su-
premacy in possession, United
had another glorious chance
near the end but defender Luke
Shaw shot straight at Patricio
from the edge of the area, to the
relief of the home fans in the
31,314 crowd.
A win would have taken
United above early pacesetters
Liverpool and Arsenal on goal
diff erence.
But Solskjaer seemed con-
tent to have collected four
points from the opening two
games after most pundits had
ruled out his team’s chances of
being title contenders this sea-
son.
“We are improving,” said the
Norwegian.ReutersuSOCCER
The equal pay lawsuit fi led by US
women soccer players against the US
Soccer Federation has been scheduled to
go to trial on May 5, 2020, the players’
spokesperson said Monday.
The gender discrimination lawsuit
regarding unequal pay and working con-
ditions was fi led on March 8 by 28 play-
ers, and Monday’s trial date, set by US
District Judge R. Gary Klausner in Los
Angeles, comes a week after the players
and the federation reached an impasse
in mediation.
“We are pleased with the expeditious
schedule that has been set by the Court
and we are eager to move forward with
this case,” Molly Levinson, a spokesper-
son for the US women players, said in a
statement.
“We very much look forward to the
trial in May 2020 when the players will
have their day in court.”
The May date will put the jury trial
amid the team’s build up to the 2020
Tokyo Olympics, although it remains
possible a settlement could be reachedbefore then.
The issue was center stage as the US
triumphed in the Women’s World Cup
in France in July, chants of “equal Pay”
raining down on the champions after
they defeated the Netherlands in the
fi nal.
US lawmakers have proposed legis-
lation that would block federal funding
for the 2026 Men’s World Cup – to be
hosted jointly by the US, Mexico and
Canada – until the federation pays its
women’s national team “fair and equi-
table wages.”Federation President Carlos Cordeiro
issued fi gures last month that he said
showed US Soccer had compensated
women more than men over the past
decade, but the women players said the
fi gures were misleading, noting they
included salaries for National Women’s
Soccer League play.AFPDeaf Korean
tennis player
Lee notches
landmark win
uTENNISLee Duck-hee became the fi rst
deaf player to win an ATP
match on Monday, making a
statement with a straight-set
win over Henri Laaksonen in
Winston-Salem.
“People made fun of me
for my disability. They told me
I shouldn’t be playing,” the
21-year-old South Korean said
after shrugging off a lengthy
rain delay to post a 7-6 (7/4),
6-1 victory.
“It was defi nitely diffi cult,
but my friends and family
helped me get through,” Lee
said. “I wanted to show every-
one that I could do this.
“My message for people who
are hearing impaired is to not
be discouraged. If you try hard,
you can do anything.”
Lee, ranked 212nd in the
world, turned pro at 15 and
achieved his best ATP singles
ranking of 130th in the world in
2017, toiling mainly on the de-
velopmental Challenger circuit.
He admits that his disability
can make life on court frustrat-
ing: He can’t hear line calls or
the umpire’s call of the score
and relies on gestures to sort
out any confusion.
At Lee’s post-match press
conference on Monday, his fi -
ancee pitched in to help out a
Korean translator.
It was the end of a long day
for Lee, who was two points
from victory when thunder-
storms swept through the area.
When he and Switzerland’s
Laaksonen returned some fi ve
hours later Lee quickly polished
off a win he admitted he hadn’t
been expecting.
“I thought that I was just go-
ing to do my best and try to stay
focused, but I came out a win-
ner,” said Lee, who had reached
his fi rst Challenger fi nal almost
three years in Little Rock in
June.AFPPage Editor:
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