top-flight games for the first time
in their history with a 1-0 victory
away at Fiorentina.
SERBIA: The referee, Milos Djordjic,
takes the players off the pitch for 13
minutes following racist chanting by
away fans in Partizan Belgrade’s
3-2 loss away to Vojvodina.
Monday April 8
ALGERIA: Currently second in the
league, JS Kabylie sack players Lyes
Benyoucef and Juba Oukaci after
they are arrested in the early hours
of Saturday and handed two-month
suspended jail sentences for
possession of cocaine.
Tuesday April 9
COPA AMERICA: Argentina and
Colombia are announced as hosts
of a 2020 Copa America, which
will feature north and south zones.
GERMANY: Augsburg sack coach
Manuel Baum
and his assistant
Jens Lehmann
and bring in
former Mainz and
Wolfsburg boss
Martin Schmidt.
ITALY: Stefano
Pioli stands down
as coach of
Fiorentina after
their weekend
defeat by lowly
Frosinone leaves
the side 10th
in Serie A.
UEFA CHAMP
LEAGUE: Hugo
Lloris saves a
penalty from Sergio Aguero as
Tottenham Hotspur win 1-0 at
home to Manchester City in
their quarter-final first leg, while
Liverpool beat visitors Porto 2-0.
Wednesday April 10
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
Tigres lose 3-2 away to fellow
Mexican side Santos Laguna
but reach the Final with a 5-3
aggregate victory.
GERMANY: RB Salzburg’s Marco
Rose will replace Dieter Hecking as
Borussia Monchengladbach coach
at the end of the season.
ITALY: Milan are referred to UEFA’s
financial regulator for breaking
financial fairplay rules for the
second year running. Fiorentina
appointed Vincenzo Montella as
coach for a second time.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: An
own goal by Manchester United’s
Luke Shaw gives Barcelona a 1-0
win at Old Trafford, while Ajax and
Juventus draw 1-1 in Holland.with a 7-2 victory over Al Ahli.
Friday April 5
ENGLAND: Liverpool come from
behind to win 3-1 at Southampton
and return to the top of the table,
two points ahead of Manchester
City, who have a game in hand.
FRANCE: Marseille, who have not
won away to Bordeaux since 1977,
lose 2-0.
MEXICO: Diego Maradona says he
will quit his job as coach of Mexican
second-tier side Dorados at the
end of the season over perceived
refereeing bias against his team.
Saturday April 6
CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
Record eight-times winners of
the tournament, Al Ahly lose 5-0
away to South Africa’s Mamelodi
Sundowns in the first leg of their
quarter-final. In the other
ties, Tunisia’s
Esperance won
3-2 in Algeria
against CS
Constantine,
while Simba v
TP Mazembe
and Horoya v
Wydad both
finished goalless.
GERMANY:
Bayern Munich
thrash Borussia
Dortmund 5-0
to leapfrog their
opponents at
the top of the
Bundesliga
with six games
remaining.
SCOTLAND: Hibernian win at
Tynecastle for the first time in six
years, beating Hearts 2-1 in the
Edinburgh derby. Hibs manager,
Paul Heckingbottom, is yet to lose
after eight league games in charge
of the Scottish Premiership side.
SPAIN: Barcelona move 11 points
clear at the top of La Liga with a
2-0 victory over second place
Atletico Madrid, who had Diego
Costa sent off in the first half.
USA: Wayne Rooney is sent off for
a wild lunge with both feet off the
ground as DC United lose 4-0 at
home to Los Angeles.
Sunday April 7
ENGLAND: Second-half sub Gerard
Deulofeu scores twice as Watford
come from 2-0 down to beat
Wolves 3-2 in extra-time and reach
the FA Cup Final, where they meet
Manchester City, who beat Brighton
& Hove Albion 1-0 the previous day.
ITALY: Frosinone win consecutiveacrimonious Libertadores Final between River and
Boca is possible.
Argentinian football continues to conjure up
complications and contradictions. And while fans
continue to suffer, some get to celebrate. Few
stories are as compelling as returning heroes
inspiring and leading their club to glory. Juan
Roman Riquleme at Boca, Juan Sebastian Veron at
Estudiantes, Marcelo Gallardo at River, and Milito at
Racing are just a few recent names. Lisandro Lopez
at Racing now also enters the pantheon.
WORLD SERVICE(^) PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lisandro Lopez (Racing)
Racing’s leader and the championship’s top scorer.
(^) COACH
Eduardo Coudet (Racing)
Joins Reinaldo Merlo and Diego Cocca as a title-
winning coach at Racing in the last 50 years.
(^) REVELATION
Matias Rojas (Defensa y Justicia)
The creative force in set-pieces for his side, the
Paraguayan scored 10 goals for the eventual
championship runners-up.
On target...
Lisandro Lopez
Season’s best
On top...Bayern
(in red) beat
Dortmund