Daily Mirror - 05.03.2020

DM1ST

mirror.co.uk/sport THURSDAY 05.03.2020 DAILY MIRROR^59

LIFT Kane news is a big

boost for Jose Mourinho

FROM BACK PAGE

Southgate has warned that

Kane must be back playing

before the end of the

season to be match-fit for

the tournament, which

kicks off on June 12.

And Kane says he will be

fit to lead his country in

their opening game against

Croatia two days later.

“In my head, I am

definitely at the Euros,” he

said. “Unless something

drastic happens I’ll be

there. I’m not training with

the first team, but I’m in the

gym and getting stronger

all the time.

“A few more weeks and

I’ll be playing again. I don’t

want to make a prediction

for which game I might be

back, but I am hoping

between the start and the

middle of April.”

Tottenham could yet

have a Champions League

quarter-final next month

and they are also chasing

European qualification via

the Premier League.

Kane’s comments are a

timely boost for club and

country, with England

reliant on their captain’s

goals to spearhead the

Euro 2020 campaign.

Harry in a

hurry for

the Euros

BY TONY BANKS

CRYSTAL PALACE striker

Cenk Tosun admits he is

heartbroken after being

ruled out of Euro 2020 with

a knee injury.

Tosun, who joined Palace

on loan from Everton and

has scored one goal in five

games, has been ruled out

for seven months after

injuring himself in training.

The Turkish striker, a key

player for his country with

16 goals in 42 games, said:

“I am struggling to sleep. I

am so upset.”

Tosun will return to

Everton for treatment on

the injury, which after

scans was reported as

revealing “ruptures.”

Palace have an option to

sign Tosun, 28, for

£20million but that was

regarded as unlikely even

before his injury. He has

two years remaining on his

contract with Everton.

Tosun’s KO

heartache

fa cup

fifth round

cups and sorcerers

now kun

is better

than roo

SERGIO AGUERO eclipsed

Wayne Rooney to earn cup

kings Manchester City yet

another quarter-final place.

Aguero netted the only goal

at Hillsborough to take his tally

for City to 254 and move clear

of Rooney as the top scorer for

a Manchester club.

Aguero made the

breakthrough with his 23rd goal

of the season to give City

victory over Sheffield

Wednesday, just three days

after their League Cup triumph

over Aston Villa at Wembley.

Pep Guardiola dropped Phil

Foden, despite his man-of-the-

match display against Villa.

Kevin De Bruyne was also

missing after suffering a

shoulder injury.

Wednesday defended well,

but were disappointing and

showed little ambition in front

of a crowd of just 20,000.

City midfielder Riyad Mahrez

(above) said: “It was tough. We

knew it would be tough, but we

did the job. Sometimes we have

to take the win like this and

we’re happy to go through.

“We knew they’d sit back and

we had to pass the ball between

the lines and move a lot. We

know we have good players on

the ball to create chances.

“There’s still a long way to go,

but we are trying to win every

game. The manager makes sure

we are focused in every

competition. We are very strong

mentally and we’ll try and win

as much as we can.”

SHEFF WED: Wildsmith 7, Palmer

7, Iorfa 8, Borner 7 (Lees 46, 6),

Fox 7, Murphy 7, Bannan 7, Lee 7

(Hunt 63, 6), Pelupessy 3, Da Cruz

6, Forestieri 7 (Fletcher 56, 6).

MAN CITY: Bravo 7, Cancelo 7,

Stones 7, Otamendi 7, MOM Mendy

8, D Silva 6, Rodrigo 7, Bernardo 7,

Mahrez 7, Aguero 7, (Sterling 86),

Jesus 6.

REF: Michael Oliver AT T: 20,995

match stats

2 O% pOSSeSSION 8 O%

(^0) ShOTS ON TArgeT (^9)
1 ShOTS OFF TArgeT 9
(^2) cOrNerS (^6)
(^4) OFFSIde (^4)
(^11) FOuLS (^6)
(^1 0) cArdS (^1 0)
Sergio Aguero fires
home the City winner,
helped by a fumble
from luckless Joe
Wildsmith
it’s sergio
the hero
their sights and were
centimetres away from opening
the scoring when Otamendi
beat Julian Borner to head
against the face of the bar.
City continued to attack in
waves and Wildsmith saved
from Aguero, touched Mendy’s
drive against the bar and denied
Bernardo Silva.
But the Owls keeper went
from hero to zero and he was
badly at fault when City
grabbed their 53rd-minute
winner. Mendy fed Aguero, who
turned Dominic Iorfa and hit a
shot which Wildsmith could
only parry into his own net with
his left hand. VAR might have
disallowed the goal for a hair-
line offside decision against
Aguero, but the technology was
not available last night.
Monk threw on his top scorer
Fletcher, but City retained their
grip on the game and Wildsmith
made a fine double save from
Stones and Rodri.
The Owls belatedly went for
it in the final 10 minutes and
Fletcher just failed to get on the
end of fellow substitute Alex
Hunt’s cross.
But it was too little, too late
as City’s cup juggernaut rolls on
and on.
rarely threatened playing so
deep, although Jacob Murphy,
just about their only attacking
outlet, did cut inside Benjamin
Mendy to curl a left-footed shot
just wide of the far post.
City were wasteful and
Gabriel Jesus headed wide from
inside the six-yard box from
John Stones’ dinked cross to the
back post and Riyad Mahrez
blazed over from Liam Palmer’s
poor clearance.
Jesus was guilty of another
miss when Aguero picked him
out on the right with a floated
cross, only for the Brazilian to
fail to connect. City adjusted
ranks lined up midway inside
their own half in an attempt to
suffocate City.
They made no attempt to
press City, leaving the visitors to
dominate possession. The Owls
B Y dAvId ANderSON