Manchester City avoided a tragedy of Hamlet proportions against Denmark’s Midtjylland on Thursday after a last-gasp penalty shoot-out gave the English side a UEFA Cup lifeline.
It took until the 89th minute for their second qualifying round, second leg to burst into life when American defender Danny Califf headed the ball past his own keeper to level the aggregate at 1-1.
That was enough to see the English Premier side into extra-time and a penalty shoot-out in which keeper Joe Hart pulled off heroics to put City into the UEFA Cup first round.
PHOTO: EPA
Mark Hughes’ sise pressed early as Martin Petrov’s left-sided cross in the second minute was cleared by the Midtjylland defense. But City’s new Brazilian Jo was finding it difficult to make an impression on the damp surface and Blumer Elano looked ineffective.
At the start of the second half Mikkel Thygesen found a yard of space in the 62nd minute to sneak behind a flat-footed City defense to connect with a neat Simon Poulsen pass but he fluffed the finish.
The away side’s defense was looking even more ragged five minutes later when substitute Babajide Babatunde rose unchallenged to head the ball over the bar.
Shortly after, Hart had to be snappy to claim the ball from the feet of Babatunde, but the keeper was an observer when the striker was clear on goal in the 79th minute before slicing the ball wide.
Jonas Borring’s cross was turned over City’s bar from close range by Babatunde, who seemed fated not to score on the night.
And fate beckoned for the Danes a minute from normal time when a hopeful Michael Ball cross was turned into the net by Califf.
After a goalless extra time the heroic Hart, saved two spot kicks in the penalty shootout as City hobbled, rather than strode, into yesterday’s first round draw.
In other UEFA Cup ties FC Moscow beat Legia Warsaw 2-0 to advance 4-1 on aggregate and Hertha Berlin beat NK Ljubljana of Slovenia 1-0 to win 3-0 on aggregate
St Patrick’s Athletic of Ireland pulled off a surprise 2-1 win over Elfsborg of Sweden to earn a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Aston Villa were surprisingly held 1-1 by Hafnarfjordur of Iceland at Villa Park but the English side still advanced 5-2.
Napoli thrashed Albanian side Vllaznia 5-0 to win 8-0 on aggregate while VFB Stuttgart beat Gyori in Hungary to advance 6-2 on aggregate.
Hajduk Split were eliminated after losing 0-1 at home to Deportivo La Coruna.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely