SHORT CORNER
Win takes Juve 16 clear
Serie A leaders Juventus held on to win 2-1 at Napoli in a stormy top-of-the-table clash on Sunday which saw both teams have a player sent off and Lorenzo Insigne miss a late penalty for the hosts.
The win, courtesy of goals from Miralem Pjanic and Emre Can, took Juve 16 points clear of Napoli and almost certainly wrapped up an eighth straight title for the unbeaten Turin giants who have 72 points out of a possible 78 with 12 games left.
Juventus raced into a 2-0 halftime lead after Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret was sent off in the 25th minute. The visitors then had Pjanic dismissed and Napoli's Jose Callejon pulled one back before Insigne let the Turin side off the hook. --Reuters
Balotelli posts goal celebration video on social media
Mario Balotelli showed off a new goal celebration on Sunday as he took a selfie video with his Marseille teammates and posted it on social media during their 2-0 win over Saint-Etienne.
The Italian scored his fourth goal in six Ligue 1 games since joining Marseille from Nice in January by hooking home Florian Thauvin's 12th-minute corner with an excellent acrobatic volley.
As he celebrated his volley, Balotelli took a phone from the cameraman behind the goal before filming the video with his laughing teammates and posting it on his Instagram story. The 28-year-old then carried on playing.
Marseille doubled their advantage nine minutes later through a Thauvin penalty and closed out the win with ease. --Afp
Liverpool frustrated in goalless draw
Liverpool were left a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after they were held 0-0 by Everton in Sunday's Merseyside derby -- the fourth draw in six games for Juergen Klopp's side.
City, who won 1-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, have 71 points while Liverpool are on 70, with both teams having nine games to play.
It promises to be a tense and thrilling finale to the season but Liverpool, who have frittered away a seven-point lead, will need to regain their momentum quickly if they are to push for their first league title since 1990.
"I'm completely fine with chasing," said Klopp.
"Who wants to be top of the table at the beginning of March? It is nice but there are lots of games to play."
--Reuters
Striker dies after collapsing in Gabonese league
A player in the Gabonese first division, Herman Tsinga, has died after collapsing during a game in Libreville, local media reported on Monday.
Tsinga, a striker for Akanda FC, collapsed in the 23rd minute of the match with Missile FC on Saturday, The Union daily newspaper reported.
The 30-year-old received a cardiac massage by a military doctor, but died on his way to hospital.
An amateur video posted on Twitter showed the confused reaction after Tsinga collapsed on the edge of the centre circle.
According to The Union, neither of the two ambulances at the scene had the defibrillator or oxygen mask necessary "to save the life of the player". --Afp