Juventus beat Roma, go second
TURIN: Italian champions Juventus stayed firmly in the hunt for a seventh successive league title after a first-half goal by central defender Medhi Benatia gave them a 1-0 home win over AS Roma in a pulsating Serie A clash on Saturday. The result kept Juve second on 44 points from 18 games.
Third-placed Inter Milan are five points off the pace after a shock 1-0 defeat at Sassuolo while Roma stayed fourth seven points behind Napoli with a game in hand.
DEFOE OUT INJURED
LONDON: Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe has been ruled out for eight to 10 weeks with a fracture of his right ankle, the Premier League club have said.
“The 35-year-old sustained the injury in a tackle in the opening minutes of the tie at Stamford Bridge... Defoe is expected to be sidelined for around eight to 10 weeks,” Bournemouth said on their website.
AUSTIN CHARGED
LONDON: Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been hit with a violent conduct charge after he kicked Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl in the face. Lossl was left with a bloodied face and a suspected broken nose following the incident.
Austin avoided punishment for the incident at the time, but could now face a retrospective ban from the Football Association.
Austin netted Southampton’s opener midway through the first half against Huddersfield, but came off with a hamstring injury after the interval.