BENZEMA SCORES OFF LAST KICK TO HOLD VALENCIA

BARCELONA: Karim Benzema scored with the final kick of the match to snatch a 1-1 draw for Real Madrid at Valencia in the Spanish league on Sunday. The draw wasted a chance for Madrid to take the outright lead. Second-placed Madrid are level on points with leaders Barcelona before the teams meet in their “clásico” at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Thibaut Courtois played a key role in Benzema’s goal when the Belgium goalkeeper joined the attack on a corner kick five minutes into stoppage time. Thibaut rose to connect with a powerful header that his counterpart Jaume Domenech batted down into the crowded box, where it reached Benzema to smash it home.

Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane rested holding midfielder Casemiro, who has four yellow cards and would have risked a suspension if he had played. Madrid was also without injured left backs Marcelo and Ferland Mendy, and Zidane had to employ the little-used Nacho Fernández, a central defender, on the left side of his back line.

LONDON: Arsenal’s interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg said the club needed to hurry up and appoint a new permanent manager after a crushing 3-0 home loss to Manchester City on Sunday, and he appeared to accept that he is unlikely to get the job himself. The London side managed just one shot on target in the first half, and none at all in the second, as they suffered a third consecutive home defeat in all competitions. As well as calling for a swift resolution to the managerial situation, Ljungberg flagged up how he is operating with a skeleton staff behind the scenes, with Per Mertesacker acting as his assistant as well running the club’s academy. “It’s a great honour to do this, but Per is doing two jobs,” Ljungberg said. “I’ve said it (the managerial situation) needs to be cleared up, and it would be good to make a decision regardless of what it is,” he added. Arsenal have been without a permanent firstteam boss since they sacked Unai Emery at the end of November.

THE HAGUE: PSV Eindhoven axed former Dutch international Mark van Bommel as manager Monday following a string of disappointing results which came to a head after a 3-1 loss against Feyenoord. The move comes after the southern Dutch club won just two of their last 12 games and with PSV 10 points adrift of Ajax and AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie title race. Van Bommel, one of the stars of the Dutch team that ended as runners-up in the 2010 World Cup, was in his second season as manager of PSV.