Galaxy end Timbers’ MLS unbeaten run
Budapest: Title holder Lewis Hamilton moved top the Formula One championship for the first time this season on Sunday courtesy of a record fifth victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton beat pole-sitting Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg at the start to dethrone the German who finished second for his first Hungary podium. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo placed third.
It was the fifth season victory and 48th overall for Hamilton who is now the sole record holder on the Hungaroring with five top spots, one more than Michael Schumacher.
The two-time reigning champion Hamilton tops the standings with 192 points at the halfway mark of the season with 11 of 21 races completed.
Rosberg, who had led throughout the campaign, slipped to second on 186 as the momentum appears to have shifted to Hamilton who has won five of the last six races after Rosberg topped the first four for a 43-point lead at the time.
However, the Hungary winner has not won the world title the same year in the past 11 seasons, Schumacher being the last one to achieve both back in 2004.
The Hungaroring has also seen only 13 pole-sitters winning in the previous 30 editions, and Rosberg also failed to make the most of first place on the grid on a hot afternoon.
He had a solid start but Hamilton’s was better which allowed him to edge past Rosberg into the first right turn, with the German also briefly passed by Ricciardo before regaining second place from the Australian a few turns later.
Last year’s race winner Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was the first of the top racers to pit for fresh rubbers, in the 15th lap, with Hamilton following in the 17th and – dpa Los Angeles: Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes scored early goals and the Los Angeles Galaxy ended the Timbers’ nine-match unbeaten streak with a 2-1 Major League Soccer victory in Portland on Saturday.
Zarek Valentin scored for reigning MLS Cup champions Portland, who lost veteran defender Nat Borchers to what looked like a left ankle injury in the first half.
Despite the injury absences of midfielder Steven Gerrard and defender Ashley Cole — who missed his fourth game with a sore hamstring — the Galaxy struck early to stretch their MLS winning streak to four games.
Keane struck first, heading in Giovani dos Santos’ cross in the seventh minute. It was Keane’s seventh goal in 10 matches this season.
Four minutes later Emmanuel Boateng and Jelle Van Damme set up Zardes, who doubled the lead to 2-0.
The Galaxy have 34 goals this season, matching FC Dallas for the most in the league.
Zarek Valentin pulled one back for Portland in the 41st minute, taking a pass from Darlington Nagbe and beating Galaxy keeper Brian Rowe with a right-footed shot.
The Timbers had several more chances, including Nagbe’s point-blank shot that he fired high in the last 10 minutes.
In Eastern Conference action, Didier Drogba’s hat trick and a goal from Ignacio Piatti lifted the Impact to a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in Montreal.
Piatti contributed to all three of Drogba’s goals. At the 19-minute mark, Piatti worked a pretty give-and-go with Ambroise Oyongo, who hit Drogba with a perfect cross at the right post. Drogba converted, giving the Impact a 1-0 lead. On Drogba’s second goal, Piatti beat two Philadelphia defenders and after his shot was denied by Union keeper Andre Blake, Drogba seized the deflection and fired home a rightfooted shot. — AFP