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Soccer

Bayern wallops Besiktas to book 7th consecutive quarter-final spot

It’s becoming all too easy for Bayern Munich.

The runaway Bundesliga leader is off to the last eight of the Champions League for a seventh time on the trot after topping Besiktas Wednesday in Istanbul.

Boasting a five-goal advantage ahead of the second-leg clash at the Vodafone Park, Bayern had all but cemented a spot in the quarter-final. Besiktas’ narrow hopes were handed a massive setback when Thomas Muller and Thiago Alcantara combined to give the visitor a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute, boosting the Bavarian behemoth’s edge to a half dozen.

It was Bayern’s 100th goal in all competitions this season, the 28th time it had scored at least once in its last 29 matches, and the 14th time in 16 outings where it had opened the scoring.

Besiktas’ deficit became seven when Gokhan Gonul helplessly parried the ball into his own net seconds after the interval, calamitous defending that was matched a dozen minutes later when Vagner Love slotted one past Bayern ‘keeper Sven Ulreich to make it 7-1 on aggregate.

Second-half substitute Sandro Wagner made it 8-1 when the towering striker chested in a deflected cross six minutes from time.

The second leg was a more balanced affair than the first when Besiktas defender Domagoj Vida was sent off after 16 minutes for a daft foul, opening the floodgates for a Bayern attack that didn’t need the help.

A representative in the knockout stages of Europe’s top-tier tourney for the first time in club history after besting Monaco, RB Leipzig, and Porto for Group G honours, Besiktas gaffer Senol Gunes opted for a makeshift second-leg starting XI ahead of a crucial domestic clash with Turkish league shocker Istanbul Basaksehir on the weekend. Gunes made seven changes from the side that slumped to a 5-0 defeat in the first leg at the Allianz Arena, notably dropping Canadian midfield metronome Atiba Hutchinson, versatile attacker Anderson Talisca, and tough-tackling centre-half Pepe.

Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes made three changes, but it was very much a case of an excess of riches for the veteran manager as Thiago, Rafinha, and Franck Ribery started over James Rodriguez, Joshua Kimmich, and Kingsley Coman, respectively.

With the result, Bayern joins Sevilla, Real Madrid, Juventus, Roma, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Barcelona in the last eight. Prior to getting bounced in the quarter-final stage last season to eventual champion Real, Bayern had made at least the last four in five consecutive seasons, winning the 2012-13 installment under Heynckes over rival Borussia Dortmund a year after losing out on penalties to Chelsea in the final.

NFL

Source: Jets to sign top free-agent CB Johnson

The New York Jets have landed arguably the top cornerback on the free-agent market, with a league source telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter the team is expected to sign former Los Angeles Rams “franchise” player Trumaine Johnson.

The contract terms weren’t immediately available. Johnson intends to sign his deal after 4 p.m. Wednesday, when the league year begins, according to the source.

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The addition of Johnson was an important one for the Jets, whose system is predicated on man-to-man coverage by the corners. Before landing Johnson, they had only one starting-caliber corner under contract, Buster Skrine, who is best suited to the No. 3 role.

The Jets also have been in talks with Morris Claiborne, who started 15 games last season. There’s still a chance they could re-sign Claiborne, which would fortify a secondary that allowed 30 touchdown passes last season.

Johnson posted a farewell to the Rams on his Instagram account Monday. He will be reunited with secondary coach Dennard Wilson, who was his position coach with the Rams through 2016.

Johnson, 28, spent the past two years as the Rams’ primary cornerback and played under the franchise tag in both those seasons, his salary jumping to $16.74 million in 2017. He was arguably the best corner available on the free-agent market this offseason, mainly because of his size, his ability to match up with elite receivers and his track record for staying healthy.

Among 86 cornerbacks with at least 325 coverage snaps, Pro Football Focus had Johnson ranked 35th in opponents’ completion percentage (57.3) and 36th in opponents’ passer rating (79.8) when targeted. He allowed 1.33 yards per coverage snap, which put him within the bottom 20 percent of qualified cornerbacks.

But Johnson also spent a lot of time shadowing the likes of Pierre Garcon, Dez Bryant, Marqise Lee, Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas and Alshon Jeffery in 2017. Those seven combined to catch only 57.7 percent of their targets when Johnson was responsible for covering them, nearly 8 percentage points below the NFL average, according to numbers compiled by ESPN.

A third-round pick out of Montana in 2012, Johnson has 18 interceptions and 42 pass breakups over the past six seasons, playing in 85 of a potential 96 regular-season games. During that time, he has proved capable of playing on both sides of the field.

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.

Soccer

Mourinho unsure if Pogba will feature for United against Sevilla

Paul Pogba may not be available to feature for Manchester United during Tuesday’s Champions League tilt with Sevilla as he continues to recover from an injury, according to manager Jose Mourinho.

The French midfielder suffered an unspecified knock during the final minutes of a training session that ruled him out of Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Saturday.

Although he appeared to be walking without any visible discomfort at Old Trafford after the match, Pogba was reportedly absent from United’s training session Monday, increasing concern over his availability for the round of 16 fixture.

“I don’t know,” Mourinho said, according to Sky Sports. “He’s downstairs now and I will go and speak with him.

“The injury? It was contact with a player in the last minute of the training session (on Friday). If I finished the session one minute before it wouldn’t have happened.”

Manchester United relied on Scott McTominay in Pogba’s absence against Liverpool, and could call on the Scottish international once again during Tuesday’s encounter at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils, winners of their last three Premier League games, enter the match even with the Spanish outfit following a goalless draw in the first leg.

NFL

Longtime Saints RT Strief calls it a career

METAIRIE, La. — Zach Strief operated in the shadows for most of his 12-year career with the New Orleans Saints. But the 34-year-old right tackle got the grand send-off he deserved when he officially announced his retirement Monday at the team’s practice facility.

Past and present teammates including Drew Brees, Steve Gleason, Deuce McAllister, Mark Ingram and Cameron Jordan were in attendance, as well as team owner Gayle Benson, general manager Mickey Loomis, coach Sean Payton, and Strief’s parents, wife and newborn son.

“My career here has exceeded my wildest imagination. I didn’t think this was going to last through my first August, never mind 12 years,” said Strief, who was drafted in the seventh round out of Northwestern in 2006 and became a full-time starter five years later — finishing with 98 career starts, including the playoffs.

Zach Strief said his 12-year career with the Saints was beyond his “wildest imagination.” Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire

Strief lasted less than five minutes into his opening statement before he started choking up while talking about longtime strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple. Then the tears picked up as he directly addressed Payton, Loomis and Brees.

“You took a chance on me when no one else would. Your faith in me has changed my life forever. … Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Strief said to Payton.

He called Brees “the single greatest motivation for me as a player” while talking about his tireless work ethic.

“My greatest drive as a player was not to let you down,” Strief told Brees. “Being a small part of your Hall of Fame career has been my greatest honor as a player.”

Brees also praised Strief in an Instagram post:

Strief’s retirement wasn’t a surprise, since he tore his ACL and MCL last year. He has also repeatedly expressed his confidence (and relief) that first-round draft pick Ryan Ramczyk is ready to take over his job.

“I knew if I was at home watching TV and Drew was getting hit and I felt like I could’ve helped, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself,” Strief said. “It’s much easier knowing that there’s someone there that’s going to play at a high level for him. So this is all Ryan Ramczyk’s fault.”

Strief retires with one year and $4 million in salary and bonuses left on his contract.

He also spent time Monday praising former Saints right tackle Jon Stinchcomb for being a mentor and former Northwestern coach Randy Walker, who recommended Strief to Payton in 2006 just two months before Walker’s unexpected death.

Strief wasn’t on the Saints’ draft board until Walker insisted that he would be a 10-year player in the NFL. Strief has talked before about how much it meant to him to prove his coach right.

“It would be easy to say he ‘overachieved’ in his career. But I would say with his strength, his size, his experience and all of those things, he became one of the best right tackles in our game over the past five years. And consistent. You knew what you were getting,” said Payton, who credited Strief for perfecting his craft and endearing himself to his teammates among many other positive traits. “He became an expert at that position.”

Strief, who was always a media darling in New Orleans, also injected plenty of humor into the 45-minute event, including self-deprecating comments about his unimpressive vertical and 40-yard dash times, plugs for the new brewery he co-owns, and lumping in his failed opportunity at a touchdown pass with his other most lasting memories.

Strief said he felt “indebted” to Payton and Loomis for giving him the opportunity. He added that he never seriously considered leaving for any other teams when he had the chance — even before he married a New Orleans native.

Strief arrived in New Orleans months after Hurricane Katrina and got to be part of the rebirth of both the city and the team, which won its first Super Bowl in the 2009 season.

“What’s been special is I’ve gotten to be a part of not only this organization kind of growing to where it is today, but also this city,” Strief said. “So it’s very hard not to become attached to that.”

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