Barca lose: Champions Barcelona suffered their second defeat in three matches in La Liga yesterday with Michael Krohn-Dehli scoring and setting up another goal in a 2-1 victory for Sevilla. Krohn-Dehli tucked the ball home after 52 minutes to give Sevilla the lead and then provided a cross for Vicente Iborra to nod in six minutes later. Barca hit the woodwork on four occasions. Neymar scored from the penalty spot on his 100th appearance after a 74th minute handball from Benoit Tremoulinas.
Platini: UEFA president Michel Platini, freshly embroiled in the FIFA scandal over a 1.8-million euro payment he received from president Sepp Blatter, called the French sports ministry to insist he had done nothing wrong. “He has the feeling he is clean and he wanted to say it to me again,” Secretary of State Thierry Braillard said yesterday. “He explained everything. I fully trust his honesty and his determination to become FIFA president.”
Bale fit: Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos are fit to return for today’s derby at Atletico Madrid but James Rodriguez has been ruled out, coach Rafa Benitez said. Atletico are likely to provide Benitez with his strongest test to date as boss at the Bernabeu. Real’s 4-0 defeat by Atletico at the Calderon last season played a significant part in their decision to ditch former coach Carlo Ancelotti and bring in Benitez.
Hasselbaink: Burton have turned down an approach for manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from a Championship club, believed to be Rotherham. The Millers are on the lookout for a new manager following Steve Evans’s surprise departure last week and are in the process of drawing up a shortlist. Hasselbaink has guided Burton to the top of League One in their first ever campaign at that level.
Apology: Lokomotiv Moscow have apologised to Albanian club Skenderbeu for their fans’ behaviour during their Europa League match in the Russian capital on Thursday which Lokomotiv won 2-0. “The atmosphere at the stadium was spoilt by the behaviour of a group of people, who chanted political slogans and calls for violence,” a Lokomotiv statement said. Reports said UEFA could open a disciplinary hearing against Lokomotiv.
Results
• Leaders Aberdeen suffered a setback in their hunt for a first league title in over 20 years as they were thrashed 5-1 at home by St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership, yesterday.
The visitors scored twice in the opening 10 minutes, with Brian Easton and Joe Shaughnessy finding the back of the net, before Ash Taylor pulled one back.
Liam Craig struck before the break, before a quick-fire double from Steven MacLean secured a convincing win over the Dons, who could have gone seven points clear of Celtic.
Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen-St Johnstone - 1-5
Dundee FC-Motherwell - 2-1
Hearts-Kilmarnock - 1-1
Partick Thistle-Dundee United - 3-0
Ross County-Inverness CT - 1-2
Playing today
Hamilton-Celtic - 13.30
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Aberdeen | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 24 |
| Celtic | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 20 |
| Hearts | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 17 |
| Hamilton | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 16 |
| Ross County | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 15 |
| Dundee FC | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 18 | 15 |
| St Johnstone | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 17 | 14 |
| Inverness | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Motherwell | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 10 |
| Kilmarnock | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 9 |
| Partick | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 6 |
| Dundee Utd | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 5 |
Scottish Championship
Dumbarton-Livingston - 2-1
Queen of South-Hibernian - 0-3
Raith Rovers-Greenock Morton - 2-1
Rangers-Falkirk - 3-1
St Mirren-Alloa Athletic - 1-1
Leading standings: Rangers 27; Raith Rovers 18; Hibernian 16; Falkirk 15; Queen of South 11.
League One
Airdrieonians-Stranraer - 0-1
Ayr United-Cowdenbeath - 5-0
Dunfermline-Albion Rovers - 3-0
Peterhead-Forfar - 2-2
Stenhousemuir-Brechin - 2-2
League Two
Arbroath-Annan - 0-2
Berwick-E. Stirlingshire - 2-1
East Fife-Stirling Albion - 1-1
Elgin City-Clyde - 1-1
Queen’s Park-Montrose - 0-1
Bundesliga
B. M’gladbach vs Wolfsburg - 2-0
Hanover vs Werder Bremen - 1-0
Hertha Berlin vs Hamburg - 3-0
Hoffenheim vs Stuttgart - 2-2
Ingolstadt vs E. Frankfurt - 2-0
Playing today
Schalke vs Cologne - 15.30
B. Leverkusen vs Augsburg - 17.30
B. Munich vs B. Dortmund - 17.30
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| B. Munich | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 21 |
| B. Dortmund | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 6 | 17 |
| Schalke 04 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 16 |
| Hertha Berlin | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 14 |
| Ingolstadt | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 14 |
| Mainz | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| Wolfsburg | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| B. Leverkusen | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 12 |
| Cologne | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| Darmstadt | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
| Hamburg | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 10 |
| E. Frankfurt | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| B. Mgladbach | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 9 |
| W. Bremen | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 7 |
| Hoffenheim | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 6 |
| Hanover | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 5 |
| Augsburg | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| Stuttgart | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 4 |
Primera Liga
Sevilla vs Barcelona 2-1; Granada vs Deportivo 1-1; Espanyol vs S. Gijon 1-2; Las Palmas vs Eibar 0-2; Malaga vs R. Sociedad 3-1.
Playing today: Noon R. Vallecano vs Real Betis; 16.00 Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia; 18.15 Levante vs Villarreal; 20.30 Atl. Madrid vs Real Madrid.
Leading standings: Villarreal 16; Celta Vigo, Barcelona 15; Real Madrid, 14; Atl. Madrid, Deportivo 12.
Ligue 1
Angers vs Bastia 1-0; Ajaccio vs Toulouse 2-2; Lyon vs Reims 1-0; Nice vs Nantes 2-2 (abandoned at half-time – waterlogged pitch); Troyes vs Guingamp 0-1.
Playing today: 14.00 Monaco vs Rennes; 17.00 Cannes vs St Etienne; Lorient vs Bordeaux; 21.00 Paris SG vs Marseille.
Leading standings: Paris SG 20; St Angers 18; Etienne 16; Rennes, Lyon, Reims, Caen 15; Nice 14; Guingamp 13; Monaco 12; Lorient 11.