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PHOTO: REUTERS

Everton charge into

European contention
Reuters, Liverpool
Everton scored twice in the second half thanks to a piece of brilliance from Richarlison and late opportunism from Dominic Calvert-Lewin to claim a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Saturday and move up to seventh in the Premier League.
After Christian Benteke cancelled out Bernard’s opener with his first Palace goal since April, Brazilian Richarlison picked up the ball on the halfway line, drove into the area and struck an unstoppable shot for his ninth league goal of the season.
Although Palace began promisingly, with Patrick van Aanholt’s scruffy shot hitting the post, Everton went ahead after 18 minutes when Theo Walcott created space to deliver a perfect cross for Bernard’s controlled volley.
That was Walcott’s last meaningful contribution as he soon departed with a jarred knee to be replaced by Djibril Sidibe but only after a curious episode saw the Frenchman briefly disappear down the tunnel, apparently in search of a second sock.
The visitors, who have not won since Boxing Day, struggled to deal with Richarlison’s movement and power but forced their way back into contention when Everton keeper Jordan Pickford somehow allowed Benteke’s shot to roll under his body in the 51st to end a goal drought that had lasted 1,476 minutes.
Seven minutes later Richarlison scored while Pickford saved point-blank from Benteke, who also hit the post, before Calvert-Lewin put the game beyond Palace in the 88th when he reacted quickest to net after Richarlison’s header hit the bar.
Everton have 36 points from 26 games, a point behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who currently occupy the Europa League qualifying spot, and five points behind Chelsea in fourth, which brings Champions League football next season.
“The best thing today is the result, the performance was not so good,” said Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, whose team have played a game more than their rivals for the European spots.
“It was a difficult game, a lot of interruptions. We were not able to keep the intensity. Richarlison did a fantastic counter attack and we won for this reason.
“Before the (winter) break, three points is important. We know they have this quality, Richarlison is a fantastic player on the counter attack, he used that situation really well.”
The Italian, who said the bizarre Sidibe incident was a “new experience for me”, stressed that qualifying for Europe was still the club’s target. “Since I arrived the team did a fantastic job, now we have the possibility to think about the Europa League.”
Palace are in 14th place with 30 points from 26 games, six points above the relegation zone, and have not kept a clean sheet in 10 league games.

Honda gets hero’s welcome in Brazil
Afp, Rio De Janeiro
Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda was given a hero’s welcome Friday from several thousand fans of Brazilian club Botafogo, where he recently signed to play until the end of the year.
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Ola, Honda, Honda,” chanted a huge crowd of frenzied fans, brandishing Japanese flags as the 33-year-old arrived at the Galeao international airport in Rio de Janeiro.
Hidden by the pack of photographers shooting his arrival, Honda pleased the crowd by hopping onto a platform to greet them, then donned a Botafogo cap and waved a flag in the club’s black and white colours.
Honda, one of the best players in Japanese football history, will be officially presented Saturday at Nilton Santos stadium, the athletics venue for the 2016 Olympics.
Botafogo are looking for a boost after finishing 15th in the Brazilian league last season, barely avoiding relegation.
Honda had been without a club since leaving Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem in December, less than two months after joining.
Formerly of AC Milan and CSKA Moscow, the midfielder has stood out for the Japan national team, scoring 37 goals in 98 appearances, including four World Cup goals.
In 2018 he became the first Japanese player to score in three World Cups.
He is not the first foreign star to sign for Botafogo at the end of his career.
Dutch great Clarence Seedorf -- the only man to win the Champions League with three different clubs -- joined in 2012 and enjoyed a successful 18-month stint in Rio de Janeiro, scoring 24 goals in 81 matches.
Botafogo’s most famous son, though, was the wing wizard and two-time World Cup winner Garrincha, who lit up Brazilian football in the 1950s and 60s.