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Atletico edge out Leganes, stay in hunt for La Liga title
Madrid, March 10 (IANS) Spanish midfielder Saul Ñiguez’s second-half goal was all the offense Atletico Madrid needed in a 1-0 victory over Leganes in late-season La Liga action.
With their fourth win in a row in domestic play, second-placed Atletico stayed seven points behind league-leading FC Barcelona.
They also gave themselves a further morale boost ahead of a critical second-leg round-of-16 contest on Tuesday against Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus in Turin, Italy. The Spanish team won the first leg 2-0 in Madrid, reports Efe news.
With that key mid-week match in mind, Atletico head coach Diego Simeone kept Alvaro Morata, Thomas Lemar and Juanfran Torres out of his starting 11 on Saturday.
Simeone also was forced to make do without Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Lucas Hernandez, all out with injuries, and Diego Godin and Koke Resurreccion, who were each serving a one-match suspension.
Leganes head coach Mauricio Pellegrino, meanwhile, was missing six players for different reasons.
Atletico came out in the early going without much intensity and with little in the way of ideas, while Leganes seemed comfortable digging in defensively with their five-man back line.
Attacking efforts by midfielder Vitolo and Argentine winger Angel Correa injected some energy into the contest but did not alter the scoreless deadlock.
A great run by the Argentine that led to an off-target shot by French forward Antoine Griezmann and a header by Croatian forward Nikola Kalinic, off a pass from Vitolo, were two of Atletico’s few scoring chances in the first half.
Atletico midfielder Thomas Partey and Griezmann also tried their luck with long-range shots but were unable to find the back of the net.
At the other end, Leganes were unable to open the scoring despite the efforts of forwards Martin Braithwaite and Youssef En-Nesyri.
Simeone made two changes after the intermission, inserting Lemar for Griezmann and replacing debutant Andres Solano with Saul, to give his squad more penetration down the left side of the field.
The changes paid off almost immediately, with Correa going down in the area and winning a penalty despite Leganes’ vehement protests.
Although Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin blocked Saul’s attempt from the 12-yard spot, the super-sub collected the ricocheted ball and put it home.
Leganes had no choice but to come out of their defensive shell, but a re-energized Atletico prevented the visitors from mounting a comeback and the entrance of right back Juanfran in place of Kalinic gave a further boost to their defense.
Atletico, meanwhile, nearly doubled their lead with shots off the woodwork by Thomas Partey and Lemar, but they focused on preserving their shutout down the final stretch.
–IANS
gau/bc
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.