Briefly

Eren Dinkci dedicates goal to girlfriend with leukemia

Germany: Heidenheim goalscorer Eren Dinkci was unable to hold back tears while fans celebrated his team’s win as he thought of his girlfriend with leukemia.

“The goal is for her, clearly,” the 24-year-old Dinkci said after Heidenheim’s 2-0 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday. “And I hope that it made her happy and the goal also gives her a bit of strength.” Dinkci, who’s on loan at Heidenheim from Freiburg, announced through both clubs’ websites this month that his girlfriend Cinja has leukemia and may need a stem cell donation.

Heidenheim organised a campaign with DKMS, a German-founded international charity helping people with blood cancer and blood disorders, to convince people to register as stem cell donors. Some 688 people registered around the team’s game in Freiburg last weekend, and more were expected to do so around the game in Heidenheim on Saturday.

In a statement on the Heidenheim website, Dinkci and his girlfriend Cinja stressed the action was not for their own benefit but that their encounters with other patients had made an impression and they wanted to help others.

Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt said it was apt that Dinkci got the goal that sealed the win.

“It’s a story that moves people in Germany and around the world, it moves me, too,” Schmidt said. “Eren has the opportunity through his reach to help his family, his girlfriend, but also many other people. I think you can see how much it resonated today and last week. First and foremost, we’re not footballers, football coaches or machines - we’re people.”

Heidenheim is last in the Bundesliga and its win over St Pauli staved off relegation for another week at least.

Roma’s week of turmoil ends with Malen leading a win at Bologna

Milan: Roma put a turbulent week behind it to win at Bologna 2-0 in Serie A on Saturday and continue its push for the Champions League. The in-form Donyell Malen scored one and set up the other to help Roma close to within two points of fourth-placed Juventus, which visits AC Milan on Sunday. Roma fired special adviser Claudio Ranieri this week after his very public clash with coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

However, it put issues off the field to one side and took the lead after less than seven minutes. Malen took one touch to control Neil El Aynaoui’s through ball before firing past the onrushing goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner.

It was Malen’s 12th goal for Roma in 16 matches since joining on loan from Aston Villa in January.

Malen repaid the favor in first-half stoppage time by crossing the ball into the area for El Aynaoui to volley in from close range. Hellas Verona and Pisa can hold on to hopes of Serie A safety for another week.

Last-placed Pisa lost at Parma 1-0 early on Saturday to leave it hoping for a favor from Verona to avoid mathematical relegation. Verona managed a 0-0 draw against Lecce.

Those results left Pisa 11 points below 17th-placed Lecce and safety, with four rounds remaining. Verona inched a point above Pisa. At Parma, substitute Nesta Elphege got the only goal eight minutes from time, controlling a header with his back to goal and turning to sweep in from close range.

That made Parma mathematically safe, setting off a party atmosphere on a sunny afternoon at Stadio Ennio Tardini.