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Qatar look to fi nish World Cup Europeanqualifi ers on a high

Sunday, November 14, 2021Rabia II 9, 1443 AH

SPORTGULF TIMES

Di Maria puts Argentina on brink of WC qualifi cation

Al-Qadi claims his fi rst Big Tour win of the season

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By Sports ReporterDoha

Qatar will look to sign off on a high when they face Azerbaijan in their last match of the FIFA World Cup European Zone

qualifi ers in Baku today. The Asian champions have been on

a dismal run lately, having lost six and drawn one of their last seven matches.

Qatar has not won a game since they beat El Salvador 3-2 in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-fi nals in June. In their last match on Thursday, the Al Annabi were thrashed by Serbia 0-4 in Belgrade putting further pressure on coach Felix Sanchez. Qatar are playing in European Qualifi ers as a guest team having already qualifi ed for the 2022 World Cup as hosts.

The sole aim of playing the matches against physically and skillfully stronger European teams is for Qatar to get expo-sure before the next year’s World Cup. But Qatar’s defensive frailties have been laid bare open by Serbia and Portugal, with Sanchez’s men also struggling to score goals.

Qatar has conceded 11 goals in their last three matches without scoring one, even though they missed the services of cap-tain Hassan al-Haydos and star forward Akram Afi f against Serbia.

Sanchez, however, sounded positive ahead of the match against Azerbaijan today. “We will give everything we have in our last game against Azerbaijan,” the Spaniard said in Baku yesterday. “Facing European teams is benefi cial for us, and as coaching staff , we have all benefi ted from this experience. We will try to improve the positive aspects and work on those gaps, as we prepare for the Arab Cup and the 2022 World Cup,” he added.

Sanchez hinted at some changes in the playing XI. “I am hoping to make some

changes but we have to see how the play-ers cope during the training session. We will go into the match with the aim of providing a good level and obtaining a positive result,” he said.

In their previous encounter against Azerbaijan in March, Qatar had won 2-1 and Sanchez hoped his team can repeat that performance. “Both the teams are at

a similar level. In March we played well against, both in the off ensive and defen-sive aspects. We hope to repeat the same good performance in tomorrow’s match and fi nish the qualifi ers in the best way,” he said.

Meanwhile, Qatar midfi elder Khaled Muneer said: “Playing against European teams has helped in the development of

the players and the team as a whole. We aim to perform well against Azerbaijan in preparation for the upcoming chal-lenges.”

He added: “We look forward to achiev-ing a positive result in the match. We will implement the coach’s instructions, and hopefully we can win tomorrow and go into the Arab Cup on a winning note.”

CRICKET

Australia, NZ seek history in T20 World Cup fi nalPage 2

Qatar has conceded 11 goals in their last three matches without scoring one


Qatar padel team quali-fi ed for the Ooredoo World Padel Cham-pionships in Doha af-

ter defeating Japan 2-1 in a hard fought fi nal at the Asian-African Qualifi ers in Dubai yesterday.

With the victory, Qatar be-came the only Arab nation to qualify for the world champion-ship which will be staged at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Com-plex from tomorrow to Novem-ber 20. Japanese pair Tominaka Takafmi and Nasa Hatakeyama won the opening match against Qatar’s Mohamed Abdulla and Abdulaziz Saadon al-Kuwari 6-4, 6-4.

In the second match, Qatar’s Mohamed Saadon al-Kuwari and Abudlla Hajji came back strongly to register a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 win over Cemi Ryosuke and Tomita Kazuki and levelled the tie.

In the decider match, Khalid

Saadon al-Kuwari and Jabor al-Mutawa warded off a stiff resist-ance from Kasakabe Shungo and Hoy Taira Leon to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Earlier on Friday, Qatar had defeated the UAE 2-1 in a closely contested semi-fi nal.

The Padel World Champion-ship, which will be held in Asia and in the Middle East for the fi rst time, will bring together 320 players from 16 diff erent nations.

According to the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Badminton Federation (QTSBF) Secretary General Tariq Zainal preparations to host the

world championship are on track and was optimistic that it will be an exceptional championship.

“It will be a great event with many players from diff erent na-tions participating. Preparations are on track and all the players, offi cials and everybody from the Padel family will have a thrilling and enjoyable championship,” he said.

The Padel World Champion-ship will be another feather in the cap for the QTSBF, which has been an organising top tennis and squash tournaments over the years.

Qatar beat Japan to qualify for World Padel ChampionshipSPOTLIGHT

Qatar’s striker Akram Afif (left) with teammates during a practice session in Baku yesterday, ahead of the final European qualifiers match against Azerbaijan.

Al Khor Surprise eases to Al Thakhira Cup victoryBy Sports ReporterDoha

Abdulatif Hussain al-Emadi’s homebred Al Khor Surprise produced a sterling

performance to win the Al Thakhira Cup at the Al Uqda Racecourse yesterday.

Ronan Thomas steered the Bader al-Balushi-trained fi ve-year-old gelding to a domi-nating victory in yesterday’s 1400m feature race, which got off to a fast start.

Al Qamar, ridden by Al-berto Sanna, was second in the closely-contested QR75,000 race while Ivan Rossi guided Al Harqah to third place.

While Sanna ended run-ner-up in the feature race, the Italian jockey earlier rode Al Wasmiyah Farm’s homebred Kadupul to 1,400m Thorough-bred Handicap (0-85) title with a half-length victory. The Georges Mikhalides-schooled the three-year-old fi lly.

Also yesterday, Al Modajal – helmed by JP Guillambert – ended up winner in the Thor-oughbred Handicap (0-80) over 2,200m, giving trainer Jassim Ghazali his second vic-tory of the day. The six-year-old Bay Horse is owned by Jas-sem Mohamed al-Badi.

Meanwhile, Umm Qarn’s Bachra was third time lucky on Qatar debut as she came out on top of a head-to-head battle in

the 1400m Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate with a nose win for trainer Alban de Mieulle & jockey Carlos Henrique.

In the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate, Abdullah Mohamed al-Kuwari & Sons’ Hungry For Fashion was fastest, securing fi rst win of the day for Ghazali. David Allan guided the three-year-old fi lly.

Al Jeryan Stud’s homebred AJS Al Mared, with Szczepan Mazur in the saddle, won the Local Purebred Arabian Hand-icap title in what was the fi rst race of the day.

WINNERSHorse, Trainer, Jockey1 - Al Thakhira Cup - Local Thoroughbred MaidenAl Khor Surprise, Bader al-Balushi, Ronan Thomas2 - Thoroughbred Handicap (Class 4)Kadupul, Georges Mikhalides, Alberto Sanna3 - Thoroughbred Handicap (Class 4)Al Modajal, Jassim Ghazali, JP Guillambert4 - Purebred Arabian Maiden PlateBachra, Alban Elie De Mieulle, Carlos Henrique5 - Thoroughbred Maiden Plate (Class 6)Hungry For Fashion (IRE), Jas-sim Ghazali, David Allan6 - Local Purebred Arabian HandicapAJS Al Mared, M.H.K Al Attiyah, Szczepan Mazur

HORSE RACING

Qatar players and off icials celebrate in Dubai after winning the Asian-African Qualifiers for Ooredoo World Padel Championships.

Ronan Thomas rides Al Khor Surprise to Al Thakhira Cup victory at the Al Uqda Racecourse yesterday.

CRICKETGulf Times Sunday, November 14, 20212

AFPDubai

Kane Williamson’s New Zealand eye a second global crown in a single year when they take on

Australia at the Twenty20 World Cup fi nal that will witness a new winner today.

New Zealand and Australia re-new their trans-Tasman rivalry in Dubai as both teams look to clinch their maiden world title in the shortest format.

It’s a hat-trick of ICC fi nals for the once perennial underdogs of world cricket after they out-played India to win the inaugural Test championship in June.

They beat favourites England in the semi-fi nal to avenge their 2019 defeat in a dramatic 50-over World Cup fi nal at Lord’s when they went down on boundary count after a super over.

Head coach Gary Stead said the Black Caps are excited to take on the Australian challenge in what will be their fi rst ever T20 World Cup fi nal appearance.

“That’s probably a fi nal that I’m not sure too many people would have predicted a month or so ago, Australia and New Zea-land,” said Stead.

The Kiwis though have suf-fered an injury blow after wicket-keeper Devon Conway was ruled out following a broken hand when he punched his bat on his dismissal in the semi-fi nal.

Jimmy Neesham played a key part in the team’s semi-fi nal

win over England as he hit 27 off 11 balls to turn the game on its head and win with an over to spare.

“I am sure there will be a bigger outpour of emotion if we manage to get across the line,” he said.

Today’s clash will bring back memories of the 2015 50-over fi nal when Australia beat New Zealand by seven wickets to clinch their fi fth ODI World Cup.

Aaron Finch’s Australians

beat title favourites Pakistan by fi ve wickets in the second semi-fi nal.

“They’ve got a bunch of guys who are real match winners,” said Stead.

“And we’re going to have to make sure that our planning, out scouting is right on point and we’ve got really clear plans for their players because they can like rip a game open pretty quickly.”

Australia were in trouble at 96-5 while chasing 177 on Thurs-day when Marcus Stoinis (40) and Matthew Wade (41) put on an unbeaten partnership of 82 and win by an over to spare.

Wade smashed Pakistan pace

ace Shaheen Shah Afridi for three straight sixes including two au-dacious scoop shots – the fi nal one sailing over fi ne leg to silence the Pakistan crowd.

‘PIECE TO THE PUZZLE’Stoinis said a T20 World Cup ti-tle will “mean a bloody lot to us.”

“Obviously Test cricket and the Ashes, that’s what we grew up when we played. Then the transformation of T20 cricket. It’s not a hit and a giggle any-more in terms of the pressure,” said Stoinis.

“I don’t think many people gave us a chance leading into this tournament apart from the players and coaching staff . So it’s defi nitely going to mean a bloody lot to us and we will be super proud when we bring that home to Australia.”

Coach Justin Langer said: “We have got such a rich history and

it’ll be nice to add this piece to the puzzle.”

Key will be the form of opener David Warner who has plun-dered 236 runs at the tourna-ment.Langer lauded the Black Caps for their brand of cricket and said the Aussies will have to bring their best for a maiden title.

“The way New Zealand have gone about their business for the last few years has been out-standing,” said Langer.

“They are a really good bunch of blokes. They get on with the job and get it done. We have to be at our best like we have been throughout this tournament to beat New Zealand.”

Australia, New Zealand seek history in World Cup fi nal

PREVIEW

‘THAT’S PROBABLY A FINAL THAT I’M NOT SURE TOO MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE PREDICTED A MONTH OR SO AGO’

Australia’s Finch cannot wait for ‘great’ contest against KiwisReutersDubai

Australia captain Aaron Finch predict-ed a “great contest” against New Zealand

in today’s fi nal when the trans-Tasman rivals clash in their bid to win a maiden Twenty20 World Cup title.

Finch said his team must stay focused throughout the match because he expects Kane Wil-liamson’s men to fi ght till the end in Dubai.

“Anytime you play New Zea-land you know how great a con-test it’s gonna be, you know that they’re so disciplined in all three facets of the game,” Finch told reporters yesterday.

“They’re a team that you have to be on for all 40 overs if you’re gonna get over the line. They’re a great side. They’re really well led by Kane and he’s done it bril-liantly.

“They seem to just hang around for long enough in any kind of contest and wear you down. That’s what we’ve learned

over the years about New Zea-land. They fi ght and scrap in

every situation.”It will be a rematch of the

50-overs World Cup title match in 2015 which Australia won,

but Finch felt there was little to choose between Sunday’s fi nal-ists.

“I think both teams are re-ally well matched up with simi-lar sort of structures in terms of the powerplay bowling,” he said. “New Zealand have obvi-ously been the dominant team in the World Cup in the powerplay with the ball.

“Both teams have got good spin options. It should be a great contest. It always is. So yeah, we can’t wait.”

Few would have tipped Aus-tralia as a potential World Cup fi nalist after their tumultuous buildup when they lost fi ve con-secutive T20 series. Finch said his team have been able to stick to their plans and play to their strengths.

“You got to be in it to win it. I think it’s something you would take to give yourself an opportu-nity to win a world event, and to win an ICC trophy is really spe-cial,” Finch said.

“So yeah, we’re really proud of where we are at the moment and where we’ve come from. And one more step to go.”

FOCUS

New Zealand’s Trent Boult bowls during a practice session at the ICC Academy in Dubai yesterday, ahead of today’s Twenty20 World Cup fi nal against Australia. (AFP)

POLLOCK, BRITTIN AND JAYAWARDENE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAMESouth Africa’s Shaun Pollock, Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene and former England women’s batter Janette Brittin have been inducted into cricket’s Hall of Fame, the body announced yesterday.They were accorded the honour ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia today in Dubai. The International Cricket Council has recognised 106 players in the Cricket Hall Of Fame since its launch in 2009.

The inductees played in 284 Tests, 814 ODIs and 67 T20 Internationals between them, the ICC said in a statement.Mahela retired in 2015 as one of Sri Lanka’s greatest ever batsmen with 11,814 runs in 149 Tests at an average of 49.84.He was a key member of the national team that won the men’s T20 World Cup in 2014 and reached four other major ICC finals.Mahela’s former teammate Kumar

Sangakkara remains Sri Lanka’s leading scorer in Test cricket with 12,400 runs, and spin legend Muthiah Muralidaran, who took 800 wickets, is already in the Hall of Fame.Pollock has been one of the finest allrounders to have graced the game and was the first player to achieve the 3,000 run and 300 wicket doubles in both Test and one-day formats.Pollock, a right-hand batsman and pace

bowler, played his last international in 2008 with 3,781 runs and 421 wickets in Test matches.Brittin was a mainstay of the England Test team for 19 years, helping to pave the way for women’s cricket between 1979 and 1998 when she played her last Test against Australia.Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd will off icially welcome the players into the Hall of Fame at today’s final.

Doctor calls Rizwan’s recovery ‘miraculous’

AFPDubai

Pakistan opener Mohamed Rizwan’s recovery from a lung infection to make a

valiant innings in the Twen-ty20 World Cup semi-fi nal was termed “miraculous” yester-day by the Indian doctor who treated him.

Rizwan, 29, came out of the intensive care unit of a Dubai hospital to top-score with 67 in Pakistan’s 176-4 on Thursday, but his eff orts were in vain as Australia overhauled that total to set up a title clash with New Zealand.

Rizwan’s courage was laud-ed by Pakistan’s batting coach Matthew Hayden and by fans, while pictures of the batsman lying in a hospital bed went vi-ral on social media.

Saheer Sainalabdeen, a pul-monologist who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala, told AFP it was Rizwan’s “faith in God” and desire to play for Pakistan that got the batsman through a severe chest infec-tion. Rizwan was so grate-ful that he sent the doctor an autographed Pakistan shirt.

“I must admit that we did not expect his recovery to be so fast as it takes around fi ve to seven days for improvement with the kind of condition that he came in with,” Sainalabdeen told AFP.

“But because of his fi t life-style, of course he is a sport-sperson, he improved in two to three days and it was miracu-lous. Main thing I thought was his faith in God and his strong belief to play in the World Cup for his country.”

Sainalabdeen said Rizwan

was admitted to the hospital on November 9 with severe chest pain and doctors suspected heart issues but later it turned out to be spasm of the lungs and food pipe.

“It all started with cough and cold but November 9 he had severe chest pain and we had a doubt of him hav-ing heart issues,” he said. “But then the evaluation found out that he had severe throat infec-tion which led to spasm of the lungs and food pipe. Because of which he had severe pain and breathing diffi culty.”

Once Rizwan was passed fi t, he tore into the Australian bowling in Thursday’s semi-fi -nal, taking nine balls to get go-ing with skipper Babar Azam as he hit Josh Hazlewood for six.

The batsman smashed three fours and four sixes in a 52-ball blitz before his dismissal in the 18th over. He jumped to sec-ond in the tournament’s bat-ting chart with 281 runs in six matches, behind only Babar’s 303 runs. Rizwan, a wicket-keeper-batsman who hails from Peshawar, has played 49 T20 matches, scoring 1346 runs at an average of over 51 since his debut in 2015.

SPOTLIGHT

New Zealand to keep focus on title aft er Conway blow: Williamson

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson yesterday said the team has “exciting talents” as they bid for a maiden Twenty20 World Cup title after losing Devon Conway to freak injury.Tim Seifert is set to take over the wicketkeeping duties in today’s final against Australia in Dubai.Conway, who broke his hand af-ter punching his bat in an angry outburst following his dismissal in the semi-final win over Eng-land, was a second blow after the Kiwis lost Lockie Ferguson ahead of their opening match in the tournament. Conway had made 129 runs at the event with an average of just over 32.Crucially, his ability behind the stumps had allowed the Kiwis to draft in an extra bowler after the group loss to Pakistan.“Here is a good mix of youth and experience, and some of these younger players that keep coming through are really exciting talents,” Williamson told reporters. “Obviously the loss of Devon is a big one. He’s been a big part of all formats for us. It’s a disappointing and really freak thing to happen.“But for us, it’s keeping our focus on the task, and all the players are really excited with the opportunity tomorrow to go out, and try to improve and adjust to what will be new, which is a diff erent opposition and a diff erent venue.”New Zealand have been the team to beat in recent times after they ended up runners-up in the 2019 50-over World Cup and clinched the inaugural Test championship in June this year.Both New Zealand and Australia have never won a T20 World Cup and the Kiwis will be play-ing in their first ever final in the

tournament.“It would be some achieve-ment,” Williamson said on the prospect of winning two world trophies in a single year.“But you know, where it stands at the moment is there’s a game of cricket to play, and for us, it’s focusing on that and focusing on our cricket and looking to go out there and implement those things that are important to us.”The trans-Tasman rivals have a rich history of exciting contests and their title clash brings back memories of the 2015 ODI World Cup final in Melbourne when Australia outplayed New Zealand.

“I suppose the fact that we are sort of neighbours creates a bit of that, in a number of diff erent sports as well,” Williamson said of the rivalry.“So it is always a great competi-tion, great occasion, when we play each other. So both teams I think are really excited at that prospect tomorrow.”New Zealand have depended on their new-ball attack of Tim Southee and Trent Boult to unsettle opponents in the tournament. But Williamson was asked on his team’s preparations to tackle Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa who has 12 wickets. “For us, we want to bring our focus to the cricket that we want to play and make sure that that’s the most important thing,” he said. “And you know, go out there and enjoy the occasion and take it on in our style.”

Tim Seifert is set to take over the wicketkeeping duties in fi nal against Australia in Dubai

SPORT3Gulf Times

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Di Maria strike puts Argentina on brink of WC qualifi cation

FOOTBALL

AFPMontevideo

Angel Di Maria’s goal on Friday put Argentina on the verge of qualifying for next year’s World

Cup in Qatar as Lionel Messi was on the bench for the 1-0 win away to Uruguay.

Messi was only called upon by coach Lionel Scaloni to play the fi nal quarter of an hour as he made his comeback from knee and hamstring issues that saw him miss Paris Saint-Germain’s last two matches.

Di Maria’s sublime early fi n-ish at the Campeon del Siglo stadium in Montevideo was the diff erence between the sides in a match dominated by Uruguay.

The result means Argentina – who are unbeaten in 26 matches – will qualify for the World Cup fi nals if they beat Brazil on Tues-day and any one of Colombia, Chile or Uruguay fail to win.

“This team has great cour-age and when you don’t play well, you still have to win,” said Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

“Winning today was a huge step. We deserve it because we work very hard.”

The defeat left Uruguay in a World Cup play-off spot, behind Colombia and Chile in the fi nal

two automatic qualifi cation po-sition on goal diff erence.

Nahitan Nandez should have given Uruguay a fi fth minute lead after Argentina failed to deal with a long throw into the box.

A ricochet saw the ball land at Nandez’s feet seven yards from goal and while Martinez did well to come out quickly and spread

himself, Nandez’s fi nish was poor and straight at the Aston Villa stopper.

Uruguay were made to pay two minutes later as Paulo Dy-bala robbed a dawdling Joaquin Piquerez just outside the box and passed inside for Di Maria to stroke a glorious shot into the top corner.

It was Argentina’s only shot at goal in the fi rst half.

Luis Suarez provided Uru-guay’s main threat, as he has done so many times before, and fi red a free-kick narrowly over.

On the half hour he hit an in-stinctive volley against the post be-fore snatching at the rebound with his left foot and putting it wide.

Uruguay were piling on the pressure and Matias Vecino had a chance to restore parity at the end of the fi rst half but shot too close to Martinez.

MESSI’S LATE CAMEOAfter the break, Argentina con-tinued to control possession without creating chances, while Uruguay were more dangerous, but without testing Martinez.

Substitute Papu Gomez fi-nally got off Argentina’s sec-ond shot, just before the hour mark, but it flashed wide, while Martinez had to backpedal to tip over a wayward Facundo Torres cross that looked like it was dipping in behind the goal-keeper’s head.

With Uruguay pushing to sal-vage something from the game, Joaquin Correa had a pair of chances on the break for Argenti-na but could not take advantage.

Finally with a quarter of an hour to play, Scaloni summoned Messi from the bench but he had little impact on the game.

Uruguay substitute Agustin Alvarez had a gilt edged chance to snatch a draw six minutes from time but his header from fi ve yards landed on top of the net.

Moments later, Martinez let Alvarez’s shot squirm between his legs before quickly spinning around to grab the ball behind him before it crossed the line.

‘WINNING TODAY WAS A HUGE STEP. WE DESERVE IT BECAUSE WE WORK VERY HARD’

Kontaveit crushes Pliskova, Muguruza stays aliveAFPGuadalajara, Mexico

Anett Kontaveit pow-ered past third-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-0 to lead the way into

the semi-fi nals of the season-ending WTA Finals at Guadala-jara on Friday.

The eighth-seeded Estonian continued her late-season surge, notching her 12th straight WTA match win as she assured herself of fi nishing in the top two of her group in the round-robin phase.

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza kept her hopes of advancing

from the same group alive with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over reign-ing French Open champion Bar-bora Krejcikova.

Kontaveit, whose win streak included titles at Moscow and Cluj-Napoca, had beaten Kre-jcikova in her tournament open-er.

“Of course, very thrilled to be in the semi-fi nals,” said Kon-taveit, who needed just 57 min-utes to roar past Pliskova, win-ning 24 of her 29 fi rst-service points and claiming the last eight games for her fi rst career victory over the Czech in four meetings.

“I wasn’t thinking about the

fact that I was three-love down in previous matches,” Kontaveit said. “Every time you step on the court you have a new op-portunity. The previous matches don’t really matter. It’s a new day and you have to beat the player you’re playing against.”

But Kontaveit is riding a wave of confi dence, having won 28 of her past 30 matches.

“I’ve really been enjoying be-ing on court, just having a good time,” she said.

“I think that’s been the main thing why I’ve been doing so well. I do feel like I can take on everyone. I never expect an easy match, I always expect it to be

tough. I just try my best when I go out there.”

Muguruza’s gutsy victory over Krejcikova means that she along with Krejcikova and Pliskova remain in the hunt for a semi-fi nal spot heading into their fi nal round-robin matches on Sun-day.

After holding serve just once in the opening set the Spaniard raised her level, breaking Kre-jcikova for 3-1 in the second and stretching her lead to 4-1 with a superb service eff ort that fea-tured two aces in the fi fth game.

Krejcikova managed to regain the break in a hard-fought sev-enth game, fi nally converting her

sixth break of the game.But Muguruza broke back and

served out the set with an ace up the middle.

Muguruza battled to a break for a 2-1 lead in the third set – taking the 12-minute game on her sixth break point – and made the advantage stand up.

It was the fourth meeting of the season between the two. Muguruza had beaten the Czech in the Dubai fi nal but lost to her at Cincinnati and the US Open.

The elite tournament was moved to Guadalajara this year from its usual home in Shen-zhen, China, due to the corona-virus pandemic.

WTA FINALS

Rossi to start his fi nal MotoGP from 10th on gridAFPValencia, Spain

Seven-time MotoGP world champion Val-entino Rossi will start today’s season-ending

Valencia Grand Prix from tenth place on the grid, in the fi nal race of his long career.

Rossi, 42, squeezed into the top 10 as 23-year-old Span-ish rider Jorge Martin secured pole position on his Ducati in qualifying yesterday. Francesco Bagnaia, Rossi’s Italian protege who was denied a sixth straight pole position, will start from second place.

Already-crowned world champion Fabio Quartararo could do no better than eighth place. The yellow fl ags of Rossi supporters will dominate on Sunday in what organisers be-lieve will be a 75,000-strong crowd for the Italian’s emo-tional farewell.

It will be Rossi’s 432nd Grand Prix in all categories since he began his career in 1996. As well as his seven pre-mier class titles, he was also world champion in the 125cc and 250cc divisions in his early years. Rossi is looking to the future by building his legacy at his “VR46 Academy”, and his VR46 team will make its debut in MotoGP next year as a Duca-ti satellite.

He is also planning to try his luck on four wheels in GT Rac-ing, and is soon to become a father as his partner Francesca Novello is expecting a baby girl.

“I can’t complain, I have had a very long and successful ca-reer. Now I want to enjoy life – I will be a father next year,” Rossi said on Thursday.

Quartararo had suff ered a fall in Friday practice and his mood did not improve yesterday. “We are in a bad situation, I don’t know if it is the circuit, because two years ago here we were on pole, and now it’s more of a nightmare,” said the French Yamaha rider.

“I’m not sure what’s go-ing on, I’m not satisfi ed and I would like to know the reason for our poor performance.”

Meanwhile, Honda could go into the race without both of their factory riders after Pol Espargaro suff ered a huge crash in free practice and missed qualifying. Espargaro needed treatment at a nearby hospital after his highside crash which saw him stretchered off the track. Honda team boss Alberto

Puig said he had a potential in-jury to his ribs.

“A blow to the wrist. He has a big bruise on his chest, on his ribs. Apparently, according to the CAT scan, there is no frac-ture, which is very important,” said Puig.

“He will be in tremendous pain and we will see how he comes back. The important thing was to rule out fractures and that’s why it was decided that he should go to Valencia for a complete examination.”

Honda are already without six-time world champion Marc Marquez who has still to recov-er fully from last month’s off -road training accident which also saw the 28-year-old miss last Sunday’s Algarve Grand Prix.

STARTING GRIDFront row1. Jorge Martin (ESP/Ducati-Pramac) 1:29.936, 2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 1:30.000, 3. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati) 1:30.3252nd row4. Joan Mir (ESP/Suzuki) 1:30.395, 5. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Pramac) 1:30.418, 6. Alex Rins (ESP/Suzuki) 1:30.4753rd row7. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 1:30.509, 8. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 1:30.620, 9. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN/Hon-da-LCR) 1:30.6444th row10. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yama-ha-SRT) 1:30.746, 11. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Yamaha) 1:30.781, 12. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Aprilia) 1:31.024

MOTORSPORT

Kane fi res England to brink of World Cup berth, Italy held by SwitzerlandAFPLondon

Harry Kane scored a fi rst half hat-trick as Eng-land romped towards the 2022 World Cup

with a 5-0 thrashing of Albania, but Italy still have work to do to reach Qatar after a 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

England still need a point to mathematically qualify when they visit San Marino tomorrow, but boast a three-point lead and six-goal advantage on goal dif-ference over Poland, who sealed at least a playoff place with a 4-1 win over 10-man Andorra.

The Three Lions can look ahead to Qatar with confi dence

as they bounced back to form at Wembley in style with all the goals coming before half-time. “The fi rst half was fantastic, as well as we’ve played for a long time,” said England boss Gareth Southgate. “We’re best when we have an edge and this was a game that could put us on the verge of qualifi cation for the World Cup.”

Harry Maguire put a diffi -cult start to the season at club level behind him as the Man-chester United captain opened the fl oodgates with a thumping header from Reece James’ free-kick. Kane admitted on Thurs-day to also struggling physically and mentally from the exertions of England’s run to the Euro 2020 fi nal added to the specula-tion over his future.

The England captain has scored just one Premier League goal this season, but now has six in fi ve games for his country. Kane headed home Jordan Hend-erson’s cross from close range be-fore turning provider for Hender-son to calmly slot home his fi rst international goal on home soil.

England were rampant in the fi rst 45 minutes as Kane thrashed home his second from a nar-row angle before completing his fourth international hat-trick in spectacular fashion with a scis-sor kick from Phil Foden’s cor-ner. Kane is now level with Jim-my Greaves as England’s fourth highest goalscorer of all time on 44 and moved ahead of Wayne Rooney with the most competi-tive goals for the Three Lions.

European champions Italy maintained a narrow advantage over Switzerland at the top of Group C, but missed a glorious late chance to virtually secure qualifi cation when Jorginho blazed a penalty over the bar. The Chelsea midfi elder has now missed six spot-kicks for club and country since the start of last season. “If he felt like shoot-ing, it is right that he took the penalty,” said Italy manager Roberto Mancini.

The visitors got off to a fl ying start in Rome when Silvan Wid-mer’s thunderous strike fl ew into the top corner. The Azzurri lev-elled nine minutes before half-time thanks to a well-worked set-piece that was headed in by Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Italy were given a controversial late spot-kick after a VAR review for a push on Domenico Berrardi by Ulisses Garcia. Jorginho also missed from the spot when the sides drew 0-0 in September and fi red well off target.

Italy hold a two-goal advan-tage over the Swiss on goal dif-ference heading into today’s fi nal games. Northern Ireland host Italy, while Switzerland face Bul-garia at home. Scotland guar-anteed a playoff place behind already-qualifi ed Denmark in Group F with a comfortable 2-0 win in Moldova. Nathan Patter-son and Che Adams either side of half-time as Steve Clarke’s men secured a fi fth win. Den-mark beat the Faroe Islands 3-1 to maintain their 100% record.

FOCUS

Argentina’s Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring against Uruguay during the South American qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Campeon del Siglo Stadium in Montevideo. (AFP)

Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit returns the ball to Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova during the WTA Finals in Zapopan, Mexico. (AFP)

England’s striker Harry Kane (left) shoots past Albania’s midfielder Lorenc Trashi (right) during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group I qualification match at Wembley Stadium in London. (AFP)

SALAH LAUNCHES COMEBACK AS EGYPT REACH FINAL QUALIFYING STAGEJOHANNESBURG: A brilliant assist by Egypt captain Mohamed Salah triggered a comeback that earned a 2-2 World Cup draw in Angola on Friday, and a place in the final African qualifying stage.

The Liverpool star pushed the ball between two defenders and onrushing Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny slammed the ball into the net to halve an Angolan lead to 2-1 by the interval.

Akram Tawfik equalised with a deflect-

ed shot just before the hour and the draw gave Egypt an unassailable four-point lead over Gabon in Group F with one round remaining.

Meanwhile, Group A leaders Algeria extended an unbeaten run in competitive and friendly matches to 32 by hammer-ing Djibouti 4-0 in Group A in Cairo with recent West Ham recruit Said Benrahma among the goals.

Algeria surpassed the African record

of the Ivory Coast in June and now have their sights on the 37-match world record set by Italy this year.

In Luanda, Helder Costa, the Leeds United winger on loan to Valencia, gave Angola a lead that doubled when M’Bala Nzola converted a penalty.

Salah, who won the Premier League Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards on Friday, was the centre of atten-tion with several spectators racing on to

the pitch during the match seeking selfies. South Africa-born Egypt assistant coach Roger de Sa hailed the two-time African Footballer of the Year, calling Salah “a re-spectful professional who is a pleasure to work with. “He is one of the best football-ers in the world, but so humble,.”

The only disappointment for the Liver-pool sharpshooter was seeing a personal goal drought stretch to four matches after scoring in 10 consecutive games.

Yamaha-SRT Italian rider Valentino Rossi wheelies his motorbike during the MotoGP Valencian Grand Prix in Cheste yesterday. (AFP)

Sunday, November 14, 2021

GULF TIMES SPORT

Al-Qadi claims his fi rst Big Tour win

SHOWJUMPING


Qatari driver Ahmed al-Kuwari emerged victorious in Auto Class 1 in Round 4 of the Qatar Off -Road Championship yes-

terday. Driving with his navigator Nasser al-Kuwari, Ahmed clocked a time of 1 hour 39.06 minutes in the Yamaha YXZ 1000R at a gruelling desert loop in Abu Sidra to seal the win, their second victory in four rounds.

The win places them in the second spot in the points tally as they tied with Ahmed Allough and Ali Hassan Obaid of Qatar who have 65 points, posing a threat to overall Championship leader Abdulla al-Khelaifi of Qatar.

Ahmed al-Muhannadi and Mubarak al-Khelaifi fi nished second yesterday in their Yamaha YXZ 1000R, 38.22 seconds behind the race winner.

Meanwhile, Abdulla al-Khelaifi and navigator Abdulaziz al-Jabri fi nished second in Class 3 behind Abdulaziz al-Bshayer and Martin Chalmers. Mohamed Ameer and Tamer Hijazeen came third.

In two-wheelers, Russian rider Gen-

nadii Korolenko topped the time sheet. Korolenko, completed the route in 2 hours 30.29 minutes in the 450 cc category in his KTM EXC 450 while his compatriot and Rossada team-mate Arkadiy Bo-chinin came second. Qatar’s Ali al-Ansari completed the podium.

However, Emirati rider Mohamed al-

Balooshi, despite fi nishing in the fourth place yesterday, retained the overall lead in the Championship standings with 70 points.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Sheikh Mohamed al-Thani yesterday clinched the vic-tory in the over 450cc class, extending his brilliant run in the six-round series.

Yesterday’s win, his fourth podium fi n-ish in a row, took his points tally to 86 at the points table. Qatar’s Abdulrahman al-Sheeb came second yesterday while Saudi rider Ahmed al-Jaber won the third place in their category.

The penultimate round of the Cham-pionship, organised by the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), will be held on December 2 and 3 while the sea-son fi nale will be staged on Dec 10 and 11.

RESULTS Auto: Class 2: 1. Ahmed al-Kuwari & Nasser al-Kuwari; 2. Ahmed al-Muhanna-di & Mubarak Al-Khelaifi Class 3: 1. Abdulaziz AlBshayer & Martin Chalmers; 2. Abdulla al-Khelaifi & Ab-dulaziz al-Jabri3. Mohamed Ameer & Tamer HijazeenClass 4: 1. Abdulla al-Rabban & Mohamed Abu Hassan; 2. Rashid al-Muhannadi & Khalid al-NwaishriMoto:450 cc: 1. Gennadii Korolenko; 2. Arkadiy Bochinin; 3. Ali Al-AnsariOver 450 cc: 1. Sheikh Mohamed al-Thani; 2. Abdulrahman al-Sheeb; 3. Ahmed al-JaberQuads: 1. Emiel Stuckens


Qatar’s Mohamed al-Rumaihi, who represented Qatar at the Tokyo Games, claimed gold in the men’s trap competi-

tion of the HH The Amir Cup Shooting Championship at the Lusail Shooting Complex yesterday. Lebanon’s Ahmad Daakour came second, while Oman’s Saleem al-Nasseri fi nished third.

Al-Rumaihi shot down 44 targets, while Daakour and al-Nasseri hit 42 and 31 respectively. Last year’s gold medallist, Saeed Abusharib came fourth with 28 hits.

“The competition was tough today, but I was confi dent after my qualifying round yesterday. I kept my nerves in the fi nal to win the gold medal of this very prestigious event,” said al-Rumaihi, who scored 117 in the fi ve rounds on Friday to qualify for the medal round.

Al-Rumaihi lauded the participa-tion of shooters from the Gulf region in the championship. “I am happy to see shooters from Oman and Lebanon competing as their participation makes

the event more challenging,” he said.Silver medallist Daakour also termed

the competition tough. “It’s was chal-lenging to perform here at the Lusail

range, but I am happy to win the silver medal today,” Daakour said.

In the women’s Trap event, Noura al-Ali came fi rst, Rooda Shams claimed

second place while Banna Haji fi nished third. The defending champion Noura shot 36 targets to win the gold medal.

In the men’s Trap team event, Omani

shooters won the gold medal defeat-ing Qatar 1 team comprising of Mo-hamed al-Rumaihi, Saeed Abusharib and Rashid Hamad al-Athba. Said al-

Khatri, Saleem al-Nasseri and Abdul-lah al-Mandhari were the member of the victorious Omani team who shot 343 targets. Qatar 3 team represented by Khalid al-Muhannadi, Abdulba-set Mohsin and Rashid Saleh al-Athba came third with a score of 327.

Meanwhile, Qatar Shooting & Ar-chery Association’s (QSAA) Secretary-General Majid Ahmed al-Nuaim pre-sented commemorative shields to the head of the Omani delegation Secretary General Mohamed Suleiman al-Hatali and representative of the Lebanese Shooting Federation Samer Sarkis.

RESULTS (ALL TRAP)Men’s: Mohamed al-Rumaihi, Ahmad Daakour, Saleem al-NasseriMen’s Team: 1. Oman (Said al-Khatri, Saleem al-Nasseri, Abdullah al-Mand-hari); 2. Qatar (Mohamed al-Rumaihi, Saeed Abusharib, Rashid Hamad al-Athba); 3. Qatar 3 (Khalid al-Muhan-nadi, Abdulbaset Mohsin, Rashid Saleh al-Athba)Men’s Junior: Ahmad al-Khulaifi, Sal-man Masoud, Hamad al-AttiyaWomen’s: Noora al-Ali, Rooda Shams, Banna Haji.


Saeed Nasser al-Qadi took his sea-son’s fi rst Big Tour title of the Longines Hathab Qatar Eques-trian Tour yesterday as he guided

Electra B to victory during the third leg of the Season 5 at the Qatar Equestrian Fed-eration’s indoor arena yesterday.

Al-Qadi prevailed in the 17-rider start of many challengers in the 140cm class. On a day where some horses made it diffi cult for their riders, Saeed rode the 12-year-old chestnut mare with ease and elegance to clear the 11-obstacle course requiring 13 jumps with precision.

He fi rst clocked 70.96secs in the round where the time allowed was 74secs, and then returned fl awless and fastest again in the jump-off in 27.50secs.

Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani, who rode a 9-year-old chestnut mare Serendipity, fi nished a close second clocking 66secs and 27.65secs respectively. Saeed’s brother Hamad Nasser al-Qadi took the third place on the podium fi nishing in 63.17 and 27.68secs in the jump-off with another chestnut mare Gibria-B.

Winner of the earlier rounds Big Tour, Hussain Saeed Haidan this time ex-celled in the Open Class 115/120cm top-ping the scores with chestnut gelding Viahipi D’Auzay. Haidan clocked fl awless 27.57secs and 29.22secs in the two phases.

Saeed Nasser al-Qadi took the run-ners-up spot with bay mare Best Of Forets (29.87secs; 31.57secs) while Ha-mad Nasser al-Qadi on Callisto ended up third (27.13secs; 32.56secs).

Earlier in the day, the Future Rid-ers’ competitions saw Hadi Mansour al-Shahwani (riding Kashmir) top the Optimum Time | Max. 80cm event in 68.02secs while Mariam Abdulkarim Abed on Animo’s Boy Van De Denneho-

eve won the Max. 90cm event clocking 67.33secs. The 4th Longines Hathab Tour will be held on November 26 and 27 at the Longines Indoor Arena at Al Shaqab.

RESULTSBig Tour | Table A, One round against the clock with jump off , Art.238.2.2 | 130/140cm | Prize Money QR45,0001. Rider: Saeed Nasser al-Qadi; Horse: Electra B; Faults: 0; Time: 70.96secs; Jump Off Faults: 0; Time: 27.50secs; Prize: QR11,2502. Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani; Serendipity; 0; 66secs; 0; 27.65secs; QR9,000

3. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi; Gibria-B; 0; 63.17secs; 0; 27.68secs; QR6,750

Open Class | Table A, Two phases, FEI Art. 274.1.5.3 | 115/120cm | Prize-Money QR25,0001. Hussain Saeed Haidan; Viahipi D’Auzay; 0; 27.57secs; 0; 29.22secs; QR6,2502. Saeed Nasser al-Qadi; Best Of Forets; 0; 29.87secs; 0; 31.57secs; QR5,0003. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi; Callisto; 0; 27.13secs; 0; 32.56secs; QR3,750

Future Riders | Optimum Time | Max. 80cm

1 Hadi Mansour al-Shahwani; Kashmir; 0; 68.02secs2. Barzan Azzam Saleh; Latino 291; 0; 68.35secs3. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani; Tequila Sunrise; 0; 68.71secs

Future Riders |Optimum Time | Max. 90cm1. Mariam Abdulkarim Abed; Animo’s Boy Van De Dennehoeve; 0; 67.33secs2. Sultan Mahrous Hassan Daloul; Gal-adriel Dream; 0; 67.74secs 3. Hadi Nasser al-Shahwani; Wadi Rum DDH; 0; 65.73secs.

Hussain Saeed Haidan won the Open Class with chestnut gelding Viahipi D’Auzay

Second successive victory for Ahmed al-Kuwari

Al-Rumaihi clinches trap gold at Amir Cup Shooting Championship

QATAR OFF-ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP

SPOTLIGHT

Less than a week to go as LCSC gets ready for F1 blockbuster

FOCUS


Less than a week remains before the start of the fi rst ever Formula One race to be held at the Lo-

sail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC). Next Sunday, the 5.380km venue will stage the Formula 1 Ooredoo Qatar Grand Prix 2021.

With organisers schedul-ing a series of activities tailored to entertain thousands of fans from Nov 19-21, the LCSC has completed arrangements to wel-come racing stars Lewis Hamil-ton, Max Verstappen along with the entire racing fraternity for the 20th round of the F1 World Championship.

Offi cials have confi rmed three Fan Zones have been set up around the Grandstands for fans to visit during the three-day event. The entertainment at Fan Zones will feature live music shows, artists and DJs perform-ing on stage.

Once the fans get entry into the venue, food courts will be within reach as a vast variety of cuisines have been arranged to tickle taste buds. F1 has also set

up their Offi cial Merchandising outlet for fans to purchase racing memorabilia.

On all the days of the race ac-tion – starting on November 19 – fans at LCSC will get to enjoy a spectacular air show, organisers have confi rmed. Tickets are still available but selling fast. Those yet to do so can purchase tickets to the F1 gala at https://tickets.circuitlosail.com.

Organisers have urged fans to arrive early for action on all the days of the event as tens of thou-sands of fans are expected to be present at the venue. Fans have been also urged to make travel plans in advance and follow LCSC guidelines sent through to ticket holders via email. All transportation details and map locations are easily accessible on the LCSC website.

Fans should know all Covid-19 protocols underlined by MoPH will be implemented on all days of race action. Qatar residents will have to show Green Code the Ehteraz App on their cellphones at the point of entry. Gates open for the public on: November 21: 10:30-20:00 hrs; November 20: 10:00-20:00 hrs; November 19: 12:00-21:00 hrs

Winners of the men’s trap event pose with off icials on the podium during the HH The Amir Cup Shooting Championship at the Lusail Shooting Complex yesterday.

Noura al-Ali (centre) won the women’s trap event, while Rooda Shams and Banna Haji (right) finished second and third respectively.

Saeed Nasser al-Qadi in in action with Electra B during the third round of the Longines Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s indoor arena yesterday.

Losail International Circuit is all decked up to host the Formula 1 Ooredoo Qatar Grand Prix from November 19-21.

Podium winners of the Auto Class pose with off icials after the fourth round of the Qatar Off -Road Championship in Abu Sidra yesterday.

Al-Sulaiti to start from second at Inter-regional Speed Championship in Spain

Qatar’s Saeed al-Sulaiti will start today’s Open 600-R6 class of the sixth round of the Inter-regional Speed Championship (CIV) in the front line of the grid after recording the second fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying session at the Jerez-Ángel Nieto Circuit in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Spanish rider Angel Heredia Martinez booked the first spot in the grid after clocking a lap time of 1 minute 45.301 secs, half a second faster than al-Sulaiti. Qatar’s Yousef al-Darwish will start from ninth spot in the grid.

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