Peru’s Elias beats Coll to win maiden Platinum title

Sunday, October 24, 2021Rabia I 18, 1443 AH

SPORTGULF TIMES

Ronaldo’s duel with Salah takes centre stage

Mckeon bags two gold medals on fi nal day

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SQUASH / QATAR QTERMINALS CLASSIC

By Sports ReporterDoha

Peru’s World No 8 Diego Elias claimed his fi rst Platinum level title with a victory over New Zea-

land’s Paul Coll in the fi nal of the Qatar QTerminals Classic at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday.

The pair, who are great friends off court and have trained to-gether a lot in recent years, were meeting on tour for only the fourth time. One of those meet-ings came in a fi nal, at the Troilus Canada Cup in 2019, where the ‘Peruvian Puma’ won out in a fi ve-game battle lasting almost 100 minutes.

Coll started the stronger of the two, with some lengthy rallies playing into the Kiwi’s favour. However, a comeback from the Peruvian saw him send the game into a tie-break, as he saved sev-eral game balls before eventually taking it 13-11, winning the game with his fi rst opportunity.

The second game followed the same pattern to start with but Coll’s line hitting improved, along with an increased tempo, and he was able to take it 11-5 to level up the match at one game all, with Elias providing no re-sistance in the latter stage of the game.

The level of squash got even better in the third game, with some of the best action the tour-nament had seen. A 27-minute salvo went the way of Elias on a

tie-break again, as he took it 13-11, despite a despairing dive from the Kiwi on the fi nal point.

The World No.8 was able to continue his high quality squash into the fourth game, despite his obvious fatigue. He held off the Kiwi to win 13-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9 and become the fi rst Peru-vian to ever claim a major title on the PSA World Tour.

“I can’t believe it still. I am very happy with this, very happy with my game! I want to thank everyone for coming today, and thanks to all the Peruvian people who came, that is a massive help for me,” Elias said.

“Just very happy to be a Plati-num champion for the fi rst time. I have been trying for a long time now, so I am very happy and I want to thank all the organiser. This tournament is always the best, they treat us so well, it is incredible to be the champion here. Paul is my closest friend on Tour and it is the fi rst time in forever that there are no Egyp-tians in a fi nal, so we were very happy for that! He is such a great champion, he is an inspiration for anyone that plays squash, or any sport really. I am a massive fan too and I train with him too!

“I am very happy and I want to thank everyone who supported me since I started. My dad has been with me since the start. He has been my coach, and after that I started training with Jona-thon [Power] for a long time. He has been a massive help as well so I have a great team with me! My physio that I have seen, they

helped me be back here. In July I didn’t even know if I could play matches in a row, and now in October, to be a champion is just incredible. I am just very happy with this!

Coll said: “It is hard to see those (positives) now, but I am happy to be back here in Doha, competing in another fi nal on such a great stage. It’s a really well run tournament, a massive thank you to the sponsors, to QTerminals for being the main sponsor here, and to the Qatar Squash Federation for putting on such a great event. They look af-ter us the best on Tour, so it is a pleasure to be here.”

AL-KHELAIFI HAILS SUCCESS OF QATAR QTERMINALS CLASSICQatar Tennis, Squash and Bad-minton Federation (QTSBF) president Nasser bin Ghanim al-Khelaifi praised the success of the Qatar QTerminals Classic, which QTSBF hosted over a week at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

After crowning champion Eli-as, al-Khelaifi praised the high level of competition displayed by top players, stressing that the tournament was organised at the highest level of professionalism as usual every year.

He also commended the ef-forts made by the various com-mittees working in the tourna-ment which led to the big success that makes the Qatari champion-ship among the great and impor-tant championships in the world of squash.

CRICKET

Australia survive scare to beat South AfricaPage 2

‘I still can’t believe it. I am very happy with this, very happy with my game! I want to thank everyone for coming today’

AFPLondon

Chelsea opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 7-0 demolition of Norwich, while Phil Foden

starred as Manchester City moved up to second place after a 4-1 victory at Brighton yesterday.

Mason Mount scored a hat-trick for the Blues at Stamford Bridge as the Eu-ropean champions coped easily with-out fi rst-choice strikers Romelu Lu-kaku and Timo Werner. Mount started the rout after just eight minutes and fi nished it with two more in the closing stages after Ben Gibson had been sent-off for the visitors.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Ben Chilwell were also on target for Thomas Tuchel’s men, while Max Aar-ons’ own goal summed up a sorry day for the Canaries.

Mount had not scored since May and Tuchel welcomed his return to scoring form with Lukaku and Werner expected to be out for some time.

“No matter how satisfi ed the coach is, the off ensive guys need goals to be fully happy,” said Tuchel.

“He waited too long, so it was good that he got some goals. I agree he looked fresh again today.” Norwich already look destined for a swift return to the Championship with only two points and minus-21 goal diff erence from their opening nine games.

At the Amex Stadium, champions Manchester City underlined their de-

termination to hold onto the title with a commanding performance. City took the lead after 12 minutes when Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez spilled the ball under pressure and Ilkay Gundogan applied the fi nish.

Bernardo Silva launched the rapid raid that produced City’s second goal in the 28th minute as he fed Jack Greal-ish for a low cross that Foden converted in clinical fashion. Three minutes later, Grealish’s shot was blocked into the path of Jesus, whose eff ort defl ected off Foden and past Sanchez.

Alex Mac Allister got one back for Brighton with an 81st minute penalty after Ederson fouled Enock Mwepu. But Riyad Mahrez converted Foden’s pass to wrap up an emphatic win in stoppage-time. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in eight league games since losing to Tottenham on the opening weekend.

Liverpool would climb back above City into second place, within one point of Chelsea, if they win at arch ri-vals Manchester United today.

Brighton remain in fourth after an impressive start to the season and Guardiola believes the Seagulls deserve to be in that exalted position in the ta-ble. “It’s really good because I knew which team we face today,” said Guar-diola. “They are aggressive and when they have the ball they know what they have to do. They have all the mecha-nisms of a big team. They have courage. I admire them for that. They play like a top-four or fi ve team.”

Newcastle’s wait for a Premier League win went on after a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. Newcastle’s

new Saudi owners were given another reminder of the investment it will take to make the Magpies a force to be reck-oned with at Selhurst Park. Interim manager Graeme Jones took charge for the fi rst time since Steve Bruce was sacked and needed a moment of bril-liance from Callum Wilson just to sal-vage a point.

Christian Benteke headed the Patrick Vieira’s men in front. Wilson showed the value of a proven goalscorer with a stunning overhead kick into the top corner 25 minutes from time. New-castle stay second bottom, but are just three points adrift of safety.

Claudio Ranieri got his fi rst win as Watford manager as the Hornets twice came from behind to stun Everton 5-2 at Goodison Park. Josh King failed to score as an Everton player last season, but hit a hat-trick to help move Wat-ford six points clear of the relegation zone. Juraj Kucka and Emmanuel Den-nis were also on target for the visitors, who scored four times in the fi nal 12 minutes.

Leeds needed a stoppage-time penalty to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves. South Korean international Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring at Elland Road. Wolves were set to move up to fi fth until Joe Gelhardt was fouled inside the area in the 94th minute and Rodrigo slotted home the penalty.

Burnley remain in the bottom three, but Maxwel Cornet is proving himself a shrewd signing for Sean Dyche’s men as the Ivorian scored twice in a 2-2 draw at Southampton. Saints turned the game around after Cornet opened the scor-

ing to take the lead with goals from Tino Livramento and Armando Broja. The former Lyon winger then salvaged a point for the Clarets with a thump-ing fi nish on the volley from outside the area.

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS Brighton 1 (Mac Allister 81-pen) Man-

chester City 4 (Gundogan 13, Foden 28, 31, Mahrez 90+5); Chelsea 7 (Mount 8, 85-pen, 90, Hudson-Odoi 18, James 42, Chilwell 57, Aarons 62-og) Norwich 0; Crystal Palace 1 (Benteke 56) Newcas-tle 1 (Wilson 65); Everton 2 (Davies 3, Richarlison 63) Watford 5 (King 13, 80, 86, Kucka 78, Dennis 90+1); Leeds 1 (Rodrigo 90+4-pen) Wolves 1 (Hwang

10); Southampton 2 (Livramento 41, Broja 50) Burnley 2 (Cornet 13, 57)Playing today: Brentford v Leicester (1300), West Ham v Tottenham Hotspur (1300), Manchester United v Liverpool (1530)Played Friday: Arsenal 3 (Partey 23, Aubameyang 45+6, Smith Rowe 56) Aston Villa 1 (Ramsey 82)

Chelsea hit Norwich for seven to stay top, Man City beat BrightonFOOTBALL

Peru’s Diego Elias poses with the trophy after winning the Qatar QTerminals Classic yesterday. PICTURE: Samer Alrejjal / Qatar Squash

Chelsea’s Mason Mount celebrates after scoring against Norwich in the Premier League in London yesterday. (AFP)

CRICKETGulf Times Sunday, October 24, 20212

England signal title ambition aft er bowlers rout Windies

FOCUS

AFPAbu Dhabi

Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade stood unbeaten to help Australia prevail in

a tense fi nish against South Af-rica and win by fi ve wickets in the Twenty20 World Cup yesterday.

Chasing a modest 119 for vic-tory, Australia were in trouble at 81-5 after Steve Smith, who scored 35, and Glenn Maxwell, who made 18, de-parted.

Stoinis, who made 24, stood fi rm and put on an unbeaten stand of 40 with the left-handed Wade, who made 15. Stoinis hit the winning boundary to take Australia over the line with two balls to spare.

“The dugout was probably a bit more relaxed than I was,” said skipper Aaron Finch.

“Stoinis and Wade kept their cool there. It’s what experience can do. Maxwell did a really good job.”

Anrich Nortje took two wick-ets including Finch, for nought, and Smith to return fi gures of 2-21. Tabraiz Shamsi dismissed Maxwell as the batsman’s at-tempted reverse hit ended with

the ball crashing into the stumps. Kagiso Rabada struck early to get David Warner trudging back to the pavilion for 14. Spinner Kes-hav Maharaj also chipped in with a wicket.

Earlier, pace bowler Josh Hazlewood took 2-19 to help lim-it South Africa to 118-9 after the Aussies elected to bowl fi rst.

Number four Aiden Markram played a lone hand with his 40

off 36 deliver-ies before falling to Mitchell Starc. Markram kept los-ing partners with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller departing for 13 and 16. Leg spin-ner Adam Zampa struck twice in one over and a big mid-pitch mix up led to Maharaj be-

ing run out for nought. Rabada hit an unbeaten cameo of 19 off 23 balls to take the Proteas past 100.

“We just didn’t get enough with the bat and it was always going to be tough for the bowl-ers, and it was a good eff ort from them to get it to this stage,” said skipper Temba Bavuma.

BRIEF SCORESAustralia 121 for 5 (Smith 35, Stoinis 24*, Nortje 2-21) beat South Africa 117 for 9 (Markram 40, Hazlewood 2-19, Zampa 2-21) by five wickets.

Australia survive scare to beat SA

REPORT

‘STOINIS AND WADE KEPT THEIR COOL THERE. IT’S WHAT EXPERIENCE CAN DO’

India-Pakistan blockbuster set to light up T20 World CupSPOTLIGHT

AFPDubai

India skipper Virat Kohli yester-day said they will take on a “very strong” Pakistan team in their Twenty20 World Cup opener and

downplayed their unbeaten record against their opponents.

India have beaten Pakistan in all of their 12 matches at the T20 and 50-over World Cups.

“We never discussed these things, about our record and past perform-ance,” Kohli told reporters on the eve of the much-anticipated clash in Dubai today.

“These things create distractions. What matters is how we prepare and execute on that particular day, regard-less of the opposition.”

Kohli said regardless of their past dominance Pakistan is and always has been packed with talented players.

“Pakistan, according to me is a very strong team and always has been a strong side,” he said.

“You have to play your best cricket against them, because they have lots of talent and players who can change the game.”

Babar Azam’s Pakistan will look to break their World Cup jinx against In-dia, who have won all fi ve clashes in T20’s showpiece event.

Babar, Mohamed Rizwan and Fa-khar Zaman hold the team’s batting key while quicks Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali lead a potent bowling attack.

Kohli backed his team’s match win-ners including Hardik Pandya to come good in the tournament despite the all-rounder struggling with his bowling.

“He is getting better in terms of get-ting prepared to bowl two overs for us,” said Kohli.

“What he brings at that number six spot is something that you cannot cre-ate overnight and hence I was always in

favour of backing him in Australia as a batter purely.

“He can take the game away from the opposition when he is in full fl ow.”

Pandya emerged as India’s top all-rounder after his white-ball debut in 2016 but a spate of back injuries aff ected his career and he underwent back sur-gery two years ago.

The pace bowler did not bowl in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates for his side Mumbai Indians. But Kohli says the attacking batsman is an asset to the team in the shortest format.

“We understand the value he brings to the team as a number six batter,” said Kohli.

“In world cricket if you look around

there are specialists who do that job and it is very important to have that guy specially in T20 cricket.

“He is motivated and keen to start giving us a couple of overs and when that happens obviously the balance be-comes even better.

“But we are pretty confi dent how we are heading into the start of this tourna-ment.”

The tournament is Kohli’s last as cap-tain of the national T20 side, but he re-fused to speak more on the issue.

“Our focus is to play well in this World Cup and do what we need to do as a team,” he said. “I have explained my-self very honestly (on Twitter). If people feel there is more to it, then I feel sorry for them.”

ReutersDubai

Eoin Morgan’s England signalled their title as-piration with a comfort-able six-wicket victory

against defending champions West Indies in their Twenty20 World Cup opener yesterday.

Batting fi reworks were ex-pected in the repeat of the 2016 fi nal but England made it a one-sided aff air with their bowlers running amok at the Dubai In-ternational Cricket Stadium.

Moeen Ali (2-17) wrecked the West Indies top order before Adil Rashid ran through rest of the line-up to skittle out the Caribbean side for a paltry 55 inside 15 overs. England, bid-ding to become the fi rst side to hold the 20-overs and 50-overs World Cup titles at the same time, chased down the target in 8.2 overs to begin their Super 12 campaign in style.

Morgan’s men endured their own batting wobble in their chase losing four wickets in the process but their victory was never in doubt. Jos Buttler made an unbeaten 24, sealing the vic-tory with a pulled boundary while Morgan, not out on seven, looked on from the other end.

“It’s as good as it gets. To start our campaign like that, all credit to our bowling unit,” Morgan said. “I think Moeen read the condi-tions beautifully. He took chances when his match-up was in his fa-vour, and to take his opportunity like he has... was brilliant.”

Moeen was adjudged player-of-the-match.

Earlier, wary of the evening dew that could make gripping

the ball a challenge, Morgan opted to fi eld and West Indies slumped to 37-5 inside eight overs with Moeen in the thick of things. Stationed at mid-off , Moeen ran backwards chasing a skier from Evin Lewis and took a terrifi c running catch over his shoulder to draw fi rst blood.

In the next over, Moeen, who bowled his four overs on the trot, had Lendl Simmons caught in the deep and the spinner re-turned to dismiss Shimron Het-myer to jolt West Indies.

The middle order did hardly any better as Tymal Mills dis-missed Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran, while Chris Jordan re-moved Dwayne Bravo to further turn the screws. Rashid then ran through the bottom half of the West Indies line-up, dismissing Kieron Pollard and Obed McCoy off successive deliveries.

Gayle’s 13 was the only double digit score in West Indies’ ab-ject batting capitulation against England’s fi ery attack.

“It was unacceptable, we ac-cept that,” a dejected Pollard said of their batting woes on what he thought was a decent track.

“For us, it’s just a matter of fi nding our straps.”

“We went out, the guys tried to play their shots and it didn’t come off . I don’t think any sort of panic will come into our camp. It is what it is,” added Pollard.

Leg-spinner Rashid sent down 14 deliveries, conceded only two runs and claimed four wickets in a terrifi c display of spin bowling.

BRIEF SCORESEngland 56 for 4 (Buttler 24*) beat West Indies 55 (Rashid 4-2, Moeen 2-17) by six wickets

A WINNING IMPACT IS NECESSARY: BABARAFPDubai

Skipper Babar Azam vowed his team will not think about Pakistan’s poor record against arch-rivals India when they

meet in a high-octane Twenty20 World Cup match in Dubai today.

Pakistan have lost all seven World Cup (50 over) clashes against India as well as fi ve games in the Twenty20 World Cup and start as ‘underdogs’.

Exuding confi dence, Babar stressed that the past is irrelevant to his players.

“To be honest, what has passed is beyond us,” Babar told a virtual media conference yesterday, as both nations buzzed in anticipation of a thrilling match.

“We want to use our ability and confi dence on the day of the match so that we can get a better result.

“Records are meant to be broken.”The tickets for the match were

sold out within hours of going on sale after the United Arab Emirate government allowed a 70 percent crowd for the Twenty20 World Cup matches in a relaxation of the Cov-id-19 restrictions.

The South Asian nuclear rivals have only played in multi-national events like the World Cups and the Champi-ons Trophy as strained relations have stalled bilateral cricket since 2007.

Pakistan did tour India in 2012 for fi ve limited over matches but ties were not fully resumed.

Babar admitted it will be a match full of intensity.

“The matches between Pakistan and India are always full of intensity so we need to perform well in all three departments of the game,” said Babar.

Former champions India and Paki-stan are placed in Group 2 along with New Zealand, Afghanistan and Scot-

land and Namibia, who both came through the qualifying stage. Babar announced 12 for the match with hard-hitters Haider Ali and Asif Ali competing to make the fi nal eleven.

“The boys are excited to play the World Cup and we have a crucial match on Sunday,” said Babar, who will be leading Pakistan for the fi rst time in a senior World Cup match.

“A winning impact is necessary and then we will go match by match.”

Babar said Pakistan’s prime minis-

ter Imran Khan - who led the country to victory in the 1992 World Cup - had shared his experiences with the team.

“The Prime Minister met us before our departure and shared his experi-ences of the 1992 win and told us to play aggressive and fearless cricket against India.”

Earlier this week, India won both their warm-up matches, beating England and Australia while Paki-stan beat the West Indies but lost to South Africa.

PAKISTAN IS A STRONG TEAM: KOHLI

Australia’s Marcus Stoinis celebrates aft er scoring the winning runs during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup match against South Africa at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday. (AFP)

England’s Adil Rashid (right) celebrates with teammate Tymal Mills after taking the wicket of West Indies’ Obed McCoy (not pictured) during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai yesterday. (AFP)

ENGLAND TO PLAY COVID-DELAYED INDIA TEST IN 2022England will play the coronavirus-de-layed final match of their 2021 Test series against India in July next year at Edgbas-ton, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced.The match was due to take place last month at Old Traff ord but the tourists said they were unable to field a team due to concerns about the spread of Covid-19 within their camp.Due to fixture complexities in next sea-son’s English cricket schedule, the finale of the five-match series, which India lead

2-1, will now take place at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground from July 1 follow-ing an agreement between the ECB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).What promised to be a thrilling finish to this year’s series was abandoned just two hours before the scheduled start in Manchester.A reported positive virus test from as-sistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar appeared to be the final straw for an India squad already without head coach

Ravi Shastri and two other backroom staff , who had all previously contracted Covid-19. The abandonment was esti-mated to have cost English cricket up to £40 million ($55 million).There had been hopes the match might be restaged at Old Traff ord but pre-planned events at the venue mean there will not be time to prepare a Test pitch.Instead, the fixture has been switched to Edgbaston, with the second Test be-tween England and South Africa that had been due to be played at Warwickshire’s

headquarters now being staged at Old Traff ord from August 25, 2022.- ‘Amicable solution’ -The rescheduling of the match has had a knock-on eff ect on the scheduled Twenty20 series between England and India, with the white-ball matches now starting six days later than planned, on July 7 at Southampton.ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: “We are very pleased that we have reached an agreement with BCCI to create a fitting end to what has been a brilliant series so far.”

SPORT3Gulf Times

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Ronaldo’s duel with Salah takes centre stage as United face Liverpool

FOOTBALL

AFPManchester, United Kingdom

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah will go head to head for the right to be billed as the

Premier League’s top dog when Manchester United face arch-rivals Liverpool today.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp risked irking United striker Ro-naldo ahead of the crunch clash when he hailed Salah as the best player in the world last weekend.

The Egypt forward has been in superb form, with his sublime strikes against Manchester City and Watford already goal of the season contenders.

But Ronaldo hasn’t been far behind with a series of crucial goals underlining his super-star status. While Paris Saint-Germain duo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe can also stake their claim to be the world’s best, in the Premier League there is lit-tle doubt that Ronaldo and Salah are the main men.

So who will be this season’s preeminent force?

Today’s crucial showdown at Old Traff ord will go some way to deciding that question. Without a win in their last three league games, United are four points behind second-placed Liverpool. United need Ronaldo to continue his knack of rising to the big oc-casion, while unbeaten Liverpool hope Salah can continue his blis-tering streak.

Salah has scored 12 times in 11 games this season, with Ronaldo netting six times in eight match-es since returning to United from Juventus in August. Salah be-came the fi rst Liverpool player to score in nine consecutive games after striking twice in the Cham-pions League win at Atletico Ma-

drid on Tuesday. Just 24 hours later, Ronaldo stole the European spotlight with the late headed winner that completed United’s fi ghtback from two goals down to beat Atalanta 3-2.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer naturally leans towards his player in any debate about the best of the best. But he admitted Salah’s red-hot run makes him a fearsome proposition.

“I’ll always back Cristiano in any competition. He’s unique. That being said, Salah, at the moment, he’s on fi re,” Solskjaer said. “We know we have to be at our best to defend against him. We have to focus on them for 95 minutes to keep a clean sheet.

“I’m a big fan of Liverpool’s front three. We have to enjoy the players, though not Salah on Sunday, of course.”

Asked to debate the virtues of the pair on Friday, Klopp took a diplomatic approach as he high-lighted each star’s quality.

“Why should we compare Cristiano Ronaldo and Mo Salah? Obviously both are world-class players, so that’s how it is,” he said. “Even when Ronaldo’s left foot is not that bad, I would say

Mo’s left foot is probably better.“Maybe then Cristiano in the

air is slightly better and the right foot is probably better.

“But speed-wise they are both pretty quick, very desperate to score goals, so maybe that’s it.”

It is the ability to propel a team to silverware that defi nes true greatness and, on that front, Ro-naldo has the edge, for now.

While Salah has won one Pre-mier League title with Liverpool, Ronaldo is a three-time English champion, not forgetting his combined four league titles at Real Madrid and Juventus.

Salah has one Champions League crown, but Ronaldo has lifted Europe’s elite club prize fi ve times.

Salah, whose contract expires in 2023, is reportedly looking for a new deal that would make him one of the Premier League’s highest paid players alongside Ronaldo.

Liverpool will surely have to bow to the 29-year-old’s de-mands, given he has scored 137 goals in 214 games for the club since joining from Roma in 2017.

Ronaldo has such longevity that even Salah might not be able to match all the Portugal legend’s achievements. The 36-year-old has amassed 124 goals in 300 United appearances over his two spells with the club.

He has also won the Ballon d’Or fi ves times and is the record goalscorer in both the Cham-pions League and international football. However, Klopp believes Salah has the right character to stay at the top for years to come.

“Mo is incredibly professional. He’s really the fi rst and very of-ten the last out of all the players,” Klopp said. “He’s constantly in-terested in all the diff erent things he has to do to improve. He has still a lot to give, 100 percent.”

‘WE KNOW WE HAVE TO BE AT OUR BEST TO DEFEND AGAINST HIM’

Bagnaia storms to fourth straight pole to maintain title hopeAFPMisano Adriatico, Italy

Francesco Bagnaia gave himself a huge chance of prolonging the Mo-toGP title race yester-

day after claiming his fourth consecutive pole position in a stunning comeback at Misano.

Ducati’s Bagnaia had topped the times in the fi rst qualify-ing session for the Emilia-Romagna race to get into Q2 following a poor run in the morning’s third practice.

He then charged to a best time of one minute, 33.045 seconds to take fi rst place on the grid, just 0.25sec ahead of his teammate Jack Miller.

The Italian, 24, is 52 points behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo with three races remaining this season and with the Yamaha rider starting Sunday’s race in 15th Bagnaia can extend their battle for at least a week.

He needs to keep the gap in the overall standings be-tween him and Quartararo to less than 50 and will fancy his chances of doing so as he beat the Frenchman on the same circuit in the San Marino Mo-toGP in September.

“It’s brilliant, a fantastic day,” said Bagnaia.

“We deserved pole, we’re very quick and we will be ready tomorrow. The bike goes great here at Misano.”

It was a great afternoon for Ducati on home soil as all three front row places were claimed by the Italian team, with Luca Marini, Valentino Rossi’s half-brother who rides for the Avin-tia satellite team fi nishing third on 1:33.130.

“I kept feeling like I had a lit-tle bit more left in the tank, that I could cut a bit of my time but it wasn’t to be today,” Miller said. “It’s great to see all three Ducatis up here and hopefully we can fi nish like that tomor-row as well.”

A strong fi nish for motor-

cycling legend Rossi in his last ever MotoGP in Italy looks un-likely as the seven-time cham-pion will start in 23rd position on the grid. Rossi, 42, will say ‘ciao’ to his army of local fans on Sunday as the Italian sport-ing icon prepares to bring down the curtain on one of the sport’s greatest careers.

Rossi has failed to set the track alight during his slow march towards retirement at the end of the season and sits 21st in the overall standings after only making the top 10 twice all season.

One of the many riders to fall on a treacherous track which alternated between wet and dry at diff erent points, six-time champion Marc Marquez will start seventh on the grid.

Pedro Acosta could win the Moto3 title on Sunday at just 17 years old, the Spanish rookie starting fi fth and needing 21 more points than Dennis Fog-gia - who is 15th on the grid - to claim the championship.

THE GRID Front row1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 1min 33.045sec, 2. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati) 1:33.070, 3. Luca Marini (ITA/Ducati-Avintia) 1:33.1302nd row4. Pol Espargaro (ESP/Honda) 1:33.313, 5. Miguel Oliveira (POR/KTM) 1:33.439, 6. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Yamaha) 1:33.5263rd row7. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 1:33.850, 8. Iker Lecuona (ESP/KTM-Tech3) 1:33.893, 9. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/KTM-Tech3) 1:34.1404th row10. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Pramac) 1:34.687, 11. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Aprilia) 1:34.963, 12. Jorge Martin (ESP/Ducati-Pramac) 2:24.631Selected:15. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 1:34.47623. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yama-ha-SRT) 1:38.261.

MOTOGP

Qatar shocked by Bahrain in qualifi er openerBy Sports ReporterDoha

Bahrain stunned higher-ranked Qatar by eight wickets in the Asian Sub-regional Qualifi er

Group A for 2022 ICC T20 Men’s World Cup yesterday.

At the Asian Town Stadi-um, Bahrain opener Mohamed Younis struck a 44-ball 82 as the visitors romped to a comprehen-sive victory, overhauling Qatar’s moderate total of 133 in just 13.1 overs.

Put into bat fi rst, Qatar found the going tough. The hosts were two down for 28 in 4.2 overs and though they recovered a bit through opener Andri Ber-enger (22 off 24), who played the World Cup for the UAE in 2015, and vice-captain Mohamed Ri-zlan (24 off 32), they kept losing wickets to stall the momentum.

Abdul Majid struck in quick succession for Bahrain, remov-ing Berenger and Rizlan. All-rounder Mohamed Tanveer (25 off 17) and Zaheer Ibrahim tried to rescue Qatar’s innings but the

former was caught by Bahrain skipper Anasim Khan off Sathai-ya Veerapathiran at the bound-ary. Ibrahim and skipper Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry remained unbeaten and added 40 runs for the sixth wicket to give their bowlers a fi ghting total.

In reply, Bahrain’s Younis and Sarfaraz Ali cut loose and plun-

dered runs easily. Ali was sent back by Chaudhry but not before he had smashed three sixes and as many fours in 25-ball 42. With victory in sight, Junaid Aziz was bowled by Tanveer but at the other end Younis saw his team home.

Man of the match Younis said he was proud to post his fi rst

T20I half-century. “This was a crucial match for us against a strong Qatar. We were deter-mined to give our more than 100 percent on the fi eld. Also we knew if we could do that, we would be hard to stop. I am hap-py to contribute my best to the victory today,” Younis said.

In another match, Saudi Arabia eased past Maldives by seven wickets. After restrict-ing Maldives to 98 for nine, they achieved the target in 15.1 overs.

BRIEF SCORESQatar 133 for 5 (Mohamed Tanveer 25, Zaheer Ibrahim 33 not out; Sathaiya Veerapathiran 2/25, Abdul Majid 2/23) lost to Bahrain 134 for 2 in 13.1 overs (Mohamed Younis 82 not out, Sarfaraz Ali 42) by eight wicketsMaldives 98 for 9 (Ibrahim Nashath 20) lost to Saudi Arabia 101 for 3 in 15.1 overs (Faisal Khan 41, Abdul Wahid 33; Umar Adam 2/13) by seven wickets

Today’s FixturesBahrain vs Kuwait (9pm); Qatar vs Maldives (1:10pm)

ASIAN QUALIFIER GROUP A FOR 2022 ICC T20 MEN’S WORLD CUP

MANCHESTER UNITED NEED TIME TO HIT THEIR STRIDE: RONALDOCristiano Ronaldo admits Manchester United need time to hit their stride after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s spending spree.Ronaldo returned for a second spell with United after leaving Juventus in a block-buster transfer in August.The 36-year-old striker wasn’t the only high-profile signing made by United boss Solskjaer in the close season.France World Cup winner Raphael Varane arrived from Real Madrid to bolster the centre of United’s defence, while England forward Jadon Sancho was lured from Borussia Dortmund.United have yet to string together a con-sistent run despite their influx of top-class talent.

Portugal star Ronaldo believes it is a mat-ter of allowing the team time to gel.“We are in a moment in my opinion that Manchester do a few changes. They buy me, they buy Varane and Sancho,” Ron-aldo told Sky Sports.“The adaptation will take time, even the system of the game that we play, but I think step by step we have to put it in our mind that everything is possible.“Everyone should know their role. I know my role in the team, in the club, my role is to score goals, to help the team with my experience and knowhow to understand the game.“If everyone is thinking like that, sacrifice for the team, I think we will be a better

team.”United have gone three Premier League matches without a win, a run that included losses to Leicester and Aston Villa.They were in danger of another damaging loss in the Champions League on Wednes-day when Atalanta raced into a two-goal lead at Old Traff ord.But United eased the pressure on Solsk-jaer with a spirited second-half fightback capped by Ronaldo’s late headed winner.Solskjaer’s side have no margin for error this weekend when they host bitter rivals Liverpool, who are already four points ahead of them in the Premier League.It is the kind of high-stakes encounter that United brought Ronaldo back to Manches-

ter for.Criticised for his work-rate in some quar-ters, as well as his grumpy response to being named as a substitute for the draw against Everton, Ronaldo has blocked out the noise to net six goals in eight games.He insists there is no chance he will be unsettled by the relentless scrutiny United are under.“I will close mouths and win things. Criti-cism is always part of the business,” he said.“I’m not worried about that. And I see it as a good thing to be honest.“If they worry about me or they speak about me, it’s because they know my potential and value in football still.”

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia celebrates after qualifying in pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Misano, Italy, yesterday. (Reuters)

Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Salah

Bahrain’s Mohamed Younis in action during the Asian Sub-Regional Qualifier Group A for 2022 ICC T20 Men’s World Cup match against Qatar at the Asian Town Stadium yesterday.

Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal al-Saud (second from left) and Saudi ambassador to Qatar Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan al-Saud (right) present the man-of-the-match award to Saudi player Faisal Khan at the Asian Town Stadium yesterday. QCA President Yousef Jeham al-Kuwari (left) was also present on the occasion.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

GULF TIMES SPORT

Aussie Mckeon bags two gold medals on fi nal day in Doha

FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP

By Sports ReporterDoha

Qatar’s Ahmed al-Kuwari topped the overall classifi ca-tion in the auto category at the second round of the Qatar

Off -Road Championship conducted by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Fed-eration (QMMF) at Al Kharsaah near Al Shahaniya yesterday.

Ahmed al-Kuwari along with his co-driver Nasser al-Kuwari clocked the fastest time of 1:59:19 secs in Yamaha YXZ 1000R. Abdulla al-Khelaifi and his navigator Abdulaziz al-Jabri were second in Yamaha YXZ 1000R in a time of 2:02:43 secs, with Mohamed Ameer and Pedro Santos fi nishing third with Canam in 2:02:43 secs.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Mishal al-Ghuneim (KTM 450) won the Moto 450cc category yesterday. Abdulhalim al-Mogeera (KTM) fi nished second ahead of Sultan al-Balooshi (Husq-varna)

In the over 450 cc category, Qatar’s Sheikh Mohamed al-Thani emerged fastest.

South African rider was Jaco Ander-son second, followed by Abdulrahman al-Sheeb. Belgian Emiel Stuckens fi n-

ished on top in the quad category. The championship consisting of six

rounds with the opening round held at Sealine on October 15. Two rounds each are scheduled for November and December, with the season fi nale to be staged on December 10 and 11. The sixth and fi nal round will off er double

points to the participants.

RESULTSMoto 450cc: 1. Mishal al-Ghuneim (KTM 450); Time: 2:05.58 seconds; 2. Abdulhalim al-Mogeera (KTM); 2:07.00 secs; 3. Sultan al-Balooshi (Husqvarna); 2:15.44 secs

Over 450 cc: 1. Sheikh Mohamed al-Thani. (Husqvarna); Time: 2:37.20 secs; 2. Jaco Anderson (KTM 500 EXC); 2:44.19 secs; 3. Abdulrahman al-Sheeb (BETA); 2:47.23 secsQuad: 1. Emiel Stuckens (Canam DS540); 2:38.42 secs; Auto: Overall Classification: 1. Ahmed al-Kuwari and Nasser al-Kuwari (Yama-ha YXZ 1000R); Time: 1:59:19 secs;

2. Abdulla al-Khelaifi and Abdulaziz al-Jabri (Yamaha YXZ 1000R); 2:02:43 secs; 3. Mohamed Ameer and Pedro Santos (Canam); 2:02:43 secsClass 2: 1. Ahmed al-Kuwari and Nasser al-Kuwari (Yamaha YXZ 1000R); Time: 1:59:19 secs; 2. Abdulla al-Khelaifi and Abdulaziz al-Jabri (Yamaha YXZ 1000R); 2:02:43 secs; 3. Ahmed al-Muhannadi and Mubarak al-Khelaifi

(Canam YXZ 1000R); 2:08.52 secsClass 3: 1. Mohamed Ameer and Pedro Santos (Canam); 2:02:43 secs; 2. Ab-dulaziz al-Bshayer and Martin Chalm-ers (BRP Canam X3 XRS); 2:15.13 secs; 3- Ahmed Allouh and Ali Obaid (Canam X3); 2:34.42 secsClass 4: 1. Rashid al-Muhannadi and Tamer Hijazeen (Nissan Patro); 2:46.23 secs

By Sports ReporterDoha

Australian superstar Emma Mck-eon clinched two gold medals to steal the limelight on the fi -nal night at the Hamad Aquatic

Centre as the FINA Swimming World Cup Doha concluded yesterday.

Mckeon, coming to the Qatari capital with an overall lead, won the women’s 100m freestyle in a time of 51.15 for her second gold on the last day of the three-day meet. Mckeon’s teammate Madison Wilson (51.95) and Swede Michelle Cole-man (52.17) secured second and third po-sitions respectively in the event.

“I am pretty happy as it’s been some time since I got a double. I went with a mindset to win and I am happy with my time. Doha is a beautiful place and we loved our time here,” Mckeon said.

Earlier, Mckeon, who won four gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, recorded a comfortable victory in women’s 100m butterfl y with a time of 55.83, outpacing Switzerland’s Maria Ugolkova (56.94) and team-mate Holly Barratt (57.78).

In a star-studded men’s 50m butterfl y fi nal, American Tom Shields (22.22) de-feated Australia’s Kyle Chalmers (22.24) for another gold medal in Doha. Hun-gary’s Szebasztian Szabo clinched bronze medal with a time of 22.27.

It was Shields’ second butterfl y gold after his 100m win on the opening day. However, he lost to South Africa’s Pieter Coetze in the 100m backstroke fi nal later in the evening. Coetze clocked 50.86 to clinch another victory with Shields tak-ing silver with a time of 51.12. Yakov Tou-markin (ISR) came third in 51.54.

Meanwhile, Japanese star Daiya Seto denied Dutchman Arno Kamminga a sweep in breaststroke events in Doha af-ter winning the 200m race with a time of 2:01.65. Kamminga, who claimed 50m and 100m breaststroke victories on the fi rst two days of the meet, had to con-tent with a silver medal after he touched the fi nish line in 2:02.05. Russia’s Anton Chupkov was third with a time of 2:03.08.

Also yesterday, Sunwoo Hwang (KOR) notched up another victory in Doha, win-ning the men’s 200m freestyle in 1:41.17. Rising South African star Matthew Sates was second with a time of 1:41.33 while Danas Rapsys (LTU) secured third posi-tion in 1:42.26.

Dutchwoman Kira Toussaint also ex-celled on the fi nal night, securing her third gold medal in as many days as she topped the women’s 200m backstroke fi nal with a time of 2:02.12. Michelle Coleman (SWE) and Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) fi nished second and third after fi nishing the race in 2:06.43 and 2:10.14 respectively.

In the women’s 50m breaststroke fi nal, Russia’s Yuliya Efi mova sealed victory in 30.11, with Belgium’s Fanny Lecluyse (30.48) and South Korean Suyeon Back (31.01) taking silver and bronze medals respectively.

In fi nal event of the meet, Switzer-land’s Maria Ugolkova won a gold medal in women’s 200m individual medley. She raced to victory in 2:07.21, beating Hun-gary’s Zsuzsanna Jakabos (2:09.37) and Slovenian Katja Fain (2:10.58) Athletes will now head to Kazan for the fourth and fi nal meet of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 series, which will be held from October 28 to 30.

RESULTS (ALl FINALS) Women’s 100m Butterfly: 1. Emma Mck-eon (AUS) 55.83; 2. Maria Ugolkova (SUI) 56.94; 3. Holly Barratt (AUS) 57.78Men’s 50m Butterfly: 1. Tom Shields (USA) 22.22; 2. Kyle Chalmers (AUS) 22.24; 3. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) 22.27Women’s 200m Backstroke: 1. Kira Toussaint (NED) 2:02.12; 2. Michelle Coleman (SWE) 2:06.43; 3. Zsuzsanna

Jakabos (HUN) 2:10.14Men’s 100m Backstroke: 1. Pieter Coetze (RSA) 50.86; 2. Tom Shields (USA) 51.12; 3. Yakov Toumarkin 51.54Women’s 50m Breaststroke: 1. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 30.11; 2. Fanny Lecluyse (BEL) 30.48; 3. Suyeon Back (KOR) 31.01Men’s 200m Breaststroke: 1. Daiya Seto (JPN) 2:01.65; 2. Arno Kamminga (NED) 2:02.05; 3. Anton Chupkov (RUS) 2:03.08Women’s 100m Freestyle: 1. Emma Mck-eon (AUS) 51.15; 2. Madison Wilson (AUS) 51.95; 3. Michelle Coleman (SWE) 52.17Men’s 200m Freestyle: 1. Sunwoo Hwang (KOR) 1:41.17; 2. Matthew Sates (RSA) 1:41.33; 3. Danas Rapsys (LTU) 1:42.26Women’s 200m Individual Medley: 1. Maria Ugolkova (SUI) 2:07.21; 2. Zsuzsan-na Jakabos (HUN) 2:09.37; 3. Katja Fain (SLO) 2:10.58

‘I am happy as it’s been some time since I got a double. I am happy with my time too’

Ahmed al-Kuwari stars in second round of Qatar Off -Road ChampionshipSPOTLIGHT

Lewandowski scores to keep Bayern top

PSG forward Neymar back in squad for Marseille trip

BUNDESLIGA

LIGUE 1

AFPBerlin

Robert Lewandowski stated his case for the Ballon d’Or by scor-ing his 10th Bundesliga

goal in nine games this season for leaders Bayern Munich in a 4-0 romp at home to Hoff en-heim yesterday. Having claimed a record 41 Bundesliga goals last season, Lewandowski has picked up where he left off . The Poland striker is among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or on Novem-ber 29 having been named FIFA’s best male player of 2020.

Lewandowski showed his class with a stunning strike after Serge Gnabry gave the hosts a fi rst-half lead in front of 60,000 fans at the Allianz Arena, the biggest home crowd since the pandemic hit Germany in March 2020. Re-placements Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Kingsley Coman grabbed late goals to seal the win which keeps Bayern a point clear at the top of the table ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who won 3-1 at Arminia Bielefeld.

Bayern dominated even though head coach Julian Nagelsmann is quarantining at home after test-ing positive for Covid-19.

Gnabry’s opening goal came after he had already had one dis-allowed. Lewandowski had also chipped Hoff enheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann only to watch the ball fl y agonisingly wide of the post. Bayern fi nally made their domination count on 16 minutes when Jamal Musiala played the ball in to Gnabry, who

fi red between Baumann’s legs for his sixth league goal this season.

Lewandowski made it 2-0 with a superb fi nish from the edge of the area. The fl oodgates opened with eight minutes left as Choupo-Moting and then Coman fi red home to complete the rout.

Borussia Dortmund bounced back from their midweek Cham-pions League drubbing at Ajax against Arminia Bielefeld. Emre Can and Mats Hummels claimed fi rst-half goals before England midfi elder Jude Bellingham drib-bled past defenders, then chipped the ball in from a tight angle.

With regular penalty-taker Erling Braut Haaland sidelined with a hip injury, Can stepped up to convert an early spot-kick. Hummels produced a spectacu-lar volley from the edge of the area to make it 2-0 at half-time before Bellingham grabbed the third 18 minutes from time. Striker Fabian Klos converted a late Bielefeld penalty. Freiburg remain the only unbeaten team in Germany’s top fl ight and rose to third with a 2-0 win at Wolfs-burg, thanks to goals by Philipp Lienhart and Lucas Hoeler. Wolfsburg won their fi rst four league games under Mark van Bommel to lead the table in mid-September, but four straight de-feats leave them eighth.

Second-half goals by Emil Forsberg, Yussuf Poulsen, Do-minik Szoboszlai, who set up the fourth for 18-year-old Hugo Novoa Ramos on his league de-but, saw RB Leipzig fi ght back to claim a 4-1 home win over bot-tom side Greuther Fuerth.

Valencia score twice in injury time against Mallorca

Madrid: Valencia scored twice in injury time yesterday to res-cue a 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Mallorca, whose late collapse came after former Valencia midfielder Lee Kang-in was sent off .

Mallorca were on course for their fourth win of the season at Mestalla after Angel Rodriguez and Mouctar Diakhaby’s own-goal gave them a surprise two-goal lead at half-time.

But Lee was shown a second yellow card before the hour and Valencia struck twice late

on, Goncalo Guedes scoring in the 93rd minute and Jose Gaya pulling them level in the 98th.

There was still time for Rod-rigo Battaglia to be sent off as well before the end, as Mallorca finished a dramatic contrast with nine men and the chance spurned for a valuable three points. Valencia, who are now without a victory in six games, sit 10th in the table. Mallorca are just a point behind in 12th.

Lee joined Valencia aged 10 and made his debut for the first team in 2018.

Ahmed al-Kuwari and Nasser al-Kuwari in action in Yamaha YXZ 1000R.

Winners in the auto category at the Qatar Off -Road Championship pose on the podium with their trophies.

Australia’s Emma Mckeon in action during the FINA Swimming World Cup at the Hamad Aquatic Centre yesterday.

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring against Hoff enheim in the Bundesliga in Munich yesterday. (AFP)

ReutersParis

Paris St Germain’s Neymar has recovered from a groin injury and could be reunited with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in at-

tack against bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille today.

The Brazil forward, who missed PSG’s 3-2 Champions League home win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday, did not feature in yes-terday’s medical bulletin and is expected to be in the squad. Centre back Sergio Ra-mos, who has not played since he joined

from Real Madrid during the close season because of a calf problem, is still training alone while Argentine midfi elder Leandro Paredes will miss the game with a thigh

injury. “Neymar is available for the game,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said. PSG have won eight of the last 10 matches against OM, and pride will on the line for Mar-seille, who are looking for their fi rst vic-tory at the Velodrome against the capital side in 10 years.

“I’ve played the ‘clasico’, as a player and as a coach. Each has its own story but it is like a derby, it’s not just about the three points,” said Pochettino. “PSG v OM is not just like any other game. It’s about pride and emotions, for us and for the fans.”

Argentine winger Angel Di Maria, who missed the Leipzig game through suspen-

sion, is also back in the squad alongside Messi and Mbappe. The France striker has been in scintillating form and he will be looking to join Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Ligue 1’s fourth highest top scorer in the 21st century aged only 22.

Mbappe has netted 112 times in the French league with Sweden’s Ibrahimovic having scored 113 times.

Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani tops the charts with 138 goals. PSG are top of the standings with 27 points from 10 matches with OM in third place, 10 points adrift but with a game in hand.

OM coach Jorge Sampaoli however be-lieves OM can cause an upset.