SPORTPSL final: Quetta

Gladiators vs Peshawar

Zalmi

English Premier League:

Fulham vs Liverpool;

Everton vs Chelsea

CRICKET FOOTBALL

05SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2019

I don’t think 12th represents where we are. I do believe we’re

better. I was more frustrated with myself because I knew it

was there in the car.

Daniel Ricciardo after missing out on a top 10 grid slot in his first qualifying for Australian Grand Prix. T

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Leading gymnasts set for Doha returnFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Leading gymnasts from around the globe will return to Doha, eyeing top honours at the 12th FIG ART Individual Apparatus World Cup, which starts later this week at the Aspire Dome.

The Qatar Gymnastics Fed-eration (QGF), which is holding this event for the 12th consec-utive year, has received confir-mation from a large number of gymnasts as the event will play crucial in the 2020 Olympic Games qualification.

A total of 128 male and 60 female gymnasts from 57 coun-tries have signed up for the four-day event, which will begin on March 20.

Qatar has become of center of high-profile gymnastics events, with the country reaching the pinnacle of it’s hosting expe-rience by organising the 48th FIG ART World Championships - dubbed as the ‘best-ever’ edition - last October.

“I am confident that we will live up to expectation and host another successful competition,” QGF President Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi told a press conference yesterday.

“The World Championships last year was a huge success and hailed as the best-ever event by top FIG officials. It motivates us to continue hosting events of the same status. Though it is a dif-ficult task to maintain top standards, I am confident that

our team is experienced enough and will succeed,” he added.

“We have a star-studded line-up of gymnasts this year also and I am sure fans will enjoy their experience of watching the live action,” said the QGF President.

Apart from targeting the medals, gymnasts will also vie for berths that are on offer for the 2020 Tokyo Games.

According to the Article 18 of Olympic Qualifications, the top-ranked gymnast on each appa-ratus at the end of the 2018-2019 & 2019-2020 series have the opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. This place is nominative.

The Olympic Qualification Ranking list will be established after the last competition of the 2018-2019 & 2019-2020 World Cup Series.

Star-studded line-up confirmed

Meanwhile, prominent names who have confirmed their participation in the Doha event,

includes world champions Xiao Ruoteng, Zou Jingyuan of China and Dutchman Epke Zonderland.

Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines, who became his country’s first medal-winner in a World Championships here, will be the cynosure of all eyes. The talented Filipino took the floor honours with a score of 14.566 at the Melbourne edition.

Romania’s 38-year-old Marian Dragulescu will also be

back to compete with a younger generation of athletes. Ferhat Arican, who became the first Turkish male gymnast after 108 years to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will also hope to pick up a medal on parallel bar.

World’s oldest Olympian Oksana Chusovitina, 43 of Uzbekistan is also returning Doha in pursuit of here eighth appearance at the Games. Bel-gium’s reigning world champion

Nina Derwael will also be seen in action in the women’s events.

Three gymnasts to rep-resent Qatar

Host Qatar will be repre-sented by three gymnasts - Ahmed Al Dayani, Ahmed Mosa and Raslan Saoud - in the event.

While Al Dayani and Mosa have enjoyed good experience in the past events. Aspire’s Saoud will make his debut in the competition.

“We are hoping for a good performance from our athletes as they have trained well for this important competition,” said Al Hitmi.

“Raslan Saoud is a talented gymnast from Aspire and we are happy to see him featuring in his first senior competition. We are thankful to Aspire, which is making huge contribution in pro-motion of gymnastics in the country,” said Al Hitmi.

12th FIG ART Individual Apparatus World Cup

From left: Anis Saoud, Venue Manager, Abeer Al Buenain, Competition Manager, Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi, QGF President and Mohd Al Meraghi, President PR and Media during a press conference yesterday.

I am confident that we will live up to expectation and host another successful competition,” QGF President Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi

McIlroy, Fleetwood share lead at Players ChampionshipAFP LOS ANGELES

Rory McIlroy charged up the leaderboard on the back nine, firing a seven-under 65 on Friday to grab a share of the lead with Tommy Fleetwood at the halfway stage of the Players Championship.

McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, went seven under par on his final 11 holes, making an eagle on the par-five 16th, a birdie on the par-three 17 and par on the par-four closing hole to reach a 12-under 132 total.

He is tied with England’s Fleetwood who shot a five-under 67 for his sixth straight round under par.

“It was just another good day on the golf course. I did everything pretty much the way I wanted to,” McIlroy said. “My attitude has been

great all year.”

Ian Poulter (66), Jim Furyk (64), Brian Harman (69) and Abraham Ancer (66) are tied for third at nine-under 135 at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Australia’s Jason Day shot a 66 and is tied for seventh with Keith Mitchell and Kevin Kisner at eight-under 136.

After making changes last year to correct struggles, McIlroy feels he is on the right track with the Masters, and a chance to complete a career Grand Slam, just a month away.

He began Friday’s round with his lone bogey of the day before going on to make one eagle and six birdies.

“I felt like I came back well,” McIlroy said.

“Once I got a birdie on the eighth it started to snowball.”

This is the second straight week Fleetwood has had a share of the 36-hole lead after starting quickly Friday with a birdie-eagle-birdie beginning to his round.

Tiger Woods just made the cut with a one-under 71

but was left h o v e r i n g along the cut line after a quadruple

bogey seven on the pictur-

esque par-three island green. He

finished tied for 39th with a three-under

141 total, nine strokes back of

the leaders.

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Rugby: Wales hammer Ireland to secure Grand Slam crownAFP CARDIFF

Wales claimed a record third Six Nations Grand Slam of coach Warren Gatland’s reign yesterday as Gareth Anscombe kicked 20 points to help beat an ill-disciplined Ireland 25-7.

The stunning victory extended Wales’ winning streak to 14 matches, moving them to second in the World Rugby standings and handing Gatland’s team a massive psychological boost looking ahead to this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The Grand Slam was the 12th achieved by Wales, who opened this campaign with a 24-19 victory over France before fol-lowing up with wins over Italy (26-15), England (21-13) and Scotland (18-11).

It was the third under Gatland in his 50th and final Wales game in European rugby’s showcase tournament following Grand Slams in 2008 and 2012, and a first Six Nations title since 2013. The tone of what turned out to be an electrifying start was set from the off.

Gargantuan winger George North followed up on Ans-combe’s kick-off, catching Jacob Stockdale in possession and driving him into touch.

The crowd, barely in their seats after stirring anthems, were quickly galvanised as Ken Owens peeled off the attacking line-out, Hadleigh Parkes gathering Ans-combe’s dink over the top to touch down within two breath-taking minutes, the fly-half converting.

Kiwi-born Parkes, who made his Super Rugby debut alongside Anscombe for the

Auckland Blues before relocating to Wales, was then on hand to produce a superb try-saving tackle on Stockdale in what turned out to be a disappointing Ireland’s best chance of the game.

World Rugby player of the year Johnny Sexton caught the Welsh defence flat-footed with a clever raking cross-kick, Stockdale expertly gathering and shrugging off Gareth Davies as he steamed down the line before Parkes hauled him down with the line beckoning.

Influential playmaker Dan Biggar made an earlier-than-expected entry after North went off with an injured left wrist, Anscombe slotting in at full-back with Liam Williams moving to the wing.

Things weren’t going Ire-land’s way, experienced No 8 CJ Stander then losing control of a quick tap and go to lose all momentum, coach Joe Schmidt left holding his head in despair.

Anscombe increased the home side’s lead to 16 points with two further penalties just before half-time, ironically the same lead France held over Wales after the first 40 minutes in the opening match of this Six Nations campaign.

Alun Wyn Jones, equalling Gethin Jenkins as the most capped Welshman of all-time with 134 caps (including nine matches for the British and Irish Lions), was to the fore as the go-to line-out jumper and around the park with ball in hand.

And it was he who held up James Ryan early in the second period to force an attacking scrum in another blow to Ireland as Schmidt’s men tried to find a foothold.

Cian Healy then gave away a soft penalty with an off-the-ball hit on opposite number Tomas Francis, Anscombe hitting an elementary three points to take Wales out to 19-0.

Further ill-discipline handed Anscombe a fifth shot at goal, the Kiwi born to a Welsh mother making no mistake with Ireland looking increasingly ragged.

There was a late consolation try for Ireland from Jordan Larmour, converted by Jack Carty, as the team avoided a first whitewash since 1990.

Wales players and officials celebrate after winning the title yesterday.

06 SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2019SPORT

Fahad makes it 10 in a rowwith Racaru demolition

RIZWAN REHMAT DOHA

Qatar’s only pro boxer Fahad Al Thani on Friday night demolished Romanian opponent Marius Racaru forcing the latter into an early retirement.

The 31-year-old clinched the issue in their super welterweight clash in the northwest Spanish city of Valladolid.

It was the 10th successive win for the Qatari boxer who aims

to power a boxing revolution in the country.

“It is the second time I was boxing him,” a delighted Fahad said from Spain where the fight was held at Cupula Del Milenio.

“He is a tricky southpaw with a sharp left hand.

But I tactically managed to defend and make adjust-ments to have him stopped, forcing him to retire in the

s e c o n d r o u n d , ” F a h a d added.

Fahad beat the Romanian in their previous fight in March 2017 in Bar-celona, Spain.

In his 10 fights, Fahad has been in the ring for just 21 rounds, com-pleting eight of his wins with TKOs.

Fahad, who had trained non-stop for the last three months, building momentum with reclusive training since the middle of Feb-ruary, said he should have spent more hours in the ring

“My training was good but not smooth,” Fahad said.

“I tried to constantly be out of my comfort zone and push my boxing levels. However, my trainer’s con-centration was on my skill set and improving it which I did,” he said.

Fahad said his next fight is not confirmed yet but the Qatari boxer last month told The Peninsula that he would be aiming for six fights this year.

“The number of fights is about six fights. Not more than that. Six fights is a good number. It is a high number,” Fahad told The Peninsula last month.

“Still I am not on TV so I can go

up to eight. Once you are a TV fighter, it changes everything, like what time I walk into the ring. Now I want to build on my experience, improving my skills, doing what I do in the gym and adding things to my arsenal. If you don’t train for it, you can’t do it,” he added in the exclusive interview.

Fahad last month said getting popular in Qatar gave him a sense of satisfaction.

“The recognition in Qatar is very positive. It is something that gives me hope and pride. It shows a sportsman from Qatar can be on the

world stage,” Fahad said before praising compatriots track and field star Mutaza Barshim and rallying icon Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah.

“We saw that with Mutaz Barshim. We saw that with Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah recently in their sports. I look up to them and I see myself following in the same paths or footsteps,” Fahad said.

“So that gives me sometimes the motivation to keep going. Sometimes I receive a message on social media, saying ‘Fahad, I want to be a boxer’ and that adds to my will to win. I now not only fight for myself, I fight for Qatar. I fight for amazing devel-opment for Qatar sports. I love the way how Aspire Academy teach young athletes how to go about their life, how to eat, how to rest, how to deal with nerves. We had to do it the hard way,” he said.

Fahad, who trains and fights on his own, said he has specific goals in mind.

“I have a long-term goal. It’s to be a champion at a world level. I want to have a world level belt,” Fahad said.

RIZWAN REHMATDOHA

Qatar’s only pro boxer Fahad Thani on Friday night demolishRomanian opponent Marius Racaforcing the latter into an earetirement.

The 31-year-old clinched tissue in their super welterweigclash in the northwest Spanish cof Valladolid.

It was the 10th successive wfor f the Qatari boxer who ai

to power a boxing revolutin the country.

“It is the second timI was boxing him,”delighted Fahad safrom Spain where tfight was held Cupula Del Milen

“He is a tricsouthpaw withshars p left han

But I tacticamanaged defend amake adjuments to hahim h stoppeforcing himretir re in t

s e c o nr o u n dF a h aadded.

Qatar’s only pro boxer Fahad Thani forces Romanian opponent to retire in their super welterweight clash

in Spain.

This is the 10th win in a row for the 31-year-old.

It is the second time I was boxing him. He is a tricky southpaw with a sharp left hand. But I tactically managed to defend and make adjustments to have him stopped, forcing him to retire in the second round: Fahad Al Thani

Qatari professional boxer Fahad Thani (right) lands a punch on his Romanian opponent Marius Racaru during their super welterweight clash in Valladolid, Spain, on Friday.

Tech firms in tennis line-call battleAFP PARIS

A behind-the-scenes battle at the world’s top tennis tournaments pits an upstart newcomer and an established star.

Hawk-Eye, the British firm that innovated ball-tracking tech-nology, has been ruling the sector for more than a decade.

Its famous video simulations of contested line calls at Grand Slam tournaments are known to tennis lovers around the world. They are produced by computer-linked tracking cameras that cal-culate a flight path and project the ball’s landing point.

But start-up FoxTenn from Spain believes it can do better by eliminating doubt from the line-call business.

Hawk-Eye, which operates a dozen or so cameras placed around the tennis court, officially acknowl-edges a three-millimetre or so margin of error in its simulations of where the tennis ball would

bounce. For Foxtenn that tiny margin is too wide and it says it can offer real-time technology that eliminates any room for debate.

FoxTenn’s 40 or so cameras around the court, backed up by scanners and lasers, effectively capture the moment of impact of the ball, without need for any simulation.

Within a few months the line-call contracts will be coming to an end at the nine Masters events, and FoxTenn is lobbying hard for a chance to prove its worth.

One tournament which already uses Foxtenn, Marseille Open, found that initial difficulties were overcome after two seasons.

Nadal wonders if hard courts too hard on players

AFP INDIAN WELLS, UNITED STATES

Despite his undisputed status as king of

clay courts, Rafael Nadal (pictured) says

he loves hard court tennis, too, he’s just

not sure hard courts love him -- or

any other player.

The 32-year-old

Spaniard was contem-

plating cause and effect after

painful knee tendinitis flared up

during his quarter-final victory over Karen

Khachanov at the ATP Indian Wells

Masters.

Nadal, who said he hoped and

expected to be fit for a semi-final

showdown with old foe Roger Federer

on Saturday, wanted to be careful when

asked if he thought playing on hard

courts contributed to his history of

injury.

“Probably it’s more than 1,100

matches on tour, more than any surface,”

the 32-year-old Spaniard said.

But he added that cement-based hard

courts, compared to clay and grass courts,

do provide more of a pounding.

“I love to play on hard, but probably

my body don’t love it that much,” Nadal

said. “And my feeling is there are a lot of

players that love to play on hard, true, but

their bodies don’t love to play on hard,

either.”

Nadal noted that most other

sports are played on less punishing

surfaces such as grass. Although

he doesn’t think it will

happen in his playing

career, Nadal would

like to see a more

forgiving

surface in wider use in

tennis.

“It’s not about only during the

tennis careers that I am worried,” he said.

“When I see some old legends walking

around the tour, it’s tough.”

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Quetta go toe to toe with Peshawar in PSL finalTHE PENINSULA KARACHI

Quetta Gladiators hope their in-form opener Shane Watson will make them third time lucky as they look to avoid another knock-out punch from a spirited Peshawar Zalmi when the two teams clash in the sell-out final of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the National Stadium in Karachi, today.

Quetta have beaten Peshawar in both the league games this season, before having the better of their arch-rivals in the Wednesday’s Qualifier at the back of a pow-erful performance, but they are wary of a knock-out punch from the Daren Sammy-led Peshawar.

Despite beating Peshawar in the Qualifiers in 2016 and 2017 in thrilling last-over fin-ishes by one-run, Quetta lost in the 2017 final by 58 runs in

Lahore and in the Eliminator 1 last year.

Quetta captain Sarfaraz Ahmed hoped it will be a case of third time lucky.

“We are playing the final for the third time, so we will do our all-out effort to play in the same manner which we have done in the whole tour-nament,” Sarfaraz told a news conference yesterday.

Last year, Watson decided to stay away for the Elimi-nators in Lahore, leaving Quetta depleted. But this time Watson, who has amassed 423 runs in the tournament, made a late decision to visit Karachi.

“This time, we are at our full strength, so we will do our best to play like we have done and win the tournament. Obvi-ously, winning the trophy is every captain’s wish. We have come close, but were not able to win. This time, we will do our best, though we have a strong team against us.”

It is befitting for the HBL Pakistan Super League final that the two most in-form teams are in the final, fin-ishing with seven wins and three losses each in the first phase.

Sammy hoped it will be another crackers of a game before a sell-out crowd.

“I like to be the underdogs,” said Sammy. “To be fair, Quetta are playing some good cricket. The key for us is that our bowling unit has pretty much been the same. Hasan has been playing since his debut and Wahab leading the pack and sharing his experience.

“We have some good players, not superstars but effective players. To be able to make three consecutive finals in a row is an achievement.

“Winning the final tomorrow will really be the icing on the cake,” Sammy said.

Peshawar Zalmi’s captain Daren Sammy

(left) and Pakistani

captain of Quetta

Gladiators cricket team,

Sarfraz Ahmed pose for a

photograph with the

Pakistan Super League Trophy at the National

Cricket Stadium

in Karachi, yesterday.

07SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2019 SPORT

Grimalt cousins clinch Katara CupTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Marco and Esteban Grimalt won their second FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour gold medal in two weeks when they beat Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena in the Doha 4-Star Katara Cup yesterday.

The Chilean cousins beat the American pair 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) to add their first 4-Star gold to the Sydney 3-Star gold they won last Sunday.

The Katara Beach Cup was the fifth time that Qatar has hosted a World Tour tournament. It began on March 12 and finished on March 16 at the Katara Cul-tural Village.

“It was a crazy two weeks, and we are so proud of our team, our family and our country,” Esteban Grimalt said. “I don’t have

words to describe our feelings right now.

“When we started on the World Tour nine years ago it was against Dalhausser (and Todd Rogers) and now many years later we have beaten him in a final. It is a dream come true for us, but we want more and to keep improving.”

After the Grimalt won the Sydney 3-Star they flew 14 hours to reach the Qatari capital and competed in the qualification tournament on Tuesday. Their victory in Sydney was their second World Tour victory in the past year following gold at the Tokyo 3-Star in July.

Much of the turnaround is down to the influence of Brazilian coach Paulo Moreira de Costa, better known as Paulao. He has many years of experience coaching on the World Tour and is now bringing it to

bear on a team who made their Tour debut in 2011.

For Dalhausser and Lucena the silver is their first World Tour medal since the won the Fort Lauderdale 5-Star in March 2018.

The Americans enjoyed a long off-season and the Doha 4-Star was their first tour-nament since August 2018. They appeared back to their best in Doha and before the gold medal match had lost only one set in five matches.

Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira won bronze when they defeated Poland’s Grzegorz Fijalek and Michal Bryl. The Spaniards won 2-0 (21-17, 22-20).

The bronze is Herrera and Gavira’s first World Tour medal since they won silver at the Gstaad 5-Star and will provide them with vital points as they chase qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

West Ham push Huddersfield closer to relegationAFP LONDON

Huddersfield slipped closer to Premier League relegation as the bottom club blew a two-goal lead in their 4-3 defeat at West Ham, while Burnley are in deep trouble after losing 2-1 against 10-man Leicester yesterday.

Jan Siewert’s side looked to have kept alive their faint hopes of beating the drop as they raced into a 3-1 lead in east London.

But a second-half collapse culmi-nated in Javier Hernandez’s last-gasp winner for West Ham, leaving Hudders-field 16 points from safety with only seven games remaining.

Mark Noble put West Ham ahead with a 15th-minute penalty after 18-year-old Aaron Rowe, making his first profes-sional start, brought down Manuel Lanzini.

Huddersfield were level just two minutes later when Juninho Bacuna headed in from Aaron Mooy’s corner for the Terriers’ first away league goal since Boxing Day.

Karlan Grant gave Huddersfield the lead with a close-range finish in the 30th minute and the January signing from Charlton scored again in the 65th minute with a fantastic 20-yard strike.

But Angelo Ogbonna reduced the deficit with 15 minutes left and Hern-andez completed West Ham’s gritty fightback with an 84th-minute header from Samir Nasri’s cross.

Former Manchester United striker Hernandez wasn’t finished yet and he struck again in the final seconds with a header from Felipe Anderson’s cross.

At Turf Moor, Burnley’s survival bid was dented as they were rocked by Leicester.

Leicester defender Harry Maguire was sent off in the fourth minute for a trip on Johann Berg Gudmundsson as the Burnley midfielder ran clear on goal.

It was the fastest Premier League red card in four years, but Leicester weren’t fazed as James Maddison opened the scoring with a superb 33rd-minute free-kick.

Burnley’s teenage forward Dwight McNeil equalised with a fine finish in the 38th minute.

But Leicester snatched the points in the 90th minute when defender Wes Morgan struck after Youri Tielemans’ cross deflected into his path.

Burnley are one place and two points

above the relegation zone, with third-bottom Cardiff holding a game in hand.

In the day’s other game, Matt Ritchie’s last-gasp equaliser rescued Newcastle in their 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

Salomon Rondon blasted Newcastle into the lead with his 10th goal of the season, this one a powerful free-kick on the stroke of half-time.

However, Josh King equalised with 48th-minute penalty awarded for Fed-erico Fernandez’s foul on Nathan Ake.

King’s second goal arrived in the 81st minute after good work from Dominic Solanke, but Ritchie had the last word with a fierce half-volley.

Today, Liverpool can replace

Manchester City on top of the table if they win at Fulham, while Chelsea look to improve their top four prospects at Everton.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS

West Ham 4 (Noble 15-pen, Ogbonna 75, Hernandez 84, 90+1)

Huddersfield 3 (Bacuna 17, Grant 30, 65)

Burnley 1 (McNeil 38) Leicester 2 (Maddison 33, Morgan 90)

Bournemouth 2 (King 48-pen, 81) Newcastle 2 (Rondon 45+5,

Ritchie 90+4)

West Ham’s Javier Hernandez (second right) scores their fourth goal against Huddersfield Town during their Premier League match played at the London Stadium, yesterday.

Bounedjah nets 35th goal as Al Sadd extend leadTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Algerian star Baghdad Bounedjah scored his 35th goal of the QNB Stars League (QSL) season (18th minute) and Akram Afif (84th) added one more to his tally (23) as Al Sadd cemented their position on top of the standings by beating Al Sailiya 2-0 yesterday.

After their round-19 win at the Al Ahli Stadium, Al Sadd moved to 50 points.

It was Al Sadd’s 16th victory, the most by any team, as The Wolves, coached by Portuguese Jesualdo Ferreira, inched further towards retaining the coveted Qatar league shield for the 14th time in history, also the most by any side.

Al Sadd had dropped two crucial points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Al Sailiya in the first leg. This time around, The Peregrines had to play second fiddle to their formidable rivals.

Al Sailiya had the ignominy of having their goalkeeper Saoud Al Khater sent off following his foul on Akram in the 64th minute. The Peregrines were also unlucky when Abdulkadir Ilyas missed a penalty, blocked by Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad Al Dossari, awarded after a free-kick hit the hand of defender Boualem Khoukhi.

Ilyas was on target towards the end, but the lanky striker’s effort was ruled offside by referee Saoud Ali Al Athba.

Al Sadd, for whom Spanish midfield maestro took the field after one hour following his return from an injury layoff, dominated the game with

60 per cent of possession and four corner kicks, compared to three by Al Sailiya. Tournament top scorer Bounedjah took Al Sadd ahead by heading a cross from the left by Abdulkarim Hassan, who was adjudged the best player in Asia.

Afif found the mark after latching on to a long through pass as Al Sadd coasted to yet another victory.

Later, in the final fixture of the round, Al Duhail bounced back from a goal down to defeat Umm Salal 3-1.

Last two season’s league top scorer and Moroccan striker Yousef El Arabi (64th and 90+1 minutes) and substitute Mohammed Muntari (90+4) scored the goals for Al Duhail as the reigning champions kept pace with leaders Al Sadd, who beat Al Sailiya 2-0 in the day’s early kick-off, in the title race.

It was the 14th victory of The Red Knights, who domi-nated with 65 per cent ball pos-session and earned eight corner kicks compared to Umm Salal’s three.

Lawrence Quaye had put Umm Salal ahead in the 54th minute following a goalless first half, where both teams’ efforts did not fetch any goal.

Al Duhail now have 46 points, four less than Al Sadd, ahead of the heavyweight clash between them in the next round.

Marco (left) and Esteban Grimalt celebrate on the podium after winning the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Katara Cup in Doha, yesterday.

Al Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah controls the ball during the QNB Stars League match against Al Sailiya, yesterday.

China bids for 2023 Asian Cup

AFP SHANGHAI

China has formally submitted a bid to host the 2023 Asian Cup, state media said, another sign of the country’s determi-nation to eventually stage a football World Cup.

China has hosted the Asian Cup once before, in 2004, but its latest attempt is significant because of President Xi Jin-ping’s stated desire for the country to hold a World Cup.

The World Cup tourna-ments for 2030 or 2034 have regularly been mooted as the most likely that China will go for.

Staging the 2023 Asian Cup would help prepare China for a World Cup, but it faces stiff competition from South Korea.

Having the Asian Cup again on Chinese soil will “promote the popularisation and devel-opment of football” in the country, Xinhua news agency said.

China reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup in the UAE at the start of this year, before going down 3-0 to Iran.

Fabio Cannavaro was named Marcello Lippi’s suc-cessor as coach of the national team on Friday.

f

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QSL: TOP SCORERS OF THE SEASON

PLAYER (TEAM) GOALS (PENALTY)

Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd) 35 (6)Akram Afif (Al Sadd) 23 (2)Youssef El Arabi (Al Duhail SC) 21 (5)Abdulgadir Ilyas Bakur (Al Sailiya) 12 (2)Rachid Tiberkanine (Al Sailiya) 12 (1)Yannick Sagbo (Umm Salal) 8 (2)Wagner (Al Khor SC) 8 (1)Hasan Al Haydos (Al Sadd) 7 (3)Nam Tae-hee (Al Duhail SC) 7 (0)Rodrigo Tabata (Al Rayyan) 7 (1)Claudio Vázquez (Al Shahaniya) 7 (0)

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah cruised through the final six gravel special stages of the Manateq Qatar International Rally to seal a convincing victory by the margin of 3min 29.6sec yesterday.

A record-breaking 14th victory in his home event also marked a remarkable 70th MERC victory in the 211-event history of the FIA Middle East Rally Championships since 1984. Al Attiyah’s French co-driver Mat-thieu Baumel duly claimed his third MERC win in Qatar and a career 18th.

The success also marked the first outright FIA championship rally win for Volkswagen’s Polo GTI R5 that made its debut at the WRC in Spain last October and claimed WRC 2 success in Sweden in February with Nor-wegian driver Ole Christian Veiby. Customer Polos have already won national events in Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Latvia this year.

Al Attiyah won each of the 11 special stages. He said: “The first win for the Polo in history in the Middle East. The car and the team were working very well. We learn a lot from this race. It was fun to drive. I get the feeling quickly, like I know the car very well. Now we prepare for Jordan. It’s important that we stay in the Middle East Championship.”

Baumel added: “I have 18 wins but I am not at the level of Nasser (70). The last two years we had problems and we retired here in Qatar. This year, with the new car, we were a little bit scared, but the car was perfect. No punctures also. A small scare with a sensor set-up last night but, I guess, this was because it

was a new car. It was a good week.”

Abdulaziz Al Kuwari got to grips with his Škoda Fabia R5 as the event progressed and he and British co-driver Marshall Clarke finished in a comfortable second place.

Sheikh Hamed bin Eid Al Thani, the 1993 regional champion, claimed his first podium finish at the event since 2010 to give the host nation a first 1-2-3 finish since Al Attiyah’s last home win in 2016.

Veteran Nasser Khalifa Al Atya managed to stave off a late challenge from Khalid Al Suwaidi to conserve fourth overall in the battle of the two Ford Fiesta R5s.

Kuwait’s Meshari Al Thefiri mixed it with the R5 cars for much of the rally before slipping back to sixth overall after the penultimate stage. The Mitsubishi driver’s consolation was a

massive winning margin of 18min 34.1sec in MERC 2.

Italy’s Stefano Marrini was the leading non-Arab driver in seventh overall and a distant second in MERC 2. Qatar’s Rashid Al Mohannadi and Abdulla Al

Kuwari were eighth and ninth and Oman’s Abdullah Al Ruwahi rounded off the top 10.

Defending MERC 3 champion Henry Kahy got the defence of his title off to the perfect start with 11th overall and first in the two-wheel drive category. Jor-dan’s Asem Aref closed off the FIA finishers in 12th.

Jarah Al Touqi began the last day with a 17min 26.1sec lead in the Manateq Qatar National Rally and finished with a winning margin of 20min 03.4sec. Hamid Al Qasimi was on a charge over the final day and managed to pass Zakariyah Al Amri to take second place before retiring on the last stage.

Oman-based Briton Shaun McGonigal failed to restart from third after his Subaru sustained suspension bush damage after a puncture on the fifth stage.

Action resumes in the regional series in Jordan at the end of April.

SPORTSunday 17 March 2019

PAGE | 06 PAGE | 07Fahad makes it

10 in a rowwith Racaru

demolition

QSL: Brilliant Bounedjah nets 35th goal as Al Sadd extend lead

The first win for the Polo in history in the Middle East. The car and the team were working very well. We learn a lot from this race. It was fun to drive. I get the feeling quickly, like I know the car very well. Now we prepare for Jordan. It’s important that we stay in the Middle East Championship: Al Attiyah

Al Attiyah seals 14th Qatar Rally title

Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel driving a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 on their way to win the 2019 Manateq Qatar International Rally, yesterday.

Record lap gives Hamilton 6th straight pole at Australian GPAFP MELBOURNE

Mercedes’ world champion Lewis Hamilton picked up where he left off last year to reassert his authority and snatch a record-extending eighth pole position at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix yesterday.

The Briton clocked a fastest lap of one minute 20.486 to nar-rowly pip team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel third, but well off the pace on 1:21.190. Red Bull’s Max Ver-stappen was fourth and Ferrari newcomer Charles Leclerc fifth.

The 34-year-old is the pole master in Melbourne, claiming it eight times and every year since 2014, although he has only twice, in 2008 and 2015, won a race at Albert Park.

He knocked out his rivals with a blistering lap at the death to claim an 84th career grid-leading time in his 230th race.

“I’m shaking, it was so close out there,” said Hamilton.

“Coming from testing we had no idea where we would be, but the guys in the factory have been working so hard towards this weekend.

“Valtteri did an exceptional job, it was so close.”

Hamilton, bidding for a sixth world title to move within one of Michael Schumacher’s record seven, topped all three free practice sessions before making it four-out-of-four during qualifying.

His dominance in qualifying in Melbourne is unsurpassed with Ayrton Senna, on six poles, the next in line.

Hamilton complained after pre-season testing in Barcelona that Ferrari was much quicker,

but it appears to have been mind games with business as usual resumed this week.

Mercedes and Hamilton have been dominant in Formula One in recent years, winning the drivers’ and constructors’ titles

five years in a row and Ferrari -- and Vettel -- are desperate to catch up.

While the German won in Melbourne last year and backed it up with victory at the next race in Bahrain, Hamilton roared back

to sweep 11 of the remaining 19 Grand Prix to comfortably be crowned champion.

All Vettel’s world titles came at Red Bull, from 2010-2013, while Ferrari haven’t won a con-structors crown since 2008 and no driver at the Italian outfit has tasted championship success since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

Hamilton topped Q2 in 1:21:014 from Bottas and Ver-stappen, with Vettel running into the gravel at Turn 12, kicking up dirt and dust and telling his team on the radio that the “floor, front wing” would need to be checked.

Daniel Ricciardo was a big casualty in Q2, finishing 12th in his first outing for new team Renault after moving from Red Bull. His team-mate Nico Hulkenberg also missed the cut, as did Toro Rosso pair Daniel Kvyat and Alexander Albon.

Leclerc topped Q1 with 1:22:017 ahead of Hamilton and Bottas.

Red Bull newcomer Pierre Gasly was among those who failed to get out of Q1 along with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll.

Robert Kubica, who clipped the wall and sustained a puncture in his Williams, was last.

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING TIMES

Qualifying Q3:

1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:20.486

2. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:20.598

3. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:21.190

4. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 1:21.320

5. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:21.442

6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:21.826

7. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas) 1:22.099

8. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) 1:22.304

9. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Alfa Romeo) 1:22.314

10. Sergio Perez (MEX/Racing Point) 1:22.781

Eliminated in Q2:

11. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault)

12. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Renault)

13. Alexander Albon (THA/Toro Rosso)

14. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA/Alfa Romeo)

15. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso)

Eliminated in Q1:

16. Lance Stroll (CAN/Racing Point)

17. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Red Bull)

18. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/McLaren)

19. George Russell (GBR/Williams)

20. Robert Kubica (POL/Williams)

2019 MANATEQ QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY: POSITIONS AFTER

SS11 (TOP 10)

1. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Volkswagen Polo

GTI R5: 1hr 56min 18.8sec

2. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari (QAT)/Marshall Clarke (GBR): 1hr 59min 48.4sec

3. Hamed bin Eid Al Thani (QAT)/Dale Moscatt (AUS): 2hrs 07min 22.4sec

4. Nasser Khalifa Al Atya (QAT)/Nicola Arena (ITA): 2hrs 08min 58.5sec

5. Khalid Al Suwaidi (QAT)/Adel Abdulla (QAT): 2hrs 09min 48.6sec

6. Meshari Al Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al Kuwari (QAT): 2hrs 10min 47.5sec

7. Stefano Marrini (ITA)/Nicolas Garcia (ARG): 2hrs 29min 21.6sec

8. Rashid Al Mohannadi (QAT)/Yousef Juma (JOR): 2hrs 34min 12.6sec

9. Abdulla Al Kuwari (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (POR): 2hrs 35min 25.0sec

10. Abdullah Al Ruwahi (OMN)/Ata Hmoud (JOR): 2hrs 51min 04.1sec

2019 MANATEQ QATAR NATIONAL RALLY: POSITIONS AFTER SS11:

1. Jarah Al Touqi (OMN)/Issa Al Wardi (OMN): 2hrs 38min 22.3sec

2. Zakariyah Al Amri (OMN)/Abdullah Al Amri (OMN): 2hrs 58min 25.7sec

2019 FIA MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP: STANDINGS

AFTER ROUND 1 (TOP 5):

1. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah: 39pts

2. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari (QAT): 30pts

3. Hamed bin Eid Al Thani (QAT): 24pts

4. Nasser Khalifa Al Atya (QAT): 19pts

5. Khalid Al Suwaidi (QAT): 16pts

This year’s Dakar Rally champion

concludes the 11-stage home event

with a slick performance.

Abdulaziz Al Kuwari finishes second

ahead of Sheikh Hamed bin Eid Al Thani to

complete a 1-2-3 finish for Qatar.

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Abdulaziz Al Kuwari driving his Škoda Fabia R5 on his way to finish second.

Veteran Qatari driver Nasser Khalifa Al Atya driving his Ford Fiesta R5.

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates after taking the pole position in the Formula One qualifying session in Melbourne yesterday, ahead of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

Dakar hero bags 70th MERC victory to earn maiden regional success for Volkswagen