SPORTTuesday 17 April 2018

PAGE | 25 PAGE | 26‘No decision yet’ on

trainer after reports Roach ditched: Pacquiao

Qatar Cross-Country Rally hopes rest with Al Attiyah and Abdulla

YESTERDAY'S RESULTSGROUP D

Al Hilal SFC (KSA) 0-1 Esteghlal FC (IRN)

Al Rayyan SC (QAT) 1-4 Al Ain FC (UAE)GROUP C

Al Wasl FC (UAE) 1-2 FC Nasaf (UZB)

Persepolis FC (IRN) 1-0 Al Sadd SC (QAT)

TODAY'S FIXTURESGROUP B

Al Duhail SC (QAT) vs Al Wahda FSCC (UAE)At Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha

Kick off at 5.00pm GROUP A

Al Jazira FSC (UAE) vs Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)

GROUP HKashima Antlers (JPN) vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR)

GROUP GGuangzhou Evergrande FC (CHN) vs Cerezo Osaka (JPN)

GROUP BPFC Lokomotiv (UZB) vs Zobahan FC (IRN)

GROUP ATractorsazi Tabriz (IRN) vs Al Gharafa (QAT)

At Yadegar Emam Stadium, TabrizKick off at 7.00pm

GROUP HSydney FC (AUS) vs Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN)

GROUP GJeju United FC (KOR) vs Buriram United (THA)

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUEGROUP STAGE

Al Rayyan’s Qatari forward Sebastian Soria (left) leaps for the ball during the Asian Champions League football match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha yesterday.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS GROUP C

RANK/TEAM MP W D L POINTS1: Persepolis FC (IRN) 6 4 1 1 13

2: Al Sadd SC (QAT) 6 4 0 2 12

3: FC Nasaf (UZB) 6 3 1 2 10

4: Al Wasl FC (UAE) 6 0 0 6 0

GROUP D1: Esteghlal FC (IRN) 6 3 3 0 12

2: Al Ain FC (UAE) 6 2 4 0 10

3: Al Rayyan SC (QAT) 6 1 3 2 6

4: Al Hilal SFC (KSA) 6 0 2 4 2

QOC President awards the winners at Arabian Camel Festival

Volleyball: Emir Cup draw ceremony

Al Ain secure last 16 berth with win over Al RayyanTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Marcus Berg struck twice as UAE’s Al Ain dashed Al Rayyan’s hopes of advancing to the last 16 of the AFC Champions League with a 4-0 win yesterday.

Hussein El Shahat gave the vis-itors the lead in the 11th minute at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha before two quick goals early in the second half (Omar Abdul-rahman 55’, Marcus Berg 58’) took the game completely away from the home team.

The Swedish striker Berg scored his second goal in the 78th minute before Al Rayyan skipper Rodrigo Tabata gave some consolation in the dying stage of the game with a right footed shot from the centre of the box which landed at the bottom right corner.

Meanwhile, in Tehran, Iran’s Persepolis will head into the knockout stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League as winners of Group C, after overcoming Qatar’s Al Sadd with a 1-0 win yesterday.

Backed by a massive home crowd, Persepolis needed less than three minutes to go in front. Mohammed Ansari whipped in a tricky cross from the left wing and Al Sadd defender Morteza Pourali-ganji inadvertently headed past his own keeper to give the Tehran giants an early lead.

Needing just a draw to finish top of the group, Al Sadd pushed forward in search of the equaliser but they were not particularly effective, with only Xavi Hernandez and Baghdad Bounedjah coming close to scoring in the opening half.

The visitors looked more dan-gerous in the second half and Boualem Khoukhi thought he had levelled the scores when he finished off Bounedjah’s cross in the 62nd minute. However, the effort was ruled out for offside.

Persepolis looked comfortable defending their narrow lead and goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand had very little to do for most of the game, until a nervy final 10 minutes, when Al Sadd almost broke the home crowd’s hearts.

First, Bounedjah rattled the crossbar from close range with a stinging strike in the 87th minute, then just seconds later, Akram Afif registered what was surprisingly Al Sadd’s first shot on target but Bei-ranvand was on hand to palm the ball away.

This result means that Perse-polis finish the group stage as winners of Group C with 13 points, one ahead of Al Sadd who go through as runners-up. Persepolis will now face the second-placed team from Group A in the Round of 16, while Al Sadd play the winners of the same group.

Youssef Ahmed Kanu (front row - fourth from left), Treasurer, Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA), and Saeed Salem Al Jamaani (front row - second right), Board Member, QVA, pose for a photograph with other officials and club representatives during the official draw ceremony of the Emir Cup Volleyball Tournament held at the QVA headquarters in Doha yesterday.

Picture by: Salim Matramkot/

The Peninsula

H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), awards the winners of the Emir Cup Sword events at the ongoing Arabian Camel Festival at Al Shahaniya Racetrack yesterday. The hugely popular event continues today with morning and evening competitions at same venue.

IPL: KKR canter to 71-run win over DelhiIANS

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), riding on Nitish Rana and Andre Russell’s heroics, snapped a two-game losing streak in style to register a 71-run victory over Gautam Gambhir’s Delhi Daredevils in a lopsided Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Eden Gardens here yesterday.

Put in by their celebrated former captain Gambhir, KKR saw in-form Rana smash a 35-ball 59 with Russell hitting a 12-ball 44, which included six sixes off Mohammed Shami, to ensure Glenn Max-well’s 22-ball 47 and Rishabh Pant’s 26-ball 43 went in vain.

Delhi were reduced to 24/3 inside the first three overs with opener Jason Roy, who hit an unbeaten 53-ball 91 in the last match but now only managed 1, Shreyas Iyer (4) and skipper Gambhir (8) back in the hut.

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (1/16) got Roy’s back in the last ball of the innings’ first over with a slider down the leg side which the England batsman missed and went down the wicket for skipper Dinesh Karthik to effect a stumping.

Rana caught Iyer at first slip off Russell’s bowling while the big wicket of Gambhir fell to U-19 World Cup winner Shivam Mavi (1/14).

Pant and Maxwell then associated for a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket before the former holed out to Chawla at deep midwicket off Yadav. From there on, it was all downhill for Delhi as they lost wickets in a hurry.

Earlier, Rana cracked a fine half century while Russell blasted a 12-ball 44 to propel KKR to 200/9.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders:

200/9 (Nitish Rana 59, Andre Russell 41; Rahul Tewatia 3/18)

Delhi Daredevils: (129 all out (Glenn Maxwell 47, Rishabh Pant 43; Sunil Narine 3/18, Kuldeep Yadav 3/32)

24 TUESDAY 17 APRIL 2018SPORT

Formula One held its first Grand Prix in China in 2004. Despite a steadily growing fanbase, a Chinese population of 1.3 billion means there still remains a vast opportunity for the sport to tap.

REUTERS

SHANGHAI: Formula One’s planned Chinese joint venture will have its own marketing, licensing and media rights arms dedicated to growing the sport’s presence in the vast but still nascent market, commercial managing director Sean Bratches has said.

“What we will do is effectively set up a similar structure to what we have in London,” the former ESPN executive said at the weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

“With a head of mar-keting, a head of licensing, a head of media rights, a head of sponsorship, a head of digital, etc. and really activate the brand here like its own entity,” added the American.

Sources said last week that Liberty Media, who took over as Formula One’s com-mercial rights holder last year, was talking to potential local partners including Inter Milan owner Suning and La Liga rights holder DDMC to form a joint venture that would help manage business development in China.

Bratches declined to confirm any names but said he had spent the last few

weeks in Shanghai and Beijing talking to a “number of entities.”

He added, however, that the sport’s relationship with local company Juss Events Co Ltd., who cur-rently organise the race, would continue.

“We plan to continue that relationship and expand it as we go forward,” he said.

Formula One held its first Grand Prix in China in 2004. Despite a steadily growing fanbase, a Chinese population of 1.3 billion means there still remains a vast opportunity for the sport to tap.

Last year the sport struck a deal to build stra-tegic partnerships in the country with marketing agency Lagardere Sports and Entertainment.

The company’s chief executive told Reuters then that the growth of the Chinese middle classes could see 400 million people over the next 12 or 13 years having disposable income to spend on enter-tainment and lifestyle.Efforts to reach out to fans are already underway, with the sport organising a fan-festival in the heart of Shanghai last week and striking fresh television and

digital broadcasting deals with state network CCTV and Tencent. Bratches said the local joint venture would be responsible for agreeing such deals in future.

It could also help the country, which hasn’t yet had a Formula One driver, establish driver devel-opment schools and look at organising a second race in China, which Liberty are keen on but remains some years away.

“What we will be doing for the years to come in the rest of the world is devel-oping the brand, devel-oping the sport,” said Bratches.

“While Liberty are planning to open local offices in the United States and other parts of Asia, Bratches said setting up a parallel entity similar in scale to its London operation would be unique to China.

“With the entity that we acquired, we believed that it was somewhat under-managed,” said Bratches of Liberty’s acquisition of the sport. “And our time being spent bringing Formula One up into the ethos of the 21st century, we wouldn’t really be spending... enough time (in China) to really merit what we think the opportunities are here.”

F1 seeks growth in sport-loving China

Pacers snap James’ play-off streak; Harden lifts RocketsAFP

NEW YORK: Forget LeBron James making his eighth consec-utive trip to the NBA finals - the Cleveland Cavaliers star might have trouble just getting out of the opening round of the play-offs.

Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 32 points to power the Indiana Pacers over the host Cavaliers 98-80 on Sunday in the opening game of their first-round NBA play-off series.

“Stay calm, stay composed, play the game I have all year long,” Oladipo said of the key to his overwhelming day.

“This was a great team win.” James had won 21 first-

round play-off games in a row until the rout, having never before lost the opener in a first-round NBA post-season series.

James, seeking his ninth career trip to the NBA finals and fourth league title, had not dropped a first-round play-off game since the New York Knicks beat Miami in the fourth game of the 2012 opening round, a

minor setback on the Heat’s title run, a career first for James.

James said falling behind in a series just motivates him to step up his game.

“I’m down 0-1 in the first round. I was down 3-1 in the finals. So I’m the last guy to ask about what I’m gonna be like the next couple days,” James said.

In the late game, league MVP candidate James Harden exploded for 44 points as the Houston Rockets beat the Min-nesota Timberwolves 104-101.

The Pacers jumped ahead 33-14 after the first quarter and led by as much as 23 in holding off the Cavs, who came no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“You can’t ease into the play-offs,” said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.

“I thought (Indiana) came in and they attacked us.” James had a triple double in a losing cause with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. The rest of Cleveland’s starters only managed 25 points, Kevin Love with 17 rebounds but only nine points.

JR Smith had 15 points off the Cavaliers’ bench while Myles Turner had 16 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 for Indiana.

The Cavaliers had their lowest-scoring first period of the season and only five baskets with six turnovers in the opening quarter, drawing boos as they walked off at half-time trailing 59-38.

The Boston Celtics nearly fell victim to another Eastern Con-ference opening upset bid before edging visiting Milwaukee

113-107 in overtime. Al Horford scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Boston and Terry Rozier, starting in place of injured Kyrie Irving, added 23 points.

Marcus Morris scored 21 off the bench while Jaylen Brown netted 20 and Jayson Tatum con-tributed 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics.

“We’ve been down a lot, a lot of injuries, and we’ve always found a way,” Horford said.

“Morris made some big shots, Tatum down the stretch, Terry -- that’s what we’re all about. We just find a way.” Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 35 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists and gave the Celtics headaches until fouling out in overtime.

Khris Middleton added 31 points, hitting five-of-seven three-pointers, with eight rebounds and six assists in a losing cause.

In Houston, Harden led a big fourth-quarter run as the top-seeded Rockets held off the Timberwolves in game one.

Harden made seven-of-12 three pointers but the Rockets had their hands full with the eighth seeded Timberwolves.

Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns failed to get untracked on Sunday, scoring just eight points, well below his season average of 21.3 points.

Andrew Wiggins had 18 points for Minnesota, who are making their first play-off appearance since 2004.

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (righ) moves against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the first quarter in game one of the first round of the 2018 NBA Play-offs at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday.

Eastern Conference

In Boston

Boston 113 Milwaukee 107

(Boston leads series 1-0)

In Cleveland

Indiana 98 Cleveland 80

(Indiana leads series 1-0)

In Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City 116 Utah 108

(Oklahoma City leads series 1-0)

In Houston

Houston 104 Minnesota 101

(Houston leads 1-0)

NBA PLAY-OFF RESULTS

James Harden (left) in action on Sunday.

Calvert stars as Blue Jackets edge CapitalsAP

WASHINGTON: Matt Calvert scored 12:22 into overtime, Sergei Bobrovsky made 54 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame two goals from Alex Ovechkin beat the Washington Capitals 5-4 on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round play-off series.

Calvert’s goal held up after the NHL situation room reviewed the play for a pos-sible offside. Calvert was just onside when Josh Anderson brought the puck into the zone.

Columbus heads home for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Thursday two victories away from advancing to the second round for the first time in franchise history.

The Blue Jackets stunned the Metropolitan Division-champion Capitals with back-to-back overtime wins.

Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists and Matt Murray stopped 26 shots to help Pittsburgh silence a raucous Philadelphia crowd and take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Two of the so-called fiercest rivals in the NHL have provided three lopsided games: Pittsburgh’s 7-0 win in Game 1 and Philadelphia’s 5-1 victory in Game 2 could about qualify as nail-bitters in this series.

Elsewhere, Mikael Granlund and Zach Parise scored power-play goals in the first period for the spark Minnesota was missing on the road, and the Wild used a four-goal second to roar back against Winnipeg the Western Conference series.

Jordan Greenway scored his first NHL goal just 20 seconds after Eric Staal sent a wrist shot past past a strug-gling Connor Hellebuyck, who was pulled for Steve Mason at the second intermission.

25TUESDAY 17 APRIL 2018 SPORT

New-look Jamaica fail CWG test without BoltAFP

GOLD COAST: As sprint legend Usain Bolt partied into the early hours and hung out with movie stars at the Commonwealth Games, it wasn’t so much fun for the Jamaica track team he left behind.

At their first major competition since Bolt retired after a decade of dominance, the Jamaican juggernaut caught a flat on the Gold Coast, failing to win a single sprinting gold medal.

Yohan Blake’s flop in the men’s 100 metres set the tone as Jamaica’s confidence was immediately dented by South African Akani Simbine.

Blake, who picked up a world title in 2011 after Bolt false-started, could only finish third behind Simbine’s countryman Henricho Bruintjies after a calamitous start.

To add insult to injury, double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson failed to win a medal in the women’s 200m as Shaunae Miller-Uibo romped to victory for the Bahamas.

And with Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards capturing gold in the men’s 200m and countrywoman Michelle-Lee Ahye an upset winner of the women’s 100m, Jamaica’s Car-ibbean rivals enjoyed their days in the sun.

Jamaica’s Olympic chief insisted that there was no crisis, pointing to a new generation of sprinters coming through.

“It was a perfectly creditable per-formance,” Christopher Samuda said. “Jamaican athletes usually peak in June or July.

“Usain Bolt had a very big influence but we have a wealth of talent and the future for Jamaican sprinting is in very good hands.”

But after the Jamaican men’s 4x100m relay team were crushed by England to take third behind South Africa in a puny title defence, Bolt took to social media to question whether he had retired too soon.

“Watching the relay just now made me ask myself a few questions,” tweeted the eight-time Olympic champion, who watched part of the athletics with Hollywood heartthrob Chris Hemsworth.

Blake insisted he would bounce back this season.

“I was in record-breaking shape, and I’m still in that,” he said. “We were dominating worldwide, and my coach is working to get me back to that level so I can dominate again.”

While Jamaica appeared to have lost the fear factor, Blake dismissed the threat to their recent sprinting

dominance.“It’s not

that they’re getting better,” he said. “It’s that we’re not performing.”

England’s s p r i n t e r s stormed to a golden double in the 4x100 metres relays, boding well for the British at the European championships in August.

Z h a r n e l H u g h e s , stripped of gold in the 200m for i m p e d i n g Richards, could be one to watch in Berlin after showing impressive speed in Australia.

South Africa’s Caster Semenya completed a middle-distance double as rival athletes continued to grumble about whether or not she should be allowed to compete.

But with her future still clouded by controversy, Semenya -- who identifies as a woman but has unusually elevated testosterone levels -- revealed she could be tempted to step up from the 800 and 1,500 metres and tackle longer

distances.The track and field threw up its fair

share of feel-good stories -- from Neeraj Chopra, the farmer’s son who won a historic javelin gold for India, to Levern Spencer, who captured the women’s high jump title to give Saint Lucia their first Commonwealth title in any sport.

But for Jamaica, life after Bolt began with a jolt -- one that could ultimately change the landscape of world sprinting.

‘No decision yet’ on trainer after reports Roach ditched: PacquiaoAFP

MANILA: Manny Pacquiao said Monday he had not yet chosen a trainer for his July world title fight with Lucas Matthysse, dismissing reports he has cut ties with long-standing mentor Freddie Roach.

The veteran US ring guru Roach said last week that his 15-year association with Pacquiao, who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, had been terminated ahead of the Matthysse bout in Malaysia.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t hurt that he didn’t contact me per-sonally about his decision, but the great times we enjoyed together far outweigh that,” Roach said in a brief statement on Friday.

But Pacquiao went on social media Monday to say that he would make a decision later this week on his corner team for the Kuala Lumpur fight with the Argentine World Boxing Association wel-terweight champion.

“Contrary to statements which I per-sonally did not make that are circulating in the media, I have not made my final decision who will be my head trainer for my July 14 (US time zone) fight with Mat-thysse,” he said.

Pacquiao -- who has a record of 59 wins with 38 KOs, seven losses and two draws -- told millions of followers on his official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts that his adviser Mike Koncz “has been in contact with Freddie (Roach)’s people to keep them informed.

Roach was ever-present in Pacquiao’s corner during his rise to the pinnacle of his sport, helping mould the fighter into one of the best boxers in history.

Pacquiao has not fought since being defeated on points by Australia’s Jeff Horn in Brisbane last July, a loss that cost the Filipino star his World Boxing Organi-zation welterweight crown.

Matthysse, who has 39 wins including 36 KOs against four defeats, won the vacant WBA belt after beating Thailand’s Teerachai Sithmorseng in January.

Shahzad fined after playing for Pakistan club without permissionAFP

KABUL: Trouble-prone Afghanistan wick-etkeeper Mohammad Shahzad has been fined after he was caught playing for a Pakistani cricket club without permission, an Afghan official said yesterday.

Shahzad has been ordered to pay 300,000 Afghanis (about $4,400) and return to Afghanistan after taking part in a local tournament in Peshawar, a Paki-stani city near the Afghan border.

The 30-year-old went to Pakistan after Afghanistan returned from Zimbabwe last month following their qualification for the 2019 World Cup, Lutfullah Stanikzai, head of media and marketing for the Afghan-istan Cricket Board (ACB), said.

Rules require players to obtain a “no objection certificate” if they want to play matches other than those approved by the ACB. This is not the first time that Shahzad has fallen foul of regulations.

He was suspended for two matches in Zimbabwe for slamming his bat on the pitch after being dismissed in a qualifying match.

That incident came three months after the big-hitter returned from a one-year doping ban.

Shahzad will still go to India for a training camp before Afghanistan’s series against Bangladesh and a Test match against India in June, Stanikzai said.

The ACB has also ordered players living abroad, mainly in Pakistan, to return to Afghanistan if they want to continue playing for the national side.

“We have a strong structure for our domestic cricket so we do not see the need for people to go and play for clubs outside Afghanistan,” Stanikzai said.

“There’s plenty of cricket that’s hap-pening here now.”

Akani Simbine of South Africa celebrates as he wins the men’s 100m final during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games as Jamaica’s Yohan Blake finishes third in this April 9 file photo.

Legendary sprint star Usain Bolt took to Twitter after watching Jamaica finish third in the 4x100m men’s relay and set social media alight with rumours of a possible comeback.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson failed to win a medal in the women’s 200m as Shaunae Miller-Uibo romped to victory for the Bahamas.

At their first major competition since Bolt retired after a decade of dominance, the Jamaican juggernaut caught a flat on the Gold Coast, failing to win a single sprinting gold medal.

World record holders Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team settled in for a disappointing bronze medal behind England and South Africa.

Blake, who picked up a world title in 2011 after Bolt false-started, could only finish third behind Simbine’s countryman Henricho Bruintjies after a calamitous start.

I was in record-breaking shape, and I’m still in that. We were dominating worldwide, and my coach is working to get me back to that level so I can dominate again: Yohan Blake

Kawauchi, Linden fight rain to win Boston Marathon

Yuki Kawauchi crosses the finish line of the 2018 Boston Marathon winning the men’s division yesterday.

AGENCIES

BOSTON: Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi won his first Boston Marathon men’s title yesterday, capturing his fourth title of the year and fifth in a row at the distance.

Kawauchi won a New Year’s Day marathon at Marshfield, Massachusetts and followed with triumphs in the Kitakyushu Mar-athon in Japan and Wanjinshi Marathon in Taiwan before his breakthrough Boston victory.

Kawauchi is the first Jap-anese man to win the Boston Marathon since 1987.

He overtook Kenyan runner Geoffrey Kirui in the last few miles to win his first Abbott World Marathon major title.

In the women’s elite cat-egory, Desiree Linden splashed her way through icy rain and a near-gale headwind yesterday and became the first American woman to win the race since 1985.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Katara, Qatar’s Cultural Village, will be firmly in the spotlight today evening when it hosts the ceremonial start of the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally for the first time from 7.30pm.

International motor sporting stars from as far afield as Uruguay and South Africa and many parts of Europe will line up against a strong field of GCC competitors to tackle five days of demanding off-road action in the Qatar deserts.

The FIA-sanctioned event will be supported by several riders in an FIM cross-country rally and a strong line-up of Middle East competitors taking part in the Manateq Qatar Baja.

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah has won all but one of the six Qatar Cross-Country Rallies that have run since it joined the FIA World Cup cal-endar in 2012.

The last four victories have been earned with French co-driver Matthieu Baumel and the duo are the clear favourites to give the two-time Dakar Rally winner a sixth victory on home sand.

Success at the finish next Sunday would also mark a third successive triumph for Over-drive Racing and the V8-engined Toyota Hilux, which is running under the colours of Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa on this occasion.

Missing two rounds of this year’s series in the UAE could come back to haunt the Qatari, however, and his absence in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in March opened the door for Czech driver Martin Prokop and Poland’s Jakub Przygonski to bag a fistful of championship points apiece. Prokop, driving a Ford F-150 Evo, currently leads his X-raid MINI rival by nine points heading into their Qatar showdown. Al Attiyah is 63 points adrift of the series leader.

Al Attiyah said: “Of course, we need to win the 60 points here after missing two races. I think we need to win here and in Kazakhstan and then the gap will be closed. We had a shakedown and two days of testing, 500km, and we also test some things because we want to improve from Dakar. This is the first race for this new car. We improve the suspension side a lot and the power side.

“It’s great that the race will start in Katara. There is sure to be a nice atmosphere. Then we will do the Prologue the next day and we will try to have a good position for the first day in the desert.”

Russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev has achieved some consistent stage performances this season and useful points-scoring fin-ishes in the UAE have moved the MINI One driver into third in the rankings – 24 points behind Prokop.

This quartet should continue the FIA World Cup tussle throughout the season, although Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan will

be hoping to bounce back from his non-finish in Abu Dhabi and 2009 Dakar winner Giniel de Villiers would love to secure a podium finish on his first visit to the event in a third Overdrive Toyota. Dutchman Erik van Loon and Poland’s Aron Domzala complete the five-car line-up for the Belgian team.

Overdrive Racing CEO’s Jean-Marc Fortin said: “Qatar Rally is very demanding. It’s quite similar to Morocco and everyone likes to go to Morocco to test. It’s a combination of hard surfaces and dunes. Dakar was a good race, but we were in a bit of a rush before. Now we have more time to think and prepare. The facilities are good here and you exit the circuit and you are on the test track.

“We have been testing dampers, testing brake pads – new makes – and a few items for the drive train. There is still a lot to do. The car is 90% good, but there is still 10% for us to improve in terms of per-formance and quality. Nasser is very fast here and it’s a good thing that he restarts his

programme on his home event. I am happy to see (Martin) Prokop and Kuba (Przygonski) here. It will be an interesting race.”

Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Shegawi leads Qatar’s Adel Abdulla by a mere six points in the FIA T2 Championship for series production cross-country vehicles.

The Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol drivers will con-tinue their dusty duel through the Qatari deserts. Russia’s Yuliya Migunova-Khegay and Romania’s Laurentiu Claudiu Barbu will also be scrapping for points in T2.

Spain’s José Luis Pena Campo currently holds a one-point lead over French veteran Claude Fournier in the T3 cat-egory and the two Polaris RZR 1000 drivers will renew their rivalry in Qatar.

The dusty and rocky deserts are not ideally suited to the light-weight T3 vehicles and the likes of Spaniard Santiago Navarro, Russian Ravil Maginov and Italy’s Michele Cinotto will need to err on the side of caution if they are

to reach the finish of each of the demanding desert stages.

The event has also attracted additional T1 entries from Qatar’s Khalid Al Suwaidi, Oman’s Abdullah Al-Zubair, Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Al-Feraihi and Spaniard Fernando Alvarez.

While Poland’s Maciej Giemza aims for motorcycle glory in the absence of the KTM and Honda factory teams, Dutchman Kees Koolen and Russian Alexsandr Maxsimov will be aiming to etch a new name on the list of quad winners.

Several additional motor-cycles are running behind the main event in the Manateq Qatar Baja. Kuwaiti riders Meshari Abou Shibah and Abdullah Al-Shatti face the likes of South Africa’s Michael Anderson, while Mohammed Al-Khulaifi and Basem Ali Abuswalleh ride a pair of Yamahas in the quad section.

The entry list is further boosted by an impressive number of GCC crews tackling the Manateq Qatar Baja in the car category. Names at the front of the 18-car field include Mohammed Al-Mannai, 1993 FIA Middle East rally champion Sheikh Hamed bin Eid Al Thani, Abdulah Al Rabban, Mohammed Al Meer and Al Attiyah’s cousin Mohammed Al Attiyah.

The Saudi duo of Ahmed Shegawi and Khaled Al-Feraihi, Qatar’s Adel Abdulla and Oman’s Abdullah Al-Zubair are eligible for both the international and Baja events. Competitors will pass through their mandatory administration and scrutineering checks at the Losail Interna-tional Circuit today morning.

Competitive action gets underway with a timed super special stage at the Losail Inter-national Circuit from 4.15pm tomorrow.

26 TUESDAY 17 APRIL 2018SPORT

Of course, we need to win the 60 points

here after missing two races. I think we need

to win here and in Kazakhstan and then

the gap will be closed. We had a shakedown

and two days of testing, 500km, and

we also test some things because we

want to improve from Dakar. This is the first race for this new car. We improved the

suspension side a lot and the power side: Nasser

Saleh Al Attiyah

Qatar Cross-Country Rally hopes rest with Al Attiyah and Abdulla

Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) President Abdulrahman Al Mannai (left) and Adel Abdulla share a lighter moment ahead of the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally.

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah eyes yet another win in the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally.

It is a very important round for us. If I win

here, I’ll regain the championship lead.

The gap between me and the leader is very close and my aim is to use the knowledge of the course and do my

best. I have never won this rally. I had led but due to some technical

problems, I could not finish it the way I wanted. We’ll tackle this round well this time: Adel Abdulla

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah has won all but one of the six Qatar Cross-Country Rallies that have run since it joined the FIA World Cup calendar in 2012.

Katara, Qatar’s Cultural Village, will be firmly in the spotlight today evening when it hosts the ceremonial start of the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally for the first time from 7.30pm.

International motor sporting stars from Uruguay, South Africa and many parts of Europe will line up against a strong field of GCC competitors to tackle five days of demanding off-road action in the Qatar deserts.

Frenchman Claude Fournier in his T3 Polaris.

27TUESDAY 17 APRIL 2018 SPORT

QSL champions Al Duhail eye more silverware in Qatar CupTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Al Duhail will be looking to extend their impressive run of the QNB Stars League (QSL) into the Qatar Cup.

Coach Djamel Belmadi’s side, which clinched the QSL title, with a 5-0 victory over Al Kharaitiyat in Week 20, having taken an unassailable lead over nearest challengers Al Sadd, will be looking to maintain the same tempo in the tournament contested by four teams.

Al Duhail showed no let-up, beating Al Markhiya 4-2 in Week 21 and Al Sailiya 5-2 in Week 22 to finish the campaign on a whopping 60 points from 19 victories and three draws.

In the process, The Red Knights remained as the only unbeaten side in the QNB Stars League. And they made their coronation memorable in front of home fans.

Al Duhail thus achieved their sixth Qatar League title, second in a row and first after they were formed by merging Lekhwiya with El Jaish. Four of them (2010-11, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) came when Algerian Belmadi was at the helm. They had also tri-umphed under Eric Gerets (2013-14) and current Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup (2014-15).

Al Duhail have a fierce frontline and scored 86 goals, the most by any team. Al Sadd came next with 68.

Their players, Moroccan striker Youssef El Arabi (26) and Tunisian attacking mid-fielder Youssef Msakny (25) emerged as the

best scorers in the QNB Stars League. El Arabi was the top scorer last season also.

They also had the second-best defence as they conceded only 27 goals, two more than the number of goals against Al Sadd.

Al Duhail had stability in terms of the presence of professional players as except Chico Flores, who was replaced by Lucas Mendes, all other players — Msakny, El Arabi and Nam Tae-Hee — stayed.

Besides, they have an outstanding array of Qatari players such as Karim Boudiaf, Almoez Ali, Bassam Al Rawi, Ismail Mohamed, Luiz Martin, Mohamed Moussa and Sultan Al Berik.

Al Duhail’s ambitions do not stop there. They are also keen on doing extremely well at the continental level. Belmadi’s men had become the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 in this year’s AFC Champions League.

They have players with great potential, both junior and experienced ones, to deliver the goods.

Al Duhail suffered a setback when captain Msakny was ruled out of action for almost six months with a cruciate lig-ament injury he sustained during their QNB Stars League Week 22 match against Al Sailiya.

Trophy Tour stops at HMCTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Qatar Cup Trophy Tour stopped at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) on its second day yesterday.

The tour delegation included QNB Stars League Manage-ment’s Community Activities Head Abdulaziz Al Malki, Com-munity Relations Officer Nasser Al Kuwari, Al Gharafa player Fahad Al Shammari and his Al Duhail counterpart Mohammed Mousa.

The delegation was welcomed by HMC’s Public Relations Director Ghada Al Nuaimi, Qatar Rehabilitation Institute’s Samar and a number of officials and employees.

The delegation gave a detailed brief of the Qatar Cup and the four competing clubs — Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa.

The tour will also visit various places such as Hamad Port, Aspire Park and sponsor sites in the coming days.

The semifinals will be played on April 21 and 22, and final on April 27. All matches will kick off at the Al Sadd Stadium at 7:00pm.

Al Sadd will play Al Rayyan in the first semifinal, followed by the encounter between Al Duhail and Al Gharafa.

The Trophy Tour aims to celebrate the tournament while also encouraging fans to come along to the two semifinals and showpiece final. It is also the best opportunity for the general public to find out more about the Qatar Cup.

Al Gharafa’s Fahad Al Shammari (left) and Al Duhail’s Mohammed Mousa pose for a picture with an official of the QNB Stars League during the Qatar Cup Trophy Tour in Doha yesterday. Right: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) officials and employees during the Qatar Cup Trophy Tour to HMC yesterday.

Pele confident Neymar can lead Brazil at World CupAFP

DUBAI: Brazilian legend Pele says he is confident about Brazil’s chances at the upcoming World Cup and expects injured star Neymar to be fully fit to lead the side in Russia.

Speaking in Dubai, the 77-year-old, who has been in ailing health recently, put his faith in Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar’s ability to recover from a fractured foot in time to lead Brazil to a pos-sible sixth global football title.

“We don’t know exactly what is going to happen, but I think for the World Cup he’s going to be in shape because his injury is not so bad,” said Pele, the only person to have won the World Cup three times as a player.

“I wish he has the same luck I had in the World Cup.” PSG’s Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, has not played since breaking a met-atarsal bone in his right foot on February 25 in a Ligue 1 match against Marseille. He said last week he is still recov-ering following surgery but expects to be fit in time for the World Cup from June 14 to July 15.

In the last World Cup on home soil four years ago, Brazil were humiliated 7-1 by

eventual winners Germany in the semi-finals but Pele feels the team under “psychologist” Tite, which breezed through South American qualifying, has the tools to go all the way.

“I am confident because Tite, the new coach, now (has) had a little time to set up the team.

“We have a lot of excellent players in Europe. The problem is to put the team together.

“I think we’re going to have a good team in the next

World Cup.” Pele said he expected few surprises at the tournament, identifying Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Germany, England and France as potential chal-lengers -- although he didn’t mention 2010 world cham-pions Spain or current European laureates Portugal, led by their talisman Cris-tiano Ronaldo.

However, he said “football is a box of surprises”.

As for his own health problems -- Pele cancelled a

trip to England in January due to “exhaustion”, although his spokesman denied he had been hospitalised -- Pele said there was little cause for concern.

“I cannot play in the next World Cup but I feel good,” he said with a hearty laugh.

“I had an injury, then I had to make a surgery for the head of my hip, then I had to replace (it), then I had a little problem with my meniscus, but now I am OK, I am ready, in good shape!”

Brazilian football legend Pele (second right) poses for a photograph at the Dubai Opera gardens prior to a friendly game in Dubai, yesterday.

Barca closing in on La Liga titleAFP

MADRID, SPAIN: Barcelona will have one eye on the Copa del Rey final while Europe is the main focus for Real and Atletico Madrid so what is left for La Liga? Barca are 11 points clear at the top of the table but, with an overhaul of the squad expected in the summer, few players can afford to ease off during the run-in.

Atletico will hope to beat rivals Real to second but both teams have their priorities now in Europe, with Real facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals and Atleti up against Arsenal in the last four of the Europa League next week.

Sevilla face a crucial few days in their chase for European football next season while at the bottom of the table, Levante can all but secure safety with a win over Malaga.

Here are five things to look out for in the midweek fixtures in Spain: Barca squad playing for their futures The league title may be all but sewn up and the treble dream extinguished but Barca’s players are now playing for places, both in the short-term, for Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Sevilla, and further ahead, to stay beyond the summer.

Andres Iniesta and Samuel Umtiti are both pondering their futures while successors, even if not replacements, need to be found for ageing stars like Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez. Ousmane Dembele and Andre Gomes still have it all to prove.

Fringe players are expected to be given a chance against ninth-placed Celta Vigo today. They need to impress.

Bale can look to Isco for inspi-ration Isco has shown the way in how to regain favour under Zinedine Zidane, the Spaniard continuing his recent surge with a goal and an assist against Malaga on Sunday.

After scoring a hat-trick for Spain against Argentina, Zidane was impressed enough to start the mid-fielder against Juventus last week, and Gareth Bale might draw encour-agement from Isco’s revival.

Bale’s strained relationship with Zidane took another turn for the worse after he was harshly hauled off at half-time against Juve but he may be given another shot against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow.

With the first leg of the Cham-pions League semi-final against Bayern Munich to come next week, Bale needs a performance.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

TodayDeportivo La Coruna vs Sevilla (1730), Celta Vigo vs Barce-

lona (1900), Villarreal vs Leganes (1930)

Tomorrow Espanyol vs Eibar (1730), Valencia vs Getafe (1730), Real

Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao (1930)

Thursday Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid (1730), Alaves vs Girona

(1730), Levante vs Malaga (1930), Real Betis vs Las Pal-

mas (1930)

LA LIGA

Al Duhail players celebrate after scoring a goal during a QNB Stars League match in this file photo.

SPORT Indian Premier League:

Rajasthan Royals vs

KKR in Jaipur

English Premier League: Brighton & Hove Albion vs

Tottenham Hotspur

CRICKET FOOTBALL

LIVE ON

TUBE

23TUESDAY 17 APRIL 2018

There is a solid tool for the future, to remain number one

in France and become that elsewhere with patience and

hard work.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery after his team’s Ligue 1 title triumph

Djokovic races past Lajovic in Monte CarloREUTERS

MONTE CARLO: Former world number one Novak Djokovic showed signs of rediscovering his form with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Dusan Lajovic in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters yesterday.

Djokovic’s start of the season was disrupted by an elbow surgery, and has since suffered defeats in consecutive opening matches at Indian Wells and Miami.

But there were no signs of his recent struggles as he kickstarted his claycourt campaign in style to record a victory over fellow Serb Lajovic in just 57 minutes.

Djokovic, a two-time winner at Monte Carlo, dropped just eight points as he wrapped up

the first set with his opponent well off the pace.

Lajovic, ranked 93 in the world, offered resistance in the second set to level at 1-1 but failed to capitalise on a break point as the 12-time grand slam

winner roared back to book a second round meeting with Borna Coric of Croatia.

Earlier in the day, Japan’s Kei Nishikori came back from a set down to see off Czech 12th seed Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 and reach the second round.

Nishikori, who missed a large part of last season with a wrist injury, started the season in the Challenger Tour events before reaching the second round at Miami.

He was playing close to his best tennis despite calling for a medical timeout for his trou-blesome wrist.

“It’s not great but first match on clay, you know, I’m expecting little soreness,” the Japanese star said.

“Hopefully I have a day off

tomorrow. If I have to play tomorrow, I got to be ready tonight.”

The 28-year-old, who is making his first Monte Carlo appearance since 2012, will face Russian Daniil Medvedev in the next round.

World number 51 Jared Don-aldson confronted an umpire after disagreeing with a call made in his first-round defeat by last-year’s finalist Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

While 6-3, 3-2 down, the 21-year-old American became outraged when a serve by the Spaniard was called in by Arnaud Gabas when he believed it was out. Donaldson eventually lost 6-3, 6-3 and apologised to Ramos-Vinolas but refused to shake Gabas’ hand.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his first

round match against Serbia’s

Dusan Lajovic, yesterday.

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x11) bt Peter Go-

jowczyk (GER) 6-4, 6-3

Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP x15) bt Jared Don-

aldson (USA) 6-3, 6-3

Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Robin Haase (NED) 7-6

(9/7), 2-6, 7-5

Borna Coric (CRO) bt Julien Benneteau (FRA)

6-2, 6-3

Kei Nishikori (JPN) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE x12)

4-6, 6-2, 6-1

Novak Djokovic (SRB x9) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB)

6-0, 6-1

MONTE CARLO MASTERS

Emery wants PSG to keep building after title victoryAFP

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery said the club must continue to strengthen as the French champions try to transform their dominance at home into success in the Champions League.

Angel Di Maria and Giovani Lo Celso scored twice as PSG secured a fifth Ligue 1 title in six seasons on Sunday with a 7-1 rout of last year’s cham-pions Monaco.

Unai Emery’s team blew Monaco away in a first-half blitz that saw PSG score four times in 14 minutes at the Parc des Princes with Lo Celso striking either side of goals from Edinson Cavani and Di Maria.

Rony Lopes pulled a goal back for Monaco as he scored for the eighth game in a row, but Di Maria added a fifth before Radamel Falcao turned into his own net and Julian Draxler struck late on as PSG romped to the club’s seventh championship.

“Other teams have more titles than us. Monaco, Nantes, Saint-Etienne, Marseille, Lyon...but we must keep on building,” Emery, who is likely to be replaced in the summer, told Canal+.

“There is a solid tool for the future, to remain number one in France and become that elsewhere with patience and hard work.”

With a fifth successive League Cup already won, PSG completed the second leg of a domestic treble -- they are also through to the French Cup

semi-finals -- and could yet break their record 96-point haul from the 2015-16 campaign.

PSG also became the first team in Europe’s top leagues this season to reach 100 goals on a night they were without the injured Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the teenager left on the bench after a bout of illness.

But a second successive last 16 exit in the Champions League means heads will roll at the end of this season in preparation for another attempt to muscle in among Europe’s elite.

“That defeat (to Real Madrid) hurt us but we con-tinued to work with the players, the staff and the pres-ident who is always at our side,” said PSG captain Thiago Silva.

“It was a difficult moment but I think in the end it’s a good season. We have taken back our title but we must continue to work, we have a French Cup semi-final (against Caen) on Wednesday.”

Monaco arrived in Paris unbeaten on their last eight league visits to the capital but any prospect of them pro-longing PSG’s wait for the title quickly eroded.

Kamil Glik’s absence in the heart of the visiting defence was acutely felt as Lo Celso started the move that resulted in the opening goal on 14 minutes, sauntering into the box to tap in a Dani Alves cross.

While Cavani’s second half of the campaign has proved less prolific than the blistering spell that yielded 19 goals b e f o r e C h r i s t m a s ,

the Uruguayan bagged his league-best 25th goal with a powerful header from a Yuri Berchiche cross.

Cavani then released Di Maria with a superb hooked pass from inside his own half and the Argentine raced clear before lifting an exquisite chip over the advancing Danijel Subasic.

Javier Pastore supplied Lo Celso to head in PSG’s fourth on 28 minutes and Monaco suf-fered further misfortune when France international Djibril Sidibe was stretchered off with a leg injury, a worrying sign for Didier Deschamps ahead of the World Cup.

Monaco briefly held up the onslaught as Lopes turned home an Almamy Toure cross seven minutes before half-time for the in-form Portugal inter-

national’s 13th goal this term.But PSG continued to

attack at will and Pastore’s nonchalant assist for Di Maria allowed the winger to grab his second of the game on 59 minutes.

The hosts were gifted another goal when Falcao’s attempt to clear a corner went horribly wrong, summing up Monaco’s misery as the ball looped beyond Subasic on 77 minutes.

Germany international Draxler rounded out the dem-olition, firing home via a deflection as PSG clinched the title at home for the first since 1994 while shattering Monaco’s 17-match unbeaten run.

Monaco later tweeted that they would reimburse the fans who had made the fruitless trip to the capital.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari President Nasser Al Khelaifi applauds at the start of the French L1 match against Monaco (ASM) on Sunday. Paris Saint-Germain’s players celebrate after winning against Monaco (ASM) on Sunday.

FIFA begins Morocco World Cup inspectionREUTERS

RABAT: Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup went under the microscope yesterday as a task force from global soccer body FIFA arrived for an inspection visit to assess the country’s ability to host the tour-nament.

Morocco is the only rival to a joint bid to stage the event from the United States, Canada and Mexico with the FIFA Congress due to choose the hosts in Moscow on June 13.

Morocco’s bid committee said in a statement that the five-man task force will visit several cities between April 17 to 19 as well as stadiums, training camps and fan fest sites, together with other venues related to the o r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e competition.

The task force will use a point-scoring system to evaluate the two candidates and a bid which does not meet a minimum score on a number of different points will be disqualified before the final vote in Russia.

“Morocco is offering... an innovative and compact concept to ensure operational efficiency, outstanding profitability and a lasting legacy in Morocco and Africa,” said Moulay Hafid Elalamy, president of the bid committee, in the statement.

He added that the visit would “strive to convey the vision of a humble, passionate, determined bid, but above all a professional and solid one.”

Morocco has already made four unsuccessful bids to host the tournaments for 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010, although it was close on three occasions.

The country was second to the US for 1994, behind France for 1998 and just lost out to South Africa for the 2010 finals, the only time the event has been held in Africa. Some of FIFA’s national associations have already publicly stated who they will vote for and Morocco received South Africa’s backing yesterday.

South Africa Football Asso-ciation (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan said that Morocco’s bid was Africa’s bid.

“It is an old myth that Africa doesn’t have the capacity and naysayers should stop using the political argument,” he said.

Aguero relieved to avoid last day dramaAFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s latest Premier League triumph lacked the drama of Sergio Aguero’s (pictured) winner with virtually the last kick of the season in 2012, but the Argentine is relieved to have won the title with five games to spare.

City also claimed the title on the final day of

the 2013/14 season, but Aguero believes his third league winner’s medal in England is just reward for the best football he has been involved in since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

“This is my third title with City and it’s just a relief not to have to wait (until) the final day this time,” Aguero told City’s Twitter account.

City are well on

course to break the record for most points and goals, earning com-parisons with the greatest ever teams in the Premier League era.

“This season has been incredible and the football we’ve played has been the best I’ve been involved with while at the club.

“It’s been a pleasure to play with this team and be part of everything

we’ve achieved this season.

“For players like David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Yaya (Toure) who have been here a long time, it’s even more special because it’s another title we’ve won together.”

City were crowned champions after Man-schester United were stunned by West Bro-mwich Albion on Sunday.