Qatar Brace for Stern Argentina Test Tonight
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Bumrah strikes telling blows as India survive Afghanistan scare PAGE 15 SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019 Odion Ighalo snatches winner for COPA AMERICA Nigeria vs Burundi in AFCON PAGE 14 QATAR VS ARGENTINA (10 PM) Qatar brace for stern Argentina test tonight TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK DOHA AS Lionel Messi strug- gles to come to terms with Argentina’s pos- Chile’s Alexis Sanchez shoots at goal from a free kick during Copa match sible elimination against Ecuador at Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, on Friday. (REUTERS) from Copa America 2019, Asian champi- ons and their Sunday Alexis Sanchez sends opponents Qatar on the other hand have proved they can chal- Chile into quarters lenge some of the top interna- tional teams with their perfor- mance in Brazil so far. AFP gravating an old injury. Both sides will face off in a SALVADOR (BRAZIL) “I think I have a sprain, I winner-take-all clash tonight at hope it’s not too serious. At the Arena do Gremio in Porto ALEXIS Sanchez put a miser- half-time they strapped it up, Alegre at 10pm Doha time. able club season with Man- I played on with a bit of pain,” Qatar came into the tour- chester United behind him as he said. nament on the back of an im- he sent Chile into the Copa Chile top Group C with a pressive run earlier this year America quarter-finals with perfect six points ahead of their which saw them lift the Asian the winning goal in Friday’s clash with Uruguay at Rio’s Cup. The Maroons got off to a 2-1 win over Ecuador. iconic Maracana on Monday. memorable start in Brazil with Jose Fuenzalida gave Ecuador are left staring a comeback 2-2 draw against reigning champions Chile an elimination in the face after a Paraguay before suffering a eighth-minute lead but Enner second straight defeat, knowing narrow loss to Colombia. Valencia equalized for Ecua- they must beat Japan in Belo However, against Argen- dor from the spot. Horizonte on Monday to stand tina, the 2022 FIFA World Cup Sanchez bagged the win- any chance of progressing. hosts will play a disjointed team ner, his 43rd goal for his coun- “We put in a huge effort with one of the greatest player try, but Chile finished with 10 but we’re making the mistake to ever grace a football field. A combination picture of Argentina’s Lionel Messi (left) and Qatar’s forward Almoez Ali. The two will come face-to-face in their crucial and last men after Gabriel Achilier’s of switching off and that’s La Albiceleste have been group match of Copa America at the Arena do Gremio in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Sunday. The match will begin at 10pm Doha time. (AFP) red card a minute from time. why they scored silly goals,” in turmoil for 12 months, hav- The 30-year-old Sanchez moaned Valencia. “We’ll try ing endured a miserable 2018 “Venezuela made it hard for need to be at 100 percent. play against Colombia. Hope- STANDINGS started only nine Premier and beat Japan and then see World Cup campaign that cost Brazil. At the moment, we’re “We have to remain vigi- fully, we will do well against League matches, scoring just where that takes us.” Jorge Sampaoli his job, and not winning any more in the lant all the time against Ar- Argentina also,” he said. TEAM P W D L GF GA PTS once, in an injury-interrupted Chile began as they had left they have rarely looked like a co- (Argentina) shirt and we have gentina. They are led by a “These are the games you GROUP B season for the Red Devils in off in their 4-0 thrashing of Ja- hesive unit since Lionel Scaloni to put things right to earn the great player in Messi who can see now, and we have to forget which he struggled to make an pan last Monday, opening the stepped up to the position. three points against Qatar,” the draw the attention of two de- this clash and look to our meet- COLOMBIA 2 2 0 0 3 0 6 impact when he did play. scoring after just eight minutes. “It would be crazy if we Barcelona star added. fenders, we need to be very ing against Argentina.” PARAGUAY 2 0 2 0 3 3 2 But he scored for the sec- Ecuador made a hash of couldn’t progress from the Felix Sanchez’s boys have careful,” said midfielder Ka- Paraguay, meanwhile will QATAR 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 ond game running in Salva- clearing a corner and Fuenza- group given there are practical- shown they are a strong de- rim Boudiaf. lock horns with Group B lead- ARGENTINA 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 dor as Chile joined Colombia lida sent an angled volley from ly three teams that go through,” fensive unit and also pose a Defender Tarek Salman, ers Colombia. Both the matches GROUP C as the only teams to qualify the edge of the area into the far Messi said. threat on the counter. But who has been impressive in will be played simultaneouly. for the knock-out stages after bottom corner. Ecuador brought “We knew it wasn’t going to against the former World Cup Brazil, hopes Al Annabi learn The last two matches of CHILE 2 2 0 0 6 1 6 their first two games. the same muscular approach to be easy playing in a Copa Amer- champions, who are looking from the mistakes they made Group A – Brazil vs Peru, and URUGUAY 2 1 1 0 6 2 4 However, he revealed af- the game that had seen them re- ica, we’re searching for a team, for a spark in a year filled with against Colombia. Venezuela vs Bolivia were to be JAPAN 2 0 1 1 2 6 1 terwards that he turned his duced to 10 men in their opener for a performance. poor performances, Qatar “We are proud of our dis- played late Saturday night. ECUADOR 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 ankle during the first half, ag- against Uruguay – a 4-0 loss. Japan, Qatar not just making up Copa numbers AFP RIO DE JANEIRO JAPAN and Qatar’s participa- tion in the Copa America may have raised eyebrows in some quarters but the two Asian na- tions have already proved they didn’t turn up in Brazil just to make up the numbers. Qatar began their Group B campaign by fighting back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Paraguay before a late Qatar’s high jump star Mutaz Issa Barshim will return to action having Duvan Zapata goal denied Qatar players greet the crowd at the end of their Copa match against Paraguay at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 16. (EPA-EFE) fully recovered from injury at the Polish International Athletics Friendly them a point against Colombia Championship on Sunday. in their next match. gentina almost certainly need likely to be available next year to say it now that we’ve played And while a youthful and to avoid being knocked out of for the Tokyo Olympics. Qatar, but I truly believe that the inexperienced Japan side was the competition, is anything When Moriyasu an- Copa America should be played Barshim to swing into taught a harsh lesson in clini- but a foregone conclusion. nounced his 23-man squad between American teams, all cal finishing by Chile in a 4-0 “You don’t win matches last month, 17 of the players integrated in one tournament: defeat, they were then on the any more just by pulling on the Guests excel were uncapped. CONCACAF and CONMEBOL.” action in Poland today wrong end of two controver- jersey,” warned the Barcelona Two friendlies and two CONMEBOL is the South sial VAR decisions in their 2-2 star, who turns 32 on Monday. This was the first time there Copa America matches later, American governing football QNA Championship and will partici- draw with Uruguay. had been two invitees from and nine of those have since federation that organises the WARSAW (POLAND) pate in some training programs Both sides may only have ‘Defiant spirit’ outside the Americas and that made their debut. Copa America, while CON- ahead of his participation at the one point from two group Having paid for their wasteful- policy will continue with the But despite fielding such CACAF groups countries from QATAR’S high jumper and IAAF Word Athletics Champi- games so far but they know ness in front of goal and na- next edition for which Australia inexperienced line-ups, Ja- North and Central America, Olympic champion Mutaz Issa onships Doha 2019 in Septem- that victory in their final pool ivety at the back against Chile, and Qatar have been invited to pan have impressed with their and the Caribbean. Barshim will return to action ber,” stated Al Fadala. encounters will likely see them Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu take part. So far, Mexico have speed and industry, as well as The CONCACAF Gold Cup, having fully recovered from He won bronze at the Lon- into the knock-out rounds. rang the changes ahead of come the closest of the guests a willingness to attack. the Copa America equivalent, last’s season injury at the Pol- don 2012 Olympic Games and “We want to be protago- their clash with Uruguay. to winning the Copa, reaching While many fans may have is actually taking place at the ish International Athletics went one better at the Rio nists on the pitch, our players “They showed a lot of the final in 1993 and 2001.