6 October 3, 2020 Lewandowski Wins UEFA Persepolis See Off Pakhtakor to Meet Player of the Year Award Saudi Al-Nassr in ACL Semifinal A second-half brace from Issa the quarter-final stage of the com- Alekasir earned Persepolis a 2-0 petition. win over Pakhtakor at the Jassim Four minutes into the second Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. half, Hussein Kanaani supplied a Both teams were going into their through pass for third AFC Champions League down the right and the number quarter-final, a record for their re- 88 squared for Alekasir who con- spective nations, and both boasted verted first time past Eldorbek mean defenses, with Persepolis Suyunov to put Persepolis in the conceding just once in their last lead. five games and Pakhtakor once in Persepolis doubled its extend in their last four. the 66th minute and again it was Pakhtakor suffered a huge blow Alekasir on the scoresheet. The just 15 minutes into the match striker got on the end of a Bashar when talisman Jaloliddin Mashar- Resan cross, beating goalkeeper ipov saw straight red following a Suyunov at the near post for his challenge on . fourth goal of the 2020 AFC This photo taken on Oct 1, 2020, shows Bayern Munich’s Polish for- Jordanian referee Adham Champions League. ward Robert Lewandowski posing with the Champions league forward Persepolis head coach was full of praise for his Makhadmeh referred to VAR The result means Persepolis will of the season 2019/2020 trophy during the UEFA Champions League players following their 2-0 win over Pakhtakor in the 2020 AFC Cham- before sending Masharipov off, meet Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr in group stage draw at the RTS studios in Geneva. pions League quarterfinal. making it the first VAR-reviewed the semi-final on Saturday, hav- BERLIN (Dispatches) - Bayern Hotspur when he was rested. (Dispatches) – ’s League semi-final for the third red card in the history of the AFC ing faced its city rival Al-Hilal Munich striker Robert Lewan- He also fired 34 goals in 31 Persepolis football team booked time in four years with a win over Champions League after the in- SFC at the same stage in 2018 and dowski won the UEFA men’s Player Bundesliga matches and six in troduction of the technology at going on to reach the final. a place in the AFC Champions Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan. of the Year award on Thursday, five German Cup games, helping ahead of Manchester City’s Kevin Bayern win both competitions. Djokovic Thrashes Berankis to Cruise Into French Open Third Round De Bruyne and Bayern goalkeeper The German champions’ manager Manuel Neuer. Hansi Flick won UEFA’s coach PARIS (Xinhua) -- World 101, battled to a 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, number one Novak Djokovic 3-6, 8-6 victory to reach the The Polish forward scored 15 of the year of the award. Pernille has cruised into the third round third round of a Grand Slam goals on the way to Bayern Mu- Harder, who played for Wolfs- of the French Open after sweep- for the first time in his career. nich’s sixth Champions League burg last season and is now with ing aside Lithuania’s Ricardas The Spaniard will next take title, hitting the target in every Chelsea, won the Women’s Player Berankis 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. on 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov match before the final except a of the Year award for the second The Serbian, who is seeking of Bulgaria, who beat Slova- his 18th grand slam title, will kia’s world number 102 Andrej group game against Tottenham time. face Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Martin 6-4, 7-6, 6-1. Galan in the next round. Greek fifth seed Stefanos Ts- Ninth seed Denis Shapovalov itsipas is among the other play- Milan Win 24-Penalty Shootout to of Canada crashed out after ers through to the third round suffering a shock defeat to of the men’s draw after he re- Reach Europa League Group Stage Roberto Carballes Baena of corded a comfortable 6-1, 6-4, Spain. 6-2 win over Uruguay’s Pablo Baena, the world number Novak Djokovic Cuevas. Athens Marathon Cancelled Due to COVID-19 ATHENS (Dispatches) - as they could not guarantee This year’s Athens Marathon, the safety of the runners. scheduled to take place on Nov The Athens Marathon, 7-8, has been cancelled due to which was first held in 1972, the COVID-19 pandemic, or- has grown in popularity in ganizers said in a statement. recent years and routinely The Greek athletic federa- attracts over 15,000 partici- tion, SEGAS, said they con- pants. sidered a number of scenarios, SEGAS said they would Rio Ave’s Gelson, center, celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal including conducting only the organize a “Special Edition during the Europa League playoff soccer match between Rio Ave FC Athletes run past burned out area near the village of Mati during the full 42 km race and reducing Virtual Race” instead, with and AC Milan in Vila do Conde, Portugal, Oct 1, 2020. 36th Athens Classic Marathon ‘The authentic’ from the town of Mara- the number of participants, details set to be announced in thon to the Panathenaic stadium in Athens on No 11, 2018. but were forced to call it off the coming days. MILAN (Dispatches) - Seven- each, with the two goalkeepers times European champions AC Pawel Kieszek and Gianluigi Milan scored a penalty at the end Donnarumma among the cul- Messi, Ronaldo to Renew Rivalry as Barca Face Juve of extra-time before winning a prits, before Simon Kjaer con- 24-penalty shootout against Por- verted Milan’s 12th attempt GENEVA (Reuters) - Lionel Messi and The draw, usually held at a lavish cer- tugal’s Rio Ave on Thursday to and Aderaln Santos’s effort was Cristiano Ronaldo will face each other emony in a seaside conference hall in squeeze into the Europa League stopped by Donnarumma as for the first time in more than two years Monaco, this time took place in a Ge- group stage. Milan won 9-8. after their teams, Barcelona and Juven- neva television studio due to the CO- Milan, unbeaten in all com- Alex Saelemaekers had given tus, were drawn together on Thursday in VID-19 pandemic. petitions since March 8, were Milan a 51st-minute lead be- the Champions League group stage. Barcelona and Juventus, who met in trailing 2-1 until Rio Ave de- fore Francisco Geraldes lev- Defending champions Bayern Mu- the 2015 final, were paired in Group G nich face a potentially bruising two along with Dynamo Kyiv and Hungar- fender Toni Borekovic handled elled and Gelson put Rio Ave matches against Atletico Madrid while ian side Ferencvaros, who are back in in the area and Hakan Calhano- 2-1 ahead at the start of extra- the draw also produced several other the group stage after a 25-year absence. glu made it 2-2 from the spot time. heavyweight clashes including Paris St Ronaldo, 35, and Messi, 33, the two with the last kick of the match. “It’s a magical night, for us it Germain v Manchester United and Real highest scorers in Champions League Both sides converted their would have been a shame not Madrid v Inter Milan. history with 130 and 115 goals respec- first seven penalties in the to get past this round,” Milan Premier League champions Liverpool tively, have not clashed since the Portu- shootout, missed their eighth coach Stefano Pioli said. “This must face Ajax Amsterdam and free- guese left Real Madrid to join Juventus and scored their ninth. victory gives us strength to scoring Serie A side Atalanta. at the end of the 2017-18 season. They then missed two in a row keep working and winning.” Arsenal Edge Past Liverpool on Penalties in League Cup LONDON (Reuters) - Arse- the team that beat Arsenal in the Jota was brought down in the box. the visitors responded with a nal have squeezed past Liverpool league 3-1 on Monday and their The resulting free kick eventual- chance of their own as Rob Hold- 5-4 on penalties to advance to the opponents also rotating, it was al- ly led to Takumi Minimino find- ing’s header was punched away League Cup quarter-finals on ways unlikely to be a high-class ing space and smashing his close- by Adrian in the 70th minute. Thursday after a goalless 90 min- encounter. range shot onto the crossbar. The Gunners also appealed for Arsenal’s goalkeeper Bernd Leno makes a save during the English utes. Liverpool had the better chances Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno a penalty in stoppage time when League Cup fourth round soccer match between Liverpool and With the Premier League cham- and should have been awarded a made two consecutive saves to James Milner fell and handled the Arsenal at Anfield, Liverpool, England, Oct 1, 2020. pions making several changes to 44th-minute penalty when Diogo stop Jota and Marko Grujic and ball.