14 Thursday, November 12, 2020 Sports FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 & AFC ASIAN CUP 2023 Injury-hit Brazil, Argentina re-start Qatar, Bangladesh to resume World Cup qualifying

AFP you get injured after four or Asian qualifiers in December five matches come one after another (every three days). It’s Brazil must confront a grow- very worrying for us.” ing injury list that includes While goalkeeper star forward as they Becker and forward Gabriel Je- resume World Cup qualify- sus return after injury, Brazil ing this week, while Argentina will also be without , are out to extend their perfect and Fabinho. start at home to neighbours Argentina, who began Paraguay. qualifying with narrow wins Copa America champions over Ecuador and Bolivia, are Brazil host Venezuela in Sao hoping will be fit Paulo on Friday chasing a for both their games against third win in as many matches Paraguay and Peru. after launching their Qatar 2022 campaign with victories Messi dealing with over Bolivia and Peru. ankle knock However, Brazil coach The Barcelona forward is will be without Neymar after said to be nursing a sore ankle, the world’s most expensive leaving Argentina coach Lionel player injured his thigh while Scaloni considering his options on Champions League duty if his captain is unavailable. with Paris Saint-Germain in Paulo Dybala is again miss- Turkey last month. ing from the squad along with Neymar, 28, bagged a Sergio Aguero, although Angel hat-trick in a 4-2 win in Lima Di Maria has been recalled for last time out to surpass Ron- the first time in over a year. aldo as Brazil’s second leading Lautaro Martinez will like- scorer in history. His tally of ly start up front while super- GEARING UP: Qatar skipper Hassan Al Haydos (right) with star player 64 goals leaves him 13 shy of sub Joaquin Correa could be Almoez Ali during a team’s training sesion in Vienna, Austria, ahead of Pele’s record. rewarded for his winning friendlies with Costa Rica and South Korea on Friday and November The defending Asian champions Qatar had defeated Bangladesh 2-0 when the teams met at the 17 respectively. Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Matchday Three.

Tribune News Network sociation staging the subse- Doha We have successfully completed the AFC Champions League in the quent AFC Asian Cup while the competition dates for the Qatar and Bangladesh will West and in just a few days, we will kick-off the competition for the East AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 will play the first fixture of the region clubs. Our sincere thanks go to the Qatar Football Association and the be further discussed. Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA Qatar Government as well as our congratulations to the AFC Administration. In the meeting Dr. Tran World Cup Qatar 2022 and thanked the Qatar FA and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 in “They have done an excellent job. I am sure they will build on their expertise the Qatar Authorities, as well over a year, with their Group E to stage an outstanding tournament, including the final as the AFC Administration, clash rescheduled for Decem- for the successful staging of ber 4, 2020. on December 19. the AFC Champions League The Matchday Eight clash (West) in September and Oc- will be the first and only Asian President of Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and AFC Vice-President Dr. Tran Quoc Tuan. tober as well as the prepara- Qualifiers match to be held tions for the AFC Champions in 2020, with the change in rent leaders of Group E, while all the Asian Qualifiers Round was originally scheduled for League (East) which begins Brazil’s (left) and Bolivia’s Jesus Sagredo vie for the ball schedule approved by FIFA as Bangladesh, who have claimed 2 matches should be com- China in 2022 as a prepara- next week. during their 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifier football at well as the two participating one point from four outings, pleted by June 15, 2021 with tory competition ahead of the Dr. Tran said: “We have the Neo Quimica Arena, also known as Itaquerao, in Sao Paulo, Brazil member associations. sit bottom of the section, The Match Day 7 and 8 in March AFC Asian Cup 2023 but the successfully completed the in October. Lodi will be part of the Brazilian squad to face Venezuela Clubs will not be obligated defending Asian champions 2021 and Match Day 9 and 10 Chinese Football Association AFC Champions League in the and Uruguay in the upcoming matches of the World Cup South to release their players for the defeated Bangladesh 2-0 when in June 2021 with the Final (CFA) has now informed the West and in just a few days, we American qualifiers.( AFP) December 4 fixture, which will the teams met in Dhaka on Round of the Asian Qualifiers AFC they are no longer able to will kick-off the competition be staged outside of FIFA’s Matchday Three. beginning in September 2021. stage the tournament. for the East region clubs. Our Despite his latest setback in the altitude of La Paz. international match calendar, It was agreed, in collabo- Now the Committee has sincere thanks go to the Qatar Neymar will still travel with Lucas Alario has also however, both national teams AFC thanks Qatar for ration with FIFA, that the 10 agreed that the hosting pro- Football Association and the the squad amid hopes that he forced his way into contention are overwhelmingly com- staging Asian Champions match days of the Asian Quali- cess for the 2022 and 2024 Qatar Government as well as may recover in time for the trip after scoring seven goals for prised of players based in their League fiers Final Round should be fin- AFC U23 Asian Cup editions our congratulations to the AFC to Uruguay on November 17. Bayer Leverkusen in his past respective domestic leagues. The dates for the Asian ished by the end of March 2022 will be reopened to Member Administration. However, national team four appearances. While Qatar will qualify Qualifiers for the FIFA World with the Asian and Inter-Con- Associations in the West with “They have done an excel- coordinator Juninho Paulista Uruguay meet Colombia in automatically for the 2022 Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC tinental Play-offs proposed for the intention of the 2026 tour- lent job. I am sure they will said Tite told PSG sporting di- Barranquilla on Friday attempt- FIFA World Cup as hosts, Fe- Asian Cup China 2023, were the FIFA Window May/June in nament again providing prep- build on their expertise to stage rector Leonardo that he “would ing to bounce back from last lix Sanchez’s side are chasing a approved by the AFC Com- 2022. The Asian Play-off for the aration for the AFC Asian Cup an outstanding tournament, never risk a player’s health”. month’s 4-2 loss in Ecuador. spot at the AFC Asian Cup China petitions Committee at their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is in 2027. including the Final on Decem- Defender has Luis Suarez is the joint 2023, where they will aim to de- third meeting for the 2019- proposed as a single match. It is intended that all fu- ber 19. At all times the safety tightened up the Chelsea de- leading scorer in qualifying fend the title they won in 2019. 2023 cycle, which was held The AFC U23 Asian Cup ture AFC U23 Asian Cups in and health of all the players, fence since his arrival in Eng- with three goals, all of them With 13 points from five online and chaired by Dr. Tran 2022 bidding process was non-Olympic years will be teams and officials have been land, but the 36-year-old has penalties, carrying over his matches, Qatar are the cur- Quoc Tuan. It was agreed that also agreed. The tournament hosted by the Member As- and remain our priority.” warned the crowded global form from club level with fixture list is taking its toll on Atletico Madrid. players. Real Madrid “You have to keep end- Fede Valverde is out with EURO 2020 lessly reinventing yourself. a fractured shin and Maxi We’re losing players infected Gomez is absent due to a knee by Covid-19, or others who get problem for Uruguay. hurt because we’re playing too Argentine coach Gustavo Al- Georgia, North Macedonia in sight of finals berth many matches. We’re not ma- faro has vowed to put his “heart chines,” he said. and soul into getting Ecuador to AFP eight games and have reason to “We saw recent studies Qatar” after they failed to qualify Paris The remaining four spaces at UEFA EURO 2020 will be decided on Thursday when eight believe this is their time. showing it’s more than likely for the 2018 World Cup. teams line up in the four play-off finals. “I’ve never been in this po- Neither Georgia nor North sition before as national team Macedonia have come close to ● Path A: Hungary v Iceland (22:45hrs); ● Path B: Northern Ireland v Slovakia (22:45) manager of my country. So qualifying for a major tourna- ● Path C: Serbia v Scotland (22:45); ● Path D: Georgia v North Macedonia (20:00) come game time on Thursday ment before but both stand just I will feel the weight of expec- Mane scores and creates a one game away – against each tation,” said Clarke. other – from securing a spot at “This group of players the postponed Euro 2020. are no different to the Tartan goal as Senegal triumph They meet in Tbilisi on Army or the people of Scot- AFP to score just two minutes after Thursday in one of the quali- land. We want to give the Johannesburg he had come off the bench. fying play-off finals which country a lift.” Senegal, whose best Cup will decide the last four spots If they do qualify, they will Sadio Mane scored the first of Nations showings were fin- in the 24-team tournament have a clash with England at goal and created the second ishing runners-up in 2002 which was delayed to next Wembley to look forward to as Senegal stayed on course and 2019, are the top-ranked year because of the coronavi- next summer. to reach the 2021 Africa Cup country in Africa and lie 97 rus pandemic. of Nations finals with a 2-0 places above Guinea-Bissau in It is a remarkable oppor- Surprise packages home win over Guinea-Bissau the world listings. tunity for two of the world’s Northern Ireland ended on Wednesday. The Senegalese have a smaller sporting countries, their long wait to return to a Guinea edged dogged maximum nine points from one offered to them via the major tournament when they Chad 1-0, Burundi surprised three matches in a mini-league new UEFA Nations League. reached Euro 2016 under Mi- Mauritania by forcing a late they seem certain to win. That competition provided chael O’Neill. draw and Kenya could manage Meanwhile, the Comoros a route here even for the conti- Georgia (and North Macedonia) stand just one game away -- against each other -- from securing a spot at Ian Baraclough has since only a 1-1 draw with 10-man overcame having scorer Yous- nent’s minor nations, grouped the postponed Euro 2020. succeeded O’Neill and led the Comoros in other qualifiers. souf M’Changama red-carded together in League D where team to victory on penalties The matches were the first just before half-time to keep Georgia and North Macedonia two months. The stakes are national team because of coro- UEFA member nations qualify in Bosnia and Herzegovina in since last November in the alive dreams of a first Cup of beat teams like Andorra, Gi- high in Tbilisi, with the win- navirus concerns. for at least one tournament, the semi-finals, setting up a Cup of Nations qualifiers as Nations appearance. The Co- braltar and Liechtenstein. ners advancing to the finals including the likes of Latvia play-off final against Slovakia the coronavirus pandemic se- morans top Group G with five The main Euro qualify- where they will go into Group Long wait for Scotland and Albania. in Belfast. verely disrupted the African points, Kenya have three, re- ing tournament saw Georgia, C alongside the Netherlands, The spectre of Covid-19 Steve Clarke’s team are “It’s a game we’re capable international schedule. cord seven-time African cham- ranked 86th in the world, take Ukraine and Austria. will continue to cast a shadow now on the brink of ending of winning if we set our minds A limited number of so- pions Egypt two and Togo one. just eight points and win only It is North Macedonia who over this European Champi- that long wait as they face Ser- right, if we do the right things,” cially-distanced spectators Mauritania rank among twice, both times against Gi- have the more notable play- onship -- scheduled to take bia in Belgrade. Baraclough insisted. were permitted in Mauritania the most improved African na- braltar, although they did hold ers at their disposal, including place in 12 cities all across the A Serbia side led by Ajax’s Meanwhile, Hungary and while the other matches went tional teams over the past five Denmark and the Republic of wing-back Ezgjan Alioski of continent -- for some time yet, Dusan Tadic appears a tough Iceland meet in Budapest in a ahead behind closed doors. years with much of the credit Ireland in Tbilisi. Leeds United and, above all, but Scotland are desperate proposition, especially after clash of another two surprise Liverpool star Mane con- belonging to French coach North Macedonia, who the 37-year-old captain, Goran to get there no matter what knocking out Erling Braut packages from Euro 2016. verted a penalty just before Corentin Martins. They hit a are 65th in the FIFA rankings, Pandev of Genoa. shape the tournament ulti- Haaland’s Norway in the The winners will advance half-time in Thies near Dakar bump on the road to the Cup of fared better as they came third Pandev’s presence is cru- mately takes. semi-finals. to a glamour group alongside to give Group I leaders Sen- Nations finals, however, when in their group, but they have cial, even if reports in Italy in They last appeared at a But Scotland – with Premier France, Germany and Por- egal a half-time advantage. conceding 11 minutes from twice had to come from be- recent days suggested local major competition at the 1998 League regulars such as Andy tugal with Hungary knowing Victory for the Teranga Li- time after Bakary N’Diaye hind to draw with Georgia in health authorities would not World Cup and have since Robertson, Kieran Tierney and they will get to play games at ons was sealed on 74 minutes had given them the lead on 30 the Nations League in the last allow him to leave to join his seen almost two-thirds of all John McGinn – are unbeaten in home if they qualify. when Mane set up Opa Nguette minutes in Nouakchott.