November 23, 2017
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SPORT Thursday 23 November 2017 PAGE | 30 PAGE | 32-33 PAGE | 36 A ustralia quicks ‘moreore Liverpool could ShSheikh Ali returns to his nasty than Johnson’,’, have done ‘favo‘favourite’u hunting ground says captain Smith better: Klopp as riders eye glory Seven-star PSG thrash Celtic eymar scored UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE three adrift of Paris a double as St Germain. Paris St Ger- Yesterday’s results Heynckes, who main extended CSKA Moscow 2 - 0 Benfica led Bayern to a tre- their perfect FK Qarabag 0 - 4 Chelsea ble in 2013, took NChampions League record over last month fol- FC Basel 1 - 0 Man Utd with a 7-1 home demolition lowing the sacking PSG 7 - 1 Celtic of Celtic yesterday. of Carlo Ancelotti The Brazilian forward, Anderlecht 1 - 2 Bayern Munich and quickly turned Edinson Cavani, who also Atletico Madrid 2 - 0 Roma their season around. scored twice, Kylian Juventus 0 - 0 Barcelona Meanwhile, in Mbappe, Marco Verratti Sporting 3 - 0 Olympiakos Turin, Barcelona and Dani Alves all found allowed themselves the back of the net after the luxury of starting Moussa Dembele’s early most prolific team in the with Lionel Messi on the opener for the visitors as Champions League group bench and still held out PSG powered on to 15 phase with 24 goals. comfortably for a 0-0 draw points from five games. In the other Group B at Juventus to reach the last They lead second- fixture yesterday, Robert 16 yesterday. placed Bayern Munich, Lewandowski and Coren- Barcelona, who who won 2-1 at Anderlecht, tin Tolisso scored to earn brought on Messi early in by three points before they already-qualified Bayern the second half, enjoyed play in Germany with Munich a scrappy 2-1 win long spells of possession Group B’s first place at at Anderlecht, stretching against a lacklustre Juve in stake. their winning streak under a dull Group D match Celtic got off to a dream coach Jupp Heynckes to which saw both teams start when Dembele nine matches in all apparently happy to play opened the scoring in the competitions. for a draw. first mninute from a cor- Lewandowski put the Juventus, who are sec- ner, but PSG reacted visitors ahead six minutes ond, will qualify for the last swiftly. after halftime but Sofiane 16 unless they lose at Neymar levelled with a Hanni’s volley on the hour Olympiakos in their final low shot after being set up gave the Belgians, who had game and Sporting beat by Adrien Rabiot and dou- missed a bagful of golden Barcelona away. bled the tally in the 22nd chances in the first half, Sporting kept alive after a one-two with their first Champions their hopes by beating Verratti. League goal of the Olympiakos 3-1 in Lisbon Cavani made it 3-1 six season. in the other game with Bas minutes later from close France’s Tolisso, how- Dort scoring twice. Paris Saint-Germain’s range with Mbappe adding ever, rose high to head in a Barcelona, 3-0 winners Brazilian striker Neymar another in the 35th from Joshua Kimmich cross in over Juve in their previous celebrates after scoring his second Marquinhos’s cross. the 77th minute and leave meeting in the group, have goal against Glasgow Celtic during their The Uruguayan striker, Anderlecht bottom of the 11 points followed by Juve UEFA Champions League Group B football Verratti and Alves scored group and without a point on eight, Sporting on seven match played at Parc des Princes Stadium in again after the break as from five matches. and eliminated Olympia- Paris yesterday. PSG became the Bayern are on 12 points, kos on one. Giants Al Duhail, Al Sadd eye win in key clash Fawad Hussain supremacy in round 9 of the QNB glimpse of it in their previous clash The Peninsula Stars League (QSL) at Al Sadd Sta- when they thrashed Umm Salal 4-1 dium tomorrow. despite conceding an early goal last parks are bound to fly when Al Duhail are in top form and week. giants Al Duhail square off with have so far crushed most of their Ferreira is happy with his team’s Sfootball powerhouse Al Sadd opponents in one-sided affairs after performance against Umm Salal and in a battlebattle scoringscoring flurryflu of goals. the Portuguese is hoping for a good forf o r TheThe RedRe Knights, who are lead- show against Al Duhail. inging thethe pointspo standings with 22 “We got a good win. The number points fromfro seven victories and a of goals doesn’t matter. What’s draw,draw, havehav so far scored a total of important is the three points. I’m 33 goals. AlA Sadd have 21 points from happy that we scored four goals as sevenseven winswin and are only behind Al it hasn’t happened before,” said the DuhailDuhail duedue to their loss in Qatar Cla- Portuguese, expressing concern that sicosico againstagain Al Rayyan recently. international commitments were CCoachoach Djamel Belmadi’s side is taking their toll on his players in expectedexpected toto enter the ‘Match-of-the- league matches. Week’Week’ againstaga Xavi-led Al Sadd with “We should know that there are thethe aggressiveaggres approach seen in the exhausted players who aren’t phys- earlyearly part of the season. ically fit after playing for their ForFor AlAl Duhail, feared striker national teams recently. I hope the YoussefYoY ussef ElE Arabi is expected to be team is at full strength before the Al Sadd coach thethe differencedifff er between the two beginning of second phase,” Ferreira Jesualdo Ferreira sides,sides, havinghavi pumped in 14 goals so said. far.far.r Meanwhile, the other fixtures WhWWhileile Al Duhail will be target- tomorrow will see Al Markhiya tak- Gharafa to keep their hunt for a title inging to retainrete a their top position with ing on Al Arabi and Al Khor meeting intact. QNB Stars League fixtures a win,wiin,n AlAl Sadd,S on the other hand, Al Sailiya. Former champions Al Gharafa willwiw ll alsoalso haveh their eyes on full 3 Saturday’s matches include a have so far registered just one vic- Tomorrow popointsints wwhichh will enable them to clash between Al Kharaitiyat and Al tory and they will have to pull up 4:00pm Al Markhiya vs Al Arabi at Al Arabi Stadium reachrereach thethe top of the standings. Ahli besides a game between Al their socks to cherish any hope of 4:00pm Al Khor vs Al Sailiya at Al Khor Stadium TheT Wolves, coached by Rayyan and Al Gharafa. The other putting it across Al Rayyan who are 6:10pm Al Sadd vs Al Duhail at Al Sadd Stadium shsshrewdhr tactician Jesualdo match will be played between Umm coached by popular Dane Michael Saturday Ferreira,FFe have all the ingre- Salal and Qatar SC. Laudrup 4:00pm Al Kharaitiyat vs Al Ahli at Al Khor Stadium dientsdid to pull off a win Third-placed Al Rayyan, who The loss to Al Sailiya last week 4:00pm Umm Salal vs Qatar SC at Al Gharafa Stadium againstag an in-form Duhail also have 21 points, must be target- also saw the Cheetahs slip in the 6:10pm Al Rayyan vs Al Gharafa at Al Sadd Stadium Al Duhail coach teamtea as they have showed a ing a handsome victory over Al standings by one place to sixth. Djamel Belmadi 30 SPORT THURSDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2017 First Test: The calm before the storm Brisbane tain for the match. Reuters As to how Australia would Australia’s skipper deal with Warner’s absence, Steve Smith (left) he war of words that Smith gave no answer. and England has added spice to the The board later said all- captain Joe Root lead-up to cricket’s rounder Glenn Maxwell had been smile as they oldest enduring test rushed to Brisbane in readiness pose in Brisbane series will give way to to slot in if Warner failed to ahead of the first Tgenuine hostilities today when prove his fitness. Test of the Ashes bitter Ashes rivals Australia and Quite how Marsh’s potential Series. England march out in front of a absence would be covered packed crowd at the Gabba. remains up in the air. A temporary ceasefire was Before the Marsh news called yesterday as Australia broke, Root had said Warner’s captain Steve Smith and his Eng- injury would do nothing to land counterpart Joe Root paused change his team’s for photos under a blinding blue preparations. sky at the Brisbane stadium, but Root has seemed impervious both captains have been looking to the pressure of leading a team to land a psychological blow on regarded sceptically by cricket the eve of the first test. media in both countries, and he The customary photo oppor- has played a straight bat to the tunity may have been the only usual provocations from Austral- chance to get a clear image from ia’s pundits and players. the entire day, with smoke and Having taken one on the chin mirrors employed liberally by for England after a clash with the captains during the pre- Warner at a Birmingham bar in match media conferences. 2013, Root has gladly stuck it out Root steadfastly declined to again on the tour Down Under. name his side but the element of Yet as calmly as he praised surprise was lost some four his players for refusing to rise to hours later when the England Australia’s bait, his voice strayed and Wales Cricket Board briefly from its dependable mon- released the team on its website, otone as he chided the home with Nottingham bowler Jake side’s spinner Nathan Lyon for Ball beating out Craig Overton an attack on the team.