I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 29, 2019 SPORTS 15

Jahanbakhsh scores hold in friendly as 2020 looms

SPORTS — Qatar U23 football team first ever goal for Brighton deskcame from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Iran U23 on Saturday as part of preparation for the 2020 SPORTS TEHRAN — AFC U23 Championship. deskbroke down in tears as he scored In a friendly match held in , Reza Shekari gave the his first goal to help Brighton move Persians the lead in the 28th minute from the penalty spot five points clear of the drop zone with a crucial victory and Mehdi Ghaedi extended Iran’s lead six minutes later. over fellow strugglers Bournemouth. Abdulrasheed Umaru Ibrahim scored twice for Qatar The Iranian winger found the back of the net just in the 83rd and 90th minutes. three minutes into the match, ending his 18-month Iran have been drawn in Group C along with defending goalscoring drought. champions , and . Jahanbakhsh, a club-record £17million signing last The competition will be held in Thailand from Jan. summer, couldn’t control his emotions after scoring goal. 8 to 26. He almost looked in disbelief himself as he instantly The top three teams qualify for the 2020 Olympics covered his eyes with his hands. in July, although should emerge as one of them, It obviously meant the world to him as he was mobbed the fourth-placed side will advance. by his delighted teammates. Iran have not been in the Olympics since the 1976 games An excellent second by Aaron Mooy secured a vital in Munich. 2-0 victory for the Seagulls. Hamid Estili’s team will start the campaign on Jan. 9 Both teams headed into the fixture on 20 points, with a match against Uzbekistan. just two above Aston Villa occupying the final spot in the zone. Jahanbakhsh had already said he’s determined to keep putting in his best efforts for the side. Gabriel Calderon hits out at “I have been working really hard and trying to get Persepolis GM used to the way that the head coach wants the team to play. It›s obviously different to what we did last season, but it›s been a good week for the side,” Jahanbakhsh PLDC — Gabriel Calderon has hit out at Persepolis gen- told www.brightonandhovealbion.com. eral manager Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard, saying he “I try to work hard, as professional players you have has to stop lying. to train well and be in a good shape for when the head Persepolis defeated Nassaji 1-0 on Friday to go top of coach gives you a chance,” the Iran international added. the Iran Professional League (IPL) but the Argentine coach Jahanbakhsh is the third Iranian player to score is not happy with the club’s officials’ behavior. in Premier League history (also and “First, I would like to thank my players and the fans for ) and the first since Dejagah in the win. I have to announce that we don’t want a foreign April 2014. forward and I have asked the club to pay salary arrears owed to players instead. We will sign two Iranian players in the January transfer window,” Calderon said. Wrestler Karimi suffers knee ligament Iranian goalkeeper Amini passes away

“I did my best over the past six months and I didn’t complain, but I want the officials to stop lying from now on. We can be the best team in Asia but we need organization. Some people just think about their personal interests and don’t think about the club’s progress. I didn’t say anything SPORTS TEHRAN – Iranian free- An MRI exam confirmed the injury, SPORTS TEHRAN – Ex-Sepa- bone marrow and the lymphatic system. deskstyle wrestler Alireza Kari- Dr. Sohrab Keyhan said. deskhan goalkeeper Mo- Many types of leukemia exist. just for the fans and worked hard. You can see the result mi Machiani has suffered a knee ligament injury. Karimi, 97kg, will miss the 2020 Olympic hammadreza Amini passed away at Some forms of leukemia are more at the moment,” he added. Karimi Machiani, who won a gold medal Games if he undergoes surgery. the age of 35 on Saturday. common in children. Other forms “Persepolis has the best fans and they deserve a better in the 2018 and a silver at the Last week, 2016 Olympics gold medal He played in Iranian football teams of leukemia occur mostly in adults. behavior. I have played in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2019 World Championships in winner underwent suc- Sepahan, Nassaji and Shahin Bushehr. Leukemia usually involves the white twice and I am not a silly person. I fell in love with Persep- Nur-Sultan, , suffered a knee cessful surgery on his torn meniscus. Amini lost his battle with leukemia. blood cells olis and its fans. But I’m saying I need respect, respect and injury in the 2019 World Wrestling Clubs Yazdani had also suffered the injury Leukemia is cancer of the body’s Tehran Times offers its heartfelt respect. Iran’s football has a high quality and can have a Cup held in Bojnurd, Iran last week. at the 2019 World Wrestling Clubs Cup. blood-forming tissues, including the condolence to his bereaved family. bright future. But you need responsible persons who want to help football,” Calderon concluded. Sepahan suffer bitter defeat to Sanat Naft Iran handball team beat SPORTS TEHRAN – Sepahan could come back Sanat Naft forward Mohammad Ahleshakheh got on deskto top of Iran Professional league (IPL) the scoresheet in the 70th minute and the team’s captain Al Ahli in friendly with a win over Sanat Naft but they suffered a 4-2 defeat Taleb Reykani made it 4-2 in the 82nd minute. against Sanat Naft in Abadan on Saturday. Earlier on the day, Tractor defeated Paykan 3-2 in Tehran. Issa Alekasir gave Sanat Naft the lead just seven minutes (two goals) and Sasan Ansari were TEHRAN — Iran national handball team defeated Qatari into the match but Sajjad Shahbazzadeh canceled out his on target for the visiting team and Jalaleddin Alimo- club Al Ahli in a friendly match on Saturday. goal in the 28th minute. hammadi (52-penalty) and Shahriar Moghanloo (78th) Team Melli defeated Al Ahli 32-25. With four minutes before the halftime, Mohammadreza scored for Paykan. Iran will also play Qatar national team as part of prepa- Hosseini made it 2-1 for Sepahan. Persepolis sit top of the table with 34 points, followed ration for the 2020 Asian Men’s Handball Championship. Mohammad Ghoreishi equalized the match seven min- by Sepahan (31 points), Tractor (30 points) and Sanat The championship will be held in City, Kuwait utes after the interval. Naft (30 points). from January 16 to 27, 2020 and acts as the Asian qual- ifying tournament for the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship. Iran have been drawn in Pool A along with Bahrain Weightlifting at Tokyo will suffer if top lifters do not qualify, says Rostami and New Zealand. Iran’s Olympic champion weightlifter Ki- In fifth place was Ilya Ilyin, the Kazakh the snatch at the International Weightlifting been received in time. Pool B consists of Qatar, Japan and China. South Korea, anoush Rostami made a career high total in who was twice stripped of Olympic gold for Federation (IWF) World Championships For that, he blamed the Iran Weightlifting Saudi Arabia and Australia are in Pool C. one of the best head-to-head contests of 2019 doping and who remains 40kg or more below in Pattaya, Thailand in September - where Federation, who sent in his entry «two or Host Kuwait is drawn in Pool D along with the UAE, at the Qatar Cup in Doha, the final Olympic his career highs. Elbakh was second - which led to him pro- three days late», he said. Iraq and Hong Kong. qualifying competition of the year – but he «It was good,» said Rostami, who believes testing on the stage. Iran can send only one 96kg lifter to Tokyo still needs a miracle if he is to go for gold he can do better and «make a weight that There was a mix-up over which weight and Rostami believes his federation favors again at Tokyo 2020. nobody else can go near». he should take, a problem with the score- , the Olympic champion and Iranian int’l referee to Rostami, who has won two world titles Even that, though, would probably not board, and Rostami had to wait «four or world record holder in the old 94kg class. and Olympic gold and silver since 2011, made be enough to earn him a place in Tokyo. five minutes» on the stage, during which This is despite the fact that Moradi has officiate at 2020 AFC Cup five of his six lifts to pass the 400 kilogram The big problem for Rostami - a popular time his body cooled down and his mind suffered serious spine and shoulder injuries, mark for the first time earlier this week. figure in the sport worldwide but a contro- was «too busy». is way short of competition fitness, and is Fares Elbakh, the 21-year-old Qatari, then versial one in Iran, where he trains alone at «Everything was bad for me, and it was even lower down the rankings than Rostami. IRNA — Iranian international referee Bijan Heidari has made his final lift to post his own personal home - is his lack of points from the second the World Championships’ problem, not Moradi was, however, entered in that been invited to officiate at the 2020 AFC Cup. best of 404kg and win by 1kg. phase of qualifying that ended on October 31. mine,” he said. Swiss competition and although he lifted The Iranian referee is to judge Defenders and Paro FC The 96kg showdown was by far the best Registering a total in all three of the six- Rostami then travelled to Switzerland less than the 55kg women because of his lack match in Sri Lanka on January 22, 2020. contest of the five-day Qatar Cup and also month qualifying phases is essential for all to compete in the final phase-two qualifier of fitness, he did register a total, and crucial Presently some 80 referees from Iranian Province of the biggest field with 19 men taking part, lifters to have a realistic chance of qualifying. in Tramelan in the last week of October, qualifying points in phase two. Hamedan are to whistle at national and international cups. some of them beaten by well over 100kg. Rostami had a controversial bomb-out in only to discover that his entry had not (Source: Insidethegames) Wrestlers win five medals at Host cities for AFC Asian Cup China 2023 confirmed 3rd Moscow Christmas The 10 host cities for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 have the selected host cities will deliver a tournament which is Reform Plan with more infrastructure, better youth pro- been announced by the Chinese Football Association (CFA). in keeping with the event’s world-class status. grammes and widespread promotion of the grassroots game. The cities include the People’s Republic of China capital, “The AFC thanks the commitment shown by the CFA Furthermore, the CFA also views Asia’s crown jewel as TASNIM — The Iranian freestyle wrestlers claimed three as well as Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, and these 10 great cities to be a part of this celebration of an opportunity to showcase its progress and achievements gold medals, one silver and three bronzes at the 3rd Mos- Xi’an, Dalian, Qingdao, Xiamen and Suzhou. Asian football. I wish them all the very best of success in to the world and in the years, leading to the tournament, the cow Christmas. The full details will be reported to the Organizing Com- their desire to show the world that China PR can stage CFA also reinforced its commitment to work closely with the The competition was held in Moscow, Russia from mittee of the Asian Cup (OCAC) – at its next meeting in huge international football events.” AFC and the host cities to stage a spectacular, far-reaching December 25 to 28. 2020 which will also discuss the overarching vision, key ll the candidate host cities showed great interest and and successful festival of Asian football. Ebrahim Khari (45kg), Ali Arab Firouzjai (48kg) and milestones and timelines of Asian football’s most prestig- commitment in bidding to host Asia’s biggest football tour- The AFC will further study and review the competition Hossein Azizi (110kg) claimed three gold medals. ious tournament. nament which will be held in June and July 2023 - with 24 arrangements and organisational plans proposed by the Hossein Asghari won a silver medal at the 92kg. AFC President, HE Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khal- teams playing a total of 51 matches. host cities and the CFA in the early part of 2020. China PR Ali Gholizadegan (55kg), Hassan Esmaeilnejhad (65kg) ifa, said: “The AFC Asian Cup is our flagship competition In hosting the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the CFA last played host to the AFC Asian Cup in 2004. and Amir Ali Sabouteh (80kg) seized three bronze medals. for national teams, and I am sure that the Chinese FA and aims to promote the implementation of the China Football (Source: AFP) Iran took part in the competition with 11 wrestlers.