Barca Draw at Lyon
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SPORT Wednesday 20 February 2019 PAGE | 05 PAGE | 06 Djokovic Cook confident and Biles England can win Laureus end World awards Cup drought Bayern hold Liverpool; Barca draw at Lyon REUTERS round of 16 after failing to make LIVERPOOL it out of the group stage last season. Bayern Munich showed all their This year’s Champions Champions League experience league final will be played at and quality organisation as they Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano held Liverpool to a goalless draw Stadium. in the first leg of their last 16 Meanwhile, Paris Saint- match at Anfield yesterday. Germain striker Edinson Cavani The result leaves it all to play has resumed training two weeks for in the second leg in Munich before the Champions League on March 13, although the last-16 second leg match against German side will be without Manchester United, the French defender Joshua Kimmich who champions announced will be suspended after picking yesterday. up a yellow card. The Uruguayan has been out There were few clear-cut of action since pulling up injured chances in the game although after scoring a penalty against Liverpool created several Bordeaux on February 9. openings in the first half, while PSG brushed off the absences at the other end their goalkeeper of both Cavani and Neymar, who Alisson Becker had to be alert to is sidelined with a foot injury, by keep out a mis-hit clearance from beating United 2-0 in last week’s Joel Matip. first leg at Old Trafford, with The closest Juergen Klopp’s Kylian Mbappe continuing his side came in the second half was fine run of form with a goal. a diving header from Sadio Mane Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah struggles to reach for the ball during the UEFA Champions League But they now have hope of in the 86th minute which Manuel - Round of 16 First Leg match against Bayern Munich at Anfield in Liverpool, Britain, yesterday. seeing Cavani return in time for Neuer pushed around the post. the second match in Paris, after In France, Lyon held Bar- he managed some light individual celona to a 0-0 draw in another clash against Atletico while high- weekend after being sidelined for Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid Madrid, succeeding every time - training Tuesday. Champions League, last 16 tie. flying Manchester City take on nearly two months because of a player who will be playing for the in two finals (2014 and 2016), one He will not be back in time to Martin Terrier rattled the Bundesliga strugglers Schalke at foot injury that required surgery. first time in Madrid since joining quarterfinal (2015) and one sem- play in the rescheduled Ligue 1 crossbar early on for Lyon, while Veltins Arena. He came off the bench in Juventus last summer. ifinal (2017). game against Montpellier today, the hosts withstood sustained late Atletico Madrid coach Diego Atletico’s 1-0 win at Rayo Val- Ronaldo has fared well Juventus were runner-up in while Thomas Meunier is also still pressure from Lionel Messi and Simeone yesterday said that lecano in the Spanish league on against Atletico, scoring 22 goals the Champions League in 2015 out injured and Leandro Paredes Barca to keep a first clean sheet Diego Costa is not fit to play the Saturday, playing alongside in 31 matches against the rival in and 2017. Last year, it was elim- unavailable having been signed of the competition. entire match against Juventus Alvaro Morata for the first time. all competitions. In the Cham- inated by Real Madrid in the from Zenit St Petersburg after the Today, Juventus travels to today. Simeone said he is focused on pions league, he faced Atletico quarter-finals. fixture was originally due to be Madrid for their last 16, first-leg Costa returned to action last his squad and not on Cristiano four straight seasons with Real Atletico Madrid is back in the played on December 8. Rivas nets double as Al Rayyan seal ACL spot AFC Al Rayyan’s Venezuelan DOHA striker Gelmin Rivas celebrates after scoring Zobahan fight back A last-minute double-salvo a goal against Iran’s helped Qatar’s Al Rayyan Saipa during the AFC come from behind to defeat to stun Al Gharafa Champions League Iran’s Saipa 3-1 in the AFC play-off match at the AFC Champions League (ACL) Jassim Bin Hamad provider in the 36th minute, laying off DOHA play-off match yesterday. Stadium in Doha, the ball to Mehdi Taremi who slid home The home crowd at yesterday. from the edge of the penalty box to Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Iran’s Zobahan completed a remarkable double the Qatari side’s lead before the were left stunned as Saipa comeback to overcome Al Gharafa 3-2 break. took an early lead inside four in a 2019 AFC Champions League Whatever it was that coach Alireza minutes as Mohammadreza play-off tie yesterday. Mansourian said at the break, it worked Soleiman nodded the ball on The Iranian side had to overturn a wonders as Zobahan returned from the to the path of Arman Ram- two-goal deficit in the second half to dressing room a completely different ezani who capitalised on a progress to the group stage. side. defensive mix-up to stab Al Gharafa broke the deadlock Within two minutes of the restart, home the opener. halfway through the opening period after the visitors from had pulled one back. Three minutes later, midfielder Abdelaziz Hatim chested Nigerian striker Christian Osaguona Lucca Borges tested goal- down a long pass and set up fellow Qatar powered in a header past the helpless keeper Hossein AKbarmonadi international Ahmed Alaaeldin who fired Youssef Hassan to half the deficit. from distance, but the Saipa first time with his left into the top corner Hatim then found space inside Zoba- custodian was alert to the for the hosts’ first of the game. han’s half and tried his luck from dis- danger. Alaaeldin turned from scorer to tance but was denied by goalkeeper Borges then nearly found Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri. the back of the net, but his The Iranian defence finally Al Rayyan skipper Rodrigo Tabata Aerial balls proved to be Al Gharafa’s header from Rodrigo Tabata’s broke under the pressure, and (left) vies for the ball possession downfall as Amir Motahari rose above set-piece cannoned off the it was again Tabata’s magical during the AFC Champions League Lucas Mendes to head home Zobahan’s crossbar and into the hands touch that created the oppor- play-off match yesterday. equaliser from Mohammad Reza Hos- of Akbarmonadi. tunity for Al Rayyan. seini’s pinpoint cross in the 63rd minute. New signing Gelmin Rivas The former Qatari inter- The Iranian side completed their marked his continental debut national sent a long ball from miraculous comeback in the 79th minute for Al Rayyan with a goal. The a set-piece that was guided through Mohammed Nejad Mehdi. Venezuelan, formerly of Al expertly by Sebastian Soria’s Al Gharafa’s defence failed to deal Hilal and Al Ittihad, received header to turn the table in with the aerial challenge once more and Rodrigo Tabata’s pass inside favour of the home team with Osaguona’s headed pass found its way the box and stuck on the half- one minute to go. to Mehdi who drilled on the half-volley volley. His 27th minute shot Saipa threw bodies to round off a famous victory. hit the upright on its way into forward as they looked to grab Zobahan retreated for the final 10 the back of the net. a late equaliser, but spaces minutes and formed a compact unit, Despite sustained opened at the back allowing denying Al Gharafa any clear pressure from the home side, Al Rayyan to strike again. opportunities. Ali Daei’s men defended well Rivas doubled his tally and The hosts resorted to long-range and relied on counter-attacks confirmed his side’s progress shots, but in the absence of the injured and set-pieces as they looked into the group stage after Wesley Sneijder it was down to Hatim to upset Al Rayyan. curling in from Koh Myong- to try to rescue his side, but the Qatari Samuel Sarfo came close jin’s intelligent pass. international was unable to replicate his for Saipa with a header nine The 3-1 triumph means Al 2019 AFC Asian Cup heroics which saw minutes into the second half Rayyan join two-time cham- him score two long-range drives. and Moein Abbasian wasn’t pions Al Ittihad as well as Zobahan join Al Wasl from the UAE, Al any luckier, fluffing his lines UAE’s Al Wahda and Zawraa from Iraq as well as Saudi Arabia’s from close range in the 64th Uzbekistan’s PFC Lokomotiv Al Nassr, who defeated Uzbekistan’s AGMK minute. in Group B. in another play-off fixture yesterday. 06 SPORT WEDNESDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2019 Cook confident MotoGP set for final shakedown England can end in Doha ahead of new season World Cup drought AFP MOTOGP.COM LONDON DOHA Alastair Cook believes England can end decades of Losail International Circuit will host World Cup disappointment with a triumph on home the second and final MotoGP soil this year. preseason test of 2019 from February England have never won the men’s World Cup, 23 to 25, two weeks before the season but with 100 days to go until the start of the latest opener which will take place at the edition, a team captained by Eoin Morgan are top of same venue.