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SATURDAY-MAY 29, 2021 Sport 05 misses crucial spot-kick Afghan-Pak series: Afghanistan as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side suffer looking to host Pakistan in UAE Europa League final shootout defeat

shoulder before his darting run inside pinned Victor Lindelof as the striker stuck out a leg to meet Parejo's free-kick and stab his shot beyond De Gea at the far post. It was his 30th goal in all competi- tions this season and perhaps the easiest as the inquest began into United's slack defending. Solskjaer stepped out from his technical area, a forlorn figure with his arms outstretched, as he be- rated an increasingly dispiriting opening period which very nearly had a happy ending as escaped Alfonso Pe- draza down the right with his firm cross deflecting off Raul Albiol into the grateful arms of Geroni- mo Rulli. A hallmark of United's season had been overcoming setbacks; collecting an unrivalled 31 points from losing positions in the Pre- mier League, and Solskjaer called KABUL: The Afghanistan “The Afghanistan board is keen “The plan is for the Pakistan on his players to show their re- Cricket Board is keen to host Pa- to have the series before the World team to stop over in UAE and play solve once more having produced David de Gea's missed penal- years ago, teed up Scott McTo- Villarreal absorbed the early kistan for a white ball series in the T20 Cup which is in October,” the the series in August as the Indian ty consigned United a measly xG of 0.09 before the minay for an early shot from the threat and began to impose them- United Arab Emirates in August- source said. cricket board is also likely to host to a dramatic 11-10 penalty shoot- restart. edge of the box but he dragged his selves via a spate of Daniel Parejo September. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Im- the remaining matches of its un- out defeat against Villarreal in the Villarreal had only conceded effort well wide. corners. Pakistan and Afghanistan have ran Khan had also asked the PCB finished Indian in Europa League final following a Solskjaer's men had already On one such occasion when two goals away from home in the met frequently in ICC and Asian to arrange a bilateral series with the UAE sometime in September- 1-1 draw in Gdansk, Poland. knocked out two Spanish sides - United failed to clear, Carlos Bac- competition, however, and threat- Cricket Council events but have Afghanistan when senior Afghan October. In front of 9,500 supporters, Real Sociedad and Granada - en ca's dexterous rabona cross was ened a second on 48 minutes as a met Daniel Pare- route to the final, and Villarreal headed over Pau Torres. slip by very nearly al- never played a bilateral series at players including Muhammad Nabi “And a number of Afghan jo's free-kick to steer home his were struggling to get out of their Emery had shown no hesita- lowed Moreno to scramble the ball the senior level although Afghani- had met him in January this year. players including their captain, 30th goal in all competitions to own half in the opening quarter of tion in calling on ; aged home from close range. stan has sent its team to Pakistan The Afghan players had re- Rashid Khan, Nabi, Mujeeb ur give the Spanish side a first-half an hour. 18 years and 218 days, he became ' Nick Wright several times to play against the A quested the Pakistani premier to Rehman and a few others take part lead (29). Emery, who won the Europa the youngest ever Spanish player commented: "Another set piece sides. do something and start proper bi- in the IPL for different teams,” the Floyd Mayweather's spectac- League three times in a row with to start a major European final, causes mayhem in the Manches- A source in the Pakistan board lateral series between the two coun- source said. ular showdown with social media Sevilla, continued to look agitated breaking the previous record held ter United box. They are missing said that the two boards had tries at the senior level. He said the PCB wanted to sensation Logan Paul on June 6, as collected Aaron by , and he fired a , undoubtedly, but opened talks on the planned series The source said that the PCB have the series in August as it also live on Sky Sports Box Office. Wan-Bissaka's cross with his warning sign with a snapshot defending set pieces has been a which would include three One- was looking at the option of play- had to host England at home be- United, who won the compe- fizzed shot just evading the studs moments before United fell be- problem for this side all season." day Internationals and three T20 ing the series when the team re- fore the World T20 Cup. tition under Jose Mourinho in of . hind. Moreno hung on Shaw's matches in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. turns from West Indies in August. The Kabul Times 2017, were indebted once again to the razor-sharp finishing of Edin- son Cavani, who struck his 16th Naomi Osaka goal in his last 11 Europa League Premier League Darts Mercedes explain Lewis Hamilton's starts to haul his side level (55). won't speak It was one of just two shots 2021: Jonny Clayton and lack of pace, the 'wrong' call and on target from United as extra time to media failed to illuminate a poor contest, Dimitri Van den Bergh but goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli during Valtteri Bottas' pit-stop would prove the hero during a pulsating shootout, first convert- chase final play-off place Mercedes have addressed Thursday's opening day of prac- confidence builder. You need laps, ing his own penalty before keep- French Open three of their major shortfalls from tice, something Vowles backs up. you need consistent laps, you ing out De Gea's effort as Unai the Monaco GP, explaining why "His car was working well and need confidence that the car is giv- Emery clinched a fourth Europa citing mental Lewis Hamilton struggled all the times he was setting would ing you everything you want out League title and Villarreal a first weekend, the strategy call that have put him fastest across those of it. "If you can carry just a kilo- ever major trophy. This felt a huge health essentially lost the world cham- sessions," he says, citing traffic metre an hour or two more speed missed opportunity for Ole Gun- pion three positions, and the oth- as the only reason Hamilton didn't through turn one, two, three for nar Solskjaer as a first trophy as concerns er disastrous pit-stop which end- head into Saturday and Sunday example, you generate just anoth- Manchester United manager con- Four-time Grand Slam cham- ed Valtteri Bottas' race. with the fastest time. er temperature level, another de- tinues to evade him. pion Naomi Osaka has announced Hamilton lost his champion- But Vowles adds: "As we gree or two which then gives you Villarreal finished seventh in she is not going to speak to the ship lead to Max Verstappen af- went into Saturday, that situation more grip through the next se- and were facing the pros- media during this year's French ter surprisingly qualifying and inverted. Whereas Valtteri per- quence. "Conversely, if you don't pect of playing in the Europa Open, saying the nature of news finishing seventh at Monte Carlo, haps was a little bit behind him have confidence in the car and you Conference League next season conferences puts an undue bur- while Bottas' better pace didn't on Thursday, Valtteri was very don't trust it, you go down the had they become the first Span- den on players' mental health. lead to any points as, dramatical- much leading now of our two driv- spiral in the other way and you ish team to lose a European final The world's highest-earning ly, Mercedes failed to remove one ers." And that's because Hamilton lose grip. female athlete wrote a social me- Jonny Clayton and Dimitri an 8-6 victory that takes him two of his tyres during his first stop. just couldn't get the tyres, and The setup between the two against a non-Spanish side in 16 dia post saying the "considerable previous showdowns. Van den Bergh will go head to head points clear of Nathan Aspinall. amount" that she expects to be In an extensive debrief video therefore the car to work to his cars wasn't dramatically different Monaco stood to benefit with for the final place in the Premier De Sousa missed six darts to fined will go towards a mental on the team's YouTube channel, liking, according to Vowles. as we went into qualifying and a Champions League group stage League Darts Play-Offs after win the opener, but with Van Ger- health charity. Mercedes' chief strategist James "On Thursday we had around race. berth via the back door had Unit- Wednesday's darting drama in wen unable to punish him, the Osaka, 23, heads into the clay- Vowles detailed the reasons behind 47 to 50 degrees track tempera- "Really, what had changed is ed prevailed. But Emery would Milton Keynes. Portuguese Man O'Scores hit the court tournament having won the a poor weekend... ture and it cooled down signifi- just we weren't able to extract ev- be reunited with his favourite tro- The pair enjoyed differing front. Van Gerwen bounced back last two Grand Slams at the US Hamilton's performance on cantly by the time we got to Sat- erything from the car and the ty- phy with a place at Europe's top fortunes on the penultimate night to level, despite missing darts of Open and Australian Open, but Saturday and Sunday was unex- urday, more around the mid-30s res as we wanted anymore." table to boot. of the league phase, Van den Bergh his own, and that set the tone for she has yet to make it beyond the pected to say the least, with the now. "It seems we just weren't able Hamilton was stuck behind Alpha- Having famously struck with fighting back for a draw while Clay- the opening eight legs which were third round at Roland Garros. Englishman - who had been in top to get ourselves into the right Tauri's Pierre Gasly through the "I'm writing this to say I'm virtually the last kick against Bay- ton was beaten by Peter Wright split between the pair. form to start the 2021 season - working regime with the tyres and opening sequence of the race, not going to do any press during ern Munich to win the Champi- in the opener which opened the Both men exchanged blows, struggling on his way to his worst one of the drivers was just slight- with Monaco's tight layout mak- door for Thursday's shootout. Roland Garros," Osaka wrote on qualifying result in almost three ly happier than the other. But nei- ing overtaking difficult, if not im- ons League for United on this day neither giving too much away with in 1999, Solskjaer spoke about the Michael van Gerwen had se- Twitter. years and then failing to make any ther really working the tyres as possible. At the end of Lap 29, top spot on the line and the likeli- pressure and expectation to claim cured his place in the top four on "I've often felt that people sort of ground in the race. effectively as we should. Mercedes were the first team to hood that they could meet again have no regard for athletes mental his first piece of silverware as Wednesday, and he was joined by It was particularly confusing "We tried a number of setup pull the trigger on a pit-stop, try- health and this rings true whenev- United boss, 22 years on from that Jose de Sousa and Nathan Aspi- on Friday in either the semi-final because Hamilton said he was "re- items but one of the issues that ing the undercut to get Hamilton or final. er I see a press conference or par- fateful night, but he conceded af- nall, whose place was secured be- take in one. ally happy" with his car after you have in Monaco is that it is a ahead on fresh tyres. terwards that his players "didn't fore they took to the oche. It took until the ninth leg for the first man to buckle, MVG "We're often sat there and turn up". Van Gerwen is in pole posi- asked questions that we've been Villarreal arrived in Gdansk tion for top spot for a remarkable conjuring a 12-dart break of throw asked multiple times before or unbeaten in their 14 Europa seventh time, after beating De to lead for the first time and he asked questions that bring doubt League matches, winning 12, Sousa in the final match of the consolidated it with a 14-darter into our minds and I'm just not while it was 20 years ago that an night, but Aspinall has a chance on his own throw to move within going to subject myself to people English side vanquished an oppo- to deny MVG first place if he two points of victory. that doubt me." nent from La Liga in a European beats De Sousa and the Dutchman The Dutchman secured a Osaka added: "I've watched final - losing all nine previous is beaten by a resurgent Wright. point and pushed his average into many clips of athletes breaking meetings dating back to Liver- However, Van Gerwen has the three figures when he took out 100 down after a loss in the press room and I know you have as well. I pool's UEFA Cup triumph over look of a determined man, intent for another break of throw and to believe that whole situation is Alaves in 2001. on winning back the title he has stand one leg away from victory. Sir sat watch- already won five times, but relin- kicking a person while they're But De Sousa stayed strong, down and I don't understand the ing on in the stands at the Polsat quished in the empty arenas of as he has done throughout his first reasoning behind it." 2020. How he would enjoy re- Plus Arena. As did Wayne Roon- year in the competition, breaking The world No 2 said the deci- claiming it in front of a sell-out ey, the last United captain to lift a Van Gerwen and then holding in sion was "nothing personal" trophy, and they would have been crowd on Friday night. 11 darts to force a deciding leg against the tournament or a cou- encouraged by the start. Michael van Gerwen tight- where MVG prevailed, but only ple of journalists she said she has , one of just ened his grip on top spot in the after his opponent missed two a friendly relationship with and two survivors from the United Premier League, as he held off a that she hoped the tournaments side that beat Ajax in the final four determined Jose de Sousa to earn darts for a share of the spoils. would reconsider their approach.