‘Sports development is the Amir’s vision’ PAGE 14 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 Three super strikes see Al Sadd soar into semis Al Sadd players celebrate their 3-1 AFC Champions League quarter-final second leg match victory over Saudi’s Al Nassr at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Monday. (Right) Coach Xavi Hernandez is ecstatic after one of the goals being scored. (AFP) Afif, Haydos and Bounedjah make it mission possible in style for the Wolves as they beat Al Nassr 3-1 in AFC Champions League thriller AYENI OLUSEGUN DOHA AL Sadd produced an electric performance to beat Al Nassr 3-1 (4-3 aggregate) at the Jas- sim Bin Hamad Stadium to book a semi-final spot in the AFC Champions League. This was the first time the Wolves overturned a first leg deficit in Asia’s prestigious club tour- nament and sealed a second straight semis spot for Xavi Hernandez’s side. Our victory is well deserved and I’m proud to coach players with this mentality. This is the best game we have played this season and the fans were spectacular today. – Xavi Hernandez Al Sadd fans enjoying the electrifying home team’s show against Al Nassr at at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Monday. Goals from Akram Afif Scoreline deserved and I’m proud to very happy for him and his (26 min), Hassan al Haydos coach players with this men- performance today,” Xavi (59’) and a Baghdad Bouned- Al Sadd 3 (Akram Afif tality. This is the best game added of his vice-captain. jah 83rd minute penalty saw 26’, Hassan al we have played this season Al Sadd will take on the the Qatari champions despite Haydos 59’, Baghdad and the fans were spectacular winner of Tuesday’s clash be- Al Sadd stars Hassan al Haydos and Baghdad Bounedjah, along with former Al Rayyan man Abder- today,” an excited Xavi said tween Al Hilal and Al Ittihad Hamid Ismael, celebrate with fans after the match at the Jassim Bin azak Hamdellah’s 33rd min- Bounedjah (pen) 83’) after the match. in the semi-final on October 1. Hamad Stadium on Monday. (AFP) utes strike for the visitors. bt Al Nassr 1 With aggregate score Al Sadd needed to come (Abderazak Hamdallah level between both sides, Afif out firing after losing the first 33’). Aggregate 4-3. provided a moment of bril- leg in Riyadh 2-1 and from liance with just 10 minutes the blast of the whistle, the left on the clock. A first-time Wolves were out hunting as the midfielder’s cross found Wolves on a counter. Just be- through pass from Haydos set Haydos sent a warning shot at Afif, who guided the ball in fore the hour mark, Haydos up a one-on-one chance for Brad Jones early on. two yards from goal. who was part of the last suc- Afif, and with the goalie at his Al Nassr’s Brazilian for- The visitors however, lev- cessful Al Sadd team in Asia mercy, the 22-year-old was ward Giuliano almost silenced eled scores just past the half scored a goal of the season brought down by Abdullah the over 13,000 Al Sadd fans hour mark. Hamdellah was contender, sending the fans Madu, prompting the referee when he was played through fouled just outside the box into a frenzy. to point to the spot. by Amrabat but his effort and the Moroccan’s free- The national team cap- After a few minutes of didn’t trouble Saad al Sheeb. kick took a wicked deflection tain intercepted an attempted complains from the Al Nassr The crowd urged on Al off Gabi – wrong-footing Al Al Nassr counter attack, ex- bench, Bounedjah held his Sadd and the team responded Sheeb in goal. changed quick passes with nerves to send his effort into on the pitch as Afif headed Al Sadd began the second Nam before sending a thun- the bottom right corner – home the opener four min- half where they left off and derous strike into the top ending a four-game barren utes from the half hour mark. Nam saw his goalbound effort right corner of Jones’s goal. run in front of goal for the The pacey winger fin- blocked for a corner. “We are happy with our prolific Algerian. ished a move he started The 2011 champions con- performance, the players’ “Haydos deserves the when Bounedjah fed Nam tinued to press the visitors passion and commitment praises today, he works for Tae-Hee down the left and who banked on catching the was there. Our victory is well the team normally but I’m Nassr FC’s Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria reacts during the match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. (AFP) Sports Tuesday, September 17, 2019 13 FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 draw lines up path to global glory Arabsat role in pirate beoutQ broadcasts, say leading football bodies DPA/FIFA commissioned a leading in- BERLIN dustry body, MarkMonitor, to conduct research and produce Former England star and FOOTBALL governing body a detailed and independent Liverpool icon Michael FIFA, two of its confederations technical analysis of beoutQ’s Owen conducts the FIFA and leading European leagues operations,” it added. Club World Cup Qatar say allegations of television 2019 draw at the FIFA piracy by the broadcaster headquarters in Zurich on beoutQ are founded. Joint statement by FIFA, the Monday. A report commissioned AFC, UEFA, the Bundesliga, by the football bodies “con- LaLiga, Lega Serie A, LFP firms without question that and the Premier League on beoutQ’s pirate broadcasts the publication of an inves- have been transmitted using Liverpool discover potential opponents satellite infrastructure owned tigative report into the and operated by Arabsat,” a operations of beoutQ. statement said on Monday. The joint statement is from Arabsat, founded by the Hosts Al Sadd – unless they FIFA, European body UEFA, Arab League in 1976, operates were to be crowned cham- Asia’s AFC, the German Bun- from its headquarters in Ri- pions of Asia – and desliga, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s yadh, Saudi Arabia and two sat- Hienghene Sport have a Serie A, France’s Ligue 1 and ellite control stations in Riyadh meeting with Monterrey to the Premier League in England. and Tunis, its website says. “The report confirms with- The network boutQ went look forward to, before out question that beoutQ’s on air after the 2017 start of the winners face Liverpool. pirate broadcasts have been a Saudi Arabia-led diplomatic transmitted using satellite in- and trade boycott of Qatar, AGENCIES frastructure owned and oper- and takes its feed from Qatar- ZURICH ated by Arabsat. The contents based beIN Sports which has of the report are today being most of the major rights for LIVERPOOL could face Mexi- published in full on the rights the region but is banned in the can side Monterrey or Qatar’s holders’ websites to provide boycotting countries. Al Sadd in their first match at transparency about the facts In its statement, the foot- the FIFA Club World Cup in of the case and to demonstrate ball bodies say they have been December after Monday’s draw now set to be following the final the seriousness with which we, frustrated in attempts to pur- for the tournament. rounds of the AFC Champions as global rights holders, view sue a copyright claim against As European champions, League intently. The pair will this issue,” it said. beoutQ in Saudi Arabia. Liverpool will enter the com- then face off against the win- There’s not many players “As rights holders of glob- Although they have been petition in the semi-finals with ners of the CONMEBOL Liber- that get their hands on this Qatar as the only former final- the regional hegemony of Auck- ally followed sports events, reports beoutQ’s transmis- a match against CONCACAF tadores. trophy in their careers. ists, though the likes of Gre- land City in 2018 – following a whose intellectual property sions are currently disrupted, Champions League winners Hosts Al Sadd – unless they This is one of the difficult mio, Boca Juniors, River Plate record seven-straight appear- rights have been breached on the football bodies urge Ar- Monterrey, Al Sadd or minnows were to be crowned champions and Kashima Antlers could ances by their Kiwi rivals – a systematic and widespread absat and any other satellite Hienghene Sport of New Cal- of Asia – and Hienghene Sport ones to win and I’m sure join them as past silver medal- Hienghene Sport will represent basis by the pirate broadcast- providers “to stop providing a edonia, France. have a meeting with Monterrey everyone will be going lists. Meanwhile, Al Sadd and Oceania. Only four times in 16 er known as beoutQ, we have platform for piracy.” The path to the final of the to look forward to, before the full at it to win. Monterrey both have a bronze editions have we not had a side FIFA Club World Cup Qatar winners face Liverpool. medal in their trophy cabinet from New Zealand competing. 2019, presented by Alibaba “I’m really excited for the – Former England star and that they’ll be yearning to im- Teams that were drawn: Al Sadd Cloud, was set as FIFA Legend competition,” Owen said, fol- Liverpool icon Michael Owen prove on. (Host); Hienghene Sport (OFC); Michael Owen drew the seven lowing the draw. This will also be the first Liverpool (UEFA); Monterrey Serve and volley contenders in Zurich. “There’s not many play- This is one of the difficult ones time in over a decade where (Concacaf); Esperance (CAF); AFC Pliskova qualifies for WTA Finals in Shenzhen Fans will be treated to a ers that get their hands on this to win and I’m sure everyone we will have seen back-to-back Champions League 2019 winners meeting between Asia and Af- trophy in their careers and of will be going full at it to win.” OFC debutants kick off the (Final on 9 and 24 November); WORLD number two Karolina Pliskova has become the second rica in the quarter-finals, with course every player wants to As it stands, 2005 runners- tournament on 11 December.