NNBABA | Page 7 CRICKET | Page 9 Spurs rally, Jennings to roll towards be Cook’s To Advertise here history in latest opening Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 the road partner Thursday, December 8, 2016 TENNIS Rabia I 9, 1438 AH World No.2 Djoko GULF TIMES splits with coach Becker SPORT Page 6 QATAR STARS LEAGUE Big Clasico win for Sadd as Bounedjah scores hat-trick Free-flowing Sadd put five goals past Al Rayyan defence Gharafa brush past Umm Salal, Wakrah register fi rst win By Sports Reporter day edged out Al Khor 1-0 to score Doha their first win of the QSL season. Mohsine Moutaouali scored the only goal of the match in the 43rd mm Salal took on in-form minute at Al Wakrah Stadium Al Gharafa at the Qatar SC where scrappy football saw players Ustadium yesterday and getting tangled with match off icials the Cheetahs were successful in and rivals alike. penetrating the Orange fortress as In the first 10 minutes of the clash, they went on to win the game 2-0. Al Khor enjoyed more ball posses- After a goalless first half, Johnson sion compared to the home side. Kendrick and Abdulghani Muneer However, the round 10 clash got their names on the score sheet turned into a physical game as Al to ensure that Al Gharafa won their Khor’s Mouhssine Iajour seem- fifth match in a row. ingly head-butted Al Wakrah’s The first half ended with both sides Ali Hussain, captain of the home at 0-0 despite Gharafa enjoying side, as the players got ready for the majority of possession and a free-kick. Hussain collapsed chances. causing a stoppage in play amid In the 57th minute, Kendrick constant berating and finger- scored his third goal of the season pointing from players of the two after a brilliant counterattack by sides. the Cheetahs. Muneer passed the After much delay, when the ball to the unmarked Brazilian free-kick was finally taken, it was striker in the box, who took the ball Iajour’s turn to put on a show as around the keeper and passed the the feisty Moroccan striker tum- ball into the net. bled following a rough tackle from Al Gharafa then doubled their lead Hussain. Another stoppage in play in the 69th minute with a well- ensued as players quarrelled inside worked goal from Muneer. After the Al Khor box in the 17th minute. a throw in, Vladimir Weiss passed At the half-hour mark, Al Wakrah’s Al Sadd’s Bagdad Bounedjah (right) scores past Al Rayyan goalkeeper Omar Barry during the Qatar Stars League match yesterday. PICTURES: Jayan Orma to Muneer, who drove the ball into Hamood al-Yazidi hoodwinked his the box from the right, dribbled marker but his shot — fired at an By Sports Reporter past two players and shot the acute angle — was taken care of by Doha ball into the goal after it came off Al Khor keeper Baba Djibril. keeper Baba Malik’s hands on the With two minutes before the first- near post. half whistle went off , Al Wakrah l Sadd produced an attacking With this win Pedro Caixinha’s men grabbed the lead. masterclass to defeat reigning remain undefeated in their last Blue Waves midfielder Ahmed QSL champions Al Rayyan 5-0 eight matches and have 20 points Fadel slipped in a neat ball from in the Qatar Clasico yesterday from ten games. Bulent Yugun’s the edge of the box toward Aevening. Sadd opened the scoring to- Umm Salal now have two losses Moutaouali, who should have been wards the end of the fi rst half and added from their last three games and marked by the two Al Khor defend- a further four in the second half to pile are sixth in the table with 13 points ers in their own box. With his the misery on Al Rayyan. from 10 games. markers slow to react, Moutaouali The tie also saw Algerian striker Bag- tapped the ball down before firing dad Bounedjah score a hat-trick to con- WAKRAH DOWN AL KHOR 1-0 his shot into the net with goalkeep- fi rm his status as the league’s top scorer. Bottom-placed Al Wakrah yester- er Djibril unable to stop. Typically, the Clasico started at breakneck speed with Al Rayyan hav- ing an early chance to open the scoring. Unfortunately, Abulrahman al-Harazi couldn’t get the ball out of his feet in time with just one minute on the clock. The hosts Al Rayyan dominated the ball in the early exchanges but lacked that cutting edge despite their fl are in the fi - nal third. Sadd registered their fi rst chance of note after 23 minutes of the game. Bounedjah held the ball up well before laying off his shot to compatriot Jurgitha Hamroun. However, the winger’s sliced eff ort fl ew way over the Rayyan crossbar. The tie opened midway through the fi rst half and the side exchanged chanc- es. On the 25th minute, Rodrigo Tabata produced a textbook freekick, which was comfortably saved following Sergio Garcia being bundled down just outside the box. Sadd also could have opened Al Sadd players celebrate a goal against Al Rayyan yesterday. the scoring soon. A Hamroun cross was fl icked on by Bounedjah to Hassan Hay- lead. A fi ne solo run from Jugurtha Ham- their dominance on the 65th minute. Al doos and his acrobatic strike was easily roun saw the Algerian race up the left Sadd were moving the ball with intent caught by Rayyan keeper Omar Barry. hard side. His cross found Bounedjah, in the fi nal third. Wolves captain Xavi With fi ve minutes to go in the fi rst who tapped in from close range for his picked out man of the match contender half, Al Sadd where awarded a penalty. second of the game and twelfth of the Hamroun, who gracefully chipped the A fi erce strike from Xavi was adjudged to season. ball past Omar Barry much to the joy of have hit Daniel Gomu on the arm and the Willed on by the typically boister- his teammates. Al Wakrah’s referee wasted no time in pointing to the ous Qatar Clasico crowd, Al Sadd killed Al Sadd were at their free-fl owing Mohsine penalty spot. Al Sadd’s leading scorer off the game thanks to a top class free best and Bounedjah grabbed a hat-trick Moutaouali in Bounedjah was the calmest man in the kick from captain Xavi. Bounedjah was and his side’s fi fth of the night against action against stadium and coolly slotted the ball into fouled just outside the box, Xavi primed an Al Rayyan side bereft of ideas in de- Al Khor during the back of the net to give the Wolves a himself for the strike and curled the ball fence. Pedro Corriea knocked the ball up their Qatar Stars 1-0 lead. into the top corner registering his fourth to the Algerian, who smashed the ball in League match Al Sadd made a dream start to the goal in as many QSL games. to the top right hand corner to confi rm yesterday. second half and promptly doubled their Al Sadd added a fourth goal to confi rm the rout. Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup Gulf Times 2 Thursday, December 8, 2016 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LOST CHANCE PSG miss top spot with Arsenal punching Ludogorets draw their weight again in Euro territory PSG’s Angel Di Maria (L) scored the equaliser in injury time. Reuters play the home side were opened Results & Standings Paris up on the left. ‘It’s diff icult to know (the advantages of finishing top) you feel a Natanael delivered an inch Group A perfect cross for the unmarked bit less guilty. We have done our job and let’s see what happens’ Basel (SUI) 1 (Doumbia 78) Arsenal rench champions Paris Virgil Misidjan to slot a header (ENG) 4 (Lucas Perez 8, 16, 47, Iwobi St Germain face the past Alphonse Areola. 54) prospect of a tough last Ludogorets had shown at 16 Champions League home to Arsenal last month - Fmatch despite snatching a last- when they led 2-0 before eventu- Paris SG (FRA) 2 (Cavani 61, Di Maria 90+2) Ludogorets (BUL) 2 (Misidjan minute equaliser through Angel ally losing 3-2 - how dangerous 15, Wanderson 69) Di Maria to draw 2-2 at home to they could be on the counter- Ludogorets in their fi nal group attack and the pacy Wanderson Group B game on Tuesday. and Jonathan Cafu again showed Benfica (POR) 1 (Jimenez 87) Napoli PSG had to at least match their potency on the break. (ITA) 2 (Callejon 60, Mertens 79) Arsenal’s result at FC Basel to PSG forward Lucas Moura top Group A but, after losing terrorised right-back Cicinho, Dynamo Kiev (UKR) 6 (Besedin 9, to Montpellier in Ligue 1 at the while captain Thiago Silva sent Yarmolenko 30-pen, Buyalski 32, weekend, the Parisians again a header inches wide from a cor- Gonzales 45+3, Sydorchuk 60, Junior defended carelessly enabling the ner in the 32nd and three min- Moraes 77) Besiktas (TUR) 0 London side to overtake them utes later hit the post as the hosts with a 4-1 win in Switzerland. streamed forward searching for Group C Arsenal fi nished with 14 points an equaliser before halftime. Manchester City (ENG) 1 (Iheanacho from their six games ahead of With the boisterous home fans 8) Celtic (SCO) 1 (Roberts 4) PSG on 12, Ludogorets - who urging their team on, PSG came qualify for the Europa League out with more bite in the second Barcelona (ESP) 4 (Messi 16, Turan 50, last 32 - with three points and period.