Sanchez Caps Arsenal Fightback, Sets Chelsea Date
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TENNIS | Page 4 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 7 Nadal wins Pakistan 59-2 historic aft er Amir 10th title in claims career Monte Carlo best 6-44 Monday, April 24, 2017 FOOTBALL Rajab 27, 1438 AH Sanchez caps GULF TIMES Arsenal fi ghtback to set Chelsea date SPORT Page 2 ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CRICKET Al Rayyan aim Qatar thrash Bhutan for to seal spot in second big win in WCL By Sports Reporter knockout phase Doha Micheal Laudrup’s men take on UAE’s Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi today hoping atar registered their second to seal their first-ever berth in the last 16 phase of the lucrative tournament straight victory in the ICC World Cricket League Asia Region Division One, crush- Qing Bhutan by a huge margin of 214 runs By Sports Reporter Doha at Gymkhana Club in Chiang Mai, Thai- land, yesterday. Qatar had opened their campaign Qatar’s Tamoor Sajjad receives his fter missing out on the Qatar Stars League in the tournament with a 150-run win man of the match award. and Qatar Cup titles, Al Rayyan hope to against Kuwait on Saturday, courtesy salvage their pride by qualifying for the captain Iman-ul-Haq’s all-round per- However, Khurram Shahzad (28 runs Aknockout phase of the AFC Champions formance that saw him score a sedate 62 off 16 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) and Dhar- League for the fi rst time in history when they take in the team’s total of 295, before scalping mang Patel (26 runs off 9 balls, 1 four, 3 on the UAE’s Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi today. two wickets, helping to wrap the oppo- sixes) got together for a blitz that saw the Al Rayyan have two wins from four matches in nents for 145. duo score 44 runs in the remaining 16 Group D and sit in second place with seven points, Yesterday, after put in to bat, Qatar balls, to set Bhutan a target of 281 runs. one behind leaders Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia. A third had a much slower start with opener For Bhutan, Pradhan returned with win today, coupled with Iran’s Persepolis failing to Qalandar Khan (8 runs off 15, 2 fours) the fi gures of 3 wickets for 54, while beat group leaders Al Hilal, would seal an historic sent back with the scoreboard at 24. Damber Gurung scalped two for 56. round of 16 berth. For eight overs, wicketkeeper bats- In reply, Bhutan never got going, with Al Wahda are all but eliminated on just a solitary man Mohamed Rizlan and the captain Awais sending back both the openers, point but warmed up for the tie with a 1-0 vic- held fort before Damber Gurung sending captain Jingme Singye (1) and Subba (8), tory over Al Sharjah in the Arabian Gulf League on back both the batsman in his two suc- with just 14 on the board. Wednesday, while Al Rayyan were defeated 3-2 by Al cessive overs. Rizlan had hit three fours Ibrahim was in the thick of things, Sadd in the Qatar Stars League a day later. in his 29-ball 20, while Haq had a 58-ball taking a catch to send back Pradhan (2) The defeat by Al Sadd means Al Rayyan only have 37 (5 fours) to his name before Gurung off Tanveer’s bowling, before running the Emir Cup to salvage their domestic season, but cleaned him up with his medium pace. wicketkeeper batsman Kencho Norbu coach Michael Laudrup was only dwelling on the Mohamed Tanveer (7 runs off 15 balls) (1). Later in the Bhutan innings, he even immediate task on hand. was the next to go, being adjudged leg had Damber Gurung (10) out leg before “We are here to play a very important match before wicket (lbw) off medium pacer and bowled Tobden Singye for a duck. against Al Wahda,” Laudrup said yesterday. Suprit Pradhan. Qatar’s Mohamed Nadeem sent back “We are aware will be a very diffi cult game for us. Tamoor Sajjad and Zaheer Ibrahim Sonam Tobgay (7), Kishen Ghalley (1) We beat Al Wahda in the fi rst game 2-1 in Doha but then stitched together a 103-run fi fth- and last man in Bushan Gurung (3) for that was a very tight game and we expect a similar wicket partnership to take Qatar past his fi gures of 3 for 17. kind of game today,” he added. the 200-run mark. Sajjad sent back Tenzin Wangchuk Jr Al Rayyan will be relying on their South American Ibrahim, who had scored an unbeaten in the 16th over. Wangchuk Jr was one stars to deliver their third win of the tournament. 57 in the opening match against Kuwait, of only three Bhutan batsman to get into Captain Rodrigo Tabata has lost none of his touch narrowly missed out on a half-century double fi gures, the other being Damber despite a gruelling season and scored a hat-trick with a Pradhan delivery making its way Gurung and Tenzin Wanghuk (14 not against Al Khor to round of their Qatar Stars League to the stumps in the 43rd over. Ibrahim’s out) Sajjad’s performance with the bat season in style even though they ended up in third 49-run knock was punctuated by two and ball, besides the catch that helped place behind winners Lekhwiya and El Jaish. fours and four sixes. send back Ghalley, earned him the Play- Tabata thus fi nished third in the QSL scoring list An over later, Sajjad’s 76-run knock er of the Match award. with 19 goals, while the Lekhwiya duo of Youssef al- was halted by legbreak bowler Jigme In the other matches of the day, China Arabi and Baghdad Bounedjah are fi rst and second Singye, who had the 25-year-old caught lost big for the second straight game, with 24 and 23 goals, respectively. by teammate Tenzin Wangchuk. Sajjad’s with Kuwait posting a 293-run victory Striker Sebastian Soria will be also looking for- 84-ball knock included nine hits to the through Duckworth-Lewis method, and ward to excel after a somewhat up and down domes- ropes and one beyond. hosts Thailand suff ering their fi rst loss tic QSL season during which he scored only six goals With Pradhan and Kumar Subba ac- of the tournament after Bahrain beat while Sergio Garcia did slightly better with 11. counting for Kamran Khan (7) and Mo- them by 138 runs. Meanwhile, Al Wahda coach Javier Aguirre is still hamed Awais (3) respectively, Qatar After a day’s break today, Qatar return not giving up the fi ght despite them languishing in were at 236 for eight in the 28th over. to action against Thailand tomorrow. fourth spot with just one point from four matches. They still have a slim chance of making the knock- outs but they need to win their remaining two games and hope other group results come to their aid. “We have had a poor Champions League and Al-Attiyah tops Jordan fi eld obviously we are very disappointed,” Aguirre said. “But we have it in us to win the next two games and ally record breaker Nasser of the Qatar International Rally in then expect the other results to favour us.” Also to- al-Attiyah will lead a com- February, with countryman Rashed day Al Hilal will open up an unassailable lead over petitive international field al-Naimi taking the honours, putting opponents Persepolis and advance to the last 16 of for the FIA Jordan Rally added pressure on him producing the AFC Champions League should they defeat the R which takes place from May 4-6. a win in Jordan for round two of the Iranian side in Group D at Sultan Qaboos Sports Ten-time Jordan Rally winner al-Atti- Middle East Rally Championship. Complex. yah has made the event his own over “It is shaping up to be a lively event,” The Saudi team, who have Nawaf al-Abid availa- the past few years and comfortably said clerk of the course, George ble after suspension, currently sit three points ahead Al Rayyan will be banking on their in-form attacking midfielder Rodrigo Tabata. won in 2016, but things haven’t quite Khoury. “We are looking forward to of Persepolis and warmed up for the encounter with gone to plan for the 12-time regional putting on an occasion that everyone a 2-1 victory over Al Shabab to seal the Saudi Pro ponents Persepolis drop to third place in the stand- roush Rafi eitelgary but go into the tie on a high after champion this year. can enjoy, whether competing or League title. ings and leaves them in need of a victory. They will being crowned Iran Pro League champions since last A broken radiator forced him out watching.” Failure to win since Matchday Two has seen op- be without suspended duo Jalal Hosseini and So- appearing on the continent. Gulf Times 2 Monday, April 24, 2017 FOOTBALL FA CUP DELIGHT Wenger full of praise Sanchez caps for ‘animal’ Sanchez Arsenal fi ghtback, sets Chelsea date Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger celebrates after the match. AFP tend him. London “In the fi rst half maybe we Despite being out-played for long periods, Arsenal summoned a spirit and desire too were a bit cautious, accepting to be dominated, and then we be- often missing this season to come from a goal down and defeat Man City 2-1 rsene Wenger believes came stronger and stronger.