SPORT Wednesday 24 May 2017 PAGE | 25 PAGE | 26 PAGE | 27 Warriors Muddled Australia's cricket board sweep into Andy Murray gambled on players' NBA Finals looks to regain form greed and lost: Chappell Nicky Stars Bounedjah and Boualem Hayden sign Al Sadd deals in new move Rizwan Rehmat The Peninsula Nicky was my mir Cup champions Al Sadd yesterday signed feared Alge- best friend in rian striker Baghdad Bounedjah to a new the paddocks, Efour-year deal, just hours after the football giants convinced defender Khoukhi Boualem to says Rossi finalise a fresh contract. Bounedjah, 26, was instru- Agencies mental in Al Sadd winning two trophies in the 2016-17 season ine-time World Champion that ended last Friday. Valentino Rossi yesterday The Algerian star will stay Npaid tribute to former at Al Sadd until the 2021 sea- MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden who son. In a post on the club died on Monday after injuries sus- Qatari international defender Khoukhi Boualem (third left) poses for a photograph, website, Bounedjah was seen tained in a cycling crash in Italy a signing the new deal in the holding the Al Sadd jersey with club officials after signing a two-year deal with the few days ago. presence of Al Sadd football Emir Cup champions on Monday. LEFT: Al Sadd's Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah The popular American rider officials. signs a new four-year deal at the club premises on Monday. died at a clinic in northern Italy In a spectacular perform- from injuries sustained when he ance, Bounedjah scored Al the football season, Bounedjah national team defender Al Sadd officials, General "It is a huge honour for was run over by a car in the Sadd's four goals in their 4-0 has speed and stamina that Boualem to a new two-year Manager Turki Al Ali and head any player to don the white coastal city of Rimini. quarter-final win over Al makes him stand out against contract. of football Mohammed Ghanem jersey of the Wolves and I am The 2006 MotoGP champion Kharaitiyat in the Emir Cup his peers in the Qatar Stars The contract was signed at Al Ali were present when happy with this deal," was in an intensive care unit at earlier this month. Bounedjah League (QSL). Al Sadd headquarters on Mon- Boualem, 26, signed the deal. Boualem said. Maurizio Bufalini hospital with also played a key role in Al The feisty forward scored day evening, just two days after Boualem, who was with Al "I am very happy to play multiple traumas for five days Sadd's Qatar Cup victory late 23 goals for Al Sadd this coach Ferreira hinted at major Arabi in the past season, was a at Al Sadd. I hope I can impress before he died. last month. season. signings as his side mounts a key figure in Qatar coach Djamel the management and the fans "Nicky is one of the best A key performer for coach Earlier on Monday, Al Sadd challenge to win the QSL title Belmadi's side that won the 2014 in the upcoming period," he friends I have had in the paddock. Jesualdo Ferreira throughout confirmed the signing of Qatar next season. Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia. added. We were teammates in his rookie year in 2003, when he was a young guy making his debut in his first European experience," Rossi said in a post on motogp.com. Lekhwiya and Persepolis share spoils in Tehran "That season ended with the World Championship for me and with his first visit to the podium, Armstrong Vas at Phillip Island. After a few years The Peninsula we fought for the title down to the last race in Valencia and, unfor- atar Stars League cham- tunately for me, he won and pions Lekhwiya held became MotoGP World Q Persepolis to a goalless Champion." draw in their first leg of the "After the race we shook Round 16 away match of the hands and hugged. Later we were AFC Champions League at again teammates during the dif- Azadi Stadium, Tehran ficult years at Ducati, when yesterday. sometimes we would fight right The Iranian club, playing down to the wire, maybe to get the at home behind closed doors, last place in the top five," Rossi wasted a spot kick in the 83rd added. minute as Mehdi Taremi’s pen- "Nicky often came to the alty found an alert Qasem Ranch, where it was always spec- Burhan blocking the right tacular to watch him and try to footed effort much to the steal some of his secrets when we delight of the Lekhwiya bench. were battling, because he's one of The two teams will clash in the fastest flattrackers in the world the return match at Jassim Bin and before moving onto asphalt Hamad Stadium in Doha on he won some of the biggest Amer- May 30. ican flat track races like the Peoria Persepolis FC tested the Lekhwiya's Ahmed TT. visitors with a threatening Yasser (left) vies for the "But the best memory I have move in the fourth miss as Far- ball possession against of him is when he came to shake shad Ahmadzadeh left footed Persepolis' Mehdi Taremi my hand after the unfortunate shot from outside the box went during their AFC Champions race in Valencia in 2015, on the high and wide off a move League match played at lap of honour. started by Vahid Amiri. the Azadi Stadium in Tehran "For him it was a goodbye to Two minutes later, the yesterday. MotoGP, and I had just lost the hosts again got their attacking World Championship. His look of act together with Mehdi Tare- support from inside his helmet is mi’s header from the centre of Persepolis earned a number of time with Vahid Amiri's Persepolis kept the marauding later Vahid Amiri's left footed one of the few positive memories the box missing the mark of a free kicks but nothing came out defense splitting the rival Lekhwiya pack away. shot from very close range I have from that day. Forza Nicky, cross from Hossein Mahini. of them. defense with a through ball but Karim Boudiaf's right found an alert Burhan. we're all with you," Rossi recalled. Lekhwiya did not lag Lekhwiya continued to Taremi was caught offside. footed shot from the centre of At the other end Luiz’s right behind and almost struck a press for the midfield suprem- Persepolis started the sec- the box was saved in the cen- footed shot from outside the quarter into the match, but Luiz acy and were able to make ond session in the same way tre of the goal off a move box found an alert Persepolis Martin Carlos Junior hit the left deep inroads in the rival they did earlier, testing started by Tae-hee. keeper who deflected it away post off a move started by Nam defence. Lekhwiya with a couple of Thereafter, both the teams to safety. Tae-hee. A minute later, Luiz Lekhwiya midfielder Tae- threatening moves. created a number of openings The match tended to get out set up Youssef Msakni with a hee, who worked tirelessly Two minutes into the sec- but failed to get one past the of hand and the referee reached through, but the later was for the visitors, unleashed a ond session, Mohsen goalkeeper. out to show the yellow cards to caught off side. right footed shot from the Mosalman's left footed shot In the last five minutes, two Lekhwiya players within a Ten minutes later, Msakni centre of the box, after being from outside the box missed Persepolis went all out in search span of four minutes, Ismail was again in the thick of action set up by Ali Hassan Afif, but the target. of the match winner and during Mohammad in the 58th minute as his right footed shot from ended up shooting over the Two minutes later, Mosal- this period Lekhwiya defense and in the 62nd minute for outside the box found an alert cross bar. man again tested the rival stood the test with aplomb. Mohammed Musa. Persepolis keeper blocking the Persepolis pressed the defense but luck was not on his First, Farshad Ahmadzadeh Seyed Jalal Hosseini of Valentino effort. panic buttons in the Lekhwiya side. header from the right side of Persepolis was also shown the Rossi Both Lekhwiya and defense at the stroke of half In the 57th minute, the six-yard box went high and yellow card in injury time. SPORT WEDNESDAY 24 MAY 2017 25 Predators down Ducks Al Shaqab Racing’s Almaa 6-3 to book a place wins Prix Nefta in Toulouse in Stanley Cup finals Miami Nashville will play either the Toulouse, France Reuters Ottawa Senators or the Pitts- The Peninsula burgh Penguins in the finals, olton Sissons' third goal starting May 29 in the Eastern l Shaqab Racing’s Almaa of the game at 14:00 of Conference venue. (Amer) won the Prix Cthe third period broke a The defending NHL cham- ANefta (Gr2 PA), her sec- tie and led the Predators to a pion Penguins lead that ond Group success, at 6-3 win over the Anaheim best-of-seven series 3-2. It is the Toulouse, France on Monday. Ducks on Monday as Nashville third different team Nashville The Thomas Fourcy- clinched their first trip to the coach Peter Laviolette will take trained filly cantered in third Stanley Cup finals. to the Cup finals. He won the title position, behind Diva du Paon With the score ties at 3-3, with the Carolina Hurricanes in (Munjiz), in the lead, and Naziq Sissons ripped home a one- 2006 and lost with the Philadel- (Mahabb).