FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 2 RRUGBYUGBY | Page 6 Super Sturridge South Africa grabs point for scrape 23-12 Reds against victory over Blues Australia Sunday, September 30, 2018 GOLF Moharram 20, 1440 AH Fleetwood, Molinari GULF TIMES keep Europe on track at Ryder Cup SPORT Page 4 ACBS ASIAN TOUR 10 RED CHAMPIONSHIP Pakistan’s Bilal shines in maiden international win 33-year-old beats Irishman Brendan O’Donoghue 6-1 in the inaugural Asian Tour 10 Red event By Mikhil Bhat Doha t seemed Pakistan’s Moham- ed Bilal could do no wrong on the green baize last evening. Bank shots? Check. Com- Ibination shots? Check. He even had a swagger while he walked around the table lining up his shots at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall for the 1st ACBS Asian Tour 10 Red Championship fi nal yesterday. And some passionate fan sup- port only added to the fl avour. Bilal reached his second tour- nament fi nal this week after winning the last frame of the thrilling semi-fi nal against Hong Kong teenager Cheung Ka Wai. The last-four stage match was a repeat of Tuesday’s Asian 6 Red semi-fi nal, which Bilal had won 6-4. In the money match yesterday, the 33-year-old gave his Irish opponent Brendan O’Donoghue no opportunity past the second Pakistan’s Mohamed Bilal kisses the winner’s trophy after winning the frame, notching his fi rst interna- 1st ACBS Asian Tour 10 Red Championship at the Qatar Biliards and tional tournament win 6-1 for a Snooker Federation Hall yesterday. USD 12,000 winner’s cheque and a glittering trophy. Tour. was just too good this afternoon. “When I played the Asian 6 However, having leveled the fi - “Maybe I could have beat him Red fi nal (earlier this week), I nal at 1-1 after the second frame, this morning,” O’Donoghue somehow could see getting into he had “no real answer”. laughed. my game then itself,” Bilal told Pakistan’s Mohamed Bilal (back, left), winner of the 1st ACBS Asian Tour 10 Red Championship, and Ireland’s Brendan O’Donoghue (back, right), “I lost a bad fi rst frame, 27-27, Both the players are looking Gulf Times yesterday. runner-up of the competition, pose with International Billiards and Snooker Federation president Mubarak al-Khayarin (right), Qatar Billiards and and missed a yellow, and then forward to the other two tourna- “That gave me confi dence for Snooker Federation president Mohammed Mubarak al-Ramzani (fifth from left) and other off icials yesterday. PICTURES: Ram Chand the rest…,” he said after the fi nal. ments — China and India — in this tournament. Reaching the “But he did play a good shot, fair the inaugural Asian tour. semis was another confi dence- against the Irish player (in the the balls were going. So all thanks Bilal had come close ear- O’Donoghue had lost only four enough. “That’s the plan,” O’Donoghue booster for me, winning it in the fi nal), I was ready to put every- to God, it all went the way I had lier this week in the Asian 6 Red frames in his campaign on the “Then I won the second frame, said. fi nal frame. It was a close game, thing I know into the game, and thought. Championship but had missed way to the fi nal. Yesterday morn- after being almost 40 down, and Bilal added, “God-willing I he (Cheung) gave me a tough play with focus. I tried and God “I have reached fi nals and out on his maiden international ing, the 35-year-old blanked In- I thought alright, I am back in the shall play the next two tourna- time. But I was confi dent of win- made me successful. semi-fi nals on many occasions title after losing out to Thailand’s dia’s 19-time world champion game. But he played really well ments in China and India too. I ning. “I was playing with a lot of before but this was my fi rst inter- Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon 3-7 Pankaj Advani 5-0 for a shot at after that, I had no real answer. want to go to India. There are nice “Knowing that I was up focus, and I could just see where national win.” in the fi nal. the fi rst leg of the inaugural Asian There was nothing I could do. He people there.” FOOTBALL Perfect PSG brush aside Nice to equal Ligue 1 record AFP Nice, France aris Saint-Germain cruised to a 3-0 victory at Nice yesterday to equal the record of victories Pfrom the start of a French top divi- sion season. Neymar, who ended the game with a bloodied mouth, scored twice as PSG opened the season with eight straight wins, a feat that Nice coach had only been achieved once, by Patrick Vieira Lille in 1936. With 24 points, PSG, chasing a pletely missed his shot. The ball popped it into the goal. sixth French title in seven seasons, was retrieved by Moussa Diaby Nice fi nished the game with 10 are sure to end the weekend at least who rolled it to Neymar and the men. Wylan Cyprien, a fi rst-half eight points clear of their closest Brazilian curled his shot into the substitute, earned a second yellow challengers. net from 22 metres. for whacking Neymar in the face PSG have lost this season, in PSG wasted several chances with an elbow while leaping for a the Champions League, and with before half-time and in the 44th header. Cyprien went off , Neymar Red Star Belgrade visiting Parc des minute Mbappe set up Neymar, continued, holding a bandage to Princes on Wednesday, coach Tho- who netted from close range only his bleeding mouth. mas Tuchel left Marco Verratti and for VAR to show a marginal off side. In the dying seconds, Mbappe Edinson Cavani on the bench and Nice coach Patrick Vieira threw again burst clear and squared the also experimented again with a back on Mario Balotelli for the second ball to Neymar who tapped in his three. His team still dominated. half, but any hopes of a fi ghtback second. Nice goalkeeper Walter Beni- were quickly punctured. tez turned away early eff orts from A minute after the restart, Di Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian Adrien Rabiot and Kylian Mbappe. Maria released Mbappe who raced forward Neymar (centre) is Then Angel di Maria hit a post. through the visiting defence and congratulated by teammate In the 22nd minute, Christopher evaded Benitez and one defender. Marquinhos and others after Nkunku surged down the right and When his shot struck another Nice scoring a goal during the match slid the ball to Mbappe, who com- player, the ball fell to Nkunku who against Nice yesterday. (AFP) Gulf Times 2 Sunday, September 30, 2018 FOOTBALL EPL SERIE A Ronaldo sets up all three goals as Super Sturridge Juve beat Napoli Reuters Turin ristiano Ronaldo was grabs point for involved in all three of his team’s goals as lead- ers Juventus came from Cbehind to beat 10-man Napoli 3-1 in a Serie A top-of-the-table clash on Saturday to maintain their perfect start to the season. Dries Mertens gave Napoli an Reds against Blues early lead before Ronaldo pro- vided a pinpoint cross for Mand- Sturridge’s late intervention means they move level on points with Man City at the zukic to head in the equaliser and then set up an easy second for the top of the table ahead of a huge clash between the two at Anfield next weekend Croat when his shot hit the post. Ronaldo’s goalbound header also provided the third Juve goal followed up to turn the rebound for Leonardo Bonucci after Na- into the net. poli had left back Mario Rui sent Mario Rui was sent off for a off for a petulant kick at Paulo second bookable off ence after Dybala. aiming a kick at Dybala and, al- Earlier, AS Roma upset the though it seemed a fair decision, form book with a 3-1 derby win the Napoli players were enraged over neighbours Lazio who had by the Argentine’s theatrical re- won their last fi ve games in all action. competitions. Napoli threatened an equal- Leaders Juventus, aiming for iser when Callejon got through an eighth title in a row, have 21 but his shot was blocked by points from seven games, six Wojciech Szczesny and Bonucci clear of last season’s runners-up wrapped up the game, tapping in Napoli. Ronaldo’s header at the far post Piotr Zielinski fi red against the following a corner in the 75th post after six minutes as Napoli minute. made a bright start and they were Ronaldo could have had a goal rewarded four minutes later. himself but fi red a shot into the Bonucci’s risky diagonal ball side-netting after getting clear out of defence was intercepted of the defence. by Allan who quickly found Jose Rome overcame their poor Callejon and the Spaniard laid start to the season by beating the ball off for Mertens to tap in. Lazio for the seventh time in Juventus needed a piece of Ro- their last nine meetings. naldo brilliance to get back into Lorenzo Pellegrini back- the game in the 26th minute. The heeled Roma ahead on the stroke Portuguese twisted and turned of halftime, shortly after replac- past Elseid Hysaj and then ing the injured Javier Pastore. dropped a perfect cross onto the But an awful mistake by Roma head of Mandzukic who powered defender Federico Fazio allowed a downward eff ort past David Lazio back into the match.