RUGBY| Page 6 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 10 All Blacks England crush Boks teen Hameed To Advertise here to claim title ready for Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 in style Test debut Sunday, September 18, 2016 LA LIGA Dhul-Hijja 16, 1437 AH Messi double GULF TIMES leads fi ve-star Barca past Leganes SPORT Page 3 FOOTBALL/QSL Big guns Rayyan, Lekhwiya post emphatic QSL victories TABATA RECORDS FIRST HAT-TRICK OF THE SEASON AS DEFENDING CHAMPS THRASH AL SHAHANIA By Sports Reporter The closest Al Shahania came to Doha Al Rayyan’s Rodrigo Tabata (C) in action against scoring was in the thirty seventh Al Shahania in the Qatar Stars League yesterday. minute when Algerian attacker Mohamed Tiaïba headed in the ormer Qatar Stars League ball towards the goal from a cross. Player of the Season Rodrigo However, Rayyan keeper, Saud Tabata scored a fi ne hat-trick al-Hajiri was quick on his feet to Fas reigning champions Al make the save Rayyan recorded a convincing 3-0 win over newly promoted Al Shahania yes- “It was important for us to get the terday. ball rolling with a victory under your Al Rayyan appeared a bit rusty but belt,” added the Uruguayan whose Jorge Fossati’s men still enjoyed most side won the tournament with several of the possession although it took them games to spare last season. 30 minutes to get on the score sheet. In the second match yesterday, Le- Tabata was fouled in the box and khwiya stamped their class with a the Brazilian made no mistake from comprehensive 4-0 win over Muaith- the spot to confi dently place the ball er. Four time champions Lekhwiya in the top right corner to give his side dominated thoroughly and gave a the lead. master class to minnows Muaither The closest Al Shahania came to who were promoted to the QSL. scoring was in the thirty seventh Lekhwiya’s summer signing, Yousef minute when Algerian attacker Mo- al-Arabi, opened the scoring on the hamed Tiaïba headed in the ball to- 10th minute. Nam Tae Hee lured the wards the goal from a cross. However, defenders towards him, set up the Rayyan keeper, Saud al-Hajiri was Moroccan inside the box and al-Arabi quick on his feet to make the save. blasted the ball into the net with his In the second half, Tabata grabbed left foot. his and Al Rayyan’s second of the Moez Ali doubled Lekhwiya’s lead in evening on the 58th minute. The Qa- the 34th minute. The Qatari youngster tari international calmly slid the ball tapped in the ball from close range get- into net after receiving an accurate ting on the end of Khalid Muftah’s low cross in the box from team mate Sergio cross. Garcia. In the 66th minute Ali Afi f made it Al Shahania’s evening went from 3-0 as his curving shot found the top bad from bad to worse after captain left corner. The Qatari attacker re- Alvaro Mejia was given his marching ceived a pass inside the box and cut the orders after fouling Rayyan midfi elder ball to his favoured right foot before Ahmed Alaaeldin. curving the ball past Basil Zidan in the In injury time, Tabata completed his Muaither goal. hat trick with a long distance strike, Muaither’s search for a consolation bending the ball into the net to make goal was fruitless as Uruguayan mid- it three points on the night for the fi elder Matias Mier’s curling shot the ball champions. went well wide late in the second half. “It’s great to start the season with a Substitute Mohamed Muntari’s big win against whatever opposition leaping header found the back of the you are playing,” said Al Rayyan coach net in the 78th minute to make it 4 - 0 Fossati. for The Red Knights. EPL Man City power on, Slimani lift s Leicester AFP gna, Gael Clichy, Iheanacho and Nolito Results and Standings London coming in. Jack Wilshere, on loan from Arsenal, Everton ...................................3 Middlesbrough ....1 11 Middlesbrough 5 1 2 2 5 7 5 made his fi rst Bournemouth start, but it Hull City .................................1 Arsenal ........................4 12 Watford 4 1 1 2 7 8 4 evin De Bruyne, Raheem Ster- was to prove an afternoon to forget for Leicester City ..................3 Burnley ........................0 13 Crystal Palace 4 1 1 2 3 4 4 ling and Kelechi Iheanacho the England international. Manchester City .........4 Bournemouth0 14 Swansea City 4 1 1 2 4 6 4 shone as Manchester City He gave away the free-kick that led West B lbion ...................4 West Ham United 15 Burnley 5 1 1 3 3 8 4 Kcrushed Bournemouth 4-0 to City’s 15th-minute opener, De Bru- 2 16 Bournemouth5 1 1 3 3 9 4 yesterday to preserve their lead at the yne cleverly stroking the set-piece Friday 17 West Ham Utd 5 1 0 4 7 13 3 Premier League summit. beneath the jumping wall and into the Chelsea ....................................1 Liver pool ..................2 18 Southampton 4 0 2 2 3 6 2 League debutant Ilkay Gundogan bottom corner. 19 Sunderland 4 0 1 3 3 8 1 also found the net for Pep Guardiola’s The Belgian was involved in the Standings 20 Stoke City 4 0 1 3 2 10 1 City, who have made their best ever hosts’ second goal 10 minutes later, 1-3: Champions League / EC I start to a season with eight consecutive moving Nolito’s pass on to Sterling, P W D L F A Pts 4: Champions League preliminary wins in all competitions. who unselfi shly teed up Iheanacho — 1 Man. City 5 5 0 0 15 4 15 round Everton climbed to second by beating deputising for the suspended Sergio 2 Everton 5 4 1 0 10 3 13 5: Europa League Middlesbrough, while Islam Slimani Aguero — to score. 3 Arsenal 5 3 1 1 12 7 10 6-7: Europa League depending on scored twice on his fi rst league start Sterling added a third early in the 4 Chelsea 5 3 1 1 10 6 10 domestic cup 18-20: Relegation as champions Leicester City downed second half, squeezing a shot over the 5 Liverpool 5 3 1 1 11 8 10 Next Fixtures (GMT): Burnley 3-0 and Arsenal won 4-1 at line after Iheanacho had returned the 6 Man. Utd 4 3 0 1 7 3 9 Today: Watford v Manchester United Hull City. favour, before De Bruyne set up Gun- 7 Tott Hotspur 4 2 2 0 7 2 8 (1100) Crystal Palace v Stoke City “Our high pressing was not perfect dogan for City’s fourth. 8 W B Albion 5 2 1 2 6 5 7 (1315) Southampton v Swansea City today. We had problems with control- The only disappointment for Guar- 9 Leicester City 5 2 1 2 7 7 7 (1315) Tottenham Hotspur v Sunder- ling the Bournemouth build-up, but we diola was the late dismissal of Spanish 10 Hull City 5 2 1 2 6 7 7 land (1530) created a lot of counter-attacks,” said forward Nolito for leaning his head into City manager Guardiola, who lost No- Adam Smith’s face. lito to a late red card. Everton remain two points back in varo Negredo. ward Alexis Sanchez scored twice and “We are so lucky that we have Kevin second place after Ronald Koeman’s But Gareth Barry marked his 600th squandered a penalty in their success De Bruyne with us. It was a fantastic side came from behind to beat Mid- Premier League appearance with an at Hull. performance.” dlesbrough 3-1 at Goodison Park. equaliser while Seamus Coleman and Sanchez claimed Arsenal’s fi rst goal Guardiola made four changes to Boro took a 21st-minute lead when Romelu Lukaku completed the come- when Alex Iwobi’s shot fl icked off him and the team that had outclassed Borussia Manchester City’s Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo (C) punches the ball during Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelen- back before half-time. into the net, only to then see his spot-kick Moenchengladbach in the Champions the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Bourne- burg palmed George Friend’s cross into Arsenal stand three points below saved by Eldin Jakupovic after Jake Liver- League on Wednesday, with Bacary Sa- mouth at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, yesterday. his own net as he was challenged by Al- Everton in third place after Chilean for- more had been sent off for handball. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, September 18, 2016 FOOTBALL PREMIER LEAGUE Rangers slump continues Klopp shies away from with Ross draw Glasgow: A Rangers side without outcast Joey Barton failed to bounce back from their 5-1 humbling by bitter Liverpool title talk rivals Celtic last weekend as they could only draw 0-0 in the Scottish Premiership Lovren and Henderson’s strikes earn Liverpool impressive victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Rangers’ English manager Mark Warburton AFP can expect little sympathy London from the Scottish press — who he had labelled as nega- tive after the criticism he and iverpool manager Jurgen Klopp refused to the team got following the countenance the suggestion his side might drubbing by Celtic — after a be Premier League title contenders follow- woeful performance at home ing their impressive 2-1 victory at Chel- to Ross County. Lsea. Dejan Lovren’s close-range volley and Jordan The hosts — shorn of Henderson’s sublime 25-yard curler earned Liv- English midfielder Barton erpool victory at Stamford Bridge on Friday, with after he clashed with a team- Diego Costa replying for the home side.