MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2019 15

BBK junior tennis ends today TDT | Manama Messi penalty lifts Barca he final matches and Tthe closing ceremony of 24th BBK Juniors Open Griezmann overtakes Torres on Atletico Madrid’s top-scorer list as they beat Rayo Tennis Championship 2019, held under the patronage of Reyadh Sater (BBK’s Chief Barcelona beat Executive) and organized • by Bahrain Tennis Club, will Valladolid to go seven be held today. points clear in Spain The final in the Unisex Under 8 Category between AFP | Madrid 130 Mohamed Al Khadem (KSA) goals have been scored and Isak Texmo (SWE) will by Antoine Griezmann be held at 4pm at Mini ionel Messi scored a pen- for Atletico Madrid Court. The Under 14 Boys alty and missed another as Singles Final will also be LLa Liga leaders Barcelona held at the same time. ground out an unconvincing 1-0 The final in the Unisex win over Real Valladolid, while Under 10 between Hashim Antoine Griezmann surpassed Griezmann struck for the Al Tobli (BRN) and Ahmed Fernando Torres with his 130th tenth time in his last 11 outings, Al Sayed(BRN) will be held goal for Atletico Madrid. forcing home from six yards on at Center Court at 5pm. Messi’s fitness was again in 74 minutes after Alvaro Morata the spotlight on Saturday after laid off a high, looping ball in- a niggling thigh strain in recent side the area. weeks, but he completed the full “Griezmann is an extraordi- Umtiti set for return 90 minutes at the Camp Nou and nary player, he always adapts to against Lyon hit the 30-goal mark at Barcelo- what the team needs. He’s very na for the 11th straight season. important for us,” Atletico coach AFP | Barcelona The Argentine coolly dis - Diego Simeone said. patched a spot-kick just be - Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi shots a penalty kick The late Luis Aragones, who amuel Umtiti is set to fore half-time, drilling beyond coached Spain to the Europe- Smake his long-await- the reach of Jordi Masip after then blew the chance to kill off today. The only good thing is ond-half winner in Atletico’s an Championship title in 2008, ed return from injury af - Gerard Pique was bundled to the Valladolid when Masip kept out the victory,” Pique, who made 1-0 victory at neighbours Rayo is Atletico’s record goalscorer ter Barcelona named him ground by Valladolid midfielder his second penalty of the night his 300th appearance in La Liga Vallecano to provide a timely with 172. in the squad yesterday to Michel. -- awarded following a trip on told Movistar. boost going into next week’s “It’s always tough at this sta- face Lyon in the Champions Masip brilliantly tipped over Philippe Coutinho. “Getting back on track with showdown with Cristiano Ron- dium. We started off well and League. a Messi volley soon after the The excellent Masip alert- three points is important after aldo and Juventus. we had chances in the first 15 A knee problem has interval and Luis Suarez wasted ly gathered Messi’s follow-up two draws in the league. But we The French forward sur - minutes such as Saul’s header, caused Umtiti to play only a huge opportunity to double header and again denied Suarez definitely have to improve. We passed Torres -- now playing but then they improved,” Sim- once in almost five months the lead shortly after replacing late on as Barca pulled seven have to be better on Tuesday for Sagan Tosu in Japan -- for eone added. but the defender resumed Kevin-Prince Boateng with an points clear of Atletico ahead of otherwise we’ll have a tough fifth all-time on the Atletico “Our second half substitu - training at the end of Jan- hour gone. their trip to Lyon in the Cham- time.” goalscoring charts as they shook tions gave us more offensive uary and has been included Messi found himself booked pions League last 16. off two successive defeats, in- strength and that allowed us to in Barca’s squad for the trip for dissent after an apparent foul “We haven’t played well. The ‘Extraordinary player’ cluding last week’s 3-1 loss at get our goal. It was a very tough to Lyon on Tuesday. on him went unpunished, and he truth is it wasn’t a good match Griezmann scored a sec - home to Real Madrid. match.” Umtiti is unlikely to start the first leg against his for- mer club but his availability is a plus for coach Ernesto Schnur’s dream run continues, Opelka outguns Isner Valverde, with difficult fix- Neymar’s father denies any tures to come. contact with Barca over return AFP | Manama World number 49 Querrey, After Lyon, Barcelona 31, was in his first ATP semi-fi- face a trip to Sevilla in La AFP | Paris anadian qualifier Brayden nal since last year in New York, Liga before two Clasicos in CSchnur punched his ticket when he lost to South African four days, the first in the eymar’s father reiterated to the ATP New York Open final Kevin Anderson in the final. Copa del Rey and the sec- Nyesterday that there has There are two people by outlasting US journeyman Schnur denied Querrey’s ond in the league, both at been no attempt to contact who speak for Sam Querrey 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 6-3 first four break chances on set the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona over a possible re- on Saturday. points in the 10th game then turn to Spain for the world’s Neymar: himself and Schnur, a 23-year-old from held to 5-5 on his fifth ace of most expensive player. me. Neither of us has Montreal ranked 154th in the the match as they battled into Neymar joined Paris spoken about this world, defeated 10-time ATP ti- a tie-breaker. Cardiff considering Saint-Germain for a world re- intention to return tle-winner Querrey in one hour Sam Querrey hits a return Querrey double faulted to 4-4 legal action against cord fee of 222 million euros to Barcelona and 54 minutes in the semi-fi- set a Tour record for the most and Schnur grabbed three set Nantes over Sala ($251 million) in August 2017 NEYMAR SR nals. combined aces in a three set points before finally breaking but has repeatedly been linked He will try to complete a match with 81. The previous re- through to claim the first set ‘negligence’ with a move back to Barcelona. ons League quarter-final. fairy-tale championship run cord was 71 set by Nick Kyrgios after 53 minutes. “Barca are a huge club, we The French club hold a 2-0 yesterday against American and Ryan Harrison earlier this Schnur broke Querrey in the AFP | London were very happy over there,” lead over Manchester United Reilly Opelka, who outgunned year in Brisbane. second game of the second set Neymar Sr told TF1 yesterday. ahead of the return leg at the top seed John Isner in three Schnur, the last alternate in on the way to a 3-0 lead, but the ardiff City could launch “It’s impossible to leave a play- Parc des Princes in their last- sets 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (16/14), 7-6 the qualifying draw, had been US veteran roared back to win Ca negligence claim er like him out of these (trans- 16 tie. (7/4) in the other semi-final. winless in five career tour-level six of the next seven games and against Nantes as soon as fer market) rumours. But it’s Neymar Sr also called on ref- The all-American showdown matches. force a third set. next week if an official re- a lie, there hasn’t been a call erees in France to offer his son port finds Emiliano Sala with Barca.” more protection. was flown to his death by “There are two people who “It’s not the French league a pilot who did not have speak for Neymar: himself and that is the prob- the correct licence, ac - me. Neither of us has spoken lem, it’s the BIC joins in on Sports Day festivities cording to Britain’s Sunday about this intention to return referees who Telegraph. to Barcelona,” he added. must protect TDT | Manama Premier League side “These rumours the play- Cardiff already find them- amuse us a lot. These ers,” he ahrain International Circuit selves involved in a legal journalists are fun- said. B(BIC) took part in Bahrain’s dispute with French side ny. The future is National Sports Day festivities Nantes over whether they in Paris, the pres- last week. are contractually obliged to ent is in Paris.” BIC hosted several activities pay a transfer fee for the Ar- Neymar Sr took to social at its Sakhir premises to mark gentinian striker, who died media last month to brand a the occasion. Dozens of staff without playing a game for report in Spain which claimed members and guests took part. the Welsh side. he had begged Barca to re- For women, the activities in- Sala had signed for Car- sign his son from PSG as “fake cluded yoga, cycling, a mara- diff for a club record £15 news”. thon, and a walkathon. million ($19 million) and The Brazilian forward is Meanwhile, held in cooper- was flying to his new team currently on the sidelines after ation with the Bahrain Motor from former side Nantes in Participants ride cycles at the BIC he was ruled out for 10 weeks Fed- eration, there was also France when his plane went with a metatarsal injury suf- plenty of action in cuit. such an event on the second missing over the Channel on fered in a French Cup win over Autocross held at Bahrain’s National Sports week of February in all GCC January 21. Strasbourg on January 23. BIC’s car park, Day was organised by various countries. The wreckage was locat- PSG hope the 27-year-old, as well as in sporting institutions across the Bahrain’s National Sports ed on the seabed. Sala’s body who suffered a fracture to the karting at nation in compliance with the Day is now held every year was recovered but pilot Da- same right foot at the end of Bahrain In- decision of the Presidents of and spearheaded by the BOC, vid Ibbotson is still missing. February last year, will be back Neymar ternational National Olympics Committees it seeks to activate the noble The aircraft remains under in time for a potential Champi- Karting Cir- in the GCC, who agreed to hold Olympic principles. the sea.