STRIKE FORCE FACES ULTIMATE TEST Madrid Have Pumped in 32 Goals in 12 Games in the Competition, but Face the Unbeaten Italians for the Coveted Trophy
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GGOLFOLF | Page 4 CRICKET | Page 7 Tiger’s image Pakistan’s Azhar takes hit but Ali says India sponsors likely clash ‘just to stay: experts another game’ Friday, June 2, 2017 TENNIS Ramadan 7, 1438 AH Murray battles past GULF TIMES Klizan to set up Del Potro blockbuster SPORT Page 3 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REAL STRIKE FORCE FACES ULTIMATE TEST Madrid have pumped in 32 goals in 12 games in the competition, but face the unbeaten Italians for the coveted trophy Reuters Cristiano Ronaldo, whose lust for goals side, Serie A title winners Juventus are pushes me on.” Cardiff has taken Los Blancos to within touch- LAST 10 CHAMPIONS MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE/ unbeaten in Europe this season and are While Buff on bleeds black and white ing distance of a 12th European title LEAGUE FINALS CUP WINNERS going to their second fi nal in three years stripes, teammates Sami Khedira and after they took their 11th a year ago by 2007 AC Milan 2 Liverpool 1 11 Real Madrid (1956, 57, 58, 59, 60, having conceded only three goals. Gonzalo Higuain once played for Real. eal Madrid’s irresistible attack beating Atletico Madrid. 2008 Manchester Utd 1 Chelsea 1 66, 98, 00, 02, 14, 16) Only Arsenal, in 2005-06, reached Khedira conquered Europe with Real in slams into Juventus’s seem- Arrigo Sacchi’s great Milan side were (Manchester win 6-5 on penalties) 7 AC Milan (1963, 69, 89, 90, 94, 03, 07) the fi nal in more miserly fashion, con- 2014 but never really cut it at the Berna- ingly immovable defence to- the last to be crowned European cham- 2009 Barcelona 2 Manchester Utd 0 5 Bayern Munich (1974, 75, 76, 01, 13) ceding two goals before falling at the beu, while Higuain, despite scoring more morrow when the free-scoring pions for a second year running in 1990, 2010 Inter Milan 2 Bayern Munich 0 5 Barcelona (92, 06, 09, 11, 15) fi nal hurdle against Barcelona. than 100 goals for the club, is still looking RSpanish aristocrats hope to become the but since the competition morphed No wonder Buff on, aged 39, looks for a Champions League medal. 2011 Barcelona 3 Manchester Utd 1 5 Liverpool (1977, 78, 81, 84, 05) fi rst club to win the Champions League into the Champions League that feat 2012 Chelsea 1 Bayern Munich 1 4 Ajax (1971, 72, 73, 95) like he could play forever, such is the They will be spurred on by facing in successive seasons. has proved beyond even the most ex- (Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties) 3 Inter Milan (1964, 65, 10) strength of the defence Juve manager their old club while former Barca full Cardiff ’s iconic Millennium Stadium pensively assembled teams. 2013 Bayern Munich 2 B Dortmund 1 3 Manchester United (1968, 99, 08) Massimiliano Allegri has erected and back Dani Alves, will not want for moti- provides a fi tting venue for a mouthwa- Real, crowned La Liga champions for 2014 Real Madrid 4 Atletico Madrid 1 2 Juventus (1985, 96) which Barcelona’s Gerard Pique de- vation as they seek to end Juve’s 21-year tering fi nal full of delicious sub-plots, the fi rst time since 2012 last week, are the 2015 Barcelona 3 Juventus 1 2 Benfica (1961, 62) scribed as a “mountain” after their wait for the title. one of which could see Welsh wizard favourites after banging in 32 goals in 12 2016 Real Madrid 1 Atletico Madrid 1 2 Nottingham Forest (1979, 80) quarter-fi nal loss. Sadly for Bale, his role in this fairy- Gareth Bale make a triumphant return games in the competition this season. (Real win 5-3 on penalties) 2 Porto (1987, 04) A 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, tale fi nal looks like being of the cameo to the valleys of his birth. Ronaldo has scored 10 of them, and for whom he remains fi rst-choice keep- variety as he has yet to fully recover Others include Juve keeper Gianluigi two more in the fi nal would see him er, Juve’s grand old man Buff on craves a from the ankle ligament injury he in- Buff on potentially becoming the oldest move above Barcelona’s Lionel Messi have to prove our character and who a great game and we are going to win.” Champions League medal to add to his curred in November. player to lift the trophy or Real coach to top this season’s Champions League is the best,” Ronaldo said this week as He is not wrong about the goals: No glittering array of silverware after twice Livewire Isco is likely to get the nod Zinedine Zidane, twice a Champions scoring chart. The irrepressible Portu- he eyed a third Champions League tri- Champions League fi nal has ended suff ering heartache in the fi nal. in Zidane’s starting line-up, but if the League runner-up with Juve, contriv- guese is the only player to have scored umph with Real to add to the one he se- goalless since Milan beat Juve on pen- “If I’d already won the Champions scriptwriters get their way, the local ing to break the hearts of those who more than 100 goals in the competition. cured with Manchester United in 2008. alties in 2003. League I’d be drained,” he said in a re- boy will come off the bench to spark once idolised him. But he still appears to want more. “The fi nal is won by scoring goals. I Yet while Ronaldo’s infectious con- cent interview. a fi esta the likes of which Cardiff has Centre stage, as he so often is, will be “Too much humility isn’t good. We have the feeling that we are going to play fi dence will sweep through Zidane’s “The fact that I’m still to win it never seen before. FOCUS SPOTLIGHT Buff on deserves CL title, says Xavi Ronaldo bears down on wo years ago, Xavi Hernandez was pressed by the passion for football in the Messi as Ballon d’Or in play the captain as his beloved Barcelona country and across the region. side lifted the Champions League “I was taken by surprise by how much pas- trophy in Berlin against Juventus. sion for football there is in the region. I knew AFP haven’t broken so many records by accident. TAhead of this year’s fi nal, and after lifting two that they love football, but I didn’t realise to That’s not an obsession for me, but I do like Madrid trophies with Al Sadd in Qatar this year, the what extent. I have been to Jordan for exam- breaking them.” Catalan has made it clear that he would like ple, with Generation Amazing, and they re- Ronaldo has already added his name to more to see the Italians emerging winners to crown ceived me like a national hero. What I experi- ristiano Ronaldo heads to tomorrow’s record books during this season’s Champions the remarkable career of goal-keeping legend enced there I have never seen in any country Champions League fi nal against Ju- League. His hat-trick against Bayern Munich Gianluigi Buff on in Cardiff . in Europe. The passion and the excitement ventus on the brink of realising a burn- in the quarter-fi nals made him the fi rst man to “Winning the Champions League would they have for football is incredible,” he said. ing ambition of matching Lionel Mes- score more than 100 Champions League goals. be a crowning moment in Buff on’s career,” The Catalan midfi elder concluded by Csi’s record of winning the Ballon d’Or fi ve times. And he duly added another hat-trick in the Xavi said. “I would like to see Buff on winning highlighting how much the 2022 FIFA World “I want to catch Messi,” Ronaldo confessed semi-fi nals against Atletico Madrid to carry the Champions League. As a Barcelona fan Cup Qatar means to the people of the region. when collecting his third World Player of the Real to the fi nal in Cardiff this weekend. it is logical and natural that I want Juventus “The people in Qatar and the region are Year crown back in 2015. “He has a good opportunity with the sea- to win. But also for Buff on, for Dani Alves, pions League for many years now. Real Madrid hugely excited about this World Cup, the Now the Portuguese has four to his name, but son that he has had, above all in the Champi- who deserves it, he is an impressive player is also very strong, they have signed good play- fi rst in the Arab world, and it means a lot to Messi still remains one step ahead with fi ve. ons League this year,” Predrag Mijatovic, who who has made a diff erence in the lead-up to ers, I think we’re going to see a great fi nal. the people here. I have been to Iran playing The two have dominated the award for the past scored the winning goal when Real last met Ju- the fi nal. I also have a very good relationship “Juventus has players like Dybala and Hi- the AFC Champions League, and it is incred- decade in the battle to not just be considered the ventus in the Champions League fi nal in 1998, with Dani, so for diff erent reasons I’d like to guain who can make a diff erence in attack, ible how they received us, and me personally.