THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 12

PSG’s Pochettino guarded over Messi move Muharraq battle past Ahli in thriller Victors take down defending champs in low-scoring affair for league-leading ninth win in 2020/2021 Zain Bahrain Basketball League markers. Muharraq squander Ahmed Aldurazi, who was 16-point• lead before facing his long-time team for Lionel Messi and Mauricio the first time since moving to Pochettino during a match closing the game strong Ahli in the off-season, had 15 to thwart Ahli fightback as Ahli’s only other player in AFP | Paris KNOW WHAT double figures. Ahli took to Mansour Kasse the hardwood without their aris Saint-Germain • dynamic backcourt tandem of Pcoach Mauricio Pochet- scores 39 points, grabs Mohammed Bual- Maitham Jameel and Hesham tino played his cards close 21 rebounds to lead lay had missed 10 Sarhan. to his chest when tackled on Samaheej past Al Ettihad In yesterday’s other game, Spanish radio over a poten- straight three-point Samaheej defeated Al Ettihad tial move for Lionel Messi. attempts last night 90-77. TDT | Manama Pochettino’s fellow Ar- before making his Samaheej made a game-chang- gentine is out of contract decisive basket from ing run early in the fourth quar- with Barcelona at the end uharraq edged past de- beyond the arc with ter that extended their three- of the season, prompting fending champions Al 24 seconds to go point lead to double digits. speculation of being reunit- MAhli 77-71 last night in They had their biggest lead at ed with former Barca team- a battle between heavyweights 15 right before the final buzzer mate Neymar at PSG. in the 2020/2021 Zain Bahrain Buallay was their leading scorer as they improved to a 4-6 win- “Everyone dreams of hav- Basketball League. with 12 points. He had previ- loss record. ing the best players with Muharraq were in control ously missed 10 attempts from Senegalese professional Man- him,” Pochettino told Cade- for much of the contest and led beyond the arc before hitting sour Kasse had a monster effort na Ser late on Tuesday. by as many as 16 in the second his crucial triple with less than of 39 points, 21 rebounds and “I have huge respect for quarter, but Ahli roared back a half-minute to go. five assists for Samaheej, while the players I have in my and even gained the advantage Mohammed Juma’a chipped Basel Adel added 21. Ahmed team but I must also have midway through the final canto. in with 11, while Malabes and Fateel contributed nine points respect for players in oth- Muharraq, however, were able Ali Shukrallah finished with 10 but dished out 12 assists. er teams,” the former Tot- to deliver the decisive baskets points apiece, with Shukrallah American Marcel Jones had tenham boss, who replaced down the stretch. Mohammed also taking down 13 rebounds. 26 points and 28 rebounds to Thomas Tuchel at the Parc Buallay banked in a three-point- Mohammed Kuwayed and Ser- pace Ettihad, who fell to a 3-6 des Princes at the start of er to give the victors a 75-68 bian Aleksandar Mitrovic con- mark. Ahmed Ghanim chipped this month, added. De - lead with 24 seconds to play. tributed nine points each in the in with 16 points, eight re- spite playing coy Pochet- And after Ali Aqeel replied with win. bounds and seven assists in the Muharraq forward Mohammed Kuwayed goes for a lay-up in traffic against Ahli American Robert Upshaw loss. tino highlighted the “very his own triple on the other end last night strong” bonds that existed for Ahli, Bader Abdulla Mal - spearheaded Ahli with 32 points League action continues to- between the two of them, abes iced the result with two Muharraq came away with fered their second defeat to go and 14 rebounds. He and skipper night with Al Najma facing Nu- “like love for Newell Old pressure-packed free-throws their league-leading ninth win with seven wins. Mohammed Qurban played the waidrat at 5.30pm, followed at Boys”, one of the clubs in and just 11 seconds on the game in 10 contests as they stayed atop Muharraq enjoyed a balanced full 40 minutes. Qurban finished 7.45pm by Bahrain Club playing Rosario in their homeland. clock. the standings, while Ahli suf- attack in the low-scoring affair. with eight assists but just four bottom club Sitra.

Sigfusson: ‘Learn from mistakes’ Shakib stars in Bangladesh win over Windies AFP | Dhaka TDT | Manama

ahrain head coach Hall - hakib Al Hasan claimed four Bdor Johann Sigfusson is Swickets for eight runs in his hoping that the national team international comeback to set learn from their mistakes as up an easy six- victory they head into the main round for Bangladesh over West In- of the 27th IHF World Men’s dies in the first one-day inter- Handball Championship, being national in Dhaka yesterday. held in Egypt. Debutant pacer Hasan The Bahrainis won 34-27 Mahmud also impressed with against DR Congo on Tuesday to the ball, picking up 3-28 as the put them through to the compe- hosts bowled out the weakened tition’s next phase, which they tourists for 122 before racing to begin today against Croatia. 125-4 in 33.5 overs. Following that victory, Skipper Tamim Iqbal top- though, Sigfusson believed that scored with 44 off 69 while there is still plenty of room for all-rounder Shakib played his improvement, despite the big part with the bat, hitting 19. result. Left-arm spinner Akeal Ho- West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph (L) is clean bowled off Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan “It wasn’t an easy match at sein took 3-26 to give the home all,” said the Icelandic tacti - batsmen some trouble but his ately put pressure on the West cian, who led Bahrain past the effort was not enough to defend Indies. preliminary round of the world the visitors’ meagre total. He bowled Andre McCar- championship for the first time Mushfiqur Rahim and thy for 12 before West Indies’ in four appearances. Bahrain coach Halldor Johann Sigfusson watches from the bench as his team Mahmudullah Riyad were un- stand-in Jason Moham- “DR Congo have a player of warms up for their match against Congo beaten on 19 and nine runs re- 44 med was off his bowl- superior physical stature that spectively to complete the win, runs were scored by ing for 17. can’t be countered. We lost fo- Bahrain will no longer face Monday. helping Bangladesh take a 1-0 Bangladesh skipper went for cus in part of the first period the Danes and the Argentinians, Bahrain need to finish in the lead in the three-match series. Tamim Iqbal off 69 balls a duck leg before wicket in and we had to calm down a little as their results from the previ- top two in Group II to make it Opting to bowl first, Bang- to become the top scorer Shakib’s next over to leave the to secure the win. ous stage will carry over. through to the quarter-finals, ladesh earlier wrapped up the West Indies struggling at 56-5. “I think our fast breaks wer- Following their match to - but they are already assured West Indies innings in 32.2 Kyle Mayers hit 40 off 56 en’t as good as they should be day, Bahrain take on Qatar on of their best-ever finish in the overs. who got starts didn’t carry on,” balls and added 59 runs with and we have to improve in the Saturday and then Japan on world championship. “No complaints, we bowled he said. Rovman Powell (28) for the next round. What’s more im- extremely well. Not just the Mustafizur Rahman, who seventh wicket to bring some portant than the win is learning spinners, but the pacers as well,” claimed 2-20, seized the ear- respectability to the visitors’ from our mistakes.” Main round groups said Tamim at the prize-giving ly momentum for Bangladesh, score. Bahrain and Croatia are in (Top two teams in each advance to quarter-finals) ceremony. trapping Sunil Ambris in front Hasan’s pace removed Powell Group II of the main round, Group I: Hungary, Spain, Germany, Poland, Brazil, Uruguay West Indies captain Jason for seven in the second over. and with suc- along with Qatar and Japan, as Mohammed said he was dis- He removed Joshua Da Silva cessive deliveries to end the Group II: Denmark, Croatia, Qatar, Argentina, ,Japan, Bahrain well as defending world cham- appointed with his side’s per- for nine after a rain break that resistance. pions Denmark and Argentina, Group III: Portugal, France, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Algeria formance. halted play for nearly an hour. Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan who also advanced from the Group IV: Sweden, Russian Handball Federation, Egypt, Slovenia, “It wasn’t easy to start on, Playing his first international dismissed Mayers as the West Bahrainis’ pool in the prelim- Belarus, North Macedonia but we didn’t have enough guys after a one-year suspension, Indies lost their last five wick- inaries. getting partnerships and those Shakib’s left-arm spin immedi- ets for seven runs.

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