SPORT Saturday 30 Septembereptember 20172017 PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22 PAGE | 23 F1: Flying Vettel Man City rocked as CChandimalhan helps SL puts pressure Aguero suffers brokenen pposto 419; Pakistan on Hamilton rib in car crash mmakes solid start Al Duhail on top after eight-goal thriller The Peninsula l Duhail continued their fine form tonight with Aa comprehensive 5 -3 victory over league rivals Al Rayan at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. With both sides coming into this game unbeaten, it was Al Duhail who applied the most pres- sure in the early exchanges with neither side able to break the deadlock. The match changed in the 28th minute when Moaaz Ali Abdalla was brought down in the penalty area. Al Rayyan’s forward Yousef Al Arabi stepped up to fire it into the back of the net and gain the advantage. With the first half drawing to a close, Karim Boudiaf’s lofted pass over the Al Duhail SC’s South Korean star Nam Tae Hee opposition deface was expertly volleyed on the turn celebrates with team-mates after scoring aginst by Captain Yousef Msakni Al Rayyan during their QNB Stars League match who left the goalkeeper played at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. BELOW: stranded. Action during the QNB Stars League third round Into the second half and match between Al Sadd and Al Gharafa, played Al Duhail won another pen- at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. alty with Youssef Al Arabi Pictures: Baher Amin / The Peninsula once more firing home for his 4th goal of the season. From here the game opened up even further and it was Al Al Rayyan’s Rodrigo Tabata shoots a free kick during their QNB Stars League match against Al Duhail at Duhail’s South Korean star, Al Sadd Stadium yesterday. Al Duhail beat Al Rayyan 5-3 in an eight-goal thriller. Nam Tae-hee, who finished off a great passing move with a left footed shot past Al Ray- apply constant pressure. They will feel they should have got 1-0 at half time but Al Sadd an’s goal. got two quick fire goals from hold of the game earlier on. hit back when Boualem Al Rayyan then really substitute Abderrazak Ham- Meanwhile for Duhail’s assist- Ahmad Khoukhi equalised in came to life and started to dallah and Sebastian Soria ant coach Bruno Oliveira, the 56th minute. which led an exciting finale. yesterday’s result confirms Al Sadd had a sigh of relief QNB STARS LEAGUE: Deep into injury time, The their third consecutive win, in the 86th minute when TODAY’S FIXTURES Lions grabbed a third as Soria propelling them to the top of Mohammad Morteza headed pounced on a defensive error the QNB Stars League. the ball into the net from close Al Duhail beat Al Rayyan before Al Duhail restored their Later, at the same venue, range to take the game away 5-3 two-goal victory through Ali the hosts Al Sadd defeated Al from Al Gharafa and seas a 2-1 Al Sadd beat Al Gharafa Yahya as the match drew to Gharafa after win at home. 2 - 1 a close. Al Gharafa took the lead In the other match of the Al Kharaitiyat drew with Coach Michael Laudrup in the 29th minute after Luis day, Al Kharaitiyat and Al Al Khor 1-1 will be pleased with his side’s Jimenez scored through a Khor shared honours in an response after going down but penalty kick. Al Gharafa led one-all stalemate. A l Arabi eye ‘quick return’ to winning ways on home soil Rizwan Rehmat The Peninsula QNB STARS LEAGUE: TODAY’S FIXTURES l Arabi, one of the most popular QNB Stars Al Arabi vs Qatar SC ALeague outfits in the At Al Arabi Stadium country, haven’t had the best of (5.45pm) the start to the new football sea- Al Ahli vs Umm Salal son and the coach of the ‘Dream At Al Ahli Stadium Team’ said he wants a quick (7.45pm) return to winnings ways. Al Arabi, with feared striker Khalfan Ibrahim in their ranks Markhiya 1-0 to pick up their for the 2017-18 season, lost to first three-pointer this Al Sailiyah in round one and season. then crashed to a 2-0 loss “In football everything is against Al Duhail last week. possible. We always look to Head coach Kais Yaakoubi improve and we had a bit of luck said the turnaround in fortunes in the last game and hope we is just one good performance can improve and get more sat- away but a positive result is isfying results,” the Kings coach what he wants from his side. said. Al Arabi coach Kais Yaakoubi speaks during “After our second defeat “Yes, we can replicate our against Al Duhail last week, the a press conference on the eve of their QNB performance from last week in team (now) needs to start turn- Stars League match against Qatar SC. LEFT: this game,” he added. ing things around. We hope the An Al Arabi player heads the ball during their The Argentine said: “The game against Qatar SC will be second match of the League against Al Duhail league is very similar to every our gate to winning ways,” Yaa- SC in which they lost by 2-0. football league in the world. You koubi said yesterday as the team have two or three good teams prepared to take on Qatar SC because of the high profile play- today. teams spirit ahead of the game. very well and we respect our every team needed to safeguard teams,” Calderon said at a pre- ers they have. However, the rest “We have a very healthy The Al Arabi coach ended opponent. But I believe both the its interests with powerful match press conference of the teams are at the same atmosphere in the changing the press conference by saying teams are at the same level and performances. yesterday. level.” room and the training ground. that he is hoping his team could I hope we can take all three “Every match is a final, this “It is importance to build on In another game today, win- We are working hard and you pick up all three points on their points,” Yaakoubi said. game is difficult. Al Arabi needs from our result last week and less Al Ahli face unbeaten Umm will see the teams real face in home soil. Qatar SC’s head coach to get their first win and we we will be trying to get the win Salal at Hamd Bin Khalifa Sta- the next game,” the Tunisian “We looked at Qatar SC last Gabriel Calderon said QNB Stars need to keep winning as well. against Al Arabi,” he warned. dium. The game kicks off at said when asked about the two games and the team played League was a format in which Its a difficult game for both Last week Qatar SC beat Al 7.55pm. SPORT SATURDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2017 21 Barty crushes Ostapenko to sail into Wuhan final Wuhan, China consistent level throughout the AFP match and haven’t had any real drops,” 21-year-old Barty said. ustralia’s Ashleigh “I feel like I’m moving well Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel prepares to drive Barty crushed on the court. I feel like I have full French Open winner control of the ball, which in some out of the pit during the second practice session of the Jelena Ostapenko of conditions it’s really tough to Formula One Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang, yesterday. Latvia 6-3, 6-0 yes- do.” terday,A cruising into the final at In the other semi-final, Gar- the Wuhan Open. cia dominated qualifier Sakkari F1: Flying Vettel puts Barty, who began the year to reach her first final of the year ranked outside the top 300, will and the first Premier 5 level final face Caroline Garcia in her first of her career. pressure on Hamilton ever Premier 5 tournament final “It feels good, it was a long after the French player toppled time without a final,” Garcia said Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 in an interview on court after the Sepang, Malaysia championship leader, Hamil- in a one-way semi-final. match. AFP ton who was only sixth fastest Ostapenko, ranked 10 in the “It was such a fight today, with Valtteri Bottas seventh. world, struggled with a niggle to and she had a great week com- ebastian Vettel smashed the “Red Bull looked very fast her right wrist and appeared ing from qualifiers, and I’m very all-time Sepang lap record in the mixed conditions this tired after triumphing over happy with the way I played.” Syesterday as Ferrari put the morning, in the damp and wet world number one Garbine Garcia, ranked 20 in the pressure on Lewis Hamilton on the intermediate tyres,” Muguruza in the quarters. world, had earlier triumphed before a track fault brought an added Vettel. “I had no energy,” Ostap- over Dominika Cibulkova, early halt to Malaysian Grand Hamilton had been on just enko, 20, told journalists. seeded seven, and number 12 Prix practice yesterday. his 10th lap of the afternoon “I’ve been playing so many seed Angelique Kerber. Vettel clocked 1min when he took too much speed matches... and yesterday we fin- The shock-prone Wuhan 31.261sec around the 5.543-kil- into turn eight, resulting in a ished quite late so I didn’t really Ashleigh Barty of Australia hits a return against Jelena Open has delivered surprise ometre circuit on his qualifying sideways excursion into the have enough time to recover.” Ostapenko of Latvia during their women’s singles semi-finals results from the get-go.