Sport WEDNESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2020 PlayingP without fans horrible: Messi It’sI horrible to play without fans, it’s a very ugly sensation. SSeeing no-one in the stadium is like a training session and it is vvery tough to really get going at the start of a game. The ppandemic has caused football to change a lot, and for the worse. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi Sport | 10 QATAR SENIOR BASKETBALL LEAGUE: Al Shamal (Arkaji 30, Berishvili 31) beat Al Rayyan 90-76; Al Wakrah (Coles Jr. 27) beat Al Ahli 83-69 Qatar Clasico: Al Sadd host Al Rayyan at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium TopTopp coachescoach Xavi, Blanc set for points battle FAWADFAWAD HUSSAINHUSSA League. It will be an THETHE PENINSULAPENINSUL honour for me to meet him again because he is The Al Sadd match will be Doha giantsgiant Al Sadd and a great player and difficult because they are formerformef r championsch Al coach,” said the Spaniard. RayyanRayyaayyan clashclas in QNB Stars Al Sadd, who the leaders. They have a LeagueLeague (QSL)(QS tie today - defeated Al Arabi 2-1 in coach (Xavi) who has a dubbeddubbedubbubbeubu b d the Qatar Clasico the Amir Cup final on football philosophy as he - with witwith theth keyk match also Friday, are almost bringingbringingngg twotwow big names of flawless this QSL season played for many years worldrldld footballfofoototb head-to- topping the points table with Barcelona: head.head. with 25 points from 8 Al Rayyan coach Today’sT Round who has a football philosophy as wins and a draw, being 10 clash at Al Sadd he played for many years with the only unbeaten side this Laurent Blanc StadiumS marks Qatar Barcelona,” the Frenchman told season. debutd for prominent a pre-match press conference Xavi, 40, stressed his team FrenchF coach yesterday. should continue the winning LaurentL Blanc, who Blanc, said he likes to pick momentum and play for a joinedj Al Rayyan tough challenges as he explained victory against Al Rayyan. earliere this week. The the reason for his Qatar arrival. “We have the Qatar Clasico. formerfoo PSG coach’s “I came to Qatar because I This is a very important match firstffirir challenge is to love to develop myself and love and means a lot to us. It is also toppletopopp newly-crowned new challenges. The task will not important in terms of compe- Players AmirAmiAAmmir Cup champions Al be easy, especially since I believe tition for the league because the excited ahead Sadd,Saddaddd coached by Bar- it is necessary to develop the per- gap between us and Al Rayyan is of Qatar Clasico celonacelonceleloelonl legend Xavi formance of Al Rayyan, and this 12 points,” he said. Hernandez.HernaHern n is my mission and that of my “Our goal is to win, to con- While fans are eagerly awaiting LastLast year’s runners-up staff,” he said. tinue the series of victories, and the Qatar Clasico, players from AlA Rayyan Rayya have started the we have not lost any match so both the teams are also excited seasonseason poorly by their Blanc a big name in world far. Therefore, it is an important ahead of the match, eyeing to standards,stands ard standing at sixth of football: Xavi game for us and also for the fans,” give their best. onon thethe pointsp table with 13 said Xavi before adding his team “The players will fight pointspointts fromfr three victories, Xavi, prior to the match yesterday must put aside the Amir Cup against Al Sadd in order to four drawsddrawraws and two defeats. said today’s Qatar Clasico will be triumph going into the game. win the match and this game Blanc,Blanclanc, 55,5 admitted his new one of the toughest challenges for “We have to change the men- is always the most important ranksnks willw haveh a mountain to his side this season. He also tality after winning the Amir Cup for us. All our focus is on it climbb againstagaiagaain the Xavi’s side as welcomed Blanc to Qatar. because this is a different tour- and I will give everything I have they bid toto makem a turnaround “I have not played against nament. We have to forget what to serve the team and I hope we inin theirtheir QSLQSSL campaign.c him (Blanc) but I respect him a happened in the Amir Cup final will win this match,” Al Rayyan “The Al SaddS match will be lot because he is a big name in and focus on this match because striker Yacine Brahimi said difficultdiffiicult becausebecc they are the the world of football. I welcome it will be very difficult and com- yesterday. leaders.ldleaded rs. TheyThey have a coach (Xavi) him to Qatar and QNB Stars plicated,” he said. “We know the Al Sadd team and their players, it is a very good team. We have to focus on our- selves and the most important thing for us is the match against Al Sadd,” he added. Al Sadd’s feared striker Baghdad Bounedjah termed today’s tie a ‘big match’. “Our games with Al Rayyan are always enjoyable and strong, and the most focused team will reap match points. We thank God for winning the Amir Cup after defeating Al Arabi. Our focus is now OurOOuur goalggoal is to win, to continue on the Al Rayyan match, where thetth series of victories,victo and victory is equivalent to six points,” said Bounedjah before hoping to wew havehave not lostlost anya match play key role in his team’s win. soso far. Therefore,Therefore, iti is an “I always strive to score in importantiimmportant game forfor us and every match in order to help my team and the most important alsoalalsalsl o forfoor the fans:fans: Al SaddSa coach thing is to help the team stay on Xavi HernandezHernandez top of the league table.” The match will kick off at 6:30pm. Al Duhail crush Al Khor 6-1 to enter top four THE PENINSULA – DOHA Seven minutes later, Giannis fired a top shot from the edge Edmilson Junior struck a brace of the, but Al Khor captain Helal as Al Duhail beat Al Khor 6-1 in Mohammed blocked the shot their QNB Stars League Round with a short jump. 10 clash at Al Duhail Stadium On the hour mark, Al Duhail yesterday. went 3-0 after Dudu easily con- Edmilson's goals came in ROUND 10 verted a penalty. Musab Abdul- the 11th and 74th minutes while YESTERDAY'S RESULTS majid produced a rough tackle Mohammed Muntari (5),, Al Duhail 6-1 Al Khor while clearing the ball leaving Eduardo Rodrigues (60), Al Sailiya 1-1 Umm Salal Sultan Al Breik holding his ankle. Abdullah Abdulsalam Al Ahrak Al Gharafa 1-0 Al Wakrah Refeere Hamad Al Subaie sought (80) and Ahmed Yasser (86) TODAY'S FIXTURES VAR assistance before con- Al Kharaitiyat vs Al Arabi were also on target for Al 16:00 at Al Ahli Stadium firming the penalty that was Duhail, who posted their sixth easily converted by Rodrigues. Al Ahli vs Qatar SC win of the season for a tally of 18:30 at Al Ahli Stadium Leonardo reduced the 18 points and entered the top Al Rayyan vs Al Sadd margin of defeat with a slick four in the QSL standings. 18:30 at Al Sadd Stadium snap-header off a long cross Leonardo De Souza scored from the flank. Ten minutes the only goal for Al Khor in the Al Duhail players later, Edmilson tapped home 64th minute, as they crashed to under pressure from an Al Khor celebrate after with a sliding flick from close their fifth defeat and stood on marker, Edmilson slipped a neat yesterday's big range on a cross from Dudu for seven points. cross for Muntari, who easily win. Al Duhail’s fourth goal. The match got off to a fast deflected the ball into the net Al Ahrak and Ahmed Yasser pace, with Al Duhail kicking up from close range. then joined the scorers’ list with a storm from the kick-off. A With Al Khor struggling for receiving a short cross from the beautifully-taken free-kick, was blocked by Martin close-range efforts. slick team effort helped them momentum, Al Duhail jumped corner of the Al Khor box from but Khaled Hassan’s tap from keeping a tight lid on the In other matches yesterday, open the scoring. After receiving to a 2-0 cushion in the 12th Eduardo Rodrigues (Dudu), close range narrowly missed backline. Three minutes into Al Sailiya and Umm Salal shared a cross from the centre of the minute. This time, Edmilson, Edmilson calmly slotted the ball the net. In the 34th minute, the second half, Edmilson, after points after a one-all draw field, Edmilson charged ahead who had assisted in the first home from close range. Leonardo produced a spec- breaking into the Al Khor box, while Al Gharafa clinched a 1-0 on the right flank and entered goal, capped a threatening In the 19th minute, Al Khor’s tacular shot from inside the fired a bullet, but his shot was win over Al Wakrah to collect the Al Khor box. Despite being move with a goal. After Leonardo curled in a Al Duhail box, but the move blocked by keeper Baba Djibril. vital points. Sport WEDNESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2020 08 Tokyo Olympics unveils $15.9bn final budget AFP – TOKYO look at it purely in terms of cost, it doesn’t make sense. But if you Organisers The coronavirus-delayed Tokyo look at it as a positive increased the service Whether you see this Olympics will cost at least investment, I think there are budget of the Games to ¥731bn ($7.1bn), budget as expensive or ¥1.64tr ($15.9bn), organisers areas where it can be identified said yesterday, unveiling a final as such.” with extra money allotted for the opening and closing not depends on how you budget swollen by the unprec- Organisers have tried to ceremonies, but the International Olympic Committee has look at it.