Sport TUESDAY 4 MAY 2021 Sri LankaLanka clinchclinc series with win over Bangladesh AtA a time when we didn’t have anyone experienced, they ccame and bowled like experienced players, and performed theirt roles as they should. Praveen did his job perfectly well. HHe played like a bowler who had more than his 10 first-class mmatches. Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne Sport | 18 CRICKET: 2ND TEST IN PALLEKELE Sri Lanka 493/7 dec. and 194/9 dec. beat Bangladesh 251 and 227 by 209 runs to win series 1-0 Pochettino sweating over Mbappe fitness REUTERS – MANCHESTERSTER Paris Saint-Germainain willwill makemake a late decision on whether forward Kylianan Mbappe (pictured) will be available to face Manchester Cityity in tthehe second leg of the Cham-ham- pions League semi-emi- PSG players take part in a practice session in final, coach Mauricioicio Manchester, England, yesterday. Pochettino saidaid yesterday. Mbappe, PSG’s top scorer this season withwith Guardiola calls for calm as City 25 goals in Ligue 1 and eight in Europe, missedissed the 2-1 victory over Lens on Saturday due to a calf injury. face PSG in 'toughest' semi-final Video footage circulating on social media showed Mbappe limping on his arrival in Manchester AP – MANCHESTER PSG's Neymar for today’s match at the Etihad Stadium, but during a practice PSG out to reverse result Pochettino will make his final assessment after the Pep Guardiola regards the second leg of a session yesterday. first-team training session. Champions League semi-final as the AP – MANCHESTER “We need to assess Kylian, today he’s going to toughest game in football, and he has the start individual training session and see if he’ll be battle scars to prove it. MANCHESTER CITY VS PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (2-1) with the team,” Pochettino told a news It was at that decisive stage that Guar- conference. diola came up short in each of his three years A rested lineup faces a tired team with its back to the “It’s still one day, we didn’t decide and we will at Bayern Munich, from 2013-16. In one of wall after losing the first leg 2-1. Manchester City coach see tomorrow.” Having suffered a 2-1 defeat in Paris those second legs, Bayern was crushed by Pep Guardiola had the luxury of resting most of his key last week, PSG know they must score at least twice Real Madrid 4-0. players at the weekend with the Premier League almost today if they are to stand any chance of heading to Go back a further two years - to the last won. their second straight Champions League final. of his four seasons at Barcelona - and Guar- PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t rotate his Pochettino said he will not tweak PSG’s for- diola suffered one of the most painful results squad too much over the weekend because PSG is still mation -- with or without Mbappe -- but empha- of his career in a semifinal second leg: A dra- second in the French league and under pressure to keep sised the importance of his team converting their matic 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Camp Nou, its title. But he is hopeful that star striker Kylian Mbappe counter-attacking opportunities. where Barca surrendered a two-goal lead will be available after he sustained a right calf injury in “Tomorrow we must be ready to suffer and then against an opponent playing with 10 men the first leg. be clinical and aggressive when we get chances,” for nearly an hour. PSG’s top scorer with 37 goals this season, Mbappe has the Argentine coach said. Indeed, it’s a decade since Guardiola has As City grew, PSG became reckless,less, shown signs of a speedy recovery. “They have an advantage and celebrated advancing from the Champions Mbappe and Neymar got frustrated, Idrissarissa Pochettino rested mid- fielder Leandro we needneed to taketake risks,risks, bebe brave,brave, League semifinals. So maybe there’s some Gueye got a red card, ruling PSG’s bestbest Paredes and right back Alessandro planplan thethe game knowingknowing CityCity apprehension - surely some nerves - as he holding midfielder out of the return gameame Florenzi on the weekend, sug- isis a team tthathat can manamanagege takes Manchester City into the second leg at Etihad Stadium. gesting both will start the semifinal. differentdifferent waysways to play.play. against Paris Saint-Germain, even with his City centre back John Stones willl bebe He used midfield schemer Marco “We“We needneed to bebe cclever,lever, team holding a 2-1 lead? tasked with keeping Mbappe and Neymarmar Verratti for only 30 minutes believebelieve andand shoshoww ourour Not a bit of it. quiet again, and he is embracing the against Lens on Sat- urday to keep quality on the pitch. It wilwilll “It’s the first time we are here, for most challenge. him fresh to face City. bebe a battlebattle butbut we willwill bebe of us in this club,” Guardiola said yesterday, Guardiola, who reported no new injuryjury ready.”ready.” a day before perhaps the biggest European concerns for City, attempted to take someome game in City’s history. pressure off his team by comparing the size “Of course I know what we are playing of the match to a typical English Premiermier for, but in these types of games, you don’t League game. need much emotion. “We are not going to demand anythinghing “It’s more about being calm. Knowing special,” he said. exactly what you have to do.” “We play tough, tough games in the For Guardiola, the second leg of the sem- Premier League, the same level as PPSG,SG, ifinals is as much a mental examination as because the Premier League is so demandingding a physical one. Some players have the result and tough. Even in the Champions Leagueague of the first leg in their minds, others might in the group stage.” think about the prospect of playing in a final. A 2-1 advantage could leave some teamsams So, his biggest task over the past two days caught in two minds, whether to sit on a leadlead has been to keep his City players in the or go for the kill. moment. For Stones, there’s only one optionn as PSG, Guardiola insisted, hasn’t been City looks to reach its first Champions Leagueague mentioned at all. “It’s not necessary,” Guar- final and move within one step of realizingzing diola said. “We just speak about us, us, and the long-held goals of its Abu Dhabihabi us, and what we have to do. ownership. “I didn’t speak one word about them.” “We have to attack the game like we Perhaps the confidence Guardiola dem- would every other game, to go out and win,”win,” onstrated in his pre-match news conference he said. “We have never gone into a game,ame, stemmed from the way City stymied PSG if we are in a good position, thinking we needneed and its world-class forwards Kylian Mbappe to sit there and think the job’s done or defendfend and Neymar in the second half of the first or anything like that. Manchester City coach Paris Saint-Germain coach leg, when City came from 1-0 down with a “It’s a downward spiral if we go intoo the Pep Guardiola Mauricio Pochettino display of maturity and assuredness. game like that.” Qatari champion Al Sulaiti seals podium finish in Spain Champion Qatari rider Saeed Al Sulaiti in action during the first round of the Campeonato Interautonómico de Velocidad (CIV) at the Circuito de Navarra race track in Northern Spain, on Sunday. Al Sulaiti finished third in the Supersport 600cc class which was won by Aarón Escalera. The event was the opening race of the 2021 CIV Calendar and was 179 riders in competing under different categories. Apart from Spanish riders, 15 internationals from England, Mexico, Colombia, Qatar, South Africa or Russia also participated in the event. RIGHT: Al Sulaiti (right) celebrates with other podium winners. TUESDAY 4 MAY 2021 SPORT 19 Al Khor, Al Shahania battle for QSL spot QNA – DOHA Al Khor and Al Shahania are all We’re technically set for the play-off to determine who will earn the right to play and physically in the 2021-22 season of the QNB Stars League (QSL). The ready: Al Shahania encounter will take place at the coach Nabil Anwar Qatar SC Stadium today. The Play-Off pits the 11th- Al Khor are a good team regardless placed team in the QSL (Al Khor) of their ranking in the QNB Stars against runners-up (Al Shahania) League. They have presented good in the Second Division of levels and have professionals of the 2020-21 season. The losers will play in the highest level and a distinguished Second Division in the forth- coach who is German (Winfried coming season. Al Khor players take part in a training session as they gear up for Schafer) and unique. Therefore, we The match regulations stip- We’ve prepared well for Play-Off: the play-off match against Al Shahania. Pic: Twitter/@alkhor_club respect Al Khor and it is natural that ulate that in the event of a tie at the clash will be difficult. the end of regular time, an extra Al Khor coach Winfried Schafer time of 30 minutes divided into latter made it to next seasons line-up too compared to Al We are confident about achieving two halves will be used. If the I salute all fans of the club and I want to reassure them that we have done QSL.