Established 1961 Sport WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020 Australia fight off blazing Kuwait Football League: Southampton beat Brighton, 14Kohli, win final T20 match 14 Kuwait defeat Jahra 3-2 15 to climb 5th in Premier League PITTSBURGH: Logan Thomas #82 of the Washington Football Team attempts to gain yardage against Minkah Fitzpatrick #39 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of their game at Heinz Field on December 07, 2020.—AFP Washington stun undefeated Pittsburgh NFL shocker - Steelers prevented from clinching playoff berth WASHINGTON: Alex Smith threw for 296 yards season remains the Miami Dolphins in the 1972 cam- pass sparked the drive for the Hopkins go-ahead kick. postponed from last Thursday due to coronavirus and a touchdown Monday, and the Washington Foot- paign. The Steelers fell level with reigning Super Bowl Thomas had a career-high nine catches for 98 rescheduling issues. The Ravens (6-5) hope to end ball Team stunned previously unbeaten Pittsburgh champion Kansas City at 11-1 in a fight for the top yards, and teammate JD McKissic made a career- a three-game losing streak at the expense of the 23-17, preventing the Steelers from clinching an NFL seed in the American Conference and a first-round best 10 grabs for 70 yards. In the night’s only other Cowboys (3-8). playoff berth. Washington’s Dustin Hopkins kicked a playoff bye. Roethlisberger threw second-quarter matchup, Buffalo’s Josh Allen completed 32-of-40 The New York Jets (0-12) fired defensive coor- 45-yard field goal with 2:07 to play and - after Jon touchdown passes of three yards to Diontae Johnson passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns to dinator Gregg Williams on Monday, a day after the Bostic intercepted a deflected Ben Roethlisberger and 50 yards to James Washington as the Steelers power the Bills (9-3) over San Francisco 34-24 at winless club allowed a last-second touchdown pass pass - added another 45-yard field goal with 17 sec- took a 14-0 lead. Arizona. Buffalo, which entertains Pittsburgh on by Las Vegas to give the Raiders a 31-28 triumph. onds remaining to seal the shocking victory. But Hopkins kicked a 49-yard field goal just before Sunday, stayed a game ahead of Miami atop the “I just felt like that was the best thing for our team “It was well earned. Our guys played pretty dog- half-time, and Washington marched 82 yards in 14 AFC East division, while San Francisco fell a game moving forward,” Jets coach Adam Gase said. gone good,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said. “This plays over 6:44 to open the second half, a one-yard back of the final NFC wild-card playoff spot. The Williams called for an attack of the quarterback in- really does rank right up there because of who we touchdown run by Peyton Barber pulling the visitors 49ers (5-7) were forced from their home stadium stead of tighter pass defense and Derek Carr threw beat, in Pittsburgh. To come in and win, it was big for within 14-10. Pittsburgh responded with Matthew by Covid-19 safety measures imposed by local the winning touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs with our guys. Real proud of them.” Rallying from a 14- Wright’s first NFL field goal on the opening play of government officials. 13 seconds remaining. “I obviously wasn’t happy point deficit, the team that dropped its nickname this the fourth quarter. But Smith flipped a 15-yard touch- about that call,” Gase added. “We can’t have that year over Native American racism issues improved to down pass to Logan Thomas with 9:09 to play, lifting Jackson back for Ravens happen.” The Carolina Panthers, 4-8 and coming off 5-7, winning its third consecutive game to match the Washington level at 17-17. Pittsburgh turned over the In off-field news, the Baltimore Ravens activated a bye week, had eight players placed on the club’s New York Giants for the NFC East division lead. ball on downs at the Washington 28-yard line, and a quarterback Lamar Jackson off the COVID-19 list COVID-19 reserve list Monday and closed the team The only Super Bowl champion with an unbeaten one-handed catch by Cam Sims on a 29-yard Smith just in time for him to start against Dallas in a game training facility. — AFP sport,” Hogeg said in the statement. France handed an Abu Dhabi royal Beitar Jerusalem’s fans have historically been considered anti-Muslim and anti- awkward draw in family member Arab, with their far-right “La Familia” fan group known for its chants against the Prophet Mohammed. WCup qualifying buys half of The first division club is the only Is- PARIS: Holders France were handed an raeli side never to have fielded an Arab awkward draw in qualifying for the 2022 Israeli club player. But it has been working to World Cup on Monday, with Ukraine and change its image in recent years and in Bosnia and Herzegovina standing in their 2017 received an award for its fight way on the road to the finals in Qatar, while JERUSALEM: A member of Abu against racism. Since they normalized England will face Robert Lewandowski and Dhabi’s royal family on Monday bought ties, both the UAE and Bahrain have Poland in their group. Gareth Southgate’s half of Beitar Jerusalem, a top Israeli signed a raft of deals with Israel, rang- England, semi-finalists in 2018 in Russia, will ZURICH: This handout picture released by the International Federation of Association Football football team notorious for its anti- ing from tourism to aviation and finan- also take on Hungary and Albania as well as (FIFA) shows a general view of the stage before the UEFA preliminary draw for the FIFA World Arab fan base, the club said. Sheikh cial services. The accords have been two of international football’s minnows, An- Cup 2022 on December 7, 2020. —AFP Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan signed a condemned by the Palestinians as a dorra and San Marino, in Group I. “partnership agreement” with club “stab in the back”. Nahyan said he was France will also face Finland - who re- encounters came in the campaign for the postponed Euro 2020 set to go ahead in owner Moshe Hogeg, said a statement “thrilled” by the deal, calling it one of cently beat Les Bleus in a friendly in Paris - 2014 finals, with the sides drawing 1-1 in June and July. from Beitar, calling it a “historic and ex- the “phenomenal fruits of peace and in Group D, with Kazakhstan completing the Warsaw before England triumphed 2-0 at That means a team that reaches the final citing day”. fraternity between the nations,” he said. group that was drawn in a virtual ceremony Wembley. Most famously, England missed of Euro 2020 can expect to play 17 compet- The agreement comes after Israel He ended the statement with the at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich due to the out on a place at the 1974 World Cup after itive games between March and November established ties with UAE and Bahrain, club’s trademark slogan: “Yalla COVID-19 pandemic. Didier Deschamps’ losing 2-0 in Poland and then being held 1- next year. Only the winners of the 10 groups only the third and fourth only Arab na- Beitar!” The deal was brokered by So- side are in a group of just five teams be- 1 at Wembley. “There’s a great history of will qualify automatically for the finals, tions to normalise relations with the viet-born, UAE-based businessman cause they will be involved in the finals of that fixture. There was a spell when we which are to take place in November and Jewish state after Egypt and Jordan. Naum Koen. In a statement, he said the UEFA Nations League in Italy next Oc- seemed to draw them every time,” said December of 2022. The 10 runners-up will Al-Nahyan “purchased approximately the deal showed “how peace between tober. One of the most significant results of Southgate. go into play-offs alongside the two best 50 percent of Beitar in return for in- leaders seeps in and is translated into Deschamps’ time as France coach came in Nations League group winners who miss vesting 300 millions shekels ($92 mil- real peace between two nations.” But qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, when his Fixture pile-up out on qualifying via the traditional path. lion) in the club over 10 years,” the not everyone was happy with the deal. side faced Ukraine in a deciding play-off. The European qualifying competition Those play-offs, in March 2022, will statement said. Shai Elimelech, a longtime Beitar fan, They lost 2-0 in the first leg in Kiev be- begins in March, with 13 countries from the produce three more qualifiers in total. Ger- His son Mohammad will represent found it hard to stomach his team fore winning 3-0 in the return. “A qualifying continent going through to the 32-team fi- many, whose coach Joachim Loew has Al-Nahyan on the board of directors being partly bought by “an Arab.” campaign is always a long road where there nals. There will be three rounds of fixtures been under severe pressure after poor re- “on all matters pertaining to the club,” “Everyone in the league will make fun can be pitfalls,” Deschamps said. “It is better in March, three more in September and two cent results for the 2014 World Cup win- it said.