Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 Photo of the day Duaij Al-Otaibi and Talal Al-Rashidi Competitors race during the semifinal round of the Red Bull Kart Fight National Final in Castelletto di Branduzzo, Italy. Kuwait bags 12 medals — www.redbull.com in Kazakhstan Drogba among African KUWAIT: The third Asian Clay Target tournament concluded yesterday in Kazakhstan with Kuwait shooters winning five medals (1 gold, 3 silver, and a bronze) bringing the total stars eyeing World Cup medals to 12. Shooter Talal Al-Rashidi won first place in the junior trap event, while Shahad Al-Hawal placed second in the women JOHANNESBURG: Didier Drogba, Samuel trap, as Fuhaid Al-Dauhani took second place in the men’s Eto’o, Asamoah Gyan, John Obi Mikel and event. The team of Fuhaid Al-Daihani, Abdelrahman Al-Faihan Jonathan Pitroipa are among the stars and Khalid Al-Mudhaf won second place. The trap junior team seeking 2014 World Cup places when the of Talal Al-Rashidi, Mohammad Al-Hamli and Khalid Murad African play-offs begin this weekend. won the bronze medal. Ivory Coast will expect goals from vet- President of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations Duaij eran captain Drogba as they strive to build Al-Otaibi said this achievement is dedicated to HH the Amir, a commanding lead over Senegal in HH the Crown Prince, HH the Prime Minister and HE Sheikh Abidjan. Striker and skipper Eto’o has Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah as well as the Kuwaiti people. changed his mind about retiring, giving Al-Otaibi said Kuwait shooters were able to get 4 gold, 6 sil- Cameroon a timely boost before tackling ver and 2 bronze medals affirming that Kuwait shooting sport Tunisia in Rades. is maintaining its outstanding performance both continentally Many Ghana goals come from captain- and internationally. He said the achievement is the result of cum-attack spearhead Gyan and Egypt will joint efforts and long term planning based on a strategy that afford him time and space in Kumasi at takes care of young Kuwait shooters to enable them join the their peril. After ending a 185-match national teams. English Premier League goal drought, Nigeria midfielder Mikel hopes to make the net bulge against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. Voted the best 2013 Africa Cup of Honduras eye Nations footballer, wide attacker Pitroipa expects his service to set up a victory for ABDIJAN: Ivory Coast’s forward Didier Drogba (left) and Ivory Coast’s midfield- World Cup berth, Burkina Faso over Algeria in Ouagadougou. er Cheik Tiote take part in a training session with teammates ahead of the The play-offs comprise five home-and- World Cup qualifying match against Senegal. —AFP Mexico ‘must win’ away ties with the overall winners qualify- ing for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. And if Senegal continue to omit Demba Ba competition scorers with five goals and a LOS ANGELES: Honduras host Costa Rica today with a chance Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and because he is not playing regularly for scoring streak in Germany earned to secure a 2014 World Cup berth as mighty Mexico bid to Nigeria succeed, the same five African Chelsea, but off-form fellow striker Papiss Mohamed Amine Aoudia a call-up. “It is a breathe life into their CONCACAF qualifying campaign. countries who qualified for the 2010 tour- Cisse of Newcastle returns after a one- 50-50 tie,” said Bosnia-born coach Vahid The United States and Costa Rica have already qualified for nament in South Africa will make it again. match suspension. It is a pairing neither Halilhodzic. “We avoided Cameroon, Egypt next year’s finals in Brazil, leaving Honduras, Mexico and South Africa also competed in the coach wanted. “Unfavourable,” said and Senegal, but there is no room for Panama battling for the third and final direct entry from North highly acclaimed first World Cup hosted Lamouchi. “Not my wish,” lamented fellow cockiness.” Tunisia hope history does not and Central America and the Caribbean with two matches by Africa, but as hosts having been Frenchman and 1980s superstar Alain repeat itself Sunday as they lost home and remaining. The fourth-placed team will face Oceania’s New exempted from qualifying. Giresse. The other Saturday showdown away to Cameroon in a 1990 World Cup Zealand for a World Cup spot, with even lowly Jamaica still Top-ranked African national team Ivory pits rising Burkina Faso against resurgent play-off. Dutch coach Ruud Krol takes technically in with a chance of making the playoff. Coast have cause for confidence after Algeria with France-based flier Pitroipa charge for the first time and devising a Honduras lie third in the standings with 11 points, three beating Senegal convincingly at home in a desperate to prove second place at the plan to shackle recent Chelsea signing more than both Mexico and Panama who face off at Azteca 2013 Cup of Nations qualifier. 2013 Africa Cup was no fluke. Eto’o must be a priority. Krol excluded Stadium today. Honduras can book their second straight They were leading 2-0 in Dakar when Dismissed pre-tournament as cannon highly-rated midfielders Youssef Msakni World Cup finals appearance, and third overall, with a victory supporters lit fires on the terraces and fodder, the Burkinabe shocked Ghana en and Oussama Darragi and promoted over Costa Rica in San Pedro Sula-depending on the outcome hurled missiles on the pitch, forcing the route to a final where they took champi- Maher Hannacni and Fakhreddine Ben in Mexico City. Honduras missed out on a chance to bolster game to be abandoned. ons Nigeria to the wire. “We want to show Youssef from CA Sfaxien, the club he also their position on September 10 when they were unable to A one-year ban on internationals at the South Africa was not a fluke,” stressed coaches. Cameroon have lost midfielder hold onto an early lead and finished with a 2-2 draw against stadium ensued, meaning the mid- Pitroipa. “Everything we did there will Stephane Mbia to injury, but the return of Panama. Mexico will be under the microscope, their so-far dis- November return fixture has been become irrelevant if we fail to make Eto’o offers hope of a record seventh astrous qualifying campaign seeing them in danger of missing switched to Moroccan city Casablanca. Brazil.” Algeria had a horrid Nations Cup, World Cup appearance by an African the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990 - when they Ivorian coach Sabri Lamouchi recalled going out in the first round after being country. Mikel is part of a full-strength were banned by FIFA for using overage players in the 1989 32-year-old Liverpool defender Kolo touted as possible champions, but Nigeria side that arrives in Addis Ababa World Youth Championship. With just one victory in eight Toure, older brother of Manchester City bounced back to finish above Mali in a only on the eve of the Sunday showdown matches in the six-nation final qualifying group, Mexico are midfielder and reigning African Footballer World Cup group. Portugal-based Islam to escape the worst effects of the 2,300- fifth-trailing Panama on goal difference.—AFP of the Year Yaya Toure. Slimani is among the leading qualifying metre (7,550 feet) altitude. —AFP.