SPORT SPORT | 14 SPORT | 15 Vinales and Working on Rossi give postponed Yamaha perfect Games not an start at Jerez easy task: Bach SATURDAY 25 JULY 2020 QSL pays tribute to frontline workers as football makes gleeful return Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa clinch wins CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA Leaders Al Duhail, Football powerhouses Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa holders Al Sadd clinched victories yesterday as ROUND 18: RES ULTSULTS QNB Stars League (QSL) Al Gharafa 1 - 0 Al Arabi resume title hunt marked its return in style four Qatar SC 1 - 2 Al Rayyan months after the game came to THE PENINSULA – DOHA a standstill due to the corona- REMAINING FIXTURES virus pandemic. Today - 4:45pm Al Duhail vs Umm Salal at Al Janoub Stadium Defending champions Al Sadd and title hopefuls Al Duhail Jonathan Kodjia yesterday Today - 7:00pm Al Sadd vs Al Khor at Al Sadd Stadium return to QNB Stars League (QSL) action today after a struck the winner for Al Tomorrow - 4:45pm Al Wakrah vs Al Sailiya at Al Janoub Stadium long break which was caused due to COVID-19 Pandemic Gharafa - who resumed the Tomorrow - 7:00pm Al Shahania vs Al Ahli at Al Sadd Stadium which wreaked havoc on the global sport calendar. season in a match against Al Both teams are facing relatively easy opponents in Arabi at the Al Janoub Stadium today’s encounters, and will be looking to secure full - before Al Rayyan clinched a Al Rayyan's points in their respective matches. thrilling 2-1 win over fighting Yohan Boli Al Duhail will look to cement their position at the Qatar SC thanks to a late strike celebrates after top by winning against relegation-threatened Umm Salal from Yohan Boli. scoring a goal at the Al Janoub Stadium. The match will kick off at Kodjia, the Ivory Coast against Qatar 4.45pm under closed doors. forward, who joined 'The SC during their Al Duhail coach Walid Regragui spoke to the media Cheetahs' in January, scored QNB Stars ahead of their 18th match of the league this season and the winning goal in the 22nd League match said his team’s intention is to maintain the lead and win minute as Al Gharafa took their played at the Al the title. points tally to 31. Yesterday’s Sadd Stadium, “Our preparations during the past period were good, win was their ninth this yesterday. especially in the last stage, despite some injury worries. season. But that is not an excuse because Al Duhail are capable Yesterday, at the Qatar of putting them behind. I hope we will continue to win, 2022 venue, the season’s maintain the lead and win the title,” Regragui said. resumption was dedicated to “We know that all clubs would make extra efforts to healthcare workers who serve beat us, but we will work more to show the champion the nation during the COVID-19 stuff. The match against Umm Salal will not be different pandemic. and it will serve as a message to all clubs that we are Although matches are now ready to win the title,” he said. played without fans as per the Umm Salal, under Moroccan Aziz Ben Askar, are protocol and precautionary 11th in the standings with 14 points, the same as Al measures, the Round-18 clash Khor but behind on goal difference. provided thrillers for the TV Umm Salal coach Askar said he will focus more viewers. the next five games despite the outcome of today’s The game was evenly match. fought, with Al Gharafa, “No one knows what can happen in this match coached by Serb Slavisa that comes after the break. Al Duhail is one of the Jokanovic, having an upper Al Rayyan's Yacine Brahmi wearing a shirt which reads best clubs in Qatar, we know them well, but we hand early on. 'Thanks' as a tribute to healthcare workers. LEFT: A will focus more on our team. We have more than They reaped the rewards healthcare worker kicks off the QSL match between Al one important game, not only against Al Duhail, halfway through the opening Gharafa and Al Arabi at the Al Janoub Stadium to mark because the league will not stop after it. Whether we got session, with Abdulghani the return of football action following a long break due a positive result or not in this match, we are focusing on Muneer providing Kodjia with to the COVID-19 pandemic, yesterday. the next five games to get points that help us stay in the a defence-splitting pass and the QNB Stars League,” he said. latter finding the target dodging Later, Al Sadd’s match against Al khor will kick off past a couple of Al Arabi players Meanwhile, at the Al Sadd at 7:00pm. and beating goalkeeper Stadium, Al Rayyan continued Abdelkarim extends Al Sadd contract Al Sadd, coached by Spaniard Xavi Hernandez whose Mahmoud Abunada. with their push towards the contract with the club was recently extended for one Kodjia, the former Aston title. more season, are currently occupying the third spot in Villa forward, had a narrow Kayke Rodriguez had put the QSL points table behind leaders Al Duhail and second miss in the 42nd minute as he Qatar SC ahead in the 10th placed Al Rayyan. hit wide of the left upright and minute before Yacine Brahimi Al Sadd’s Assistant Coach David Pratt said his team then hit straight to the (40) levelled the scores with a is ready to face the ‘well-organised’ Al Khor team. goalkeeper. spot kick. Boli’s late strike (83) “We are happy with the resumption of QNB Stars Al Arabi’s attacks were broke the deadlock to secure League. We are going through a good period because feeble as Pierre-Michel Lasogga the victory for Al Rayyan. the players are training with full force and motivated to and Yousef Abdulrazaq failed Yesterday's result keeps Al resume the matches. We will start with a difficult con- to breach the rival fort. Rayyan just a point behind frontation against Al Khor, a team which has strength 'The Dream Team', seeking leaders Al Duhail, who will play and is well-organised. In the first leg, we achieved a dif- a victory in their bid to break Umm Salal today. ficult victory against them. They are strong offensively into the top four to give them- Al Rayyan now have 41 with players like Thiago Bezerra, Lucca Borges and selves a chance to play in the points (12 wins, five draws and Ahmed Hammoudan,” Pratt said. Qatar Cup and AFC Champions one defeat), whereas Qatar SC Al Khor, coached by Omar Najhi, are currently under League, upped the ante in the remained on 17 points (four vic- threat of relegation, and are placed 10th in the table with second half. tories, five draws and nine 14 points with three victories, five draws and nine defeats. Lasogga headed wide soon defeats). They lost to Al Sadd 1-2 in the first leg this season in after the hour-mark as the Qatar SC are not completely January. rivals went slightly on the safe from the relegation threat. Coach Najhi is aware of the capabilities of Xavi’s men backfoot. The tall German However, they have put up but asked the Al Khor fans to support the team during forward again sent his shot better displays ever since ex- the confrontation. Al Sadd SC's Qatari defender Abdelkarim Hassan holding a team jersey straight to Burhan in the 77th Qatar international midfielder “Al Sadd is a strong team with players who can make with a club official after his contract with the QNB Stars League title minute. Wesam Rizik took charge of the the difference at any time. But we have players who Icelander Heimir Hall- squad, replacing Spanish coach holders was renewed yesterday. Abdelkarim will remain at the club for have great confidence in themselves and we trust them. grimsson’s men could not make Carlos Alos Ferrer, under whom the next 4 years, the club announced. Abdelkarim has left a distinctive So anything can happen. Al Khor fans love their team, any roads despite the best they dropped many points. mark in the club’s history ever since making his debut in 2010 and is a we need their support, even if they cannot come to the efforts of their captain as Al Qatar SC had lost to Al key figure behind the team's success during the recent years. In 2018, stadium. There are several ways to encourage, including Gharafa registered a crucial Rayyan by a 0-5 margin in the the AFC named him as Asia’s Player of the Year, making him the second social media. As for the players, they should be at the victory. first leg. Qatari to win the accolade. top of their focus in the game against Al Sadd,” said Najhi. 14 SPORT SATURDAY 25 JULY 2020 Blue Jays Andalucia MotoGP at Jerez Clippers look to to play in pick up where Buffalo amid they left off in pandemic Vinales, Rossi NBA restart AP – FLORIDA AP – TORONTO give Yamaha Starting the season, then The displaced Toronto Blue stopping because of a global Jays will play in Buffalo, New pandemic, and then resuming. York, this year amid the These are unprecedented pandemic. times in the NBA, which would An official familiar with the perfect start be an ideal backdrop for the matter told The Associated Los Angeles Clippers to win Press yesterday that the Blue AFP – JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, SPAIN shoulder, was 21st fastest, just their first championship.