FOOTBALL | Page 3 BASKETBALL | Page 11 Man City sink El Jaish, To Advertise here Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Chelsea, Villa Gharafa to relegated clash in Emir aft er defeat Cup fi nal Sunday, April 17, 2016 FORMULA ONE Rajab 10, 1437 AH Rosberg grabs GULF TIMES pole in China as Hamilton stalls SPORT Page 10 RUGBY Huw’s that? Qatar power past Iran in Asian opener ‘Yes, there were a couple of errors by us, which we will look at in the training next week. Iran played really well, but in the end we were able to control the game the way we would have wanted to.’ Iran’s Sadegh Pakdaman (left) is chased by Qatar’s Rakan Mutawaa (right) as the former makes a run for the try line during the match yesterday. Qatar (in white) and Iran players vie for the ball off a line-out yesterday. By Mikhil Bhat The hosts dominated the fi rst half, on the left corner, while captain Feath- Doha with Matthew Uffi ndall earning the erstone managed a try against the post. fi rst fi ve points in the fi fth minute. Post Beard converted this one and the score- Beard’s three-point kick, Kinsella took board read 35-12. atar made a winning start to the score to 13-0 with his fi rst try of the Four minutes from time, a Qatar bid the tri-nations Asian Rugby day. Robbie Gaule and Thomas Nolan for their seventh try ended with player- Championship Division III, took the score to 23-0, four minutes from cum-coach Aaron Palmer taking a freak beating Iran 35-12 at the As- half-time. knock off a tumbling team-mate. Palmer, Qpire Warm Up and Purpose-Built Rugby Seconds before the break, the Iranians who did briefl y stand up before being Track yesterday. stole a try when centre Mehdi Golnari taken off the by the medical personnel, Having scored six tries, includ- Ardekani got hold of the ball from inside was taken to the hospital. ing one each on the either side of the their half, and set off with it; even a des- Qatar defended well thereafter to en- break through Huw Kinsella, the hosts perate dive from winger Rakan Mutawaa sure Iranians didn’t get any other oppor- also bagged a bonus point, awarded to couldn’t stop Ardekani, who put Iran’s tunity to reduce the defi cit. teams scoring four or more of the fi ve- fi rst points on the board under the bar. “I am just very happy with the win. pointers. Reza Bayat duly converted with the half- 35-12. I can’t complain,” Featherstone However, it was a forgettable day for time score at 23-7. said after the match. “Yes, there were a Paul Beard in the conversions depart- Ardekani and Bayat’s eff orts ensured couple of errors by us, which we will look ment, with the fl y-half converting only the visitors began the second half with a at in the training next week. Iran played one, apart from a 12th minute penalty. pep in their step, and their reserve Sadegh really well, but in the end we were able to “Some days things don’t just go your Pakdaman gave them further momen- control the game the way we would have way. Kicking is tough and the wind wasn’t tum with another fi ve points. A straight wanted to. helping either. But I think he (Beard) did Qatar Rugby Federation (QRF) president Yousef al-Kuwari, general secretary Ali al-Malki and senior co-ordinator Samuel forward conversion, instead bounced off “Huw, the big man got two tries. Pretty really well plugging the corners,” captain Rico with the victorious Qatar team after the 35-12 win over Iran at the Aspire Warm Up and Purpose-Built Rugby Track the post, and the score was 23-12. good stuff from him right there. He did Tom Featherstone said. yesterday. Kinsella sneaked in with his second try really well.” FOOTBALL Champs Al Rayyan close season with defeat By Sports Reporter tain of Al Ahli, stepped up for the attacker received the ball after a shot Doha Rayyan’s Rodrigo Tabata celebrates his goal against Al Ahli penalty and got the goal in the 42nd from Tabata bounced of a defender and yesterday. Tabata became the joint highest-scorer this season’s minute. landed to him. Garcia then slid the ball QSLI aling with El Jaish’s Abderazak Hamdallah with 21 goals. This time Yazidi made up for con- into the far post past the goalkeeper. hampions Al Rayyan failed to ceding a penalty when he himself Yazidi sent a beautiful ball over the close the Qatar Stars League earned one after he was brought down top to Mubele who got his second goal season in style, going down on the edge of the box by Rayyan mid- of the night after curling the ball past 3-2 to Al Ahli on the last day fi elder Ulises Pascua. the keeper in the 73rd minute. The goal Cof the tournament yesterday. Ndombe Mubele gave Al Ahli the restored Al Ahli’s lead and they went Towards the end of the fi rst half the lead in the 55th minute after he slid the on to win the match against the cham- match took a strange turn as both sides ball past the keeper. Mubele received pions. were awarded penalties in quick suc- the ball in the box on the run from Mo- Earlier, Al Sailiya rounded off their cession. The fi rst penalty came in the jtaba Jabari and the Congolese attacker season in style with a 2-1 victory over favour of Al Rayyan when Mohseen got his fi rst goal of the night with a ten-man Al Arabi. The result moved Yazidi brought down Sergio Garcia brilliant fi nish into the far post. the Peregrines on to 36 points and inside the box in the 40th minute and sport to give the Lions the lead. scorer alongside El Jaish’s Abderazak The second goal came just moments Sergio Garcia levelled the score line helped them leapfrog the Dream Team Rodrigo Tabata converted from the The goal makes Tabata the joint top Hamdallah with 21 goals in 26 matches. later when Meshal Abdullah, the cap- in the sixty fi rst minute. The Spanish in the fi nal standings. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, April 17, 2016 FOOTBALL FOCUS Enrique seeks ‘monumental eff ort’ to deliver title AFP of the season, but that is part of the break, before which they had gone 39 Barcelona course of a season and we have to games undefeated in all competitions, learn how to accept that against Va- but the coach did not off er an expla- lencia,” he added. nation for his team’s sudden slump. arcelona coach Luis Enrique “We only have eyes for Valencia “Everyone wants to talk about the has called for his stars to be because that is the closest objective, negatives but, I’m sorry, for me it’s “stronger than ever” after a but in a week we will play three league in the past,” he said. “It’s not down terrible run of form that has games, half of what is left. to one thing, there are an infi nite Bseen them crash out the Champions “Two of those three are at home number of factors that determine League and have their La Liga lead and I remain optimistic that, even whether a team wins or loses. We have whittled down to three points. though it is a situation that we don’t dealt with the defeat with the utmost The Catalans have lost three of like, we can be league champions. dignity. It’s risky to make conclusions their last four games after a 39-match It won’t be easy, but we never said it with six games and a cup fi nal to play unbeaten run stretching back six would be a walk in the park.” (against Sevilla next month).” months was ended earlier this month. Indeed, Barca could still become Enrique declined to say whether However, they remain in control just the third side to win back-to- the club was planning to punish Dani of their fate in La Liga as they would back doubles of league and Cup as Alves for posting an Instagram video need to drop points in two of their last they also face Sevilla in the Copa del after the defeat by Atletico where the six games for Atletico Madrid or Real Rey fi nal on May 22. defender imitated his girlfriend, wore Madrid to snatch the title. “We have another diffi cult chal- a wig and said, “It’s only a football “When you are in a situation like lenge ahead of us because very few match, it doesn’t matter”. this we are going to need a monumen- teams in the history of Spanish foot- “Our decision will be kept a secret, tal eff ort. We need to be stronger than ball have won the league and Cup in we don’t want to air our dirty laun- ever, we need to help each other, stay two consecutive seasons,” the Barca dry in public,” said the coach. “We together in every area of the pitch and coach said. all know Dani Alves and his activity we will need the support of our fans,” Despite the recent setbacks, En- on social media, we have seen him do Enrique said.