CCRICKETRICKET | Page 4 TTENNISENNIS | Page 6 Pakistan Barty makes dominate on perfect start in fi rst day vs Madrid with Zimbabwe win over Rogers Friday, April 30, 2021 FOOTBALL Ramadan 18, 1442 AH Barcelona’s shock GULF TIMES defeat keeps La Liga title race wide open SPORT Page 3 FOCUS Al Nassr edge Al Sadd for Qatari champions have 10 points for their second spot and last 16 ticket will have to wait for results of tonight’s matches AFC Riyadh Persepolis seal top spot aft er a six-goal audi Arabia’s Al Nassr thriller with Al Rayyan qualifi ed for the AFC AFC Champions League Goa, India Round of 16 as Group D Swinners, leapfrogging Qatar’s Al Sadd SC into top spot with a 2-1 ersepolis secured top Matchday Six win at King Saud spot in Group E of the University Stadium yesterday. P2021 AFC Champions Goals from Abderrazak Ham- League yesterday as Yahya dallah and Abdulelah al-Amri Golmohammadi’s side bounced either side of half-time put the back from their loss against group hosts within sight of the Al Wahda to hand Qatar’s knockout stage, before Santi Al Rayyan a 4-2 defeat that Cazorla made for a nervy fi nale ensured their passage to the when he pulled a goal back from Round of 16. the penalty spot with seven min- The two-time finalists had utes remaining. slipped to a 1-0 loss to the club Al Rayyan’s Yohan Boli (left) in action during the AFC Champions While Al Nassr can look for- from the United Arab Emirates League match against Persepolis yesterday. ward to September’s Round of on Matchday Five, but they even- 16, Al Sadd will need to wait until tually claimed all three points the woodwork having seen Al Rayyan, however, rallied early tonight to see if their fi nal tally of against Laurent Blanc’s already- an earlier free-kick pushed to in the second half when Boli 10 points will be good enough for eliminated side after a nervy sec- safety by Al Rayyan goalkeeper netted from eight yards out after them to qualify as one of the best ond half at the Pandit Jawaharlal Fahad Younis. Persepolis goalkeeper Hamed three runners-up. Nehru Stadium in Goa. Golmohammadi’s side finally Lak was only able to parry Ali With both sides assured of a Shahriyar Moghanlou opened – and deservedly – broke the Farydoon’s long-range attempt top two fi nish before the match, the scoring in the 27th minute deadlock in the 27th minute three minutes after the restart. the equation couldn’t have been Al Sadd’s Santi Cazorla (left) is marked by Al Nassr’s Abdulelah al-Amri (centre) during the AFC Champions having earlier hit the crossbar when Moghanloo finished off By the 68th minute the Iranians simpler: Win on the night and League match at the King Saud University stadium in Riyadh yesterday. (AFP) with a header before Ehsan a rapid break that saw Omid had restored their advantage. qualify for the Round of 16 as Pahlavan doubled the Iranian Alishah feed Mehdi Torabi The Al Rayyan defence only group winners, lose and settle in plenty to a disastrous error from ed into the box to create the op- bat’s free-kick delivery into the side’s advantage seven minutes down the left before receiving partially cleared a corner, allow- for an uncomfortable 24-hour Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Bar- portunity. net and Mano Manezes’ men later. But two goals from Yohan the return pass and setting up ing Torabi to send over a curling wait, and it was Al Nassr who sham, whose botched clearance Al Sadd slowly but surely be- edged closer to the last 16. Boli kept Al Rayyan in conten- Moghanloo to score from the centre towards the far post that started the stronger. went directly into the path of the gan to ask more questions of the Al Sadd found a glimmer of tion in the second 45 minutes edge of the area. Kanani headed past Younis. They could have been ahead 2020 ACL Golden Boot winner, hosts after the interval, with Ca- hope when Ali al-Lajami hauled and Persepolis needed further Pahlavan made it 2-0 seven Boli struck again 18 minutes as early as the sixth minute, with who seized the opportunity to zorla forcing Waleed Abdullah down Yusuf Abdurisag just in- eff orts from Hossein Kanani minutes later when he twisted from time when Yacine Brahi- Hamdallah missing the target slam home his fourth of the tour- into only his second save of the side in the penalty area, with and Isa Alkasir to confirm their and turned on the edge of mi’s initial shot was blocked by with a header after he latched nament from 15 yards. night when the Al Nassr shot- Cazorla raising the stakes by fifth victory in six games in the the area, beating Al Rayyan the Persepolis defence, but the onto Sultan al-Ghannam’s cross The Hamdallah show con- stopper got down to deny the slotting the subsequent spot- group phase. defender Abdulrahman al-Korbi Iranians claimed their fourth — the fi rst of several pivotal fi rst tinued fi ve minutes before the Spaniard in the 70th minute. kick but, despite a dramatic The Iranian club had been twice before slamming a low less than a minute later when half moments involving the pro- break, but there was a twist to the But that momentum was final few minutes — which in- dominant throughout the right-foot shot past Younis as Alkasir netted from seven yards lifi c Moroccan striker. plot this time as he squandered a abruptly halted when Al Nassr cluded Al Sadd boss Xavi being opening quarter of the game, Persepolis claimed the cushion out, finally sealing the win that It was Hamdallah who pow- gilt-edged chance to double the found the all-important second sent off — Al Nassr held on to with Moghanloo heading Vahid their first half performance guaranteed his team top spot in ered the hosts into the lead in the lead, missing a gaping net after goal four minutes later, with al- claim the crucial three points Amiri’s inviting cross against warranted. Group E. 33rd minute, but the goal owed Noureddine Amrabat had sprint- Amri rising high to steer Amra- they needed to advance. PREVIEW LOSS Ex-world rowing Al Duhail, Al Ahli Saudi square off champ Mondelli dies for AFC Champions League future from cancer aged 26 AFP AFC against Esteghlal to get back into Milan, Italy Jeddah contention but their inability to defeat the Iranians over their two matches has cost them dearly. ormer world rowing l Duhail and Al Ahli Head coach Laurentiu Reghe- champion Filippo Mon- Saudi will have the campf will have the task of delli, who helped Italy benefi t of know- motivating his players should qualify for the Tokyo Ol- ing what they have to Esteghlal defeat Al Shorta in Fympics, has died aged 26 from Ado going into their 2021 AFC the earlier match as that would bone cancer, the Italian Olympic Champions League Group C mean Al Ahli Saudi’s best hope Committee (CONI) announced clash at the King Abdullah of advancing — should they win yesterday. Sports City Stadium today. against Al Duhail — would be by Mondelli won the world quad- Both are tied on eight with fi nishing as one of the three best ruple sculls title in 2018 and was Esteghlal FC, with the Iran side group runners-up. also a two-time European cham- playing Iraq’s Al Shorta earlier “This will be the last match in pion, in double sculls in 2017, and today, with only the group win- the group so it will defi nitely be a quadruple sculls the following ners assured of advancing to the decisive one,” said Reghecampf. year. Round of 16. “I have full confi dence in my “Italian sport, stunned, The rower from Lake Como The three best runners-up players that they will give their mourns the untimely death of had been elected to CONI’s Na- from the fi ve AFC Champions best in order to win the match. Filippo Mondelli aged 26 after a tional Council on April 13. League West groups will also Al Duhail head coach Sabri Lamouchi speaks to the media yesterday. “I hope that the players can long battle with a bone pathol- “It’s a diffi cult moment for advance, meaning Al Duhail understand that they are good ogy,” CONI said in a statement. rowing, for me, for his boat and Al Ahli Saudi will have all to need to galvanise his players for battle tomorrow and the two sides start to the competition. We lost and we must fi ght hard in order Mondelli along with team- mates, friends,” said Italian play for even if Esteghlal beat Al one last eff ort to ensure Al Du- will be looking for a victory. the only match that we didn’t to qualify. We will prepare the mates Andrea Panizza, Luca rowing federation president Shorta. hail take their place in the Round “Al Ahli’s performance has expect to lose. players for this match very well Rambaldi and Giacomo Gentili Giuseppe Abbagnale. Al Duhail could have avoided of 16 as group winners, with his changed since the start of the “We will be missing impor- and I hope that we will not have had qualifi ed Italy for the quad- “Filippo’s was a career on the being in this position had they team having drawn 1-1 with Al tournament and we expect a tant players like Benatia and Al any absentees.