Al Rayyan retain Amir Cup volleyball title PAGE 19 MONDAY, MAY 20, 2019 Deontay Wilder retains WBC heavyweight AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE title with brutal first round knock-out PAGE 18 AL DUHAIL VS AL HILAL (9 PM) AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Al Duhail host Al Hilal in heavyweight clash STANDINGS Group D CLUB M W D L GF GA GD P AL SADD SC 5 3 1 1 7 6 1 10 PAKHTAKOR (UZB) 5 2 2 1 6 5 1 8 AL AHLI (KSA) 5 2 0 3 5 6 -1 6 PERSEPOLIS FC 5 1 1 3 4 5 -1 4 Hernandez Xavi on arrival at the airport in Tehran ahead of Al Sadd’s AFC Champions League Group D match against Persepolis FC. Spotlight on Xavi as Al Sadd take on Al Duhail players warm up for a practice session Persepolis in Tehran at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. AFC meet for the sixth time in just TEHRAN over a year. Persepolis and Al Sadd were pitted together in Red Knights are likely to miss Bassam al Rawi, who suffered an injury during Amir Cup final THE famous Azadi Stadium Group C last time around. A will be home to the last match brace from Baghdad Bouned- AFC son, finishing runners-up in the career of Spanish foot- jah helped Al Sadd to a 3-1 win DOHA to Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro ball legend Xavi as Al Sadd face in Doha on Matchday Two. League and being eliminat- Persepolis on Matchday Six In April 2018, it was Ira- WITH both sides already ed in the semi-finals of the of the 2019 AFC Champions nian international defender through to the next round, King’s Cup by eventual win- League Group D on Monday. Morteza Pouraliganji who Al Duhail welcome Al Hilal ners Al Tawoun. The former Barcelona scored, albeit in his own net, to Abdullah Bin Khalifa Sta- Pericles Chamusca, Al midfielder brings to an end a gifting Persepolis a 1-0 win in dium for a heavyweight clash Hilal’s third coach this sea- four-year stay in Doha as he Tehran. The same scoreline at the top of Group C of the son got off to a positive start, prepares to hang his boots fol- was replicated six months lat- 2019 AFC Champions League with three consecutive wins lowing the Persepolis clash, er at Jassim bin Hamad Sta- on Monday. since taking over at the end of closing the curtains on the final dium when the two sides met The two teams go into April. A 2-0 win over Al Ain act of a 22-year career which in the semi-finals first leg. the final game of the group on Matchday Five of the AFC saw him win 32 titles, the last Bounedjah’s goal was can- stage (also the last of their Champions League was fol- of which was the 2018-19 Qatar celled out by Siamak Nemati as respective seasons), follow- lowed by two league victories Stars League. Persepolis snatched the 2018 ing contrasting results on the STANDINGS Group C over Ettifaq and Al Shabab. In Tehran, a repeat of the AFC Champions League final domestic front. CLUB M W D L GF GA GD P Buoyed with winning the 2018 AFC Champions League ticket with a 1-1 draw in Azadi Al Duhail made up for the first title of his managerial ca- semi-final between Persepo- Stadium. Al Sadd’s Algerian disappointment of conceding AL HILAL (KSA) 5 4 0 1 8 3 5 12 reer, Al Duhail’s Rui Faria will lis and Al Sadd comes under forward continued his impres- the Qatar Stars League title to AL DUHAIL FC 5 2 2 1 9 6 3 8 have to make do without the contrasting circumstances, sive scoring record against Al- rivals Al Sadd by defeating the ESTEGHLAL (IRN) 5 1 2 2 4 7 -3 5 services of Qatari internation- with Al Sadd already qualified ireza Beiranvand, scoring the latter 4-1 in the final to lift the AL AIN FC (UAE) 5 0 2 3 3 8 -5 2 al defender Bassam al Rawi and Persepolis eliminated only goal in his side’s 1-0 win Amir Cup trophy last week. who suffered an injury in the from Group D. on Matchday Two of this year’s Al Hilal had a blank sea- Al Duhail players during practice at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. Amir Cup final. On Monday, the two sides group stage. Golfing around Runaway leader Koepka seeks fourth major title at PGA Hacker posts unflattering golf AFP scores on Trump’s account! BETHPAGE (US) Bethpage Black NEW YORK: America’s golfer-in-chief is caught up in another turns into beast in hacking scandal, but this one involves puttin’ instead of Putin. DEFENDING champion Brooks Koepka Four unflattering scores of 101, 100, 108 and 102 were posted appeared on the verge of completing a windy final round to the president’s account on the Golf Handicap and Information wire-to-wire PGA Championship victory FARMINGDALE: Bethpage Black Network on Friday, Golfweek reported. on Sunday to capture his fourth major Wire-to-wire turned into a beast on Sunday as The scores were posted “in the same manner that any other golfer title in a record-shattering onslaught. a strong and gusty southerly wind or club in America can post,” which means it was likely a prankster Third-ranked Koepka’s 54-hole A victory would restore Brooks whipped across the Long Island that gained access to his account. total of 12-under par 198 at Bethpage Koepka to the World No. 1 course, presenting Brooks Koepka “We have become aware of reports in the media questioning recent Black was good for a seven-stroke lead, ranking he lost in January and with perhaps the biggest obstacle he scores posted on President Trump’s GHIN account,” Craig Annis, the largest advantage entering the final make the 29-year-old American needs to overcome in pursuit of vic- managing director of communications for the United States Golf round in tournament history. the PGA’s fifth wire-to-wire tory at the PGA Championship. Association told Golfweek. No man has led a major by so much winner after Hal Sutton in After three days of relative calm, play- “As we dug into the data it appears someone has erroneously so late and lost. 1983, Ray Floyd in 1982, ers’ skills and patience were being posted a number of scores on behalf of the GHIN user.” “I feel confident,” Koepka said. “I Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and tested to the limit on a course that He said the association is still working to find the person responsi- feel good. I feel excited.” Bobby Nichols in 1964. everyone except Koepka struggled to ble. As of Saturday, the scores had been removed. A second-place pack behind Koep- tame in relatively benign conditions Even with the fraudulent numbers gone, Trump maintains an ka on 205 included top-ranked Dustin over the first 54 holes. With everyone index of 2.8, which Golfweek said is “widely regarded as Johnson, fellow Americans Harold Brooks Koepka during the third round of the PGA Championship at Bethpage State in the final round having to deal with excessively flattering.” Varner and Luke List and Thailand’s Park - Black Course, Long Island, New York. (USA TODAY SPORTS) the difficult conditions, the strong Another suspiciously good score of 68 was posted to Trump’s Jazz Janewattananond. winds raised the likelihood of some account last month and later removed. “It’s going to take something special cord 63 on Thursday then produced got to push and if you’re going to push big changes on the leaderboard. After the fake scores were deleted, only one score has been to catch Brooks,” Johnson said. “But the lowest 36-hole score in major golf on this golf course, you’re going to There were some good early scores posted since Trump took office – a score of 96 from October 2018 it’s definitely doable on this course.” history on 12-under 128 before firing a make mistakes. on Sunday morning before the wind – although he has played golf at least 82 times and has visited The best final-round comeback by a third-round 70. Koepka has only won two non-major whipped up, with American Beau golf clubs 176 times since his inauguration, according to Trump PGA winner was seven strokes by John “It’s nice to have a little bit of a US PGA events, the 2015 Phoenix Open Hossler shooting a six-birdie, four- Golf Count. (TCA/DPA) Mahaffey in 1978. cushion,” Koepka said. for his first tour title and last October’s bogey two-under-par 68. (REUTERS) Koepka opened with a course-re- “If I can get off to a good start, guys CJ Cup in South Korea..