GOLF | Page 5 SSPOTLIGHTPOTLIGHT | Page 7 Johnson Kevin Garnett leads Tour calls it a day To Advertise here C’ship as Day aft er 21 seasons Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 withdraws in the NBA Sunday, September 25, 2016 FOOTBALL Dhul-Hijja 23, 1437 AH Five-star Liverpool GULF TIMES rout Hull, City cruise on Aguero double SPORT Page 2 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT Wenger’s perfect Fossati is confi rmed as 20th anniversary Qatar coach By Sports Reporter managed it earlier in 2007-8. Doha Fossati is highly rated in the Gulf, and has also coached in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. ruguayan Jorge Fossati has Last season he took Al Rayyan, one been handed the task of re- of Qatar’s biggest clubs, to the Qatar gift as Arsenal win viving Qatar’s qualifying Stars League title after a gap of 20 years Ucampaign after the team without winning the championship. crashed to back-to-back defeats in It had been speculated that he may Arsenal exploited lackadaisical Chelsea defending to score three times in the their fi rst two matches on the road to retain his job at Al Rayyan and take Russia 2018. charge of Qatar temporarily as the first half as they claimed a first league win over their London rivals since 2011 The Qatar Football Association emirate faces three Word Cup quali- confi rmed Fossati’s appointment via fi ers in the next two months, away to AFP Twitter yesterday following the sack- South Korea and China and home to London ing of his compatriot Jose Daniel Car- Syria. However it was unclear yester- reno on Friday. day if that was the case. “Mr. Jorge Fossati is Back offi cially (With inputs from AFP) rsenal gave manager Arsene to be the Head coach of our National Wenger a 20th anniver- team,” the QFA said on its Twitter feed sary to remember as Alexis without revealing any details of the Sanchez, Theo Walcott and agreement. AMesut Ozil scored in a slick 3-0 vic- Fossati, 63, was the frontrun- tory over Chelsea yesterday. ner to succeed Carreno after his exit This week marked 20 years since which followed two straight defeats Wenger’s appointment and whereas against Iran and Uzbekistan. Chelsea had spoilt his 1,000th game The losses left Qatar at the at the Arsenal helm with a 6-0 win in bottom of Group A in the March 2014, this milestone was mem- fi nal phase of qual- i- orable for the right reasons. fi cation, with an away Arsenal exploited lackadaisi- match against strong cal Chelsea defending to score three South Korea sched- times in the fi rst half as they claimed uled next month. a fi rst league win over their London The 2-0 de- rivals since a 5-3 triumph in October feat to Iran in 2011. Tehran was “Ideally you want the perfect game particu- and you never get it. We got nearly the larly em- perfect fi rst half and that is not bad,” barrassing Wenger told the BBC. because “Football doesn’t care for history both the g o a l s and the anniversaries, just the re- came in second- half injury- sult on the day. Today we had a good Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez celebrates scoring their first goal time as a result of some shoddy de- performance.” It was Arsenal’s big- against Chelsea yesterday. Inset: Arsene Wenger fending. gest league win over Chelsea since It was a match which Qatar domi- Wenger’s fi rst game against them in nated at the imposing 128,000 ca- April 1997 (also 3-0) and their most pacity Azadi Stadium but poor handsome home victory against the works it is very hard for a player to games and within three minutes they to Sanchez and then hared into the fi nishing let them down before west London club in 26 years. play well.” had another. box to meet the Chilean’s lofted cross Iran secured three points with two Arsenal climbed to third place in Wenger made 11 changes to the sec- A slick passing combination cul- with a volley that skidded off the deck goals in injury time. the Premier League table, fi ve points ond-string team that had won 4-0 at minated in Alex Iwobi intelligently and looped over Courtois into the net. A few days in Doha, Qatar again below leaders Manchester City, af- Nottingham Forest in the League Cup picking out Hector Bellerin on the Cesc Fabregas had returned to the dominated before falling to a 1-0 ter registering four successive league and his big guns fi red immediately, right-hand side of the box and the Chelsea starting XI after his mid- defeat against Uzbekistan. wins for the fi rst time in over a year. Santi Cazorla stinging Thibaut Cour- Spaniard’s low cross was swept home week League Cup brace at Leicester Rumours about Carreno’s im- Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, whose tois’s palms. Arsenal went in front in by Walcott. City, but the former Arsenal skipper minent exit began to circulate af- side have now gone three league the 11th minute courtesy of an embar- Briefl y, hope fl ickered for Chelsea. was withdrawn nine minutes into the ter the Uzbekistan defeat, but it games without a win, slid to eighth, rassing error by Gary Cahill that left Willian drilled a shot narrowly wide second half. was only on Friday that the QFA the optimism engendered by their him hiding his face in his hands. and Arsenal’s rhythm was disrupted Marcos Alonso took his place as confi rmed the decision, saying they three opening victories now almost a Forty yards from goal, the England by the loss of Francis Coquelin to an Conte reconfi gured his team in a 3-4- were trying to replace him with Fos- distant memory. centre-back allowed himself to be apparent knee injury, with Granit 3 formation. sati in a desperate bid to bring the “After today we are thinking we robbed by Sanchez, who surged into Xhaka coming on. It helped Chelsea stop the rot, but qualifying campaign back on track. must work a lot because we are a great the box before clipping a lovely fi n- But with the visitors pushing for- they never threatened to force their Fossati, who has been in charge of team only on paper,” Conte said. ish over Courtois for his fourth goal ward, Arsenal hit them with a clinical way back into the game and Courtois Qatar Stars League champions Al Rayy- “It is always a team problem rath- in three games. It was Arsenal’s fi rst counter-attack fi ve minutes before had to spread himself at his near post to an, will begin his second spell with the er than individuals. When nothing league goal against Chelsea in seven half-time. Ozil threaded a pass wide prevent Walcott netting a second goal. Qatar national team on Sunday, having BOTTOMLINE Nam nets hat-trick in Lekhwiya’s 5-4 victory By Sports Reporter converted a penalty kick. Qatari inter- Gharafa found their way back into the Jeremy Bokila (56). Al Wakrah scored a Doha Lekhwiya’s hat-trick national defender Mohamed Moosa tie courtesy of Johnson Kendrik Costa late consolation through summer sign- hero Nam tae-Hee (L) brought down Weiss in the box and who scored their third goal in the the ing Pablo Zeballos in the 83rd minute. is congratulated by the Slovakian international later didn’t 73rd minute. With four minutes left to Visitors Al Kharaitiyat took the lead he goal-glut in the Qatar Stars Yousef Msakni. miss from the penalty spot. play South Korean midfi elder Kooky in the 48th minute when al-Marri fi red League continued yesterday Five minutes from the end of the fi rst Han produced Al Gharafa’s fourth goal from close range following an inch per- as Nam tae-Hee struck a hat- half, Lekhwiya added to Al Gharafa’s in the 86th minute, fl icking one home fect cross from the right fl ank. Twelve Ttrick to help former champi- woes when Youssef al-Arabi converted from the edge of the Lekhwiya box, in minutes later Amir Osim’s side cel- ons Lekhwiya edge Al Gharafa 5-4 in a an easy penalty. Three minutes later, what seemed to be a vital equaliser for ebrated their second goal this time after thrilling match at Al Gharafa stadium. Mohamed Abdulla defl ected a corner his side. a neat fi nish by summer signing Jeremy In the second game of the night, Le- kick to score Al Gharafa’s second goal. Lekhwiya, however, scored the win- Bokila. The DR Congo international khwiya kicked off proceedings with two Abdullah’s header went through Le- ner in injury time with Nam Tae Hee calmly slipped the ball past Wakrah quick goals to put Gharafa on the back khwiya goalkeeper Amine Lecomte’s capping off a fi ne individual perform- keeper Hassan, to give his side an in- foot. hands as Gharafa reduced the defi cit for ance by completing his hat-trick by fi r- valuable lead. Ali Hassan Afi f found the net in the the second time in the fi rst half. ing home a fi ne free-kick, giving Djamel With seven minutes left to play, 12th minute followed by an easy tap- Lekhiwya went into the break leading Belmadi’s side two wins from two QSL Wakrah striker Zeballos reduced the goal by Tae hee in the 17th minute.