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Sports in Shorts London against Arsenal in the Premier League ose Mourinho’s selection gamble paid this weekend. C League Group G Roma – Barca draw Joff as Chelsea got their spluttering There was an early indication of BOC Seminar on scientific season back on track with a 4-0 rout Chelsea’s frustration at their recent research begins of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions predicament when Loic Remy and League yesterday. Willian, two of the players drafted in Manama Mourinho’s side went into their by Mourinho, combined to earn a fifth The first of a two-day semi- Group G opener in turmoil after minute penalty. nar on scientific research Saturday’s dismal 3-1 defeat at Everton Remy’s defence-splitting pass Willian got underway yesterday at left them with only one win from their put Willian through on goal and the WONDER GOAL HOLDS BARCA the Ramee Grand Hotel in first five Premier League matches. Brazilian winger was sent crashing to A draw against the Catalan opening ten minutes before Seef with more than 150 aca- That miserable sequence was the turf by Maccabi goalkeeper Predrag n Alessandro Florenzi giants will be considered meeting traffic. Chelsea’s worst start to a season since Rajkovic. wonder goal earned a huge result, given the 7-1 Gradually, Barcelona settled, demics and researchers in 1988 and it provoked a barrage of However, Mourinho still felt ARoma a share of the spoils thrashing Roma suffered by prompting a chorus of whistles the fields of sports manage- criticism for Mourinho and his under- hard done by when German referee as Barcelona’s Lionel Bayern Munich in the group and jeers among Roma’s ment, sports medicine and performing English champions. Felix Zwayer decided not to send off Messi celebrated his 100th stages last year. increasingly-unhappy fans. sports training from Bahrain But Mourinho promised changes Rajkovic and he screamed in anger on Champions League appearance When Suarez threatened and other Arab countries in after the Everton loss and the Blues boss the touchline when he saw the yellow without a goal in a 1-1 draw at deep on the right byeline, attendance. was true to his word as he axed John card. the yesterday. Florenzi scored nerves were settled only by Terry, Diego Costa, Pedro Rodriguez, There was even worse to come as Roma, dominated Antonio Rudiger’s clean tackle John Obi Mikel, Nemanja Matic and Belgium Hazard, showing throughout by the defending a 60-yard strike to dispossess the Uruguayan. Six Hours of Bahrain in Branislav Ivanovic. a lack of composure that encapsulated champions, looked to be on for Roma in But Barcelona were not to November It seemed the switches might backfire his current struggles, blazed the penalty their way to a sound defeat be denied. after Eden Hazard’s shocking penalty high over the crossbar. after Luis Suarez rose at their Champions On 21 minutes Messi Manama miss in the first half at Stamford Bridge. Wojciech Szczesny’s back post League draw backed into Lucas Digne and The prestigious Six Hours of But lacklustre Maccabi were the Willian scores, Willian goes after 21 minutes to head home the subsequent confusion Bahrain racing event is sched- perfect opponents for Chelsea to It was a comically bad effort and Ivan Rakitic’s delivery. over whether a foul had been uled to take place centre stage rediscover a semblance of their form could have shattered Chelsea’s already But the hosts were given a committed gave Barcelona a and Willian opened the scoring before fragile morale. THE huge treat when Florenzi struck A day after seeing Real split second’s momentum. on November 20 and 21 at the Florenzi Bahrain International Circuit Oscar showed Hazard how to do it by Yet, crucially, Rajkovic’s fortunate from just over the halfway line Madrid striker Cristiano Rakitic went unchallenged converting a penalty on the stroke of escape turned into a bonus for to catch Marc-Andre ter Stegen Ronaldo overtake their shared at the right post to send in a (BIC) in Sakhir as part of the half-time. Mourinho as Chelsea took the lead way out of his goal with a shot record of 77 goals in the lob for Suarez to header home eighth and final round of the Costa came on to net in the second in the 15th minute when the keeper that bounced off the post and competition with a hat-trick at the back post, as Roma’s 2015 FIA World Endurance half and Cesc Fabregas added gloss to misjudged Willian’s inswinging free- into the net. in a 4-0 win over Shakhtar players protested in vain. Championship (WEC) season. the scoreline with a late tap-in. kick and allowed it to curl past him GAMBLE Barcelona went on to spurn Donetsk, Messi had plenty Roma seemed shell shocked It was far from a vintage Chelsea untouched into the far corner. a series of great chances but reason to be on the goals hunt. and an eery silence hung over performance, but Mourinho will hope A first goal of the season was as good a determined Roma produced Roma were finding counter- the stadium as fans sat in awe, Indian Club trash Cafe in it provides a foundation for future as it got for Willian, who limped off in a solid defensive performance attacking chances and twice until the stupor was broken in Seeing Ter Stegen 15 metres and hit a drive from just inside post and into the net, leaving Softball Cricket success, starting with a sterner test the 23rd minute to be replaced by Costa. to ultimately frustrate Luis Mohamed Salah powered spectacular fashion just after off his line, Florenzi looked up the halfway line that sailed the 58,800-strong crowd Enrique’s men. down the right flank in the the half hour. from near the right touchline over the ‘keeper, off the far stunned. Manama PAYS OFF The Indian Club edged out Central Cafe by six runs in Group D of the latest Qatar begins work at 2022 World Cup final venue matches in the Indian Expats Doha Seven-a-Side Softball Cricket to be played in the Middle East. The stadium is atar has begun construction work at being designed by British architects Foster and Tournament 2015 at its prem- the site where the 2022 World Cup Partners. ises in Gudaibiya. Batting first, Qfinal will be played, tournament officials Earlier this month, Qatar announced it will Indian Club scored 41 for said yesterday. complete work on the first tournament venue to five with man of the match Preparatory work, including the be used in the competition by 2016. Nishant (23) top scoring and stationing of site offices and five kilometres Up to 12 stadiums will be used for the World then bowling out Central Cafe of hoarding, have gone up at the site in Cup in 2022, which for the first time in its history for 35 in 5.5 overs with Nishant Lusail, north of the capital, Doha. will be played during the months of November (three for three) claiming a last As well as the final, the opening game of and December. over hat-trick and the second the 2022 tournament will also be staged at A final decision on the number of venues will be of the tournament. In another the 80,000-seater Lusail Stadium. made by the end of this year. Mubarak Al Khulaifi, the stadium’s Work for the finals in seven years’ time has Group D match, Castle Boys project director, said in a statement that progressed despite an ongoing Swiss investigation defeated Young Goans by one organisers were “very pleased to have examining in part how the tiny Gulf state was wicket by scoring 49 for five initiated a presence on the site, which has awarded the tournament. in six overs with Jerry’s knock a special significance for us all”. This was launched in the fallout over corruption of 21 runs. Lusail is the sixth venue currently under One of the stadium designs unvealed by the organisers of 2022 FIFA allegations engulfing football’s governing body, construction for the World Cup, the first World Cup in Qatar FIFA. Palmer targets Rio as drug nightmare ends Sydney championships in Barcelona, ustralia’s Kylie Palmer, who issued a warning and reprimand to missed the 2015 World Palmer on Tuesday. “The decision ChampionshipsA after testing of the (doping) panel means positive for a banned drug, has that I can return to competitive received only a reprimand from swimming immediately,” Palmer swimming’s governing body and said yesterday. says she can now focus on the Rio “My number one goal is to Games. represent Australia at the Rio The 25-year-old 2008 Beijing Olympics in 2016 and I cannot Olympics relay gold medallist wait to get back on track to was found to have low levels achieving that dream.” of a banned masking agent in Despite denying taking any 2013, but was not notified until performance-enhancers, Palmer Jana Berezko-Marggrander from Germany performs earlier this year. Swimming’s voluntarily accepted a provisional in the ribbon individual rotation during the World world governing body FINA, who suspension that ruled her out of Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, only told Palmer in April about July’s world championships in Palmer (File) southwestern Germany the failed test at the 2013 world Russia while FINA investigated.