TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015 SPORTS

Sheikh Ahmad calls on expats to play tennis

KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah, President of Kuwait Tennis Federation (KTF), announced the start of applying to play Kuwait Tennis Open VI. The competitions start on Tuesday April 7 and will run until April 20, 2015 at the Tennis Center of Kuwait Tennis Federation inside Yarmouk Sports Club in Mishref. There will be 11 events in the tourna- ment: (Boys Under 13 Singles - Boys Under 17 Singles - Veterans Over 45 Singles - Veterans Over 55 Singles - Veterans Over 45 Doubles - Professional Men’s Singles - Men’s Singles - Men’s Doubles - Girls Under 18 Singles - Ladies Singles - Diplomats Singles). Matches start at 4:30 pm every day and 9:00 am on Fridays and Saturdays. The tournament will be open to all Kuwaitis and expatriates of all countries. Deadline for receiving applications with a copy of Civil ID card is 6:00 pm on in addition to diplomats and veterans to participate in the tournament. Saturday April 4, 2015 at KTF headquar- LONDON: Arsenal players run around the pitch to warm-up during a training session at the club’s complex at London Colney, ahead of their Kuwait Tennis Open VI is the biggest ters inside Yarmouk Sports Club, Mishref. UEFA Champions League match against Monaco. —AFP Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah tennis event in the State of Kuwait. More called upon all tennis players in Kuwait than 450 players are expected to partici- of different categories and nationalities pate. CL Preview Wenger has faith in Arsenal comeback

PARIS: Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal to do what no other side has managed in the 3-0 at home on Friday. That win left them in have the form to outclass Monaco today and UEFA Champions League era-win having gone fourth place behind Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain reach the quarter-finals of the Champions into an away tie needing to score more than and Marseille with 10 games to go until the end League as the only English side left in the com- once to avoid elimination. of the season. petition. Teams have come back from a home first-leg Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho has The Gunners slumped to a shock 3-1 loss to loss only twice in the UEFA Champions League, been instrumental in recent successes and he the Principality side in the first leg at Highbury, and both were beaten 1-0 first time out: Ajax (v believes that the Champions League format but since then they have impressed with a 2-1 Panathinaikos FC, 1995/96 semi-finals, 3-0 sec- suits Monaco better than the stuffiness of Ligue FA Cup win at Manchester United and a 3-0 ond leg) and Inter Milan (v Bayern Munich, 1 play. “We can show our best qualities against trouncing of West Ham on Saturday. 2010/11 round of 16, 3-2 away. the top teams,” he said. “Play in the L1 is very Goals from Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Wenger’s upbeat comments, however, were closed, very aggressive. Some teams are good Mathieu Flamini in the London derby kept echoed by Welsh midfielder Ramsey, who is back technically, but others rely on the physical side, Arsenal in third place, seven points behind to near his top form after returning from a third on defending and counter-attacks. It’s hard to Chelsea in the league, albeit with the leaders hamstring injury of the season. find spaces and you have to come up with differ- having one game in hand. The manner of these ent tactics to get the wins. “No-one believed in two wins also gave Wenger hope that he can cel- SLOPPY FIRST LEG us (in the Champions League) and yet we have ebrate his return to Monaco, where he made his “We need to score goals. So we will go there really played well. We deserve to be where we managerial reputation as coach from 1987-94, and try to score three or more goals and hope- are. “I have full confidence in our side, despite with a famous win. fully not concede any. That’s our target and our lack of experience. With the team spirit we “We now go to Monaco, come out of a big that’s how we will approach it,” said Ramsey, who have we can go even further and why not a week, played at Manchester United, played missed the first leg. “We had a sloppy first leg repeat of Monaco and Porto in 2004.” today a derby. We have a little belief,” he said and we’ve made it quite difficult for ourselves That was a reference to the last time that after the West Ham win. “If you have no belief, but it’s not over yet. We are more than capable Monaco made it past the last 16 stage in the you have no chance. We have to have belief and of scoring three goals. We’ll go into the game Champions League. With Didier Deschamps as give everything.” believing we can achieve that.” coach, they went all the way to the final on that To get past Monaco and keep English hopes Monaco also go into the last 16 tie with a occasion before losing to a Porto side managed alive in the Champions League, Arsenal will have good win behind them, having thumped Bastia by Jose Mourinho. —AFP San Lorenzo victory marred by fans death SPAIN: Atletico Madrid’s forward Fernando Torres attends a training session on the eve of their Champions League football match against Bayer Leverkusen. —AFP : San Lorenzo’s 3-1 derby win but were pegged back in a 2-2 draw after Garre, who had scored a brilliant 79th-minute CL Preview over Huracan was marred by the death of a fan going two goals up. The side from La Plata equaliser, dismissed in stoppage time. Rosario who fell 50 metres from the back of a stand at were a man short for the last 35 minutes after Central, the only team to have taken maximum the Nuevo Gasometro on Sunday. midfielder Israel Damonte was sent off for two points from their four matches so far, will Atletico struggling for goals The young fan fell onto another supporter bookings in the space of three minutes. reclaim the lead if they beat Temperley at who was leaving the ground a few minutes Argentinos then had left back Ezequiel home late yesterday. —Reuters before the final whistle, the sports daily Ole MADRID: Atletico Madrid will need to put the goals would start to flow again for the reported. an end to a recent goal drought if they are to Spanish champions. “We are very upset. A fan lost his life and have any chance of overturning a 1-0 deficit “The team looked strong even when we another is in grave condition. We can’t cele- in today’s Champions League last 16, second were playing with 10,” the Portuguese told brate as we would like,” San Lorenzo coach leg at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Atletico, reporters. “We had clear chances and it’s true Edgardo Bauza told the post-match media con- last season’s beaten finalists, have only that we didn’t put them away but I see a ference. scored once in their last four outings in all team that is sure of itself and in good shape. The incident occurred despite the stadium competitions and slipped nine points behind “We know our strengths. We have to keep announcer asking fans to get down from dan- La Liga leaders Barcelona after Saturday’s 0-0 trying so that the goals and the victories gerous positions in the ground, a regular stalemate at Espanyol. Their chances of beat- come.” Although Atletico have only won a request at Argentine matches that supporters ing Espanyol were hampered by the dis- European tie twice before after losing the often fail to heed. missal of centre back Miranda shortly before first leg away 1-0, their home form suggests San Lorenzo’s rivalry with Huracan is one of halftime, Atletico’s third red card in their last they have a good chance of pulling it off the biggest “clasicos” of Argentine football. It five matches, which prompted coach Diego against Leverkusen. Looking to reach the was played for the first time in four years after Simeone to replace forward Fernando Torres quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competi- Huracan’s promotion back to the first division with defender Jose Gimenez. tion for a seventh time, Atletico have won 20 in December. The Saints conceded a goal to Forwards Mario Mandzukic, Antoine of their last 22 European matches at the Patricio Toranzo after 15 minutes before equal- Griezmann and Torres have been off colour in Calderon. Their only defeat was a 2-0 reverse ising on the half-hour mark through man-of- recent weeks and Atletico have failed to to Rubin Kazan in the Europa League last 32 the-match Leandro Romagnoli. score in three consecutive away games in La in February 2013.—Reuters Central defender Matias Caruzzo put San Liga for the first time since Simeone took Lorenzo ahead at a corner on the stroke of over at the end of 2011. halftime and striker Mauro Matos secured the Leverkusen, by contrast, have rattled in 11 points with a penalty in the 63rd minute after goals without reply in winning their last five Matches on TV playmaker Romagnoli was brought down. games in all competitions, including Friday’s The win lifted the South American champi- 4-0 drubbing of VfB Stuttgart. (Local Timings) ons into second place in the standings on 12 “(Not conceding) of course gives you points from five matches, one point behind more confidence for the following matches, UEFA Champions League , who beat Defensa y Justicia 2-1 above all for Tuesday, and we wouldn’t com- at La Bombonera on Saturday. Striker Daniel plain if it could last another few games,” Monaco v Arsenal 22:45 Osvaldo headed Boca’s winner with his first Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno said on beIN SPORTS 1 HD goal in the Argentine first division and fourth the club’s website (www.bayer04.de) on beIN SPORTS 11 HD in four matches including the Libertadores Friday. Atletico v Bayer 22:45 Cup. Atletico midfielder Tiago, who is suspend- beIN SPORTS 1 HD Estudiantes would have joined San Lorenzo ed after his red card in the first leg along with BUENOS AIRES: Supporters of San Lorenzo cheer for their team during the First beIN SPORTS 11 HD on 12 points with a win at Argentinos Juniors centre back Diego Godin, said he was sure Division football match against Huracan, at Pedro Bidegain stadium. —AFP Van Gaal lights the right touch

LONDON: For 45 minutes at Old Trafford Van Gaal has been criticised for over- team,” Van Gaal told reporters. ourselves,” Van Gaal said. Without the sus- Mata buzzed around to good effect on on Sunday it was just like old times as seeing laboured performances this season, United’s season looked in danger of pended Angel Di Maria, Van Gaal opted to the right, Ashley Young and Daley Blind Manchester United blew Tottenham often grinding out results with negative imploding after their 2-1 home defeat by play Marouane Fellaini behind striker provided width on the left and United’s Hotspur away with three goals in a ruthless tactics at odds with the attacking traditions Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals last Wayne Rooney with Michael Carrick and dominance provided a platform for Chris display of attacking football. of the club. But, finally, against a Spurs side week but they responded very positively to Ander Herrera anchoring the midfield and Smalling and Phil Jones to enjoy solid For the first time under coach Louis van with their own ambitions of a top-four fin- consolidate their place in the top four. Juan Mata restored to the starting line-up. games at the heart of the defence. “To do Gaal, United achieved what they used to ish in the Premier League, United broke “I was very pleased but I’m not sure if it Carrick released Fellaini to score the first that in a massively important game against do routinely under Alex Ferguson, stran- free of the shackles. was our best. You have to watch it again on goal and headed the second himself a competitor after such a defeat means I’m gling a shell-shocked Spurs side and clini- “We have waited a long time for such a video but we played like a team, very before Rooney took advantage of woeful very pleased with the players,” Van Gaal cally killing them off before easing through victory and it was better because the per- determined after a defeat like we had Spurs defending to burst through the mid- said. “Maybe it is the game that gives us a the gears to a 3-0 victory. formance was good against a very good against Arsenal, that we lost because of dle and slot home the third. fantastic boost.”—Reuters