MLB | Page 5 SPOTLIGHT | Page 6 Kluber leads Serena Indians to reveals baby record-tying to world in 20th victory home movie Thursday, September 14, 2017 FOOTBALL Dhul-Hijja 23, 1438 AH Messi lift s Barca’s GULF TIMES mood, pressure on Bartomeu SPORT Page 3 FOOTBALL/QNB STARS LEAGUE Duhail aim to bounce back aft er Sheikh Jassim Cup loss The match at the Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium in Duhail could well set the Al Gharafa, Al Ahli coaches call for patience tempo for Al Duhail, who will be looking for their sixth league crown Doha: Al Gharafa coach Jean Fernan- “From what I have seen in preseason dez has called for patience from fans we have a young team with plenty By Sports Reporter as his side begin their campaign in of individual talent. Now we need to Doha the QNB Stars League with a match come together and show what we can against Al Ahli tomorrow. do this season. I have every confi- The seven-times champions have dence that Al Gharafa can do well this fter suff ering a 4-1 thrashing struggled to keep pace with the big season.” at the hands of Al Sadd in the guns since 2010 when they won the As for Al Ahli, they also have a new season-opening Sheikh Jas- title last, finishing three points ahead coach in the form of vastly experi- Asim Cup, Al Duhail will aim of Al Sadd in the standings. enced Joaquín Caparrós who will be to get their confi dence and composure Last year they finished in fifth place, managing in the GCC for the first ever back when they take on promoted Qa- dropping out of contention for a spot time. The Spaniard is raring to go for tar Sports Club on the opening day of in the lucrative Asian Champions his new side, hoping to make a good the QNB Stars League tomorrow. League. personal impression. The match at the Abdulla bin Kha- The new season, therefore, brings new “I am glad to be working in the QNB lifa Stadium in Duhail could well set hope with Fernandez taking charge Stars League with Al Ahli. Qatar has the tempo for Djamel Belmadi’s men, of the team who played last season had many great Spanish players in the who will be looking for their sixth under two coaches, Pedro Caixinha past, and I hope we can win trophies league crown, having won the tourna- and Habib Sadeq. at this great club,” noted Caparrós. ment fi ve times in the past when they “We have played plenty of games this The vastly experienced Caparrós were known as Lekhwiya before their preseason, and have trained well. It is mirrored the views of his Al Gharafa merger with El Jaish at the end of last now down to the players to show what counterpart, insisting that fans have to season. we have worked on and I hope we can be patient with Al Ahli. Of the fi ve titles, three came under have a strong opening game,” French- “I personally take each game as it their Algerian Djamel Belmadi, one of man Fernandez said. comes. On Friday we have a real chal- the most successful coaches on Qa- “I feel that we can have a special team lenge against a tough Al Gharafa side, tar’s domestic circuit, while one each at Al Gharafa with the players that we but I have real faith that my players was won under Belgian Erik Gerets and have. Now I feel that we need some can perform and come away with a Dane Michael Laudrup. time to get used to the season, and positive result.” Al Ahli defender John While a few players from El Jaish after a few games we can see if we are Benson concluded the press confer- have found employment with Al Du- Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi (L) and his Qatar SC counterpart Gabriel Calderon interact with the media yesterday. capable of challenging at the top of ence with a rallying call for his side. hail, thereby strengthening the team, the table.” “We all know how good Al Gharafa are the outcome of the Sheikh Jassim Cup Will the former giants go all the sim Cup setback. confi dence is high and moral is good Summer signing Luis Jiminez talked in Qatar. This is an ideal match to show proved that won’t guarantee success way to win the title like al Rayyan did “The squad has improved with the in my team,” said the former Argentine up the potential of the young players what we can do, and we are fully ready in Qatar where relatively unfancied in 2016 after a season outside the top signings in the summer. I now have to World Cupper. “We will have to start in the Cheetahs’ ranks. for the match..” teams have often played party-poop- fl ight? manage these expectations over the at a high tempo and impose our game ers. That remains to be seen but Belmadi season, my aim is to always win and on our opponents. This will be tough In 2015-16, Al Rayyan won the QSL is certainly a bit concerned about his I feel we can achieve something with against Duhail, but I feel that is we do under Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati team’s opening match against Qatar this side.” this we have every chance of causing with fi ve matches to spare after play- Sports Club. Duhail winger Ali Afi f added that an upset,” added Calderon. ing in the second division the previous “I am expecting an interesting game his side can challenge for the title this Qatar SC player Mohamed Omar season. against Qatar Sports Club because season. ended the press conference noting The Lions, however, failed to repeat they have been promoted and I don’t “We are a confi dent group of players that the side are in an upbeat mood their feat last season, fi nishing third. have too much information on the and have been together for a number of ahead of the opener. Lekhwiya, too, had won their fi rst ti- side,” Belmadi said at his pre-match years. We must start well, and take the “We are working well as a team in tle in their debut season in 2010-11, press conference. season game by game.” training, and our coach has lifted our shocking the more established teams “I feel that they have a good coach Qatar Sports Club coach Calderón confi dence levels. We feel that we in the process. (Gabriel Calderon) and will do well in was excited that his team are once can do well this season in the league,” Belmadi’s philosophy of starting the league this season” added the Al- again in the top fl ight. Omar said. every season “from zero” therefore gerian. “I am happy to be coaching in the makes sense as Duhail take the fi eld But Belmadi insisted he doesn’t feel QNB Stars League. We have had a good Tomorrow’s Fixtures against Qatar Sports Club who won any pressure because he has the confi - two months of preseason and the team Al Gharafa vs Al Ahli 6pm eight league crowns, the last of which dence that his players will continue to is prepared. It will be a real challenge Duhail vs Qatar Sports Club 8:10pm Al Gharafa’s Jean Fernandez and Al Ahli’s Joaquín Caparros came in 2003. stay motivated despite the Sheikh Jas- against the former champions but Umm Salal vs Al Kharaitiyat 8:10pm CRICKET Amla, Perera lead World XI to victory over Pak AFP and fi ve fours as he helped Perera add SCOREBOARD Lahore 69 runs for the fourth wicket off just 35 balls. That partnership lifted the World Pakistan XI after they lost Tamim Iqbal (23), Tim Fakhar Zaman lbw b Badree ...............................................21 ri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Paine (10) and skipper Faf du Plessis Ahmed Shehzad c Miller b Tahir ...................................43 Babar Azam c Miller b Badree .........................................45 Perera hit a towering six off the (20). Shoaib Malik c Collingwood b Cutting ...................39 penultimate ball to steer the Pakistan had scored 174-6 in their Imad Wasim c Tahir b Perera .............................................. 15 World XI to a thrilling seven- 20 overs.Babar Azam (45), Ahmed She- Sarfraz Ahmed c Tahir b Perera........................................ 0 Swicket win over Pakistan in the second hzad (43) and Shoaib Malik (39) had Sohail Khan not out ........................................................................... 1 Twenty20 yesterday. good starts but none of them went on Extras: (lb1, nb1, w8) ....................................................................10 Perera made a whirlwind 19-ball 47 to score big, as Pakistan found it tough Total: (for six wickets; 20 overs) .................................174 not out with fi ve sixes, while Hashim going on a slow and low pitch after win- Bowling: Morkel 4-0-20-0 (3w), Cutting 4-0-52-1 (2w), Badree 4-0-31-2 (1w), Collingwood 2-0-18-0 Amla fi nished not out 72 off 55 balls to ning the toss. (1w), Perera 3-0-23-2 (1nb), Tahir 3-0-29-1 (1w) help the World XI overhaul a 175-run Opener Fakhar Zaman fell for 21 in target and level the three-match series the fi fth over before Shehzad and Azam World XI 1-1 before a packed Gaddafi stadium in steadied the innings with a 59-run Tamim Iqbal c Malik b Khan ................................................23 Lahore. stand for the second wicket. Hashim Amla not out ..................................................................72 Pakistan had registered a 20-run win Malik hit two sixes in the last over T.