China aim to reclaim Asian athletics crown from India PAGE 19 MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019 Caroline Wozniacki and Madison Keys to clash for title PAGE 18 AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AL DUHAIL VS AL AIN AL DUHAIL EYE VICTORY OVER WINLESS AL AIN Al Duhail (left) and Al Sadd players during work out ahead of their AFC Champions League group matches. rim Boudiaf. ture against Uzbekistan’s Persepolis 1-0. group on three points and ly fourth in the QNB Stars Al Sadd, Al Rayyan of Qatar On the other hand, Al Pakhtakor on Tuesday at the Al Sadd are on a high and Persepolis have one. League standings with 34 Ain are yet to record a win Pakhtakor Central Stadium in that confidence should help points, one less than third- also ready for AFC Champions in the 2019 AFC Champi- Tashkent at 17:00. them stand in good stead Rayyan eye second win placed Al Sailiya. ons League. They lost 0-1 Al Sadd lifted their re- in Tashkent. The squad in- Al Rayyan target their sec- In fact, Al Rayyan and Al League group matches at home to Al Hilal, led by cord-extending 14th Qatar cludes the likes of Meshaal ond victory when they host Sailiya played out a 2-2 draw their former manager Zoran league crown last week with Barsham, Pedro Miguel, Jung the UAE’s Al Wahda in Group in a QNB Stars League Week TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK at home before going down to Mamic, before clawing back one round remaining. They Woo-Young, Xavi Hernan- B on Tuesday. The kick-off is 21 thriller last week. DOHA Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 1-3 at to snatch a 1-1 draw against took an unassailable lead over dez, Ali Asad, Hassan al Hay- at the Al Sadd Stadium, where The Lions now have a the King Saud University Sta- Esteghlal at the Azadi Stadi- closest challengers Al Duhail dous, Baghdad Bounedjah, Al Rayyan play their home chance to finish third de- QATARI teams Al Duhail, dium in Riyadh. Hamed Ismail, Tarek Salman, matches, at 18:45. pending on their result Al Sadd Club and Al Rayyan So the encounter as- Boualem Khoukhi and Akram All four teams in the group against Qatar SC in the last Club will all be involved in the sumes much significance. Al Duhail are second in Group C with three points, Afif. (Al Ittihad and Lokomotiv be- round. It will also depend on 2019 AFC Champions League Victory will enhance Al Du- behind Al Hilal (six). The Red Knights defeated Iran’s First-choice goalkeeper ing the others) are level on the result of Al Sailiya against action on Monday and Tues- hail’s chances of reaching the Esteghlal 3-0 in the first round at home before going Saad al Dossari and left-back three points after two match- Al Kharaitiyat. day. knockout stage. down to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 1-3 at the King Saud Abdulkarim Hassan, the best es and three of them also have Third place in QNB Stars Al Duhail will host the Al Duhail, coached by Por- University Stadium in Riyadh. player in Asia, will be missing the same goal-difference of League will guarantee Al UAE’s Al Ain in the third tuguese Rui Faria, will also in action as they are recover- +1. Al Rayyan occupy the final Rayyan a berth in next year’s round, scheduled at 18:30, a want to put behind the dis- ing from injuries. spot with a goal difference of AFC Champions League prop- repeat of last year’s Round- appointment of losing out on um in Tehran. following their 7-2 victory However, the return of -3. er, without having to qualify of-16 clash between them, the QNB Stars League title to Esteghlal also have one over Al Ahli, their 17th in the Xavi from an injury layoff Al Rayyan recovered from through play-off. with the former emerging Al Sadd last week. point, but are placed last in League. adds strength to the side. an abysmal performance in Al Rayyan mainly have the as 4-1 winners at home 11 They are expected to field the group. The Wolves, semi-final- Meanwhile, Marat Bik- Jeddah that saw them lose 1-5 services of Rodrigo Tabata, months ago. a full squad that includes ists in 2018 AFC Champions maev scored the two goals to Al Ittihad. Goals from Luca Sebastian Soria, Rivas and Al Duhail are second in key players such as Ahmed Sadd upbeat League, are currently third in that helped Pakhtakor claim Borges and Gelmin Rivas Luca, with strong support Group C with three points, Yasser, Mehdi Benatia, Mo- Newly-crowned QNB the standings, having opened the summit of Group D, draw- earned them a 2-1 home win from Khalfan Ibrahim, Ab- behind Al Hilal (six). The Red hammed Moosa, Shoya Naka- Stars League champions Al their campaign with a 2-0 de- ing Persepolis 1-1 and beating against Lokomotiv in their dulrahman al Harazi, Ahmed Knights defeated Iran’s Es- jima, Bassam al Rawi, Almoez Sadd resume their Group D feat against Al Ahli of Saudi Al Ahli 1-0. second game. Abdelmaksood, Koh Myong- teghlal 3-0 in the first round Ali, Yousef El Arabi and Ka- campaign with an away fix- Arabia before beating Iran’s Al Ahli are second in the Al Rayyan are current- Jin and Gonzalo Vieira. 48-team 2022 World Cup Delhi condemn RCB to sixth loss tient 41 off 33 balls (4x1, 6x2), Kolkata cruise to but the other batsmen let him not a done deal: Khater down. The RCB skipper was victory after Lynn, also kept out of the strike for AFP have signalled they would Narine cut loose most part of his innings. KUALA LUMPUR like to hold games -- or fellow blockaders Saudi Arabia co- KKR race to victory QATAR stressed that the hosting the World Cup, given IANS In Jaipur, Chris Lynn (50 2022 World Cup remains at the current impasse. BENGALURU off 32) and Sunil Narine (47 off 32 teams as FIFA chief Gi- “Under the current envi- 25) starred in Kolkata Knight anni Infantino piled on pres- ronment, I don’t think it’s a SHREYAS Iyer led from the Riders’ thumping eight-wicket sure to expand the tourna- possibility,” he said, adding front with a brilliant half- victory over Rajasthan Roy- ment to 48 and share it with that studies were underway century as Delhi Capitals (DC) als in their clash at the Sawai other Gulf countries. about the feasibility of Oman beat Royal Challengers Ban- Mansingh Stadium, here on Speaking to AFP at the Nasser al Khater and Kuwait hosting games. galore (RCB) by four wickets Sunday. Asian Football Confederation “We’ve got to take into in a lopsided Indian Premier Chasing a modest target of Congress, Nasser al Khater of but it’s not a done deal for it consideration the capabilities League (IPL) tie at the M. Ch- Delhi Capitals batsman Shreyas Iyer plays a shot during the 2019 140, Lynn and Narine took the Supreme Committee for De- to be a 48-team World Cup.” as they stand today but also innaswamy Stadium, here on Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match against Royal Rajasthan bowlers to the clean- livery and Legacy said Qatar Although Qatar has said it what could be done over the Sunday. Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore ers as the duo forged a 91-run was still planning for 32 and is open to expanding, Khater next three years,” he said. RCB have now lost all their on Sunday. (AFP) opening stand to help Kolkata that studies about adding an- added that “the status quo is Despite the tight timeline, six matches in this year’s IPL, register a comfortable victory other 16 teams were just an that it’s still a 32-team World Infantino has made clear he as they remained at the foot of prieve - dropped on four by four consecutive boundaries with as many as 37 balls to “assessment”. Cup, everything after that is wants 48 teams in 2022 and the points table, while Delhi Parthiv Patel in the first over with the fifth one going down spare. “There’s a feasibility an assessment”. he unsubtly hammered home bounced back after losing their off Tim Southee - to bring the fine leg region for four leg study on the countries that Oman and Kuwait are the message in his address to last game against Sunrisers Hy- up his 11th fifty in the IPL as byes. Brief scores could possibly host. So to- being studied as possible co- the Asian congress. derabad. he joined hands with Prithvi Earlier, Kagiso Rabada Royal Challengers Bangalore: 149/8 (Virat Kohli gether with FIFA we’re look- hosts as Qatar remain under The Swiss-Italian FIFA Chasing a modest 150 Shaw for a 68-run second scalped four wickets to restrict 41; Kagiso Rabada 4/21) lost to Delhi Capitals: ing into those possibilities,” a diplomatic and transport President, who may put the for victory, Delhi always had wicket partnership. RCB to 149/8. The South Africa 152/6 in 18.5 overs (Shreyas Iyer 67, Navdeep Khater said in Kuala Lumpur blockade from other Gulf matter to the world body’s the measure of the game and Delhi never let the game pacer (4/21) bowled a brilliant Saini 2/24) by 4 wickets on Saturday. neighbours. congress in June, said 90 eventually won with seven slip once Iyer and Shaw got go- 18th over to snare three wick- Rajasthan Royals: 139/3 (Steve Smith 72 not out, “So that’s where we are Khater said there was no percent of football associa- balls to spare.