Sergio Garcia Scored Nental Campaign and Won Their Previous Today at the Azadi Stadium
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NBA | Page 5 TENNIS | Page 6 Durant helps Goffi n sends Warriors Belgium into get back to semis against winning ways Australia Monday, April 10, 2017 FOOTBALL Rajab 13, 1438 AH Neymar sees red GULF TIMES as Barca let Real Madrid off hook SPORT Page 4 AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Crunch AFC matches for Lekhwiya, Rayyan QSL champions Lekhwiya face undefeated Esteghlal Khouzestan at home while Rayyan take on Persepolis, in Tehran, in the AFC Champions League By Sports Reporter out suspended midfi elder Abdulkar- Doha eem Salem but will have Victor Caceres available after suspension. Rayyan drew with Al Arabi in their fter the euphoria of having QSL encounter while Iran Pro League won the Qatar Stars League leaders Persepolis warmed up for the crown, Lekhiwya will look to clash with a 2-0 victory over Paykan. carry that momentum into Atheir Asian Champions League en- FIXTURES: counter today. They take on Iran’s Es- Persepolis vs Al Rayyan 5:30pm teghlal Khouzestan, who have been Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran undefeated in their campaign so far, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. Le- Lekhwiya vs Esteghlal Khuzestan 6:30pm khwiya, who themselves are unbeaten Venue: Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha File picture of Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup. so far, can leapfrog their opponents and grab the top spot in Group B if they can register a win today. In the three matches that Lekhwiya have played so far, they have won one and have two draws. In their previ- ous match against Khouzestan, which took place in Ahwaz, the home team had scored an early, eighth minute goal through striker Hassan Beit Saeid. But Lekhwiya restored the parity through striker Ismail Mohamed within three minutes and that’s how the score re- mained till the fi nal whistle. Though the Qatar team returned with a valu- able point, Mohamed Tresor was sent off after two bookable off ences and that means that the defender will miss this match today. The other worry for Belmadi will be the absence of their main striker Yusef el-Arabi due to a shoulder injury. The Lekhwiya players during training yesterday. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed Moroccan, with his 24 goals, is the top scorer this season in QSL. But the con- Mashhad in the Iran Pro League. in each category – win, draw and loss. fi dence of coming from a 2-1 win over Al When the two sides met last at the Jas- Ahli in the QSL should boost their con- RAYYAN LOOKING FOR A REPEAT sim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, it was fi dence going into this match. And the In the other match involving a Qatar the visitors who took the lead, as early advantage of playing at home. team, Rayyan will be looking for a re- as in the sixth minute. But Rayyan skip- Esteghlal Khouzestan have enjoyed peat performance when they take on per Rodrigo Tabata equalised in the 19th an unbeaten start to their maiden conti- Persepolis in their Group D encounter minute and then Sergio Garcia scored nental campaign and won their previous today at the Azadi Stadium. In their the winner in the 88th winner. The away encounter 1-0 against Al Jazira. If previous encounter, the Qatar side has three points from that victory had seem they can avoid defeat in Qatar, they will defeated their Iranian opponents 3-1. them climb to the top of the group. edge ever closer to round of 16. Michael Laudrup’s Rayyan are cur- However it will not be an easy outing But the Iranian champions go into rently top of their group, having won for Rayyan, having lost all fi ve of their the fi xture having not won since early two matches and lost one. Persepolis, previous visits to the Islamic Republic March and on the back of a 2-1 defeat to on the other hand, have notched up one of Iran. Laudrup will have to do with- MARATHON Kenyan Mr and Mrs win in Paris AFP Paris aul Lonyangata won the 41st Paris marathon yesterday with his wife Purity Rionoripo tying up the women’s race to make Pit a memorable day out for the Kenyan couple in the French capital. Lonyangata recorded his biggest career win in a time of two hours six minutes and 10 seconds despite losing valuable time when doubling back after missing the penultimate water station. Paul Lonyangata (L) crosses the finish line to win the 41st Paris Marathon in Paris His compatriot, pre-race favourite as does his wife Purity Rionoripo (R) to make it a memorable day for the couple. Stephen Chebogut, came in second at 2hr 6min 56sec, with Solomon Yego gong’s failed dope test. In the women’s race Rionoripo was completing the all-Kenyan podium in Sumgong was the fi rst Kenyan woman followed across the line by her compa- third at 2hr 7min 13sec. to win an Olympic gold in the marathon triot Agnes Barsosio at 2hr 21:02 with “I feel good now as my aim was to when she triumphed in Rio last year. Flomena Cheyech (2hr 21:23.) complet- come here to win,” said Lonyangata who The 32-year-old, who is also the ing the podium. was going one better after taking second reigning London Marathon champion, “It’s great for my wife, I’m very in the Paris half-marathon in March. tested positive for the banned blood proud of her,” beamed happy husband With Paris bathed in spring sunshine booster EPO in a test by the Interna- Lonyangata. “I’m so happy, it’s a great Rionoripo made it a red letter day for the tional Association of Athletics Federa- day for me to win and to beat my per- couple, the 23-year-old setting a new tions (IAAF) in her native Kenya. sonal best,” said Rionoripo, who had record time of 2hr 20min 50sec to smash Lonyangata, 24, made his decisive last year’s winner Visiline Jepkesho her personal best by almost four minutes. move after the 35km marker, surging (fourth) among the more fancied con- The couple’s success put a smile clear of Chebogut in the Bois de Boul- tenders in her slipstream. She lowered back on the face of Kenyan athletics 48 ogne to add Paris to his previous mara- the previous women’s Paris marathon hours after the shock news of Olympic thon wins in Shanghai in 2015 and Lis- record time set by Ethiopia’s Feyse Ta- marathon champion Jemima Sum- bon two years earlier. dese of 2hr 21:06 in 2013. Gulf Times 2 Monday, April 10, 2017 CRICKET FORMULA 1 STAR Verstappen rockets Hamilton beats to China podium Vettel for Chinese Grand Prix victory Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen gestures on the podium. AFP ly competition because in front Shanghai of us they are too quick and be- ‘What I said to Sebastian as I left the last race... I said I’m coming back in the next one. hind us they are too slow. “We are working very hard to When I got on the podium it was like ‘I told you’: said Lewis Hamilton yesterday s Lewis Hamilton cel- try and close the gap but it’s not ebrated victory at the that easy. But we will keep push- Chinese Grand Prix ing hard.” Ayesterday, much of the Verstappen in 2015 became the paddock talk was about Max Ver- youngest driver to compete in a stappen’s astonishing third place Formula One race at 17 — an age for Red Bull. when many teenagers have yet to The 19-year-old, whose ag- receive their driver’s licence. gressive driving has made him He was up against it in Shanghai a Formula One fan favourite, after qualifying in 19th place on blitzed through the fi eld after Saturday due to engine problems, starting in 16th on the grid, over- later bumped up to 16th after pen- taking no fewer than nine cars on alties assessed on other drivers. a dizzying fi rst lap alone. “I didn’t have a lot of track The young Dutchman unsur- time for car balance because I prisingly was named Driver of barely did qualifying,” said Ver- the Day after fi nishing behind stappen, who fi nished fi fth in the only Hamilton’s Mercedes and drivers’ standings last year. Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari. “I was not expecting a podium “Nine cars is quite a lot for one fi nish at all.” lap, but of course I’m very happy His third place duplicated his that it worked. That’s of course result in Brazil last year when he very positive especially after recovered from 16th to reach the starting at 16. It was a great, en- podium in heavy rain, prompt- tertaining race,” he said. ing team Red Bull chief Christian When it was suggested to Horner to call it “one of the best him that his fi rst lap resembled drives I’ve seen in Formula One”. something out of a video game, Although several drivers, in- he replied: “More or less! It felt a cluding Vettel, have turned team Results & Standings bit like that.” radios blue complaining about “It was defi nitely one of the Verstappen’s aggressive style, RESULTS best,” said Verstappen, who be- Hamilton called the Dutch- 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes came the youngest driver to win man “a real breath of fresh air”. 2. Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari a Formula One race at last year’s The Briton added: “I honestly 3. Max Verstappen (NED) Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix aged 18 years hope that Red Bull can improve 4.