SPORT Friday 3 August 2018 PAGE | 18 PAGE | 19 Qatar’s Tamimi Kohli smashes among top-30 149 as India in the world fight back Al Gharafa players celebrate after scoring a goal I like to win during the previous every game. For QNB Stars League that matter, all in this file photo. sides would like to win. You can win matches if FIXTURES: ROUND 1 you play good TOMORROW football. We Al Gharafa vs Qatar SC hope to win Al Sadd Stadium Saturday’s match 5:35pm. and thus make Al Arabi vs Al Khor a strong start to Khalifa International Stadium our campaign: Al Gharafa coach 5:35pm. Gourcuff Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal Khalifa International Stadium 7:45pm. SUNDAY QSL: Al Gharafa eye win Al Kharaitiyat va Al Sadd Khalifa International Stadium We have tried to strike the right 5:35pm. balance in our against Qatar SC in opener Al Shahania vs Al Duhail squad. We are up Khalifa International Stadium against a strong 7:45pm. RIZWAN REHMAT team (Al Gharafa) games and tried out three dif- Al Rayyan vs Al Ahli in the first match. THE PENINSULA ferent combinations. All players Al Sadd Stadium But it is better to were seen in action and I am so face Al Gharafa DOHA: Former champions Al happy that they adapted well,” 7:45pm. than facing Al Gharafa will be aiming for a win Mubarak informed. in their opening QNB Stars League “We have tried to strike the Duhail at the clash against Qatar SC, new coach right balance in our squad. We are Twelve teams begin very start of the Christian Gourcuff said yesterday. up against a strong team (Al their battle for the season: Qatar Al Gharafa, who won three Gharafa) in the first match. But it Falcon Shield as QNB SC coach Abdulla back-to-back titles from 2008 to is better to face Al Gharafa than Stars League kicks off on Mubarak 2010, finished last season in facing Al Duhail at the very start fourth spot behind title winners of the season,” the Qatari said. Saturday. Al Duhail, Al Sadd and Al Rayyan. “Al Gharafa had put up a “I like to win every game. For strong performance against CS Al Duhail are the that matter, all sides would like Sfaxien (Tunisian club) at the defending champions, to win. You can win matches if Salalah tournament in Oman you play good football. We hope recently. But we are confident,” followed by their to win Saturday’s match and thus Mubarak said. unprecedented run during We did a good make a strong start to our cam- Al Gharafa’s new coach Christian Gourcuff (left) and Al Shahaniya “My ambition is to put Qatar the last season. job in the pre- paign,” Gourcuff said in his official coach Jose Murcia speak during a press conferences held yesterday, SC in the top rung of the QNB season camp. media conference. ahead of the start of new QNB Stars League (QSL) season. Stars League. To be among the top We hope to build “All my players are ready to Pictures: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula four is a difficult target to achieve. Teams have strengthened on our strong take on Qatar SC,” Gourcuff For that, we must double our their squads with a host preparations and added. - who will have the services of games is not a period to assess a efforts,” said Abdulla. The Frenchman said Al Dutch star Wesley Sneijder - team’s overall level. For the first four rounds of the of new recruitments and do a good job on Gharafa have arrived prepared won’t underestimate Qatar SC, Qatar SC coach Abdulla new QNB Stars League season, the have undergone intense our return to the for the season’s opening clash to who finished last season in 10th Mubarak said his players were matches will be played at only pre-season training. QSL. We will try be played at Al Sadd Stadium spot. feeling short of match practice two venues - Al Sadd Stadium and to improve our tomorrow. “All teams are staying “The preparatory period was the Khalifa International Stadium. game after every “We had a very good training focused, particularly at the very short. One month was not Both venues are equipped with The first-four rounds will week and thus camp in the Netherlands ahead beginning of the new season. And enough for the players to gear up state-of-the-art cooling of the start of the new season,” we are no different. We are con- for the season,” Mubarak said technology. be played at the Khalifa provide a good Gourcuff said. centrating much on our game yesterday. After the first four rounds, the International and Al Sadd level of football: “And then, we played in a against Qatar SC,” Gourcuff said. “However, we could make an teams will move to their own Stadiums, making use Al Shahania tournament in Salalah, Oman. We “In the league, you can get elaborate plan for the tour- home grounds for the remainder of the state-of-the-art coach Jose want to see how we can improve bad results sometimes. My life has nament,” he added. of the rounds from September cooling technology. Murcia on our game further,” he added. always been about football, be it “We made the best use of our onward, Qatar Stars League (QSL) Gourcuff said Al Gharafa a player or coach. One or two time. We played six friendly announced last month. A battle of wits as coaches get set for new season THE PENINSULA QSL TEAM COACHES DOHA: Tactical and technical confrontations between the Al Duhail: Nabil Maaloul coaches are sure to steal the Al Sadd: Jesualdo Ferreira spotlight in the QNB Stars League Al Rayyan: Rodolfo Arruabarrena (QNB) 2018-19 season. Al Gharafa: Christian Gourcuff Many eminent coaches are Umm Salal: Laurent Banide at the helm of clubs in this sea- Al Sailiyah: Sami Trabelsi son’s QSL as well. Al Arabi: Luka Bonacic Tunisian Nabil Maaloul, who Al Khor: Adel Sellimi coached his country’s national Al Kharaitiyat: Nassif Al Bayawi team at the recent FIFA World Cup in Russia, has replaced Al Ahli: Milan Macala Algerian Djamel Belmadi at Qatar SC: Abdulla Mubarak defending champions Al Duhail. Al Ahli’s new Czech coach Milan Macala (left) and Al Rayyan’s Argentinian coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena speak a during press conferences Al Shahaniya: Jose Murcia Last season’s runners-up Al held yesterday, ahead of the start of new QNB Stars League (QSL) season. Pictures: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula Sadd have retained Jesualdo Fer- reira. The Portuguese is a result- Rodolfo Arruabarrena. The Uygun, who played his part in 2008. He coached Al Khor at the succeeding his compatriot Nassif is the only national coach on the oriented master tactician. He is former Argentina left-back will The Cheetah’s fourth-place start of last season and had Al Bayawi, who has been named scene. He did admirably well more experienced, having been have his task cut out as The Lions finish last season, having taken trained Al Kharaitiyat earlier. as the new coach of Al with The Kings last season. in the profession since 1981 and endured a trophy-less season over the side halfway through Tunisian Sami Trabelsi Kharaitiyat, replacing Yasser Jose Murcia also has a big coached teams in Spain, Greece even though they had reached the tournament. extended his long stay at Al Sebaei. task on his hand — to enable and Egypt besides his native the Emir’s Cup final, where they Laurent Banide returned to Sailiyah, while Croat Luka Milan Macala, who returned promoted team Al Shahaniya to Portugal. lost to Al Duhail. Umm Salal. The Frenchman is Bonacic also stayed at Al Arabi. to Al Ahli, is keen to help them impress in the top flight. He had Al Rayyan replaced Danish Al Gharafa signed Christian no stranger to The Orange For- Tunisian Adel Sellimi finish in the top half. coached them last season as great Michael Laudrup with Gourcuff in place of Turk Bulent tress, having trained them in became Al Khor coach Qatar SC’s Abdulla Mubarak well. FRIDAY 3 AUGUST 2018 SPORT 17 Wild Illusion corners Qatar Nassau Stakes glory THE PENINSULA GOODWOOD, WEST ESSEX: Wild Illusion landed her second top-grade victory when winning the feature race on day three of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the £600,000 G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes. Dropping back to a mile and a quarter seemed to suit the Godolphin-owned three-year-old filly, who was taking on older rivals for the first time, and whose two most recent runs had come over a mile and a half yesterday. Wild Illusion (4/1) made all the running under William Buick before beating Urban Fox (3/1) by two lengths, with Veracious a short-head back in third. Winning trainer Charlie Appleby said: “Wild Illusion has been rock solid all season and was fourth in a Guineas (at Newmarket), second in the Oaks (at Epsom) and second in the Ribblesdale Stakes (at Royal Ascot). She was coming into the race as well as I have seen her all season, and I felt that dropping back in trip was going to be her forte. Full credit to all the team at home, and to Michel (Rakotoarisoa) who rides her every day at home and looks after her. The Aidan O’Brien-trained Rhododendron (15/8 Qatar Olympic Committee President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani (centre) poses for a photograph with the winners of the Qatar Sussex Stakes favourite) ran poorly and finished last of the six (Gr1), won by Qatar Racing’s Lightning Spear, at Qatar Goodwood Festival on Wednesday.