18 Monday, March 11, 2019 Sports Al RAYYAN SET TO ROAR AGAINST UZBEK CLUB TODAY Messi, Suarez both score to keep Barcelona clear at the top dpa more importance than that. Barcelona He fought to score and we al- ways think he is going to pull Barcelona maintained something out of the hat. The their seven-point lead at the secret is to persevere.” top of La Liga with a 3-1 win Pique was asked if he over Rayo Vallecano on Sat- thought the league was now urday at the Camp Nou. a two-team affair between Rayo stunned the league Barcelona and Atletico Ma- leaders on 24 minutes when drid, who earlier managed a Raul de Tomas put the Ma- 1-0 win over Leganes. drid club, second from bot- Third-placed Real Ma- tom in the table, ahead. drid are now 15 points behind A long ball forward from Barcelona but play Sunday at Alvaro found the Real Ma- Valladolid. Pique said: “We drid loanee and he got away are not going to rule out any- from Nelson Semedo and body until they can’t catch us Gerard Pique before shoot- mathematically.” ing past Marc Andre ter Ste- Atletico’s Saul Niguez gen. scored the only goal of their Barcelona equalised game on 50 minutes. on 38 minutes when Pique Angel Correa was was left unmarked to head brought down in the area in a Lionel Messi free-kick. and although Saul’s spot- Messi then made it 2-1 on kick was saved, he scored the 51 minutes scoring a pen- rebound. alty after Semedo had been Atletico could have ex- Al Rayyan coach Gilson Souza (right) and player Mohammed Alaaeldin during their AFC Champions League press conference at Al Sadd stadium in Doha on Sunday. brought down in the area by tended their lead with Thom- Jordi Amat. as Partey hitting the crossbar Luis Suarez sealed the from long range. Rodrigo points when he ran on to a appeared to foul Leganes pass from Ivan Rakitic to winger Jose Arnaiz late on score the third eight minutes but referee Mateu Lahoz Rayyan have chance to from time. There were some waved play on. whistles from Barcelona sup- “It was a hard-fought porters for Philippe Coutin- win,” said scorer Saul. ho when he was replaced by “I was lucky with the pen- Rakitic with 10 minutes left. alty because the ball came Barcelona coach Ernesto straight back to me.” Later beat Lokomotiv: Souza Valverde said: “In any club Getafe moved to within three in the world there are mas- points of Real with a The task for the Lions is to put up better defence and coordination between midfield and attack sive expectations to win and 2-1 win over Huesca. In Sat- at this club even more so. urday’s other match Alaves Ikoli victor The Lions have now been dah. He stressed the need to edition when they defeated “We cannot give it any drew 1-1 with Eibar. doha beaten in their past three forget the run of poor results Nasaf home and away before games on the continent, Concern for and that players should focus exiting at the group stage. Al Rayyan look to turn the stretching back to April last defence on the upcoming games to While Al Rayyan will need page on their worst week in year. return the team to winning to find someone to step up in a long time by earning a vic- Speaking at the pre-match ● Al Rayyan will need to find ways. the attack, the biggest concern tory in their AFC Champions press conference on Sun- someone to step up in the Lokomotiv, meanwhile, is the defence. With twelve League Group B match on day, new coach Souza said: attack, the biggest concern got off to the perfect start last goals conceded in their last Monday when it host Uzbeki- “We have a chance to return is the defense. With twelve week when goals from Te- three matches, the Lions have stan’s Lokomotiv at Jassim and achieve a positive result goals conceded in their last murkhuja Abdukholikov and fallen out of form and just Bin Hamad Stadium. against Lokomotiv, who have three matches, the Lions Islom Tukhtakhujaev secured look heartless. Al Rayyan have lost three a good team and play in a have fallen out of form and a 2-0 victory over the United The task for Rayyan is matches in a row, two in the high-speed and fast-perform- Arab Emirates’ Al Wahda in to put up better defence and QNB Stars League against ing way, but we’ll strive to just look heartless. Tashkent. ensure coordination between Al Sadd and Shahaniya and provide the best and equip the The Uzbek champions, midfield and attack. the third to Al Ittihad in the team to win the game.” whose domestic league has Souza will rely on the ser- Champions League last Mon- “We need time to harmo- yet to begin, have exited at vices of veteran Rodrigo Taba- day. nise the technical and tacti- I have trained several teams, the group stage in the past ta to provide all the ammuni- Turkish coach Bulent Uy- cal aspects with the players,” and I have trained the first two years but a second suc- tion for the attacking players, gun resigned from his position Souza added. team for a long time.” cessive win would put them while Gonzalo Viera will following mounting pressure The Brazilian clarified the Asian Cup winner Mo- in a strong position after two provide cover from the back. coming off their demoralis- position about his new role hammed Alaaeldin revealed games. Lucca Borges and Gelmin Ri- ing 5-1 loss to Saudi’s Al Hi- in the Rayyan technical crew, that the players met with Al Rayyan, who have never vas are expected to be the ar- lal, where he gave way for the “This is not my first match the administrative officials faced Lokomotiv in the AFC rowhead in the attack with Se- Barcelona’s forward Lionel Messi (centre) vies for the ball with Rayo club’s Under-23 coach Gilson with Al Rayyan as I have been in order to restore normalcy Champions League, last faced bastian Soria is likely to play a Vallecano’s players during the Spanish league match at the Camp Nou Souza, who has taken charge. with the club for nine years. following the big loss in Jed- Uzbek opposition in the 2012 substitute role. Stadium in Barcelona on Saturday. (AFP)

Politano, Gagliardini lift Inter Liverpool restore before derby showdown afp assist nine minutes later. credentials as Arsenal end Man U run Milan The race for Champions League football remains tight afp and Rob- with Roma, Torino and Atal- London erto Gagliardini scored in the anta six points behind fourth- second half as beat placed Inter Milan. Liverpool cut Manchester SPAL 2-0 on Sunday to revive Torino continued their City’s lead at the top of the Pre- their Champions League chase impressive form with An- mier League to a single point before next week’s derby show- drea Belotti bagging a brace on Sunday as Manchester down with local rivals AC Mi- to extend their winning run to United slipped to their first do- lan. Inter had taken just a point three games with a 2-1 win at mestic defeat under Ole Gun- from their last two games, fall- Frosinone. nar Solskjaer at Arsenal. ing at Cagliari last time out, and ’s side Chelsea, also in the hunt desperately needed a morale- move sixth and into the Eu- for the Champions League boosting win to keep pace with ropa League places, level on 44 qualification spots, needed AC Milan before next week’s points with Roma, who play at a last-gasp equaliser from Derby della Madonnina. Empoli on Monday under new Eden Hazard to earn 1-1 draw The win keeps Inter one coach , and Ata- against Wolves. point behind third-placed AC lanta who beat Sampdoria 2-1. A disappointing run of Milan who beat bottom club Colombian Duvan Zapata results has badly dented Liv- Chievo 2-1 on Saturday for a broke through for the Bergamo erpool’s bid for a first English fifth league win in a row. outfit on 50 minutes and Robin league title since 1990 and Argentina star Mauro Icar- Gosens scored the winner after fans’ nerves were jangling after di remained on the Inter side- 77 minutes. they fell behind against strug- lines and has not played since had gling Burnley at Anfield on Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino (centre) celebrates scoring their Arsenal’s striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring his being stripped of the captaincy equalised for Sampdoria from Sunday. third goal during the English Premier League match against Burnley at goal from the penalty spot during their EPL match at the Emirates a month ago. the spot on 67 minutes as the But Roberto Firmino and Anfield in Liverpool, on Sunday.( AFP) Stadium in London on Sunday. (AFP) ’s side 36-year-old went top of the Se- Sadio Mane both scored twice were frustrated in the first half rie A goal-scoring charts with as Jurgen Klopp’s team battled sure that we stay in this really tonishing Champions League The home side doubled two seasons away from Eu- by SPAL who are just two points 20 in 27 games, one more than back to win 4-2, lifting them interesting competition on top comeback against Paris Saint- their lead midway through rope’s top club competition. above the relegation zone. Juventus star Cristiano Ron- to 73 points, one behind Pep of the table. We have no prob- Germain in midweek and with- the second half when Pierre- - Hazard strike -Earlier, Lautaro Martinez looked to aldo. Bologna earned a valuable Guardiola’s City, who saw off lem with confidence, we’re in out a single domestic defeat Emerick Aubameyang scored Hazard came to Chelsea’s res- have given Inter the lead after three points with a 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday. a good moment.” Tottenham’s since interim boss Solskjaer from the penalty spot after cue in injury time, firing in half an hour on front of 61,000 relegation rivals Cagliari. “The message from today third defeat in four Premier took over in mid-December. Fred was penalised for bring- from long range to grab a point fans in the but a VAR Erick Pulgar converted a is that nobody gets rid of us,” League matches on Saturday But Granit Xhaka shocked ing down Alexandre Lacazette. as they drew 1-1 with Wolves at review awarded handball. 34th-minute penalty with Rob- said a defiant Klopp, whose has thrown the race for the the visitors early, with David Arsenal’s 2-0 victory lifted Stamford Bridge. The hosts also lost Croatian erto Soriano adding a second team had won just two of their top four -- the passport to the de Gea badly misjudging his Unai Emery’s side to within Chelsea enjoyed the bulk of midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, on 77 minutes to give Bologna previous six Premier League Champions League -- wide swerving shot. one point of north London the possession but Wolves took who limped off and was re- just their fourth win of the sea- matches. “We had the perfect open. United came back strongly rivals Spurs and meant they the lead through Raul Jimenez placed by Antonio Candreva. son. mixture of fighting the oppo- United travelled to the but were unable to take their leapfrogged United in the pro- in the 56th minute with their Politano finally broke Bologna remain third from nent and playing football. Emirates Stadium brimful chances, thwarted by Bernd cess as they target a return to first shot on goal after an inci- through after 68 minutes with bottom with Cagliari just six “All we have to do is make of confidence after their as- Leno in the Arsenal goal. the Champions League after sive counter-attack. Gagliardini turning in a Cedric points clear of safety.