NBA | Page 5 Nuggets rout Spurs, Rockets thump the Clippers Friday, April 5, 2019 FOOTBALL Rajab 29, 1440 AH Valencia infl ict fi rst GULF TIMES defeat on Zidane’s new Real Madrid SPORT Page 6 FOOTBALL Bounedjah hat-trick seals Al Sadd’s 14th league title Xavi finally lands Falcon Shield during his last season in Qatar Duhail suff er 1-0 defeat to Kharaitiyat, finish second By Sports Reporter with his Spanish compatriot Gabi, Doha who joined Sadd from Atletico Madrid ahead of the season. And the two midfi elders have played a l Sadd blazed their way key role in Sadd’s ascension to the to a record 14th Qatar throne. league title and their Xavi had a couple of chances to fi rst in six seasons, after get into scoresheet but failed to hit Athumping Al Ahli 7-2 in front of the target from close range. But raucous home fans yesterday. The the former Barcelona star played Wolves had a four-point advan- a key hand in Al Sadd increasing tage over defending champions Al the lead in the 24th minute when Duhail going into match and they he delivered a trademark through wrapped up the title, their 69th pass to al-Haydous, who beat across all competitions, with a Santos with his second try after match to spare after the emphatic his fi rst shot was blocked by the victory. goalkeeper. Striker Baghdad Bounedjah Bounedjah then added a third scored his seventh hat-trick of in the injury time of the fi rst half, the season, Hassan al-Haydous with a marvellous goal. After re- bagged a brace and Akram Afi f ceived a pass from al-Haydous, and Jung Woo-Young found the the 27-year old skipped past net once apiece. It was sweet re- crowded Ahli players in the box venge for Jesualdo Ferreira’s men, and then beat a hapless Santos. whose only loss this season had Al Sadd returned to the pitch Al Sadd’s Hassan al-Haydous been to Al Ahli in the fi rst phase. for the second half with the same celebrates scoring against And they did so in their typi- intensity and Akram Afi f scored Al Ahli yesterday. cal fashion, smashing seven goals, their fourth goal in the 53rd which took their total tally for the minute after some brilliant drib- season to 94 from 21 matches. bling. But with Xavi making way Astonishingly they averaged 4.5 for Ali Asad, Ahli took advan- League goals per game and were clearly tage in the 71st minute through winners the deserving winners of the Fal- De Jong. But Sadd restored the con shield. lead four minutes later, after the down Ironically, Sadd’s victory didn’t marauding Bounedjah was once matter much in the end as even a again fouled in the box. And this the years defeat would have given them the time it was al-Haydous who slot- title after Duhail were stunned by ted the ball in as Sadd lead 5-1. bottom-placed Al Kharaitiyat 0-1 In the 78th minute, Al-Ahli •1963-64: Al Maref yesterday. For the record, Al Sadd striker Abdulrashid Ibrahim •1964-65: Al Maref have 54 points while Duhail are on scored Al-Ahli’s second. Just a •1965-66: Al Maref 47 with just one match to go. couple of minutes later, Bounedjah •1966-67: Al Oruba Al Ahli knew they were up for completed his hat-trick and his •1967-68: Al Oruba a long night, when Bounedjah 39th goal of the season with a •1968-69: Al Oruba opened the scoring in the sixth fi erce shot from the edge of the •1969-70: Al Oruba minute. The Algerian forward was box. In the fi nal minute of added •1970-71: Al Oruba brought down by Ahli goalkeeper time, Jung Woo-young curled a Top: Abdelkarim Hassan •1971-72: Al Sadd SC •1972-73: Al Esteqlal Evanildo Santos in the box and low free-kick around the wall and holds the Falcon Shield, •1973-74: Al Sadd SC that resulted in a penalty, which past the Al Ahli keeper to com- the symbol of •1974/75: no champion Bounedjah duly converted. plete a commanding win, a fi tting supremacy in Qatar •1975-76: Al Rayyan SC Captain Xavi Hernandez ran way to seal the title. Meanwhile, football as Al Sadd •1976-77: Al Esteqlal the show from the midfi eld along Duhail crashed to humiliating a players celebrate their •1977-78: Al Rayyan SC loss to Al Kharaitiyat at the Al Ahli 14th title yesterday. •1978-79: Al Sadd SC Stadium. Mohamed Salam scored Results Right: Al Sadd coach •1979-80: Al Sadd SC the only goal in the 77th minute. Jesualdo Ferreira, Direc- •1980-81: Al Sadd SC Al Kharaitiyat ...1 Al Duhail ................0 The game was very much a tor of Football Mohamed •1981-82: Al Rayyan SC Al Khor ................0 Al Gharafa............0 low-key aff air, with Kharaitiyat Ghanem al-Ali, captain •1982-83: Al Arabi SC Al Sadd ................7 Al Ahli ........................2 looking to starve a nervous Du- Xavi and Hassan al- •1983-84: Al Rayyan SC Qatar SC ...............1 Al Arabi ....................2 hail of their favourite possession- Haydous with the Falcon •1984-85: Al Arabi SC Al Rayyan ..........2 Al Sailiya .................2 based football and thus off ering a Shield. PICTURES: •1985-86: Al Rayyan SC Umm Salal .......2 Al Shahaniya .....5 chance to the home team to sneak Noushad Thekkayil •1986-87: Al Sadd SC a surprise victory. •1987-88: Al Sadd SC •1988-89: Al Sadd SC •1989-90: Al Rayyan SC •1990-91: Al Arabi SC •1991-92: Al Ittihad •1992-93: Al Arabi SC •1993-94: Al Arabi SC •1994-95: Al Rayyan SC •1995-96: Al Arabi SC •1996-97: Al Arabi SC •1997-98: Al Ittihad •1998-99: Al Wakrah SC •1999-2000: Al-Sadd SC •2000-01: Al Wakrah SC •2001-02: Al Ittihad •2002-03: Qatar SC •2003-04: Al Sadd SC •2004-05: Al Gharafa SC •2005-06: Al Sadd SC •2006-07: Al Sadd SC •2007-08: Al Gharafa SC •2008-09: Al Gharafa SC •2009-10: Al Gharafa SC •2010-11: Lekhwiya SC •2011-12: Lekhwiya SC •2012-13: Al Sadd SC •2013-14: Lekhwiya SC •2014-15: Lekhwiya SC •2015-16: Al Rayyan SC •2016-17: Lekhwiya SC Baghdad Bounedjah, Al Sadd’s star player with 39 goals in the QNB Stars League, celebrates his •2017-18: Al Duhail SC hat-trick against Al Ahli yesterday. •2018-2019: Al Sadd SC Gulf Times 2 Friday, April 5, 2019 SPORT SPOTLIGHT Qatar’s Mohamed al-Meer wins T2 title Aries donates world record spikes to IAAF SA’s 2012 London Ol- ympic Games 110m hurdles champion Ar- ies Merritt has become Uthe latest star athlete to give his support to the IAAF Heritage World Athletics Championships Exhibition which opens in Doha, Qatar on April 18. Merritt, the fastest man ever over the sprint hurdles, has generously donated to the IAAF Heritage Collection the pair of spikes (running shoes) which he wore when fl ying to the current 110m hurdles world record of 12.80 seconds in the IAAF Dia- mond League meeting in Brus- sels on 7 September 2012. The spikes will be on public display in the IAAF Heritage Ex- hibition in the City Center Doha shopping mall for six months leading into and through the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (27 Sept to 6 Oct). In a special ceremony on the evening on April 18, IAAF Presi- Qatari driver Mohamed al-Meer won the T2 production class title at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge dent Sebastian Coe together yesterday. Al-Meer cruised to victory in Nissan Patrol with a huge winning margin over Latvian Aldis with Dahlan al-Hamad, IAAF will offi cially open the world’s knew I had to become involved attract the attention of sports Vilcans in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Stephane Peterhansel cruised to his sixth cars victory while Sam Vice President and Director largest ever display of athletics and help promote track and fans and the preservation of the Sunderland surged to his second bikes title in three years. Adding to his status as the world’s most General of the IAAF World Ath- artefacts and memorabilia. fi eld,” Merritt said. shoes will assist the telling of successful cross country rally competitor, Peterhansel claimed another distinction as he combined letics Championships Doha 2019 “When I heard about the IAAF “I hope that the display of my tracks’ incredible story to future with wife Andrea to become the first married couple to win an FIA World Cup rally. Local Organising Committee, Heritage project, I immediately world record spikes in Doha will generations.” FOCUS EQUESTRIAN Asian U-21 Dressage Championship at Johnson spreads QEF from today By Sports Reporter Dressage, the highest ex- Doha pression of horse training, is considered the most artistic of the equestrian sports and he Asian U-21 FEI can be traced as far back as message of hope to Dressage Champion- ancient Greece. The horse has ship will be held today to perform at a walk, trot and and tomorrow at the canter, and all tests are ridden TQatar Equestrian Federation’s from memory and a prescribed (QEF) outdoor arena. The two- pattern of movements. The day event will see some of Asia’s only exception is the Freestyle. promising riders and horses in which is specially choreo- action. The vet check for the graphed for each horse and is stroke survivors horses was held yesterday.