Sport WEDNESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2021 South African paceman Dale Steyn calls time on illustrious career It has been 20 years of training, matches, travel, wins, losses, strapped feet, jet lag, joy and brotherhood. Today I officially retire from the game I love the most. Bittersweet, but grateful. Dale Steyn Sport | 14 CYCLING: VUELTA A ESPANA STAGE 16 WINNER: Fabio Jakobsen (NED), OVERALL LEADER: Odd Christian Eiking (NOR) 64H 06' 47'' A general view of the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen on the eve of the European Qualifier between 'hosts' Qatar and Serbia. Ronaldo completes return to United REUTERS – MANCHESTER Manchester United have completed the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus on a two-year deal, the Premier League side confirmed on Qatar take on Serbia with eye Tuesday, as the Portuguese forward returns to the club where he won eight major trophies from 2003- 2009. United announced that they had on points as Qualifiers resume agreed a deal with Juventus to bring the 36-year-old back to Manchester THE PeninsULA/QNA – DEBreCen Qatar's Almoez Ali (right) with a Since their return from the US, the last week, with the transfer now team-mate during a pre-match Qatari squad assembled in Doha for complete after Ronaldo passed a Asian champions Qatar will be eyeing training session at the Nagyerdei a short period before heading to medical, secured a visa and agreed points against Serbia when the two Stadion in Debrecen, yesterday. Austria, where the Asian champions personal terms. sides meet today at the Nagyerdei have been conducting a full scale of The transfer fee agreed was €15m Stadion in the Hungarian city of training sessions under the watchful ($17.74m) plus €8m in performance- Debrecen in a European qualifier for gaze of coach Sanchez. related add-ons. the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 20,000-capacity venue saw Ronaldo is set to join up with the The Felix Sanchez-coached Asian the maroons amass a tally of seven squad after the international break champions will play their first match points out of a possible nine in the and could make his first start on Sept. since their impressive run in the CON- opening three rounds of Group A of 11 when they host Newcastle United CACAF Gold Cup, in which they were the European section of the 2022 FIFA if he returns unscathed from his eliminated in the semi-final against World Cup qualification against Lux- duties with Portugal. the US earlier this month. embourg, Azerbaijan and the Republic Ronaldo was signed by Juventus "The match is of great importance of Ireland. in 2018 for €100m from Real Madrid especially as we are facing a strong On Monday, the Qatar Football Ronaldo spent six seasons at Old team that has its reputation and leads Association announced influential Trafford between 2003 and 2009, the group, equal with Portugal with striker Mohammed Muntari will miss where he won the Ballon d’Or as the (7) points, and it has players who are out on the qualifiers because of an world’s best player in 2008 alongside able to change the result at any time," injury. his team accolades, before sealing a Sanchez said during a pre-match Qatar will take on Luxembourg then world record £80m ($110.24m) press conference yesterday. on September 7 in what would be the move to Real Madrid. "Despite the difficulty of the last of three internationals within a During his first spell in Manchester match tomorrow, due to the strength week’s time. he scored 118 goals and won the of the star-studded Serbian national This week, the Qatar squad is Premier League Golden Boot in the team, we are able to match the expected to be in the limelight of fans 2007-08 season, opponent as preparations for this after QFA launched a nationwide the year match were made by setting up a marketing campaign in Hungary R o n a l d o short camp in Austria. We are con- ahead of the Serbia clash. helped United fident of our players who will do their claim their last best tomorrow, plus these strong con- QATAR SQUAD: Saad Al-Sheeb, Champions frontations will have a positive impact Meshaal Barsham, Mahmoud Abu League title. on our players as a result of contact Nada, Youssif Hassan, Salah Zakaria, with strong European teams," matches before losing to former Asian Cup, Qatar, appear in the qualifiers Pedro Miguil, Abdul Karim Hassan, Sanchez said. champions Japan (0-1). to gain experience ahead of the Tariq Salman, Ahmed Suhail, Musaab "The pressure of the matches def- Qatar, on the other hand, have football blockbuster next year. Khidir, Bassam Al-Rawi, Homam initely will affect the players, and it is maintained an impressive run this Although the results of the Qatari Al-Amin, Khouki Boualem, Mohamed necessary to deal with it regardless year. At their Gold Cup debut, Qatar team in the European qualifiers are Waad, Assim Madabo. Karim Boudiaf, the huge number of matches," the drew with Panama (3-3) before not counted, especially as it is the host Ismail Mohamed, Abdullah Al-Ahraq, Spaniard said. crushing Honduras (2-0) and edging of the 2022 World Cup, Al Annabi will Abdullah Marafiya, Abdulaziz Hatim, Serbia, coached by Dragan Sto- El Salvador 3-2. Following an enter- be looking to continue the good Jassem Jaber, Akram Afif, Hassan Al- jkovic, are ranked 29 on the FIFA taining clash, Qatar lost to the US (1-0) results achieved in the first stage. Haydos, Khaled Mohamed, Sultan Al- computer. Serbia have drawn with in the semi-finals. Earlier in the year in Group A, Braik, Ali Asad, Ahmed Moein, Yusuf Portugal (2-2) and Jamaica (1-1) in Sanchez’s boys will next play Por- Qatar beat Luxembourg (1-0) and Abdurisag, Al-Moez Ali and Ahmed their last four internationals. Serbia tugal on September 4 at the same Azerbaijan (2-1) before playing a 1-1 Alaa. Cristiano beat Azerbaijan (2-1) in the other two venue. Hosts of the 2022 FIFA World draw against the Republic of Ireland. Coach: Felix Sanchez Ronaldo Title-chasing Pliskova advances as Barty Olympic champion wins first US Open match in 2 years Zverev glides into AGENCIES – NEW YORK second round World number four Karolina Pliskova fired REUTERS – NEW YORK off eight aces to defeat American wild card Caty McNally 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of German Alexander Zverev got his bid for a maiden major off the US Open yesterday as she bids for an to a smooth start by beating American Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, elusive maiden major. 6-2 in the first round of the US Open yesterday. Pliskova, the 2016 runner-up, built up a Querrey kept the match close through the first two sets 5-1 lead in the first set before her 19-year- but was stymied by unforced errors as 2020 runner-up Zverev old opponent settled her nerves, and hit 10 kept his game comparatively clean and fired off 25 winners. winners in the set compared to two from The world number four went in for the kill in the third set McNally, before breaking the American’s and with the fifth game secured a double-break lead with the serve twice early in the second. momentum squarely in his favour, never facing a break point McNally, who made it to the third round himself during the entire match. at Flushing Meadows a year ago, bounced In a showdown between two six foot six inch (1.98-metre) back to level the score at 3-3, with the crowd World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of power servers, Zverev’s consistency proved critical and he in Louis Armstrong Stadium cheering her Australia returns the ball to Vera won 90% of his first-serve points compared to 70% for Querrey, on, but could not match Pliskova’s power as Zvonareva of Russia on day two of the who fended off three match points in the seventh game but the Czech closed out the match with a pair 2021 US Open tennis tournament at was nonetheless defeated in a brisk one hour and 40 minutes. of aces. USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Zverev, who was two points away from winning a year Later, women’s No. 1 seed Ash Barty Center yesterday. ago before Dominic Thiem rallied to victory, is among the knocked off Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 7-6 (7) in younger cohort hoping to upset world number one Novak her first US Open match in two years. Djokovic’s bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam. The reigning Wimbledon champion, Barty US OPEN RESULTS (SELECTED) Alexander Bublik (31), Kazakhstan, def. Yannick Hanfmann, “Novak is chasing history,” said Zverev. skipped last year’s open because of the pan- Men's Singles: First Round Germany, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. “But I think the guys are going to try and get in the way of demic. Barty’s Grand Slam titles at Wim- Mackenzie McDonald, United States, def. David Goffin (27), Women's Singles: First Round that and I’m looking forward to maybe giving him a challenge bledon and at the 2019 French Open came Belgium, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. Petra Martic (30), Croatia, def. Dalma Galfi, Hungary, 6-3, 6-2. as well.” on grass and clay. She’s trying to make a Reilly Opelka (22), United States, def. Kwon Soon Woo, South Karolina Pliskova (4), Czech Republic, def. Caty McNally, The win extended his unbeaten streak to 12, after he beat major breakthrough on hard courts.