Nabeel Al QatarTribune Qatar_Tribune Rayyan and QatarTribuneChannel qatar_tribune Safira Al Dohul win stallion, mare golds PAGE 14 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: MAN CITY edGE IT OVer DorTmunD, LIVerpool slump AT REAL MAdrid Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior (C) scores a goal during the UEFA Champions League first leg quarter-final match against Liverpool at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Valde- bebas in the out- skirts of Madrid on Tuesday. Junior scored a brace as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1. (AFP) Manchester City’s English midfielder Phil Foden (2L) scores his team’s second goal in the 90th minute during the UEFA Cham- pions League first leg quarter-final match against Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Tuesday. Manchester City won 2-1. (AFP) Al Sadd continue unbeaten run; AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Al Ahli held by QSC but stay 4th Zhar responded for Al Ahli by Al Khor hold racing into the opposition’s area before being trapped by Duhail to 1-1 Nasir and Bashar. Qatar SC’s Elmehdi Bar- draw rahma received the first yellow Qatar’s Al Gharafa will meet Uzebkistan’s FC AGMK in the 2021 play- TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK card of the match for a danger- off at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday evening. DOHA ous tackle against Nasser Saleh Al Khalfan in the 15th minute. THE unbeaten run of this Al Ahli took charge from Al Gharafa, AGMK seek year’s champion and runa- then on and made attempts way leaders in the QNB Stars through Abdulrasheed and League continued as Santi Ca- Nasser Saleh, whose shot was group stage cheer zorla’s lifted Al Sadd to a 2-1 superbly saved by Qatar SC win over Al Rayyan at the Jas- goalkeeper Jassim al-Hail AFC/TNN ahead of the continental clash. sim Bin Hamad Stadium on with a dive on his right. A long- DOHA Al Gharafa were perennial Tuesday. range shot from captain Omid AFC Champions League par- While the prolific Baghdad Ebrahimi hit the upright. HOSTS Al Gharafa will be ticipants in their heyday in the Bounedjah scored in the fourth Al Ahli were finally reward- seeking victory on home second half of the 2000s, ap- minute for the winners, Yohan ed for their efforts five minutes soil against Uzebkistan’s FC pearing in all but one edition Boli scored the equaliser for before half-time, with Abdul- AGMK in the 2021 playoff at between 2006 and 2012. How- Rayyan in the 28th minute. rasheed’s angular shot from the the Suheim Bin Hamad Sta- ever, they found success in the But Rayyan’s hopes of a rare right finding the target, leaving dium on Wednesday evening. competition difficult to come victory against Al Sadd were no chance for Al Hail. Nasser That would signal a return by, progressing past the group dashed as Spanish star Cazorla Khalfan assisted in the goal with to the group stage for the first stage on only one occasion. converted a penalty in the 66th a superbly-placed pass in the time since 2018 for a club that The Qataris best campaign minute, which was awarded to presence of many defenders. once appeared in five consecu- was the 2010 AFC Champions the Wolves after Ali Asad was In stoppage time of the first tive editions of the AFC Cham- League. Back then, they topped fouled by Frank Kom. half, referee Saoud Ali al-Ath- pions League. Group A and found themselves With this victory, Sadd ba overturned his decision of a Meanwhile, FC AGMK are facing Uzbek opponents in have 57 points with just one red card to Qatar SC’s Youcef hoping to become the seventh Pakhtakor in the Round of 16. match remaining in the sea- Belaili for hitting Ali Ghaderi, different side from Uzbekistan Clemerson Araujo’s goal was son. Rayyan, meanwhile, stay following consultation with to reach the AFC Champions the difference as Al Gharafa third with 34th points, just Santi Cazorla (2nd left) celebrates with teammates after scoring Al Sadd’s second goal against Al Rayyan VAR. Both were cautioned af- League group stage. advanced into the quarter-fi- one point ahead of Al Ahli and in the QNB Stars League at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. ter Ghaderi was found guilty of AGMK qualified for the nals where they came close to two more than Qatar SC. pulling Belaili first. 2021 AFC Champions League reversing a 3-0 first-leg defeat In another match, Al Du- Belaili’s shot on target was playoff after finishing third in against Al Hilal of Saudi Ara- hail were held to a 1-1 draw picked comfortably by Al Ahli last season’s Uzbekistan Su- bia, but ultimately fell short, by Al Khor at the Hamad bin keeper Yazan Naim as Qatar per League. Should they come losing 5-4 on aggregate. Khalifa stadium. SC pushed for an equaliser away from Doha with a win, That 2010 Round of 16 Dudu opened the scoring for after the match was resumed. they would join FC Pakhtakor, game was the last of three Duhail in the 49th minute, but Following the red card to FC Bunyodkor, PFC Lokomo- matches Al Gharafa played Greek midfielder Ioannis Fet- Ceballos, Al Ahli looked to tiv, FC Nasaf and FC Neftchi against Uzbek opponents, all fatzidis gave Al Khor a valuable double their lead and a bril- Fergana as clubs that have being against Pakhtakor. The point by converting a penalty in liant effort by Nasser Saleh represented Uzbekistan in the two sides had been drawn in the 65th minute. Duhail have al- was well-blocked by the goal- competition. the same group in 2008 with ready assured second place, but keeper. Al Gharafa qualified for the the spoils shared in a 2-2 draw the relegation threat still hangs The depleted Qatar SC playoff after finishing fourth in Doha and Pakhtakor emerg- over Al Khor. They are in 11th were also racing well in Al Ah- in the 2019-20 Qatar Stars ing 2-0 winners in Tashkent. place with 16 points, two behind li’s box, but they were miss- League. Since then, their form Al Gharafa’s rally to third Umm Salal, who take on Al Sail- ing execution until Bashar has dipped slightly and they place last season was pro- iya on Wednesday. levelled the score for them. In currently find themselves sixth pelled by the partnership of Earlier, Al Ahli were held a move from the right flank in the league table, but AFC Qatari international Ahmed to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Qatar initiated by Belaili, Hamed Champions League qualifica- Alaeldin and Ivorian striker SC in a match which was sig- Ismail, with a back pass, set tion hopes remain alive as they Jonathan Kodjia. The pair nificant for both side’s top four up Beshar, who made no mis- sit four points behind Al Rayyan combined to score 17 league hopes. Bashar Resan (74th take with a hit from just in- in third with two games to go. goals in 2019-20 and have minute) levelled the score for Action from the Al Ahli-Qatar Sports Club clash which ended in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday. side the box. A major concern for the been equally as influential Qatar SC after Abdulrasheed There were more exchanges Qataris will be their recent this campaign. Ibrahim (40th minute) had for kicking Hernan Perez on Ahli are fourth with 33 points, well to enter the box soon af- late into the match and substi- form heading into the AGMK Growing into his creative put Al Ahli ahead. his chest while vying for ball while Qatar SC are a point ter the kick-off, but he got little tute Hazem Ahmed missed a tie. Head coach Slavisa Jo- role at the club is Korea Re- Qatar SC were reduced to possession during the hotly- behind in fifth with just one support from team-mates as golden chance to score the win- kanovic’s men lost their last public midfielder Koo Ja-cheol 10 men on the hour mark after contested match. round remaining in the league. Al Ahli defenders were in place ner for Al Ahli in the last min- three league games and have who will be looking to chan- Cristian Ceballos was sent off Following the draw, Al Qatar SC’s Nasir Peer did to fend off the attack. Nabil El ute as both sides split points. just one win in their last six. nel his experience of nearly a Whereas the Qatar Stars decade in European football League is just away from conclu- spent in Germany to support sion, AGMK’s domestic season his team’s cause in the AFC has just begun, and they find Champions League. Al Arabi and Al Kharitiyat coaches exude confidence themselves in fourth place with Navigating unmapped terri- seven points collected from their tory, AGMK can call on the tal- QNA Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium at press conference on Tuesday. are satisfied with the perfor- satisfied with our current posi- opening four matches. ents of a trio of foreign players. DOHA Al Ahli club. He added, “My mission as mance this season, and we tion, but in the end the coach Starting the season with Ukrainian forward Alek- “We will work to enhance a coach is to rehabilitate the made good performances in bears the responsibility for his an important win over Loko- sandar Kasyan (pictured be- ICELANDIC coach Himir the confidence of the players players psychologically and many matches, and in general choices of the players who play, motiv, AGMK dropped four low) was recruited at the start Hallgrimson confirmed the during the coming period to we wanted to play the last two it was not a bad performance, but we have an opportunity points from their next two of the season after impressing readiness of his team to face finish the season in good form, matches in the league with high in light of the presence of many to prove where we want to be games, drawing away to Na- for fellow Uzbek side Surk- Al Kharitiyat in the 21st round after our chances of competing spirits, especially after we were absences in the team and im- in the fifth or sixth place or to saf and losing 3-0 at home to hon Termez.