6 December 9, 2020 Europe’s Top Sides AFC Declares Iran Fixtures Handed Straightforward at 2022 WC Qualifiers Routes to Qatar TEHRAN (MNA) – The dates of the remaining four games of Iran in the second round of quali- fiers for the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup has been announced by AFC. The new announcement of the Asian Football Confederation comes nearly one year after the qualifiers were postponed by the body due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Dragan Skocic’s team will take on Hong Kong on March 25, 2021, before facing Cambodia five days later. Persian leopards will then lock horns with Bahrain on June 7 and Iraq on June 15. Iran sits third in the Group C of the qualifiers with six points while Iraq and Bahrain lead the table with 11 and 9 points respectively. ZURICH (Reuters) - Eng- going to jump to the ceiling. Team Melli needs to win the four remaining land were pitted against old ri- We must always have enough matches for a confident berth to the next round but it may also win the quota by winning nine vals Poland in their World Cup humility and respect for these more points. qualifying group after a draw teams.” which left Europe’s top sides Old rivals England and Hoffenheim Snap 7-Game Winless Run in with apparently straightfor- Poland will face each other ward routes to the 2022 tour- again as they were placed in BERLIN (Xinhua) -- Florian Baumann denied Florian Nieder- nament in Qatar. Grillitsch’s first Bundesliga brace lechner from a tight angle at the Group I along with Hungary, helped Hoffenheim end its 7-game other end. Spain, France, Italy, Germa- Albania, Andorra and San winless run by beating Augsburg After the restart, Hoffenheim ny, Belgium, the Netherlands, Marino. 3-1. took a 2-1 lead as ’s Portugal, Croatia and Eng- Poland, led by prolific for- Hoffenheim grabbed a perfect header found Grillitsch, who land all avoided each other ward Robert Lewandowski, start on home soil as Grillitsch shrugged off defender Jeffrey scored the opener with the first Gouweleeuw before drilling the thanks to the seeding system were arguably the most dan- chance of the game in the 17th ball into the bottom corner just and, barring major upsets, gerous side among the second minute. seconds into the half. should qualify comfortably seeds. The two sides have The Austrian international Hoffenheim wasn’t done with for the tournament in Qatar. been paired in five previous capitalized on the pinpoint cross scoring, as Bebou got his name to the far post from fellow coun- on the scoreboard as well after Instead, the main excitement World Cup qualifying compe- tryman dancing through Augsburg’s de- is likely to be the scramble titions, with Poland famously and beat Augsburg goalkeeper fense to beat Gikiewicz on 50 among the middle-ranking reaching the 1974 World Cup Rafal Gikiewicz from very close minutes. teams to finish second in at England’s expense. range. Heiko Herrlich’s men tried to scored twice as Hoffenheim ended a seven-game win- Hoffenheim gained momentum respond and thought they had their groups and qualify for Spain must get past Sweden, less run in the Bundesliga by beating Augsburg 3-1. and kept Augsburg’s defense reduced the arrears, but Grego- the play-offs. who qualified for the 2018 busy as Grillitsch pulled wide appeared likely to score its sec- home. ritsch’s goal was ruled offside at Under a revised format, the World Cup at the expense of three minutes later, before Se- ond goal, it was the visitors who Both sides had the chance to the hour mark. 10 group winners qualify Italy, in Group B, although bastian Rudy and Baumgartner restored parity out of the blue take the lead before the break, With the victory, Hoffenheim directly for Qatar while the even if they finish second, tested Gikiewicz in quick suc- at the half-hour mark, when but Gikiewicz defused Andrej climb to 10th position while cession. ’s cross al- Kramaric’s promising effort, Augsburg slips to 11th place in runners-up go into a play-off they will still have another But just when Hoffenheim lowed Daniel Caligiuri to nod while Hoffenheim keeper Oliver the standings. system along with the best bite of the cherry in the play- two teams from the Nations offs. Greece, Georgia and League, a separate competi- Kosovo are the other teams in Argentine Senator Wants Maradona on Bank Notes tion. that group. LONDON (Dispatches) - An land team to score what is still Those 12 teams will be di- Cristiano Ronaldo’s Por- Argentine senator wants to put considered one of the greatest vided into three paths of four, tugal, the current European Diego Maradona on the coun- goals of all time. with the winners of each also champions, must face Ser- try’s bank notes and presented a Argentina won the World Cup going to Qatar. The group bia, Ireland, Luxembourg, project to Congress to get the late with a series of outstanding per- stage will be played between Azerbaijan in Group A while soccer star and possibly even his formances by Maradona, who March and November next Belgium meet Wales, Czech ‘Hand of God’ image on a 1,000- died on Nov 25 of a heart at- year with the play-offs in Republic, Belarus, Estonia in peso note. tack, age 60. March 2022. Group E. The note, worth around $12.27 “The idea is not just to recog- World champions France “We have faced Wales in the at Monday’s exchange rate, nize our most important idol but were drawn in Group D past and those games have would feature Maradona’s face also to think of the economic on one side and a picture of one question,” said Durango. “We alongside Ukraine - a side always been competitive and of his most famous goals on the feel that when tourists come they recently beat 7-1 in a the Czech Republic is an al- friendly - Finland, Bosnia and ways a competitive team,” other, said the bill’s sponsor here they will want to take a The new banknote could look something like this Senator Norma Durango. ‘Maradona’ away with them.” distant Kazakhstan in Euro- said Belgium coach Roberto Maradona’s two most famous Although it was not clear The Senator for the La Pampa gentine in the world,” Durango pean Group D. Martinez. goals came in the 1986 World which one of the two goals province said the final decision said. “I feel the project has got “The trips will be very Even off-colour Germany Cup quarter-final against Eng- would feature, some Argentines would be made by lawmakers, a great response even though long,” said France coach Di- should be able to get through land. bristled at the thought of the who are expected to hear her some people don’t agree with dier Deschamps. “We will Group J where their oppo- He got the first by punching ‘Hand of God’ goal featuring proposal early next year. it.” have to wait to have the cal- nents are Romania, Iceland, the ball past England goalkeep- on an official government docu- “The idea is to recognize The current 1,000-peso note endar. This could bring ad- North Macedonia, Armenia er Peter Shilton and the second ment because it could be seen as Maradona, for good and for features the national bird, the ditional difficulties. I’m not and Liechtenstein. by dribbling past half the Eng- condoning illegality. bad, who is the best known Ar- Rufous hornero. Wade Stars as Australia Beat India in Final T20 LONSDON (Dispatches) - Mat- India came up short in their run without scoring. Kohli hit four boundaries and three thew Wade blasted 80 off 53 balls as chase, despite captain Virat Kohli’s Steve Smith’s composed 24 off 23 sixes in a fine knock before being Australia beat India by 12 runs in the 85 from 61 balls. balls helped settle the hosts’ innings, dismissed by seamer Andrew Tye. final Twenty20 international in Syd- The tourists had already wrapped before Wade and Maxwell punished Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson ney. up a series win on Sunday, but their the India bowlers. was the pick of the Australia bowl- The opener shared a 90-run part- 10-match T20 winning streak comes Finch’s gamble of opening the ers with 3-23 as India lost wickets at nership with Glenn Maxwell, who to an end. bowling with spinner Maxwell paid regular intervals. scored 54 off 36, as Australia posted Having lost the toss, Australia off, with KL Rahul being dismissed A four-Test series will start on 17 Australia opener Matthew Wade scored 145 runs in the three-match 186-5. captain Aaron Finch was dismissed from the second ball of India’s chase. December in Adelaide. Twenty20 series against India