Al Sadd Take on Al Ahli with Eye on Quarter-Finals
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SPORT Monday 14 May 2018 PAGE | 21 PAGE | 23 Just like good old Early lead paved days as Woods the way for win, rediscovers magic says Laudrup Nam, Msakni and Xavi in line for top QFA award Ireland fightback after THE PENINSULA official statistics and figures pro- Tae-Hee is a vital cog in the all-win record in the group stage. his great skills, potential and vider for the QSL, revealed that machine of this season’s QSL and Tae-hee was the main man talent. Xavi Hernandez is the follow-on DOHA: Al Duhail’s Nam Tae-hee, Msakni had an outstanding Qatar Cup champions Al Duhail. behind the goal-scoring spree of greatest star to have descended AFP his captain Youssef Msakni and season. The South Korean playmaker is team-mates Youssef El Arabi and on Qatar football in terms of cre- Al Sadd’s Spain and Barcelona However, Msakni missed Al among the best presently plying captain Msakni. dentials and achievements. great Xavi Hernandez have been Duhail’s triumphant campaign in the their trade in the country. Last season’s Most Valuable Xavi, a FIFA World Cup DUBLIN: Ireland were 64 short-listed for the Qatar Football Qatar Cup as he is out with a cru- Nam, who was adjudged the Player award was a clear proof of winner with Spain in 2010, is Al without loss in their second Association (QFA) Best Player ciate ligament injury. He was Most Valuable Player last season,season, Sadd’sSadd s regularreg captain ever since innings, a deficit of 116 runs, Award, it was revealed yesterday. operated upon in the US andd still is among the core group of players hehe joinedjoined them in 2015 after at stumps on the third day of Thee winnerswinners will be needneedss rerest.st. He wwillill also mismisss thethe AlgerianAlgerian coachcoach DjamelDjamel Belmadi winningwinning theth La Liga and Cham- their inaugural Test after announcednced at the endend-of-season-of-season fforthcomingorthcoming FIFA World CCupup in is countingcounting on.on. pions LeagueLeag with Barcelona that being made to follow-on by ceremonyony at the Qatar NationalNational Russia.Russia. TheThe midfieldermidfielder also played a season.season. Pakistan at Malahide Conventionntion CenterCenter in EducationEducation significantsignificant rolerole in AlAl Duhail’sDuhail’s He,He, thus,th ended a 17-year yesterday. City on MayMay 17. brilliantbrilliant runrun in the AFAFCC careercareer inin thet Catalan club’s first Ed Joyce was 39 not out Msakniakni played a key role in Al ChampionsChampions League, team, duringduri which he won eight and Ireland captain William Duhail’ss triumphtriumph in this season’sseason’s wwherehere thetheyy were the leagueleague titlestitle and four Champions Porterfield unbeaten on 23. QNB Starsars League (QSL)(QSL) with an onlyonly teamteam with an Leagues.Leagues. Ireland were dismissed unbeatenen record. He played thethe TheThe midfieldm maestro led Al for just 130 in reply to Paki- captain’s’s role to perfection and Sadd to a cupc double last season stan’s first innings 310 for finishedd as the second-bestsecond-best whenwhen theythey won the Qatar Cup nine declared. scorer inn thethe toutournamentrnament withwith and Emir’sEmi Cup. This time, his It was the first time 25 goals,s, one less than team- contributionscontribu were big as The Pakistan had enforced the mate andnd Moroccan strikerstriker WolvesWolves ended up as runners- follow-on in a Test in 16 years. Yousseff El Arabi.Arabi. upup in the QSL and reached Together,gether, thetheyy concon-- the knockout stage of AFC SCOREBOARD tributedd 51 of Al Duhail’s ChampionsCh League. Pakistan 1st Innings (overnight: 268-6) tally of 86 goalgoals,s, the most Meanwhile, Bassam Azhar Ali c Porterfield b Rankin ....................4 by any side. The nearest Al Rawi,R Almoez Ali (both Imam-ul-Haq lbw b Murtagh ..........................7 was Al Sadd’sSadd’s 68 goals. AlAl Duhail) and Salem Al H Sohail c Porterfield b Thompson .............31 The Tunisian attackinattackingg HajriH (Al Sadd) are vying Asad Shafiq c Balbirnie b Rankin ................62 midfielderder was namednamed thethe forfo the Best Under-23 Babar Azam c Stirling b Murtagh ...............14 best playerayer in fourfour monthsmonths PlPlayer Award, while S Ahmed c Stirling b Thompson .................20 (September,mber, November, MicMichael Laudrup (Al Shadab Khan lbw b Murtagh ......................55 Decemberber and February)February) andand Rayyan),Rayy Jesualdo Ferreira F Ashraf c N O'Brien b Thompson ..............83 that speakseaks volumes for his (Al Sadd)S and Djamel M Amir c N O'Brien b Murtagh .....................13 performance.mance. BelmadiBelmadi (Al Duhail) are in con- Mohammad Abbas not out ...........................4 The technicaltechnical andand physicalphysical tentiontention for the Best Coach Rahat Ali not out ..............................................0 aspects releasedreleased by STATS,STATS, thethe FROM LEFT: Al Duhail's Nam Tae-hee, Youssef Msakni and Al Sadd's Xavi Hernandez Award.Award. Extras (b1, lb10, nb4, w2) ...........................17 Total (9 wkts dec, 96 overs, 407 mins) 310 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-13, 3-71, 4-104, 5-153, 6-159, 7-276, 8-304, 9-306 Bowling: Murtagh 25-5-45-4; Rankin 21-3- 75-2 (1nb); Kane 20-2-86-0 (1nb); Thomp- ACL: Al Sadd take on Al Ahli son 22-4-62-3 (2nb, 1w); K O'Brien 6-1-20-0 (1w); Stirling 2-0-11-0; Ireland 1st Innings E. Joyce lbw b Abbas ......................................4 W. Porterfield b Amir .......................................1 with eye on quarter-finals A. Balbirnie lbw b Abbas ...............................0 N. O'Brien lbw b Abbas ..................................0 P. Stirling c Babar b Faheem ........................17 CHINTHANA WASALA Al Sadd players take part in a practice session ahead of their AFC Champions League Round of 16 AFC CHAMPIONS K. O'Brien c Imam-ul-Haq b Amir ............. 40 THE PENINSULA Second Leg match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli. S. Thompson b Shadab ...................................3 LEAGUE T. Kane c Babar b Shadab ..............................0 JEDDAH: Qatar’s Al Sadd will be ROUND OF 16 FIXTURES G. Wilson not out ...........................................33 looking to defend their 2-1 lead B. Rankin c Sarfraz b Abbas .........................17 T. Murtagh c Imam-ul-Haq b Shadab ...........5 from the first leg of the AFC Today: Champions League (ACl) against Extras (b8, lb1, w1) .......................................10 Al Sadd vs Al Ahli (KSA) Total (all out, 47.2 overs, 203 mins) 130 Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli when the Venue: King Abdullah Sports City, Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-5, 3-5, 4-7, 5-36, 6-61, two teams meet in Jeddah today. Jeddah - Kick-off: 8.40pm 7-61, 8-73, 9-107, 10-130 At the King Abdullah Sports Bowling: Amir 10-5-9-2 (1w); Abbas 11-4- City Stadium, the Xavi Hern- Tomorrow: 44-4; Rahat 7-0-18-0; Faheem 5-2-18-1; andez-led side will be targeting a Al Duhail vs Al Ain (UAE) Shadab 13.2-3-31-3; Haris 1-0-1-0 first last-eight appearance since Ireland 2nd Innings (following-on) 2014. Venue: Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha - Kick-off: 6.30pm E. Joyce not out ..............................................39 Boualem Khoukhi scored W. Porterfield not out ...................................23 twice in the opening 30 minutes Extras (b1, nb1) ...............................................2 to give Al Sadd a 2-0 lead at half Total (0 wkts, 26 overs, 114 mins) ....64 time in their previous encounter semi-finals in 2017 and will be Bowling: Amir 3.2-2-2-0; Abbas 6-2-13-0; last Monday, but Mohannad Aseri confident of making a huge stride Rahat 6-2-18-0; Faheem 6-2-15-0 (1nb); netted one valuable away goal for towards making that stage for the Shadab 4.4-1-15-0 the visitors in Doha. A 1-0 win for second successive year having the hosts would be enough to see posted three wins from three at them advance, while an away goal home in the group stage without for Al Sadd would mean Al Ahli conceding a goal. Buttler stars in need to score at least three to to Al Duhail in the Amir Cup Semi- ROUND OF 16 - FIRST WEEK IN NUMBERS Tomorrow, Qatari football qualify for the last eight. final. This means the AFC Cham- giants Al Duhail will face the 2016 Rajasthan’s win Following the home win, Man pions League remains their last 64 – Xavi completed the highest number of successful passes in the first runners-up Al Ain at the Abdullah of the Match Boualem said that Al hope of finishing their season with Bin Khalifa Stadium. leg clashes as Al Sadd won 2-1 against Al Ahli and the 2011 winners remained AGENCIES Sadd could have had scored more silverware. on course for a first quarter-final appearance since 2014. It will definitely be an uphill goals against Al Ahli and said that Al Sadd will welcome their task for the struggling Emirati side a win in today’s match is Portuguese star Pedro Correia 7 – Al Duhail have now won seven AFC Champions League games in a row who will visit the unbeaten men MUMBAI: Jos Buttler made a important for them. whoc missed the previous game after posting a convincing 4-2 victory away at Al Ain. The record is nine, set from Qatar who enjoy a 4-2 lead hard run-chase look easy for “The match was difficult. We due to a one-match ban. from the first leg. Rajasthan Royals who went by Ulsan Hyundai on their march to the 2012 title. tried to score as many goals as we On the other hand, Al Ahli will Al Duhail were four goals to on to beat Mumbai Indians by could because we were playing welcome Salman Muwashar back 18 – the good before the 60-minute seven wickets at the at home.