GGOLFOLF | Page 4 NNBABA | Page 5 Jones holds off Mavs’ Doncic Oosthuizen to matches win Australian Jordan stat in Open rout of Pelicans Monday, December 9, 2019 CRICKET Rabia II 12, 1441 AH Simmons anchors GULF TIMES chase as WI level series against India SPORT Page 7 REVIEW Red-hot Vardy fi res Leicester to club record win at Villa Striker has now scored in eight straight EPL appearances and is the competition’s top scorer with 16 goals this term AFP the 75th minute with another clinical London, United Kingdom fi nish. Newcastle fought back to make it two consecutive wins with a 2-1 success eicester closed the gap on Pre- against Southampton. mier League leaders Liverpool Danny Ings gave Southampton a as Jamie Vardy extended his 52nd-minute lead at St James’ Park, red-hot streak with a brace in but Newcastle were level in the 68th Lyesterday’s record-breaking 4-1 rout of minute through Jonjo Shelvey. Aston Villa. Federico Fernandez won it with three Brendan Rodgers’ second-placed minutes left as Newcastle climbed to side moved within eight points of Liv- 10th place, while Southampton sit third erpool thanks to goals from Vardy, Kel- bottom. echi Iheanacho and Jonny Evans at Villa Sheffi eld United manager Chris Park. Wilder claimed VAR does referees a Jack Grealish had reduced the defi cit disservice after his side came from be- to 2-1 late in the fi rst half, but Leicester hind to seal a 2-1 victory over Norwich cruised to an eighth consecutive top- at Carrow Road. fl ight victory, setting a new club record Alexander Tettey put Norwich ahead, that smashed the previous best from but Enda Stevens’ header drew United the 1962-63 season. level before George Baldock fi red home Vardy has now scored in eight con- just three minutes later. secutive Premier League appearances The game had moments of VAR con- and is the competition’s top scorer with troversy, with a red card for United’s 16 goals this term. Chris Basham overruled and a lengthy The 32-year-old striker’s blistering delay eventually denying the Blades a run has given him a chance of equalling third goal. his sequence of scoring in 11 successive “The percentages that we’re looking at matches during Leicester’s 2015-16 I don’t think are making the game a better title-winning campaign. game to be involved in at the moment,” “I thought they were amazing, it is Wilder said. “We’re doing a disservice to a historical day for the club and the the elite referees as well. That’s putting performance warranted that,” Rodgers doubt in their mind as well.” said. Wolves moved into sixth place af- “It really does mean something ter Diogo Jota rescued a 2-2 draw at special, it puts the team in the history Brighton. books of Leicester City.” Wolves opened the scoring through Leicester’s surge up the table, after Jota in the 28th minute, only for Neal 12 wins from their last 14 league games, Maupay to blast Brighton level six min- has made them unexpected title con- utes later. tenders again and leaves them in po- Davy Propper headed Brighton into sition to qualify for the Champions the lead in the 36th minute before Jota League. equalised seconds before half-time. Jurgen Klopp’s men remain heavy title favourites and the acid test of Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy (left) celebrates after scoring a goal during the EPL match against Aston Villa in Birmingham, United Kingdom, yesterday. (Reuters) RESULTS Leicester’s credentials will come with Aston Villa 1 (Grealish 45) Leicester successive fi xtures against Manchester “We respect that, we get on with our Mings unable to sprint back, Vardy Everton last Sunday, Nigerian forward lifeline in fi rst half stoppage-time. 4 (Vardy 21, 75, Iheanacho 41, Evans 49) City and Liverpool over Christmas. work and keep developing as a team. We had space to round Tom Heaton before Iheanacho struck again in the 41st But Evans restored Leicester’s two- Brighton 2 (Maupay 34, Propper 36) “I don’t think anyone expects us to be look like a top team.” stumbling over the ball. minute. goal advantage in the 49th minute Wolves 2 (Jota 28, 44) near the top. After Manchester United Vardy maintained his superb form to Quickly recovering his footing, the James Maddison surged into the when the defender met Maddison’s Newcastle 2 (Shelvey 68, Fernandez won at Manchester City on Saturday, put Leicester ahead in the 21st minute. striker glided past Ezri Konsa to slot Villa area and delivered a fi ne cross that corner with a towering header for his 87) Southampton 1 (Ings 52) the caption came up about how far City Latching onto a fi ne pass from Ihea- home from inside the six-yard box. Iheanacho turned in from close range. fi rst goal since February. Norwich 1 (Tettey 27) Sheff ield are away from Liverpool,” Rodgers said. nacho and, with the injured Tyrone After bagging the winner against Grealish gave Dean Smith’s side a Vardy put the result beyond doubt in United 2 (Stevens 49, Baldock 52) CRICKET Flying Oryx, Desert Riders open T10 league with victories By Sports Reporter “This is the fi rst time for us to 93 for fi ve after being asked to Doha host so many international play- set the target. Pakistani bats- ers. We are committed to improv- man Kamran Akmal faced just 13 ing the league and making it a huge balls and hit 29, including two he ambitious Qatar T10 success in future,” he added. sixes and as many boundaries. Cricket League got under In the only match on the open- Ravinderpal Singh added 21, way at the Asian Town ing day, Flying Oryx put Pearl which contained two sixes. So- Cricket Stadium with Gladiators in to bat fi rst, and the hail Tanvir and Mohamed Hafeez TFlying Oryx, powered by skip- latter were restricted to 83 for fi ve. shared four wickets. per Hussain Talal’s unbeaten 59, Faisal Javed, who opens for thumping Pearl Gladiators by the Qatar national team as well, BRIEF SCORES nine wickets on Saturday. was the top-scorer for his team. Pearl Gladiators 83 for five Qatar Cricket Association His 27 off 26 balls included a six (Faisal Javed 27 in 26 balls, Adnan President Yousef Jeham al-Ku- and a four before he was run out Ilyas 18 in 8 balls; Naved Malik wari presided over the opening by Nouman Sarwar. Adnan Ilyas 2/26, Harmandeep Singh 1/11) lost ceremony and unveiled the tro- (18 in 8 balls with two sixes and a to Flying Oryx 85 for one in 7.4 phy. Also present on the occasion four) and Saqlain Arshad (15 in 10 overs (Assad Borham 20 not out were International Pro Event balls with a six and a four) were in 15 balls, Hussain Talal 59 not CEO Sajjad Chaudhry and other other main contributors. out in 29 balls) by nine wickets. QCA offi cials. Naved Malik grabbed two Man of the match: Hussain Talat Cricket is a popular sport in wickets for 26 and Harmandeep (Flying Oryx) Qatar and the QCA is using the Singh got one for 11. Swift Gallopers 93 for five league as a springboard to build a Captain Hussain Talat (Kamran Akmal 29 in 13 balls, strong base here so that they can launched a blistering counter- Inam-ul-Haq 16 in 16 balls, excel in all forms of the game in attack on the rival bowlers after Ravinderpal Singh 21 in 14 balls; future. an early loss of Valeed Veetil (4). Qatar Cricket Association President Yousef Jeham al-Kuwari (second from left) presided over the opening ceremony and unveiled the trophy. Sohail Tanvir 2/16, Mohamed During the ceremony, al-Kuwari He blasted three sixes and eight Hafeez 2/13) lost to Desert Riders said, “We are very proud to launch boundaries in his unbeaten 59, an unbroken second-wicket stand boundaries in his unbeaten 49- Desert Riders, chasing a de- made 23 in 13 balls with fi ve hits 94 for three in 8.5 overs (Adnan the T10 league, which is the second facing just 29 balls. of 80 runs with Talat to set up the run knock as Desert Riders hand- manding 94-run target, reached to the rope. Sufyan Mehmood, Mirza 23 in 13 balls, Mohamed biggest in the world with players Assad Borham fi nished unbeat- win with 14 balls to go. ed a seven-wicket defeat to Swift home with seven balls to spare Ravinderpal Singh and Inam-ul- Tanvir 49 not out in 21 balls) by from nearly all major cricket play- en with 20 in 15 balls, comprising Local star Mohamed Tanvir Gallopers on the second day of with Tanvir cracking 49 not out Haq all picked a scalp each. seven wickets. Man of the match: ing nations present here. a six and a four, before he shared clobbered four sixes and three the league yesterday. off just 21 balls. Adnan Mirza Earlier, Swift Gallopers got to Mohamed Tanvir (Desert Riders) Gulf Times 2 Monday, December 9, 2019 FOOTBALL The FIFA Club World Cup in Numbers seconds is all Al Ain’s Mo- Mitsuo Ogasawara, Miguel Calero, Ante years is the longest gap never produced a victory by more than and twice for the same side the following goals per game was the hamed Ahmadv required Covic and Paolo Maldini. between a club’s consecutive a four-goal margin.