FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 2 GGOLFOLF | Page 6 Hernandez Rahm makes snatches fairy-tale return draw for from Covid-19 to Venezuela US Open win Tuesday, June 22, 2021 CRICKET Dhul-Qa’da 12, 1442 AH Maharaj hat-trick GULF TIMES helps S Africa seal series win over WI SPORT Page 4 FIFA ARAB CUP QUALIFICATION Al Duhail win Asian club handball Mauritania all set for Yemeni challenge Al Duhail SC players and off icials celebrate with the trophy after winning the 23rd Asian Club Handball ‘One-off matches are diff icult as just one mistake will cost you’ Championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. The Qatari club beat Al Kuwait SC 27-24 in the final to win the title for the third time, having also lifted the trophy in 2015 and 2018. By Yash Mudgal Doha auritania, a team on the rise in recent years, are ready for the Yemeni chal- Mlenge in the FIFA Arab Cup Qa- tar 2020 qualifi er today as they vie for the lone qualifi cation spot in Group B, where Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Syria await. Mauritania coach Corentin Martins feels his team has all the Al Arabi players and off icials celebrate their bronze medal finish after they beat Al Najma of Bahrain ingredients that are required to 25-24 in the third-place match earlier yesterday. tackle the tough Yemen side at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. “It is diffi cult, of course, because it is football and the FOCUS chances remain equal. We have followed the Yemeni team and monitored it well through their recent matches, and I think that Jordan gets automatic my team is capable of qualify- ing, but we have to seize the opportunities as we don’t get qualifi cation to group stage another chance,” Martins said during the pre-match press QNA this evening against Jordan as Ministry of Health, means that conference yesterday. Doha part of the FIFA Arab Cup quali- these players were likely incubat- Mauritania’s improvement fi ers a forfeit with a 3-0 win to ing the virus. Given that another can be measured by their jump Jordan. The decision is based seven players had close contact of more than 100 places in the IFA announced the on article 5.6 of the competition with those who tested positive, FIFA World Rankings between qualifi cation of the Jor- regulations (“force majeure”) a total of 19 players are currently 2012 and 2017. The Lions of Mauritania coach Corentin Martins and Yemen coach Mohamed Ali Guacem (right) address a press danian national team to and takes into consideration the in isolation. There are no cases Chinguetti not only have their conference on the eve of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2020 Qualification match. the group stage of the need to protect the health of the presenting severe symptoms and sights on returning to Qatar FFIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 due to players and everyone involved in everyone who tested positive is later this year, but also mak- record also includes appear- Having seen their hopes to ing performance in the double South Sudan’s inability to meet the tournament.” being monitored and receiving ing football’s showpiece event ances in three Pan Arab Games make Qatar 2022 come to an end qualifi ers. We are motivated to the minimum number of quali- Upon their arrival in Qatar the best possible medical care for in 2022 after being drawn in an in 1976, 1985, 1997. during the latest round of Asian overcome our recent poor show. fi ed players to participate in the and as per the protocols estab- free through the Qatar national African zone qualifying group Captain Adama Ba also zone World Cup qualifying in We want to bring smiles back match, which was scheduled last lished by the Qatari Ministry healthcare system. with Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia sounded confi dent as he said his Saudi Arabia, Yemen is also on the faces of our fans,” Yemen evening in Doha. of Health, all delegations were FIFA and the local organisers and Zambia. team would give their best. hoping for a better show today. coach Mohamed Ali Guacem In a statement FIFA said, tested for Covid-19. After two deeply regret this unfortunate After making their Africa “The match is one opportuni- Yemen lost to Saudi Arabia, Uz- said. “Following the confi rmation rounds of PCR tests, it was con- situation and wish the delegates Cup of Nations debut in 2019, ty that we should not waste, we bekistan and Palestine in group “One-off matches are diffi - of Covid-19 cases among the fi rmed that seven players and one of South Sudan a speedy recov- Mauritania recently secured must be careful and avoid mak- matches recently to go out of cult as sometimes just one mis- South Sudan delegation, the team member of South Sudan ery. their place in the next edi- ing mistakes and I am sure we contention. take will cost you your chances, FIFA Bureau for Men’s Senior were positive, with another fi ve Following the cancellation of tion of the tournament in will give our best performance “The match is diffi cult for us, but we’ve ready for the match,” Tournaments has declared the players receiving a reactive test this match all tickets will be re- early 2022. Their international tomorrow,” Ba said. especially after the disappoint- he said. match scheduled to take place result, which as per the Qatari funded. UEFA EURO Wijnaldum double as Dutch complete perfect group phase AFP group winners after defeat- Donyell Malen before fi nishing for the Dutch side, who will not Amsterdam, Netherlands ing Ukraine and Austria in front and the goal stood following a play any more games in Amster- of their own fans at the home VAR check. dam — victory in the last 16 will of Ajax, and so the 1988 Euro- send them on to a quarter-fi nal in eorginio Wijnaldum pean champions knew they were RELAXED SEND-OFF distant Baku. scored twice as the heading for a knockout tie in Bu- PSV Eindhoven forward Malen After Depay’s opener, Denzel Netherlands completed dapest next weekend. and Ajax midfi eld prodigy Ryan Dumfries came close to making a perfect group stage at North Macedonia, meanwhile, Gravenberch came in for Wout it 2-0 before they ran away with GEuro 2020 by comfortably beat- were already out after losing their Weghorst and Marten de Roon as the game early in the second half. ing North Macedonia 3-0 in Am- fi rst two games in their debut ap- the only two changes made to the Matthijs de Ligt had a header sterdam yesterday. pearance at a major tournament. Dutch line-up by De Boer. cleared off the line prior to Depay The Dutch captain, who signed They leave without a point, but He stuck with his much criti- squaring for Wijnaldum to make for Paris Saint-Germain from they will never forget this cam- cised 3-5-2 formation — before it 2-0 six minutes into the second Liverpool just before the tourna- paign and this game will be best tweaking it in the second half period. ment began, scored twice in the remembered as the last of veteran — but was reluctant to rest too Another delightful move second half at the Johan Cruyff 37-year-old striker Goran Pan- many players with six days after brought the third goal just before Arena after Memphis Depay had dev’s international career after this until their next match. the hour as Malen’s pass found put them in front. two decades. Wearing their black change kit, Depay whose shot was saved by Depay, fresh from sealing a He was gifted a Dutch shirt Netherlands’ Georginio Wijnaldum (centre) celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Euro Group C the Netherlands had VIP support Stole Dimitrievski only for Wi- transfer of his own to Barcelona, with the number 122 — the match against North Macedonia in Amsterdam, Netherlands, yesterday. (AFP) in the shape of Prime Minister jnaldum to convert the follow-up could claim assists for both of number of caps he has won — Mark Rutte, who watched the for his third of the tournament. Wijnaldum’s goals as Frank de before kick-off , and was given But the North Macedonians They also had two goals disal- the edge of the Dutch box by Da- game alongside his North Mac- Weghorst then hit the bar Boer’s side made it nine points a guard of honour by his team- couldn’t sign off on a high, with lowed for off side and felt that the ley Blind but the Romanian ref- edonian counterpart Zoran Zaev. within moments of appearing off out of nine in Group C. mates as well as an ovation from Pandev setting up Aleksandar Netherlands’ opener in the 24th eree allowed play to go on and the And, despite the cold and the bench and the Netherlands They had already secured the home fans on being replaced Trajkovski for a shot off the post minute should not have stood. home side broke forward. damp conditions, the evening look in good shape, albeit with qualifi cation for the last 16 as midway through the second half. when the game was still goalless. Pandev felt he was fouled on Depay exchanged passes with had the air of a relaxed send-off tougher tests lying ahead. Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, June 22, 2021 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT Qatar and Tajikistan football associations sign co-operation agreement atar Football Association Sheikh Hamad emphasised the long- (QFA) and Tajikistan Foot- standing relationship that connects ball Federation (TFF) signed both QFA and UFA.