Qatar’s Wadha al Abdullah wins epee bronze at GCC Women’s Games PAGE 18 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019 So near, yet so far: Al Sadd win thriller 4-2, but miss out on final Wolves beat Al Hilal 4-2 in Riyadh but lose AFC Champions League semis tie 6-5 on aggregate AFC/TNN RIYADH A spirited Al Sadd narrowly missed out on the final of the AFC Champions League de- spite beating Al Hilal 4-2 at the King Saud University Sta- dium in Riyadh on Tuesday. In a thrilling encounter, Al Hilal advanced to the final with a 6-5 aggregate win over The Wolves, thanks to a first leg 4-1 victory in Doha. Goals from Akram Afif, Nam Tae-Hee, Hassan al Haydos and Boualem Khouk- hi were not enough for The Wolves who needed one more goal to qualifyand avoid a second straight exit at this styage. Al Sadd were with- out Abdelkarim Hassan and marksman Baghdad Bouned- jah due to suspension. With the advantage of a three-goal lead from the first leg and a huge crowd behind them, the home side took the Al Hilal defenders stave off an Al Sadd attack at the goal-mouth during the AFC Champions League second leg semi-final clash at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Tuesday. game to their opponents from the start, and within five min- hee advanced into the penalty the half-volley to bring the ag- utes they had created their box, supplied it wide for Afif gregate score to 6-4 with just first big chance. Scoreline who crossed back into the box over an hour still to be played. Bafetimbi Gomis shot wide for Haydos. And if the first half was a on the half-volley inside the Al Sadd 4 (Akram Afif Al Sadd’s number 10 set up festival of goals on both sides, first 10 minutes, but it was Al 17’, Nam Tae-hee 19’, Nam with a cute flick and the the second was more of a dis- Hilal’s second time of asking Hassan al Haydos 20’, Korean midfielder controlled play of half chances and ‘near- which produced the opening Boualem Khoukhi 93’) and finished with his left past ly’ moments. goal of the night 12 minutes in. bt Al Hilal 2 (Salem al a helpless Mayouf. As the final whistle ap- Yasser al Shahrani drib- Haydos turned from pro- proached, Al Sadd were able bled down the left and crossed Dawsari 13’, Bafétimbi vider to scorer with Al Sadd’s to snatch a fifth goal through low towards the far post. The Gomis 25’). very next attack. Shahrani Boualem Khoukhi. ball was cleared by the Al Sadd failed to deal with a long ball, The defender rose highest defence but only as far as Sa- allowing Nam to advance on to power home a header, put- lem al Dawsari who controlled goal, his countryman Jang ting everyone at the ground on and fired home to make it 5-1 Hyn-soo made a tackle, but their nerve for the remaining on aggregate. only managed to send the ball minutes of added time. Three minutes later, Al into the path of Haydos who Al Sadd had a final chance Sadd were given a lifeline after drilled home Al Sadd’s third in to snatch the win but Nam’s Akram Afif was brought down the 20th minute to the shock last second free-kick was com- inside the box. Afif stepped up of the near-capacity home fortably held by Mayouf, con- to take the resulting penalty crowd at King Saud University firming Al Hilal’s place in the himself and drilled it into the Stadium. final for the third time after bottom right corner despite The mood swiftly changed 2014 and 2017. Abdullah al Mayouf’s best ef- from stunned frustration to They face the winners of forts to save. unanimous joy followed by the Guangzhou Evergrande- There were more goals a collective sigh of relief as Urawa Red Diamonds semi- to come soon after; Al Faraj Gomis got on the end of a final, with the first leg was dispossessed near the Sebastian Giovinco diagonal taking place in Riyadh on halfway line and Nam Tae- Al Sadd striker Nam Tae-hee in action during the match. He was named as the man of the match for his super performance. pass, guiding the ball home on November 9. Big Honour US postage stamp tribute for Palmer in 2020 Visa presale offers fans first chance to buy WASHINGTON: Iconic golf champion Arnold Palmer, a seven-time major winner and sports marketing pioneer, will be recognised with a US postage stamp tickets for FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 in 2020, the US Postal Service announced on Tuesday. Palmer, who died in 2016 at age SC.QA egory 3 tickets up to QAR 400 87, was a four-time Masters champion from DOHA for a Category 1 ticket for the 1958-1964 who also won the 1960 US Open 3rd-place and final matches (a and 1961 and 1962 British Opens. He won 62 FANS are one step closer to the full overview is available here). US PGA Tour events and was a 1974 inductee action today with the opening Fans purchasing a single ticket into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The US Postal of the Visa Presale for the FIFA for double-header matchdays Legendary golfer Service will pay tribute to Palmer for his posi- Club World Cup Qatar 2019 will be able to attend both Arnold Palmer. tive impact and rise from humble beginnings presented by Alibaba Cloud. games at the stadium. to global champion, noting, “with drive and As of 2:00 PM (Doha Re-entry will not be al- charisma, he helped transform a game once seen as a pastime for time), Visa cardholders can lowed. Ticket holders will be the elite into a sport enjoyed by the masses.” The stamp, designed purchase tickets to see the able to download and print by art director Antonio Alcala, features a photo by James Drake of club champions of each con- tickets purchased from FIFA. Palmer competing at the 1964 US Open at Congressional Country federation, along with Al Sadd com/tickets at home. Club in Bethesda, Maryland, with Palmer’s name in the top left cor- SC representing hosts Qatar, Visa, the Official Payment ner. “To have my father celebrated in this way is a true honor,” said battle for the highest honour Services Partner of FIFA, is Amy Saunders, Palmer’s daughter and chairwoman of the Arnold in global club football. the preferred payment method and Winnie Palmer Foundation. “It’s something I think he would This exclusive opportu- of the FIFA Club World Cup be proud of as both an individual and as an American and it’s a nity will be available at FIFA. Qatar 2019™ and is delighted wonderful way to preserve his legacy.” The “Forever” stamp, set to com/tickets until 31 October to be able to offer fans the first always be equal in value to the US first class mail price, will be the at 13:00 CET (15:00 Doha chance to secure their individ- A rendered look at Education City Stadium which will host the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 final. second for a Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native after children’s television time). ual match tickets. show host “Mr. Rogers”, Fred Rogers, was honored in 2018. An ex- Tickets are affordably The last-minute sales of the tournament. During FIFA.com/tickets. December at three venues in act date and site for First Day of Issue will be declared later. (AFP) priced in three categories, phase will begin in Novem- that period, tickets will also Matches will be played Qatar. The full match schedule starting at QAR 25 for Cat- ber and will run until the end be available for purchase on from 11 December until 21 can be found on FIFA.com..