FOOTBALL | Page 3 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 6 Real Madrid, England peg To Advertise here Atletico hit South Africa Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 by one year back in transfer bans third Test Friday, January 15, 2016 TENNIS Rabia II 5, 1437 AH Azarenka back in GULF TIMES Open frame aft er two troubled years SPORT Page 10 AFC U-23 CHAMPIONSHIP Qatar face Iran in bid for second successive victory ‘We all knew after the first game we would not have qualified or be out, but we were aware we needed three points’ AFC Doha Today’s matches GROUP A li Asad is pushing for a place 4:30 pm: China vs Syria at Abdullah in the Qatar side as the AFC Bin Khalifa Stadium U-23 Championship hosts 7:30 pm: Iran vs Qatar at Jassim Bin prepare to take on fellow Hamad Stadium Aopening day winners Iran in Group A today. China had stunned hosts Qatar we both lost our fi rst match, we must in Tuesday’s tournament opener after try our best.” taking a half-time lead at Abdullah Bin Syria coach Muhannad al-Fakeer Khalifa Stadium. was left frustrated by his side’s per- But after Asad was introduced at formance in their loss against Iran and half-time, captain Abdelkarim scored he vowed his team will fi ght until they twice while substitute Ahmed Alaa no longer have a chance to progress. sealed the 3-1 win in the fi nal 10 min- “We must solve the problems of our utes for Felix Sanchez’s side. “We all team, especially in the defensive line, knew after the fi rst game we would not at full back,” he said. “But I think we have qualifi ed or be out, but we were have something to do. We will never aware we needed three points to have a give up. We have to look forward. We better chance to go through,” said Qa- have two matches left against China tar coach Sanchez. “We did the work and Qatar and we have to do something and have the three points and now we in these games. But the conditions and have a game against Iran which will the situation are not in our hands.” also be very tough against another team with a new profi le and strengths. I hope in the second game we are going to grow and do better.” Iran also made the ideal start to the tournament with a 2-0 win over Syria on Tuesday as striker Arsalan Motah- hari opened the scoring before creat- ing the chance for team-mate Mehrdad Qatar players take part in a training session Mohammadi to seal the three points. ahead of their Group A game against Iran. “Arsalan is a great player, he’s a young man who gives his 110% to the team, he always tries his best,” said Iran coach Mohammad Khakpour. “He had a great performance against Syria and you will hear more about him in the future. We are going to have two more tough games, especially against Qatar. But every game for us is a fi nal and we are looking at each game individually.” Meanwhile, China will be without Xu Xin for today’s meeting with Syria after the midfi elder was sent-off in the closing stages of Tuesday’s defeat by Qatar as both sides seek a win to give their hopes of a place in the knockout phase a boost. ‘We will look at the video of the Iran and Syria game and we will look at some technical things,” said Fu. “For the line-up for the next match, we will keep it according to the Iran and Syria match video and adjust it accordingly. “Now the situation is very hard for us and we have to win our next two games to make it from the group. Our next match is against Syria, and after Qatar’s coach Felix Sanchez AUSTRALIA’S GALLIFUOCO OWN GOAL HANDS UAE VICTORY Doha: Giancarlo Gallifuoco scored two chances at the end of the first sistant referee’s flag cut short any an 85th minute own goal as the half as only a late covering chal- celebrations. United Arab Emirates snatched a lenge from Alex Gersbach halted Australia coach Aurelio Vidmar 1-0 win over Australia in Group D of a promising run from Abdalla was first to look to the substitutes the AFC U-23 Championship yester- Ghanim before Sultan Saif warmed bench with Mustafa Amini replac- day at the Grand Hamad Stadium the gloves of Australia goalkeeper ing Steven Ugarkovic in midfield in in Doha. Following a contest of few Jack Duncan with a shot from just the 64th minute before attacking chances, Gallifuoco inadvertently outside the penalty area five min- duo Ambar and Ahmed Al Hashmi Australia’s Jamie diverted the ball into his own net utes before half-time. were introduced by UAE counter- Maclaren (right) while under pressure from Abdalla The contest was far more open part Abdullah Misfir. and Ahmed Husain Ghanim after Australia had failed to at the start of the second half, and And it was Ambar who almost al-Hashmi of UAE fully clear a corner. after the UAE wasted several prom- broke the deadlock with 15 minutes vie for the ball. And after Jordan earlier recorded ising build-ups, Australia should remaining as Australia goalkeeper a 3-1 win over Vietnam, the UAE have opened the scoring two Duncan was at full stretch to push find themselves at the top of Group minutes before the hour mark only a swerving 25 yard strike from the D ahead of Sunday’s meeting be- for Connor Pain to scuff his eff ort substitute around the post. tween the pair, while Australia face across the face of goal from inside But Duncan was beaten with Vietnam. the area. five minutes remaining when, after Australia edged possession in the The UAE did manage to force Australia struggled to fully clear final third at the start of a scrappy the ball across the line as Australia a corner, Gallifuoco’s attempted contest, but the Olyroos struggled goalkeeper Duncan fumbled a clearance from inside his own six for quality at the crucial moment. header from Yousif Saeed, but yard area gave the Olyroos custo- And it was the UAE who enjoyed thankfully for the Olyroos, the as- dian little chance. Gulf Times 2 Friday, January 15, 2016 AFC U-23 SPOTLIGHT Faisal brace helps Jordan beat Vietnam in opener ‘All opening matches are going to be tough, especially when you play against an unknown team’ Vietnam’s Le Thanh Binh’s free kick is blocked by Jordan’s goalkeeper Yazeed Moien Hasan Abulaila during the AFC U-23 championship at the Qatar Sports Club yesterday. PICTURES: Nousahd Thekkayil AFC “It took us a while to score, but in the Midway through the second half, Doha second half we were better although we though, Jordan added a second when had some mistakes in the defence but we Maanasrah was given the time and space will work on those to make sure we don’t on the Jordanian left to pick his spot, the ordan kicked off their AFC U23 have them in the next games.” full back shooting from range and scor- Championship campaign with a Neither side impressed in the open- ing via the underside of the crossbar. comfortable 3-1 win over Viet- ing 30 minutes and it was not until nine Four minutes later the points were nam at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadi- minutes before the break that the Jorda- guaranteed for the Jordanians when Jum yesterday, with Baha Faisal claiming nians fashioned out the fi rst real opening Hisam tried his luck from long range. a brace as Jamal Ahmad’s side cruised to of the game when Ehsan Haddad crossed The shot beat Minh Long before can- victory. from the left, only for Faisal to miscue noning back off the cross bar, only for Faisal opened the scoring six min- his header well wide of the target. Faisal to react quickest, netting with a utes from the end of a fi rst half in which Three minutes later, however, Jordan fi ne diving header. the Vietnamese frustrated their op- took the lead as Ahmad Hisam’s pass Duy Manh’s side-foot volley from Jordan players celebrate ponents before a long range strike from split the Vietnamese defence, leav- eight yards out in the 86th minute put after scoring a goal Omar Maanasrah and a diving header ing Faisal with the task of rounding the the Vietnamese on the score sheet, but against Vietnam. from Faisal secured all three points for goalkeeper and slotting the ball into the it was nothing but a consolation as Jor- the west Asians before Do Duy Manh unguarded net. dan ran out emphatic winners. “Jordan claimed a late consolation. Vietnam almost responded with just were stronger than us, as we see with “All opening matches are going to be two minutes remaining in the open- the result,” said Vietnam coach Toshiya tough, especially when you play against ing period when Nguyen Cong Phuong Miura. “They were very strong in duels an unknown team,” said Ahmad. “Viet- headed Nguyen Huu Dung’s cross over and they have very good strikers. nam are a good team because they are the bar. “We had some diffi culties. We kept among the 16 teams who have qualifi ed With the lead secured, Jordan stepped good discipline and did a good defend- for this tournament and it took some up a gear in the second half.