SPORT Monday 12 March 2018 PAGE | 32-33 PAGE | 34 PAGE | 35 Defiant Mourinho Rain halts Federer’s NBA: Westbrook hailshai United after win Indian Wells opening and Thunder topp over Liverpool match Spurs AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES All Times in GMT Today Al Duhail eye knockout Lokomotivs vs Al Duhail (1200) Al Wahda vs Zob Ahan (1500) Al Rayyan vs Al Hilal (1515) Esteghlal vs Al Ain (1530) Tomorrow Melbourne Vsictory vs Kawasaki Fron- stage with away victory tale (0830) Kashima Antlers vs Sydney (1000) AFC CHAMPIONS Al Duhail are determined to stretch Ulsan vs Shanghai SIPG (1000) LEAGUE their winning streak. Shanghai Shenhua vs Suwon Bluew- Al Duhail will become the ings (1200) first team to qualify for Tractor Sazi vs Al Jazira (1230) the knockout stages of Al Wasl vs Persepolis (1515) the AFC Champions Al Sadd vs Nasaf (1515) League if the Qatari side Al Ahli vs Al Gharafa (1715) defeat Uzbekistan’s PFC Lokomotiv in Group B at Lokomotiv Stadium today. Barca agree After win in their first pre-contract match, Lokomotiv went on to lose their next two away deal with games and slipped from first to third in the Arthur standings. REUTERS RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA BARCELONA: Barcelona have reached a deal with DOHA: QNB Stars League (QSL) Brazilian side Gremio to sign champions Al Duhail will be midfielder Arthur for a poten- looking to replicate their home tial 39m euros ($47.99m), the winning form today when they Spanish league leaders said take on Uzbek giants Lokomo- yesterday. tiv Tashkent in an AFC The Catalans can choose Champions League clash, coach to activate the deal for the Djamel Belmadi said yesterday. 21-year-old playmaker in July Also today, Qatari giants Al 2018 if they wish to follow Rayyan host Saudi Arabia club through with the signing. Al Hilal with hopes of producing yesterday. “It is a great feeling to side at home,” the Algerian that my players have a strong “In the event that the club their first Group B win in a sep- know we have won the Qatar added. desire to get a win on home soil,” finally exercises the option arate AFC Champions League league title. That is an honour for “I think fans will see an excit- the popular Dane added. signed, the price of the trans- clash at Jassim Bin Hamad us. It was a fierce competition ing game for sure,” he added. “Last week Al Rayyan fer is set at 30m euros plus Stadium. and winning the title gives us “In our first game in Doha, This time we intend to showed fighting spirit on the 9m euros in variable “We have arrived in motivation to do well in Asia we got the win with a bit of dif- avoid the mistakes we pitch and I want the same again,” amounts,” Barcelona said in Tashkent seeking a win,” Bel- also,” Belmadi added. ficulty despite the fact that we he said. “I have confidence in my a statement. madi, coach of Al Duhail, said at “We know it will be a tough had a great start,” Belmadi said made last week. We boys to deliver,” he said. Arthur, who is known for a pre-match press conference game as Lokomotiv are a good of the first leg in which Al Duhail showed our scoring Laudrup noted that Al Hilal his passing ability, shone in had raced to a 3-0 score in the ways and that’s what ‘play a balanced game in attack the Libertadores Cup as he first 25 minutes. we want. We want to and defense’ adding that he helped Gremio to lift the “But in the second half, expected the game ‘to be a close South American trophy for fatigue caught up with the play- get three points so we one’. the third time in November. ers and we allowed two goals,” go to the next round: Rodrigo Tabata, captain of Meanwhile, Lionel Messi Belmadi added. Coach Belmadi Al Rayyan, said: “We played a announced that he and his “This time we intend to avoid really game last week. The play- wife Antonella Roccuzzo had the mistakes we made last week. ers want to do even better and become parents for a third We showed our scoring ways willing, we will work to achieve give their best in this match.” time on Saturday. and that’s what we want. We victory tomorrow,” he said. He added: “We had many “Welcome Ciro!!! Thank want to get three points so we “We know our rivals are chances to score and we missed God, everything went per- go to the next round,” he said. strong at home and we respect those chances. I am confident fectly. He and his mummy are Al Duhail’s young mifielder them but we are ready,” he that when we get such chances doing very well. We are super Abdulla Al Ahraq said: “This will added. tomorrow, we will turn those happy!!!” wrote Messi on his be our fourth match of the AFC Meanwhile Al Rayyan coach those opportunities into goals. Instagram account, accom- Champions League. And we feel Michael Laudrup said his team My team is capable of getting the panying the post with a photo ready. This is an important game is expecting a tough clash today. win we seek.” of the baby’s hand. for us in Tashkent. We can con- “It will be a difficult match. Tabata said: “We finished Ciro is a brother to five- firm qualifying to the next round We played them six days ago in third in the league at home so year-old Thiago and Mateo, with a win.” Riyadh. This group is the tough- now our target is to go as far as who is two. Messi had pulled Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi congratulating his player after his “We believe that this is a est,” Laudrup said yesterday. possible in the AFC Champions out of Barcelona’s squad for team secured QSL title last week. strong incentive for us and God “Having said that, I know League.” Saturday’s La Liga match. Fiorentina honour Astori with Benevento win REUTERS warmed up in shirts bearing the standing in front of it and 31-year-old’s number 13, and the saluting. FLORENCE: Defender Vitor teams and officials gathered in Fiorentina could have added Hugo’s thumping header gave the centre circle for a minute’s a second in stoppage time at the Fiorentina a 1-0 win over Bene- silence which was only broken end of the second half as Milan vento in an emotional Serie A by the whirr of photographers’ Badelj hammered a shot from encounter at the Artemio Franchi cameras. distance off the post, and Marco stadium in Florence, the home As tears flowed down the Benassi somehow blazed the side’s first game since the sudden cheeks of fans in the stands, bal- rebound over the bar. death of their captain Davide loons in violet and white were Despite some good chances, Astori a week ago. released into the air, and in the Benevento struggled again in The funeral for Astori, who 13th minute the ball was put out front of goal and the result leaves was said by authorities in Udine of play as Fiorentina fans raised them rooted to the bottom of the to have died of a cardiac arrest flags and engaged in a minute of table with just 10 points from ahead of last Sunday’s scheduled applause. their 27 games, 11 behind Cro- game against Udinese, was held Brazilian Hugo celebrated tone in 19th spot. in the city on Thursday amid a the 25th-minute goal, his first for The victory moves Fioren- huge outpouring of grief from Fiorentina, by holding up a tina up into ninth on 38 points Players and supporters pay tributes to late Fiorentina’s captain Davide Astori yesterday. fans, players and coaches. t-shirt bearing an image of fel- ahead of the rest of yesterday’s Before kickoff, the players low defender Astori before matches. 30 SPORT MONDAY 12 MARCH 2018 West Ham owner hit by EPL: Wenger gets boost as coin in crowd trouble Arsenal end losing streak AFP LONDON: West Ham co-owner David Sullivan was AFP EPL RESULTS hit by a coin amid ugly protests as angry fans ran riot LONDON: Arsene Wenger Arsenal bt Watford 3-0 during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat received a welcome boost as Tottenham bt Bournemouth 4-1 to Burnley at the London Arsenal eased a little of the pres- Stadium. sure on their beleaguered boss Sullivan and fellow co- with a 3-0 win over Watford past Karnezis. Watford weren’t owner David Gold were yesterday. fazed and Abdoulaye Doucoure’s forced to flee their seats in the After a wretched run left low strike deflected off Mustafi directors’ box as fans Wenger fighting to save his job, to force a good save from Cech. crowded around them with a 2-0 win at AC Milan in the Cech alertly kept out Rich- thrown missiles mixed with Europa League on Thursday arlison’s dipping free-kick, but chants of “sack the board” offered the Frenchman tempo- Roberto Pereyra should have and “you killed our club”. rary respite from the torrent of done better than blaze the Former West Ham striker abuse he has endured this rebound over. and manager Trevor Brook- season. Ozil was equally profligate ing cut a lonely figure as he Maintaining the momentum when he weaved through on sat in the directors’ box alone from that last-16 victory in the goal, only to clip his shot too for the final stages of the San Siro, Wenger’s side ended a close to Karnezis.