THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015 SPORTS Kuwait trounce Malaysia in Challenge Cup By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait ice hockey team snatched a tough 1-0 win against its Malaysian coun- terpart in its third match of the Asian Ice Hockey Challenge Cup being held at the skating rink. Kuwait continued to lead the tournament after three rounds. The valuable winning goal was scored by Ahmad Al-Ajmi in the middle of the third round following a long shot as Kuwait players previously wasted many scoring chances, as the Malaysian team gave its He said following Kuwait’s encounter best performance especially in defence with Malaysia, Kuwait can win the tourna- and relied on counter attacking and was ment following its performance in the close to scoring. matches it played so far, despite the tough In the second match Singapore defeat- win against Malaysia. He said that the ed India 13-0, as they controlled the entire improvement of Kuwait’s level is evidence match with their experience. Kyrgyzstan on the distinguished work of the club in had its second win against Oman with the preparing the team for the tournament by score of 7-3 in a strong performance by the holding long training camps. Kyrgyz team handing Oman its first loss. Meanwhile player Ahmad Al-Ajmi said Honorary president of KWGC Sheikh he was very happy for scoring the winning Bandar Al-Jaber Al-Sabah that the organiz- goal for Kuwait which enabled the team to ing committee succeeded in organizing all go past a big hurdle towards the title. He aspects of the game as officials of the said the Malaysian team played a very Asian and international federations have good defence. Al-Ajmi was selected as the testified. best player of the match. Preview Bournemouth’s top-flight dream close to reality Sevilla’s road to Warsaw LONDON: There is an old joke in from the first day to this,” he said after their Bournemouth that when the local council 2-2 draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday offered free bus passes to residents under on Saturday. must go through Russia 21 only seven people applied-everyone “They’ve given everything. They are the else who lives in the English south-coast most professional side I’ve worked with resort is too old. and the most talented. The boys have done PARIS: Sevilla put their Europa Sevilla and the Sevilla fans like a lot.” For much of their 116-year existence, us proud so far and they’ve just got two League crown on the line today Fiorentina, the 1990 finalists, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, still more games to finish it off. with a treacherous trip to Zenit St picked up a priceless injury-time their official title under the trading name “We can only look forward with real Petersburg, while two of the other equaliser in their first-leg tie to earn AFC Bournemouth, have reflected the per- excitement and enthusiasm for what are quarter-finals remain on a knife- a 1-1 draw against Dynamo Kiev. ception of the town as a nice place for a going to be two massive games for this edge but Napoli are all but qualified The Italians, sixth in Serie A, will quiet retirement or a weekend beside the football club, the biggest in the club’s histo- after routing Wolfsburg last week. be hoping the match doesn’t go to sea. One statistic which perfectly sums up ry. “We’ve been involved in this titanic bat- Sevilla often save their best foot- penalities after they missed their their sleepy image is that from 1923, the tle at the top of the division all season. ball for Europe’s second-tier compe- fourth straight spot-kick of the sea- year they they were elected to the Football Everyone is fighting for the same prize and tition, having lifted the trophy in son on Monday in the 1-0 home League as a Third Division club, until 1970, we hope we can win promotion again.” 2006 and 2007, as well as last year defeat to Verona. when they finally went down, they were when they defeated Benfica on No team in the top five European neither promoted nor relegated. Until the BIG WINS penalities. leagues (England, Spain, Italy, last two seasons, any impact they have had In October, Bournemouth set their They carry a 2-1 first leg lead into Germany, France) have ever set on the English game has largely been con- record league victory when they won 8-0 at their 4,500km trek to the Baltic after such an unwanted record. fined to the FA Cup. In 1971 Ted Birmingham City and they have also late goals from Carlos Bacca and Rafa Benitez’s Napoli are firmly MacDougall scored nine goals in an 11-0 thrashed Blackpool 6-1 and Fulham 5-1 Denis Suarez overturned a first-half on track for the semi-finals after a win over Margate-still a record individual away and Cardiff City 5-3 at home in the opener from Zenit’s Alexander brace from captain Marek Hamsik tally for the competition. Championship and beat Rotherham 5-1 Ryazantsev.But coach Andre Villas- paved the way for a surprise 4-1 win Then in January 1984 their young man- away in the FA Cup. The goals have flowed Boas expects the home crowd and over Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in ager Harry Redknapp guided Bournmeouth from strikers Callum Wilson (22), Yann his league leaders to make it a diffi- Germany. Benitez is chasing a third to a 2-0 win over the holders Manchester Kermorgant (17) and Brett Pitman (14) cult night for their visitors. “What trophy in the competition, with his United, still their most famous victory. while the midfield has contributed 44 can really help us is the support of third different club, after guiding But this season they have been making goals, including 12 from Matt Ritchie. the stadium,” said the former Valencia (2004) and Chelsea (2013) headlines almost every week as they race Redknapp, who led the Cherries to pro- Tottenham handler. to victory. towards a place in the Premier League. motion from the third tier in 1987 before “The atmosphere that the fans The latter, clinched with a 2-1 embarking on an illustrious career that saw are going to create can really win over Benfica in the final in FIRST TIME him take charge of London clubs West Ham encourage the team.” added the 37- Amsterdam, was one of his final Under another young manager, Eddie United and Tottenham Hotspur among oth- year-old Portuguese coach, who matches in charge of the Howe, a former player, in his second spell in ers, still lives in the area and is delighted. won the competition with Porto, Londoners, and he faces a similar charge at Dean Court, the Cherries are Redknapp, now 68, made Howe his first when they beat Braga 1-0 in 2011. scenario this season with expecta- pushing for promotion to the top flight for signing for Portsmouth when he was man- Zenit, who became the first Russian tions high that he will leave in the the first time. If they make it, as seems like- ager at Fratton Park in 2002, and he told team to win the competition when summer even if Napoli lift the tro- ly, it will complete one of the most remark- the BBC: “I had 10 years at Bournemouth they defeated Rangers 2-0 in 2008, phy. Belgian outsiders Club Brugge, able transformations by any club in recent and was the most successful manager in will be boosted by the return of seeking their first European trophy, times. Seven years ago their very existence their 100-year history. captain Miguel Danny, star striker forced a 0-0 draw at home to was in doubt. “Eddie Howe has come along and blown Hulk as well as defenders Domenico Dnipro of Ukraine in their first leg. Mired in debt, they were placed in me out of the water. He is fantastic-I love Criscito and Igor Smolnikov, who all Brugge are the only unbeaten administration and going nowhere in watching them play. If I wasn’t involved sat out the match in Spain through team left in the tournament, having League Two, the English game’s bottom next year, I’d buy a couple of season tickets suspension. won 11 and drawn four, while tier. They are within touching distance of a and watch them every week.” On the down side, Ryazantsev is Dnipro have tasted defeat four third promotion in six seasons with their He told Talksport: “I’ve been going along now suspended as is Argentine times, although they have won their success built on a flowing attacking game to watch them with my grandchildren and I defender Ezequiel Garay after both last three home matches without UKRAINE: Club Brugge’s Belgian defender Laurens De Bock Sutter that has produced a club record 109 goals love the football they’ve been playing. I picked up first-leg bookings. “We conceding a goal. takes part in a training session in Kiev on the eve of the UEFA Europa in all competitions, with Howe, architect of hope they go up.” have to score,” said Ryazantsev. Dnipro have never gone past League second leg quarter-final football match against Dnipro these achievements, still only Bournemouth, who are second in the “Sevilla showed that they’re really the quarter-finals of a European Dnipropetrovsk. — AFP He first took over as player-coach when Championship standings a point behind dangerous on the counter-attacks competition while Brugge’s best he was 29 before becoming the club’s per- Watford, will do that if they beat Bolton but I think that in St Petersburg they important equaliser in the first times, there is a lot of excitement continental showing was reaching manent manager in 2009.