CCRICKETRICKET | Page 3 NBA | Page 5 Harbhajan Anunoby’s Singh is the buzzer-beater latest to gives Raptors quit IPL win over Celtics Saturday, September 5, 2020 CYCLING Muharram 17, 1442 AH Pogacar loses GULF TIMES time and Van Aert secures double SPORT Page 6 FOOTBALL / QNB STARS LEAGUE FOCUS No winners as Duhail open with Messi decides to stay at Barca Reuters rout of Umm Salal Barcelona, Spain Martin, Muntari and Afif score for Duhail; Al Ahli fight back to beat Al Wakrah 2-1 arcelona fans will be cel- ebrating the fact they By Sports Reporter of the table at one stage, had will get to watch their Doha reinforced the squad in the new beloved Lionel Messi season, but that was not enough Bfor another season after he an- for them in front of the might of nounced he would be staying at efending champions Al Duhail. the Nou Camp yesterday. Al Duhail got their But the result of the high- 2020-21 season off to AHLI WIN profi le arm wrestle between the a cracking start, drub- Meanwhile, Al Ahli fought back world’s most iconic soccer player Dbing Umm Salal 3-0 in the QNB from a goal down to beat Al and one of its biggest clubs ap- Stars League yesterday at the Wakrah 2-1 at the Al Ahli Sta- pears to have ended with neither Education City Stadium. dium. camp able to claim victory. Luis Martin (fi fth minute), Khalid Muneer took Al Wak- On the face of it, the 33-year- Mohamed Muntari (36th rah ahead in the 25th minute, old six-time world player of minute) and substitute Ali but Al Ahli replied through the year appears to have backed Afi f (90+3) scored for The Red Omid Ebrahimi (38th minute) down in the raging contract row Knights as Al Duhail served ear- and Nabil El Zhar (51st-minute ignited last week when he stated ly notice of their intentions after penalty). he wanted to leave for free. having won their seventh title Al Wakrah had more of the ball Barcelona president Josep last month, edging Al Rayyan by and chances, but they lacked in Maria Bartomeu, backed by La one point. fi nishing. Liga, insisted Messi’s contract, In terms of creating scoring On the other hand, Al Ahli due to expire next summer, con- opportunities particularly, Al were more pragmatic in their tained a release clause, meaning Duhail dominated Umm Salal, approach and reaped the re- that for him to move to a new who put up a brave fi ght in the wards for it. club a 700mn euros fee would game after conceding two fi rst- Muneer found the target with need to be paid. A fan gestures in front of a Lionel half goals. However, The Orange an opportunistic strike when Al In a statement yesterday, Messi picture outside Barcelona’s Fortress conceded a late goal as Ahli goalkeeper Ivanildo Rod- Messi said he was staying on re- stadium. (Reuters) well. Al Duhail’s Mohamed Muntari (left) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Umm Salal during rigues fumbled with collecting luctantly, rather than face a bit- Al Duhail had two new faces in the QNB Stars League match yesterday. Jassim Ali al-Hashimi’s cross ter court battle with the club he “I want to compete at the Eduardo Rodriguez (Dudu) and from the left. joined as a teenager and with highest level, win titles, compete Ramin Rezaeian, who switched Omid helped The Brigadiers whom he has amassed more than in the Champions League. You from relegated side Al Shahania. draw level by slotting the ball 30 major trophies and netted can win or lose in it, because it Overall, their players more than home following a corner kick over 600 goals. is very diffi cult, but you have to made up for the absences of in- from Nabil El Zhar. This was no ringing endorse- compete.” jured key players like Edmilson Nabil struck what turned out ment, though. Messi’s love for Barca, and his Junior, Karim Boudiaf, Yousef to be the winner when he con- “I wanted to go and it was adoring fans, means he is unlike- Msakni and Bassam al-Rawi. verted a penalty, awarded for a entirely my right, because the ly to go through the motions next After Muntari tested Umm foul by Murad Naji on Hazem contract said that I could be re- season but new manager Ron- Salal goalkeeper Baba Malick, Shehata. leased,” Messi said in an inter- ald Koeman, a Bartomeu pick, Luis Martin put Al Duhail in It was a face-off between sides view with Goal.com. “I wanted now has an unhappy player on the lead with a long-range left- of invariably equal strength. to go because I thought about his hands as he tries to rebuild a footer. Captain Almoez Ali set Al Ahli, who could end up only living my last years of football squad that has gone stale. him up after Luis Martin played ninth in the 2019-20 season QNB happily. Lately I have not found Bartomeu may claim victory a one-two with him following Stars League, are targeting a bet- happiness within the club.” over Messi’s U-turn but the club Baba Malick’s clearance. ter fi nish this time around. So Messi is rich beyond imagina- could now see its greatest asset The second goal came when they will be happy with the three tion; the fact that he will pocket leave for nothing next summer Muntari rose high to head in points they bagged at the start. a 70mn euros loyalty bonus, and instead of the mind-boggling Rezaeian’s measured cross from Al Ahli have the technical get to leave on a free transfer next sum that would have come after the right. stability, as Montenegrin coach summer, would not have been a an unprecedented bidding war For Umm Salal, Yannick Sag- Nebojsa Jovovic and his staff are factor in his decision. for his signature. bo and Walid Mesloub led the continuing with the team. The Argentine has clearly be- Manchester City, the club in challenge and the former sent Al Wakrah had punched above come disenchanted with life at pole position to sign Messi until a wayward shot as the fi rst half their weight to fi nish sixth Barcelona. On the pitch Barcelo- yesterday’s development, will be drew to a close. last season. It was a creditable na’s 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich disappointed. Umm Salal showed alacrity achievement, given that they in the Champions League was a Ultimately, perhaps the most in the second session and Sagbo were playing in the top fl ight af- humiliation; off it, his relationship obvious benefi ciaries of Messi’s linked up with Kesse Amanguao, ter a gap of two seasons. with Bartomeu has hit the rocks. decision are his family. who also joined them from Al Al Ahli’s Mohamed Diame (left) in action with Al Wakrah’s Lucas Mendes (centre) and Ousmane Coulibaly. Mohamed Salah al-Neel’s “I told the president and, well, “When I communicated my Shahania, in the 50th minute, fi rst half brace was in vain as the president always said that wish to leave to my wife and but the former could not con- Duhail goalkeeper Khalifa Abu- counter-attack. with all West Zone matches be- Al Arabi squandered a 2-0 lead at the end of the season I could children, it was a brutal drama,” trol the ball properly and skied backer. The fi rst two league matches ing scheduled in Doha. against Al Khor after Ibrahim decide if I wanted to go or if I Messi said. “The whole fam- a shot. Al Duhail sealed the issue, are good preparations for Al Umm Salal, who fi nished in Amada scored a penalty in the wanted to stay and in the end he ily began crying, my children did Umm Salal’s Lawrence when Ali Afi f, who came off the Duhail ahead of their campaign the 10th position in the 2019-20 72nd minute and Helal Moham- did not keep his word,” Messi, not want to leave Barcelona.” Quaye’s beaming shot in the bench for Dudu, gave fi nishing in the 2020 AFC Champions season after staring at relegation ed levelled in injury time for a who called the management of There may still be more tears 67th minute was blocked by Al touches to his own eff ort off a League, which will resume soon and even occupying the bottom 2-2 draw. the club “a disaster”, said. to come though. HORSE RACING Alkedri lands fi rst group victory for Al Shaqab Racing Agencies Alkedri, who was ridden by Jean- La Teste-de-Buch, France Bernard Eyquem, showed a nice Majd Al Arab wins at Chelmsford for Mohamed al-Attiyah turn of foot in the straight, going on to win decisively. Agencies on this occasion by jockey hree-year-old Purebred The Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah- Chelmsford, United Kingdom Franny Norton. Arabian Alkedri landed owned My Belle Du Soleil fi n- Majd Al Arab chased the leader her fi rst Group victory ished second. Open The Eagle throughout when taking the French Trainer Gourdain said: “She aking his debut on the the early stages of the 1,400m TArabian Breeders’ Challenge- is a progressive and consistent all-weather having contest, travelling easily in his Pouliches (Group 2 PA) by a two- fi lly. We needed to improve a few Mafter three outings on action.