Ferrari rookie Leclerc claims maiden Formula One pole with lap record PAGE 18 SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2019 Messi’s double on 675th Barca appearance ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE sends Catalans 13 points clear PAGE 18 LIVERPOOL VS TOTTENHAM QATAR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT HOLDS LUNCHEON FOR AFRICAN SUPER CUP GUESTS President of the Qatar Football Association Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al Thani held a luncheon in honour of the guests of the African Super Cup led by Ahmad Ahmad, President of the Confederation of African Football, on Saturday. Al Duhail halt Al Sadd title celebrations after 2-2 draw Al Sadd would Weiss bags brace have won the Falcon Shield as Al Gharafa beat had they picked up maximum hapless Al Rayyan points TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK In the other game, Mo- DOHA hammed Bayati’s 86th minute TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK strike sealed a 2-1 win for Al DOHA AL Gharafa fought back from Ahli over Al Arabi. a goal down to beat Al Rayyan Al Ahli, with their 10th vic- AL Sadd and Al Duhail 4-2 in Week 20 of the QNB tory, raised their points tally to played out an entertaining Stars League at the Al Duhail 33 and fourth on the table, two 2-2 draw with two matches Stadium on Saturday. points ahead of Al Sailiya. left in the QNB Stars League A 15th minute penalty con- The match was dubbed ‘Hi- at Al Duhail Stadium in verted by Rodrigo Tabata put lal Derby’ because both clubs Doha on Saturday. the Lions ahead but two quick are located in that area. Al Sadd would have won goals from Vladimir Weiss and Meshaal Abdullah had put the Falcon Shield had they Mehdi Taremi saw the Chee- the Brigadiers headed the hosts picked up maximum points tahs claim the lead but Al Rayy- into the lead in the 24th min- but the Wolves have to wait an levelled the scores when utes after Moutoualli’s cross until next week to win their Gelmin Rivas scored in the was flicked on to the striker 14th league title if they beat 38th minute before half time. who made no mistake from Umm Salal. Al Duhail on Weiss scored his second of close range. their part would hope for the Al Sadd fans cheer on their team during their QNB Stars League match against Al Duhail at the Al Duhail Stadium on Saturday. the match after cooly dispatch- Victor Vazquez equalised near-impossible iif Al Sadd ing a 78th minute penalty after for The Dream Team just after loses their next two matches Baghdad Bounedjah had put Lucas Mendes’ strike had put the hour mark. Vazquez after and they win to clinch a suc- Al Sadd ahead by scoring in Christian Gourcuff’s men ahead picking up the ball on the left cessive title. the 27th minute before Na- in 10 minutes after the restart. side of attack before dancing The result means Al Sadd ji’s unfortunate howler. Al Rayyan can only blame around his marker to unleash now have 51 points, four Al Sadd, captained by themselves as they conceded a super strike past the goal- adrift of Al Duhail who con- Xavi Hernandez, could have the lead landing a damaging keeper. ceded a an own-goal late in been in the lead in the 14th blow to The Lions’ bid to stay in But Ahli had the last laugh added time when Murad Naji minute had Akram Afif not the third position. late in the game as Bayati’s vol- on the field for four minutes thwarted from the spot by Al Rayyan remain on 33 ley from a cornerkick flew past directed the ball into his own Al Duhail goalkeeper Amine points, while Al Gharafa moved a crowded Arabi goalline to seal net to all but end the Red Lecomte. The penalty came to 25 points. victory for the hosts. Knights title charge. as a result of a foul by Mo- Moroccan striker Yousef hammed Moosa on Bouned- El Arabi, the last two sea- jah. sons’ league top scorer in The Red Knights could Qatar, struck both goals for have equalised in the 45th Al Duhail in the 75th and minute had Japanese mid- 85th minutes. The second fielder Shoya Nakajima’s goal came off a penalty kick, chip shot after evading three awarded by referee Abdul- defenders not hit against the rahman Al Jassim after crossbar. Hamed Ismail fouled substi- The match, played at the tute Ali Afif. Al Duhail Stadium in front of Ace Algerian striker 6,337 spectators, had all the and tournament top scorer Al Duhail’s Shiro Nakajima shields the ball from Al Sadd’s Salem al Hajri during the match. ingredients of a thriller. Barty defeats Pliskova to capture WTA Miami Open title AFP finding the mental grind of the Open doubles crown she won MIAMI tour too much to bear, turning last September. to professional cricket in a bid Barty, a junior Wimbledon ASHLEIGH Barty’s transfor- to find sporting happiness. winner at age 15, will rise from mation is complete after the Barty, however, knew she 11th to number nine in the Australian defeated Czech fifth had the tennis skills to com- world rankings and become seed Karolina Pliskova 7-6 pete at the very top and after the first Australian woman (7/1) 6-3 Saturday to win the returning in February 2016, since Sam Stosur in June 2013 biggest singles title of her ca- has taken her career to an elite to crack the top 10. reer at the WTA Miami Open. level, culminating in her first- “It has been a phenomenal The 22-year-old Aussie ever WTA Premier Mandatory two weeks both in singles and Al Gharafa’s Vladimir Weiss celebrates scoring against Al Rayyan with quit tennis five years ago after title to follow on from the US doubles,” said Barty. a teammate during their QNB Stars League match on Saturday. Sports Sunday, March 31, 2019 17 Shock & awe for Saeed al Sulaiti Qatar SuperStock 600 rider edges trainee Qubaisi in thrilling finish to end up on same number of points (214) and wins but claims championship on Superpole; Sheikh Jassim bags QSTK Trophy TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK DOHA QATAR’S Saeed al Sulaiti clinched the Qatar Superstock 600 title for the third time in a row after a pulsating fifth and last round at the Losail Interna- tional Circuit on Saturday. Until the final moments of the championship, neither Su- laiti nor Abdulla al Qubaisi was sure of the title. After Sulaiti re- corded the win in the first race, Qubaisi won the second, with both tied at 214 points each. Since the first Superpole of the season was won by Sulaiti, he managed to retain the title in the tense finale. I’m very happy to win the FIM Asia, QMMF and LCSC officials with rider Saeed al Sulaiti, Abdulla al Qubaisi and Mashel al Naimi before the start of the fifth round of the third title in a row. This year QSTK600 Championship at Losail on Saturday. it was really very difficult to bag the championship. Sulaiti was pleased with his STANDINGS which will start in two weeks. In A delighted Sheikh Thani third title in a row. “This year it the next QSTK season, I’ll try my said, “This season was a great QSTK600 champion Saeed al Sulaiti lifts Abdulla al Qubaisi after the Saeed al Sulaiti was really very difficult to bag QSTK600 (after Round 5) best to win the championship,” success for me as I won the prize distribution. Saeed is also the mentor of the young rider Qubaisi, the championship. The first 1.Saeed al Sulaiti 214 pts added Qubaisi. QSTK Trophy. In this round, I who made a clean-sweep of the third and fourth rounds of the cham- 2.Abdulla al Qubaisi 214 race was one of my toughest 3.Mashel al Naimi 173 Mashel al Naimi was third couldn’t win the first race but I pionship. Saeed had won the first superpole of the season on the In the first race, pole rider races here. After five laps, I saw 4.Balint Kovacs 139 in the championship with 173 did it in the second. I am looking basis of which he was declared as the champion. Sulaiti led the race for the first Abdulla and me in front, while 5.Essa al Mutawa 33 points. “It was a difficult season. forward to the next season when three laps trying to create a gap Mashel had fallen behind. I QSTK TROPHY I tried to win at least one race I join the QSTK category.” 1.Jassim al Thani 245 but Qubaisi and Mashel al Nai- tried to let Abdulla come in front 2.Mohammad al Zaidan 205 this weekend but Saeed and Khalid al Remaihi, LCSC mi stayed close to him. Midway, of me but he was smart enough 3.Hassan al Mansoori 130 Abdulla raced very hard and de- Vice-President and General only Qubaisi could keep pace not to accept and stayed behind 4.Nawaf al Shuabi 117 served to finish first and second. Manager) expressed happiness with Sulaiti. Both passed each me,” said Sulaiti. 5.Mohammad al Eidi 98 Next season, I’ll be better pre- at the performance of the rid- 6.Alexander Qabazard 93 other several times in an exhi- “In the Race 2 , I just had 7.Alastair Cunliffe 80 pared. Many thanks to my spon- ers. “We witnessed an exciting bition of brave and gutsy rid- to finish in the top three to win 8.Ali Abdul Hussain 61 sor Ooredoo, the QMMF and QSTK600 championship where ing.