FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 3 Man City’s title bid rocked by Newcastle United Thursday, January 31, 2019 TENNIS Jumada I 25, 1440 AH Kvitova overcomes GULF TIMES fi ghting Azarenka in St Petersburg SPORT Page 4 AFC ASIAN CUP AFC to probe UAE shame; Qatar fans call for tough punishment was a ‘pressure game’ from the Shoe-throwing start. Boualem Khoukhi, Almoez Ali, hosts bring Hassan al-Haydos and Hamid Is- mail were the goal heroes as Qa- disgrace to the tar crushed UAE. “I am happy for Qatar players beautiful game and the team offi cials. I am very proud of our performances. Let of football me tell you everyone has worked so hard for this,” Sanchez said af- Agencies ter the match. Abu Dhabi “I congratulate the people of Qatar on this great show,” he add- ed. “I am sure they are happy and sia’s football body celebrating. It was an extremely promised a “thorough diffi cult game. We did not feel investigation” yester- comfortable at the beginning but Aday after the United we scored two brilliants goals in Arab Emirates’ turbulent Asian the fi rst half,” he added. Cup semi-fi nal loss to arch- “Then we put pressure and rivals Qatar, during which fans added two more goals. That’s hurled shoes and bottles. how we achieved success today. Many have also called for UAE “The (unruly) situation was to be punished for their support- not easy to handle in general. ers’ behaviour and for its failure Fortunately there were no prob- to protect the Qatari team. lems and our players acted pro- “UAE fans threw shoes at Qa- fessionally,” Sanchez said about tari players. They started off the the crowd disturbances.” game with booing national an- Sanchez, however, also sound- them. International bodies should ed sympathetic towards the UAE reconsider giving UAE the chance players. to host reputed sporting events,” “There may have been a wrote Twitter user Olivia Thomas. number of (UAE) players who be- Qatar fan Arwa al-Mansoori haved in an inappropriate man- said football governing body ner but everybody feels in such FIFA and the AFC had to punish certain situations,” Sanchez said. the Emirati authorities for the “We were aware of the pres- crowd’s behaviour. sure from the fans and we were “We demand penalties for the able to deal well with this pres- disrespectful and uncivilised ac- sure,” Sanchez said. tion from the UAE fans towards “For the next game we will get the Qatari team. What happened back Bassam al-Rawi and Ab- to our team is not acceptable!” dulaziz Hatim. We need to evalu- she wrote alongside a video of a ate our players during the next two Qatari player being struck by a days. It is not ideal situation for a shoe on his chest. championship title match but we Plastic water bottles pelted have to deal with it,” Sanchez said. the turf and several shoes were “Now we will take stock and hurled, an Arab insult, as Qa- UAE fans threw shoes and water bottles among other things at Qatari players during the former’s 0-4 loss in the AFC Asian Cup semi-final on Tuesday. prepare for the fi nal (against Ja- tar celebrated the second goal in pan) on Friday,” he added. Tuesday’s 4-0 rout of the tour- struck the crossbar behind Qatari “Once the investigation has thousands of spare tickets and Loud booing and whistling also problems but we don’t care — we “It is obvious that not conced- nament hosts in Abu Dhabi. goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb. been completed the AFC will de- handed out them out to fans with drowned out the Qatari anthem just play football,” Qatar defend- ing goals gives us the opportunity Akram Afi f twice had to delay “The AFC (Asian Football cide on the appropriate steps.” Emirati identifi cation, meaning before the game, which Qatar — er Pedro Correia told AFP. to attack and that was great com- taking a corner as objects rained Confederation) is conducting The defeat was deeply embar- the 42,000-capacity Mohamed who will host the World Cup in “Let the people talk, winning mitment from my players. In six down, and Salem al-Hajri was a thorough investigation into rassing for the UAE, who are in the bin Zayed Stadium was nearly 2022 — dominated to reach their 4-0 is more important.” matches, we have not conceded struck on the head after Qatar’s events at the (semi-fi nal),” a midst of a stand-off with Qatar. unanimously behind the home fi rst Asian Cup fi nal. Qatar coach Coach Felix goals and that shows great con- third goal. One plastic bottle spokesman told AFP. Abu Dhabi authorities bought team. “Everybody knows about the Sanchez said the last-four clash centration from our backline.” SPOTLIGHT FOCUS Records not history man Almoez’s priority PSG’s al-Khelaifi AFC the next match and study Japan They have maintained a per- elected to UEFA Abu Dhabi very well.” fect winning record, becoming Ali’s eighth goal was memora- the fi rst team in tournament ble for its historical signifi cance, history to keep clean sheets in executive committee fter making history but it was also a beauty, as he the fi rst six matches of the tour- by equalling Ali Daei’s delivered an inch-perfect curl- nament in the process. Reuters longstanding record ing low drive across Khalid Eisa Ali took a moment to take in the London Afor most goals in an and in off the bottom of the right achievements of a national team AFC Asian Cup, Qatar striker upright. which lost all three matches in Almoez Ali immediately turned Understandably, it was a goal Australia 2015, before refocusing aris St Germain presi- his attention to tomorrow’s fi nal the pacey hitman was delighted his gaze to the challenges ahead. dent Nasser al- against Japan. to score, but he insists he re- “I would like to congratulate Khelaifi is set to join Ali, who was born four mains focused on bigger things. the Qatari people back home European football gov- months before Daei set the “Of course, I was really happy who supported us since the start Perning body UEFA’s executive record in the 1996 edition of the with the goal,” he said. “It was of the tournament and my team- committee as one of two club tournament, drew level with the a beautiful strike, but it means mates who gave their all on the representatives. Iran legend eight minutes before nothing, because our objectives pitch and proved their worth,” The European Club Associa- half time, scoring superbly from are bigger than just scoring a he beamed. tion (ECA) said the Qatari had the edge of the penalty area to beautiful goal. “We achieved a dream of all been elected to replace Ivan put his side 2-0 up against the “I have to keep my head down Qataris, and hopefully we will do Gazidis, the former Arsenal chief United Arab Emirates. and work so I can reach my ob- even better in the future.” executive who has moved to It- “I wasn’t thinking about jectives.” “We don’t look at the statis- aly’s AC Milan. The other ECA equalling Ali Daei’s record,” he Beyond Ali’s individual tics: You could win 1-0 today seat is taken by Juventus presi- told the-AFC.com. “No, I just achievement, the match will be and lose 3-0 tomorrow. Every- dent Andrea Agnelli. pean leagues and international left it to fate, and thankfully remembered as the night Qa- thing we did so far is one thing, Al-Khelaifi ’s election still has to club and country tournaments. I managed to score a goal and tar stormed into their fi rst ever but what’s coming up is more be ratifi ed by the UEFA Congress The UEFA executive commit- bring joy to my parents, the Qa- Continental fi nal, with Boualem important. at a meeting in Rome next week. tee is made up of the president tari people and my teammates. Khoukhi, Hassan al-Haydos “The fi nal needs patience, so if The Qatari is also chief execu- and 16 other members elected by “This is what I was thinking and Hamid Ismaeil also get- we are patient, play well and for- tive of BeIN Media, which holds the Congress, as well as two ECA about, to score for the fans and I ting on the scoresheet for Felix’s get about everything we did so far, Qatar’s Almoez Ali (left) celebrates after scoring a goal against the exclusive television rights in the representatives and one from the did it. Now we have to focus on Sanchez’s rampant side. only then will we win the fi nal.” UAE during the AFC Asian Cup semi-final on Tuesday. (Reuters) Middle East to the major Euro- European leagues. Gulf Times 2 Thursday, January 31, 2019 FOOTBALL COMMENT FOCUS Focus, dedication Soothsayer Xavi has last paying off for Qatar laugh with From Aspire Academy to the clubs, Sanchez highlights Qatar’s progress in the game predictions AFC Abu Dhabi s the countdown to their hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues, Qatar’s Aqualifi cation for the nation’s fi rst-ever AFC Asian Cup fi nal highlights the progress being made on the fi eld by the coun- try’s football programme. Felix Sanchez’s side booked their spot in tomorrow’s decider against four-time champions Japan with an empathic 4-0 vic- tory over hosts the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday that sets AFP to get to the last eight — Vietnam up a fascinating clash at the Za- Doha did instead — and Australia to yed Sports City Stadium.