REUTERS – VILLARD DE LANS

Lennard Kaemna claimed his first Tour de France victory when he outwitted Giro d’Italia champion Richard Carapaz to win the 16th stage, a 164-km ride from La Tour du Pin yesterday.

The 24-year-old German took advantage of Ecuadorian Carapaz’s momentary loss of focus at the top of the last climb of the day to go solo and finished one minute 27 seconds ahead after charging down in the descent.

Swiss Sebastien Reichenbach took third place, 1:56 off the pace as Slovenian Primoz Roglic retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey.

Defending champion Egan Bernal, whose hopes of winning the race fell away when he cracked in Sunday’s 15th stage, was dropped from the main bunch in the ascent to Saint-Nizier, apparently suffering from back pains.

It was a day to forget for Ineos-Grenadiers as Carapaz had to settle for second after two brutal attacks from the breakaway group in the decisive climb had left his rivals in the red.

But Kaemna, who narrowly missed out on a stage win last week when he lost a two-man sprint against Colombian Dani Martinez in Puy Mary, went solo just when Carapaz was recovering from his effort at the top.

Thursday’s 17th stage is a brutal mountain trek in the Alps, over 170km and ending in Meribel at the top of the Col de la Loze, 2,304 metres above sea level.

08WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2020Sport

Lamet pitches Padres over Kershaw, Dodgers 7-2AP – SAN DIEGO

Dinelson Lamet outpitched Clayton Kershaw, and rookie Jorge Oña hit a go-ahead double in a five-run seventh inning to lead the San Diego Padres to their eighth straight win, 7-2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night in the opener of a series between the NL’s top teams.

The Padres cut the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West to 1½ games. Trent Grisham added some spice to the rivalry when he hit a tying home run off Kershaw in the sixth and said something to the Dodgers’ dugout as he headed for home. The Padres have won 12 of 14.

Lamet (3-1) got the victory thanks to a seventh-inning out-burst that chased Kershaw (5-2). Lamet matched his season high with 11 strikeouts while holding the Dodgers to one run and three hits.BREWERS 2, CARDINALS 1, 8

INNINGS, GAME 1In Milwaukee, Keston Hiura

drove in Avisail Garcia with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, giving Milwaukee the win in the opening game of a doubleheader.

The Cardinals broke a scoreless tie in the top of the

eighth when Tommy Edman’s two-out single off Freddy Peralta (2-1) brought home Tyler O’Neill. But the Brewers got to Ryan Helsley (1-1) in the bottom of the inning.

Ryan Braun doubled home the tying run, and Hiura made it 2-1 with his fly ball to left off Austin Gomber.

Milwaukee’s rally in the eighth snapped the Brewers’

string of 21 consecutive scoreless innings. They were no-hit by Cubs right-hander Alec Mills on Sunday.

MARLINS 6, PHILLIES 2Meanwhile, in Miami, Pablo

Lopez pitched seven innings of one-run ball with some help from right fielder Matt Joyce, and Miami won Game 7 of its mar-athon series against

Philadelphia. The series, the majors’ longest in the regular season in 53 years, included three makeup games and two doubleheaders. The Marlins won five of the seven games, including the final three, to move into second place in the NL East, 1 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia.

Lopez (4-4) allowed three hits and retired his final 13

batters. He was helped by two over-the-shoulder basket catches on the warning track by a retreating Joyce, who robbed Scott Kingery and Jean Segura.

Kingery and Andrew McCutchen homered for Phila-delphia. Vince Velasquez (0-1) allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings.

WHITE SOX 3, TWINS 1Elsewhere, in Chicago, Adam

Engel delivered a tiebreaking pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, and the White Sox increased their lead in the AL Central.

Chicago opened its pivotal four-game set against Minnesota with its ninth win in 10 games. The White Sox (31-16) moved two games ahead of the second-place Twins (30-19).

Twins reliever Taylor Rogers (1-3) walked Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert with no outs in the eighth. Engel then made it 2-1 with a single to center. After Nick Madrigal lined out, Tim Anderson added an RBI double off the fence in left.

Alex Colomé (2-0) got four outs for the win.

Minnesota went 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position and left 15 runners on base. It had won three in a row.

Tearful Jeremy Lin seeks NBA return after one season in ChinaAFP – BEIJING

Jeremy Lin said yesterday he is leaving the Beijing Ducks after one season in China and wants to return to the NBA, where he sparked the “Linsanity” craze of 2012.

The 32-year-old guard, who as a Toronto Raptors player in 2019 became the first Asian-American to win an NBA championship, signed for Beijing as an unrestricted free agent last year.

Lin helped Beijing reach the semi-finals of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league, where they were edged out by eventual champions Guangdong Southern Tigers.

“This decision has really been the hardest in my life,” Lin, who has complained about the rough-house treatment he received in the CBA, told his seven million followers in a video on the Twitter-like Weibo.

“Every morning I would wake up at 4:00 am or 5:00 am, thinking, thinking and thinking all the time.

“In the end, although Shougang (the Ducks) has treated me incredibly well... giving me everything I wanted, in the end, I feel that I still have NBA dreams.

“I still have time to play (there) and I have to chase this.” Lin began his NBA career with Golden State Warriors in 2010 before his heroics with the New York Knicks in 2012 sparked a frenzy that was dubbed “Linsanity”.

He went on to play for several other NBA teams but has struggled with injury in recent seasons.

Despite that he enjoyed a successful stay in China, where the CBA was suspended for almost five months because of the coronavirus.

Lin averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game during the regular season.

“I know that many of my fans have stood by me no matter if I was injured,” he said in the video.

“Why was this decision so difficult? Yesterday, when I shared this with my family and friends, when I told them I would have to leave China, I cried.”

Tokyo 2020 chief dismisses higher reported Games costsREUTERS – TOKYO

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto (pictured) dismissed figures in an academic report published yesterday that showed the Tokyo Olympics were set to be the most expensive in history, even before the additional costs to be incurred by the Games’ post-ponement.

The Tokyo Games were post-poned until next year because of the global coronavirus pandemic and, as organisers seek to rearrange the event, costs are expected to spiral.

The International Olympic Com-mittee has already said the delay will cost them approximately $800m, while Japanese organisers have yet to announce what their share will be.

The last budget given by the organising committee was $12.6bn, announced in December 2019, months before postponement.

However, a wide-ranging study by the University of Oxford in Britain put the costs of the Tokyo Games at $ 1 5 . 8 4 b n , e v e n b e f o r e postponement.

Speaking following an executive

board meeting yesterday, Muto rebuffed these numbers.

“There are no financial grounds for the numbers revealed in that report, I am not in a position to make a comment on that currently; I am simply confused by this.”

The Oxford report added that the delay will result “in billions of dollars of further cost overruns”.

IOC Vice-President John Coates said earlier yesterday that COVID-19 countermeasures would be decided by the end of the year. Muto con-firmed that Tokyo organisers were

working towards this timeline, espe-cially in regard to re-negotiating con-tracts with Games’ sponsors that are only valid until the end of 2020.

He also stressed that the ‘simpli-fication’ measures currently being discussed to lower the costs of the Games could set the trend for future Olympics.

“This is a great opportunity for all of us to go back to the origin of the Olympics and to become a forerunner of the new way to do these Games, heading towards the next generation,” he said.

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Tyler O’Neill (bottom) stealing second

base as Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Jace Peterson reaches

for the ball in the fourth inning at Miller Park during their MLB game

on Monday.

BORA-Hansgrohe rider Lennard Kaemna of Germany winning the 16th stage of the Tour de France in Villard-de-Lans, yesterday.

Billionaire Cohen agrees to buy MetsAP – NEW YORK

Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has agreed to buy the New York Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families.

The team announced the agreement on Monday. The deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball owners.

A Cohen entity would control 95% of the team, with the Wilpon and Katz families retaining the rest. The deal values the franchise at $2.4bn to $2.5bn.

Former major league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez also attempted to buy the team, but they dropped out of the bidding last month.

“I am excited to have reached an agreement with the Wilpon and Katz families to purchase the New York Mets,” Cohen said in a statement.

Cohen also entered nego-tiations to buy the Mets last year, but the deal fell apart in February. He bought an 8% limited partnership stake in 2012 for $40m.

Kaemna wins stage 16as Roglic retains lead

STAGE WINNERS (TOP 10)

1. Lennard Kämna (GER) BORA - hansgrohe 4:12:52

2. Richard Carapaz (ECU) INEOS Grenadiers +1:27

3. Sébastien Reichenbach (SUI) Groupama

- FDJ +1:56

4. Pavel Sivakov (RUS) INEOS Grenadiers +2:34

5. Simon Geschke (GER) CCC Team +2:35

6. Warren Barguil (FRA) Team Arkéa - Samsic +2:37

7. Tiesj Benoot (BEL) Team Sunweb +2:41

8. Nicolas Roche (IRL) Team Sunweb +2:47

9. Quentin Pacher (FRA) B&B Hotels - Vital Concept +2:51

10. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck - Quick-

Step +2:54

OVERALL LEADERS (TOP 10)

1. Primož Roglic (SLO) Jumbo - Visma 70:06:47

2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates +40

3. Rigoberto Urán (COL) EF Pro cycling +1:34

4. Miguel Ángel López (COL) Astana Pro

Team +1:45

5. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton - Scott +2:03

6. Richie Porte (AUS) Trek - Segafredo +2:13

7. Mikel Landa (ESP) Bahrain - McLaren +2:16

8. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +3:15

9. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo - Visma +5:19

10. Nairo Quintana (COL) Team Arkéa - Samsic +5:43

TOUR DE FRANCE - STAGE 16Stage 16 La Tour-du-Pin to Côte 2000, 164 km. Average speed:

38.914 km/h. Route profile: mountain. Finish profile: semi-mountain.

Beijing Ducks’ Jeremy Lin driving the ball during the Chinese

Basketball Association (CBA) match against

Guangdong Southern Tigers in this file photo taken on

August 4, 2020.

09WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

He (Australian batsman Steve Smith) is definitely tracking in the right direction and we are hopeful he will be right for (Wednesday). He did all his running (on Monday), some high speed running, worked hard as part of the protocols. He has ticked every box at the moment.

Coach Justin Langer says Smith is recovering from his head injury but is no certainty to be recalled for the one-day series decider against England.

QOC official takes part in OCA Media Committee meetingTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Head of media and communi-cation at Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Hamad Al Obaidly, took part in an online meeting which saw the partic-ipation of members of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Media Committee, yesterday.

The members of the OCA Media Committee, who met for the first time in the new OCA cycle under the Chairmanship of Charles Lo, President of the Sports and Olympic Committee of Macau, discussed crucial matters related press and broadcasting preparations for the upcoming events, IT devel-opments, the revamped OCA website, social media activity, the Sporting Asia magazine and OCA website news content.

During the meeting, Chairman Lo welcomed the committee members to the virtual meeting and explained the duties and responsibilities of the OCA Media Committee according to the OCA Constitution.

“We have a busy two years ahead of us and will be wel-coming thousands of media from around Asia and the world to our OCA events,” Lo said.

“In 2021 we will have the

sixth Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China in April, the sixth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi province in May and the third Asian Youth Games in Shantou, China in November.

“These three events will lay the groundwork for our media

services and operations at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September 2022.”

The OCA Social Media Com-munity stands at 404,782 fol-lowers across all platforms with almost 3.5 million engagements. OCA videos have been viewed over 1.57 million times.

Media accreditation for the Sanya Asian Beach Games next April will open on October 1 and close on December 31.

Media Committee member Hiroshi Takeuchi from Japan stressed the importance of media accreditation being con-ducted through National

Olympic Committees (NOCs) rather than individual media sending applications direct to the organising committee, and that an NOC Press Attache must have a special, recognised mark of identification in order to coordinate the athletes for the media.

Some 9,000 media, including broadcasting and press, are expected to attend Hangzhou 2022 based on pre-vious Asian Games and early estimates by the organising committee.

“I would like to thank all members for your input and your enthusiasm in the media affairs of the OCA,” said Lo.

“Our aim is to provide the best environment for the media to work in a smooth and effi-cient way.”

The OCA was represented by Haider Farman, Director of the Asian Games department, on behalf of the OCA Director General, Husain Al Musallam. Farman said the importance of the media to connect the world had been in evidence particu-larly during the pandemic and that the OCA had been working hard to inform all sports stake-holders in Asia with news of developments and information in the past few months.

“The OCA is always ready to support the activities of the Media Committee,” he said.

Apart from Qatar's Al Obaidly who represented the QOC, members from Chinese Taipei, Japan, Maldives, Iran, Oman, Mongolia, Vietnam and India also attended the meeting.

England eager to extend unbeaten home run in series decider: Woakes

REUTERS – MANCHESTER

England have proven their mettle in one-day international (ODI) series on home soil and will look to extend their five-year unbeaten run when they take on Australia in today’s series decider, all-rounder Chris Woakes said yesterday.

England have not lost a bilateral ODI series at home since Sept. 2015 and they can extend that streak in Manchester with the three-match series evenly poised at 1-1.

“It’s an incredible achievement and we want to keep that going,” Woakes told reporters. “It shows how well we have played over the last four to five years.

“We want to win this specific series rather than maintain that record. Whenever you play Aus-tralia, you want to win and... it’ll be good for us to finish the summer on a high.”

In England’s 24-run victory on Sunday, Woakes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran picked up three wickets each, which triggered Australia’s collapse from 144-2 to 207 all out while chasing a target of 232.

Woakes said that England now have the ability to win games with the ball too.

“Teams do realise that we can win from potentially any position and the game is not done until you get over the line,” he added.

“Maybe a few years ago, we could win only from the bat from that situation but now we can do that with the ball as well.”

England have not lost a single series across all three formats since cricket returned from the COVID-19 shutdown in July, with series wins over West Indies, Ireland, Pakistan and Australia.

All matches were played in bio-secure environments without spec-tators in attendance due to the pandemic.

“The fact that we actually got some cricket this summer is a bonus,” Woakes said.

“For us as a team, to have per-formed the way we have... the team has pulled together and played good cricket.”

ECB plans to cut 62 jobs due to COVID-19REUTERS – LONDON

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is planning to make 62 positions within the organi-sation redundant due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, chief executive Tom Harrison said on Tuesday.

With professional cricket in the country suspended for several months due to the coro-navirus, Harrison said the game had sustained losses of more than £100m ($128.92m).

That figure could rise to £200m if there is further dis-ruption to the calendar next year.

The sport’s new compe-tition, The Hundred, was expected to add £11m of revenue to the game in its first year but it was postponed until 2021.

“The entire cricket network has pulled together to get us through this challenge so far and overcoming it will mean continuing to make tough deci-sions as we have done this year,” Harrison said in a statement.

The ECB had implemented short-term cost-cutting measures, including furloughing staff, significant pay reductions and a recruitment freeze at the onset of the financial crisis, but Harrison said a long-term solution was required.

IPL: Ali Khan becomes first player from USAAFP – NEW DELHI

Fast bowler Ali Khan has become the first player from the United States to join the Indian Premier League after being included in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad.

The Pakistan-born Khan replaces England’s Harry Gurney, sidelined by a shoulder injury, in the Knight Riders team for the Twenty20 tournament starting Saturday in the United Arab Emirates.

“Welcome to the #KKRfamily @IamAlikhan23 ! Enjoy @IPL & the experience. Tough luck @gurneyhf . Get well soon. You will be missed,” Knight Riders chief executive Venky Mysore wrote on Twitter.

Gurney, a left-arm quick who has played 10 ODIs and two T20 internationals, pulled out of the IPL and England’s T20 Blast due to surgery on his shoulder. Khan comes into the IPL after winning the Car-ibbean Premier League with the Trinbago Knight Riders -- the same parent company as the Kolkata Knight Riders -- who won all 12 matches to seal the title.

The right-armer was spotted at the 2018 Global T20 Canada by West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who brought him to the CPL.

Khan, 29, played a key role in the US gaining ODI status at the WCL Division Two event in Namibia.

Goodbye India, hello IPL: Dhoni set to ‘rule CSK’AFP – NEW DELHI

India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have signed off from international duties but he’ll be at the heart of the action in the Indian Premier League -- a tournament he helped inspire, and where he remains a towering figure.

Dhoni, who has led the Chennai Super Kings to three titles and five runner-up finishes in the IPL’s 12 editions, will feature in the opening match on Saturday against the Mumbai Indians, the defending champions.

The game comes more than a year after the 39-year-old last played for India in their semi-final loss to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup.

After much speculation, the wicket-keeper-batsman finally announced the end of his 16-year international career last month.

And without the pressure of having to play well to keep his place in the national team, the flamboyant Dhoni is expected to shine in UAE, the IPL’s tem-porary home as India battles a rampant coronavirus problem.

“He is very fit and I believe he is working very hard on it. Plus he has stopped playing international cricket so there will be less burden on his body,” Saba Karim, another former India wick-etkeeper, told AFP.

“Global cricket still needs an icon like MS Dhoni to continue.” Dhoni’s captaincy began with India winning the inaugural T20 World Cup title in 2007, a success that triggered the birth of the IPL -- the world’s most popular and richest cricket league -- a year later.

“Dhoni played an instrumental role in kick-starting the IPL because of the way he brought a different dimension to the shorter format of the game because of his aggressive side with the willow,” Karim said.

“Also with his calm exterior behind the stumps.” Dhoni, once hailed as the world’s best finisher, has played 190 IPL matches, scoring 4,432 runs including 23 half-centuries.

An exemplary leader with fast glovework, Dhoni has made Chennai one of IPL’s most loved franchises with almost 200,000 people following the team’s fan club on Twitter.

Chennai chief executive Kasi Viswa-nathan says Dhoni remains key to the team’s plans and they expect him to keep playing till the 2022 edition.

The team has been under scrutiny after arriving in the UAE last month with two players testing positive for the coronavirus.

Senior batsman Suresh Raina and

veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh later opted out of the competition.

Chennai and Dhoni were plunged into controversy in 2015, when the team were banned from the IPL for two years for match-fixing.

But Dhoni and his team -- which includes many players aged over 35, including Australia’s Shane Watson and South African Imran Tahir -- came back with a bang.

Labelled ‘Dad’s Army’ by the media, Chennai returned to lift the title in 2018 and establish themselves as one of the most consistent teams in IPL history.

“Dhoni is Chennai, Chennai is Dhoni. If Dhoni is doing well. Chennai is doing well,” veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle said on Cricbuzz.com.

England’s Chris Woakes celebrates with team-mates after taking the wicket of Australia’s Aaron Finch during their second One Day International played in Manchester, on Sunday.

We want to win this specific series rather than maintain that record. Whenever you play Australia, you want to win and... it’ll be good for us to finish the summer on a high.

Chris WoakesEngland's all-rounder

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot during the 2019 Indian Premier League at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in this In photo taken on May 7, 2019.

REUTERS - LONDON

Six-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said he would not let up on using his platform to campaign for racial justice as the sport’s governing body confirmed there would be no inves-tigation into his actions at the Tuscan Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver wore a black T-shirt on Sunday declaring “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” on the front of it and ‘say her name” on the back over a photograph of the slain emergency room technician.

In a post on Instagram, the Briton told his 20 million followers: “want you to know that I won’t stop, I won’t let up, I won’t give up on using this platform to shed light on what I believe is right.

“This is a journey for all of us to come together and challenge the world on every level of injustice, not only racial,” he added.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed by police officers who burst into her apartment in Lou-isville, Kentucky, in March.

One police officer involved was fired by the city’s police department in June. Two other officers have been placed on administrative reas-signment. No criminal charges have been filed against any of the three.

A spokesman for the governing FIA said there would be no formal investigation into Hamilton’s actions and Formula One’s only Black driver, on the cusp of becoming the most successful racer of all time, faced no punishment.

For that to happen, the race stewards at Italy’s Mugello circuit should have been notified of a possible breach of the rules and that was not the case.

Hamilton is actively engaged with the FIA and Formula One on anti-racism and diversity campaigns, enjoys the full support of his Mercedes team and has a profile far above other drivers on social media.

Every race is preceded by an officially-sanctioned statement by all drivers against

racism, with some taking a knee while others stand.

Hamilton had knelt and worn a ‘Black Lives Matter’ shirt at races before Mugello.

The FIA’s International sporting code bars “political or religious” advertising on cars but makes no mention of what drivers are allowed to do. The spokesman said the governing body would consider whether a protocol was needed in future.

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka recently wore a face mask with Taylor’s name at the US Open.

Hamilton said on Sunday Osaka had been “an incredible inspiration”.

Race stewards did not open any inves-tigation into Hamilton’s actions at Italy’s Mugello circuit.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also made clear he had no problem with whatever Hamilton chose to wear.

“It is entirely his decision. Whatever he does, we will support,” the Austrian told reporters last Saturday.

“The team is fighting against any kind of racism and discrimination and it is Lewis’s personal fight for Black Lives Matter and with all the support we can give him.

“The much broader movement is obviously the fight against any kind of racism and discrimination -- and we as a team and as a cor-porate have always put an emphasis to fight against that injustice.”

FORMULA ONE SCHEDULE-WINNERS

July 5 - Austrian Grand Prix (Valtteri Bottas)July 12 - Styrian Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)July 19 - Hungarian Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)Aug. 2 - British Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)Aug. 9 - 70th Anniversary Grand Prix (Max Verstappen)Aug. 16 - Spanish Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)

Aug. 30 - Belgian Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)Sept. 6 - Italian Grand Prix (Pierre Gasly)Sept. 13 - Tuscan Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)Sept. 27 - Russian Grand Prix, Sochi.Oct. 11 - Eifel Grand Prix, Barcelona.Oct. 25 - Portuguese Grand Prix, Portimao, Portugal.Nov. 1 - Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Imola, Italy.Nov. 15 - Turkish Grand Prix, Istanbul.Nov. 29 - Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir.Nov. 29 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.Dec. 6 - Sakhir Grand Prix, Sakhir.Dec. 13 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

10 WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2020SPORT

Hamilton will not let up on campaigning for justice

Rory McIlroy hits from the rough along the 18th fairway during a practice round for the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, US, yesterday.

McIlroy in the dad club as toughest tournament looms

BABY BOOMERSRory McIlroy will play his first major as a dad at the US Open this week, after his wife Erica gave birth to daughter Poppy on August 31, and now he can join in the baby talk with plenty of his rivals on course.

World number one, FedEx Cup champion, PGA Tour player of the year and 2016 US Open champion Dustin Johnson has two sons with partner Paulina Gretzky, five-year-old Tatum and three-year-old River.

Defending champion Gary Woodland has three children with wife Gabby: three-year-old son Jaxson and year-old twin girls, Maddox and Lennox.

McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood, the 2018 US Open runner-up, and partner Clare’s son Franklin will be three at the end of this month. While fellow Europe star and 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose has Leo, 11, and Lottie, eight, back home in the Bahamas with wife Kate. And of course McIlroy’s good friend Tiger Woods is a doting dad to 13-year-old daughter Sam and 11-year-old son Charlie -- reportedly no mean junior golfer himself -- from his previous marriage to Elin Nordegren.

“If you look at fathers in all different sports, golf, tennis, it’s not a new lease of life, but it’s a different perspective,” said McIlroy after practice at the New York course at the weekend.

“It’s your career, but at the end of the day you get to go home to your family, which is the most important thing.”

That perspective just might do the 31-year-old Northern Irish world number four some good as he seeks to end a six-year major drought this week and lift his second US Open after winning his maiden major at Bethesda way back in 2011.

TREACHERY AFOOTThis week will mark the sixth US Open at Winged Foot, rated as the most treacherous host of all, with its notorious rough, vast bunkers and multi-crested greens so slick that 2006 runner-up Colin Montgomerie regarded them as harder to master than Augusta.

Since it first played host in 1929, only one player has won with a score under par, Fuzzy Zoeller in 1984.

Hale Irwin’s victory in 1974’s “massacre at Winged Foot” saw him finish seven-over -- a score that remains the highest to win a major since the word “par” entered the golfing lexicon in 1911.

“They had trouble finding their ankles, much less the golf ball,” said one player that year as a succession of the world’s best lost balls in the rough and watched putts run off the greens.

The last time Winged Foot staged the US Open, in 2006, Geoff Ogilvy won without breaking par in any round after one of the wildest finishes ever seen in a major.

A stroke behind were Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson, who both double-bogeyed the 72nd hole when needing a par to win, and Jim Furyk, who missed a five-foot putt to force a playoff.

Someone has bet $45,000 on Mickelson to win this week at odds of 75-1. If the 50-year-old does complete his career slam at Winged Foot, the payout would be an astronomical $3.375m. “Hoping for both of us I have a 3 shot lead on 18 tee,” Lefty tweeted.

“The golf course gets tough on the first tee and never gets any easier,” Jack Nicklaus famously said. He should know. In 1974 on his opening hole of the tournament he had a downhill 25-footer for birdie. He walked off four putts later with a double-bogey six.

GOLF TALKING POINTSMEN

1. Dustin Johnson (USA) 10.162. Jon Rahm (ESP) 9.85 3. Justin Thomas (USA) 8.68 4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 7.91 5. Collin Morikawa (USA) 7.68 6. Webb Simpson (USA) 7.11 7. Xander Schauffele (USA) 6.42 8. Brooks Koepka (USA) 6.09 9. Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 5.88 10. Patrick Reed (USA) 5.79

WOMEN1. Ko Jin-young (KOR) 7.97 2. Nelly Korda (USA) 6.68 (+1)3. Danielle Kang (USA) 6.43 (-1) 4. Park Sung-hyun (KOR) 5.51 5. Minjee Lee (AUS) 5.43 6. Brooke Henderson (CAN) 5.42 (+3) 7. Kim Sei-young (KOR) 5.24 (-1)8. Nasa Hataoka (JPN) 5.14 (-1)9. Park In-bee (KOR) 4.90 (-1)10. Lexi Thompson (USA) 4.77 (+2)

World No.1 Johnson takes PGA Tour Player of the Year honours againREUTERS - NEW YORK

After three tournament wins and a FedExCup title, Dustin Johnson added more hardware to his trophy case on Monday when he was named PGA Tour Player of the Year for a second time.

Johnson missed the start of the season while recovering from a knee injury and also had to sit out the COVID-19 shutdown like everyone else.

But he then had a blazing end to the campaign with two wins and two runner-up fin-ishes in his last four starts that pushed him back to the top of the world rankings.

Victories at the Northern Trust and Tour Championships earned the 36-year-old American a first FedExCup title and the $15m payday that goes along with the trophy.

His other win came at the Travellers Championship.

The Player of Year is voted on by PGA Tour members who played in at least 10 events during the 2019-20 season.

“Dustin made it known throughout the season that the

FedExCup was a priority and his performances in the FedExCup Playoffs were nothing short of spectacular with two wins and a playoff runner-up at the BMW Championship,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement.

“His demeanour and athlet-icism on the course make it look very easy but behind the scenes, he’s worked incredibly hard

coming back from injury and his 2019-20 season speaks for itself in further bolstering his World Golf Hall of Fame resume.”

The PGA Tour did not release the results of balloting, saying only that Johnson, who also won the award in 2016, was selected over Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Webb Simpson and Justin Thomas.

Scottie Scheffler took PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honours. The 24-year-old American made 23 starts recorded six top-five finishes, including a fourth at the PGA Championship.

Meanwhile, Sam Hors-field has withdrawn from this week’s US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York after testing positive for COVID-19, the United States Golf Associ-ation (USGA) said yesterday.

The 24-year-old Briton had returned a neg-ative test last Thursday but tested positive after arriving in New York,

forcing him out of the second major of the year which will take place from Sept. 17-20.

“It goes without saying that I am hugely disappointed to not have the opportunity to play in my fourth US Open but clearly the safety of the tournament and other players is para-mount,” Horsfield, who com-peted in the 2015, 2016 and 2019 editions, wrote on Twitter.

Dustin Johnson smiles on the

11th green during a practice round for the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club

in Mamaroneck, New York, US,

yesterday.

MotoGP thinks about in-race radio but riders tad cautiousAFP - MISANO ADRIATICO

MotoGP is contemplating copying Formula One and hooking riders up to radio during races, even though it would pose particular problems in motorcycling.

The main argument in favour is warning riders of danger areas, yellow warning flags or red flags that neutralise racing. They currently receive those notifications through a display on their handlebars.

The system could also allow teams to tell riders of changes in race strategy, as happens in F1.

A first test took place before the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano on Sunday. There will be a second trial run, involving a larger number of volunteer riders, on the same circuit today.

At the moment, teams pass information to riders by hanging signs outside the pit lane on every lap.

“We already have good information from the signs,” said Frenchman Johann Zarco. “It will always be interesting to have more, but we can’t do the same as in F1, we are bikers.”

MotoGP races are much shorter than F1 races and there are no tyre-change pit, reducing the need to communicate with the rider, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo pointed out.

“It’s difficult enough as it is to race without having someone to talk to you,” said the Yamaha-SRT rider, who is second in the world championships.

“If someone talks to me in the middle of a bend, it might bother me. But I’m curious to see what happens. I’ve never heard anyone talking to me in my helmet when I’m riding, so we’ll see”, he said.

The bikes are noisier than F1 cars and riders might not hear the messages with the added noise of the wind in the helmet.

“If it doesn’t distract me, it’s a plus”, said Spaniard Mav-erick Vinales. “Sometimes it’s difficult to see the yellow flags and even the red flag that appears on our screen. When you are in a state of maximum concentration you don’t always see it.”

Italian Franco Morbidelli, the winner at San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, likes the idea.

“It is a good development for the future and also for security,” he said.

“We will see if we can use it for other messages or to make the rider talk.”

“One of my favourite things about Formula One is to hear the drivers talking to their team. It would be nice to have it in MotoGP too if it doesn’t bother the riders and create an extra danger,” said the Yamaha-SRT rider.

Vinales, who rides for Yamaha, agreed that hearing the drivers in Formula One added to the spectacle.

“Sometimes I talk or shout under my helmet, especially when I overtake another driver, so having a broadcast like in F1 could be good,” he said.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wears a shirt in reference to Breonna Taylor on the podium as he celebrates after winning the Tuscan Grand Prix in Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero, Italy, in this file photo taken on September 13, 2020.

If you look at fathers in all different sports, golf, tennis, it’s not a new lease of life, but it’s a different perspective. It’s your career, but at the end of the day you get to go home to your family, which is the most important thing.

Rory McIlroy Former World number 1

WORLD RANKINGS

11WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

‘I acted like a fool’: Neymar regrets Marseille red cardAFP — PARIS

Neymar said he “acted like a fool” following his red card against Marseille but called on football officials to do more to combat discrimination after accusing Spanish defender Alvaro Gonzalez of racism.

The Brazil forward was one of five players sent off after a mass brawl at the end of PSG’s 1-0 loss in Ligue 1 on Sunday, and later claimed Gonzalez had called him a “monkey” in a series of furious tweets.

PSG have stood by the world’s most expensive player, saying the club “strongly sup-ports” him, but Neymar con-ceded he would accept his pun-ishment which is expected to be revealed by the French league’s disciplinary com-mission today.

“Yesterday I revolted. I was punished with red because I wanted to hit someone who offended me,” Neymar said in a lengthy Instagram post.

“I thought I could not leave without doing something because I realised that those in charge would not do anything, did not notice or ignored the fact.”

Neymar was dismissed for slapping Gonzalez on the back of the head, with team-mates Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes also sent off, as well as Marseille’s Dario Benedetto

and Jordan Amavi. “In our sport, aggressions, insults, swearing are part of the game, of the dispute. You can’t be affectionate. I understand this guy partly, all is part of the game, but racism and intol-erance are unacceptable,” Neymar continued.

“Should I have ignored it? I don’t know yet... Today, with a cool head, I say yes, but in due course, my companions and I asked the referees for help and we were ignored.

“I accept my punishment because I should have followed the path of clean football. I hope, on the other hand, that the offender will also be punished.

“Racism exists. It exists, but we have to stop it. No more. Enough!”

“The guy was a fool. I also acted like a fool for letting me get involved in that,” he added.

PSG have lost their opening two games of the season for the first time since 1984/85, and

face another spell without Neymar whose first two seasons in France were marred by injuries.

They host Metz on Metz on Wednesday in what was orig-inally scheduled to be their Ligue 1 season opener.

Meanwhile, Marseille issued a statement of their own defending Gonzalez. He denied racism and accused Neymar of being a bad loser.

“Alvaro Gonzalez is not racist. He has shown us that by his daily behaviour since joining the club, as his team-mates have already testified,” the statement read.

The league’s disciplinary commission, which will decide the punishments, could inves-tigate Neymar’s accusations against Gonzalez, who Mar-seille claim was spat on by Angel Di Maria.

Marseille pledged to “fully cooperate” with any investi-gation and said the club would remain at the disposal of the commission.

Any racist behaviour carries a maximum suspension of 10 matches.

Spitting directed at another player can lead to a ban of up to six matches.

Kurzawa meanwhile could be suspended for up to seven matches for violent conduct after aiming a punch at oppo-sition full-back Amavi.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar (right) argues with Marseille’s French midfielder Dimitri Payet during their match on Sunday.

Superstar Messi tops wealth league ahead of RonaldoREUTERS — LONDON

Lionel Messi was denied a potentially money-spinning move away from Barcelona this month after a contract-dispute but the Argentine maestro remains the world’s richest soccer player.

According to a list com-piled by Forbes, Messi’s total earnings this year are $126m -- $92m from his salary and $34m in endorsements.

Not surprisingly Cristiano Ronaldo comes in second although earnings of $117m will soften the blow for the Juventus forward, as will his status as the most followed soccer player in the world on social media.

Neymar comes in third on the Forbes list ($96m) with his Paris St Germain team mate, 21-year-old Kylian Mbappe, up in fourth spot ($42m).

The Premier League remains the world’s richest domestic soccer league but only two of its outfield players feature in the top 10 of the

wealth table -- Liverpool’s title-winning striker Mohamed Salah in fifth spot ($37m) and Manchester United’s mid-fielder Paul Pogba ($34m) in sixth. Pogba’s team-mate, keeper David de Gea ($27m) is 10th.

Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann was seventh and Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale eighth. Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, the only Bundesliga player, in ninth.

Messi reluctantly agreed to stay at Barcelona for another season this month, despite saying in the wake of an 8-2 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich that he wanted out.

He argued that a clause in his contract stating that a €700m release fee would need to be met for him to join another club was no longer active and that he could leave on a free transfer -- a situation that would have allowed him to command astronomical wages from the likes of Manchester City.

Messi, 33, is in the final year of his contract so could leave for free next summer. By staying with the Catalan club, Messi is in line for an $83m loyalty bonus so it is likely he will continue to top the money charts.

According to a list compiled by Forbes, Messi’s total earnings this year are $126m -- $92m from his salary and $34m in endorsements.

Cristiano Ronaldo comes in second although earnings of $117m will soften the blow for the Juventus forward, as will his status as the most followed soccer player in the world on social media.

Lionel Messi

Pjanic delighted to play alongside 'champ' MessiREUTERS — BARCELONA

Miralem Pjanic is looking forward to playing with want-away Barcelona captain Lionel Messi, the midfielder said as he was finally presented on Tuesday following his move from Juventus.

The Bosnian was diagnosed with the novel coro-navirus and had

to quarantine before starting to train with Barcelona last week, after joining in June for €65m ($77m). Playing alongside talisman Messi was an attraction, but the Barcelona No. 10 tried to force his way out of the club during the close season before eventually relenting.

“I can’t imagine Messi in another shirt, I thought it would all end well,” said Pjanic, who takes the No. 8 shirt worn by Andres Iniesta and later Arthur, who recently joined Juventus.

“My will was to play with (Messi) and I didn’t have any doubts.”

Aged 30, Pjanic’s arrival has been criticised in some quarters as Barcelona’s first-team is already viewed as ageing.

“I would have liked to had

come here at the age of six, but the transfer market is how it is,” said Pjanic.

“I’ve had a good career and I respect my (former) clubs, but I’ve reached the biggest and I’m happy. I read what happened with Messi. His story with the club has been incredible, he’s a champion, a winner, I think this is his home. We will try to win trophies with him.”

While Messi was not allowed to leave Camp Nou, Barcelona are working on selling Arturo Vidal.

Sporting director Ramon Planes, who sat alongside Pjanic during the news conference, explained the Chilean midfielder is close to leaving, with Spanish and Italian reports citing Inter Milan as his destination.

“Arturo Vidal is in advanced negotiations to leave, I want to give him thanks for what he has done during the last two years, he’s a player with a big heart,” said Planes.

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REUTERS — BARC

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Pandemic hits demand for English club kits, says online platform

REUTERS — LONDON

Fans barred from English football grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a knock-on effect on replica kit sales, according to figures from an online shopping platform.

The sight of English supporters squeezed into shiny replica shirts, either in stadiums, pubs or on holiday abroad, has become a feature of the Premier League era.

But with fans watching matches at home on TV, demand for kits has slumped to a five-year low with a 63% drop in online searches compared to 2019, data from lovethesales.com show.

UK fans spent an estimated £23.9m ($30.85m) on Premier League kits alone last season, but top-flight clubs could now be facing a 15 million pounds drop in revenue from the sale of replica kits, the website said.

“It’s no secret that big money signings, pre-season tours and fans at games have a huge impact on August shirt sales for English clubs,” Stuart McClure, co-founder of lovethesales.com which tracks sales from 1,000 online retailers, added. “Without the last two factors in 2020, demand across the board for English football kits has dropped by 63% year-on-year."

SLOW START TO LA LIGA As well as missing the top four teams in the country -- Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla -- after their Europeanexploits in August, La Liga got off to a de- layed start when the opening game wasput back at late notice. Granada were due to welcome Athletic Bilbao on Friday in the inaugural fixture but a long-running dispute between La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) meant the top flight had to put the match back to Saturday at less than 48hours notice.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Valencia fans have endured a nightmare close season as many of their best playerswere sold, including Ferran Torres to Man-chester City, Dani Parejo and Francis Co- quelin to Villarreal and Rodrigo Moreno toLeeds United.The fans protested against the board be- fore the derby with Levante on Sunday, where the visitors hoped to secure theirfirst-ever win at the Mestalla in La Liga. Despite Valencia’s disarray, new coach Javi Gracia oversaw an impressive 4-2 triumph, with a fine debut for 17-year-old YunusMusah, taking Torres's place in the side. The winger became the first English player in Valencia’s history and put on a fine show, striking the woodwork in an electricdisplay.

NO SILVA LINING Real Sociedad were one of the best teams to watch last season in Spain, in part thanks to playmaker Martin Odegaard, onloan from Real Madrid.Zinedine Zidane took the talented Norwe- gian back in the close season so the Basque team filled the hole by swooping to sign Manchester City great David Silva on a free transfer. The midfielder should offer Sociedad the creativity they need, buton the day he was presented Silva was di-agnosed with coronavirus.

LA LIGA TALKING POINTS Marseille coach defends Alvaro against Neymar complaint

REUTERS — BARCELONA

Olympique de Marseille coach Andre Villas-Boas has defended Alvaro Gonzalez after Neymar accused the centre back of racism.

Paris St Germain forward Neymar said he was the target of a racist slur from Alvaro during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Marseille, in which he was sent off for brawling along with four other players.

“We are alongside our player, in the search for the truth,” Villas-Boas told reporters yesterday.

“We are sure that Alvaro is not racist. Olympique de Marseille represents multi-culturality.

“He (Neymar) suffered, too. He knows precisely the impact of false accusations (after a rape case against him was dismissed and the perpetrators charged with perverting the course of justice).

“It’s not correct towards Alvaro. It’s a sensitive subject. Marseille and PSG are here to help find the truth.”

Neymar struck Alvaro on the back of the head during the game and later tweeted saying he regretted not hitting the Spaniard in the face.

The Brazilian admitted on Instagram that it was a mistake to attack Alvaro but defended his own stance against racism.

PL: Clinical Chelsea sink BrightonREUTERS — BRIGHTON

Chelsea got their Premier League campaign on track after 20-year-old right back Reece James helped them to a 3-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion with a spectacular goal.

New signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz made their debuts up front after the German interna-tionals joined Frank Lampard’s side from the Bundesliga during the close season. But it was James who gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with a thun-derbolt into the top corner from 25 metres before a deflected shot by central defender Kurt Zouma sealed the points.

“It was a hard game after 1-1 but

then Reece scored an amazing goal. We are very happy that we won today,” said Werner.

“We had a lot of players not in the rhythm now but I think we will get better and better when we play more games together.”

Brighton had taken the game to Chelsea in the first half but fell behind after a defensive blunder in

the 23rd minute when goalkeeper Mat Ryan fouled Werner in the area and Jorginho coolly converted the penalty.

Werner latched on to a through ball by Jorginho after a sloppy pass by Brighton midfielder Steven Alzate, who nearly made amends in the 35th minute with a dipping low shot that was parried by Chelsea

goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.Brighton’s brave approach was

rewarded in the 54th when Leandro equalised with a 20-metre strike which bounced in front of the often criticised Arrizabalaga, who should have done better, although the home side’s joy was short-lived.

James restored Chelsea’s lead two minutes later with a goal any of the forwards would have been proud of as he teed himself up for an unstoppable shot which left Ryan clutching thin air. Brighton defender Lewis Dunk missed a sitter soon after and the hosts were punished again in the 66th as Webster turned a tame Zouma effort past the stranded Ryan after James had swung in an inviting corner.

Brighton right back Tariq Lamptey produced a superb indi-vidual performance as he gave fullback Marcos Alonso a roasting on his flank and Chelsea were forced to make several desperate clearances to keep the Seagulls at bay.

But ultimately the London side’s superior technique made the dif-ference although Werner and Havertz, the latter in particular, had a fairly quiet evening on the south coast.

Chelsea’s Reece James (left) is congratulated by Kai Havertz after he scored a goal against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Right back Reece James shines for Chelsea in 3-1 win in their opening game of Premier League.

New signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz made their debuts up front after the German internationals joined Frank Lampard’s side from the Bundesliga during the close season.

My will was to play with Messi and I didn’t have any doubts.Miralem Pjanic

TOUR DE FRANCE: OVERALL LEADER: Primož Roglic (SLOVENIA) 70:06:47 - STAGE 16 WINNER: Lennard Kämna (GERMANY) 4:12:52

WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2020

PSG's Neymar regrets Marseille red cardShould I have ignored it? I don’t know yet... Today, with a cool head, I say yes, but in due course, my companions and I asked the referees for help and we were ignored. I accept my punishment because I should have followed the path of clean football. I hope, on the other hand, that the offender will also be punished.

Sport |11Neymar Jr.

Sport

Qatar star Almoez to join Generation Amazing LiveTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Asian Cup and QNB Stars League champion Almoez Ali will appear on Generation Amazing

(GA)’s Instagram Live today, as the

human and social legacy

programme

marks 22 consecutive weeks of GA Live sessions by featuring Qatar´s record-breaking forward.

The Qatar National Team and Al Duhail striker made history last year with the Qatar team, scoring a spectacular overhead kick against Japan to help his team to a 3-1 victory in the final of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup to lift the trophy for his country for the first time.

Almoez Ali broke the record for the most goals scored in the tournament and was awarded the

2019 Asian Cup Golden Boot Award. The 24-year-old striker experienced another triumph this year as he helped his team Al Duhail win the QNB Stars League title.

Almoez Ali wearing Gener-ation Amazing kit Almoez Ali will go live with GA from 4 PM Doha time today in what will mark GA’s 22nd week of online streams during the pandemic to help audi-ences at home stay connected, active and inspired.

The star will talk about his career successes so far as well as using sporting values in times of adversity. In the lead up to the Live segment, Moza Al Mohannadi, GA’s Marketing & Communications Director, said, “We are delighted to be hosting a Qatari record-breaker and Asian Cup winner in Almoez Ali, a young player who inspired the nation during the team´s suc-cessful Asian run last year."

"We look forward to having

him on our Live session this week as he is a role model to the next generation and will highlight just what it takes to be a success, both on and off the pitch.”

In last week’s Instagram Live sessions, Al Gharafa and Mexico national team star Hector Moreno appeared as a guest. Moreno played for RCD Espanyol, PSV Eindhoven as well as AS Roma and Real Sociedad before joining Qatar major league side Al Gharafa in 2019.

Almoez Ali

Al Duhail clinch victory over SharjahAFC Champions League: Al Sadd, Al Ain play out thrilling draw

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Reigning QNB Stars League champions, Al Duhail edged Sharjah FC in a close game while Al Sadd played out a thrilling draw against Al Ain as the top Qatari clubs resumed their 2020 AFC Champions League campaign strongly yesterday .

At Education City Stadium - the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue - a fiercely con-tested tactical battle saw Al Duhail emerge 2-1 winners over Sharjah FC in Group C, while Al Ain FC put an end to a run of five consecutive losses in the competition when they shared the spoils in an exciting 3-3 draw with Al Sadd in Group D.

Sharjah went into the game in pursuit of their first win in the AFC Champions League since 2004, having collected one point from their first two games.

Al Duhail, meanwhile, were looking to make amends having lost to Al Taawoun on Matchday Two to freeze at three points.

Igor Coronado had the first chance of the match for Sharjah after eight minutes, but his free-kick from all of 30 yards out sailed over the crossbar.

Al Duhail’s best chance of the opening period came just before the half-hour mark, when Ahmed Yasser rose highest to meet a cross from a free-kick. Al Hosani did enough to initially parry it then followed through with a sweeper-style clearance.

Five minutes before the end of the first half, Sharjah were caught napping after a mis-placed pass from Mohammed Abdulbaset allowed Luiz Junior to collect the ball deep into his own half and supply an impec-cable pass to Almoez Ali who expertly applied his finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to put Al Duhail in the lead.

Al Duhail picked up from where they left off after the restart and within six minutes, Abdullah Al Ahrak had won a free-kick just outside the Sharjah penalty box and new signing Ramin Rezaeian curled it perfectly into the top corner to double the Qataris’ lead.

Five minutes later, Coronado used his trickery to dribble his way past two Al Duhail players before being brought down by Ali inside the box, prompting the referee to point to the spot. The former Palermo playmaker stepped up and coolly converted in his trademark style to half the deficit.

Despite relative dominance for Sharjah and coach Abdulaziz

Al Anbari throwing in a trio of

attacking players in Khalid Bawazir, Saif Rashid and Salem Saleh, Al Duhail stood tall to see off the match and move up to six points, five points ahead of their opponents.

Sharjah’s chances of progress to the next round are now hanging on their ability to collect the three points in the reverse fixture on Friday.

Meanwhile, Group D of the 2020 AFC Champions League took off to a fiery start with a thrilling draw between Al Sadd and Al Ain FC.

The two sides went into the game with contrasting fortunes, with Al Ain needing to pick up points after opening their cam-paign with two losses while Al Sadd needed to consolidate their position at the top of Group D.

Despite not playing a com-petitive match in the past six months, the inaugural AFC Champions League winners took just five minutes to open the scoring, when Togolese striker Kodjo Laba met deb-utant Wilson Eduardo’s low cross to slot past Qatar interna-tional Saad Al Sheeb.

It was end to end from that moment on, as Al Sadd looked to reply in kind with the biggest chance coming down to captain Hassan Al Haydos on the right, but he slipped before managing a shot. At the other end of the pitch, Al Sheeb needed to come out of his area to head a long ball away from Laba.

Al Sadd equalised just after the half hour mark when 2019 AFC Footballer of the Year Akram Afif fired in a right footed shot into the bottom corner.

Al Ain replied instantly

through Kazakhstan interna-tional midfielder Bauyrzhan Islamkhan, who controlled the ball a few yards outside Al Sadd’s area, before firing in a shot that took Al Sheeb by sur-prise - the Qatari keeper rose

to meet it to no avail as the ball crept just under the crossbar.

Al Sadd drew level when Santi Cazorla scored on his AFC Champions League debut; the Spaniard hammered in a low shot with his right foot from Afif’s cut-back from the left side of the pitch.

Not long after, Baghdad Bounedjah got his first goal of the current edition and put his side ahead after he tapped in Nam Tae-hee’s low cross, the latter having beaten Bandar Al Ahbabi to assist his team-mate.

The match sprung to life again after the flurry of goals, with chances at both ends being missed. Khoukhi missed a golden opportunity to increase the difference when he missed a header at the far corner, while Laba missed the chance to equalise when he hit the post.

A few minutes after the hour mark, Khoukhi put the ball past his own keeper after rising to clear a lofted ball into the area but instead headed in to gift Al Ain the equaliser.

Chances came left, right, and centre for both teams as they looked to break the deadlock before the final whistle, in one of the most lively games so far in the competition.

Al Ain collected their first point to remain in contention, while Al Sadd moved up to five points ahead of the two sides’ rematch on Friday.

Al Sadd’s midfielder Santi Cazorla (left) celebrates his goal

during the AFC Champions League

group D match against UAE’s

Al Ain at the Jassim Bin Hamad

Stadium in Doha, yesterday.

GROUP CAL DUHAIL SC (QAT) 2 (Almoez Ali 41',

Ramin Rezaeian 51') - SHARJAH (UAE) 1 (Igor Coronado 58')

Persepolis FC (IRN) 1 (Shojae Khalilzadeh 83') - Al Taawoun FC (KSA) 0

GROUP D

AL SADD SC (QAT) 3 (Akram Afif 35', Santi Cazorla 55', Baghdad Bounedjah 60') -

Al Ain FC (UAE) 3 (Kodjo Laba 5', Bauyrzhan Islamkhan 38', Boualem Khoukhi 67' (OG)

Sepahan FC (IRN) 0 - Al Nassr (KSA) 2 (Abderazak Hamdallah 29', 48')

Lucescu hails Al Hilal fighting spirit in late Pakhtakor winTHE AFC.COM — DOHA

Al Hilal SFC head coach Razvan Lucescu hailed his players after the side’s hard fought 2-1 win over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor FC on Matchday Three of the 2020 AFC Champions League Group B on Monday.

With a draw looking the like-liest possibility at the Al Janoub Stadium deep into stoppage time, midfielder Hattan Bahebri’s deflected shot settled matters in the game against a 10-man Pakhtakor.

The result took defending champions Al Hilal to the top of Group B on nine points, with their opponents staying put in second place with six points.

“This win was of paramount importance to us in this difficult time,” said Lucescu.

Pakhtakor boss Shota Arve-ladze rued the ‘small details’ that gave Al Hilal the advantage over his side, while remaining defiant and acknowledging the need to put the defeat behind them.

“Both sides spent the past four weeks preparing for this competition, yet small details and minor mistakes are the reason we lost this match,” said the former Ajax and Rangers striker.

Al Duhail’s players

celebrate their goal during the AFC Champions League group C

match against UAE’s Sharjah,

yesterday.

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Asian Cup and QNB StarsLeague championAlmoez Ali will appear on Generation Amazing

(GA)’s Instagram Live today, as the

human and social legacy

programme

mGQ

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for Sharjah and coach Abdulaziz Al Anbari

throwing in a trio of a trio of

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YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

Almoez Ali