ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2016 44

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E monday — (all times are kuwait local)07:15 southampton vs sunderland/soccer ..... bein sports 2hd09:00 transworld sports ............................. bein sports 1hd10:00 eintracht vs schalke/soccer ............... bein sports 7hd13:30 beach volleyball long beach ............... bein sports 8hd14:00 villarreal vs sevilla/soccer ................. bein sports 3hd15:00 bayern vs bremen/soccer ................... bein sports 4hd16:00 la vuelta/cycling ............................... bein sports 8hd18:00 real madrid vs celta vigo/soccer ........ bein sports 3hd

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Middlesbrough’s Christian Stuani (left), and West Bromwich Albion’s Brendan Galloway battle for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, England on Aug 28. (AP)

West Ham United’s Michail Antonio (left), and Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi battle for the ball during the Premier League match Manchester City versus West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England on Aug 28. (AP)

Headache for European Ryder Cup captain Clarke

Pieters takes thrilling win in DenmarkFARSO, Denmark, Aug 28, (AFP): Thomas Pieters birdied the last three holes to claim a one-shot victory in the Made in Denmark event in Farso on Sunday.

The Belgian’s excellence gives European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke a headache, with the Northern Irishman to name his wildcard picks by Tuesday.

Pieters carded a six-under-par 65 to take his third European Tour title on 17 under par overall.

W e l s h m a n Bradley Dredge led by one over-night on 12 under par, but had to settle for second place.

Pieters had to successfully defend his Czech Masters title last week and win in Denmark to take the last auto-matic European qualification spot for the Ryder Cup matches that start next month in Hazeltine.

But he was runner-up to little-known American Paul Peterson in Prague, meaning that despite his win

on Sunday, he still needs a captain’s pick from Clarke, who he played with in the first two rounds at the Himmerland Golf Resort.

“I’m very pleased with the way I closed this out,” Pieters told the European Tour website.

“The eight iron I hit on the last was what you practice for and to make the putt was satisfying.”

When asked if he thought he had given Clarke a headache, he added: “I would say so, yeah.”

Pieters started the day in a tie for second with American David Lipsky

and Spaniard Adrian Otaegui at one stroke behind Dredge going into the final round.

Swede Joakim Lagergren, the world number 376, was just one shot further back and playing alongside Pieters.

Both players made good starts by going out in two-under-par 34s for a front nine that was disrupted because of the threat of lightning.

Dredge made a double-bogey five

MIDDLESBROUGH STAY UNBEATEN AFTER WEST BROM DRAW

City go top with win over HammersSterling scores 2

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Aug 28, (AFP): Raheem Sterling struck twice and Fernandinho added another goal as Manchester City made it five wins in as many matches under the management of Pep Guardiola with a 3-1 victory at home to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.

Guardiola’s men made hard work of seeing off the Hammers at Eastlands before securing a win that left City top of the Premier League, on goal difference from Chelsea and Manchester United, who’ve also won their opening three matches in English football’s top-flight.

Having raced into an early, two-goal lead, a second-half header from West Ham’s Michail Antonio ensured City

endured an anxious final half hour, a fact reflected in manager Guardiola’s grow-ing frustration in his technical area, before Sterling scored his second goal in injury-time.

City scored twice in the opening 18 minutes although twice as many goals would not have flattered the home team, such was their complete domination at that stage of West Ham.

Indeed, Sterling’s opening goal in the seventh minute came from the fifth note-worthy attack of the game, a sign of what was to come in that period for Slaven Bilic’s hapless Hammers.

The goal was magnificently worked, David Silva showing great agility in mid-field, slipping the ball through for winger Nolito who picked out Sterling with a magnificent drag back, allowing the England man to finish confidently from 12 yards.

That was the culmination of a frantic attacking opening from City and, while the goal perhaps took some of the inten-sity out of the home side’s play, it only seemed a matter of when — not if — they would score again

Fernandinho had the answer in the 18th minute, rising unmarked to meet a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick and head past Adrian from seven yards.

De Bruyne also just cleared the bar by inches with another free-kick from the corner of the visitors’ area.

The injury toll that has plagued West Ham in the early season, particularly the absence of playmaker Dimitri Payet, was obviously keenly felt with Willy Caballero — once more replacing Joe Hart who was on City’s bench — a vir-tual spectator.

West Ham’s first meaningful sight of goal, after half an hour, found Gokhan Tore picking out young forward Ashley Fletcher, whose header flew harmlessly wide.

City’s next attack was stunning — De Bruyne to Nolito to Silva to De Bruyne — and should have brought a third goal as the Belgian’s shot was deflected behind for a corner.

After the restart, Nolito had the ball in the net only for the ‘goal’ to be ruled out for offside and the same player came close with a shot into the side netting after yet another dangerous De Bruyne free-kick was only half-cleared.

Middlesbrough 0, West Brom 0In West Bromwich, West Bromwich

Albion and Middlesbrough scrapped their

on the par-three second hole, but bounced back with a birdie at four and an eagle on the par-five sixth.

Otaegui stayed bang in contention too with three front-nine birdies.

But the 43-year-old Dredge, seek-ing a first European Tour title since 2006, pulled clear once more just after the turn with two birdies to start the front nine to get to 15 under for the tournament.

The tournament was taken by the scruff of the neck by the duo of Pieters and Lagergren in the closing stages though.

Lagergren reeled off four straight birdies to reach the final tee on 16 under par, level with the 24-year-old

Pieters who birdied the 16th and 17th holes to stay in contention.

But on a hole that only yielded six birdies all day, Lagergren’s challenge came to a sad end as he lost his ball in some devilish rough off the tee and took a triple bogey to sign for a 68 and fifth place.

Pieters had no such trouble though, as he sent a wonderful approach shot to within six feet before draining the putt with the minimum of fuss to all but seal the victory.

Dredge holed a long putt to take second place in the event for the second time in three years, as Otaegui and Lipsky finished in a tie for third.

Salary less than$2 mln: InfantinoGENEVA, Aug 28, (AFP): FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in an interview published Sunday that he will make less than two million Swiss francs a year, well below the salary of his disgraced predecessor, Sepp Blatter.

Infantino has not yet agreed to terms with FIFA but speaking to Switzerland’s Blick newspaper, he said his salary “will be less than the two million francs ($2 million, 1.8

million euros) people have s p e c u l a t e d about”.

Blatter, who was mired in scandal before being banned from FIFA, made $3.6 mil-lion in 2015.

I n f a n t i n o described past dealings with

FIFA’s compensation committee as “insulting” and “completely arbitrary”.

During the first two months of Infantino’s tenure, which began in February, the compensation com-

mittee included former FIFA audit and compliance chief Domenico Scala, who has emerged as a fierce critic of world football’s new presi-dent.

Scala dramatically quit FIFA in May, accusing Infantino of trying to compromise the organ-isation’s independent commit-tees and acting with an authori-tarian streak.

Infantino said his pay could be finalised when the compensation committee meets again, with Scala no longer in the picture.

Reflecting on earlier negotia-tions when Scala was involved, the FIFA chief said: “I expected to talk to these people about my salary based on guidelines and defined processes and not to face a fait accompli by Mr Scala without a discussion”.

way to a goalless draw in a Premier League game of few chances at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

The point apiece saw newly-promoted Boro climb into sixth place, with West Brom moving up to tenth in the table.

But this was a match to tax even the patience of the most loyal supporters, with visitors Boro not managing a shot on target until 17 minutes from time and the Baggies offering little more in attack.

The draw was some consolation for West Brom after they were knocked out of the EFL Cup on penalties by third-tier in Northampton on midweek, but Sunday’s match helped explained why Baggies manager Tony Pulis has been calling for several new players to join his squad by the close of the transfer window on Wednesday.

West Brom manufactured something close to an early chance when James McClean saw an 11th-minute effort smothered by Boro goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Salomon Rondon, West Brom’s record £12 million ($16 million, 14 million euros) buy, then headed two half-chances well wide.

Meanwhile Alvaro Negredo ploughed a lonely furrow up front for Boro.

Eight minutes before half-time, a rare attack by either side saw Brendan Galloway, making his Premier League debut for Albion after a loan move from Everton, produce a low save from Guzan.

But it was a far from threatening effort and Gaston Ramirez replied in kind early in the second half before the Baggies’ Craig Dawson headed wide of the target.

Standings P W D L GF GA PtsMan City 3 3 0 0 9 3 9Chelsea 3 3 0 0 7 2 9Man Utd 3 3 0 0 6 1 9Everton 3 2 1 0 4 2 7Hull 3 2 0 1 4 2 6M’brough 3 1 2 0 3 2 5Tottenham 3 1 2 0 3 2 5Arsenal 3 1 1 1 6 5 4Leicester 3 1 1 1 3 3 4West Brom 3 1 1 1 2 2 4Liverpool 3 1 1 1 5 6 4West Ham 3 1 0 2 3 5 3Burnley 3 1 0 2 2 4 3Swansea 3 1 0 2 2 4 3Southampton 3 0 2 1 2 4 2Sunderland 3 0 1 2 3 5 1Palace 3 0 1 2 1 3 1Watford 3 0 1 2 3 6 1Bournemouth 3 0 1 2 2 5 1Stoke 3 0 1 2 2 6 1Note: Standings read as played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against and points.

GOLF

Pieters

SOCCER

SOCCER

WI, India US clash abandonedFORT LAUDERDALE, United States, Aug 28, (AFP): Heavy rain forced the second Twenty20 inter-national between West Indies and India at the Central Broward Regional Park on Sunday to be abandoned as a no-result.

After dismissing the world

champions for 143, India were 15-0 in two overs when the rain came.

Ninety minutes later, and with the outfield drenched, play was abandoned.

West Indies won the first game on Saturday by just one run.

Infantino