We played well, which was great after our performance against

Sharjah. We managed to recover some of our level but we still have

some work to do in order to get to 100 percent. We could have

achieved a better result but at the end of the day, the three points

are really important for us.

The next match will be harder and we must avoid being

overconfident, as was the case against Sharjah. We must forget the

win and prepare for Al Taawoun who are a good side.

They defeated us previously (2-0 on Matchday Two) in Saudi

Arabia and we must be fully focused in order to have a

positive result and bring joy to our fans.

Al Duhail's captain Almoez Ali after their win over Persepolis.

It was a tough game. We were not good enough in the first half,

and in the second half we were better. We had to play in the first

half, like we did in the second. We showed two faces of the team in

the two halves. I’m angry with the first half, and happy with the

second. We have to change and improve our performance, but we

are satisfied with the point. We played against a strong team,

which is one of the best in the competition.

We have to go step by step; otherwise, we will make a mistake.

It’s very difficult to win the competition, and there are many good

clubs. Our first objective is to reach the round of 16, and then we

will see.

Al Sadd's coach Xavi after their 1-1 draw against Al Nassr.

ATP HAMBURG: Round of 32: Cristian Garin beat Kei Nishikori 6-0, 6-3, Bautista-Agut beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3

WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2020

Quick turnaround helped me get past US Open shock: Novak DjokovicI did experience mentally some ups and downs in the first four-five days after that happened. Obviously I was in shock... but I moved on, I've never had an issue in my life to move on regardless of how difficult it is.

Sport |09Novak Djokovic

Sport

Diamond League: Doha ready to host last leg of curtailed seasonRIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) President Dr Thani Al Kuwari yesterday said strict health protocols have been implemented for the last leg of the curtailed Wanda Diamond League season which has been shortened by the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world.

Only four meetings have been planned for this season with events in Eugene, London, Paris, Rabat, Gateshead and Shanghai cancelled. On Friday, Doha will join Monaco, Stockholm and Rome as the only four cities to hold regular meetings.

The Qatar Sports Club Stadium will host the revised 12-event pro-gramme which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.

“The Qatar Athletics Feder-ation is committed to hosting this event in a safe manner. The meet was supposed to he held in May but after rescheduling, we are hosting it on September 25. We are ready to host the event. We have covered all bases,” Dr Thani said yesterday.

“We were facing difficult cir-cumstances - just as the rest of the world was - with the coronavirus pandemic but with the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), the Qatar Olympic Com-mittee and the Diamond League Organising Committee, we have put in place safety measures to stop the spread of the virus. We are pleased to thank MOPH for their efforts,” he said.

“Hosting the event now gives everyone the message that we have to adapt and battle on against coronavirus. We have the com-mitment to host the event. We have been preparing the protocols and implementing the safety measures. We have a challenge in front of us but we are ready for it. The meeting was to be held in August but we asked the IAAF to have the event slotted in September. We knew to host the event in August would be a little early for us. Sep-tember seemed fine and Qatar quickly expressed its readiness.

“Now we are hosting the AFC Champions League matches. Yes, there were some cases but those were handled quickly. We are managing the crisis situations well. We have the MOPH following the international standards on imple-menting the safety protocols,” he said.

“The meeting will be held behind closed doors, without fans. That’s the decision of the IAAF. This is the 10th edition of the Diamond League to be held in

Doha. We have hosted a number of events like the IAAF World Ath-letics Championships in 2019. It was one of the best events in recent history.

“The confirmation of athletes for the Doha leg which will be held at Qatar SC shows the trust IAAF has in Qatar’s ability to deliver a good event. This also shows that Qatar is battling the crisis well and it shows we can organize an event like this with SOPs. This will be the first major international event to be held in Qatar while the world fights the virus.

“I would like to thank the

stakeholders for their efforts to host the event. Our thanks also go to our sponsors for backing our event,” Dr Thani added.

Khalid Al Marri, the Doha Diamond League Meeting Director, yesterday said: “The Diamond League is the last meeting of the season. In the last three meetings, there were some records set and some broken. We have 10 Olympic champions in Doha. We have the pole vault world champion here. It should be an exciting compe-tition. We also have the 1,500m final. The field includes champions. The same is the case in the

10,000m final. Mutaz Barshim will be not here so there’s no high jump competition.” He added: “It’s been a tough summer for everyone, yet we’ve witnessed some exceptional track and field performances. I’m confident that in Doha, the fourth and final competitive meeting of this shortened 2020 Wanda Diamond League series, we’ll provide a fitting finale.”

Talal Al Mansour, a former Qatari athlete, said: “We have young Qatari athletes competing here. They can learn so much from competing in Doha. The QAF giving opportunity to our athletes competing at top events like the one to be held in Qatar is a good move.”

We have resumed sports activity after months of hard work: MOPH official

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Qatar has resumed sports activity in the country after ‘months of hard work’ on implementing strict health and safety protocols around venues.

This was said yesterday by Dr Abdulwahab Almusleh, Senior Con-sultant to Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) as Doha prepares to host the last leg of the Diamond League at Qatar SC on Friday.

“After months of hard work, we have resumed sports activities with health and safety measures in place. We are taking special care so as to limit the spread of the virus. The sports events are also important for Qatar,” Dr Abdulwahab said at the Qatar Olympic Committee ( Q O C ) b u i l d i n g , yesterday.

“From the beginning of September, Qatar started the fourth phase of resuming economic and social activities. Now Qatar has the experience and the know-how to resume sports events. We have resumed football and bas-ketball leagues. The sport activities in Qatar, thank-fully, are not the reason of the spread of the disease. We are committed to social distancing and using face masks,” he said.

“We have put in place complete protocols with Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) and the Local Organ-izing Committee. The medical procedures are being strictly adhered to. The QOC are also carefully

implementing the health protocols. The most important part of the pro-tocol is that all athletes from overseas have to undergo virus tests and come out as negative,” he said. “This also goes for technical staff that underwent tests sometime back. They have been tested regularly since the start of September. The athletes that have arrived step out for training pur-poses only.

“Social distancing is also a key component of our protocols as is hand washing. The MOPH had approved the entry of fans at the venue but the LOC decided not to hold the event in front of the fans for the health and safety of all. The technical staff is also doing its best not to mix with athletes at this point in time.

“I think Qatar has become the global hub for sports events for more than a decade. There’s great attention host international events. We have excep-tional infrastructure to meet the demands of hosting top events at a high level. This Covid-19 pan-demic has hurt sports activities around the world,” he added.

Qatari athletes at Friday’s DDL200M: Abdelaziz Mohamed400M: Mohamed Nasir Abbas800M: Rabi Mohamoud Mubarak, Jamal Hairane1500M: Musaab Adam Ali, Hamza Driouch1500M ‘B’: Mohamad Al Garni, Yaser Salem Bagharab, Abdirahman Saeed Hassan

ACL: Al Duhail must remain focused despite win over Persepolis, says Almoez

We showed two faces during the two halves against Al Nassr, says Xavi

Doha Diamond League Meeting Director, Khalid Al Marri, and Qatar Athletics Federation President, Dr Thani Al Kuwari. FILE PHOTOS

We have put in place

complete protocols with

Qatar Athletics

Federation (QAF) and

the Local Organizing

Committee. The medical

procedures are being

strictly adhered to. The

QOC are also carefully

implementing the health

protocols. The most

important part of the

protocol is that all

athletes from overseas

have to undergo virus

tests and come out as

negative: Senior

Consultant to Ministry of

Public Health,

Dr Abdulwahab

Almusleh

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A file photo of Qatar SC Stadium during an earlier edition of the Doha Diamond League.

Officials addressing the media during a press conference held at the Qatar Olympic Committee, yesterday.

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11WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

UEFA Super Cup interest will be focused away from the pitchREUTERS – BUDAPEST

The UEFA Super Cup match between Champions League winners Bayern Munich and Europa League holders Sevilla tomorrow would in normal circumstances be an attractive showpiece clash between two teams enjoying a remarkable run of form.

Bayern are unbeaten since Dec. 7, a run of 31 competitive matches which has seen them steamroller several opponents -- including Barcelona who were beaten 8-2 -- on their way to com-pleting a Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League treble.

Sevilla’s form has been almost as impressive with no defeats since Feb. 9 -- a run of 21 matches -- as they finished the season by lifting the Europa League.

But the main interest is likely to revolve around the game’s status as a test event for the return of fans to stadiums.

Although some countries have begun allowing spectators back in small numbers, tomorrow’s match in Hungary is more ambi-tious, and arguably riskier, with UEFA and local authorities allowing the Puskas Arena to fill up to one third of its 67,000 capacity. It will also feature travelling fans with 3,000 tickets available to followers of each club.

UEFA says strict hygiene measures will be in place with fans instructed to keep a distance of 1.5 metres from each other, wear masks and wash and disinfect their hands wherever possible.

But those measures have not convinced everyone.On Monday, Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder urged Bayern

Munich fans not to travel, warning that the match could turn into a hotbed for COVID-19 to spread. He also warned they could face quarantine on their return to Germany.

That could make it more trouble than it is worth for many fans, especially for a fixture that is often regarded as little more than an exhibition event.

Premier League breaks record with 44 goalsAP – LONDON

A stoppage-time goal by Gabriel Jesus did more than just clinch a significant win for Manchester City at Wolver-hampton.

It capped a record-breaking round of scoring in the English Premier League, too.

A total of 44 were scored in a wild second round of games from Sat-urday to Monday, surpassing the record for a single round since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995.

At least seven goals were scored in three separate games, only the third time that has happened in the Premier League era (since 1992).

From Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hat trick for Everton in the early kickoff on Saturday to Son Heung-min’s four-goal burst for Tottenham a day later to Man City’s commanding 3-1 win at Wolves on Monday, the goals flew in across the empty grounds of the world’s most-watched league at an average of 4.4 per game.

Maybe it was just one of those weekends.

Or maybe there are some logical reasons behind the high goal count.

NO FANS, LESS PRESSURE? Without fans in the stadiums,

there’s a different atmosphere for games that can sometimes resemble high-intensity training ground exercises.

Players invariably are more relaxed without the crowd on their backs. Play-makers and forwards, especially, might feel more able to express themselves without being subjected to groans if an ambitious pass or speculative shot doesn’t come off.

Players might feel under less pressure when they are through on goal. Penalty-takers, for example, might not feel under so much strain without crowd noise during their run-up.

There have been 11 spot kicks converted already this season - though two have been saved, too.

In an English League Cup match last week, there was a score of 11-10 in a penalty shootout.

However, there were no fans in Premier League grounds after play restarted post-lockdown near the end

of last season and the 2.72 goals per game in that period was exactly the same ratio as pre-lockdown.

SHORT OFFSEASON Coaches typically use the pre-

season to get their players fit and nail down an approach or tactics ahead of the new campaign.

Yet for 2020-21, there has barely been a preseason because of the late finish to last season.

Teams have had very few friendlies to get sharp or organized, and trainings have been disjointed because of an international break and, in some cases, players testing positive for COVID-19.

Because of the abnormally short offseason, players are unlikely to be as fit as they usually are for the start of a season. Tired bodies and tired minds can lead to more mistakes - and more goals.

ATTACKING DEPTH There is an abundance of top-

quality forward players in the

Premier League at the moment, and more are arriving. Manchester City and Liverpool have long had the most devastating strikeforces but Totten-ham’s will look just as exciting when Gareth Bale links up with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the pair who combined for four goals against Southampton on Sunday.

The arrival of James Rodriguez has improved the scoring output of Everton, right winger Willian had three assists on his debut for Arsenal, while Chelsea has spent around $200m to bring in attackers Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech. Add Christian Pulisic to the mix, and imagine what that quartet could do this season?

Also adding to the likelihood of more goals this season is the fact that the Premier League has been told by FIFA to be stricter with its application of handballs by defenders, therefore falling in line with other European leagues.

Ibra scores twice as Milan win openerREUTERS – MILAN

AC Milan’s veteran forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice and missed an open goal as he secured a 2-0 win over Bologna to get their Serie A campaign off to a winning start on Monday.

The 38-year-old broke the deadlock with a towering header in the 35th minute and added the second with a penalty -- the first in Serie A this season -- five minutes after the break.

Milan extended their unbeaten run to 15 games in all competitions as they started where they left off last season, suggesting they are capable of bat-tling for a Champions League spot.

“If I was 20-years-old, I’d have scored another two,” said Ibrahimovic, who has 14 goals in 22 matches since returning for a second stint at Milan in January.

Roberto Soriano nearly gave Bologna a shock lead after 90 seconds when his shot was deflected wide but Milan, who had lost their opening league match in the last two seasons, took control after that.

Ismael Bennacer missed an open goal before Ibrahimovic rose above

the Bologna defence to head in from Theo Hernandez’s cross.

Milan went further ahead after the break when Bennacer was brought down by Riccardo Orsolini.

The referee initially awarded a free kick but changed his decision to a penalty after consulting the VAR officials and Ibrahimovic fired the ball into the top right-hand corner.

He was presented with a gilt-edged chance to complete his hat-trick by Hakan Calhanoglu’s break upfield but, having rounded goalkeeper Lukasz Sko-

rupski, he fired wide of the target, albeit somewhat off-balance.

Substitute Federico Santander hit the bar for Bologna, who had Mitchell Dijks sent off for a second booking in the 88th.

Man City off to a winning startREUTERS – WOLVERHAMPTON

Manchester City got their Premier League campaign off to a flying start with a 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to first-half goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden plus a late Gabriel Jesus strike on Monday.

The result means there has not been a single drawn match in the opening two rounds of Premier League fixtures and the 44 goals over a single ‘game week’ is a record for the 20-team era.

Wolves beat City home and away last season but Pep Guardiola’s side were full value for their victory despite a strong response from the home side after they went 2-0 down.

Guardiola gave a debut to close-season signing Nathan Ake, the Dutch defender signed from Bournemouth, lining up

alongside John Stones in the centre of defence.

While City were given a rest in the first week of the season, due to their August involvement in the Champions League, they were sharp out of the blocks, quickly finding their rhythm.

“It’s obviously hard. It’s a weird season. We know we need to start well,”

said De Bruyne.PFA Player of the Year, De Bruyne put City

in front with a penalty in the 20th minute. The Belgian broke into the box and was brought down by Romain Saiss before getting up to convert the spot-kick himself.

City’s trademark passing game was at its very best for their second goal just past the half-hour, Foden ending a fine move with a clinical finish from a low Raheem Sterling cross.

Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio did well to keep out a De Bruyne effort as City threatened to put the game beyond them before the break but it was a different story after the interval.

Wolves’ Daniel Podence broke goalwards but his attempted chip went over the bar and Raul Jimenez was then picked out by a low cross from Adama Traore but the Mexican side-footed wide from inside the box.

The home side finally gained some reward in the 78th minute when Jimenez headed home a Podence cross, but in stoppage time Jesus made sure of the win for the visitors with a shot which deflected off Conor Coady.

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo highlighted his team’s failure to take their chances.

“We always have to give credit to our opponents because of the talent and the quality they have, but we should do better,” he said.

Suarez language exam for Italian citizenship rigged: ProsecutorsREUTERS – ROME

Italian prosecutors said yesterday they had evidence that the language exam taken by Barcelona’s Uruguay striker Luis Suarez to obtain Italian citizenship ahead of a possible move to Juventus was rigged.

Suarez, whose wife is of Italian descent, passed the exam last Thursday at the University for For-eigners in Perugia.

It cleared the way for a fast-track citizenship approval which would mean Juventus could sign him without exceeding its per-mitted quota of non-EU players, but

suspicions were quickly raised in the media that he was given pref-erential treatment.

Perugia chief prosecutor Raf-faele Cantone said his investiga-tions showed the questions had been agreed with Suarez ahead of the exam and it had already been decided what mark to give him, despite his scarce knowledge of Italian.

The university denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement it had acted with “correctness and transparency” and was confident this would emerge at the end of the probe.

Police searched the university on Tuesday looking for further evi-dence, Cantone said in a statement, while Italian newspaper la Repub-blica reported that five university employees had been put under investigation, including the rector.

Suarez himself is not cited a m o n g t h o s e u n d e r investigation.

La Repubblica published alleged conversations tapped by police during their probe, in which a tutor preparing Suarez for the exam told a colleague “he can’t speak a word,” and described him as an absolute beginner in Italian.

Suarez, 33, obtained the inter-mediate B1 qualification required for citizenship in just 15 minutes, his examiner said after the test, and was only required to do the oral part of the exam.

Other citizenship applicants taking the B1 exam on the same day in Rome, had to also complete a written paper lasting two-and-a-half hours.

Suarez’s mooted transfer to Juve now looks unlikely, as the Serie A champions have moved to sign striker Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid, while the Uru-guayan international seems set to

take Morata’s place at Atletico.

Suarez has had a con-troversial career including being banned for four months for biting Italy defender Georgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

He also bit an opponent while playing for his former clubs Ajax Amsterdam in 2010 and Liverpool in 2013, which were pun-ished with seven and 10-match bans respectively.

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Barcelona’s Vidal joins Inter for €1mAFP – MADRID

Inter Milan have completed a deal to sign Arturo Vidal from Barcelona for €1m ($1.17m), the clubs announced yesterday.

“Barcelona and Inter Milan have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Arturo Vidal,” Barca said in a statement.

“The Italian team will pay FC Barcelona 1 million euros in variables.” After joining in 2018, Vidal played 96 games for the Catalans and scored 11 goals, helping them win La Liga in his first year in Spain.

But the 33-year-old was seen as expendable by the club after their dreadful end to last season, with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitting players would have to leave before new ones could come in.

Vidal will be reunited with Antonio Conte at Inter, the coach he played for at Juventus between 2011 and 2015, before joining Bayern Munich and then Barca.

Inter described the Chilean midfielder as a “warrior”.

“From today, Vidal will be on the front line for the Nerazzurri, with the same objectives as ever: fighting, giving it his all, and winning,” the Italian club added.

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Luis Suarez

10 WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2020SPORT

Cycling in fresh turmoil with Tour doping investigationREUTERS – PARIS

Cycling has been thrown into fresh turmoil after French judicial authorities opened a preliminary investigation into potential doping at Nairo Quintana’s team Arkea-Samsic on Monday, a day after the Tour de France ended in Paris.

Two people had been taken into custody, Marseille prosecutor Dominique Laurens said, adding that the probe was targeting a “small part of the team” and that those in custody were part of the “close entourage of the main rider”, without naming him.

Arkea-Samsic’s leader on the Tour was Colombian Quintana, a two-time runner-up,

and Vuelta and Giro d’Italia champion. He finished 17th overall on this year’s Tour. The French team confirmed their hotel in Meribel was searched by the OCLAESP, the Central Office for the Fight against Environmental and Public Health Damage, after last Wednesday’s 17th stage.

Laurens said the search had resulted in the “discovery of many health products, including drugs and especially a method that can be qual-ified as doping”.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that a “saline solution” and “injection material” had been found.

Injection material can only be in possession of doctors as per the ‘no needle policy’ in place

in cycling since 2011. Arkea-Samsic team manager Emmanuel Hubert said on Monday that the investigation did “not target the team or its staff directly.

Quintana was allowed to continue working with his own doctor when he signed a three-year deal with Arkea-Samsic this year.

Quintana’s management have not responded to a Reuters request for comment.

This year’s Tour was won by Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who produced one of the most stunning performances in recent history in the final time trial last Saturday.

The 22-year-old is with Team UAE Emirates, which is managed by Mauro Gianetti and Matxin Fernandez, sports directors at Saunier Duval in

2008 when the team left the Tour in the wake of Ricardo Ricco’s failed doping test.

The duo were also managing the Geox-TMC team when Spaniard Juan Jose Cobo won the Vuelta in 2011, only to be stripped of the title because of a “violation of the anti-doping rules (use of a banned substance) based on irregu-larities found in his Athlete Biological Passport in 2009 and 2011”.

“I am too young to remember that era,” said Pogacar when asked about his entourage at UAE Emirates. “I was 10 in 2008 and it’s weird to be talking about this because it goes against eve-rything I believe in.” The last notable rider to fail a doping test on the Tour was Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck in 2012.

Riders in action near the Arc de Triomphe during the 21st and last stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France on Sunday.

Samson blitz helps RR to 16-run win over CSKIANS – SHARJAH

Sanju Samson’s blistering 74, late theatrics from speedster Jofra Archer with the bat -- he carted four consec-utive sixes -- and Rahul Tewatia’s three-wicket burst propelled Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a comfortable 16-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here yesterday.

RR posted a mammoth 216 for seven wickets in 20 overs and three-time champions CSK finished with 200 for six wickets in 20 overs, despite a late surge from Faf du Plessis (72), at the Sharjah International Stadium.

Openers Shane Watson (33) and Murali Vijay (21) ensured that CSK cross 50 within the first six overs. Rahul Tewatia (3/37), however, ensured that CSK did not exploit the slim chance that was provided by Watson. He dismissed the veteran Aus-tralian and later Sam Curran, who was striking the ball cleanly. Shreyas Gopal got the wicket of Vijay in the very next over after Watson was dismissed.

Tewatia also got the wicket of the busy Kedar Jadhav (22), thanks to a sharp one-handed catch by wicket-keeper Samson. du Plessis then tried to milk as many runs as he could from the ‘death’ overs. But when he fell for 72 off 37, CSK still needed 38 off seven balls to win. That became 38 to win off the last over when Ravindra Jadeja left the very next ball unharmed.

MS Dhoni (29) hit three consec-utive sixes in the last over which helped his team reduce the margin of defeat to 16 runs.

Earlier, Samson smashed as many as nine sixes as he put up 121 runs with Steve Smith off just 57 balls for the second wicket. CSK seemed to be clawing their way back into the match

after Samson’s dismissal, but the wheels came off in the final over. Ngidi, who had accounted for Samson earlier, leaked 30 runs due to a com-bination of Archer’s belligerence and unwanted extras.

Archer smashed four consecutive sixes off the first four balls of the last

over, two of which were off back to back no-balls.

BRIEF SCORES: RR 216/7 in 20 overs (Samson 74,

Smith 69; S Curran 3/33) beat CSK 200/6 (du Plessis 72, Watson 33; Tewatia 3/37) by 16 runs

All-rounder Marsh suffers ankle injury during IPL

REUTERS – DUBAI

Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh was forced from the pitch with a potentially serious ankle injury as Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their Indian Premier League opener to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai yesterday.

Marsh, who helped Aus-tralia to a one-day interna-tional series win over world champions England earlier this month, turned his right ankle while trying to stop a drive from compatriot Aaron Finch after bowling his second delivery. The 28-year-old managed two more balls before limping from the field, although he did manage to get out to face one delivery with the bat at number 10 as Hyderabad battled to stave off the 10-run loss to Virat Kohli’s side.

“Doesn’t look great,” his captain and international team mate David Warner said in a TV interview.

“He’s got to get an X-ray, hopefully it’s not too bad. Obvi-ously what you saw out there, it was quite painful, he can’t put any weight on it. Fingers crossed.” This year’s IPL, which was originally scheduled to begin in March in India, is being held in the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marsh would have been hoping for a good run of matches in Dubai before he heads back to Australia to try to force his way into contention for the much-anticipated home test series against India.

IPL’s foreign stars laud Indian young gunsAFP – DUBAI

Overseas stars including Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch praised young Indian talent in the IPL after batsman Devdutt Padikkal smashed a half-century for Royal Chal-lengers Bangalore.

The 20-year-old left-handed opener proved his worth for Virat Kohli’s team with a 42-ball 56 that set up an opening Indian Premier League win for last year’s wooden spooners in Dubai on Monday.

Bangalore trumped Sun-risers Hyderabad, led by David Warner, and Padikkal’s confidence and flair did not go unnoticed by his opening partner Finch.

“Dev is a brilliant young player,” Finch told reporters in a virtual press conference.

“I think he has shown over the last couple of years in Under-19 cricket, domestic cricket, how tal-ented he is and how destructive he can be at the

top of the order, so I loved opening with him.

“He is such an exciting young player. My advice is just play your natural game, if you are feeling it against a particular bowler keep going.” South African veteran AB de Villiers also contributed with a 30-ball

51 for Bangalore, who are searching for their maiden IPL title.

De Villiers too was impressed with Padikkal and the new crop of players who have made an early impression in the 53-day tournament.

“Very competitive, the

young players coming and looking like international players is really exciting to watch,” said de Villiers.

“Padikkal is a shy and quiet guy but I don’t have to say much really, he looks like a really good talent.” Warner’s team, winners of the 2016 IPL, have also

fielded up-and-coming Indian talent in former U-19 skipper Priyam Garg and all-rounder Abhishek Sharma.

Garg attempted a horrific scoop shot on his IPL debut only for the ball to hit his helmet grill and land on the stumps as he was bowled for 12. But Warner advised the youngsters to carry on playing their natural game.

“Exciting times for Indian cricket and I can’t wait to see what the young players produce,” Warner said after his team’s loss.

“There were three bizarre dismissals, but I encourage them to keep playing the way, not think too much about it. We will rely on our senior players to guide those guys in the middle.

“Play your natural game and the that’s the only way you can learn.” Teenage leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi also had a good outing with Kings XI Punjab on Sunday when he returned impressive figures of 1-22 from his four overs.

‘Age is just a number’: Thiago Silva takes plunge in PL

AP – LONDON

Thiago Silva never imagined himself playing in England.

As a ball-playing center back, the Bra-zilian has watched Premier League games down the years and it just didn’t appeal to him.

“My impression of the football played was one of long balls, high balls, long-dis-tance shots,” he recalls.

“My preference,” he added, “was to play football with the ball on the ground.”

So, how - at the age of 36 - has Silva ended up at Chelsea in perhaps the last big move of his distinguished career?

“Over time, I have seen that the league has developed tremendously,” he said Tuesday at his presentation as a Chelsea player. “There’s a lot more technical quality, a lot more teams playing with the ball on the ground, full backs attacking in the area.

“Little by little, the Premier League has won me over. Anyone who knows me can confirm that. At 36, I am arriving to play in the best league in the world.”

Silva’s last competitive game was for Paris Saint-Germain in a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in last month’s Champions League final in Lisbon.

Contrast that occasion with his likely debut for Chelsea, a low-profile English League Cup match against Barnsley, a team from the country’s second tier.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said he was ready to give the experienced centre back some minutes in today’s game as the Brazilian builds up to full match fitness after a short offseason.

Bigger tests will come for Silva in the Premier League, and he doesn’t see himself struggling in what is widely regarded as the most physically intense division in the world.

“Age is just a number on your doc-ument,” he said. “Physically, I feel very young, I am very well prepared for this and I have been preparing my whole life.

“People who know me know how much I love my work and that I put in 200%. This is a great opportunity that Chelsea and Frank Lampard have given me. I don’t want to let them down.”

Silva will provide some much-needed leadership and experience to a Chelsea defense that has appeared naïve at times since Lampard joined in the summer of 2019.

He sees his role at Chelsea as not just a player, but a mentor for a young team that is trying to gel after the club’s off-season spending spree of more than $250m.

“I think with all the experience in my career and everything, I think it’s important to show to the younger players that just playing the matches isn’t enough,” he said. “They need to be pre-pared and ready to be in the best state possible.

“They need to see how important it is to win things. Because I think people who are winners are remembered.”

Sanju Samson of Rajasthan Royals hitting a boundary against Chennai Super Kings during yesterday's Indian Premier League match in Sharjah.Pic: Twitter/IPL

Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore

REUTERS — PARIS

Bosnian player Damir Dzumhur is taking legal action against French Open organisers after he was barred from entering the qualification round after his coach Petar Popovic tested positive for COVID-19.

Popovic tested positive but argued it was a ‘false positive’ because he already had con-tracted the virus earlier this year, saying he was “full of antibodies”.

Dzumhur and Popovic said they were denied a second test by French Open organisers, the French tennis federation (FFT), with Popovic saying a new test he underwent returned neg-ative, according to French

sports daily L’Equipe.“It’s a scandal and a

huge frustration,” Popovic told L’Equipe yesterday.

“I’m sure we’re going to win in court. They’re going to pay a lot for

this. It makes me crazy,” he said.

Six players have already been denied playing in the qualification phase amid pos-itive coronavirus tests.

The FFT was not immedi-ately available to comment on the matter. The French Open will be held from September 27-October 11 after being moved from its usual late May-June slot.

The FFT plans to allow 5,000 spectators each day fol-lowing a recent spike in coro-navirus cases in France.

09WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

Halep raising her game to a higher level after coronavirus shutdownREUTERS — ROME

Simona Halep said she had found inner calm during tennis’s coronavirus shutdown and that she had returned to the courts with more maturity and perspective on the game.

Halep won the Dubai title before the WTA Tour’s sus-pension in March and lifted the Prague crown on its resumption, before claiming another crown in Rome on Monday to emerge as the front runner for the French Open Grand Slam, which begins on Sunday.

“The pandemic got me in a place that I really dreamed to be,” the world number two told the WTA Insider Podcast.

“I’m more mature, more relaxed because I could see that the most difficult things are in life in general, not in sport. So being able to do this as good as I do in the last seven years, it’s a big thing.”

Halep, 28, said her first

Rome title, which she won when Karolina Pliskova retired due to injury, was the culmi-nation of a dream she had since 2013, though she was a much different person now.

“Back then I was fighting with everyone, with myself, the opponent, the ball, the racquet, the weather, the

crowd, the team... so I have many on the list,” the Romanian added.

“Now I tell myself I’m much better in that direction... I have to fight with the opponent because I face an opponent.”

And while many have her as the favourite for a second title at Roland Garros after her 2018 triumph, Halep said she would take it one match at a time.

“ I f

people think I’m a favourite, I’m not thinking about that because every match it’s a battle and everyone wants to get it so

badly,” she added. “So I’m focusing on

my game like I did here, like I did in Prague. I’m not stressing about results.”

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Now I tell myself I m muchbetter in that direction... I have to fight withthe opponent because I face an opponent.”

And while many have her as the favourite for asecond title atRoland Garros after her 2018 triumph, Halep said she would take it one matchat a time.

“ I f

everyone wants to get it so badly,” she added.

“So I’m focusing on my game like I did

heh re, like I did in Prague. I’m not stressing about

results.”

The pandemic got me in a

place that I really

dreamed to be. I’m more

mature, more relaxed

because I could see that

the most difficult things

are in life in general, not

in sport. So being able to

do this as good as I do in

the last seven years, it’s a

big thing.

Simona HalepSimona Halep

Dzumhur, coach taking legal action against French Open organisers

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning the Italian Open final against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman on Monday.

Quick turnaround helped me get past shock: Djokovic

REUTERS — ROME

Italian Open champion Novak Djokovic said getting back on court for a tournament so quickly after being disqualified at the US Open for striking a line judge with a ball helped him move on from the incident.

The world number one came in for heavy criticism at Flushing Meadows earlier this month and the Serb said he spent several days processing what had happened.

He returned to tournament play in Rome last week and captured his 36th ATP Masters crown in Mon-day’s final by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3.

“I did experience mentally some ups and downs in the first four-five days after that happened,” Djokovic told reporters.

“Obviously I was in shock... but I moved on, I’ve never had an issue in my life to move on regardless of how difficult it is.

“Obviously having a tournament a week after helped a lot because I

really wanted to get on the court and get whatever trace of that out of the way.”

Djokovic, who has won 31 of his 32 matches this year, said he would have to raise his game further to challenge for the title at the French Open, which begins on Sunday.

“I don’t think I played my best tennis to be honest, I don’t want to sound arrogant here. I am very sat-isfied and pleased to win a title. I know I still have a couple of gears,” he added.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to raise that level for the French Open because that’s going to be necessary if I want to go deep in the tournament.”

Defending Roland Garros champion Rafa Nadal was stunned by Schwartzman in the Rome quarter-finals, but Djokovic expected the Spaniard to be firing on all cylinders in Paris.

“He’s the player who has the highest chance of being in the final... if it’s Roland Garros it’s Rafa you bet on,” he said.

Andreescu pulls out of French OpenREUTERS — PARIS

Canada’s Bianca Andreescu has pulled out of the French Open and will take the rest of the season off to focus on her recuperation, the world number seven said yesterday.

Andreescu, who did not defend her 2019 US Open crown in New York this year, has not played on tour since the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last year where she retired with a knee injury that also kept her out of the Australian Open in January.

“I have come to the dif-ficult decision to skip the clay court swing this year and will be taking the remainder of the season off to focus on my health and training,” Andreescu said in a statement.

“As hard as it was to come to this conclusion, I have so much to look forward to in 2021, including the Olympics. I want to use this time to focus on my game so I can come back stronger and better than ever.”

Fans fume online as Italian Open title winners split by €10 in prize money

REUTERS — ROME

Organisers of the Italian Open and the tennis Tours came under fire on social media after it emerged that Rome men’s champion Novak Djokovic was paid €10 ($11.74) more than women’s winner Simona Halep.

Djokovic, who beat Argentine Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 for a record 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown, received €205,200 for his triumph while Halep won €10 less for sealing the WTA Premier 5 title after Karolina Pliskova retired from the final with injury while trailing 6-0, 2-1.

But even as tennis’ biggest events - the Grand Slams - have pushed for parity in prize money for winners, some fans online vented their ire that while Halep’s

prize came close to that of Djokovic, it frustratingly fell short.

The issue generated plenty of dis-cussion on social media, with some individuals pointing out the “pathetic”

difference. “People who made a pay gap in cents are misogynists. Period,” one individual said on Twitter.

“I almost feel like - if they so badly need those 10 euros to feel better about their manhood - hell’s bells give it to ‘em,” another said.

Organisers of the tournament as well as the men’s ATP Tour and women’s WTA tour did not immedi-ately respond to request for comment.

Last year, Rafa Nadal took home €958,055 as the men’s winner in Rome, almost double the prize money given to women’s winner Pliskova.

The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had reduced the overall prize pot of the men’s event to around €3.47m while the women’s fund was around €1.69m.

Djokovic, who beat Argentine

Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3

for a record 36th ATP Masters

1000 crown, received

€205,200 for his triumph

while Halep won €10 less for

sealing the WTA Premier 5

title after Karolina Pliskova

retired from the final with

injury while trailing 6-0, 2-1.

Popovic tested positive

but argued it was a ‘false

positive’ because he

already had contracted

the virus earlier this

year, saying he was “full

of antibodies”.

Monfils out, Bautista through in first round at Hamburg eventAP — HAMBURG

Third-seeded Gael Monfils was elim-inated in the first round of the Hamburg European Open yesterday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to 103rd-ranked Yannick Hanfmannw.

Hanfmann needed just 1 hour, 13 minutes to wrap up the win and the German will next face Cristian Garin, who swept past Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-0, 6-3.

Fourth-seeded Roberto Bautista-Agut won 6-4, 6-3 against Nikoloz Basilashvili to set up a second-round meeting with Dominik Koepfer.

Fabio Fognini built up momentum after a slow start to oust Philipp Kohls-chreiber 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

The sixth-seeded Italian will play either Casper Ruud or Benoit Paire in the second round.

Roberto Bautista-Agut in action, yesterday.

Tokyo needs to convince sponsors Olympics will really happenAP — TOKYO

The only thing more difficult than staging next year’s Tokyo Olympics in a pandemic might be convincing sponsors to keep their billions of dollars on board in the midst of economic turbu-lence and skepticism.

To make the point this week, IOC President Thomas Bach will join a number of Jap-anese government and city offi-cials, local organisers and other top International Olympic Com-mittee leaders in repeating a message they’ve failed to convey forcefully enough to deep-pocketed sponsors: Trust us, the Tokyo Olympics will

open on July 23, 2021. Bach and IOC vice president John Coates - who oversees Tokyo prepa-rations - are expected to speak remotely to Japanese officials as they meet tomorrow and Friday.

The agenda includes plotting countermeasures against COVID-19: quarantines, rules for athletes entering the country, testing, vaccines and the presence or absence of fans.

Few firm details are expected until late in the year or early in 2021, which accounts for the uncertainty.

The subtext is assuring sponsors that the Olympics will happen. Tokyo organising

committee CEO Toshiro Muto has acknowledged the word’s not getting out.

“The fact the Olympics are going to take place - the fact itself - is not fully distributed to

the public,” Muto, speaking in Japanese, said last week. “People need to be more con-vinced that, yes, the Olympics will be taking place for sure.”

A former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, Muto has been vague about how many domestic sponsors are renewing their contracts. He says of the 68 sponsors: “They are all positive.”

”We’re still in the middle of negotiations. We’re not in the phase of speaking about any concrete results,” he said.

Surveys have shown a majority of Japanese companies and the pubic don’t think the Olympics will happen next year

- or should happen. A poll pub-lished in June by Japanese broadcaster NHK said two-thirds of sponsors were unde-cided about extending for another year.

Keeping domestic sponsors on board is financially critical. Recruited by the giant Japanese advertising agency Dentsu Inc., domestic sponsors have paid a record $3.3bn - at least twice any previous Olympics - to the local organising committee. This is over and above a dozen permanent Olympic sponsors who have signed long-term with the IOC. Some also have individual contracts with Tokyo organisers.

08WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2020SportThe timing seemed

perfect as NASCAR is

evolving and

embracing social

change more and

more. In addition to

the recent

commitment and

donations I have made

to combat systemic

racism, I see this as a

chance to educate a

new audience and

open more

opportunities for black

people in racing.

Basketball icon

Michael Jordan

Jordan buys NASCAR team, Bubba to be driverAFP — LOS ANGELES

Basketball icon Michael Jordan (pictured) announced he has purchased a NASCAR Cup series charter team and recruited trailblazing black driver Bubba Wallace to race for the new outfit next season.

Jordan, widely regarded to be the greatest player in NBA history with an estimated net worth of $1.6bn, will be the majority owner in the new franchise with veteran racer Denny Hamlin as minority partner.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races, and I’ve been a NASCAR fan my whole life,” Jordan said in a statement.

“The opportunity to own my own racing team in part-nership with my friend Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us is very exciting for me.”

Jordan, who also owns the Charlotte Hornets NBA team, said he hoped his ownership could bring new audiences to the white-dominated world of NASCAR and boost involvement of minorities.

“Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few black owners,” Jordan said.

“The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more. In addition to the recent commitment and dona-tions I have made to combat

systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for black people in racing.”

Wallace, the only black driver in NASCAR, will spearhead the team behind the wheel. The 26-year-old had

confirmed earlier this month that he would not race again f o r R i c h a r d P e t t y Motorsports.

Wallace has spoken out against racism repeatedly this year in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, and in June called on NASCAR

chiefs to ban the Confederate flag from racetracks used on the circuit.

The flag has long been a staple at NASCAR tracks in the sport’s southern US heartlands, but it remains a symbol of slavery and racism for many. NASCAR later banned displays of the flag at its races.

Wallace was involved in controversy in June, after his team reported that a noose had been found hanging in the team garage at Talladega Superspeedway.

A subsequent investigation by the FBI determined Wallace had not been the victim of a hate crime and that the noose was a pull-down rope on a garage door that had been there since 2019.

NHL: Lightning hold off Stars to level Stanley Cup Final 1-1REUTERS — EDMONTON

Tampa Bay’s power-play unit finally snapped out of their slumber to help the Lightning secure a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars and tie the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Stanley Cup Final at one game apiece.

The Lightning, who had gone 0-for-14 on the power play over their past four games, got two goals with the man advantage in Game Two of a best-of-seven championship series being held in Edmonton to limit travel and minimize COVID-19 risk.

“This was an emotional game,” said Tampa Bay forward Anthony Cirelli.

“There were ups and some downs. It’s always good to come out with the win here. That’s one, and we have to come out hard next game.”

Three first-period goals over a four-minute span, including power-play tallies from Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat, put Tampa Bay in control early. Kevin Shattenkirk’s goal made it 3-0.

Dallas finally got on the board with five minutes left in the second period when Joe Pavelski tipped in a shot from

John Klingberg five seconds after Palat was serving a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Stars had another power-play opportunity before the second intermission and created a flurry of chances but Lightning goalie Andrei Vasi-levskiy turned aside all five shots he faced during the two-minute penalty.

“He’s been huge for us, best player almost every game,” said Palat. “In the first game we didn’t help him much but today he was awesome.”

The Stars pulled to within a goal when Mattias Janmark scored his first of the playoffs early in the third period to set up a tense finish.

Mikhail Sergachev looked

to have restored Tampa Bay’s two-goal cushion near the midway mark of the final frame but Dallas coach Rick Bowness challenged the play and a review showed it was clearly offside.

Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots for the Lightning while Dallas netminder Anton Khudobin made 28 saves.

The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate the win over the Dallas Stars in game two of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place.

Boston Celtics closer than ever after Miami Heat meltdown: SmartAFP — MIAMI

Boston Celtics star Marcus Smart says the locker-room bust-up following last week’s defeat to the Miami Heat has brought the team closer together as they chase a series-levelling victory today.

Smart reportedly stormed out of the Celtics dressing room after Boston blew a 17-point lead before slumping to a 106-101 loss to Miami in game two of the NBA Eastern Con-ference finals last Thursday.

Boston fought their way back into the best-of-seven series in game three on Sat-urday, defeating Miami 117-106 to cut the Heat’s lead to 2-1.

That victory leaves the series finely balanced as Boston prepare to face Miami in game four in Orlando today.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Smart compared the locker room recriminations that followed game two to a family argument, describing it as “electrifying.”

“We’re a family. Family fights all the time,” the 26-year-old point guard said.

“I fight with my brothers all the time. But at the end of the day, we can fight with each other, nobody else can.

“You know, it happens between families, especially a family like ours who’s been together for so long. It’s going to happen.

“We’ve got a lot of guys

who play with their heart on their sleeves, night in, night out, and we weren’t supposed to be happy down 2-0, especially those two games that we gave up.

“Of course emotions are going to fly, but we’re a family and that happens.”

Smart added that the dressing room row had helped him see his team-mates in a different light.

“I knew we were emotional. I knew we were passionate, and I knew we all loved each other. But I also learned a lot.... we grew up even more through that adversity,” he said.

“I’ve always been saying that before you see the rainbow it has to storm. For us that was a storm that we had to go through. We found our happy place.

“Like I said, families fight, but for us to be able to respond like we did and to be able to have that growth, it shows a lot.

“The way I responded and my team-mates responded, it showed that we’re as close as ever. We say what we have to say. We all come together, we get our emotions out and we go take it out on the other team.”

The Celtics are bidding to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

The Lakers lead the Western Conference finals 2-0 against the Denver Nuggets.

Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker and guard Marcus Smart (right) high five during the second half of game three of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

Oakland Athletics clinch AL West titleAP — OAKLAND

The Oakland Athletics clinched their first AL West title since 2013 on Monday night with an assist from the rival Houston Astros.

Houston lost 6-1 to the Seattle Mariners, ending its three-year reign as division champion and making the A’s the first team in the majors to lock up a division crown in this

pandemic-shortened season. They will be home for a best-of-three playoff series beginning September 29.

Oakland was off on Monday before opening an interleague series at Dodger Stadium.

Since last season ended, the slugging A’s have emphasised the need to win the division given they won 97 games each of the last two years and lost the AL wild-card game.

Oakland is in the play-offs for a third straight year and the sixth time in nine seasons.

A’s right-hander Mike Fiers was the whistleblower in the Astros’ off-season sign-stealing scandal when he publicly called

out his former club for cheating in an article published by The Athletic in November.

Houston won a major league-best 107 games last season but lost to Washington in the World Series.

The Oakland Athletics clinched their first AL West title since 2013

on Monday night with an assist from the rival Houston Astros.

Houston lost 6-1 to the Seattle Mariners, ending its three-year

reign as division champion and making the A’s the first team in

the majors to lock up a division crown in this

pandemic-shortened season.

Oakland Athletics

players celebrate

during match

against San

Francisco Giants, in this

September 18, 2020

file photo.

Unmasked: NFL fines coaches, teams for not covering facesAP — NEW YORK

NFL coaches thumbed their collective -- and exposed -- noses at the NFL’s mask mandate in Week 2.

The league responded with hefty fines of $100,000 per coach and $250,000 per club. The first three to get fined were Denver’s Vic Fangio, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Seat-tle’s Pete Carroll, according to a person with knowledge of the punishment, who spoke because the coaches were not identified.

The punishment was meted out a week after the NFL reminded team personnel on the sidelines about the rules for wearing face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic, lest they put the fledgling season at risk.

More coaches and clubs can expect similar punishments as the memo last week from Troy Vincent, who oversees the league’s football operations, was largely ignored throughout the weekend.

Among other offenders: Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spag-nuolo, Colts coach Frank Reich and Rams coach Sean McVay.

Capping a weekend of deliberate defiance and/or desultory disobe-dience, Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who said last week he felt Vincent’s memo was directed at him, and Saints coach Sean Payton were shown on a split screen Monday night, both of them breaking the rules.

Gruden wore his mask like a chin strap, and Payton sported his gaiter like a turtleneck. The scenes were similar on Sunday with head coaches and assistants apparently finding it too hard to keep their faces covered as required under the league’s COVID-19 protocols with either a mask, gaiter or face shield.

In his strongly worded memo, Vincent said teams “must remain vig-ilant and disciplined in following the processes and protocols put in place by not only the league, union and clubs, but also by state and local governments.”

Vincent added that: “Becoming careless or ignoring face covering and physical distancing requirements will put the 2020 season at risk.”

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete

Carroll (front, right) celebrates following

the final play of a 35-30 victory against the New

England Patriots at CenturyLink Field on

Sunday.