Friday 25 November 2016

SPORTBarca, City into last 16 as PSG control fate

PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22

to

Magnificent Madsen joins Hall at the top The Peninsula

Nanna Koerstz Madsen fired a commanding second round score of 66 to surge to the top of the leaderboard

alongside Lydia Hall on nine-under at the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open (QLO).

The 22-year-old Danish star racked up seven birdies to post the joint-lowest round of the week so far, only matched by three other players in the field, including India’s Aditi Ashok who posted a 66 yesterday morning.

Lydia Hall, who shared the lead after day one, continued her fine showing at Doha Golf Club with a round of 68 as she looks to add to her sole Ladies European Tour (LET) win. Annabel Dimmock and Ashok follow the leading pair in tied-second on eight-under, with Alexandre Vilatte Farret rounding off the top five on seven-under.

Madsen, who has already secured five top-ten finishes on tour this year, including her maiden win at the Tipsport Golf Masters, was understandably

happy with her all-round game heading into the weekend at QLO.

Madsen said: “Nothing was really going bad. My driving was good and the putting was better than the last couple of months.

“I’ve been having a few bad rounds the last couple of months and I don’t really know why. The game just hasn’t been what I want it to be. I got a new putter this week so I needed a change and that’s working pretty well.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work with the putter and when you’re tired of something it’s good to try something new.”

Co-leader Hall is also enjoy-ing fresh changes to her game in the form of a new caddy this week, but the Brit maintained that her hot start to the tournament wouldn’t change her mentality

over the final two days.The 28-year-old said: “I feel

quite calm and patient this week. I’ve got a new caddie on the bag, Paul Doherty. We’re working well and he’s keeping me in the present. He’s experienced playing on the Challenge Tour and MENA Tour and he’s a good player, so he knows what it’s like to be in cer-tain positions and under pressure.”

“I’ll continue going as I am and stay patient. I’m driving the ball really well. I’ll try and get a few more putts to drop.”

One of the most exciting young talents on tour and certainly one to watch over the final two days will be fan-favourite Aditi Ashok. The Olympian clinched her first ever LET title at her home event, the Hero Women’s Indian Open

earlier this month, and secured top-ten finishes in four of five events in the run up to her mem-orable win.

The 18-year-old, who played with LPGA and Solheim Cup star Anna Nordqvist for the first two rounds, is not feeling added pres-sure to prove herself further as one of the best talents in world golf.

The QLO Village is expected to see even more action across the weekend, offering a fun-filled, free day out packed full of activities such as mini golf, volleyball, table tennis and football games, as well as a Batak reaction wall and culi-nary delights from the Belgian Cafeand rooftop St. Tropez Lounge.

The free-to-attend Qatar Ladies Open concludes tomorrow at Doha Golf Club.

Nordqvist inspires localstudents at Doha Golf Club The Peninsula

One of the world’s best female golfers, Anna Nordqvist held a

captivating and inspira-tional golf clinic for schoolchildren yesterday at Doha Golf Club, as part of the history-making Qatar Ladies Open.

The Ladies European tour event is the first of its kind in Qatar and it is hoped that in the years to come, the tournament will grow its legacy and prompt the next generation to get into the game.

Students from Doha English Speaking School were greeted by the Sol-heim Cup star Nordqvist on the range, where she took them through the basics of the game and demonstrated the skills that have made her the 14th ranked wom-en’s player in the world.

Nordqvist said: "I think this is a cool opportunity for kids to try out golf. I started golf when I was 13, but I would have loved trying it out in school and having that chance to learn."

The budding young

golfers were also given the chance to pick up a club themselves and put Nor-dqvist’s tips into practice.

The Swede added: “There’s a lot of good talent here even though some of them have never touched a golf club. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years they will start playing golf. It is a great opportunity and I am happy they get to try it.”

And it wasn’t just golf advice the young students took home, as they were each given a signed hat from the golf star to wear proudly on the range and round off a memorable morning.

Nine-year-old Carl Louis said: “It was really fun and a good experience. I will never forget this.

“I think hitting the ball with the driver is really exciting because you get to see how far it goes – I just love golf.”

The children warmed up for their masterclass in the QLO Village, where they played miniature golf, table tennis and football games, and tested their reflexes on the Batak reaction wall.

Swedish golfer Anna Nordqvist signs autographs during a coaching clinic for local children on the driving range at the Doha Golf Club yesterday.

WTCC champion Lopez seeks points in season finaleThe Peninsula

Some world champi-ons may take things easy. That can't be said of Jose Maria Lopez, the reigning

FIA World Touring Car Cham-pionship (WTCC) winner.

The 33-year-old Argentine goes into the final round of the WTCC in Qatar tomorrow knowing he has sealed the world title with points to spare.

"I would like to finish with points. I want to look back at the fantastic three years," Lopez, with a table-leading tally of 361 points, said yesterday.

"The time I spent with them (Citroen Racing) gave me good memories," he added with a smile when asked about his future status.

Lopez said he seeks to compete with the world's best at all times.

"You always try to do best with your team," Lopez said. "Sometimes it depends on the performance on the car. I have the chance to be get points. It's the last race for me and my

team this season. This time the balance is different. We will try to do better in qualifying. We have good tyres. It won't be different than any other race," he said.

"I mean you feel it's differ-ent (this week). There's a lot of things on the mind. I know for sure a lot of people will see a good race," Lopez said. "I am trying to enjoy myself," he said.

When asked about his future with any other team, Lopez said: "I can't confirm

anything. I still have a contract wit Citroen. At the moment I can't confirm anything."

Tiago Monteiro, who drives for Castrol Honda WTC Team, said he will be compet-itive this week

"There are lot of points to catch. It's not easy. You can lose from this situation considering the level of performance. I will do my best. I need some bal-ance on my side. I want to finish on a good note. I want to win another race. Our objective is

to be strong. Hopefully we fin-ish on top," the 40-year-old Portuguese said.

Moroccan star Mehdi Ben-nani, who drives for Sebastian Loeb Racing, yesterday said he 'feels at home' competing at the state-of-the-art Losail International Circuit (LIC).

"It's like my second coun-try. There is pressure for sure," Bennani said.

"I want to do my best for my Arab fans. The trophy is in our pocket but racing is racing.

We want another trophy. We will push for maximum. I hope to give my fans with a podium finish," the 33-year-old added.

When asked about his future, the Morrocan said: "I really don't know. I think WTCC winners have the opportunity to drive with fac-tory teams. I still don't know what will happen but my aim is to stay in WTCC. It feels like a nice championship. We have live coverage back home."

Robert Dahlgren, who drives for Polestar Cyan Rac-ing, said: "It's great to be back. Great events all the time. There are strong teams and drivers. This is the place I want to be. It is a bit a tough track to show your performance. I will try to stay forward."

Gabriele Tarquini of LADA Sport Rosneft said: "I have raced in Italy and in England. But in Qatar it is fantastic. The difference is there for every-body to see. The lights are great. You don't feel the differ-ence. Driving is close to normal light."

LADIES EUROPEAN TOURQATAR LADIES OPEN

(-9) Lydia Hall (Walse) 67, 68

Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Denmark) 69, 66

(-8) Aditi Ashok (India) 70, 66

Annabel Dimmock (England) 69, 67

(-7) Alexandra Vilatte Farret (France) 70, 67

(-6) Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) 71, 67

Linda Wessberg (Sweden) 71, 67

Noora Tamminen (Finland) 67, 71

Johanna Gustavsson (Sweden) 69, 69

(-5) Connie Chen (South Africa) 71, 68

Pamela Pretswell (Scotland) 72, 67

Oona Vartiainen (Finland) 72, 67

Malene Jorgensen (Denmark) 72, 67

Nicole Garcia (South Africa) 69, 70

Marta Sanz Barrio (Belgium) 70, 69

Becky Morgan (Walse) 69, 70

(-4) Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 68, 72

Sarah Kemp (Australia) 69, 71

Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) 69, 71

Whitney Hillier (Australia) 72, 68

Anne Van Dam (Netherlands) 69, 71

Sophie Giquel-Bettan (France) 69, 71

Ashleigh Simon (South Africa) 70, 70

Lopez off to a perfect start The Peninsula

Jose Maria Lopez yesterday begun his final FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) appearance for now with the fast-

est time in first practice at WTCC DHL Race of Qatar.

The three-time world champion – who hopes to return to WTCC action again in the future – posted a best lap of 2m02.182s in his Citroen around the Losail Circuit.

That was 0.621 seconds faster than sec-ond-quickest Hugo Valente, whose LADA came to a halt on track at the end of the ses-sion. Volvo drivers Thed Björk and Robert Dahlgren led the way early on and finished up third and fourth respectively.

Rob Huff was the top Honda in fifth in front of LADA duo Gabriele Tarquini and Nicky Catsburg. On his final WTCC appear-ance, Yvan Muller was eighth with Tiago Monteiro and Mehdi Bennani completing the top 10. Daniel Nagy spun off into a gravel trap early in the session, and although he was able to get his Honda moving again, the session was halted while the track was swept.

Top of the leaderboard

Madsen has already secured five top-ten finishes on tour this year, including her maiden win at the Tipsport Golf Masters.

Lydia Hall continues her fine showing in Doha with a round of 68 as she looks to add to her sole Tour win.

Proteas in charge after Du Plessis's

century

FROM LEFT: Mehdi Bennani (Sebastian Loeb Racing), Jose Maria Lopez, the reigning FIA World Touring Car Champion, Tiago Monteiro (Castrol Honda WTC) and Robert Dahlgren (Polestar Cyan Racing) speak to media during a press conference at Losail International Circuit yesterday.

Netherlands' Nanna Koerstz Madsen hits to the green during the second day of the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open at Doha Gold Club yesterday. INSET: Welsh golfer Lydia Hall drives during the second day.

21FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2016 SPORT

Adelaide

AFP

Skipper Faf du Plessis put his ball tampering con-troversy behind him to defy Australia's bowl-ers and produce his

most satisfying century to put South Africa in early control of the day-night third Test in Adelaide.

Du Plessis was booed by the crowd as he walked out to bat, following a ball-tampering inci-dent for which he was found guilty and fined, but cleared to play in the match.

But he single-handedly lifted the Proteas before declaring at 259 for nine leaving him unbeaten on 118 off 164 balls after the tourists had been strug-gling at 95 for four against Steve Smith's revamped team.

The Australians, with David Warner unable to open the innings because of the time he spent off the field having treat-ment when the declaration was made, negotiated 12 overs to be 14 without loss at the close of day one.

English-born debutant opener Matt Renshaw played watchfully for eight with Usman Khawaja on three.

It was yet another crucial knock by du Plessis at the Adelaide ground where four years ago his defiant 376-ball

unbeaten knock of 110 denied Australia victory to earn the Pro-teas a backs-to-the-wall draw.

Du Plessis scampered through for two off Josh Hazle-wood to bring up his sixth Test century prompting a smattering of boos amid the applause of the 32,255 crowd.

"I was extremely motivated today. I was really driven to make a big performance and score a hundred," du Plessis said.

"To be really honest when I got to 100 I wasn't expecting to still get booed, so that was pretty disappointing."

It was a tribute to his focus and concentration as du Ples-sis played a chanceless innings, making him stand out in contrast to the problems e x p e r i e n c e d b y h i s team-mates.

"My best (Test hundred).

Surprisingly, technically, I was the best this whole series. I felt really good, but in the context of everything else, (it was) the best," du Plessis said.

Hazlewood was the best of the Australian bowlers with four wickets for 68.

Only opener Steve Cook pro-vided any material support to his captain with 40 after profiting from an early reprieve.

Cook had a major let-off on four, when he was struck on the back pad by Mitchell Starc and given out leg before wicket in the day's third over.

But he was called back to the crease when replays found that Starc had over-stepped.

Cook eventually fell in the fifth over of the middle session when he sparred at Starc and nicked to Smith at second slip.

Dashing wicketkeeper

Quinton de Kock, who has scores of 84, 64 and 104 in the series, had a failure by comparison, managing just 24 off 33 balls.

Vernon Philander lost a third umpire review when 'Snicko' detected the faintest of edges off Hazlewood to Matthew Wade for four nearing the dinner break, while Kyle Abbott chipped in with a spirited 17.

Wade, recalled to the national side for dumped glove-man Peter Nevill, had five dismissals, four catches and a stumping.

Temba Bavuma failed to get a start when he edged Jackson Bird for eight and Starc recov-ered from his early Cook blunder to entice a thick edge from Dean Elgar to Khawaja at third slip for five.

He received ironic cheers from the home crowd when replays confirmed it was a legal delivery.

Renshaw then took his first Test catch to dismiss Hashim Amla for five off Hazlewood.

Hazlewood struck again in the over after drinks, coaxing an inside edge off JP Duminy to give Wade a catch for five.

Australia are fighting off the threat of their sixth straight Test defeat, after losing 3-0 in Sri Lanka in July and August. They are also on the brink of their first-ever home Test series whitewash.

New Zealand lose Boult for second Test Hamilton

AFP

New Zealand suffered a blow on the eve of the second Test against Paki-

stan yesterday when bowling spearhead Trent Boult (pictured) was ruled out with a knee injury.

Matt Henry was expected to be elevated to share the new ball in Hamilton with Tim Southee, although New Zealand delayed naming their side until today's toss.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said Boult had been troubled by "minor discomfort"

in his left knee since the recent India tour and irritated it fur-ther in the first Test against Pakistan which New Zealand won by eight wickets.

"We were optimistic he would be ready for Hamilton, but during training on Wednes-day he felt further pain and has subsequently been ruled out of the Test," Hesson said.

With the Seddon Park wicket expected to produce more swing that Hagley Oval did for the first Test in Christchurch, Doug Bracewell has been added to the New Zealand squad.

Pakistan, who have not lost a series to New Zealand for 31 years, have fond memories of their last appearance in Hamil-ton nearly six years ago.

They beat New Zealand by 10 wickets and Asad Shafiq, who scored 83 in his sole innings then.

Senior New Zealand bats-man Ross Taylor, who had innings of six and eight in the January 2011 encounter, con-firmed he will undergo surgery next Wednesday, immediately after the Test, to remove a growth in his left eye.

Proteas in charge after Du Plessis ton

South Africa on top

Faf du Plessis single-handedly lifts the Proteas before declaring at 259 for nine leaving him unbeaten on 118 after the tourists had been struggling at 95 for four.

Australia are fighting off the threat of their sixth straight Test defeat and first-ever home Test series whitewash.

South Africa (I innings):S Cook c Smith b Starc 40

D Elgar c Khawaja b Starc 5

H Amla c Renshaw b Hazlewood 5

JP Duminy c Wade b Hazlewood 5

F du Plessis (not out) 118

T Bavuma c Wade b Bird 8

Q de Kock c Wade b Hazlewood 24

V Philander c Wade b Hazlewood 4

K Abbott lbw b Bird 17

K Rabada stpd Wade b Lyon 1

T Shamsi (not out) 18

Extras (B3, LB8, W2, NB1) 14

Total (9 wkts decl.) 259

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-36, 3-44, 4-95, 5-117, 6-149,

7-161, 8-215, 9-220

Bowling: Starc 23-5-78-2 (1nb), Hazlewood 22-5-68-

4, Bird 16-3-57-2, Lyon 15-1-45-1

Australia (I innings):U Khawaja (batting) 3

M Renshaw (batting) 8

Extras (LB2, NB1) 3

Total 14To bat: David Warner, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb,

Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Josh

Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.

Bowling: Philander 4-2-10-0 (1nb), Abbott 3-3-0-0,

Rabada 3-2-1-0, Shamsi 2-1-1-0

SCOREBOARD

Tokyo won't make 2020 venue changes but will cut costs Tokyo

Reuters

Tokyo's government is unlikely to make major changes to the plans for

several 2020 Olympic Games venues, including one it had proposed moving elsewhere, but it will make efforts to pare costs, Japanese media said yesterday.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike ordered a review of bal-looning Olympic expenses that

recommended changing three venues in an effort to rein in costs projected to hit ¥3tr ($26.6 bn), some four times the initial estimates made when Tokyo won the right to host the Games.

Among the proposals was moving rowing and canoe/kayak sprint events some 400 km (250 miles) north of Tokyo to use existing facilities rather than building new ones in the capital, a move opposed by both Olympic and sports officials.

But the city is now leaning towards building new venues for these and several other events in Tokyo as originally planned, although it would cut the price tags by modifying plans, the Nihon Keizai Shim-bun (Nikkei) and other papers reported, quoting people con-nected with the matter.

For the rowing and canoe/kayak site, known as the Sea Forest Waterway, the city planned to cut costs to ¥29.8 bn yen from ¥49.1 bn by building

temporary seats, the Nikkei said.Similar modifications would

be made for planned gymnas-tics and swimming venues, it said, adding that a final decision will be made at a working group meeting of officials from Tokyo, the central government, 2020 organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the end of November.

Both a Tokyo government official and Tokyo 2020 declined to comment, citing ongoing discussions.

"As for the process and the details of the working group meetings, all four parties have already agreed that these will not be announced publicly until we reach a conclusion," Tokyo 2020 added in a statement.

Tokyo's original bid pledged to keep most venues within 8 km of the athlete's village in downtown Tokyo, though sev-eral have already been moved. Cycling will take place in Shi-zuoka prefecture, about 200 km (125 miles) west of Tokyo.

IOC reforms known as "Agenda 2020," carried out with the aim of keeping the Olym-pics more sustainable, urge the use of existing facilities when possible - even in other cities or countries - if it makes financial and practical sense.

But IOC President Thomas Bach said last month that while the IOC was concerned about rising costs for the Tokyo Games, the experience of the athletes had to be a priority for any planning.

Mercedes titlerivals braced for more Max attacks Abu Dhabi Reuters

The Formula One title fight between Mercedes team mates Lewis Hamilton

and Nico Rosberg tops the bill at Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but the 'Max Verstappen show' could be just as entertaining.

After a sensational wet race in Brazil that saw the 19-year-old Red Bull driver surge from 16th to third place in the clos-ing laps, the Dutchman arrives at Yas Marina with a rare buzz around him.

The sport's youngest race winner can provide more thrills -- and spell trouble for the title contenders.

He and Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo will not be content just to watch from the sidelines as Hamilton and championship favourite Ros-berg battle it out.

"Nico is driving with the championship in mind," Red Bull principal Christian Horner told reporters on Wednesday.

"He is going to be watching his mirrors more than most going into turn one, and ... our guys, they're not in that posi-tion so they will simply be going for it.

"It is Nico's to lose and we could be Lewis' best friend if we get both of our cars between him and Nico."

While Ricciardo is sure of third place overall, Verstappen can take fourth from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel -- the two are just five points apart -- and that will be extra motivation.

Verstappen and Vettel clashed in Mexico last month, one of several incidents that

have got other drivers hot under the helmet about the youngster's attitude and disre-gard for reputations and rules.

At the same time, Verstap-pen has won the 'Driver of the Day' online vote among fans so many times now that it has become a standing joke.

All of it, the praise and the criticism, is like water off a duck's back.

"Whatever people think, whether he pisses them off or not, he's here to race," his father and former racer Jos said after Verstappen's third place in Bra-zil behind the Mercedes pair.

"He doesn't care," added Verstappen senior when asked how his son responded to crit-icism in drivers' briefings. "He doesn't mind."

Verstappen was slammed earlier in the year for 'moving under braking', an aggressively defensive change of line that forced a clarification of the rules.

Ironically, it was four times world champion Vettel who was first to fall foul of stewards for the offence with a penalty in Mexico that demoted him from third to fifth.

If Verstappen has shaken up the sport with his unortho-dox lines and bold overtaking manoeuvres, the occasional moments of petulance and accusations of arrogance, he takes it all in his stride.

"I think not only in Formula One but a lot of sports, when younger people come in and they do well there is always a bit of talk going on," he said this month.

"That's pretty normal. I'm just being myself to be honest."

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Only 12 points separate rival Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg andLewis Hamilton, promising a close-fought season finale in Abu Dhabi

0

50

100

150

200

Rosbergwins first4 races

Rosberg and Hamiltoncrash out aftercolliding in Spain

Source: FIAOther race winners: Verstappen, Ricciardo

Aust

ralia

Bahr

ain

China

Russia

Spai

nM

onac

oCan

ada

Euro

peAu

stria

Brita

inHun

gary

Ger

man

yBe

lgiu

mIta

lySi

ngap

ore

Mal

aysia

Japa

nUSA

Mex

icoBr

azil

SEASON BREAKDOWN

Hamilton takes leadfor first time

Rosberg has24-pointgap

250

300

350pts

Rosberg’s victory in Japan givesMercedes third successiveConstructors’ crown

Nico Rosberg

9 race wins

Lewis Hamilton

9 race winspoints points

Nico Rosberg: Remains in pole position,can win title by finishing third toHamilton in Abu Dhabi

Hamilton engine failure

Rosberg regains lead

REMAINING RACES

Nov 27:Winner: 25pts

Abu Dhabi

South African skipper Faf du Plessis celebrates after scoring a century against Australia during the thiat the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide yesterday.

22 FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2016 SPORT

Afif wants to inspire next Qatari generationThe Peninusla

The fast-paced and skilful forward Akram Afif said that it is an honour to be the first Qatari player to fea-

ture in La Liga, Spain's action filled football league.

Afif made his debut for Sporting Gijon against Athletic Bilbao in August 2016.

Ahead of his team’s big trip to play in the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu against league lead-ers Real Madrid tomorrow, the 19-year-old Qatari spoke exclu-sively to sc.qa, and discussed growing up in a football family, admiring Brazil’s Ronaldo as a youngster, and why he believes his national team can dream big in 2022.

Q: You became the first Qatari player to play for a club in La Liga , do you see yourself as an inspiration for a new gen-eration of Qatari youngsters?

A: For sure it is an honour for me to be the first Qatari in La Liga. I represent my country, my national team, Aspire, and I would like to inspire the next generation of players from Qatar to play in La Liga or any of the other European leagues. It is a responsibility and an hon-our at the same time.

My idol growing up was

Ronaldo from Brazil. Now I rep-resent my country, Aspire, Gijón, so for sure I want to inspire a young generation.

We have a young generation of talented players who play in Spain, in Celtic, in Eupen, play-ers who will represent Qatar in the future.

Q: How determined are you to break into the starting eleven in your first season at Sporting Gijon?

A: I have a contract with Vil-larreal for four years and am on loan to Gijón this year, and I am only 19 years old so I am not in a rush. I really respect the deci-sion of the coach when I don’t play, because I know I will play later on.

La Liga is a very tough league, but I am willing to improve myself and willing to obey the coach’s orders. The most important thing is learn-ing Spanish, and I am learning the language so I think I can adapt well and help the team stay in La Liga this year. I am on the right way but I just need to be patient.

Q: Where did your football journey start as a youngster growing up in Qatar?

A: As any young boy in Doha, I started playing in the neighbourhood, in the Aziziyah area near Aspire Academy. After

that I joined Markhiya Club in the second division, and then I joined Aspire Academy. I was almost 11 years old at the time, and started training there full time. Then I had spells in Sevilla, and then joined Belgian side Eupen.

It’s been quite a journey, but I come from a sporting family. My father used to be one of the most skilful players in Doha, Hassan Afif, who is a legend at Gharafa Club. My brother Ali is also a national team player, so I come from a football family.

Q: For a recent Under-23 competition you had Xavi among the coaching staff guid-ing the team. How is he as a coach?

A: Xavi is a legend, he played with Messi and against Ronaldo. Every time we see him

and train with him we learn from him. He follows our devel-opment closely, and he has a great experience in football.

In the Asian U-23 tourna-ment he was with us in the coaching staff and it was a fan-tastic experience for me. He will be a great coach. He faced many challenges during his career and was able to overcome them.

Q: By the time of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, you will be in your prime as a player and have gathered more experience. Just how much are you looking forward to that tournament?

A: My target is to achieve the best level of my career dur-ing the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The experiences I gain over the coming years will help me when I am 25, in 2022.

The aim is to have a strong team to represent the country in a good way.

We don’t just want to par-ticipate, we want to go far. We want to challenge the other nations to win the World Cup. This is our aim. And we are able to do it, especially if we look at the young generation of Qatari players abroad, and also play-ers in our current national team who will still be with us, we will have a very good team and we still have six years left to develop until the tournament.

Barca, City into last 16 as PSG control fate Paris

AFP

Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League on

Wednesday after a 2-0 win at Celtic as they were joined in the knockout rounds by Pep Guar-diola's Manchester City.

The Argentine star returned from illness to score both goals at Celtic Park -- the second from the penalty spot -- to send the five-time European champions through as winners of Group C.

City recovered from a goal down in Germany to earn a 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchengla-dbach as both sides finished with 10 men.

Raffael grabbed the opening goal for Gladbach on 23 minutes, but David Silva poked in Kevin De Bruyne's cross just prior to the break before Lars Stindl and Fernandinho saw red in the sec-ond half.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain seized control of their own destiny in Group A with a 2-2 draw away to Arsenal.

Edinson Cavani turned in Blaise Matuidi's cross at the far post to hand PSG an 18th-minute lead at the Emirates Stadium.

But the Gunners hit back on the stroke of half-time as Alexis

Sanchez was brought down by Grzegorz Krychowiak and Olivier Giroud rolled home the resulting spot-kick.

Arsenal looked to be in pole position to finish top of the group when an attempted clearance from Marquinhos ricocheted off an unfortunate Marco Verratti and squirmed past Alphonse Areola for a fluke own goal.

But Lucas ensured Unai Emery's side departed with a point as his header from Hatem Ben Arfa's corner flicked off Alex Iwobi and flashed past David Ospina 13 minutes from the end.

Both PSG and Arsenal have 11 points with one match to play, but the French outfit own the head-to-head edge on away goals after the reverse fixture at the Parc des Princes in Septem-ber finished 1-1.

Bayern Munich crashed to a shock 3-2 defeat in Rostov and could face a daunting draw in the next round after Atletico Madrid's 2-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven guaranteed Diego Simeone's men first place in Group D. Douglas Costa rifled Bayern ahead on 35 minutes in Russia, but Rostov equalised through Sardar Azmoun on the stroke of half-time before going ahead courtesy of a Dmitri Poloz penalty.

Juan Bernat swiftly levelled

for the Germans, but Ecuador international Christian Noboa fired competition debutants Ros-tov to a first group stage victory with the winner on 67 minutes.

In Madrid, French duo Kevin Gameiro and Antoine Griezmann netted second-half goals as Atletico -- runners-up twice in the past three seasons -- regis-tered their fifth win in as many matches in the Champions League.

Besiktas launched a remark-able second-half recovery as they fought back from three goals down against Benfica to draw 3-3 in Istanbul.

Benfica, champions of Europe in 1961 and 1962, appeared to be sailing through to the last 16 after cruising 3-0 ahead inside barely half an hour through goals from Goncalo Guedes, Nelson Semedo and Ljubomir Fejsa. But the Turks pulled one back on the hour courtesy of Cenk Tosun before two goals in the final seven min-utes from Ricardo Quaresma and Vincent Aboubakar revived their qualification hopes.

Napoli were held 0-0 at home by Dynamo Kiev and must take at least a point from their trip to Benfica in a fortnight, while Besiktas will punch their ticket to the knockout stages if they win in Ukraine.

Gerrard calls time on career London

AFP

Former Liverpool and England captain Ste-v e n G e r r a r d

announced his retirement from professional football yesterday at the age of 36, calling time on an emblem-atic career.

Gerrard spent 17 years at his home-town club Liv-erpool, 12 as captain, and won seven major honours including the 2005 Cham-pions League before finishing his career with an 18-month stint at LA Galaxy.

"Following recent media speculation surrounding my future, I can confirm my

retirement from playing professional football," Ger-rard said in a statement.

"I have had an incredi-ble career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy."

Although the Premier League title famously eluded him, Gerrard did win two FA Cups, three League Cups, the UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and the Community Shield.

His finest hour came in Istanbul in May 2005, when he inspired Liverpool to come from 3-0 down against AC Milan at half-time of the Champions League final to win the club's fifth European Cup.

In total he made 710

appearances for Liverpool, the third-highest total behind Ian Callaghan and former team-mate Jamie Carragher, scoring 186 goals. Gerrard made 114 appear-ances for England, a tally bettered only by Peter Shilton, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham, and scored 21 international goals. He appeared at six major tour-naments, captaining England at the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

"I feel lucky to have experienced so many won-derful highlights over the course of my career," Ger-rard said.

"I am proud to have played over 700 games for

Liverpool, many of which as captain, and to have played my part in helping the club to bring major honours back to Anfield, none more so than that famous night in Istanbul.

"At an international level, I feel privileged to have won 114 England caps and to have had the honour of captaining my country. I will always look back with great pride at every time I pulled on the England shirt."

Gerrard has been linked with a coaching role at Liv-erpool, as well as Celtic and Newcastle United, where former Liverpool managers Brendan Rodgers and Rafael Benitez respectively work.

Southgate offered England job London

AFP

Gareth Southgate has been offered the Eng-land manager's job and

could be confirmed in the role as early as Monday, accord-ing to British newspaper reports yesterday.

Southgate, who recently completed a four-game stint as interim manager, was interviewed by a five-man panel at the St George's Park national football centre in Burton-on-Trent, central England, last Monday.

Southgate is the only can-didate to have been interviewed for the post and newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, The Guard-ian and The Sun said he had been offered the job.

England's Football Asso-ciation has not commented on the process.

Southgate, 46, is thought to have been offered a four-year contract, which would take him through to the 2020 European Championship.

The former Middles-brough manager stepped up from his role as England Under-21s coach after Sam Allardyce left his post in the wake of a newspaper sting.

Southgate oversaw two wins and two draws in his four games at the helm, cul-minating in a 2-2 friendly draw against Spain at Wem-bley last week.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard Celebrating winning UEFA Champions league football final against AC Milan at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul in this May 25, 2005 file photo.

Gareth Southgate

My target is to achieve the best level of my career during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Akram Afif

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Celtic during their UEFA Champions League match at Celtic Park Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday.

Group A Ludogorets 0 - 0 FC Basel

Arsenal 2 - 2 Paris St Germain

Group BNapoli 0 - 0 Dynamo Kiev

Borussia Moenchengladbach 1 - 1 Manchester City

Group CCeltic 0 - 2 Barcelona

Atletico Madrid2- 0 PSV Eindhoven

Group DBesiktas 3 - 3 Benfica

Rostov 3 - 2 Bayern Munich

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS

The Peninsula

First Batch of Tickets for Qatar Airways Match of Champions between FC

Barcelona and Al Ahli Saudi FC will be Released via Qatar Foot-ball Association Website.

T he highly anticipated match will be held at the Thani Bin Jas-sim Stadium (AlGharafa Stadium)

on December 13 . As the date of this unique friendly match approaches, the Local Organis-ing Committee (LOC) placed tickets for sale on the website of the Qatar Football Association (QFA), www.qfa.qa starting yes-terday and will be available till November 24.

Every supporter will be able to buy up to a total of four

tickets, on one or both of the two available categories, the first Cat-egory will cost QR200 while the second category will be QR100.

The LOC, which comprises representatives of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, QFA, and Qatar Stars League (QSL), said it was delighted to announce the launch of ticket sales and to support the event between two of the most popular teams in the world.

The LOC has also confirmed plans to release a second batch of tickets on the QFA website which also will include the VIP t ickets . T ickets wi l l

also be available in a number of locations including local malls. Further details will be announced early next month, via the QFA’s social media channels.

Qatar Airways, the official sponsor of the two football giants, will host the match.

In October 2014, the national carrier of the State of Qatar announced a sponsorship agree-ment for three seasons with Al Ahli.

Earlier this year, Qatar Air-ways extended its FC Barcelona sponsorship for another season, with the deal running until June 2017. Through Qatar Airways

Holidays (www.qatarairways.com/cup) or accredited travel agents in the Arabian Gulf, fans of the two teams can get many offers and promotions, includ-ing flight tickets, hotel accommodation, and match tickets.

In the 2015/2016 season, Al Ahli won the Saudi Professional League. The club also won the Saudi Super Cup and the Kings Cup. FC Barcelona won their 23rd La Liga title this year, the Copa del Rey and are the reign-ing champions of the FIFA Club World Cup. The club won

the treble during the 2014/2015 season comprising of the LaLiga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Cham-pions League titles.

23FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2016 SPORT

Organisers release Decemeber 13 match tickets

El Jaish aim to extend their

lead over Al Kharaitiyat The Peninsula

Qatar Stars League (QSL) leaders El Jaish will be looking to maintain top spot when they entertain a

struggling Al Kharaitiyat side today evening at Lekhwiya stadium.

El Jaish head coach Sabri Lamouchi gave his thoughts to the local media.Opening the press confernce, Lamouchi stressed that his side need to keep up the same intensity against their opponents.

“In the game against Al Kharaitiyat, we need to play with the same determination and application. We are in first place, but we have been lacking defen-sively and we have to improve.”

“I respect this team, they have changed players they are more physical, they have changed their coach and their situation is a bit critical,” explained the French coach

when asked about Al Kharaitiyat.

El Jaish will have six games over the month of December, and Lamouchi stressed the importance of looking after the players over this period.

“During this period of games and recovery, six games in one month is many so we must take care of our players. We only have one pitch to train on, which leaves us at a disadvantage, but we are working on ways to improve our situation.”

Lamouchi concluded his press conference noting that two key players won’t play today.

“Seidou Keiya, Majid Mohammed are doubtful for the game. Anyway, we will put out our best side for the match against Al Kharaitiyat.”

As for Al Kharaitiyat, they head into the game off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Al Sailiya. Assistant coach Taufik Zaboub gave his thoughts to the local media

ahead of today's game. “We are facing the

league leaders who played in the

C h a m p i o n s league, we respect them.

We face El Jaish full of confi-dence after we showed fighting spirit against Al Sailiya.”

“Our professionals have not been at the best so far this sea-son. Unfortunately they where injured and they couldn't effect the side early in the season. Now they are getting better, and improving and we need to give them time to reveal their true potentials,” explained Kharaiti-yat’s assistant coach when asked about the Thunders profession-als players form this season.

In other games, Muaither-faces a tough challenge as they meet Al Rayyan. Muaither coach Phillipe Birol stressed the chal-lenge ahead for his side.

“We are playing the QSL

champions, it will be very diffi-cult and are a side with plenty of quality. We are preparing for the match, and the aim is that we get a result and not loose heavily like we did against Lekhwiya and Al Sadd.”

Muaither have won their last three games in the QSL, and Birol beleives his side are improving all the time after a slow start.

Head coach Michael Laudrup gave his thoughts to the local media ahead of the game.

“We will play one of the form teams in the QSL, who are full of plenty of confidence at the moment. They have showed that they have a very good side, and three wins in the league under-lines this.”

As for Al Rayyan they will be looking to get back to winning ways following their 1-1 draw with rivals Lekhwiya.

Third place Lekhwiya meet Umm Salal tomorrow aiming to snatch the second spot that they share with Al Sadd. Sixth placed Umm Salal are looking for their third win of the season. Umm Salal's Head coach Bülent Uygun revealed that his side will be without two key players in defence Jawad Ahnash and Anderson Martins.

explained the French coach thoughts to the local ahead of today's gam

“We are facileague leader

played inC h a m pleague, respect

QSL

EL Jaish stars Seidou Keiya and Majid Mohammed are doubtful for the game.

Muaither have won their last three games in the QSL, as for Al Rayyan they will be looking to get back to winning way.

BARCELONAVS

AL AHLI

FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli Saudi FC will play in Doha on December 13 at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (Al Gharafa Stadium).

El Jaish head coach Sabri Lamouchi

The Peninsula

Former Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Al Gharafa yesterday relied

on a controversial penalty in the second half to beat hosts Al Khor 2-1 and grab three points.

Substitute Mohammed Raz-zaq converted a penalty in the 88th minute to seal Al Gharafa's fesity win in what was the eight round match played at Al Khor Stadium.

Earlier yesterday, an enter-prising clash saw minnows Al Shahaniya hit back from a two-goal deficit to share spoils with Al Wakrah at Grand Hamad Stadium.

Al Gharafa, who fought off stiff challenges from Al Khor, started strongly in the first half.

In the 16th minute, Al Gharafa grabbed early lead thanks largely to a powerful fin-ish by Brazilian star Johnson Kendrik Costa.

The 24-year-old Brazilian forward - after receiving a long ball from the midfield - fired a bullet from inside the box as his shot flew past goalkeeper Baba Djibril who could little to save his side from conceding a goal in the first half.

In the 53rd minute, Moroc-can football striker Mouhssine Iajour made it 1-1 for Al Khor, flicking a lose ball into the next from close range.

The drama took place in the 85th minute when Al Gharafa's Muneer Mazeed slipped a ball towards a teammate inside Al Khor box.

The ball hit Reza Shanbeh Najafi's foot and richetted towards Al Khor's Sultan Mohammed Alenezi who inver-dently touched the ball with his hand.

Referee Mohammed Ahmed Al-Shammari - resisting pres-sure from screaming Al Khor players - awarded the penalty to the former QSL champions.

After a couple of minutes' delay on the touchline close to Al Khor dugout, Razzaq found the net with a well-taken spot kick in the 88th minute.

In the dying seconds of the clash, Iajour flicked a ball from close range but Al Gharafa goal-keeper Yousof Hassan Ali blocked the shot on the goalline.

In the day's first clash on

Thursday, Al Wakrah grabbed the lead through Hamood Abdulla Al-Yazidi who found the back of the net in the 18th minute. Al-Yazidi showed remarkable pace, ourtunning two defenders before slotting the ball past Khalifa Nasser Al-Dosari for his side's first goal.

Two minutes later, Al Wak-rah jumped to a 2-0 lead courtesy a slick effort by in-form Mohsine Moutaouali who scored in the 40th minute off a penal-ity kick.

Al Wakrah barely settled down with their celebrations when Al Shahaniya reduced the deficit through Abdulla Khalid who scored in injury time (45 + 2).

Alive to the goal-scoring opportunity off what turned out to be an indirect corcner kick, Khalid made the most of a lose ball inside the Al Wakrah box. Stationed inside the box, Khalid shot past goalkeeper 24 Moh-mad Abdulla Enyas for his side's first goal.

Both teams walked off the Grand Hamad Stadium pitch with Al Wakrah leading 2-1.

After tense exchanges in the second half, Al Shahaniya owed their thanks to Mohamed Tiaiba who managed a slick equaliser in the 88th minute. An unmarked Tiaiba easily beat goalkeeper Enyas from close range following a pass from the left flank.

In what was match number 50 this QSL season, Al Shahaniya suffered with two yellow cards - Mohanad Adnan (15) and Mohamed Bader Sayyar (71).

The round eight action con-tinues with four games scheduled today.

Former champions Al Gharafa snatch points with late strike

QATAR STARS LEAGUEYesterday’s results

Al Shahania 2 - 2 Al Wakrah

Al Khor 1 - 2 Al Gharafa

Today’s fixtures

Al Sailiya vs Al Ahli (Hamad Bin khalifah Stadium)

Umm Salal vs Lekhwiya(Seham Bin Hamad Stadium)

Muaither SC vs Al Rayyan (Thani Bin Jassim Stadium)

El Jaish vs Al Kharaitiyat(Abdullah Bin Khalifah Stadium)

Tomorrow's Fixture

Al Arabi vs Al Sadd(Grand Hamad Stadium)

The leading goal scorer of Qatar Stars League this season, El Jaish's Romarinho (front) in action in this file photo.