AFP – RONCHAMPS, FRANCE

Tadej Pogacar all but clinched the Tour de France on Saturday after his Slovenian compatriot Primoz Roglic let a 57 seconds lead slip in a tricky individual time-trial, the last day of real racing.

The 21-year-old Pogacar will lead the peloton into Paris on Sunday wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey and, barring disaster, will climb onto the top step of the podium.

Pogacar pulverised the field with his stage-winning per-formance, and his team hugged and kissed him as they realised the 20202 Tour was theirs.

"My dream was just to take part," said Pogacar on his first Tour de France.

"I could hear nothing on the final climb and I went for it with everything," he said.

Roglic had led the Tour since stage nine and his

dramatic meltdown on the final climb means Pogacar become the youngest postwar champion.

The UAE rider Pogacar changed bikes, which took 12 seconds, after the 30km rolling section to tackle the 6km eight percent climb at top speed.

The 30-year-old Roglic, known to panic, only decided to change bikes once he began to crumble fast, but it became pain-fully clear he was in for a hor-rible finale.

06SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2020Sport

My dream was just to take

part. I could hear nothing

on the final climb and I

went for it with everything.

Tadej Pogacar

Tour de France Overall leader

I got 16 first-place votes. You know, not saying that the winner wasn’t

deserving of the MVP, I finished second a lot in my career, either from a

championship, and now four times as an MVP. I don’t know how much we are

really watching the game. I’m not going to sit up here and talk about what the

criteria should be or what it is. It’s changed over the years since I’ve gotten into

the league. Giannis had a hell of a season; I can definitely say that.

LeBron James says his most recent second-place finish in the NBA’s Most Valuable Player voting left him both angry and questioning the judgment of the voters.

REUTERS – MISANO ADRIATICO

Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales took pole position for today’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after a dramatic final qualifying session yesterday in which Pramac Racing’s pace-setter Francesco Bagnaia was penalised for exceeding track limits.

Viñales, whose all-time Misano lap record set before last week’s San Marino race was then erased by Bagnaia in the third free practice, blazed the circuit during the final qualifying session to set another new mark of one minute, 31.077 seconds.

The 25-year-old Spaniard - who had claimed pole last weekend - went 0.076 seconds quicker than Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller, while Petronas Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo (1:31.222) completed the front row.

“I feel quite good... we made an improvement from last weekend which makes me much more calmer, much more ready for tomorrow,” Viñales said. “We’re going to try our best... the team did a good job... at the very last exit we found some-thing good. I worked hard with the race

conditions and I hope it pays off.” Bagnaia will now start fifth after the Italian touched the green while coming out of the final corner, forcing offi-cials to cancel his final lap.

The Italian, who was among a number of riders who crashed in practice earlier amid colder temperatures, had set a blistering time of 1:30.973.

Ducati’s championship leader Andrea Dovizioso could only manage 10th following a disappointing effort in qualifying.

Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) both crashed at turn 15 ahead of qualifying but the pair walked away unhurt.

Nakagami hit the tarmac again at the same part of the track later and escaped injury again.

Petronas Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli won last weekend’s San Marino race, while Dovizioso was seventh to leapfrog Quartararo and take the lead in the world championship with 76 points.

The first six rounds of the COVID-19-hit 2020 season have produced five different winners, with Quartararo claiming the opening two races in Jerez.

Lakers roll past Nuggetsin Western finals openerAFP – MIAMI

Anthony Davis scored 37 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets 126-114 on Friday in game one of the NBA Western Conference finals.

LeBron James added 15 points with 12 assists and six rebounds for the Lakers, who shot out of the gate after dropping their opener in each of their previous two playoff series in the NBA’s coronavirus quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida.

After a close first quarter ended with the Nuggets up by two, the Lakers seized control in the second quarter, out-scoring Denver 34-21 to take a 70-59 lead into halftime.

Lakers reserve Alex Caruso con-verted a three-point play to spark a 17-1 scoring run, the Nuggets going without a basket for more than five minutes to start the second quarter.

“It took a quarter for us to kind of figure it out,” James said.

“I’m not saying we fully figured them out because it’s too early in the series to say that.”

Well aware that the Nuggets had proved their resilience with some big

second-half comebacks against the Los Angeles Clippers in the previous round, the Lakers kept the pressure on after the break.

Denver trimmed the deficit to nine points midway through the third quarter.

But their efforts were hampered with star Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap all in early foul trouble, and that was the closest they would get in the second half.

Jokic and Murray both scored 21 points to pace the Nuggets. Michael Porter added 14 off the bench.

Davis had 33 points by the end of the third quarter, his hook shot with 36.4 seconds left in the third pushing the Lakers’ lead to 23 points.

The Lakers, back in the con-ference finals for the first time since 2010 -- when they won their most recent NBA title -- remained well aware that they had plenty of work to do against a Nuggets team that erased 1-3 deficits in each of their previous two series.

“We haven’t done anything special,” Davis said. “We basically took care of home court. We have three more to go.” The best-of-seven series continues with game two tomorrow.

Viñales bags pole with Misano lap record

No fond farewell but Zidane praises ‘spectacular’ BaleREUTERS – MADRID

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he did not say anything to Gareth Bale before he left to sign for Tottenham Hotspur but insisted he had no personal issue with the Wales forward and praised what he did for the Spanish club.

Bale travelled to London on Friday to finalise a return to Tottenham on loan after seven years at Real which witnessed a remarkable haul of trophies and goals but ended with the player barely featuring at the end of last season.

“I did not speak to him,” Zidane told a news conference ahead of Real’s first game in La Liga away to Real Sociedad, where they will begin their title defence today.

“But I know what he has done for this club. He always proved his quality and what he has achieved with t h e c lu b cannot be argued with.” While Bale was key to Real winning the 2016 Cham-pions League in Zidane’s first season, he was absent from most of the second cam-

paign due to injuries and never managed to re-establish himself as a first-choice player for the Frenchman, even after scoring twice in the 2018 final against Liverpool.

But Zidane disagreed with the perception he forced Bale out.

“It’s not like that. It’s more complicated. With Bale it’s always about one side against the other. But I’ve never had a problem with Gareth.

“There will always be things that happen. Now he’s making a change, all we can do is wish him the best... These things happen in football, but I’ve always said he was a spec-tacular player.” There will now be more expectation on Real’s joint-most expensive player, Eden Hazard, although the Belgian is unlikely to feature against Real Sociedad.

Hazard’s debut season at Real was marred by two

ankle injuries and other fitness troubles. Zidane said he would not rush him

back to action.“We have more time

to prepare for the season and all he needs to do is

ensure he gets to 100 or 120% fitness,”

he said.

yproved his quality and what he has achieved with th e c l u b cannot be argued with.”While Bale was key to Realwinning the 2016 Cham-pions League inZidane’s first season, he was absent frommost of the second cam-

gHazard’s debut season at

Real was marred by twoankle injuries and otherfitness troubles. Zidane saidhe would not rush him

back to action.“We have more time

to prepare for the seasonand all he needs to do is

ensure he gets to 100or 120% fitness,”

he said.

Yankees rally, beat Bosox 6-5 in 12 for 9th straight winAP – BOSTON

The New York Yankees’ bats arrived just in time to help extend their longest win streak of the season.

Gary Sanchez hit a tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning, DJ LeMahieu had a go-ahead double in the 12th and the Yankees rallied past the Boston Red Sox 6-5 Friday night for their ninth straight victory.

New York improved to 8-0 over its longtime rival this season. Dating to last year, the Yankees have won 11 in a row over the Red Sox, one short of its best streak ever against them.

The victory moved the Yankees (30-21) percentage points ahead of Minnesota (31-22) for the No. 4 seed and home field in the first round of the playoffs. The fourth-seeded club will host the No. 5 team in every game of the best-of-three series.

The Yankees won on a night in which sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were both in the lineup together for the first time since Aug. 8 after recently returning from stints on the injured list.

Jonathan Loaisiga (3-0) pitched three scoreless innings to get the victory in a game that ended well past midnight. Ryan Weber (1-3) took the loss.

The Yankees, coming off hitting a record 19 home runs in three days against Toronto, trailed 4-3 with two outs in the ninth.

Sanchez, who’s shown recent signs of breaking out of a season-long slump, tied it with a line drive home run off Matt Barnes that just made it over the top of the Green Monster.

Sanchez hit a two-run double in the seventh that cut Boston’s lead to 4-2.

Luke Voit hit an RBI single in the 11th for the Yankees. Boston tied it in its half of the inning thanks to a wild pitch by Loaisiga and an RBI single by Christian Arroyo, who also had a three-run homer.

LeMahieu doubled with two outs in the 12th.

Boston’s Martín Pérez pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, a walk and striking out seven. But the Red Sox relievers allowed five hits and four runs over the next three innings.

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, wearing the white jersey for best young rider, in action during Stage 20 of the Tour de France, yesterday.

Tour de France: Pogacar wins time trial to tighten grip on title

STAGE 20 (TOP 10)

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates

55:55

2. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo - Visma +1:21

3. Richie Porte (AUS) Trek - Segafredo "

4. Wout van Aert (BEL) Jumbo - Visma +1:31

5. Primož Roglic (SLO) Jumbo - Visma +1:56

6. Rémi Cavagna (FRA) Deceuninck - Quick-

Step +1:59

7. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain - McLaren

+2:29

8. David De La Cruz (ESP) UAE Team

Emirates +2:40

9. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +2:45

10. Rigoberto Urán (COL) EF Pro Cycling

+2:54

OVERALL STANDINGS (TOP 10)

Overall leaders 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO)

UAE Team Emirates 84:26:33

2. Primož Roglic (SLO) Jumbo - Visma +59

3. Richie Porte (AUS) Trek - Segafredo +3:30

4. Mikel Landa (ESP) Bahrain - McLaren

+5:58

5. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +6:07

6. Miguel Ángel López (COL) Astana Pro

Team +6:47

7. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo - Visma +7:48

8. Rigoberto Urán (COL) EF Pro Cycling +8:02

9. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton - Scott

+9:25

10. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain - McLaren

+14:03

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Italian rider Valentino Rossi (left) and team-mate Maverick Vinales gesture after the qualifying session ahead of the Emilia Romagna MotoGP Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano Adriatico, Italy, yesterday.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks to score against the Denver Nuggets during Game One of the Western Conference Finals in 2020 NBA Play-offs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Friday.

07SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

US Open: Reed grabs halfway lead, Tiger misses cutREUTERS — MAMARONECK

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed put his sterling short game on display to grab the US Open halfway lead on Friday while Tiger Woods finished well outside the cut in windy conditions that humbled many of the game’s top golfers.

Reed only hit five fairways on a tough scoring day at Winged Foot but made a slew of stunning recoveries and needed only 25 putts en route to an even-par 70 that left him at four under on the week and one shot clear of Bryson DeChambeau (68).

“I feel like the game is where it needs to be. I feel good,” said world number 10 Reed.

“I just need to tighten a

few things up here or there, but the short game is sharp, and when I play around a place like this, that’s what you need.”

Reed, who started the day one shot back of overnight leader Justin Thomas, grabbed the outright lead with a birdie on his final hole, the par-five ninth, where his shot from a greenside bunker settled five feet from the cup.

Unlike the first round when 21 players finished under par in soft conditions,

Winged Foot proved a much sterner test on Friday as DeChambeau, Bubba Watson (69) and Hideki Matsuyama (69) were the only players from a 144-player field to break par.

DeChambeau, who has turned heads this year with his new physique and prodigious length off the tee, went out in the morning wave and muscled his way around a scorecard-shredding Winged Foot course like few others can.

The world number nine finished his round with a monstrous eagle at the par-five ninth hole where, after a 380-yard drive, he stuffed a pitching wedge to six feet.

Thomas (73), Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello (70) and Harris English (70) were all two shots

off the pace heading into the weekend of a tournament that was originally scheduled for mid-June but postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Masters champion Woods (77) missed the cut for the eighth time in his last 15 majors after a round during which he made five bogeys and two double-bogeys over a miserable 11-hole run.

“Physically it was frus-trating that I didn’t drive the ball as well as I needed to,” said Woods.

Phil Mickelson’s latest bid to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors fell apart as the six-times runner-up carded a 74 and missed the cut after posting one of the worst 36-hole scores of his major career.

Patrick Reed in action during second round.

136 - Patrick Reed 66-70137 - Bryson DeChambeau 69-68 138 - Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP) 68-70, HarrisEnglish 68-70, Justin Thomas 65-73139 - Jason Kokrak 68-71 140 -Thomas Pieters (BEL) 66-74, Xander Schauffele 68-72, Matthew Wolff 66-74, Brendon Todd 68-72, Hideki Matsuyama(JPN) 71-69 141 - Bubba Watson 72-69, Joaquin Niemann (CHI) 68-73, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 67-74, Jon Rahm (ESP) 69-72, Stephan Jaeger (GER)71-70 142 - Tony Finau 69-73, Billy Horschel 72-70, Viktor Hovland (NOR) 71-71, Webb Simpson71-71, Lucas Glover 71-71

US OPEN: TOP SCORERS

Physically it was

frustrating that I

didn’t drive the ball as

well as I needed to:

Tiger Woods

Qatar Cricket Association launches new websiteTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Qatar Cricket Association (QCA) yesterday launched its new website, aiming to distribute the association’s information to “anyone, anywhere in the world”.

The occasion was cele-brated at the QCA Head office with President Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari (pictured) and other officials.

The aim of the revamped website is to keep the fol-lowers of cricket in Qatar updated on what is happening in the sport. The website is also mobile responsive and has been designed with a user friendly interface.

The new website (www.

qatarcricketassociation.org) will capture the corporate information and most impor-tantly the cricket and the player’s information. There will be dedicated areas for player profiles of all national teams. Senior national team men/ woman and Under 19 and Under 16 Boys teams.

All information on past and future tournaments, statics, and achievements will be available online as well. One of the new features is the inclusion of cricket clubs. There will be a listing of short introductions to each regis-tered club in Qatar.

“We are proud that Qatar is already ranked 22 from 85 countries in the world within

the T20 format and women ranked 44 from 59 countries. This is a great achievements considering that the Qatar team is ahead of many other countries who have been

playing the game for a longer period of time. We want the new website to be a gateway to the information on Qatari Cricket fraternity and its achievements,” said QCA Pres-ident Yousef Jeham.

The new website and all the technology developments of it is powered by Q-tickets, Qatar’s leading ticketing solution company.

Qatar Cricket Association is a member of Qatar Olympic Committee and has been an ICC member since 1999. The national teams have partici-pated in all regional and divi-sional tournaments of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Djokovic loses cool again, breaks racket during quarter-final

AP — ROME

Less than two weeks after getting defaulted from the US Open, Novak Djokovic lost his cool again midway through a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over German qualifier Dominik Koepfer in the Italian Open quarter-finals yesterday.

When Djokovic was broken at love to even the second set at 3-3, he slammed his racket to the red clay in anger.

With the frame broken and the strings all mangled, Djokovic was forced to get a new racket and received a warning from the chair umpire.

“It’s not the first nor the last racket that I’ll break in my career,” Djokovic said.

“I’ve done it before and I’ll probably do it again. I don’t want to do it but when it comes, it happens.

“That’s how, I guess, I release sometimes my anger and it’s definitely not the best message out there, especially for the young tennis players looking at me, and I don’t encourage that -- definitely.”

The top-ranked Djokovic was thrown out of the US Open for unintentionally hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball in a fit of anger.

At the Foro Italico, Djokovic had already appeared frus-trated during the game before he broke his racket, glaring toward the umpire following a couple of overrules and a point that was ordered to be replayed.

“That’s just me,” Djokovic said. “Of course I’m not perfect and I’m doing my best.”

The 97th-ranked Koepfer, who screamed at himself in frustration throughout the match, was also warned for misbehavior early in the third set.

Aiming for his fifth title in Rome, Djokovic’s semi-final opponent will be Casper Ruud, who eliminated local favorite Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in a match that lasted 2 hours, 57 minutes.

Nine-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal was playing Diego Schwartzman later in the other half of the draw.

Ruud is the first Norwegian to reach the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 tournament. His father, Christian Ruud, got as far as the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters in 1997.

While fans have not been admitted to the tournament yet -- Italy’s sports minister said Friday that 1,000 spectators will be allowed in for the sem-ifinals and finals -- workers, family members and other onlookers inside the pictur-esque Pietrangeli stadium pro-vided some support for Ber-rettini, who is from Rome.

Nicola Pietrangeli, the 1957 and 1961 Rome champion and the man the stadium is named after -- was also among those sitting on the white marble stands.

“There would have been a lot more adrenaline with fans,” Berrettini said.

In the women’s tour-nament, top-seeded Simona Halep reached the last four when Kazakh opponent Yulia Putintseva retired midway through their match due to a lower back injury.

Halep, who lost two straight finals in Rome to Elina Svitolina in 2017 and 2018, will need to beat two-time Grand Slam winner Garbiñe Muguruza to return to the championship match.

Muguruza required more than two hours to eliminate US Open runner-up Victoria Aza-renka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning Italian Open quarter-final against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer.

‘That’s just me’

Pressure off players at closed-door IPL: PontingAFP — NEW DELHI

Australian cricket great Ricky Ponting yesterday said there would be less pressure on players in the virus-hit Indian Premier League with matches being played in empty stadiums.

The Twenty20 tournament started yesterday in the UAE, with holders Mumbai Indians playing the Chennai Super Kings in the opener in Abu Dhabi.

Ponting, coach of IPL side

Delhi Capitals who kick off their campaign against Kings XI Punjab today, believes his team will bring their own energy to the field.

“The fact that there is no crowds on the ground, I actually think that probably puts less pressure on the players,” Ponting said in a virtual pre-season press conference from Dubai. “The less noise and eve-rything there probably creates less pressure,” he said.

“Playing in front of an

empty stadium will be dif-ferent... but once we start I think it is going to be about our group creating their own atmosphere

and own energy on the ground and not expecting the crowds actually in the stadium to lift us up and anything like that.”

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting (left) during team's training session.

Rayudu and Du Plessis star as Chennai win IPL openerIANS — ABU DHABI

Half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu (71) and Faf du Plessis (58 not out), coupled with a blis-tering six-ball cameo from Sam Curran (18), helped last year’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, yesterday.

This is the first time CSK have beaten the MI after five matches in the IPL.

After limiting MI to 162/9 earlier in the evening, the CSK got off to a shaky start to their chase. Openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay were dis-missed in the first two overs and the CSK found themselves 6/2 at the start of the third.

However, the next wicket

came only 14 overs later and during this time, du Plessis and Rayudu put up 115 for the third wicket to practically take the game away from MI.

Rayudu took the attack to the opposition, smashing six fours and three sixes in a

48-ball knock. He was also helped by MI not able to hold on to their catches, surviving a close call in the ninth over when he was on 27 and then later off the second ball of the 16th over bowled by Rahul Chahar. He eventually fell off the last ball

of the over, with Chahar taking an impressive catch sprinting backwards off his own bowling.

However, Sam Curran then launched a six-ball blinder to close any chance that MI may have visualised of winning the match. du Plessis ended the match with consecutive fours off the first two balls of the 20th and last over.

The opening game also marked the return of enigmatic cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni to competitive action after 437 days -- a period that seemed an eternity to his fans -- with an unusual beard that would be something between a goatee and full-grown one, and a new hairstyle.

He looked a little heavier, but his wicket-keeping was spot-on as he grabbed two catches and didnt concede a single bye.

And when the TV ran com-mercials between the overs, 39-year-old Dhoni made his presence felt in that space too. He seemed to be appearing in every second advertisement.

Dhoni's last competitive match was last year's World Cup semi-final against New Zealand on July 9, and since then he has indulged in a variety of activities, even as speculation raged whether or not he would be picked for India again.

BRIEF SCORES

MI 162/9 (Saurabh Tiwary

42, Quinton de Kock 33;

Lungi Ngidi 3/38) lost to

CSK 166/5 (Rayudu 71, Du

Plessis 58 not out; Boult

1/23) by five wickets.

Ambati Rayudu (right) and Faf du Plessis during their partnership, yesterday.

AGENCIES – LONDON

Manchester United suffered a miserable start to their Premier League campaign as Wilfried Zaha fired Crystal Palace to a shock 3-1 win at Old Trafford, while Leeds beat Fulham 4-3 to earn their first top-flight victory since 2004 yesterday.

Manchester United's season got underway with a shock 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace as Wilfried Zaha grabbed a late double for the vis-itors in the Premier League on Sat-urday although VAR was once again the centre of attention.

United looked off the pace early on as Andros Townsend put Palace in front after seven minutes, with the home side's campaign starting a week later than initially scheduled due to last season's Europa League commitments running into mid-August.

Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay went close as United chased an equaliser but the hosts could have gone in two goals behind at halftime, with only a bril-liant David De Gea save keeping a goal-bound Jordan Ayew strike out.

United brought Mason

Greenwood on at halftime but their task was made more difficult when the VAR decided that referee Martin Atkinson should consult the pitch-side monitor and he awarded Palace a penalty for handball against Victor Lindelof.

Ayew stepped up to take the spot kick but De Gea made a fan-tastic save. The VAR drama was not done there, however, with Atkinson

informed that De Gea had come off his line and the penalty was retaken, with Zaha converting this time. New signing Donny van de Beek came off the bench to get the home side back in the contest with a goal on his debut, but former United forward Zaha had the last laugh as he made sure of a deserved win for Palace with a fine finish late on.

At Elland Road, promoted Leeds were involved in another eye-catching encounter in their first top-flight home match for 16 years.

After a 4-3 loss to champions Liverpool on the opening day, Leeds, back in the top flight after a 16-year absence, produced more vibrant attacking football along with defensive jitters.

Helda Costa gave them a flying start only for Aleksandar Mitrovic's penalty to level for Fulham before Mateusz Klich restored their lead also with a spot kick before halftime.

Patrick Bamford's clinical finish in the 50th minute gave Leeds breathing space and Costa's sump-tuous second goal of the game six minutes later had Leeds running riot.

But Scott Parker's Fulham, pro-moted via the playoffs, were far from finished as goals by substitute Bobby Decordova-Reid and Mitrovic in quick succession kept the result in the balance.

At Goodison Park, Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit a hat-trick in Everton’s 5-2 win over 10-man West Bromwich Albion.

AFC – DOHA

Head coach Abdulghani Shahd has his eyes set on writing history for Iraqi football as his Al Shorta side take on Esteghlal in a do-or-die Group A clash, with the winners earning a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League (ACL) Round of 16.

A win for the Baghdad-based side or a score draw with more than a goal will be enough to seal progress to the knock-out stage; a feat no Iraqi team in the history of the AFC Champions League has achieved.

Al Shorta beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in their Matchday Four

fixture to move up to second, but having drawn Esteghlal 1-1 at home in their opening match, losing to the Iranians on Sunday will leave them bottom of the group, as will a goalless draw should Esteghlal manage to beat Al Ahli in the final match of the group.

“We can make history and become the first Iraqi team to reach the Round of 16 and this is the objective for all of us. The group permutations are a bit complicated; we know that if we draw, Al Ahli will have the top spot secured and might field a weakened team against Esteghlal on Matchday Six, so we want to stay away from these

permutations and focus on winning the next game.”

Esteghlal return to action for their first game after the restart, and the two-time Asian Club Championship winners need four points from their next two games to reach the knock-out stages for the third time in four years.

“Al Shorta are a very good and powerful team; we played against them in Iraq and it was 1-1,” said head coach Majid Namjoo-Motlagh. In Other matches today, Shahr Khodro FC (IRN) and Al Hilal SFC (KSA) face off at Al Janoub Stadium. Later Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE) and Pakhtakor (UZB) meet at the same venue.

NBA PLAY-OFFS (Western Conference Finals): Denver Nuggets 114, Los Angeles Lakers 126 (Lakers Lead Series 1-0)

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2020

No fond farewell but Real Madrid coach Zidane praises ‘spectacular’ Bale impactI did not speak to him (Gareth Bale before he left to sign for Tottenham Hotspur). But I know what he has done for this club. He always proved his quality and what he has achieved with the club cannot be argued with.

Sport |06

NZI

cw

Zinedine ZidaneReal Madrid coach

Sport

We need to keep going, says Xavi after Al Ain drubbing

FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Al Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez was ‘very happy’ after his team responded to his call of bringing improvement with a clinical performance against Al Ain on Friday.

The Wolves, aided by a brace from feared striker Baghdad Bounedjah and goals from Rodrigo Tabata and 2019 AFC Player of the Year Akram Afif, thrashed UAE’s Al Ain 4-0 to bounce back from a 3-3 draw in the first leg, which disappointed Xavi to a great extent.

Al Sadd moved to 8 points behind Group D table toppers Al Nassr (10 points) after the com-manding victory.

Xavi said his team was ‘perfect’ in al l aspects and can achieve i t s targets by displaying a similar show in rest of the matches.

“We are very happy with this win. We played a great game. It was a big per-

formance from us. Everything was perfect – attack, defence, set-pieces. We also had luck as they had some chances, but this is football,” said Xavi at a post-match press conference.

“Everyone did a good job today; they were focused on our organisation and game model. We created more chances compared to the last game, and we were more effective,” he added.

The Barcelona legend said Al Sadd were yet to achieve their first target of reaching the knockout stage, and must continue with the momentum.

“Our first goal is to qualify for the next round. If we play like we did today, we can qualify.”

“We are in a good position in the group now. This is an important win, but we

need to keep going. I’m very happy, especially for the players, we now

need to recover well and focus on the next game.”

Xavi also praised ‘special’ Tabata, who

was one of the scorers against

Al Ain on Friday.

“I told t h e players that he’s ( Tabata)

a n example for

them. He’s almost

40, but it’s not an accident that he scored. He is special, he has a big heart and everybody loves him. He is a big, big example for all of us, the players and the technical staff.”

Al Sadd will take on Al Nassr in an anticipated Group D match tomorrow.

No complaints, we must do more to advance: Regragui

Al Duhail coach Walid Regragui hoped his team will bounce back after a shock 4-2 defeat to Sharjah at the Education City Stadium on Friday.

The Red Knights slipped to third in Group C with six points, with Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun FC leaping to second position on a better goal dif-ference behind Iran’s Persepolis FC (7 points).

Al Duhail were reduced to 10 men during Fri-day’s game after Moroccan defender Medhi Benatia was sent off for an elbow on Sharjah play-maker Igor Coronado.

Regragui felt Benatia ‘did not deserve’ the red card and said he was proud how the team played in his absence.

“The players showed a lot of fighting spirit and we must focus on the upcoming matches,” he said, hoping for the return of Edmilson Junior and Karim Boudiaf from injuries.

“It’s time to work hard and not complain. We have to do more effort to achieve victory and qualify to the second round of the championship.”

Al Duhail face Persepolis FC in their next group match tomorrow.

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Bale back at ‘special club’ Tottenham

AP – LONDON

Seven years after leaving for a world-record fee to Real Madrid, Gareth Bale is back at Tottenham in a bid to reignite his career.

He has brought a team-mate with him, too.Tottenham confirmed the season-long loan

signing of Bale yesterday in one of the most high-profile moves of the transfer window, minutes after announcing left back Sergio Reguilón is also joining from the Spanish champions.

“It’s such a special club to me,” the 31-year-old Bale said of Spurs, “it’s where I made my name.”

It was his dazzling displays for the London club that earned Bale the move to Madrid in 2013 for €100m (then $132m), a world-leading fee at the time.

Bale won four Champions League titles and two La Liga titles at Madrid but struggled for game time in recent seasons. Bale is seeking to rediscover his motivation for the game under manager Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, where he is set to form an exciting-looking forward line with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Tottenham is without a piece of major sil-verware since 2008 and the winger, who also helped Wales reach the semifinals of Euro 2016, believes he can help to end that drought.

“By going to Madrid, winning trophies and going far with the national team, I feel like I have that winning mentality,” Bale said.

“You don’t realize until you are there. In those situations, the nerves, the pressure, I think that all goes with experience. Hopefully I can bring that to the dressing room, bring that belief that we can win a trophy.”

Reguilón, a 23-year-old left back, has joined Tottenham permanently on a contract through 2025. Reguilón, who made his Spain debut in the Nations League this month, won the Europa League in August while on loan at Sevilla.

Gareth Bale poses for a photo with a fan as he leaves London Luton Airport yesterday.

Palace stun United; Leeds win thriller

TODAY'S FIXTURESGROUP B

Shahr Khodro FC (IRN) vs Al Hilal SFC (KSA)At Al Janoub Stadium - 18:00

GROUP AEsteghlal FC (IRN) vs Al Shorta (IRQ)

At Khalifa International Stadium - 21:00GROUP B

Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE) vs Pakhtakor (UZB)At Al Janoub Stadium - 21:00

Al Shorta aiming to make ACL history ahead of crunch tie against Esteghlal

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha scores their third goal against Manchester United yesterday.

Al Sadd's Baghdad Bounedjah celebrates after

scoring his second goal against Al Ain during the AFC Champions League

Group D match played at the Jassim Bin Hamad

Stadium, on Friday.PICTURE COURTESY

AL SADD