SPORT | 14

England fight

back after Shah

shines for

Pakistan

SPORTBarcelona take

final shot in the

dark to save

troubled season

SPORT | 15

SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 2020

Al Duhail tie one of the toughest for Al Sadd, says Xavi ahead of key clashFAWAD HUSSAIN – THE PENINSULA

Defending champions Al Sadd host points leaders Al Duhail in their Round 20 match, which has been dubbed one of the most crucial battles in the ongoing QNB Stars League season.

The highly-anticipated match between the two heavyweights can decide the fate of QSL champions, with Al Duhail leading the table with 46 points having played a game less than former champions Al Rayyan, who are also in con-tention for the Falcon Shield with 45 points.

For third-placed Al Sadd (38 points), today’s game which will kick off at 6:45pm, is an oppor-tunity to keep their mathematical chance alive of retaining their crown.

Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez said his team – being the only side to win both their matches since QSL resumed after the break – was in good rhythm but admitted a tough task awaits his side against Al Duhail, who were 4-1 winners in their first-leg.

“The Al Duhail match will be one of the most difficult here in the league; we are facing the table toppers, so it’s a really tough game but as always, we are ready and we have good momentum,” said Xavi.

“We want to keep our chances alive until the end, even though we know it’s really tough

to win the league. At the end, we want to win this game and have many options until the end. We want to dominate the game, have the pos-session and be aggressive in attack and defense, but also we have to take care against Al Duhail, who have really good players in front,” the Bar-celona legend added.

He said Al Sadd will miss star striker Akram Afif who is out of action due to an ankle injury.

“Akram Afif is a very important player for us. He is one of the best players in Asia and in my opinion, he is the best in Qatar, but it’s okay, we have to continue working and must keep going. We are ready to compete and we are pos-itive,” said Xavi.

Meanwhile, Al Duhail coach Walid Regragui said pressure will be on his side in the game as they are close to win the title.

“A summit match in Qatar football… And the two teams have been putting up beautiful per-formances and good football. We are playing for the title, while Al Sadd play without pressure,” said Regragui.

“The team improved its level after playing a difficult match against Umm Salal which ended in a draw. We were back to winning ways with victory over Al Gharafa. We know that we have to be careful in the remaining matches because we are playing for the title and the current situation is not like the beginning of the league. We must win this game to keep our advantage,” he added.

Today’s other match will be played between Umm Salal and Al Ahli at Al Janoub Stadium.

Al Gharafa seal fourth spot after Al Khor draw

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Al Gharafa secured the fourth spot at the 2019-20 QNB Stars League season despite a 2-2 draw against Al Khor in their Week 20 game at Al Janoub Stadium yesterday.

Jonathan Kodjia (36th and 90th minutes) scored for Al Gharafa, while Ahmed Ham-moudan (48th minute) and Lucca Borges (52nd-minute penalty) found the target for Al Khor.

Al Gharafa gained much as they are ensured of the fourth position in the standings with 32 points, as closest challengers Al Arabi and Al Sailiya are on 25 points each after they both lost their Week 19 games, against Al Wakrah (1-2) and Al Rayyan (0-1) respectively on Thursday.

Both Al Arabi and Al Sailiya are out of contention for a top-four finish with only two rounds of action remaining and six points on offer.

The result, their second successive draw after holding Al Wakrah 1-1 in Week 19, benefited Al Khor too a lot as they are battling for survival alongside Umm Salal and Al Shahania. The Knights now have 16 points.

Al Gharafa had beaten Al Khor 3-1 in the first leg of 2019-20 QNB Stars League. This time around, Al Khor produced a much-improved performance even though Kodjia’s brilliance, with two opportunistic goals, made much of a difference for Al Gharafa.

Kodjia took Al Gharafa ahead in the 36th minute after latching on to a pass by Muad Hassan.

Soon after restart, Hammoudan levelled the score after making the most of a through pass.

Not long after that, Borges converted a penalty awarded for Al Gharafa’s Yousef Muftah’s foul on Tiago.

Following efforts by Hammoudan and Muad, Kodjia was at it for a second time as he superbly volleyed in substitute Tamir Jamal’s cross from the left in the last minute.

Yesterday’s other match between Al Shahania and Qatar SC at Al Sadd Stadium ended in a goalless draw.

Al Shahania remained on bottom with 15 points while Qatar SC Club now have 19 points.

QNB STARS LEAGUE WEEK 20 RESULTS

Al Rayyan 1 - 0 Al SailiyaAl Wakrah 2 - 1 Al ArabiAl Gharafa 2 - 2 Al Khor

Al Shahania 0 - 0 Qatar SCTODAY'S FIXTURESUmm Salal vs Al Ahli

(16:30, Al Janoub Stadium) Al Sadd vs Al Duhail

(18:45, Al Sadd Stadium)

Al Sadd's coach Xavi Hernandez speaks

talks with his team's latest recruit, Spanish star Santi Cazorla (left)

during a practice session held at the club's training

grounds yesterday.

Al Duhail's Youssef Msakni (right) with his team-mates during a practice session yesterday, on the eve of their QNB Stars

League match against Al Sadd, which will be played at the Al Sadd Stadium.

Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates

after scoring against Lyon.

Lyon knock Juventus out; City advanceRonaldo double in vain as Italian giants exit Champions League

REUTERS – TURIN

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, including an unstoppable long-range goal, to give Juventus a 2-1 win over Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League yesterday but it was not enough as the French side reached the quarter-finals on away goals.

Lyon went ahead in the 12th minute from a contentious penalty, awarded for a foul by Rodrigo Bent-ancur. It was converted by Memphis Depay.

Ronaldo levelled from another spot kick, harshly awarded against Depay for handball, two minutes before halftime.

Ronaldo put Juventus ahead out of the blue on the hour as he found space for a shot and blasted the ball past Anthony Lopes from 25 metres. But Juve could not find the third goal and the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate, sending the Ligue 1 side into the final eight.

Elsewhere, Manchester City reached the quarter-finals after beating Real Madrid 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) at the Etihad Stadium yes-terday, with scorers Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus taking advantage of errors by defender Raphael Varane.

Real, trailing 2-1 from the first-leg and without their suspended skipper and defensive lynchpin Sergio Ramos, made a disastrous start, gifting City a ninth minute opener.

Frenchman Varane, having

received a pass inside his own area from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, was robbed by City forward Jesus and he slipped the ball to Sterling who slotted home.

There was a strong response from the Spanish Champions, with City keeper Ederson forced into fine saves

to keep out efforts from Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard.

Ederson could do nothing, however, to keep out a bullet header from Benzema in the 28th minute, the Frenchman rising to power home a superb pin-point cross from Rodrygo.

City created chances after the

break but lacked the killer touch and it took another piece of calamitous defending by Varane to decide the tie in the 68th as his attempted header back to Courtois was too weak and Jesus was alert again, nipping in to flick it past the keeper and make it 2-1 on the night.

Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling shoots and scores their first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, yesterday.

Lyon’s Dutch forward Memphis Depay (centre) celebrates with team-mates after scoring against Juventus, yesterday.

14 SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 2020SPORT

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during practice yesterday.

F1: Hamilton back on top in 70th Anniversary GP practice

REUTERS — SILVERSTONE

Lewis Hamilton led team-mate Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes one-two in practice for Formula One’s 70th Anni-versary Grand Prix at Silver-stone yesterday.

The six-times world champion, chasing a fourth win in a row tomorrow to stretch his 30 point lead over the Finn, lapped with a fastest time of one minute 25.606 seconds using medium tyres on a hot but cloudy afternoon.

Bottas, who had been fastest in the day’s first session as drivers got to grips with Pirelli’s softer tyres, was 0.176 slower.

Hamilton won last Sun-day’s British Grand Prix at the same circuit from pole

position and despite a last lap puncture.

With 87 career wins, the Briton is closing in fast on Ferrari great Michael Schu-macher’s all-time record of 91 set between 1992 and 2006.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was best of the rest in the morning, 0.727 off the pace, and Renault’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo filled that slot in the afternoon with the Dutch youngster fourth.

Racing Point, fined and with 15 points deducted after stewards upheld a Renault protest, looked quick with Lance Stroll ending the day fifth and experienced German stand-in Nico Hulkenberg sixth.

Hulkenberg, replacing Sergio Perez after the Mexican

contracted COVID-19 and then tested positive for a second time, was fourth in the opening session.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fifth and seventh fastest respectively but team mate Sebastian Vettel suffered an engine failure in the afternoon and ended up 14th.

The title of Sunday’s race commemorates the first world championship grand prix which was hosted by Silver-stone in May, 1950.

Mercedes have a horseshoe symbol on their cars in honour of the late Stirling Moss, who raced with the emblem in the early years of his career.

Moss competed at Silver-stone in 1950 in a Formula Three race.

Quartararo makes late charge for fastest Czech practice timeAFP — BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo controlled his rising frustration yesterday to record the fastest time on the first day of practice for the Czech MotoGP.

The Frenchman, winner of both races so far this season for the Honda satellite team SRT, set his best time in the final seconds of the day’s second session.

Before that he had struggled on a track with little grip and made no secret of his irritation.

His best time was 0.007 seconds faster than his Italian team-mate Franco Morbidelli.

“The positive thing is that we are very fast on one lap. But we have to work on the race pace,” Quartararo said.

“I know where the problem is, so we can get to work.”

Two riders who had sur-prisingly good days, Miguel Oliveira, a Portuguese rider at KTM-Tech3, and Frenchman Johann Zarco of Ducati-Avintia, were third and fourth.

Italian Francesco Bagnaia

is out of the race and will need surgery after falling off his Ducati-Pramac in the morning.

Spaniard Maverick Vinales, who is second in the standings, also suffered a minor crash early in the first session on his Yamaha.

Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami was fastest in the morning session.

In the Moto2 class, Enea Bastianini finished ahead of Kalex team-mates Sam Lowes and Luca Marini.

Fabio Quartararo rides during the first training session, yesterday.

1. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha-SRT) 1 min 56.502sec, 2. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Yamaha-SRT) at 0.007sec, 3. Miguel Oliveira (POR/KTM-Tech3) 0.048, 4. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati- Avintia) 0.081, 5. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 0.166, 6. Joan Mir (ESP/Suzuki) 0.374, 7. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Aprilia) 0.539, 8. Pol Espargaro (ESP/KTM) 0.557, 9. Takaaki Nakagami(JPN/Honda-LCR) 0.571, 10. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati-Pramac) 0.607

MOTOGP: COMBINED FIRST AND SECOND PRACTICE TIMES

Day and Todd share lead, Koepka one back at PGA ChampionshipREUTERS — SAN FRANCISCO

Jason Day and Brendon Todd shared the lead after the first round of the PGA Championship while Brooks Koepka got his bid for a three-peat off to a solid start and Tiger Woods found success with a new putter in the first major of the COVID-19 era.

Former champion Day, who had top-10 finishes in each of his last three starts on the PGA Tour, carded a bogey-free five-under-par 65 at TPC Harding Park, where the absence of spectators due to the virus gave the event a unique feel.

“There was definitely a lot of momentum coming in off the

previous finishes that I’ve had, three top 10s, which has been nice,” the Australian said after the lowest first-round score of his major championship career.

“The game feels like it’s coming around. I’m pleased with it.”

Going out in the windy afternoon, Todd mixed seven birdies with two bogeys and sank a 10-foot par putt on his last hole.

“It really helps me going into tomorrow,” he said of making the final putt.

“It allows me to spend the next 12 hours before my second round feeling really good, like I’ve got momentum still.”

Koepka, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, former world number one Martin Kaymer and Zach Johnson were among a group of nine one shot off the pace in the first major champi-onship since the July 2019 British Open.

Woods, in only his second PGA Tour event since February, struggled off the tee but, thanks to a longer putter that has allowed him to practice more without back pain, was three shots back after a 68 that included five birdies and three bogeys.

“I thought anything today in the red would be good given the forecast... I was able to do it but

I didn’t think there would be that many guys four under or better,” Woods said after his lowest opening round score in a major championship since 2012.

Four-times major champion Koepka, who fell short of a third consecutive US Open title last year, said he was very relaxed during a round in which he made six birdies and two bogeys.

Jordan Spieth, in his latest bid to become the sixth person to complete golf’s career Grand Slam with victories in all four major championships, opened with a three-over-par 73.

Jason Day lines up a putt on the 10th hole during the first round of the 2020 PGA Championship.

Australia to stage delayed T20 World Cup in 2022: ICC

AFP — MANCHESTER

The 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup -- post-poned by the coronavirus pandemic -- will be staged in Australia in 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced yesterday.

India will host the 2021 edition as planned, the global governing body said, while the 50-over Women’s World Cup, scheduled for next year in New Zealand, has been postponed until 2022.

The ICC last month announced that the 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup could not take place as planned in Australia from October this year.

ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said in a statement: “We now have absolute clarity on the future of ICC events, enabling all of our members to focus on the rescheduling of lost international and domestic cricket.

“We will now proceed as planned with the men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in India and host the 2022 edition in Australia.”

ICC acting chairman Imran Khwaja said health and safety had been the top priority.

“The decisions the board have taken today are in the best interests of the sport, our partners and importantly our fans,” he added.

COVID-19 has played havoc with the global sporting calendar but international cricket has resumed behind closed doors in England, with the host nation currently taking on Pakistan in a three-match Test series.

The format of the 2021 T20 World Cup will remain as it was for 2020 and all teams that qualified for that event will now participate in India in 2021.

A new qualification process will be run for the 2022 edition.

The format of the postponed Women’s World Cup will remain as it was for 2021. Five teams have already qualified for the event and that will stand for 2022.

The original global qualification event to determine the final three teams will now be held in 2021.

India will host the 2021 edition as planned while the 50-over Women’s World Cup, scheduled for next year in New Zealand, has been postponed until 2022: International Cricket Council

England fight back after Shah shines for PakistanAFP — MANCHESTER

Ben Stokes took two late wickets to help drag England back into the first Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford yesterday.

Pakistan, on top for most of this match, were 137-8 in their second innings at stumps on the third day -- a lead of 244 runs. Stokes, who didn’t bowl in the third Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford last month because of a quad injury, took 2-11 in 20 balls.

He struck with just his eighth delivery of the match when he had Mohammad Rizwan lbw for 27 on umpire’s call.

And the paceman struck again before stumps when he had Shaheen Afridi caught fending at a short ball. But leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who had earlier taken four wickets, was still there at stumps on 12 not out.

Pakistan were still relatively well-placed. Only twice have a team chased more than 200 to win in the fourth innings of a Test at Old Trafford, with England making 294-4 against New Zealand in 2008 and 231-3 against the West Indies at the Manchester ground in 2004.

There were, however, still two days left in the game, albeit on a wearing pitch where Yasir earlier took 4-66 -- including three for four in 27 balls -- as England were dis-missed for 219 in reply to Pakistan’s first-innings 326.

But Pakistan’s Shan Masood, who batted nearly eight hours for a Test-best 156 in the first innings, was out for a duck when caught behind down the legside off a poor Stuart Broad delivery.

In-form paceman Chris Woakes reduced Pakistan to 63-4, having Babar Azam well caught in the slips by Stokes before Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, out for a duck in the first innings, was lbw for 18.

Wicketkeeper Rizwan, far more impressive behind the stumps than

England counterpart Jos Buttler, batted well in a partnership of 38 with Asad Shafiq, until Shafiq was run out by Dom Sibley’s direct hit.

England resumed yesterday on 92-4, which represented an improvement on their dire position of 12-3 on Thursday. Ollie Pope was 46 not out and Buttler 15 not out.

Buttler was under pressure to score runs after costly mistakes behind the stumps. He dropped Masood on 45 and then missed a chance to stump him on the same score -- errors that intensified a debate about whether the World Cup winner should remain England’s red-ball gloveman. Pope completed a composed 81-ball fifty.

But there was little he could do when, on 62, a Naseem Shah delivery climbed off a good length to take the shoulder of his bat and went to Shadab Khan at gully. England suf-fered a fresh collapse after lunch,

losing their last five wickets for 60 runs in 18.3 overs -- a sequence that

started when Yasir bowled Buttler between bat and pad for 38.

England’s players celebrate a dismissal of Pakistan's Babar Azam (left) on the third day of first Test, yesterday.

Pakistan 1st Innings 326England 1st InningsR. Burns lbw b Afridi .......................................... 4D. Sibley lbw b Abbas ........................................ 8J. Root c Rizwan b Yasir Shah ......................... 14B. Stokes b Abbas ............................................... 0O. Pope c Shadab b Naseem Shah ................ 62J. Buttler b Yasir Shah ...................................... 38C. Woakes b Yasir Shah ................................... 19D. Bess c Shafiq b Yasir Shah ............................. 1J. Archer c Rizwan b Shadab Khan ................ 16S. Broad not out ................................................ 29J. Anderson lbw b Shadab Khan ....................... 7Extras (b8, lb4, nb8, w1) ............................... 21Total (all out, 70.3 overs, 329 mins) ... 219Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Burns), 2-12 (Sibley), 3-12 (Stokes), 4-62 (Root), 5-127 (Pope), 6-159 (Buttler), 7-161 (Bess), 8-170 (Woakes), 9-197 (Archer), 10-219 (An-derson)Bowling: Afridi 18-4-51-1 (4nb, 1w); Abbas 15-6-33-2 (3nb); Naseem 16-4-44-1; Yasir 18-2-66-4 (1nb); Shadab 3.3-0-13-2

Pakistan 2nd InningsShan Masood c Buttler b Broad ....................... 0Abid Ali c Woakes b Bess ................................ 20Azhar Ali lbw b Woakes .................................. 18Babar Azam c Stokes b Woakes ...................... 5Asad Shafiq run out (Sibley) ........................... 29Mohammad Rizwan lbw b Stokes ................ 27Shadab Khan lbw b Broad ............................... 15Yasir Shah not out ............................................. 12Shaheen Afridi c Burns b Stokes ...................... 2Mohammad Abbas not out .............................. 0Extras (b4, lb1, nb4) ......................................... 9Total (8 wkts, 44 overs, 208 mins) ..... 137To bat: Naseem ShahFall of wickets: 1-6 (Masood), 2-33 (Abid), 3-48 (Babar), 4-63 (Azhar), 5-101 (Shafiq), 6-120 (Rizwan), 7-122 (Shadab), 8-137 (Afridi)Bowling: Anderson 9-2-34-0 (1nb); Broad 9-3-23-2 (1nb); Archer 5-0-13-0 (1nb); Bess 12-2-40-1; Woakes 5-1-11-2; Stokes 4-1-11-2 (1nb);Match position: Pakistan lead by 244 runs with two second-innings wickets standing

SCOREBOARD

15SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 2020 SPORT

Barcelona take final shot in the dark to save troubled season AFP – MADRID

If Barcelona have been weighed down by the burden of expectation in recent years in the Champions League, they should feel freer than ever ahead of today's last 16, second leg against Napoli.

Few expect an easy passage into the quarter-finals and if they get there, even fewer expect them to survive against Bayern Munich, the tournament’s most convincing team so far, who will surely finish the job against Chelsea in their last-16 tie.

With the advantage of an away goal from the 1-1 draw in Italy in Feb-ruary, Barca would usually feel con-fident against a side that just finished seventh in Serie A, and at the Camp Nou, where they have suffered only one defeat in 58 Champions League games.

But after a miserable end to La

Liga, that flipped a two-point lead over Real Madrid into a five-point deficit, Barcelona resume their European tilt as outsiders, behind Bayern, Juventus, perhaps Atletico Madrid given their favourable draw, and certainly the winner of Real Madrid and Manchester City.

“The fans are running out of patience because we’re not giving them anything,” said Lionel Messi as Barca’s title chase unravelled.

“If we want to fight for the Cham-pions League, a lot has to change because like this, we will lose to Napoli as well.”

The hope might be Barcelona can turn pessimism to their advantage, if the result is a team free of tension, able to view the Champions League as a fresh start after a failed campaign in Spain.

When they capitulated against Roma and Liverpool, Barca’s players

talked about crumbling under pressure, a weakness that has been exposed all too many times since.

The obsession with winning the Champions League and ending what is now a four-year drought both for the club and, crucially, Messi, has been all-consuming.

Domestic success has been shrugged off, with results in Europe proving definitive regardless of what happens elsewhere.

Yet nobody ranks Barcelona among the favourites this time around.

In this format, with only four one-off matches to win, there is perhaps no better year to be clinging to the hope of the unpredictable.

But for a club like Barcelona, it feels a little desperate, a final shot in the dark at the end of a long and tur-bulent year. There should be some-thing more.

Tough to predict favourites for Champions League: Rivaldo

REUTERS – MADRID

The latter stages of this season’s Champions League to be played as a mini-tournament in Lisbon could throw up some surprises, according to former Barcelona forward Rivaldo.

Europe’s flagship club competition was left in limbo in March by the COVID-19 pan-demic but action resumed yesterday with the first of the delayed last-16 ties.

The quarter-finals, which will be decided over one leg rather than the usual two, will begin in Lisbon next Wednesday when Atalanta take on Paris St Germain.

Leipzig face Atletico Madrid the fol-lowing day with the other two last-eight ties taking place next Friday and Saturday.

“As we know, the Champions League is a very tough competition in which we normally can’t determine who the favourites are due to each team’s high qualities,” said Rivaldo.

“Teams arriving at the matches with dif-ferent competitiveness levels, matches without fans in the stands, single matches from quarter finals, all this contributes to preventing me from seeing who the clear favourites are.” Real Madrid face a tough task to reach the last eight as they try to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Manchester City on Friday while Barcelona and Juventus are by no means certain to be involved in the unique format.

Barcelona are 1-1 with Napoli ahead of Saturday’s last 16, second-leg tie at the Nou Camp while Juventus host Olympique Lyonnais later on Friday trailing 0-1 from the first leg.

Even if all the big guns make it through to the quarter-finals, the one-legged nature of the ties means there will be no margin for error, says Rivaldo who won the Cham-pions League with Milan in 2003.

Bundesliga to have shorter winter break next season

REUTERS – BERLIN

The Bundesliga season kicks off on September 18 with champions Bayern Munich taking on Schalke 04 and will only have an 11-day winter break as the German Football League (DFL) adapts the schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DFL yesterday said Bayern would face Schalke in the season opener but should the Bavarians reach the August 23 Champions League final they would be given a few extra days to rest. Borussia Dortmund launch their season a g a i n s t B o r u s s i a Moenchengladbach.

Clubs will have a shorter than usual winter break with the season stopping on December 21 and resuming on Jan 2 to fit in national team obli-gations and matchdays for European competitions. Bundesliga winter breaks in the past were as long as six weeks sometimes.

The last season was interrupted for two months by the pandemic before resuming in May and finishing in late June.

The German Supercup between double winners Bayern and league runners-up Dortmund will be played on September 30.

Riders and officials undergo virus tests before season's restartTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Omar Al Mannai, Vice Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for Longines Hathab show jumping series, yesterday said riders and members of the organising teams have undergone the mandatory coronavirus tests before the restart of the popular competition.

The 10th round of the 12-leg series yesterday success-fully kicked off at Qatar Equestrian Federation’s (QEF) Indoor Arena to complete the season that was stopped in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe.

Al Mannai said yesterday: “The organising committee and our sponsors are committed to completing the show jumping season. We are completing the remaining three rounds after following the strict safety measures issued by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). There is great harmony between our organising teams and MOPH officials as we restart our incomplete season. The Red Crescent Soeciety officials are present at the venue to monitor the proceedings. We are happy to meet all safety measures issued by MOPH.”

Al Mannai said that completing the 2019-20 season is a step forward for the young Qatari riders. He said equestrian will be the second sport to complete it’s season in the country.

He explained that before the resumption of the season, the participating riders had to undergo coronavirus tests. Al Mannai said members of the organising teams also underwent the tests.

“We conducted the tests following the advisory from the Qatar Olympic Committee and the MOPH on safety measures currently being followed in the country. The health and safety of everyone involved with our sport is very important to us,” Al Manani said.

“The organizing committee teams will follow all devel-opments and instructions in the future also,” Al Mannai said.

Al Mannai said strict penalties would be handed out to any individual not adhering to MOPH safety measures announced to tackle the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

“Overall we are pleased to see the progress of the Longine Hathab Series and the improvements made by the riders. We look forward to completing the third season and then launch the fourth edition in October,” Al Mannai said.

No fans are allowed to watch the riders in action. However, the competition is broadcast live on Al Kass S p o r t Channels.

ety measures announced to kle the spread of VID-19 pandemic.“Overall we are pleased

see the progress of thengine Hathab Series andimprovements made byriders. We look forwardcompleting the third

ason and then launch the rth edition in October,”

Mannai said.No fans are

owed to watch e riders inion. However, competitionbroadcast

e on Al Kass p o r tannels.

COMP. (1) SMALL TOUR (T A, SPECIAL TWO PHASES) 110/115CM, PRIZE MONEY QR10,000RK/HORSE/RIDER 1ST PHASE (SECS) 2ND PHASE PRIZE MONEY1: Dusty - Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi 27.32 27.96 QR2,2501: Vlacido - Mohammed Nasser Al Qadi 29.30 27.96 QR2,2503: Hugo Z - Hamad Nasser Al Qadi 29.34 28.45 QR1,5004: Bleu Boy - Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi 32.75 31.07 QR1,0005: Gibria-B - Hamad Nasser Al Qadi 31.97 32.09 QR700

COMP. (2) MEDIUM TOUR (TABLE A, ONE ROUND AGAINST THE CLOCK) 120/130CM. PRIZE MONEY QR 20,000RK/HORSE RIDER TIME (SECS) PRIZE MONEY1: Zorro Z Salman Mohammed Al Emadi 52.06 QR5,0002: Miss Chili Mohammed Saeed Haidan 53.34 QR4,0003: Dubaii Alqaqa Adel Nassar 55.77 QR3,0004: S I E C Lonnie Hamad Nasser Al Qadi 58.51 QR2,0005: What A Pleasure Nasser Al Ghazali 59.70 QR1,400

COMP. (2) MEDIUM TOUR TEAM EVENT, PRIZE MONEY QR20,0001: Team Lusail (Miss Chili - Mohammed Saeed Haidan - 53.34 Secs, S I E C Lonnie - Hamad Nasser Al Qadi - 58.51 secs, Davidoff Du Bois - Mohammed Abdulla Juma - 65.02 secs) 111.85 secs, Prize Money QR10,0002: Team Al Kass (What A Pleasure - Nasser Al Ghazali - 59.70 secs, Verona - Mohammed Khalifa Albaker - 63.59 secs) 123.29 secs, Prize Money QR6,0003: Team ExxonMobil (Argelith Squid - Jaber Rashid Al Amri - 64.64 secs, Andreas SPB Z - Saeed Nasser Al Qadi - 68.24 secs, Eglantine Du Castelet - Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi - 8 faults - 62.33 secs) 132.88 secs, Prize Money QR4,000

CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

Salman Mohammed Al Emadi sealed the day's biggest prize by winning the Medium Tour with Zorro Z as the Longines Hathab Eqestrian series made its comeback after a long break yesterday.

Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi (Dusty) and Mohammed Nasser Al Qadi (Vlacido) were adjudged Small Tour winners while Team Lusail also emerged among the victors as the popular show jumping tour, which offers QR1m in total, resumed after a lapse of four months at the Qatar Equestrian Federation Arena.

Al Emadi emerged winner in the feature event of the day when he clocked a time of 52.06 secs on his 19-year-old gelding. Their flaw-less ride also made the Qatari richer by QR5,000.

Miss Chili, with Mohammed Saeed Haidan in the saddle, com-pleted the same task in 53.34 secs to book the second spot on the podium as he won QR4,000 in prize money.

Alqaqa Adel Nassar won the third place astride Dubaii, his own 12-year-old gelding, to secure a prize of QR3,000 after a ride that lasted 55.77 secs.

Prominent Qatari rider Hamad Nasser Al Qadi finished fourth in 58.51 secs to win QR2,000 as What

A Pleasure, with Nasser Al Ghazali in the saddle, completed the top five with a 59.70 second per-formance which earned him QR1,400.

In yesterday's opening event, both Al Khaldi and Mohammed clocked 27.96 seconds in their respective rounds to bag QR2,250 each. Hugo Z, ridden by Hamad Nasser Al Qadi, finished third in 28.45 secs as he got richer by QR1,500.

Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi (Bleu Boy) was fourth as Hamad once again took to the field, this time on Gibria-B, to finish fifth in the Small Tour competition to win QR1,000 and QR700 respectively.

The Medium Tour team event was won by Team Lusail (Miss Chili - Mohammed Saeed Haidan, S I E C Lonnie - Hamad Nasser Al Qadi, Davidoff Du Bois - Mohammed Abdulla Juma) after

they clocked a time of 111.85 secs. The winners walked away with a prize bag of QR10,000.

Team Al Kass (What A Pleasure - Nasser Al Ghazali, Verona - Mohammed Khalifa Albaker) fin-ished second while Team Exxon-Mobil (Argelith Squid - Jaber Rashid Al Amri, Andreas SPB Z - Saeed Nasser Al Qadi, Eglantine Du Castelet - Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi) won the third place.

The 10th round of the third season of the popular champi-onship is being held under strict guidelines to ensure safety of eve-ryone involved.

All three remaining rounds will take place at the Qatar Equestrian Federation Arena and will feature only the show jumping (Individual and Teams) competitions. Dressage and Future Riders competitions will not take place.

Today, second day of the round, will feature Open and Big Tour (130 - 145cm) competitions.

The Open Class (115 - 125cm) competition will begin at 4.00pm, followed by the latter at 6.45pm

The 11th round will be held on August 14 and 15, while the season will close with the final round which will take place from August 27 to 29.

Longines, ExxonMobil and Salam International are the offi-cial partners of the Tour - which is a brainchild of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

Al Emadi wins Medium Tour with Zorro Z as Longines Hathab series returns

The winners of the Medium Tour, Salman Mohammed Al Emadi receiving his trophy.

Omar Al Mannai

The President of the Ground Jury (show jumping), Longines Hathab Series, Ahmed Younes Bedoui, presenting the award to a joint winner in the Small Tour.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (centre) with team-mates during a practice session. PIC: TWITTER / @FCBARCELONA