FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Al Sadd lived up to the phrase last night when they rallied twice to snatch a tense 3-2 victory over Al Arabi, thanks to quick goals by Baghdad Bounedjah and Santiago Cazorla late in the match.

Leading the match 2-1, Al Arabi were sensing an upset victory over Al Sadd – still unbeaten in the season – but Bounedjah’s 90th minute header and Cazorla’s stunning shot in second minute of stoppage time shocked The Dream Team as The Wolves moved to just one win away from sealing the prestigious QNB Stars League (QSL) title.

With five more rounds to go, Al Sadd, 47 points, retained their 13-point lead over second-placed Al Duhail, who edged Al Gharafa 2-1 earlier in the day.

Yesterday’s Qatar Derby at their backyard was arguably this season’s toughest test for Xavi Hernandez-coached Al Sadd, who went into the game with 63 goals under their belt from 16 outings.

Al Sadd coach Xavi said: “It was a crazy match in which we deserved to win. We respect the

Al Arabi team a lot, but they relied on wasting time throughout the match, and therefore the victory in the last minutes was well deserved.”

He added: “All competitors face Al Sadd with passion and this make challenge tough for us. I am proud of my players for their performance in this match.”

Al Arabi, playing without the supervision of coach Heimir Hallgrimsson – tested positive for coronavirus last week - matched their spirited Amir Cup final performance in which they gave scare to The Wolves before going down fighting 2-1 last December.

Veteran striker Sebastian Soria scored for Al Arabi in the 10th minute, which was can-celled by his former Al Rayyan team-mate Rodrigo Tabata in the 63rd minute. Youssef Msakni regained the lead in the 77th minute before Bounedjah and Cazorla’s heroics secured 15th win of the season for Al Sadd.

The Wolves, missing star striker Akram Afif owing to a two-match ban, started in their traditional attacking style but they were far from their best in the first half. The Dream Team, on the other hand, looked com-posed in their attacks.

Soria smashed a brilliant header after receiving a cross from Mehrdad Keshrazi. The Uruguayan went low to connect the ball from close range giving goalkeeper Meshaal �Aissa Barsham no chance stop the

move. It was Soria’s his first goal of the season.

Al Sadd, dominating the first with 64 per cent of ball pos-session, made several attacks for an equaliser but failed to level the match before half-time. They made at least seven attempts but had only two shots on target in the first half.

Adding to their disap-pointment was a yellow card to coach Xavi for arguing with referee Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim.

Meanwhile, Xavi sent fresh legs in Abdelkarim Hassan and Boualem Khoukhi in the second half, replacing Tarek Salman and Ahmed Suhail respectively. As Al Sadd looked for the equaliser, Msakni was shown a yellow card for a rash challenge against Cazorla, four minutes before the hour mark.

Soon, captain Hasan Al Haydos fired a shot from dis-tance with Al Arabi goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada making a diving save. Moments later, Bounedjah missed a chance as his shot from inside the box went wide with just goalkeeper to beat.

Al Sadd finally earned an equaliser with Tabata’s slight touch in a goalmouth melee, fol-lowing a move led by South Korean star Nam Tae Hee.

Seven minutes after his goal, Xavi replaced Tabata with Jung Woo-young in a double change following a couple of changes by Al Arabi’s assistant coach Elexander Son Freyr.

With 13 minutes remaining, Msakni unleashed a stunning shot from outside the box with the ball landing in the right corner as Al Arabi regained the lead. Barsham made a long dive but he was still far away from the ball.

Soon Al Sadd created a chance but keeper Abunada blocked a shot by Tae-hee before making another impressive save from Bounedjah’s header.

Al Arabi could have doubled the lead in a counter attack but Mohamed Salah Elneel’s attempt missed the target, three minutes before time.

It was when the drama unfolded as Al Sadd fought back with two goals within a span of three minutes.

Al Arabi made a blunder by leaving Bounedjah unmarked as the Algerian headed the ball comfortably – for his 19th goal of the season – following a free hit from Cazorla.

The Spaniard then scored the winner from an angular shot, leaving Al Arabi stunned.

Earlier at Qatar SC Stadium, Mohammed Muntari (19 minute) and Eduardo Pereira Rodrigues – Dudu – (44 minute) goals helped defending champions Al Duhail beat Al Gharafa. Jonathan Kodjia (24 minute) scored for Al Gharafa.

The Red Knights consoli-dated their second spot with 34 points – 7 points clear of third-placed Qatar SC, who will take on Al Wakrah in their Week 17 match today.

Also yesterday, Al Rayyan thrashed Al Kharaitiyat 3-0 at the same venue after goals from Gabriel Mercado (46 + 1), Naif Abdulraheem Alhadhrami (50th minute) and Yacine Brahimi (85th minute).

Al Rayyan jumped to third spot with a tally with 28 points while Al Kharaitiyat remained on the bottom with only 6 points.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: LAST 16 Kick off at 11:00pm Qatar time: SS Lazio vs Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid vs Chelsea

TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2021

England’s WTC hopes hang by hairas India pink-ball Test awaitsWe’ve got a little bit of experience with the pink ball but this is just the second Test in India, the first one in February as well so we don’t know how it is going to behave.

Sport |09English fast bowler James Anderson

Sport

Eleven of the teams in the Doha

Beach Volleyball Cup are ranked on

the FIVB World Tour list led by

Qatar’s Cherif Younousse Samba

and Ahmed Tijan. With three World

Tour medals to their credit in 29

FIVB starts together, Cherif and

Ahmed are ranked 13th

internationally.

FIVB World Tour: Stage set for Doha Beach Volleyball CupTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

A total of 25 teams from 14 countries will be in the field at the FIVB World Tour's Doha Beach Volleyball Cup getting under way today at the Al Gharrafa Beach Complex.

The event kicks off with four pairs advancing to the main draw from the qualification rounds.

Qatar is hosting an FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event for the eighth time and the Doha Beach Vol-leyball Cup is a 1-star men’s-only tournament. Doha will also host a 4-star men’s and women’s event from March 8-12.

Following today's qualifiers, the 16-team main draw for the Doha Beach Volleyball Cup begins with pool play tomorrow. The top three finishers in each of the four groups will advance to the elimination bracket where two rounds will be played on Thursday.

Friday’s schedule features the semi-final and medal matches.

Eleven of the teams in the Doha Beach Volleyball Cup are ranked on the FIVB World Tour list led by Qatar’s Cherif Younousse Samba and Ahmed Tijan. With three World Tour

medals to their credit in 29 FIVB starts together, Cherif and Ahmed are ranked 13th internationally.

Six other teams in the Doha Beach Volleyball Cup field have FIVB medals to their credit, including Anton Kislytsyn/Daniil Kuvichka and Alexey Gusev/Pavel Shustrov of Russia, Yves Haussener/Quentin Metral of Switzerland, Murat Gig-inoglu/Volkan Gogtepe and Selcuk Sekerci/Sefa Urlu of Turkey and Travis Mewhirter/Adam Roberts of

the United States.Also competing in the Doha

Beach Volleyball Cup are Jackson Henriquez and Jesus Villafañe of Venezuela, who competed in one World Tour event together since their last full season on the interna-tional circuit in 2016.

Henriquez and Villafañe will start play in the qualifier on Tuesday as all five FIVB confederations are scheduled to have teams competing in the event - Asia (Lebanon, Oman,

Qatar), Africa (Gambia, Egypt, Morocco), Europe (Poland, Russia, Switzerland), NORCECA (Canada and the United States) and South America (Venezuela).

The last World Tour event was played this past September in Lithuania where teams from Estonia (Kusti Nolvak Mart Tiisaar) and Italy (Margherita Bianchin/Claudia Scampoli) topped the men’s and women’s podiums, respectively.

Qatar's Cherif Younousse trains ahead of the Doha Beach Volleyball Cup at Al Gharafa Beach yesterday.

QSL: Sensational Al Sadd win thriller against Al Arabi, inch closer to title

YESTERDAY'S RESULTSAl Gharafa 1-2 Al Duhail

Al Kharaitiyat 0-3 Al RayyanAl Sadd 3-2 Al ArabiTODAY'S FIXTURES

Al Ahli vs Umm SalalAt Al Ahli Stadium (16:45)

Al Sailiya vs Al KhorAt Al Ahli Stadium (19:15)Al Wakrah vs Qatar SC

At Al Arabi Stadium (19:15)

Al Sadd's Samtiago Cazorla and Ahmed

Fathi Abdoulla vie for the ball during their

QNB Stars League match played at Al Sadd

Stadium yesterday.

Al Duhail's Dudu and AL Gharafa's Ahmed Mohamed Alganehi in action during their Round 17 match at Al Gharafa Stadium yesterday.

REUTERS – MANCHESTER

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he is surprised with his side’s stellar form while other Premier League teams are dropping points but believes their unbeaten streak will be broken one day.

City are on an 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions fol-lowing Sunday’s 1-0 win at Arsenal and have taken control of the title race with a 10-point lead at the top of the table.

Guardiola’s side, who suffered their last defeat in November, have 59 points from 25 games after Raheem Sterling’s early goal handed them their 13th successive league victory.

“The record will be broken one day, we will lose games,” Guardiola said after the win at the Emirates Stadium.

“I’m surprised and impressed and so when everyone is suffering in this world, all the teams in the league are dropping points, we

were consistent over the past two months. People talk and talk about the record and the victories but to do this you have to win these types of games many, many times.”

Guardiola said City’s record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who has not played since Jan. 3 due to a combination of injuries and COVID-19, was edging closer to

a return. “I’m looking forward to putting him in the side,” the Spaniard said. “We cannot forget that he was a long time injured and you only get rhythm when you play minutes.

“As soon as I can, he will play because he deserves it and I want it. I want to say for him to keep working hard because his time is coming.”

11TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2021 SPORT

It’s a big test. They’re an

experienced club at this level, (have)

an experienced coach. Hopefully it

brings out the best in us. We’ll do

things our way, they’ll do things

their way. It’s clear what you get

when you play Atletico - fighting,

experience, a team with a good

mentality: Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel

The lack of Champions League experience? I

think we can cope with it. Matches like the one

tomorrow night are why we love football so

much: Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi

City’s unbeaten record will be broken one day: Guardiola

We need to be alert from the start against Lazio, says Bayern’s FlickREUTERS – MUNICH

Bayern Munich will be alert from the start of their Champions League last 16 first leg at Lazio today to avoid the mistakes they made in their recent two Bundesliga games, coach Hansi Flick said yesterday.

Bayern have won six titles in the past nine months but have stumbled in their last two league matches with a 3-3 draw against visiting Arminia Bielefeld and a 2-1 defeat on Saturday by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Both times Bayern fell two goals behind and had to battle their way back into the game, as has so often

been the case this season. “We know what has happened in the past days,” Flick said on the two matches last week. “Against Lazio I want us to be there as a team from the start.

“We have an idea of how we want to play and we have to do that from the start.”

Flick, who is missing several key players to injury or COVID-19 infec-tions including Corentin Tolisso and Thomas Mueller, needs some good news after seeing a seven-point lead in the Bundesliga slashed to two in less than a week.

“I will not be using any excuses. The first half against Bielefeld and

against Frankfurt were not good. But we can be satisfied with the second half,” Flick said.

“When the Champions League starts we have to be in top form. But looking at the past weeks there has been a lot of matches, a lot of strain on the team and some players missing.”

Bayern won the Club World Cup earlier this month before returning from Qatar for two league games in six games and then a trip to Rome this week.

“I am positive. It is a special game and I expect that the team is especially motivated,” Flick added.

Atletico can bring out the best in Chelsea, says TuchelREUTERS

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel expects today's Champions League last-16 first leg meeting with La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid to be a massive test of his team’s mental strength, the German said on Monday.

Chelsea are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions since Tuchel was named as manager to replace club great Frank Lampard, but he said the Londoners will have to be at their best against Diego Simeone’s battling side.

“It’s a big test. They’re an expe-rienced club at this level, (have) an experienced coach. Hopefully it brings out the best in us,” Tuchel told a news conference.

“We’ll do things our way, they’ll do things their way. It’s clear what you get when you play Atletico - fighting, experience, a team with a good mentality.” Tuchel will be without experienced defender Thiago Silva with the Brazilian recovering from a knock but mid-fielder Kai Havertz and forward Christian Pulisic are in contention.

Atletico were due to host the match in Madrid before it was moved to Romania’s National Arena as Spain banned arrivals from Britain, with the exception of pas-sengers who are residents or cit-izens of Spain or Andorra, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Yeah, it’s a disadvantage for Atletico to lose their home ground,” Tuchel added.

Tuchel hauled off Callum Hudson-Odoi after bringing on the England international as a substitute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at South-ampton but the manager said the winger would travel to Bucharest for the game.

“We decided to speak to him in front of the group. Was it the right decision? I don’t know. We did it in front of a group because it’s not a big thing,” Tuchel said of his decision in the Southampton game.

Bayern ‘almost unplayable’ but Lazio capable of causing upset: InzaghiREUTERS – ROME

Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi conceded that Bayern Munich are almost unplayable ahead of the two sides’ Champions League last 16 first leg in Rome today, but believes his team are still capable of springing a surprise.

The holders travel to Italy having won six titles in the past nine months, while pro-gressing to the knockout phase of this sea-son’s competition after amassing 16 points from a possible 18 in the group stage.

However, Inzaghi believed his side can cause an upset.

“We know that they are almost unplayable, but even in the past we started underdogs and then surprised everyone,” Inzaghi told a news conference.

“We are mature, we have played many finals in addition to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. We will try to do our best as we always have.

“The lack of Champions League expe-rience? I think we can cope with it. Matches like the one tomorrow night are why we love football so much.” One ray of hope for Inzaghi has been Bayern’s form since returning from their Club World Cup success in Qatar earlier this month.

While Lazio have won seven of their last eight Serie A games, Bayern drew against Arminia Bielefeld and lost to Eintracht Frankfurt in their past two Bundesliga matches.

“Bayern have just become world cham-pions, but in the last two league games they have had a draw and a defeat,” the Italian coach added. “Previously, though, they had won six in a row.

“More than Bayern’s weaknesses, I’m working on Lazio’s strengths. We want to cling to the qualification in any way we can."

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

As part of the Digital Learning series, Qatar Football Association and ASEAN Football Federation will hold a second workshop starting today until Thursday, aiming to raise awareness of – and to combat – fraud, match fixing and illegal betting activities that distort the integrity of football.

The series takes place within the context of strengthening cooperation and activating the Memorandum of Understanding between the football federations, as well as reflecting the urgent need to share knowledge on the latest developments in this area.

This is the second consecutive webinar to be held by the QFA, with the participation of all 12 AFF Member Associations. Like the first, it is part of a new digital education series developed in partnership with the AFF in 2019. It is expected that 2021 will see further joint projects, including a

number of workshops and webinars, within the framework of this agreement.

The webinar program includes several lectures to be delivered by a group of internationally known experts in this field. These lectures will focus on the importance of understanding the global impact of match fixing. Addi-tionally, it will promote skills in reporting related issues, raise awareness of the threats posed by sports betting to international football, and propose solutions including enhanced information exchange and well-defined common goals.

The second day of the webinar will discuss the security and safety of sporting events, during which partic-ipants will study examples from the English Premier League – providing insights that will help in managing policy and building supportive rela-tionships in leading institutions. In addition, it will discuss the means of

interaction and enable responsible teamwork between all interested parties, including clubs and supporters’ associations – not least in the area of securing safe access routes for people with special needs.

On its third day, the webinar will shed light on Qatar’s experience in Organising International Football Tournaments in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the precautionary measures it took to guarantee the success of several football events in spite of the pandemic.

The webinar will bring together

senior members of each organization, as well as representatives from Aus-tralia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.

Saoud Al Mohannadi, QFA’s Vice-President said, “Qatar Football Asso-ciation and the ASEAN Football Fed-eration are honoured to organise this series of webinars. We are thrilled to work together, once again, to progress our plans for promoting mutual con-sensus on the importance of capacity building in the ASEAN football sector, especially during COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The second webinar in this series emphasises the importance of interna-tional cooperation in all economic sectors, including the sports industry. That’s why it is crucial to create an opportunity for many football federa-tions to interact, learn from each other and enhance their ability to overcome

this pandemic. It is a unique opportunity to strengthen relations and pave the way for future cooperation between the QFA and the ASEAN Football Feder-ation,” Al Mohannadi said.

AFF President Major General Khiev Sameth said: “We also look forward to the session on Qatar’s experience in organizing international events during the pandemic which will further enhance the competition’s safe man-agement measures put in place by our Member Associations. Their excellent organization of the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this month is testament to their exceptional ability to manage a major event under challenging condi-tions. I am confident with the world-class speakers we have over the next three days, this webinar will be another successful session. I would like to thank Qatar FA and the officials from QFA and AFF who were involved in organ-izing this online workshop series,” Sameth said.

Chelsea players leaving for Madrid yesterday ahead of their Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid. PIC: TWITTER/@CHELSEAFC

QFA, ASEAN Football Federation hold 2nd Digital Learning webinar

Thomas Tuchel

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring their first goal against Arsenal in their Premier League match on Monday.

Bayerm Munich players taking part

in a practice session ahead of today's

Champions League match against Lazio.

PIC: TWITTER/@FCBAYERN

Analysis

Djokovic right to focus on Federer, Nadal and Slams

10 TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2021SPORT

Australian Open champion Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses with the trophy during a photo shoot at Brighton Beach in Melbourne yesterday. Djokovic won his Australian Open crown on Sunday.

AP - MELBOURNE

It didn’t take long for Novak Djokovic to make his intentions clear: All that matters to him from here on out is catching Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam standings.

Forget about winning other, run-of-the-mill tournaments or playing enough to retain the No. 1 ranking.

There is one, primary goal for the 33-year-old from Serbia. He wants to keep adding to his 18 major championships - he reached that number with No. 9 at the Australian Open on Sunday - until he no longer trails Federer and Nadal, who share the men’s record of 20.

“They’ve made history already. They made a tremendous mark in our sport,” Djokovic said. “Whether I think about winning more Slams and breaking records? Of course, I do. And most of my attention and my energy from this day forward, until I retire from tennis, is going to be directed (at) majors, trying to win more major trophies.”

Which is perfectly fine. There is no need for pretence.And there is absolutely no requirement that he show up to

compete more often than he really wants or in places other than where he really wants. If all that matters to Djokovic from a tennis standpoint is accumulating Slams, and playing less frequently will also protect his body - he had surgery on his right elbow three years ago; his 2021 Australian Open nearly was derailed by what he said was a torn abdominal muscle - that is his prerogative.

It isn’t much different from what Federer himself or 23-time major champion Serena Williams, for that matter, have done for years.

“I think 99.9% of players - kids that get a racket in their hands - start dreaming about what they want to achieve. It’s a Grand Slam, winning a major,” Djokovic explained after his commanding performance in a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final at Melbourne Park.

“I mean, I don’t feel like I’m old or tired or anything like that,” he said. “But I know that biologically and realistically, things are different than they were 10 years ago for me.”

CONNECTED TO THAT: His latest triumph at the Australian Open came with the additional bonus of assuring a stay atop the ATP rankings until at least March 8.

That is when he will reach 311 weeks at No. 1 for his career, one more than Federer’s total, another aim Djokovic made clear mattered to him.

“When you are going for No. 1 rankings, you kind of have to be playing the entire season, and you have to be playing well; you have to play all the tournaments. My goals will adapt and will shift a little bit, which means that I will have to adjust, also, my cal-endar,” Djokovic said. “Not have to, but I will have an opportunity to do that, which, as a father and a husband, I’m really looking forward to.”

One part of the calculus is that no one knows, of course, whether Federer, who hasn’t played in more than a year after two knee operations and turns 40 in August, or Nadal, 34, will win more majors - or how many more.

It bears repeating that until Federer, Nadal and Djokovic came along, no man had won more than Pete Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam titles.

Here we are, less than 20 years after Sampras retired, and he’s been surpassed by a trio of men, and by a lot of majors.

“We’re talking about some Cyborgs of tennis, in a good way,” Medvedev said, referring to the longevity and unprecedented success of the guys known as the Big Three. “They’re just unbelievable.”

Djokovic’s coach, 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivani-sevic, predicted Nadal will claim “one more, maybe two” cham-pionships at the French Open, where he collected a 13th last October.

That is the only instance of a man owning more singles titles from one major than Djokovic’s haul in Australia. Federer’s high is eight at Wimbledon.

All have career Grand Slams.“Roger and Rafa inspire me. That’s something that I’ve said

before. I’ll say it again. I mean, I think as long as they go, I’ll go,” Djokovic said.

“In a way, it’s like a race (of) who plays tennis more, I guess, and who wins more. It’s a competition between us in all areas. But I think that’s the very reason why we are who we are, because we do drive each other, we motivate each other, we push each other to the limit.”

Wilander, Laver applaud Djokovic's win in AustraliaREUTERS - SYDNEY

Novak Djokovic’s “unbe-lievable” performance to win his ninth Australian Open final was a statement to the young guns looking to break the stran-glehold of the “Big Three” on Grand Slam titles, according to seven-times major winner Mats Wilander.

Arguments over which of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal or Djokovic are the greatest men’s champion of all time might rage long after they hang up their rackets, but at Melbourne Park’s Rod Laver Arena the Serbian is in a class of his own.

Djokovic on Sunday brushed aside a month of con-troversy and a painful muscle tear in his abdomen to thrash Russian young gun Daniil Medvedev in straight sets and extend his own record for titles won on the famous blue carpet.

“Brilliant work on another Australian title,” Rod Laver, the Australian after whom the stadium court is named, said in message to Djokovic on Twitter.

“Under so much pressure in such difficult times. You con-tinue to show the world what a great champion you are. There was no doubt in your mind tonight - Daniil felt the full force of your will. Sublime 9!”

Medvedev was the brightest of the younger talents looking to break into the Grand Slam winners’ circle in Melbourne this year and reached the final on the back of a 20-match winning streak that included victories over the best players in the game.

The 25-year-old Russian was made to look plain ordinary by Djokovic in the final, however, as the Serbian

showcased his incredible mental strength and a bewil-dering array of shots.

“It was an unbelievable per-formance,” Swede Wilander told Eurosport. “That’s a huge statement to (the next gener-ation), to us, to the whole world. Novak is just so complete these days, he can hit those little drop shots, he can come to the net, he’s got choices.”

Former US Open champion Andy Roddick was not always a big fan of Djokovic the man - once almost coming to blows with him in the dressing room - but was left in awe of his per-formance at Melbourne Park.

“Djoker is so good,” the American posted on Twitter.

“He’s routined great, great players at the Aussie Open over the years. There is nowhere to attack him on the court. It’s like not being able to hit a boxer, but that boxer also has knockout power in both hands. Props.”

Australian Open champion Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses with the trophy during a photo shoot at Brighton Beach.

Australian Open beats the odds to lay out a blueprintREUTERS - SYDNEY

Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic were rightly hailed as deserved Australian Open champions at the weekend but the ashen-faced former tennis coach standing behind them on the podium might be considered the real hero of the year’s first Grand Slam.

Tournament director Craig Tiley and his Tennis Australia team faced down sizeable odds to get the tour-nament up and running, albeit by the skin of their teeth at times, while much of the world was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At the beginning, I think there were many people who doubted we could pull it off,” South African Tiley told reporters in Melbourne yesterday.

“We can look back on it now as a highly successful event in the circum-stances. I believe in the coming month, there will be a realisation of the extent of what we managed to achieve in pulling off what we did.”

In a project unique in the annals of sport, more than 1,000 players and support staff were flown to Australia on charter flights from around the world and quarantined for 14 days from mid-January.

Melbourne is the biggest city in the state of Victoria, which had endured

one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world to all but eradicate community trans-mission of COVID-19.

Perhaps Tiley’s greatest achievement was to convince a local government determined to keep the virus out of the state to let the players in, and to allow crowds to watch them.

The tournament survived the infection of one of the quar-antine hotel workers only five days before it was due to start, but only after everyone in the tennis cohort had been tested for the virus again.

Crowds were present for just five days of action until Victoria went into a snap lockdown in response to a small outbreak of the variant of the virus asso-ciated with Britain.

“BLUEPRINT”The fans returned in reduced

numbers from last Thursday, however, and were present in suffi-cient numbers to create an atmosphere at the weekend’s finals.

Tiley believes that the Australian Open has now set an example that other sports events - including the Tokyo Olympics - can follow, but only if they make a commitment to some form of quarantine.

“This was the first time since the start of the pandemic began that there was a sport and entertainment event that had crowds (and) had every top player bar a few that couldn’t make it,” he added. “I think it is a blueprint that works, it requires more resources and more time, but that’s a commitment that you have to make.”

The 14 days of quarantine

prompted an outpouring of complaints from players. Most were allowed out to train for five hours a day but 72 were forced into total lockdown after pas-sengers on their flights tested positive for COVID-19.

The stress of fulfilling his mas-terplan was clearly etched on Tiley’s face during the weekend’s trophy cer-emonies and he revealed the toll it had

taken on him in an interview with local media on Sunday.

In order to assuage athletes not used to confinement, Tiley had com-mitted to spending hours on Zoom calls each day listening to their concerns.

“I got abused on the calls. It was significant,” Tiley told Australian Asso-ciated Press (AAP). “Normally when you take heat, you take it once. This was 15 straight days. It’s like being attacked for 15 straight days, verbally.”

Tennis Australia also ran up a huge financial bill for putting on the tour-nament, especially after the snap lockdown robbed them of crowds in the middle weekend - usually the busiest of the fortnight.

Tiley said Tennis Australia’s cash reserves of A$80m ($62.96m) had been exhausted and the governing body had taken out a loan to get them through to next year.

Prize money may drop a little in 2022, Tiley suggested, but there was no doubt the Australian Open would be back.

“We started planning it a week ago... 2022 is going to be a magnificent year,” he said. “If we’re still in a version of the pandemic, we’ll be well prepared for that. Any single thing you could list that could happen to an event, we had it these last two weeks.”

Australian Open champion Japan’s

Naomi Osaka poses with the trophy next to

Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia during a photo

shoot at the Royal Botanic Gardens

Victoria on Sunday.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Age: 33 (1987.05.22)

Turned Pro: 2003

Weight: 170lbs(77kg)

Height: 6'2"(188cm)

Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia

Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Plays: Right-Handed, Two-Handed

Backhand

Coach: Marian Vajda, Goran

Ivanisevic

Titles: 82

Prize Money Singles & Doubles

combined: $147,751,252

Win-loss: 943-192

REUTERS – MUMBAI

England must register their first win in a pink-ball Test abroad if they are to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for this year’s World Test Championship final when they face-off against India at the world’s largest cricket stadium from tomorrow.

New Zealand have already booked their spot for the inau-gural WTC final to be held at Lord’s later this year, leaving India, England and Australia vying for the other.

The four-Test series between India and England is currently tied at 1-1 at the halfway stage and Joe Root’s men will need to win the remaining matches to qualify.

The task appears a tad simpler for Virat Kohli’s side, with the hosts needing to win at least one Test and avoid defeat in the other.

Australia’s cancelled trip to South Africa means that Tim Paine’s side are dependent on India and England and would need a drawn series or a 2-1 win

in favour of the touring side to set up a WTC final clash against their trans-Tasman rivals.

England have slightly more experience of playing day-night Tests than their hosts but do not have an exemplary record outside their home comforts.

They beat West Indies at Bir-mingham but lost in Adelaide and Auckland and the Feb. 24-28 Test under floodlights at Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium will be their fourth outing.

The refurbished stadium, with a capacity of 110,000, has displaced the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the world’s largest for cricket and will be the venue for the remaining Tests.

Local authorities have allowed 50% capacity for the day-night match - only the second in India after the one against neighbouring Bang-ladesh at Eden Garden in Kolkata in 2019.

India won that match in a little over two days but suffered a defeat in their next one against Australia in Adelaide, where they also suffered the ignominy of

posting their lowest ever Test innings of 36.

Players from both sides said last week that the sample size of day-night Test matches was too small to arrive at any conclusion on the behaviour of the pink ball.

Seamer James Anderson, England’s most prolific bowler, said he felt the pink ball swung a bit more in the air during

practice than the traditional red one.

“We’ve got a little bit of experience with the pink ball but this is just the second Test in India, the first one in February as well so we don’t know how it is going to behave,” the 38-year-old told reporters.

“The bowlers who get the ball in their hand come the Test match

will be hopeful of it doing some-thing and we’ll be hopeful that it gives us a little bit of an edge.

“Obviously, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed if I do play and we bowl first, I’ll be hoping it does a little bit.” England are expected to welcome back Anderson after resting him during the defeat in the second Test in Chennai as part of their

much-debated rotation policy while fit-again speedster Jofra Archer will also be available for selection.

The hosts will also receive a boost with the return of rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah while senior fast bowler Ishant Sharma is expected to play his 100th Test match during the day-night affair.

09TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2021 SPORT

Aspire Academy launches insightful series featuring starsTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Aspire Academy through its widely acclaimed initiative, Aspire In The World Fellows, launched a bi-weekly programme, named Player Insight, yesterday.

The opening show aired yesterday afternoon featured Leonardo Bonucci, the Italian national team and Juventus FC centre-back.

Speaking about the programme, Aspire Academy Director of Football Performance and Science, Professor Valter Di Salvo spelt out the aim, saying, “Player Insight is a programme within Aspire in the World Fellows project with the goal to let the players express their point of view on the game of football, providing an insight on training methodologies, competition exposure and their overall experiences and feelings on the beautiful game.”

Kicking of the series with a stalwart defender like Leonardo Bonucci indicateds the punch and gravitas packed in this new addition to the hugely successful, “Aspire in the World Fellows” platform. Bonucci is recognised as one of the best defenders in world football and was part of the Juventus team that won six consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2017.

The defender has had a colourful international career playing at two FIFA World Cups (2010 and 2014) as well as finishing with a runners-up medal at 2012 European Champion-ships. Leonardo Bonucci the hard-tackling defender is a worthy star player to kick off the latest production from world-renowned Aspire Academy.

Player Insight first episode was broadcasted on both AlKass Sports

Channels One HD Arabic and English, on Aspire Fellows website, Aspire Academy social media platforms and other local and international sports channels.

Aspire In The World Fellows is a programme launched by Aspire Academy in 2014 with the goal to

embrace, gather and lead the best practitioners in world youth football in consolidating and developing the knowledge pool in the world of football performance and science. The activity leans on the cornerstone of Aspire Academy Global Summit and Fellows Gatherings.

As well as regular gatherings in Doha and events in Europe to develop their ideas, members are supported by a cutting-edge online portal enabling the spread of best practice, trends and the latest thinking. Taken together, the various elements of the community’s activity provide a powerful platform to support the broader development of football around the world.

The Fellows web-based platform (https://fellows.aspire.qa/) serves the purpose of fostering ongoing debate and discussion amongst Aspire Fellows. The platform also enables the Fellows to share content on their own Club/National Team training meth-odologies, application of technology, research and other relevant sources of information. Through this tool, the Community is able to continue working throughout the year on defined topics.

New ZealandM. Guptill c Agar b Sams .................................................. 0

T. Seifert b J.Richardson .................................................... 1

K. Williamson c Wade b Sams .......................................12

D. Conway not out ...........................................................99

G. Phillips c Marsh b Stoinis ........................................... 30

J. Neesham c Wade b J.Richardson .............................. 26

M. Santner not out .............................................................7

Extras (lb3, w4, b2) .........................................................9

Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) ...........................184Did not bat: Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent

Boult.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-11, 3-19, 4-93, 5-140

Bowling: Sams 4-0-40-2 (w1), Zampa 3-0-20-0, J. Rich-

ardson 4-0-31-2 (w1), K. Richardson 4-0-42-0, Agar 2-0-

20-2, Stoinis 2-0-17-1, Maxwell 1-0-9-0

AustraliaM. Wade c Williamson b Boult......................................12

A. Finch c Conway b Southee ........................................... 1

J. Philippe c Conway b Boult.............................................2

M. Marsh c Santner b Jamieson .................................... 45

G. Maxwell c Neesham b Southee ................................... 1

M. Stoinis c&b Sodhi ..........................................................8

A. Agar c Jamieson b Sodhi .......................................... 23

D. Sams c Jamieson b Sodhi ............................................. 1

J. Richardson st Seifert b Santner ...................................11

K. Richardson c Neesham b Sodhi ..................................5

A. Zampa not out ........................................................... 13

Extras (lb1, w 7, nb1) ........................................................9

Total (10 wickets; 17.3 overs) ...................... 131Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-8, 3-16, 4-19, 5-56, 6-98, 7-99,

8-99, 9-108, 10-131

Bowling: Southee 3-0-10-2 (1w), Boult 3-0-22-2 (2w),

Jamieson 3-0-32-1 (1w), Neesham 1-0-9-0, Sodhi 4-0-28-

4 (1nb), Santner 3.3-0-29-1 (3w)

Result: New Zealand win by 53 runs

Series: New Zealand lead the five-match series 1-0

SCOREBOARD

Conway powers NZ to big win over AustraliaREUTERS – CHRISTCHURCH

Devon Conway rescued New Zealand from a precarious start with a scintillating unbeaten 99 as the hosts defeated Australia by 53 runs in the opener of their five-match Twenty20 series in Christchurch yesterday.

Walking in to bat at 11-2, the left-hander smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 59-ball knock to help New Zealand reach 184-5 in their 20 overs after Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to bowl.

Australia’s top-order batsmen failed to counter the pace duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult to be reduced to 19-4 in their chase, with Conway making his presence felt even more with two catches.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh provided some resistance with a 33-ball 45 but it was not enough for the touring side, who were bundled out for 131 as leg-spinner Ish Sodhi mopped up the lower order with 4-28.

Yesterday’s series opener was the first international

played under lights at the Hagley Oval and it started after a minute’s silence was observed to mark the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake that killed 185 people.

Fast bowler Daniel Sams sent Martin Guptill back without scoring and then dis-missed New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson for 12 to reduce the hosts to 19-3 inside the first four overs.

“The key from there was just trying to stay positive throughout,” said Conway. “When I’m positive I’m at my best so trying not to think too far ahead, try and play good cricket shots and build partner-ships at the end.” South African-born Conway steadied the innings with a 74-run stand for the fourth wicket with Glenn Phillips, who made 30, and then raised the tempo with some lusty hits towards the end.

He was on 98 on the final delivery of the innings but failed to complete a second run, hitting it straight to the fielder patrolling the boundary.

The second match will be played at Dunedin on Thursday.

INDIA VS ENGLANDINDIA - World ranking: 2 Coach: Ravi Shastri, Captain: Virat Kohli Squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

ENGLAND - World ranking: 4 Coach: Chris Silverwood, Captain: Joe Root Squad: Joe Root, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

England’s WTC hopes hang by hair as India pink-ball Test awaits

Vaas quits as bowling coach days after appointmentREUTERS – COLOMBO

Sri Lanka’s former pace spearhead Chaminda Vaas has resigned as the team’s fast bowling coach for the tour of West Indies hours before their departure to the Caribbean over his remuneration, the coun-try’s cricket board said yesterday.

Vaas, who retired from interna-tional cricket in 2009 having claimed 355 wickets from 111 Tests, was appointed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) only on Friday and announced his resignation effective March 26.

He will not be available to tour West Indies as a member of the support staff, the board added, and described Vaas’ decision as “irresponsible.”

“It’s particularly disheartening to note that in an economic climate such as the one facing the globe now, Vaas has made this sudden and irresponsible move on the eve of the team’s departure based on personal monetary gain,” SLC said in a statement.

SLC said Vaas had resorted to “holding the administration, the cricketers and the game at ransom” by resigning citing the administra-tion’s refusal to accede to an “unjus-tifiable demand for an increased USD remuneration”.

Vaas is a contracted employee of SLC and worked as the fast bowling coach at their high-per-formance centre before replacing Australian David Saker with the senior team.

Sri Lanka play three Twenty20 and three one-day internationals plus two Tests - all behind closed doors in Antigua from March 3.

Meanwhile, SLC also announced that pacer Lahiru Kumara has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team’s tour.

Kumara, 24, is likely to miss the limited-overs leg of the tour, which begins on March 3.

“Following PCR Tests carried out on the squad...Lahiru Kumara has tested positive for COVID-19. He was detected during PCR Tests carried out yesterday,” the SLC said in a statement.

New Zealand's Devon Conway is congratulated by team-mate Jimmy Neesham after he reached his half century against Australia during the opening T20 match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday. Pic: Twitter/@BLACKCAPS

A groundsman works on the field

at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad,

India, where India and England are

scheduled to play their third

Test match from tomorrow.

PSL: Zaman, Hafeez shine as Lahore crush Quetta by 9 wicketsAP – KARACHI

Twenty20 internationals Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez smashed half-centuries as Lahore Qalandars thumped Quetta Gladiators by nine wickets in the Pakistan Super League yesterday.

Left-handed opener Fakhar made 82 off 52 balls and 41-year-old Hafeez hit a blistering 73 off just 33 balls in Lahore’s strong run-chase of 179-1 with 10 balls to spare.

Both batsmen were dropped but raised a 115-run, match-winning stand off only 58 balls.

Hafeez smashed six sixes and five fours that included the winning boundary against Mohammad Hasnain through the covers to hand Quetta its second successive loss in the six-team event.

“The ball was coming nicely onto the bat and we always knew we will chase it down,” Lahore captain Sohail Akhtar said. “Hafeez and Fakhar paced the run chase very well and it was an outstanding performance.”

Earlier, after being put into bat, Lahore let veteran Chris Gayle (68) off the hook twice before he anchored Quetta to 178-6.

Gayle, dropped in the 20s by Agha Salman at deep mid-wicket, hit five fours and five sixes before Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan clean bowled him in the 15th over.

Gayle shared 101-run stand with captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who returned to some batting form with 40 off 31 balls before getting a top edge off a mistimed pull against fast bowler Haris Rauf, who took 3-38.

Brief scores:Quetta Gladiators 178 for 6 (Gayle 68, Sarfaraz 40, Rauf

3-38) lost to Lahore Qalandars: 179 for 1 (Zaman 82 not out, Hafeez 73 not out) by nine wickets

Lahore Qalanders' Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez greet each others after wining the match yesterday.

Pic: Twitter/@TheRealPCB

08TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2021SportNBA: Pelicans rally past Celtics as Nets notch up another winREUTERS — NEW YORK

Brandon Ingram scored 33 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 34.4 seconds left in overtime, as the host New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 24-point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics 120-115 on Sunday.

Zion Williamson had 28 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the largest comeback in New Orleans history, while Josh Hart had 17 points with 10 rebounds and Lonzo Ball scored 16 for the Pelicans.

Jayson Tatum scored 32 for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown had 25, Tristan Thomson and Kemba Walker added 14 each and Aaron Nesmith had 10.

Brown made a layup to give Boston a 112-111 lead with 1:12 left in overtime and Ingram tied it with a free throw and added a 3-pointer to give the Pelicans a 115-112 lead. Walker missed a 3-pointer and Hart hit two free throws for a five-point lead with 18.6 seconds left as New Orleans closed it out.

Brooklyn Nets 112 - Los Angeles Clippers 108

James Harden had 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Brooklyn won its sixth consecutive contest, knocking off over host Los Angeles to complete a five-game road trip.

Kyrie Irving scored 28 points with eight assists as the Nets improved to 7-0 against the Pacific Division this season. Joe Harris, DeAndre Jordan and Bruce Brown scored 13 each for the Nets. Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant (hamstring) missed his fourth straight game.

The Nets lost forward Jeff Green with an apparent shoulder injury with 2:50 remaining.

Paul George had 34 points and seven rebounds but sat out the game’s crucial minutes down the stretch while on a minutes restriction. Kawhi Leonard had 29 points with five 3-pointers and 13 rebounds, while Ivica Zubac

finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Milwaukee Bucks 128 - Sacramento Kings 115

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a double-double by halftime and he combined with Khris Middleton for 70 of host Milwaukee’s points in t h e v i c t o r y o v e r Sacramento.

Antetokounmpo finished with a game-high 38 points and 18 rebounds, while adding four assists. Middleton fin-ished with 32 points, while shooting 13 of 22 from the field and adding eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. The Bucks won their second consecutive game after snapping a five-game losing streak.

Sacramento dropped its seventh consecutive game and played without leading scorer Harrison Barnes (left foot strain) for the third con-secutive game.

Rookie Tyrese Haliburton led the Kings with 23 points,

while adding eight assists and five rebounds and was one of six Sacramento players to score in double figures.

Orlando Magic 105 - Detroit Pistons 96

Nikola Vucevic poured in 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as host Orlando topped Detroit for its third consecutive win.

Vucevic, who was coming off a 30-point triple-double Friday against the Golden State Warriors, was 14 of 27 from the field.

Evan Fournier supplied 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Terrence

Ross added 17 points off the bench.

Oklahoma City Thunder 117 - Cleveland Cavaliers 101

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lift Oklahoma City over host Cleveland, while the Thun-der’s bench played a big role, as Hamidou Diallo scored 15 points and Mike Muscala added 13.

It was just the second victory in the last eight games for the Thunder and snapped a three-game losing streak, saving them from a second consecutive winless three-game road trip.

New York Knicks 103 - Minnesota Timberwolves 99

Julius Randle hit the tying and go-ahead free throws with 32 seconds remaining as host New York squandered a 21-point third-quarter lead before coming back to defeat Minnesota.

The Knicks were out-scored 33-11 over a nearly 13-minute span beginning late

in the third quarter before Randle’s free throws. He fin-ished with a team-high 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won four of five. RJ Barrett scored 21 points while Burks added 13.

The Timberwolves announced after the game that coach Ryan Saunders had been fired. He had a 43-94 record in parts of three seasons as head coach. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a game-high 27 points and 15 r e b o u n d s f o r t h e Timberwolves.

Toronto Raptors 110 - Philadelphia 76ers 103

Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam each scored 23 points as Toronto defeated visiting Philadelphia at Tampa.

Chris Boucher scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter off the bench for the Raptors, who have won four straight. Norman Powell added 11 points and OG Anunoby had 10.

Ben Simmons scored 28 points for the 76ers, who have lost 16 straight regular-season road games against Toronto. Joel Embiid added 25 points and 17 rebounds for Philadelphia.

Atlanta Hawks 123 - Denver Nuggets 115

Trae Young scored 35 points and Clint Capela added 22 as Atlanta defeated visiting Denver, giving the Hawks two victories in their last three games, while the Nuggets have lost three of their last four.

Young was 10 of 19 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, and 15 assists. It was the 11th time Young has scored 30-plus points.

Capela was 8 of 9 from the field and had 10 rebounds for his team-leading 20th double-double.

Denver’s Jamal Murray followed his 50-point game on Friday by scoring 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting.

Nikola Jokic, effectively guarded all night by Capela, scored only three points in the first half and finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden (right) drives to the basket in the first half of the game.

James Harden had 37 points,

11 rebounds and seven assists

as Brooklyn won its sixth

consecutive contest, knocking

off over host Los Angeles to

complete a five-game road

trip.

NHL: Pastrnak helps Bruins defeat Flyers at Lake TahoeREUTERS — LOS ANGELES

David Pastrnak scored three goals and Nick Ritchie added one goal and one assist to lift the Boston Bruins past the Phil-adelphia Flyers 7-3 in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nev.

Charlie McAvoy, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic each contributed one goal for the Bruins, who have won all five meetings against the Flyers this season. Three wins have come in regulation, one in overtime and one in a shootout.

Brad Marchand, Connor Clifton, John Moore and Craig Smith had two assists each.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask made 16 saves.

James van Riemsdyk had one goal and two assists while Sean Couturier had one goal and one assist for the Flyers.

Joel Farabee added one goal and Kevin Hayes contributed two assists.

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart allowed six goals in two periods and was replaced by Brian Elliott to open the third. Elliott stopped 11 of 12 shots. Hart made 17 saves.

Captain Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, Travis Konecny, Oskar Lindblom and Scott Laughton were among the vital Flyers on the COVID-19 list and out for this matchup.

The Bruins jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 34 seconds into the first period when Pastrnak sent a wrist shot into a mostly open net.

Farabee’s eighth goal of the season, an impressive feat as

he scored while sliding on the ice, tied it at 1 at 6:41.

Philadelphia went ahead 2-1 when Couturier gathered a loose puck in front and scored at 14:48 of the first.

McAvoy equalised at 2 just 39 seconds later when he fired a slap shot through traffic in front.

Pastrnak’s second goal just 46 seconds into the second extended Boston’s advantage to 3-2. The nasty wrist shot clanged underneath the crossbar and into the net.

The Flyers had several solid

scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize and the Bruins soon went ahead 4-2 when Coyle scored at 16:14 of the second. Frederic extended the lead to 5-2 only 33 seconds later with his first career goal.

Ritchie’s power play goal at 17:43 pushed the lead to 6-2.

Philadelphia closed within 6-3 when van Riemsdyk scored on the power play at 12:45 of the third.

Pastrnak registered the hat trick at 17:04. It was his second hat trick against the Flyers this season.

Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (foreground) skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in a NHL Outdoors hockey game at Lake Tahoe.

F1: Albon determined to reclaim Red Bull seatREUTERS — LONDON

British-born Thai racer Alexander Albon said yesterday Formula One remained his priority and he was determined to bounce back after being dropped to a reserve role by Red Bull for 2021.

The 24-year-old has been replaced by experienced Mexican Sergio Perez alongside Max Ver-stappen after being out-performed by the young Dutchman last year.

Speaking to reporters by Zoom, Albon said he had overcome similar setbacks in the past.

“I have been dropped before, it’s not been the first time,” he said.

“What I learned was, how much do you want it? I want it more than I would say anyone on the grid. With that comes a lot of determination.

“I won’t stop at any point so for me it’s just about putting my head down. I got through it before, I’ve been able to get to where I am because of all the hard work I have done. And I want that seat back,” he said.

Albon was also dropped by Red Bull as a junior driver in 2012 but came back into the fold when he joined Toro Rosso, now AlphaTauri, at the end of 2018 after finishing third in the Formula Two championship.

Perez, 31, was preferred for this year as Red Bull decided they needed an experienced driver to help the team mount a stronger challenge to champions Mercedes.

Albon, who will attend races in his reserve role and also compete in the DTM (German Touring Car championship), said there was no point feeling sorry for himself.

I won’t stop at any point so for

me it’s just about putting my

head down. I got through it

before, I’ve been able to get to

where I am because of all the

hard work I have done. And I

want that seat back.

Alexander Albon