THE PENINSULA ABU DHABI

Unbeaten Qatar today take on hosts UAE in the Asian Cup semi-finals in front of what will be a hostile crowd at the 42,000-capacity Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium but head coach Felix Sanchez yesterday remained unfazed.

Sanchez vowed his team is will enter the do-or-die clash with confidence, adding that there was ‘no pressure in his camp’ that includes 2018 Asian Player of the Year Abdulkarim Hassan and high-scoring striker Almoez Ali who has scored seven goals in the tournament.

Al Annabi on Friday created history by reaching the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals for the first time after a phenomenal run of five consecutive wins.

Qatar , wi th their remarkable performance throughout the tournament, have raised expectations back home and Sanchez feels high stakes in the eagerly-awaited battle against the arch-rivals will bring the best out of players.

“I think that one of the key reasons for us reaching this stage of the competition is that the players have been aware of the pressure. In any compe-tition you have pressure as you need to get the right results,” Sanchez said on the eve of the second semi-final.

“The team, I believe, has coped very well with the situ-ation so far. Of course, all of us know there is added pressure because it is the semi-final, but I think we are feeling confident rather than under pressure ahead of the match.

“It is a very big game for us, and we are very pleased to be in the semi-finals of this very important tournament. Hope-fully against the UAE, we are going to play to our strengths and try to do our very best to continue (even further) in the competition.”

“The players are looking

forward to the game, and their results up until now show that this group are mentally very strong. My squad is ambitious and they want to keep going. It has not been easy to keep getting the results we have done game after game, but hopefully in the semi-final we can perform well again and reach the final.”

Qatar will be missing Abdelaziz Hatem and Bassam Al Rawi through suspension but will welcome back Abdelkarim Hassan and Asim Madibo after the duo served a one-match ban during the quarter-final win over Korea Republic.

While wary of the threat the UAE will pose, Sanchez said that his players are fully pre-pared for what is sure to be another stern test in front of a full house at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.

“As I have said previously it is normal to be missing players at this stage of a com-petition,” Sanchez said yesterday.

“The key point for us is that everyone is ready and waiting to play and to help the team in the process. I am sure that the 11 that start will perform very well for us against a strong side that has shown great organi-sation and which has talented players who can make a dif-ference,” he added.

“The match against the UAE is more difficult than the ones we have faced previously. As you progress in a tournament every game becomes harder and harder.

“We must try to play in the correct way in order to get the right result. My players are highly motivated and want to achieve the win which would help go through to the final,” he concluded.

SPORTTuesday 29 January 2019

PAGE | 05 PAGE | 06Kohli bows out as India secure

unbeatable series lead

Triumphant Djokovic motivated to match Federer’s Slam record

Qatar’s winning form is good news for planners at QFARIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Qatar’s five consecutive wins at the AFC Asian Cup have been the result of players delivering fighting performances against top sides, QFA Secretary-General Mansoor Al Ansari said yesterday.

Qatar, coached by Felix Sanchez, today take on hosts UAE today on the back of wins over South Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Lebanon.

“Technically, I believe we are more advanced than the UAE side. The previous five matches prove that we have played at a very high level compared to our rivals,” Al Ansari said yesterday.

Qatar’s in-form players have fired in 12 goals in five matches, thanks largely to Almoez Ali’s tally of seven.

“I have said this from the

beginning - I am optimistic about the mindset of our players. I am optimistic about their per-formance level. I am thrilled to see them fight and I have enjoyed their battles so far. If you put all that together, you get a strong side,” he added.

“I was always optimistic that the technical level we’d exhibit would be very high. Even when we were set to play South Korea, I was confident that we would win because - with all due respect to the competing teams - we were much better on the technical side,” the QFA official said.

“The Koreans and Australian sides of the past were technically much better. Same with Saudi and Japan. These are still great teams but they are not at the level they were in the past. Iran is a strong technical side,” he added.

Al Ansari said the QFA

leadership and the team backroom staff headed by Sanchez were turnings things around for the young Qatar side.

“We have a great team of backroom staff. There are mental conditioners with the side. These experts help the players on the mental side of the preparation. The players have every support they need. The squad also has the support of our leadership. QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani has been going to meet the squad every single day from Oman,” Al Ansari said.

“The QFA President is going there to show support. That alone is a big motivation for our players,” he added.

Al Ansari said Qatar firing in 12 goals in just five matches clearly made the difference for the young side.

“The major positive has been that we have scored 12 goals in just five matches. The youngsters have stepped up. The good thing has been that we also saw the players who were on the benches come up and deliver straight away. That’s been huge. That shows that even our players on the benches are in top mental and physical condition. It’s a comforting thought,” Al Ansari said.

Al Ansari said playing UAE on their home soil could be used to Qatar’s advantage.

“Many people would see that we are playing away and that could be a disadvantage but it is a big advantage as well. You get a competitive edge when that happens. The feeling in this Qatar vs UAE clash will be that we have to give our best come what may,” Al Ansari said.

“We did that when we beat Saudi Arabia (in the first phase of the tournament). The stadium then was full of Saudi fans. Beating them (2-0) was a big achievement. We will be entering the stadium with the drive to win the match. The team will battle hard.

“The Qatar team has shown great fighting spirit during this tournament. We were able to pass all challenges in this tour-nament. This is football. Anything can happen. I am certain every fan will see a winning strategy in play in the match,” he added.

“(Coach) Felix Sanchez is doing great. He has done fantastic work with the core group that is playing in the UAE. Hopefully our good form continues and his good work also carries on like it has been the past few months,” he said.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

All Qatar football fans will have an opportunity to watch the national team take on hosts UAE in Asian Cup 2019 semi-final today in a fanzone atmosphere at Katara esplanade.

Katara will be live streaming the most anticipated much of the tournament on a giant screen for the fans, they announced on their social media platforms.

The match will kick-off at 5pm Doha Time and fans can watch the match with other fans for free on the huge screen set-up at the esplanade.

Watch the semi-final on giant screen

Qatar confident of victoryAFC Asian Cup semi-final against UAE

My squad is ambitious and they want to keep going. It has not been easy to keep getting the results we have done game after game, but hopefully in the semi-final we can perform well again and reach the final: Sanchez

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Al Annabi created history by reaching the AFC Asian Cup semis for the first time after a phenomenal run of five consecutive wins.

The Qatari team is in great form, having not conceded any goal till now and has scored 12 in five matches.

Qatar's Almoez Ali leads the scoring charts at the Asian Cup with seven goals, including a sensational haul of four against North Korea. That puts him just one behind Ali Daei's record for most number of goals in a single tournament.

Mansoor Al Ansari, Secretary-General, Qatar

Football Association

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, Qatar Football Association (QFA) President, shakes hands with Ahmed Alaaeldin during a practice session which took place in Abu Dhabi, yesterday.

06 TUESDAY 29 JANUARY 2019SPORT

Japan’s Naomi Osaka poses for

photographs with the

Australian Open championship trophy at the

Brighton Beach in Melbourne,

yesterday.

Djokovic tightens grip on

top of ATP rankingsAFP PARIS

Novak Djokovic strengthened his grip at the top of the men’s ATP tennis ranking yesterday following his destruction of Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. An outclassed Nadal, beaten in straight sets in just over two hours, held on to second spot in the rankings while Roger Federer slipped from third to six place.

LATEST ATP RANKINGS (TOP 10):1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,955 pts

2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,320

3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,475

4. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 5,060

5. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,845

6. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,600

7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,110

8. Dominic Thiem (AUT)

3,960

9. John Isner (USA) 3,155

10. Marin Cilic (CRO)

3,140

Osaka is Asia’s 1st No. 1AP MELBOURNE

Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka is the first player from Asia to top the men’s or women’s tennis rankings - and the youngest woman to make her debut at No. 1 in nine years.

Simona Halep’s 48-week stay atop the WTA rankings ended yesterday as she slid to No. 3 after a fourth-round loss to Serena Williams, one year after getting to the final at Melbourne Park. Osaka’s second consecutive major title, following her success at the US Open last year, helped her rise three spots. Osaka is the youngest woman to reach the top since 2010, when Caroline Wozniacki did it at 20. The runner-up at Melbourne Park, Petra Kvitova, jumped from No. 6 to No. 2.

WTA RANKINGS (TOP 10):(Ranking, Name, Country, points, progress)1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 7,030 pts (+3)2. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6,290 (+4)3. Simona Halep (ROM) 5,582 (-2)4. Sloane Stephens (USA) 5,307 (+1)5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,100 (+3)6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 4,965 (-4)7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,9408. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,430 (+1)9. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,566 (-6)10. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,485 (+1)

Triumphant Djokovic motivated to match Federer’s Slam record

Top quotes from Melbourne

AFP MELBOURNE

Top quotes from the 2019 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year that ended on Sunday:

“Even though I always believe I can play this way,

visualize myself playing this way. At this level, as I said, under the circumstances, it was truly a perfect match.”

Novak Djokovic after his rout of Rafael Nadal to win

a record seventh Australian Open.

“I felt like I was in a state of shock through the

entire trophy presentation.” Naomi Osaka after winning her first Australian Open title.

“Probably physically I was not able. Five months

without competing, having that big challenge in front of me, I needed something else. That something else probably today I don’t have it yet... to compete at this super high level.”

An honest Rafael Nadal assesses why he was demol-

ished by Novak Djokovic in the final.

“I felt like I had been hit by a train in the first set,

everything was too fast.” Simona Halep after American great Serena Williams

ousted her in the fourth round to end the Romanian’s

reign as world number one.

“Yeah, sure. He’s in front of the mic a lot. He’s

always going to say stuff. I’ve heard that story the last 10 years. From that standpoint, nothing new there.”

Roger Federer reacts to John McEnroe saying his

defeat to Tsitsipas was a changing of the old guard.

“I can’t say that I choked on those match points.

She just played lights out, literally hitting lines. Just went for it, just went crazy on match point.”

Serena Williams after Czech seventh seed Karolina

Pliskova survived four match points then stormed home

in the quarter-finals to end the American’s latest bid for

a record-equalling 24th major.

“I knew if he got hold of a forehand, it was going

to be barbecued chicken”Frances Tiafoe after facing Rafael Nadal’s biggest

weapon in quarters.

“I don’t agree with athletes having to physically

exert themselves in the wee hours of the morning. I don’t think it is healthy -- in fact it is quite dangerous.”

An exhausted Johanna Konta after the Briton’s

second-round clash with Spain’s Garbine Muguruza ended

at 3:12 am after a scheduling logjam meant they didn’t

get on court until 12:30 am.

“Go away. Like, literally. If you’ve retired, why are

you still in tennis? I’m going to say it honestly -- no one likes him any more.”

Firebrand Bernard Tomic has words of advice for

Australia Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt

Nadal takes positives out of Australian Open defeatAFP MELBOURNE

Rafael Nadal said he took a lot of positives out of the Australian Open on his return from injury, despite being thrashed in the final on Sunday by Novak Djokovic.

The Spanish second seed had played an outstanding level of tennis at the tournament without dropping a set until he met his arch-rival on Rod Laver Arena.

And he had no answer to the world number one’s booming groundstrokes and precision serve to limp out of Melbourne Park 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Nadal said he still wasn’t at his best after his injury-plagued 2018.

“Was unbelievable the way that he played, no doubt about that. But at the same time it is true that probably physically I was not able

(to compete at that level),” said Nadal.

“Five months without competing, having that big challenge in front of me, I needed something else. That something else probably today, I don’t have it yet.

“That’s my feeling, to compete at this super high level.”

“I have been going through tough moments in the last year. (I have played) only nine events and since the US Open I was not able to play until the first round here,” he said.

“Even if tonight was not my night it’s so important for me to be where I am coming back from injury.

“I really believe I played a great two weeks of tennis, there’s a good energy and good inspiration for what is coming.”

Nadal had not played a main tour event since a knee problem forced him to retire during his US Open

semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in September.

The 32-year-old had surgery on his ankle in November to remove a loose intra-articular body and only resumed training in December.

He played the opening round at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi to start his season, where he lost to South African Kevin Anderson, and withdraw from the warm-up Brisbane International.

“The only thing probably that I need is time and more matches,” he said of getting to a sufficient level to challenge Djokovic at his imperious best.

“I need work, and I need more weeks like this one. That’s really the only thing that I hope -- to have the chance to keep practising well and to have the chance to keep playing and stay healthy,” the World No. 2 said.

Justin Rose of England celebrates his winning putt.

Rose wins Farmers Insurance OpenREUTERS SAN DIEGO

World number one Justin Rose described his victory as a “win-and-a-half” after carding a three-under-par 69 to beat Adam Scott by two shots at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego on Sunday.

The Englishman’s latest victory was his 10th on the PGA Tour, matching the tally of Spaniard Sergio Garcia and giving him one more than Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy (14) is the only European player with more wins on the Tour since 1945.

“Double-digits sounds really cool. Winning is never easy,” Rose told Golf Channel.

“When you’ve beat a class field on a great venue, that sat-isfies you as a player. It’s a win-and-a-half mentally.”

Rose teed off with a three-shot lead but found himself just one clear after three early bogeys.

“The first six holes any-thing that could go wrong did go wrong,” Rose said.

“In the past I might have got a little rattled, a little shaken by that start but I didn’t today.

“Had a bit of a gut-check time on the seventh hole but I’d been playing so well all week. Went about my business and it really started to turn around.”

Rose re-established a buffer with three birdies in four holes, and held off a late rally by Australian Scott, who finished with four straight birdies for a 68.

It could have been a special back nine for Scott, who failed to convert great birdie chances on 11, 12 and 13.

“I might have been able to make it interesting at the end,” said Scott, who also missed a tiny putt from inside two feet at the fifth.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (67) and American Talor Gooch (68) tied for third, five strokes behind Rose.

Tiger Woods (67) tied for 20th at 10-under in his first start of the year.

Rose’s win came in his second tournament with new clubs after he switched equipment companies to join Japanese clubmaker Honma.

Changing can be a risky move for top players, but Rose seems to have adapted quickly.

“I’m really happy I chal-lenged the status quo and changed everything up in the search trying to get better,” he said.

“I can’t believe how well I’ve driven the ball this week on a tough test. The off-season was short and sharp and I didn’t quite know exactly how I was going to come out.

“It’s awesome to play this well this week.”

AFP MELBOURNE

Novak Djokovic has designs on Roger

Federer’s 20 Grand Slam crowns after

completing a record-breaking Australian

Open victory.

Djokovic won a record seventh Mel-

bourne crown, 15th Grand Slam title and third

in a row after Wimbledon and the US Open

when he swatted aside Rafael Nadal 6-3,

6-2, 6-3 in a two-hour exhibition of tennis

perfection on Sunday.

The Serbian world number one said he

was motivated to “have a shot” at Federer’s

record but conceded that it was “still far”

away.

“I am aware that making history of the

sport that I truly love is something special.

Of course, it motivates me,” he told reporters

after celebrating the demolition of his

greatest rival in their 53rd meeting.

“Playing Grand Slams, biggest ATP

events, is my utmost priority,” Djokovic

added.

It was the manner of victory that had

many, including Djokovic, believing he can

go on to match or possibly overtake Federer.

At 31 years old, six years younger than

Federer, he has time on his side.

“I do want to definitely focus myself on

continuing to improve my game and main-

taining the overall well-being that I have --

mental, physical, emotional -- so I would be

able to compete at such a high level for the

years to come, and have a shot at eventually

getting closer to Roger’s record,” Djokovic

said.

“It’s still far.”

Djokovic has already ripped one record

from Federer’s grasp -- lifting the Norman

Brookes trophy for a seventh time put him

clear of the Swiss maestro and Roy Emerson,

who both won six Australian Open men’s

singles titles.

The Serb’s victory was simply magnif-

icent as he embarrassed Nadal in 124

minutes of spellbinding dominance.

The Spaniard had not dropped his

remodelled serve since the first round at

Melbourne Park 13 days earlier.

But so dominant was Djokovic that he

broke the world number two not once, but

twice in each of the three sets, lost only 13

points on his own serve while delivering eight

aces and committed just nine unforced errors.

The numbers were scarcely believable

considering the duo had battled for almost

six hours in their previous Australian Open

final in 2012 -- the longest final in Grand

Slam history.

“Under the circumstances, playing

against Nadal, such an important match,

yeah, I mean, it’s amazing,” said

Djokovic.

Djokovic will go to Paris in

May for the French Open seeking

to become the only man in the

Open Era to win all four majors

twice, and with victory would

hold all four majors at the

same time for the second time

in his career.

But Roland Garros is where

the “King of Clay” Nadal rules,

having won 11 French Opens in

13 years. Djokovic would love to

dethrone the Spaniard there after

humiliating him in Melbourne.

“Obviously I have to work on my

game, my clay court game, a bit more,

more specifically than I have,” said

Djokovic.

“I’m obviously first going to enjoy this

victory and share it with my family and

friends, then take it from there.”

Djjokovic tightenns ggr

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AFC ABU DHABI

Former Qatar forward Adel Lami has urged the side’s current generation to embrace the responsibility of representing the nation in their first ever AFC Asian Cup semi-final, against host nation United Arab Emirates today.

Five successive wins have the West Asian nation on the brink of history, and potentially two good per-formances away from becoming the ninth nation to claim the Continental title.

Lami, who won 21 caps for Al Annabi from 2005 to 2014, spoke passionately about his pride for the national shirt, calling on Felix Sanchez’s players not to take their opportunities for granted.

“For me, every player who wears Qatar’s crest on his chest, is excellent and deserving,” he said.

“Every player who wears it will be capable of carrying that responsibility.”

“At the same time, my message to them is: If you wear that crest, you should know your responsibility. You should know that there are a lot of players who shed tears hoping that they would be able to wear this jersey.

“So you have been handed this opportunity and

your role now is to represent the people. The same is true for other countries as well,” said Lami.

Expanding further on his own personal com-mitment to the Qatari cause, Lami recalled the 2007 AFC Asian Cup in Southeast Asia, where he appeared in all three of his side’s group stage matches.

Then 21 years old, he sus-tained an injury which would ultimately keep him out of top-level football for over a year, but even now, Lami says that extraordinarily hefty price was one worth paying.

The Qatari class of 2019 enter the semi-finals with the confidence created by what remains a perfect campaign.

Lami believes Felix Sanchez’s side is rich in talent, but maintains their real strength lies in their col-lective mentality.

“The current team has some excellent players,” he declared.

“What’s great about this current generation is that whichever Asian team they play against, regardless of their strength, they go into the game knowing that they are capable of defeating this team.

“They have the maturity to deal with the big and important games.”

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Qatar Football Association (QFA) Secretary General Mansoor Al Ansari has urged unbeaten Qatar to remain ‘focused’ in today’s Asian Cup semi-final against hosts UAE, saying the players must go into the crunch match without ‘distractions’.

A hostile crowd at Abu Dhabi’s 40,000-capacity Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium is expected to up the ante in noise pollution but the QFA official said Qatar plays their best football under pressure.

Qatar have braved a hostile atmosphere off the field in the last three weeks to reel off five consecutive wins over Lebanon, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Korea Republic on way to reaching the last-four of the event.

At the start of the 24-team tournament, QFA Vice President Saud Al Mohannadi was initially denied entry into the UAE. A few hours later, a group of five Doha-based football journalists were sent back just before Qatar’s first match against Lebanon.

Even Qatar football fans have found travelling a difficult exercise for what is the biggest national team event in Asia.

Al Ansari yesterday said off the field issues have failed to deter the Qatari side on the pitch.

“I think they have proved that they are a much better side under pressure. They have handled pressure to their advantage,” Al Ansari said yesterday.

“My message to our team is to remain focused. They should go into the match without any distractions around them. They just need to focus on the match,” Al Ansari said at his office in Al Bidda Tower, the home of football in Qatar.

“This team has always been handling pressure well. They have been playing well as a unit for the past six years,” Al Ansari said.

Al Ansari said the off-the-field rancour orchestrated by the host country has been well high-lighted by Qatar.

“First of all, we firmly believe in the values of football.

Anything we face, we highlight it through the proper channels. That’s our right. The hosting nation has to make sure that all commitments made are fulfilled and that our rights are pro-tected,” the QFA General Sec-retary said.

“When faced with issues like - when the QFA Vice President wasn’t allowed entry or the five journalists (from Qatar) not allowed to enter the country and sent back - we highlighted those to make sure things moved smoothly.

“But sadly there are times when you do face some obstacles. We are fighting for our right. We try to make sure eve-rything moves the right way. We are fair and then we move.

“There were issues from their side and we highlighted those - not with a sense of pointing fingers but we just wanted our rights protected,” he

added. “At the end of the day, we are in the UAE for the tour-nament. We want to play. We want to develop our players. We are sad to see that such steps have been taken.

“We are still at a disad-vantage that our fans are not able to attend the games. They say that fans are can go but the (visa) procedures they put are very complicated. You have to go on a link, then you have to apply and at the end of it all, you don’t have anything that would show that you have the approval or the visa.

“There is no assurance that would give our fans the comfort to go (to the UAE). You have to travel so many hours to get there. All of that puts people off,” Al Ansari said.

The QFA official thanked Omani fans who have supported Qatar in their five matches so far.

“We are very proud that Omani fans supported us during this time. It was very heart-warming to see their support for team. It was nice to see Omani fans saying ‘you don’t have your fans there, so we will go and support your team’. It’s a very positive feeling we get from their support but we do feel that it would have been even better if our fans also got to attend the matches,” Al Ansari said.

07TUESDAY 29 JANUARY 2019 SPORT

We are still at a

disadvantage that

our fans are not able

to attend the games.

They say that fans are

can go but the (visa)

procedures they put

are very complicated.

I think they have

proved that they

are a much better

side under pressure.

They have handled

pressure to their

advantage. They just

need to focus on the

match: Al Ansari

African Super Cup to take place in DohaREUTERS CAIRO

The African Super Cup will be played outside the continent for the first time when it takes place in Doha, Qatar on March 29, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said yesterday.

The switch of venue to the 2022 World Cup hosts was first mooted last month and has now been rubber-stamped by CAF’s Emergency Committee.

African Champions League winners Esperance of Tunisia face Confederation Cup holders Raja Casa-blanca from Morocco at a stadium in Doha which has not yet been announced.

The UEFA Super Cup has always been held in Europe while the South American version has been staged on three occasions in the United States.

European Super Cup matches,

clashes between a country’s league champions and Cup winners, have been staged in different continents.

Barcelona played Sevilla in this year’s Spanish Super Cup in Tangier, Morocco, while the French Super Cup has not been staged in France since 2008, with host nations including Canada, the United States, China and Gabon.

Juventus beat AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup this month in Saudi Arabia, a controversial choice of venue following the murder of dissident Saudi jour-nalist Jamal Khashoggi and the fact that a limited number of female fans were allowed to enter the stadium in Jeddah.

The African Super Cup has been played annually since 1993, with Egyptian side Al Ahly claiming a record six titles.

‘Qatar play better under pressure’

Qatar Football Association Secretary General Mansoor Al Ansari, speaking to journalists in Doha yesterday.

Former star Adel Lami issues Qatari rallying cry

Hossam Ghaly (left) of Egypt’s Al Ahly fights for ball possession with Akram Djahnit of Algeria’s Entente Setif during their African Super Cup match at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida, in this 2015 file picture.

Queiroz stands down as Iran coachREUTERS AL AIN

Carlos Queiroz stood down after nearly eight years as Iran coach yesterday following his team’s 3-0 loss to Japan in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup.

The former Real Madrid coach had been hoping to deliver Iran’s first continental title since 1976 in the UAE but fell to Japan’s three second half goals.

“I think the simplest thing to do is to copy the old song: ‘and now, the end is here’,” the 65-year-old Portuguese said, misquoting the song Frank Sinatra made famous.

“I’m happy and proud to say I did it my way.”

Penalty controversy as Japan reach Asian Cup finalAFP AL AIN

Japan benefited from a contro-versial penalty as they sent favourites Iran crashing 3-0 in the Asian Cup semi-finals to move within one win of a record-extending fifth title yesterday.

Yuya Osako put Japan 1-0 up after half-time but it was his penalty shortly afterwards, awarded following a video review, that knocked the stuffing out of Iran.

Takumi Minamino’s cross hit Morteza Pouraliganji’s arm as he slid in, but Australian referee Chris Beath blew for the spot-kick and stood by his decision after watching a replay.

Osako stroked home the spot kick to give Japan a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes to play, and there was no coming back for Iran whose 43-year wait for a fourth Asian

title goes on. Genki Haraguchi then scored in stoppage time to complete a rout which had been wholly unexpected after Japan’s unimpressive performances pre-viously in the competition.

Carlos Queiroz’s Iranian side scored 12 unanswered goals on the way to the last four but they lacked ideas against a calm Jap-anese team who seized their opportunities.

At a rocking Hazza Bin Stadium, Iran lobbed balls at target man Sardar Azmoun at every opportunity but it was Japan who looked the biggest threat in the opening exchanges.

Captain Maya Yoshida headed over and Ritsu Doan saw a shot trickle wide as the Blue Samurai were anything but cowed by the physical Iran presence.

However, Shuichi Gonda had to be sharp to keep out

Azmoun from a tight angle -- after the goalkeeper had gifted Iran possession with a botched clearance.

The game was on a knife-edge but a misjudgement from Iranian defender Hossein Kanani tilted it Japan’s way 11 minutes after half-time.

While Kanani was protesting his innocence over an edge-of-the-box challenge, Minamino played on and crossed to Osako, whose glancing header put Japan ahead.

It was a body-blow for Iran, but worse was to come when Pouraliganji was adjudged to have handled in the box, a decision that could have gone either way.

Osako stuck it away to all but silence the Iranian support, who then had to watch as Haraguchi stole in for the third goal to make it a lopsided victory for Japan.

Japan’s forward Yuya Osako (centre) heads the ball to score during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-final match against Iran at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, yesterday.

SPORTAsian Cup, semi-final:

Qatar vs UAEEPL: Newcastle United vs Manchester City

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

05TUESDAY 29 JANUARY 2019

I really believe I played a great

two weeks of tennis, there’s a

good energy and good inspiration

for what is coming.

Rafael Nadal takes positives after Australian Open final thrashing.

TO

DAY

’SA

CTIO

N

AFP WELLINGTON

Virat Kohli bowed out of the New Zealand tour with India in an unbeatable position after they won the third one-day interna-tional by seven wickets in Mount Maunganui yesterday.

With India up 3-0, World-Player-of-the-Year Kohli is to be rested for the remaining two matches and the following Twenty20 series.

Kohli’s 60 off 74 deliveries and a 113-run partnership with Rohit Sharma saw India chase down their 244-run target with seven overs to spare.

It gave the tourists back-to-back series wins against Aus-tralia and New Zealand and ensured they will be a force to be reckoned with in the World Cup later this year.

Sharma top-scored with 62

while Ambati Rayudu was unbeaten on 40 and Dinesh Karthik on 38.

New Zealand, batting first, posted their highest score and longest innings in the three matches so far but they still fell short of 50 overs, their last wicket falling with six balls remaining.

Ross Taylor (93) and Tom Latham (51) gave the innings credibility but proved no chal-lenge for the visitors.

Sharma’s first wicket part-nership of 39 ended when Shikhar Dhawan edged Trent Boult to the lone slip Taylor to be gone for 28.

Kohli then joined Sharma

and the pair swatted the attack around the ground in their century stand for the second wicket.

New Zealand, taking a leaf from the India playbook, brought two spinners into the match after the tourists’ spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal took the bulk of the wickets in the first two matches.

Ish Sodhi proved expensive but Mitchell Santner was tight and cleverly deceived Sharma to finish with one for 45.

Santner sensed Sharma was ready to dance down the wicket and served up a slower ball that deceived the opener, who was stumped by Latham.

Kohli, who averages a century every 5.6 innings, was due a big knock in New Zealand after posting 45 and 43 earlier in the series, but his attempt to drive Boult to the cover boundary was well caught by a leaping Henry Nicholls.

Boult proved the most eco-nomical of the New Zealand bowlers with two for 40.

Mohammed Shami had earlier taken three for 41 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets apiece as India shared around the bowling honours in the New Zealand innings.

Only Taylor, and for a time Latham, offered any real resistance after another disas-trous start by the top order.

Both openers were gone and New Zealand were two for 26 when Taylor went to the middle and Latham arrived at three for 59 with the dismissal of Kane Williamson (28).

Taylor and Latham mounted a rescue mission with a 119-run stand for the fourth wicket.

But after Latham was dis-missed for 51, his 13th half-century, it ignited a collapse in which the last six wickets fell for only 52 runs.

Hamilton hosts the fourth game in the series on Thursday.

Kohli bows out as India secure unbeatable lead

New ZealandM. Guptill c Karthik b Kumar .............................13C. Munro c Sharma b Shami ............................... 7K. Williamson c Pandya b Chahal ...................28R. Taylor c Karthik b Shami ..............................93T. Latham c Rayudu b Chahal ...........................51H. Nicholls c Karthik b Pandya ..........................6M. Santner c Karthik b Pandya .......................... 3D. Bracewell run out (Kohli) ............................. 15I. Sodhi c Kohli b Shami .................................... 12T. Boult c Shami b Kumar .................................... 2L. Ferguson not out ............................................. 2Extras: (lb 4, wd 7) .............................................11Total: (all out; 49 overs) ...................... 243Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Munro), 2-26 (Guptill), 3-59 (Williamson), 4-178 (Latham), 5-191 (Ni-cholls), 6-198 (Santner), 7-222 (Taylor), 8-239 (Sodhi), 9-239 (Bracewell), 10-243 (Boult)

Bowling: Kumar 10-1-46-2 (1w), Shami 9-0-41-3 (1w), Chahal 9-0-51-2, Pandya 10-0-45-2 (4w), Yadav 8-0-39-0, Jadhav 3-0-17-0 (1w)IndiaR. Sharma std Latham b Santner ...................62S. Dhawan c Taylor b Boult ..............................28V. Kohli c Nicholls b Boult ................................ 60A. Rayudu not out .............................................40D. Karthik not out ...............................................38Extras: (b 1, wd 16) .............................................17Total: (for 3 wickets; 43 overs) ........... 245Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Dhawan), 2-152 (Sharma), 3-168 (Kohli)Bowling: Boult 10-1-40-2, Bracewell 6-0-49-0 (2w), Ferguson 10-1-57-0 (4w), Santner 10-0-45-1, Sodhi 7-0-53-0 (1w)Result: India won by 7 wicketsSeries: India lead 3-0

SCOREBOARD

Indian captain

Virat Kohli walks off

after being dismissed during the third ODI

against New Zealand.

With India up 3-0,

Kohli is to be rested

for the remaining

two matches and the

following Twenty20

series.

Rayudu suspended from bowling for suspect actionAFP NEW DELHI

India’s Ambati Rayudu has been suspended from inter-national bowling two weeks after being reported for a suspect action, the Interna-tional Cricket Council said yesterday.

The part-time spinner’s action was flagged by match officials, citing concerns over its legality, a day after the first one-day international against Australia in Sydney on January 12.

The 33-year-old middle-order batsman stayed in the Indian XI in the second match and also played a role in the team’s first two ODI wins in New Zealand.

“The player elected not

to submit to a test of his bowling action within the stipulated period of 14 days of being reported for a suspect action and therefore he has been suspended with immediate effect,” cricket’s world governing body said in a statement.

“The suspension will remain in place until he is tested, and can demonstrate he is able to bowl with a legal action.”

The sanction did not extend to domestic matches, the ICC added.

Rayudu bowled just two overs of off-spin, giving away 13 runs, in the Sydney ODI. India lost the match but went on to clinch the three-match series 2-1. India lead Nw Zealand 3-0.

New Zealand recall Neesham and Astle for remaining ODIsAFP MOUNT MAUNGANUI

New Zealand have brought in all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and leg-spinner Todd Astle for the remaining two One Day Internationals (ODIs) against India, after losing a third successive game in Mount Maunganui yesterday.

However, they have decided to persevere with openers Martin Guptill and Colin Monro, who have both struggled for runs.

India took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series when they beat New Zealand by seven wickets with seven overs to spare in the third match.

Neesham returns to the side to replace all-rounder Doug Bracewell, while Astle comes in for Ish Sodhi as the leg-spinner.

Astle, who has recovered

from a knee injury which forced him out of New Zealand’s series against Pakistan in November, is also a capable lower order batsman in a side struggling for runs.

Neesham starred with bat and ball against Sri Lanka earlier this month but was side-lined from the start of the India series by a hamstring strain.

“It’s great to welcome back the all-round skills of Jimmy and Todd and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can bring to the series,” selector Gavin Larsen said.

Kane Williamson (pact), Todd Astle, TrentBoult, Colin De Grandhomme, Lockie Fergu- son, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham,Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Tim South-ee, Ross Taylor.

NEW ZEALAND SQUAD

Arsenal trying to sign two players: EmeryREUTERS LONDON

Arsenal are negotiating to sign two players before the transfer window closes on Thursday, but manager Unai Emery says they are not in the market for a defender despite a host of injuries to his back line.

The London club have been linked with a move for Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, with Italian and British reporting that the 29-year-old Croatia international has handed in a transfer request.

Barcelona winger Denis Suarez is the other player linked with the Emirates Stadium.

“We are looking at two dif-ferent players and the possibility they can come,” Emery told a news conference yesterday ahead of today’s Premier League game against Cardiff City.

“This transfer window is not easy and the message is the club is working on different players and the possibility if it can be is good for us.”

Centre back Sokratis Papas-tathopoulos faces a spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury

and fellow defender Laurent Koscielny has bruised his jaw. Full back Hector Bellerin and central defender Rob Holding have long-term knee injuries.

Emery said he did not want to sign defensive cover because it would lead to problems when his injured players returned to fitness.

“We have enough players, centre-backs in the squad,” he said. “We’re having a lot of injuries and a lot in this position. If we can bring another player and when all the players want to play we can have a lot of trouble in future.”

Arsenal, fifth in the league and three points behind Chelsea in fourth, were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Friday.

Emery said the cup exit would allow his team to put all their efforts into qualifying for the Champions League.

“Our focus now is very clear - the Premier League,” he added.

“We’re also going to play the Europa League with big moti-vation. It’s one way to the Cham-pions League.”

This transfer

window is not easy

and the message is

the club is working

on different players

and the possibility

if it can be good for

us: Unai Emery

REUTERS LONDON

Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has joined Atletico Madrid on loan until the end of next season, the Spanish side said in a statement yesterday.

The 26-year-old had a medical in Spain on Sunday ahead of the move after Chelsea signed Argentina inter-national Gonzalo Higuain on loan last week.

Morata spent four seasons at Atletico’s academy before signing for rivals Real Madrid. He also played for Juventus before joining Chelsea in July 2017 and scored 24 goals in 72 appearances for the London club.

His last appearance for Chelsea was against Not-tingham Forest on Jan. 5 where he scored both goals in a 2-0 FA Cup victory.

“Morata has proven himself as a prolific goalscorer in some of Europe’s most competitive leagues,” Atletico said on their website. “With Morata’s arrival, we add a very talented striker to our club, who has the ability to score with his feet and his head thanks to his height... and to combine with his team-mates.”

Chelsea striker Morata moves to Atletico on loan

Morata spent four seasons at Atletico’s academy before signing for rivals Real Madrid. He also played for Juventus before joining Chelsea in July 2017.