SPORTSaturday 5 May 2018

PAGE | 18 PAGE | 18Marc Marquez

bidding to take championship lead

Kenya’s Kiprop tested positive for EPO, says AIU

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

DUBAI: Qatar were yesterday drawn with neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and North Korea in Group E of next year’s Asian Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Coached by Felix Sanchez, Qatar are one of the 24 teams that will feature in the biggest tournament for national teams in Asia.

One of the top matches at the 2019

Asian Cup will see Qatar locking horns with World Cup-bound Saudi Arabia.

The two famously played the final of the 2014 Gulf Cup in which Qatar edged the hosts in the final.

Saudi Arabia, who have won the AFC Asian Cup three times, will be looking forward to returning to the UAE, the place where they defeated the hosts on penalties in the 1996 final.

Qatar, hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, staged the region’s premier football event in Doha in 2011 when Japan emerged as the champions of Asia. Qatar also hosted the event in 1988.

Yesterday’s draw cer-emony was conducted in Dubai in the presence of Asian Football Confederation (AFC)

President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and the entire football fraternity that also included the coaches of the teams featuring at the Jan 5-Feb 1 tournament.

Continental giants and defending champions Aus-tralia were drawn in Group B with Syria, Palestine and Jordan while hosts UAE - who finished third in the 2015 edition - yesterday were placed in Group A with Thailand, India and Bahrain.

Group C will be shared by 2002 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists Korea Republic, China PR, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines.

Iran, who will appear at next month’s 2018 FIFA World

Cup in Russia, headline Group D with 2007 champions Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen. Iran also have won the AFC Asian Cup three times.

Group F has Japan as the top side along with Uzbekistan, Oman and Turk-menistan. Oman won the Gulf Cup at the end of December last year in Kuwait. Japan are four-time winners in Asia.

Next year it will be the first time that 24 teams will feature in the tournament that will be played over 28 days.

Organisers yesterday con-firmed that hosts UAE will kick-off Asia’s most prestigious tournament against Bahrain at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 5.

2019 Asian Cup: Qatar drawn with Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and DPR KoreaTotal prize money:

$14.8m

Winner’s prize: $5m

Runner-up’s prize bag: $3m.

Losing semi-finalists take home $1m each.

All 24 participating teams will receive $200,000 each.

Tournament mascots: Mansour and Jarrah

The Zayed Sports City Stadium will host the

final on February 1, 2019.

2019 ASIAN CUP

Ta Lou fastest woman; Semenya shines in Doha

ARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Marie-Josee Ta Lou emerged as the fastest woman of the Doha Diamond League while South Africa’s golden girl Caster Semenya won the women’s 1,500m race with a world leading time and personal best of 3:59.92.

Semenya - who is the focus of a recent controversial IAAF ruling – started the race with her usual, measured approach, remaining in the middle of the pack for the first half of the race before accelerating at the end.

In the final 200m, the rest of the field at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium had no answer to the World and Olympic 800m champion’s kick and she finished more than a second in front of her rivals.

In second place was Kenya’s Nelly Jepkosgei (4:00.99) while Ethi-opian Habitam Alemu (4:01.41) fin-ished third.

“I wanted to go faster but had to slow down a little. It’s always been a dream to set the new record and continue to push beyond my per-sonal best. I think we definitely achieved what we came here for. I want to maintain this momentum throughout the season, but will also make sure I continue to keep healthy. My immediate next step is to go back and watch the race, and see where we can improve,” Semenya said.

In the 100 metres, Ivory Coast’s Lou set a blistering pace to top the event with a world leading time of 10.85secs, leaving Nigerian Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteg and Elaine Thompson of Jamaica to take the second and third place.

“I am really happy with my win - more than anything though, I’m so happy about the time! My aim for this season is

just to do my best and maybe be able to win the Diamond League. I don’t want to say I want to win eve-rything this year, but if I get to beat my personal best again like today,

then that would be fantastic,” said Lou.

Earlier, the 2018 Diamond League season got off to an electri-fying start with Sandra Perkovic winning the women’s discus with a new Diamond League record of 71.38m.

The two-time Olympic and World champion and a four-time European champion broke her own Diamond League record of 70.88m, while also erasing yet another Doha meet record of 68.23 set in 2015, which also stood against her name, but fell of her personal best of 71.41.

Yesterday the 27-yar-old notched the top mark of the day in her attempt.

“I was so close to my personal best. I really think Doha Diamond League is my lucky place, just as it was in 2015. The environment here is amazing and the conditions set me up for the year, with the season just beginning. This is perfect as we look forward to com-peting in the European Championships this year, and Doha has made me ready to make my mark there,” said Perkovic, the 27 year-old.

Yaime Perez and Denia Caballero, both of Cuba, secured the second and third places respectively. Perez with a throw of 66.82m fin-ished ahead of compatriot Caballero, who touched the 63.80m mark.

In the women Pole Vault event, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist Kat-erina Stefanidi of Greece did not have the best of the starts as she fin-ished fourth as Sandi Morris of the US took the first place.

Holly Bradshaw of Great Britain finished in the second place while Katie Nageotte of the US came third.

The 100 metres women’s hurdles proved to be a clean sweep from the US athletes as Sharika Nelvis, Brianna Mcneal and Kendra Har-rison clinched the first three places.

The last women’s event of the day saw a 1-2-3 from the Kenayan women with Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, Tirop Agnes Jebet and Hyvin Kiyeng clinching the three podium places.

Record-breaking Samba, clinical Barshim steal show in DL openerFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s track and field stars Mutaz Barshim and Abdurrahman Samba got off to a flying start to the new season after clinching victories with world leading shows as Doha opened the Diamond League season for the ninth consecutive year yesterday.

It was an electrifying atmosphere at a packed Qatar Sports Club Stadium and the Qatari duo spiced it up with their stunning performances. Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and several other top sports officials also watched the live action along with 15,000 spectators.

Barshim, who enjoyed a perfect 2017, yesterday displayed a top performance leaping to a world leading 2.40m to win the first meeting of the new season. He overcame promising Syrian high jumper Ghazal Majd Eddin, whose best show yes-terday was a 2.33m. Bahama’s Thomas Donald was third with a leap of 2.30m.

“My mother is here. I know she was cheering for me. I’m really blessed. I made some mistakes, but very happy with the result,” the IAAF Athlete-of-the-Year 207 said after his win.

“I feel so great, winning, I was not fit to succeed in all the jumps, but still extremely happy at the end. I wanted to break a record today, but I am still very ambitious for the rest of the season.

“Being here with so many great Qatari athletes, such as Haroun and Samba, is just amazing. It’s a testament to the fact that Qatar really has some great talent,” Barshim added.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Samba created new records after clocking 47.57, improving his own world leading time of 47.89 he set in South Africa last month.

In doing so, the 22-year-old also set a new meeting record, Diamond League record as well as his personal best.

“I’ve defended my title - Yes, I’m very happy for myself and for Qatar,” said a jubilant Samba after his historic performance.

“Winning at home is an amazing feeling, especially to break not only my record and the NR, but the Diamond League record as well. I have a feeling this will be a great season for me. All I want to do is run faster. The audience was so welcoming and I want to also thank everyone for being here today.”

Samba finished ahead of American rival Bershawn Jackson (49.08) and Kyron Mcmaster of British Virgin Island.

Earlier, Qatar’s Abdellelah Haroun claimed second position in the 400m after clocking 44.50, behind Bahamian Steven Gardiner who stormed to victory with a world leading time of 43.87s. Botswana’s Issac Makwala finished third fastest with a time of 44.92.

Haroun was happy with his achievement.

“I am proud of what I achieved tonight, but before even looking toward the world record, I am focusing on next year’s IAAF World Athletics Championships right here in Doha,” Haroun said after his race.

In the men’s triple jump, Cuba’s Pablo

Pedro reigned supreme over his American rival Christian Taylor with a world leading jump of 17.95m. Two-time Olympic champion, three-time World champion and six-time Diamond League champion Taylor, had to content with second position after his best jump of 17.81.

As expected, Thomas Rohler won the men’s javelin throw competition domi-nated by the Germans. The reigning Olympic champion failed to match his last year performance of 93.90, yet a throw of 91.78m was enough to lend him the victory.

“Today was great but it was not easy,” Rohler said after the win. There’s always room for improvement,” he said after the win.

Canadian star Andre De Grasse failed in the

men’s 200m race finishing

on sixth with a time of 20.46. Lyles

Noah of the US won the race with a time of

19.83.

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Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (second left) on his way to win the men’s 400 meters hurdles event yesterday.

Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim celebrates after winning the men’s high jump event of the Doha Diamond League 2018 at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium yesterday. Picture by: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula

18 SATURDAY 5 MAY 2018SPORT

Koreas’ decision to field united team a clear message of peace: Al MohannadiTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The President of Qatar and Arab Table Tennis Federations Khaleel Al Mohannadi, who is also the first deputy of ITTF President, said that the Koreas’ decision to field united team a clear message of peace.

The combined Korean women’s table tennis team won a bronze medal at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships yesterday.

The three-woman team - two players from the south, one from the north - lost to Japan 3-0 in the semi-finals but secured the bronze medal since the event had no third-place game.

Mohannadi confirmed that the move is a clear message of peace to the whole world and unambig-uously emphasises the importance of sport in spreading the principles of peace, tolerance, and also the

rapprochement between people.North and South Korea joined

forces on Thursday rather than play against each other in the quarter-finals.

The draw pit North Korea against South Korea in the quarter-finals of the women’s world cham-pionship, and was scheduled to play today, but before the start of the representatives of the teams told the referees not to want to play against each other during the confrontation.

Al Mohannadi said in a press statement yesterday that the Qatar Football Federation took this step in 2011 during the Sports and Peace Championship, in which the two Koreas met together, India with Pakistan and America with Russia, and was a great success. He added that the repetition of the feat for the first time since 1991 was a source of great pride to the ITTF.

Doha Worlds: Midnight marathon, mixed 4x400m relay set for debutARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

DOHA: A first-ever midnight marathon and a mixed 4x400 metres relay will be the special features of the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, the announced here yesterday.

The competition schedule for the IAAF Worlds was unveiled yesterday with a new format that enables spectators to have an exciting and engaging event experience.

President of the IAAF, Sebastian Coe, said: “Finding ways to bring the emotion and appeal of athletics to the local community and the region has always been one of Doha’s ambi-tions for hosting the IAAF World Championships. Both our teams have explored creative ways to meet this ambition, bringing together sport expertise and cul-tural knowledge in a new and entertaining way.”

“It is exciting to see the way the World Championships are being developed and adapted to the host country and region mixing world class competition with an ambitious entertainment and engagement plan that we hope will delight athletes, spec-tators and viewers around the world,” Coe said while speaking at a press conference in Doha yesterday.

A revamp to the competition schedule sees all morning ses-sions removed and split evening sessions introduced for the first time. One-hour intervals will be

incorporated into each session to combine entertainment and family-centred activities with the excitement of the competitive action, engaging all ages and interests through athletics,” he said.

“We have some great World Championship firsts as well. The first 4x400m mixed relay will have its global debut ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the first midnight marathon, the evening sessions with semi-finals and finals only and dedi-cated slots in the timetable for the final stages of field events allowing full focus on the decisive and most thrilling moments and attempts. We are looking forward to seeing how these firsts and the engagement format will come together next year to deliver a World Champi-onships that will look and feel different,” he added.

The spectacular midnight marathon will take place along Doha’s iconic Corniche with the city’s iconic night skyline as a beautiful backdrop, providing stunning imagery for TV’s global audience.

“Lights along the entire route will bring the full marathon to life with spectators enjoying family-friendly activations to give the event a festival atmos-phere for athletes and fans alike,” Coe said.

The popularity of night running events has grown con-siderably over recent years with Doha 2019 embracing the latest trend of the biggest global movement to bring a unique and

different element to the World Championships. Organisers will apply experience gained in hosting the world’s first night-time MotoGP race at Lusail Inter-national Circuit to ensure a highly successful event that leaves a future legacy for further

night road racing and other events around the world,” he added.

Commenting on the World Championships Doha 2019, Vice Chairman and Director General of the Local Organising Committee and Vice President

of the IAAF, Dahlan Al Hamad, said: “It is our ambition to organise an innovative, cre-ative and exciting event that inspires and engages new fans, new athletes and new audi-ences and maximises the full potential of our region’s first-

ever IAAF World Championships.” “We are very excited to

unveil, in partnership with the IAAF, the new competition schedule and night marathon format today. These will enable us to showcase the sport like never seen before, capturing the attention of young people in Qatar and around the world and connecting them to the conta-gious excitement of athletics,”

“Progress is fully on track for Doha 2019 and we look forward to combining our passion for ath-letics, our experience and knowledge of hosting major ath-letics events, and our warm hos-pitality and rich culture to organise a unique, memorable and highly successful World Championships. We cannot wait to welcome the world to Doha in 2019.”

Speaking about the oppor-tunity that the Doha 2019 World Championships will bring, Qatar’s star athlete Mutaz Barshim said: “I am so excited to compete in the IAAF World Championships in front of my home crowd, with my family and friends in the stadium. It is not many athletes that get to expe-rience a special moment like that. However, more importantly I want to create a spark that will later become a legacy. I hope that more young people in Qatar and around the region will be inspired to participate in ath-letics. This isn’t just about becoming a future World Champion but enjoying the simple fun and excitement of the best sport in the world.”

Sheikha Asma Al Thani (second left), Director of Marketing and Communications of Doha 2019 World Championships Local Organising Committee (LOC), Sebastian Coe (third left), President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Vice Chairman and Director General of the Doha 2019 LOC and Vice President of the IAAF, Dahlan Al Hamad (fourth left) and Qatari athlete Mariam Farid addressing the media during a press conference held in Doha yesterday. Picture: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula

Iconic Khalifa International Stadium gets ready to welcome global superstarsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The renovation of Khalifa International

Stadium has transformed the iconic venue into one

of the most technologically advanced stadiums in

the world.

The Global Sustainability Assessment System

(GSAS) certified stadium has LED lighting, digital

floodlights and air-conditioning technology that

will provide optimal conditions for athletes, spec-

tators, officials and media.

Working with bespoke light and stage

designers will allow fully integrated state of the

art video screens and stage designs, bringing the

wonderful Doha landmarks to the Khalifa Stadium,

creating never seen before scenery for

the medal ceremonies and the compe-

tition.

The stadium, which lies at the heart

of Doha’s world-renowned sporting

centre, the Aspire Park, was fully and

successfully tested during the the Emir

Cup Final in 2017 and will be utilised

further ahead of the World Cham-

pionships with the 2019 Doha

Diamond League and the 2019

Asian Athletics Champion-

ships, which will be the official test event for the

World Championships.

When the world’s best athletes take the global

stage at the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019,

it will be on a Mondotrack WS surface. For the first

time-ever, the colour of the track will be pink. This

new aspect as enabled Mondo to personalise its

prefabricated surface to match the look and feel of

the event, whilst assuring its traditional uniform

biomechanical response all over the track surface.

Commenting on behalf of Mondo Sport &

Flooring, Maurizio Stroppiana said: “In January 2018,

we completed the installation of our Mondotrack for

the main and warm-up tracks at Khalifa International

Stadium. We are proud to be part of the transfor-

mation of the biggest Stadium in Qatar, contributing

to its improvement with our track surface.”

“Further to the innovative look and feel of

the colour, the surface is Greenguard Gold,

certified for its low VOC emissions. We believe

Mondotrack WS will contribute to the look,

to the performances and to

the sustainability of the

IAAF World Champi-

onships Doha

2019,” Strop-

plana said.

Former world champion Kiprop tested positive for EPO, says AIU AFP

DOHA: Asbel Kiprop (pictured) tested positive for the endurance-boosting drug EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed yesterday, refuting allegations by the Kenyan track star that his sample might have been contaminated.

Kiprop, a three-time world 1500m champion and 2008 Olympic gold medallist, on Thursday “vehemently denied” doping, suggesting an out-of-competition sample he gave could have been contaminated by two anti-doping agents he suspects might have targeted him for extortion.

The AIU, which deals with doping matters for track and field’s governing body the IAAF, responded by saying that 28-year-old Kiprop was notified on February 3 of having tested positive for eryth-ropoietin (EPO).

“On March 16, 2018, Mr Kiprop was charged with vio-lations of the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules and the matter is cur-rently proceeding before the independent IAAF Disciplinary Tribunal,” the AIU said in a statement.

“The AIU is satisfied that there has been no mix-up or tampering with the sample and that the sample collected from

the Athlete on November 27, 2017 was the same sample ana-lysed by the Laboratory and reported as an Adverse Ana-lytical Finding,” it said.

However, the AIU con-firmed that the doping control agent had given Kiprop advance warning of the test, an act it described as “extremely disappointing”.

But the body argued: “The

advanced notice of testing given by the Doping Control Assistant could not reasonably have caused EPO to be present in Mr Kiprop’s sample and, as such, the departure does not invalidate the Adverse Ana-lytical Finding. This will ulti-mately be a matter for the Tri-bunal to determine.”

The AIU also rejected Kiprop’s claim that he was offered a “reward” of being an IAAF ambassador on anti-doping in return for admitting to having taken the drug.

Kiprop said on Thursday he had been left “extremely shocked” when informed of the positive test, adding: “I was however very confident the mistake alleging I doped would be noted and I would be cleared. The nightmare has continued.

“I did not dope. I do not labour under the weight of the shame of doping.”

19SATURDAY 5 MAY 2018 SPORT

Marquez bidding to take championship leadRepsol Honda Team’s

Spanish rider Marc Marquez rides during the first MotoGP free

practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix at the Jerez racetrack in

Jerez de la Frontera yesterday.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

World championship standings ahead of this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP in Jerez de la Frontera:

MotoGP (after three of 19 races):

1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) 46 pts

2. Marc Marquez (ESP) 45

3. Maverick Vinales (ESP) 41

4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) 38

5. Johann Zarco (FRA) 38

6. Andrea Iannone (ITA) 31

7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) 29

8. Jack Miller (AUS) 26

9. Tito Rabat (ESP) 22

10. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) 21

11. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) 18

12. Alex Rins (ESP) 16

13. Hafizh Syahrin (MAL) 9

14. Pol Espargaro (ESP) 8

15. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) 6

16. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 6

Moto21. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) 57 pts

2. Mattia Pasini (ITA) 47

3. Alex marquez (ESP) 47

4. Miguel Oliveira (POR) 43

5. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) 39

Moto31. Jorge Martin (ESP) 55 pts

2. Aron Canet (ESP) 48

3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) 43

4. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) 37

5. Enea Bastianini (ITA) 33

AFP

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, SPAIN: Reigning world champion Marc Marquez says his Honda team are looking for more consistency at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, after claiming his first win of the season last month in the United States.

The Spaniard stormed to his sixth straight victory at the MotoGP of the Americas in Austin to cut the gap to early championship leader Andrea Dovizioso to just one point after three races.

Tomorrow’s race at Jerez de la Frontera starts off the European swing of the season at a track where Marquez has surprisingly only won once in nine attempts.

“Here (Europe), the circuits are gen-erally different and more ‘traditional’, starting with Jerez, which is a tighter, slower, and more difficult track than the ones like Austin,” said Marquez.

“We had a good test there at the end of March, and we’ll approach it with a positive mentality. Racing in front of my home crowd and my fan club will of course add to the good feeling and atmosphere.

“We’ll keep working hard and focusing on consistency, which is a crucial point for the title chase.”

Ducati’s Dovizioso again looks likely to be Marquez’s chief rival this year, after seeing his title hopes ended only on the final day of last season when he crashed out in Valencia.

Marquez’s campaign started slowly

this time out, finishing second in Qatar before failing to collect any points in a bad-tempered race in Argentina, but he’s confident he can win a fifth title in the top class.

“I think Dovi will be a great rival, as he was last year,” said the 25-year-old.

“Anyway, this year I feel really good on the bike: in Qatar, Argentina, and Austin, the confidence was always there, and that’s the most important thing.

“We’re just one point behind in the championship, so we must continue this way.”

Italian Dovizioso said: “We come to the first European round of the season first in the standings, a situation that is clearly much better than last year, and this is certainly positive.”

Marquez clashed with Val-entino Rossi in Argentina last month, with the Italian veteran saying afterwards that he is “scared” to race alongside the Honda rider.

The 39-year-old is already 20 points off the pace after that crash and needs to start winning to revive his hopes of a 10th world title.

“The first races of the season didn’t go very well but we tried something pos-itive,” Rossi said.

“Last year we struggled a lot (at Jerez), but this year I think we can be better. We want to improve and fight for this championship.”

Former England players in Irish squad for Pakistan TestAFP

LONDON: Former England internationals Boyd Rankin and Ed Joyce were included in a 14-man Ireland squad named by coach Graham Ford yesterday for next week’s inaugural Test against Pakistan.

Ireland will again be led by experienced captain William Porterfield for what will be their first taste of the five-day format since being elevated to Test status.

Meanwhile Kevin O’Brien, the century-making star of Ireland’s 2011 World Cup win over England in Bangalore, has been included in the squad, as have county crick-eters Tim Murtagh, Gary Wilson and Paul Stirling.

Pace bowler Rankin is the only player with previous Test experience, having repre-sented England in the final match of their 5-0 Ashes series loss to Australia in 2013/14.

Veteran batsman Joyce, who like Rankin started his international career in Irish colours, played limited-overs cricket for England before switching back to play for Ireland again.

Ireland knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean with a shock three-wicket group-stage win on St Patrick’s Day.

The one-off Test between Ireland and Pakistan is due to get underway at Malahide Cricket Club, near Dublin, on Friday, May 11.

Ireland squad:William Porterfield

(captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Ed Joyce, Tyrone Kane, Andy McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien (wkt), Boyd Rankin, Nathan Smith, Paul Stirling, James Shannon, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson

Emir Cup final tickets selling out fastTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The tickets for the Emir Cup final are selling out fast, organisers said yesterday after fans rushed to purchase their tickets.

The Emir Cup final will be played on May 19 at the iconic Khalifa International Stadium.

The Qatar Football Association (QFA), organisers of the country’s most popular football tournament,

have made arrangements for fans to buy tickets at 10 ticketing centres across the country.

The tickets are being sold at Lagoona Mall, Doha Festival City, Qatar Mall, Villaggio Mall, Landmark Mall, Al Khor Mall, Lulu Hypermarket, Al Wakra Souq, Souq Waqif and the Qatar Sports Club Stadium. The tickets can be bought from 11:00 am until 10:00 pm until the first batch of 10,000 runs out.

Those purchasing the tickets also get to know details related to their visit to the Khalifa Interna-tional Stadium on May 19.

Fans have been informed of the placements of the parking lots around the stadium besides being told of the gallery where their seats are.

To engage the paying public, the QFA has arranged for a unique press gathering today at the Khalifa

International Stadium where members of the organizing com-mittee will meet the sponsors and representatives of the print and tel-evision mediums before announcing Emir Cup final details.

Officials from Al Kass Sports Channel will also be present at the press conference.

The Emir Cup final on May 19 will signal the end of the regular football season.

Al Gharafa’s Ahmed Alaa scores their winning goal against Mesaimeer during the Emir Cup quarter-final match played at the grand Hamad Stadium in Doha yesterday. Picture: Baher Amin/The Peninsula

Alaa rescues Al Gharafa as Al Rayyan march into semis THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Substitute Ahmed Alaa produced a rescue act with a brilliant header in the 88th minute as Al Gharafa secured a berth in the Emir Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win against Mesaimeer yesterday.

At the at the Grand Hamad Stadium, Qatar Gas League side Mesaimeer did not make things easy for Wesley Sne-ijder-led Al Gharafa who received a direct entry into the Emir Cup quarter-finals following their fourth place finish at the QNB Stars League (QSL).

Despite the underdog status, Mesaimeer put in a good fight in yesterday’s match and spoiled Al Gharafa’s efforts to penetrate the defense on multiple occasions.

Half time scores read nil-all and it seemed like the game was heading for extra time.

With just two minutes remaining before the full time, Yousuf Muftah made a cross pass from the right corner, and the ball was picked up by the Egyptian who jumped high and beat the Mesaimeer goalkeeper at point-blank range.

Yesterday’s win means Al Gharafa will now meet Al Rayyan in the semi-finals on may 11.

Former champions Al Rayyan yesterday beat hosts Al Arabi 3-0 to seal their place in the semis.

Playing at Grand Hamad Stadium, Mohsine Mouta-ouali (53), Rodrigo Tabata (82) and Aldoukali Al-Baoure (90 +4) scored the goals for Al Rayyan, coached by Michael Laudrup.

After a goalless first half, Moutaouali opened the scoring with a snap-header in the 53rd minute on a loopy cross by Tabata.

In the 82nd minute, Moutaouali ran with the ball for almost 40 yards before clipping a neat cross for Tabata who was stationed inside the Al Arabi box.

Tabata picked up the ball before curling a left-footed shot the right of goalkeeper Masoud Zarayi.

In injury time, Aldoukali curled in a spectacular shot 30 yards away from the goal for Al Rayyan’s third strike.

IANS

INDORE: Opener Surya-Kumar Yadav’s 57 run knock and some useful contributions from other batters helped Mumbai Indians beat Kings XI Punjab by six wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here yesterday.

With this win Mumbai is sitting at the fifth spot with six points in nine matches, while Punjab is at fourth spot with 10 points in eight matches.

Mumbai started 175 run chase on a positive note, scoring 38 runs in 5.3 overs, but after that opener Evin Lewis (10) departed. Lewis was caught behind Mujeeb ur Rahman.

New batsman Ishan Kishan (25) and SuryaKumar then joined hands and played sensibly. The duo also managed to hit few beautifully crafted shots. But just when things seemed good in the middle, in-form SuryaKumar was dismissed by Marcus Stoinis in the 12th over when scoreboard was reading 80.

Earlier, a half-century by Chris Gayle followed by some fireworks by Marcus Stoinis in the final moments helped Kings XI Punjab post a chal-lenging 174/6.

Brief Scores: Kings XI Punjab: 174/6

(Chris Gayle 50, Marcus Stoinis 29; Jasprit Bumrah 1/19)

Mumbai Indians: 176/4 (SuryaKumar Yadav 57; Mujeeb ur Rahman 2/37)

Mumbai beat Punjab to stay alive in IPL

EMIR CUP SEMI - FINALSMay 11 - both matches kick off at 7.00pm

Al Rayyan vs Al GharafaAl Sadd vs Al Duhail