Al Attiyah a stage away from victory Adel Abdulla in control in T2

Transcription

1 SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2018 Qatar win in ICC qualifier Qatar cricket team beats Kuwait in ICC World T20 Asia regional qualifier PAGE 25 LOSAIL QATAR S Nasser Saleh al Attiyah is one desert stage away from a sixth victory in seven years at the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally after he and French navigator Matthieu Baumel won the fourth selective section by 7min 17sec on Saturday. The Toyota Hilux pairing duly extended their overall lead over the MINI John Cooper Works Rally crew of Poland s Jakub Przygonski and Belgian co-driver Tom Colsoul to 14min 43sec. The MINI crew lost vital minutes stopping to change two flat tyres. The fourth stage ran for km, started to the south of Doha and passed through around 40km of sand dunes north of the Inland Sea. The route then turned north through the middle of the country and then headed through the stony western deserts to finish at Al Wabra, west of Doha. Przygonski was actually the fastest of the two drivers through the first 107km, but Attiyah pushed harder as the stage progressed to record a fourth stage win of the week. Attiyah said: We took it steady today, no punctures and we had no problem with the navigation. We try to keep going like this because the 60 points here is very important. MANATEQ QATAR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY I was going carefully at the start and then we pushed a bit afterwards. Now we try to keep a good pace to finish the rally. We are also happy with the parts that we have tested here in Qatar. Second-placed Przygonski said: At the beginning we were running really good. Then we had a puncture, actually two punctures in the end, and we lost some time changing the tyres. The dunes were quite good and there were a lot of stones in the middle of the stage. It was hard on the tyres. We were pushing hard trying to catch Nasser and then the other puncture slowed us down. We will try and keep a good rhythm tomorrow with safe navigation and see what happens to the end. G-Energy Team MINI One driver Vladimir Vasilyev was quick out of the starting blocks as well and ceded minutes from then on, but the fifth quickest time enabled the Russian to hold on to third overall. Three of the Overdrive Qatar s Nasser Saleh al Attiyah and his French navigator Matthieu Baumel during Stage Four of Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally in the south of Doha on Saturday. Al Attiyah a stage away from victory Adel Abdulla in control in T2 Nishikori to face Nadal in final Japan s Kei Nishikori makes Monte Carlo Masters final for the first time, to face Rafael Nadal PAGE 24 Qatar s Adel Abdulla held the T2 lead in his Nissan Patrol Y62 in the penultimate round QCCR on Saturday. Racing Toyota crews lost valuable minutes with crucial navigation errors: Saudi Arabia s Yasir Seaidan suffered small delays with waypoint navigation and a flat tyre but actually climbed a place to fourth in his Overdrive Toyota on the back of Poland s Aron Domzala losing considerable tine with navigational problems over the closing kilometres. The youngster finished the day s section 38 minutes behind his Saudi team-mate. Dutchman Erik van Loon was on course for a top-three stage finish until he lost over 20 minutes in the closing kilometres trying to find a tricky waypoint. FIA World Cup leader Martin Prokop, however, enjoyed a strong stage in his Ford F-150 Evo and recorded the third quickest time to stay on track for a priceless finish in sixth overall. Qatar s Adel Abdulla s held a massive T2 lead of 3hrs 34min 54sec at the start of the penultimate stage and the Nissan Patrol Y62 driver - who is running RESULTS 2018 QATAR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY POSITIONS AFTER SS HRS): CARS 1. Nasser Saleh al Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 10hrs 26min 19sec 2. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) MINI John Cooper Works Rally 10hrs 41min 02sec 3. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI One 11hrs 12min 56sec 4. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexei Kuzmich (RUS) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 11hrs 50min 03sec 5. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 12hrs 13min 23sec 6. Martin Prokop (CZE)/David Pabiška (CZE) Ford F-150 Evo 12hrs 55min 06sec 7. Adel Abdulla (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Nissan Patrol Y62 (T2) 15hrs 33min 22sec 8. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Polaris RZR 1000 (T3) 16hrs 45min 30sec 9. Jose Luis Pena Campo (ESP)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP) Polaris RZR 1000 (T3) 18hrs 52min 05sec 10. Ahmed Shegawi (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Nissan Patrol Y61 (T2) 19hrs 41min 25sec 11. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 109hrs 06min 02sec 12. Fernando Alvarez (ESP)/Sergio Lafuente (UGY) Volkswagen Amarok 111hrs 08min 07sec BIKES/QUADS 1. Maciej Giemza (POL) KTM 450 Rally Replica 16hrs 54min 32sec; 2. Aleksandr Maksimov (RUS) Yamaha YFM 700R 20hrs 14min 29sec; 3. Kees Koolen (NLD) Barren Racer BR hrs 01min 03sec. with the backing of the QMMF and Ooredoo - took no risks to clock a stage time of 5hrs 04min 34sec to maintain a fine seventh in the overall standings. Championship rival Ahmed al Shegawi had struggled for two days but still began the day in 10th overall. He lost even more time to the Qatari and heads into the final day 4hrs 08min 03sec adrift of the T2 lead. Adel said: One day to go. We took it easy from the start, just cruising and we stopped to inflate the tyres after the dunes. When the road was better we decided to push a little. We also pushed when the car was lighter with the fuel load. Nasser (Al-Kuwari) did a good job. Some places were tricky and we missed the right way with seven kilometres to go. We find the road again and we make it to the finish. Frenchman Claude Fournier began the start with a T3 lead over Spaniard Jose Luis Pena Campo of 51min 43sec and increased that after another gritty stage performance. Tomorrow (Sunday), is the final selective section of the event and it runs for km. The action starts to the west of Doha and the route loops through the country s central deserts before skirting the western coastline and then cutting across the southern extremities to finish through the sand dunes to the north of the Inland Sea south of Sealine with the traditional sprint along a sandy beach to the flying finish. Al Sadd pip Rayyan 4-2 in shoot-out to make Qatar Cup final IKOLI VICTOR AL Sadd reached a consecutive Qatar Cup final after playing out a pulsating 2-2 draw in regulation time, before weathering Al Rayyan s storm to win 4-2 on penalties at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday. Hassan al Haydous, Boualem Khoukhi, Jugurtha Hamroun and Baghdad Bounedjah scored the goals for the hosts from the spot. Koh Myong-Gin and Gonzalo Viera converted for Al Rayyan, while Sebastian Soria and Rodrigo Tabata missed the target. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was used thrice in the match with the decisions correct in two reviews but the third was controversial as Abdelkarim Hassan s hand clearly seemed to have touched the ball inside the box in his attempt to stop Mohammed Alaeddin in the second half. Qatari international Akram Afif broke the deadlock in the 20th minute and nine minutes later, Hamed Ismail made it 2-0. Moroccan Mohsine Moutaouali reduced the deficit two minutes before the break and veteran Tabata equalised in the 81st minute to drag the game to penalty shoot-out. After an initial attack on the Al Rayyan goal by Al Sadd and a wasted free-kick by the former, referee Salman Falahi flashed a yellow card on Koh who brought down Pedro Miguel with a rough tackle near the touch line in just the fifth minute. Seconds later, Miguel rammed his knee into the back of Moutaouali, causing another interruption in play. A relentless Al Sadd grabbed the lead through Akram. Al Haydous blocked a slow pass from Al Rayyan s Koh close to his own box and slipped the ball to Barcelona and Spain great Xavi Hernandez who tapped the cross for Afif. The Qatar Under-23 star fired a low ball that swung as it reached the goalmouth before smashing into the net despite goalkeeper Barry s full-length dive. It was Afif s fourth goal of the current season with Al Sadd senior outfit. Close to the half-hour mark, Al Sadd jumped to a 2-0 lead after Hamed ran almost the entire distance from the half-line and QATAR CUP SEMIS AL DUHAIL VS AL GHARAFA slipped the ball into the net after being chased by defender Mohammed Juma. Five minutes from the firsthalf whistle, Moutaouali clipped a high ball for striker Soria who went for the snap-header, but the deflection went a little wide in one of the best chances for the visitors to score. However, three minutes later, Moutaouali scored for Al Rayyan from close range, slipping the ball past keeper Saad Al Dossari following a neat cross from Tabata. It was Moutaouali s fifth goal of the season. In the 70th minute, Al Rayyan skipper Tabata headed from close range, but the effort was ruled off-side after the referee went for the Video Assistant Referee review. Eleven minutes later, Tabata clipped a neat ball past Al Dossari to score the much-needed equaliser for Al Rayyan. QNB Stars League champions Al Duhail will take on Al Gharafa in the other semifinal on Sunday. Coach Belmadi seeks more from Al Duhail page 27 Above: Action from the Al Sadd-Al Rayyan Qatar Cup semis action which had ended in a 2-2 draw before the penalties. Below: The Al Sadd team members celebrate their win at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Nasser aims to equal Ben s record of 12 wins in Jordan AMMAN QATAR S Nasser Saleh al Attiyah will match another major milestone in the history of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship if he secures victory in next week s 36th edition of the Jordan Rally. Former driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the current FIA Vice-President for Sport in the Middle East and North Africa regions and has the record for the most number of MERC wins in Jordan 12. Victory for the Qatari would enable him to equal the multiple former champion s prestigious record. Nasser Saleh al Attiyah. Attiyah has won all but four of the events since claiming his first victory with British navigator Steve Lancaster in a Subaru Impreza WRC in Ben Sulayem won 12 times between 1984 and 2002 and that included two years when the rally did not run and two seasons when the Emirati was competing in the FIA Group N World Rally Championship. Speaking during the Qatar Cross-Country Rally at Losail this week, Attiyah said: People talk about records and, yes, it is nice to win rallies and break records. But it s not about that. It s about enjoying the rallies and making sure that we give a good performance. I guess if you look at other championships we have won many more rallies and, of course, I still want to win in Jordan. I like the stages and the rally very much. Former driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the current FIA Vice-President for Sport in the Middle East and North Africa regions and has the record for the most number of MERC wins in Jordan 12. Victory for the Qatari would enable him to equal the multiple former champion s prestigious record. It is very important to keep this championship. We need to work to improve and keep it alive. Jordan is doing a very good job to keep the championship strong. Then we have Cyprus, Lebanon, Iran, Kuwait coming back and Qatar will be the final round. I am sure the championship will come back very strong. We have seen ups and downs in the past and we always got through those. It s great to see Vojtech Stajf here in a Škoda. We worked together in Iran last year and encouraged him to come to the MERC. Ken Skidmore from my team helped him with the logistics side of things. He is a very quick driver and it should be interesting to see how he gets on in Jordan. The stages in Jordan are always demanding and we know that it is never easy here. Then we have the additional competition from the ERC cars in Cyprus and there is always a strong entry of R5s and fast drivers in Lebanon, so it s looking very positive this year. The Jordan Rally gets underway with a timed super special stage of two kilometres on the shores of the Dead Sea from 16.24hrs on April 26. The 36th edition of the Jordan Rally is running with the support of Kroon Oil, VESTEL, Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa, the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre managed by Hilton, Guarantee travel group, Hala and Bliss FM.

2 Belmadi seeks sweep of titles as Al Duhail meet Gharafa Coach Uygun says Gharafa not afraid of Red Knights ahead of Qatar Cup semis IKOLI VICTOR AL Duhail coach Djamel Belamdi is setting ambitious targets after winning the QNB Stars League with Al Duhail, with his intention to win all titles ahead of their Qatar Cup semi-final match against Al Gharafa at Jassin Bun Hamad Stadium on Sunday. Having won the league title with an unblemished record of 22 matches unbeaten in the concluded season, Belmadi is aware of the level of expectation he will be working under in the Month of May as Duhail face challenges in the Emir Cup and AFC Champions League. He is, however, determined to embrace that and make Al Duhail a dominant force once again. We still have the same determination to win titles. Our team displayed strong performances despite the busy match schedule. We are ready for the cup fixtures. We have a lot of important work to do because we have decisive matches next month in addition to the Emir s Cup. We reiterate that we enter all tournaments with the aim of winning the title. All matches are important Fourth time lucky Al Arabi claim first Emir Cup basketball title AYENI OLUSEGUN REIGNING Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) League champions Al Arabi Club held off Al Wakrah Club in overtime to win their first Emir Cup basketball title at the Al Gharafa Sports Club on Saturday. Both teams were tied at at the end of four quarters before key defensive stops and foul troubles thwarted a big night for Al Wakrah's Demarius Armond Bolds who scored a game high 38 points. Al Arabi had been to three previous finals without victory while Al Wakrah finished runners-up in the season in their only final appearance. The game was a close encounter from tip off as both teams had answers for each offensive and defensive sequences. Al Arabi's Nicholas Stover who leads the tournament in scoring with points per game finished with a team high 29 points despite fouling out in overtime. The Dream Team led Wakrah by four points after the first quarter but The Waves mounted a comeback in the second to move two points ahead. However, Stover hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer as Al Arabi closed out the half Al Wakrah's trio of Bolds, Earnest Lee Ross and Adamu Saaka stretched the lead for the Wolves in the third quarter to but Christian Cacas' layup with seconds to go gave Al Arabi a threepoint edge. Stover banked in a jumper but Stover knocked down another shot at the buzzer to end the quarter in favour of Al Arabi. In the fourth quarter, Saaka drove hard to the basket for a layup while making the basket and getting a foul call. Saaka put Al Wakrah one point ahead with two minutes left but William Byrd had two jumpers which tied the scores at Cacas had a chance to win in the final seconds but blew an open layup 22.5 seconds left to play as Al Wakrah called a timeout. After the timeout, Stover missed the go-ahead jumper and the game went into overtime. Al Arabi came out smoking in overtime with key defensive stops from Bryd and Stover as Saaka fouled out. Al Arabi stretched the for us and my team proved its potential. Belmadi won four-league titles and one Emir titles in his current spell in the dugout with the Red Knights. Al Duhail is the most important stop in my coaching career, said Belmadi. I am satisfied with my players performance. I think our match against Al Gharafa will be very tough and strong especially since Al Gharafa had many good performances in the second phase of league. Also, Al Gharafa won their last group-stage match in the AFC Champions League. I have huge confidence in my players. I wished for (Youssef) Msekni to be with us. I deal with players not according to their age or name, but with their efforts on the pitch, added Belmadi. Commenting on the Video Assistant Referee to be used in the Qatar Cup, the Algerian said, I really support it because it is crucial for the development of the game as small details can decide the outcome of a game. Al Duhail player Karim Boudiaf said, The cup matches are different than league games because no one can Al Arabi Club players and officials celebrate with the Emir Cup Basketball Championship trophy in Al Gharafa after beating Al Wakrah in overtime on Saturday. (PHOTOGRAPHS: RAFEEK PALAYOOR) lead to six points at as Bryd made a key defensive stop before getting fouled. The forward knocked down two clutch free throws as Arabi held on to win Hatem Mamlouk said his team showed strength to win the League and Emir Cup double. We played against a Sports Sunday, April 22, Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi (second right) with his players during a press conference in Doha. predict the result. We have a team capable of pulling off a win despite the difficulty of Qatar Cup because we have with us such strong teams like Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa. There is a big difference with Al Gharafa of late as they are a transformed side after the recruitment of Sneijder, Assim Madibo and Mehdi Taremi. Al Gharafa coach Bulent Uygun said: The Qatar Cup is a very important competition and all clubs are looking forward to winning the title. I hope luck will be on our side. We are facing Al Duhail, who had not lost this season in the great team and we have won today. This was a team effort and it is a great feeling to win the first Emir Cup in the club's history. QNB Stars League. The Qatar Cup is crucial for all clubs. We are seeking the title and are counting on our fans to support us. We have a number of injured players, some with minor injuries while others have serious injuries such as Almahdi Ali and Thamer Jamal. They may not play this match. We are all focused on the Al Duhail game and are confident of winning. We are not afraid of Al Duhail, but we respect them, he added. Al Gharafa player Wesley Sneijder said, We are aware that this match is tough, however we are here now in the semi-final because we emerged as the fourth in the league table which was not an easy task. Duhail is one of the best teams in Qatar. I have played against them only once, in the league. They have players of high caliber. At the same time, our squad has improved a lot of late.

3 26 Sunday, April 22, 2018 De Ulzurrun, Caballero bag Open titles in Al Adam triathlon A large turnout makes organisers QCTF happy ADAY Alvarez Diez de Ulzurrun and Isora Sosa Caballero secured a grand double for TriClub Doha as they emerged the winners in the Open men s and women s categories of the third Al Adam Triathlon Championship. The event was organised by the Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation at the Pearl on Friday with 91 participants contesting in various classes. De Ulzurrun was the only one to have finished the course in a sub-one hour time. He clocked 58 minutes and 16 seconds to complete all the three legs. He was 3:36 minutes ahead of teammate Ethan Bennett. Derek Brady and William Kilshaw, both from TriClub Doha too, came third and fourth, while Frederic Carmo rounded out the top five, six minutes and 10 seconds off the winner. Caballero, who won her category nine minutes and three seconds ahead of teammate Gerda Maria Dumitru, led a for TriClub Doha. Daniela Sposi finished in 1:14.22, 10 minutes and seven second slower than the champion. Isobel Bushell dented the Tri- Club Doha domination, coming home fourth with 1: Samia Brossault, Nina Moss and Raquel Serrabella grabbed the fifth to seventh spots for TriClub Doha. Pia Sundstedt beat Andrea Stadler by over eight minutes to bag the veteran women s crown. The third place went to Ruandra Oberholzer, who was timed Sports 1:12.43, just six seconds off Stadler. Aoife Boyce (1:14.39) and Valerie Pans (1:18.01) secured the fourth and fifth places, respectively. The veteran men s crown was bagged by Joan Pedret Ruiz, who held off a trio of TriClub Doha and completed the course in 1: In an exciting battle, he beat Petri Kutinlahti by 31 seconds. Andrw Buckley was third in 1:05.30 and Andrew Kilshaw got the fourth spot when came home in1: Simon Aggus took 1:06.28 to emerge as the fifth fastest. In the Qatari category, Q-Tri dominated the show. In a thrilling fight for the title, which saw 36 Qatari contestants, Ali al Hajri topped with 1:05.05, beating Mubarak al Ajji. Issa al Maadeed took the third place being four minutes and 28 seconds off the champion. Jamal al Kuwari, QCTF General Secretary, said, I m happy with the success of the Al Adam Triathlon Championship which was held in the majestic Pearl. This year, we added the aquathlon race for children to create interest among them for this sport. The QCTF always pays a great attention to triathlon which is very popular and draws a large number of participants, especially the Qataris, he added. Dr. Nasser al Mohanadi, a QCTF Board Member and founder of Q-TRI team, said that the championship for the triathlon has seen a large turnout of the contestants, especially the participation of Q- Tri team which registered a strong presence in the tournament with 35 Qataris in the three competitions. He also thanked the organising committee for the event, traffic department, United Catering Company and sponsor Qatar National Bank. AAB support to Overdrive Racing & Toyota Gazoo Racing ABDULLAH Abdulghani & Bros Co. (AAB), Toyota s exclusive dealer in Qatar, announced their support to the Toyota team taking part in the Qatar Cross Country Rally at a Press Conference in Doha. Overdrive and Toyota Gazoo Racing will be having five Toyota Hilux contesting in the rally led by Qatar s ace driver Nasser bin Saleh al Attiyah. Addressing the media, RK Murugan, AAB Acting CEO, announced AAB s support to the Toyota Team in the Qatar Cross Country Rally for all their local logistics requirement and wished the team all success. Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazo Racing team is led by Attiyah along with Giniel de Villiers, Erik van Loon, Aron Domzala and Yasir Seaidan. Attiyah and South African teammate de Villiers are both previous Dakkar Rally winners and favourites for the Qatar rally. Toyota Hilux Pick-ups are world renowned for their ruggedness and toughness and is the market leader in the pick-up segment in Qatar. Pushing the limits for better, Toyota Gazoo Racing embodies Toyota s commitment Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazo Racing team is led by Attiyah along with Giniel de Villiers, Erik van Loon, Aron Domzala and Yasir Seaidan. to overcoming every limit to make ever-better cars. Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co. W.L.L. Toyota was established in 1958 as part of Qatar s infrastructure development. In 1964, Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. was awarded the Toyota Dealership. As one of the forerunners of successful businesses in Qatar, Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Toyota has established a name for itself with sound business practices and ethics a reputation earned through honesty, integrity and impeccable relationship with its customers, business partners and employees. Warriors Club crush Al Hamra in QCL WARRIORS Club rode a fine bowling performance to crush Al Hamra by eight wickets in the ongoing Qatar Champions League at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium. Al Hamra s decision to bat first after winning toss proved suicidal as they were shot out for just 88 runs in 17.3 overs. Warriors Club cruised to the victory with nine overs to spare as all-rounder Murad Al Hamra suffered early setbacks from both Murad and Sandeep, who grabbed two wickets each to have them reeling at six down for 28. Janaka hit 40 in 27 balls with seven fours to resist the rivals to some extent. and Adnan hit 30 and unbeaten 30, respectively. Al Hamra suffered early setbacks from both Murad and Sandeep, who grabbed two wickets each to have them reeling at six down for 28. Janaka hit 40 in 27 balls with seven fours to resist the rivals to some extent. Israr (13 with a six and a four) was only the second player from Al Hamra to reach double digits. Apart from Murad and Sandeep, Kushal and Umar also picked two scalps each, while Praveeth and Owais got one wicket apiece. Warriors Club, with no run pressure at all, raced to Man of the match Murad of Warriors Club the victory in 11 overs. Murad smashed a six and four boundaries in his 18-ball 30. Adnan and Praveeth joined hands at two down for 53 and hit up the required runs through unbroken stand. Adnan made 30 not out off 28 balls with two fours and Praveeth had 17 not out in 16 balls, including two fours. Khadeer and Waqas shared the wickets to fall. Murad of Warriors Club was adjudged the man of the match. BRIEF SCORES Warriors Club beat Al Hamra by eight wickets Al Hamra: 88 all out in 17.3 overs (Janaka 40 in 27 balls, Israr 13 in 13 balls, Murad 2/5, Kushal 2/9, Umar 2/21, Sandeep 2/25, Praveeth 1/13, Owais 1/13) Warriors Club: 89 for two in 11 overs (Murad 30 in 18 balls, Adnan 30 not out in 28 balls, Praveeth 17 not out in 16 balls, Khadeer 1/22, Waqas 1/32) Man of the match: Murad (Warriors Club)

4 Sports Sunday, April 22, TAKE THAT! Royal Challengers AB de Villiers during his unbeaten innings of 90 runs in the IPL match against Delhi Daredevils at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. () De Villiers (90*) powers RCB to thumping win AGENCIES BENGALURU AB de Villiers had been threatening to fire. On Saturday, when he finally did, there was elation and relief in equal measure for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as they thumped Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash by six wickets with two overs to spare at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Brief Scores Royal Challengers Bangalore (De Villiers 90*, Kohli 30) beat Delhi Daredevils in 18 overs (Pant 85, Iyer 52, Chahal 2-22) by six wickets. Chasing 175 to win, the hosts hit the cruise mode once the South African De Villiers got going for a rollicking 90 not out off just 39 balls raining ten fours and five sixes much to the delight of a packed weekend home crowd. Conventions and text-book cricket was thrown out of the window, as out came the dash of the unorthodox De Villiers. De Villiers knock on a surface where there was grip and turn for the spinners, lifted RCB to their second win while Delhi Daredevils are at the bottom of the table with just one win in five games. With De Villiers calling the shots, there was little for the others to do. Opener Quinton de Kock was out for 18 while captain Virat Kohli contributed 30 runs before it was over to the belligerent De Villiers. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer (52) and Rishabh Pant (85) helped Delhi Daredevils post a fighting total. Iyer and Pant then showed some resistance, sharing a 75- run partnership for the third wicket as Delhi recovered from a poor start. Put into bat, Delhi were off to a poor start as both the openers Jason Roy (5) and Gautam Gambhir (3) were back in the dug out with the scorecard reading just 23 runs in 5.4 overs. While pacer Umesh Yadav dismissed Gambhir, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal clean bowled Roy. Pant and Iyer eased the pressure on the visitors as they took time to settle down before finding occassional big shots. Spinner Washington Sundar finally broke Delhi's momentum, dismissing Iyer, who was looking good, in the 14th over with Delhi's score being 98/3. Iyer departed after hitting four fours and three sixes. With the addition of just another seven runs in Delhi's scorecard, Chahal sent back incoming batter Glenn Maxwell (4). However, Pant kept the fight alive for his side and slammed 18 runs off a Chris Woakes' 18th over to lift Delhi to 163/4. Trying to go big in the final over, Pant was finally dismissed by Corey Anderson. The Delhi batter's 48-ball 85-run knock was guided by six boundaries and seven sixes. Rahul Tewatia's 13 off 9 for Delhi helped the visitors reach a fighting total. For RCB, Chahal was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/22 while Umesh, Anderson and Sundar bagged one wicket apiece. Karthik questions D/L method after loss IANS KOLKATA KOLKATA Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik termed the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method strange and vouched for Indian counterpart of the rule, the VJD method, after his team lost to Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in a rain-truncated IPL game here on Saturday. I have always thought that the VJD is an Indian method and it's an Indian domestic tournament, why not think about it in the future? It's been proven that it's a really good method, we have used in domestic tournaments. Only for IPL, we use D/L. Why not think about VJD here and promote it?, Karthik said at the post match press conference. KKR rode Chris Lynn s 41- ball 74 to post a challenging total of 191/7. But Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul made short work of the chase with their whirlwind knocks. The D/L method also came in their favour by reducing the target. It is interesting that at the stage rain stopped play, they needed about eight runs an over but after the D/L method, they come back and they need six runs an over, a run a ball, Karthik said. Ideally if it would have been a 20-over game, they would have needed eight an over. Suddenly after rain, they needed run-a-ball. I didn t understand that bit but I am sure people (calculating) Duckworth-Lewis is trying to figure out what it is, the newly-appointed captain added. Haq s all-round show leads Qatar to win over Kuwait CAPTAIN Inam-Ul-Haq (24 runs in 25 balls and four wickets for 22) put up an inspiring all-round display to lead Qatar to a crucial 26-run victory over strong Kuwait in the ICC World Twenty20 Asia Sub Regional Qualifier at Kuwait City on Saturday. With this win, Qatar have a 1-1 win-loss record. They had lost the opener to the United Arab Emirates on Friday. Qatar are now third in the six-team event, led by the UAE with two wins in as many matches. Besides Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain all have one win each in two matches. However on the basis of the Net Run-Rate, Kuwait are in the second spot, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain follow. Maldives have lost both the games so far and are at the bottom. Opting to bat first, Qatar posted a challenging 167 for six in 20 overs. Opener Faisal Javid Khan and No. four Kamram Khan launched a savage attack on the rival bowlers. Faisal fired three sixes and half a dozen boundaries in his 23-ball 48. Kamran was also a bit unfortunate to have missed his half-century. He blazes five sixes and one four to hammer 49 in 28 balls. Both Faisal and Kamran were involved in two halfcentury stands which provided solidity to the Qatar s total. Faisal added 52 runs for the opening wicket with Tanveer in five overs. Later Kamran and Sajjad collected 51 runs for the fourth wicket to take the total to 156 in 18.1 overs when the latter was dismissed. Skipper Haq added a valuable 24 off 25 balls with three fours, while Muhammad Tanveer got 17 in 21 balls, which IANS KOLKATA KINGS XI Punjab openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul made short work of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as they won by nine wickets via the Duckworth Lewis (D/L) method in a rain-truncated Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday. Chasing 192 for victory, Gayle (49, 27b not out) and Rahul (46 off 23 not out) were going all guns blazing when rain, accompanied by thunderstorms. hit Eden. Play was stopped for 95 minutes after which Punjab were given a revised target of 125 in 13 overs. Gayle remained unbeaten on 62 off 38 balls (5x4, 6x6), hitting the winning runs by smoking Tom Curran for a six as Punjab, 126/1, eased to victory with 11 balls to spare. Rahul (60; 27b 9x4 2x6) got out to Sunil Narine by topedging a pull to Tom Curran at deep midwicket. With just 29 needed off 28 balls after the break, Gayle resumed from where he had left off, tonking Piyush Chawla for a six to bring up his fifty in 28 balls. Rahul notched up his half century too at the other end, smashing Sunil Narine for a six over deep midwicket to follow it up with two fours off ICC WORLD TWENTY20 ASIA SUB REGIONAL QUALIFIERS The Qatar team after their win against Kuwait in the ICC World Twenty20 Asia Sub Regional Qualifier at the Sulaibiya Cricket Ground, Sulaibiya, Kuwait City on Saturday. Captain s show Qatar s captain Inam-Ul-Haq scored 24 runs off 25 balls and later claimed four wickets for 22 runs to star in his team s crucial 26-run win over Kuwait. included a six. Imaran Ali (three for 18) and Sajid Manzil took five wickets between them to stop Qatar from gaining a formidable position. Haq however had some different plans when Kuwait launched the pursuit. He had the West Indian, who then removed him. The opening wicket stand was for 116 runs off 58 balls. This was the transformed SCOREBOARD QATAR Faisal Javid Khan c Ali Zaheer b Imran Ali 48 Muhammad Tanveer c Imran Ali b Sajid Manzil 17 Inam-ul-Haq (c) b Sajid Manzil 24 Kamran Khan c Ali Zaheer b Imran Ali 49 Tamoor Sajjad lbw b Imran Ali 9 Nouman Sarwar not out 10 Awais Malik c Usman Waheed b Mohammed Naseer 0 Extras: (b1, lb4, nb1, w4) 10 TOTAL: (For six wickets, 20 overs, RR: 8.35) 167 Did not bat: Mohammed Nadeem, Mohammed Rizlan, GBW Munaweera, Iqbal Hussain Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Faisal Javid Khan, 4.6 ov), 2-82 (Muhammad Tanveer, 8.6 ov), (Inam-ul-Haq, 12.4 ov), (Tamoor Sajjad, 18.1 ov), (Kamran Khan, 18.3 ov), (Awais Malik, 19.6 ov) Bowling: Mohammed Naseer , Azmatullah Nazeer , Imran Ali , Muhammad Kashif , Sajid Manzil , R Sandaruwan KUWAIT Usman Waheed c Awais Malik b Inam-ul-Haq 66 opener Usman Waheed caught by Awais Malik for 66 after the batsman had guided his team to 84 through a 72-run stand with Abid Mushtaq. His 36- ball knock contained two sixes and nine fours. Two runs later, Haq bowled Mohammed Asghar Punjab's third win in a row, and first at Eden since as they jumped to the top of the table with eight points. Fresh from his whirlwind Muhammad Kashif c & b Awais Malik 2 Abid Mushtaq run out (Tamoor Sajjad) 17 Mohammed Asghar b Inam-ul-Haq 1 Ali Zaheer c Mohammed Rizlan b Inam-ul-Haq 3 R Sandaruwan c sub (K Shahzad) b Mohd Nadeem 2 Sajid Manzil c Tamoor Sajjad b Inam-ul-Haq 2 Mohd Naseer c Mohammed Rizlan b Iqbal Hussain 21 Azmatullah Nazeer c T Sajjad b Iqbal Hussain 12 Imran Ali not out 12 Abdul Sadiq not out 1 Extras: (w2) 2 TOTAL: (For nine wickets, 20 overs, RR: 7.05) 141 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Muhammad Kashif, 1.5 ov), 2-84 (Usman Waheed, 11.1 ov), 3-86 (Mohammed Asghar, 11.6 ov), 4-87 (Abid Mushtaq, 12.2 ov), 5-89 (R Sandaruwan, 12.4 ov), 6-93 (Sajid Manzil, 13.5 ov), (Ali Zaheer, 15.2 ov), (Mohammed Naseer, 17.3 ov), (Azmatullah Nazeer, 19.3 ov) Bowling: GBW Munaweera , Awais Malik , Nouman Sarwar , Iqbal Hussain , Inam-ul-Haq , Mohammed Nadeem Man of the Match: Inam-Ul-Haq. (1). Barely three runs were added when Sajjad caught Mushtaq (17 in 27 balls) short of the crease with a superb throw. R Sandaruwan (2) was sent back at 89 and Haq got rid of Sajid Manzil (2) to leave them struggling six down for 93 in 13.5 overs. century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gayle looked in his devastating best and alongwith Rahul started off dealing in boundaries against the KKR Qatar then fully controlled the match and restricted them at 141 for nine. While Haq completed a four-wicket haul, Iqbal Hussain grabbed two for 23 to put pressure on Kuwait from the other end. Qatar team manager Gul Khan Jadoun expressed satisfaction with the team s display and the win. It was a vital match and very important win for us today. Both the UAE and Kuwait are the strongest teams in the group and we have played them with 1-1 result. All the players put in their 100 percent and we managed to beat Kuwait convincingly. I want to congratulate the team for their fine effort. Also I wish to congratulate QCA President Yousef Jeham al Kuwari for total support to the team. We ve still three more matches to play in the group league. We ll stay focused on the target and try our best in the tournament, Jadoun added. Kings XI Punjab ride Gayle-Rahul show to beat Kolkata Knight Riders, top table Brief Scores Kings XI Punjab 126/1 in 11.1 overs (Chris Gayle 62 not out, KL Rahul 60) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 191/7 (Chris Lynn 74, Dinesh Karthik 43; Andrew Tye 2/30, Barinder Sran 2/50) by 9 wickets via Duckworth-Lewis method. Kings XI Punjab s Chris Gayle (left) congratulates teammate KL Rahul on reaching his half-century during their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. () India Bollywood actor and Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta with Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik after the match at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. () pace attack of Shivam Mavi and Andre Russell. The pair raced to 73 for no loss in Powerplay, and from there on toyed with the home team bowlers. To make matters worse for KKR, Andre Russell aggravated his hamstring during bowling and had to leave the field. Earlier, Chris Lynn (74) took time to settle down against the spinners and plundered the quicks, smashing six fours and four sixes in his first half-century of IPL-11. Lynn got a reprieve in the 13th over when when he was on 62, Barinder Sran (2/50) dropping a catch at deep extra cover off Andrew Tye (2/30) but the damage was already done. Skipper Dinesh Karthik (43; 28b 6x4) gave him good company with a composed knock. The pair stitched together a 62-run partnership off 34 balls for the fourth wicket. Lynn also combined with Robin Uthappa (34; 23b 5x4 1x6) for a 72-run second wicket stand.

5 24 Sunday, April 22, 2018 German Bundesliga Bayern Munich s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his goal during the German first division Bundesliga match in Hanover, on Saturday. Bayern tune up for Real () with victory at Hanover Ten-man RB Leipzig crash to a 5-2 home defeat by Hoffenheim in clash for the Champions League places BERLIN BUNDESLIGA champions Bayern Munich warmed up for Real Madrid with a 3-0 win at Hanover 96 on Saturday as Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski both scored after coming off the bench. Mueller struck within 12 minutes of his half-time introduction before Lewandowski doubled the lead and Sebastian Rudy added a third after coach Jupp Heynckes started a weakened team. With one eye on Wednesday s blockbuster Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Real, Heynckes left out several regulars while handing 18-year-old centreback Lars Lukas Mai his Bundesliga debut. Arjen Robben captained the side with Thiago Alcantara, James Rodriguez and Jerome Boateng the only other outfield players in Saturday s line-up likely to start against Real. Both sides had their chances in a goalless first half before Bayern pulled away after Mueller replaced Robben, the Germany international striking on 57 minutes when his first-time shot from a Juan Bernat cross deflected off Salif Sane and past goalkeeper Philipp Tschauner. Bayern s top scorer Lewandowski added a second just six minutes after coming on himself. Rudy swung in a corner and the Polish forward headed home to score for the 38th time this season in all competitions. Defensive midfielder Rudy capped the win a minute from time to leave Bayern 23 points clear of second-placed Schalke, who are at bottom side Cologne on Sunday. Ten-man RB Leipzig crashed to a 5-2 home defeat by Hoffenheim in a key clash for the Champions League places next season. Swedish international Emil Forsberg was sent off for a foul on Florian Grillitsch just after the break with Hoffenheim already 3-0 up. Mark Uth, Serge Gnabry and Pavel Kaderabek all scored as Leipzig s defence buckled in the opening 45 minutes. Naby Keita pulled a goal back before the hour mark, but Uth scored his second goal with a header before midfielder Lukas Rupp hit Hoffenheim s fifth. England Under-21 international Ademola Lookman, on loan from Everton, set up Dayot Upamecano to score Leipzig s second on 88 minutes. The result leaves Hoffenheim fifth, just two points from the Champions League places, while six-placed Leipzig are four adrift. Mid-table Hertha Berlin romped to a 3-0 win at German Cup finalists Eintracht Frankfurt as Davie Selke, Mathew Leckie and Alexander Esswein scored. Frankfurt suffered a cup hangover, after beating Schalke in Wednesday s semi-final, and remain seventh. Club captain Christian Gentner and Berkay Ozcan scored Stuttgart s goals in their 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen. Ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lewis Holtby boosted Hamburg s hopes of avoiding relegation with their 1-0 win at home to Freiburg. Holtby jinked through the Freiburg defence and tapped home just after the break to leave second-from-bottom Hamburg five points from safety with three games left. Hamburg are the only current Bundesliga to have played in every season since its foundation in Ruthless Nadal beats Dimitrov to set up Monte Carlo final with Nishikori MONTE CARLO WORLD number one Rafael Nadal swept aside Grigor Dimitrov to ease into his 12th Monte Carlo Masters final with a 6-4, 6-1 victory on Saturday, while Kei Nishikori edged out Alexander Zverev. The 31-year-old Nadal needs to win an 11th Monaco title to retain the number one ranking ahead of Roger Federer, and will be a red-hot favourite against Japan s Nishikori in Sunday s final. I really don t care if I am favourite or I am not favourite, insisted Nadal, after beating Dimitrov for the 11th time in 12 meetings. I go on court, I try my best. I want to win. Doesn t matter if I am the favourite or I am not the favourite. Nadal came through a tight first set but always looked too strong for Dimitrov and raced through the second in half an hour. He s playing very good on clay. Simple as that. Tactically and everything else, admitted Dimitrov. The top seed is bidding for an outright record 31st Masters title this week and extended his run of consecutive sets won on clay to 34 as he closed on a third consecutive Monte Carlo title. Being (in) 12 finals already here is something difficult to imagine. To win 10 is difficult to imagine, too, Nadal said. In our sport, there is not much time to stop and think about the things that have happened or not happened. When I retire, probably we will have the chance to think about it, how difficult all the things that I have done (were). Nadal, playing his first ATP tournament since he retired from his Australian Open quarter-final against Marin Cilic in January with a hip injury, has shown no signs of rust. Following a 6-0, 6-2 lasteight demolition of Dominic Thiem, Nadal has lost only 16 games in four matches this week. Dimitrov immediately put Nadal s serve under pressure with two perfectly-judged lobs forcing deuce, but the top seed came through an eight-minute opener. Nadal didn t take long to get into his stride, breaking at the first time of asking as Dimitrov struggled in the longer rallies. The Bulgarian continued to go for his shots and brought up three break-back points in game five as Nadal followed a double fault with two wayward groundstrokes. Results M gladbach 3 Wolfsburg o Leipzig 2 Hoffenheim 5 Frankfurt 0 Hertha Berlin 3 SV Hamburg 1 Freiburg 0 Hanover 0 Bayern Munich 3 Stuttgart 2 Werder Bremen 0 Dortmund 4 Leverkusen 0 Sports Spain s Rafael Nadal hits a return to Bulgaria s Grigor Dimitrov during their semi-final match at the Monte- Carlo ATP Masters Series tournament in Monaco on Saturday. () Nadal fired long, before Dimitrov saved a break point himself with a venomous forehand to level at 3-3. The fourth seed was displaying the resolve needed to push Nadal on his favourite surface, and came back from break point down again as the Spaniard continued to miss chances. But Dimitrov wasted all of his earlier good work, handing Nadal two set points with backto-back double faults and a wild forehand. The 16-time Grand Slam champion wrapped up the set with a whipped forehand onto the line. It was my fault when I got broken. Simple as that, said world number five Dimitrov. That effectively ended Dimitrov s chances, and Nadal broke to love twice in a row in the second set before a wide Dimitrov backhand wrapped up yet another comfortable victory. Nishikori fought back from a set down to beat Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach his first Masters final since Toronto in The Japanese player has struggled with a right wrist injury that forced him to miss the last four months of last season, but has looked back to his best in Monte Carlo. Roma warm up for Liverpool with 3-0 win over SPAL SPAL fell to their first defeat in nine games leaving their top-flight survival increasingly in doubt MILAN ROMA warmed up for next week s Champions League clash with Liverpool by easing past SPAL 3-0 on Saturday to keep their push for elite European football next season on track. Eusebio Di Francesco s side have 67 points from 34 games -- three ahead of city rivals Lazio who can pull level again when they host Sampdoria on Sunday. The performance was excellent, said coach Eusebio Di Francesco. The team s attitude three days before such an important match with Liverpool is an important step in the right direction, I m really happy with this performance today, I got important answers. This is a side that has great goals in its head, a team that looks at the present and not the future, and it s a moment of great satisfaction for me. He added: The only downside was that in the first half we could have scored more. Of course against Liverpool this precision and solidity we must have from the beginning. A Francesco Vicari own goal gave the Romans a first-half lead in Ferrara with Radja Nainggolan and Patrik Schick adding two more in an eight-minute spell in the second half. SPAL fell to their first defeat in nine games leaving their topflight survival increasingly in doubt as they sit just one point above the relegation zone. Di Francesco rotated his side ahead of Tuesday s Champions League semi-final at Anfield with Argentinian left-back Jonathan Silva getting his first start since his January signing. Roma s top scorer Edin Dzeko stayed on the bench alongside captain Daniele De Rossi with the visitors missing three chances in the first half -- Stephan El Shaarawy misfiring twice and Lorenzo Pellegrini also missing a third opportunity. But Pellegrini contributed to the opener, crossing a low ball into the area as Vicari turned into his own net when trying to anticipate Kevin Strootman in a scramble in front of goal. Nainggolan missed a chance for a second with the Belgian sending the ball into the side netting just before the break. But seven minutes into the second half Nainggolan sent a diagonal half-volley into the bottom corner, with Pellegrini setting up Schick to head in the third on the hour mark. It was the first goal for Czech forward Schick since he joined Roma on loan from Sampdoria last August. Finally, I ve been waiting for too long, said Schick whose season had been hampered by injuries. It was tough today and very hot, so it was important to get the win. Now there s Liverpool, we must prepare for that game and have the same attitude we did against Barcelona. Roma s Champions League rivals Liverpool meanwhile were held 2-2 in Premier League action on Saturday. They re not very solid in defence, but Liverpool are the kind of team where if they score six and concede three, they re happy, said Di Francesco. Liverpool are a side of great quality. The first leg is away from home and that can be an advantage, but also makes it very difficult to prepare tactically. I know the starting eleven, it s all planned, but I won t tell you. I can say that Edin Dzeko will play. Roma s Patrik Schick (left) reacts as he scores a goal past SPAL s Italian goalkeeper Alex Meretto (right) during an Italian Serie A match in Ferrara on Saturday. () Stephens battles from behind to give US Fed Cup lead over France DPA SLOANE Stephens claimed a hard-fought straight sets victory over France s Pauline Parmentier to give the United States an early advantage in their Fed Cup semi-final in Aix en-provence on Saturday. Two dominant victories from Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova had earlier given the Czech Republic a healthy 2-0 lead over Germany in the other last-four clash. Stephens, the 25-year-old US Open champion, battled back from 5-1 down in the first set to win a tiebreak against a determined Parmentier before a double break in the second set earned a 7-6, 7-5 win to move the US 1-0 ahead. Parmentier remained mentally tough and resilient after losing the first set to reap a break on Stephens serve in the second but the young American composed herself in a gruelling rally to come out on top and break right back. After a tiresome two hours and 20 minutes on court, Stephens sensed the end when a wild Parmentier stroke gave her a match point, which she duly converted with a forehand down the line. It was a really tough Away game The first leg is away from home and that can be an advantage, but also makes it very difficult to prepare tactically, Di Francesco said. Sloane Stephens of Team USA reacts after her victory. () match, said Stephens. I was battling with her and she was playing good so I m really pleased to come through. I didn t play my best but all I could do was fight back, keep the balls in the court and play for every point with my best effort. The United States or France look set to face the Czechs in the Fed Cup final with them needing just one more win in Stuttgart. Kvitova claimed a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Julia Goerges before Pliskova prevailed over Angelique Kerber in a 7-5, 6-3 win. I was very happy with my game today, said Pliskova. My serve was great. Playing against Angie is always tough, and especially in Germany, so it was an important win for me.

6 West Brom fightback steals spotlight from Salah WEST BROMWICH MOHAMED Salah bagged a record-equalling goal for Liverpool, but a dramatic late equaliser from Salomon Rondon earned West Bromwich Albion a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Rondon rose impressively in the 89th minute, arriving to nod in Chris Brunt s free-kick and complete Albion s recovery from a two-goal deficit at the Hawthorns. But bottom of the table West Brom still look set for relegation from the Premier League as they are eight points from safety with only three games left. Liverpool remain third, three points behind secondplaced Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp s side had seemed firmly in control as Salah equalled Ian Rush s Liverpool record of scoring in 32 different games in a single season and collected his 31st league goal of the campaign, his 41st overall. Egypt winger Salah tied the Premier League record of most goals in a 38-game campaign, joining Alan Shearer ( ), Cristiano Ronaldo ( ) and Luis Suarez ( ). He also equalled Suarez s Liverpool record for most goals in a Premier League season. Earlier, it was Danny Ings, a player whose Liverpool career has been blighted by injuries since moving from Burnley, who was the centre of attention with his first goal in 930 days. Ings was preferred to Roberto Firmino, one of five key personnel rested by Klopp with an eye on Tuesday s Champions League semi-final first leg with Roma, and the former England international wasted little time in justifying his manager s faith. Sadio Mane worked a short corner with James Milner, crossing into the six-yard area where Georginio Wijnaldum had space to control the ball into the path of Ings who drove home convincingly. It was Ings first goal since scoring against Everton in October 2015, shortly after his move to Anfield, and his celebrations indicated the obvious relief felt by a player who has badly injured the cruciate ligaments in both knees in the intervening years. More importantly, the goal put Liverpool ahead in a game Klopp badly needed to win in Sports Sunday, April 22, West Bromwich Albion s Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon (centre) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal during the Premier League match in West Bromwich, on Saturday. () his quest to ensure his side finishes the season in the top four to guarantee Champions League football next term. Klopp has insisted that a top-four finish remains as much a priority as reaching the Champions League final and a run of just one defeat in their last 15 games in all competitions testifies to the German s intent. On this occasion, Liverpool seemed to be as good as over the finishing line on 71 minutes when Salah moved five goals clear of Tottenham s Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League s Golden Boot award. Firmino headed on a long punt from Loris Karius with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain taking up the running before playing in Salah who finished clinically by lifting the ball over the keeper from eight yards. But Klopp was left to face an anxious finale when Albion pulled a goal back on 78 minutes. Brunt s corner was headed back across goal by Jay Rodriguez and, after a Craig Dawson shot had been saved, Jake Livermore rammed home the loose ball. The balancing act, of ensuring his side continues to pick up league points while preparing for their Champions League campaign, has not been an easy one and Klopp s team selection carried with it a degree of risk. Not that the early going was too problematic for Liverpool as Salah saw a shot deflected behind off Livermore, Ings headed wide from Milner s cross and Salah planted a 20-yard free-kick over. But Albion, fresh from their surprise victory at Manchester United last weekend, grew into the game and Rodriguez came close to converting a James McClean cross before the interval, foreshadowing the late comeback that gave Liverpool a shock before their European adventure. Proud Ozil says coach Wenger the reason he joined Arsenal Arsenal should name a German coach, says former Gunner Podolski English FA Cup DPA MESUT Ozil said he s proud to have played under Arsene Wenger and declared the Frenchman as the reason he joined Arsenal. Wenger announced on Friday he is leaving Arsenal at the end of the season, ending a 22-year reign in which he won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups. Oezil joined the Gunners from Real Madrid for a club record 42.5 million pounds (60 milllion dollars) in 2013 and cited the manager as the inspiration for his move. He s the main reason I came here, he convinced me and I am proud to have played under him, the Germany international told Sky Sports. Everyone has a lot of respect for him. He has won many titles, developed some good players and has always played excellent football, so you know as a player if you come here you are going to be able to develop and play in that style. He is an honest guy, a very respectful guy, has a good personality, and everybody wants to play under him. Oezil s own future at the club had been in doubt until he signed a new deal earlier this season, thanks to Wenger. He is the boss who brought me here and wanted me to stay so I said I am comfortable here, I never wanted to leave and that s why I stayed, he said. Now we want to reach our further goals. To be a creative player like I am, he gives me that freedom and tells me to do my thing. He gives me his trust and belief and when a coach says something like that, especially someone like him, you are proud and you want to do all you can to fight for him. Meanwhile, former Arsenal and Germany forward Lukas Podolski says the English Premier League side should hire a German coach to replace Arsene Wenger. Arsenal announced on Friday that Frenchman Wenger would leave the club at the end of the season after almost 22 years in charge, following a slump in form in recent seasons. I think Arsenal would be good for a German coach. That s my feeling, Podolski, who played under Wenger from 2012 to 2015, told Germany s Welt newspaper on Saturday. The club has been relying on German know-how for some years, added the 32-year-old, referring to Arsenal players Mesut Oezil, Per Mertesacker and Shkodran Mustafi. Arsenal also took head of recruitment Sven Mislintat from Borussia Dortmund last year. Germans linked in the media with the Arsenal job include former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, Hoffenheim s Julian Nagelsmann and Germany coach Joachim Loew. World Cup winner Podolski, who now plays in Japan with Vissel Kobe, believes Wenger s departure will take some getting used to for Arsenal fans. It s a big change for the club. Arsene Wenger was Arsenal. Ozil with Arsene Wenger when he signed for Arsenal in Manchester United s Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez celebrates scoring a goal during the English FA Cup semi-final match at Wembley Stadium in London, on Saturday. Man U edge Spurs to reach 20th FA Cup final Manchester United look ahead to a final against either Chelsea or Southampton MANCHESTER United weathered an early Tottenham storm to come from behind to win 2-1 and reach a 20th FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera cancelled out Dele Alli s opener and ensured that Tottenham s decade-long wait for a trophy continues. We want to win trophies, we have the staff that want to win. We can t keep doing this, said Alli. We can t throw it away. We have got to improve. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino played down the importance of winning his first silverware as a coach to back up four years of undoubted progress at Tottenham beforehand, claiming it wouldn t change their lives. However, Spurs started like the side determined to make a statement. Just 11 minutes in Davinson Sanchez s long ball picked out Christian Eriksen perfectly as Paul Pogba failed to track the Danish midfielder s run down the right. And his cross was inchperfect for Alli to apply the finishing touch for his 13th goal of the season. We were dominant from the first minute and it only looked to be going one way, added Alli. We let ourselves down, it s very disappointing. In contrast to Spurs long wait for silverware, United are into a third final in less than two years under Jose Mourinho having won the League Cup and Europa League last season. And Herrera hailed the winning mentality instilled by the Portuguese coach. We are in another final and we re getting used to being in finals, said Herrera as United look ahead to a final against either Chelsea or Southampton. This club is all about titles and finals. Spurs failed to make the No FA Cup for Spurs Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera cancelled out Dele Alli s opener and ensured that Tottenham s decade-long wait for a trophy continues. 8th goal in Wembley Sanchez has a superb record at Wembley. His third United goal was his eighth in eight games at the home of English football for club and country. most of their early dominance as after going in front Eriksen scuffed wide from Harry Kane s layoff before the England striker just couldn t reach Son s viscous in-swinging cross at the back post. Pogba has been a figure of frustration all season for Mourinho, who has often left the 89 million ($125 million) Frenchman on the sidelines. Mourinho said Pogba had shown what he is capable of in Wednesday s 2-0 win at Bournemouth after being substituted just four days earlier in a shock 1-0 home defeat to West Brom that handed Manchester City the Premier League title. And having showed the side of his game that Mourinho detests for Spurs opener, Pogba demonstrated his combination of physical power and technical ability as he outmuscled Mousa Dembele before delivering a pin-point cross for Sanchez to head home just his third United goal. Both sides were unfortunate to not take the lead in the dying moments of a captivating first 45 minutes as firstly Michel Vorm got fingertips to a deflected long-range strike from Pogba. At the other end, Eric Dier then drove against the base of the post with David de Gea unmoved. Kane had the first chance of the second period, but saw his shot blocked behind by Chris Smalling as Spurs again started on the front foot. But, once more, they were hit by a sucker punch when Sanchez s ball across the face of the area fell perfectly for Herrera arriving late from midfield and, despite going in the middle of the goal, his low effort beat Vorm, who was slow to react down to his right. Spurs will likely seal their place in the Champions League for a third successive season in the coming weeks as Pochettino s proof that progress is being made. However, with their only three defeats of 2018 all coming at Wembley against the toughest of opposition in Juventus, Man City and now United, questions remain over Pochettino s ability to turn Tottenham into trophy winners. Sunderland relegated to third tier for first time in 30 years SUNDERLAND were relegated to England s third tier for the first time in 30 years on Saturday as the Championship s bottom club lost 2-1 to fellow strugglers Burton. Chris Coleman s side have crashed into League One only a year after being relegated from the Premier League. They have played only one season outside the top two tiers of English football in their entire history, winning promotion from the old Third Division in Burton striker Darren Bent returned to haunt his former team with an 86th-minute equaliser to cancel out Paddy McNair s opener on 34 minutes at the Stadium of Light. Liam Boyce headed second-bottom Burton in front in second half stoppage-time before Sunderland had a late equaliser disallowed to provide a fitting finale to their wretched season. Sunderland are six points from safety with only two matches left and the remaining fixtures of their relegation rivals make it mathematically impossible to avoid the drop. Coleman, who took over from Simon Grayson in November, said: Firstly I would like to apologise to everyone for coming up short, ultimately not having what was needed. It s a brutal experience and the disappointment is huge. Forty-four games we are into the season and we haven t been good enough. I don t know where this club goes. We have not been told what s what. I don t know what the plan is. Right now it s very raw, it s just happened. It s brutally painful. I have been here two minutes, the supporters have been here for years I can only imagine how they are feeling. Promoted Wolves celebrated their ascent to the Premier League by clinching the Championship title with a 4-0 win at lowly Bolton. Needing one point from their final three matches to be crowned champions, Wolves got the job done thanks to goals from Barry Douglas, Benik Afobe and Diogo Jota plus a Conor Coady penalty. Wolves are two points shy of 100 for the season with games against Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland still to come. Lewis Grabban netted twice as Aston Villa kept their slim automatic promotion hopes alive with a 4-0 victory at 10-man Ipswich. Conor Hourihane and Henri Lansbury were also on target at Portman Road, where Ipswich midfielder Grant Ward was shown a red card for a rash tackle in the 42nd minute. Goals in either half from Mo Besic and Britt Assombalonga ensured Middlesbrough beat play-off rivals Derby 2-1 and consolidated their place in the top six. David Nugent converted a last-minute penalty for Derby, who are one point off sixth-placed Millwall.