Curry scores 33 as Warriors rout Oklahoma City Bottas upstages teammate Hamilton in best race ever

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1 NBA Page 5 Curry scores 33 as Warriors rout Oklahoma City Rajab 11, 1440 AH GULF TIMES SPORT FOOTBALL Liverpool survive Fulham scare to go top of standings Page 3 FORMULA 1 Bottas upstages teammate Hamilton in best race ever Mercedes drivers lock the top two spots ahead of Red Bull s Verstappen; question mark on Ferrari s performance Valtteri Bottas upstaged his Mercedes world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton yesterday to win the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix in a sizzling performance that he called his best ever. The flying Finn started second on the grid but got a jump on the polesitting Briton at the first corner and never looked back, scorching round the Albert Park circuit to take the chequered flag a massive 20.9 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Red Bull s precocious Max Verstappen came third to join them on the podium after audaciously overtaking Ferrari s Sebastian Vettel midway through the race. How about that! Yes! said Bottas over the team radio after also taking the new bonus point for the fastest lap. I don t know what just happened. I don t know what to say. It was definitely my best race ever, he said after. I felt so good and the car was so good. Four-time world champion Vettel had to settle for fourth, trailing in 57.1 seconds behind Bottas. Ferrari partner Charles Leclerc was fifth, with Kevin Magnussen in a Haas sixth. FRUSTRATED HAMILTON Bottas, whose last triumph was at the Abu Dhabi season finale in 2017, was overshadowed last year by Hamilton, failing to win a race, hampered by mechanical problems and bad luck but was fast in qualifying and only narrowly edged out of pole position. In the beginning it was all about Mercedes Valtteri Bottas lifts the winner s trophy as teammate Lewis Hamilton (left) looks on on the podium for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in yesterday. () managing the race and building the gap, Bottas said. I knew I could do it, I ve done it before, it was about being at my best level. Bottas, now in his third year with Mercedes, knows he must perform with promising Frenchman Esteban Ocon, 22, waiting in the wings as the team s reserve driver. He delivered in spades yesterday for his fourth Grand Prix win in his 119th race. It s a good weekend for the team, said Hamilton. Valtteri drove an incredible race today so he deserved it. AUSTRALIAN GP RESULTS (top 10) 1. V. Bottas (Mercedes) 1:25: L. Hamilton (Mercedes) M. Verstappen (Red Bull) S. Vettel (Ferrari) C. Leclerc (Ferrari) K. Magnussen (Haas) +1: N. Hulkenberg (Renault) 1 lap 8. K. Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1 lap 9. L. Stroll (Racing Point) 1 lap We have some work to do, (but) it is more than we could have hoped for as a team. Starting on soft tyres on a fine day, Bottas got an electric start and built a gap of seconds on Hamilton after the opening lap, with Vettel, Verstappen and Leclerc trailing in their wake. The gap kept growing, and when Vettel pitted on lap 14 to swap for medium tyres Mercedes called in five-time champion Hamilton soon after. Bottas stayed out, pumping out fastest laps, and when seven laps later he pitted he emerged more than 10 seconds ahead of his teammate, who was clearly bemused. What was the reason for stopping so early? Hamilton asked over the team radio, to be told it was to cover Vettel s early stop. ECSTATIC VERSTAPPEN With Bottas having an unsurmountable lead the battle was on for second, with Verstappen hounding Hamilton but unable to find a way through. I had to overtake Sebastian to get onto podium which is not easy here but was happy to pull 10. D. Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1 lap Fastest lap (1pt): Bottas 1: DRIVERS STANDINGS (top 3) 1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) 26 pts 2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Max Verstappen (NED) 15 CONSTRUCTORS STAND- INGS (top 3) 1. Mercedes Ferrari Red Bull 15 that move off, said Verstappen, who was ecstatic at beating the Ferraris. Mercedes have been in a class of their own all weekend, turning the tables on pre-season testing when Ferrari looked like the team to beat. The Italian team s performance will be a source of worry, especially as they haven t won the constructors title since 2008 and their last driver to become world champion was Kimi Raikkonen in In contrast, Mercedes and Hamilton have been dominant, winning the drivers and constructors titles five years in a row. Carlos Sainz Jr was the first casualty, forced to stop his McLaren with smoke and flames billowing out of his engine on lap 10 while he was running 14th. It was also a day to forget for local hero Daniel Ricciardo in his first race for Renault after switching from Red Bull. He lost his front wing after running onto the grass before the first corner and had to pit for a new nose. He finally retired on lap 30 of the 58-lap race. All Blacks captain Read urges support for Muslim community after shooting Wellington All Blacks captain Kieran Read has urged his fellow New Zealanders to reject bigotry and support the country s Muslim community after a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday. The death toll from the shooting, carried out by a suspected white supremacist and described by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as the country s darkest day, rose to 50 yesterday. New Zealand Football (NZF) said yesterday that one of those killed was Kuwait-born Atta Elayyan, the goalkeeper for the New Zealand futsal team, a version of indoor soccer that is played internationally. My heart goes out to the futsal community, said NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell. They are a very tight-knit group and this news of Atta s death will be devastating for all involved in the game. We feel their pain and their grief. New Zealand s top professional soccer team, the Wellington Phoenix, said they would remember Elyaan and the other victims at their A-League match against the Western Sydney Wanderers, which went ahead yesterday after consultation with police. The third cricket Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh that was due to start in Christchurch on Saturday was cancelled after the tourists narrowly avoided being caught up in the shooting. Rugby is New Zealand s most popular sport, however, and the captain of the All Blacks, the most successful international team in the game, is typically almost universally respected. Read s statement of support for New Zealand s small Muslim community would therefore have more resonance than might be the case in other countries. That this hate filled atrocity has happened in our back yard is beyond words, Read, who was caught up in the city centre lockdown at his daughters school on Friday as police searched for the gunman, wrote on his Instagram account. My heart goes out to the victims and their families, our Muslim community and the people of Christchurch. Our nation is experiencing a great loss of innocence in the face of all that happened. Bigotry and intolerance has no place here in Aotearoa (New Zealand). This is not who we are. Our strength lies in our diversity and while acts such as this are orchestrated in an attempt to divide us, love and unity will always prevail. NOT A RELIGIOUS STATEMENT Read also plays for the Christchurch-based Canterbury Crusaders, whose Super Rugby match against the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday was cancelled after discussions between the teams and police. The Crusaders adopted their name 23 years ago when rugby went professional but questions have been raised over its associations with the medieval religious wars between Christians and Muslims since the mosque attacks. The franchise, which has won a record nine Super Rugby titles, issued a statement late on Saturday defending the name. We acknowledge and understand the concerns that have been raised, it read. For us, the Crusaders name is a reflection of the crusading spirit of this community, and certainly not a religious statement. What we stand for is the opposite of what happened in Christchurch... our crusade is one for peace, unity, inclusiveness and community spirit. This team and the wider organisation are united with our community in standing against such abhorrent acts... and in standing in support of our Muslim community. Read s All Blacks teammate TJ Perenara also urged his compatriots to think about New Zealand s Muslim community after witnessing the wider impact of the attacks on Saturday. I walked through the airport and saw Muslim people going about their day in fear, including one woman that I and a couple of others sat with while she cried, the scrumhalf wrote on Instagram. I thought about how they were in fear as their community has been attacked... Once we have had time to grieve, it might be time for some uncomfortable conversations. A resident pays respects by placing flowers for the victims of the mosque attacks in Christchurch at the Masjid Umar mosque in Auckland yesterday. ()

2 2 FORMULA 1 TOP OF THE LINE Fastest lap point helps Bottas make F1 history London Valtteri Bottas won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes with the fastest lap yesterday and in the process achieved a Formula One first, while also ignoring team instructions to play safe. The Finn was the first driver since the 1950s to win a point for the fastest lap, under a new rule introduced this year, and also the only one ever to score more than 25 points in a race on more than one occasion. The only other race in which drivers have been able to score more than the maximum allocated for a victory was the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when double points were handed out for the first and only time. Bottas finished third in that race at Yas Marina for Williams, behind winner Lewis Hamilton and now-retired Brazilian Felipe Massa, and banked 30 points. On Sunday he scored 26. FOCUS Early warning signs that all was not well at Ferrari came to a head yesterday as the wouldbe Formula One contenders flopped in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. While Valtteri Bottas claimed a dominant win for Mercedes and his teammate Lewis Hamilton held off Red Bull s Max Verstappen for second, Ferrari s drivers were left scrambling for minor points in a sobering start for the Scuderia. Ferrari had been the quickest car at winter testing, just edging champions Mercedes, but Barcelona must have felt a distant memory as Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc crossed fourth and fifth, nearly a minute behind Bottas. Vettel sounded alarm bells after Friday practice when he said he felt strangely uncomfortable with the car. But the German would have hoped for better after qualifying third on Saturday. Instead, it took an order from the team garage just to preserve his fourth placing, with A point for fastest lap was awarded between 1950 and 1959 but in those days a win was worth only eight points. The Finn said he had been determined to get the maximum score, despite the risk of trying to set a fastest lap on worn tyres and being told before the race not to try and get it if in a podium position. Bottas pulled it off on the penultimate lap of the race to deny Red Bull s Max Verstappen. With 21 races, and therefore an extra 21 points available so long as the fastest lap is set by a driver finishing in the top 10, the tweak to the scoring system has become an important consideration. Team bosses agreed it had added something to the show. It s exciting, said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. We were even debating do we take it with Pierre (Gasly), because he s not in the top 10, to try and take it off Mercedes. So you ve got all kinds of dynamics. new boy Leclerc warned off from overtaking the four-times champion in the final laps. Called in to pit early to Max had a go at it, he had it in the bag for a couple of laps and then Valtteri does a 1.25 (1:25.580) or something and OK we can t do that. I thought it added an extra strategic dynamic which was really quite interesting. Gasly finished 11th and out of the points. Had he been able to go fastest, he would have been credited with the best lap but the point which is also valid for the constructors championship would not have been awarded to anyone. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff agreed the novelty provided another element, even if he had some reservations. In the morning meeting when we talked about strategy, I forbade them to go for the fastest lap if we were running first, second or third, he added. They ignored me. All of them. At the end I m very happy. Collecting that extra point I think is good. It s entertaining. It s a great new part of the spectacle. Ferrari s bubble bursts in disappointment It looked like other people had way less problems so I m not quite sure what was the issue DISAPPOINTMENT change soft tyres for mediums, Vettel lost pace late on and said the strategy was wrong. By the looks of it, of course we did (pit too early) because I was struggling with the tyres, so we need to have a good look, he said. New team, same sinking feeling for Ricciardo in Australia Ferrari s Sebastian Vettel (foreground) and Charles Leclerc (right) drive through turn two of the Albert Park Circuit during the Australian Grand Prix in yesterday. () Seemingly destined for disappointment at his home Grand Prix, Australian Daniel Ricciardo might have hoped for an end to the curse after switching from Red Bull to Renault. Instead, the home hero s hoodoo continued yesterday as he suffered a calamitous start and ended up retiring for a third time at Albert Park. While pondering his fate from the team garage, his former Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen grabbed a podium behind Mercedes winner Valtteri Bottas and runner-up Lewis Hamilton. Both Ricciardo and Verstappen had fumed over the performance of their Renaultpowered cars last season, so the Australian might have felt a tinge of regret seeing Red Bull s successful debut with the engines of once-maligned Honda. Ricciardo was already underwhelmed by Renault s performance during winter testing, and worked hard to lower expectations to success-starved fans in the lead-up to. But even those low expectations were not met. He lined up 12th on the grid after a poor qualifying on Saturday, and within seconds of the start, he had destroyed his front wing on a gutter after being pushed into the grass near the pit lane. It prompted an immediate pitstop and his retirement midway through the race, with damage to broken barge-boards reducing performance and wearing tyres. I won t swear, it s alright. I ve done enough of that, the seven-times race winner told reporters ruefully. No-one to blame other than just grass and then a big bump of concrete or something. A gutter. It was harsh, the bump. Just a shame, a shame it s over so quickly. A proven talent with a dependable smile, Ricciardo is beloved in Australia as the nation s sole Formula One racer. But his popularity has become a chore, with the first race week of the year an endless procession of sponsorship and media commitments. His inability to reach the podium in Australia has added to the frustration of a race where his desperation for success is matched only by his misfortune. Ricciardo said it had all taken a toll. I don t know how I m smiling, said the 29-year-old, who was disqualified from a podium spot on his Red Bull debut at the same circuit in This week s so long and I don t seem to ever really have a good break here. I think we re too busy pleasing everyone else and not worrying about ourselves. For sure I m frustrated this week because again it s like everyone expects so much but the reality is I ve got to show up on Sunday and when the race is over in five seconds, whether it s bad luck or not, I feel like well, preparation wasn t where it should be. His teammate Nico Hulkenberg had a better weekend, earning six points for seventh place, a result Ricciardo felt was on par for the car. I think we should be a topeight car all of the first part of the season and then hopefully even better, he said. I think Bahrain is going to be a lot easier, that s like a holiday week. There s really nothing going on so I can actually prepare properly. But strategy could not explain why the car was sluggish at corners and had handled so poorly. But I think even ignoring the lap that we pitted, it looked like other people had way less problems so I m not quite sure what was the issue, he said. Team principal Mattia Binotto said the performance was not what Ferrari were expecting. I think winter testing we were certainly different, he told reporters. Since Friday, FP1, we never found the right balance on the car and we struggled with the car. We tried different set-up approaches during the weekend but I have to say that we never concluded with the right balance. Runners-up to Mercedes in the last two championships, hopes were high that Ferrari, under new management, had produced a car that could finally knock the Silver Arrows off their perch. Instead they will head to the next stop in Bahrain trying to stop old doubts resurfacing. One thing we are certain is that today, this weekend, is not the real potential of the car, said Binotto. We are pretty sure that the potential is certainly bigger. And we have not been able to exploit it through the weekend. Max shows Red Bull a contender Max Verstappen proved yesterday there was genuine pace in the new Honda-powered Red Bull after finishing third in Australia, with the Dutchman very pleased at how his car performed. Red Bull switched to the Japanese manufacturer this year after ending a fractious relationship with Renault, and it appears to be paying off. The feisty 21-year-old was well adrift of runaway Mercedes winner Valtteri Bottas in, but he pushed Lewis Hamilton hard and finished an incredible 35 seconds ahead of the lead Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. He has been tipped as a title challenger this year, and his hopes will hang on the performance and reliability of the Honda engine. In terms of speed we had throughout the race it was a very good step forward from last year, said Verstappen, who finished fourth in the drivers standings last year. I m very pleased with that the engine has been performing well without any issues. We have made good progress and positive things are coming. We have been working very well together (with Honda), he added. Valtteri was very far ahead still, but it was a good result today and we have to work hard to close the gap. Team-by-team analysis of the Australian GP MERCEDES Valtteri Bottas 1, Lewis Hamilton 2 Bottas took his first win since 2017, and fourth of his career. He banked an extra point for the fastest lap, becoming the first Formula One driver to score more than 25 points in two separate races (the Finn took 30 in Abu Dhabi in 2014 when double points were awarded). Hamilton started from a record-extending 84th career pole position but lost out at the start. The onetwo finish was Mercedes 45th. FERRARI Sebastian Vettel 4, Charles Leclerc 5 Vettel s bid for an Australian hattrick, after wins in 2017 and 2018, never looked likely and he was passed by Red Bull s Verstappen during the race. It was the first time since 2014 that Vettel had failed to make the podium in Australia. The drivers were told to hold station late in the race because rivals ahead were out of range. RED BULL Max Verstappen 3, Pierre Gasly 11 Verstappen gave new engine partners Honda their first podium finish since 2008, when they had a works team and before the current V6 turbo hybrid era. The Dutch 21-year-old started fourth and passed Vettel for third and has now had six successive podiums, including the five at the end of last year. Gasly was making his Red Bull debut after graduating from Toro Rosso but got stuck behind his replacement Kvyat. HAAS Kevin Magnussen 6, Romain Grosjean retired Grosjean started sixth and Magnussen seventh but the Frenchman had a repeat of last year s pitstop nightmare, retiring shortly after the team had struggled to fit a front wheel. Magnussen drove a solid race without mistakes. RENAULT Nico Hulkenberg 7, Daniel Ricciardo retired Ricciardo s Renault debut ended almost as soon as it began, with the Australian smashing his car s front wing when he went onto the grass at the start. He pitted and went to the back before retiring on lap 28 as a precaution. Hulkenberg started 11th but was up to eighth after the opening lap. ALFA ROMEO Kimi Raikkonen 8, Antonio Giovinazzi 15 Raikkonen started his post-ferrari era in the points, moving up a place from where he started but spending much of the race stuck behind cars he could not pass. He also had a rear brake temperature issue caused by a visor tear-off that went in. Giovinazzi picked up some damage on the opening lap. RACING POINT Lance Stroll 9, Sergio Perez 13 Stroll got his new season, at a team owned by his father, off to a scoring start after lining up 16th on the grid and holding off Kvyat and Gasly in the closing stages following a long opening stint. Perez qualified 10th but lost places at the start and was then stuck in traffic. TORO ROSSO Daniil Kvyat 10, Alexander Albon 14 Kvyat marked his return to Formula One after a year and a half out by denying Red Bull Racing, the team he was demoted from in 2016, a double points finish. Debutant Albon, the first Thai racer since the 1950s, started 13th and made up two positions before falling back on tyre strategy. MCLAREN Lando Norris 12, Carlos Sainz retired Norris, 19, had hoped to score on his debut after qualifying eighth but lost out at the start. He still finished as the highest-placed rookie. Sainz gained three places from 18th on the grid but retired on lap 10 with the car suffering a suspected MGU-K failure. WILLIAMS George Russell 16, Robert Kubica 17 Kubica suffered damage on the opening lap and had to pit for a new front wing. He also lost a mirror on lap three. The Pole then made two further pitstops. Russell made his debut without drama in a car seriously down on performance. He did an additional pitstop to try all three tyre compounds.

3 FOOTBALL 3 EPL Liverpool back on top after win at Fulham, Everton sink Chelsea It was an average game but a sensational result. City don t look like they will drop a lot of points, so we have to win and win and win. That s our job to do SERIE A Juventus suffer first league defeat of the season at Genoa Geona, Italy Juventus fell to their first Serie A defeat of the season yesterday as Genoa ran out 2-0 winners days after the Turin club s Champions League heroics against Atletico Madrid. Stefano Sturaro, who joined Genoa on loan from Juventus in January before the deal was made permanent, put the home side in front in the second half before fellow substitute Goran Pandev secured the shock result with 10 minutes remaining. Cristiano Ronaldo inspired a remarkable European comeback for the Italian champions on Tuesday when he scored a hat-trick to overturn a 2-0 first-leg defeat against Atletico and send his side through to the quarter-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win. However, the Portuguese was left out of the matchday squad for the trip to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris and Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri was left frustrated as Genoa took points off his side for the second time this season, having drawn 1-1 in Turin in October. I expected a different Juventus, Allegri told Italian broadcasters. We did not put in a good performance, we made some mistakes and then this goal came out of nowhere. Much like the Coppa Italia defeat to Atalanta, we picked the right game to lose, because it s just before the break for international duty, so we have time to unplug and rest. I am actually happy for Stefano, because if anyone had to score against us, I m glad it was Sturaro. He s a lovely guy and suffered so much, out of action for practically a year with that tendon injury, so he deserves it. Juve had dropped points just three times this season going into the game, with draws against Genoa, Atalanta and Parma, while they were unbeaten overall in the top-flight for the last 31 rounds, since losing 1-0 to Napoli on 22 April However, the hosts started the brighter as Christian Kouame forced a good save from former Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin before Cesare Prandelli s side were awarded a penalty for handball, only for a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review to overturn the decision. Juventus thought they had gone in front after the break when Paulo Dybala swept home a finish, but VAR chalked the goal off for an offside in the build-up. Sturaro then curled a finish into the corner against his parent club just minutes after coming on, before Pandev made sure of the three points with a powerful finish. Despite the result, Juventus remain 18 points clear of second-placed Napoli at the summit of the table, while Genoa climbed above Sassuolo into 12th place on 33 points. Genoa s Goran Pandev (right) celebrates after scoring their second goal against Juventus yesterday. () Liverpool s English midfielder James Milner (centre) celebrates scoring the team s second goal during the English Premier League match against Fulham at Craven Cottage in London yesterday. () London Liverpool usurped Manchester City to take top spot in the Premier League but needed a James Milner penalty nine minutes from time to see off lowly Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage yesterday. The on-form Sadio Mane put the visitors in front midway through the first half, but a rare defensive mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker allowed Ryan Babel to give his former club a huge scare 16 minutes from time. Fulham s awful defending all season is the reason they are heading back to the Championship after just one season back in the top flight, and the hosts gave Jurgen Klopp s men a much-needed gift when goalkeeper Sergio Rico bundled over Mane and Milner secured all three points from the spot. Liverpool now hold a two-point lead over City, but the champions have a game in hand. It was an average game but a sensational result said Klopp of his side s performance. City don t look like they will drop a lot of points, so we have to win and win and win. That s our job to do. Liverpool completed a clean sweep of four English sides into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a highly impressive 3-1 win at Bayern Munich on Wednesday. But they nearly suffered a very costly European hangover against a Fulham side still 13 points adrift of safety. We had to run a lot in a week where we ran a lot, added Klopp to justify an at times lacklustre display at such a pivotal stage of the season. Most of the visitors attacking threat came down their left side through Mane and the Senegalese proved the source of the breakthrough on 26 minutes. Mane scored twice in Munich in midweek and took his hot streak to 11 goals in 11 games with a simple finish after exchanging passes with Roberto Firmino. Liverpool started the second half with greater intent to try and put the game to bed. Andy Robertson was the provider as Georginio Wijnaldum headed a good opportunity over at the far post before Rico was called into action to deny Van Dijk. However, as a torrential rain shower swept over the banks of the Thames to make playing conditions hazardous, Liverpool s slender lead proved a dangerous one. Floyd Ayite was rightly flagged offside as he headed a deflected shot past Alisson before the Brazilian number one got down well to save from Andre Zambo Anguissa. Mane was inches away from securing the points and doubling his tally for the day with a deft header from a corner that clipped the top of the crossbar. Disaster seemed to have struck for Liverpool when Van Dijk s header back towards Alisson didn t have enough purchase and Babel stepped in with the break of the ball to tap into an empty net. I am not giving excuses. I should have handled it better, admitted Van Dijk. However, the league leaders showed why they are in the running to end a 29- year title drought to get a vital three points with the help of some erratic goalkeeping from Rico. I saw the reaction of my players and I m really pleased with that, added Klopp. After the equaliser we were much clearer than before the equaliser. Mohamed Salah s goal drought continued as the Egyptian has scored just once now in his last 10 games, but it was his shot that Rico spilled before the Spaniard unnecessarily pulled down Mane. Milner took responsibility instead of Salah from the penalty spot and calmly sent Rico the wrong way to restore Liverpool s lead, which this time they never looked like letting go. Later in the day goals from forward Richarlison and midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson helped Everton beat Chelsea 2-0, denting the London side s hopes of finishing in the top four. Brazil s Richarlison headed Marco Silva s side in front from close range in the 49th minute after Kepa Arrizabalaga had kept out striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin s powerful header from Sigurdsson s corner. Everton went 2-0 up in the 72nd minute when Sigurdsson tucked the ball in past Arrizabalaga after his penalty kick was saved by the Chelsea goalkeeper following a foul in the box on Richarlison by Marcos Alonso. The hosts were a transformed side after a poor opening half and went close two minutes after the restart with Arrizabalaga pushing away midfielder Andre Gomes s stinging left-footed shot from distance. Chelsea had been unlucky not to score after a bright start. Eden Hazard s low drive was saved by Jordan Pickford in the sixth minute, before he cut in and hit the post a minute later and Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain had a shot cleared off the line. Defeat for sixth-placed Chelsea left them with 57 points from 30 matches, a point behind Manchester United above them and three points behind Arsenal in fourth. RESULTS Everton 2 (Richarlison 49, Sigurdsson 72) Chelsea 0 Fulham 1 (Babel 74) Liverpool 2 (Mane 26, Milner 81-pen) LA LIGA Sevilla earn rare away win at Espanyol DPA Barcelona Sevilla earned their first away win in La Liga since September with a 1-0 victory over Espanyol yesterday, thanks to Wissam Ben Yedder s second half penalty. Joaquin Caparros, appointed as caretaker coach on Friday after Pablo Machin was sacked, saw his side grind out a tight victory in Catalonia on the day that Monchi was reappointed as sporting director. Sevilla earned a penalty in the 52nd minute when Mario Hermoso tripped Andre Silva in the area. In-form striker Ben Yedder kept a cool head to slot home from the spot, his 28th goal of the season in all competitions. Espanyol forward Wu Lei came closed to equalising with a neat piece of skill and a shot which Sevilla goalkeeper Juan Soriano tipped away. Soriano was sent off after the full time whistle as a brawl erupted on the pitch after he appeared to gesture to angry Espanyol fans behind his goal. Sevilla, sixth, move within two points of fourth place Getafe, who play later at Valencia, while La Liga leaders Barcelona travel to Real Betis, eighth. Espanyol are 13th. Earlier Real Valladolid came from behind to beat Eibar 2-1 with a stoppage-time comeback. Fabian Orellana broke the deadlock for the Basques at Ipurua in the second half but Daniele Verde converted a 91st minute penalty to equalize. Sergi Guardiola added a 93rd minute winner for Valladolid, 16th, sending them provisionally four points clear of the relegation zone, while Eibar stay 11th. BUNDESLIGA Rodriguez treble helps Bayern retain top spot Munich Bayern Munich s James Rodriguez netted a hat-trick to help them return to the top of the Bundesliga on goal difference with a 6-0 thrashing of Mainz at the Allianz Arena on Sunday. Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Rodriguez and Kingsley Coman gave the hosts a commanding lead in the first half, before the Colombian added another two goals after the break and substitute Alphonso Davies scored his first for the German champions. Bayern coach Niko Kovac was under pressure to deliver a convincing win after his side were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Liverpool last week, and his team responded with their 13th win in their last 14 league games. The result saw Bayern move level with Borussia Dortmund on 60 points with eight games left, but the Bavarians top the table with a goal difference of +41 compared to Dortmund s +34. Polish striker Lewandowski s neat finish opened the scoring after three minutes and Coman almost doubled their advantage when his powerful angled shot came back off the post. Bayern pulled away with two goals in five minutes before the interval, Rodriguez racing onto Leon Goretzka s lay-off to fire home before Coman cut inside and curled a shot into the corner of the net from the edge of the box. Rodriguez piled on the misery for Mainz six minutes into the second half when he notched his second goal of the day, before the on-loan Real Madrid midfielder completed his treble with a dinked finish after a defensive mix-up. Teenage substitute Davies completed the rout with his first Bundesliga goal 20 minutes from time, leaving the visitors in 13th place on 30 points. Bayern Munich s James Rodriguez celebrates scoring their fifth goal to complete his hat-trick yesterday. () Record crowd watch women s match between Barca and Atletico A record crowd of 60,739 watched a women s match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano yesterday, less than three months before the start of the World Cup. The attendance is the largest ever for a topflight club match in European women s football while Atletico claimed the number also sets a new world record. An historic record attendance for a club match! Today we have at the Wanda Metropolitano 60,739 spectators!, read a post from the club s official Twitter account. The crowd cheered up our girls and set a world record for an attendance at a women s club match, Atletico added in a statement. Barca won 2-0 as goals from Asisat Oshoala and Toni Duggan mean the Catalans now sit just three points behind Atletico at the top of Liga Femenina. The bumper attendance exceeds the previous European record set, also in Spain, on January 30, when a crowd of 48,121 turned out to watch Athletic Bilbao play Atletico Madrid at San Mames stadium. The overall record for women s football remains the 90,185 spectators that attended the final of the 1999 World Cup at the Rose Bowl in California, when the United States beat China. This year s World Cup in France will begin on June 7. Spain have qualified and will be in Group B, with Germany, China and South Africa.

4 4 FOOTBALL FA CUP Wolves shock poor Manchester United to reach semi-finals Today was the poorest performance we ve had since I ve been here SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP Celtic strike late again to go 10 clear Glasgow Odsonne Edouard struck a 96thminute winner as Celtic moved 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Dundee yesterday. The Hoops seemed set to drop points and fail to score for the second consecutive week after drawing a blank in a 0-0 stalemate with Aberdeen last weekend with another lacklustre performance at Dens Park. However, just as in late wins over Kilmarnock and Hearts in recent weeks, one moment of magic at the death kept them on course for an eighth straight title. Edouard exchanged pases with James Forrest before coolly slotting home to spark wild scenes of celebration from caretaker Celtic boss Neil Lennon. Celtic now have a doubledigit lead over Steven Gerrard s Rangers with the sides set to meet at Celtic Park after the international break on March 31. The gap is significant, but we take nothing for granted, said Lennon. Psychologically, it s huge. The gap between first and second is bigger than second and third, which is significant. I m now looking forward to taking stock, getting more accustomed to the players, and them me. The Northern Irishman s chances of landing the job on a permanent basis following Brendan Rodgers s departure to Leicester, though, were not aided by another display lacking in creativity. We started to get a little bit desperate towards the end, our final ball was a bit lacking, and I thought we were a little bit pedestrian at times, added Lennon. There were times that we could have played better, but I m not going to analyse the game right now. The most significant thing was to win the game, we ve done that. Despite dominating possession throughout, the visitors were thankful to Scott Bain s fine save from Scott Wright just before half-time to go in level at the break. Forrest fired inches wide as the pressure for Celtic grew in the second period without ever cutting Dundee wide open until the final seconds. Defeat leaves the hosts still second bottom and just a point ahead of St Mirren in the battle for survival. Mourinho on bein SPORTS today Wolverhampton Wanderers Mexican striker Raul Jimenez (right) celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton. () Wolverhampton, United Kingdom Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Manchester United produced the poorest performance of his reign as Wolves sent them crashing out of the FA Cup on Saturday with a 2-1 quarter-final win. But United s interim manager was remarkably upbeat despite his side s flat performance, saying they had plenty more to fight for as they aim for a top-four finish in the Premier League and look forward to a Champions League last-eight tie against Barcelona. United were well beaten by an eager Wolves side who scored two goals in the space of six minutes in the second half through Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota, with Marcus Rashford s injurytime effort a consolation. Solskjaer had presided over a run of just two defeats in 18 games since replacing Jose Mourinho in December, progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the FA Cup. But they now go into the international break with backto-back defeats after losing to Arsenal last week, with Rashford s goal their only real chance of the game. Today was the poorest performance we ve had since I ve been here, said Solskjaer. It was a big step backwards. There was a lack of urgency going forwards and a lack of forward passing and a lack of regains. We felt too comfortable in possession and we never put their keeper under pressure or their defenders under pressure. SOLSKJAER UPBEAT But Solskjaer delivered a positive message to fans. We re in a great position in the league, we ve got the Champions League, he said. You can t sulk for too long. We ve got so much to play for. Man United in April and May always find their form. We can t wait for the challenge when Barcelona come. Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was delighted after his side reached the club s first FA Cup semi-final for 21 years. It means a lot of course. The FA Cup is the oldest competition and we played well, he said. We achieved it with the amazing support of our fans believing in us and the noise was fantastic. When we achieved it, we achieved it together. Now we have to prepare for the next one. Wolves had the best chance of the first half, two minutes before the break. Ruben Neves sent Jota galloping clear for a one-onone with Sergio Romero, but the United goalkeeper beat his curling shot away. After the break Romero kept United in the game with two superb saves to deny a bullet header from Jimenez and a rising chip from Joao Moutinho as Wolves got on top. Wolves scored the goal they had been threatening in the 70th minute. Jimenez was forced backwards with his back to goal after being crowded out following a superb run by Moutinho, who breezed through three challenges cutting in from the left. But the Mexican swivelled 180 degrees after getting a lucky bounce off Paul Pogba and drilled a low shot past Romero. Six minutes later Wolves put the tie beyond United when Neves sent Jota racing clear on the counter and the Portuguese left Luke Shaw in a heap before firing an unstoppable left-foot drive inside Romero s near post. Referee Martin Atkinson showed United defender Victor Lindelof a red card for lunging in on Jota but it was overturned by VAR. Rashford pulled one back with a shot on the turn in the fifth minute of the five added one, but it was too little, too late. BRIGHTON ENTER SEMI-FINALS Brighton & Hove Albion produced a stunning fightback before beating Millwall 5-4 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Championship club Millwall led 2-0 after 88 minutes but Jurgen Locadia pulled one back and Solly March equalised deep into injury-time after a mistake by goalkeeper David Martin. The two sides were tied 2-2 after 90 minutes and extra-time and when Glenn Murray missed the opening penalty, Millwall were favourites. But Mat Ryan saved one Millwall penalty and then saw Jake Cooper fire over the bar to send Brighton into the hat for the semis alongside Manchester City, Wolves and Watford. Jose Mourinho will return to bein SPORTS, the leading global sports broadcaster, once again today for a special 30-minute exclusive interview about his time as a manager of Europe s top teams, which viewers across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) can enjoy exclusively on the premium sports channel. Widely acknowledged as one of the most successful managers of all time, the Special 1, Special Memories programme will explore Mourinho s rich history in football, as well as discussing topics such as Arsene Wenger s legacy to English football; the future of Kylian Mbappe; what Italian football requires to dominate Europe once again; and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The former Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Porto manager will be interviewed by bein star presenter, Hichem ben Ali al- Khalsi. Special 1, Special Memories will air exclusively on bein SPORTS across the world today, at 22:00 Makkah Time (GMT +3) on bein SPORTS HD 1 and bein SPORTS HD 11. Mourinho s last appearance on bein SPORTS drew huge audiences across the Middle East and North Africa region, and also internationally on social media, as fans tuned-in to see the serial winner join a panel of expert analysts during the El Clasico fixture on March 2 and English Premier League matches on March 3. However, today s special programme will be a one-onone interview with Mourinho, with the former manager discussing: his special nickname, the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, his best ever season in football, Qatar 2022, Qatar s AFC Asian Cup performance, the Premier League and much more. FOCUS Rooney bags first MLS hat-trick in DC romp Los Angeles Former England star Wayne Rooney scored three goals on Saturday night to lead DC United to a crushing 5-0 victory over Real Salt Lake. Rooney registered his first three goals of the new season and also his first hat trick since signing on with Major League Soccer in July He now has five multi-goal games. Lucas Rodriguez and Ulises Segura also scored for host DC United, who peppered the Salt Lake goal with 22 shots. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid made two stops to earn his third straight shutout as DC United is the lone team to have not allowed a goal this season. Rooney scored on a penalty kick in the 34th minute and then added another with a chip shot over the goalkeeper in the 41st minute. He completed the hat trick with a perfectly-timed sliding score at the 65th minute of the second half. Elsewhere, Uruguay international Nicolas Lodeiro set up one goal and scored an audacious penalty as the Seattle Sounders maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 4-2 victory at Chicago Fire. The Sounders made it three wins out of three after taking control of the game with two unanswered goals in the opening 15 minutes at Chicago s SeatGeek Stadium. Spanish winger Victor Rodriguez fired Seattle into the lead after eight minutes, tucking away a low finish at the far post after good work down the right by Jordan Morris. Lodeiro then created Seattle s second, splitting open Chicago s defence with a sublime pass to Morris. The US international striker still had plenty to do, but adjusted his body position brilliantly to steer a finish beyond Chicago goalkeeper David Ousted to make it 2-0. Seattle extended their lead early in the second half when Rodriguez was bundled over in the area on 49 minutes, allowing Lodeiro to step up and chip a Panenka penalty in off the underside of the bar. Chicago hit back with goals from Raheem Edwards and Fabian Herbers but Raul Ruidiaz s late goal made the game safe for Seattle, who now lead the Western Conference standings with a maximum of nine points. Minnesota, who have also taken maximum points from their opening two games, can draw level later Saturday with a win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Los Angeles FC, the only other team to make a perfect start to the season, face New York City FC on Sunday. United forward Wayne Rooney celebrates with teammates after scoring a hat-trick goal against Real Salt Lake in the second-half of their MLS game at Audi Field. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports

5 SPORT 5 NBA Curry scores 33 as Golden State rout Thunder Over the course of the game we imposed our will. We did our best to take care of the basketball so they didn t have easy transition opportunities NFL Jaguars sign wide receiver Conley, Ogbuehi and Ryan New York The Jacksonville Jaguars stayed busy in free agency, announcing the signings of wide receiver Chris Conley and offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi on Saturday. NFL Media also reported that the Jaguars were signing linebacker Jake Ryan. The moves follow the Jaguars big free-agent splash when they signed former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Wednesday. Contract terms for the three players were not announced. Conley, 26, played for the Kansas City Chiefs over his first four seasons, making 104 catches for 1,238 yards and six touchdowns. He emerged as a scoring target for Patrick Mahomes last season, catching 32 passes for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Conley and Foles were teammates in Kansas City in 2016, and the wide receiver cited the signing of Foles as a big factor in his decision. There was opportunity here to begin with, but then the addition of him at quarterback... that sealed the deal for me, Conley said. Ogbuehi figures to replace offensive tackle Jermey Parnell, who was released as part of the Jaguars efforts to free up money for Foles. Ogbuehi, 26, started 25 of 35 games over his first four seasons, all with the Cincinnati Bengals, but appeared in just two games last season. A Texas A&M product, he was the Bengals first-round draft pick in Ryan, 27, had been with the Green Bay Packers since they made him a fourth-round pick in Ryan ranked third on the team with 81 tackles in 2017, but spent last season on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in training camp. In 43 games (27 starts), he tallied 213 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. TE EIFERT TO RE-SIGN WITH BENGALS Injury-plagued tight end Tyler Eifert is re-signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, he announced on Twitter on Saturday. Eifert, a product of Notre Dame, was the No. 21 overall selection by the Bengals in 2013 and played 15 games that season. Since then, he has only reached double-digit games in a season once. That was 2015, when he scored 13 touchdowns in 13 games. He made the Pro Bowl that year, but an ankle injury in that game limited his action the following season. He has had season-ending surgery each of the past three seasons. In 2018, it was a broken ankle suffered in Week 4 that sent him to injured reserve. Eifert, 28, also has battled back problems through the years. Excited to be signing back with Can t thank the Brown family enough for giving me another opportunity. I look forward to a great season, his tweet read, in part. Eifert is signing a one-year contract, according to multiple reports. He has 142 receptions for 1,716 yards and 21 touchdowns in 43 career games (32 starts). Bucks guard Brogdon out with torn plantar fascia Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins (left) goes up for a basket as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (right) defends during the first half of their NBA game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports Los Angeles Stephen Curry scored 11 of his 33 points in the third quarter as the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors clobbered the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Klay Thompson scored 23 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors, who have been playing more consistently in the last four games after a spell of poor starts to games. Over the course of the game we imposed our will, said Curry. We did our best to take care of the basketball so they didn t have easy transition opportunities. And we rebounded the ball well. So all things considered, really solid effort, knowing that if you give them momentum in this building, they are tough. Oklahoma City fans had been waiting RESULTS Dallas Cleveland Golden State Oklahoma San Antonio Portland Washington Memphis Denver Indiana Utah Brooklyn Phoenix New Orleans Boston Atlanta for a chance to boo former Thunder Kevin Durant but he sat out with an injury. Instead they got a cold-shooting night from all-star Russell Westbrook, who scored just seven points on a dismal twofor-16 shooting. Westbrook, who was fined $25,000 earlier in the week after an altercation with Utah Jazz fans, missed all seven of his three-point attempts. He had nine assists and eight rebounds. Paul George had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder added 15 points for the Thunder, who shot a season worst 32 percent from the field. The Thunder made just 13 of 41 three-pointers. We were trying to prevent him from getting downhill, beating you from the outside because when he s getting to the rim, attacking, that s when everybody s getting the ball at their best, Thompson said of stopping Westbrook. Curry scored 19 points in the first half to help the Warriors lead at halftime. Curry scored 11 more in the third quarter to put the Warriors up at the end of the period. The Warriors won for the 25th time in their last 26 games when all Durant sits out which shows their depth. Durant did not play for the second game in a row because of an ankle injury. Durant has drawn the ire of Oklahoma City fans for the decision he made to join Golden State in free agency after the Warriors beat his Thunder in the 2016 NBA playoff semi-finals. Elsewhere, Kyrie Irving finished one assist shy of a triple double as the Boston Celtics squandered a 25-point lead but managed to hold on and beat the Atlanta Hawks Irving had 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists and Jaylen Brown scored 23 points for the Celtics, who have won six of their last eight games. Marcus Morris had 19 points and Jayson Tatum scored 18 for Boston. Trae Young led the Hawks with 26 points, John Collins scored 20 with 11 rebounds, Taurean Price had 17 points and Vince Carter scored 16. It could have been a costly win for the Celtics after forward Gordon Hayward suffered a strained neck early in the game and didn t return. Hayward banged his head into the shoulder of Atlanta s John Collins and headed to the locker room. Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Hayward left the arena at halftime and went home. Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon has a minor plantar fascia tear in his right foot and will be sidelined indefinitely, the team announced Saturday. Brogdon exited early in the Bucks comeback victory at Miami on Friday, finishing with no points on 0-for-3 shooting in 6:30 of playing time. The third-year player had an MRI and an examination Saturday by team physician William Raasch in Milwaukee, according to the Bucks. There is no clear timetable for Brogdon s return, but ESPN s Adrian Wojnarowski cited sources saying that Brogdon will miss six to eight weeks. The regular season ends in 3 1/2 weeks. The Eastern Conference-leading Bucks have 13 regular-season games remaining, beginning with a Sunday afternoon game against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers. In 64 games (all starts) this season, the former NBA Rookie of the Year is averaging a career-high 15.6 points to go with 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Brogdon is shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from 3-point range and a league-leading 92.8 percent from the free-throw line. A 50/40/90 shooting line has been accomplished only 13 times in NBA history. Meanwhile Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram had surgery on his right arm Saturday and is expected to be ready by the start of the season, the team announced. Ingram underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery, performed by Dr Hugh Gelabert at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Earlier this month, Ingram, 21, was diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis, which involved a blood clot that caused shoulder pain. NHL Killorn s first hat-trick carries Lightning past Caps Tampa Bay, Florida Alex Killorn recorded his first career hat-trick, Tampa Bay set a franchise record for wins in a season, and the Lightning beat the visiting Washington Capitals 6-3 on Saturday in the first meeting this season between the Eastern Conference s two division leaders. The Lightning notched their 55th victory and became just the fourth team in NHL history to win 54 games or more in consecutive seasons. Tyler Johnson, Erik Cernak and Yanni Gourde also tallied, and Nikita Kucherov notched two assists for the Lightning, who won their fourth straight. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots and won for the 13 time in his past 14 starts. Alex Ovechkin had two goals, and John Carlson added a marker and an assist for Washington, which lost for just the third time in its past 15 games. Braden Holtby allowed four goals on 33 shots. The clubs last faced each other last May 23 when Holtby blanked the Lightning 4-0 in Tampa to win the Eastern Conference Finals in Game 7. He also shut out Tampa Bay in Game 6. The first period Saturday featured a busy stretch of 1:58 that saw the Lightning grab a 2-0 lead but lose a key player in the process. Johnson got in behind Washington s defense and tapped in his 26th goal at 8:35, but RESULTS St. Louis 5-1 Pittsburgh Detroit 2-1 Islanders Florida 4-3 Los Angeles Winnipeg 2-1 Calgary Boston 2-1 Columbus Chicago 2-0 Montreal Ottawa 6-2 Toronto Tampa Bay 6-3 Washington Carolina 4-2 Buffalo Minnesota 5-2 Rangers Edmonton 3-2 Arizona Nashville 4-2 San Jose a minute later, Capitals gritty right winger Tom Wilson plastered defenseman Mikhail Sergachev into the half boards. Sergachev remained down for a short time, had to be helped off the ice but returned in the second period. Killorn flipped in a bad-angle shot that caromed off Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov, stationed in front of Holtby, to make it 2-0 at 10:33 of the first period. After Carl son cut it to 2-1 with his 12th goal less than two minutes later. Killorn added his second of the night by bulling in on defenseman Nick Jensen, playing in his 200th career game, at 15:56 for a 3-1 edge. Ovechkin zipped in a rebound on the power play for his 47th goal at 7:33 of the middle period to make it 3-2.Cernak provided some breathing room when he wristed in his fourth goal at 2:45 of the third period, but Ovechkin added his second with 7:04 left. Killorn notched his hat trick into an empty net with 47 seconds remaining, and Gourde added a second empty-netter in the last seconds. ROOKIE SVECHNIKOV SCORES AGAIN AS HURRICANES TOP SABRES Rookie Andrei Svechnikov scored his third goal in three games as the Carolina Hurricanes recorded their ninth straight win over the Buffalo Sabres, a 4-2 victory Saturday in Raleigh, NC Jordan Staal scored to notch his 500th career point, and captain Justin Williams and Lucas Wallmark also tallied for the Hurricanes, who improved to in their last 11 contests. Curtis McElhinney finished with 35 saves to rebound after an 8-1 shellacking by Winnipeg on March 8. The 35-year-old McElhinney turned aside 30 shots in a 4-3 victory versus the Sabres on Jan. 11 and made 34 saves in a 6-5 overtime win against Buffalo on February 7. Former Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner matched his career high with his 37th goal, and Zemgus Girgensons also tallied for the Sabres, who have dropped seven in a row (0-6-1). Buffalo entered the contest having been shut out in a franchise high-tying three straight games before Skinner ended the team s scoring drought at 199 minutes, 58 seconds. He banked a shot off McElhinney and into the net at 2:18 of the first period. Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Alex Killorn (No 17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period of their NHL game at Amalie Arena. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports

6 6 SPORT QATAR NATIONAL ARABIAN HORSE SHOW Connections pose with the trophy after Alsraiya Stud s Reem Al Sraiya won Class 1A for Yearling Fillies in the 7th Qatar National Arabian Horse Show for Individual Owners at Al Shaqab Indoor Arena yesterday. The three-day event will conclude tomorrow. Picture at right shows connections posing with the trophy after Nasser Mohamed Mesfer al-hajri s Najla Umm Aludham won Class 2C for two-year-old Fillies. PICTURES: Juhaim Rahm takes lead as McIlroy and Fleetwood battle I ve been so balanced, nothing like I used to be, not getting frustrated when I miss shots Miami Jon Rahm stormed into the lead at the Players Championship in Florida yesterday, firing an eightunder-par 64 to take a one-shot advantage into the final round as he chases his first win of the year. The 24-year-old Spanish ace surged into contention after taming TPC Sawgrass s Stadium Course at Ponte Vedra Beach with a scintillating exhibition of accurate iron shots and solid putting. The world number 10 only narrowly missed out on equalling the course record 63 after finishing the third round with a 15-under-par aggregate of 201. Rahm took sole possession of the lead after overnight leader Rory McIlroy endured a mixed round. The Northern Ireland star recovered from a bogey-bogey start to card a two-under-par 70 to finish the day at 14 under. England s Tommy Fleetwood will also start the fourth round one off the pace. Fleetwood recovered from a double-bogey on the first, and two more bogeys on the front nine, to card a two-under-par 70 for 14 under. Rahm meanwhile is hoping to claim his first win of the year after a remarkably consistent start to 2019 which has included top- 10 finishes in five of six starts. The Spaniard attributed his success on Saturday to a newfound mental durability. For the past year or so, I ve been working so hard in the mental aspect of my game, trying to keep myself in check a little bit more, Rahm said after his round. That s been the key this week. I ve been so balanced, nothing like I used to be, not getting frustrated when I miss shots. Cooper steals the show Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy hug on the 18th green during the third round of The Players Championship on Saturday. I ve been really proud the way I ve handled. Hopefully tomorrow I can continue it and get a good round. Rahm s fireworks on Saturday came on the back nine, which he completed in six under to move clear of the field. A birdie on the 10th was followed by an eagle on the par-five 11th, when he drilled a magnificent second shot from the fairway to three feet from 244 yards. A laser-guided tee shot to three feet on the par-three 13th yielded a further birdie, and then two more birdies on the 16th and 17th took him to eight under for the day. McIlroy meanwhile was in trouble from the start, carding bogeys at the first and second to immediately give the chasing pack hope. But he responded to that early setback on the par-three third Jaro Cooper emerged victorious in a tournament organised by Qatar Golf Lovers at the Education City Golf Course over the weekend. Forty golfers participated in the tournament which was played in a stroke play format. Pavan Singh was declared first runner-up while Jason Maraku won the third prize. Clark White won the closest to pin award, PK Viswanath won the longest putt award and Naeem Nanji won the closest to pin on second shot award. QGL hosted a prize distribution dinner for all golfers which was attended by Rhys Beecher, Director, Golf Operations and Nico-James Visser, Manager, Golf Operations of Education City Golf Course. Prize winners (from left to right) Pavan Singh, Naeem Nanji, Jaro Cooper, Clark White, PK Viswanath (sitting), Jason Maraku, PK Mathew and Nico-James Visser. hole, draining a 14-foot birdie putt to pick up a shot. A further birdie followed on the seventh, when McIlroy steered a 141-yard iron from the fairway to 12 feet and then rolled in the birdie putt. It got better on the 238-yard par-three eighth with another birdie. A four iron off the tee left McIlroy with a tap-in for a birdie two to leave him at one under at the turn. McIlroy had a long eagle putt on the 11th but had to settle for a birdie after his 40-foot effort missed by three feet. That was as good as it got for McIlroy for the remainder of the back nine, with the four-time major winner missing a birdie chance on 18 to reclaim a share of the lead. To start two over through two and finish two under par I thought was a good effort, McIlroy said. To play the final 16 holes in four under was good. I just need to keep hitting fairways and greens on Sunday. If I can do that, hopefully I can turn tomorrow into the best Sunday of the year so far. Australia s Jason Day moved into contention with a four-under-par 68 on Saturday to go to 12 under, three off the lead. Mexico s Abraham Ancer is fifth on 11 under, one clear of six players tied for sixth place on 10 under which includes Dustin Johnson. Migliozzi holds nerve to win maiden European Tour crown Nairobi: Italy s Guido Migliozzi carded a final-round 69 to clinch his maiden European Tour title with a one-shot victory in the Kenya Open on Sunday. The 22-year-old rookie, playing in his 14th European Tour event, took the lead with a birdie on the 12th hole and held his nerve under pressure to par the last six holes and go 16-under for the tournament at Nairobi s Karen Country Club. Joint overnight leader Migliozzi finished above his playing partner Adri Arnaus of Spain and South Africans Louis de Jager and Justin Harding who were tied for second place. I like this moment. I like the pressure, it s like a drug, Migliozzi, who sank four birdies on the day but also had two bogeys on the front nine, said. I love playing with a lot of people looking at me and a lot of cameras. RUGBY Bring on the World Cup! Wales believe after Grand Slam Cardiff Wales were hailed for the energy, drive and belief that powered them to the Six Nations Grand Slam, legendary fly-half Barry John saying the World Cup could not come around quick enough. The Welsh thumped Ireland 25-7 at Cardiff s Principality Stadium on Saturday to follow victories over France (24-19), Italy (26-15), England (21-13) and Scotland (18-11). It was also a 14th consecutive win, based around an iron-clad, swarming defence and an everstrengthening squad coach Warren Gatland has forged around talismanic captain Alun Wyn Jones. You can see the camaraderie that Gatland and Alun Wyn have built so superbly, ex- Wales and British and Irish Lions icon John said in his Wales on Sunday column. It s resulted in the Grand Slam. Bring on the World Cup. Wales, John continued, are getting more and more confident and need fear nobody out in Japan, where the World Cup BOXING runs from September 20 until November 2. Former Welsh and Lions prop Graham Price said Wales were thriving on the winning momentum that has seen them rise to second in World Rugby standings. Get to the World Cup and anything can happen! Price said, with Wales drawn in Pool D along with Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Uruguay. I am optimistic we are gong to do well at the World Cup and, if we were to face the All Blacks, the later the better. Sam Warburton, who was named Welsh skipper at the age of 22 by Gatland and led Wales to their 2012 Grand Slam, hailed the fairytale finish for his former coach, who steps down from his job after the World Cup. It will be the most rewarding of his three Grand Slams because it is almost a fairytale to do this in his final Six Nations campaign, Warburton said in the Sunday Times. To do it in a World Cup year too the last team to complete the clean sweep in such a year were England in 2003 and look how that panned out (they won the World Cup) makes it extra special. Spence beats Garcia to retain welterweight title Dallas Errol Spence Jr. solidified his status as one of the best pound-forpound fighters in the world with 12-round masterclass performance over challenger Mikey Garcia on Saturday. The 29-year-old Spence easily beat Garcia by a unanimous decision to retain his International Boxing Federation title in a welterweight homecoming bout in front of 47,500 fans.spence dominated Garcia throughout with a stinging jab and a barrage of combinations and his hometown crowd at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas cheered wildly as he used his size and reach advantage to put on a boxing clinic. My motivation was fighting in front of my hometown crowd, Spence said. This is where I started it from a pup. From the amateurs all the way up. This is my core fan base. I felt good and I wanted to put on a great performance. The fight was hyped as a showdown of two unbeaten boxers but it didn t turn out that way with one judge scoring it for Spence. The other two had it and Garcia never landed more than 10 punches in a single round. Spence landed 375 total punches to just 75 for Garcia, who was fighting for the first time as a welterweight after moving up two divisions. Spence has been avoided by most of the top fighters in the division but this victory appears to have set up a future showdown with Filipino Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao appeared in the ring after the final bell and said he was willing to face the much younger Spence. I am looking at the winner of this fight. Spence wants to fight me, said Pacquiao. I am hoping to be back here, soon. Spence said he also wants to fight Pacquiao. He is a legend of the sport. It would be my honour to fight him next. Spence improved to 25-0 but failed to get the knockout he wanted against Garcia in his third defence as his KO streak was stopped at 11 fights. This is just the fourth time in his career that the former 2012 US Olympian didn t knock out his opponent. People said I couldn t box, said Spence. You saw it today. I can box, I can move my head. I can do it if I want to. Garcia, who was trying to win a title in his fifth different weight class, dropped to 39-1 with 30 KOs. He is the truth. He is for real. He came out with a game plan, kept his distance. I couldn t make adjustments, Garcia said.

7 CRICKET 7 T20 Gladiators clinch maiden Pakistan Super League title Agencies Doha Quetta Gladiators overpowered Peshawar Zalmi with an eight-wicket victory in the final to win their maiden Pakistan Super League title at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday. It was third time lucky for the Gladiators in the final, having lost their two previous title clashes. Zalmi had set a moderate target of 139 runs, which the Gladiators chased down in 17.5 overs. After Shane Watson was dismissed early, Ahmed Shehzad scored a brilliant half-century to lead Gladiators run chase. Shehzad added 47 runs for the second wicket with Ahsan Ali (25). Rilee Rossouw then struck the winning runs and remained not out on 39, while Shehzad ended unbeaten on a 51-ball 58 as Gladiators cruised to victory. Peshawar s heroes in the eliminator, Kamran Akmal and Imam-ul-Haq, both fell cheaply on Sunday, and that meant the middle order had to consolidate for much of the innings. The run rate consequently took a hit, and in the final overs, left Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy to provide the fireworks. Much like the rest of the Peshawar side, they failed to live up to the occasion. Gladiators fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain took three for 30 runs. Hasnain, who will turn 19 in three weeks, showed why he had been picked with a sublime four-over spell in the biggest game of his young career. Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani said he was hopeful all matches of the next edition of the PSL could be held in Pakistan, and not around UAE. Next year we look forward to welcome you back with all the PSL matches in Pakistan, Mani said at the National Stadium, where over 30,000 spectators attended the final of PSL This year s PSL started in the UAE, where 26 games were played, before the action shifted to Pakistan. Originally, three of the eight games were scheduled to be played in Lahore, followed by five in Karachi, but all games were moved to Karachi because of logistical concerns. Today for Pakistan, especially for Karachi, it s a historic day. Since PSL is in Karachi, over 200,000 spectators witness the games at the stadium and millions witnessed on TV and digital platform. We should always remember that cricket is the one game that brings happiness and light in life and this lesson shouldn t be forgotten, Mani said. The biggest reward should be given to the people of Karachi, the way you people have supported and embraced PSL 4 here in your city. The love and support was extraordinary. Finally, I would like to say that all overseas players, officials and technical support teams, you have seen yourself the passion and love for cricket in Pakistan. Next year we look forward to welcome Quetta Gladiators players celebrate after winning the Pakistan Super League at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday. () BRIEF SCORES you back with all the PSL matches in cricket back to the country. The final This year, all overseas players involved in the PSL made the trip from the Peshawar Zalmi 138 for 8 (Amin 38, Pakistan. of the 2017 edition was held in Lahore, For the PCB, the PSL, now coming to followed by the last four games, including the final, in This year, the last reluctant Australian star Shane Watson, UAE to Karachi, including the usually Hasnain 3-30, Bravo 2-24) lost to Quetta the end of its fourth season, has been a Gladiators 139 for 2 (Shehzad 58*, platform to try and bring top-drawer eight games have been held in Karachi. raising the profile of the tournament. Rossouw 39*, Wahab 1-19) by 8 wickets Like we never left Smith and Warner back in Aussie fold The pair were eligible for the final two games of the Pakistan series Steve Smith and David Warner have been welcomed back into the Australian fold with hugs and cuddles at a team meet-up in Dubai, and said it was like they d never left. The disgraced pair, whose year-long bans for ball-tampering expire this month, were invited by coach Justin Langer as part of their re-integration after the scandal in South Africa that rocked the cricketing world. Australia are in Dubai as they prepare for an upcoming series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates following their upset one-day series win against India. It s been awesome. It s like we didn t really leave, the boys were very accepting of us coming in and with open arms, said Warner yesterday. A lot of big hugs and cuddles. It s been great. It s good to see the spirit they re in after a great series win in India and I am obviously looking forward to watching them play against Pakistan here and hopefully they win that series as well, he added. The sandpapergate scandal in Cape Town, which also saw opening batsman Cameron Bancroft banned for nine months, had far-reaching consequences for Australian cricket. Then-coach Darren Lehmann quit and there was a clean-out of top executives from Cricket Australia after a scathing review said its arrogant and controlling culture was partly to blame for players bending the rules. Australian cricket has since undergone a host of cultural changes under Langer, and Warner and Smith were brought up to speed at the meeting on how it now worked. Making sure we re in line with team values moving forwards, Warner said of the meet-up, which also discussed the squad s preparations for the upcoming World Cup. Obviously (we ve) been out for 12 months and there has been a big change, which is great, and it s about accepting that and playing what our role should be in the team. Smith, who was stripped of the captaincy and is barred from being considered for Steve Smith and David Warner s year-long bans for ball-tampering will expire this month. any leadership role for a further 12 months after his ban ends, echoed Warner s comments. It seems like some really good energy among the team at the moment, he said. It s great to be back around the group, they ve been really welcoming and almost like we ve never left. While the cheating row initially unleashed a torrent of vitriol against them, that sentiment has eased significantly and they are expected to be slotted straight back into the team. Smith said the Dubai catch-up went through the values that are instilled in the team at the moment and making sure we are on the right path looking forward to what s coming up; a huge World Cup and an Ashes series in England. The pair, who are both returning from elbow surgery, are eligible for the final two games of the Pakistan series. But selectors decided it would be better to ease themselves back at the upcoming Indian Premier League. Langer, who has been vocal in championing their return, said it was like two brothers coming home. They have been received really well, we had a good night together and had some great meetings today (Saturday) so it s been really positive, he said. As a coach when you have got two guys with as many runs and experience as they ve got coming back into a team that s playing well, that s very exciting. Smith and Warner joined their Indian Premier League teams yesterday. Both Smith and Warner were barred from participating in the lucrative league last year after their involvement in the scandal. Smith returned to his Jaipur-based franchise Rajasthan Royals, while Warner joined Sunrisers Hyderabad. ONE-OFF TEST Rashid takes five, Afghanistan set 147 to win maiden Test Dehradun, India Spinner Rashid Khan claimed five wickets to put Afghanistan in sight of their maiden Test victory after bowling out Ireland for 288 on day three of the one-off game yesterday. Chasing 147 to win, Afghanistan were 29 for one at stumps. Ihsanullah Janat, on 16, and Rahmat Shah, on 11, were batting at close of play in Dehradun. Spinner Andy McBrine had opener Mohamed Shahzad caught behind for two before Janat and Shah, who made 98 in Afghanistan s first innings total of 314, played out the last few overs of the day. Ireland batsmen Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O Brien had earlier hit half-centuries before Khan returned career-best figures of 5-82 to bowl out Ireland in the final session of play. Feeling happy to get some wickets for the team when the team needed me, Khan, who has taken seven wickets in the match, told reporters. It was tough to grip the new ball because I had a finger injury and tough for me to pitch it on the right length as was paining a lot, he said, referring to the injured middle finger of his bowling arm. Balbirnie made 82 and O Brien 56 before a 10th-wicket 58-run partnership between James Cameron-Dow and Tim Murtagh set up a potentially tricky chase for the Afghans. Cameron-Dow was left unbeaten on 32 after number 11 Murtagh, who hit 54 not out in Ireland s first innings score of 172, was the last man out on 27. I am not surprised, if you have seen Test cricket even tailenders have records, said Khan. Plan was to bowl as many good deliveries as possible. But they chose the right deliveries to score and that s how they made runs. Earlier Balbirnie put on 104 runs for the third wicket with James McCollum, who made 39, to frustrate the Afghanistan bowlers in the first session. An umpiring howler cost Ireland their first wicket of the day with Paul Stirling adjudged lbw off paceman Yamin Ahmadzai for 14 after the opener got a thick edge onto his pad. Balbirnie, who resumed the day on 14, stood firm to register his maiden Test half-century with a boundary off Mohamed Nabi. Ireland took lunch at but a batting collapse in the second session saw them slip to 157-6, with Khan and Salamkheil sharing the spoils. Balbirnie was caught behind off Salamkheil after his 149-ball stay at the wicket, and Khan trapped McCollum lbw in the very next over as Afghanistan regained control. O Brien, who took Ireland past their 142-run deficit and into a lead, then put on 63 runs with George Dockrell, who made 25, to take the attack to the opposition bowlers. But Khan got the two dangermen back in the pavilion after tea to get into the Ireland tail that once again wagged. The left-handed batting duo of Cameron-Dow and Murtagh put on another defiant stand for Ireland, who had posted an 87-run last-wicket partnership in their first innings. Both sides are playing their second Test after making their debuts in the five-day format last year. Afghanistan lost to India inside two days in Bangalore while Ireland went down to Pakistan in Dublin. BRIEF SCORES Ireland: 172 & 288 all out in 93 overs (Andy Balbirnie 82, Kevin O Brien 56; Rashid Khan 5/82). Afghanistan: 314 & 29/1 in 16 overs (Ihsanullah Janat batting 16, Rahmat Shah batting 11 ). KOHLI WANTS INDIAN PLAYERS TO BE SMART IN MANAGING WORKLOAD Bengaluru: With the proximity of the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) and the 2019 World Cup, managing workload by Indian cricketers is being seen as a major issue, however, skipper Virat Kohli feels any player should be smart enough to deal with it. He also said that there isn t any cap on the number of matches for the Indian players during the domestic Twenty20 tournament and the cricketers should themselves judge their fitness. You cannot put a tab on anything. If I m able to play 10, 12 or 15 games, it doesn t necessarily mean that the other guy can only play that many. My body might demand I play a certain number of games and I need to be smart about that and rest, Kohli told reporters. Someone else s body might be more capable than mine or less, that is a very individual thing. And everyone wants to play the World Cup, so people (cricketers) will be smart about it because you don t want to miss out on such a big event, he added. Kohli also said the players will have to keep a check on their fitness beside managing their workload. All the Indian players will have the responsibility during the IPL to keep a watch on their fitness and their workload. They will also have to continue with the frame of mind we have created in the Indian team -- strive towards excellence and improve every day, Kohli pointed out. Each player will take this tournament as an opportunity to go to the World Cup in a good frame of mind, he added. Speaking on the upcoming season of IPL, Kohli expressed that a lot will depend on making right calls as it will be the major difference between the winning and losing team. Afghanistan s Rashid Khan (right) celebrates with teammates after dismissing Ireland s Kevin O Brien during the third day of the Test match in the northern Indian city of Dehradun yesterday. ()

8 GULF TIMES SPORT QNB STARS LEAGUE Ferreira pleased after Sadd inch closer to league title Al Sadd, who have a four-point lead at the top, will win the title for a record 14th time if they beat Al Duhail on March 30 By Sports Reporter Doha Al Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira was a relieved man after his team s win over Al Sailiya in the QNB Stars League on Saturday. Baghdad Bounedjah and Akram Afif struck either side of half-time as Al Sadd moved closer to their first league title in six years with a 2-0 win over Sailiya. They now have four-point lead over defending champions Al Duhail, after taking the team s tally to 50. It was Al Sadd s 16th victory, the most by any team this season, but the Wolves coach Ferreira said it was the toughest match of the season for his team. This was one of the toughest matches of the season for us. Winning this game gives us a huge boost for what is to come, after we played some intense games consecutively in the league. We didn t lose except against Al Ahli and we are now edging closer to the league title, the Portuguese manager said. Ferreira said his players are struggling from fatigue which made the victory on Sunday even more pleasing. My players are the ones who have played the most in the Qatari league. They played in the league, in the Champions League and with the national team. All this physical effort has a toll on the players and this did not help us today, making it difficult to score, like in the previous games, Ferreira said After being a goal down, Sailiya had the chance to equalise but Abdulkadir Ilyas penalty was saved by Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad al-dossari. Sailiya also had goalkeeper Saoud al-khater sent off following his foul on Akram in the 64th minute. It was not easy to play against ten men. Saad al-dosari s penalty save was Al Sadd have four-point lead over defending champions Al Duhail, after taking the team s tally to 50 with victory over Al Sailiya on Sunday. the crucial factor which led to our win. We are looking to win the remaining games. I cannot blame the players today. I am happy with the upcoming period of rest before the next game against the second placed Al Duhail. Our goal will be to win the remaining games and secure the title, Ferreira said. All eyes are now on the muchawaited battle between the big guns on March 30. Al Sadd will win the coveted league shield for a record-extending 14th time in history if they beat Al Duhail as the Wolves will have an unassailable lead over the Red Knights. Ferreira said: The Duhail game will be like a big final for the Qatari league. Winning it will gives us the title. Our full focus will be on achieving that. Meanwhile on Sunday, Duhail survived a scare from Umm Salal as they came back from a goal down to script a 3-1 victory. A brace from Yousef El Arabi and Mohammed Muntari gave Duhail victory, while Lawrence Quaye was Umm Salal s scorer. Duhail Coach Rui Faria expressed his happiness with the victory. We played a very difficult match and we knew it would be so against Umm Salal, who are a good team. They are defensively strong. But credit to my team in the second half as they played a well to get the win, he said It s an important win for us as it keeps us in the title race, since we are facing Al Sad in the next match. We have a responsibility now to win the remaining matches and everything is possible in football. The fighting spirit made the difference today, Faria added. Al Sailiya slipped from third to fourth position, while Umm Salal also went down from seventh to ninth. Al Rayyan now occupies the third spot after a 1-0 win over high-flying Al Khor, with Rodrigo Tabata netting the all-important goal. The Lions now have 33 points. Al Khor, who went into the game on the back of two consecutive victories, remained 11th with 15 points. Al Kharaitiyat made it really big in their fight to avoid relegation as they defeated Qatar SC 1-0, with Valentin Lazar finding the winning goal. The Thunders thus completed a hat-trick of wins and moved to 12 points, only three less than 11th-placed Al Khor. Qatar SC, on the other hand, put themselves in trouble as they stayed on 16 points. Al Gharafa did well to beat Al Arabi 2-1 en route to climbing to seventh position from ninth. New signing Wilfried Bony scored for Al Arabi before conceding an own goal. Ahmed Alaaeldin netted a goal for Al Gharafa, who now have 22 points. The Dream Team remained sixth in the standings on 27 points despite defeat. Al Ahli and Al Shahania shared the spoils after a goalless draw to stay fifth and eighth with 29 and 20 points respectively. It was the only drawn encounter of 19th round, which witnessed 11 goals being scored as against 27 in Week 18. QGF signs sponsorship agreements for Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) President Ali Ahmed al-hitmi poses with Aspire Academy HR Manager Khaled al-hamer, BK Sport s Sayed, Bounce s Peter Pojovich, Dana Water s Zaid Jose, Radio Olive and Suno s director Krishna Kumar after signing a sponsorship contract for the 12th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup. By Sports Reporter Doha The Organising Committee of 12th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup led by Ali al-hitmi, President of Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) on Saturday signed a partnership agreement with Aspire, and other partners, for the forthcoming championships to be held at Aspire Dome from March 20 to 23. Aspire Dome, the world s largest indoor multi-purpose dome, had also played host to the 48th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in October last year. It was also the first time that an Arab nation had staged the Worlds. The World Cup too serves as a qualification event for Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Speaking of the association with Aspire, al-hitmi, said, We are very proud to sign this partnership agreement with Aspire which has always provided us with unlimited support. This relationship helped us stage a world-class championship in October and we hope to deliver another outstanding World Cup with Aspire at the Aspire Dome. We thank Aspire and its facilities for their continuous support. The organisers also signed agreements with hospitality partner Wyndham Grand Regency Doha, BK Sport, Bounce, Al Dana Water and Radio Olive & Suno. INJURY FORCES INDIA S DIPA TO PULL OUT Meanwhile, Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar has pulled out of the Doha World Cup. The withdrawal is a big blow to her Olympic Shady Marei (left), Assistant Sales Manager of Wyndham Grand Regency Doha with QGF President Ali Ahmed al-hitmi after signing a partnership agreement. qualification plans as the Doha event is part of an eight-event qualifying system for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, under which the gymnasts will make the cut based on their top three scores. The 25-year-old, who became the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, aggravated her knee injury during the vault final at the Baku Artistic Gymnastics World Cup last week. She had finished last after deciding not to take her second attempt. Dipa, who finished fourth in Rio Olympics, had performed a higher-difficulty Handfront 540 vault, scoring and points in the two qualifying round for an average of to qualify for the vault final in the third position. But she was left crestfallen after aggravating a knee injury while landing during the first attempt in the final. Dipa had some problems in her knee before the final. She was feeling some pain yesterday, but felt better after working with physio. She attempted the vault finals but fell on her first vault, aggravating the injury due to undesired landing, Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI) official Riyaz Bhati told PTI. She will now skip the World Cup in Doha and come back to India for rehabilitation and aim for Asian and World Championships this year. The Asian Championships will be held in Mongolia (June 13-16) while the FIG World Championships is in in Stuttgart (GER) from October Dipa had claimed a bronze in vault at the FIG World Cup in Cottbus in Germany in November last year to fuel her Olympic dream. FOCUS Qatar rider al-ajmi educates schoolboys on horse riding Team Qatar s equestrian rider Faleh Suwead al-ajmi dedicated his morning to educating and inspiring Abu Obaida s school for boys at the Qatar equestrian Federation s (QEF) indoor arena. The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) continues to inspire, engage and connect with the next generation through the power of sport. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the QOC has been organising school visits with Team Qatar athletes. This week, Qatari students had the opportunity to experience being on the field of play where they heard from Team Qatar s al-ajmi and also observed how equestrians take care of and ride their horses. The QEF organised and hosted a constructive school visit for the students to benefit to the fullest. Upon their arrival, Team Qatar s equestrian al-ajmi welcomed the students by introducing himself and giving a brief background about equestrian and show-jumping. The students were taken by al-ajmi on a tour around the federation s facilities to take a closer look at the equestrian arena the clinic where horses receive their treatment and the medical facilities that veterinaries use. The students were also guided into the stables and the area where horses are kept for grooming, before ending the tour with an exciting horse ride with al-ajmi. The 32-year-old al-ajmi commented on the day he spent with the students at QEF: I started horseback riding as a hobby and it was soon after I knew how much I enjoyed it and wanted to compete professionally. I want to share my excitement and love for riding with the next generation of young people in Qatar. The school visit today was an absolute pleasure, the students had a wonderful time learning about horses and equestrian, hopefully they are inspired to take up the sport. Al-Ajmi had recently accomplished the biggest triumph of his career by winning the feature event at the HH The Amir s Sword Equestrian championship Al-Ajmi was a part of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games team and he has his eyes set on Tokyo Al-Ajmi has a 2011 Pan Arab Games silver medal from the team event. The QOC is celebrating its 40th anniversary tomorrow, marking tremendous successes in the different sports fields at all levels over the years. In that occasion, the QOC in collaboration with the Ministry of education and higher education and national federations are arranging for 40 school visits this year. Team Qatar s school visits will help QOC accomplish its mission to promote sport participation to the next generation and the whole community. Team Qatar s equestrian rider Faleh Suwead al-ajami poses with schoolboys at QEF's indoor arena.