Sports

Manchester City slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat after blowing the lead to lose 2-1 at Brighton yesterday, allowing Liverpool the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. City had not suffered defeat in the league for nearly a year prior to losing at Bournemouth last weekend.But after also exiting the League Cup to Tottenham and being on the end of a 4-1 thrashing by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola has lost four straight matches for the first time in his illustrious managerial career.The English champions looked set to bounce back from their chastening night in Lisbon on Tuesday when Erling Haaland prodded in his 15th goal of the season at the second attempt after his initial effort was saved by Bart Verbruggen. City, though, were opened up at will in the second half and were finally punished by a pair of Brighton substitutes.Joao Pedro fired in the equaliser after City failed to clear in a goalmouth scramble. Matt O’Riley has had to wait for his Premier League debut after suffering a serious ankle injury days after sealing a move from Celtic. The Danish international marked his bow in style when he slotted in from Pedro’s pass seven minutes from time. Liverpool were playing Aston Villa late last night and can stretch their lead at the top of the table to five points with victory.Wolves ended a wait since April for a Premier League win by beating fellow strugglers Southampton 2-0 to move off the foot of the table. Gary O’Neil was under huge pressure to deliver after a 13-game winless run in the top flight and got the perfect start when Pablo Sarabia swept home Matheus Cunha’s pass for Wolves’ fastest ever Premier League goal.Cunha smashed home a stunning second goal himself early in the second period to give Wolves a vital three points, which sees Southampton replace them at the bottom of the table. “He’s huge for us. He has such ability,” said O’Neil on Cunha’s influence. “A big win for us and Matheus Cunha had a big say in it.”Fulham moved into seventh by inflicting more misery on Crystal Palace with a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park. Emile Smith Rowe pounced on an error from Maxence Lacroix to open the scoring in first-half stoppage time. The Eagles’ hopes of a fightback were hit when Daichi Kamada saw red for a wild lunge on Kenny Tete.Harry Wilson came off the bench to score twice in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win over Brentford on Monday and the Welsh international was an impact substitute again to wrap up the victory seven minutes from time. Yoane Wissa scored a brace as Brentford twice came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-2.Twice the in-form Cherries led through Evanilson and Justin Kluivert. But the Bees have taken 16 points from a possible 18 at home this season.Brentford quickly levelled on both occasions through Wissa and Mikkel Damsgaard. Wissa then completed the comeback with his seventh goal in eight league appearances this season.West Ham and Everton did little to quell the discontent among both fan bases in a 0-0 draw. There were loud boos at full-time at the London Stadium from the West Ham support, but a point does edge Everton four clear of the bottom three.

Vinicius Junior scored a hat-trick to help Real Madrid bounce back from two consecutive home defeats with a 4-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga yesterday, but defender Eder Militao suffered a severe knee injury. Later Villarreal rose provisionally third with a 3-0 win at home against Alaves.Hammered by Barcelona in a league Clasico and then outplayed by AC Milan in the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid side badly needed this confidence-boosting victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Spanish and European champions thrashed Osasuna thanks to Vinicius’ treble, while Jude Bellingham scored his first goal of the season for Los Blancos.However, Madrid’s superstar striker Kylian Mbappe failed to find the net again and has scored one goal in his last seven matches. Brazilian centre-back Militao ruptured his cruciate ligament in his right knee and is set to miss the rest of the season, while Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez were also brought off hurt.Second-placed Madrid reined in Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga to six points before the Catalans visit Real Sociedad today. “Vinicius made the difference again today, as he has done on many occasions,” Madrid coach Ancelotti told reporters.The Brazilian finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting despite being favourite to win the award at the end of October, losing out to Manchester City midfielder Rodri. “(Not winning) the Ballon d’Or is a small detail that has not affected him, given what we’ve seen today,” added Ancelotti.Militao was taken off on a stretcher before the half-hour, holding the back of his right knee, after going to ground in Osasuna’s area. With David Alaba, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Carvajal out hurt already, his departure was particularly bad news for Madrid.Ancelotti replaced Militao with 21-year-old defender Raul Asencio, making his debut after progressing through the youth academy. Despite the setbacks, Madrid took the lead in the 34th minute when Bellingham teed up Vinicus, who whipped home at the near post.England international Bellingham, whose goals were vital for Madrid last season, broke his duck this campaign with a fine lob after Asencio played a long ball to send him running through on goal. Osasuna, fifth, had fought well in the opening stages but rapidly faded.Vinicius netted his second after Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, in for the injured Thibaut Courtois, found the forward with a long ball. He rounded the goalkeeper to finish.The winger netted his ninth goal in six matches across all competitions to complete his hat-trick.Brahim Diaz won the ball deep in Osasuna territory and teed up Vinicius for a simple finish to complete the rout. After Vinicius was replaced in the final stages Mbappe played in his preferred position on the left but was unable to find the net as his personal travails continued, even as Madrid’s problems eased. Los Blancos’ clean sheet helped end a run of nine goals conceded in three consecutive home matches.

Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals title in 20 years with a gruelling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in Riyadh yesterday.The 20-year-old Gauff rallied back from 3-6, 1-3 down, and erased a one-break deficit twice in the decider, to overcome the seventh-seeded Zheng in three hours and four minutes - the second-longest WTA final in 2024.By clinching the trophy, Gauff pocketed a record $4,805,000 - which is the largest ever payout at a professional, sanctioned tour event.Gauff had knocked out the world’s top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, en route to the final and picked up her fourth top-eight win of the week with an impressive physical performance against Zheng.Zheng is just the second Asian woman, behind Li Na in 2013, to reach the singles championship match at a WTA Finals. The Chinese star wraps up her breakthrough 2024 campaign having won 31 of her last 37 matches, and will rise to a career-high number five in the world on Monday.Contesting the youngest final at the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova’s win over Serena Williams in 2004, Gauff and Zheng, 22, brought their A-game from the start, painting the lines with precise and powerful groundstrokes off of both wings.It was Zheng who faced more pressure on serve in the opening games, saving a break point in game one, and three more in game five, to keep things on level terms with her American opponent.The rallies got longer and more physically taxing and it was Gauff who cracked first, double-faulting to hand Zheng a 5-3 lead.Zheng had to save a break point while serving for the set, which she closed on a netted backhand from Gauff at the 55-minute mark.The seventh seed kept up her momentum and clinched a fifth game in a row to go up 2-0 early in the second set.Gauff stopped the bleeding though and fought her way back to level for 3-3, finally claiming her first break of serve on her sixth opportunity of the match. Zheng appeared to have lost a bit of her speed and Gauff took full advantage of the situation.The American made it four games in a row to put herself in the position to serve for the second set but couldn’t close, as Zheng saved a pair of set points to peg her opponent back and break. Gauff retaliated the next game to scoop the second set and force a decider.Gauff dropped serve at the start of the final set but pulled off an incredible stretch volley to strike back and even the score 2-2.Zheng mustered all the power she could, unleashing huge serves and groundstrokes to create another gap and surged ahead 5-3.Gauff would not relent and once again wiped her deficit. Zheng saved two championship points on her own serve in game 12 and carried the match into a deciding tiebreak. Gauff was dialled in for the breaker, racing to a 6-0 advantage and Zheng couldn’t catch up as the world number three completed a remarkable comeback victory on her fifth opportunity.The doubles title in Riyadh was secured by Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe, who avenged their Wimbledon final loss to Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova by defeating the American-Czech duo 7-5, 6-3.The winning pair, who went a perfect 5-0 in matches this week, will split a prize cheque of $1,125,000 ($562,500 per player), a sum Routliffe described as “life-changing”.“We’re super grateful for the prize money here. It’s like a huge icing on the cake to what’s been an amazing week for us,” addedDabrowski.

Razeen Al Nasser of Al Nasser Stud and D Shatha of Al Salem Stud emerged as the champion Senior Stallion and Senior Mare winning the championship class of the Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show which concluded yesterday.The Junior Colts Championship gold went to Magnums Ramses SH of Al Thamer Stud while Shamikhat Al Hawjer of Al Thamer Stud was best in Junior Fillies’ class. The Yearling Colts Championship was won by Saber Al Shaqab of Al Thamer Stud, and Expectations Al Wajbah Owned by Al Wajbah Stud picked up gold in the Yearling Fillies Championship (Class YFC). The 2nd edition of the horse show also saw the introduction of the Filly Foals class and for the first time the winners also qualified for marquee events such as the World Horse Show Championship, Katara Festival and the World Champions Tour.Khalid al-Jahni, Sports Director of the Al Shaqab International Horse Show, said: “The championship witnessed distinguished participation in all its aspects and resulted in strong competitions due to the quality of the participating horses,” noting that Al Shaqab focuses on the rich cultural heritage of purebred Arabian horses in the Qatari community, and this pioneering event aims to contribute to the development and promotion of purebred Arabian horses both locally and internationally.Al-Jahni also noted that the show succeeded in receiving great praise from the participating owners for its strength and good organisation, in addition to the quality of the horses participating in all categories. He said: “The Al Shaqab International Horse Show has become one of the major events in the region, and in this edition there has been a significant increase in the number of participating horses from within and outside Qatar.”For his part, Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani, owner of Al Nasser Stud, expressed his happiness with the results achieved by Al Nasser Stud in the championship from day one until the finals.He stressed that the strong competition between the owners and the results achieved through the marks obtained by the participating horses in all categories indicating the quality of the competition. He also thanked Al Shaqab for the good organization.The winners of the gold places in all categories received a prize of QR100,000 while silver winners received QR70,000 and bronze winners QR50,000.Saif al-Naemi, Deputy Executive Director at Al Shaqab, honoured Yousef Mohammed al-Nuaimi, Director of Shared Services from the Social & Sport Contribution Fund, with an award in recognition of his exceptional support as the official sponsor of the Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show.

Cycling great Mark Cavendish announced his retirement from the sport yesterday, writing on social media that his final race will be today’s Tour de France Singapore Criterium.“Sunday will be the final race of my professional cycling career,” wrote the 39-year-old British sprint legend, the record stage winner on the Tour de France with 35, in a post on Instagram.“Cycling has given me so much and I love the sport. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in it and now I am ready to see what the next chapter has in store for me.”Cavendish made Tour de France history last July when he eclipsed Eddy Merckx’s record which had stood since 1975, having matched the Belgian’s mark in 2021.“I am lucky enough to have done what I love for almost 20 years and I can now say that I have achieved everything that I can on the bike,” the rider from the Isle of Man said.“I love this sport I always have loved this sport I want to make a difference on the bike I always have wanted to make a difference in it that will not change whether I’m on the bike or not.”Cavendish made his Tour de France debut in 2008 before becoming world road race champion three years later. He won an omnium silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.Since turning professional in 2005 he had won 165 races, including 17 stages in the Giro d’Italia and three in the Vuelta a Espana.Last month, he had said that he “will see” about racing in next year’s Tour de France, explaining that he “saw things a bit differently” despite previously vowing not to compete in it again.He refused to discuss his retirement after finishing third at the Saitama Criterium in Japan last weekend.“I’d rather not talk about my future,” he told reporters, shortly after defending Singapore Criterium race champion Jasper Philipsen suggested that the Manxman would be calling it quits after the race.Cavendish finished second behind Philipsen in last year’s race and the Belgian said the Briton would pose the biggest challenge to his title defence in Singapore.“It’s always difficult to repeat and definitely with this being Mark’s last race, I think he’s very motivated as well to show off his amazing career that he had for the last time here in Singapore,” said the 26-year-old, ahead of Cavendish’s own announcement.“So it will be a tough, tough competition I think.”The race will feature 36 cyclists from nine teams including four-time Tour de France champions Chris Froome of Britain, four-time Vuelta Espana Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, and rising Eritrean star Biniam Girmay, who beat Roglic and Cavendish to win last week’s Criterium in Saitama.They will complete 25 laps of the 2.3-kilometre circuit in Singapore’s historic Civic District.

Jokcey Soufiane Saadi guided Wathnan Racing’s Doha Bu Thaila to victory in 1300m race for the Local Thoroughbred Novice Plate for three-year-olds during the Sealine Cup Day Division II at the Al Uqda yesterday. The Alban de Mieulle-trianed bay filly won the race by two and a half lengths. Earlier in the day, Saadi also rode Osama Omer E al-Dafea-owned Ghassan to victory in the Local Thoroughbred Novice Plate for three-year-olds race. PICTURE: Juhaim

A captain’s knock by Charith Asalanka steered Sri Lanka to a hard-fought four-wicket victory over New Zealand with six balls to spare in yesterday’s Twenty20 opener in Dambulla.Chasing a modest 136 to win, Sri Lanka’s batsman struggled to capitalise against the second-string visiting team. But a crucial 38-run stand for the sixth wicket between Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga steadied the ship and inched the team to victory.“Overall it is a good win,” Asalanka said.“We should have restricted them to 110 or 120 but they did well with the lower order.”The stand was broken when Hasaranga went for a big shot off Zakary Foulkes but fell short, caught at mid-on by Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner and departing for 22.Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, who took three of New Zealand’s wickets after the tourists opted to bat, sealed Sri Lanka’s win in style when he pulled Jacob Duffy for a six over mid-wicket.Asalanka finished unbeaten on a well-judged 35 off 28 balls. New Zealand’s below-par total had given Sri Lanka some breathing room.Top-order batsman Kusal Perera etched his name in the record books, surpassing Tillakaratne Dilshan to become Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer in T20s with his quickfire 23 off 17 balls. New Zealand’s 135 all out was the third-lowest total in T20Is in Dambulla.“It is a challenge to adjust to conditions,” Santner said.“At halfway we felt that we can defend it but a couple of partnerships took it away from us.”“We were expecting 160 after winning the toss but the dew settled in and it was hard to hold the ball and that’s probably food for thought tomorrow.”Fresh from a commanding red-ball series win in India, the tourists arrived in the island nation missing Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra and other stalwarts who are resting for an upcoming Test battle against England.All-rounder Michael Bracewell showed some fight with 27 off 24, including two fours and a six.New Zealand managed to go past 100 after a gutsy 39-run stand for the ninth wicket between Ish Sodhi and Foulkes.Foulkes, joint top-scorer with 27 off 16, hit a four and a six to help the Kiwis salvage some pride before Sodhi’s departure on 10 in the final over.New Zealand handed a debut to wicketkeeper-batsman Mitchell Hay, who was caught off a Matheesha Pathirana delivery on his second ball for nought.The second and final match of the series is at the same venuetoday.BRIEF SCORESSri Lanka 140 for 6 (Asalanka 35*, Foulkes 3-20) beat New Zealand 135 (Foulkes 27*, Wellalage 3-20, Thusara 2-14) by four wickets.

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 68 runs in a battle of spinners to win the second one-day international in Sharjah and level the three-match series yesterday.Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto scored a watchful 76 to help Bangladesh to a fighting total of 252-7 after opting to bat first.Bangladesh then bowled Afghanistan out for 184 in 43.3 overs, with left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed taking 3-28.Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman both grabbed two wickets apiece.Rahmat Shah made 52 and opener Sediqullah Atal added 39 to put Afghanistan on solid footing, but Atal fell to Nasum and Rahmat was run out after a mix-up with Gulbadin Naib as the match turned in Bangladesh’s favour.Naib (26), Mohammad Nabi (17) and Rashid Khan (14) got starts but could not go big as Mehidy and Mustafizur did not allow the batters to settle. “The wicket was difficult, especially against spinners,” said Najmul.“The way Miraz and Nasum were bowling, credit goes to them.” Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted batting second was a challenge.“It was tough to bat under lights,” said Shahidi. “I think they scored 40 runs in the last five overs and that was the reason. We did well but the wicket was used, and it was tough to bat in the second innings.”Najmul put on 71 with Soumya Sarkar (35) for Bangladesh’s second wicket and another 60 with Mehidy who scored 22. Left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote dimissed Najmul and Mahmudullah Riyad in the same over and at 184-6 Bangladesh seemed to have lost their way.It was debutant Jaker Ali (37 not out) and Nasum (25) who contributed 46 for the seventh wicket to revive Bangladesh. Kharote finished with 3-28 while leg-spinner Rashid Khan took 2-32 and mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar grabbed 2-35. The series finale is scheduled for tomorrow at the same venue.BRIEF SCORESBangladesh 252 for 7 (Shanto 76, Jaker 37*, Kharote 3-28) beat Afghanistan 184 (Rahmat 52, Nasum 3-28, Mehidy 2-37) by 68 runs.

India’s Pankaj Advani won the IBSF World Billiards championship after defeating England’s Robert Hall 4-2 in the final at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation (QBSF) in Doha yesterday. It was Advani’s 28th World title (20th in billiards). Singapore’s Peter Gilchrist and India’s Sourav Kothari shared the joint bronze medal. The medal presentation ceremony was attended by IBSF President Mubarak al-Khayarin and QBSF chief Mohammed Mubarak al-Ramzani.

The Qatar Chess Association (QCA) has announced that the fourth edition of the Qatar Masters Open will begin on December 2 and continue through December 13 at Aspire Zone, featuring an elite lineup of world-renowned players. The organizing committee is finalizing preparations for the tournament, which was previously held in 2014, 2015, and 2023.In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), President of the Qatar Chess Association, Mohammed Al Mudahka, confirmed that this year's tournament will see participation from 100 players representing 25 countries, with a total prize pool of $108,000.Al Mudahka noted that registration closes tomorrow, and the tournament will include top-ranked players such as Uzbekistans Nodirbek Abdusattorov, ranked sixth globally and runner-up in last year's event, known for his impressive results in previous editions. Additionally, his compatriot, Nodirbek Yakubboev, the reigning champion, will compete, as well as Irans Parham Maghsoodloo, ranked seventh in last years tournament, and Indias Dommaraju Gukesh, ranked eighth in the world.Qatar will be represented by Grandmaster Hussein Aziz, while UAE champion Salem Abdulrahman, who won the Best Arab Player award in the previous edition, will make his fourth appearance in the tournament. Egyptian player Adham Fawzy has also confirmed his participation.Al Mudahka added that the tournament will feature prominent female players as well, with the world's top-ranked woman, Indias Divya Deshmukh, confirming her participation, alongside compatriot Vantika Agrawal.He pointed out that World Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who competed in the previous three editions, will be absent due to scheduling conflicts with multiple international events.Al Mudahka explained that the absence of some top-ranked players is due to the World Championship taking place in Singapore at the same time. (QNA)

Qatar players began training at the Aspire Academy yesterday under the watchful eyes of coach Marquez Lopez as the Asian Champions prepare for their crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.Qatar’s qualifying campaign so far has been rocky. With only four points from four games, they find themselves six points behind Group A leaders Iran and Uzbekistan, who have 10 points each and currently occupy the automatic qualifying spots. Qatar’s last qualifier ended in a disappointing 1-4 loss to Iran, and Lopez’s side is under pressure to deliver strong performances if they hope to stay in contention.The upcoming clash against Uzbekistan on Thursday (November 14) at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium can prove to be decisive. Uzbekistan are in fine form and will pose a significant threat and Qatar can’t afford another loss. Following the Uzbekistan game, Qatar will travel to Abu Dhabi to face the United Arab Emirate on November 19. Qatar previously lost to the UAE at home, so this match is also an opportunity for redemption.For Qatar, reaching the World Cup first time on merit remains a monumental goal. While they qualified as hosts in 2022, the team has never advanced through the qualification stages.Lopez has called up forward Mohammed Muntari, who makes return to the squad after a prolonged recovery from a serious knee injury. The lanky forward, a key figure in Qatar’s attacking setup, sustained his injury in a friendly against Cambodia on December 31, just before the AFC Asian Cup. In addition to Muntari, Lopez has included Al Sadd midfielder Mustafa Tariq and Al Duhail left-back Homam al-Amin, while Mohammed Ayash (Al Duhail), Naif al-Hadhrami (Al Shahania), and Ahmed Alaa (Al Arabi) have been left out.Qatar squadGoalkeepers: Marwan Sherif (Al Ahli), Meshaal Barsham (Al Sadd), Saad al-Sheeb (Al Sadd), Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail)Defenders: Abdelrahman Moustafa (Al Ahli), Abdullah al-Yazidi, (Al Sadd), Abdelkarim Hassan (Al Wakrah), Ahmed Fathy (Al Arabi), Ahmed al-Ganehi (Al Gharafa), Bassam al-Rawi (Al Duhail), Boualem Khoukhi (Al Duhail), Homam al-Amin (Al Gharafa), Ibrahim al-Hassan (Cultural Leonesa – Spain), Tarek Salman (Al Sadd), Sultan al-Brake (Al Duhail), Lucas Mendez (Al Wakrah)Midfielders: Almahdi Ali (Al Wakrah), Ismaeel Mohammad (Al Duhail), Jassim Jaber (Al Arabi), Mohammed Waad (Al Sadd), Mostafa Tarek (Al Sadd), Yousef Abdulrazaq (Al Gharafa), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan)Forwards: Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al Duhail), Edmilson Junior (Al Duhail), Mohammed Muntari (Al Gharafa)

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his troubled French striker Kylian Mbappe was as down as the rest of the team over recent setbacks but remained motivated ahead of today’s La Liga clash with Osasuna.Mired in a sexual assault investigation in Sweden and struggling to find his feet in the ultra demanding Real Madrid spotlight, Mbappe was this week left out of France coach Didier Deschamps’ squad for the next round of Nations League matches. “Mbappe is down but not out,” Ancelotti said of his club form, adding that the 25-year-old remained “motivated”.The European champions were hammered 4-0 by rivals Barcelona at the end of October and are now nine points behind their great rivals in La Liga. On top of that, they slumped to a second consecutive home defeat on Tuesday, with AC Milan triumphing 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.Mbappe has been some way off his best but the Italian coach refused to lay the blame at his door.“The problem he’s having is everyone’s problem. We haven’t hit our stride yet. But I’m convinced Mbappe is going to get through this difficult moment,” he said. “You could point at Vinicius (Junior), Rodrygo or (Jude) Bellingham. It is a difficult moment for everyone. You can’t let your head drop, you have to hold it high.”Ancelotti, however, declined to speculate on Mbappe’s second consecutive omission from the World Cup finalists’ squad.“It is a decision of the national team coach and I do not have the right to judge it. I do not allow myself to do so,” said Ancelotti. France are due to play Israel at the Stade de France on November 14 and Italy in Milan three days later.Ancelotti said wants a positive reaction from his side when they face against Osasuna. “Osasuna are doing very well, playing brave football and well positioned in the table,” Ancelotti said. “We see tomorrow as a great opportunity to get back to doing things right...at this moment in time, which is obviously difficult. We have a chance to get back to our best. We have analysed the situation. We think we have found the solution, but it has to be seen in practice. We want to see a different version tomorrow. I see the team united, motivated and aware. But we have to wait until tomorrow to see if we act in the right way.”Leaders Barcelona have been in sensational goalscoring form this season and visit Real Sociedad tomorrow on confidence. The Catalans have netted 55 times in 16 matches across all competitions and have scored three times or more in each of their last seven outings.Basque side La Real have historically proven difficult for Barcelona to overcome in San Sebastian but Hansi Flick’s side have swept aside any team to cross their path since September.Barcelona suffered their only league defeat six weeks ago at Osasuna and since then have thrashed Spanish and European champions Real Madrid 4-0, as well as beating Bayern Munich 4-1 in Europe. “The results speak their own language and it’s really good to see that,” said Flick.One of the key factors in Barcelona’s form has been the resurgence of veteran Polish striker Robert Lewandowski under his former Bayern Munich coach Flick. After struggling for form at times last season the 36-year-old has been nigh-on unstoppable this season.Lewandowski reached 19 goals in 16 games for the season with a brace on Wednesday as Barcelona strolled to a 5-2 Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade. “Since the beginning of this season we have a goal - we have to play very attacking football...we score a lot of goals,” said Lewandowski afterwards. “The defensive line also plays very well, everything works so far almost perfectly...“We have many games until the end of the season, no matter if it’s La Liga or Champions League, we have to always look at what we can do better and what we improve too, no matter how many goals we have scored today. The next game is a new game and a new chance to win.”Lewandowski has found the net 14 times in La Liga and is the division’s top scorer, with double the tally of any other player. The forward has superb support from Raphinha and teenage Spain star Lamine Yamal, with the trio shredding opponents on a regular basis.Barcelona’s summer signing Dani Olmo is also likely to start as he continues his comeback from injury. The playmaker netted twice in the derby win over Espanyol last weekend and has five goals in five La Liga games since his arrival.Real Sociedad are down in 11th in La Liga but Imanol Alguacil’s side are improving as the weeks tick by after a slow start. The coach suggested his team’s results would improve after some poor finishing cost them points earlier in the campaign. Real Sociedad have scored 10 league goals, in stark contrast to Barcelona’s 40.Fixtures: (all times GMT)Today: Real Madrid v Osasuna (1300), Villarreal v Alaves (1515), Leganes v Sevilla (2000)Tomorrow: Real Betis v Celta Vigo (1300), Mallorca v Atletico Madrid (1515), Getafe v Girona (1730), Valladolid v Athletic Bilbao (1730), Real Sociedad v Barcelona (2000)Note: Espanyol v Valencia postponed after heavy flooding in eastern Spain

The qualifying rounds for the second edition of the Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Beauty Championship concluded yesterday. The four-day event, held at the Longines Outdoor Arena at Al Shaqab, will wrap up today.Supported by the Social and Sport Activities Support Fund (Daam), the championship features the participation of 285 horses, including 63 from the Gulf countries, with an esteemed panel of international judges, underscoring the importance of this championship.In the mares’ category for ages 4-6, Qamrat RJ, owned by Hamad bin Mohammed al-Rajhi, claimed first place. In second was Francesca HVP, owned by Ali Abdullah al-Kuwari, while Falah Hussein al-Ajmi’s Mayaar Al Omariya came third.In the mares’ category for ages 7-10, Al Salem Stud secured first and third places with D Shatha and D Fala, respectively. Mayar Al Rabia, owned by Sultan bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Ghoshan, took second place.In the 11 years and older mares category, AV Dalia, owned by Al Saigal Stud, achieved first place, while DA Magic Moment and Farona, both owned by Misfer Mohammed al-Hajri, took second and third places, respectively.The championship finals will take place today, with awards for all categories, including fillies and colts (newborns), yearlings, and two- and three-year-olds, as well as mares and stallions. The organising committee has allocated valuable prizes for the horses winning gold, silver and bronze medals. The finals will feature horses that placed first to third in the qualifiers for each category.This year, for the first time, the event includes a new class: the Newborns Class, and it serves as a qualifying event for prestigious championships, including the World Arabian Horse Beauty Championship, Katara Festival and Global Champions Tour.The championship is classified as a ‘B’ category under the supervision of the European Conference of Arab Horse Organisations (ECAHO), enabling winning horses to qualify for higher-ranked international championships.Through this championship, Al Shaqab aims to preserve the rich cultural heritage that fosters an appreciation for Arabian horses, while promoting the growth and status of the Arabian horse both locally and internationally.

Pep Guardiola is confident he can remedy Manchester City’s issues after losing three consecutive games for the first time since 2018. Defeat at Brighton today would see the City boss lose four straight matches for the first time in his trophy-laden managerial career.The Premier League champions have been beset by injury problems, most notably the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the rest of the season.Guardiola will not be able to welcome back any of his injured stars this weekend, but the Spaniard hopes for a cleaner bill of health after the imminent international break.“It’s football, it has happened. We know the reason why we struggled,” Guardiola said. “Looking forward to the game and, after the international break, a few players will come back better and recover. For all the problems that we have, little problems that every player has, we will solve it.”City’s three defeats have all come in different competitions. After exiting the League Cup to Tottenham and suffering a first Premier League loss since December at Bournemouth, City were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League in midweek.However, Guardiola dismissed the suggestion he could learn more about his players from their tough run compared to winning four consecutive Premier League titles. “They proved many times what they are capable of,” added Guardiola.Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish and John Stones are set to miss the trip to the Amex Stadium. But Kevin De Bruyne could make his first Premier League appearance for two months, while Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Manuel Akanji and Kyle Walker are expected to make the squad.Slot not surprised by flyingstart at LiverpoolArne Slot said he is not shocked by a stunning start to life in charge of Liverpool as the Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League and Champions League. The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge in all competitions as the holders have also progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp.But he has built on the solid foundations left by the German after Liverpool finished third in the Premier League behind City and Arsenal last season.“Surprise isn’t the right word I’d use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing, to be consistent is a second thing,” said Slot ahead of hosting Aston Villa today. “From the moment I started working with them I saw how much energy they put in on a daily basis and that is I think the reason you can be consistent.”Liverpool were inspired by the power of the Anfield crowd to come from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend to move two points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League. A similar atmosphere helped blow Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen away 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.Slot is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground but is happy for the fans to get excited about the possibility of just a second league title in 35 years.“If the end result of them being excited is to bring the atmosphere of the second half against Brighton and the whole game against Leverkusen, I am hoping they will keep being excited because that atmosphere helped us a lot,” added the former Feyenoord boss. Diogo Jota remains sidelined but should return after November’s international break.FixturesToday (1500 GMT unless stated): Brentford v Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Fulham, West Ham v Everton, Wolves v Southampton, Brighton v Manchester City (1730), Liverpool v Aston Villa (2000)Tomorrow (1400 unless stated): Manchester Utd v Leicester, Nottingham Forest v Newcastle, Tottenham v Ipswich, Chelsea v Arsenal (1630)

Qatar men’s team defeated Germany 2-1 (18-20, 18-16, 6-0) to win the bronze medal at the 2024 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour held at the Al Gharafa Beach Venue in Doha. Brazil’s men and women emerged champions after they won against Croatia 2-0 (24-14, 23-14) and Spain 2-0 (17-12, 21-20) in their respective finals.

When Max Verstappen goes to Las Vegas chasing a fourth successive Formula One title, he will be racing around a floodlit track his Red Bull team have simulated some eight billion times already.The Saturday night race on a street circuit that runs along the Nevada City’s famed Strip is on Nov 23, and a win would clinch the championship for Verstappen with two rounds remaining.“We run four billion simulations before we arrive at the track,” Jack Harington, Red Bull’s partnerships group lead who works with software giant and title sponsor Oracle, told Reuters.“And then we take the data from FP1 and FP2 (first and second practice) and introduce those into the simulations and run those four billion again.”Billion, he emphasised, not million - although not many guesses are needed on who will win the title this year, given Verstappen is 62 points clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris.“There’s always that saying that you have to sometimes just stick your hand out to see if it’s raining in the pitlane but there’s always variables that are going to catch you by surprise,” said Harington.“The more simulations you run, the more things you see and the more chance you will have of being able to react to them efficiently.”Red Bull use Oracle’s cloud infrastructure to run the simulations to hone strategy and be prepared for every eventuality.Red Bull are also building their own engine for 2026 and Oracle’s senior director of product management Taylor Newill said high-performance computing was playing a big role in development simulation there too.Race simulations are run through the year but particularly when there is a major decision coming up, such as when might be the best to take an engine penalty - as Verstappen did last weekend in Brazil when he raced from 17th to first. That wet race was further complicated by crashes, red flags and safety cars.Red Bull’s strategy was risky, Verstappen staying out during a safety car period after McLaren title rival Lando Norris had pitted, but paid off when worsening conditions led to the race being halted.“For the more detailed planning of the in-event strategy, we will start around two weeks in advance,” said Red Bull’s senior race strategy engineer Stephen Knowles.“The preliminary simulations sweep a wide range of possible outcomes in terms of tyre and car performance, plus a wide range of potential incidents and timing thereof.“This allows us to plan our weekend, and particularly tyre usage ahead of time, with the goal of scoring the highest number of points possible but with enough contingency in place to cope with the unexpected.”Harington said using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) also had cost and sustainability benefits with teams operating under a strict cost cap.“We can switch on the cloud ahead of a race weekend...run these huge amounts of simulations, turn off the cloud and then switch it on again when we need to do it again,” he explained.“Whereas before we had to invest in physical stuff to be able to run these, so it’s much more cost efficient for us as well. Every race-winning strategy call we’ve made since 2021 has been made on OCI.”

World number three Coco Gauff and number seven Zheng Qinwen will square off in the championship match of the WTA Finals in Riyadh after claiming impressive victories in the semis yesterday.The 20-year-old Gauff knocked out world number one Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(7/4), 6-3 to become the youngest player to reach the final at the season-ending championships since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng, a gold medallist in singles at the Olympic Games this year, reached the final on her debut appearance at the season-ending showpiece with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.Gauff improved to 5-4 head-to-head against Sabalenka, and was the more stable player in their semi-final, as she saved nine of 13 break points throughout the match. “I’m happy with the way I played. I know against Aryna, she’s always going to be a tough match. She’s world number one for a reason,” the 2023 US Open champion said.Gauff beat Zheng in their sole previous meeting, on clay in Rome earlier this season, and the American used to be coached by Pere Riba, who currently works with the Chinese player. “She’s playing great tennis,” Gauff said of Zheng. “Just playing confident tennis will help me and give me the best shot at winning. I’m not really nervous. Year-end to me has always been a bonus and being here is already a privilege.”With a combined age of 42 years and 271 days, the match-up between Zheng and Gauff today will feature the youngest combined age for the two finalists at the event since Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams in 2004. In front of a buoyant crowd at King Saud University Indoor Arena, Sabalenka was under pressure in her first service game, needing eight-and-a-half minutes to hold for 1-all, after saving two break points.Four forehand errors from Gauff cost her the next game as Sabalenka broke for a 2-1 advantage but the Belarusian’s lead was short-lived, as she immediately got broken at love. The pair were neck and neck until Sabalenka broke through in game 11, drawing the error from Gauff to give herself a chance to serve for the opening set.A clever short ball from Gauff resulted in a Sabalenka mistake and the set fittingly went to a tiebreak. The American raced to a 6-1 lead in the breaker and finally clinched the 59-minute set on her fourth opportunity.The second set was a different story, with Gauff taking the helm and breaking twice to build a 4-1 gap. In a marathon sixth game, Sabalenka needed eight break points to get one of the breaks back but her effort was nullified by Gauff, who took four points in a row on her opponent’s serve to surge ahead 5-2.The Floridian couldn’t serve out the win but kept up the pressure on Sabalenka’s serve to reach the final after one hour and 49 minutes of sheer battle. Earlier in the day, 22-year-old Zheng needed one hour and 40 minutes to overcome Krejcikova in their semi-final encounter, firing nine aces along the way.Zheng led 6-3, 3-0 before the eighth-seeded Krejcikova launched a comeback attempt but the Chinese star regained control of the match to make it two wins from two clashes with the Czech. “It feels so special because this is my first WTA Finals and right now I’m in the final, which is unbelievable. She’s a really good player, today we gave a good match,” said Zheng, who is bidding to become the first player to win the WTA Finals on her maiden appearance since Ashleigh Barty in 2019.“It was tricky because at 3-0 I think I dropped my performance, suddenly my performance went down and she played more free and I was suddenly 3-4 down. I gave so much control to myself to not panic too much. It shows I was mentally strong in that moment.”Since the event’s inauguration in 1972, Zheng is only the second Asian player to reach the decider at the WTA Finals after Li Na pulled off that feat in 2013.

Saim Ayub slammed a swashbuckling 82 and Abdullah Shafique an unbeaten 64 as Pakistan demolished Australia by nine wickets to level their one-day series yesterday at the Adelaide Oval.Replying to the hosts’ modest 163 all out, thanks to pace spearhead Haris Rauf’s 5-29, Pakistan reached 169-1 with a huge 141 balls to spare. It set up a series decider tomorrow at Perth Stadium after Australia won a tense first match in Melbourne by two wickets.Openers Ayub and Shafique started the chase slowly, pinned down by Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, with just 47 coming from the first 10 overs.But they began swinging the bat after that with Ayub smacking a big six from Cummins then crunching another off Mitchell Starc. The 22-year-old was dropped by Adam Zampa on 47 and capitalised by bringing up his maiden ODI half-century in only his second match, with Shafique joining the fun with some giant sixes of his own.Ayub finally succumbed to the spin of Zampa going for another big hit, caught by Hazlewood, ending a 71-ball stay that included five fours and six sixes. Babar Azam (15 not out) joined Shafique to see Pakistan home, ending the match with the 10th six of their innings.“The most important thing is the team won,” said Ayub.“We planned to be positive and not to think about the result but the most important thing is how we play as a team.“Credit goes to Haris Rauf, but the other bowlers also supported him well.”Rauf’s pace caused big problems after Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and sent Australia in, with Steve Smith’s 35 the top score as they were dismissed in the 35th over.Wicketkeeper Rizwan took six catches.“It wasn’t one of our best days,” said Australia skipper Cummins.“You hope you get more than 160. They bowled well but we wanted to get a bigger score.“We got some catchers in, tried to attack, but it wasn’t to be,” he added of their bowling.In the absence of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, who are on paternity leave, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short again opened, keen to make their mark after falling cheaply in the opening match.The aggressive Fraser-McGurk slammed three boundaries from Naseem Shah’s first over, but was then out lbw for 13 to Shaheen Shah Afridi. Short had a huge left-off on eight, with Afridi dropping a sitter by the ropes.But the veteran paceman made amends, tempting Short into a cover drive shortly after on 19 that Azam did well to hold.Josh Inglis hit a breezy 18 before he gloved to Rizwan off Rauf, with the same pair accounting for Marnus Labuschagne (6) to leave Australia on 87-4. At the other end, Smith ground to 35 before finally falling to an edge from Mohammad Hasnain, and when Rauf and Rizwan again combined to remove Aaron Hardie the hosts were 121-6.Rauf struck again to bowl dangerman Glenn Maxwell for 16 and collected only his second ODI five-wicket haul by once more teaming up with Rizwan to remove Cummins (13).BRIEF SCORESPakistan 169 for 1 (Ayub 82, Shafique 64*, Zampa 1-44) beat Australia 163 (Smith 35, Rauf 5-29, Afridi 3-26) by nine wickets.

India opener Sanju Samson scored a sparkling century as the tourists beat South Africa by 61 runs in the first match of a four-game Twenty20 series in Durban yesterday.South Africa asked India to bat and the visitors posted 202 for eight in their 20 overs, before restricting their hosts to 141 all out in 17.5 overs for a comprehensive victory.India’s total was boosted by a brilliant 107 from 50 balls by Samson but the innings did stall towards the end. Samson smashed 10 sixes and seven fours as he tore into the bowling at the small Kingsmead ground. He rattled along at a strike rate of 214, providing more than half his team’s total.“The amount of hard work he (Samson) has put in over the last few years, doing those boring things again and again, he is reaping the fruits (now),” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said.“He is putting the team first, even when he was in the 90s he was looking to hit fours and sixes. That’s what separates him.”At 167-2 in the 15th over, India looked on course for a score well in excess of 200, but managed only another 35 runs in 32 balls for the loss of six wickets after Tilak Varma was dismissed for 33. Seamers Marco Jansen (1-24 in four overs) and Gerald Coetzee (3-37) were the pick of the home attack.India’s legbreak bowlers stifled the South African reply as their innings never managed to gain momentum. Varun Chakravarthy took 3-25 as he picked up the key wickets of Heinrich Klaasen (25) and David Miller (18), while Ravi Bishnoi recorded figures of 3-28.“We wanted to get off to a better start (with the bat) and that’s where we lost the game,” South Africa captain Aiden Markram said. “Sanju played incredibly well, put our bowlers under pressure. When a guy is striking like that, it is pretty hard to stop him and you have to take your hat off.”The second match of the series will be played in Gqeberha tomorrow.Brief ScoresIndia 202/8 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 107, Tilak Varma 33; Gerald Coetzee 3-37) beat South Africa 141 in 17.5 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 25; Varun CV 3-25, Ravi Bishnoi 3-28, Avesh Khan 2-28) by 61 runs

Sri Lanka hope to maintain their purple patch at home with a two-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand starting today - but rains may force the hosts to keep their formidable spin attack on standby. Charith Asalanka’s men are riding high with victories in 11 of their 14 bilateral series this year - including nine out of the last 10 on home soil.This year’s home success has hinged on Sri Lanka’s spinners, but Asalanka said forecast rains in Dambulla could force a strategic rethink. “The rain will likely come into play,” Asalanka told reporters yesterday. “Our strength has always been spin, but if this weather sticks around, we might have to bring in an extra seamer instead.”Sri Lanka has seen ferocious rains in recent weeks, bringing floods that forced school closures in the capital Colombo and also disrupting all three one-day matches against the West Indies last month in Pallekele. Relentless downpours washed out Sri Lanka’s training session on Friday and New Zealand’s evening practice also looked in doubt, with the ground completely under covers.Dambulla will host two T20 matches on Saturday and Sunday before a three-match ODI series beginning in the same city next Wednesday. New Zealand were routed 2-0 in the Test leg of their Sri Lankan tour last month. But they bounced back in style, making history by sweeping a three-match Test series in India that gave the hosts their first series loss at home in more than a decade.Several key players from that series including Tom Blundell, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee have returned home to rest ahead of their upcoming three-match Test series against England. Also missing is former captain Kane Williamson, who skipped the India Tests due to injury. Mitchell Santner will captain a refreshed New Zealand side in their absence. “With the packed schedule, some of the boys felt it was best to head home and prepare for the England series,” Santner said. “We have plenty of white-ball cricket ahead, and it’s a chance to give some fresh faces a go.”Squads: Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando, Asitha Fernando. New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay (wk), Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Will Young.