Sports

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen produced a virtuoso drive in often atrocious conditions to regain control of this year’s world championship yesterday when he charged from 17th on the grid to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.Without a win in 10 races since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, Red Bull’s series leader made light of the chaotic, rain-swept conditions to register a 62nd career triumph and fastest lap while nearest title rival Lando Norris of McLaren went from pole position to sixth.The Dutchman’s triumph lifted him to 393 points, increasing his advantage over Norris, on 331, to 62 with just three Grands Prix and one sprint race remaining.Verstappen finished 19.477 seconds ahead of Alpine’s French duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly with Mercedes’ George Russell fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth for Ferrari in a tumultuous contest of accidents, two red-flag stoppages, penalties and planned post-race investigations.For Alpine, the reward was a leap from ninth to sixth in the constructors championship, reportedly valued at an estimated $50 million.Norris, who struggled to find his usual pace, came home sixth ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.Verstappen’s success came on the day he overhauled Michael Schumacher’s record of leading the drivers standings for 896 days while many of his rivals faced post-race investigations for various sporting misdemeanours.“My emotions have been a rollercoaster today - that unlucky qualifying and starting 17th made it such a tough race, but we stayed out of trouble, made the right calls and it is unbelievable to win here from so far back,” said Verstappen.“What a day,” said a beaming Ocon. “After this difficult season, it’s so nice to drive here and the rain levelled out the performance so I am very happy.”Gasly added: “Just incredible! For the whole team, after such a tough season, struggling for points, but two cars on the podium. Nobody would have put that on their bingo card.”After a wet and wild qualifying, Lance Stroll set the tone when he spun off in his Aston Martin on the formation lap, leading to a delayed second start before which Norris led away without a green light and, along with Russell and both RB drivers, faced a post-race investigation.The big crowd yesterday, part of an Interlagos weekend record of 291,717 waited patiently as Norris finally led a third formation lap before Russell beat him at the start.Norris tucked into second ahead of Tsunoda on a frantic opening lap that saw Verstappen climb from 17th to 11th, passing Hamilton for 10th on lap two as light rain fell. By lap six, Verstappen was eighth.By lap 11, Verstappen was sixth and clearly the fastest man on track while a struggling Hamilton bounced off before being passed by Williams driver Franco Colapinto to the delight of the many Argentine fans.As heavy rain arrived, Leclerc pitted and fell to 11th, Lawson slid off and Nico Hulkenberg pitted before beaching his Haas, prompting a Virtual Safety Car on lap 28. The German recovered, with aid, to re-join for which he was disqualified.Another round of pit-stops left Ocon leading ahead of Verstappen, who stayed out to gain a tactical advantage, as Norris passed Russell for fourth behind Gasly as a Safety Car was deployed again before being red-flagged on lap 33 when Colapinto smacked the barriers at Turn 14.“I guess everyone can just change tyres for free now,” said a glum Norris realising Verstappen had been given a cost-free pit-stop that transformed the race.A second Safety Car, the seventh of the day, intervened on lap 40 when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz spun off at Turn Eight and retired.On resumption, Verstappen seized control when he powered inside Ocon to lead at Turn One while Norris ran off and dropped to seventh. Ocon stayed second ahead of Gasly and Leclerc, but the Dutchman had the initiative and momentum, turning most pre-race forecasts on their head, making a fourth drivers title look inevitable.

The Qatari chess team won the gold medal yesterday in the under-10 category, as part of the Arab Championship for age groups from 8-20 years old, which concluded yesterday in the Tunisian city of Sousse.The Qatari team player Khaled al-Jumaat won first place in the championship, obtaining 8 and a half points in the nine rounds he played.An Egyptian player won the silver medal, while the bronze went to the Emirati player Khamis Issa Saqr.In the under-14 category, Lian al-Qassabi won the bronze medal after collecting 5.5 points.The Algerian Iman Zabarqa won the gold medal, while the silver went to the Egyptian Zakaa Ahmed.The Qatari team that participated in the Arab Championship included: Turki al-Kuwari, 18 years old; Rawda al-Qasabi and Fatima al-Hammadi, 16 years old; Ibrahim al-Janahi, Hamad al-Kuwari and Layan al Qasabi, 14 years old; Amer al-Hammadi, 12 years old; Khaled al-Jumaat and Asma al-Hammadi, 10 years old; and Abdul Aziz al-Mahasneh, 8 years old.Mohammed al-Mudhahka, President of the Qatar Chess Association (QCA) and Vice-President of the Arab Chess Federation, expressed his great happiness with the team’s results in the Arab Championship, praising the distinguished levels shown by all players.Al-Mudhahka stressed the importance of participating in this type of championship in order for the players to gain international experience and competitive skills through interaction with about 255 players from participating Arab countries. The president QCA indicated that the past local championships were a good opportunity to raise the level of readiness of the players before moving to the Tunisian city of Sousse to participate in the championship and compete to achieve positive results.For his part, Hamad al-Tamimi, Executive Director of QCA, thanked the players for the effort they made during the past period to appear in a decent manner during the Arab Championship competitions.

The Qatar Freestyle Championship for the 2024/2025 season got underway in style as the opening round featured thrilling action drawing a large number of spectators at Qatar Racing Club (QRC)’s designated freestyle arena.The championship is being held under the patronage of QRC Chairman HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani.Registration and technical inspection were initially scheduled for Thursday. However, at the request of participants and under the directives of the QRC Director Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, registration was extended to Friday, allowing everyone the opportunity to participate. The championship’s organising committee set specific standards and requirements that all competitors needed to meet to join this round.These requirements included vehicle modifications such as installing a roll cage, securing the battery, and ensuring a functional seat belt, among other conditions. Competitor requirements emphasised safety measures, including the use of sports attire, a helmet, and a properly functioning seat belt.After registration concluded, a briefing was held for the participants with the organizers and the judging committee, where key technical and logistical details were clarified before the race began.According to the competition’s structure, each competitor is given one opportunity to hit the track and perform five manoeuvres: drifting, reverse drift, the “knot” move, and a reverse move, all to be completed within a total time limit of four minutes. The faster a participant completes these manoeuvres, the more points they earn. Points are also rewarded based on the style in which the competitor performs their overall freestyle and individual moves.The competition, which lasted over four hours, concluded with participant Rashed al-Banna securing first place, while Mohammed al-Muhanadi came in second. Abdullah al-Qahtani finished third and Saud al-Marri and Saud al-Kuwari, came fourth and fifth, respectively. Head of Marshals at the Qatar Racing Club Khalifa al-Khayarin awarded the winners. The second round will be held on December 12 and 13.

New Zealand capped a tough tour of Asia with an unprecedented 3-0 series sweep in India, while the bruised and battered home side will face uncomfortable questions ahead of their trip to Australia for five Tests.The Black Caps’ spinners ran riot on a challenging wicket in Mumbai to dismiss India for 121 in the second innings and secure a famous 25-run victory on the third day of the third and final Test yesterday.The last time India were blanked at home was in 2000, in a two-match series against South Africa, and Rohit Sharma’s side were totally outplayed by the tourists in different conditions.“We’re ecstatic. Looking back to the start of the series to now be in this position, the boys have done a fantastic job over the last three tests,” said New Zealand’s new permanent skipper Tom Latham, who took over after a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka.“We spoke about it after each Test match, trying to back it up, and I guess to finally do it here in Mumbai on a completely different surface, one that challenged us with bat and ball, we’re pretty happy.“Just being able to adapt to each ground... Different guys stood up at different times. That’s the beauty of team sport. It was an all-round great team effort. I’m proud of the guys.”India dropped to second below Australia in the World Test Championship table and will need a big effort to reach a third straight final next year.Rishabh Pant was the lone Indian batsman to show resistance as he made a sublime 64 after the hosts were reduced to 29-5 on a turning Wankhede Stadium pitch.Mumbai-born man-of-the-match Ajaz Patel finished with 6-57, his second five-wicket haul in the match, while fellow spinner Glenn Phillips took 3-42 to help skittle the hosts for a low score again in the series.“It’s seriously special first of all to win a Test match here at this historic ground but also to win a series 3-0,” said Daryl Mitchell, who scored 82 in the first innings.“It’s something you dream of. To come over here and actually achieve it is pretty special against a world class Indian team.“We’re just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world.”The tourists blew India away with pace to win the opening Test match in Bengaluru by eight wickets for their first Test victory in India in 36 years, and wrapped up the series days later on a turning wicket in Pune with a 113-run win.In Mumbai, New Zealand kept cool in oppressive heat and humidity to dismantle India, leaving the hosts’ confidence dented before they face Australia from Nov. 22.New Zealand’s maiden series triumph in India going back to 1955 also snapped the hosts’ home streak of 18 straight series wins since a 2-1 loss to England in 2012.Rohit threw the first punch by stepping out of his crease to hit Matt Henry for a four in the first over, but the skipper’s disappointing recent run of form continued as he fell for 11 after a rash shot against the same bowler.He now has only one half-century in 10 innings, with six single-digit scores.Patel made it two wickets in two overs as Shubman Gill, who had scored a splendid 90 in the first innings, left a ball that crashed into the stumps and departed for one. The out-of-form Virat Kohli did not last long after arriving at the crease as he edged Patel to slip on one.The crowd fell silent again as Yashasvi Jaiswal was trapped lbw for five by Glenn Phillips and Sarfaraz Khan hit a full toss from Patel straight to Rachin Ravindra in the deep on one.Ravindra Jadeja steadied the ship alongside Pant in a 42-run stand, but a stunning catch by Will Young meant India were on the ropes at 71-6.Patel dismissed Pant following a New Zealand review after lunch, although the batsman appeared to suggest that he had not made contact with the ball before it was caught.The runs dried up after that and India collapsed in a heap, with Washington Sundar the last to go while looking to go big.“Losing a series, losing a Test match is never easy. It’s not easily digested. But we didn’t play our best cricket and we accept that. New Zealand played better than us throughout,” Rohit said.“There were a lot of mistakes that we made, we accept it... As a captain, I wasn’t at my best leading the team and with the bat as well,” he added.New Zealand resumed their second innings on 171-9 earlier, but India needed only 14 balls to bowl the Black Caps out, as Jadeja had Patel caught in the deep to end with 5-55, after bagging five in the first stanza.BRIEF SCORES (Day 3)New Zealand 235 (Mitchell 82, Young 71, Jadeja 5-65, Washington 4-81) and 174 (Young 51, Jadeja 5-55, Ashwin 3-63) beat India 263 (Gill 90, Pant 60, Ajaz 5-103) and 121 (Pant 64, Ajaz 6-57, Phillips 3-42) by 25 runs

England captain Liam Livingstone struck a magnificent century to guide the tourists to a five-wicket victory over West Indies in Antigua on Saturday which squared the series at 1-1.Set a formidable target of 329 to keep the three-match series alive, Livingstone cracked an unbeaten 124 off 85 balls including nine sixes as England timed their chase to perfection.West Indies looked favourites after harvesting 93 off the final 10 overs of their innings in which Shai Hope struck a superb 117 and England tried nine different bowlers.England had little margin for error at 160-4 after 28 overs but Livingstone, in partnership with Sam Curran who made a run-a-ball 52, kept them on track, although 100 off the last 10 overs for victory was still a sizeable task.The pendulum swung rapidly towards the tourists though as Livingstone turned up the heat with some huge sixes off some poor West Indies bowling in his first ODI century.In the end it was comfortable for England as Livingstone hit 22 runs off Shamar Joseph in the 47th over to make victory a formality. He scored the winning run with 15 balls to spare. England’s innings was given some impetus by opener Phil Salt who made 59 off 59 balls while Jacob Bethell scored 55.“We needed somebody in our top six to go on and get us a big score. Salty batted beautifully, put the pressure on them,” Livingstone said. “We were sloppy in the field but our bowlers did well, took wickets throughout.“We have got a lot of young guys learning the ropes in international cricket, this will do them a world of good. Back in the series, looking forward to Barbados.”West Indies captain Hope, who bagged his 17th ODI century, said he felt his side had control.“Personally I thought it was a decent score, especially with the conditions, the outfield was heavy, the surface was up and down, but it was not enough,” he said.“We thought we had clear plans, but we did not execute our plans well today. We gave them a lot of easy options to score and when you play international cricket, the guys will capitalise and that’s what happened.”Hope arrived at the start of the fourth over after West Indies openers Brandon King and Evin Lewis both fell cheaply to John Turner after the hosts were invited to bat first.He and Keacy Carty steadied the ship in a stand of 143 before Carty, who was dropped on single figures, was out for 71, bowled through the gate by Adil Rashid.Hope was dropped on 60 off the bowling of Bethell and he took full advantage against a ragged England attack.With Hope set, Sherfane Rutherford piled pressure on England with a half century from 36 deliveries while Shimron Hetmyer’s 24 came off 11 balls. Hope was eventually out when he mistimed a drive off Jofra Archer and picked out Livingstone.When Matthew Forde cleared the boundary rope three times in the 50th over it looked bleak for England.The tourists lost opener Will Jacks for 12 as he struck a Forde delivery straight to Lewis at deep square leg.Jordan Cox looked uncomfortable before falling to a short-pitched ball from Shamar Joseph but Salt showed great control to reach his half century before becoming Forde’s second victim.Livingstone, first with Bethell and then with Curran, was the difference between the sides, though, as he punished some wayward West Indies bowling.BRIEF SCORESEngland 329 for 5 (Livingstone 124*, Salt 59, Bethell 55, Curran 52, Forde 3-48) beat West Indies 328 for 6 (Hope 117, Carty 71, Rutherford 54) by five wickets

Francesco Bagnaia won a thrilling Malaysia MotoGP yesterday after a ding-dong battle with championship leader Jorge Martin to take the pair’s title battle to the final weekend of the season.Spaniard Martin’s lead was cut to 24 points after he finished second behind the Italian defending champion Bagnaia in a race that had to be restarted, with a maximum of 37 points remaining to be won in the final round in a fortnight’s time. Enea Bastianini was a distant third to complete the podium behind the dominant front two, who battled wheel-to-wheel for the first four laps before Bagnaia was able to open a gap which he held till the chequered flag.“Honestly, Jorge was very aggressive,” said Ducati rider Bagnaia after the lead was exchanged on multiple occasions in the opening skirmishes. “But our pace was too good, and like always in the race, on Sunday, I can attack.”Pramac Ducati’s Martin had extended his championship lead from 17 to 29 points after he won Saturday’s sprint and Bagnaia crashed his Ducati.Bagnaia admitted his sprint race form had not been good enough this year after taking his 10th grand prix win of 2024.“We just need to understand why on Saturday I’m struggling more to do the same,” said the 2022 and 2023 world champion. “But it’s the 10th victory of the season. We are doing an incredible job.”Martin is chasing his first world title and victory in the final sprint will be enough to secure him the crown. “Thanks to Pecco (Bagnaia), because he’s making this challenge more and more and more difficult,” said Martin.“You know, I wanted to win. I wanted to be in the lead. But, for sure, Pecco had another strategy. Completely understood his strategy. He was quite aggressive.“I was also, and we were making a good show for the first few laps. But it was impossible to fight at the end. So we go to the final race.”The season finale had been due to take place in Valencia but was cancelled on Friday after deadly flooding in that part of Spain.Organisers were rushing to find a new venue, with Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya emerging yesterday as the preferred replacement by teams and officials.“Mathematically it is still possible but it is quite difficult,” said Bagnaia, who won the MotoGP main race in Barcelona in May from Martin, but crashed out in the sprint. “In Barcelona, anything can happen. Like I crashed in the sprint race when I was leading there, trying to avoid any mistakes and I still crashed. So, it will be tricky, the conditions will be more tough because it might be cold.”A minute’s silence was held in Sepang before Saturday’s sprint to remember the more than 200 dead from the floods in Spain.“I think it’s nice to make the final race at home, a lot of people will support us,” said Martin.“Today is not a good day still for the Spanish after all that had happened, so this podium is for them.“I will try to win the championship, not for me but those people, for my team and for the people around me. They really deserve it.”

Argentina claimed the men’s title while Spain secured the women’s title at the FIP World Padel Championships in Doha yesterday.At a packed Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex, the Argentine men successfully defended their title, coming back from a match down to defeat Spain 2-1 in a thrilling final, avenging the earlier loss of their female counterparts.In the decisive match, Leandro Augsburger and Valentín Gomez Libaak triumphed over Miguel Yanguas and Francisco Navarro in a gripping three-set battle, finishing 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, igniting celebrations in the Argentine camp.Spain initially took the lead when Arturo Coello and Javier Nieto delivered a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win against Franco Stupaczuk and Martín Di Nenno.However, Argentina quickly levelled the score in the second match, with Agustín Tapia and Federico Chingotto — ranked second and fourth in the world — defeating Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. Augsburger and Libaak then held their nerve to secure a memorable victory for Argentina.Earlier, Spain’s women’s team claimed their sixth consecutive title and ninth overall with a 2-0 victory over Argentina in an emotional final. Players wore black ribbons to honour the victims of the Valencia floods, adding a sombre note to the celebration.Spain took the lead after Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernández defeated Virginia Riera and Julieta Bidahorria 6-3, 6-2. Argentina fought back in the second match, with Delfi Brea and Claudia Jensen winning the first set against Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez and leading 5-4 in the second set.However, Josemaria and Sanchez rallied to win, sealing Spain’s victory with three consecutive games.“It was a very tough match, but we are an incredible team and we showed that throughout the week,” said Sánchez. “At the most important moment, we brought out all our qualities.”“Especially in the first set, the match was really tough,” added Josemaria.“We suffered, but we focused on putting as many balls in play as possible. Congratulations to Argentina for pushing us to our limits; we want to dedicate this win to the victims of the flood in Valencia.”

Manchester City suffered their first Premier League loss since December as Bournemouth stunned the champions, while Arsenal were rocked by Newcastle and Liverpool seized top spot yesterday.City were unbeaten in their previous 32 league games dating back to a defeat at Aston Villa last year. But Pep Guardiola’s second-placed side saw that streak came to an unexpected end in a 2-1 loss on England’s south coast. The Cherries had never beaten City in their 21 previous meetings, losing 19 of those matches, yet Andoni Iraola’s team sprang a huge upset to derail the champions’ push for a fifth successive title. Bournemouth recently damaged Arsenal’s title hopes with a 2-0 win at the Vitality Stadium and they inflicted pain on City as well.Guardiola had claimed City faced an injury “emergency” after they suffered fitness problems in Wednesday’s League Cup defeat at Tottenham. But Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol all started against Bournemouth after injury doubts, with Kevin De Bruyne, Savinho and Jeremy Doku fit enough to be named among the substitutes.Exhausted or not, City were rocked in the ninth minute when Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo drilled Milos Kerkez’s cross past Ederson from inside the area.Guardiola’s men were unable to muster a response to that blow and Evanilson doubled Bournemouth’s lead in the 64th minute with a composed finish from Kerkez’s cross.Gvardiol’s header reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute, but it was too late to save City from a second defeat in four days. Newcastle put a huge dent in fourth=placed Arsenal’s title aspirations with a 1-0 win at St James’ Park. Alexander Isak netted in the 12th minute, heading home Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross. Injury-hit Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear and produced just one shot on target in the entire game.Mikel Arteta’s team, runners-up to City for the past two years, have taken just one point from their last three games as their push for a first title since 2004 was derailed by a second league defeat this term.“Today we weren’t our best version. It’s about how you react to that. We’re not going to find the right words or answers to describe how we feel,” said Arteta, whose side are seven points adrift of first place. At Anfield, Liverpool were in danger of a surprise loss of their own before regrouping to take advantage of their rivals’ stumbles with a 2-1 win over Brighton. Ferdi Kadioglu gave Brighton the lead in the 14th minute with a fierce strike that cannoned in off the post after Danny Welbeck flicked on Kaoru Mitoma’s cross.But Liverpool had beaten Brighton in the League Cup last 16 in midweek and they repeated the trick thanks to a late revival.Cody Gakpo bagged the equaliser in the 70th minute with a cross that looped straight into the net. Two minutes later, Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead, the Egypt forward curling a fine finish into the top corner for his ninth goal this season. In Arne Slot’s first season in charge, Liverpool are two points clear of City after their eighth win in 10 league games.Nottingham Forest are up to third place after beating 10-man West Ham 3-0 to make it three consecutive top-flight victories for the first time since 1999.Chris Wood grabbed his eighth goal in 10 league games as the New Zealand striker headed home after 27 minutes. West Ham had Edson Alvarez sent off in first half stoppage-time for two bookings. Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 65th minute and Ola Aina sealed the points 12 minutes from full-time at the City Ground.Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time equaliser denied Ipswich their first top-flight win since 2002 as Leicester rescued a 1-1 draw at Portman Road. Leif Davis’s 55th minute volley put Ipswich ahead but the hosts had Kalvin Phillips sent off in the 77th minute.Ayew levelled with seconds left to leave third-bottom Ipswich winless after 10 games.Second-bottom Southampton earned their first league win this season as Adam Armstrong’s 85th minute strike sealed a 1-0 success against Everton.

Paris Saint-Germain opened up a six-point gap over second-placed Monaco in Ligue 1 with a 1-0 home win over Lens yesterday.A single Ousmane Dembele goal was enough for PSG to take full advantage of title rivals Monaco’s latest stutter after the principality side lost at home to lowly Angers on Friday.Luis Enrique’s side sit top of the table on 26 points, six ahead of Monaco with third-place Lille a further two points adrift.For Will Still’s Lens, they remain just outside the European spots in seventh place with 14 points.The champions swept into the lead on four minutes as Dembele tucked home a cross following good wing play by Bradley Barcola, bringing up his fifth league goal of the season.The 27-year-old totalled just three goals in Ligue 1 during his first season at PSG last year.Fabian Ruiz was denied 10 minutes later by the foot of Brice Samba after Achraf Hakimi had teed him up inside the box.Lens’ chances of an equaliser took a hit on 20 minutes when attacker Florian Sotoca was forced off with a thigh issue.Samba then denied Marco Asensio in the 34th minute as PSG pushed forward in search of a second goal.The hosts peppered the Lens goal as half-time approached but had to remain content with their narrow lead going into the second period.Just before the hour, Lens were reduced to 10 men as a VAR review adjudged Abdukodir Khusanov’s tackle to have been high and he was given his marching orders.Only a fine fingertip save from Samba against Barcola in the 73rd minute kept the visitors’ chances alive.PSG’s level then dropped as the second half progressed but already a goal and a man to the good, they were able to hold Lens at arm’s length and close out the three points.

X-Raid Mini Team’s Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov overtook the overnight-leading Dania Akeel and Stephane Duple to snatch a first victory in an enthralling three-day Qatar International Baja yesterday. Meanwhile, MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed al-Balooshi (KTM) delivered one of the greatest rides of his career to overturn a 15-minute deficit and upstage teammate Abdullah al-Shatti and win for the second time in the motorcycle category after the Kuwaiti suffered a niggling gearbox issue. Saudi Arabia’s Hani al-Noumesi (Yamaha) won the quad section.Yesterday’s action featured one stage of 251.10km that started to the east of Dukhan and wound its way through the western Qatar deserts before cutting across the country to take in the dunes near Sealine and the Inland Sea in the south. The special then turned north to finish south of the Al Udeid Air Base, east of Mesaieed.Dania Akeel was first on the road and attempting to become the first woman ever to win a Baja-type event in the Middle East. She had a 1min 32.9sec lead to defend but Krotov applied the pressure from the outset. It took the Mini driver over 45 minutes to catch the determined Saudi but he gained the virtual rally lead on the run southeast before the run towards the dunes and the Inland Sea.Akeel kept Krotov in her sights for much of the stage but the X-Raid driver gave the new petrol-engined Mini JCW Rally 3.0i a maiden win by a somewhat flattering margin of 30min 06.7sec.A delighted Krotov said: “I am very happy to come back to Qatar and take the win with the new petrol Mini. This race is very challenging and tough for the driver, co-driver and the car. I am proud that we have the first victory with X-Raid in the new car. I am sure this project has a great future. Thanks to the organisers for an amazing race. Our crew was on the podium last year and now we have won.”Cruelly, Akeel stopped shortly before the stage finish with a broken steering arm and was deprived of her second runner-up spot in as many weekends in her Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux. She managed to make desperate emergency repairs and reached the finish in fifth place.Her misfortune paved the way for the Portuguese pairing of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro to snatch second overall and vital FIA World Baja Cup points in their Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. Their Santag Racing team-mates Joao Dias and Gonçalo Reis rounded off the podium places in the second of the Can-Ams.Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal was fourth in his self-built Ford F-150 Evo, Akeel’s teammate Akira Miura finished sixth after a late time penalty for a tyre infringement and South Racing’s Fernando Alvarez collected valuable FIA World Baja Cup points for finishing seventh and sixth of the registered drivers.Eighth-placed Anja van Loon (Can-Am) won the Challenger category after Khalid al-Jafla (Taurus) incurred a late seven-minute time penalty and slipped to 10th behind Rashid al-Muhannadi.Qatari drivers Abdulaziz al-Kuwari and Ahmed al-Kuwari were fastest on the last stage in the Challenger and SSV categories. Abdullah al-Rabban won the Stock category in his Nissan Patrol.Engine issues prevented local hero Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah from restarting and Kuwait’s Nasser al-Ajmi was also sidelined with mechanical issues.Time penalties of two hours were awarded to both Salem al-Dhafeeri and Abdulaziz al-Yaeesh on Friday evening for running off-road tyres not fitted with FIA bar codes. Al-Yaeesh also relinquished any points he would have earned in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.Numerous time penalties for route violations were imposed on a large number of the bike entrants before the final stage. Al-Shatti emerged unscathed and opened the stage trying to defend a lead of 7min 29.1sec over Badr al-Hamdan, after the Saudi rider’s hefty overnight penalties were withdrawn yesterday because of a GPS error.FIM Bajas World Cup title contenders, al-Balooshi, Pedro Bianchi Prata and David Megre, were classified in fifth, 11th and 19th. American rider Terrell Thien withdrew before the restart with physical fatigue and was joined on a growing list of retirements by Hanno Geyser, Mishal al-Ghuneim, Norbert Swietochowski, Han-Yeh Chiang and Karsten Hoitz.Al-Shatti was happy for Gregor Mikl and Pole Filip Grot to pass him and lead the way after the start and the Kuwaiti rode alongside teammate al-Balooshi. The quartet ran close together on the run south with al-Shatti using the ‘safety in numbers’ tactic to guide him through the closing stage. FIM Veteran class rider Andrew Houlihan and Canadian Matthew Glade retired with rear tyre mousse issues. Muhamad Plicanic (Yamaha) and Frederic Fontarosa (Kove) also broke down.After refuelling, al-Balooshi and al-Shatti pulled away from their European challengers and headed for the dunes and the Inland Sea. The Emirati then pulled clear of Grot and al-Shatti but al-Hamdan had started 36th on the road after his time penalty and was running strongly in the chasing pack until he lost time in the dunes. Briton Robert Wallace had struggled to keep his KTM running and then stopped to support Mikl, who crashed out of the Baja and was suffering from heat exhaustion.Al-Balooshi claimed the stage win in 3hr 48min 15.8sec to earn a sensational second victory in the event. He had started the stage 15min 33.8sec behind his friend and team-mate and pulled away on the run south to beat al-Shatti by 23min 47.4sec.Briton Alex McInnes rounded off the podium places and Pole Filip Grot and Rafic Eid finished fourth and fight after a gruelling two-wheel event held in punishing heat.The Portuguese duo of Pedro Bianchi Prata and David Megre kept the FIM Bajas World Cup title fight alive with sixth and seventh places but trail al-Balooshi heading to the last three rounds in Portugal, Jordan and Dubai. Isle of Man TT legend James Hillier completed the event in 10th.Al-Noumesi fended off Abdulaziz al-Atawi to seal an emphatic victory in the quad category after lengthy delays for third-placed Abdulaziz al-Shayban on Friday.

Al Arabi were crowned the Qatar Cup basketball champions after a convincing 74-57 victory over Al Ahli in the final at the Al Gharafa Hall yesterday. It was the fourth Qatar Cup title for Al Arabi after their triumphs in 2019, 2022 and 2023. Victor Dewayne Rod was the star for Al Arabi firing 25 points while Omar Rushdi chipped in with 15 points for Al Ahli. Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) President Mohammed bin Saad al-Mughaiseeb presented the trophy to the winners. Al Arabi also received winners’ prize of QR200,000 while Al Ahli received QR75,000 for second place. President of Al Arabi Sports Club Sheikh Tamim bin Fahad al-Thani, QBF Secretary General Saadoun Sabah al-Kuwari and QBF Assistant Secretary-General Nasser Ajlan al-Kaabi were also present during the presentation ceremony.

Lando Norris trimmed three points off Max Verstappen’s lead in the world championship yesterday after claiming victory ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix.The title-chasing Briton took the lead on lap 22 of the 24-lap race, when Piastri swapped positions with him before fending off the challenge of three-time champion Verstappen in his Red Bull.Norris, 24, came home 0.593 seconds clear of Piastri who finished 1.5 seconds ahead of the Dutchman with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth.However, Verstappen was later demoted a place by the stewards for breaking virtual safety car rules.Norris admitted he was fortunate to collect his first career sprint race win. “I’m not proud of it, but it worked well and as a team we had a good day - and thanks to Oscar,” said Norris.“He deserved to win, but it was good team work and we had great pace. And we executed it well.”Verstappen now leads Norris by 44 points with four race weekends left. “It was a tricky race,” said Verstappen who will already start Sunday’s race with a five-place grid penalty after the engine was changed on his Red Bull.He added he would be aiming to “limit the damage” to his title defence in Sunday’s race.McLaren’s one-two success lifted them 35 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship and ended Verstappen’s run of four consecutive sprint wins this year.Piastri said it had been a terrific day for the team.“It was tricky and very bumpy out there and the racing line is very narrow, but it was a great day for the team to score a lot of points,” said the Australian.“We showed we are in decent shape.”Carlos Sainz was fifth for Ferrari while George Russell came home sixth for Mercedes aheadof Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull,who collected the final point in eighth.The race began in hot conditions with an air temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and the track at 47, making it tough on tyres.The two McLarens made a clean start, Piastri covering off the threat of Norris while Leclerc resisted Verstappen’s early attack for third at the Senna S.Norris was clearly unhappy to be running a second adrift of his McLaren team-mate, asking his team to request Piastri to move aside, but without avail until lap 10 when he was asked to “give Lando DRS” - a signal to switch places. But Norris remained stuck in second in Piastri’s dirty air as he attempted to make his move, the top four staying in place at half distance in the 24-lap sprint.By lap 17, tyre-wear was affecting several cars and Norris remained six-tenths adrift.The team told him “we’re happy to make the switch on the last lap,” shortly before Verstappen, with Drag Reduction System (DRS) and superior pace, swept past Leclerc on the straight.McLaren finally made their swap on lap 22, leaving Piastri vulnerable in second to the charging Verstappen before a VSC was deployed with two laps to go.Verstappen, who closed very near to Piastri, immediately complained that he was running too slowly before the race went ‘green’ again for a final flying lap.Qualifying for the Grand Prix was scheduled to take place later on Saturday amid fears of rain.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev outserved Holger Rune in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters yesterday to book his place in the final, where he will take on France’s Ugo Humbert.Zverev’s 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win against the Dane sent the 27-year-old to his second ATP 1000-level final of the season after his victory in Rome in May. World number 18 Humbert, who downed world number two Carlos Alcaraz in the last 16, overcame Russian Karen Khachanov 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-3 after the 2018 Paris champion suffered a thigh injury in the final set.“I feel like I made it a little difficult for myself but he (Rune) is a champion,” said Zverev.Zverev previously made the Paris final in 2020 but lost in three sets to Daniil Medvedev. For 2022 champion Rune, the loss put an end to his outside hopes of reaching the ATP Finals in Turin, which run from November 10-17.Zverev, standing at 198cm, relied on his big first serve and the speed of the surface at Paris’ Bercy Arena to carry him through his service games.Rune, on the other hand, misfired regularly on his first serve and lacked fluency with his groundstrokes as he gave the German a 3-1 lead in the first set.The 21-year-old then raced to 15-40 in the next game but was again let down by his backhand as he sent two shots long and an attempted pass wide as Zverev recovered to consolidate. Despite leading 4-1, the 2024 French Open runner-up was also unconvincing from behind the baseline as the unforced errors accumulated for both players. However, Zverev could always rely on his serving to carry him through as he claimed the first set. Neither Rune nor Zverev challenged on serve at the beginning of the second set, with both holding to love or 15 until the seventh game. At 3-3, Zverev pounced to take a 40-0 lead and he broke Rune with a powerful inside-out forehand that set him up to finish easily at the net. The third seed now seemed in total control of the match and consolidated the break with a hold to love. But the resilient Rune defied expectation by suddenly breaking Zverev when the German was serving for the match. As the pressure mounted, both responded by upping their level and winners flew off both racquets as Rune eventually held a gripping game at 5-5, which had lasted 17 minutes. Zverev then served out comfortably to set up a tiebreak. Errors again crept into Rune’s play and Zverev got an early mini-break, which he defended to book his spot in the final.In the day’s second semi-final, France’s Humbert exchanged early breaks of serve with Khachanov as both players started nervously in front of a packed partisan crowd.The decisive moment in the set had seemed to come when the 26-year-old Frenchman played three poor shots at 4-4 to hand Khachanov the chance to serve out the opener.However, Humbert showed fight and forced his opponent into an error-strewn game as he levelled immediately, and the set ticked towards a tiebreak. Humbert double-faulted when serving at 5-2 in the breaker, before dragging a backhand into the net as Khachanov wiped out the Frenchman’s mini-breaks.The 28-year-old won four consecutive points until he smashed long on his first set point, but managed to seal the tiebreak second time round when Humbert overhit. Humbert got the break he needed in the second set to go 3-2 ahead and kept his nose in front to serve out, even hitting an ace on set point after being given a time violation. Khachanov called for a medical time-out to receive treatment on his thigh at 3-2 in the deciding set, his movement afterwards becoming visibly very limited. And Humbert took full advantage as he pushed the Russian back and forth across the baseline as he won four consecutive games to reach a career-first Masters final.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka commenced her WTA Finals campaign in Riyadh yesterday with a fifth victory in as many meetings against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China, racing to a 6-3, 6-4 victory.Facing off for the fifth time in the last 14 months, Sabalenka and Zheng opened the action at the first ever professional women’s tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia in front of a near capacity crowd at King Saud University Indoor Arena.The Belarusian top seed needed just one hour and 24 minutes to defeat Zheng, dropping a mere two points behind her first serve throughout the contest. A runner-up at the WTA Finals in Texas two years ago, Sabalenka is eyeing a maiden trophy at the prestigious season finale, which would also guarantee her the year-end number one ranking.“It’s going to mean everything for me, that’s one of my dreams and I really worked hard in the past years and I really hope that one day I’ll be able to hold this beautiful trophy,” said 26-year-old Sabalenka on court.“Qinwen is such a great player and we always had great battles against each other. She’s playing really aggressive tennis. I’m super happy with the win, especially against such a tough opponent.“I think I served really well today and I put her under so much pressure on her serve. So I think my serve helped me tonight.”Very little separated the players in the opening set as both dominated the points behind their first serves, Sabalenka winning 18/19 and Zheng winning 13/16.But it was the second serve where Sabalenka found an edge, and after she saved a break point in the third game, the top seed broke for a 4-2 advantage and sealed a one-set lead in 39 minutes.With Chinese supporters representing the majority of the crowd and rallying behind their Olympic hero, Zheng was near clinical through the first eight games of the second set. But Sabalenka upped the ante in game nine, converting her second break point opportunity to inch ahead and she closed out the win on her own serve minutes later.In a bizarre incident, Sabalenka had to wait at the net for a short moment before Zheng realised she had actually lost the match.Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has now won her last seven consecutive matches against top-10 opposition.Zheng acknowledges there are things she must improve ahead of her next group match but was happy she could finally face Sabalenka “like a usual opponent”, so it was positive things for me.”The world number seven had her right thigh taped during the match and revealed she felt pain in her leg two days ago.“For the moment I’m not that concerned but we’ll see how it goes in the next two matches,” said the 22-year-old.After her match, Sabalenka got to meet Brazil football ace Neymar, who performed the coin toss for the next clash between Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina.Neymar, who plays for Saudi club Al Hilal, gifted Sabalenka a signed jersey and took pictures with her before returning to the stadium to catch the rest of the action.“It’s cool, right? He watched my match and it’s a pleasure that such big players come to watch me play. I was super happy to see him,” said Sabalenka.WTA Finals debutante Paolini claimed her third win in five encounters with Rybakina with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 performance. It was a milestone win in a breakthrough season for Paolini, too—it was the Italian’s 40th win of the year.Paolini, who also beat Rybakina in the French Open quarter-finals this season, is at a career-high ranking of number four after reaching two major finals in 2024, in Paris and Wimbledon.“It’s amazing, I’m really happy with the win today. All tough matches here and Elena is playing unbelievable. It’s good to see her back on tour,” said Paolini.Rybakina, who has dealt with insomnia, allergies, and a back injury in recent months, was playing her first match since she withdrew ahead of her US Open second round 10 weeks ago.

Cyrine Cherif continued her domination in the Big Tour securing the top two spots yesterday as fourth round of Longines Hathab concluded at outdoor arena of the Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF). The Qatar-based French rider clocked a flawless 67.22 secs with Triple T Calamando Blue to claim first position while her time of 68.52 secs with Van Gallettana Z lent her second position. Khalid Mohammed al-Emadi, who received four penalty points in his round of 63.55 secs with Chikita was third. Director of the First Equestrian Team Fahad Rashid al-Amri crowned the podium winners of Big Tour. In the Open Class, Faris Saad al-Qahtani teamed up with Hidiene to clinch victory with a time of 42.15 secs. Riding Calgary VD Haterbeek Z, Ali Saeed al-Misned was second in 44.62 secs. Jassim al-Jaham al-Kuwari had to be content with third position after he completed the course in 46.06 secs with Cesar Des Marquets. Vice-President of Al Khor Club Mohammed Mubarak al-Mohannadi honoured the podium winners of Open Class.

New Zealand lead by 143 runs in their second innings, after Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin triggered an opposition collapse in a keenly fought third Test yesterday.The tourists were 171-9 on day two after Jadeja bowled Matt Henry for his fourth wicket of the innings at the stroke of stumps on a sharply turning track in Mumbai.Ajaz Patel was batting on seven after he took five wickets to help bowl out India for 263, with the hosts taking a slender lead of 28.New Zealand won the first two matches to seal their first-ever Test series triumph in India and now eye a 3-0 sweep. “To be honest it’s (the pitch) turning quite sharply,” Ajaz told reporters.“I suppose inconsistent in terms of how much it does turn and bounce. It has started to turn from both ends and from a batting perspective that can be a challenge.”India’s Shubman Gill, who hit 90, said: “It’s all about one good partnership when you are chasing a total which is around 150-160. If you have one partnership about 70-80 runs the match is done and dusted.”Will Young stood out with his 51 before being caught and bowled by Ashwin, who took three wickets with his off-spin.Fast bowler Akash Deep struck in the first over when he bowled skipper Tom Latham for one to keep up India’s fight after Gill’s knock. Washington Sundar sent back Devon Conway for 22, and Ashwin dispatched Rachin Ravindra for four, as New Zealand slipped to 44-3.But Young and Daryl Mitchell put on 50 runs to resist the Indian attack, which hit back through Jadeja’s left-arm spin. Jadeja got Mitchell out for 21, with Ashwin taking a stunning catch while running backwards from mid-off, and soon the bowler dismissed Tom Blundell.Earlier Ajaz’s heroics - at the same venue where he claimed all 10 wickets in a Test innings in 2021 - helped end India’s reply to their 235 in the second session. Gill and overnight partner Rishabh Pant, who hit 60, stood out as they counter-attacked in a stand of 96 while Sundar smashed an unbeaten 38 off 36 balls.“I was honestly trying to have fun in the middle even if it was difficult - enjoy the difficult moments,” said Gill. “If I was to put too much pressure on myself then I am losing on the art of batting.”Off-spinner Glenn Phillips struck soon after lunch to send back Jadeja, caught at slip for 14.Ajaz got Sarfaraz Khan caught behind for a duck in the next over.Gill took on the spinners with boundaries in the next few overs before Ajaz had him caught at slip.Sundar and Ashwin took India into the lead before Ajaz got Ashwin out for his sixth career five-wicket haul.Resuming on 86-4, the batsmen came out aggressively as India look to avoid an embarrassing whitewash on home soil. Gill survived a reprieve on 45 by substitute fielder Mark Chapman, who failed to hang on to a high catch off Phillips’ bowling while running in from long-on. Gill reached his fifty with a single and Pant kept up the attack with regular boundaries to raise his half-ton in 36 balls.BRIEF SCORES DAY 2New Zealand 235 and 171 for 9 (Young 51, Jadeja 4-52, Ashwin 3-63) lead India 263 (Gill 90, Pant 60, Ajaz 5-103) by 143 runs.

Saudi Arabian driver Dania Akeel and her French navigator Stephane Duple delivered a stunning performance to lead the car category after a dramatic day’s action at the Qatar International Baja yesterday.The Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew won the opening stage and then ceded time to their main rivals through the second one but did enough to take a lead of 92.9 seconds into the night halt. As a result, they lead all the crews in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup. Akeel said: “That’s it! This is our first stage win overall. I had a great time. Stéphane was amazing. The cap was changing. The stage was fast, twisty, rocky and a really nice sector by the sea. That was really steep for the first time. That was really good training. We are in a perfect position for tomorrow. It’s going to be a really fun ride.”Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov hold second place and lead the FIA World Baja Cup crews in their new petrol-engined X-Raid Mini JCW Rally 3.0i, while the Portuguese pairing of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro are third overall and lead the SSV section in a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. Joao Dias came home in fourth place in the second of the Santag Racing Can-Ams in the SSV section and Saudi Arabia’s Mooaz Hariri moved ahead of Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal to snatch fifth in his Can-Am. Khalid al-Jafla leads the Challenger section in his eighth-placed Taurus T3 Max.Kuwait’s Abdullah al-Shatti (Kawasaki) and Saudi Arabia’s Hani al-Noumesi topped the motorcycle and quad times after the second stage of the FIM event where several riders missed vital route waypoints with the tricky navigation across the deceptive desert terrain.FIA entrants tackled a pair of 123.91km and 122.50km special stages on the northwestern side of Qatar, while the motorcycle and quad riders competed over just one special of 256.42km.Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah started the opening stage 10th on the road behind his brother Khalifa. Krotov was first out with the burden on co-driver Konstantin Zhiltsov to master the tricky navigation from the front of the field.Both Mohammed al-Atteya and FIA Middle East Baja Cup leader Ahmed al-Kuwari stopped for several costly minutes early in the first stage. Al-Atteya returned to the stage start and later retired, as Abdullah al-Rabban was also delayed and Ibrahim al-Muhanna (engine), Camelia Liparoti and Stefano Marrini (three punctures) fell by the wayside.Krotov stopped to change a puncture near the end of the opening stage north of the Tamim Air Base and to the east of the Khawzan Road and the delay undid all his hard work. He carded a target time of 1hr 22min 06.1sec but the stoppage was costly and Akeel beat him by 5min 36.6sec.Akeel, Krotov and Ferreira duly claimed the quickest times to take the leading three places in the Baja. Challenger front-runner Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah slotted into fourth ahead of his brother Khalifa. Akeel’s stage win meant a female driver led the Baja for the first time in historyStage two covered the tracks that the bikers had taken on the first half of their stage in the morning but the north-westerly wind had intensified. Krotov began to pass the tailenders from the motorcycle race on the run north and he eventually stopped the clocks in 1hr 09min 24.7sec to win the stage and reduce Akeel’s overnight lead to 1min 32.9sec.The run north along the coast proved costly for the host nation’s hopes of victory: both Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (loss of engine oil) and his brother Khalifa (broken engine) were sidelined, Ahmad al-Mohannadi damaged the rear right-hand corner of his Taurus in an accident but Abdulaziz al-Kuwari overcame hefty delays with electrical woes and fuel pressure issues to finish over 90 minutes behind his rivals. Khalifa Saleh al-Attiyah will not restart today.Dutchman Erik van Loon is tackling the Baja in the latest Can-Am Maverick R that will be eligible under the 2025 FIA technical regulations. He is running in an Experimental class and is not classified in the rankings but stopped before the end of the second stage. Stage one quad winner Abdulaziz Ahli and biker Makis Rees-Stavros were given stage-opening duties in the FIM section but the Briton soon passed the Emirati and was out alone on the stage.He stayed out in front until he was hunted down by Pedro Bianchi Prata and the duo rode close together as the stage wound its way along the west coast. Mishal al-Ghuneim badly lost his way along the perimeter of Tamim and returned to the stage start and then on to Lusail.Stavros lost ground as the stage progressed and Alex McInnes and James Hillier took up the pursuit of Prata. McInnes then stopped briefly and Hillier began to attack the Portuguese to the halfway refuelling stop with Megre well-placed to challenge on the second half of the stage. Croatian Yamaha rider Muhamed Plicanic retired on the run up the west coast.Hillier broke clear after the restart and led the stage from Prata, Megre and Rees-Stavros but the leading quartet all back-tracked to find a route waypoint and McInnes took up the reins at the front of the field and led the way to the finish. Several riders stayed behind to offer support to Qatar’s Mohamed al-Thani who crashed heavily on the run south to the finish. He was taken to hospital for medical checks after the accident.The midfield riders had the distinct advantage of being able to follow the tracks of their rivals. Al-Shatti duly earned the stage win to take a comfortable lead into the final day. Saudi rider Badr al-Hamdan and Qatar-based Australian Martin Chalmers initially came home in second and third but were heavily penalised for route deviations.Pole Filip Grot and Slovenian Gregor Mikl climbed to second and third in the unofficial timings. FIM title contender Mohammed al-Balooshi was classified in fifth and held the advantage over his Portuguese rivals Prata and David Megre.Abdulaziz al-Shayban ground to a halt on the run north along the coast and quad Prologue winner Ahli was sidelined on the run south to the finish with mechanical problems. Haitham al-Tuwaijri then crashed out of contention near the stage finish and required medical treatment. That paved the way for al-Noumesi to snatch the quad lead from Abdulaziz al-Atawi.Today’s action will feature a special stage of 251.10km that winds its way through the southern Qatar deserts and includes a section of dunes near Sealine and the Inland Sea.

Table toppers Al Duhail claimed an emphatic 6-2 victory over Al Shamal in the Qatar Stars League at the Al Khor Stadium today, with captain Almoez Ali hitting a brace.Almoez’s goals came in the 45+5 minute (penalty) and 77th minute, while Lucas Verissimo (11th minute), Michael Olunga (23rd minute) and Luis Alberto (51st minute) added a goal each, with The Red Knights also being gifted an own goal in the 28th minute through Al Shamal’s Mohammed Musa. Al Shamal’s goals came through Younes Belhanda (37th minute) and Baghdad Bounedjah (73rd minute).The thumping win ensured Duhail retained their four-point lead at the top after Al Sadd had closed the gap on Friday with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Al Rayyan. Shamal remain in eighth place with 10 pointsAs expected, Duhail were in no mood to lose ground in the battle to maintain their position at the top of the league and they took charge of things right from the blast of the opening whistle, having a series of opportunities within the first 10 minutes of play through Ismaeel Mohammad and Alberto, whose attempts at goal went inches wide within five minutes of each other.The Red Knights, however, did not have to wait for too long before registering the opening goal, with Verissimo nodding home from close range an inch-perfect overhead cross by Alberto in the 11th minute, to the delight of the visitors fans and bench.Unsatisfied with their one-goal lead, Al Duhail continued pressing Al Shamal for more and they almost got the second in the 18th minute, only for the upright to deny Benjamin Bourigeaud’s right-footed attempt from outside the box.Six minutes later, Olunga doubled the lead for Al Duhail with a low-driven angled shot that located the bottom right side of goalkeeper Babacar Seck’s goal.By the 28th minute, things turned from bad to worse for Al Shamal as Musa turned the ball into his own net in an attempt to clear a cross from Homam al-Ameen to give Al Duhail an unassailable 3-0 lead.Al Shamal got a leg back in the game in the 37th minute through a moment of brilliance by Belhanda who, after collecting the ball from Bounedjah, waltzed his way past Al Duhail’s defence before unleashing a ferocious left-footed shot from the edge of the box that sealed straight into the top right-hand corner of Al Duhail’s goal.Al Duhail almost got their three-goal lead restored in the 45th minute through Olunga, but goalkeeper Seck was on hand to do justice to the Kenyan international’s jumping header.The Red Knights eventually got their desire four minutes into added time, with Almoez firing home from the spot after Olunga was fouled by Musa inside the 18-yard box to make it 4-1 to the coach Christophe Galtier men heading into the half-time.The second half was no different from the first, with Al Duhail not letting go of their stranglehold on the match with their high-pressing attack upfront and compact defence which gives little or no space for Al Shamal to operate.The high-scoring Al Duhail, who had before the match scored 21 goals in eight matches, added their fifth of the night in the 51st minute through Alberto from 25 yards out to all but seal the fate of Al Shamal.League’s top scorer Bounedjah proved his mettle in the 73rd minute when he pulled one back for Al Shamal with a fine display worthy of a quality striker of his calibre. Four minutes later, Al Duhail got their four-goal lead back through Almoez, with Olunga providing the assist to ensure that Al Duhail come out tops in the eight-goal fiesta.Meanwhile, Al Ahli climbed to third place in the table after a 2-1 win over Al Shahania at the Al Thumama. Ahli led through Marc Muniesa’s own goal in the 14th minute before Abdulrahman Masoud scored the equaliser for Shahania in the 70th minute. In stoppage time, Eric Hernandez scored the winning goal for Ahli.Earlier, Al Wakrah defeated 10-man Umm Salal 3-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium. Wakrah took lead through Aissa Laidouni’s seventh minute strike. Ayoub Assal added a second in the 81st minute, before Gelson Dala sealed the game with a 89-minute goal. Wakrah are now up to fifth place, while Umm Salal dropped to sixth place.

Ruben Amorim was yesterday named as the new manager of Manchester United with a brief to restore the struggling Premier League giants to the pinnacle of English and European football.The 39-year-old Sporting Lisbon coach quickly emerged as the hot favourite for the Old Trafford job after Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday following a terrible start to the season. Amorim has signed a deal until 2027 and will join the club on November 11, becoming the sixth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as head coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements,” the club said on its website. “He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club.”United described Amorim as “one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football”.“Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP – the first of which was the club’s first title in 19 years,” the club statement said.Ruud van Nistelrooy will remain in temporary charge until Amorim arrives at Old Trafford. The Portuguese coach will oversee Sporting’s three remaining matches before the international break, starting with a game against Estrela. Sporting host Manchester City in the Champions League next Tuesday and Amorim’s final game in charge is set to be against former club Braga in the league on November 10.He will take charge of United for the first time on November 24, away at relegation-threatened Ipswich. Sporting issued a statement saying they had reached an agreement with United regarding the terms of Amorim’s departure, under which the English club would pay 11mn euros ($12mn).United sacked Ten Hag on Monday after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham left them languishing 14th in the Premier League, with just three wins from nine matches despite a huge financial outlay. The three-time European champions are 21st out of 36 teams in the revamped Europa League after three draws in their three matches so far this season.Amorim was peppered with questions about his prospective move at a pre-match press conference on Thursday but he remained tight-lipped. “It is a negotiation between two clubs,” he said. “It’s never easy. Even with the clauses it’s never easy, they have to talk.”Prior to Wednesday’s 5-2 win against Leicester in the fourth round of the League Cup, United had won just one of their past eight games in all competitions.Ten Hag won the League Cup and FA Cup during his two full seasons at Old Trafford but the club have not won the Premier League since 2013. The Scot won the Premier League title 13 times during a stay of nearly 27 years but the 20-time English champions have not mounted a sustained title challenge since. Former United striker Van Nistelrooy said Thursday he was “motivated” to help turn United’s season around and wants to stay at the club as he prepares the players for a high-profile match against Chelsea tomorrow.Amorim, a former Portugal midfielder, started his managerial career with then third-tier Casa Pia in 2018 before a switch to Braga. Sporting swooped in 2020 and he won the club’s first league title in 19 years in his first full season in charge, repeating the feat last season.Seen as one of the rising stars on the European coaching scene, he was linked with the manager’s role at Liverpool once Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving but Dutch coach Arne Slot headed to Anfield instead. Amorim held talks with West Ham earlier this year before they appointed former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui to replace David Moyes.Former United defender Rio Ferdinand said Amorim has the “character and the charisma” that Ten Hag lacked. In a video post on X, Ferdinand said former United teammate Nani, who also played for Sporting Lisbon, had described him as “very straight and very direct”.

Spain and Argentina will lock horns in both men’s and women’s final at the World Padel Championships in Doha today.At the Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha, defending men’s champions Argentina beat Portugal 2-0 in the semi-finals. Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno beat brothers Nuno and Miguel Deus 6-1, 6-7, 6-4, before Agustin Tapia and Fede Chingotto took only 49 minutes to beat Jesus and Pascoal 6-0, 6-1.Spain, on the other hand, gave Italy a total of just five games in three matches. Juan Lebron and Arturo Coello beat Facundo Dominguez and Lorenzo Di Giovanni 6-1, 6-1; while Ale Galan and Jon Sanz crushed Giulio Graziotti and Riccardo Sinicropi 6-1, 6-0. Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas secured hat-trick of wins with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Michele Bruno and Aris PatiniotisIn the women’s semis, Spain beat Portugal, while Argentina also defeated Italy 2-0. Aranzazu Osoro and Julieta Bidahorria gave Argentina the lead after the duo beat Giulia Sussarello and Chiara Pappacenna 6-4, 6-4. Delfina Brea and Claudia Jensen then sealed a spot in the final defeating Carolina Orsi and Giorgia Marchetti 6-4, 6-1.Spain’s Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez beat Fernandes and Castro Vilela 6-1 6-0, while Ale Salazar and Bea Gonzalez won 6-0, 6-1 against Santos and Gaspar.