Bahrain hold Qatar, seal semis berth in Gulf Cup

Kuwait, December 30, 2017-Bahrain on Friday reached the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup following a thrilling 1-1 draw against defending champions Qatar.A second-half strike by Ali Jafaar Madan helped Bahrain get the much-needed one point to finish above Qatar in the first phase of the Gulf Cup.For Qatar, their goal was scored off a penalty kick by striker and captain Hassan al Haydos in injury time of the first half at Jaber Al Ahmed Stadium.Bahrain finished the Group B standings with five points while Iraq (7 points) sealed the top position with a 3-0 win over Iraq on Friday.Qatar, winners in 2014, finished third with 4 points from three matches. Yemen ended the tournament without any win from their three matches.Qatar opened the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Yemen but lost to Iraq 2-1, last Tuesday.A couple of tackles from both the teams in the first three minutes thrilled the fans, who were present in thousands. In one instance Bahrain's Sayed Mahdi Bager even sought medical assistance as players showed nerves in the key clash.In the fourth minute, Bahrain's Jamal Rashed, after receiving a cross from eventual match hero Jaafar, broke free of his marker inside the Qatar box but his low shot was smartly gobbled up by Qatar goalkeeper Saad al Sheeb.In the next few minutes, Qatar sustained pressure with moves into the Bahrain box but the Bahrain backline stood firm to keep their slate clean.In the 13th minute, Jaafar was brought down by a rough tackle from Qatar's Ahmed Fathy and promptly got a yellow card, the first one of the Group B clash.Two minutes later, Qatar captain and feared striker Haydos nearly pulled off a stunner with a shot that missed the target by inches off an indirect free-kick.In the 18th minute, Bahrain star Jaafar - on the edge of the box - fired a powerful shot that was flicked for a corner by Qatar goalkeeper Sheeb to kill the Bahrain move.Soon after, Qatar's Pedro Miguel - though perfectly positioned - misfired with a snap-header as his deflection off a corner kick sailed just about the Bahrain crossbar.In the 27th minute, Haydos the team's fittest athlete by far covered amazing ground with a solo effort that ended near the Bahrain box but surprisingly his fellow strikers were not in position to take the flying cross.In the 37th minute, Uzbek referee Asimov Aziz clearly missed a handball infringement by Bahrain's Ahmed Abdulla - standing inside his own box - following a crisp cross by Qatar's Miguel on the flank. The referee waved play on despite protests by the Qatar players. Two minutes later, Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Ebrahim emerged as a hero by stopping a low shot from Haydos, who fired from close to the edge of the Bahrain box.Seconds later striker Almoez Ali one of Qatar's brightest prospects from the junior ranks - weaved his way into the Bahrain box but his deft low cross was missed by team mates Abdulakreem and Akram Afif. Barely two minutes from the first-half whistle, Qatar's Pedro clipped a near-perfect cross for Ismail Mohammed whose snap-header from close range narrowly missed the Bahrain crossbar.Qatar's brave show in the first half bore fruit when Bahrain goalkeeper brought down Afif inside the box with the wiry Al Anabi striker ready to shoot. Uzbek referee pointed to the spot before showing a yellow to keeper Ebrahim.Haydos stepped up and went for the top of the net for Qatar's goal that silenced a big Bahrain crowd. It was Haydos' second goal of the tournament.With their tails up, Qatar launched attacks from the first minute of the second half. Three minutes after the resumption of play, Haydos attempted a long-range shot to add more pressure on the Bahrain backline.With Bahrain trailing in the do-or-die game, player infraction started to increase with constant shoving and pushing by the players on the pitch.In the 58th minute, Bahrain found the equaliser when Jaafar converted from close range after a cross from the flank.In the 73rd minute, Qatar striker Ali charged into the Bahrain box but produced a fumbled shot with goal in sight. Moments later coach Felix Sanchez opted for a double substitution as Mohammed Muntari and Ali Fereydoun were brought in to beef up Qatar attack.In the 80th minute, Afifi dribbled past a couple of Bahrain defenders but failed to find the target from close range by smashing the ball wide. A minute from the final whistle, Bahrain's Abdulla Yusuf with only Qatar goalkeeper to beat from close range - misfired with his shot.In the semifinals, Bahrain will play Oman on Jan 2, while Iraq will battle UAE.

HH the Emir attends camel race

DOHA, December 30, 2017-His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attended the concluding day's events of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani's Camel Festival, which were held at the Al Sheehaniya Racetrack. HH the Emir attended two final races - one for camels aged five years and above owned by sheikhs, and the other for camels, in the same age category, owned by members of the tribal groups. The competition was attended by several sheikhs, tribesmen and a large number of camel race-lovers.

Super Saeed sizzles twice to steal show in Hathab equestrian series

DOHA, December 30, 2017-Saeed Nasser al Qadi excelled twice on different mounts to claim the first and third places in the Open class of the Fifth competition of the Hathab equestrian series at the indoor arena of Al Shaqab on Friday.The Small Tour class was clinched by Ghanim Nasser al Qadi, who rode Fudine.Saeed was superb and stood out in a field of 36 riders vying for a podium finish.He rode Jessico 4 with control and finesse to clock 62.08secs in the Table A, One Round Against the Clock Art. 238.2.1 (115/125cm) event to pick the top prize of QR3,750.His second outing in the ring was astride DayDreamer EC, and here too his routine was flawless. Just that he needed more time (67.25secs) which still was good enough for a podium finish.Challenger, Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi on SIEC Cosmos Winjgaardhoeve Z came a close second in 66.93secs.In the Small Tour Table A, One Round Against the Clockwith Jump Off Art 238.2.2 (100/115cm) event, Ghanim on Fudine clocked 28.63secs in the jump off to emerge supreme.Mohammed al Ghazali riding Michael Jackson finished as the runner-up in 29.73secs.Gabrielle Moorat on Desperadito (30.59secs) was third.On Saturday, the second and final day of the Fifth competition, the Future Riders' class events will be held from 10am, followed by the Medium Tour at 3pm and the Big Tour starting at 5.15pm.The 12-leg Hathab series which began in October runs till April 2018. The best seven results from the competitions will be considered and the eventual National champions will thus emerge.Hathab, meaning"Canter" in Arabic, is an initiative of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee. The vision for Hathab is to have a national series of equestrian competition to inspire Qatar's next generation of international champions.ResultsOPEN CLASSTable A, One Round Against the Clock Art. 238.2.1 (115/125cm) Prize-money: QR15,0001. Saeed Nasser al Qadi (Horse: Jessico 4); Faults:0 Time: 62.08secs Prize: QR3,7502. Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi (SIEC Cosmos Winjgaardhoeve Z); 0; 66.93; QR3,0003. Saeed Nasser al Qadi (DayDreamer EC); 0; 67.25secs; QR2,250.SMALL CLASSTable A, One Round Against the Clockwith Jump Off Art 238.2.2 (100/115cm): Prize-money: QR10,0001. Ghanim Nasser al Qadi (Fudine); 0; 65.04secs & 28.63secs; QR2,5002. Mohammed al Ghazali (Michael Jackson); 0; 71.72secs & 29.73secs; QR2,0003. Gabrielle Moorat (Desperadito); 0; 76.18secs & 30.59secs; QR1,500.

Stage set for fifth leg of Hathab Series

DOHA, December 29, 2017-The Hathab Series will resume today as stage is set for the fifth leg of the high-profile showjumping competition at state-of-the-art Al Shaqab Arena.Starting today's proceedings, the young riders will be seen in action in the Small Tour: Table A, Special two phases 100/115cm event which will kick off at 3.00pm. This will be followed by the Open Class: Table A, One round against the clock 115/125cm event.The final day of the event will see several contests with Big Tour Table A being the featured competition. The previous leg saw an intriguing battle with popular Qatari rider Awad Al Qahtani being the winner of the showpiece event. The Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab have joined hands in conducting the 12-leg series, which is aimed at encouraging young riding talent in the country to scale new heights in showjumping. It is the first time that a points system is being implemented to determine winners of each class of competition.

Qatar ExxonMobil Open to begin on Monday

DOHA, December 29, 2017-Defending champion Novak Djokovic and world No. 5 Dominic Thiem of Austria are just some of the superstars set to dazzle at the 2018 Qatar ExxonMobil Open.The ATP award-winning event will be held from January 1-6, 2018, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.Of the 32 singles players and 16 doubles team featuring in the eight-day event, all eyes are definitely going to be on former world No. 1 Djokovic, the 12 Grand Slam-winner, who will be coming back into the game after a lengthy injury layoff.Djokovic, who successfully defended his title last year by defeating the then world no.1 Andy Murray in three sets, will be hoping to make it three victories in a row in Doha, which has proven to be a home away from home for the 30-year-old.The Serbian, whose last major tournament appearance was at the Wimbledon where he was forced to retire in the quarter-final match against Tomas Berdych, will be looking forward to assuring his numerous fans of his return to form with a commendable performance at the tournament.Thiem, who recently broke into the top five in the rankings for the first time in his career, will be hoping to further consolidate his positions among the “big boys".Other top contenders include Berdych, Richard Gasquet and Fernando Verdasco as well as Pablo Carreno Busta.

Qatar confident ahead of Bahrain clash

Kuwait, December 29, 2017-Defending champions Qatar have planned an all-out assault when they take on Bahrain in their third and final Group B clash at the Gulf Cup today, Coach Felix Sanchez declared.A win today will take Qatar into the semi-finals of the eight-team tournament though a draw will be enough to secure Bahrain their last-four berth.In their two matches, three-time Gulf Cup champions Qatar have beaten Yemen 4-0 but Al Anabi lost to Iraq 2-1 after a feisty battle on Tuesday.Bahrain, coached by Miroslav Soukup, drew with Iraq 1-1 in their opening game but edged Yemen 1-0 in their second clash to be one point ahead of the 2014 Gulf Cup champions.Qatar coach Sanchez has urged his players to go for a winning performance.“I am 100 percent sure we will play an aggressive game tomorrow and get the result we are looking for. We have to go for the win," Sanchez said yesterday. “The team is motivated to face the final (game of the preliminary stage).“We are motivated to play well and to get the result we need I think so far the team is in a positive frame of mind," the Qatar coach said.Sanchez said Qatar's 2-1 loss against Iraq had many positives for his young side. “The team showed great personality in the match against Iraq. They (the players) tried to perform to the best of their ability. We could not win in the second game but I know they tried hard. They gave their best on the pitch. The team is fit and hopefully we will do better against Bahrain," Sanchez said.The Qatar coach - who has coached most of the U-23 players in the national squad - said his team still has a day to rest and recover for the crunch match at Kuwait Sports Club Stadium.“In think it is a short tournament. So many matches are played within a short period of time. Only thing we can do is recover as fast as possible after every game. Physically we still have one more day to rest and recover before we take on Bahrain," Sanchez said.Sanchez said the Iraq clash was a battle that tested his team to the fullest.“I think in the game against Iraq, we faced a situation where the team played a high level of football which was good. We needed to play direct but we could not. It was difficult to keep the ball in possession, especially when we reached the last stretch (of the second half)," Sanchez said.“They had the counterattacks and sometimes the game was broken for us since they dominated. We needed to take risks to get a point and we tried to do that. It was difficult for us to have the control of the match even though we tried to do it. Unfortunately we couldn't get the result though we almost managed to score the goal in the end," he said.Bahrain coach Soukup said Qatar clash would be a big battle. “We respect their quality because they are the 2014 Gulf Cup champions. They have very good players and don't forget we saw their game against Iraq (on Tuesday). The quality was evident on both sides. Qatar had a chance to win the match. They scored first," Soukup said yesterday.“Compared to Qatar, our situation is still positive since we have one more point than Qatar. We also have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals since we want to repeat Iraq performance we had in the first match of the tournament.“We know a lot about Qatar and clearly we don't want to discuss those things here in the press conference. We discuss those things in the team meetings. We want to do a good job. It is 0-0 for both teams. Like I said, we want to repeat the performance we had against Iraq," Soukup added.When asked about team tactics or player changes, Soukup dismissed the question with a smile.“We have no injury issues. That much I can say. We also know the quality of our opponents. Qatar vs Iraq was about quality of defenders," Soukup said.Soukup said his team won't play for a draw, a result that would take them to the last-four stage of the tournament.“I don't think we will play for a draw. I am a bad coach because I can't plan for a draw. I want to win matches. I cannot tell players to play for a draw. That would be incorrect from my side. My motivation should be to win. If we think like that before a game then I think we will lose. I have told my players not to play for a draw," Soukup said.The match begins at 6:30pm today. Also, Iraq will play bottom-placed Yemen in another Group B clash.