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The Referees Committee of Qatar Football Association (QFA) has named the referees for the quarter-final matches of HH the Amir Cup 2023.The officiating sets for the four matches include main referee, first assistant, second assistant, fourth referee, VAR referee, and VAR assistant referee.The matches will be held starting Saturday and will continue until Tuesday, at the stadiums of Al Duhail and Al Sadd clubs, with one match per day.

Chairman of the Bow and Arrow Committee and Executive Director of the Qatar Shooting & Archery Association, Jassim Shaheen Al Sulaiti won the membership of the Executive Office of the West Asian Bow and Arrow Federation.This came during the meeting of the founding general assembly of the West Asian Bow and Arrow Federation, which was held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in the presence of 10 out of 11 countries.This position represents the culmination of the confidence of the continental and international federations in the competence and experience of the Qatari cadres in the Shooting Federation.The meeting witnessed voting on the positions of president and vice president, and the appointment of a secretary for the federation.The logo of the West Asian Bow and Arrow Federation was discussed and the date of the federation's first championship, which will be held in Riyadh, was agreed upon. Committees were set up to form the federation's statute.Al Sulaiti expressed in a statement today, his happiness at winning the membership thanking in the same time HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, for his great support for shooting sports and interest in sports and athletes.

Qatar SC won their sixth Amir Cup Table Tennis title in a row after beating Al Arabi 3-2 in the final in Ras Abu Aboud on Wednesday night. First Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Mohamed Yousef al-Mana and President of the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) Khalil al-Mohannadi, who is also President of Arab and Asian federations, attended the final and honoured the top two teams.It was seventh overall title triumph for Qatar SC, who won their maiden title in 2001-2002 editions. They are winning the tournament since 2017-2018. The loss for Al Arabi was their ninth defeat in the final of the tournament while they were winners on five occasions. Al-Mana hailed the level of competition in the event. “It was an exciting final and Qatar SC won the final in the last stages. Both the teams fought well for the title and the fans enjoyed the game,” he said. Meanwhile, al-Mohannadi expressed his delight over successful organisation of the event and congratulated the finalists.

Frank Lampard insisted it was an “easy decision” to make his surprise return to Chelsea as caretaker manager until the end of the season yesterday, just over two years after he was sacked by the Premier League club. Lampard, Chelsea’s record goalscorer, previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. The 44-year-old’s unexpected move back to Stamford Bridge came after Tuchel’s successor Graham Potter was dismissed on Sunday with the club in the bottom half of the Premier League. “We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” Chelsea co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement. “Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club. As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.” Former England midfielder Lampard had been out of a job since January when he was sacked by relegation-threatened Everton after less than a year in charge. Lampard claimed he did not have to swallow his pride to return to Chelsea despite his brutal exit during Roman Abramovich’s reign as owner. The Blues legend couldn’t refuse the opportunity to help a club so close to his heart after his 13-year spell as a Premier League and Champions League-winning Chelsea player. “It’s a pretty easy decision for me. This is my club. I have a lot of emotions and feelings,” Lampard told a press conference minutes after his appointment was announced. “It was a surprise in terms of you never know what decision the club will make. There’s been a lot of change in the Premier League this season. It’s a big challenge, but aren’t they all? I have complete sympathy for all managers that lose jobs. I’m ready to put my work into this challenge and take it day by day.” Chelsea have nine league games remaining this season, starting with tomorrow’s trip to Wolves, which is followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against holders Real Madrid. Lampard, who scored 211 goals in 648 Chelsea appearances between 2001 and 2014, watched from the stands on Tuesday as a Blues side managed by caretaker boss Bruno Saltor started the post-Potter era with a goalless draw against Liverpool. “I was there on Tuesday, it was the first time I’d been back since I left previously. It was an amazing buzz to be back at Stamford Bridge,” Lampard said. “I’ve come with a belief I can come and help the cause until the end of the season. I’ll give my utmost to give the fans what they want until the end of the season. There’s a lot of talent in the squad. I’m excited to work with that talent and to help them.” Lampard guided Chelsea to the 2020 FA Cup final, which ended in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal, during his previous managerial spell at the club. He joined Chelsea with little managerial experience after just one season in charge of second-tier Derby, whom he led to a Championship play-off final defeat against Aston Villa. Chelsea are languishing in 11th in the table, 14 points adrift of the top four, despite having spent more than £500mn ($623mn) on new players this season. Potter had been hailed by Chelsea owners as a “collaborative” manager who would heal the wounds left by the acrimonious end to Tuchel’s reign. But, despite his success at Brighton, Potter never appeared comfortable with the west London club and fans quickly turned on him as results failed to improve. As the search for a permanent replacement for Potter heats up, ex-Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique reportedly flew into London on Wednesday to meet with Chelsea officials for talks about the full-time job. Julian Nagelsmann, sacked recently by Bayern Munich, is also thought to be a contender, along with former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino. Moyes confident West Ham board supports him despite Newcastle thrashing West Ham United manager David Moyes is in “no doubt” he still has the support of the club’s board despite Wednesday’s 5-1 thrashing by Newcastle United dragging them further into the Premier League relegation battle. The majority of home fans left the stadium before the final whistle and those who remained booed loudly as the team recorded only two shots on target. West Ham are 15th on 27 points, three places above the final relegation spot. Everton (16th), Nottingham Forest (17th) and Bournemouth (18th) are also on 27 points but have played a game more than Moyes’s side and have an inferior goal difference. Asked whether he felt the board could consider making a managerial change, Moyes said: “I’ve got no doubt they are behind me. I’m confident in the way we work and what they think.” The former Manchester United boss took responsibility for the team’s defeat and acknowledged the mounting pressure on his role. “I’m a big boy and have left other jobs in the past. If this one happens, I would have to go with that,” he added. “I really like my job here. I like the people I work for and have enjoyed my time greatly. I’m hoping there are a couple of big days ahead in the not too distant future.”

Debutant Lorcan Tucker became only the second Irishman to hit a Test century, ably assisted by Andy McBrine’s unbeaten 71, to lead a tenacious fightback against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Thursday.Ireland reached 286-8 at stumps on the third day to lead the hosts by 131 runs after resuming on a precarious 27-4 in the one-off Test.Tucker made 108 off 162 balls before falling to the bowling of Ebadot Hossain, with Shoriful Islam taking the catch at extra cover. The wicketkeeper-batsman hit 14 fours and a six and was brilliantly assisted by Harry Tector and McBrine in partnerships of 72 and 111 to put the pressure back on Bangladesh.“It is obviously pretty special. It wasn’t something that I thought would happen today,” Tucker said.“We were under a lot of pressure. We tried to take it ball-by-ball and bat for as long as we could. It was very special to get a personal reward.“The team is also in a great position. We are looking forward to tomorrow,” he said. Tector resumed from overnight for a 28-run partnership with Peter Moor before left-arm pacer Shoriful gave the hosts their first breakthrough of the day.Moor was gone for 16 but Tector and Tucker staved off further damage with their stand.Tector departed after he was found leg before wicket off Taijul Islam, but his 56 made him the first Irish cricketer to hit half-centuries in both innings of a Test match.Tucker brought up his century with a cover drive for four off left-arm spinner Taijul, raising his bat after hugging McBrine.Mark Adair was next to bat, accompanying McBrine in a 31-run stand before he was removed by Taijul, the most successful Bangladesh bowler of the innings with 4-86.“No one said Test cricket’s gonna be easy,” said Bangladesh bowling coach Allan Donald.“I thought they grinded out the day beautifully and yes, once again, one massive tick to Ireland. They fought hard today.”Kevin O’Brien is the only other Irishman to hit a Test century, scoring 118 against Pakistan during Ireland’s 2018 maiden Test in Dublin. Ireland have lost all three of their previous Tests since becoming a full member of the International Cricket Council in 2017.ScoreboardIreland first innings 214 (H. Tector 50; Taijul Islam 5-58)Bangladesh first innings 369 (Mushfiqur Rahim 126, Shakib Al Hasan 87; A. McBrine 6-118)Ireland second innings(overnight 27-4)M. Commins lbw b Taijul 1J. McCollum lbw b Shakib 0A. Balbirnie b Taijul 3H. Tector lbw b Taijul 56C. Campher c Liton b Shakib 1P. Moor c Liton b Shoriful 16L. Tucker c Shoriful b Ebadot 108A. McBrine not out 71M. Adair c Liton b Taijul 13G. Hume not out 9Extras (b4, lb2, nb2) 8Total (8 wickets, 107 overs) 286Fall of wickets: 1-1 (McCollum), 2-7 (Commins), 3-8 (Balbirnie), 4-13 (Campher), 5-51 (Moor), 6-123 (Tector), 7-234 (Tucker), 8-265 (Adair)Bowling: Shakib 13-4-26-2 (nb1), Taijul 38-15-86-4, Mehidy 28-7-57-0, Ebadot 12-1-36-1, Shoriful 8-1-35-1, Khaled 7-2-38-0 (nb1), Mominul 1-0-2-0.

All-rounder Shardul Thakur blitzed a half-century off 20 balls to rally the Kolkata Knight Riders in Thursday’s 81-run Indian Premier League win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.Thakur hit nine fours and three sixes during his knock of 68, powering a recovery from a worrisome 89-5 in the 12th over.Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz propped up the innings with 57 off 58 balls but the Afghan’s dismissal, along with Andre Russell for a duck the next ball, left Kolkata looking in trouble.Thakur’s dominant show put the hosts back in control and a sixth wicket partnership with Rinku Singh notched 103 runs off only 47 balls.“We spoke about taking the innings to the end and not giving away more wickets,” Singh said.“My plan was to just stick around as he was striking the ball well. So I kept giving him the strike.”Bangalore crashed to 123 all out in reply as the home team’s spinners ran amok, with Varun Chakaravarthy picking 4-15 in less than four overs.Kolkata’s teenage leg spinner Suyash Sharma took 3-30 on his IPL debut and West Indies veteran Sunil Narine was 2-16.Virat Kohli (21) and Faf du Plessis (23) gave Bangalore a quick start, adding 44 off 29 balls before the bowling attack found its groove when Narine bowled the former Indian captain.Chakaravarthy dealt du Plessis the same fate three balls later and returned in the eighth over to skittle out Glenn Maxwell (5) and Harshal Patel (0).Kolkata next take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday and will have English opener Jason Roy available.He was signed as replacement for Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who pulled out of the tournament earlier this week owing to his international commitments with Bangladesh.BRIEF SCORESKolkata Knight Riders 204 for 7 (Thakur 68, Gurbaz 57, Willey 2-16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 123 (du Plessis 23, Varun 4-15, Suyash 3-30) by 81 runs.

Australia opener David Warner is in the frame for the World Test Championship final against India but selectors’ boss George Bailey declined to back him as an automatic inclusion for the Ashes squad.Selectors will pick a wider squad in about two weeks for the WTC decider at The Oval from June 7-11 and for the first two tests of the Ashes series, which starts on June 16 in Birmingham.Apart from a defiant 200 against South Africa in December, lefthander Warner has struggled for runs in recent tests, making a total of 26 in three innings in the recent tour of India before returning home injured.Despite that, head coach and selector Andrew McDonald said last month Warner was in Australia’s plans for the WTC final.Warner was included in Cricket Australia’s list of 24 nationally contracted players yesterday but Bailey stopped short of saying it was an endorsement for the Ashes.“I think Dave, like any player is, is at the mercy of selection,” Bailey told reporters.“The Ashes is a huge series and we’ll be looking to pick our best team. We’re going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well to challenge England over there, the way they’re playing at the moment.”Asked why Warner would not be picked in an Ashes squad if he were to play in English conditions during the WTC final, Bailey said he endorsed McDonald’s point that England were a different team to India.“I support Andrew’s comments on that around David.“I think there’s a number of differences (between the teams). But we’re a couple of weeks away from announcing that squad.”Warner averaged 9.50 in the 2019 Ashes in England, the worst ever by an opener to play 10 innings in a series.Travis Head replaced him at the top of the order in India and batted superbly in the last two tests but selectors said his promotion was a short-term fix.Opener Marcus Harris was a surprise inclusion in the list of contracted players, having played the last of his 14 tests against England in January 2022.Matt Renshaw, another opener, and middle order batsman Peter Handscomb were overlooked despite both playing in India.Bailey said Renshaw and Handscomb played in India because of their skill-sets but Harris was contracted with English conditions in mind, along with the home tests and a tour of New Zealand next year. Harris has averaged 19.75 in seven tests against England, compared to a career average of 25.29.“We certainly rate Harry’s (Harris) ability in those conditions – really good strong record in England as well,” said Bailey.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland set the early pace at the 87th Masters on Thursday, reaching the turn at five-under par while five-time champion Tiger Woods toiled with three early bogeys.Hovland got off to a flying start at Augusta National with an eagle on the par-5 second hole, where he followed up a brilliant iron shot with a 25-foot putt, and then the 25-year-old went three strokes clear of the field when he birdied the ninth.Woods, playing in the same group as Hovland, made three bogeys in his opening seven holes but he recovered slightly with a birdie on the par-5 eighth, where he almost chipped in for an eagle.Spain’s Jon Rahm did eagle that hole with his outstanding approach shot leaving him with a five-foot eagle putt to take him to three-under through eight holes, two strokes behind Hovland.The action got under way after former winners Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson provided the traditional ceremonial launch to the year’s first major tournament.Temperatures were rising throughout the morning towards the expected high of 87 degrees F and the skies were overcast. Conditions were dry although rain is forecast for later in the week and could impact the schedule.American Kevin Na withdrew due to illness after playing the first nine holes at 4-over par 40 at Augusta National. The 39-year-old South Korean-born American was is of 18 players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League who qualified for the Masters. Na made a dreadful start, driving close to a tree in the rough on the first hole and then going beyond the green with his approach shot – ending with opened with a double bogey.Na had an eventful half-round as he birdied the par-5 second hole, before bogeys at the third, fifth and par-3 sixth and a birdie at the par-5 eighth before another bogey on nine.World number 96 Na’s best result at Augusta has been to finish in a share for 12th which has achieved in three of his 11 Masters starts, most recently in 2021.LIV Golf is locked in bitter legal battles with the established PGA Tour.This Masters is the first time that the top-ranked players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are in the same field at Augusta. The PGA Tour has banned LIV players, with their US court fight set to begin early next year.Just hours before the start, a tribunal in London ruled against LIV players in their dispute with the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour.The arbitration panel ruled that the DP World Tour was entitled to sanction the players for appearing in LIV events without authorisation.The full impact of that decision will unfold in the coming weeks but players have insisted their focus this week is on the battle for the green jacket.World number one Scottie Scheffler plays in the afternoon groupings as he looks to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters. The American world number one is the bookmaker’s favourite to slip into the famous green jacket when the four rounds are complete on Sunday evening.Scheffler has been a model of consistency over the past 14 months, which has seen him win six PGA Tour titles, most recently at the Players Championship in March. Only Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods have achieved successive victories at the Masters.Last year’s runner-up, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, is hoping to finally complete his career Grand Slam with a long-awaited Masters triumph.

Jonas Vingegaard again edged Mikel Landa to take a second straight stage in the Tour of the Basque Country yesterday and tighten his grip on first place.Vingegaard, the Tour de France champion, had won the previous day to take the overall lead with Basque rider Landa finishing second to jump to second overall.On Thursday’s stage four, a hilly 175.7km circuit starting and ending in Santurzi, in the dockside suburbs of Bilbao, Vingegaard attacked uphill 20km from the finish. Landa quickly gave chase and caught the Dane. “I knew I had to get on Vingegaard’s wheel,” said the Spaniard who rides for Bahrain-McLaren. “Then it was basically all I could do to hold onto him.”With the pack slow to react as riders waited for members of other teams to expend the energy the leaders built a gap of 30 seconds by the peak.The pursuers were unable to make up much time on the narrow, snaking descent toward the finish. The leading pair had just enough of a cushion to play cat and mouse over the final kilometre.As the pack surged closer, Vingegaard, who rides for Jumbo Visma, led into the final corner and was able to control the line as he surged to the finish. “I tried to stay coldblooded, but I just did not have quite enough at the end,” said the 33-year-old Landa.Mauro Schmid, a Swiss rider with Soudal-Quick Step, led the charging pack home two seconds later.“We saw them always at 20 seconds in front,” he said of the desperate chase over the closing kilometres.“In the end was really close. It was a big opportunity to win the stage today. A bit disappointed that it was so close.”But, he said, the two race leaders had an edge uphill.“On the climbs they were definitely stronger,” Schmid said. Vingegaard picked up a three-second bonus during the stage and gained another four seconds on Landa with the winner’s bonus, to increase his lead over the Spaniard to 12 seconds.French rider David Gaudu of Groupama remained third but trails Vingegaard by 31 seconds with two stages to go.

Jockey Alberto Sanna and Mohamed Abdulla al-Abdulmalik-owned Ushayqer teamed to win the Al Mamoura Cup after a thrilling victory in the feature at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Wednesday night.The Mohamed Khaled Elahmed–trained gelding claimed quarter of a length victory over Dhergham Bu Thaila – ridden by Szczepan Mazur in the 1200m Conditions for three-year-old+ Local Thoroughbreds to claim the top prize.Also during the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s (QREC) 47th race meeting, the Faisal Mohamed al-Naeimi-owned Chrome registered his second straight victory for trainer Hadi al-Ramzani.The six-year-old gelding had won over 1900m last time out and had no issues to win again under Qais al-Busaidi over 1700m as he took the Handicap (75-95) for four-year-old+ Purebred Arabians by a length and a quarter.Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid bin Nasser al-Thani’s homebred Hazm al-Sulaimi and Al Naif Racing’s homebred Mekhdhim Al Naif could not be separated at the end of the 1200m Handicap (0-75) for four-year-old+ Local Purebred Arabians, registering a dead heat. The Gassim Ghazali-trained Hazm al-Sulaimi was ridden by Tadgh O'Shea while the Georgina Ward-trained Mekhdhim Al Naif had Alberto Sanna in the saddle.Meanwhile, the 1700m Handicap (0-80) for three-year-old+ Thoroughbreds continued the trend of thrilling finishes with the Rashid Awajan al-Khayarin-owned Toromona, trained by Hamad al-Jehani and ridden by Hamad al-Jehani, edging out Smart Contender by a nose.Al Thumama Racing’s Espirito broke his maiden tag for trainer Mohamed Hussain Afroz in the 1200m Handicap (0-80) for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The bay gelding ran on well to win by two lengths under jockey Rashid Ali al-Saaq.Earlier in the day, Injaaz Stud’s Nadiraha, on sixth career start, completed a double in an exciting finish to the 1700m Handicap (60-80) for four-year-old+ Local Thoroughbreds as she passed the post a head in front of Al Khor Surprise to give trainer Julian Smart and jockey Jefferson Smith a hard-fought winner. It was a three-horse battle as Mutamarrid was only a further nose behind in third.In the meet opener, Dr. Fahad Salman al-Hajri was the first trainer on the board as Al Rakaben Stud’s Mukabr improved on his last three placed runs to gain success by two lengths and a quarter in the 1700m Arabian for four-six-year-0ld Purebred Arabian under jockey Mohamed Moussa, who rode his first winner in Qatar.RESULTSAl Mamoura Cup(Horse, Trainer, Jockey)1 - Al Mamoura Cup - Local Thoroughbred ConditionsUshayqer, Mohamed Khaled Elahmed, Alberto Sanna2 - Purebred Arabian Handicap 75-95Chrome, Hadi al-Ramzani, Qais al-Busaidi3 - Thoroughbred Handicap 0-80 (Class 4) (Qatari Riders Only)Toromona, Hamad al-Jehani, Salman Fahad al-Hajri4 - Local Thoroughbred Handicap 60-80Nadiraha, Julian Colin Smart, Jefferson Smith5 - Thoroughbred Handicap 0-80 (three-year-old only) (Class 4)Espirito, Mohamed Hussain Afroz, Rashid Ali al-Marri6 - Local Purebred Arabian Handicap 0-75Hazm al-Sulaimi, Gassim Ghazali, Tadgh O'Shea7 - Purebred Arabian Maiden PlateMukabr (QA), Dr. Fahad Salman FS al-Hajri, Mohamed Moussa

Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek says tennis authorities missed an opportunity to ban Russian and Belarusian players outright after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but the moment has passed to do so now, she told the BBC.The 21-year-old Pole has been a staunch supporter of her Ukrainian rivals criticising the WTA for not doing enough to support them.Unlike other sports which imposed an outright ban following the invasion in February 2022, tennis officials permitted those from Russia and Belarus to continue playing, but as neutral athletes.They were allowed to play three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, with Wimbledon the exception.Authorities punished Wimbledon organisers by not awarding the tournament ranking points, but Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete this year after the ban was lifted.Both countries were also barred from team events like the Davis Cup, in which Russia were the defending champions.“I heard that after World War Two, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it’s not worth it,” Swiatek told the BBC.“I know it’s a small thing because we are just athletes, a little piece in the world but I feel like sport is pretty important and sport has always been used in propaganda.“This is something that was considered at the beginning, tennis didn’t really go that way, but now it would be pretty unfair for Russian and Belarusian players to do that because this decision was supposed to be made a year ago.”Swiatek, who won her second French Open title in 2022 and added the US Open crown, said both the WTA and ATP had shown a “lack of leadership” following the invasion, and as a result tennis was in a “chaotic place”.“I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war,” she said.“I feel they could do more to make that point and tell their views, and help us cope a bit better in the locker room because the atmosphere there is pretty tense.”Last week Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko slammed Belarus’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka for claiming she had never felt so much hate in the locker room.“I think this is another game they are starting, now they are the victims, we are not,” Tsurenko said.Swiatek says she has a certain amount of sympathy for the Russians and Belarusians.“It’s not their fault they have a passport like that,” she said.“I did shake hands, for example, with Daria Kasatkina – she openly said that she’s against the war at the beginning and it would be her dream for the war to finish.“I really respect that because I feel it’s brave for Russian athletes to say that because their situation is pretty complicated and sometimes it’s hard for them to speak out loud about it.”

Xavi Hernandez admitted it would be hard to sleep after Real Madrid outclassed his Barcelona side in a 4-0 Copa del Rey at Camp Nou on Wednesday.Los Blancos reached the final 4-1 on aggregate, knocking out the 31-time record Spanish cup winners after Vinicius Junior opened the scoring and Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick in the second half of the second leg.Xavi had led Barcelona to victory over Madrid in the last three Clasicos, but Madrid stunned their rivals to set up a final against Osasuna on May 6.“We’re hurt today, yes. It will be hard to sleep, more so as the big Barca fan that I am,” Xavi told reporters. “I told the players (this could happen), we had chances but went in at 1-0. It’s a shame because we competed well in the first half and that was our moment. In the second Madrid were better, sincerely, they were better physically, they pressed us high. There are no excuses.”Despite the painful defeat, Barcelona should still be able to clinch the Spanish title, holding a 12 point advantage on Real Madrid in second. Barcelona also beat their rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. “If we win La Liga and the Super Cup it’s a good season,” added Xavi. “There are 11 finals left, and we have to keep competing.”Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said: “It was a complete game – when you play a complete game, you win 4-0 like that. This is the most important moment of the season and when we’re at the right temperature (like this), we’re good.”Madrid turfed out the record 31-time cup winners with a muscular performance on a spiky night in Barcelona, where they also ended a demoralising run of three consecutive Clasico defeats.Xavi was without injured quartet Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen, and eventually it told. The game started at a furious pace and intensity, both teams keen to reach the final, but absolutely desperate not to be knocked out by the other.Barca coach Xavi was booked for protesting a foul as tempers boiled over, while Gavi and Vinicius were also issued yellow cards as they scrapped. Thousands of Barcelona fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name in the 10th minute, amid speculation he could leave Paris Saint-Germain, and they would have dearly loved some of the Argentine’s magic.Los Blancos took the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half, when they showed their prowess on the counter-attack. Thibaut Courtois made a fine save to deny Robert Lewandowski and exactly 20 seconds later, Vinicius struck at the other end.Rodrygo cut the ball back to the forward, who squeezed a shot home despite Jules Kounde’s best attempt at a goal-line clearance. Benzema was on hand to make sure, but Vinicius’s effort had already crossed the line. The French forward soon was able to pounce though, finishing lethally from the edge of the box in an ocean of space after Luka Modric easily skipped away from Sergi Roberto.Barcelona collapsed after that – Benzema slotted home his second from the penalty spot before the hour mark, sending Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way after Franck Kessie clumsily fouled Vinicius. Ter Stegen denied Marco Asensio and then Benzema completed his hat-trick with a cool finish after a fine dribble and pass by Vinicius.Madrid have lifted the Copa del Rey on 19 occasions, while their opponents Osasuna have never won it, securing passage to their second final after beating Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday.

Marcus Rashford sent Manchester United back into the Premier League top four with the winner as the Red Devils beat Brentford 1-0 on Wednesday, while Newcastle won 5-1 at West Ham to stay third. Callum Wilson and Joelinton each scored twice for the Magpies, who remain above United on goal difference.Both sides now have a three-point lead over Tottenham and a game in hand on Spurs in the race for a place in next season’s Champions League. United had slipped to fifth after a run of three league games without a win and cup commitments that meant they had not registered a Premier League win since mid-February.Erik ten Hag’s men also had a score to settle with the Bees after a humiliating 4-0 defeat when the sides last met in August. The Dutch coach was stinging in his criticism of his players’ attitude and desire in losing 2-0 to Newcastle on Sunday and got the response he was looking for.“Hopefully we can build on that and get back to where we were a couple of weeks ago,” said Rashford. “Everyone’s clear on the fact that we’re not going to play our best football every week, but we have to maintain our standards.”Rashford started through the middle as Ten Hag’s patience with Wout Weghorst finally ran out and that decision bore fruit when the England international was perfectly placed to side-foot home Marcel Sabitzer’s knockdown for his 28th goal of the season. Brentford had lost just one of their previous 16 Premier League games to rise to ninth in the table. Thomas Frank’s men had offered barely anything of an attacking threat for the first hour but were nearly gifted an equaliser when Ivan Toney charged down David de Gea’s clearance and the ball flew inches wide.De Gea made amends when he spread himself to block from Kevin Schade with Brentford’s only other clear sight of goal.A fourth consecutive win edged Newcastle closer to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. “We weren’t at our very best but we were clinical today,” said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. “It’s been a while since we’ve been like that. We set such high standards for ourselves, we want the team to be at our highest level.Wilson was restored to the starting line-up by Howe in place of Alexander Isak and rewarded his manager’s trust by heading home the opener after just six minutes. Joelinton doubled the Magpies lead inside 13 minutes as the Brazilian latched onto Fabian Schar’s ball over the top and coolly rounded Lukasz Fabianski before slotting into an empty net.Kurt Zouma’s header just before half-time briefly gave West Ham hope.But within seconds of the second-half kick off, Nayef Aguerd was dispossessed inside his own box by Jacob Murphy, who squared for Wilson to have a tap in. Another West Ham gift allowed Isak to make it four as Fabianski cleared the ball into the Swede’s path before Joelinton delivered the final blow.David Moyes looked on aghast at his side’s defending it could the final nail in the coffin for the Scot as he faces becoming the 13th Premier League manager sacked this season. Defeat leaves the Hammers still out of the relegation zone only on goal difference.

The Qatar Cricket Committee headed by HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saoud Al-Thani, held its Ordinary General Assembly meeting with a quorum.Chaired by HE Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Thani, the meeting discussed the future of cricket, how to develop, work to spread and expand the base of participation in it.During the meeting, HE Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Thani, praised the holding of the General Assembly in a positive and ideal atmosphere, praising in the same time the role and support of the Qatar Olympic Committee.The meeting approved reports of sports activities for the 2022 sports season, plans and goals for the next stage andand future projects.

Striker Ayoub El Kaabi is targeting his first trophy with Al Sadd as they take on Al Duhail in the Qatar Cup final at 10pm today at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.El Kaabi, who was part of the Morocco squad which finished fourth at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, moved to Qatar last month after a transfer from Turkish club Hatayspor. Now, the 29-year-old is within a touching distance of winning his first silverware with the Wolves.El Kaabi has made an instant impact at the club, having scored a brace against Al Wakrah in the QNB Stars League last week. “Al Sadd always looks forward to winning titles and we are hoping we can add one more Qatar Cup title,” he told Qatar News Agency (QNA) yesterday.“The cup final is always a one-off game. The past results or your current form does not matter. The team has to perform on the day. We aim to secure our first title tomorrow and then look for other tournaments ahead of us,” El Kaabi added.Sadd are looking to continue their good record in the Qatar Cup, which they won in 2017, 2020 and 2021, since the tournament was relaunched under its new name in 2014. Duhail have had a good season so far. The Red Knights lead QNB Stars League by two points and they are also in the quarter-finals of the Amir Cup. Duhail won the Qatar Cup in 2015 and 2018, while they lost in the final to Sadd last year.Sadd and Duhail have faced off two times so far this season. Their first-leg match in the QNB Stars League ended in a 2-2 draw, whereas Al Duhail won by a 3-1 margin in the Ooredoo Cup semi-final. El Kaabi, who scored 25 goals in 55 games during his two-year stay at Hatayspor, said he was honoured to play for Sadd.“I have high aspirations to win the title with Sadd. I feel honoured to wear the Sadd shirt – one of the oldest clubs in the history of Qatari football. Playing at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was an amazing experience. My time with Al Sadd has been terrific too. There is excellent harmony among players. I have adapted very quickly and the atmosphere in the team is great. I hope I can give my best at Sadd and meet the expectations of fans,” he noted.Regarding Al Sadd’s chances of retaining the title of QNB Stars League, El Kaabi said that there is nothing impossible in football, and the opportunity might be challenging but still exists. The defending champs are seven points behind leader Al Duhail. “We still have four matches till the end of the league, one of which will be against Duhail. We play as a team, work together, and fight till the last whistle,” the Moroccan said.Meanwhile, Duhail coach Hernan Crespo said his ultimate goal is to make a clean sweep of domestic titles. “We worked hard to win the semifinal and I hope that our efforts in the final will see us lift the Cup. When I took charge of Duhail, my goal was to compete for all championships, and winning the Ooredoo Cup has been of particular importance after defeating big teams such as Al Rayyan, Al Arabi and Al Sadd,” the Argentine said yesterday. “I would be very happy to win the Qatar Cup too in which most of the teams have participated with the top players. I know how important the Qatar Cup is, we want to win it and we are working hard on that. Sadd have won many titles in recent seasons and we are seeking to compete and win against a great side. Thursday’s match is important and we strive to win the title,” Crespo added.

Karim Rizkallah won the second round of the Qatar Karting Championship, organised by the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), on Tuesday.At the new Karting track of the Lusail Circuit Sports Club, Rizkallah completed the 15-lap race in the grand final in a time of 16:04.594 secs. Tamim Hassiba took the runner-up spot 10.013 seconds behind the winner, while Danish Quereshi was a second behind to take third place. Interestingly, the top 6 places were grabbed by students of Qatar Motorsport Academy.Taha Hassiba, who started on pole and was dominating the race, finished a disappointing 14th after making an error. Khalid al-Muftah, who had finished second in the opening round last week, led the entire race, only to be disqualified for being underweight after the race.After two rounds, opening-round winner Bader al-Sulaiti leads the championship with 35 points, followed by Hassiba (30) and Faesal al-Yafei (27).More than 40 competitors – mainly from the Qatar Motorsports Academy –are taking part in the inaugural Qatar Karting Championship. Three more rounds will be held this season. The third round of the championship will take place on April 11 and 12. The fourth round is scheduled for April 25 and 26, with the fifth and final round to be held on May 2 and 3.

Bangladeshi left-arm spin duo Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam made quick work of Ireland’s top order yesterday to leave the tourists flailing at 27-4 on day two of their one-off Test in Dhaka.Mushfiqur Rahim’s knock of 126 put the hosts on the front foot after early wobbles in the first innings and Bangladesh were still 128 runs ahead at stumps.“We were served up a few bad balls, so it was good that the boys were ready and willing to put them away,” said Bangladesh batting coach Jamie Siddons.“So, the scoring rate went quick, which took the game forward really fast. Happy with the way we batted.”Andy McBrine claimed 6-118, becoming only the second Irish bowler to take five Test wickets, to help close out the first innings in the final session with Bangladesh reaching 369.But Ireland’s batsmen spoiled his party with four quick wickets before the day was done.Murray Commins (1), James McCollum (0), Andy Balbirnie (3) and Curtis Campher (1) wilted in front of Taijul and Shakib, who claimed 2-7 and 2-11 respectively.Herry Tector was batting on eight alongside Peter Moor on 10 not out at the end of play to leave Ireland staring at the prospect of an innings defeat.“Feel we have to see out that first half an hour tomorrow morning, and who knows what could happen,” McBrine said of his team’s chances.Bangladesh resumed on 34-2 and looked shaky after losing Mominul Haque, bowled round his legs for 17, in the third over of the morning.But Shakib and Mushfiqur turned up the aggression to quickly claw back the deficit with a 159-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Shakib was at his mercurial best until he chased a ball from McBrine wide outside the off stump to get a feather touch on the bat.He was caught behind on 87 after an impressive 14 fours from his 94-ball knock. Liton Das joined Mushfiqur to continue on the front foot, adding another 87 runs for the fifth wicket.Mushfiqur finished his hundred from 135 balls with a four off Mark Adair before Ben White dismissed Liton for 43 runs.McBrine finally dispatched Mushfiqur – with Commins taking a fine diving catch at long-on – and cut short the tail with three wickets in three consecutive overs. Ireland have lost all three of their previous Tests since becoming a full member of the International Cricket Council in 2017.SCOREBAORDIreland first innings 214Bangladesh first inningsTamim Iqbal c Adair b McBrine 21Najmul Hossain b Adair 0Mominul Haque b Adair 17M Rahim c Commins b McBrine 126Shakib Al Hasan c Tucker b McBrine 87Liton Das c Tector b White 43M Hasan Miraz st Tucker b White 55Taijul Islam b McBrine 4Shoriful Islam lbw b McBrine 4Ebadot Hossain c Tucker b McBrine 0Khaled Ahmed not out 4Extras (lb4, nb2, w2) 8Total (all out; 80.3 overs) 369Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Najmul), 2-34 (Tamim), 3-40 (Mominul), 4-199 (Shakib), 5-286 (Liton), 6-331 (Mushfiqur), 7-337 (Taijul), 8-348 (Shoriful), 9-354 (Ebadot) 10-369 (Mehidy)Bowling: Adair 17-2-64-2 (w2, nb2), Hume 11-2-37-0, McBrine 28-2-118-6, Campher 8-1-54-0, White 13.3-0-71-2, Tector 3-0-21-0Ireland second inningsM. Commins lbw b Taijul 1J. McCollum lbw b Shakib 0A. Balbirnie b Taijul 3H. Tector not out 8C. Campher c Liton b Shakib 1P. Moor not out 10Extras (b4) 4Total (four wickets, 17 overs) 27Fall of wickets: 1-1 (McCollum), 2-7 (Commins), 3-8 (Balbirnie), 4-13 (Campher)Bowling: Shakib 7-2-11-2, Taijul 7-4-7-2, Mehidy 2-1-1-0, Ebadot 1-0-4-0Toss: Ireland

Adam Milne’s five-wicket haul and Tim Seifert’s unbeaten 79 set up New Zealand’s nine-wicket victory in the second Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka yesterday, with the match also earning female umpire Kim Cotton a place in history.Seifert smashed six sixes in his 43-ball blitz as New Zealand romped home with 5.2 overs to spare to level the three-match series and gain a psychological edge ahead of Saturday’s decider in Queenstown.Auckland-born Cotton became the first female umpire to stand in a men’s international match between two International Cricket Council full-member countries.Earlier, Milne claimed a career-best 5-26 to help bowl out Sri Lanka for 141 in 19 overs, which proved below-par at Dunedin’s University Oval, which has relatively short boundaries.Sri Lanka lost their openers cheaply and after Kusal Perera (35), Dhananjaya de Silva (37) and Charith Asalanka (24) shored them up the wheels came off their innings in the second half.Sri Lanka, who had won the opening match on Sunday via Super Over, lost their last eight wickets for 50 runs with Milne claiming three in the final over.New Zealand’s chase got off to a blazing start with Chad Bowes (31) hitting Dilshan Madushanka for four boundaries in the second over, including three in a row, throwing the seamer out of the attack.Seifert ensured there was no respite for the tourists even after Bowes fell as he tore into the Sri Lankan attack, sealing New Zealand’s victory with back-to-back sixes.Sri Lanka’s sloppy catching did not help their cause either as they dropped both Seifert and home captain Tom Latham, who remained unbeaten on 20.BRIEF SCORESSri Lanka 141 all out, 19 overs (D. de Silva 37, K. Perera 35; A. Milne 5-26, B. Lister 2-26)New Zealand 146-1, 14.4 overs (T. Seifert 79, C. Bowes 31, T. Latham 20; K. Rajitha 1-25)Toss: New ZealandResult: New Zealand won by nine wickets Series: 1-1

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 86 and four wickets by Nathan Ellis helped Punjab Kings to their second straight IPL victory with a tense five-run win over Rajasthan Royals yesterday.Punjab rode on the left-handed Dhawan’s 56-ball knock and his 90-run opening stand with Prabhsimran Singh, who hit 60, to post 197-4 after being invited to bat first in Guwahati.Australia’s Ellis, an up and coming pace bowler, then shined in his second game of his IPL debut season to return figures of 4-30 and keep down Rajasthan to 192-7 but not after a scare.Shimron Hetmyer (36) and impact player Dhruv Jurel (32 not out) put on a dangerous stand of 61 off 26 balls to lift Rajasthan from a precarious 124-6 and raise hopes of a turnaround.But the asking rate proved too much and Hetmyer run out in the final over, which started with Rajasthan needing 16, sealed the deal for Punjab with Sam Curran keeping calm in the 20th over.Rajasthan lost two early wickets to Arshdeep Singh’s left-arm pace and Ellis soon took over when he sent back Jos Buttler with his caught and bowled.Ellis soon cut short Samson’s knock on 42 and took down Riyan Parag for 20 on successive balls between overs to be on a hat-trick saved by Hetmyer.Earlier Prabhsimran set the tone for Punjab’s domination as the 22-year-old talent hit his maiden IPL fifty and struck three sixes. Dhawan took time to get into the groove and allowed his younger partner to take centre stage as Prabhsimran smashed the bowlers around in his 34-ball knock. He finally fell to a stunning outfield catch by Buttler who covered good ground from long-off to take a diving catch as his elbows hit the ground. Jason Holder was the bowler.BRIEF SCORESPunjab Kings 197 for 4 (Dhawan 86*, Prabhsimran 60) beat Rajasthan Royals 192 for 7 (Samson 42, Ellis 4-30) by 5 runsKolkata sign England’s Roy to fill Iyer and Shakib voidKolkata Knight Riders have signed England opener Jason Roy for the ongoing IPL, the organisers said yesterday, to bolster their batting lineup weakened by the absence of Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan.Kolkata captain Iyer has been ruled out of entire IPL with a lower back injury which would require surgery and keep him out of the World Test Championship final against Australia in June as well.All-rounder Shakib, currently leading Bangladesh in a one-off Test against Ireland in Mirpur, has also conveyed his unavailability citing national team commitments.Kolkata spent $341,671 to buy Roy, who played the 2021 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the IPL organisers said in a statement.

Aspetar’s research department has recently conducted a pioneering study during a live sporting event, the Samla Race 2023. The study tested new telemetric technology designed to measure the physiological parameters of athletes in real-time during ultra-endurance/multisport events.The technology consisted of multiple wearable sensors, including a specially designed telemetric pill that measures the core temperature of the body and transmits it via a mobile phone to a portal that visualises all data.Prof Marco Cardinale, Executive Director of Research & Scientific Support, said: “The study’s objectives were to assess the feasibility of the technology and to determine the physiological demands of the Samla event. Similar studies were conducted by the Aspetar team, supported by an IOC research grant, during some endurance events in the Tokyo Olympics.However, this is the first time this technology has been implemented in a multisport event like the Samla.”Nineteen participants volunteered to use the technology when completing the race, which took between 30 and over 57 hours.Despite the challenges, including swimming, biking, running, and kayaking, the technology successfully captured all the information.The study’s results will contribute to guidelines to help athletes prepare better for future events, and the data can also help medical teams identify participants at risk of heat exhaustion and/or illness due to the triangulation of physiological and movement data.Aspetar has conducted numerous studies at previous sporting events in the country in elite populations, such as the UCI world Championships and World Athletics Championships, and is leading the way in this field.As part of Aspetar’s provision of support to both elite and recreational athletes, the hospital will continue to participate in similar events through their Sports Medicine, Sports Physiology, and Scientific Support services.Aspetar will also seek smaller technologies to make it more wearable and avoid relying on mobile phones for data capture and transmission.The results of the Samla Race 2023 date are currently being analysed and will be published soon.Aspetar plans to share the results with the Samla community to help every participant prepare better for the next edition. The event challenges athletes physically and mentally, making it an ideal platform for testing new telemetric technology designed to measure the physiological parameters.Ultra-endurance mass events are becoming increasingly common in different parts of the world, and wearable technology can help not only with performance but most importantly with safeguarding the health and safety of participants.There is little knowledge about the preparation and nutritional strategies required to complete such events successfully and safely, and Aspetar is leading the way in this field.Aspetar is a world-leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.