Horse Racing

Doha, Qatar: Aaneef Zakhir returned to winning form with an impressive victory in the Dibal Cup, taking out the 1900m Local Purebred Arabian Handicap as racing resumed at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Monday night following a brief interruption. The six-year-old bay, owned and trained by Osama Omer Al-Dafea, was expertly ridden by Arnaud de Lepine, who secured his third win of the season. Aaneef Zakhir was settled near the rear early on as Khaled Al Shahania set the pace, dictating proceedings through the opening and middle stages. Bakir and Burkan Zakhir tracked the leader closely, forming the main chasing group down the back straight. Approaching the final bend, Aaneef Zakhir began to make steady headway. Turning into the straight, he gathered momentum to move into third behind Bakir and Khaled Al Shahania, while Amersun also produced a strong late run to join the leading contenders. Inside the final 200 metres, Aaneef Zakhir showed determination to surge into the lead and open up a narrow advantage. Bakir continued to challenge, but the eventual winner responded gamely under pressure to hold on at the line. Bakir, representing Mubarak Ali Al-Nuaimi and trained by Hamad Al-Jehani, finished second under Alberto Sanna, a length and three-quarters clear of Amersun. The latter stayed on well for Wathnan Racing, trainer Alban de Mieulle and jockey Youssef Lachhab to complete the podium. The meeting featured a total of eight races and marked the 58th Al Rayyan Race Meeting organised by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. Among the other winners on the night, Jungle Monarch powered clear to secure a second consecutive victory, while Afor Alghania burst away from the field to break his maiden in decisive fashion. Lucia Molly finally got off the mark at the tenth attempt with a strong finish, as Awaayid swept clear to register back-to-back wins. King Albahar returned to winning ways in dominant style, El Ghazi bounced back with a determined success, and Mared Al Jasra made every yard count to land an open race.

Football

Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi came from behind to defeat 10-man Al Sadd 2-1, while Al Duhail and Al Rayyan also staged second-half comebacks in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) yesterday. Al Duhail overturned a first-half deficit to beat Al Shamal 3-1, with Baghdad Bounedjah scoring early before Edmilson Junior, Adil Boulbina and Krzysztof Piatek struck to seal a thrilling win. Meanwhile, Al Rayyan recovered from Yusuf Abdurisag’s first-half opener to edge Al Wakrah 2-1, with Gregore and Roger Guedes scoring in the second half. Al Sadd’s defeat prevented them from extending their lead at the top, but they still sit on 38 points, four ahead of Al Shamal (who have a game in hand) and Al Gharafa, who are in action today. Al Rayyan consolidated fourth place with 31 points, Al Arabi moved into fifth with 28 points, and Al Duhail are level with Qatar SC on 27 points. Lihadji seals victory for Al Arabi At Khalifa International Stadium, Al Arabi’s Pablo Sarabia struck the left post early, while Al Sadd thought they had taken the lead in the 17th minute when Rafa Mujica scored from Akram Afif’s pass. The ball crossed the line despite a block from goalkeeper Jassim Adel, and the goal was initially confirmed by VAR. However, a further review showed that after his initial shot hit the crossbar, Afif had moved into an offside position before assisting Mujica, leading to the goal being ruled out. With the score still level, Al Sadd were reduced to 10 men in the 41st minute when Ahmed Suhail was sent off for bringing down Isaac Lihadji near the edge of the box as he attempted to latch onto a through pass. Boualem Khoukhi was also ruled offside before halftime after heading Akram Afif’s free kick into the net. Roberto Firmino finally handed Al Sadd the lead in the 54th minute, rising high to head another set-piece from Afif on the right. Al Arabi launched their fightback late in the game, with Sarabia equalising in the 82nd minute, followed by Lihadji scoring a clinical header six minutes later to seal win. Al Duhail’s brilliance against Al Shamal Meanwhile, Al Shamal dominated the early stages against Al Duhail at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium but had to wait 40 minutes to break the deadlock, despite coming close on several occasions. Bounedjah finally handed them the lead, converting a close-range rebound after Salah Zakaria had saved Alex Collado’s initial attempt. Edmilson Junior brought Al Duhail back on level terms in the 51st minute, firing a powerful strike from the right side into the far top corner. Two late goals completed a remarkable comeback for Al Duhail, with Boulbina scoring in the 90th minute and Piatek netting in the sixth minute of stoppage time to seal a thrilling victory. Al Rayyan’s turnaround against Al Wakrah At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Abdurisag’s overhead hit put Al Wakrah in front against Al Rayyan in 29th minute. Gerard Sancho set up the goal storming from the right flank to send a lob to Aissa Laidouni, whose headed pass was brilliantly finished by Abdurisag. Al Rayyan fought back in the second and after having a penalty decision ruled out they leveled the score in 69th minute. Gregore unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box from Aleksandar Mitrovic’s assist that landed in the net despite taking a defender’s deflection. Guedes completed Al Rayyan’s comeback heading the ball with five minutes left. Meanwhile, Al Gharafa face Al Ahli today and are looking to bounce back after a defeat to Qatar SC. Coach Pedro Martins

Football

London: Paris Saint-Germain snuffed out any chance of a Chelsea comeback with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia among the scorers in a clinical 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge yesterday which took the holders through to the Champions League quarter-finals 8-2 on aggregate. The Georgian's early opener was soon followed by a brilliant Bradley Barcola strike, quickly ending Chelsea's hopes of turning around their 5-2 deficit from the first leg of the last 16 tie last week. Substitute Senny Mayulu then fired in PSG's third in the second half, as Luis Enrique's men march on to a last-eight tie next month against either Liverpool or Galatasaray -- the Turkish side go to Anfield with a 1-0 first-leg advantage on Wednesday. PSG's dream of retaining the Champions League title remains very much alive, a year after winning the trophy for the first time in their history. The Qatar-backed side's comprehensive victory in this tie gives them revenge for their loss to the Blues in last July's Club World Cup final, and indicates that they might be finding their very best form again at just the right time. This was their fourth win in a two-legged knockout tie against Premier League opposition since the start of last year, but while that record is impressive, Chelsea looked a long way short of the level required in Europe's elite club competition. Liam Rosenior's team never really appeared to believe they could come back from their collapse six days ago at the Parc des Princes, when they conceded three late goals to go from 2-2 to 5-2 down.