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LONDON — Manchester City’s quest for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies remains intact after seeing off Everton 2-0 to reach the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday as Southampton also booked their place in the last four.

City were far from their flowing best at Goodison Park, but goals in the final six minutes from Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne booked City’s place in the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons.

Pep Guardiola described the clash as the toughest his side have had since November as they recorded a 25th win in 26 matches in all competitions.

“It was the toughest game since the last international break we had. We have been incredible in terms of results and performances [over that period],” said Guardiola.

“Tonight was so difficult, they have experienced players behind the ball with two up for the counter-attack.

“It was incredible commitment from my players. An incredible victory.”

City won the domestic treble of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup for the first time in English football history two seasons ago and are firm favourites to repeat that feat.

Guardiola’s men are 14 points clear at the top of the Premier League, face struggling Tottenham in the League Cup final next month and were drawn against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Friday.

Oleksandr Zinchenko cleared Everton defender Yerry Mina’s header off the line with the best effort either side mustered before half-time.

Joao Virginia started in goal for The Toffees for just the second time due to injuries to regular goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Robin Olsen.

However, the 21-year-old Portuguese stopper produced a brilliant save early in the second-half to prevent Raheem Sterling converting Fernandinho’s pinpoint low cross.

Guardiola was forced to introduce Riyad Mahrez and De Bruyne off the bench in the final quarter.

But it was Aymeric Laporte who opened Everton up as he broke forward from centre-back before Virginia brilliantly turned the Frenchman’s initial effort onto the crossbar.

Gundogan was following up, though, to head into an empty net and end the resistance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

De Bruyne then wrapped up the tie with a thundering finish in stoppage time as Everton appealed in vain for a high boot by Mahrez on Mina.

Chance to ‘write history’

Southampton cast aside their Premier League struggles to ease past Bournemouth 3-0 to reach the semifinals.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have slumped into the Premier League relegation battle after losing 10 of their last 12 top-flight matches.

But the Saints have been immune to those woes in the FA Cup and booked a place in the Wembley semifinals thanks to Nathan Redmond’s double after Moussa Djenepo’s opener.

While Premier League survival is the priority, Hasenhuttl insisted the FA Cup was a “big target” and he made just two changes against a Bournemouth team who sat seventh in the Championship.

“I’m definitely happy, not only for coming to the next round but also for seeing a performance from my team that was very lively and by far one of the better ones in the [recent] past,” said Hasenhuttl.

“I said in January that now is the time to take this chance because it’s always a good chance for a smaller club like we are to write history.”

In Sunday’s two quarter-finals, Manchester United travel to Leicester in a clash between the teams second and third in the Premier League, while Chelsea aim to continue Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start in charge at Stamford Bridge against managerless Sheffield United.

AMMAN — Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan took full advantage of his starting position for the final stage to snatch victory away from Dutch rival Erik van Loon at the Jordan Baja, according to the Jordan Baja Media Service.

A second outright win in the space of three weeks for the Mini John Cooper Works Rally driver also means that he extends his early season advantage in the Drivers’ Championship of the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, before the series heads into a three-month break before five European rounds between July and October.

Teams tackled a 235.82km stage through Wadi Rum and the surrounding deserts on the final morning and Van Loon set out to defend a 26-second lead, despite running first on the road and having the added burden of opening the track in terms of navigation. Rival Seaidan took full advantage and managed to close in on the Dutchman as the stage progressed and overhauled the Toyota Hilux driver to secure the win by 5min 24sec. 

“It was not easy but our performance became better than yesterday,” said the Saudi, who was partnered by Alexey Kuzmich. “We tried to be more safe today. Unfortunately, after 50km, we get a slow puncture and decided to continue to see what happened. 

“We are glad that we finished without changing the tyre. We overtook Van Loon after 54km and we continued in front of him. Then we made a mistake and he overtook us and then we came back again to him and we continued in front of him to the finish. I am leading the championship with two wins. I hope I keep it like this until we finish the season.”

“It was a tough day,” said Van Loon. “At the beginning it looked nice. We had to open and you cannot do the same speed as when you follow a car. No punctures and we drive safe to the finish but the last part of the stage was not nice, only stones and twisty and second gear. When we came here, I was delighted to come on to the podium and we are happy with second.”

Ronan Chabot was never troubled in the second of the Toyotas, and the Frenchman and fellow countryman Gilles Pillot cruised to the finish in third place. “It was a good stage, no puncture, quite beautiful country. We enjoyed it.”

Saleh Al Saif stormed into contention for the FIA T4 Championship with victory in his Can-Am Maverick X3. The Saudi had done all the hard work to gain a good lead on the first day and he stayed clear of trouble through the closing kilometres to seal the win.

“We had a comfortable margin thanks to yesterday’s result,” said the Saudi. “We benefitted from it today, as we did not push much. The layout is great. I thank Jordan Motorsport for the route and the precise road book.”

Kuwait’s Meshari Al Thefiri continued his title bid with second in T4 and fifth overall, Dubai-based Briton Thomas Bell came home in sixth and French veteran Claude Fournier maintained a reduced championship lead after finishing fourth in T4 and seventh overall. 

The fastest T4 time on the final day fell to Khalifa Saleh Al Attiyah, but fuel issues had ruined the Qatari’s chance of challenging for the win on Friday. He finished fifth in T4.

Saudi female driver Dania Akeel completed her second international event, with French navigator Stéphane Duplé on this occasion, and moved into a clear lead in the FIA T3 championship standings. She finished eighth overall. 

Various time penalties were imposed on several drivers and riders before the restart. They did not affect the overall standings in the FIA category but cost Abdullah Abu Aisheh more time in his duel with Mohammed Al Balooshi in the motorcycle section and the local rider began the final day trailing by 5min 24sec. 

The duo rode together for much of the final stage and Balooshi held on to secure the win on two wheels by 3min 47sec, but that was increased to 18min 47sec when his rival was handed a 15-minute penalty. The young Jordanian he has been coaching in the UAE confirmed second place and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulhalim Al Mogheera finished a distant third on this second round of the 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup. 

“It was a very tough stage, but I was leading by eight minutes and I just took it easy,” said Balooshi. “I was tired from yesterday. I guess I am still recovering from January’s Covid. I am not 100 per cent. I thought I was. I stayed behind Abdullah. He did a great job and we rode together. I could not ask for a better result. If he had not had the penalty, I would have had to attack a bit more. This was much more difficult that my last win here [2019].”

Runner-up Abu Aisheh added: “Today was a very hard stage, all rocks and gravel and no dunes or soft sand, only at the start for 40km. We did good, me and Balooshi, because he is my coach and my big brother. I was pushing all I have.”

Amit Sadot and Talat Al Shishane rounded off the top five. Local rider Zaid Jaber failed to restart after sustaining a back injury on Friday, as Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet won the Women’s award. 

Hani Al Noumesi stayed well ahead of Yamaha rival Faisal Al Suwayh to seal a second international success in a quad category in the space of three weeks. Haitham Al Tuwayjri failed to restart after his fuel feed issues on the opening day. 

The Saudi Arabian crew of Hamed Harbi and Waleed Al Shegawi cruised to an emphatic win in the Jordan National Baja. 

This year’s Jordan Baja was organised by Jordan Motorsport and received support from telecommunications provider Zain.

AMMAN — Yasir Seaidan has a superb opportunity to extend his early season advantage in the race for the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas title at this weekend’s Jordan Baja, according to the Jordan Baja Media Service.

The Saudi Arabian driver heads into Friday morning’s opening selective section through the stunningly beautiful Wadi Rum desert in southern Jordan with a 14-point advantage in the series standings over defending champion Vladimir Vasilyev and a 15-point lead over Saudi rival Yazeed Al Rajhi. 

With Vasilyev not travelling to the Red Sea city of Aqaba and Rajhi sidelined for several weeks — after cracking a vertebrae at the recent Sharqiyah International Baja — Seaidan and co-driver Alexey Kuzmich could storm into a useful series lead in their X-raid Mini John Cooper Works Rally after three back-to-back Middle Eastern rounds of the nine-round championship. 

“I’m leading the Baja World Championship after I won the Sharqiyah Baja and the goal is to win here in Jordan as well to make a big gap in the points to give myself a better chance to win the 2021 Baja World Championship,” said Seaidan. “I appreciate the organisers for the hard work and efforts to make this rally happen in this situation of lockdown because of corona virus.”

With Orlando Terranova unable to travel from Argentina because of restrictions, Seaidan’s closest rivals are likely to be the Overdrive Racing duo of Erik van Loon and Ronan Chabot in a pair of V8-engined Toyota Hiluxes. Both the Dutchman and the Frenchman arrived in Aqaba late on Wednesday afternoon. 

Van Loon will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing end to his recent outing in Saudi Arabia. He looked to have completed the event in fourth place with French co-driver Sébastien Delaunay, but a time penalty of 30 minutes was later imposed by rally officials and the Dutchman plummeted to seventh place. Overdrive Racing has since appealed against the penalty. 

“This is one of the most beautiful Bajas on the calendar, especially Wadi Rum,” said Van Loon. “It looks like Mars. But we are not coming to Jordan for that. Sébastien and I would like to show what we can do. We got a start number 201, so we will start second. We have competition from Seaidan, Chabot and some fast drivers from the Middle East. I can’t wait to get started.”

Meanwhile, three Saudi Arabian Yamaha riders will slug it out between themselves for honours in the quad category that runs behind the motorcycles and ahead of the main FIA cars.

Haitham Al Tuwayjri won the category at the Dubai International Baja and that success was one of the deciding factors in the 31-year-old Raptor rider’s decision to compete in Jordan and then in the third round of the FIM Bajas World Cup in Qatar in April.

“I am so happy to be competing in Baja Jordan for the first time,” said the Saudi, who current leads the quad class in the FIM Bajas World Cup. “It will be my second participation in an international race and the first visit to this country. But I know the location of the race from movies, Martian and Rogue One – A Star Wars Story. This landscape reminds me of terrain of Saudi Arabia, near Al Ula, where I participated in 2019 and finished P4 among UTVs.

“I also did two Bajas in the National Championship – Qassim and Riyadh – in a Can-Am X3 and finished in fourth position. I have a lot of experience on the quad and finished ninth in the Hail Cross-Country and won leg four. My goal is to take first place in the FIM Bajas World Cup in quad class.”

Tuwayjri lines up against recent Sharqiyah International Baja winner Hani Al Noumesi and fellow countryman Faisal Al Suwayh. The experienced Sultan Al Masoud and multiple Hail International Rally quad champion Abdulmajeed Al Khulaifi were non-starters. 

Cars, bikes and quads were flagged away from the ceremonial start in the Old Port in Aqaba on Thursday afternoon after several leading competitors had attended the pre-event press conference by the Red Sea. 

The event is receiving support from telecommunications provider Zain.

On Friday, competitors face two slightly revised selective sections of 210.72km and 112.99km through Wadi Rum, with the first motorcycle due on the opener at 8:40am and the leading FIA car following at 9:40am.

AMMAN — The Jordan Baja gets underway in Aqaba on Thursday evening and sees Jordan Motorsport hosting its first international motor sporting event since September 2019, according to a statement from the Jordan Baja Media Service.

Competitors from 15 nations will take part in the fourth round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, round two of the FIM Bajas World Cup and a National Baja running behind the two international status events. 

The FIA T4 category for modified production cross-country side-by-side (SxS) vehicles is one of the fastest growing categories in off-road rallying and five of the world’s leading protagonists in the category will line-up at the start of the Jordan Baja. 

Cars such as the Can-Am Maverick X3, Polaris RZR 1000 and the Yamaha YXZ 1000 R have given newcomers and more experienced drivers the perfect introduction to one of the most challenging forms of all-terrain motor sport. 

Events such as the Dakar Rally now offer two different SSV categories and the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas has its own championships for T4 drivers and teams. 

Frenchman Claude Fournier has taken part in the opening three rounds of the 2021 Baja series in Russia, Dubai and Saudi Arabia and arrives in Aqaba with a 19.5-point advantage over Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al Saif in the standings. He first took part in the Dakar Rally back in 1991 and won the rookie category. 

Fournier was victorious on the opening round and third and fourth places in the two Middle East events have given the Can-Am driver a solid foundation on which to build his title challenge with Polish co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk. 

“This is my first time in Jordan, as it was cancelled last year,” said Fournier, who has now retired from the family wine business that used to sell 2.5 million bottles per year. “I am told it is a very difficult challenge, particularly for the navigators, and it is also one where there is a lot of punctures due to rocks. 

“I have also been told by everyone that it is a very beautiful event, so I am really looking forward to seeing Wadi Rum. I am not expecting many dunes. 

“Of course, I hope to win, but I know it will be tough as the other drivers are very good. I am one of the oldest guys competing, at 69, but I am feeling fit and strong. I hope I can do well here to help me win the World Championship and also to set me up well for the five European events coming up next.”

Saif is, perhaps, the favourite on the T4 starting list in Aqaba after claiming maximum points at the recent round in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Technical issues meant that he could only collect points for fifth place in Dubai, but he delivered a terrific performance two weeks ago to finish third overall and first in T4. 

Saif said: “Jordan Baja means a lot to me, as I performed well in the candidate version and won the T3 title. I love the Rum Desert. It resembles some regions of Saudi Arabia, such as Al Ula and Tabuk, so I feel a familiarity with it and I also love this kind of terrain — sandy, rocky and wadis. 

“I got used to the Jordan Baja after two previous versions. My eyes are now on the category title. My position is strong after winning Al Sharqiyah Baja and advancing to second place in the T3 standings. My chances are strong in this rally. Our most prominent competitor will be Khalifa Saleh Al Attiyah. He is a big name and I am happy that he is one of the participants in Jordan, as it will increase the pace and the competition. I am trying to participate in all rounds and I hope to win the title before the season ends.”

Meshari Al Thefiri has been a regular visitor to Jordan to take part in the Dead Sea-based special stage round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and has a perfect opportunity to overhaul Saif and put the pressure on Fournier in the title race. 

The Kuwaiti will be taking part in the Jordan Baja for the first time at the wheel of the second of five South Racing-built Can-Ams on the entry list. He has already claimed a pair of second places on rounds two and three of the Baja series and teams up with Qatar’s Nasser Al Kuwari for the second time this season. 

“This is the fourth round of the Baja Championship and we are third overall and half a point behind Saleh Al Saif,” said Thefiri. “Our programme is to compete in all the rounds, finish the championship and try and be champions in T4. 

“I decided to do this championship because three rounds are in the Middle East, so I want to make the maximum out of it. This is also a plus for the drivers in the region to be able to take part in this championship. I am part of a strong team at South Racing and have been amazed at the level of professionalism, regarding the set-up, and the organisation. The car is bullet-proof and comes close to the factory cars in terms of performance and specification.”

Pavel Lebedev, Saeed Al Mouri and Laia Sanz have already scored points this season in T4, but none are present in Jordan. That leaves the door firmly open for Qatar’s Khalifa Saleh Al Attiyah to challenge for a podium finish. 

The brother of the illustrious Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah — a three-time Dakar Rally winner and 13-time Jordan Rally winner — has already finished ninth overall in the T4 section at the Dakar this year and secured victory at the second of the Ha’il Bajas last December. The Doha-based driver will be partnered by the experienced Frenchman Xavier Panseri for the first time. 

UAE-based Thomas Bell runs the car preparations company Sabertooth Motoring Adventure out of Autodrome Motor City in Dubai. He drives the fifth of the Can-Ams in Jordan alongside Spanish navigator Armand Monleón, the latter being a successful rally rider in his own right and the former winner of the China Grand Rally on a KTM. 

The duo tackled the recent Sharqiyah International Baja and set some competitive times before their T4 challenge came to an abrupt end on a treacherously muddy section of terrain near the coast. 

On Thursday, competitors will carry out their pre-event scrutineering and administration checks from 9am, after strict COVID-19 testing protocols were applied before individuals could gain access to the service park and rally headquarters. 

Several of the top drivers and riders will then meet the media at the pre-event press conference on the Aqaba start podium from 6:25pm, before the event gets underway from 7:39pm on Thursday evening.

Competitors will then tackle two challenging sections of 210.72km and 112.9km on Friday and a further 236.06km through the deserts to the north of Aqaba on Saturday.

MADRID — Atletico Madrid’s hopes of coming back against Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday may depend on Luis Suarez returning to form on his return to the country where he became one of the best in the world.

Atletico trail 1-0 after Olivier Giroud’s bicycle kick lit up an uneventful first game at the Wanda Metropolitano last month and handed Chelsea a crucial advantage heading into this week’s second leg. 

And if they are to reach the quarter-finals with another upset like the one that knocked out Liverpool last year, Atletico are likely to need Suarez back to his best at Stamford Bridge. 

The Uruguayan’s form has matched his team’s, with a slight downturn in recent weeks perhaps inevitable after such an impressive first half of the season. 

Suarez scored 16 goals in his first 21 games while Atletico lost only one of their first 20 in the league, when a first La Liga title since 2014 seemed firmly within their grasp. 

Yet, they have won only three of their last eight and Suarez has scored only twice in that time, even if those two goals have come in the last three, against Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. 

‘Natural-born striker’

Certainly, there can be no room for complacency for Chelsea, who know only too well the damage Suarez can do after his hugely successful four seasons for Liverpool, when he scored 82 goals in 133 appearances. 

“He is a natural-born striker,” said Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel before the first leg. “He has that certain mentality that only strikers have. This mentality to show his will, intensity and anger to score and score and score and is never satisfied. What a mentality, what a player.” 

Tuchel is such a fan he even tried to sign the 34-year-old for Paris Saint-Germain when it became clear he was on his way out of Barcelona last summer. 

“There was a possibility,” Tuchel said. “We heard the rumours he was about to leave Barcelona and who cannot be interested to sign one of the best strikers in world football, in history and the present? 

“We tried our luck. We did not make it, he chose to stay in Spain with Atletico and again he proves his quality.” 

Suarez has history with Chelsea too, after one of his three biting incidents happened while playing against them for Liverpool in 2013, with Branislav Ivanovic that time the victim. 

But without fans in the stadium and with a fresh crop of players, Chelsea will be focused completely on thwarting Suarez’s threat to their goal while the striker will be hoping to end his own six-year wait for a Champions League goal away from home. 

“For all the competitions, not just the Champions League, his presence gives us experience and leadership,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone last month. 

“He brings confidence to our team and a lot of tension for our opponents because history shows this is a player who has a gift around the goal.” 

Suarez’s 18 goals in 29 games this season means his switch to Atletico from Barcelona last summer has already been a triumph but there will be disappointment now if he does not end the season with a trophy. 

Despite their dip, Atletico remain four points ahead of Barca in La Liga and it might be that a defeat to Chelsea could help their La Liga ambitions, with the Catalans being knocked out of the Champions League last week by Paris Saint-Germain.

Suarez will not relent. “My way has always been to be competitive, always wanting to prove myself,” he said earlier this month. 

“To come to a team like Atletico that hasn’t won titles for a long time, to be able to win something is definitely one of the wishes I have.”