Sports

PARIS — A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona booked their place in the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday by crushing a desperate Borussia Dortmund 3-1, while RB Leipzig made the last 16 for the first time with an incredible stoppage time comeback.

Lucien Favre’s position as Dortmund coach looks increasingly in peril following the thumping at the Camp Nou, orchestrated by a sensational Messi, that ensured Barca’s progress to the last 16 as Group F winners and leaves the Germans in danger of not qualifying.

The Argentine scored one and set up the other two for Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann to inflict a punishing defeat on Dortmund and move up to 11 points, four ahead of the Germans and Inter Milan, who won 3-1 at Slavia Prague.

Messi got the ball rolling with a neat pass which allowed Suarez to open the scoring in the 29th minute, before the Uruguayan returned the favour four minutes later to lay on Messi for his 613th Barca goal on his 700th appearance.

Messi, who has scored 10 times in his last nine games, was also at the heart of the goal which extinguished Dortmund’s hopes of a result in the 67th minute, slipping a wonderful through ball for Griezmann that the Frenchman could happily stroke first time past Roman Burki.

Dortmund slip down to third behind Antonio Conte’s Inter side, who roared to a fine win which keeps alive their hopes of a place in the next round.

Romelu Lukaku’s first Champions League goal for Inter and a Lautaro Martinez double saw off a spirited Slavia side that had levelled in the 37th minute through a VAR-awarded Tomas Soucek penalty after Lukaku thought he had doubled his side’s lead.

Lukaku had another strike ruled out for offside by VAR in the dying moments, but it made no difference to the result and now a win over Barca at the San Siro next month will guarantee them a place in the last 16.

Leipzig made the knockout stages in dramatic style after Emil Forsberg fired them back from two goals down in the final minute to draw 2-2 with Benfica.

The Germans needed a point to qualify but looked down and out as the match dragged towards added time, but Forsberg pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the 90th minute before hitting the leveller six minutes later, sparking wild celebrations.

“Reaching the knockout stages for the first time in the club’s history means that we’re doing the right things and moving in the right direction. I’m just so proud,” said Forsberg.

The draw gave Lyon a big let-off after they failed to snatch a knockout spot when they fell to 2-0 defeat at Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Rudi Garcia’s team looked in peril of not qualifying at all from Group G after the loss but Leipzig’s last gasp efforts mean they will go through with a win over the Bundesliga side on December 10.

Liverpool and Napoli were made to wait for their spots with a tense 1-1 draw at Anfield.

Dries Mertens opened the scoring with a sweetly struck opener midway through the first half, before Dejan Lovren’s header salvaged a point to keep the Reds top of Group E. 

However the European champions still need to get at least a point away to Salzburg next month to secure their passage into the last 16, while Napoli need a draw with bottom side Genk to claim their spot.

Ajax also need a point to go through thanks to a 2-0 win at Lille that featured the fastest goal of this year’s competition to open a two-point lead at the top of Group H.

Hakim Ziyech netted after 94 seconds at eliminated Lille with Quincy Promes hitting his fourth of the tournament on the hour mark.

Four-time European champions Ajax have 10 points from five games, two more than Valencia and Chelsea who fought out a hugely entertaining 2-2 draw in Spain earlier in the day.

Ajax host Valencia in their concluding fixture, while Chelsea welcome Lille to Stamford Bridge knowing a win would be enough to ensure their place in the draw.

WASHINGTON — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, playing together for only the fourth NBA game this season, powered the Los Angeles Clippers over the Dallas Mavericks 114-99 on Tuesday.

Leonard had 28 points and eight rebounds while George had 26 points and six steals as the Clippers improved to 13-5, two-and-a-half games behind the Western Conference leaders, the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It’s scary now. We’re getting this thing rolling,” George said. “We just want to hoop.”

The Clippers stretched their win streak to six games and so did the Denver Nuggets, who defeated visiting Washington 117-104 in the night’s only other league game.

Leonard, last season’s NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after leading Toronto to the league title, jumped to the Clippers in part because he wanted to play alongside George — and the dynamic duo showed what they could do after only a week together and healthy.

“Adding myself and Kawhi to the group, we sprinkled into the group,” George said. “We’ve got 50 [points] coming off the bench. We’ve got waves. It’s fun playing.”

George had been sidelined by shoulder surgery until mid-November, his return coming after Leonard was out with a knee bruise.

The Clippers, only 2-4 on the road, shut down the NBA’s top-scoring offence, holding Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic to 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Slovenian star was only 4-of-14 from the floor, 0-of-8 from 3-point range, and made seven turnovers under defensive pressure from Leonard and George much of the night.

“We have guys who love playing defence,” George said. “That’s what we hang our hat on.”

Dallas, 11-6, saw the end of a five-game win streak in which the Mavs had averaged nearly 130 points a game.

Lou Williams came off the Clippers bench to score 21 points, hitting 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, as the NBA’s top-scoring bench outscored the Dallas reserves 44-37.

George scored 17 points in the first quarter, hitting four 3-pointers, and the Clippers jumped ahead 34-27 after the opening period.

Leonard was 1-of-6 for two points in the first quarter, but made 5-of-7 in the second for 13 first-half points as the Clippers surged ahead 62-46 at half-time.

Doncic scored 15 first-half points thanks to an 11-for-11 performance at the free throw line, connecting on only 2-of-9 from the floor and going 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Clippers led 93-78 entering the fourth quarter and stayed in command to the finish.

At Denver, the Nuggets improved to 13-3 by thumping the Wizards.

Jermani Grant came off the bench to lead Denver with 20 points while Will Barton added 17, Jamal Murray added 16 and Nikola Jokic pulled down 20 rebounds.

Reserve guard Jordan McRae led Washington with 21 points.

MILAN — Napoli head for Liverpool on Wednesday for a Champions League which could prove crucial to coach Carlo Ancelotti’s future at the troubled Italian club.

The three-time Champions League winning coach’s second season at the Stadio San Paolo has proved to be a complicated one, after leading them to second in Serie A in his first year.

His team’s fortunes have waned after the high of opening their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over reigning European champions Liverpool, with dressing room unrest amid friction between the players and club management.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis ordered the team to be confined to a week-long training camp earlier this month after a 2-1 league defeat to rivals Roma saw them slip to seventh in Serie A.

But as Ancelotti voiced his disagreement with the lockdown, the players all returned home after a 1-1 draw against Salzburg three days later, which stalled their bid to reach the Champions League last 16.

“The relationship between the president and I is excellent and nothing changes,” Ancelotti had insisted after saying he disagreed with the “ritiro” or training camp. 

Film mogul De Laurentiis threatened to sell the entire squad and take legal action against the players after the dressing room revolt.

And the sanctions began to fall this week amid reports on Monday the players would receive hefty fines for breaking the lockdown.

Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that players’ salaries for the month of November — apart from those out injured at the time — will be cut by a quarter.

Brazilian Allan, who had an argument with Edoardo De Laurentiis, son of the Napoli president, will see his salary slashed by half, or 200,000 euros ($220,000).

In total, players’ salaries will be cut by 2.5 million euros ($2.7 million).

The club have also imposed a media silence with Ancelotti and the players refusing to speak after Saturday’s 1-1 draw against AC Milan extended their winless run to six games in all competitions, and left them 15 points behind Serie A leaders Juventus, out of the European places.

However, under UEFA rules Ancelotti will be obliged to speak during a news conference at Anfield on the eve of the match, with Napoli confirming that he will be present.

“We are not satisfied with the performance and the ranking, but it is also true that we deserved more points and more luck in various games,” Ancelotti said earlier this month 

“The situation must be considered with a cool head.”

Ex-Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, meanwhile, was seen in the stands at San Siro on Saturday, fuelling speculation he could be waiting in the wings.

Napoli are still on course to qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds as they are second in Group E behind Liverpool, four points ahead of third-placed Salzburg with two games to play.

They will reach the last 16 if they beat Liverpool or if Salzburg do not beat Genk, having failed to advance past the group stages last season. 

But they come up against a Liverpool side who have an eight-point advantage on top of the Premier League table and whose only loss this season came at the San Paolo.

To add to their problems Napoli will be without captain Lorenzo Insigne, who hurt his elbow in Saturday’s match.

The Italian forward has scored five times for Napoli this campaign, and also scored the last gasp winner against Liverpool in last season’s 1-0 group stage victory in Naples.

Forward Arkadiusz Milik has an abdominal inflammation, joining an injury list which already includes defensive duo Kevin Malcuit and Faouzi Ghoulam.

But Portuguese full-back Mario Rui and Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz, absent against Milan, have been named in the squad.

Ancelotti arrived in Naples boasting three Champions League trophies from his time with Milan and Real Madrid, and a Premier League trophy from his two-year tenure at Chelsea.

But their hopes of ending Juventus’ domestic domination have faded along with their hopes of a first Serie A title since the days of Diego Maradona, who also helped them win their only European trophy — the 1989 UEFA Cup.

DORTMUND, Germany — Borussia Dortmund hope goal-scoring defender Achraf Hakimi will again be their Champions League “weapon” to shoot down Barcelona on Wednesday and relieve pressure on under-fire coach Lucien Favre.

With two group games left, a last 16 place is still firmly in the hands of the Germans, who sit a point behind pool leaders Barcelona, thanks to Hakimi’s two goals in a stunning 3-2 home win over Inter Milan three weeks ago.

However, dreadful Bundesliga results in the meantime leave Favre needing a good performance in Barcelona to safeguard his job, putting the onus on Madrid-born Hakimi and his teammates to turn things around at Barcelona’s Camp Nou.

Hakimi, who joined on loan from Real Madrid in July 2018, has been a regular starter under Favre at Dortmund. He has scored nine goals and set up 10 more in 47 matches, as either a full-back on either flank or even up front as a winger. 

He has scored four of Dortmund’s five Champions League goals, dazzling by scoring twice out of position on the left wing in October’s 2-0 win at Slavia Prague, where club captain Marco Reus described him as “a weapon” in Dortmund’s attacking armour.

“He’s incredibly fast. From that point of view, he’s always a weapon,” said Reus. 

Having proved his versatility in Prague, Hakimi celebrated his 21st birthday with another two goals — this time from full-back — in the come-back win over Inter as Dortmund came from two goals down.

“Hakimi was everywhere,” said Favre.

“Hats off to him: he scored twice, but the others fed [passes into him] well too.”

Hakimi is relishing the freedom in the second of his two seasons on loan from Real, where he made barely a dozen appearances. 

“Sometimes you have to have experiences like this to get where you want to be,” he told Spanish newspaper AS. 

“That meant coming to Germany and I have to say it’s been great.

“I’m a better player and am getting regular football.

“That confidence is what allows you to express yourself and play with freedom. I’m now a different Achraf.”

The Morocco international is at his best using his pace and strength to power through defenders.

Much like the team around him, Hakimi has creases to smooth in his defensive game. He is too often caught out of position when opponents counter attack.

Since the high of the home win over Inter, the wheels have threatened to come off Dortmund’s season.

A 4-0 thrashing at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago was followed by a woeful display last Friday at home to Bundesliga bottom side Paderborn, as Dortmund had to come from three goals down to salvage a 3-3 draw.

“We go to Barcelona with Lucien Favre and expect a much better performance,” sports director Michael Zorc said tersely on Saturday.

The Dortmund squad were jeered and whistled, amid cries of “shame on you!” at Sunday’s annual general meeting.

With Dortmund trailing 3-0 at home, Hakimi was one of Favre’s three half-time changes against Paderborn.

He made an immediate impact by setting up England winger Jadon Sancho, who pulled one back before further goals by Axel Witsel, then Reus just before the final whistle, salvaged a point.

Hakimi and his teammates must bring a breath of fresh air to Dortmund’s stale season.

LONDON — Tottenham turned to Jose Mourinho to try and maintain their status as a Champions League club, but a terrible start to the Premier League season leaves the Portuguese with a mountain to climb either domestically or in Europe.

Mourinho’s appointment was not a universally popular one with the Spurs’ support given his past as a two-time Chelsea manager.

He managed to make the right first impression by securing Tottenham’s first away win in the Premier League since January with a 3-2 victory at West Ham on Saturday that was far more comprehensive that the scoreline suggested.

A vital three points cut the gap between Mourinho’s men and the top four to nine points, but strong starts from Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester City and Chelsea mean one of them will have to falter significantly in the coming months to open the door to Spurs.

The fact that Mourinho’s deal signed last week reportedly contains a £2 million bonus for making the top four is an illustration of how tough a task it will be.

Could winning the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history actually be Spurs’ best way to secure the riches and prestige of Europe’s premier club competition for a fifth consecutive season?

Under Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked after five-and-a-half years in charge last week, Tottenham improved each year in Europe and last season fell just one hurdle short after a dramatic run to Champions League final.

Despite their dreadful domestic form and a 7-2 thrashing at home to Bayern Munich last month, Pochettino left with his side well-placed to reach the last 16 once more.

Victory over Olympiakos in Mourinho’s home debut on Tuesday will secure their passage into the knockout stages.

“I think we can go and win that match at home and qualify in the Champions League,” said Mourinho, who has a proud record of always qualifying from the Champions League group stages in spells as Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

A rejuvenated Spurs could certainly cause problems for some of Europe’s more fancied sides come the new year as they showed in shocking City and Ajax on their way to last season’s final.

Negative approach

Mourinho labelled himself “humble” on his return to management after 11 months out of the game last week, but was quick to point out in his first media briefing that, unlike Tottenham, he had never lost a Champions League final.

He has lifted the trophy twice, with Porto and Inter, but the second of those successes came 10 seasons ago and there are questions over whether he is still the man to deliver Champions League glory.

The 56-year-old has failed to win a single knockout tie in the Champions League over the past five years.

The nadir of that run came when the negative approach that has often characterised Mourinho’s sides came undone for Manchester United against Sevilla in the last 16 of the 2017/18 season.

That style contrasts sharply with the thrilling comebacks away from home that carried Spurs to the final in June as they scored three times in Manchester and Amsterdam.

“Before teams just defended and used the counter-attack, now most of the teams have the courage to play,” said City manager Pep Guardiola, after seeing a fearless Chelsea under Frank Lampard go to the Etihad and have secure more possession than the English champions on Saturday.

“Young managers, they have nothing to lose, go forward and that’s why the football is nice.”

Attack has tended to beat defence in the latter stages in recent years with attack-minded Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool the only sides to lift the Champions League in the past seven seasons.

Spurs could not have chosen a more different approach. Now they have to see if Mourinho is still capable of Champions League miracles.

MILAN — Gonzalo Higuain grabbed a second-half brace to fire Juventus to a 3-1 win at Atalanta that kept the champions top of Serie A on Saturday, despite Inter Milan’s comfortable 3-0 win at Torino that kept them in touch with the leaders.

Maurizio Sarri’s Juve left it late to seal victory in Bergamo after Robin Gosens had nodded Atalanta ahead after 56 minutes.

But Higuain hit back with two goals in eight minutes before Paulo Dybala marked his 200th Serie A appearance with the third goal one minute into injury time.

Juve stay one point ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, who outplayed Torino in torrential rain in Turin, as Atalanta drop to sixth place after their fourth league game without a win.

“We suffered, but in the final 20 minutes we gave everything we had to bring the win home,” said Sarri.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed the trip despite his four-goal spree for Portugal as he recovers from a knee problem ahead of Juve’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.

“I hope Cristiano will be back for the Champions League on Tuesday,” said Sarri.

“We’re solving this knee problem that has been bothering him for a while. Playing with a hint of pain will tire you out psychologically.

“So far he has trained in the right way, so as not to overload his knee.”

Higuain pulled Juventus level after 74 minutes with a ball that took a deflection off Rafael Toloi to beat Pierluigi Gollini in the Atalanta goal.

The Argentine completed his double when he picked up a cross from Juan Cuadrado, who had put his hand on the ball during a sliding tackle at the start of the move.

Then Dybala broke through the Atalanta defence to score his fourth Serie A goal this season.

“It was a great test of maturity in a difficult field, three fundamental points for the championship,” said Higuain. 

Atalanta had their chances, with Musa Barrow missing an early penalty as the Bergamo side chased their first Serie A win over Juventus since February 2001.

The 21-year-old Gambian rattled the crossbar after 17 minutes after a spot-kick was awarded for a Sami Khedira handball.

“Atalanta had perhaps their best performance this season and deserved to win, until that unlucky equaliser. That was the turning point,” said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

In Turin, Inter Milan earned their first win in three years over Torino despite difficult conditions with the game starting 10 minutes late because of heavy rainfall in northern Italy.

Torino captain and Italy forward Andrea Belotti went off after 10 minutes after falling on the water-logged pitch, while Nicolo Barella was forced off a soaked pitch with a knee injury in the final minutes of the first half.

Barella said he “felt the knee go click” and Inter later said the Italy international had suffered a sprained knee and would need further tests.

“I hope it’s nothing serious because he’s he’s a warrior, an important player for us,” said coach Antonio Conte. 

A minute after Belotti’s departure Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring, before Stefan de Vrij volleyed in a Cristiano Biraghi cross just after the half an hour mark.

Romelu Lukaku hit his 10th league goal of the campaign in the 55th minutes as Inter hammered home their title credentials.

“I’m happy above all for the lads who are getting big results,” said Conte, “but the thing that makes me happiest is that we didn’t concede today.”

LONDON — Jose Mourinho delivered Tottenham’s first away win in the Premier League since January in his first game in charge with a 3-2 win at West Ham to catapult Spurs up to sixth.

Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Harry Kane got the goals as Mourinho made an instant impact after replacing the sacked Mauricio Pochettino on Wednesday.

A much-needed three points will help to endear Mourinho to a sceptical Spurs support who were sad to see Pochettino’s five-and-a-half year spell in charge of the club end just six months after leading the club to a first ever Champions League final.

There was no love lost between Mourinho’s Chelsea sides and Tottenham in the past, but his arrival had the desired impact for Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy, even if a West Ham team devoid of confidence made for perfect opponents.

Mourinho followed Pochettino’s example in leaving out Christan Eriksen with the Dane one of a number of Spurs players into the final months of his contract and showing no signs of agreeing a new deal.

“We have to make the right decision for the club,” Mourinho said on Eriksen’s future before kick-off, but his decision to field a front four of Dele Alli with Son, Moura and Kane worked.

Kane had smashed the ball past beleaguered West Ham goalkeeper Roberto after just three minutes from Alli’s pass but was denied by the offside flag.

An injury to first-choice stopper Lukasz Fabianski has coincided with a run of eight games without a win for West Ham with a string of errors from Roberto spreading a lack of confidence throughout the team.

The Spaniard could have done better when Tottenham did open the scoring nine minutes before half-time when another through ball from Alli found Son, whose shot had too much power for the hapless ‘keeper.

However, Roberto was blameless for Spurs’ second seven minutes later when a lovely flick from Alli sent Son racing down the left and his inch-perfect cross was met by Moura at the back post.

The same two players should have combined for the visitors’ third just two minutes into the second half when Son sent Moura clean through on goal, but the Brazilian dragged his shot wide to the despair of Mourinho, who sank to his knees on the touchline.

Tottenham’s celebrations were only put on hold for another two minutes as Serge Aurier’s cross picked out Kane to head home and become the third highest goalscorer in Spurs’ history with 175.

The England captain was furious at himself for not adding another on the hour mark as he dallied with just Roberto to beat and was dispossessed by a last-ditch challenge from Issa Diop.

Michail Antonio pulled a goal back for the hosts 17 minutes from time, but by the time Angelo Ogbonna scored West Ham’s second six minutes into stoppage time it was too little, too late.

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini now waits to see if he faces a similar fate to Pochettino.

The Hammers were expected to challenge for European qualification in the Chilean’s second season, but instead are 16th and in danger of falling even closer towards the relegation zone by the end of the weekend.

PARIS — Neymar made his latest comeback from injury for Paris Saint-Germain on Friday as first-half goals by Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria saw the Ligue 1 leaders ease to a 2-0 win over Lille at the Parc des Princes.

The in-form Icardi opened the scoring from close range in the 17th minute with his 10th goal in PSG’s last nine games, and Di Maria doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark.

Despite not being near their best, Thomas Tuchel’s side were too strong for the team who finished runners-up behind them last season.

After just 14 games, PSG are 11 points clear of second-placed Marseille, who play on Sunday.

Neymar had not played for his club since October 5, having suffered a hamstring injury playing for Brazil against Nigeria a week later.

It was just the latest spell on the sidelines for the world’s most expensive player, who has featured in barely half of PSG’s matches since signing from Barcelona in 2017.

His decision to fly to Madrid to take in the Davis Cup tennis this week did not go down well with Tuchel, but the German coach still handed Neymar a start here.

On just his sixth appearance of the campaign, Neymar lasted 65 minutes before being replaced by Kylian Mbappe, who had been struggling with illness in recent days.

“I didn’t expect too much from him because he has been out for six weeks. He lacked precision and his usual sense of timing but that is how it is,” said Tuchel of Neymar. 

Fresh for Real Madrid

The Brazilian only produced brief glimpses of his class and headed straight to the dressing room after being taken off, with some supporters jeering the 27-year-old as he departed.

“It’s normal, lots of players do that,” insisted Tuchel, dismissing any controversy.

“Others go to the bench, but I didn’t see it because I was focused on making changes on the field. There is no need to make a big thing about it.”

The main reason for Neymar’s withdrawal, however, will have been to keep him fresh for next Tuesday’s trip to Real Madrid when he will hope to make his first Champions League appearance this season.

Lille had beaten PSG 5-1 when the sides last met in April, but they came here on a run of just one win in nine and without an away victory since March.

They were without their top scorer, Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, due to suspension, and coach Christophe Galtier had been left reeling when two of his assistants — Portuguese duo Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos — left 48 hours before this game to team up with Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur.

They still almost took a second-minute lead through Xeka, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Keylor Navas.

Instead it was PSG who went in front from their first chance, Icardi converting at the far post after Jose Fonte had failed to cut out Idrissa Gueye’s low centre.

Mike Maignan saved well from Gueye before the home side scored again in the 31st minute through another of their Argentine contingent.

Both Di Maria and Icardi had scored in PSG’s last game, a 2-1 win at Brest, and both were fresh here having not featured in the Argentina squad for their friendly matches against Brazil and Uruguay.

On form they surely deserve to be playing for their country, however.

Di Maria controlled Julian Draxler’s pass and beat Maignan to make it 2-0. That was the end of the scoring, although Draxler and substitute Edinson Cavani both squandered excellent second-half chances.

“They didn’t play for Argentina and that was good for us because it meant we were able to manage their workload and keep them fresh,” Tuchel said of his two goal-scorers.

“I’m delighted because they got their goals and worked hard for the team.”

AMMAN — Hamzeh Al Rasheed has followed up Yara Qaqish’s silver medal at the JJIF World Ju-Jitsu Championships, by winning another silver for Jordan in Abu Dhabi, UAE, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

Al Rasheed reached the final of the -77kg weight, losing to Ryeder Nimrod but earlier he beat Turkey’s Amir Al Roy, before beating Dian Faris from Morocco. In the quarterfinal he beat Adrian Georgine from the Philippines and booked his final spot by overcoming Canada’s Keshok Kiran.

AMMAN — Rafat Haroun confirmed his position as the Kingdom’s most consistent drift driver by clinching the 2019 National Championship at the Dead Sea on Friday, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service.

Having led the standings from the very first event, Haroun only needed to finish in the top 10 to confirm the title, and he did it in style by finishing fourth in his Toyota GT 86. It gave him 16 points and the title by an impressive 18-point margin. His closest championship rival, Mohammed Al Foqahaa, knew he needed to win and hope for a miracle to pip Haroun, and he performed well to finish third on the day, but will have to settle for runners-up in the season standings.

Organised by Jordan Motorsport and supported by Silverstone Tyres, the fifth and final round attracted a quality field with Abdullah Abu Hussein winning his first round of the season to jump up to third overall.

There was a new name on the podium with Yasser Al Helo announcing his arrival on the national stage by finishing a brilliant second on the day, showing that he could be a name to look out for next season.