Sports

AMMAN — An impressive 1-1 draw with Australia was not enough for Jordan to stay in the AFC Asian U-19 Cup taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

Robert Flick gave Australia the 10th minute lead before Omar Bani Hani levelled for Jordan 14 minutes from time.

However, Jordan missed out after an earlier 3-1 defeat to South Korea, despite a 2-1 win over Vietnam in the group stage.

Australia and South Korea qualified to the quarter-finals.

AMMAN — Jordan’s contingent to the Invictus Games — the only international sporting event for wounded, injured and ill veteran and active service personnel — returned home on Monday with a haul of nine medals and an impressive performance.

Jordan joined over 500 athletes at the competition in Sydney, Australia, and competed in athletics, sitting volleyball, indoor rowing and weightlifting with a total of 17 athletes, including two women from the Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers.

Amany Abdelrahman won two gold medals in the athletics 100m and indoor rowing, likewise, teammate Ahmad Barahmeh added two gold medals in athletics 100m and lightweight power lifting. 

Hayel Al Mahakim won three medals: two silvers in athletics 100m and 200m and bronze in the 400m; Iyad Mestarehi won gold in the long jump and Odai Shatnawi won silver in discus.

The games, founded by Prince Harry of Britain in 2014, underline the positive impact sport could have on the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women. The word “Invictus” , Latin for “unconquered” embodies the fighting spirit of those servicemen and women and highlights the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding of and respect for those who serve their country. 

The inaugural Invictus Games was held in London in 2014 and was attended by over 400 competitors from 13 nations. In 2016, Florida hosted the second Invictus Games with 485 competitors from 14 nations taking part. In 2017, Toronto hosted 540 competitors from 17 nations. The fourth edition hosted 18 countries in Sydney, from October 20-27. The next edition will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands in May 2020. 

BARCELONA  — As Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui prepares for his first ‘Clasico’ against Barcelona on Sunday, he will be wary that it could also be his last unless his side leave the Nou Camp with all three points.

Here are five reasons why the man sacked as Spain coach in June, when he negotiated a move to Real without informing his employers at the national federation, is on the brink of losing a second job in less than five months.

No-one filling void left by Ronaldo

Lopetegui drew the short straw in not only following Zinedine Zidane, who led the team to a hat-trick of Champions League triumphs, but also by becoming the first Real coach of the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era.

Real initially looked like a more cohesive unit without Ronaldo. There were early signs that Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio would take on more goal-scoring responsibilities.

But as Real went over eight hours without scoring, they were soon missing the presence of Ronaldo, who plundered 451 goals across nine seasons.

Wastefulness in attack, carelessness at the back

Lopetegui has repeatedly said that his side’s problems stem from not converting chances rather than not creating them and statistics back him up. 

Real fired 23 shots at goal in the 1-0 defeat at CSKA Moscow and clanged the post twice. In last week’s 2-1 defeat by Levante, Real had 33 shots, hit the woodwork three times and had a goal ruled out by the video assistant referee.

That wastefulness has been compounded by slack defending, such as conceding five times in the opening 20 minutes of games in all competitions. 

Lack of winning pedigree

Lopetegui is not the only Real coach to oversee a difficult period. Zidane had real problems in the league last season which led to his side finishing 17 points behind champions Barcelona.

But while the Frenchman won many trophies with Real as a player and then as coach, the Spaniard has never lifted a major trophy as a manager.

Physical problems

The coach has also been dealt a tough hand with injuries, from Isco missing a month due to appendicitis to Bale’s fitness problems returning. First-choice full backs Marcelo and Dani Carvajal have also spent long periods out of action.

According to reports in the Spanish media, the club hierarchy do not view these injuries as mere mishaps. “Directors highlight that the physical state of many players leaves a lot to be desired,” said newspaper ABC. 

“While the group has suffered injuries that have put the brakes on their progress, the hierarchy believe many players who have not been injured are not performing as they should be.”

Fiercer competition

Real may be languishing in seventh place in the standings but they are far from alone in struggling to find their feet in a wide-open, highly competitive La Liga campaign.

Barcelona suffered a freak 2-1 defeat by Leganes and went four games without a league win, while Atletico Madrid have failed to win over half of their games. Valencia, who finished fourth last season, have picked up only one victory.

The strife of other clubs is little consolation to 33-times league champions Real, who have dispensed with coaches days after winning league titles and European Cups.

AMMAN — The final round of the Jordan Drift Championship was postposed on Friday until November 9, and the 4x4 Challenge was also moved to November 16 due to the tragic deaths from flash floods in the Dead Sea area on Thursday, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service.

AMMAN  — Jordan dropped two spots to 112th when the latest FIFA Rankings were issued over weekend as the team starts the countdown to the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.

The latest drop comes after Jordan played two friendlies in the past ten days week holding Albania 0-0 and losing 2-1 to World Cup runner-up Croatia. Although the team cannot afford to lose time, it is now in a transitional phase after head coach Jamal Abu Abed was relieved of his duty by the Jordan Football Association as squad’s competitive form looked doubtful following a 0-0 tie with Oman and a 1-0 defeat to Lebanon.

Now, the squad is slated to play India on November 17, Saudi Arabia on November 20 within an internal camp before it leaves to Doha to hold a training camp in which it will play Kyrgyzstan on December 20, Qatar on December 24 and China on December 28 in the final phase of preparations.

While the team’s path to the Asian Championship was not difficult against relatively unknown teams in the continent, the Asian Cup is a different story. Jordan will play in Group B alongside Australia on January 6, Syria on January 10 and Palestine on January 15, as 24 teams will play in 6 groups with the top two from each group and four third placed teams advance to the Round of 16. 

The Kingdom’s competitive edge is lacking and judging by FIFA rankings it seems there will be a tough task ahead. Once among the Asia top 10, Jordan is now 19th in the continent trailing Iran (30), Australia (42), Japan (50), South Korea (53), Saudi Arabia (72), Syria (74), China (75), the UAE (81), Lebanon (82), Oman (84), Iraq (89), Kyrgyzstan (90), Uzbekistan (94), Qatar (96), India (97), Palestine (99) Vietnam (102) and North Korea (110). Tunisia is the top-ranked Arab team in the 22nd spot, followed by Morocco (47), Egypt (58), Algeria (67), Saudi Arabia (72). 

Belgium is now leading the world’s top 10 with the World Cup champ France second, followed by Brazil, Croatia, England, Uruguay, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark. 

Jordan ended 2017 at 107th — a position they did not better throughout last year.

AMMAN — The U-19 women’s team plays the host Vietnam on Sunday in their third match in Round 1 qualifiers for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship. 

Jordan now shares Group E lead with Vietnam after it beat Singapore 8-0 and Malaysia 2-1. Vietnam leads the group on points after it beat Malaysia 2-1 and Singapore 11-0.

A total of 27 teams are playing in six groups with group winners and top two second placed teams moving to Round 2 set for April 2019, where the teams will play in two groups with the group winner and runner up advancing to join Japan, North Korea, China in the final.

Earlier this week, the men’s U-19 national team was eliminated from Round 1 of the AFC U-19 Championship in Indonesia.

Jordan finished third in Group C after it beat Vietnam 2-1, lost to South Korea 3-1 and held Australia 1-1. A total of 16 teams competed in four groups with Thailand, Qatar, Indonesia, Japan, Tajikistan, Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia making it to the quarterfinals starting on Sunday. The eventual semifinalists will advance to the FIFA U-19 World Cup.

Jordan was hoping to advance in the Asian event after it failed to qualify to the championships in 2014 and 2016. It was the fifth time for Jordan at the championship with the best showing when it finished fourth in 2006 and advanced to the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. Jordan exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. 

Other than the women’s U-19 team, there is the women’s senior team left in Asian competitions. They will play the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers set for November 4 where Jordan will compete in Group D alongside the Maldives, Palestine and Indonesia.

LIVERPOOL — Mohamed Salah put aside any lingering doubts about his scoring form with two goals in Liverpool’s 4-0 Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday, becoming the fastest player to score 50 goals for he club.

Salah’s confident finish after a clever pass from the excellent Xherdan Shaqiri put Liverpool 2-0 up and the Egyptian added his second from the penalty spot after the break.

That makes it six goals in 13 games for the former AS Roma forward and also took him to the milestone of 50 goals for the club.

Salah reached his half-century quicker than any Liverpool player in history, achieving the feat in 65 games — 12 faster than the previous record holder Albert Stubbins in the 1940s.

“It’s a great record and I’m very proud. I just want to keep scoring and keep helping the team win games.

“The way we play and the system has been different but we know our qualities and we are happy with each other,” he said, referring to the front trio with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

While Liverpool have made a positive start to the season, Salah and his fellow attackers have not been quite as devastating in front of goal as last season.

The Egyptian’s run of four games without a goal had some wondering if he was capable of getting close to a repetition of his 44 goals in all competitions last season.

Coach Juergen Klopp said he hoped that such talk would now end.

“It’s good that we can maybe stop talking about that, that helps a little bit. I’m not in doubt, he was not in doubt, but if you constantly ask about it, then it’s like something obviously is wrong,” said the German.

“He shouldn’t constantly think about how can I score again? It happens. If you work hard, are in the right spaces, if your team mates see you and you make the right runs, you will score. It’s an exceptional number, hopefully he can continue. What’s the next record he can reach?” he said with a grin.

Klopp said he was sure that Salah would acknowledge the important role of the team’s providers.

“I think he would say thanks to his team mates, its quite difficult to score goals without these wonderful passes, crosses,” said Klopp.

“The first goal he scored was a genius little linkup play by Shaq [Xherdan Shaqiri].”

Swiss international Shaqiri, a close-season signing from relegated Stoke City, was seen by many as a squad player, but he is showing the kind of creativity allied with work-rate that could earn him more playing time than expected.

Shaqiri, a Kosovo-Albanian, caused controversy during the World Cup with an eagle gesture goal celebration against Serbia.

The smattering of Red Star fans at Anfield, defying the UEFA ban on the club’s travelling support, jeered the midfielder whenever he touched the ball and a much more hostile reception would be likely for him in the return game on November 6.

Klopp, asked if he was considering whether or not to take Shaqiri to the Serbian capital, said: “So far, I didn’t think about it, to be honest. It makes sense that I first think before I speak.”

AMMAN — The 2018 Jordan Drift Championship is set for a dramatic fifth and final round on Friday in the hotels area at the Dead Sea, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service.

A bumper field is expected with championship leader Mohammed Al Foqahaa hoping to land the title. Foqahaa has not managed to win a round this season, but has occupied one of the top four places at each of the four rounds in his BMW E30 to hold a nine-point advantage from the Nissan Silvia of Ahmad Al Jabali, who was a Round 3 winner.

Raafat Haroun and Omar Al Kukhun, in third and fourth respectively, will be looking to capitalise on any slips that could be made by the top two to try and improve their final championship placing.

Round Four winner, Abdullah Abu Hussein, is the top seed this weekend and currently sits fifth in the overall standings. A total of 35 drivers are entered, including several from Palestine and Egypt. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) has signed a sponsorship agreement with Samsung Electronics Levant, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. The agreement ceremony, held at the Olympic Preparations Centre in Amman, was attended by JOC Secretary General Nasser Majali, and Muhannad Al Nabulsi, head of Legal and Compliance with the company.

Majali heralded the agreement as one that will make a positive impact on sport in Jordan and praised Samsung for their continued support of important causes within Kingdom.

AMMAN — The Jordan Triathlon Union will host the Asian and West Asian Triathlon in Ayla, Aqaba, on Saturday, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The organising committee has completed its preparations to welcome over 150 triathletes from 35 countries who will compete across a number of different categories.

The action gets under way on Saturday morning with Elite, U-23, Duathlon, Mixed Triathlon, as well as, two age group titles up for grabs.