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AMMAN — Jordan’s U-19 squad left Amman for Doha on Saturday to play Qatar in a friendly ahead of the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship hosted by Indonesia as of October 17.

Jordan will play in Group C alongside Australia, South Korea and Vietnam, as 16 teams compete in four groups with the eventual semifinalists advancing to the FIFA U-19 World Cup.

This week, Jordan’s squad returned home from Saudi Arabia where they held a training camp drawing 2-2 and beating their hosts 1-0. 

Jordan had failed to qualify to the championships in 2014 and 2016 after earlier qualifying four times and reaching the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. Jordan finished fourth in 2006, but exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012.

So far three national team were eliminated from their respective Asian events. Playing at the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship, the team had a relatively easy Group B but bowed out in the first round after crashing out to Yemen 5-1 after holding Oman and North Korea 2-2.

Held once every two years for Asian U-16 teams, the competition serves as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. Iraq is the reigning champ.

Earlier, the U-16 women’s football squad was eliminated from Group A AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Round 1 qualifiers finishing second in the group. Jordan beat Guam 9-0 and Sri Lanka 7-0, held Uzbekistan 0-0 and crashed 9-0 to China.

In addition, Jordan’s U-23 men’s team was knocked out of the first round of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship which acts as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2016, Jordan reached the quarterfinals and in 2014 Jordan finished third.

Other than the men’s U-19, there are now two other national teams left in contention. The U-19 women’s squad has concluded a training camp in Iran in preparation for the AFC U-19 Championship Round 1 qualifiers set for October 20-28. A total of 27 teams will play in six groups with Jordan in Group E alongside Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, who replaced the Northern Mariana Islands.

The group winners and the top two second placed teams move to Round 2 set for April 2019 where the teams will play in two groups with the group winner and runner up advancing to the finals to join Japan, North Korea and China.

The women’s senior team will play the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in Group D alongside the Maldives, Palestine and Indonesia in  November.

AMMAN — Jazira maintained their lead atop the Jordan Professional Football League, which headed into a 10 day break as the national team regrouped to play two friendlies this week.

Jazira were eliminated from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup West Asia zone final when they lost on aggregate, losing to 1-0 and 3-1 to the Iraqi Air Force team, thus failing to reach the continent’s final. Faisali had lost earlier in the event’s semifinals. Previously Faisali won the AFC Cup twice and Shabab Urdun once.

Likewise Ramtha lost to Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive Du Sahel and were eliminated from the preliminary round of the Arab Club Champions Cup, losing 3-1 in both legs.

Last year, Faisali finished runner-up to Tunisia’s Tarajji in the Arab Club Champions Cup after an impressive performance which included two wins over Egyptian veterans Ahli. 

This year, league titleholders Wihdat will represent Jordan in the 2018/19 AFC Champions League. In 2017/18 edition, Faisali failed to reach the group stages of Asia’s elite club competition and settled to play the AFC Cup. Jordanian teams have never before made it past the ACL preliminary round. Wihdat were knocked out in 2017, 2016 and 2015, while Shabab Urdun were eliminated in 2014.

As the league halted, Jazira are top after beating That Ras 2-1. They are followed by Shabab Urdun in second spot after a 1-0 win overly last placed Sarih.

Faisali are third, six points behind the runner up with their only win was over Aqaba, while they drew in the rest of matches against relatively weaker teams.

Wihdat now have Qais Yacoubi of Tunisia as coach after the team’s inconsistent pulled them down to 8th in the standings. Their last goalless draw with Faisali followed a defeat to Shabab Urdun, after they lost to newcomers Salt 1-0 and drew 0-0 with lowly Sarih.

Salt held Ahli 1-1 to move up to fourth while Baqaa dropped to fifth after losing 1-0 to Ramtha who moved up to 7th. Hussein are 6th after beating Aqaba 1-0.

 The national team has regrouped to play Albania on October 10 and the World Cup runner-up Croatia on October 15 as they gear up for the 2019 Asian Cup. Jordan’s coach Jamal Abu Abed has been relieved of his duty by the Jordan Football Association after the team only managed a 0-0 tie with Oman and earlier lost to Lebanon 1-0.

Amman — Omar Abu-Rouss broke the Jordan junior record at the 200-metre sprint event during the National Junior Clubs Championship on September 28, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

His time was 22.49 seconds, beating the previous record of 22.71s.

PARIS — Champions League holders Real Madrid slumped to a rare defeat in the competition as they went down 1-0 away to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday, while Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United misfired again in a 0-0 draw with Valencia.

While Bayern Munich were also held by Ajax, it was a happier evening for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as they beat Hoffenheim 2-1, and Juventus were also comfortable winners thanks to Paulo Dybala’s hat-trick.

Real were not expected to struggle in Group G as they look to continue their recent dominance of the Champions League, but Julen Lopetegui’s side went behind inside two minutes in Moscow following a mistake by Toni Kroos.

The German’s drilled backpass turned into a gift for Nikola Vlasic, and the winger on loan from Everton fired past Keylor Navas to put CSKA ahead.

Casemiro hit the post in the first half — one of three attempts that found the woodwork for the visitors — but Real were weakened by the absences of Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos, while Luka Modric started on the bench.

CSKA held on, despite having goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev sent off in injury time, and they move above Real to the top of Group G.

“I am sure we will soon be scoring again and winning again,” said Lopetegui, whose team have not found the net in three matches.

It was only Madrid’s third defeat in the Champions League group stage this decade, but Real will nevertheless expect to bounce back next against Czech champions Viktoria Plzen, who were crushed 5-0 by Roma.

Edin Dzeko scored a hat-trick for the Italian side, with Cengiz Under and Justin Kluivert also netting.

At Old Trafford, the pressure continued to build on Mourinho as United produced another insipid attacking display in their goalless stalemate with Valencia.

They are now four games without a win, and Mourinho’s decision to recall Alexis Sanchez — after dropping the Chilean for the weekend defeat at West Ham United — failed to pay off.

“Our attacking players aren’t in their best moments of confidence and individual level,” moaned Mourinho. “We thought with three or four chances we would score and win the game.”

Dybala shines in Ronaldo absence

Mourinho’s side are second in Group H, two points behind Juventus.

Juve eased to victory against 10-man Young Boys in Turin, with Dybala scoring a hat-trick to take centre stage in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was serving a one-game ban.

“We were without Cristiano, and at times it is easier with him in the side, but we have to be a great team both with and without him,” said Dybala.

Guardiola saw Manchester City come from behind to beat Hoffenheim in Germany in Group F.

David Silva scored three minutes from time to get the Premier League champions back on track after they started their campaign with a 2-1 home defeat against Lyon.

Ishak Belfodil had put Hoffenheim ahead after just 44 seconds, but Sergio Aguero equalised in the eighth minute before Silva’s late winner.

“This competition isn’t always a red carpet. Manchester City is a fantastic club, but we don’t have a history of having to fight and we fought for absolutely everything here,” said Guardiola.

“This is one of the happiest days I have had at this club as it will help us going forward.”

City next face Shakhtar Donetsk, who squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Lyon in France, in a game played behind closed doors.

Brazilian forward Junior Moraes scored twice for Shakhtar, but Lyon fought back to draw with goals from Moussa Dembele and Leo Dubois.

It was a good result for Lyon, whose fans were missing as a punishment for trouble at a game against CSKA last season, and they now top the group.

Meanwhile, Bayern could not hang on to the early lead given to them against Ajax when Mats Hummels headed in Arjen Robben’s cross. Young full-back Noussair Mazraoui equalised to give the Dutch side a 1-1 draw.

Those sides are level atop Group E ahead of Benfica, who won 3-2 in a thriller at AEK Athens with Alfa Semedo scoring the deciding goal.

Naomi Osaka is keen to move on from the “bittersweet” memories of last month’s US Open triumph and she did just that with a ruthless display at the China Open on Tuesday.

The young Japanese star thrashed unseeded American Danielle Collins 6-1, 6-0 in just 53 minutes on Beijing’s outside hard courts to saunter into round three.

The 20-year-old Osaka, whose maiden Grand Slam was overshadowed by Serena Williams’s row with the chair umpire in New York, faces 10th seed Julia Goerges next in the Chinese capital.

But the World No. 6 has appeared to struggle with the fall-out from the tempestuous final at the US Open, where Williams branded chair umpire Carlos Ramos “a thief” and later accused him of sexism.

“For me, I don’t know, I don’t know, the memory of the US Open is a little bit bittersweet,” Osaka said on Monday.

“Right after, the day after, I really didn’t want to think about it because it wasn’t necessarily the happiest memory for me.”

Secures WTA finals berth

Osaka has become the third player to secure a berth at the season-ending WTA Finals later this month after the 20-year-old from Japan amassed enough points in the Race to Singapore to qualify for the eight-woman event. 

Osaka stunned Serena Williams in straight sets to claim her and Japan’s first ever Grand Slam title in New York last month, and she backed that up with a run to the final at the Pan Pacific Open to all but ensure she would make her debut in Singapore.

After claiming victory in her opening match at the ongoing China Open in Beijing on Monday, Osaka joined World No. 1 Simona Halep of Romania and German Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber as qualifiers for the WTA Finals.

“Qualifying for the WTA Finals is a huge accomplishment,” said Osaka, who beat Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia to win a junior version of the Singapore tournament three years and will be returning for the first time as a senior. 

“Winning the WTA Rising Stars Invitational in 2015 helped give me the confidence to play on the big stages, so I am excited to go back to Singapore and compete with the top players of the season.” 

Big-hitting Czech Petra Kvitova and Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who won last year’s WTA Finals, are also poised to qualify for Singapore but the remaining spots appear to be a four-way battle for three places.

American Sloane Stephens, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Czech Karolina Pliskova and Kiki Bertens from the Netherlands will fight it out to complete the field for the October 21-28 tournament being held for the fifth and final time in Singapore. 

AMMAN — Jazira lost 3-1 to the Iraqi Air Force Club in Leg 2 of the 15th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup West Asia Zone final in Iraq.

Jazira had also lost Leg 1 of the final 1-0 in Amman. Iraqi Air Force Club advance to play the winner from the rest of the Asian zones to decide the AFC Cup titlist with prize money set at $1.5 million for the champion.

AMMAN — Jazira will play the Iraqi Air Force Club in Leg 2 of the 15th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup West Asia Zone final in Iraq.

Jazira lost Leg 1 of the final 1-0 in Amman and now have to beat the Iraqi AFC champs on aggregate to be crowned West Asia zone champs and advance to play the winner from the rest of the Asian zones to decide the AFC Cup titlist with prize money set at $1.5 million for the champion. 

In the zonal semis, Jazira eliminated Faisali while the Iraqi Air Force Club beat Lebanon’s Ahed to qualify to the final.

The AFC Cup was previously won three times by Jordanian teams. Faisali won titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007. Other Jordanian teams competing were Wihdat, Jazira, Ramtha, Hussein and That Ras. This year, a Jordanian club again has a chance at the title if they win the zonal final of the second-tier Asian club competition.

Last season, Iraqi Air Force Club won the AFC Cup for the second year running.

Regionally last season, Faisali finished runner-up to Tunisia’s Tarajji in the Arab Clubs Championships, including two wins over Egyptian veterans Ahli while this season Ramtha bowed out of the event in the first round. Faisali were eliminated from the 2018 AFC Asian Champions League (ACL) play-off match and failed to reach the group stages of Asia’s elite club competition and settled to play the AFC Cup. Jordanian teams have never before made it past the ACL preliminary round. Wihdat were knocked out in 2017, 2016 and 2015, while Shabab Urdun were eliminated in 2014.

Jazira hope to have a shot at the AFC Cup title after completing a good season last year and leading the league with an unbeaten record this year. As the 2018/19 football season kicked off league champs Wihdat beat Jordan Cup champs Jazira in the 36th Jordan Super Cup — the first major competition on the annual football calendar. 

Last season, Jazira finished runner-up to Wihdat who won the league for a record 16th time. Jazira also lost two other competition finals conceding the 35th Jordan Super Cup to Faisali and the Jordan Football Association Shield to Wihdat. Jazira also won the  38th Jordan Cup final.

AFC Cup Champions list 

(Runner-up in parenthesis)

2004Jeish (Syria)

2005Faisali (Jordan)

2006 Faisali (Jordan)

2007Shabab Urdun (Jordan)

2008Muharraq (Bahrain)

2009Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

2010Ittihad Aleppo (Syria)

2011Nasaf Qarshi (Uzb)

2012Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

2013Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

2014Qadissieh (Kuwait)

2015Johor Darol Tazim (Malaysia)

2016Air Force Club (Iraq)

2017Air Force Club (Iraq)

LONDON — A stunning late strike from Daniel Sturridge rescued a point for Liverpool in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Saturday, while Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham United confirmed their worst top-flight start for 29 years and piled more pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.

The contrast with neighbours Manchester City could not be more marked, with Pep Guardiola’s side beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 to go ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.

Sturridge’s late intervention at Stamford Bridge, which preserves his team’s unbeaten start to the season, came moments after Juergen Klopp brought him on, perhaps in the hope he might replicate the goal he managed against the same opponents in the EFL Cup at Anfield on Wednesday.

Amazingly, Sturridge did exactly that, unleashing a 25-metre shot that found the top corner of the Chelsea net just when it looked like Liverpool, who had won all six of their previous league games this season, had run out of ideas.

“What a game, a spectacular football game,” said Liverpool manager Klopp. “It was so deserved for Daniel [Sturridge], a really nice moment and I’m so happy for him.”

It is the first time that Chelsea, for whom Eden Hazard scored with a low first-half drive, have not won after going ahead this season.

The result sets up nicely next weekend’s Anfield clash with City — whom they trail on goal difference. City brushed aside the limited challenge of Brighton with goals from Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero after the Argentine linked superbly with the Englishman to net his seventh goal in all competitions this season.

Lacklustre showing

Liverpool and City are now nine points ahead of United, who are being quoted at an unlikely 150/1 to win the title this season.

United manager Jose Mourinho will be more concerned with where their next win will come from after another lacklustre showing ended with him lambasting his team for their “quality and mental approach” at West Ham. 

The defeat marked another low after a turbulent week in which Paul Pogba was stripped of the vice captaincy and United were dumped out of the EFL Cup by Derby.

Mourinho responded by fielding an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation and omitting his misfiring striker Alexis Sanchez from the squad in favour of Anthony Martial.

Passionless

But the result was an equally passionless performance that led former United captain Rio Ferdinand, who now works as a TV pundit, openly to question how long Mourinho will remain in charge. 

“There are some big decisions to be made at United now,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport. “There will be conversations at the top level, about the future of the manager and the squad, because the basics are not being done. There has to be something said.”

West Ham took just five minutes to open the scoring with record signing Felipe Anderson producing an audacious back-foot flick. 

An unlucky own goal increased their lead but even a superb strike from Marcus Rashford made little difference, with Marko Arnautovic scoring the winner.

Mourinho was predictably unhappy. “One goal is offside, the second goal is own goal and the third goal is referee’s mistake but for the next game we have to have a better start,” he said, adding that Pogba, who was substituted in the second half, was “trying hard”.

Elsewhere, goals by Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire secured Leicester City’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United, who have lost their opening four home games for the first time amid British media reports of a possible takeover fronted by Peter Kenyon, the former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive.

Harry Kane scored twice, including a penalty, as Tottenham Hotspur inflicted further woe on bottom-placed Huddersfield Town. Arsenal also won 2-0, at home to Watford, although both goals came in the final 10 minutes as Unai Emery’s side were made to work hard for their seventh successive win in all competitions.

The only worry was a hamstring injury to keeper Petr Cech, who was substituted and will be out for three weeks.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ivan Cavaleiro scored with his first touch in the Premier League as Southampton were beaten 2-0. The Portuguese capitalised on excellent work from Adama Traore as the promoted side continued their impressive start to the season.

Gylfi Sigurdsson had an eventful afternoon for Everton, atoning for his missed penalty with two goals in the 3-0 win over Fulham, who have never won at Goodison Park in the league.

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-16 men’s team became the third national team to be eliminated from Asian competitions this season.

Playing at the 2018 Asian Football Confederation(AFC) U-16 Championship the team had a relatively easy Group B, but it went out in the first round after crashing out to Yemen 5-1, and holding Oman and North Korea 2-2.

Held once every two years for Asian U-16 teams, the competition also serves as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. Iraq are the reigning champs. 

It was the second of Jordan’s national teams to crash out of an Asian event this month. Last week, the U-16 women’s football squad also was eliminated from Group A AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Round 1 qualifiers finishing second in the group. Jordan beat Guam 9-0 and Sri Lanka 7-0, held Uzbekistan 0-0 and crashed 9-0 to China. 

Jordan had joined 29 teams in six groups where six group winners and best two second placed teams moved to Round 2 set for February 2019. The qualifiers are China, Laos, Iran, Australia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Philippines. In Round 2 of the qualifiers the eight teams will be divided into two groups of four, and the group winners and runners-up will advance to the finals. North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Thailand have already qualified for the championship finals in September 2009.

Earlier this year, Jordan’s U-23 men’s team was knocked out of the first round of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship which acts as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2016, Jordan reached the quarterfinals and in 2014 Jordan finished third.

There are now three national teams left in contention: The U-19 women’s squad has concluded a training camp in Iran in preparation for the AFC U-19 Championship Round 1 qualifiers set for October 20-28. A total of 27 teams will play in six groups with Jordan in Group E alongside Malaysia, Vietnam and Malaysia who replaced the Northern Mariana Islands. 

The group winners and the top two second placed teams move to Round 2 set for April 2019 where the teams will play in two groups with the group winner and runner up advancing to the finals to join Japan, North Korea, China.

Jordan recently topped the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) three team WAFF U-18 Championship beating 4-1 Palestine and Lebanon 2-1 to head into the U-19 qualifiers with a competitive edge. 

The women’s team will play the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers set for November. The team will play in Group D alongside the Maldives, Palestine and Indonesia.

In men’s competitions, Jordan’s U-19 squad will play in Group C at the AFC U-19 Championship alongside Australia, South Korea and Vietnam. The championship hosted by Indonesia as of October 17, will see 16 teams playing in four groups with the eventual semifinalists playing in the FIFA U-19 World Cup.

The team returned home from Saudi Arabia where they held a training camp drawing 2-2 and beating their hosts 1-0. 

Jordan had failed to qualify to the Championships in 2014 and 2016 after earlier qualifying four times and reaching the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. The team finished fourth in 2006, but exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. 

AMMAN — Saudi Arabia’s driver Essa Al Dossari and Emirati navigator Ali Hassan Obaid were the class of the field at the inaugural Jordan Baja, and cruised through the final day in the magnificent desert surroundings of Wadi Rum to secure victory by the margin of 46min 05sec, according to the Jordan Baja Media Service.  

The ED Racing Nissan Navara driver won every desert selective section comfortably after missing on the super special win to Saleh Al Saif. The winning driver said: “Everything went smooth and I am really happy. I took it so easy on the last stage. I was slower than yesterday by just four minutes. The stages are nice, but very fast and you need a lot of speed here.” 

Saudi rivals Fares Al Moshana and Motab Al Shammeri confirmed an all-Nissan and all-Saudi podium with second and third places in their Patrols. Khalid Al Hamzani was fourth and Ahmad Al Malki broke the Nissan stranglehold on the leading positions with fifth overall in an Isuzu D-Max. 

The Deaf Rally Team Saudi Arabia’s Fahad Al Abdallatif confirmed victory in the T2 category for finishing sixth overall. Hand signals were used by navigator Ziyad Al Harbi to achieve an excellent result for the determined driver. 

 Salameh Al Gammaz completed the route as the leading Jordanian driver in seventh overall in his Toyota Prado with navigator Yousef Juma.

Ata Al Hmoud coasted to an emphatic victory in the motorcycle category. The former Jordanian rally navigator had only tackled one event on two wheels in Greece before the Jordan Baja, but he won all four of the desert stages to claim victory over Hamza Zawahreh by the margin of 3hrs 51min 51sec. 

Hmoud said: “It was a tough second stage. I was fighting all the way with the sand, because it was very deep in parts. It feels brilliant to have finished though. I had issues with the pressure and lost a lot of time in the first stage, but I cannot complain overall really.”

Saturday — as it happened

Essa Al Dossari found that his outright lead had risen to 27min 39sec overnight after nearest rival Moshana was awarded a 10-minute penalty. 

Penalties abounded inside the top 10 for various route violations with Saif the main beneficiary from penalties imposed on Shammeri and Hamzani. The Can-Am T3 driver was duly promoted to third place.

Raed Al Anzi, Tawfiq Hraiz, Malek Al Hariri (clutch issues) and Yara Shalaby started the last day with 100 hours of time penalties for failing to complete the day one route, but Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Al Muhanna and Kuwait’s Salem Al Dhafeeri were amongst the retirements. 

Hmoud saw his motorcycle advantage rise to a massive 2hrs 21min 07sec after his penalty of 28 minutes was dwarfed by the 90 minutes handed to nearest rival Zawahreh. Saif Al Zyoud, Khaldoon Halabi and Bader Abdel Jawad have officially retired from the event. 

Action began on a 64.65km selective section that started and finished in Al Quwayrah. Hmoud led his motorcycle rival and Dossari was first on the road in the cars. The Jordanian pressed home his advantage and won the stage on two wheels in a time of 1hr 25min 01sec, despite a navigational scare near the end, and extended his outright lead to a staggering 2hrs 45min 30sec.  Zawahreh completed the stage with one tyre intact and one puncture on his Kawasaki.

Behind Dossary, the battle for the minor places on the podium in the car category was heating up and several Saudi drivers were jostling for position. Both Ahmed and Shammeri were running strongly behind the rally leader, but Palestinian driver Mahmoud Al Maabda made a major navigational error and ceded further time to his rivals. 

Dossari was the first of all the competitors to cross the finish line in a time of 42min 05sec and he managed to beat Shammeri by 2min 02sec. He also extended his lead to 35 minutes over Moshana. Jordan Motorsport now faces an anxious wait before the next FIA World Council meeting to see whether it will be the latest organisation to join the calendar for the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.