Sports

MANCHESTER, England — If the first Manchester derby of the season was excessively dominated by the focus on a fascinating coaching rivalry, Thursday’s encounter is strictly business.

This time, few care about the Pep Guardiola-Jose Mourinho head-to-head records or their previous meetings in Spain’s La Liga.

The stakes are high — City are fourth in the Premier League, just a point ahead of United after the same number of games.

Both clubs are desperate to ensure a top-four finish and Champions League football next season, and Thursday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium will be influential in determining how the pair end their campaigns.

“This is about the clubs, the teams, this is about the positions at the end of the season. This is not about myself and Guardiola. I think now that is the correct approach,” Mourinho said this week, reflecting on the hype around the last derby.

Still, given their stature in the game, it is impossible for the two coaches to be completely out of the picture.

Guardiola’s first campaign at Manchester City risks ending in the worst Premier League finish for the club in seven seasons. City have not ended a campaign out of the top four since coming fifth in 2011 under Roberto Mancini.

Sunday’s extra-time defeat by Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinal saw the last chance of silverware disappear after City’s loss to Monaco in the Champions League last 16.

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola has never endured a trophy-less season as a coach and, while City’s hierarchy will write this year off as a transitional phase, there will still be some surprise that he has achieved less than his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini.

United progress

United, who lost 2-1 in the first league meeting with City, have steadily progressed under Mourinho.

They have already lifted the League Cup and are 23 league games unbeaten while having a chance of more silverware — and a Champions League place — through the Europa League where they face Celta Vigo in the semifinals.

While United have lost top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and key defender Marcos Rojo to long-term knee injuries, there is a real mood of optimism at Old Trafford.

“It’s going to be the game of the season,” said United’s Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera.

“We are in a very good moment, on a very good run and we respect them, but we are doing a lot of good things and we have to show it on Thursday,” he said.

The long season fighting on several fronts has taken its toll on both teams however.

As well as Ibrahimovic and Rojo, Mourinho, who has been rotating his squad, must wait to see if Paul Pogba is fit after he was substituted late in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Burnley.

Central defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling and midfielder Juan Mata are also on the injured list.

For City, leading scorer Sergio Aguero and playmaker David Silva are battling to be fit while Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus could return after a long-term injury.

AMMAN — The pursuit of the Jordan Professional Football League title has heated up with two more weeks left in the competition.

Week 21 starts on Thursday with Jazira back atop the standings after a 1-0 win over Ramtha. They next play Manshieh who maintained fourth place after a 2-1 win over Sahab. 

Faisali are second on goal difference after holding Hussein 1-1 ahead of their match against Baqa’a who are now 11th after losing 1-0 to Ahli.

Holders Wihdat have dropped to third after holding That Ras 0-0. They next play Sarih who have improved to 9th after a 2-1 decisive win over Shabab Urdun. The latter are now 7th ahead of playing Hussein.

Matches in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup could have taken their toll on Wihdat who were held 1-1 with Lebanon’s Nijmeh while Ahli, Playing in the AFC Cup for the first time, lost their qualifying chances in Round 2 after losing 2-1 to Syria’s Jeish.

Wihdat, who exited the Asian Champions League, are looking to win their fourth consecutive and 16th overall league title, while Faisali have not won the league in the past four years and are eyeing their 33rd record title.

Joining the top three this season is Manshieh who joined the pro league alongside Sahab. Former Jordan Cup champ That Ras are at the lower end of the standings, while Baqa’a, a usual top five team, is also struggling in the relegation zone. Jazira’s Syrian pro Mardig Mardigian has maintained his scoring proficiency and leads the scorers’ list with 14 goals followed by Wihdat’s Munther Abu Amara with 8.

Ahli won the first major competition on the 2016/17 football calendar, when they beat reigning league champs Wihdat 2-1 to win the 34th Super Cup.

In the Jordan Football Association Shield — back on the calendar after four years — Shabab Urdun scored a major 5-1 win over Faisali to win  their second Shield title after they first won in 2007.

In the Jordan Cup, the semis will see Wihdat face Faisali while Ramtha play Jazira, on May 12 and May 16, before playing the final on May 20.

Last season, Wihdat retained the title with Faisali, Ahli, Jazira and Shabab Urdun in the top five spots. It was Wihdat’s third consecutive and 15th league title since they moved up to the Professional League in 1975. Faisali beat Wihdat to clinch the Super Cup while it was Ahli, who after years in the backstage beat Shabab Urdun to win their first Jordan Cup final.

AMMAN — Palestinian Fares Saeed on Friday was crowned champion of the second round of the 4x4 Jordan Championship with the participation of 36 drivers from Jordan and eight from Palestine at Ghamadan Park (Forest of the King of Bahrain).

Saeed, in his Kan M Maverick, clocked 3m 06.71s followed by Jordan’s Hesham Ibrahim with 4m 01.78s in his Jeep Wrangler and Palestinian Basheer Mattar settled in the third place in his Jeep Wrangler with 4m 37.20s.

Drivers had to face a 1km track and a host of obstacles that will test the skill of both the driver and machine and will compete in two heats for the best 13 drivers heat.

Jordanian Fares Nafash won the first round of this year’s championship, which took place in early March and saw the participation of 47 drivers from Jordan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia, and attracted more than 600 fans. 

Nafash and co-driver Omar Sharkasi in their Jeep Cherokee ended the harsh and challenging track with 2m57s

In the first round, Drivers also faced a 1km track filled with various rocky, sandy and clay obstacles and terrain using their off road and modified vehicles against time in accordance to FIA regulations.

Othman Nassef, Jordan Motorsport CEO, said after the first round that the event proved to be a challenge and popular event which will attract more fans to this season’s calendar.

“We are happy that the event was able to attract such a huge number of fans who cheered their favourite driver especially against the muddy tip and the challenging rocky hill, which stopped the best drivers from moving due to its natural obstacle that needed special cars,” Nassef said.

AMMAN — Rally record breaker Nasser Al Attiyah will lead a competitive international field for the FIA Jordan Rally which takes place from May 4-6, the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) said on Saturday.

Ten-time Jordan Rally winner Attiyah has made the event his own over the past few years and comfortably won in 2016, but things have not quite gone to plan for the 12-time regional champion this year.

A broken radiator forced him out of the Qatar International Rally in February, with countryman Rashed Al Naimi taking the honours, putting added pressure on him producing a win in Jordan for round two of the Middle East Rally Championship.

“It is shaping up to be a lively event,” said clerk of the course, George Khoury. “We are looking forward to putting on an occasion that everyone can enjoy, whether competing or watching.

“Nasser will undoubtedly be the man to beat, but Qatar showed that anything can happen in rallying so there will be plenty of drivers hoping to spring a surprise in Jordan.”

While Attiyah will be keen to add to his world record 63 rally wins, Khaled Al Suwaidi of Qatar and Mshari Al Matheri of Kuwait will provide his biggest international challengers, while local drivers Khaled Juma and Maruf Abu Samra will be looking to place Jordan on the podium, according to the JOC.

A total of 12 cars have been entered for the Middle East Rally Championship category with two cars added for the national rally being held over the same time.

BARCELONA — Barcelona’s hopes of staging another sensational Champions League comeback fell flat against a hardened Juventus side who held the Catalans to a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to reach the semifinals 3-0 on aggregate.

The Italian champions barely gave Barca a glimmer of hope of repeating their historic turnaround against Paris St Germain in the last 16 and protected their healthy advantage from the first leg by starving the hosts of space and clear sights of goal.

Lionel Messi came closest to giving Barca a route back into the contest with four strikes at goal, but failed to hit the target with any of them and frequently came up short against Juve’s intimidating centre-back pairing of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.

“Juventus are a great team and they were better than us in the tie and overall they deserved to go through. I wish them the best and I think they could win the trophy,” Barca defender Gerard Pique told reporters.

“It was a very difficult result to come back from although we tried until the end. They’re Italian and they defended very well. They knew how they wanted to play and got their objective. We created chances but little by little we realised we had a mountain to climb.”

Twice European champions Juve lacked the spark and power of their thrilling first-leg victory in Turin, but there was rarely any doubt they would exact revenge for their defeat by Barca in the 2015 Champions League final by reaching the semis for a 12th time.

Barca coach Luis Enrique had said before the game that if hia team managed to strike early then the noise of the Camp Nou would suck the other goals in.

Juventus, however, showed in the opening stages that they are made of sterner stuff than PSG, who gave up a 4-0 first-leg advantage.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side pressed Barca in their own half and limited the supply to the front three. 

Messi almost managed to pick out Jordi Alba with a hooked pass and later played a one-two with the Spaniard before dragging narrowly wide of the far post.

Ivan Rakitic and Neymar also missed the target with hopeful efforts but Juventus’ aggressive gameplan limited how much attacking Barca could do without leaving themselves exposed.

Gonzalo Higuain cracked a shot over the bar before the break while the probing Juan Cuadrado almost picked out the Argentine striker in the middle, but was thwarted by a brilliant block from Pique.

Barca increased their grip on possession after the break and spent most of the remainder of the game in their opponents’ half trying to carve out chances, but Juve were always ready for them. 

Messi whipped a free kick on to the roof of the net and slammed another shot wide before spurning his best chance, a volley which fizzed over the bar.

Barca right back Sergi Roberto attempted a repeat of his heroic strike against PSG, but also missed the target, unable to prevent his side’s second successive elimination at the quarter-final stage, which will provoke much soul-searching at the five-times European champions.

AMMAN — The second round of the 4x4 Jordan Championship will be held on Friday at Ghamadan Park with the participation of 44 drivers from Jordan and Palestine.

Drivers will face a 1km track and a host of obstacles that will test the skill of both the drivers and their machines.

Drivers will compete in two heats for the best 13 drivers’ heat.

Fares Nafash and co-driver Omar Sharkasi were crowned champions of the first round of the 4x4 Jordan Championship after clocking 2m57s in their Jeep Cherokee, followed by Hassan Najjar and co-driver Malek Najjar, in their Jeep, who after clocking 3m05s took second place.

Ahmad Khattab and co-driver Mohammed Zou’bi in their Jeep Cherokee clocked 3m06s for third place.

Othman Nasseef, Jordan Motorsport CEO told The Jordan Times that the event will be another success.

“We saw more than 6,000 fans at the first 4x4 event and that is a great number, which means that there are many fans for such competitions. We hope to continue on the same path and attract more people to the second round,” he said.

“This time we have eight drivers from Palestine and the rest from Jordan and I believe this event will be crucial as most of the drivers know the challenges they will face and it will be a great event,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nasseef said that Jordan is ready to host the second round of the Middle East Rally Championship May 4-6.

“We are placing the final touches for the event in which drivers will have to cover a total distance of 625.62km with 240.44km special stages. We had to change the number of stages from 19 to 17 and replace the Rawda and Karameh stages with Jordan River stage,” he said.

Qatar’s Rashed Nuaimi is currently leading the MERC standings with 37 points followed by Kuwait’s Mashari Tafiri with 28 points and Qatar’s Nasser Attiyah with only seven points.

MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to send Real Madrid to the Champions League semifinals with a 4-2 extra-time win and 6-3 aggregate success against 10-man Bayern Munich in controversial circumstances on Tuesday.

A bizarre Sergio Ramos own goal forced the extra period after Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Bayern from the penalty spot and Ronaldo equalised.

Marcelo twice cleared off the line for Madrid and Jerome Boateng did the same for Bayern in a thrilling game, which was tilted in Madrid’s favour by Arturo Vidal’s dismissal for two yellow cards, the second of which was harsh.

Ronaldo put Madrid level at 2-2 on the night in the first period of extra time when he scored his 100th Champions League goal, from a clearly offside position, before he wrapped up his treble with another disputed goal and Marco Asensio added a fourth.

Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti was furious, criticising Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai after the game and asking for the introduction of video technology.

“I think we played the game very well, we deserved more. You have the decisions that penalised us a lot, Arturo’s card was not a card and then two goals for Cristiano were offside,” said Ancelotti.

“We are not happy about this. In a quarter final you have to have a referee with more quality I think. It’s time to introduce videos for the referees.”

Bayern began well, with Thiago Alcantara’s close-range shot brilliantly blocked on the goal line by Marcelo. Arjen Robben lashed the rebound into the side-netting.

Madrid began to find their feet and were soon dominating, with the effervescent Marcelo key in both attack and defence.

Ramos nearly put the hosts ahead after the otherwise superb Manuel Neuer spilled a shot, but Boateng somehow blocked his effort on the line.

However, it was Bayern who took the lead in the second half when Casemiro fouled Robben in the area and Lewandowski dispatched the penalty.

Ronaldo levelled, heading beyond Neuer in the 76th minute from a fine cross by Casemiro, but Bayern restored overall parity within a minute when Ramos prodded into his own net after a scramble in the area.

With the game heading towards extra-time Vidal was sent off for a second booking after appearing to win the ball cleanly from Asensio, leaving Bayern with 10 like in the first leg when Javi Martinez was dismissed.

It gave Madrid the upper hand going into the added 30 minutes and they took advantage when Ronaldo scored the crucial second from Ramos’s cross, despite being in an offside position.

Madrid added two more late on, Ronaldo appearing fractionally offside again for their third of the night, leaving Bayern exhausted and angry.

“The referee’s task is quite difficult, whether it’s for or against us I won’t get into it,” said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.

“More than the second yellow [for Vidal] or the offside goals, the six goals we scored over the two games means we deserved to go through in the tie.

“There is no luck in football, you must win, and we won both games.”

AMMAN — With a little over two weeks until Jordan hosts one of its most popular sporting and social events of the year, organisers of the FIA Jordan Rally have unveiled a tough test for the region’s leading drivers, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee Media Service.

As one of the world’s leading rallies, the Jordan Rally has a reputation for throwing in a surprise or two each year and 2017 will see the event start and finish with a specially created spectator stage and the return of one of the sport’s most iconic stages – the Jordan River.

At 33km long, the Jordan River stage is 11km shorter than when it was first introduced as a part of the country’s World Rally Championship event in 2008, but it will be run twice through the lowest point on earth on Day Two (May 6) of this year’s testing event.

“It is such a beautiful stage and one of the longest you will find in rallying anywhere these days,” said clerk of the course, George Khoury. “The overall route has a familiar look to it with stages in and around the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas but it will prove just as challenging for those taking part.”

The spectator stages to launch the event on Thursday, May 4, and bring it to a close on May 6, will be held on a 2.1km track being specially created right on the banks of the Dead Sea.

In between those super special stages, fans will have the opportunity to watch the action through 10 timed stages on Day One and six on Day Two.

Overall, the rally will consist of 241 competitive kilometres with road sections linking the stages adding an extra 383km, making the Jordan Rally one of the most compact and centralised in the sport.

Entries are continuing to come in with the final list expected to be published by Jordan Motor Sport on April 19.

DEAD SEA — The 23rd LG Dead Sea Ultra Marathon concluded on Friday with Jordanian runners winning top spots in the event.

The marathon held under the theme “Run to the lowest point on Earth” and witnessed three runs: the 50km Ultra Marathon, 21km Half Marathon and the 10k Fun Run.

Yousef Shawarbeh, president of the Greater Amman Municipality committee deputised for HRH Prince Firas, chairman of the Board of Run Jordan, to give prizes.

Lina Kurd, general manager of Run Jordan told The Jordan Times that the effort of everyone made this event a success.

“We owe everything to the effort of all the volunteers and runners who made it possible to spread awareness about the benefits of sports and at the same promote the Kingdom as hub for marathons,” she said.

“Promoting tourism is also on the agenda of each event by Run Jordan and we are happy that each year we have many runners from around the world taking part in our events,” she added.

RESULTS:

(hours:minutes:seconds)

50km Ultra Marathon (men)

Ahmed Muhsen   3:05:31

Yousef Hassan    3:09:29

Mithqal Abbadi  3:10:03

50km Ultra Marathon (women)

Hanoya Hasballah  3:50:31

Tia Jones 4:03:30

Martha Marten  4:23:55

21km Half Marathon (men)

Ahmed Samour  1:06:32

Ayman Suradi 1:09:04

Ibrahim Salah 1:09:13

21km Half Marathon (women)

Georgia Qotal  1:23:00

Sabrieh Maradat 1:32:10

Naheda Bawat 1:39:40

21km Half Marathon Wheelchair (men)

Ali Sawalmeh 1:09:12

Kamal Tawalbeh 1:31:52

Raed Hwaiti 1:43:03

21km Half Marathon Visually impaired (men)

Abed Raouf Qatab 1:20:16

Suhan Nashash 1:44:33

Imad ELayyan 2:00:26

10k Fun Run (men)

Hamzeh Ashoush 31:49

Daif Allah Awad    31:58

Mohammed Attiyeh    32:04

10k Fun Run (women)

Tamara Armoush 36:38

Hanan Ashoush    42:28

Hanan Maradat    44:26

 10k Fun Run Wheelchair (men)

Bilal Abu Mansi    41:12

Ala’ Qaza’            1:05:58

Ahmed Mahasneh 1:16:12

10k Fun Run Visually Impaired (men)

Nabil Maqableh    35:42

Saddam Shomali   51:51

Hassan Tayem        52:09

10k Fun Run Visually Impaired (women)

Jumana Zoubi    1:24:30

Esra’ Abu Haija 1:28:46

Nouwara Hammad 2:00:37

BARCELONA — Real Madrid’s confidence is sky-high after their convincing win at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and they can build on that momentum by taking another step towards the Spanish title when they visit relegation-fighting Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

Zinedine Zidane’s side are three points clear of champions Barcelona with one game in hand and their 2-1 win in Munich on Wednesday, which leaves them ideally placed to reach the semifinals, contrasts with the Catalans’ haggard state.

Barca are on the brink of elimination from Europe’s elite competition after their resounding 3-0 defeat at Juventus, and reports in the Catalan media on Thursday said tensions were high between the dressing room and Luis Enrique.

The coach was scathing of his side’s display at the Juventus Stadium, calling their first half “a shipwreck”. He said he found it difficult to believe they could stage another remarkable comeback in the second leg as they did against Paris St Germain in the previous round.

Clawing back Real’s advantage in the league is also looking hard to imagine for Barca, after Neymar was hit with a three-game suspension for sarcastically applauding the assistant referee when sent off last Saturday in a surprise 2-0 defeat at Malaga.

The Brazilian forward is banned for Saturday’s visit to Real Sociedad and the “Clasico” showdown at Real Madrid the following week, plus the game against basement club Osasuna, with Paco Alcacer likely to take his place.

Real top the standings on 72 points from 30 games, while Barcelona have 69 from 31. Struggling Sporting have won five games all season and are 18th with 22 points, five adrift of safety.

Real’s Gareth Bale will miss the trip to Sporting after being forced off against Bayern with muscle pain, although the out-of-form Wales international’s absence proved a blessing in disguise.

His replacement Marco Asensio had a fine game and provided the cross for Cristiano Ronaldo to score his second goal of the match and clinch the game.

Ronaldo had earlier ended his month-long goal drought for Real by volleying in the equaliser in the 47th minute.

The Portuguese, whose goal tally in the league this season is his lowest since 2010, said he had been following a special fitness programme to ensure he was in top shape in the crucial final stretch of the season, as he aims to fire Real to a first league title since 2012.

“I made radical changes to my training to get to this stage of the season in the best state possible,” Ronaldo told reporters after becoming the first player to score 100 goals in UEFA competitions.

“In the last few years I got to the end of the season at the limit and with small injuries, but I have worked hard with our fitness coach to be in the right shape for the final two months. The team is playing well and so is Cristiano.”