Sports

ROME — Roma were left with the uncomfortable feeling on Wednesday that they had missed a golden chance to pull off one of the great Champions League upsets against Real Madrid.

Roma, trailing 2-0 from the first leg of their round of 16 tie at home, created enough chances at the Bernabeu to have wiped out the deficit before the hour.

Instead, forwards Edin Dzeko and Mohamed Salah repeatedly misfired and two quick goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez completed a 4-0 aggregate win for the hosts.

Dzeko, in particular, has had an unhappy time at Roma, scoring only eight goals since joining them on a season-long loan from Manchester City in July.

“There are some matches that go down in footballing history forever and give you a shortcut to success, but you have to try to make them happen,” said coach Luciano Spalletti, appearing to appreciate the size of the opportunity which had gone begging.

“The regret is there when you don’t play these matches with conviction and belief — that’s what we were lacking over this tie with Real.”

Spalletti, whose side have won their last seven Serie A matches, did not want to hear suggestions that Roma had restored some respectability after avoiding a repeat of the 6-1 defeat to Barcelona in a group match.

That result began the chain of events which led to Rudi Garcia being fired in January, and paving the way for Spalletti to return for a second stint at the club.

Despite reaching the round of 16, Roma managed just one win in their eight-match European campaign, and failed to score in their last three outings.

“When I go into the dressing room after a 2-0 defeat and see the players feeling satisfied because they’re going to be congratulated on their performance, that doesn’t sit right with me,” said the shaven-headed coach.

“We should be angry — maybe we’ve not yet realised what a big chance we’ve thrown away over the course of this tie.”

Spalletti pointed out that Real’s football was far from irresistible.

“I could congratulate my players on their performance, but that would be living a fairytale and not facing up to reality,” he added.

“We’re Roma but we have to play like Roma — we should come to these grounds to show people who we are. We need to improve quickly because it’s not OK. We must do better.”

In Tuesday’s other match, a second-half goal from Andre Schuerrle helped VfL Wolfsburg beat Gent 1-0 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Schuerrle, making a rare start, fired the ball in from a Julian Draxler cut-back in the 76th minute to give Wolves their second straight win over the Belgians.

Both teams were making their debuts in the knockout stages and Wolfsburg’s three goals in the first leg gave Dieter Hecking’s team a big advantage going into the return match.

Gent tried hard to unsettle the hosts but the German side were resolute in defence and superior all round.

Wolfsburg, who have won their last four Champions League matches and their last two games in the Bundesliga, tried to get an early goal with 2014 World Cup winner Schuerrle going desperately close in the opening minutes.

Max Kruse also did well to control a Schuerrle cross before turning and firing narrowly wide as the home team remained in the driving seat.

Gent keeper Matz Sels then parried a right-foot missile from Joshua Guilavogui in the 18th minute.

The visitors made a rare foray forward on the hour as Danijel Milicevic spurned their best chance when his diving header was off target.

AMMAN — Wihdat have a chance to boost their lead when week 16 of the 64th Jordan Professional Football League kicks off on Thursday.

The titleholders are out of a 1-0 win over rivals Faisali and will next face Baqa’a while Faisali play Sarih who beat Shabab Urdun 2-0 to move up to sixth.

Ahli lost the chance to improve further after they were held 0-0 with Kufrsoum and will next play Hussein. Ramtha beat Jazira 1-0 and moved to fifth before they play Kufrsoum. In other matches, Jazira play Asala, and That Ras, who held Asala 0-0, take on Shabab Urdun.

Faisali have moved closer to the lead after a Jordan Football Association ruling in their favour. They had tied Asala 0-0, but Faisali later lodged a complaint noting Asala’s enlisting of injured players not on the referees sheet. The JFA noted Faisali a winner 3-0, a decision contested by Asala lawyers who said they will appeal as per FIFA regulations as it was three weeks after the match, and not within the 48 hour time frame.

This week, Faisali and Wihdat both played the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup with Wihdat losing the away match in Beirut against Lebanon’s Al Ahd in Group A 3-2 after their opening 2-0 win over Bahrain’s Hidd. Group A also includes Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr who beat Al Ahd 2-0 and drew Hidd 1-1.

In Amman, Faisali beat Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat 2-1 in Group B after their opening 0-0 draw with Turkmenistan’s Istiklol Dushanbe. Group B also includes Lebanon’s Tripoli who beat Istiklol 2-1 and lost to Naft Al Wasat 1-0.

So far this season, Jordan Cup titleholders Faisali beat league titleholders Wihdat 1-0 to win the 33rd Super Cup. Apart from conceding the Super Cup, and elimination from the Jordan Cup. Wihdat now have the league title left for grabs. The team has been league champ for the past two consecutive years while Faisali finished at a disappointing 7th place as runner-up and third places went to Jazira and Ramtha. Ahli are the surprise team of the league this season. After relegation to Division 1 in 2004 for the first time in their history, they were back among the Pro League clubs in 2014 and finished 5th in 2015. They have now made it to the Jordan Cup final against Shabab Urdun on May 5.

AMMAN — Riyadi sealed the 2015-2016 season taking home the Jordan Basketball League crown to win the title which had eluded them for 20 years.

Riyadi beat titleholders Orthodoxi 68-64 to win the best-of-seven play-offs 4-0 after they beat them 81-55 earlier in the week as well as twice in Round 2: 73-65 and 81-73.

“The team worked hard and their efforts paid off. We are happy and motivated for this to be a new start and for us to retain the title,” Riyadi Secretary General Fadi Sabbah told The Jordan Times.

Riyadi-Aramex had an eight-game winning streak in Round 2 and later in the play-offs, making it a memorable win for the squad who last won the league nearly 20 years ago in 1997 by then-Jazira-Aramex team (whose players later on formed Riyadi’s line-up).

On the other hand, Hurrieh and Awdeh are now 2-2 in the best-of-five play-offs for third place. Hurrieh extended the series by beating Awdeh 65-62 on Monday and 71-65 earlier while Awdeh beat Hurrieh twice 65-64 and 65-60.

The season started with Orthodoxi winning the Jordan Cup and aiming to retain the league title which they won for the record 23rd time last year. Hurrieh had finished Round 1 with an unbeaten record while Orthodoxi were second after they beat Riyadi. With teams like Applied Science University, Ittihad, Wihdat pulling out of the competition, Awdeh joined the top four. At the other end of the standings, Kufr Youba and Jalil pushed Ghazzet Hashem and Nashama to be relegated to Division 1.

Riyadi rebounded and became the only unbeaten team in Round 2 beating Orthodoxi twice as well as Awdeh 86-61 and 85-74 Hurrieh 73-67 and 80-77. 

Orthodoxi seemed to be struggling as they were also eliminated from the West Asian Basketball Championship and only managed to beat Hurrieh 78-58 and 67-52 and Awdeh 86-82 and 74-67 but could not beat Riyadi.

Apart from Riyadi and Orthodoxi, leading clubs abandoned the game this season leading to major changes in the league. After winning the league four times, the last being in 2013 and 2014, both ASU and Ittihad disbanded their teams over differences with the Jordan Basketball Federation. Regulations allowing players to represent teams in two divisions has led to an unstable and week competition as players dispersed over the rest of clubs and new clubs with no fan base entered the competition leading to a sharp decline in the game locally and Jordan’s regional competitive chances.

The Basketball League, which started in 1952, has had 58 editions with eight teams crowned champion. It was cancelled in three seasons and discontinued once. Orthodoxi have won 23 times, Ahli 21, Zain (Fastlink) six times, ASU four times, Jazira-Aramex twice, Riyadi, Urdun, Watany and the Electricity Co. once each.

AMMAN — Jiu-Jitsu athletes took the lion’s share of recognition at the annual Black Iris Sports Awards at a special ceremony on Monday.

Malek Hariri (Jiu-Jitsu) who has seven gold, five silver and four bronze medals under his wing won the Best Male Athlete Award.

Luma Qubaj, gold medallist of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship and No. 1 in Asia was named Best Female Athlete. 

Best Young Achiever Award went to silver medallist swimmer Khader Baqleh and Asia’s silver medallist Taleen Hamidi for her achievements in Taekwondo.

The Best Paralympic Athlete title was won by Rio Olympics qualifying silver medallist Khetam Abu Awad (table tennis).

HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee, commended the efforts of athletes saying: “This award dedicated to the efforts and achievements of athletes encourages them to do more and shows the level they have reached that makes us all proud.”

The ceremony, which was attended by Lana Al Jaghbeer, JOC secretary general and officials from the JOC and various sports entities in the Kingdom, in addition to the media, was a result of voting by members of the local sports media who gave their voice to the athletes based on their achievements during the 2015 season.

The voting was followed by the public’s campaign through the JOC Facebook page and website which attracted more than 500,000 interactions.

The Black Iris Sports Award was created in 2005 to recognise sporting excellence in the Kingdom.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat lost and Faisali won in their stage 2 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday as both teams aimed to come away with wins to boost their advanced positions in Groups A and B respectively.

Wihdat lost to Lebanon’s Al Ahd 3-2 in Group A in their away match in Beirut. In Amman, Faisali beat Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat 2-1 in Group B. Wihdat next take on Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr at home on March 13, while Faisali go up against Lebanon’s Tripoli in an away game.

James Harden had a game-high 40 points as the Houston Rockets, who had lost their last eight games in Toronto, defeated the Raptors 113-107 on Sunday at Air Canada Centre.

Harden had 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets erased an 85-77, third-quarter deficit to avoid a second consecutive loss overall. The 26-year-old entered Sunday’s game averaging 26.3 points per game in four career visits to Toronto in his highest scoring average of any opposing venue.

Lakers 112, Warriors 95

Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Golden State Warriors 112-95 on Sunday at Staples Centre.

Clarkson, who returned after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, connected on 10 of 21 shots from the floor and four of six 3-pointers as Los Angeles earned the biggest upset of the NBA season.

Thunder 104, Bucks 96

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his third triple-double in the last three weeks, but Kevin Durant scored 32 points for Oklahoma City, which snapped a two-game losing streak with a 104-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon at the Bradley Centre.

Durant, himself, just missed his second triple-double of the season. He finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Suns 109, Grizzlies 100

Devin Booker scored 27 points and Alex Len added 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 109-100 victory Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

The victory was only the third for the Suns (17-46) in their past 18 games. Two of the victories during the stretch have come against the Grizzlies. Memphis (37-25) were led by Mike Conley, who finished with 22 points.

Reserve JaMychal Green scored 17 before fouling out with 3:57 to go. Matt Barnes also scored 17 for the Grizzlies, who had their three-game win streak snapped.

Nuggets 116, Mavericks 114 (OT)

D.J. Augustin hit two free throws with nine-tenths of a second left in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-114 on Sunday.

Augustin scored eight of his 12 points in the extra period to help the Nuggets get payback for an overtime loss in Dallas on February 26.

Heat 103, 76ers 98

Goran Dragic had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Miami Heat escaped an upset, rallying to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-98 on Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

On a day in which a 13-win Los Angeles Lakers team shocked the 55-win Golden State Warriors, the 76ers nearly pulled their own surprise. The 76ers are the only team in the NBA with a worse record than the Lakers.

Pistons 123, Trail Blazers 103

Reggie Jackson poured in 30 points and made nine assists to lift the Detroit Pistons past the Portland Trail Blazers 123-103 on Sunday at The Palace.

Jackson, who collected his seventh 30-point outing this season, was among six double-figures scorers for the Pistons (32-31) as they bounced back from a 102-89 loss to New York on Saturday. Marcus Morris had 19 points, All-Star Andre Drummond supplied 14 points and 18 rebounds and Tobias Harris contributed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Gareth Bale looks set to reinforce Real Madrid against AS Roma in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu on Tuesday (1945 GMT) after a promising return from injury at the weekend.

Real should also have Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Marcelo back after they missed Saturday’s 7-1 rout of Celta Vigo when Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals.

Bale, who has scored an average of nearly a goal a match in La Liga this season, should help Real keep the Roma defence busy as the Italian side try to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg in Rome two weeks ago.

The Welsh forward tore a calf muscle against Sporting Gijon on January 17 and had a setback during his recovery last month.

However, Bale had scored 11 goals in eight matches in La Liga prior to that injury and showed he could comfortably pick up where he left off.

He struck 14 minutes after coming on as a substitute on Saturday and now has a tally of 14 goals in his 16 league matches.

“Bale looked good, he was happy to play after so long,” Zidane said. “We’ll see... for the match against Roma but I think he’s ready.”

Bale told the club website, “I’m really happy after several difficult weeks. It’s great to win this way, come back, play and score.”

Kroos missed Saturday’s game through illness, while Marcelo (muscle fatigue) and Modric (ankle) have been out for two league matches.

Striker Karim Benzema remains doubtful with a thigh muscle problem and teenager Borja Mayoral could again stand in for him.

Zidane will want his most experienced players, though, to ensure Real stay in the hunt for an “Undecima” (11th) European Cup as they target the only major trophy they can still realistically win this season.

Roma also boosted their confidence for the task in Madrid with a 4-1 home win over Fiorentina in a key clash for third place in Serie A on Friday, including two goals from their quick winger Mohamed Salah, who played on loan at Fiore last season.

But coach Luciano Spaletti has injury worries. He did not include central defender Antonio Rudiger in a 21-man squad for the trip, while holding midfielder Radja Nainggolan is doubtful with a groin problem and Daniele De Rossi is still unavailable.

Fuelled up

VfL Wolfsburg are confident their recent good form can carry them past Gent on Tuesday and into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

The Wolves, who won the first leg 3-2 in Belgium after leading 3-0 and conceding two late goals, are fuelled up on confidence following a 2-1 victory over in-form Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.

It was their second league win in five days and moved them back into seventh place in the table.

“When you win against such a top team like Gladbach then you are allowed to be confident,” said Wolfsburg sporting director, Klaus Allofs. “We are back in the game.”

Wolfsburg, last season’s runners-up and German Cup winners, seem to have recovered from their slump earlier in the campaign in time for the biggest European game in the club’s history.

“We know that the tie is not finished yet,” Allofs said. “But if we play like we did against Gladbach then we will advance into the next round.”

Julian Draxler, who scored against both Gent and Gladbach, limped off on Saturday midway through the second half but is expected to be fit for Tuesday.

Max Kruse, who also scored in both those games, picked up a knock but will be ready to face Gent, said coach Dieter Hecking.

“Games like the one on Tuesday should heal every wound,” Hecking said.

Gent slipped two points behind Belgian league leaders Club Bruges after a 1-1 draw with second-bottom OH Leuven on Friday. Gent failed to find a winner despite their opponents having their goalkeeper sent off.

Coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck is still sweating over the fitness of striker Laurent Depoitre, who missed Friday’s match and Saturday training with a bad back and strained abdomen.

Serbian centre back Stefan Mitrovic, whose foot injury has kept him out for two weeks, is also a doubt.

Yet, even if they are depleted, the Belgians believe they have a chance in Germany.

“When we were 0-3 down [against Wolfsburg], everyone thought this away tie would be just a city outing for us,” goalkeeper Matz Sels said when asked if he was optimistic about the return leg.

“But thanks to the two goals we scored we have made it a contest. We certainly shouldn’t throw it open at the start because it would be deadly for us to concede a goal.”

“Even if we only go 1-0 up in the 80th minute it would 10 minutes of jitters for Wolfsburg and then you never know if you have another good crack with the ball,” he said.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Wihdat and Faisali will play their stage two Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday with both teams aiming to come away with wins to boost their advanced positions in Groups A and B.

Wihdat will play an away match in Beirut against Lebanon’s Al Ahd in Group A and will seek to capitalise on their opening 2-0 win over Bahrain’s Hidd. Group A also includes Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr, who beat Al Ahd 2-0.

Wihdat officials hope the AFC will make up for elimination from the Asian Champions League — the premier Asian competition — where they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah.

Head coach Raed Assaf said team morale was high after a 1-0 win over Faisali in the local league which secured the team’s position atop the standings. “We have taken part in the AFC Cup in the past eight editions. It’s time to add an Asian title to Wihdat’s achievements,” Assaf noted. 

In Amman, Faisali will host Iraq’s Naft Al Wasat in Group B after their opening 0-0 draw with Turkmenistan’s Istiklol Dushanbe. Group B also includes Lebanon’s Tripoli who lost to Naft Al Wasat 1-0.

A two-time AFC Cup winner, Faisali have had a good season locally and aim to return to the forefront of competitions this year.

The 14th AFC Cup has 40 clubs from across the continent competing in eight groups with the top two from each group going on to the Round of 16 when Round 1 ends on May 24. The second tier Asian club competition has been won three times by Jordanian teams: Faisali won titles in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

This edition seems to bode well for Jordanian clubs to win back the title after record winning Kuwaiti teams were suspended by FIFA. Prize money includes $1 million for the champ, $500,000 for the runner-up, $40,000 for semifinalists, $25,000 for quarter-finalists and $15,000 for teams reaching the Round of 16.

Wihdat have been league champs for the past two seasons. This year, their fortunes have turned around as they conceded the season opening 33rd Super Cup to rivals Faisali. After elimination from the Jordan Cup, now they have only the league title in contention. 

In 2015, Jordanian teams were absent from advanced stages of Asian competitions as Wihdat and Jazira were knocked out of the AFC Cup Round of 16. While it was the first time for Jazira, who finished runner-up in the Jordan League and participated in the event after two-time AFC Cup champs and Faisali declined, Wihdat were hoping to advance and win the AFC Cup for the first time. In 2014, Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 in their inaugural AFC participation while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1. 

Standings  (Group A)

Standings  (Group B)

CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s LeBron James scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half to guide the Cavaliers back from a slow start to a 120-103 win against Boston on Saturday.

The NBA’s Eastern Conference leaders were staring at a rare home loss when they trailed by 18 points in the first quarter but got their act together and pulled out a win that moved the Cavaliers 2-1/2 games clear of Toronto in the contest for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Elsewhere, San Antonio improved its home record to a remarkable 30-0 by beating Sacramento, Atlanta defeated the Los Angeles Clippers to close in on the Southeast Division lead, and Indiana narrowly beat Washington in a clash of two teams fighting for one of the lower play-off places in the East.

James’ efforts moved him into 14th place in the league’s all-time scoring list, ahead of San Antonio’s Tim Duncan. James also had 11 rebounds. Cleveland had seven other players in double figures, led by Kyrie Irving with 21.

Isaiah Thomas’ 27 points led the Celtics, who had won their previous five games.

A below-strength San Antonio beat Sacramento 104-94 to make it eight straight wins.

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs, who were missing regular starters LaMarcus Aldridge (headache), Tim Duncan and Danny Green (rested).

Manu Ginobili added 22 points in his return from a 12-game absence.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 31 points to lead Sacramento.

Atlanta’s Jeff Teague scored 22 points and Paul Millsap had 20 points and a season-high 18 rebounds to lead the Hawks past the Los Angeles Clippers 107-97.

Kent Bazemore added 17 points for the Hawks, who trailed by 17 points before hitting the lead late in the third quarter. They sealed victory with a 19-5 run that turned a six-point deficit with a 101-93 lead with 3:18 to play.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Clippers, including DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul with 17 each.

Indiana’s Paul George scored 38 points, including two free throws with 3 seconds left to lift the Pacers past Washington 100-99.

John Wall missed a jumper at the buzzer for the Wizards.

George, coming off a 35-point effort on Friday, shot 13 of 22 from the field and converted all eight of his free throws.

Chicago’s Pau Gasol finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds as the Bulls beat Houston 108-100, snapping a four-game losing skid.

New York’s Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Knicks to a 102-81 victory over Detroit.

Utah’s Derrick Favours had 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Jazz beat New Orleans 106-94 after five successive losses.

Minnesota shot a franchise record 68.4 per cent to beat Brooklyn 132-118, led by 28 points from Karl-Anthony Towns.

AMMAN — Riyadi will give it all they have as they seek to end the best-of-seven play-offs for the Jordan Basketball League crown when they play Orthodoxi at 6:30pm on Monday.

Following their 81-55 win over the titleholders on Friday, Riyadi now lead the series 3-0 after they beat their rivals twice in Round 2 — 73-65 and 81-73.

Riyadi are just one win away from the winning the title they came close to many time in earlier seasons. The last time they won the league was nearly 20 years ago in 1997 by then Jazira-Aramex team (whose players later on formed Riyadi’s line-up).

Riyadi lost the Jordan Cup to Orthodoxi at the onset of the season. They finished Round 1 in third place after Hurrieh and Orthodoxi, however, they rebounded and became the only unbeaten team in Round 2 beating Orthodoxi twice as well as Awdeh 86-61 and 85-74 Hurrieh 73-67 and 80-77. 

Orthodoxi were unimpressive in the West Asian Basketball Championship and despite signing new players they only managed to beat Hurrieh 78-58 and 67-52 and Awdeh 86-82 and 74-67 but could not beat Riyadi.

On the other hand, Hurrieh and Awdeh are playing the best-of-five play-off for third place. Awdeh are one win away from third place after they beat Hurrieh 65-64 and 65-60 while Hurrieh won once 71-65.

Hurrieh finished Round 1 with an unbeaten record, while Orthodoxi were second after they beat Riyadi. With teams like Applied Science University, Ittihad, Wihdat pulling out of the competition, Awdeh joined the top four. At the other end of the standings, Kufr Youba and Jalil pushed Ghazzet Hashem and Nashama to be relegated to Division 1.

The season started with Orthodoxi winning the Jordan Cup and aiming to retain the league title which they won for the record 23rd time last year. Apart from Riyadi and Orthodoxi, leading clubs abandoning the game this season leading to major changes in the league. After winning the league four times, the last being in 2013 and 2014, both ASU and Ittihad disbanded their teams over differences with the Jordan Basketball Federation. Players were dispersed over the rest of clubs and new clubs with no fan base entered the competition in what has led to a sharp decline in the game locally and Jordan’s regional competitive chances.

The Basketball League, which started in 1952, has had 58 editions with eight teams crowned champion. It was cancelled in three seasons and discontinued once. Orthodoxi have won 23 times, Ahli 21, Zain (Fastlink) six times, ASU four times, Jazira-Aramex twice, Urdun, Watany and the Electricity Co. once each.