Sports

AMMAN — Jordan qualified to 2016 AFC U-23 Championship in Qatar after they topped Group B qualifiers which ended in Al Ain, the UAE.

Jordan held Kuwait 3-3 in their last Group B qualifier and clinched the qualifying spot. They also beat Kyrgyzstan 4-0, after their opening 5-0 win over Pakistan. 

In other matches Pakistan beat Kyrgyzstan 3-1, Kuwait beat Pakistan 2-0 and Kyrgyzstan held Kuwait 1-1. Turkmenistan withdrew from the qualifiers forcing the organisers to change the schedule for a third time.

The winners of Groups A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Syria, Australia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and China) along with Group B champs Jordan as well five best second-placed teams from all groups will join hosts Qatar at the event January 12-30, 2016, with the 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Coach Jamal Abu Abed and his team overcame adversity and the changes of schedule three times which observers fears would undermine team’s preparedness and competitive advantage. 

The U-23 team has been impressive over the past year when they beat South Korea to take the bronze in the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship (renamed the AFC U-23 Championship) as Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to take the title.

Last year, the same squad also represented Jordan at the Asian Games.

AMMAN — That Ras and Faisali will play for the 35th Jordan Cup title on Friday, hoping to come out with one of the season’s titles.

The finalists upstaged Ramtha and Wihdat to reach the final. That Ras, who finished fourth in the Jordan Professional League, came from two goals down to beat Ramtha 4-2 after Leg 1 ended 0-0. In the other match, Faisali stunned League champs and Cup titleholders Wihdat 1-0 after Leg 1 had ended 0-0.

Faisali, who finished at a disappointing 7th place in the League, aim to boost team and fan morale and win the Jordan Cup for a record 18th time, the last being in 2011. 

“Our line-up is upbeat following the win over Wihdat. We have no injuries and we are ready. We have the title as our main goal,” Faisali coach Rateb Awadat told the media following the team’s practice.

That Ras expect some missing players due to injury, but nevertheless aim to repeat their 2012 Jordan Cup win.

Wihdat won two titles in the 2014/15 football season. They opened the season by beating Baqaa to snatch the 32nd Super Cup and took home their 14th League title. 

Last season, Wihdat won the League and beat Baqaa to win the Jordan Cup, while Shabab Urdun beat That Ras to win the 31st Super Cup. The Jordan Football Association Shield was not held.

HRH Prince Ali became the only challenger to incumbent Sepp Blatter in the FIFA presidential election race after two other candidates pulled out on Thursday.

Dutch candidate Michael van Praag has withdrawn from next week’s election and thrown his weight behind Prince Ali, he said on Thursday.

Hours later, former Portugal forward Luis Figo announced that he was pulling out of the race.

“Michael van Praag decided to withdraw his candidacy to become the next FIFA president and to join forces with presidential candidate Prince Ali,” said a statement published by his campaign organisers on Thursday.

The Dutch FA president added that he had made the decision after “thorough deliberation and reflection with different involved parties and stakeholders” and would hold a news conference later on Thursday.

Portuguese candidate Figo later in the day announced his withdrawal from the race on his Facebook page.

“My decision is made, I will not stand in what is being called an election for the FIFA presidency,” he said.

“After a personal reflection and sharing views with two other candidates in this process, I believe that what is going to happen on May 29 in Zurich is not a normal electoral act. And because it is not, don’t count on me.”

“There has not been a single public debate about each candidate’s proposals,” said the 42-year-old Figo in announcing his decision.

“Does anyone think it’s normal that an election for one of the most relevant organisations on the planet can go ahead without a public debate?”

“Does anyone think it’s normal that one of the candidates doesn’t even bother to present an election manifesto that can be voted on May 29,” he said referring to Blatter.

“Shouldn’t it be mandatory to present such a manifesto so that federation presidents know what they’re voting for?

“This electoral process is anything but an election.

“This [election] process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man — something I refuse to go along with.

“I do not fear the ballot box, but I will not go along with nor will I give my consent to a process which will end on May 29 and from which soccer will not emerge the winner.”

He added: “I have witnessed consecutive incidents, all over the world, that should shame anyone who desires soccer to be free, clean and democratic.

“I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing FIFA leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ.

“Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Determination

A quiet, steely, determination runs through Prince Ali, president of the Jordan Football Association, who has brought a breath of fresh air to FIFA politics since he was elected to its executive committee four years ago.

Prince Ali, 39, has gained widespread support as something of a reforming influence on the executive but unless he wins the presidential election on May 29 in Zurich, that influence will end.

Not everyone supports the idea of reform and modernisation at world football’s top table and he has become the victim of political machinations in his own Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

That means the seat he occupies as vice-president will now be taken by AFC president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

The Prince, who exudes a polite charm and never appears flustered at least in public, does not have a problem with that principle.

But he was not prepared to stand as an ordinary Asian member seeking a seat back on the FIFA executive committee through a vote by AFC delegates after the AFC last year endorsed Sepp Blatter to continue as president.

Prince Ali and Blatter, once close, became politically estranged because of moves behind the scenes and also because the prince was not prepared to sit back and be a good boy as the youngest member on the executive and do as he was told.

He quickly saw where reforms should be made and is now challenging for the presidency on a platform to change FIFA and unseat Blatter, who originally welcomed him as an amenable ally.

His manifesto “A FIFA Worthy of the World’s Game” emphasises the need to have a more open and transparent organisation.

“It is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport. The headlines should be about football again, not FIFA,” he said when launching his campaign in January.

The prince was quick to correct a rumour that suggested he was thinking of doing that last month, and of all the candidates he appears to have the strongest global support. Whether that will be enough to see him win the ballot, is of course, another matter.

By 35 he was Asia’s vice-president on FIFA and among other things he founded the West Asian Football Federation giving a greater voice to the countries in his region.

He also founded the Asian Football Development Programme which has ploughed vast resources into the grass roots of the game across the vast, sprawling populous continent.

One of his most notable victories was successfully fighting to lift the ban which forbade women and girls playing organised football wearing the hijab or head-scarf.

He also helped Jordan win the right to stage next year’s Under-17 women’s World Cup in the heart of the Arab world.

The prince speaks quietly, has a modest air about him, commands respect and, in his own charming way, generally speaks a great deal of sense.

Those qualities might not be enough to enable him to unseat Blatter but it would be to FIFA’s detriment if they were lost to the organisation for good.Reuters

HRH Prince Ali became the only challenger to incumbent Sepp Blatter in the FIFA presidential election race after two other candidates pulled out on Thursday.

Dutch candidate Michael van Praag has withdrawn from next week’s election and thrown his weight behind Prince Ali, he said on Thursday.

Hours later, former Portugal forward Luis Figo announced that he was pulling out of the race.

“Michael van Praag decided to withdraw his candidacy to become the next FIFA president and to join forces with presidential candidate Prince Ali,” said a statement published by his campaign organisers on Thursday.

The Dutch FA president added that he had made the decision after “thorough deliberation and reflection with different involved parties and stakeholders” and would hold a news conference later on Thursday.

Portuguese candidate Figo later in the day announced his withdrawal from the race on his Facebook page.

“My decision is made, I will not stand in what is being called an election for the FIFA presidency,” he said.

“After a personal reflection and sharing views with two other candidates in this process, I believe that what is going to happen on May 29 in Zurich is not a normal electoral act. And because it is not, don’t count on me.”

“There has not been a single public debate about each candidate’s proposals,” said the 42-year-old Figo in announcing his decision.

“Does anyone think it’s normal that an election for one of the most relevant organisations on the planet can go ahead without a public debate?”

“Does anyone think it’s normal that one of the candidates doesn’t even bother to present an election manifesto that can be voted on May 29,” he said referring to Blatter.

“Shouldn’t it be mandatory to present such a manifesto so that federation presidents know what they’re voting for?

“This electoral process is anything but an election.

“This [election] process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man — something I refuse to go along with.

“I do not fear the ballot box, but I will not go along with nor will I give my consent to a process which will end on May 29 and from which soccer will not emerge the winner.”

He added: “I have witnessed consecutive incidents, all over the world, that should shame anyone who desires soccer to be free, clean and democratic.

“I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing FIFA leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ.

“Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Determination

A quiet, steely, determination runs through Prince Ali, president of the Jordan Football Association, who has brought a breath of fresh air to FIFA politics since he was elected to its executive committee four years ago.

Prince Ali, 39, has gained widespread support as something of a reforming influence on the executive but unless he wins the presidential election on May 29 in Zurich, that influence will end.

Not everyone supports the idea of reform and modernisation at world football’s top table and he has become the victim of political machinations in his own Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

That means the seat he occupies as vice-president will now be taken by AFC president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

The Prince, who exudes a polite charm and never appears flustered at least in public, does not have a problem with that principle.

But he was not prepared to stand as an ordinary Asian member seeking a seat back on the FIFA executive committee through a vote by AFC delegates after the AFC last year endorsed Sepp Blatter to continue as president.

Prince Ali and Blatter, once close, became politically estranged because of moves behind the scenes and also because the prince was not prepared to sit back and be a good boy as the youngest member on the executive and do as he was told.

He quickly saw where reforms should be made and is now challenging for the presidency on a platform to change FIFA and unseat Blatter, who originally welcomed him as an amenable ally.

His manifesto “A FIFA Worthy of the World’s Game” emphasises the need to have a more open and transparent organisation.

“It is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport. The headlines should be about football again, not FIFA,” he said when launching his campaign in January.

The prince was quick to correct a rumour that suggested he was thinking of doing that last month, and of all the candidates he appears to have the strongest global support. Whether that will be enough to see him win the ballot, is of course, another matter.

By 35 he was Asia’s vice-president on FIFA and among other things he founded the West Asian Football Federation giving a greater voice to the countries in his region.

He also founded the Asian Football Development Programme which has ploughed vast resources into the grass roots of the game across the vast, sprawling populous continent.

One of his most notable victories was successfully fighting to lift the ban which forbade women and girls playing organised football wearing the hijab or head-scarf.

He also helped Jordan win the right to stage next year’s Under-17 women’s World Cup in the heart of the Arab world.

The prince speaks quietly, has a modest air about him, commands respect and, in his own charming way, generally speaks a great deal of sense.

Those qualities might not be enough to enable him to unseat Blatter but it would be to FIFA’s detriment if they were lost to the organisation for good.

OAKLAND, California — Golden State rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat Houston 110-106 in the opening game of their NBA Western Conference finals series on Tuesday, with Stephen Curry hitting two free throws in the final seconds to seal the result and push his personal total to 34 points.

Warriors turned the game around by going for a smaller, more nimble line-up and closed the first half on a run of 21 points to 4 to take a three-point lead at halftime.

The hosts then held off Houston in the fourth quarter, with the Rockets’ capacity to use their size advantage diminished by the loss of centre Dwight Howard to a knee injury.

“It really stretches people out,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of his line-up full of shooters. “Houston does the same thing. It was an interesting chess match, because they like to go small and we like to go small.”

James Harden, the runner-up to Curry in the MVP voting, nearly brought Rockets back in the fourth quarter. He finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals, but his late push fell short.

“You can’t give a really good shooting team easy layups and confidence,” said Harden, who shot 11 of 20 from the field. “That’s what we did in the second quarter.”

Game 2 is Thursday in Oakland and it’s unclear if Howard can play. Howard doesn’t think the injury will sideline him for the series.

“Hopefully Dwight is healthy and we can play big,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “We didn’t have that option with Dwight out.”

Harden mixed in a series of step-back jumpers and driving layups to help Houston even the score at 95-95 midway through the fourth.

But Warriors shut down Houston for long stretches, and Curry kept hitting shots to match Harden’s brilliance. Curry connected on a tree-pointer and converted a layup to put Golden State up 108-97 with 2:01 remaining.

“It’s entertaining basketball. We’re both supposed to help our team win and do what we can to impact the game,” said Curry.

Rockets never relented, though, with Trevor Ariza making a tree-pointer that trimmed Warriors’ lead to 108-106 with 14.6 seconds to play.

Curry twice caught the inbounds pass, and Rockets were forced to foul him both times. He hit both free throws to seal Golden State’s win.

Curry added six rebounds and five assists, and Draymond Green had 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to boost Warriors when they needed it most.

Ariza scored 20 points and Josh Smith had 17 points and seven rebounds for Rockets.

LONDON/MILAN — Ferrari’s timely return to the front row of the Formula One grid bodes well for the luxury sportscar maker as it prepares to list shares and split from parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

After years of under achievement, the world’s most successful motor racing team has been on the podium in each of the first five Grand Prix this season, with driver Sebastian Vettel securing a long overdue victory in Malaysia in March.

That win ended a moral-sapping run of 34 races without success dating back to May 2013 — the longest losing streak for the celebrated champions in two decades.

The turnaround gives FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne a lift as he seeks to convince investors that Ferrari merits a valuation of at least 10 billion euros ($11 billion) — at the top end or even above a range of 4-10 billion euros floated by bankers for the luxury carmaker and its prancing horse logo.

Formula One symbolises what Ferrari stands for: ultimate performance, groundbreaking technology, the best in terms of design and a legacy of racing wins, said Manfredi Ricca, head of brand consulting group Interbrand’s Italian office.

“A successful Formula One team adds some incremental value to the Ferrari brand and the brand is going to be a key component of Ferrari’s valuation in the IPO,” he said.

“It’s the most effective advertising. It’s about keeping a promise and bringing it to a global audience.”

Marchionne, who took over as Ferrari chairman last September, has said he plans to sell around 10 per cent of the firm in an initial public offering later this year.

He is the first to acknowledge that victories on the race track make little impact on sales of its road cars, which are capped at around 7,000 a year and have a healthy waiting list.

“Win Sunday, sell Monday is an argument that may work when you’re selling motorbikes. It doesn’t make a bloody difference to Ferrari,” he said in March, in typically forthright fashion.

But he recognises the team’s importance to the brand’s DNA. “Ferrari define themselves in terms of their racing ability. When they loses, the house doesn’t feel good,” he said.

‘Non-negotiable’

Ferrari, the only surviving team from the original motor racing series that started in 1950, have endured lean periods in the past, notably before German Michael Schumacher ended a 21-year wait for a drivers’ title with the first of a record-breaking five successive world championships in 2000.

It is now seven years since a Ferrari driver won a world title and, following a disagreement over strategy and results, Marchionne replaced the more flamboyant Luca Cordero di Montezemolo as chairman eight months ago.

Profits were not the only important thing for the iconic car firm, Marchionne said at the time. Winning on the Formula One track was also “an essential part” of the Ferrari brand and a “non-negotiable target” for the group.

The senior management team has been radically overhauled this past year, while engineers involved in many aspects of the ultra-sophisticated cars were also changed.

Ferrari’s engine, no match for Mercedes last season, has been revamped and retired triple world champion Niki Lauda, who won two titles for Ferrari in 1975 and 1977, estimated the cars now had 40 horsepower more.

Enzo Ferrari, the late founder who made road cars to fund the race team, liked to say he built engines and attached wheels to them. The engine-dominated formula still stands.

“Initially it was the engine and now it’s still the engine,” new principal Maurizio Arrivabene said after Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, a former world champion, was second in Bahrain in April — his first top three finish since 2013.

“But afterwards... you need to have a good chassis, a good aerodynamics and so on.”

Arrivabene, plucked from Philip Morris-owned team sponsor Marlboro, joined in November as Ferrari’s third principal in barely eight months. The team now have a very different feel to it, more collegiate and less political, observers said.

“Marchionne did a good job putting new people in the right place... they are working all together without any friction and this is the secret,” said Lauda, who now serves as a non-executive chairman at Mercedes.

Brand power

While the Prancing Horse has undoubtedly raised its game, no one is claiming that Ferrari is yet in a position to dominate Mercedes, who have won four of the five opening races this season, as well as securing every pole position.

“They have a bit more horsepower than us and a bit more downforce than us and until we’ve closed those two gaps it’s not realistic to talk about title challenges,” said Ferrari’s Technical Director James Allison, the son of a British Air Chief Marshal.

This weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, the glamorous showcase race attended by a who’s-who of corporate big hitters, will give Ferrari another chance to narrow the difference with its main rival in this year’s constructor standings.

While FCA discloses few financial details about Ferrari, analysts estimate the racing team generates around 10-15 per cent of the unit’s 2.76 billion euros revenues, mainly from Formula One income and sponsorship.

Nearly all of that goes back into the team — spent on engine and technology development and general racing costs — meaning the division is probably loss making most of the time.

Marchionne would probably struggle to cut costs there, but industry analysts expect him to look for ways to boost profits at the division, whose impact is felt throughout the company.

The engine and aerodynamic technology developed for Formula One are applied to the road cars and the marketing impact of races, which attract more than 400 million global television viewers each season, is vast, also helping to propel the sales of an array of Ferrari merchandise in stores across the world.

Consultancy firm Brand Finance named Ferrari as the world’s most powerful brand in 2014, but dropped it to ninth in its list in January because of the poor showing on the race track.

“The sheen of glory from its... golden era is wearing slightly thin,” it wrote in its annual report, released ahead of the new season. Even so, it estimated the value of the brand alone at some $4.7 billion, with considerable upside.

“The Ferrari brand clearly has huge untapped commercial potential and Marchionne’s open-minded approach bodes well for investors,” the consultancy said in its survey.

Marchionne, widely credited with rescuing both Fiat and Chrysler, has already announced his intention of turning Ferrari into a true luxury goods stock, hinting that the cars might one day no longer be the driving force behind company profitability.

However, in any move he makes, having a winning Formula One team again can only help.

“They had bad years, which can happen to anybody, and thank God, for the sport [but] not for Mercedes, they have recovered,” Lauda told Reuters, as he doffed his trademark red cap to the sport’s most storied team.

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-23 football squad plays Kuwait on Wednesday in their last Group B qualifier for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship in Qatar.

The Kingdom tops the group and has nearly secured qualification after they beat Kyrgyzstan 4-0 on Monday. Jordan had opened the competition currently under way in Al Ain, the UAE, with a 5-0 win over Pakistan. 

In other matches so far, Kuwait beat Pakistan 2-0 and Kyrgyzstan held Kuwait 1-1. Turkmenistan withdrew from the qualifiers forcing the organisers to change the schedule for a third time.

The winners of Groups A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J have been determined (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Syria, Australia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and China) and along with the winners of Group B and five best second-placed teams from all groups will join the hosts at the
January 12-30 event, with the 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Coach Jamal Abu Abed had earlier stressed that the changes of schedule thrice had underlined the team’s preparedness, but noted he was “relying on player experience and preparedness”.

The U-23 team has so far always impressed observers and managed to overcome adversity. Last year, Jordan took bronze in the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship (renamed the AFC U-23 Championship) after beating South Korea as Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to take the title.

The same squad also represented Jordan at the Asian Games where they made it to the quarter-finals despite a bumpy preparation period amid the busy agenda of the national team as well as local clubs. Jordan beat the UAE 1-0, India 2-0 and Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in extra time before losing 2-0 to Thailand in the quarters.

SHANGHAI — Retired Chinese star Liu Xiang watched from the crowd as his American rival David Oliver won the men’s 110-metre hurdles in 13.17 seconds at the Shanghai Diamond League meet on Sunday.

Liu still got the loudest ovation from the hometown fans. He got the victory lap, too.

Liu, who became one of China’s most celebrated athletes after winning the hurdles gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, retired a month ago at the age of 31 due to recurring injuries, depriving Chinese fans of farewell races in Shanghai and at the world championships in Beijing in August.

With Liu not in the race, Oliver edged Cuban hurdler Orlando Ortega by 0.02 seconds. World record holder Aries Merritt of the United States was third.

After the race, a tearful Liu was honoured in a ceremony on the track and then jogged around the stadium with Merritt and Oliver.

“I have been moved by your concern for me, your understanding and your encouragement,” Liu told the crowd. “I am grateful and very honoured.”

Oliver recalled racing against Liu in front of a raucous crowd in Shanghai.

“He had to go out [before the race] and quiet down the crowd, and it was like, ‘Man, he’s got a lot of support here.’ That’s very cool. You know as an American, we don’t really see that type of stuff for us,” Oliver said.

Also Sunday, Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare signalled she may be the woman to beat in the women’s 100 metres at the world championships, capturing the gold against a strong field that included two-time world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica.

Almaz Ayana won the women’s 5,000 with the third fastest time ever of 14 minutes, 14.32 seconds. The 23-year-old Ethiopian was just three seconds shy of breaking countrywoman Tirunesh Dibaba’s world record.

Okagbare got a strong start in the 100 and held off a fast-closing Tori Bowie of the United States to win in 10.98. Bowie was second in 11.07, just ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye.

“I focused on my start and it went well,” Okagbare said. “Normally I haven’t the best start but now I was leading from the beginning.”

Fraser-Pryce faded over the last 50 metres to finish fifth in 11.25, well off her personal best of 10.70.

Coming off a season of injuries and inconsistent results, the Jamaican is hoping to recapture her top sprinting form before the worlds, where she’s the defending champion in the 100 and 200. She said before the Shanghai meet that she may only run the 100 if the season takes a toll on her body.

“I always have my work cut out. Nobody hands anything to me,” Fraser-Pryce said after the race, still smiling despite the result. “I think it’s just one of those races — you go back, you have faith and you just move on from here. It’s not the first time I’m losing.”

Ayana took the lead about halfway through the women’s 5,000 and built a huge advantage, beating silver medallist Viola Jelagat Kibiwot of Kenya by 26 seconds and smashing her own personal best by 11 seconds.

“I didn’t know I was so close to the world record. I started with a pace for 14:20. During the race, I went faster and faster,” she said. “I was surprised that my body could do that.”

The much-anticipated duel in the men’s high jump between Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, the 2014 world indoor champion, and Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine, the 2013 world outdoor champion, never really materialised as Barshim easily cleared 2.38 metres on his first attempt to win gold, while Bondarenko could do no better than 2.32 for silver.

Even though he still had two attempts left, Barshim opted not to attempt to match Javier Sotomayor’s 22-year-old world record of 2.45 metres. Both Barshim and Bondarenko have inched closer to the record in the past year, with the Qatari coming within 2 centimetres at a meet in Belgium last September.

“I’m saving my body. It’s the first meet and I don’t want to get injured,” Barshim said. “The target was the win and we made it.”

Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada dominated the field in the men’s 400, winning in 44.66 — nearly a full second ahead of Tony McQuay of the United States in second. Defending world champion LaShawn Merritt was third.

HOUSTON — James Harden scored 31 points, and Dwight Howard had 16 points and 15 rebounds as Houston Rockets never trailed in a 113-100 victory over Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, sending them to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997.

It’s the ninth time in NBA history that a team has overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win a play-off series.

Rockets needed an epic comeback to overcome a 19-point third-quarter deficit and force Game 7. No such heroics were needed Sunday when they were up by 17 after three and Howard opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play to push it to 88-68.

Blake Griffin scored five points in a 9-0 run to cut the lead to eight points with less than two-and-a-half minutes remaining. Harden made a pair of free throws after that, but a dunk by DeAndre Jordan got the Clippers within eight again. This time Trevor Ariza hit a three from the corner to secure the victory.

Griffin had 27 points and Chris Paul had 26 points and 10 assists.

The Western Conference finals begin Tuesday night at Golden State.

Ariza finished with 22 points and made six three-pointers.

Every fan in the arena was given a red shirt emblazoned with the words “Clutch City” in yellow letters, bringing back the moniker of the 1994 and ‘95 teams that won back-to-back titles. These Rockets lived up to the nickname, winning their third straight game to become the first team to win a play-off series after trailing 3-1 since Phoenix Suns did it in 2006 against the Lakers.

After taking a two-game lead after four games Clippers looked destined to be heading to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. But they failed in all three chances to put Houston away and are now left to ponder their collapse as they head home early yet again.

Los Angeles never led, but tied it at twice in the first four minutes. Clippers insisted Saturday that they’d gotten over Thursday’s loss, but looked listless early in this one as Houston built the lead.

Little went right for the Clippers for most of the game and when a dunk by Jordan early in the fourth quarter simply bounced out of the rim, the big man could only look at the basket in disgust. The frustration was evident with Paul too, as he angrily threw the ball after picking up an offensive foul later in the fourth.

AMMAN — The Jordan Cup finalists are still undecided and upcoming semifinal Leg 2 matches are decided after Leg 1 matches ended goalless. Ramtha were held by That Ras and will play Leg 2 in Karak on Monday.

On the other hand, Jordan Professional League champs Wihdat will play Faisali in Zarqa on Tuesday.  In the quarter-final Leg 1, Ahli held Ramtha 1-1, That Ras beat Jazira 1-0, Wihdat beat Sarih 1-0 and Faisali beat Manshieh 2-1. In Leg 2, Faisali held Manshieh 1-1, Wihdat held Sarih 0-0, That Ras beat Jazira 4-3 on penalties and Ramtha beat Ahli 2-1.

Baqaa, Shabab Urdun and Hussein were eliminated earlier in the competition in which only League teams played this year.  So far in the 2014/15 football season, Wihdat won two titles after they beat Baqaa to snatch the 32nd Super Cup and last week won the 63rd Jordan Professional Football League, taking home their 14th league title.

However, for the first time in years, the runner-up and third places went to Jazira and Ramtha. Ramtha and Manshieh dropped to Division 1 after former champs Shabab Urdun and Faisali were among teams which could have easily followed suit.

It was only in the final week that Baqaa also held on to their position. Last season, Wihdat won the Jordan Professional League, and beat Baqaa to win the Jordan Cup. Shabab Urdun beat That Ras to win the 31st Super Cup. The Jordan Football Association Shield was not held.

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-23 football squad plays Kyrgyzstan on Monday in their second Group B qualifier for the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in Qatar.

Jordan opened the competition, held at Al Qattara Stadium in Al Ain, the UAE, with a 5-0 win over Pakistan. Kyrgyzstan held Kuwait 1-1 in another match. Turkmenistan withdrew from the qualifiers forcing the organisers to change the schedule for a third time.

“The team did what was required. Our upcoming two matches are not easy, but we aim to qualify,” head coach Jamal Abu Abed underlined. The coach had earlier stressed that the changes of schedule thrice had underlined the team’s preparedness, but noted he was “relying on player experience and preparedness”.

The winners of Groups A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J have been determined (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Syria, Australia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and China) and along with the winners of Group B and five best second-placed teams from all groups will join hosts in the January 12-30 event, with the 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Jordan Professional League has just ended and teams are playing the Jordan Cup without U-23 players. Jazira and Wihdat players joined the U-23 squad after finishing AFC matches.

In preparation for the U-23 Group B qualifiers, Jordan held two training camps, beating Bahrain 2-1 and Bseiteen Club 1-0. They also had a training camp in the UAE, where they lost to Iraq 2-1 after they beat North Korea 3-1 and drew 2-2 with the same rival.