Sports

AMMAN — Jordan plays an away match against Singapore on Tuesday in its return leg of Group A Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers.

The national team could have secured its qualification to the Asian Cup on the weekend but was held 0-0 with Oman in Muscat.

The Kingdom is now second in Group A after it held Oman 0-0, tied Syria 1-1 and defeated Singapore 4-0 in Round 1. Jordan is steadily on course to book the second qualifying spot from the group with its final qualifier against Syria set for  March 5 in Amman. 

“We had a short time between the two matches in addition to the time difference in Singapore. The schedule has been to our disadvantage,” Jordan’s head coach Hossam Hassan was quoted by the local media as saying ahead of the match.

Hassan expressed his dissatisfaction at having to train on another stadium than that designated for the match set for 1:30pm Amman time. The coach might have to grapple with a slight injury to Uday Zahran who might join the injury list in addition to Hatem Aqel and Adnan Addous.

The lineup was incomplete during the training agenda as three players joined from the U22 team, while three vital players Abdullah Theeb, Khalil Bani Atiya and Shadi Abu Hashash were not released by their Saudi clubs. 

The Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers include 25 teams playing in five groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team will qualify to the tournament. The draw for the finals will be held on March 26.

Twelve teams have already qualified automatically to the finals set for January 9, 2015: They include Asian Cup 2011 champions Japan, third-placed South Korea, hosts and runners-up Australia, AFC Challenge Cup 2012 winners North Korea.  The 2014 AFC Challenge Cup champs will get a direct berth, and three more qualifiers will be decided from the current competing groups. 

Oman has already clinched the first qualifying berth from the group. In other groups, Iran and Kuwait have qualified from Group B; Saudi Arabia from Group C; Bahrain and Qatar from Group D; and the UAE and Uzbekistan from Group E.

Jordan is looking to be in the Asian finals for the third time since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1972. 

Jordan is now 72nd in the  latest FIFA rankings and seventh among Asian Football confederation teams led by Iran who held on the top Asian spot at 34th.

BARCELONA — Finland has received a wild card into the World Cup of Basketball, along with traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) says the quartet completes a 24-nation line-up at the August 30 — September 14 tournament hosted by Spain. The draw will be held Monday for the four-yearly event previously called the world championship. After 15 countries sought wild cards, FIBA’s ruling board chose four based on sporting, economic and governance qualities. Brazil, Greece and Turkey are all ranked in the top 10 and Finland is No. 39. China, Qatar and Russia were among losing applicants. FIBA says its board also cleared Senegal to fulfil its World Cup entry after being barred following age cheating violations at youth tournaments.

CAPE TOWN — Libya lifted its first international football title by beating favourite and West African power Ghana on penalties in the final of the African Nations Championship on Saturday. Libya’s penalty kings, coached by former Spain boss Javier Clemente, won 4-3 in sudden death in the shootout after it was 0-0 through 90 minutes and extra time at Cape Town Stadium. Libya also won penalty shootouts in the quarter-finals and semifinals in South Africa. The African Nations Championship is the continent’s lower-level tournament for home-based players, but that mattered little for the Libyans, whose best football achievement was watched by FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the former World Cup stadium. Goalkeeper Mohamed Abdaula saved the first two Ghanaian penalties to help the North Africans clinch victory in a tournament they were initially meant to host but had to give up to South Africa because of unrest at home. Ghana’s penalty pain continued having been knocked out in shootouts in the semifinals at last year’s African Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup. 

LONDON — Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sent Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League on Sunday as his first goals in more than a year clinched a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

In another match, Liverpool missed a chance to strengthen their place in the league’s top four on Sunday when Kolo Toure gifted West Bromwich Albion an equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

In Arsenal’s game, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first league start since August in an injury-curtailed season, breaking through the resilient visitors two minutes into the second half by lifting the ball into the net.

And, having not scored for Arsenal since December 2012, Oxlade-Chamberlain slotted in a second in the 73rd minute as he slotted seamlessly back into the injury-hit team.

“It was a tough game, they made it hard for us,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said.

Having lost the league lead by drawing at Southampton in midweek, Arsenal moved back to the summit at least until Monday night when second-place Manchester City host Chelsea.

The win sets up Arsenal for a challenging period ahead, with Liverpool (twice), Manchester United and Bayern Munich coming up in the next four fixtures.

And the victory should dispel concerns — for now — about manager Arsene Wenger not spending in the January transfer window.

But it was a first half as frustrating as Arsenal’s transfer inactivity. The only arrival — 31-year-old midfielder Kim Kallstrom on loan on Friday’s deadline-day — has already been ruled out injured before even getting the chance to pull on an Arsenal shirt.

By contrast, Palace were one of the most active clubs on deadline-day, although the four new outfield players weren’t registered in time for Sunday’s game.

Arsenal completely dominated the first half against Palace, but found its route to goal congested by the disciplined visitors, who displayed the resilience at the heart of the team’s revival under Tony Pulis since November.

Palace restricted Arsenal to just one shot in the opening half-hour, and that was from a defender. Goalkeeper Julian Speroni raced off his line in the seventh minute to meet Nacho Monreal, and block the shot with his right leg.

A diving save from Speroni in the 34th thwarted Laurent Koscielny’s backward header from Mesut Ozil’s free kick. From another of the Germany playmaker’s free kicks, Per Mertesacker’s header lacked power and was easily gathered by Speroni.

Arsenal ended the half with nothing to show for their 76 per cent possession, but landed an immediate blow on the visitors after the break.

And the goal was just reward for the slick build-up. Santi Cazorla weaved his way through the Palace defence, and dinked the ball over for Oxlade-Chamberlain to lift it over Speroni.

The lead was preserved by Wojciech Szczesny being alert to save Cameron Jerome’s downward header form Yannick Bolasie’s flick-on.

And after Podolski fired into sidenetting, Oxlade-Chamberlain found the target again.

Thomas Rosicky knocked the ball forward to Olivier Giroud, who backheeled it for Oxlade-Chamberlain to strike low into the net.

The Ox-factor ensured Arsenal did not miss the suspended Mathieu Flamini and fellow midfielders Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, who are injured.

In the second match, Liverpool took the lead against the run of play when Luis Suarez set up Daniel Sturridge to poke the ball into the net in the 24th minute.

But the winning position was thrown away in the 67th when Toure’s slack cross-field clearance went straight to Victor Anichebe, who levelled with a low shot from a central position.

“Sometimes in the past I might have switched off,” Anichebe said. “But today I was ready, especially against Liverpool. I was there and I finished it.”

The draw pushed West Brom a point clear of the relegation zone.

Liverpool are fourth, three points behind Chelsea, which are at leader Manchester City on Monday.

Sturridge’s 50th career league goal — and his 24th in 30 games for Liverpool — in a disjointed first-half performance had put his team on course to retain a four-point cushion over Everton.

But the draw will give more ammunition to the critics who felt Liverpool should have strengthened in the transfer window to enhance its bid to regain Champions League football.

But it was not the absence of Ukraine winger Yehven Konoplyanka, whose proposed move to Anfield broke down in final hours of the January transfer window, which ultimately cost them points but a lack of resources at the back.

Toure is only playing because Daniel Agger and Mamadou Sakho are injured, but manager Brendan Rodgers insisted defensive reinforcements were not his priority.

What Liverpool really need is to keep Luis Suarez and Sturridge fit and scoring — as they did in a 4-0 rout of Everton in the Merseyside derby on Tuesday.

But the duo didn’t make an impact at West Brom beyond the combination that produced the first-half goal.

AMMAN — Jordan seeks to improve its sports facilities and infrastructure ahead of hosting the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016, Jordan Football Association (JFA) President HRH Prince Ali said on Saturday.

The government has pledged to offer its full support to the JFA in hosting the international football competition by helping prepare around 16 training pitches and four main football stadiums in line with FIFA standards and spread around the Kingdom’s cities, the prince said.  

“It is imperative that the government pay more attention to the sports infrastructure in the country,” Prince Ali told members of the Hiwar (dialogue) initiative and a number of media representatives, citing sports’ positive effects on youths.

Excelling in sports will also promote Jordan regionally and internationally, said the prince, who is also FIFA vice president for Asia.

The Kingdom was a pioneer in promoting sports when King Hussein issued directives to establish Al Hussein Youth City although the economic conditions at the time were more difficult than they are now, Prince Ali said.

The prince added he presented a comprehensive study on the state of sports facilities around the Kingdom three years ago to the consecutive governments after conducting several field visits, but no decisions were taken to maintain these facilities.

The JFA and the Asian Football Development Project are also working on advancing sports medicine by organising training courses and benefiting from the experience of leading countries.

The Hiwar initiative was founded by a group of young Jordanians over a year ago, with the aim of engaging in dialogue over various local issues.

AMMAN — Shabab Urdun host Bahrain’s Al Hidd on Sunday in their inaugural match of the preliminary round of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Asian Champions League. Shabab Urdun need to beat Al Hidd and Qatar’s Lekhwiya as well as face another qualifier to advance to the AFC Champions League for the first time. Last year, Shabab Urdun lost to Al Hidd in Round 1 of the Arab Football Association Clubs Cup, losing on aggregate following 1-1 and 0-0 results. Shabab Urdun’s task have been complicated by injuries as well as three players on duty in Asian Cup qualifiers. The team is Jordan’s representative in the event after they won the 61st Jordan Professional League. “We all know the task ahead. We are representing Jordanian football and hope we will be up to the challenge ahead,” Shabab Urdun coach Ali Kamikh was quoted by local media as saying. 

AMMAN — Jordan drew with Oman 0-0 on Friday in the return leg of Group A Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers in Muscat, Oman. Jordan stayed second in the group with 6 points after Oman which has 11 points. Syria occupied the third place in the group with four points followed by Singapore with three points. Jordan now plays Singapore in an away match on February 4, with its last match pitting it against Syria on March 5 in Amman. The Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers include 25 teams playing in five groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team will qualify to the tournament. The draw for the finals will be held on March 26.