SPORTSunday 3 February 2019

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Patriots, Rams ready for

showdown

Qatar’s young guns steal the show in UAE

Qatar team has made the country proud: QFA PresidentTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani yesterday said the ‘Qatar team has made’ the country proud with their AFC Asian Cup triumph.

Battling the odds stacked against them from a hostile playing environment in the UAE, Qatar broke several records on their way to beating Japan 3-1 in the final on Friday.

Qatar scored 19 goals and conceded just one in seven matches. Coached by Felix Sanchez, Qatar remained unbeaten in the seven fixtures and posted wins against Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Lebanon, Iraq, South Korea, the UAE and four-time champions Japan.

“The Qatari team has made the country proud,” QFA President said as the team landed in Doha yesterday. “It was a wonderful performance that showed that this bunch will learn more as they play more,” he added.

“I think all clubs and players should cooperate more so that the national team keeps getting positive results,” the QFA President said.

QFA President on Friday: “This is a historic day for Qatar football. The team delivered under pressure. I congratulate the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on this amazing victory for Qatar. The players deserve all the credit for their beautiful performance.”

The QFA chief also thanked Omani fans who backed Al Annabi throughout the three-week championships.

“I must personally thank the Oman fans. They were supporting our team in all the games. Our fans could not make but they were here in large numbers. It was wonderful to see them show big hearts,” the QFA chief said.

Immediately after the crowning, the Qatari players went to the Omani fans and they raised the flags of the Sultanate and those of Qatar, a matter that was high-lighted by social media networks and platforms and was widely admired.

Grand welcome for Asia’s football kingsFAWAD HUSSAIN DOHA

Victorious Qatar team yesterday returned home to a heroes’ welcome from Abu Dhabi where they made history by wining the maiden AFC Asian Cup crown on Friday.

The winners were given a red carpet welcome by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Doha International Airport, where they arrived along with the top Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) leadership.

Also welcoming the team at the airport were Personal Representative of the Amir, H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, QOC Chairperson H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, and a number of their excel-lencies Sheikhs and ministers, high-ranking officials, the players’ fam-ilies, first team and Olympic team players.

Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali was also present on the occasion.

The reception was followed by the victorious home-coming parade at the picturesque water-front Cor-niche where thousands of fans flocked to greet the winners in the evening.

Qatar on Friday stunned Japan 3-1 in the final and fans back home erupted in celebrations across the country. There was no change in the moods, in fact, the fans looked more charged yesterday as they assembled to cheer up for the heroes, who clinched the pres-tigious title despite many challenges including hostility from the host nation.

Promenades on the Corniche and on the opposite street was filled with fans, many of them wrapped up in Qatari flags chanting slogans in favour of the winning side.

Spectacular fireworks on regular intervals added colours to the mem-orable parade.

The triumphant Qatari players, travelling on an open-top bus and escorted by a huge motorcade, were in jubilant mood as they joined the fans, singing the national anthem and songs to celebrate the success.

During the parade, names of each member of the team including players and coaching staff were called out in front of fans, who appre-ciated the contribution of each of them with huge cheers.

“We continued to support our team throughout the tournament, and now it’s time to celebrate together,” Mohamed Ahmed, a young Qatari supporter said.

“This is the victory, which we will remember forever,” he added.

Qatar won the Asian Cup title in record-breaking style, winning

7 consecutive matches including victories over former Asian cham-pions Japan, Iraq, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

During their 4-0 thrashing over hosts UAE in the semi-final dubbed as ‘the blockade derby’, the Qatari

players were pelted with sandals and water bottles.

“They are the real heroes,” said Mohamed Salah, who was accom-panied by a group of youngsters came to attend the victory parade.

“Despite the ordeal in the UAE, they played dominating football. We respect them more for their com-mitment to do well for the country,” he said. “The Qatari team is the Asian champions and now we want to see them as a global football force,” Salah said.

“All the young players are doing well which gives us hope that the future is bright as Qatar host the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” he said.

The winning team was then escorted to Alkass TV Station .

The victory celebrations will con-tinue with several receptions being planned for the new Asian Cup champions.

The winners were given a red carpet welcome by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Doha International Airport, where they arrived along with the top Qatar Football Association’s leadership.

Qatar on Friday, stunned Japan 3-1 in the final and fans back home erupted in celebrations across the country.

Thousands cheer as triumphant players return home

Qatari captain Hassan Al Haydos (centre) raises the trophy at the Doha International Airport, upon their return from Abu Dhabi, yesterday. Coach Feliz Sanchez and Qatar Football Association President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani and goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb are also present.

06 SUNDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2019SPORT

Qatar’s young guns steal the show in UAE

2022 hosts Qatar box clever, punch above their weightAFP ABU DHABI

Coming from nowhere to win the Asian Cup is just part of the process for Qatar as they look ahead to this year’s Copa America and then the big one -- a home World Cup in 2022.

Felix Sanchez’s team is keeping their expectations in check for the South American championship despite snatching the Asian title from a lowly world ranking of 93.

But it is hard to overstate their achievement in going from zero points at the last Asian Cup to their first conti-nental title in record-breaking style.

It also means that Qatar are making headlines for the right reasons.

Almoez Ali’s bicycle kick epitomised a stylish win as it sparked Qatar’s 3-1 final victory over Japan and broke Ali Daei’s 23-year-old mark for goals at single Asian Cup.

“I’m sorry for breaking Mr. Daei’s record,” a humble Ali said after scoring his ninth of the tournament.

“I expected to score goals -- maybe three or four -- but I didn’t expect to score nine,” he added.

Fittingly for a team that has punched above its weight, Akram Afif struck a boxing-style pose as he celebrated the late penalty that ended Japan’s resistance.

Qatar conceded just one goal in the tournament and scored 19, winning all seven games and beating former cham-pions Saudi Arabia, Iraq and South Korea, as well as Japan.

They also thrived in a hostile envi-ronment in the United Arab Emirates, with their fans largely barred from vis-iting and home spectators pelting them with shoes and bottles in the semi-finals.

The title raised the beguiling possi-bility of Qatar being crowned champions of both Asia and South America, when they compete at the Copa America as guests in June-July.

But Ali said the Copa was all about learning for Qatar, continuing the methodical approach which has already paid dividends.

“We’re not expecting to win, but just to learn because after the World Cup, the Copa America is the biggest competition in the world,” Ali said.

“The weakest teams are in Asia, Asia is the weakest continent for football so

in the Copa America we will learn more. “We’ll benefit a lot as a Gulf team --

this will help us have a better per-formance in 2022.”

After spending many millions of dollars on their world-class Aspire Academy, and scouring the world for top coaches, Qatar are beginning to recoup their investment.

Head coach Felix Sanchez led Qatar to their first Asian under-19 title in 2014, and they reached the semi-finals at last year’s Asian under-23s -- where Ali was also the top-scorer.

Afif clocked up a tournament-record 10 assists and formed a devastating part-nership with Ali, underlining Qatar’s cohesion in both defence and attack after years spent playing together.

“We’ve been together seven years so I know exactly where Akram will be, where he will pass and he always knows what to expect from me,” Ali said.

“That’s normal after all the time we’ve spent playing together. We get along very well together too.”

Qatar’s win sparked jubilant scenes back home in Doha but for the team, bigger goals now lie ahead.

“This is one step more to continue developing the team, to play another tournament in the summer and to be ready in 2022 to represent Qatar in the World Cup,” Sanchez said.

Qatar conceded just one goal during the tournament and scored 19, winning all seven games and beating former champions Saudi Arabia, Iraq and South Korea as well as Japan.

Qatari players and coaching staff pose for a selfie as they celebrate their Asian Cup victory in Abu Dhabi, on Friday.

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Catch them young, they say. Qatar did exactly that.

Bringing in Felix Sanchez to groom the junior squad was a smart move from Qatar Football Association (QFA) more than half a decade ago.

Sanchez, the Barcelona native, did not disappoint the moment he arrived in Qatar. A man of few words at the best of times, Sanchez first narrowed down a core group of players who would train under his direct tutelage.

The young bunch of players - mostly based at the Aspire Academy - were quick off the blocks as Sanchez set about his task of polishing their talents. Success came early but the seed for greater glory was well and truly planted.

In October 2014, Qatar edged past North Korea to lift the U-19 AFC Asian Cup in Myanmar. Guess who scored in the tense final nearly five years ago? Akram Afif was the goal hero as Qatar beat North Korea to lift the Asian Cup for juniors!

Showing early promise, Afif was drafted into the senior squad in September 2015 by former coach Daniel Carreno. Afif scored once in Qatar’s 15–0 win against Bhutan in a FIFA World Cup qual-ifying match.

Afif - who scored the third goal in Qatar’s 3-1 win over Japan in the AFC Asian Cup on Friday - is one of the players to branch out from the junior squad and graduate to the seniors in style.

Afif, who belongs to a family of football players, was the key man as he assisted team-mate Almoez Ali in netting the spec-tacular first goal against Japan on Friday. Seconds later, it was Afif - who has previously represented Eupen in Belgium and Sporting Gijon in Spain - who found Abulaziz Hatem with another assist that resulted in goal number two for Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium.

Almoez, the Most Valuable Player at the 2019 Asian Cup with a record 9 goals from just 7 matches, is another young player to come through the ranks. Almoez - who even impressed Jose Mourinho with his ‘agility and speed’ despite ‘being a tall player’ - was the toast of the

entire 24-team tournament held in the UAE.

Mourinho, in Doha as a guest expert for beIN, went lyrical in describing the young man’s fine talent.

“I think this boy Almoez is agile. He moves fast (and) he is cool in the face of the keeper,” Mourinho said.

“He plays at an interesting level and who knows in the next couple of years, this boy could be playing in another league so that he becomes more competitive. He is young, he is 180cm (in height) and that’s a good size. The objective of this kid is to play. If Qatar wants him to be better, then they need him to be playing in a better league. He is an important player. He needs to go to a com-petitive league and not playing all the time. That’s the balance you have to find.

“(Former Qatar player) Mubarak Mustafa was telling me that Almoez plays many times from the wings. I didn’t know this. I think in this kind of football that they

(Qatar) are trying to play, some-times it is good to have a striker who has wing connection (ges-tures flying motion with his hands),” Mourinho said.

“If you don’t want a target man (in your side), then it is better to have somebody like him. So you need a player who can adapt. It is good to have that philosophy. If Qatar national team are playing like this, drop the players back, create some space to take the speed off the opponents,” Mourinho, known as ‘The Special One’, explained.

Almoez was part of the Qatar squad for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup staged in New Zealand. The tall striker played in the three group stage matches though Qatar - managed by Sanchez - did not advance to the knockout stage of the FIFA tournament but the young players got exposed to top flight football. A year later in August 2016, Ali made his Qatar n a t i o n a l team debut as a sub-stitute in a

2-1 win against Iraq. Ali was a member of the Qatar squad that featured at the Gulf Cup in Kuwait in December 2017 and just a few weeks later, he emerged as the top scorer in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship held in China. Ali fired 6 goals as Qatar - coached by Sanchez - finished third.

Almoez summed up his part-nership with Afif - who clocked a tournament-record 10 assists during the victorious campaign - when he said on Friday: “We’ve been together seven years so I know exactly where Akram will be, where he will pass and he always knows what to expect from me. That’s normal after all

the time we’ve spent playing together. We get along very

well together too.” Almoez even had words of praise for his coach: “I’ve been working with him for nine years, he’s highly intelligent. I compare him to Guardiola because he has the same ideas.”

Besides Afif and Almoez, reserve goalkeeper Yousef Hassan, stocky defender Assim Madibo and midfielder Salem Al Hajri are some of the Aspire Academy colts to have reached the national team under coach Sanchez. A total of 13 players from the 23 in the Asian Cup squad are from the Aspire Academy, making up a staggering 57 percent of the entire squad in the UAE.

Coach Sanchez warned experts on Friday: “We’re happy with the results, because we won, and in our analysis these players are able to compete against all the national teams in Asia and that’s a big step for us. Now we’re looking forward to developing the players, because it’s a very young squad and they per-formed very well. But the good

thing is we can see that we can still grow as a team and

we can go forward.”Well played, Qatar!

ourinho, in Doha as a guest t for beIN, went lyrical in NNibing the young man’s fine.think this boy Almoez isHe moves fast (and) he isn the face of the keeper,” inho said.

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p y ppywith the results, because we won, and in our analysis these players are able to compete against all the national teams in Asia and that’s a big step for us. Now we’relooking forward to developingthe players, because it’s a veryyoy ung squad and they per-formed very well But the goodfof rmed very well. But the good

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QATARAFC RANKING: 13

AFC ASIAN CUP RECORD:Winners: 2019

Quarter-finals: 2011, 2000Group Stage: 2015, 2007,

2004, 1992, 1988, 1984, 1980First appearance: 1980Total appearances: 10

Matches: 39Won: 13Lost: 15

Drawn: 11

Bringing in Felix Sanchez to groom the junior squad was a smart move from Qatar Football Association (QFA) more than half a decade ago.

The young bunch of players - mostly based at the Aspire Academy - were quick off the blocks as Sanchez set about his task of polishing their talents.

Akram Afif - who was drafted into the senior squad in September 2015 - is one of the players to branch out from the junior squad and graduate to the seniors in style.

Almoez, the Most Valuable Player at the 2019 Asian Cup with a record 9 goals from just 7 matches, is another young player to come through the ranks.

Man-of-the-match, Akram Afif kisses

the AFC Asian Cup trophy after Qatar’s historic title win in

Abu Dhabi, on Friday.

07SUNDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2019 SPORT

Qatari forward Akram Afif poses for a photograph with young fans at Doha international Airport, yesterday.

Al Annabi dedicate Asian Cup title to Qatari people, fansQNA ABU DHABI

Qatari players dedicated their 2019 AFC Asian Cup victory after beating Japan 3-1 to the people of Qatar and all residents, saying they met their promise to return to Doha with the title.

Qatari star Assem Madibo, who expressed his great hap-piness with the prestigious title, said it was deserved after the team were impressive in all the games, all of which they won.

He dedicated the Cup to the Qatari people and all the resi-dents of Qatar who have sup-ported them greatly and played a great role in the historic win.

He added that the team are really happy.

He noted that despite all the circumstances, they succeeded in making the Qatari people happy, and their efforts and those of the coaching and administrative staff resulted in this victory over the Japanese team, one of the best in Asia.

Saad Al Sheeb, who was chosen as the best goalkeeper in the tournament, said that the

team deserved to win the title after showing best levels among all the teams participating in the tournament and winning against big teams like the Iraqi, Saudi and South Korean teams, as well as winning against the hosts UAE national team.

He added that they were expecting a tough game, but two goals in the first half helped a lot and gave the team strength to continue.

He said that the team included 23 players, each giving their all and even those who did not participate in the games had a great role in supporting the other players and were ready to participate at any moment in the game.

Abdulaziz Hatem, who scored the second goal against Japan during Friday’s final, expressed his delight with winning the Asian Cup for the first time in his history, after beating the Japanese team.

He said that this crowning is the best in his career, and in the career of the current generation of Qatari national team sup-porters, as well as in the history

of Qatari football, because they promoted the country in the continental championship for the first time.

Hassan Al Haydos, the captain of the team, expressed his great satisfaction with the victory, saying that his feelings and those of his colleagues are indescribable after the historic title, which came after impressive performances throughout the game that was distinguished by the presence of the best scorer, and the best playmaker.

Al Haydos dedicated the win to the leadership and the people of Qatar and all those who sup-ported the team during the championship, especially in the final, which was attended by a large number of fans who stood by the players, and supported them throughout the match.

He praised the great role of coach Felix Sanchez, who read all the matches, which made it easier for players, especially tough matches against former champions Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

Qatari captain Hassan Al Haydos (left) holds the trophy during the victory parade, yesterday.

Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez is greeted

by his family at Doha International Airport.

Qatar team is being escorted in a victory parade in Doha yesterday, upon their return from Abu Dhabi where they made history by winning the maiden AFC Asian Cup crown. The winners were given a red carpet welcome by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Doha International Airport, where they arrived along with the top Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) leadership. PICTURES: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH, ABDUL BASIT, SYED OMAR & MOHAMED FARAG

Qatari defender Bassam Al Rawi

poses for a selfie with a young fan.

SPORT EPL: Leicester City vs

Manchester UnitedEPL: Manchester City vs Arsenal

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

05SUNDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2019

The Qatar team has made the country proud. It was a

wonderful performance that showed that this bunch will

learn more as they play more.

QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani on Qatar’s Asian Cup triumph. T

ODA

Y’S

ACT

ION

Patriots, Rams ready for Super Bowl showdownAFP ATLANTA

Tom Brady will chase a record-breaking sixth Super Bowl crown today as the New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams in a clash of the genera-tions set to rewrite NFL history.

Patriots star Brady, 41, will become the oldest quarterback ever to lift the title if he master-minds yet another championship in the latest milestone of a career that has shown no signs of flagging.

A win would see Brady become the only player in history to win six Super Bowls, an achievement which may never been beaten in an era of ever shorter NFL careers.

A capacity crowd of 75,324 will pack Atlanta’s futuristic Mercedes-Benz Stadium to see if Brady can lead his team to the Vince Lombardi Trophy once more, 17 years after his first triumph in 2002.

“When you’ve been in the position I’ve been in, you just count your blessings every day,” Brady said, who will be playing in his ninth Super Bowl, itself another record.

Records are also set to tumble in the event of a win by the youthful Los Angeles Rams, who are led by 24-year-old quarterback Jared Goff and head coaching prodigy Sean McVay.

McVay, still only 33, will become the youngest head coach ever to win the Super Bowl if he manages to outwit Patriots counterpart Bill Belichick, 66, who has won five Super Bowls as a head coach and two as an

assistant in a coaching career that dates back to 1975.

The generational chasm that exists between today’s principal protagonists is highlighted by a cursory comparison of their respective biographies.

When Brady inspired the Patriots to their first Super Bowl, Goff was seven years old.

Similarly, McVay was playing at quarterback for his high school football team when Belichick led New England to their 2002 win.

The vast differences in expe-rience between the Super Bowl rivals have prompted

bookmakers to install the Patriots as favourites to win a sixth title, putting them level with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the most successful franchise in history.

The Patriots, who started the season sluggishly, have once again paced their campaign to perfection.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, Brady delivered another masterpiece of composure crowned by a game-winning drive in overtime.

The ferociously competitive Brady has sought to portray the

Patriots -- the most hated NFL team in America according to a recent analysis of social media -- as underdogs, irked by sug-gestions earlier in the season that the team was in decline.

“It’s just part of who I am, part of my DNA,” Brady said. “Those motivations run deep. And when I get them scratched at, it’s great motivation for me.”

Despite the gulf in expe-rience, the Rams have drawn confidence from a free-scoring campaign that saw them emerge as one of the most exciting offenses in the league.

The Rams also point to their victory in the NFC title game against New Orleans, where they battled through an ear-splitting maelstrom in the Superdome, as evidence of their maturity.

“Obviously they’ve played in a bunch of big games,” Goff said of the Patriots.

“But we were inexperienced against New Orleans and we put that one away.”

Like the Patriots, the Rams have developed a solid running game to expand their options, with the arrival of the physical C.J. Anderson at running back in December complementing Todd Gurley.

The Rams also boast the best defensive player in the NFL, Aaron Donald, who has a league-leading 20.5 quarterback sacks to his name in 2018, as they look to knock Brady out of his comfort zone.

“He’s a great quarterback, but you can pressure him, just like anybody else,” Donald said of Brady. “If we do our job, we can get to him.”

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media at a press conference for Super Bowl LIII at Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

Injury to SL opener overshadows Day 2 in Canberra Test AP CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

A frightening injury to Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne overshadowed other events on the field dominated by Australia on the second day of the second cricket Test yesterday.

Karunaratne was hit by a bouncing delivery on his helmet and was taken off the field at Manuka Oval on a motorized stretcher.

He was later shown being taken to a hospital by ambu-lance and was declared out of danger.

Karunaratne crumpled to the ground after ducking into a Pat Cummins bouncer which rocketed into the back of his helmet after the tea break. The 30-year-old Karunaratne retired hurt on 46 and play was delayed for close to 15 minutes while medical officials from both teams attended to the batsman.

Sri Lanka was 82 for no loss at the time of the incident. At stumps, Sri Lanka was 123-3, still trailing Australia’s first innings of 534-5 declared, by 411 runs.

“We lost a couple of wickets so definitely it was a bit of a dis-traction,” Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha said of the Karunaratne incident.

“They were batting well (before that).”

Earlier, Kurtis Patterson became Australia’s third cen-tury-maker of its first innings, scoring an unbeaten 114. Pat-terson made Sri Lanka pay for dropping him on the first ball he faced.

Australia’s century drought, which dated to Dubai in October, ended as Patterson joined Joe Burns and Travis Head in reaching three figures.

In the morning session, Australian opener Burns’ career-best innings ended on 180 after being bowled.

The Queensland batsman appeared set to become the first Australian to score a double century since Steve Smith’s 239 against England in December 2017.

But Burns played onto his stumps off a ball from Sri Lankan fast bowler Kasun

Rajitha, adding eight runs to his overnight score.

Vishwa Fernando was the best of the Sri Lankan bowlers in the first innings with three wickets for 126 runs.

Burns’ innings and his record 308-run partnership with Head (161) on the first day put Australia in an almost unbeatable position to ensure it wins its first Test series since the 2017-18 Ashes.

Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs in the first Test at Brisbane.

Meanwhile, Cummins breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Karunaratne was not in any danger.

“It’s never a nice feeling seeing someone go down like that,” Cummins told the host broadcaster after the end of the day’s play.

“The good thing was he looked like he was moving his hands and the physio said he seemed all right when he left the ground.

“I wish him all the best and hopefully he’s doing all right. You never like seeing that. It’s just one of those things that happens in Cricket,” he said.

Sri Lanka 1st inningsD. Karunaratne retired hurt.......................... 46L. Thirimanne c Khawaja b Lyon ................. 41D. Chandimal c Paine b Starc ........................15K. Mendis b Cummins ...................................... 6K. Perera not out ............................................. 11D. de Silva not out .............................................1Extras (lb2, b1) ..................................................3Total (three wickets; 43 overs) .........123To bat: Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Chamika Karunaratne, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun RajithaFall of wickets: 1-90 (Thirimanne), 2-101 (Mendis), 3-120 (Chandimal)Bowling: Starc 8-2-32-1, Richardson 9-4-23-0, Cummins 10-2-25-1, Lyon 16-5-40-1Australia 1st innings (overnight 384-4; T.Head 161)J. Burns b Rajitha .........................................180K. Patterson not out .....................................114T. Paine not out ...............................................45Extras (lb3 nb10, w4) ....................................17Total (5 wickets declared; 132 overs) 534Did not bat: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan LyonFall of wickets: 1-11 (Harris), 2-15 (Khawaja), 2-28 (Labuschagne), 4-336 (Head), 5-404 (Burns)Bowling: Rajitha 28-5-103-1, Fernando 30-3-126-3, C. Karunaratne 22-0-130-1, Perera 32-4-112-0, De Silva 20-2-60-0Toss: Australia

SCOREBOARD

AFP PARIS

Former champions Serbia, Germany, Australia and Italy punched tickets to the Davis Cup finals yesterday, while Japan rallied from a 2-1 deficit as Taro Daniel won the decisive rubber to overcome China.

Serbia, playing without Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, watched their

2-0 overnight lead evaporate in Tashkent as Uzbekistan roared back to send their clash to a fifth rubber.

Denis Istomin partnered Sanjar Fayziev to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Nikola Milojevic and Viktor Troicki in the doubles before he downed Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 in the singles.

But Filip Krajinovic picked up the decisive point by coming from behind to beat world

number 280 Sanjar Fayziev 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 to nail down a place for Serbia at November’s revamped finals in Madrid.

Germany eased to victory over Hungary as Jan-Lennard Struff and Tim Puetz strolled to a 6-2, 6-3 doubles triumph to an unassailable 3-0 advantage.

Third-ranked Alexander Zverev cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Gabor Borsos in the first reverse singles as the countries

opted to play out the remaining dead rubbers in Frankfurt.

Australia romped to a 4-0 rout of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Adelaide, as John Peers and Jordan Thompson clinched the tie with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of Mirza Basic and Tomislav Brkic in the doubles.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov overcame Martin Klizan 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to level their tie with Slovakia at 2-2.

Spurs strike late as Higuain scores twice for ChelseaAFP LONDON

Son Heung-min struck late to fire Tottenham into second place in the Premier League yesterday as Gonzalo Higuain opened his account for Chelsea in a five-goal rout at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs looked to be heading for their first league draw of the season at Wembley but Son’s 83rd-minute goal earned Mau-ricio Pochettino’s men a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle and enabled them to leapfrog Manchester City.

Chelsea beat bottom side Huddersfield 5-0 thanks to two goals apiece from Higuain and Eden Hazard and a late header from David Luiz as they returned emphatically to goalscoring form.

Tottenham are now just four points behind leaders Liverpool, who are in action at West Ham tomorrow, but just as

significantly they consolidated their position in the top four after their 19th win in 25 matches.

Spurs enjoyed more than 70 percent possession but faced a dogged Newcastle, buoyed by a stunning 2-1 win over Man-chester City in midweek that carried the Magpies five points clear of the relegation zone.

An incredible clearance off the line from Fabian Schaer denied what seemed a certain goal for Christian Eriksen and

Fernando Llorente then looped a golden headed chance high and wide.

But Son again stepped up, just as he did with an equaliser against Watford in midweek, to compensate for the injured Harry Kane’s absence with his 14th goal of the season.

The South Korean had a helping hand from Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who let the powerful shot slip beneath his grasp to undo all his side’s good work.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri admitted before the match against bottom side Huddersfield that he had found it hard to get any rest since Wednesday’s humiliating 4-0 drubbing at Bournemouth.

His side, seeking to avoid a third straight Premier League defeat, went ahead in the 16th minute through Higuain and doubled their lead with a Hazard penalty on the stroke of

half-time. Both players scored again midway through the second half and Luiz made it 5-0 as Chelsea returned to the top four at the expense of Arsenal.

Higuain, 31, was signed on loan until the end of the season from Juventus to help the 2016/17 English champions rediscover their sharpness in front of goal.

Wolves consolidated their hold on seventh by beating Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park, in a match interrupted when a black cat began scampering around the pitch.

“Where I come from in Por-tugal the black cat is bad luck so I never want to see cats again,” said Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Everton manager, Marco Silva, is also Portuguese.

Elsewhere, struggling Fulham were unable to recapture the spirit of their dramatic midweek comeback against Brighton, losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace.

Chelsea’s Gonzalo Higuain celebrates after scoring their first goal, yesterday.

Brighton 0 Watford 0 Burnley 1 (Barnes 90+4-pen) Southampton1 (Redmond 55) Chelsea 5 (Higuain 16, 69, Hazard 45+1-pen,66, Luiz 86) Huddersfield 0 Crystal Palace 2 (Milivojevic 25-pen, Schlupp87) Fulham 0 Everton 1 (Gomes 27) Wolves 3 (Neves7-pen, Jimenez 45, Dendoncker 66)Tottenham 1 (Son 83) Newcastle 0

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