Hanif Khan XI seal 13-0 triumph

KARACHI: Hanif Khan XI taught Al Sagheer Club Whites a harsh lesson as they sealed a 13-0 victory in the Inter-club Hockey Championship at the KHA Sports Complex on Sunday.

In a goal-scoring spree, the winners led 7-0 at half-time and added another six more to their tally in the post-interval session. Imran Khan scored a hat-trick by striking in the 11th, 14th and 15th minutes. Zohaib Khan and Sameer Hussain scored a brace apiece while Rizwan Khan, Khalid Junior, Asad Qureshi, Kashif Jawad, Mohammad Ali and Irfan Tahir added one goal each. According to draws, the match was scheduled for Monday but was brought forward by a day.

Yet another hat-trick by Syed Haider Ali guided Habibians Club past Airport Club 6-1 after taking a 4-1 lead at the interval. Haider’s goal came in 21st, 23rd and 25th minutes and were followed by Shadab, Mohammad Isfand Ali and Mohtashim Raza. Earlier, Hammad Ahmed had surprised by forging his team ahead in the fifth minute of the play.

Abdul Wahab also was on song with a hat-trick as Youth Club Orange sent Spartan Club packing 6-0. Wahab was supported by Waris Naseer, Umer bin Ilyas and Shahzaib Arab who chipped in one goal each.

Sea Hawk Club struggled past Karachi Fitness Club 4-3 in the only close game of the day. Asim Bashir and Naimatullah netted two goals apiece for the winners while Uzair Ahmed, Abdus Salam and Mohammad Adil sounded the board for the losers.

Monday’s fixtures: Ismail Club vs Rabbani Club (3:00pm); Gulberg Club vs Baldia Club (4:00pm); Youth Club Blues vs Nazimabad Mujahid Club (5:00pm).—Sports Reporter

Late Lobete goal sends 10-man Sociedad top

MADRID: Playing a man down and without their top scorer, Real Sociedad turned to a 21-year-old reserve player to score a clutch goal that was good for a three-point lead in La Liga.

Substitute Julen Lobete became an instant fan favourite at an Anoeta Stadium filled to capacity for the first time in more than a year and a half when he scored a 90th-minute winner to edge Mallorca 1-0 on Saturday.

Lobete went on in the 66th minute with his team struggling to generate chances. After receiving a through ball from fellow substitute Martin Zubimendi, the young striker cut back to his right foot and struck a powerful shot that goalkeeper Manolo Reina got a hand on but couldn’t keep out.

With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both sitting out the weekend’s matches due to the extended South American international break, Sociedad — without striker Mikel Oyarzabal — knew they could take first place by avoiding defeat against promoted Mallorca.

But winning became a harder task when Aihen Munoz was given a second yellow card at the end of the first half, a wild hack on Mallorca’s Rodrigo Battaglia leaving his team to play the whole second period with a man less.

Yet they never crumbled and the visitors looked set to earn a hard-earned draw until Lobete struck.

Levante and Getafe remained the only teams in the league yet to win after drawing 0-0 to remain in the relegation zone.—Agencies

Lille lose against Clermont

PARIS: Reigning French champions Lille suffered their fourth defeat of the season when they were beaten 1-0 at promoted Clermont on Saturday ahead of a key Champions League clash against Sevilla.

Vital N’Simba scored his first goal in the league, drilling in from 20 metres just after the half-hour, to give Clermont their third win of the season and lift them up to 11th on 13 points. Lille, who take on Sevilla on Wednesday looking to bounce back from a poor start in the Champions League Group ‘G’, are ninth on 14 points, 13 behind runaway leaders Paris St Germain.

Olympique Lyonnais moved up to fifth on 16 points after a second-half penalty by Karl Toko Ekambi and a last-minute goal by Jason Denayer earned them a 2-0 home win against a dismal Monaco side, who slumped down to seventh on 14 points.

Toko Ekambi, who was denied twice in the opening half, kept his composure to bury a spot kick in the 75th minute after an Axel Disasi foul in the area, and Denayer wrapped it up in the 90th following a brilliant no-look pass from midfielder Lucas Paqueta.—Agencies

Matloob roars to Punjab Open crown

LAHORE: Matloob Ahmed roared to victory on the PAF Skyview Golf Course with a bogey-free 67 in the final round taking him to the title at the Punjab Open Golf Championship on Sunday.

Having started the day a stroke adrift of joint-leaders Shabbir Iqbal and Mohammad Tariq, Matloob finished on 11-under 205 for a four-stroke victory.

There were three golfers who finished on 209: Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Alam and Adil Jehangir. Tariq was one of three golfers who finished a stroke further adrift. The others were Ahmed Baig and Shahid Javed Khan. Shabbir finished on 211 alongside Ansar Mehmood and Afzal Mohsin.

Damil Ataullah’s final-round 72 saw him take the amateurs’ crown after he finished on 228, five shots ahead of runner-up Qasim Ali Khan and six ahead of third-placed Omar Khokhar.—APP

Shahzad inspires FC Polo Team to title

LAHORE: Hav Shahzad Ahmed scored seven goals as FC Polo Team clinched the Gobi’s Paints Polo Cup after edging Diamond Paints/Sheikhoo Steel 9-7 in the main final at the Jinnah Polo and Country Club ground on Sunday.

FC Polo dominated from the start, slamming three unanswered goals in the first chukker and although Diamond Paints/Sheikhoo Steel tried to mount a comeback, they eventually fell short.

Hav Zia-ur-Rehman and N Sub Israr Wali got a goal apiece for FC Polo. Lt Col Omer Minhas hit three goals for Diamond Paints/Sheikhoo Steel while Usman Anwar Aziz and Mir Huzaifa Ahmad scored a brace each.—APP

PARIS: Kenya’s Elisha Rotich celebrates on the finish line as he wins the men’s race at the Paris Marathon on Sunday. Rotich set a course record as he crossed the line in two hours four minutes 21 seconds, beating the previous mark of 2:05:04 set in 2014 by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele. Tigist Memuye topped the women’s podium as she led an Ethiopian 1-2-3.—AFP

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2021