Augsburg’s poor away form continues as Mainz win

MAINZ: Mainz scored three goals in the opening half-hour to beat Augsburg 4-1 and end a four-game winless run in the Bundesliga on Friday.

Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt scored two goals and set up one more against a struggling Augsburg team which has not won an away league game since February.

Karim Onisiwo opened the scoring in the 10th minute thanks to a blunder from Augsburg defender Robert Gumny, who tried to intercept the pass to Onisiwo but didn’t make contact as it went through his legs. That left Onisiwo free to control the ball and finish past goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz.

A moment of skill from Burkardt set up the second goal soon after as he turned while falling and passed to defender Stefan Bell, who applied a striker’s finish to place his shot between Gikiewicz’s legs from a tight angle. The third goal in the 26th effectively ended the contest after Onisiwo chipped the ball up for Burkardt to head in at the far post.

Augsburg got one back in the 69th when Andi Zeqiri tapped in a low cross but Mainz hit back almost immediately with a first-time shot from Burkardt on the edge of the box. Onisiwo could have added a fifth late on when he rounded the goalkeeper but shot high and wide.—AP

Hanif Khan Club maintain winning run

KARACHI: Hanif Khan Club notched up a superb 7-0 victory over Karachi Kings Club to keep their winning run intact in the Inter-Club Hockey Championship here at the KHA Sports Complex on Saturday.

The winners who sent Al Sagheer Club (Whites) packing 13-0 in their first match, repeated their performance to consolidate their chances of making it to the last eight.

Kashif Jawad scored a brace while Rizwan Khan, Khalid Jr, Zohaib Khan, Mehmood Ali and Imran Khan chipped in for the winners in the one-sided clash.In another match, Olympian Iftikhar Syed Sports Academy (OISSA) held Ismail Club to a 1-1 draw to share points.

Mohammad Umar drew blood for Ismail Club in the fourth minute while Umair Ahmed restored parity for OISSA in the 26th minute.

A brace from Mohammad Osama guided Spartan Club to a 5-0 victory over Yazik Club.

Besides Osama, other scorers were Mohammad Hussain, Mukhtar Ahmed and Mohammad Sameer.

Sunday’s fixtures:Korangi Tigers Club vs Karachi Fitness Club at 2pm; Beecham Club vs Gulberg Club at 3pm; Al-Sagheer Club (Whites) vs Badruddin Club at 4pm; Youth Club (Blues) vs Cantt Combined Club at 5pm.—Sports Reporter

Twin wins for Abdullah, Amna

LAHORE: Abdullah Adnan and Amna Ali Qayyum earned double crowns in the Aitchison College Junior National Tennis Championship here at the Aitchison College courts on Saturday.

In the boys U-18 final, Abdullah defeated Farman Shakeel 6-3, 6-2. Abdullah then won the doubles title while pairing with Zalan Khan, as they toppled the Hamid Israr-Hassan Khan duo to win the decider 4-2, 3-5, 10-6.

Meanwhile, Amna first outplayed Natalia Zaman 6-2, 6-4 to win the girls’ U-18 final before overpowering Fatima Ali Raja 4-0, 4-2 to claim the U-14 title.

The finals were held in different other categories too.

Results (finals):

Boys’ U-18: Abdullah Adnan bt Farman Shakeel 6-3, 6-2

Boys U-16: Hamid Israr bt Huzaima Abdul Rehman 6-1, 6-2

Boys U-14: Asad Zaman bt Hamza Roman 7-5 -- retired

Boys U-12: Hamza Roman bt Abu Bakar Talha 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

Boys U-10: Abdul Rehman bt Shayan Afridi 4-2, 5-3

Girls U-18: Amna Ali Qayyum bt Natalia Zaman 6-2, 6-4

Girls U-14: Amna Ali Qayyum bt Fatima Ali Raja 4-0, 4-2

Boys U-18 doubles: Abdullah Adnan/Zalan Khan bt Hamid Israr/Hassam Khan 4-2, 3-5, 10-6

Boys U-14 doubles: Shahswar Khan/Hamza Roman bt Asad/Ahtesham Humayum 4-1, 4-2

Boys U-12 doubles: Abu Bakar Talha/Zohaib Afzal bt Ameer Mazari/Omer Jawad 4-0, 4-1.—Sports Reporter

Ex-bronze medallist shot dead

QUITO: Ecuador’s 2019 200 metres world bronze medallist Alex Quinonez who allowed his countrymen to “dream” has been shot dead in the port city of Guayaquil according to the Sports Ministry.

Quinonez, 32, and another person were found dead close to midnight local time, according to local police.

“With great sadness, we confirm the murder of our sportsman Alex Quinonez,” the Sports Ministry announced on Twitter.

“We have lost a great sportsman, someone who allowed us to dream, who moved us....he was the greatest sprinter this country produced.”

Quinonez — who was suspended prior to the Tokyo Olympics due to “breach of his whereabouts obligations” — was also hailed by Ecuador’s president Guillermo Lasso.

“We offer our sincerest condolences to his family,” he tweeted.

“May he rest in peace. Those who take the lives of Ecuadoreans will not remain unpunished.

“We will act with force.” —AFP

Bagnaia storms to fourth straight MotoGP pole

MISANO ADRIATICO: Francesco Bagnaia claimed his fourth consecutive MotoGP pole position on Saturday after a stunning comeback at Emilia-Romagna which gives the Ducati rider a huge chance of prolonging this season’s title race.

Italian Bagnaia had topped the times in the first qualifying session to get into Q2 following a poor run in the morning’s third practice and then charged to a best time of one minute, 33.045 seconds to take first place on the grid ahead of his teammate Jack Miller.

Bagnaia is 52 points behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo with three races remaining this season and with the Yamaha rider starting Sunday’s race in 15th Bagnaia can extend their battle for at least a week.

Bagnaia will fancy his chances of doing so as he beat Quartararo on the same circuit in the San Marino MotoGP in September.—AFP

Torino survive late scare as Sampdoria move up

ROME: Torino held off a late comeback from Genoa to see out a 3-2 victory in Serie A on Friday for its first win in more than a month.

Antonio Sanabria and Tommaso Pobega gave Torino a 2-0 advantage at the break before Mattia Destro pulled one back for Genoa.

Josip Brekalo then restored Torinos two-goal advantage but Felipe Caicedo quickly responded for Genoa to set up a tense final 10 minutes.

Torino moved up to 10th while Genoa remained in the drop zone, leaving coach Davide Ballardinis job at risk.

Also, Antonio Candreva scored one goal and contributed to another with a free kick that resulted in an own goal as Sampdoria beat Spezia 2-1 to move up to 13th.—AP

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2021