Downpour unleashes chaos in Muscat - Oman Daily Observer

Oman record
1-0 win over
Bangladesh
DHAKA — Oman defeated
hosts Bangladesh 1-0 in the
last match of the AFC U-19
Group 'A' qualifiers here
yesterday.
Oman ended their campaign
with six points from
four matches while Bangladesh
finished on three points
playing the same number of
matches.
Oman’s goal came in the
20th minute off a penalty
after Bangladesh defender
Rakin brought Mohamed
Said Saud in the box and
Hatem Khamis scored from
the spot .
Five minutes after the
re-start substitute Bangladeshi
forward Masud Rana
was sent off after he pulled
one Oman player down and
subsequently Jordanian
referee Suleiman Salameh
pointed another spot kick.
But Hatem Khamis’ spot
kick was punched to safety
by Bangladesh goalie Rasel
who dived to his right.
LONDON — Another Lionel Messi
hat-trick lit up the Champions
League yet again as Barcelona and
AC Milan qualified for the last 16
with time to spare on Tuesday although
it is APOEL Nicosia who are
fast becoming the talk of the group
stages.
Premier League sides Chelsea
and Arsenal still have work to do
to reach the knockout phase after
draws against Racing Genk and
Olympique Marseille respectively
when victories could have sealed
their passage out of their groups.
Unstoppable Argentine Messi
gave Barcelona the lead with his
200th goal for the club and his 201st
and 202nd followed as they beat 10man
Viktoria Plzen 4-0 in Prague to
move top of Group 'H' above Milan
who were held 1-1 at BATE Borisov.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on target
for Milan and, although the Serie A
side conceded a second-half goal
from the penalty spot, Barca's result
ensured the two giants of European
football will be in the knockout
rounds come February.
Unfancied Cypriots APOEL
are just one win away from joining
Stand up and score
Dilshan urges
Sri Lanka batsmen
SHARJAH — Skipper
Tillakaratne Dilshan urged his
batsmen to stand up and score
big to help Sri Lanka level
the series against Pakistan by
winning the third Test which
starts here today.
Poor first innings batting
let Sri Lanka down in the
first Test before an epic double
hundred and a fighting
century from Prasanna Jayawardene
salvaged a draw in
the first Test in Abu Dhabi.
But the batters failed to
show an improved performance
in the second Test as Pakistan
romped to a crushing
nine-wicket win in Dubai to
go 1-0 up in the series.
Dilshan admitted the task
to level the series was not
easy. "Definitely, it's not easy
but we have prepared well and
we know which area we have
to improve and everybody is
ready to deliver, if we play our
brand of cricket then it might
be a good chance to level,"
said Dilshan yesterday.
Sri Lanka were bowled out
for low scores of 197 and 239
in the first innings of both the
Tests and Dilshan realised it's
the weak area.
"Our batting has let us
down but we have worked
really very hard and we have
talked a lot about that and I
hope three four guys stand
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins
ended a three-game losing
run with a 5-3 home victory
over the in-form Ottawa Senators
in a battle of NHL divisional
rivals on Tuesday.
The two Northeast Division
teams had been heading
in opposite directions prior to
the contest but the last-placed
Bruins (4-7-0) used a thirdperiod
surge to derail a Senators
team that had won their
last six games.
Boston's Johnny Boychuk
scored the decisive goal to
break a 3-3 tie at 6:41 in the
third and Daniel Paille added
the final score 37 seconds
later to give the Stanley Cup
champions a much-needed
triumph.
Ottawa (7-6-0), who had
enjoyed their longest winning
streak in two seasons, scored
first-period goals via Nick
Foligno, who also had two assists,
and Stephane Da Costa
to grab a 2-1 advantage.
Patrice Bergeron and
Chris Kelly responded with
them as winners of Group 'G' after a
last-gasp 2-1 victory against former
European champions Porto.
Still undefeated, they have eight
points, one more than Russian champions
Zenit St Petersburg who beat
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0. APOEL visit
Zenit in the next round of matches in
three weeks when victory will seal
an unlikely top spot in the group.
"My wish is that my players will
keep playing with the same passion
in the remaining two matches.
If we do it, and is up to us, then we
have chances for many things," said
APOEL'S coach Ivan Jovanovic,
whose side were given little chance
to survive when the draw was
made.
Ailton gave APOEL, playing in
the group stage for only the second
time, the lead but an 89th-minute
penalty by Porto's Hulk silenced the
stadium. In a barnstorming finish,
Gustavo Manduca then drilled in a
stoppage-time winner to spark wild
celebrations amongst the home supporters.
Arsenal, whose season has recovered
after a terrible start, left
prolific Dutch striker Robin van
Persie among the substitutes and his
19 SPORT
OMAN DAILY Observer
THURSDAY, novemBeR 3, 2011
Messi treble puts Barca in last 16; Milan march on
up and turn these 20-30 into
hundreds because first innings
is important in Tests," said
Dilshan.
Sri Lankan skipper hoped
he will also be amongst runs
after managing scores of 19,
nine, seven and three in the
series.
"I am not feeling any pressure
but I am worried about
my batting. I have worked
hard and have confidence that
I can come out and score big,"
said Dilshan, who scored just
one fifty in the three-Test series
against Australia in September.
Pakistan’s captain Misbahul
Haq said his players were
focused on winning the series.
"I think everybody is focused
and wants to play good cricket.
That was our goal when
we came here," said Misbah,
whose team will replace Sri
Lanka at five in Test rankings.
Pakistan are currently sixth in
Tests.
Misbah said he expects Sri
Lanka to come hard in the final
Test.
"Sri Lanka are a very good
side and they are fighters so
we are ready for it but our
focus is to do the basics well
and play like we have done in
the last year and a half," said
Misbah, hoping a good batting
track in Sharjah.
Bruins derail Senators
Bruins' goals in the second to
put Boston 3-2 ahead before
Senators defenceman Jared
Cowen tied the score at 5:04
in the third.
In Washington, the Capitals
overcame a three-goal
deficit with some late-game
heroics by Nicklas Backstrom
to defeat the Anaheim Ducks
5-4 in overtime and pad their
slim lead in the Southeast Division.
Backstrom scored with
42 seconds left in regulation
to even the score and then
banged home the game-winner
two minutes into the extra
session to keep Washington
unbeaten at home.
Washington, who snapped
a two-game losing streak after
opening the year with seven
straight wins, have 16 points,
three more than idle Florida
in one of the NHL's tightest
divisions.
Other results: Carolina Hurricanes
bt Tampa Bay Lightning
4-2, Minnesota Wild bt Detroit Red
Wings 2-1, Vancouver Canucks bt
Calgary Flames 5-1. — Reuters
BARCELONA’S Lionel Messi scores past Viktoria Plzen’s goalkeeper
Roman Pavlik during their Champions League Group ‘H’
match in Prague on Tuesday. — Reuters
30-minute cameo failed to prevent
them from labouring to a 0-0 draw
against Marseille in Group 'F'.
A home victory would have put
Arsenal through but a draw means
both teams should still qualify.
Borussia Dortmund kept alive their
hopes of a top two place with a 1-0
home victory against Greek side Olympiakos
Piraeus.
"We wanted to qualify tonight,
but we were not at our sharpest," Arsenal
manager Arsene Wenger said.
KILL THE GAME
Chelsea's woes continued after
back-to-back Premier League defeats
and accusations that captain
John Terry racially abused Queen's
Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.
Victory in Genk looked a formality
when Ramires gave them the
lead but a missed penalty by David
Luiz gave the Belgium club hope
and Jelle Vossen equalised after the
break to give his side their second
point in the group.
Chelsea began the night eyeing
a win which could have sealed
their progress to the last 16, depending
on other results, but things look
less secure now for the London club
who have eight points, two in front
of Bayer Leverkusen who lost 3-1 in
Valencia.
Brazilian Jonas scored after 12
seconds for Valencia, the second
quickest goal in the Champions
League.
Leverkusen host Chelsea in the
next round of group matches. "We
could have put the game beyond
their reach. We had chances to kill
the game off," keeper Petr Cech told
Sky Sports. "I don't think there was a
hangover (from Saturday's 5-3 home
defeat by Arsenal). We now have to
qualify the hard way."
Barca have no such worries.
Not only did Messi complete a
double century of goals for the Spanish
side, but keeper Victor Valdez
set a club record for not conceding
a goal — bettering Miguel Reina's
824-minute shutout run achieved in
the 1972-73 season.
Messi, who also scored a hattrick
in La Liga against Mallorca
on Saturday, scored a penalty after
24 minutes, fired in a second from
close range just before halftime and
completed his hat-trick in stoppage
time.
Plzen had to play three quarters
of the match with 10 men as Marian
Cisovsky was dismissed for the foul
on Messi which led to the penalty.
"I am happy for the match, the
result and the goals, " Messi told
Spanish television. "Given the result
of the Milan game it was important
to win. (Plzen) are not as well
known as some clubs but it's not
easy to come here." — Reuters