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Pakistan teen Naseem could be `surprise package'

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Rugby World Cup autopsy brutal, says Williams

Tuesday, October 29, 2019 Rabia I 1, 1441 AH

GULF

TIMES

SPORT

FORMULA 1

Hamilton wins in Mexico, on brink of sixth title of career

Page 6

Bashair wins gold, Maryam silver at GCC Games

Qatar's Maryam Farid poses with her silver medal she won in the 400m hurdles during the 6th GCC Women's Games in Kuwait City yesterday.

GOLF

Tiger roars to 82nd title with victory in Japan

Qatar's Bashair Obaid in action en route to winning gold in the triple jump at the 6th GCC Women's Games in Kuwait City.

Qatar's para athletes celebrate with their medals.

Qatar's para athlete Sarah Masoud (third right) poses with her gold medal after she won the women's shot put event.

FOOTBALL

Icardi, Mbappe shine as PSG thrash OM

Reuters Paris

Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe scored twice each as Paris St Germain extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to eight points with a 4-0 crushing of bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Argentine striker Icardi and France forward Mbappe netted all the goals in the opening half to put PSG on 27 points from 11 games and leave OM in seventh place on 16 points.

Icardi has now scored seven goals in his last seven games while Mbappe has struck five times in two matches for PSG, who were without the injured Neymar. OM have not won against PSG in all competitions in their last 20 meetings since 2011 -- the year Qatar Sports Investment took over in the capital before investing more than a bn euros in transfers.

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe (L) celebrates with Presnel Kimpembe after scoring against Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Sunday.

"We have been hammering you for eight years and it's not over," a banner in the Auteuil curve of the Parc des Princes read. The banner was spoton as PSG overwhelmed the visitors, their attacking trio of Mbappe, Icardi and Angel Di Maria proving impossible to handle.

Marseille's Dimitri Payet made his return after a fourmatch ban for insulting a referee while Mbappe was handed his first start in two months

after struggling with injuries. The 20-year-old, who

scored a hat-trick after coming on as a second-half substitute against Club Brugge in the Champions League this week, threatened early on but it was Icardi who found the back of the net first. Steve Mandanda parried the Argentine's header for Icardi to fire home from point-blank range shortly after Valere Germain had missed a great chance for the visitors. The French in-

ternational keeper was beaten by Icardi again in the 27th minute, the striker heading home from Marco Verratti's through ball.

Mbappe made it 3-0 five minutes later, tapping in from Di Maria's cross.

The Frenchman was at it again one minute from the break, collecting a defencesplitting pass from Di Maria before curling a 16-metre shot past Mandanda.

PSG took a more casual approach in the second half but came close to adding another, Mbappe missing a sitter from Icardi's pass and the opportunity to become the first player to score a hat trick in the French "classic".

He was replaced by Edinson Cavani as the Uruguay striker made his comeback after a two-month injury layoff.

Earlier, Yann Gboho's lastgap goal earned Stade Rennais a 3-2 home victory over Toulouse which ended the Brittany side's 10-game winless run in all competitions.

His first came 23 years ago this month in Las Vegas

AFP Inzai, Japan

Tiger Woods made golf history yesterday when he won the Zozo Championship in Japan for his 82nd US PGA Tour victory -- equalling Sam Snead's 54-yearold record and adding to his long list of achievements.

The 15-time major winner held off the challenge of home favourite Hideki Matsuyama to win by three shots at the weather-delayed tournament, his first outing since arthroscopic left knee surgery in August.

Woods broke into a huge smile after he birdied the 18th to complete a three-under final round of 67 and finish 19-under par at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

"It's just crazy. It's a lot," the 43-year-old Woods said of his 82nd official PGA Tour victory. His first came 23 years ago this month in Las Vegas, when he was 20.

"It's been a long week, five days at the top of the board is a long time. It was definitely stressful," said Woods, who pocketed a cheque for ?1.755mn.

Woods led from gun to tape in the inaugural US PGA Tour event in Japan, which saw Friday's play washed out by the fringes of a typhoon that dumped almost 10 inches (25cm) of rain on the course 50 miles (80km) from Tokyo, forcing play into an extra day.

"It's about consistency and doing it for a long period of

time," Woods said of tying Snead, who died in 2002 four days before his 90th birthday.

"Sam did it into his fifties and I'm in my early to mid-forties. I've been very fortunate to have had the career I've had so far."

US PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was watching at home in the US. "It was just one of those `wow' moments," he told AFP by telephone.

"He doesn't fancy ties too much. So he's already on to: `How do I get to 83?'"

Woods said it was "cool" that, with the addition of his latest title in Japan, he had now won US PGA Tour events in seven different countries.

"I've always been a global player, I've always played all around the world and to tie the record outside the United States is pretty cool," Woods told reporters.

Woods resumed his final round, suspended due to darkness on Sunday, at 7:30 am on the long par-12th but saw his overnight three-shot cushion over Matsuyama immediately cut to two.

Matsuyama inexplicably spurned an easy opportunity to reduce the deficit to one as he missed a four-foot birdie putt on 14, but Woods made no mistake on the same green from 20 feet. Woods missed a further birdie chance, from 10 feet, at the 15th and was watching from the 16th tee 181 yards away as Matsuyama walked in a 20-footer to get to 16-under.

Matsuyama kept up the pressure but on the final hole his

bunker shot flew past the flag and when he missed the long putt back his brave challenge ended at 16-under for the tournament after a final-round 67.

"This was big," said a smiling Woods. "Hideki made it tight. It was a lot closer than what people probably thought.

"It was a very long week because I was tied for the lead for the better part of five days. I made a mistake right away at 11 and it became a pretty good ball game."

Playing partner Gary Woodland said he had been privileged to have a front-row seat for the last two rounds as Woods played "unbelievable" golf.

"Obviously the majors speak for themselves, but 82's just a crazy number," said the 35-year-old US Open champion who himself has won four times on the PGA Tour.

"You look at the guys that have won 10 times and it's pretty special, let alone to come out here and win 82 times.

"To battle through the injuries he's dealt with, gosh, he's young and he's playing unbelievable.

"The ball-striking exhibition I've seen the last two days is a joke. So I don't see him stopping anytime soon. Eighty-two's pretty special. I think there's a lot more in store."

World number two Rory McIlroy finished birdie-birdie for a 67 and a share of third place on 13-under par with South Korea's PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Im Sung-jae who carded a fine five-under 65.

Tiger Woods of the US receives his winner's trophy from Yusaku Maezawa, the founder of Zozo, at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Japan, yesterday.

2

Gulf Times Tuesday, October 29, 2019

SPORT

GOLF

Nicklaus leads

tributes to `living

legend' Tiger

`For a number of years, all we wanted was to see Tiger healthy again'

CRICKET

Pakistan teen Naseem could be `surprise package' in Australia -- coach

Tiger Woods of the US tees off at the 6th hole during the fourth round of the PGA Zozo Championship golf tournament at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Japan.

AFP Inzai, Japan

Jack Nicklaus led the tributes to Tiger Woods yesterday after the golfing great secured a record 82nd US PGA Tour win at the weather-disrupted Zozo Championship.

"Incredibly happy for @TigerWoods -- and for game of golf -- on his 82nd @PGATOUR win," tweeted Nicklaus, who has won 18 majors.

"For a number of years, all we wanted was to see Tiger healthy

again, but for his quality of life. "But it's very obvious that

the surgery and the hard work Tiger put in resulted in quality of golf!" Nicklaus added after Woods tied Sam Snead's alltime mark for PGA Tour wins.

Woods carded a final-round three-under 67 for a threestroke victory over home favourite Hideki Matsuyama after play spilt over into Monday after Friday was washed out.

Woods had been one victory short of Snead since winning his 15th major at the US Masters in April and had not played for nine weeks after having left knee sur-

gery in August. World number 14 Tony Finau,

who was also in the field in Japan, called Woods a "Living legend!" on Twitter. "Congrats on No. 82 @TigerWoods!" he added as social media lit up on the news of yet another career comeback milestone.

PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan was watching from home in the US and told AFP by phone: "It's just one of those `wow' moments. When you see something happen in sport that you didn't think was possible, it's just a really historic and special moment for our sport."

World number two Rory McIlroy who tied third, a distant six strokes behind Woods, said he'd quickly done the maths and said he would have to win "six times a year for the next 10 years" to get close to Woods.

US Open champion Gary Woodland had a front-row seat as Woods's playing partner for the last two rounds and said it had been a privilege to watch.

"I think it's a lot harder to win week-in and week-out out here, " he said.

"Obviously the majors speak for themselves, but 82's just a crazy number. You look at the

guys that have won 10 times and it's pretty special.

"To battle through the injuries he's dealt with, gosh, he's young and he's playing unbelievable. I think there's a lot more in store."

The last word belonged to Monahan, who said it was fitting that he should tie Hall-of-Famer Snead in an overseas event.

"To be our inaugural event and to have Tiger win it, when you think of Tiger, you think of his global reach and his global relevancy," said Monahan as Woods notched up a PGA Tour win in a record seventh different country.

Career timeline of Tiger Woods, who won the Zozo Championship in Japan yesterday for a record-equalling 82nd US PGA Tour victory: -- August 1996: Turns professional after an outstanding amateur career and is named PGA Rookie of the Year. Wins first US PGA Tour event in October -- April 1997: At the age of 21 wins the first of 15 majors at the US Masters and becomes the youngest to wear the Green Jacket -- June 1997: Rises to world number one for the first time -- June 2000: Wins US Open at Pebble Beach by a record 15 strokes -- July 2000: Becomes fifth player to complete career Grand Slam by winning the Open Championship at St Andrews -- April 2001: Wins second US Masters at Augusta National to complete "Tiger Slam" and hold all four majors simultaneously -- April 2002: Defends successfully at Augusta for third Green Jacket -- June 2002: Wins his second US Open at Bethpage Black and becomes youngest in history to win seven majors -- September 2004: Loses top ranking to Vijay Singh after a record 264 weeks as number one in world -- April 2005: After two seasons without a major wins fourth Masters, defeating Chris DiMarco in a playoff -- July 2005: Lifts the Claret Jug at St Andrews for his second Open Championship and 10th major. Joins Jack Nicklaus as only players to win all four majors twice -- May 2006: Father and mentor Earl dies aged 74 -- July 2006: Breaks down in tears after winning third Open and 11th major at age

of 30 at Hoylake. "It just came pouring out of me, all the things my dad meant to me, and the game of golf," he said. "I just wish he could have seen it one more time." -- August 2006: Wins third US PGA Championship at Medinah, Illinois, and a year later repeats the feat at Southern Hills, Oklahoma -- June 2008: Two months after knee surgery, wins US Open and 14th major. Plays through intense pain to win at first sudden-death hole after an 18-hole Monday playoff against Rocco Mediate. Ends his season and heads back to the operating theatre for more repairs to left knee -- November 2009: A car accident out-

side his Florida home unearths infidelities that wreck his marriage. Takes an "indefinite break from professional golf" in the aftermath -- April 2010: Returns to action at the US Masters where he finishes fourth but mounting injuries take their toll and his ranking starts to plummet -- March 2013: After a return to form and fitness in 2012, victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational elevates him once more to world number one -- March 2014: Injures himself during the Honda Classic and skips the Masters for first time to undergo back surgery -- May 2014: Loses world number one spot to Australia's Adam Scott -- February 2015: Withdraws injured

from a tournament at Torrey Pines announces another extended break from competition -- September 2015: Woods has back surgery to remove spinal disc fragments pressing on a nerve -- February 2017: Returns from 16-month layoff only for back spasms to force him to pull out of Dubai Desert Classic -- April 2017: Unable to play in Masters and announces more surgery to alleviate back and leg pain -- May 2017: Arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Jupiter, Florida -- January 2018: Returns to the US PGA Tour with tied 23rd at Torry Pines -- April 2018: Finishes tied 32nd at the Masters, his first major since the 2015 US PGA Championship -- June 2018: Misses cut at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills with rounds of 78-72 -- July 2018: Bounces back at the Open Championship at Carnoustie, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth three shots behind winner Francesco Molinari -- August 2018: Finishes second to Brooks Koepka at US PGA Championship at Bellerive -- September 2018: Returns to winner's circle at the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta, his first victory since the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013 -- April 2019: Woods wins his fifth US Masters at Augusta National 14 years after his fourth. Ends an 11-year wait for his 15th major -- October 2019: Wins inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan on return from latest knee surgery to equal all-time record of 82 US PGA Tour wins set by legend Sam Snead 54 years ago

Reuters Sydney

Pakistan coach Misbahul-Haq is eager to see what schoolboy paceman Naseem Shah can produce on Australia's fast pitches despite concerns over the 16-year-old's readiness for the rigours of Test cricket.

Naseem, who has played only five first class matches since his 2018 debut for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, was named in Pakistan's squad for the two-test series against Tim Paine's Australia which begins in Brisbane next month.

With Naseem to lock horns with Steve Smith, the world's top-ranked batsman, if selected, critics in Pakistan fear the callow cricketer could be in for a harrowing debut Down Under.

However, former Pakistan captain Misbah, also the side's chief selector, said his team were keen to throw him in the deep end.

"In all spells he's bowling quick and his control with the ball is also good," Misban told reporters in Sydney yesterday.

"So we're looking forward that he can just bowl well here in Australia where the conditions may just give him some sort of assistance and getting some pace

and bounce from these wickets. "Everybody is excited to just

get him in the team also. "We're looking forward that

if he can just put the ball in the right areas with that kind of pace, (he) could be a surprise package."

Misbah has placed a premium on youth in the upcoming Twenty20 and Test series, selecting 19-year-old Musa Khan in both his squads, with a third teenage quick in Shaheen Afridi also picked for the Tests.

Pakistan have never won a test series in Australia in over six decades of trying and the Misbah-captained team that last toured in 2016/17 was whitewashed 3-0.

While Pakistan have long been described as unpredictable for their seesawing performances in all formats, Misbah said he was seeking more consistency from his team.

"Obviously we want to use that unpredictability in a good manner, in a positive manner," he said.

"We don't want to just go there and sometimes fail.

"We need to be more consistent with our good performances and that's what we are trying to do at the moment."

Pakistan play the first of three T20 matches against Australia in Sydney on Sunday.

SPOTLIGHT

Bangladesh players earn pay rise

AFP Dhaka

Cricketers in Bangladesh's main domestic league will see match payments almost double under a new deal that ended a player strike last week, the sport's ruling body said yesterday.

Players in the top-tier of the National Cricket League will receive 60,000 taka ($705) instead of 35,000 taka per fourday match, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) statement said.

Other expenses were also increased as part of the deal, which ended a three-day strike started by players last week.

Payments for the second-tier of the competition were increased to 50,000 Taka.

Players had demanded at least 100,000 taka per match when they called the strike.

The action was called off after the BCB accepted most of their demands.

The strike had cast doubt on a tour of India starting November 3, but the national squad is now due to leave on Wednesday.

FOCUS

Emotions spill over as PNG qualify for T20 World Cup

Reuters Melbourne

Global cricketers hailed one of the sport's "feel good" stories of the year yesterday after Papua New Guinea dug themselves out of a huge hole at a Dubai qualifier to book their maiden appearance at the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.

Emerging cricket nation PNG were 19 for six against Kenya after an early collapse at Dubai International Stadium but ended up thrashing the Africans by 45 runs on Sunday.

PNG then had a nervous wait for the result of the Netherlands' game against Scotland, but they ultimately topped their group at the tournament due to a higher net run rate and qualify directly for Australia, their first World Cup in any format.

The PNG players celebrated wildly in the stadium's terraces and their Australian coach Joe Dawes was overwhelmed.

"I am feeling a little emotional," former Queensland bowler Dawes told the global governing body ICC. "It's been a pretty big two years, for them to achieve this is pretty special."

Dawes said planning for next year's tournament could wait.

"We are just going to enjoy the moment. For them to achieve this is a great thing for us and for the nation," he added.

PNG's automatic qualification came at the expense of the Netherlands, who defeated Scotland but will have to take the playoffs route to reach Australia.

Cricket was introduced into PNG in the early 1900s by British missionaries but the national teams have struggled to make an impression on the world stage until recently.

Gulf Times Tuesday, October 29, 2019

3

SPORT

PREMIER LEAGUE

Bellerin calls for unity after Xhaka tantrum

Coach Emery says he will talk to Xhaka before deciding whether to strip the Swiss of the captaincy

AFP London

Hector Bellerin has called for everyone at Arsenal to come together following club captain Granit Xhaka's tantrum on being substituted on Sunday during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. Bellerin, who is the Gunners third captain after Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, is sidelined through injury but he took to Twitter to urge understanding and the team to unite.

Manger Unai Emery has said he will talk to Xhaka before he decides whether to strip the Swiss international midfielder of the captaincy. The 27-yearold ? who was made captain in the close season following a secret ballot of the players ? exploded with fury when he was replaced in the second half of the Palace game.

He trudged slowly to the touchline while petulantly gesticulating to the fans who had cheered his substitution and were angrily urging him to get off the pitch quicker. Xhaka's meltdown climaxed when he ripped off his shirt, appeared to shout a obscenity at supporters and stormed past Emery straight down the tunnel to more derision from the stands.

"We are all humans, we all have emotions, and sometimes it's not easy dealing with them," tweeted Bellerin. "It's time to lift each other up, not to push each other away. We only win when we are together."

Others have been less forgiving such as Arsenal legend Ian Wright especially with the club struggling for form with only two wins in their last eight Premier League matches. "He's the captain," he told the BBC. "He's got the responsibility of being able to take that on board because he's been voted in. You can't go like that. The amount of stick someone like Mesut Ozil has got I could understand if (he) throws his shirt down. He's the captain. The manager has got faith in him. He should be apologising. He should have apologised already. That's the guy they've chosen as captain and that's not captain's behaviour. Arsenal fans have shown a lot of patience with him and the performances he has put in. He owes them a lot more than that."

Meanwhile, Unai mery refused to rule out stripping Xhaka of the Arsenal cap-

Arsenal's Granit Xhaka reacts after being substituted during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday. (Reuters)

taincy. "He was wrong, he was wrong," Emery said. "But I think now (we) stay calm and also speak with him, speak inside around that. His reaction was wrong. We are here because we have supporters. In football we are the workers inside (the pitch) but we play for them. We need to have respect for them when they are applauding us and also when they are criticising us."

Asked about Xhaka's future suit-

ability as captain, a role that was bestowed upon him on a full-time basis in September, Emery said he could offer nothing concrete until internal discussions had been held. This was not the first time the Emirates Stadium crowd had taken badly to Xhaka, who was also jeered off ? albeit not to this extent ? in the win against Aston Villa five weeks ago. "It's not the moment to speak about that," he said. "First I want to

speak with him and speak with the club, and we want to stay calm."

Much of Emery's post-match energy was spent lamenting the VAR decisions that went against his team, awarding Crystal Palace a penalty and then disallowing what seemed a good late winner by Sokratis Papastathopoulos. He is a longtime advocate of the technology but frustrations have crept in of late, with Emery also feeling that Sokratis

should have been given a spot-kick in the defeat at Sheffield United on Monday. "In our last home league match against Bournemouth we had a more clear penalty on Nicolas Pepe and they didn't check," he said.

"Last week in Sheffield we deserved a clear penalty at 0-0 and they didn't check. For me VAR is positive and we need VAR. But we need to manage it in the right way."

FOCUS

Salah's

ankle not to worry about, says

Klopp

AFP London

Jurgen Klopp moved to allay fears over Mohamed Salah's left ankle problem saying his departure five minutes before the end of Premier League leaders Liverpool's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur was a precautionary measure.

The 27-year-old Egyptian star -- who had missed the previous match with Manchester United due to the injury -- scored the decisive goal to bring up his half century of goals at Anfield. Salah, who reached the landmark in 58 matches with only Roger Hunt getting there faster, has a few days to rest up before Saturday's away game at Aston Villa as he was highly unlikely to feature in tomorrow's League Cup clash with Arsenal.

"It's the ankle, the ankle he has struggled with since the Leicester game," said Klopp. "It's good but the longer the game goes the muscles get a bit tired, stuff like this, (and) if you get a knock on it then you feel it more. It makes no sense to try to push it through because we had other players, still options to change, and that's what we did. No, nothing serious."

Klopp, whose side maintained their six point lead over champions Manchester City, said conceding an early goal to the team they beat in last season's Champions League final had helped concentrate their minds.

The charismatic German -- who took Liverpool agonisingly close to their first Premier league title last term only to lose out to City by a point -- was delighted in the manner in which his players had responded.

"I am absolutely pleased, but to be honest, I expect it as well," added Klopp. "An early goal is obviously not the best thing that can happen, but sometimes it makes one thing clear: game on. The counter-press was exceptional, it was kind of back. I loved that, that was really good. I told the boys at half-time; `The only problem in this game so far is the result -- apart from that, it's good'."

ROUND-UP

United's results have hurt, says Solskjaer

AFP London

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's relief at Manchester United securing their first Premier League away win in eight months over struggling Norwich has been tempered by the "hurt" he has felt over their results this season.

The 46-year-old Norwegian has enjoyed a rare week of good results beginning with a draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool -- the first side to take points from the Champions League holders in the league this season. They subsequently beat modest Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade away in the Europa League and then rounded if off with the 3-1 victory over hapless Norwich on Sunday.

Victory saw them rise from a lowly 15th in the standings to seventh, albeit 15 points off Liverpool and nine adrift of city rivals and champions Manchester City, who are second. Solskjaer made a bright start as caretaker manager when he replaced the sacked Jose Mourinho last December but since being given the job permanently has seen the results and performances fall away. However, he claimed he had not read the increasingly critical press about him.

"The ones that need to trust me and the ones that matter, they don't mind," he said following the Norwich match.

"I have been hurt by the results, I don't know what has been said. I do not care about that, anyone can have their opinion and that is none of my business to comment on, I am not hurting because of what someone says about me."

Solskjaer was especially pleased to have Frenchman Anthony Martial back in the side -- he scored and missed a penalty, one of two United squandered -- saying he was pivotal to the style he wanted the team to play. "This had been a good week for us," said Solskjaer.

"It started with a decent performance against Liverpool and now two wins away from home. It gives the players confidence and momentum. We have missed Anthony, he is a very important player for us, the way we play and today Marcus Rashford was excellent down the sides and in the middle.

"A great response to missing the penalty, chasing back and scoring. The third was a

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. (Reuters)

very good goal and a class finish. It is great for Martial to score a goal like that. We could and should have had a few more goals."

POGBA RETURN DELAYED UNTIL DECEMBER

Pogba will remain sidelined until December, Solskjaer admitted. The 26-year-old French World Cup winner has not played for the club since September 30 due to an ankle injury. "I don't think we'll see him maybe before December," said Solskjaer.

"He'll be out for a while. He needs time to fully, fully recover, so don't think he'll be back... maybe Sheffield United (on November 24) after the international break but probably December before you can see him."

SAINTS PLAYERS AND STAFF DONATE TO CHARITY

Southampton's players and coaching staff are to donate their wages from last Friday to the Saints Foundation in a first step towards redeeming themselves following the 9-0 thrashing by Leicester City.

Friday's rout equalled Manchester United's 9-0 demolition of Ipswich at Old Trafford in March 1995 for the biggest win in Premier League history.

Saints manager Ralph Hassenhuttl, who accepted the blame for the humiliation, has the daunting task of rebuilding his players morale ahead of two trips to Manchester City this week. Southampton play League Cup holders City in the fourth round of the competition today and are back there on Saturday for a Premier League clash.

"Southampton Football Club's first-team players and coaching staff have announced they will be donating their wages from last Friday to Saints Foundation," the club said in a statement. "The squad has been in at Staplewood Campus throughout the weekend, working on putting things right for the club's supporters.

"As the first step towards that, the group has decided that they wish to donate their wages from the day of the Leicester game to Saints Foundation, in order to help the vital work that is conducted by the charity."

SPOTLIGHT

Pulisic relieved at finally making his mark for Chelsea

AFP London

Chelsea's

Christian

Pulisic says he felt a

"sense of relief" after

he netted a hat-trick

against Burnley on Saturday af-

ter a difficult start to his time at

the Premier League club. The

21-year-old American inter-

national -- who cost the club

?58mn ($74mn) when they

signed him from Borussia Dort-

mund last season -- became the

youngest Chelsea player to score

a hat-trick in the 4-2 win.

Pulisic has ostensibly been

signed to replace outstanding

playmaker Eden Hazard, who left

for Real Madrid in the close sea-

son, but has taken time to settle

in. Saturday was just his second

start since August -- the other being the League Cup clash with lower league Grimsby -- and his first goals for the club in nine appearances. "Of course there is a sense of relief," he said. "You could see that in my emotions after the first goal, that relief of getting my first goal and being able to help my team at this level. It's really good for me."

Pulisic, who in November 2018 in the friendly with Italy became aged 20 years and 63 days old the youngest player to captain the United States, said he had expected to have to battle for a starting place despite his huge transfer fee.

"I wanted to be on the field as much as I could right from the start," he said. "That is everyone's goal. But I didn't come here expecting everything to be easy

and have an easy route and start every game. It's not always that easy. So I came in had to work for my spot just like everyone does. I'm proud of the journey I've had so far."

Pulisic said the important thing was that Chelsea manager Frank Lampard -- who was not in charge when the club bought him -- had faith in him. Lampard had said he deserved a chance after he came off the bench in midweek to set up Michy Batshuayi's late winner in the 1-0 victory over Ajax in Wednesday's Champions League match.

"(Lampard) believes in me and he's told me that," he said. "You have to keep working hard in training and earn my spot, that's how it is at the highest level. I'm going to continue to do so. This is hopefully just the start."

Chelsea's midfielder Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring a hat-trick against Burnley on Saturday. (AFP)

4 Gulf Times Tuesday, October 29, 2019 FOOTBALL

SERIE A

Ronaldo set for recall as Atalanta boss cools title talk

Ronaldo sat out Saturday's 1-1 draw at promoted Lecce with fatigue

GRANADA GO TOP TO CONTINUE LA LIGA FAIRYTALE

Madrid: Granada moved top of La Liga on Sunday night with a 1-0 victory over Real Betis that continues a magical start to the season while Sevilla and Real Sociedad joined a group of four teams just a point behind the surprise leaders.

Alvaro Vadillo's smart finish in the 61st minute was enough to give Granada a sixth win of the season and take advantage of Barcelona not playing this week to take first place, while fellow Andalusians Betis stay in the relegation zone.

The win was also their third in their last four matches, all of which have been single-goal victories. Vadillo's strike was his second of the season after he scored the second in his side's shock 2-0 win over Barca last month. "I'm very proud of the players, you know that we're not looking at the table, the only thing we see is 20 points," said Granada coach Diego Martinez. "Hopefully we will win more games and we continue improving, but we are enjoying this ride and the fans are enjoying it with us."

The four sides trailing Granada are led by Barca, who did not play this weekend after their `El Clasico' against Real Madrid was postponed amid mass protests in Catalonia. Real Sociedad meanwhile are third after winning 1-0 at Celta Vigo earlier on Sunday thanks to Swedish substitute Alexander Isak scoring the only goal with eight minutes left.

Sevilla joined the pair and Atletico Madrid, who are in fourth after beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on Saturday night, on 19 points thanks to a 2-0 home win over Getafe that gave them

their third straight win in all competitions.

Javier Hernandez got the ball rolling in the 69th minute with his first league goal for his new club when he latched on to Franco Vazquez's through ball and slammed home a powerful finish. Nine minutes later Lucas Ocampos sealed the three points, assisted by a huge gap in the Getafe defence and Jesus Navas' through ball, which left him with the easy task of rounding David Soria and rolling home his third of the season.

"Getafe are a very tough team and the game was getting very complicated," said Hernandez. "It felt great to score at that time and that we rounded it up with Ocampos' good goal."

Real Madrid are a point further back having also played a game less than their rivals after the cancellation of their clash with fierce rivals Barca, whose Catalonia region has been struck by a wave of demonstrations following the jailing of nine regional leaders.

On Sunday tens of thousands of people marched for Spanish unity in Barcelona, a day after 350,000 Catalan separatists held a protest. The match has been rescheduled for December 18 but on Thursday La Liga revealed they will appeal the Spanish Football Federation's decision, saying that they want the match played two weeks before on December 4.

They cited among the reasons for their appeal that the league holds the responsibility for setting dates due to broadcasting considerations, while December 18 also clashes with the Copa del Rey.

Juventus battled to a 1-1 stalemate at lowly Lecce on Saturday, but the defending champions still stay top in Serie A as nearest rivals Inter Milan drew 2-2 with Parma. (Reuters)

AFP Milan

Cristiano Ronaldo is in line to return from a brief rest tomorrow as Serie A leaders Juventus host a Genoa side reinvigorated by the appointment as coach of former Italy midfielder Thiago Motta. Ronaldo sat out Saturday's 1-1 draw at promoted Lecce with fatigue, although coach Maurizio Sarri refused to blame Ronaldo's absence for the dropped points.

Juve will face city rivals Torino this weekend before a trip to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League on November 6, and defender Leonardo Bonucci urged his team-mates to swiftly move on from the Lecce disappointment.

"We have to roll up our sleeves and be even more determined -- and learn quickly too, otherwise we can end up dropping

important points," said Bonucci. "That's what happened (Saturday). Luckily we have a chance to get straight back to winning ways on Wednesday."

Dybala admitted the frenzied speculation over his future made for an unsettling summer, but the Argentina forward has shown his worth to Juve this month. The 25-year-old wanted to stay put but was heavily linked with moves to Tottenham and Manchester United.

He eventually got his wish although he was limited to a bit-part role in the opening weeks of this season. He has earned the trust of Sarri and scored four goals in his last three starts -- converting a penalty in the draw at Lecce. With Gonzalo Higuain nursing a head injury that required stitches this past weekend, Dybala can likely expect another shot to extend his run of goalscoring form this week.

Motta's debut as Genoa coach ended in a 3-1 win over Brescia -- a match

where all three of his team's substitutes scored, a first in Serie A history. "The lads were extraordinary from the first to the last minute," said Motta, who spent the 2008-09 season at Genoa before winning the treble under Jose Mourinho with Inter Milan the following campaign.

Inter remained a point behind Juve following a 2-2 home draw against Parma. Antonio Conte's side could replace the defending champions at the top after today's visit to lowly Brescia. While Atalanta's maiden Champions League voyage has run aground, Gian Piero Gasperini's free-scoring team is muscling its way into contention at the top.

Last year's third-place finish represented the highest in the club's 112-year history, and their 28 goals through the first nine games is the best return since AC Milan in 1992-93. A 7-1 demolition of Udinese pushed Atalanta to within three points of Juve, and Wednesday's

trip to fourth-place Napoli offers another chance to prove their mettle.

"The Scudetto is Juventus's to lose, then there are Inter and Napoli as well as other teams that have significant possibilities," said Gasperini. "We're not deluding ourselves. It is very early days, only nine rounds."

AC Milan, who are struggling in 12th and desperate for a first win under new coach Stefano Pioli, visit second-bottom SPAL on Thursday.

FIXTURES (ALL TIMES GMT)

Today: Parma v Verona (1800), Brescia v Inter Milan (2000)

Tomorrow: Napoli v Atalanta (1800), Cagliari v Bologna, Juventus v Genoa, Lazio v Torino, Sampdoria v Lecce, Sassuolo v Fiorentina, Udinese v Roma (all 2000)

On Thursday: AC Milan v SPAL (2000)

PENALISED

Ribery banned three matches for pushing linesman

Reuters Milan

Fiorentina's veteran forward Franck Ribery has been suspended for three matches by Serie A's disciplinary tribunal for pushing a linesman following his side's 2-1 home defeat by Lazio on Sunday.

Video footage showed the 36-year-old, who had been substituted in the 74th minute, remonstrating with match officials after the final whistle as Fiorentina protested about Lazio's winning goal.

He then pushed one of the linesman before being restrained by teammates and was shown the red card.

Describing Ribery's conduct as "seriously disrespectful", Serie A's disciplinary tribunal said that Ribery had approached the linesman with "threatening behaviour" and pushed him twice.

Earlier, Ribery -- who was also fined 20,000 euros ($22,196) -- apologised to fans and his teammates on Twitter for his behaviour, saying that he was "agitated" after the controversial finish.

Fiorentina asserted that the move which led to Lazio's 89thminute goal began with a foul by Jordan Lukaku on Riccardo Sotil and were baffled as to why the referee did not review the incident on the pitchside monitor -- instead relying on a silent check by the VAR official.

FOCUS

Qatar Airways launches travel packages for Arabian Gulf Cup

Qatar Airways has announced the launch of travel packages to bring football fans to Qatar to be part of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup Qatar 2019. The award-winning airline is a partner of the Arabian Gulf Cup Qatar 2019, which will be hosted at the Khalifa International Stadium from 24 November to 6 December.

Great value packages, including hotel stays and airport transfers, are available to book through Qatar Airways Holidays. For more information, fans cans visit AGC2019

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker, said: "We are proud to be offering football fans the opportunity to travel with our five-star airline to enjoy top-level international football in Qatar. The Arabian Gulf Cup Qatar 2019 will bring together passionate supporters from the region and marks the start of an exciting winter of football in Qatar with the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 kicking off in December. We are ready to show the world our warm hospitality, cultural delights and readiness ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022."

The Arabian Gulf Cup was established in 1970 by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. This will be the fourth time Qatar has hosted the tournament, having previously hosted the 1976, 1992 and 2004 editions. Qatar has taken home the title on three occasions (1992, 2004 and 2014). Kuwait is the most successful team in tournament history, winning ten titles out of 23.

Qatar Airways was recently named `Airline of the Year' for the fifth time by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named `World's Best Business Class', `Best Business Class Seat', and `Best Airline in the Middle East'.

SCHEDULE

November 24: Qatar vs Yemen; Iraq vs Oman November 27: Yemen vs Kuwait; Oman vs Qatar November 30: Kuwait vs Iraq; Oman vs Yemen December 3: Kuwait vs Oman; Iraq vs Qatar December 6: Yemen vs Iraq; Qatar vs Kuwait

SPOTLIGHT

Yaya Toure says FIFA `don't care' about racism

AFP Shanghai

Yaya Toure says FIFA is not doing enough to stamp out racism and that England should have walked off the pitch in the face of monkey chants during their Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria. The 36-year-old former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder made the comments to AFP after helping Qingdao Huanghai clinch promotion to the Chinese Super League at the weekend.

England's 6-0 victory in Sofia earlier this month was marred by racist chants and Nazi salutes from a section of Bulgarian fans. The game was halted twice during the first half, but England players opted to complete the match instead of walking off the pitch. "This is a shame, why are you playing for England?" Toure, who has been outspoken on football's racism problem, said of the decision. "They are always talking, `Blah, blah, blah', and what? Nothing changes."

Turning his real fire on football's decision-makers, the fourtime African player of the year said: "People from FIFA don't care anyway because we've been talking about this, but it's still continuing. I don't want to say that I'm not concerned, I'm concerned," said the former Ivory Coast international.

Raheem Sterling, the England

and Manchester City forward, has been widely praised for playing a prominent role in calling out the racists at home and abroad. But Toure, his former teammate at City, said that was "not good enough".

Toure, whose trophy haul includes three Premier League titles with City and a UEFA Champions League with Barcelona, believes it is time the players took more decisive action. "They have to be serious about it, players need to make serious moves about it otherwise they (the racists) will continue to do that," he said. "They have to get the players out of the field."

In response, FIFA said that "the fight against racism is of utmost importance" to football's world governing body. In the aftermath of the Bulgaria match, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that racists must be "kicked out" of stadiums.

Toure was speaking after he played a pivotal role for Qingdao in a 2-0 win on Saturday at Shanghai Shenxin, attended by just a few hundred spectators. Victory ensured promotion to the top-tier Chinese Super League for the team that Toure joined in July, but he is unlikely to make the move up with them next year.

"I think I'll finish in December

or January, then go, have another challenge," he said, vowing to play on until he is 40. "People are thinking that I'm done, but I'm not done yet," he said.

Toure has enjoyed his spell in Chinese football and stressed that he has never experienced any form of discrimination in the country. "It's been a nice experience because I've seen people with a different mentality from Europe -- the way to play football, the way they feel and their behaviour on the field," he said. "When I play in the stadiums, nobody boos me because I'm black, it's a different culture, they respect. In Europe, they respect nobody."

Gulf Times Tuesday, October 29, 2019

5

SPORT

BASEBALL

Astros rout Nats to reach brink of

NBA

Nightmare before Halloween as Warriors crash again

World Series title

`IF WE WIN IN FRONT OF OUR FANS, IT'S GOING TO BE SO SPECIAL'

AFP Washington

Amasterful pitching performance from Houston ace Gerrit Cole sparked the Astros to a 7-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, lifting them to the brink of their second World Series title in three seasons.

Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa and George Springer each smacked two-run homers as the Astros seized a 3-2 lead in Major League Baseball's best-of-seven final.

"If we win in front of our fans, it's going to be so special," Correa said. "I think I'll black out for the first time in my life."

Cole struck out nine and surrendered only one run on three hits over seven innings as the Nationals dropped a third straight home game, having batted only.175 in the span.

But after dropping the first two games of the series at home, the Astros are far from overconfident.

"These next 27 outs we're going to have to get to wrap this thing up are going to be the hardest we've had to get all year," Cole said.

Game six is set for Tuesday in Houston, where a seventh game would be played Wednesday if necessary.

"We've got a lot of fight in us left. I know we do," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "We're going to fight. We're going to finish this thing."

The Astros can secure a second title in three seasons today when Justin Verlander takes the mound against Washington's Stephen Strasburg.

The Nationals must win twice in Texas, as they did in the first two games of the series, to capture the first title in the franchise's 50-year history and the first for Washington since 1924.

"It has been pretty even this series. They are a game up with

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) turns a double play over Washington Nationals first baseman Howie Kendrick (47) during the second inning in game five of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park in Washington. PICTURE: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

two games left. Let's worry about Tuesday," Martinez said. "I like our chances."

The Astros could become only the third team in World Series history to lose the first two games at home and win the title, the first since the 1996 New York Yankees. In sweeping three games at Washington, where the World Series hadn't been played since 1933, the Astros outscored the Nationals by a combined 19-3 after falling twice by a combined 17-7 in Houston.

Cole allowed five runs on eight hits over seven innings in a game-one loss but mystified Nationals batters Sunday, throwing 71 of his 110 pitches

for strikes with only Juan Soto's solo homer in the seventh spoiling a shutout effort.

"The stuff was crisper," Cole said. "I thought we executed more pitches."

The Nationals suffered a major setback hours before the start when scheduled starter Max Scherzer was pulled due to neck and trapezius muscle spasms, leaving 26-year-old right-hander Joe Ross to pitch on short notice.

Doctors say Scherzer might be available for Washington if the Nats can force a seventh game.

"He's going to try to figure something out," Martinez said. "He wants to get himself ready."

Cuban-born 22-year-old Alvarez, who went 3-for-3 at the plate, smashed a two-run homer into the centerfield stands off Ross in the second inning after Yuli Gurriel had hit an infield single. Soto singled and took third on Howie Kendrick's single in the second but Cole struck out Ryan Zimmerman and induced a double play to end the threat.

Correa followed an Alvarez single in the fourth with a tworun homer off Ross to left field, lifting the Astros ahead 4-0.

Soto snapped a hitless streak of 5 1/3 innings for the Nationals by smashing a solo homer just over the centerfield wall in the

seventh, trimming Houston's lead to 4-1.

But the Astros answered in the eighth as Springer doubled, took third on Jose Altuve's ground out and scored on a Gurriel single.

Springer blasted a two-run homer to left field in the ninth after a Martin Maldonado single to complete the scoring.

Astros relievers Joe Smith and Ryan Pressly allowed Washington only one hit after Cole's departure.

US President Donald Trump received a chorus of boos from the crowd of 43,910 when his image appeared on the stadium videoscreen just after the third inning.

NHL

Bruins top Rangers with Bergeron's hat trick

NHL New York

Patrice Bergeron netted a hat trick, and Brad Marchand added two goals and three assists as the Boston Bruins won 7-4 on Sunday in the New York Rangers' 2,000th regular-season NHL game at the current Madison Square Garden, which opened in 1968.

David Pastrnak had a fivegame goal streak snapped but contributed five assists as Boston's top line accounted for 13 points. Charlie Coyle and Zdeno Chara also had goals for the Bruins, who have at least a point in seven straight games (5-0-2). Goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves. Micheal Haley, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider and Brady Skjei scored for the Rangers, who dropped to 1-5-1 in their last seven. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots before being relieved with New York trailing 4-1 after two periods.

The Bruins were coming off an emotional 3-0 victory Saturday at home against St. Louis, the team that defeated them in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last spring. After trailing 1-0 through the first period, Boston came out strong in the second with two goals in the opening 1:08 and two more later in the period while outshooting New York 21-5 in the frame.

ISLANDERS 5, FLYERS 3 Anders Lee had a goal and an assist, and five different New York skaters scored in a win over

Jacob Trouba (8) of the New York Rangers and Patrice Bergeron (37) of the Boston Bruins battle for the puck during the first period of their NHL game at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday.

Philadelphia in Uniondale, NY, stretching the Isles' winning streak to seven. Mathew Barzal, Derick Brassard, Ross Johnston and Ryan Pulock each contributed a goal for the hot Islanders, who set a season-high for goals scored. New York started the season 1-3-0 but hasn't lost since, matching the franchise's longest single-season winning streak since 1990.

Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves. Ja-

kub Voracek, Travis Konecny and Claude Giroux scored a goal apiece for the Flyers, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

PANTHERS 6, OILERS 2 Florida scored on its first three shots of the second period and recorded at least one point for the eighth straight game with an easy win in Edmonton. Aaron Ekblad, Brian Boyle and Noel Acciari netted markers in a

span of 125 seconds near the start of the second period for a 3-0 lead for the Panthers, who last failed to get a point in a 6-3 loss to Carolina on Oct. 8.

Leon Draisaitl contributed a goal and an assist, and James Neal also scored for Edmonton, which lost for the first time at home after opening with five wins.

BLUES 5, RED WINGS 4 (OT) David Perron scored at 1:28 of overtime as St. Louis Blues

stormed back after blowing a two-goal lead to hand host Detroit its eighth consecutive loss.

Ryan O'Reilly had two goals and two assists to lead the Blues. Schenn and Zach Sanford also scored for St. Louis, while Jordan Binnington made 29 saves. Tyler Bertuzzi and Dylan Larkin each had a goal and an assist for Detroit. Filip Hronek and Valtteri Filppula also scored.

With the Blues leading 3-1 after two periods, Detroit scored three times before the 12-minute mark in the third to take a lead. O'Reilly tied the game at 15:42 to force the extra period.

BLACKHAWKS 5, KINGS 1 Dylan Strome tallied two goals and an assist, and Chicago pulled away for a win over visiting Los Angeles. Alex DeBrincat also enjoyed a three-point night with a goal and two assists for the Blackhawks, who snapped a four-game losing streak. David Kampf and Drake Caggiula scored one goal apiece for Chicago. Sean Walker scored the lone goal for Los Angeles, which has dropped three in a row and six of its past eight games.

SENATORS 5, SHARKS 2 Nick Paul had two goals and an assist for the first-multi-point game of his NHL career in his 62nd game as host Ottawa beat San Jose. Brady Tkachuk finished with a goal and two assists, Connor Brown had a goal and an assist, Anthony Duclair also scored, and Craig Anderson made 34 saves for the Senators.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder (17) shoots against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City won 120-92. PICTURE: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

AFP Los Angeles

The Golden State Warriors suffered their second mauling of the season yesterday, crashing to a 120-92 defeat against a rampant Oklahoma City Thunder.

As Americans began gearing up to celebrate Halloween, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was left digesting another horror story from his depleted squad.

The Warriors had been routed emphatically 141-122 by the Los Angeles Clippers in their season opener on Thursday.

But that defeat was surpassed on Sunday as the Thunder outplayed the Warriors in every department to win by 28 points.

"In the first half we didn't come out ready to play and Oklahoma City just took it to us right from the beginning," a dejected Kerr said afterwards.

"I was really pleased with the effort of everyone in the second half.

But we needed to start the game with that kind of attention to detail.

I mean we had 12 turnovers in the first half.

"We were throwing the ball all over the yard and our defense was breaking down."

The Warriors' ragged first-half performance saw them in trouble from the outset, quickly falling behind 35-20 by the end of the first quarter.

By half-time, the Thunder had opened up a monstrous 70-37 lead, all but guaranteeing victory for coach Billy Donovan's team.

Dennis Schroder led the scoring from the bench for OKC, finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Four other Thunder players made double figures, with power forward Danilo Gallinari adding 21 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finishing with 19.

Golden State responded with 23 from Stephen Curry but their offense was all too often bullied by the Thunder defense.

Nevertheless Kerr said he saw signs of improvement in the second half, describing it as a "major step forward".

"I know that sounds crazy because we lost by however many points it was, but we're looking for incremental improvement and I saw some of that in the second half," Kerr said.

The Warriors have reached the NBA Finals for the past five seasons, winning three of them.

However Kerr warned after Thursday's loss to the Clippers that the franchise would need to adjust to a new "reality" as they attempt to manage a period of transition that saw Kevin Durant leave in the summer.

Meanwhile, Jae Crowder drained a 3-pointer as time expired in overtime to lift the host Memphis Grizzlies to a 134-133 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Brooklyn appeared poised to record its second win in three outings after Memphis rookie Ja Morant failed to connect with Kyle Anderson on an inbounds pass with 8.1 seconds left.

Spencer Dinwiddie made one of two free throws to push the Nets' lead to 133-131, but Morant set up Crowder for the gamewinning shot at the top of the arc.

Morant scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and pushed the game into overtime with a well-timed block of Kyrie Irving as time expired.

Dillon Brooks made 9 of 15 shots from the field for 21 points as the Grizzlies overcame an eight-point deficit with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter to record their first win of the season.

ELSEWHERE... Trail Blazers 121, Mavericks 119

Carried by 35 points from CJ McCollum, 28 from Damian Lillard and 20 from Rodney Hood, Portland Trail Blazers overcame a sluggish first half to pull out a clutch victory at Dallas Mavericks.

Lillard's lefty layup with 26.8 seconds to go -- after a Mavericks shot-clock violation -- put the Blazers ahead for good.

Kristaps Porzingis led Dallas with 32 points, adding nine rebounds and five assists, while Luka Doncic had 29 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

TIMBERWOLVES 116, HEAT 109

Andrew Wiggins scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter -- including three straight 3-pointers at one point -- to lead Minnesota past Miami in Minneapolis.

In a span of just over four minutes, Wiggins scored 16 of Minnesota's 17 points, as the Wolves went from a 96-93 deficit to a 110-101 lead.

Prior to that stretch, he had been 0-for-5 on 3-pointers in the game.

Then, he made five straight shots, including four threes, during the 17-5 run.

T-Wolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 11 rebounds.

But he was fairly quiet after a 15-point first quarter.

Miami was led by rookie guard Kendrick Nunn, who scored 25 points.

He is off to the best threegame rookie scoring start in Heat history.

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