REUTERS – LISBON

Bayern Munich powered into the Champions League

final, where they will face Paris St Germain, as two

goals from Serge Gnabry led them to

an emphatic 3-0 win over Olym-

pique Lyonnais yesterday.

Bayern will bid for their sixth European C u p t r i u m p h

when they come up against Neymar and

Kylian Mbappe on Sunday and after convincingly beating Chelsea, Bar-

celona and now Lyon, Hansi Flick's side will surely start as favourites.

The Germans are unbeaten in 2020, winning 24 of their last 25

matches in all competitions and they have not lost a Champions League game all season.

But PSG will take hope from the early chances that Lyon created -- Memphis Depay found space behind the Bayern defence but, forced wide, he could only shoot into the side-netting.

Lyon, who upset Juventus and Manchester City in the previous rounds, had warmed up on the field before the game with rarely-seen intensity and it showed as they took the game to Bayern and they went close again in the 17th minute.

Powerful striker Karl Toko Ekambi found space in the Bayern box and should have done better after his first shot was blocked and his follow-up effort struck the post.

But moments later Bayern grabbed the lead - a clever ball from Joshua Kimmich found Gnabry who danced in from the right and unleashed an unstoppable shot, from

over 20 metres out, into the top corner.

Gnabry went close again with a snap-shot that Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes did well to keep out as Bayern pushed hard for a second.

It came in the 33rd minute - and was started and finished by Gnabry.

The former Arsenal midfielder fed Ivan Perisic on the left and the Croatian's low cross found Robert Lewandowski at the back post.

His weak shot was saved by Lopes, only for the alert Gnabry to pounce and convert his ninth goal in nine Champions League games.

Lewandowski, looking well below his usual levels of sharpness, had another good chance after the interval, but he again made it too easy for Lopes, leaving Lyon still with hope.

Bayern lacked the intensity of their first-half display but they made sure of the win in the 88th minute when Lewandowski rose to head home a Kimmich cross from a free kick.

SPORT | 18

Misbah has no

qualms over

fitness for

England finale

SPORTNeymar and

‘stars’ align for

title-chasing

Parisians

SPORT | 19

THURSDAY 20 AUGUST 2020

FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

For most of the teams, finishing the prestigious QNB Stars League (QSL) among the top-4 sides is a big achievement. But, for Al Sadd – who will be dethroned this year – finishing as No.1 only brings them joy.

The Wolves are the most successful side in premier event’s history clinching the title 14 times including their pre-vious year’s triumph. However, they will finish third this year with Al Duhail and Al Rayyan competing for the crown in the last round starting today.

Al Duhail have 49 points and they will seal the title if they defeat Al Ahli tomorrow, while Al Rayyan (48 points) – who will take on Al Wakrah – will be hoping

for luck to be on their side to win the league.

The best Al Sadd (44 points) can do is to finish the QSL on a winning note by beating Al Gharafa in their final game at Al Janoub Stadium today. In 21 rounds, Al Sadd won 14 games and drew 2 besides losing 5 games including a couple of upsets.

“It’s a pity that we couldn’t win this title. I think we lost it due to our own mistakes,” Al Sadd head coach Xavi Her-nandez told reporters ahead of game against Al Gharafa.

“We cannot be happy, Al Sadd is not to finish in third place. We are disappointed, we didn’t compete well. So we have to prepare well for the

next one and we have to play much better.”

“It was a pity, during that part of the season after the Champions League exit, when we lost three games in a row. It was a really tough period

for us and that’s why we were not able to compete

until the end in this com-petition,” he added.

Xavi said winning the QSL will be his team’s main target next season.

“We want to win the League. This is one of our main goals for the next season. I think we are a better team than before.

We have more options to play with, in all the positions

on the pitch.”“So we are ready, ready to

compete. Last season was good – not very good, not excellent, because we could not win the league, but we won the Sheikh Jassim Cup, the Qatar Cup and we are in the semi-finals of the Ooredoo Cup and the Amir Cup. We have to compete for all the competitions and we are ready for that,” he added.

Speaking on today’s game against Al Gharafa, Xavi said his team want to sign off the league with victory.

“We won the last 4 games in a row, and we want to continue like that, knowing the difficulty (of the game) because it’s Al Gharafa, who are 4th in the table and (their coach) Jokanovic is doing very well. The team improved a

lot this season and they have good players.”

Meanwhile, Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jokanovic, who side has 35 points, said his team will still fight for the points against Al Sadd.

“We are facing Al Sadd, one the best teams in the league. We look forward towards continuing our good run and make further progress. It is an important challenge and really an important test for my team because we have the chance to know where we are when we face the strongest teams in the league.”

Four teams - Qatar SC (ninth with 19 points), Umm Salal (17), Al Khor (16) and Al Shahania (15) – are involved in the fight to avoid either relegation or play-off in the final round.

In today’s other games, Umm Salal will play against Al Sailiya (fifth with 28 points) while Al Khor meet Al Shahania. Qatar SC face Al Arabi (seventh with 25 points) tomorrow.

We want to win the League. This is one of our main goals for the next season. I think we are a better team than before. We have more options to play with, in all the positions on the pitch: Xavi says winning the QSL will be his team’s main target next season.

Al Sadd extend Asad's contract

THE PENINSULA _ DOHA

Al Sadd yesterday announced that their star midfielder Ali Asad will play for the Wolves until 2023 following a two-year contract extension. .

Asad is a key player in the current Al Sadd outfit and has been playing for the Wolves since 2009. Following the announcement, Asad said he is happy to stay with the Qatari football giants.

"I am very happy and very proud of my new contract, I feel very happy, I will continue to work hard to always provide the best and win championships in the future. Al Sadd is a big club and it is won-derful to be among its ranks. I hope that I will meet everyone’s expectations during the next season," Asad said.

Xavi rues ‘own mistakes’, unhappy with third spotWEEK 22 FIXTURES

TODAYAl Sadd vs Al Gharafa (16:00, Al Janoub Stadium)Al Khor vs Al Shahania (19:30, Al Janoub Stadium) Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal (19:30, Al Sadd Stadium)

TOMORROW Al Arabi vs Qatar SC (16:00, Al Janoub Stadium)Al Duhail vs Al Ahli (19:30, Al Janoub Stadium)

Al Wakrah vs Al Rayyan (19:30, Al Sadd Stadium)

WEEK 22 FIXTURES

Al Sadd's coach Xavi, Ali Asad and the Club's General Manager Turki Nasser Al Ali posing for a photograph after signing the contract.

Koeman pledges to put Barca ‘back on top’

AFP – MADRID

Ronald Koeman said he will “fight to put Barcelona back on top” after he was officially appointed yesterday as the Spanish club’s new coach on a two-year deal.

“It’s a happy day. Everyone knows that Barca was for me. It’s my home. It’s a challenge and it won’t be easy, it will demand the best of me and I like that,” Koeman said at his unveiling at the Camp Nou.

“It was a dream and this dream became a reality. We’re going to fight to put Barca back on top.”

The 57-year-old Koeman, who has been in charge of the Netherlands since 2018, replaces Quique Setien, who was sacked after the Catalans were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday.

He becomes the fifth Dutchman to coach Barcelona after Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, Louis Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard.

In his six seasons as a Barca player Koeman made 264 official appearances, scoring 88 goals as he shone in Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’, winning four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991-94. He also struck the winner in the 1992 European Cup final, the Catalan club’s first ever success in Europe’s top club competition.

Barca conceded eight goals in the Bayern capitulation for the first time since losing to Sevilla 8-0 in the 1946 Spanish Cup.

Lyon’s Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes fails to stop a goal by Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Serge Gnabry during the UEFA Champions League semi-final played at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, yesterday.

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Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry celebrates after scoring his first goal.

18 THURSDAY 20 AUGUST 2020SPORT

Misbah has no qualms over fitness for England finaleAFP — SOUTHAMPTON

Pakistan coach Misbah-ul-Haq is confident his side’s fitness levels will hold up when they face England in the third and final Test at Southampton starting tomorrow.

A season reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic has left Pakistan with a programme of three Tests in as many weeks.

What could have been a truly gruelling schedule became less arduous as a result of so much time being lost to rain and bad light during he drawn second Test, also at South-ampton, concluded Monday.

But Misbah, who as a 42-year-old captain of Pakistan celebrated scoring a hundred against England at Lord’s in 2016 with a round of press-ups, has long been convinced of the need for his players to be in shape.

“Fitness has been an important part of our strategy as a team since I took on the role of head coach last September and we have seen the benefits in the two Tests so far,” Misbah wrote in a column for the Pakistan Cricket Board’s website.

“The players have taken ownership of their fitness levels and they should be given credit for that, especially after three months at home during the

COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. “They know having supreme

fitness will help them to perform under pressure.”

Pakistan go into the series finale 1-0 down after a three-wicket defeat in the first Test at Old Trafford.

But that loss saw Shan Masood show p l e n t y o f e n d u r a n c e during a

Test-best 156 while wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, impressive behind the stumps in Manchester, was named man-of-the-match in the second Test for a determined 72.

“Mohammad Rizwan is a great example of that (fitness) in the way he ran between the wickets and batted with the tail,” explained Misbah.

“Shan Masood also showed it in the first Test, batting for almost eight hours, and running really well with Shadab Khan. The way they stole quick singles is something that you don’t see much in Test cricket and certainly not from a Pakistan team.”

The second day of the second Test

was also Pakistan’s Independence Day, which has previously coincided with some notable moments in the country’s cricket history.

“It is always a special moment to celebrate Inde-pendence Day during a Test match and Pakistan has some great memories from previous such occasions in England: our first-ever Test win in England in 1954 came just after Inde-pendence Day, as did the famous win at Lord’s in 1982 and, from a personal point of view, our victory at the Oval in 2016 when we levelled the series on 14 August itself,” recalled Misbah.

OVID-19 pandemic,” he added.“They know having supreme

tness will help them to perform nder pressure.”

Pakistan go into the eries finale 1-0 down fter a three-wicket efeat in the first Test at tld Trafford.

But that loss saw han Masood show l e n t y o f n d u r a n c e uring a

much in Test cricket and certainly not from a Pakistan team.”

The second dayof the second Test

waw s also Pakwhiwiththe

mopenmagresucfirsin 1penfamandvie202sesrere

Misbah-ul-Haq

Fitness has been an

important part of our

strategy as a team since

I took on the role of head

coach last September and

we have seen the benefits

in the two Tests so far.

Mohammad Rizwan is a

great example of that

(fitness) in the way he

ran between the wickets

and batted with the tail:

Misbah-ul-Haq

Mohammad Rizwan

Coach Silverwood backs earlier Test match startsAFP — LONDON

England coach Chris Silverwood says he is all for early starts to matches after bad light blighted the drawn second Test between England and Pakistan at Southampton.

Only 134.3 overs were sent down across five days in a match marred by rain delays as well as the spec-tacle of players being taken off the field for bad light even when the Ageas Bowl flood-lights were in use.

Not since the same two teams met at Lord’s in 1987, when 112.5 overs were bowled, has a Test in England been so badly affected by weather interruptions.

Silverwood, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s third and final Test, also at the Ageas Bowl in a series England lead 1-0, said it would be possible to start at half past ten and not the usual 11 o’clock.

“It makes sense to me,” he said yesterday.

“We have a period at the start of the day we could use, but we try to lump it at the end when light is an issue.”

“In my opinion it would be a good idea.

“I know there’s chats around it and there will be no complaints from us if it happens.

“But I’ve had no official word it’ll happen.”

Silverwood had other ideas that could be con-sidered such as a ball which is a lighter shade of red, floodlights, and glasses to help cricketers in fading light.

Silverwood, seeking to win his second series of the summer after beating the West Indies 2-1, said given the special circumstances due to the coronavirus pan-demic it made starting matches earlier easier to do.

“We’re all here anyway,” he said.

“We’re all on the ground, so it wouldn’t be very dif-ficult to make it happen.”

Silverwood, who took over the job from Trevor Bayliss when the latter left at the end of the 2019 season, said it had been tough going sitting around throughout most of the second Test.

“To have both sides -- to have everyone, really -- in the bubble sat around was hard work at times,” said the 45-year-old former England pace bowler.

“You feel for everyone involved including the viewers at home hoping to watch some cricket.

“I felt for everyone that we were just here sat around twiddling our thumbs.”

The International Cricket Council is set to discuss the issue of bad light at the next meeting of its cricket committee.

England head coach Chris Silverwood (left) with Jofra Archer before the start second Test in Southampton, in this August 14, 2020 file photo.

Australia captain Finch targeting 2023 Cup as career swansong

REUTERS — MELBOURNE

Australia limited overs captain Aaron Finch has set himself a goal of playing the 2023 one-day World Cup in India before bowing out of interna-tional cricket.

The 33-year-old opening batsman told Australian radio that cricket’s pause in 2020 due to COVID-19 had only made him more determined to push through to the global tour-nament in the subcontinent.

“My end date at this stage is the World Cup final of the 2023 World Cup in India,” he told SEN.

“That’s my goal and I’m sticking to it.

“That’ll see me through to 36 (years old), obviously with form and everything permitting, and injuries.

“If I thought I was going to be pushing it to get to that date, this break has confirmed that I’ll be ready to go right through to that period.”

Finch’s opening partner David Warner has also targeted the 2023 World Cup, though he said last month that family was his priority and he might review his international commitments depending on the long-term sit-uation with COVID-19.

Finch led Australia to the semi-finals in England last year and was part of the Michael Clarke-captained side that won

Australia’s Aaron Finch (centre) before the World Cup semi-final match against England in this July 11, 2019 file photo.

the 2015 World Cup on home soil. He is leading a squad of 21

to England next week for limited overs series in South-ampton and Manchester starting September 4, which will be Australia’s first interna-tional cricket since the

pandemic cut the season short in March. “Originally, that was alarm bells for me. (I thought) does this mean I’m coming to the end? “And it was like that 32nd day (of no training) ticked over and I was like, ‘right, I’m itching to get back into it’.”

Lakers lose as top seeds fall in play-off openersREUTERS — NEW YORK

Damian Lillard scored 34 points, and the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers defeated the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers 100-93 in Game 1 of their Western Conference opening-round matchup on Tuesday in the NBA bubble near Orlando.

CJ McCollum had 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers. Carmelo Anthony added 11 points and 10 rebounds while Hassan Whiteside collected five blocks to go along with eight rebounds and seven points.

Anthony Davis finished with 28 points and 11 boards while LeBron James had 23 points, 17 boards and 16 assists for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma chipped in 14 points.

Orlando Magic 122 - Mil-waukee Bucks 110

Nikola Vucevic scored 35 points to propel eighth-seeded Orlando to a surprising victory over top-seeded Milwaukee in Game 1 of the Eastern Con-ference first-round series.

Orlando got off to a fast start to take a double-digit lead, then held off the Bucks’ second-half runs. The Magic shot 49.4 percent and made 16 3-pointers against a Milwaukee defense that was rated the NBA’s best

during the regular season. Orlando reached those marks with second-leading scorer Evan Fournier held scoreless until hitting three key 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

Houston Rockets 123 - Oklahoma City Thunder 108

James Harden scored 37 points to lift Houston to a win over Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. Harden shot 12 of 22 from the field and added 11 rebounds.

Without Russell Westbrook for the fifth time in six games, the Rockets had few problems

getting going offensively, com-bining for 76 points in the second and third quarters.

Miami Heat 113 - Indiana Pacers 101

Tyler Herro’s jumper with 8:52 remaining broke a tie and Miami ran away for a win over Indiana in the opener of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Jimmy Butler went for a game-high 28 points and Goran Dragic 24 -- including four key hoops down the stretch -- for Miami, which beat the Pacers for the second time in three meetings since the NBA restart.

Damian Lillard (left) of the Portland Trail Blazers and Jonas Valanciunas of the Memphis Grizzlies tangle during their play-off game.

AFP – LISBON

An inspired Neymar helped Paris Saint-Germain reach the Champions League final on Tuesday, but the fact that the Brazilian was not their best player against RB Leipzig says everything about the frightening strength of Thomas Tuchel’s team and shows why they can be confident of lifting the trophy for the first time.

Neymar has become a dif-ferent player in his third year in the French capital. His first two seasons at PSG following his €222m ($264m) transfer from Barcelona were blighted by injuries and constant specu-lation about a move back to the Camp Nou.

When it became clear last summer that a return to

Catalonia would not happen, he knuckled down and decided finally to make a proper go of it in

Paris. This is the end result.

After scoring in both legs against Borussia

Dortmund in the last 16, he was outstanding in the 2-1

quarter-final win over Ata-lanta last week in Lisbon and even better in the 3-0 demo-lition of Leipzig.

Neymar hit the post twice in the first half, including from an audacious free-kick wide out on

the right as everyone waited for a cross.

The 28-year-old won the free-kick which led to Marquin-hos’s opener, and it was his flick which set up Angel Di Maria for the second goal, ensuring it was game over by half-time, before Juan Bernat sealed the win.

The only thing missing was a goal of his own.

“What can I say to Neymar to help him score a goal when I scored maybe two in my career,” joked Tuchel.

Neymar later posted a picture on Instagram of himself lying on the ground in agony, a reminder of his bad luck with injuries in his first two seasons after arriving in Paris for that world record fee in 2017, which has clearly made him even more determined to succeed now.

“Today I am in one piece, with no injuries, able to help my team-mates in the best possible way,” he wrote.

There will be no Ballon d’Or this year, with organisers France

Football cancelling the award because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Neymar will still have a strong claim to be the best player on the planet if he can lead PSG past either Bayern Munich or Lyon in Sunday’s final.

“I am sure that if we win the Champions League he will be in a position to win these tro-phies,” said team-mate Kylian Mbappe.

“He is destined to do so.” Yet while Neymar and Mbappe, the two superstars and the two most expensive players of all time, dominate the headlines, there were standout perform-ances all through PSG’s team on Tuesday. In particular, Di Maria.

The Argentine was once the major superstar at PSG before being eclipsed by his attacking colleagues.

Against Leipzig, on his return from suspension, it was he who set up two goals either side of scoring himself.

Nothing demonstrates the determination of PSG’s Qatari owners to conquer Europe better than their front three, who cost a combined €465m in transfer fees alone.

This version of PSG, after years of underwhelming results in the Champions League, are now tantalisingly close to getting the ultimate return on Qatar’s huge investment.

19THURSDAY 20 AUGUST 2020 SPORT

FIFA shapes new rule to help players switch national teamAP – GENEVA

FIFA is helping soccer players switch eligibility and represent a second national team with a planned rule change announced yesterday.

The proposal gives hope to players who are eligible for mul-tiple countries but fell out of favour at their first national team, where they are bound after just a single minute of playing time in a competitive game.

The new wording would let

players switch eligibility if they played a maximum of three times for the first national team -- including tournament quali-fying games -- before they turned 21, and at least three years earlier.

The new rule will take effect next month if 211 national fed-erations approve it at the Sep-tember 18 congress that FIFA is hosting online from Zurich.

A FIFA working group has tried for more than two years to shape the new proposal.

A test case at the Court of

Arbitration for Sport ahead of the 2018 World Cup is key background.

Munir El Haddadi, now with Europa League finalist Sevilla, wanted to be selected for Morocco but lost his appeal against the FIFA rules. He had played just once for Spain in September 2014, as a 77th-minute substitute in a European Championship qualifier.

The new rule would not help Brazil midfielder Oscar, who has suggested switching to China where he has played club soccer

since 2017. Oscar would fail the test because he has played more than three times for Brazil, including after he was aged 21, and at a World Cup finals tour-nament in 2014.

The proposal would bar nationality switches for anyone who played at a “final tour-nament of the FIFA World Cup or a final tournament of a con-federation competition.”

FIFA’s new flexibility even suggests letting players revert back to their original national team if they never actually play

for the second one. The existing FIFA rules have been used by many players born in Europe - who played in national age-group teams or friendly games - and switched to African coun-tries where they have ties through their parents or grandparents.

In more updating of eligi-bility rules, FIFA wants to clarify how long players must live in a country before they can play for its teams.

The proposal aims to help players who as children moved

with their families to a new country for non-soccer reasons.

Three years residency would be required if a player moved before the age of 10, and five years residency if the move was aged 10 to 18.

FIFA’s existing rule already requires a five-year residency from the age of 18 if a player wants to acquire a new national eligibility. That allowed Brazil-born forwards Elkeson and Aloisio to switch to the current China team after they were nat-uralised as citizens.

UEFA seeks player exemptions from quarantine after travelAP – GENEVA

Ahead of national team games around Europe in two weeks, UEFA urged its member federations yesterday to ask governments to exempt soccer players from quarantine after travel.

All 55 European national teams are scheduled to travel around the continent to begin Nations League qualifying on September 3-8.

“Players coming from foreign clubs might be at risk of quar-antine measures upon their return to their country of residence,” UEFA said.

Days later, dozens of international players are set to play on the opening weekends of the Premier League and Spanish league.

“Associations were encouraged to approach their govern-ments to seek exemptions for players and team members,” the European soccer body said after hosting a conference call with soccer officials from the 55 member countries.

UEFA is the only one of FIFA’s six continental governing bodies not to postpone national team games in early September.

Neutral venue countries could step in if “current domestic conditions could put the staging of the match in jeopardy,” UEFA said.

UEFA-organised games in August were affected by visiting players being quarantined by local public authorities.

Kosovo champion Drita forfeited a preliminary round Cham-pions League game in last week in Switzerland when local health officials intervened after two players tested positive for COVID-19.Neymar, ‘stars’ align

for title-chasing PSG

Mbappe feels World Cup vibes

REUTERS – LISBON

Kylian Mbappe said he is feeling similar vibes as during France’s World Cup winning campaign in 2018 after Paris St Germain reached the Champions League final with an emphatic 3-0 win against RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

“I feel the same vibes because we managed to create a group where eve-ryone knows their impor-tance and everyone do their job,” the France striker told a news conference.

“We do a lot of activities outside the pitch, maybe it’s too much for some but that’s how you win titles.

“It’s easier to make efforts and sacrifices for your team mates if they are your friends.” Mbappe pro-duced a below-par per-formance against Leipzig, but he is just back from an ankle injury and still lacks match practice.

He played half an hour in the 2-1 quarter-final win against Atalanta, helping PSG turn the tide as they were 1-0 down.

“When I got injured against St Etienne (in the French Cup final on July 24), I though the Champions League was over for me,” the 21-year-old said.

“But the morning after I told myself I needed to be part of this journey, even if I didn’t play, at least to bring my good mood to the team.” PSG will face either Olym-pique Lyonnais or Bayern Munich in Sunday’s final, with the Ligue 1 side having Mbappe’s preference.

“I’d rather play Lyon b e c a u s e they’re a French side, but if it is Bayern, so be it,” he said.

REUTERS – PARIS

Successive failures in the Champions League last 16 made big spending Paris St Germain a laughing stock but after two years in charge coach Thomas Tuchel has found the right balance and turned the tide.

PSG were barely bothered in a 3-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig as they reached the final of Europe’s premium club com-petition in style on Tuesday.

While Neymar and Angel Di Maria dazzled up front with the recovering Kylian Mbappe always a potential danger, a steely midfield and a solid defence made sure there would be no surprises.

“ T h e f o r w a r d s ’ defensive work? I’ve already said that we knew we had to do it. Now we have to be consistent in doing the efforts the team need, not just for three o r f o u r m a t c h e s , ” Mbappe, w h o

shook off an ankle injury to take part in the Final Eight in Lisbon, said in January.

They did just that against Leipzig, allowing the full backs to throw themselves forward and the midfieders to play higher up the pitch.

This resulted in full back Juan Bernat scoring the last goal and midfielder Leandro Paredes being in Leipzig’s half to collect a poor clearance and find Neymar in the box for the Brazilian to set up Di Maria on the second goal.

“Defensively, they were solid, everybody made efforts,” former PSG coach Luis Fern-andez told French sports daily L’Equipe yesterday.

“I saw the Liverpool of Juergen Klopp with Sadio

Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino pressing up front.” PSG will face either Bayern Munich or fellow Ligue 1 side Olympique

Lyonnais in Sunday’s showpiece, their first European final

since the Cup Winners’

Cup in 1997.

AFP – PARIS

Formula One announced yesterday that all 10 teams on the grid had finally agreed to a binding five-year commercial deal from 2021 which ensures the sport’s “sustainable” future and will create closer racing.

“The FIA (F1’s governing body) and Formula 1 can today confirm that all 10 teams have agreed to the new Concorde Agreement,” a statement confirmed.

“The agreement will secure the long-term sustainable future for Formula 1,” it noted, and will help usher in the top item in any F1 fans’ wishlist - better action on the track.

“All our fans want to see closer racing, wheel to wheel action and every team having a chance to get on the podium,” said F1 boss Chase Carey.

“The new Concorde agreement, in con-junction with the regulations for 2022, will put

in place the foundations to make this a reality and create an environment that is both finan-cially fairer and closes the gaps between teams on the race track.” FIA president Jean Todt said that in a time of “unprecedented global chal-lenges” from the coronavirus pandemic he was proud of how the sport’s stakeholders had worked together.

Wednesday’s announcement did not look remotely possible earlier this month when world champions Mercedes said they weren’t prepared to sign it.

It got the green light only after the German constructor executed a u-turn, announcing they were on board after changing their minds at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

Team chief Toto Wolff explained they had accepted that it was impossible for the teams to be united - and so a pragmatic and singular approach would be best.

“Everybody tries to achieve some little deals outside. There’s a blame culture in the media so we’ve decided to move forward with Liberty,” Wolff said.

Eventual concord and the sport’s safe return under strict COVID-19 health pro-tocols were testament to the whole sport, the F1 statement acknowledged.

“Closer racing will attract more fans to the sport, benefitting every team, and con-tinuing to increase the global growth of Formula 1,” it added.

Haas, one of the teams operating on a far tighter budget than the likes of Mercedes or Ferrari, reacted to the news on

twitter: “Concorde agreement - SIGNED. We’ve committed to five more years in @F1.” The agreement is named after the Place de la Con-corde in Paris where the first deal between the teams, the sport and its ruling body was com-pleted in 1981.

PSG have found right balance under Tuchel

Formula 1 deal gets green light from all 10 teams on grid

The fact that Neymar was not their best player against RB Leipzig says everything about the frightening strength of Thomas Tuchel’s team and shows why they can be confident of lifting the trophy for the first time.

seasons at P€222m ($26Barcelona winjuries andlation about Camp Nou.

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J g ppMane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino pressing up front.” PSGwill face either BayernMunich or fellow Ligue1 side Olympique

Lyonnais in Sunday’sshowpiece, their first European final

since the Cup Winners’

Cup in1997.

Kylian Mbappe Thomas Tuchel

Paris Saint-Germain players celebrate their win at the end of the UEFA Champions League semi-final football match against Leipzig at the Luz Stadium, in Lisbon on Tuesday.