Sports

MARRAKECH, Morocco — Goals from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid coast to a 4-0 victory over Cruz Azul of Mexico on Tuesday and a place in the final of the Club World Cup.

Sergio Ramos and Benzema made it 2-0 at halftime, with further strikes from Bale and Francisco “Isco” Alarcon putting the result beyond doubt after the break.

Madrid’s opponents in Saturday’s final will be either South American champion San Lorenzo of Argentina or Auckland City, a New Zealand team of amateurs and semi-pros that is the Oceania champion. 

Cruz Azul, the
CONCACAF champion, proved no match for the pace and penetration that Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale provided for Madrid up front. Daniel Carvajal also was exceptional, marauding with Bale down the right.

Cruz Azul captain Gerardo Torrado missed a chance to make the score more respectable when Iker Casillas saved his first-half penalty that lacked conviction.

A win on Saturday would secure Madrid their first Club World Cup and cap an exceptional year when they also won the Champions League and Copa del Rey, while Ronaldo collected his second World Player of the Year award.

“Only a match away from a new opportunity, we’ll be ready 100 per cent,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “I think the team deserves this title.”

Ronaldo did not add to his total of 56 goals in 2014 for Madrid, including 32 this season. But the match was so comfortable for Madrid that their star player allowed himself a showboat second-half shot so cheeky that Ancelotti’s assistants were laughing behind him on the bench.

Ronaldo tried flicking in Bale’s cross from the left by wrapping his right foot around his left ankle to connect with the ball. Cruz Azul goalkeeper Jose Corona easily scooped up the attempt that would have been another fine addition to Ronaldo’s highlight reel had it gone in.

“I’ve never seen a shot like this, but from Ronaldo we have to expect everything,” Ancelotti said.

Conceding that Madrid were “highly superior”, Cruz Azul manager Luis Fernando Tena had no complaints.

“It’s been a joy to play such a skilful team, individually and collectively,” he said.

Down Madrid’s right, Bale and Carvajal gave a torrid lesson in speed, guile and mobility to Fausto Pinto, the Cruz Azul left-back at fault for three of the goals.

Pinto’s first-half body-check on Carvajal, who winced and rolled away convincingly enough to get referee Enrique Osses to blow his whistle, gifted Madrid a free kick that Toni Kroos curved in with venom. Ramos decisively headed it past Corona, who was made to work hard all night, for Madrid’s opener.

Pinto was then guilty of ball-watching as Carvajal wriggled past him and sent in a looping short cross for Benzema. The striker hared onto the ball and poked it home with an outstretched tip of his right foot after 36 minutes.

Five minutes into the second half, Pinto left Bale too much space and time to head in Ronaldo’s cross from the left.

After tormenting his markers with multiple step-overs, Ronaldo fed the ball to Isco, who dribbled through the defence to complete the scoring on 72 minutes.

This was Madrid’s 21st consecutive victory in all matches, a record run that has seen it score 79 goals to just 10 in reply. Ancelotti’s men have not lost since September 13, a 2-1 defeat by Atletico on day three of La Liga.

Saturday’s final will be Madrid’s last competitive match of 2014. And what a year: Madrid ended their 12-year wait for a 10th European Cup title, beating Atletico 4-1 in the Champions League final, and lifted its 19th Copa del Rey with a 2-1 win over Barcelona.

In January, Ronaldo broke down in tears when he picked up the World Player of the Year award for 2013. In the crowd of 34,862 in Marrakech, some held up signs saying he should retain the Ballon d’Or again this year against Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer, the other finalists.

After a December 30 friendly against AC Milan, the La Liga leader picks up its domestic campaign again on January 4 against Valencia.

AMMAN — Jordan returned from the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Doha with a staggering seven new national records, won by a brother and sister, according to a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. Talita Baqlah, the 19-year-old London 2012 Olympian, and her 16-year-old brother, Khader, broke seven records between them to underline the steady progress being made by the sport in Jordan. Khader set new times in the four freestyle events he took part in (100m, 200m, 400m, 1,500m) and also set a new national mark for the first 800m of the 1,500m discipline, with his sister breaking two records in the 100m and the 50m freestyle. Their form has delighted the Jordan Swimming Federation (JSF) which has a long-term plan in place to improve Jordan’s performances in the pool. “What is particularly pleasing about Khader’s times is that they are quick enough to qualify for the World Championships in 2015,” Ibrahim Naddeh, secretary general of the JSF, was quoted in the statement as saying. “Talita is getting very close too and we are confident that both will also give it a good shot to qualify for the Rio Olympics with their times also improving in the 50m pool.” It has been a remarkable year for the sport with 33 national records broken in the pool.

AMMAN — There is a well-known saying that “success does not come overnight” but a Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) programme should ensure that when it does come, it will be sustained.

Following a disappointing Asian Games this year, and the fact that Jordan is still one of the few nations without an Olympic medal, the spotlight has fallen on what is being done behind the scenes to move forward positively, according to a statement from JOC New Service.

A JOC investigation is under way to find out what went wrong in Incheon, South Korea, when Jordan sent its largest ever delegation but returned home with just four medals.

The performances draw criticism for sports administrators as a whole, but it has underlined the importance of JOC’s National Coaching Certification Programme that was launched in 2009.

“It is never a quick fix for results to change but through careful nurturing of talent by better trained coaches there will be a difference,” Narin HajTass, manager at JOC’s Knowledge, Education and Training Department, was quoted in the statement as saying.

“We are still in the very early stages of a national programme that can help to improve our performances at all levels. We have to be patient but the wait should be worthwhile.”

The journey started back in 2008 when His Royal Highness Prince Feisal, JOC president, commissioned the Coaching Association of Canada to conduct a full review into Jordan sport to identify weaknesses and to propose solutions.

The review outcomes were of no surprise to many. Jordan’s coaches as a whole were not of a standard that could produce results on the global stage. It meant that our athletes were not receiving the sort of coaching enjoyed by their counterparts in other parts of the world. How could we then expect them to be winners?

Actions followed immediately with HajTass’ department set up to launch the Canadian national certification programme which began with a two-year programme to train up 13 facilitators.

“These are the coaches who drive the programme forward so it took two years to ensure they were fully up to speed and qualified,” explained HajTass in the statement. “They were recommended by our National Federations and then trained by the Canadians to cascade their programme across Jordan.”

With the basics in place, it was time to put the programme to work and in 2009 the first Level One course was held featuring coaches from across the sporting sector.

“I think the coaches were probably very sceptical at first, but the feedback once they have completed the courses is very positive,” HajTass said. “The course does not focus on their technical ability in their individual sport, but the broader picture of bio-mechanics, nutrition, coaching science, leadership and so on.

“Changing the mindset takes time but I would say that from all of the coaches we have trained, more than 70 per cent truly believe in its value. Some coaches have been working for more than 30 years and yet they too have praised the new techniques and training that they have been taught.”

The programme takes coaches from a Level One grade through to Level Five, with Level Three split into two stages. So far, more than 150 coaches have followed the programme, with 27 reaching Level Three (advanced).

The results are starting to show on the playing fields too. Several athletes, trained by the newly certified coaches, have excelled at Arab and Asian levels, but HajTass said there is much more to come.

“In 2015 we will hold our first Level Four course featuring 25 coaches. This is extremely high performance stuff with brand new modules introduced. It is a big next step for the programme and for those enrolled.”

Also on the horizon as the Jordan team develops its own capabilities is an ambitious plan to create JOC’s own long-term athlete development programme.

“We are ambitious and believe in the programme,” said HajTass. “It can only help sport develop collectively with more qualified coaches involved. It’s a long road but we are well on our way.”

It is not often sport gets to see what is going on behind the scenes, but this programme proves that JOC will not settle for anything less than the best and is playing its part to achieve it.

AMMAN – Having girls take part in football in particular and in sports in general is a step forward for both Jordan and rest of the Middle East region, former Real Madrid player Michel Salgado said.

The Chevrolet brand ambassador said he was fascinated seeing so many girls playing football in the Kingdom.

“It is really fascinating especially in this part of the world as life is really complicated for them,” he told The Jordan Times during an interview.

Salgado played for Real Madrid for 10 years, joining the Spanish team in 1999. The right-back player helped his team win several trophies including four La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League title.

During a 15-year period in Spain, Salgado — who appeared in 343 La Liga games, scoring seven goals — represented the Spanish national team, collecting more than 50 caps and appearing in one World Cup and one European Championship, according to Wikipedia.

The Spanish ex-player, in Jordan for the second time, ran a training session in the Kingdom on Monday and Tuesday as part of the delivery of 5,000 ultra-durable footballs to 50 schools in Jordan by the Asian Football Development Project, Asian Football Confederation, and One World Play Project and its partner Chevrolet.

 “I am really happy to see them [girls] get into sports and compete to be good in football,” Salgado said.

He stressed the importance of Jordan hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016.

“The opportunity of hosting the World Cup in Jordan will be massive and a great exposure for the country and the region as well,” he added. 

He noted that Jordan must be ready for the contest and show the world that the Kingdom is a special place. 

Salgado said football is an important part of education because it is special and teaches children how to work as a team. 

“For example, by bringing these balls to the children, we can bring them hope and fun, and that is what they need,” he told The Jordan Times. 

Salgado said the events he took part in Jordan will encourage children to work hard and be good footballers. 

“I think the children who live in difficult situations will find their way out through football,” he added. 

Salgado noted the importance of focusing on grass-roots projects.

“The association [Jordan Football Association] started to work very well with grass-roots projects and that is what I am trying to do in the Middle East. By encouraging the federations to invest money in grass-roots projects because they are the future. Investing money on the senior team is a short-term solution,” he added. 

Commenting on the national team’s chances at the Asian Football Confederation’s 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, he said: “I am expecting something very good from Jordan in the Asian Cup.”

Jordan plays in Group D and takes on Japan, Iraq and Palestine. 

“I know coach Raymond Wilkins because I worked with him on TV and I think he is well prepared for the job. It is going to be vital to change the mentality of the players in Jordan, though. He has got the knowledge and the experience,” he said. 

He noted that Real Madrid might win the Champions League in 2015. 

“There is no doubt that Real Madrid has a big chance to win the Champions League, doing something historical by winning two contests in a row,” he said.

DOHA — Qatar Sports Club (QSC) have allowed head coach Radhi Shenaishil a leave of absence to take charge of his native Iraq at next month’s Asian Cup.

“With the spirit of sincere cooperation in the Arab sports world, which we hope will lead to friendly ties between the Arab people, the Qatar Sports Club Board decided to accept the request of the Iraq Football Association,” QSC said in a statement on Sunday.

The former international defender took charge of Iraq previously in 2009 before standing aside for Bora Milutinovic prior to the Confederations Cup campaign that year.

The 48-year-old represented his country at the 1996 Asian Cup, where he was named in the team of the tournament as they reached the quarter-finals.

MADRID — With defending champion Real Madrid away at the Club World Cup in Morocco, this week’s Copa del Rey fixture list puts rival challengers, including Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, in focus.

Real Madrid and Sevilla played in advance and the champions set the pace by easing past Cornella with a 9-1 victory on aggregate.

Barcelona seek to improve on a 4-0 first-leg win at Huesca when they host the third-tier side at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, while Atletico seek to build on their 3-0 away win against L’Hospitalet on Thursday.

Here are some things to know about this week’s Round of 16 return leg Copa del Rey matches:

Minus Dani

Barcelona will be without Dani Alves’ defence-splitting passes that have helped Lionel Messi continue breaking goal-scoring records this season.

The club said Sunday that medical tests confirmed Alves had injured a muscle in his right leg and would not play against Huesca.

His “availability for future matches” would be determined by the evolution of his injury, a club statement said.

Stopping the rot

Top tier side Celta Vigo started the season well, losing only one of 11 matches, and upset Barcelona by winning 1-0 at the Camp Nou on November 1.

Then Celta lost five in a row, including a 2-1 defeat at second-division Las Palmas.

Celta have gone six games without a win and Argentine coach Eduardo Berizzo will hope to stop the rot when his side hosts the Canary Island club on Tuesday.

Best behaviour

Atletico coach Diego Simeone will hope his team returns to winning ways at home after losing 1-0 to Villarreal in the league at the weekend, his first defeat there since May 12, 2013, when Barcelona won 2-1.

The reigning Spanish league champion Atletico will be on their best behaviour as they host minnows L’ Hospitalet.

A large police presence is expected at the Vicente Calderon after a Deportivo La Coruna supporter died following violent clashes between radical fans outside the stadium on November 30.

L’ Hospitalet is a working class suburb of Barcelona.

Improving fitness

Coach David Moyes is beginning to see some effects from the extended training sessions he introduced at Real Sociedad when he arrived and said he thought the squad looked unfit.

So far, Moyes has coached his team to one victory, two draws and one defeat, 4-0 at Villarreal.

Sociedad managed a first-leg 0-0 draw at Oviedo, who is top of their group in Spain’s Segunda B League.

Moyes’ team missed a chance to win the Basque derby on Sunday drawing 1-1 with  Athletic Bilbao.

MANCHESTER, England — Out of the Champions League and marooned in mid-table in the Premier League, Liverpool can find solace in their turbulent season by reaching the semifinals of the English League Cup this week.

Lose to second-tier Bournemouth on Wednesday, though, and the pressure will grow on Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

Bournemouth will be no pushover, either. Unbeaten since September, the south-coast club is top of the League Championship as it chases a place in the Premier League for the first time and has already beaten top-flight opposition in the League Cup this season in West Bromwich Albion. Bournemouth are also looking for revenge after losing 2-0 to Liverpool in the FA Cup last season.

A long trip south for a match against in-form and fired-up lower-league opposition in a compact Dean Court Stadium? It has all the makings of a cup upset.

Chelsea also play away to second-tier opposition in Derby, managed by former England coach Steve McClaren, while Southampton visit third-tier Sheffield United Tuesday.

Tottenham are at home to Newcastle on Wednesday in the other last-eight match.

Here are some things to know about the League Cup quarter-finals:

Mignolet won’t return

Dropped for Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday, Simon Mignolet won’t be returning to Liverpool’s team for the trip to Bournemouth.

Liverpool manager Rodgers said the Belgium goalkeeper is out for “an indefinite period” and that Brad Jones will start at Dean Court.

“It is something that can happen to keepers, taking them out of the firing line and give them time to reflect,” Rodgers said.

Mignolet had started 93 straight league games but came under pressure after a string of mistakes and nervy displays. 

Bournemouth revived

In 2008, Bournemouth were in the bottom tier of the English league, endangered by a 17-point deduction for financial problems and on the verge of going out of business.

Six years on and saved by the money of a Russian billionaire, the club has no ceiling on its ambitions.

Bournemouth are one of the upcoming teams in English football under the stewardship of a young coach in Eddie Howe, who is considered one of the country’s brightest managerial prospects.

Even if Bournemouth lose on Wednesday, Dean Court could be welcoming the likes of Liverpool on a regular basis next season. A 5-3 win over Cardiff on Saturday lifted the team to the top of the League Championship and it is one of the favourites for promotion. 

Mourinho’s desire 

It may be the least of Chelsea’s priorities this season but manager Jose Mourinho has been taking the League Cup seriously.

“He wants to win every competition that he is up for,” Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas said of Mourinho. “He has already told us he wants to win this trophy. It is the first trophy of the season and he wants it.”

Mourinho failed to win a trophy in his first season back at Chelsea in his second spell at the London club. But the Blues are top of the Premier League and also one of the favourites for the Champions League.

Fabregas is available again after suspension and Mourinho must make a call on striker Diego Costa, who may not be risked for a third match in seven days.

Also

Southampton head to Sheffield United having lost four games in a row in the Premier League to puncture early-season optimism and drop the team from second place to fifth.

United reached the FA Cup semifinals last season and has been in the headlines this season for their aborted attempt to sign Wales international Ched Evans following his release from prison after serving half of a five-year sentence for rape.

GENEVA — Defending European champion Real Madrid were perhaps most impressive in the group stage with a perfect record, contributing six of the club’s current Spanish record streak of 20 straight wins.

Madrid advanced with two matches to spare and their 11-point lead over runner-up Basel was a competition record.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a Champions League-record 17 goals last season, has five so far, allowing Lionel Messi to build a 75-72 lead in their ongoing duel for the all-time competition scoring record.

In a season of heavy scoring and lopsided wins, even Messi’s eight goals for Barcelona does not top the standings.

Shakhtar forward Luiz Adriano has nine — matching Ronaldo’s group-stage record last season — with eight scored against BATE Borisov of Belarus.

The Ukraine champion’s 7-0 and 5-0 routs of BATE were among 15 matches in the group stage won by at least four goals. There were just 16 such wins in the past two group phases combined.

Also, half the teams in Monday’s draw racked up double-figure goal difference in the groups.

Monaco bucked that trend. The lowest-ranked club remaining — now No. 89 in UEFA’s standings — scored only four in six matches after letting star Colombian forwards James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao leave in the summer.

The French side equalled the competition record by conceding just a single goal, though is arguably the weakest seeded team.

A pairing with Monaco would send Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger back to where he made his reputation in the 1980s. It would also be rare good Champions League fortune for Arsenal, who recently exited the last-16 stage against Barcelona and Bayern.

Dortmund are the most unpredictable seed with the 2013 runner-up shining in the Champions League while spending much of the season last in the Bundesliga.

PSG, who were runners-up in Barcelona’s group, could be the toughest unseeded option, though English champion Manchester City have momentum from their unlikely turnaround sparked by Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick to defeat Bayern last month.

Ten of the 16 teams come from three nations — Spain, England and Germany — and only one is from eastern Europe.

However, Shakhtar play closer to the west than they would choose. Donetsk is the centre of conflict with pro-Russian separatists, so Shakhtar play “home” matches in Lviv, near Ukraine’s western border with Poland.

Each last-16 team will collect a further 3.5 million euros ($4.4 million) in UEFA prize money, after earning up to 15 million euros ($18.7 million) from the groups. Teams can more than double their UEFA cheque from shares of broadcast revenues.

The final is played June 6 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

AMMAN – Leagues, infrastructure and women’s football are among the main topics up for discussion at the 2015 Soccerex Asian Forum in April, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie told The Jordan Times in a recent exclusive interview.

Revie said since the 2014 forum at the Dead Sea in spring was a huge success organisers decided to hold the event in Jordan for the second consecutive year.

“After discussions, we decided to hold Soccerex in Jordan not only 2015, but also in 2016,” he said. 

He noted that HRH Prince Ali, FIFA vice president representing Asia, was very supportive. 

Revie said renowned figures representing the leagues in the world and football in general are expected to attend next year’s forum. 

“We had nearly 700 delegates this year and we hope to double that next year,” he added.

Revie noted that the Jordanian football leagues would benefit from the forum as representatives from world renowned and popular leagues, including the English Premier League, are going to share their experiences which will help set-up professional leagues here in Jordan. 

“I think it will be a huge step forward for Jordan. The national team is already doing a marvellous job,” he added. 

Revie said the unique selling point of the event is that instead of making people travel around the world trying to see representatives of the football sector, they can be found gathered in one place. 

Meanwhile, the Soccerex CEO applauded the step taken by Prince Ali for hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016, describing it as a “very bold move”. 

“It is really fascinating and many people representing the football sector in the world will come to listen and learn about that,” he added. 

The brainchild for Soccerex was conceived in 1995 in Manchester, England, Revie told The Jordan Times in a previous interview. 

Since the first event in 1996 Soccerex has hosted over 36 events across five continents — including six in Dubai — bringing together over 40,000 industry figures. 

Soccerex is the leading provider of football business events worldwide, according to its website.

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) joined the Jordan Paralympic Federation in celebrating the incredible achievements of medal winners at the recent Asian Paralympic Games held in Incheon, South Korea, according to a statement from the JOC Media Centre.

Jordan returned from the major multi-sport event with nine medals, four more than they achieved in 2010 in Guangzhou, China.

The Kingdom picked up one gold, four silver and four bronze medals to make it their most successful Asian Games to date, and the athletes were congratulated on Thursday by federation’s President HRH Prince Raad Bin Zeid, HH Prince Mired and JOC Secretary General Lana Al Jaghbeer at a special ceremony.

“I am proud of the achievements of these talented athletes,” Prince Raad was quoted in the statement as saying. “The standard of competition was very high in Korea but these athletes proved to be up to the challenge.”

Asian Paralympic medal winners:

Gold 

Abdul Kareem Khatab (weightlifting) 

Silver

Muataz Al Junaidi (weightlifting)

Tharwa Al Hajjaj (weightlifting)

Osama Abu Jame (table tennis)

Bronze

Amer Abdul Azziz (shot put)

Mahar Al Barghouti (table tennis)

Khitam Abu Awad (table tennis)

Team Jordan — Khitam Abu Awad, Fatima Al Azzam, Fatin Olaimat (table tennis)