The 21-year-old from Surat Thani outclassed Minah to win the gold medal in the Olympics Qualifying tournament. It was an impressive finish to the season for the taekwondo exponent after major 2018 wins including two World Grand Prix titles, in Manchester and Taoyuan, and the Asian Games gold medal. She has won a total of six events over the past 12 months.

She also earned a 2020 Olympic quota for Thailand in the 49kg category and won the US$70,000 for yesterday’s victory.

Despite his lowly world ranking of 239, Poom refused to be cowed into submission by world No 2 Justin Rose, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (No 27) and a host of Asian Tour champions assembled in Jakarta for the Asian Tour season finale.

“I really look up to Henrik [Stenson]. I was really happy when I saw his name in the field this week. I was hoping to play with him in the first two rounds actually. I was very happy when I finally get to play with him in the final round,” said Poom, 25, who won this event two years ago.

“I am very excited right now and looking forward to a better season next year. I can’t wait to come back and defend my title,” added Poom, dubbed the Baby-Faced Assassin for his youthful looks.

Like his first Indonesian Masters victory in 2016, Poom had his uncle, Pratya Ployprapai, on his bag again. Together, they forged another formidable partnership to win by three shots with a four-day total of 20-under-par 268.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond started the day six shots behind Poom in third place, but stormed out in 32 and then birdied 10 and eagled 12 to lie within striking distance of his third Asian Tour title.

However, two dropped shots on 15 and 17 put paid to his hopes before eagle-three on 18 saw him end his Asian Tour season with seven top-10s and one victory.

Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat, who won his National open in June, claimed his third top-10 result of the season by finishing third with a bogey-free final round 66 at the US$750,000 event.

A charge by Stenson to deny Poom glory failed to materialise as the Swede’s putter went cold.

Defending champion Justin Rose had to finish tied-16th or better to move back to world No 1 but posted a disappointing 75 to finish tied-17th.

The 23-year-old has suffered a series of near-misses in recent years, winning silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and again at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games this year.

The world number six, renowned for her never-say-die attitude, has also twice lost in the final of the World Championships and was runner-up in last year’s season finale.

But she put all that heartbreak behind her in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, beating the fifth-ranked Okuhara 21-19, 21-17 in the women’s final in just over an hour.

Sindhu, who was always in control of the match, sealed the championship with a forehand smash, before collapsing to the court floor on her hands and knees.

The men’s final later Sunday tees up the two top players in the world, top-ranked Kento Momota of Japan against number two and home star Shi Yuqi.

The Vietnamese had allowed a two-goal lead to slip in a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Kuala Lumpur last Tuesday but Anh Duc restored their advantage when he volleyed home from close range after only six minutes.

Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam made a series of fine saves to preserve the home side’s advantage as they won 3-2 on aggregate and claimed the ASEAN regional title for the first time since 2008.

Vietnam had the benefit of two away goals from the first leg and they made an excellent start in Hanoi, taking the lead when Nguyen Quang Hai’s chip from the left found Anh Duc, whose left-footed volley was too powerful for goalkeeper Farizal Marlias to keep out of his net.

Mohamadou Sumareh went close to levelling for Malaysia in the 11th minute with a clever back-heel which went narrowly wide, while Do Hung Dung should have done better for the hosts in the 33rd minute after he received the ball unmarked on the edge of the box but shot wastefully wide.

Van Lam was called into action just before half-time to tip Syahmi Safari’s first-time effort over his crossbar and he showed fine reflexes again early in the second to bat Sumareh’s header clear before making another fine save to keep out Safawi Rasid’s free-kick.

Ten players –- six Vietnamese and four Malaysians –- were booked in the scrappy encounter which culminated in the dismissal of Shahrul Saad in stoppage time when he received his second yellow card after committing a foul on the halfway line to snuff out a Vietnamese counter-attack.

Qatar on Saturday revealed the design for the stadium that will in four years’ time host the first ever World Cup finals game to be played in the Middle East.

The 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium — also the venue for the 2022 World Cup final — was revealed in an elaborate ceremony attended by the country’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and other dignitaries, including the United Nations’ secretary-general, Antonio Guterres.

Hassan al-Thawadi, the head of the country’s World Cup organising body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, called the unveiling a “significant milestone”.

“Every milestone for us is always important,” he said.

“The announcement of the design of the stadium is very, very important… it’s the last stadium as well.”

The Lusail Stadium is the eighth and final venue to be revealed for the Qatar World Cup.

Designed by British architects Foster and Partners, the stadium is said to take its inspiration from Arab craftmanship, said the committee.

It also stands close to the site of the former home of Qatar’s founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani al-Thani.

The stadium sits in the completely new city of Lusail, a $45 billion (40 billion euro) project located 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of the capital Doha.

It is one of the largest infrastructure schemes undertaken by Qatar, which is undergoing enormous transformation for the World Cup.

Construction work, in the shape of a Qatari/Chinese joint project, is set to finish in 2020.

The unveiling of Lusail comes as world football’s governing body FIFA is still considering whether to expand the tournament from 32 teams to 48.

If that expansion occurs — there is currently a feasibility study underway — it is likely that tournament games will be shared among other countries in the region.

“Ultimately the decision (on expansion) will be made with FIFA and Qatar,” said Thawadi.

Mourinho and his Manchester United side visit Anfield on Sunday with Liverpool 16 points ahead of their bitter rivals.

But Mourinho points to perceived good fortune enjoyed by Liverpool in recent victories over Everton, Bournemouth and Napoli as evidence they have lady luck on their side as they challenge for their first championship since 1990.

“Of course, they are very confident about themselves,” Mourinho told reporters. “They are top of the league, they have this feeling of – I know that feeling well – the feeling of the lucky ones where everything goes in your direction.

“They know how they beat Everton, they know that the last match, the opening goal was offside, and they know that against Napoli in the last seconds they could be out.

“They have this feeling that I also had when my teams were top of the league and it looks like everything goes in your direction.”

Klopp’s side certainly benefitted from a stroke of luck when a defensive error gifted them a stoppage-time victory in the Merseyside derby, although a clearly offside opening goal by Mohamed Salah at Bournemouth was only the first of four scored by the rampant Reds.

And, while the midweek victory over Napoli was only confirmed when Alisson made a spectacular late save, the success carried last season’s Champions League runners-up through to the last 16 and has further raised the mood of optimism around Anfield.

– Weaknesses –

Not that Mourinho expects his rivals to take inconsistent United lightly when they meet.

“I think they are obviously very, very confident. But I think they are not stupid,” he said.

“They also know that we have our weaknesses, our strengths, and I think they will respect our strengths. I think if they don’t do that I will be happy with that.

“They know that they need every point if they want to be champions so I think they are professionals and being professional is respecting Manchester United. They know that we can go there and win.”

Mourinho, meanwhile, claims he does not yet know if he will have money to spend in the January transfer window which opens in barely two weeks’ time.

Unsourced reports have claimed repeatedly in recent months that the United manager has been frustrated at the lack of backing he has received from his club’s owners in the transfer market.

Last January, the window proved a busy one for Mourinho, as he completed the signing of Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez.

And, although that particular transfer has yet to prove a success, the Portuguese manager is clearly keen to do some more business next month.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if we are going to have new players – I would like to – but I don’t know if it is possible or not,” he said.

“It depends on the club. I don’t know and, honestly, I’m focused on my job of playing Liverpool and next week playing Cardiff.”

Mourinho insisted he is not concerned by the obvious lack of progress being made by his club in his two and a half years in charge.

“I’m not frustrated because my work is to demand from players that they give everything they have and what I demand – I only demand things that I can give myself,” he said.

“So what I ask the players to do – that’s what I do. You have to work hard, you have to work on your limits. It’s my job.”