JAKARTA: Do not be fooled by the 3-0 scoreline: Saudi Arabia’s struggles in front of goal are not limited to Juan Antonio Pizzi’s national team. The Kingdom’s U23 side comfortably defeated Myanmar last night at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium to plant one foot in the Asian Games knockout stages, but this was by no means a display of prolificacy.
Two penalties by Al-Ahli’s 21-year-old midfielder Abdulrahman Ghareeb had given the Young Falcons the lead, but for 89 minutes it felt like a goal from open play would simply never arrive. Finally, after 21 shots, 10 on target, and with Myanmar committing bodies forward in search of a lifeline, substitute Mutib Al-Banaqi of Al-Nassr was fed through the middle, rounded the goalkeeper and slipped the ball into an empty net. Coach Saad Al-Shehri dropped to his knees; his prayers finally answered.
“Thanks to God for this win,” Al-Shehri told Arab News afterwards.
“We played against a team that plays zone defense and we tried to break that down without making mistakes in midfield. We were sure we could create the space and score and we managed to create a lot of chances, but it’s true we had problems to score.”
Al-Shehri had opted to name an unchanged side to that which drew 0-0 with Iran in searing temperatures just 48 hours earlier, yet there were few signs of fatigue. The defensive pairing of captain Awn Al-Saluli and Abdulelah Al-Amri dealt with everything tidily as they kept their second successive cleansheet, while Ahli right-back Abdullah Tarmin demonstrated impressive reading of the game. Tarmin’s domestic teammate Ayman Al-Khulaif pulled the strings further forward.
It was Al-Khulaif, 21, who latched on to a cross-field pass in the 14th minute, volleying it back across goal only to see defender Nanda Kyaw’s hand block the trajectory. The referee immediately pointed to the spot and Ghareeb sent goalkeeper Kyaw-Zin Htet the wrong way to open Saudi’s Asian Games account.
If the deadlock being broken was supposed to prompt a deluge of goals, it never arrived. Center-half Abdulelah Al-Amri missed two unmarked headers, Ghareeb toed wide after combining well with Saad Al-Selouli, and Yousef Saad Al-Harbi forced an excellent save with a shot from distance. Even when Saudi came closest to doubling their lead, it came from Myanmar captain Zaw-min Tun deflecting a bobbled cross onto the post.
“I am disappointed that we missed so many chances because we made good combination plays and worked good space to score goals,” said Al-Shehri. “Clearly we need to work on this, our play in attack, but don’t forget it’s important to create chances too. With time the players will improve in front of goal. For the next game, this will be our focus — improve our composure in attack while also keeping a strong defense.”
Just like in the first half, 14 minutes after the restart and with Haroune Camara spurring a series of chances, Al-Khulaif collected the ball and once more won a spot-kick, the diminutive Al-Ahli winger going to ground theatrically just inside the area. Myanmar were furious, but Ghareeb was composed again, shooting it calmly to the goalkeeper’s left.
“I think we played a good game, but now we must focus on the next match against North Korea,” said Al-Khulaifi, who will miss Monday’s final group game through suspension. “All the talk about not scoring enough goals is just talk. We hear it, but next game will be better.”
Despite the Asian Games forcing countries to play three group-stage games in the space of five days, perplexingly Al-Shehri did not make a single change until the 77th minute, when he introduced Al-Banaqi, who would finally add the flourish.
“I’m pleased for Mutib,” said Al-Shehri, whose side can top the group after Iran defeated North Korea 3-0. “I have a big squad and not everybody can play, so the players who get a chance need to show me they are ready.”
Emotions threatened to spill over late-on when perceived simulation by Ghareeb directly in front of the Myanmar bench prompted accusations of theatrics from Myanmar coach Antoine Hey. Al-Shehri reacted angrily, screaming at Hey and having to be held back by his assistants. There was no handshake on the final whistle.
“I don’t like this,” Hey, a former Schalke midfielder who spent two years at Birmingham City, told Arab News. “We have a situation where their player is rolling around in front of our area pretending he has been fouled when he was not even touched. That’s not sportsmanlike behavior. We are always talking about fair play, but then we have this. Maybe their coach has never played in his career, but in my playing days this would not have happened.”
Earlier in the day, Palestine failed to hold on to a lead against Hong Kong when Yousuf Mahmoud’s early goal was canceled out by Ka Wai
Lam. Bahrain, humbled 6-0 by favorites South Korea earlier in the week, meanwhile relied on an injury-time equalizer to snatch a point against Kyrgyzstan.
Saudi Arabia’s Young Falcons put one foot into Asian Games knockout stages
Saudi Arabia’s Young Falcons put one foot into Asian Games knockout stages
- The Kingdom’s U23 side comfortably defeated Myanmar last night at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium to plant one foot in the Asian Games knockout stages
- Mutib Al-Banaqi rounded the goalkeeper and slipped the ball into the empty net to complete the scoring
Al-Kholood 1-0 Al-Ahli: Late goal seals victory in Roshn Saudi League
DUBAI: Al-Kholood secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Al-Ahli in the 15th round of the Roshn Saudi League at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraidah.
The match’s only goal came from Alex Collado in the 90+2nd minute, earning Al-Kholood three vital points.
With the win, Al-Kholood increased its tally to 16 points, moving to 12th place in the standings. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli remains in fifth place on 26 points.
Al-Ettifaq beats Damac 3-0 in Saudi Pro League
DUBAI: Al-Ettifaq defeated hosts Damac 3-0 in Khamis Mushait on Wednesday in their Saudi Pro League match.
Steven Gerrard’s team took an important victory, with goals from Mousa Dembele in the 22nd and 45th minutes, and Vitinho adding a third in the 83rd minute.
The win takes Al-Ettifaq’s points total to 18, moving them up to 11th in the league table. Damac are currently in 10th with the same number of points but a better goal difference.
UAE playing a pivotal role in cricket’s modern ecosystem
- Graeme Smith view that ILT20 ‘was not good for the game’ took no account of the league’s involvement in local UAE cricket
David White, CEO of DP World ILT20, has responded to adverse comments made by Graeme Smith, commissioner of South Africa’s Betway SA 20 league, about the ILT20.
Smith expressed a view that ILT20 “was not good for the game, with no investment back into local cricket.” As suggested in this column last week, Smith’s opinion took neither proper account of ILT20’s involvement in local UAE cricket nor the vastly different starting points from which the two leagues set off on their franchise journeys.
White took a similar line in his response, suggesting that Smith should have taken a closer look at the Emirates Cricket Board’s overall strategy. The UAE has long provided a safe bridge over troubled waters. Initially in Sharjah, its ability to be a go-to haven has grown with the Dubai International Stadium and the Sheikh Zayed and Tolerance Stadiums In Abu Dhabi. Most recently, in October 2024, the prospect of canceling the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup because of civil unrest in Bangladesh was averted by the ability to move the tournament to the UAE. A solution to the standoff between India and Pakistan over the 2025 Champions Trophy has also been supplied by the compromise to play India’s matches in Dubai.
Further back, the IPL was played in the UAE in 2021 because of COVID-19 restrictions in India, while the 2014 event was switched because it clashed with Indian general elections. The men’s T20 World Cup was also shifted to the UAE and Oman in 2021. On top of that, the ICC academy offers top-notch training facilities and two grounds on which to play. It is no surprise that the UAE attracts teams and players at professional level for training camps and competitions. It is also accessible from Europe and South Asia. A measure of its success is that the idea of English county teams going to the UAE for pre-season training is no longer considered to be risible.
While these aspects do not directly address Smith’s criticism, they do illustrate the UAE’s pivotal position in cricket’s ecosystem. Aware of this, the Emirates Cricket Board is seeking to use that position to develop its own domestic strength. Who can blame them? Funds have been invested in the community game and in school’s festivals. A secondary school competition has been reintroduced. Three hundred players registered for a development tournament, after which there was a draft with 25 players selected to participate in ILT20. There, they will learn from leading players and coaches.
South Africa, on the other hand, has been playing organized cricket since the mid-19th century, with the first club established at Port Elizabeth in 1843. In 1889 an England team visited to play two matches against a South African X1, in what would later be classed as Tests. The strength of South Africa’s cricket was encapsulated in 2012, when its men’s team became the first one to top the ICC rankings in all three formats of the game. The country’s position and reputation in world cricket is very different to that of the UAE. However, its financial position has been fragile and a franchise league was created to address that issue. SA20 can draw on a sizeable pool of domestic talent and Cricket South Africa has ensured that the best of that talent is available. The tournament requires franchises to sign 19 players, with a minimum of ten South Africans, a maximum of seven international players, a new rookie South African and a wildcard.
One of Smith’s gripes about ILT20 is the number of international players allowed to play in the tournament. Each playing 11 must include at least two UAE players and four in the squad overall. Smith’s view seems to be that this is not enough. One day the balance may well change when enough UAE players emerge with the ability to perform to the levels set by ILT20. Recalibrating the balance too early runs the risk of reducing the tournament’s quality. It would be wrong to suggest that ILT20’s strategy is not developmental. It takes time and patience.
Apart from financial considerations, SA20’s main goal is to nurture the improvement and growth of South African domestic players and the overall domestic system. Smith has gone so far as to argue that SA20 has already helped in the men’s Test team reaching the final of the World Test Championship. This seems to be an opportunistic claim. One thing that ILT20 achieves, but SA20 does not, is to facilitate participation by players from other ICC Associate members. This year, Nepal, Malaysia, the US, Scotland, Netherlands, Namibia and Italy are represented.
Both tournaments have got off to exciting starts. In SA20, last year’s winners, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, lost their first three matches, anchored at the foot of the table. The opening match of ILT20, a re-run of last year’s final, was won by one run by last year’s beaten finalists Dubai Capitals against the Mumbai Indians. Two days later, the Indians had their revenge. The 2023 winners, Gulf Giants, were beaten by six wickets by the team which they defeated, the Desert Vipers, in the final. The Giants’ innings reads curiously. In a total of 119 for nine, James Vince scored an unbeaten 76.
Vince has played 55 times for England, is a long-standing captain of Hampshire, which he led three times to success in T20 competitions, plus high positions in the county championship. On Jan. 13, he announced that he was quitting red-ball cricket to focus on white-ball cricket in 2025. He will play in the Pakistan Super League, or PSL, which will be staged in April this year so as not to clash with the Champions Trophy.
Vince had a decision to make between the PSL or red-ball cricket with Hampshire. The England and Wales Cricket Board has stipulated that only players with white-ball-only contracts will be allowed to play in overseas franchise tournaments during English season months. Vince’s case is an example of the ways in which franchise tournaments are shaping both the future of cricket and its players’ careers.
Each franchise has different objectives and strategies. Collectively, they are shifting cricket’s landscape. They do not appear to talk to each other and there is no regulation. Is it too much to expect that, one day, they may respect and understand their differences for the overall benefit of the game?
Al-Shabab beats Al-Riyadh 2-1 in Roshn Saudi League
DUBAI: Al-Shabab defeated Al-Riyadh 2-1 this evening at Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, kicking off the 15th round of the Roshn Saudi League.
Yahya Al-Shehri opened the scoring for Al-Riyadh in the 56th minute but Daniel Podence equalized for Al-Shabab in the 72nd minute. Abdul Razzaq Hamdallah secured the dramatic victory for Al-Shabab with a goal in the 90+7th minute.
With the result, Al-Shabab increased its tally to 26 points, moving to sixth place in the Roshn Saudi League standings. Al-Riyadh remains in seventh place on 22 points.
Omar Al-Somah hopes to revisit old glories with Saudi Pro League return
- The Syrian forward, who had a hugely successful spell with Al-Ahli from 2014 to 2022, has joined Al-Orobah at the age of 35
DUBAI: It was something like old times this week when renowned Syrian footballer Omar Al-Somar accepted an offer from Al-Orobah to play in the Saudi Pro League.
The player’s highlights at Al-Ahli, from May 2014 to August 2022, when he left for Qatar’s Al-Arabi initially on loan, included a record-breaking 144 goals in 180 Roshn Saudi League runouts and four major trophies.
In Jeddah, he was the fearsome center forward, standing 6 feet 4 inches and boasting the footwork of a ballerina. He had the grace to chest down and bicycle kick in March 2019’s unforgettable derby strike against Al-Ittihad, and the raw power to smash home countless free-kicks.
This richly talented figure has towered over the competition for almost a decade — literally and figuratively. An eye for the extravagant allied with ruthless finishing made him a poster boy for professional football in the Kingdom.
This, however, was before December 2022’s seismic announcement of Portugal megastar Cristiano Ronaldo’s recruitment and the rapid expansion of horizons that followed. It was also after an uncharacteristically meek contribution to the previous season’s unprecedented relegation for his team.
As the professional era’s unparalleled top scorer, Al-Somah’s exalted position in Saudi football is secure. The focus now is on what his return as a 35-year old on a free transfer can deliver for a club precariously positioned around the relegation zone, and which has netted only nine times in 14 outings during their top-flight return to date.
Ahead of Friday’s potential debut at Al-Khaleej, the celebrated attacker had an unequivocal retort to those who say you should never return to the scene of past glories.
“I’m delighted to be back in Saudi Arabia and back in the RSL,” said Al-Somah, according to Saudi Pro League’s official website. “It’s an honor to put on the shirt of Al-Orobah Football Club. I promise to do my best to live up to the expectations of everyone and add real value to the team.”
He added: “I’m really grateful for the fans who welcomed me in Al-Jouf and I’m honored to be among them. I look forward to my first match in Al-Jouf in two weeks’ time [the Jan. 22 encounter against Al-Qadsiah]. We need the fans to stand by us and push us forward in the next few months.”
Al-Somah held a tight grip on the RSL Golden Boot in three-consecutive seasons from 2014-17, plus played an oversized role in Al-Ahli that in the 2015-16 season ended a 32-year wait for another top-flight crown.
He bestrode a generation defined by spiky Saudi Arabia hitman Nasser Al-Shamrani, Al-Hilal’s beloved Bafetimbi Gomis and a prolific Abderrazak Hamdallah.
A much-changed league awaits him.
Previously, it was unheard of for promoted sides to stack prominent players. But his teammates now include the likes of ex-France defender Kurt Zouma, Iceland’s experienced Premier League campaigner Johann Berg Gudmundsson, former Barcelona youngster Cristian Tello and Ivory Coast’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winner Jean Michael Seri.
This is before you look at the world-class signings made by the likes of champions Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Qadsiah, Al-Ettifaq and the rest.
Elite center-backs such as Aymeric Laporte, Merih Demiral, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nacho must be conquered by Al-Somah if Al-Orobah are to get the goals they need. It is a sporting challenge many levels above what came before.
A further note of caution is that he barely cracked double figures during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 RSL campaigns as Al-Ahli’s travails and personal injury problems gripped.
Success did, however, follow in Qatar.
A brace against all-conquering Al-Sadd in the 2022-23 Emir Cup final ended Al-Arabi’s 30-year trophy drought. Only Kenya and Al-Duhail’s Michael Olunga (22 goals) bettered Al-Somah’s Qatar Stars League tally (19 goals).
Last season’s superb top-flight record came in at 17 strikes from 22 matches.
But Al-Somah has not been seen in action since August. Just 89 minutes and one goal were recorded in three appearances. This absence was extended to the international arena, with his last caps coming in June.
Understandable ring rust must be brushed off — and fast. It is testament to residual belief in his unique abilities, however, that Al-Orobah were forced to fight for this coveted signature.
Of the options he had available, Al-Somah said: “I had multiple offers, but this was the one I felt most comfortable with, and my heart went for Al-Orobah.”
Experience is the attribute which defines the club’s winter refit. Al-Somah joins a side now led by 63-year-old former Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain tactician Adnan Hamad. More tweaks may follow in the weeks ahead.
Any advantage will be sought in the battle to avoid demotion. Match week 15 began with 11th-placed Al-Ettifaq only three points above Al-Wehda in the final relegation spot.
Al-Somah’s Saudi record can never be questioned. Neither can the output during most of his Qatar spell at an Al-Arabi team that failed to gain silverware in the 21st century before he arrived.
The Syria icon departed the Roshn Saudi League after an unsuccessful scrap against relegation at Al-Ahli and rejoins via Al-Orobah with the same task at hand.
With a palpable determination to succeed, he is striking the right tone to see his standing enhanced rather than diminished during the remainder of this season.
It would be in character to witness a trademark torrent of goals, keep a grateful Al-Orobah up and cement an unmatched reputation that straddles different eras.
