ABU DHABI: They may not be able to bend it quite like David Beckham, but Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Philippines have made an instant impact in their first appearance at the Asian Cup.
Ranked a lowly 116th in the world, the Azkals (street dogs) bared their teeth against South Korea in Abu Dhabi this week, giving the favorites a real fright before eventually losing 1-0 — a far cry from the hammering many had predicted.
“It’s a different challenge,” Eriksson told AFP in an interview Thursday.
“The Philippines is unfortunately not a football country — basketball is more popular. But if this generation of players can do well at the Asian Cup, they can change that.”
Eriksson took charge of the Philippines last November on a short-term contract until the end of the Asian Cup.
And the Swede is relishing the slower pace after a glittering coaching career that included spells at Lazio, Manchester City and, most famously, five years in the England hot seat from 2001 to 2006.
“Here it’s much more quiet,” smiled the 70-year-old.
“If you travel around the world with David Beckham it’s total chaos everywhere you go.
“I was amazed how he could focus on the football,” added Eriksson, who was hounded by media and had his private life splashed across the tabloids during his time as England boss.
“None of my players have even played at an Asian Cup, but they’re professional, they fight — like England or Lazio or whoever it is.”
A team mostly cherry-picked from overseas, the players who started against South Korea all had at least one non-Filipino parent, sparking renewed debate in the country over ethnicity after Filipino-Australian model Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe last month.
“I’m very proud of them,” insisted Eriksson, who steered the Philippines to the knockout stages of the southeast Asian championships in his first assignment.
“They stood up to a very good Korean team. I’m very curious to see if we can do it again tomorrow.”
Bustling forward Javier Patino could prove a thorn in China’s side on Friday in a match which sees Eriksson lock horns with his old foe Marcello Lippi.
But there will be more on the line than three points.
“I think I’ve met Lippi in Italy and China 20 times maybe,” said Eriksson, who spent four years in Chinese club football from 2013 to 2017.
“When I was at Sampdoria and Lazio, he had Inter (Milan), Juventus and Napoli — Italian Cup finals, so many games — and we are friends still.
“I will take my usual best with him,” added the Swede. “Whoever loses has to buy dinner and a very good red wine.”
Eriksson turned down jobs with Cameroon and Iraq to coach the Philippines but whatever the result against China and fellow Asian Cup first-timers Kyrgyzstan next week, he has no regrets.
“I like the people, I like the players,” he said. “We are more like a team today than we were a month ago.”
Asked about his future, Eriksson suggested whimsically he could end his career where it began as a player — at amateur side Torsby.
“I’ll always have my local team in Sweden — it’s a village team,” he said.
“But I don’t have any plans — and at my age in football, it’s better not to have plans.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s ‘street dogs’ put Philippines on Asian Cup map
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s ‘street dogs’ put Philippines on Asian Cup map
- Ranked a lowly 116th in the world, the Azkals (street dogs) bared their teeth against South Korea in Abu Dhabi this week, giving the favorites a real fright before eventually losing 1-0
- Sven-Goran Eriksson: The Philippines is unfortunately not a football country — basketball is more popular. But if this generation of players can do well at the Asian Cup, they can change that
Pooran’s brilliance guides MI Emirates to victory over Gulf Giants in ILT20
- Captain’s innings seals impressive triumph
DUBAI: MI Emirates secured a five-wicket victory over the Gulf Giants in the DP World ILT20 at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday, with skipper Nicholas Pooran leading from the front with a match-winning unbeaten 58 off 37 balls, earning him the Player of the Match award as his side claimed their first win of the season.
Batting first, the Gulf Giants made a strong start, with openers Gerhard Erasmus and James Vince regularly finding the boundary.
However, their momentum was dented in the third over when Akeal Hosein dismissed Erasmus for 12. Vince, undeterred, found an able partner in Jordan Cox, and together they pushed the score to 52 for one at the end of the powerplay.
Cox and Vince put together a solid 51-run stand before Alzarri Joseph dismissed Cox in the 10th over. Tom Curran chipped in with 13, while Vince continued to anchor the innings, reaching his half-century in style.
With the Giants poised for a strong finish, Vince was joined by Shimron Hetmyer, and the duo accelerated in the 16th over, hitting 19 runs. However, MI Emirates fought back, removing Hetmyer (15) and Vince (86 off 50 balls) in quick succession. Late contributions from Tim David and Chris Jordan (both 10 not out) took the Gulf Giants to 173 for six in 20 overs.
Chasing 174, MI Emirates got off to a flying start as openers Andre Fletcher and Muhammad Waseem took the attack to the bowlers. Waseem smashed a rapid 26 off 10 balls before departing, while Tom Banton added 11 before falling to Aayan Khan.
Despite a run-out setback that saw Kusal Perera dismissed for just one, Fletcher continued to hold the innings together, scoring 31 before being castled by Blessing Muzarabani, who impressed with figures of one for 17 in four overs. At 102 for four, MI Emirates faced an uphill task, needing 72 runs off the last five overs.
Pooran, however, took control of the chase alongside Bevon Jacobs, forging a crucial 53-run stand off 33 balls. Jacobs’ departure for 18 brought Romario Shepherd to the crease, but Pooran remained composed under pressure.
Reaching his half-century in the 18th over, Pooran shifted gears as Shepherd’s late blows further eased the equation. With six runs needed off the final over, the MI Emirates skipper finished the job in style, smashing a six over cow corner to seal the victory.
Reflecting on his match-winning knock, Pooran said: “I knew I had to get the job done and be there until the end. I am more experienced now and know what’s required. The key is to trust yourself to absorb the pressure.”
Vince, captain of Gulf Giants, admitted that missed opportunities cost his side. “We didn’t feel it was that straightforward out there. There was some turn for the slower bowlers, but we dropped a catch and it ultimately cost us tonight,” he said.
Hilal, Ettifaq return to winning ways
- Blue Waves’ victory over Al-Okhdood comes after surprise defeat at Al-Qadsiah
- Brazilian Kaio Cesar put hosts ahead on debut in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: Al-Hilal returned to winning ways on Friday, defeating Al-Okhdood 4-0 to go three points clear of Al-Ittihad at the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
The victory, albeit against the relegation-threatened visitors, showed a return to form after the club’s surprise defeat to Al-Qadsiah earlier in the week.
Al-Hilal may have seen the departure of megastar Neymar but thanks to fellow Brazilian Kaio Cesar, who was making his debut in Saudi Arabia, the result was never in doubt. The 20-year-old winger fired home from close range in the fourth minute after a shot-cum-cross by Moteb Al-Harbi.
It was the perfect start but the Blue Waves had to wait until the end of the first half to establish their dominance.
Two minutes before the break, Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic curled a free kick worthy of Cristiano Ronaldo into the top corner, and two minutes into added time Marcos Leonardo headed home at the far post following a headed cross from Saudi Arabian international Hassan Tambakti.
The Brazilian forward scored a second from close range just 10 minutes after the restart to seal the win.
While the victory put Al-Hilal back on top of the table, Al-Ittihad will join them on points if they beat Al-Kholood at home on Saturday.
Later on Friday Ettifaq recorded a much-needed 3-1 win over Al-Shabab, just a day after the departure of head coach Steven Gerrard.
Gini Wijnaldum put the hosts ahead after 35 minutes and despite a quick response from Abderazzak Hamdallah goals from Joao Costa and a second for the Dutchman deep into injury time put the game beyond reach.
Postecoglou hopes for end to ‘vicious cycle’ of Tottenham injuries
- Postecoglou is under severe pressure after a miserable run of seven Premier League games without a win
- Postecoglou is battling a lengthy injury list that threatens to stop the north Londoners ending their malaise
LONDON: Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham’s “vicious cycle” of injuries has hampered his attempt to get the troubled club back on track.
Postecoglou is under severe pressure after a miserable run of seven Premier League games without a win, with six defeats in that dismal spell also triggering fan protests against chairman Daniel Levy.
Ahead of Sunday’s game at Brentford, Postecoglou’s side are languishing in 15th place, just eight points above the relegation zone.
The Australian earned a little breathing space on Thursday when a 3-0 win against Elfsborg booked Tottenham’s place in the Europa League last 16.
But Postecoglou is battling a lengthy injury list that threatens to stop the north Londoners ending their malaise.
Postecoglou was already without Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner and James Maddison.
Romania defender Radu Dragusin became the latest to be bitten by the injury bug when he was forced off against Elfsborg, although center-back Micky van de Ven played 45 minutes on his return from a hamstring problem.
“We’ve had to deal with a real extreme situation, which unfortunately once we got hit, it is then very hard to rectify on the run,” Postecoglou told reporters on Friday.
“We obviously got some significant injuries early on, which hampered our progress, and then we had to rely on a small group of players to get us through and that then burdened them.
“It has been this vicious cycle. The volume of games that clubs are playing, we’ve been in an extreme situation but a lot of clubs are facing similarities in Europe.”
It is a vital week for Tottenham, who travel to Liverpool holding a 1-0 lead in the second leg of the League Cup semifinals on Thursday before heading to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on February 9.
Injuries forced Postecoglou to turn to youth academy graduates Dane Scarlett, Mikey Moore and Damola Ajayi, who all scored their first goals for the club against Elfsborg.
Now the former Celtic boss is desperate to avoid any further fitness setbacks as he bids to end a Tottenham trophy drought stretching back to 2008.
“Every time I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s usually been an oncoming train,” he said.
“We seem to be losing players as we get them back. We don’t want to lose anyone else, but again, best laid plans.
“You can’t plan for these things. We’ve got a big week coming up, starting Sunday.
“We’re going to have to do it with this core group of players, so we’ve just got to be careful about how we go about it.”
Cycling chiefs deny plans to move world championships from Rwanda
- “UCI clarifies that no relocation of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships from Rwanda to Switzerland or any other location is planned at this time,” UCI said
- “The ongoing conflict is confined to the DRC, and Rwanda remains entirely safe”
PARIS: Cycling’s governing body UCI on Friday insisted there were no plans to move September’s world road championships from Rwanda because of the crisis in DR Congo.
“Following the spread of rumors on this subject, the UCI clarifies that no relocation of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships from Rwanda to Switzerland or any other location is planned at this time,” UCI said in a statement.
There has been media speculation in recent days about a possible ‘Plan B’ being studied concerning these first cycling worlds in Africa while the Rwanda-backed armed group M23 is leading an offensive in eastern DR Congo.
“The ongoing conflict is confined to the DRC, and Rwanda remains entirely safe for tourism and business,” the UCI insisted, adding that they were “closely monitoring developments in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their potential impact on the organization of the UCI Road World Championships.”
“We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of the situation,” the statement added.
“The UCI wishes to emphasize that sport, and cycling in particular, are powerful ambassadors for peace, friendship, and solidarity.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah praises success of motorsport in Saudi Arabia
- Qatari rally driver attends Hail Rally ‘to run and support’ his new team, Nasser Racing)
- Team has eight cars in rally, with four drivers from Qatar, one from Portugal, two from the UAE and one from Saudi Arabia
HAIL: Qatari rally driver Nasser Al-Attiyah told Arab News on Friday that he is happy to be present at the 20th edition of the Hail Rally, a race he has won twice in the past.
This time, however, Al-Attiyah is here not as a driver, but to run and support his team, Nasser Racing.
“I have eight cars here to be driven by four drivers from Qatar, one from Portugal, two from the United Arab Emirates and one from Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I am so happy to have a group of such good drivers with Nasser Racing here in Hail and I hope they win this special rally.”
He continued: “The Hail Rally is one of the most beautiful rallies and the organization is amazing. There is great interest from the emir of the region and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, and there is a great turnout from the people of Hail, who are (true) rally lovers. They have a great rally culture. I congratulate them on the 20th anniversary.”
The Qatari sports icon praised the support of the Saudi government and SAMF for high-level motorsport, noting that Saudi Arabia has become a fixture on the calendar.
“During the last five years, we can see major changes in the Kingdom related to motorsport. For us, as competitive drivers, we feel lucky to take part in major races here in our second home. Motorsport is really gaining popularity and we can see many young people joining the sport,” he said.
Discussing the latest edition of the Dakar Rally, which took place earlier this month, and in which Al-Attiyah came fourth, he said: “It was an amazing and tough rally. Unfortunately, we could not fight for the podium because we had a new car, However, we were happy. We had a good performance, but a new car always needs time”.
The five-time Dakar champion promised he would be back to fight for top spot in next year’s rally, adding that he is determined to keep competing in order to win more titles and break new records.
