Zidane: Real Madrid will not switch off ahead of City test

Real Madrid’s French coach Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid’s Spanish defender Sergio Ramos celebrate with the trophy after Thursday’s match. (AFP)
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Updated 18 July 2020
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Zidane: Real Madrid will not switch off ahead of City test

  • Real Madrid sit seven points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga after securing only their third league title in 12 years

MADRID: Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday that his players will not be given any holiday after La Liga ends this weekend as Real Madrid turn their attention to their crunch Champions League tie with Manchester City.

Madrid have won La Liga with a game to spare and could rest players for Sunday’s final game away to relegation battlers Leganes. 

But Zidane insists there will be no letup from Monday as Madrid attempt to overturn a 2-1 home defeat to City in the second leg of the last 16 encounter.

“They are not going to have two weeks off,” said Zidane in a press conference on Saturday.

“We have a game tomorrow and then we are not on vacation. Let’s get some rest, but then our minds will be on City.

“The season is not over. We’re going to have a few days off but everyone will be focused on what is a crucial match.”

Madrid sit seven points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga after securing only their third league title in 12 years.

Their success comes after a 10-match winning run since the restart, with the team finding their best form after the three-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The title should never be underestimated, especially this one. It has been difficult and we have fought to the end,” Zidane said.

Madrid’s lineup and focus could be crucial to La Liga’s survival race given Leganes are fighting Celta Vigo to avoid the drop. Leganes are a point behind Celta, who play away at bottom club Espanyol.

“We can’t play it differently,” said Zidane.

“One match is left, we must respect that. It is the last game and we have to respect everyone else. We will play it to try to do well.”


Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket

Updated 22 sec ago
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Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket

  • Wasim played 75 T20 internationals after making debut against Zimbabwe in 2015
  • He scored 554 runs in T20s and also took 73 wickets with his left-arm spin bowling

ISLAMABAD: Imad Wasim has announced his retirement from international cricket, six months after the Pakistan all-rounder made a comeback and played at the T20 World Cup.
“After much thought and reflection, I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Wasim wrote on X on Friday. “Representing Pakistan on the world stage has been the greatest honor of my life, and every moment wearing the green jersey has been unforgettable.”
The 35-year-old Wasim played 75 T20 internationals after making his debut against Zimbabwe in 2015. He scored 554 runs in T20s and also took 73 wickets with his left-arm spin bowling. Wasim also played 55 ODIs for Pakistan and took 44 wickets while scoring 986 runs.
Wasim quit international cricket in November 2023 after selectors ignored the all-rounder because of his fitness issues. Wasim changed his mind and made himself available for June’s T20 World Cup where Pakistan made an early exit after losing to archrival India and United States in group matches.
Wasim struggled to make a mark and finished the tournament with only three wickets in three games and could score only 19 runs.
The all-rounder said he will continue to play in domestic cricket and franchise cricket around the world.
“While this chapter comes to an end, I look forward to continuing my journey in cricket through domestic and franchise cricket, and I hope to keep entertaining you all in new ways. Thank you for everything. Pakistan,” he said.


PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France

Updated 15 min 58 sec ago
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PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France

  • PSG head into the final round of Ligue 1 games this calendar year unbeaten domestically and with a five-point lead from nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco at the top of the table.
  • They have struggled to convince recently and have been held to draws in their last two domestic outings

PARIS: Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, the two clubs who have taken turns dominating French football so far this century, pits the stuttering reigning champions against opponents who have hit a rich vein of form.
PSG head into the final round of Ligue 1 games this calendar year unbeaten domestically and with a five-point lead from nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco at the top of the table.
However, they have struggled to convince recently and have been held to draws in their last two domestic outings, against Nantes and Auxerre.
At least they breathed life into their faltering Champions League campaign in midweek, a 3-0 win at Red Bull Salzburg calming fears that they might not make the knockout phase of Europe’s elite club competition.
Even then, coach Luis Enrique suggested his team had played better in earlier games against PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid, neither of which they won.
“To be honest we didn’t play better than we did against PSV or Atletico. We were worse, but that’s football,” said the Spaniard.
All is far from rosy at the Parc des Princes, amid recent reports in the French media of a rift growing between the coach and certain players.
Their best performer this season has been young winger Bradley Barcola, who has scored 10 goals, but he has gone off the boil lately and will hope to find form again as he comes up against the club he left last year.
Lyon, who won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the first decade of this century, have often been a thorn in PSG’s side even if they have won just one of the last eight meetings of the clubs.
After stumbling in the early weeks of this campaign, they look in superb shape just now, on a run of nine games unbeaten and just one loss in 15 altogether.
They have won their last four matches and scored at least three goals in each of them, including an entertaining 3-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday.
That game, in which Rayan Cherki was outstanding, saw Lyon secure a place in the knockout phase play-offs of the Europa League at least.
Domestically, meanwhile, they are currently fifth and would be just six points behind PSG with a victory in the capital. They cannot be written off right now.
The 21-year-old was a transfer target for PSG during the last close season but ended up staying at Lyon where he is now playing the best football of his career.
The gifted winger or attacking midfielder may yet leave Lyon in January due to his current club’s need to raise funds in the transfer market.
That would be a blow for Lyon coach Pierre Sage, who has seen Cherki score two goals and set up three in two games over the last week. Sage feels his player deserves to be in the next France squad.
“I think today Rayan is being watched and is under consideration,” he said of a player who featured sparingly in the France side that won Olympic silver.
“His experience at the Olympics was not very positive but now he has other arguments in his favor and, if he gets a call-up, he will deserve it.”

8 — Brest are enjoying a heroic campaign in the Champions League but have lost eight times in Ligue 1 this season — that is one more defeat than in all of the last campaign.
15 — Also doing well in the Champions League, Lille are unbeaten in 15 games before Saturday’s clash with Marseille.
6 — PSG have lost six times to Lyon in Ligue 1 since the transformative takeover of the club by Qatar in 2011. Only Rennes (7) have recorded more wins against Paris in that time.

Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Toulouse v Saint-Etienne (1945)
Saturday
Marseille v Lille (1600), Auxerre v Lens (1800), Reims v Monaco (2000)
Sunday
Montpellier v Nice (1400), Brest v Nantes, Le Havre v Strasbourg, Rennes v Angers (all 1600), Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon (1945)


Manchester City report record revenues, but profits are down

Updated 13 December 2024
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Manchester City report record revenues, but profits are down

  • City won a record fourth straight Premier League title last year and has been crowned English champion in six of the last seven years

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City on Friday reported record revenues of $903 million (£715m) for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Revenues were up by $2.78m (£2.2m) on the previous year, but profits were down slightly — $93.2m (£73.8m pounds) compared to $101.5m (£80.4m).
“The club’s three primary income sources — commercial, broadcast and matchday — all remained strong, reflecting the continued differentiation and impact of the club’s multi-decade strategic approach,” City said in a statement.
City was taken over by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in 2008 and has gone on to dominate English football after spending billions of pounds on some of the world’s best players and hiring Pep Guardiola as manager in 2016.
City won a record fourth straight Premier League title last year and has been crowned English champion in six of the last seven years.
But it is currently struggling on the pitch both domestically and in the Champions League, and City’s financial report comes against the backdrop of a hearing on alleged financial breaches. The four-time defending champion is facing more than 100 charges by the Premier League ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English football.
City was accused by the league of providing misleading information about its finances from 2009-18. A hearing by an independent commission began in September and a verdict is not expected until next year.
City denies the charges.


Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury

Updated 13 December 2024
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Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury

  • Kane’s missed three games since then and Kompany says Kane won’t be available for Saturday’s Bundesliga game at Mainz

MUNICH: Harry Kane is set to make his return for Bayern Munich next week following a muscle injury, coach Vincent Kompany said Friday.
The England captain hasn’t played since he went off in Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 30 after receiving treatment on his right thigh.
Kane’s missed three games since then and Kompany said Kane wouldn’t be available for Saturday’s Bundesliga game at Mainz, either, but could return next week ahead of playing Leipzig on Dec. 20.
“It’s actually gone really quickly and well for Harry. It was tight for this game, but it looks good for Leipzig,” Kompany said.
“I’m obviously only focused on Mainz now but regarding Harry, it’s great. It’s not the case that we’ve had a setback or something. It looks good.”
Kane has scored 20 goals in 19 games for Bayern in all competitions this season.


Historic FIFAe Finals 2024 conclude with two more champions crowned

Updated 13 December 2024
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Historic FIFAe Finals 2024 conclude with two more champions crowned

  • Indonesia secure console competition of ‘FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball’, while Minbappe from Malaysia win mobile edition

RIYADH: Minbappe, from Malaysia, and Indonesia on Thursday secured their places in FIFAe history as history’s first champions of this new e-sports title in the growing FIFAe ecosystem.

After two weeks of football e-sports action at the SEF Arena in BLVD City in Riyadh, the FIFAe Finals 2024 concluded with the crowning of the console and mobile champions at the “FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball” evnt.

There were 18 countries competing in the console division in a 2v2 tournament, while 16 countries contested 1v1 mobile edition of the event. 

Minbappe from Malaysia won the mobile division after outplaying AN10_Tienes from Morocco in a thrilling final on Thursday.

On console, Indonesia claimed the coveted title ahead of a stacked field, including a win over Brazil in the final.

Saudi Arabia secured the inaugural “FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League” last week.

Hosted in collaboration with the Saudi Esports Federation, the second edition of the FIFAe Finals produced three world champions, with total prize money of $450,000 distributed to the participants.